A high-level diplomatic meeting between USA and Russia has not happened in more than three years.  The first goal was to figure out how to talk to each other again, what processes to use and what the consultation mechanism would be for when peace negotiations would begin.  That ‘deconfliction’ goal seems to have been achieved.

Additionally, in a very positive sign, both the USA team and the Russian team agreed to return to normal embassy operations, in diplomatic speak “missions,” in both Moscow and Washington DC, that includes staffing support to reestablish contacts and communications. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff spoke to reporters after their meeting with the Russian delegation in Saudi Arabia.

Pay close attention to the specific words Marco Rubio uses at 14:40 of the video, in the bigger of the big pictures, that is the goal of President Trump and President Putin. WATCH:

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – […] The U.S. team was led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz. The Russian negotiating delegation included Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the U.S. team agreed to establish “a consultation mechanism to address irritants to our bilateral relationship with the objective of taking steps necessary to normalize the operation of our respective diplomatic missions.” Rubio told the Associated Press the two sides agreed to restore embassy staffing as part of this normalization.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio will need to maintain a lot of energy to operate foreign policy advancement at the “optimal resolution” speed of President Donald Trump.

Rubio departed Israel for his visit to Saudi Arabia where two major topics are on the agenda. The U.S. Secretary was welcomed by Saudi Foreign Minster Faisal bin Farhan and is scheduled to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. On the agenda today is what to do about Gaza, tomorrow the discussion changes direction to address Ukraine.

Saudi Arabia has expressed opposition to the Trump plan for the temporary relocation of Gaza Palestinians while a complete restructuring, revitalization and rebuilding of the region takes place. However, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt have not proposed an alternative to the Trump plan.

Saudi Arabia (MbS), Egypt (al-SiSi) and Jordan (King Abdullah II) have balked at the idea of Israeli Prime Mister Benjamin Netanyahu that Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan temporarily host Palestinian refugees; a plan suggested by President Trump. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan do not want more Palestinians to worry about.

Ultimately, Secretary Rubio is in Saudi Arabia to ask Crown Prince MbS directly, if not the Trump plan – then what? What solution can be proposed by the Arabs that creates long lasting stability, peace and the opportunity for residents in Gaza to live without terrorism, Hamas, chaos and war?

♦ Tomorrow the agenda switches to discuss the Russia -v- Ukraine conflict. Secretary Rubio will be joined by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. The Russian delegation includes Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, President Vladimir Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund.

Oddly, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in the region; however, according to most public reporting he is not expected to participate in the U.S-Russia negotiations. I would not be surprised if something in the background is triggered by President Trump that pulls-in Zelenskyy while the Ukraine President is in Saudi Arabia.

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Earlier today, President Donald Trump held an impromptu press conference after departing Air Force 1 returning from Daytona International Speedway.  President Trump took several questions about ongoing discussions with Ukraine, Europe, Saudi Arabia and Russia.

President Trump repeats what he asked both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “do you want peace.” It is the core question that determines the direction for optimal solutions.  WATCH:

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This is a good compare and contrast scenario.  Yesterday Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Trump delegation.  [SEE HERE] The bitterness, tension and anger in the room was palpable; this was a hostile meeting and the Ukranian team acted like they were meeting with enemies.

When you understand how corrupt the Ukraine officials are, and when you accept that President Trump is ending the funding to their family bank accounts, the Ukraine anger toward the Trump administration is understandable.  The Ukranian government officials hate President Trump with a passion.

Compare yesterday’s meeting to what you see below.  The U.S. congressional delegation (CODEL) to the Munich Security Conference consists of key Republicans (DeceptiCons) and corrupt Democrats who fund the Ukraine money laundry.  A process that includes kick-backs of the proceeds to the bank accounts of the Republicans and Democrats present.   Watch the greeting:

This is why our senators were too busy to get Kash Patel confirmed over the 3 day weekend.

They had much more important business in Munich sucking up to the little dictator and welfare queen Zelensky. pic.twitter.com/nkaC4K88JM

— Patriot Lady (@angelwoman501) February 15, 2025

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse even tells Zelenskyy, “You’re among friends here.”

Watch again without sound.  Expand full screen if on laptop. Notice how Adam Schiff (at the end of the table) is looking at the cameras, then playing it smart because he can see the optics are not good.  All of these congressional delegation members receive kickbacks as part of their indulgence package, many sit on the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Senators include: Chris Murphy, Roger Wicker, Sheldon Whitehouse, Lindsey Graham, John Cornyn, Jeanne Shaheen, Chris Coons, Thom Tillis, Chris Van Hollen, Joni Ernst, Elissa Slotkin, Adam Schiff, and one more I cannot quite make out, possibly Peter Welch.

