A relatively rare interview with a key senior advisor and emissary for President Trump, Jared Kushner. Topics include: the upcoming chief of staff position; federal prison reform and the first-step act; and the ongoing dialogue in the middle east.
President Trump’s statement on Saudi Arabia is one of the most forthright explanations of foreign policy by a US President, ever. No obfuscation; no convoluted parseltongue; just plainly spoken brutal honesty. The Saudis may do bad things but they are better than their enemies, and our alliance with them is in our national interest. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers a similar statement in his media press briefing today.
Secretary Pompeo remarks about Saudi Arabia begin at 04:05 of video below:
Reports from European media that Croatian nationalist President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic will follow with the United States, Hungary and Austria and dismiss the United Nations latest global migration agreement.
(Voices of Europe) Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic will not sign the UN’s Global Compact for Migration (GCM), Croatian newsportal Direktno reports.
Tonight President Trump gave Fox News host Laura Ingraham an extensive interview to discuss multiple issues and current events.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sends a message of support to the people of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a press conference today reacting to how Obama administration officials were intentionally undermining current U.S. policy. Those actions include former Secretary of State John Kerry traveling to various hostile nations, specifically Iran, and telling our adversaries to “wait out the Trump administration”.
There’s a bigger, biggger picture here, that few are paying attention to. We shall outline that in greater detail. However, for now here’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responding to John Kerry’s intervention(s). WATCH:
John Kerry had illegal meetings with the very hostile Iranian Regime, which can only serve to undercut our great work to the detriment of the American people. He told them to wait out the Trump Administration! Was he registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act? BAD!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 14, 2018
This is in keeping with a pattern. Obama instructed Trudeau (Canada) to oppose Trump on trade and wait-out the mid-terms. Obama officials have instructed China to oppose Trump on trade and wait-out the mid-terms. Now John Kerry is not only instructing Iran to wait-out mid-terms, he is instructing Europe to rebuke U.S. sanctions on Iran and wait out the mid-terms. Hopefully, everyone can see what is happening here.
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Many of the geopolitical decisions have multiple facets which connect like small gears on a much larger machine. One of those small dual-purpose gears is the Doctrine as it is applied to Pakistan. The downstream moves impact China, our #1 geopolitical and economic adversary, then Russia, and also support new alliances with India and the broader Middle-east.
Toward China = ♦Squeeze #3. In 2017 Trump and Secretary Tillerson, now Secretary Pompeo, put Pakistan on notice they need to get involved in bringing their enabled tribal “extremists” (Taliban) to the table in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s primary investor and economic partner is China. The U.S. removed $900 million in financial support to pressure Pakistan toward a political solution in Afghanistan, China has to fill void. [NOTE: Last month the World Bank began discussions about a financial bailout for Pakistan.] Again, more one-way bleed for China. {Go Deep}
When President Trump removed the $900 million in aid to Pakistan, he empowered the Pentagon via Defense Secretary James Mattis, with an option to give $300 million to Pakistan if Mattis felt positive steps were being taken to change behavior. Today the Pentagon announces no change in behavior is noted:
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If there was a five-click dial available as a severity meter between the U.S. and China, something happened internally in Beijing, over the last 72 hours, because that dial just triggered movement from 3 to 4… Keep watching everything in the world of geopolitics with a mental 360° radar sweep looking for Chinese influence/interests.
Nuance and subtlety is everything in China. Culturally harsh tones are seen as a sign of weakness and considered intensely impolite in public displays between officials; especially within approved and released statements by officials representing the government.
Therefore, when we see China publicly use strong language – it indicates a level of internal disposition beyond the defined western angst. Big Panda becomes Red Dragon; there is no mid-status or evolutionary phase.
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s state media on Monday lashed out at the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump in an usually direct attack, accusing him of “starring in his own carefully orchestrated street fighter-style deceitful drama”.
Trump’s wish for others to play along with his drama is “wishful thinking,” the ruling Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper said in an editorial.
Against the backdrop of U.S. withdrawing from the ill-fated Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA); and against the backdrop of looming U.S. sanctions therein; there has been an ongoing geopolitical simmering/positioning between allies and adversaries surrounding the current and future disposition of Iran.
Recently China, likely responding to economic trade leverage from the U.S., made a deal with Saudi Arabia for petroleum purchases weakening their alliance with Iran. At the same time Turkey, a tenuous NATO ally, began positioning in advance of U.S. sanctions and removing Iran oil purchases. Collectively, and with President Trump putting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin via Syria and Iranian influence, this has led to Iran feeling an economic squeeze similar to the previous Trump Doctrine leverage as witnessed in N-Korea.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is feeling the heat. On Sunday he said “war with Iran is the mother of all wars.” That led to the tweet reply from President Donald Trump:
This follows on the immediate heels of a speech given by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library in Simi Valley, CA.
There is a clearly coordinated and unified message:
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Earlier today President Trump and First Lady Melania welcomed King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein and Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan back to the White House. This is the second official visit of King Abdullah and Queen Raina.
In the background it is likely much of the executive conversation surrounds the current issues with Iran, the state of Syria, Israel and the Palestinian Authority as it pertains to regional stability overall and Jordan specifically. In the quiet distance, and entirely overlooked by Western -mostly U.S. media, President Trump has been positioning the EU via economic leverage against Iranian influence.