President Trump released a series of statements earlier this morning as Israel continues to execute operation Rising Lion and strike Iran.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP –  “I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to “just do it,” but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done. I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come – And they know how to use it.”

“Certain Iranian hardliner’s spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse! There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. God Bless You All!” [source]

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP – “Two months ago I gave Iran a 60 day ultimatum to “make a deal.” They should have done it! Today is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!” [source]

Also, VIA CNN: I just spoke with President Donald Trump on the phone. The President told me the US supports Israel and called the strikes on Iran last night “a very successful attack.”

“We of course support Israel, obviously and supported it like nobody has ever supported it,” Trump said during our brief phone call.

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According to most information flowing from the region, a second wave attack from Israel us underway (or just completed).  The first wave targeting was the Iranian military leadership and nuclear scientists, the second wave hitting the nuclear installations.

We could tell from the initial targeting, the IDF were not targeting hardened installations, they were targeting people who run them where they live in the middle of the night.  This appears to be confirmed by ground reporting of residences being the target with highly strategic Mossad agents on the ground doing major intelligence activity to identify the targets.  It appears Israel was very successful (but still really early).

That approach also establishes the baseline for internal Iranian political opposition to push for regime change.

The second wave of Israeli targeting then goes directly at the nuclear installations.  This approach also makes sense.  First round takes out the brain power, second round takes out their hardened facilities (much more difficult to eliminate).

As the operation proceeds, we now turn focus to the U.S. interests, and this is where we use hindsight to last Sunday’s Camp David meeting.

Secretary of State / National Security Advisor Marco Rubio emphasizes Israel is acting “unilaterally,” without USA support.  President Trump proactively and strategically emphasizes his preferred approach of “diplomacy.”

Some will doubt, but I would draw your attention to Trump’s relay of the call with Vladimir Putin last week. Obviously, President Trump understood Israel was on the cusp of taking some ‘unilateral’ action, albeit with a likelihood of a heads-up to USA of approximate timing (Sunday Camp David as a proactive ‘get us prepped’ agenda).

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U.S. Secretary of State / National Security Advisor, Marco Rubio, and Director of National Intelligence ODNI Tulsi Gabbard continue making background moves well worth noticing.

♦ Secretary Marco Rubio has moved forward with instructions to fire all overseas USAID staff.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered U.S. embassies around the world Tuesday to move ahead with a directive to fire all remaining staffers with the U.S. Agency for International Development. He said the State Department will take over USAID’s foreign assistance programs by Monday.

A federal judge had temporarily blocked an executive order by President Donald Trump for mass firings at multiple federal agencies, including the State Department, and plaintiffs say Rubio’s reorganization plan appears to violate that court injunction.

The Trump administration says the plan was already underway when the president issued the order, so there’s no possible violation. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston has yet to make a determination. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Tuesday that Rubio’s directive “wasn’t a surprise.”

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The implication of the remark, as President Trump says, “a better security” venue, is that something of much greater significance than traditional White House operations is in need of attention. To such a degree, that prior strategic discussion arrangements are not considered “secure enough.”

President Trump does not like Camp David.

Before taking office, President Trump once told a German journalist in an interview, “Camp David is very rustic, it’s nice, you’d like it. You know how long you’d like it? For about 30 minutes.”

So, the big picture questions become:

What issue would be of such importance, that changing the venue would be needed in order to address it?

What issue(s) has DC interests so aligned, that Rubio and Trump are two of a very small group on the other side of it?

I suspect this is about Iran.

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President Trump and Secretary of State/National Security Advisor Marco Rubio depart New Jersey en route to Camp David for a principals group meeting, discussion and strategy session.  As President Trump notes, there will be “generals, and ¹others” in attendance at Camp David, using the additional term “better security.”

On the subject of whether he would trigger the Insurrection Act to quell violence in Los Angeles, President Trump replied, “that depends on if there’s an insurrection.”  lol  President Trump said he and his team are watching the events closely, but they will not permit law enforcement to be harmed in any way.  Violence will not be tolerated.

President Trump then asked the assembled pool if they had any questions for Marco Rubio, they did not – so the duo left.  WATCH:

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The crowd erupts into cheers as President Donald Trump arrives to enter the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J, to attend UFC 316.  WATCH:

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No Elon. No JD.  But Marco Rubio is beside him.

Subtle, like a brick through a window.

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A point to emphasize.

Current Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, Marco Rubio, was chair of the senate select committee on intelligence (SSCI) and a Gang of Eight member since day one of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Due to his role in the Gang of Eight Senator Rubio was briefed on all the covert activities being carried out in Ukraine by the CIA and Pentagon.

That is why when Secretary of State Marco Rubio told media months ago that “Ukraine was a proxy war for the United States against Russia,” it was a jaw-dropping statement. If anyone would know the receipts, it’s the former Chair of the SSCI, who became the Secretary of State.  However, to say the truth so openly and publicly was something entirely unexpected, especially from Rubio.

As Secretary of State Rubio represented President Trump’s America-First foreign policy and national security interests very effectively, many people were shocked at the seemingly 180° degree turn Rubio took to represent the MAGA perspectives.  Rubio adroitly navigated the media with exceptional support for President Trump’s positions, and diplomatic action to back it up.

While most of us continue watching Rubio closely, obviously President Trump saw the unique perspectives held by the former Senator on intelligence matters.  President Trump then appointed Rubio to a dual role as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State.

While the Secretary of State represents the public face of President Trump’s diplomatic policy toward the world, the Nat Sec Advisory represents President Trump’s outward view to the global intelligence network. Marco Rubio now carries both extremely important titles and responsibilities.

Keeping in mind the prior statements by Rubio about Ukraine being a proxy state for U.S. operations against Russia, both Marco Rubio and President Trump have been mostly silent and very measured in their comments about Russia after the Ukraine attack on the Russian nuclear-capable bombers.

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To understand the dynamic, it is necessary to remain elevated and unemotional as the confrontation takes place.

The U.S. Senate currently has two issues of great importance to President Trump within their upper chamber.  The first is the Big Beautiful Bill (a reconciliation spending and budget plan).  The second is Senate positioning on sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine.  Both are of great importance when you consider the domestic and geopolitical ramifications.

President Trump wants the BBB structurally passed and doesn’t care about the nibbling on the edges or customary Christmas Tree decorations (special interest add-ons).  Trump wants the Term-1 tax cuts extended and the border security money, these are must haves.

On the Ukraine/Russia stuff, Trump basically wants the Senate to back away from doing anything that influences his leverage positions for a resolution he will construct.  However, President Trump knows the Senate fully supports the proxy war aspect to the conflict (he doesn’t).

Trump has remained relatively quiet on Ukraine-Russia because he doesn’t want to antagonize the Senate who will use their affirmative votes for BBB as leverage to maintain the proxy war and support Ukraine.  That’s the background on the BBB, Russia, Ukraine and Trump’s position.

Into this foray comes the always self-interested and short-sighted Elon Musk who -despite being an influence asset at times- has the most annoying habit of never considering the downstream consequences for his selfishness.

As Musk rails against the BBB, which took 14 months of work from the House to get across the line he runs the risk of collapsing the BBB in the senate.

The longer the BBB sits in the Senate and/or gets changed so much it will take forever to get through the House again; the longer Trump has to bite his tongue on solving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Musk in his infinite selfishness, cannot see how he is doing real damage to Trump’s objective around Russia by stirring up opposition to the BBB.  Things were getting ugly yesterday and became more so today.

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Last week Ukraine presented President Donald Trump with their “term sheets,” what they require in order to accept a ceasefire.  Today in Istanbul, Turkey, the Russian Federation presented the Ukraine delegation, and likely a transmission to the White House, with the Russian “term sheets.”

This further clarifies the content of the significant meetings this afternoon in the White House, where President Trump assembled his “military leadership” and likely foreign policy team.

Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation at the talks in Istanbul, said Russia is offering Kyiv a temporary ceasefire. Medinsky said that Russia has prepared a two-part “memorandum” proposing a ceasefire and ending the war it started. The second part of the “memorandum” provides for “variability” and “several paths”, he said.

Here are the two primary parts of the Russian terms:  Section 1 “Settlement of Crisis”, and Section 2 “Terms for Ceasefire”.

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It should also be noted, the lack of a severe response by Russian President Vladimir Putin to yesterday’s attack on Russian air force bases likely indicates President Putin has what he wants.  These terms and condition sheets were created prior to the Ukraine attack on Sunday.  These are Putin’s conditions to stop further military conflict.

In Section II containing the “Ceasefire Conditions” (below) Russian President Putin demands Ukraine conduct democratic elections (#7, #8).  Putin seemingly knows western installed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will lose and as a consequence weaken the western influence operations.  Both President Trump and Secretary Marco Rubio have previously advocated for the same.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced (via X) the U.S. State Department will begin revoking the student visas of Chinese nationals, “including those” connected to the Chinese Communist Party:

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