Every one of these senators are working against the Trump administration, openly or under cover. Every one!

Roger Wicker was Pete Hegseth’s legislative confirmation guide and the republican Senator who went bananas yesterday when Secretary Hegseth said Ukraine would not gain NATO membership.  You will easily remember Joni Ernst immediate opposition to Hegseth also.

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You might want to watch this brief video a few times, once with the sound low or off and pay attention to the body language of the participants as the remarks to the media are delivered.  Vice-President Vance opens the remarks followed by President Zelenskyy, then back to JD Vance.

Marco Rubio is stone cold focused (perf). JD Vance is personable and pragmatic.  Zelenskyy is deferring and at the very end the Ukrainian officials exhibit the attitude they are known for within Eastern Europe. Perhaps Americans don’t know because Western media hide it, but the scope of corruption within the Ukrainian government is so well known, most Eastern Europeans view current Ukranian govt officials as mere financial beneficiaries to the indulgences of war. WATCH:

All over Europe Ukranian govt officials are seen driving exotic cars, arriving in multi-million-dollar yachts, staying at the most expensive hotels, shopping at exclusive stores, buying jewelry and watches. They Ukraine military and govt officials are generally living a life of stunning opulence and overwhelming indulgence.  When you travel there, people simply nod toward the visibility of it and say, “Ukraine.” It’s an open joke, and they are hated.

Generally speaking, the government officials from Ukraine are considered vile, vulgar, rude and cruel by the ‘simple people’ who see them.  And trust me, it is impossible to miss their arrogance.   I never had an opinion about them until I witnessed it myself. The vibe they give off is foul.

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A little detail from behind the wire.  I was asked very recently for my thoughts on why President Trump is a giant of influence in world leadership, my response was simple:  President Trump’s power is bottom up, historic global power structures are top down.

President Trump doesn’t just represent an office or title, nor does he simply represent the majority of the American people; President Trump’s voice is the voice of every ordinary person, what the non-English speaking world defines as “simple people,” and he channels a global message from the majority to the top of the highest power structures.

Smart leaders like Vladimir Putin recognize this power source, and they don’t challenge it – they align with it.  Stupid leaders, those who do not recognize their national nakedness like Emmanuel Macron, attempt to avoid & manipulate it.  The Make America Great Again doctrine is a borderless goal, empowering people to make their own lives great.

(VIA ABC) – […] Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday he stands by his comments from Brussels earlier this week on it being unrealistic for Ukraine to be offered NATO membership as part of a settlement, for it to regain its pre-2014 territory, or for U.S. troops to enter the country to keep the peace. 

“My job today, and in Brussels, was to introduce realism to the conversation – the reality that returning to 2014 borders as part of a negotiated settlement is unlikely; the reality of U.S. troops in Ukraine is unlikely; the reality of Ukraine membership in NATO as a part of a negotiated settlement unlikely. And I stand by the comments that I made on that first day in the Ukraine Contact Group,” Hegseth said at a press conference in Poland Friday. (source)

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President Trump held an Executive Order (XO) press conference in the oval office today and took questions from the assembled press pool.  Included in the executive orders was the reversal of the plastic straw ban, no more paper straws.  The President also implemented a 25% tariff rate on imported steel.  The import tariff rate for aluminum increases from 10% to 25%.

At 09:00 of the video, President Trump reads prepared remarks on the implementation of the steel tariffs. At approximately 15:00 of the video, President Trump begins taking questions from the media.  The full video of the event is below:

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(Via NBC) – President Donald Trump signed an order Monday that imposes a 25% tariff on all steel imports to the United States.

“This is a big deal,” Trump said while signing the order in the Oval Office. “The beginning of making America rich again.”

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Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was asked for his first impression of President Donald Trump at the conclusion of their first meeting.  You could hear a pin drop as the White House press pool listens to the respect delivered.  WATCH:

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Regarding the politics of the Japanese military aspect to the reply.  It is the legacy of assassinated Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was a close and dear friend of President Trump, that set Japan on the path to rebuilding their military and independent national security.  PM Abe was crossing the country to talk about the need for a newly built military that would provide American defense forces the ability to draw down.  PM Ishiba is continuing that legacy initiative.

RIP Shinzo Abe. He is greatly missed.

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The sub-heading tells the story. It is essentially, a predictable outcome, a conversation we began here several months ago.

...”At the Education Department, the [DOGE] team has turned to artificial intelligence to hunt for potential spending cuts — part of a broader plan to deploy the technology across the federal government.”… (link)

The tone of the Washington Post article is about Musk and DOGE potentially violating privacy rules by extracting data held within the U.S. Dept of Education. However, if you take out the narrative engineering political part, what you are left with is the core issue we have discussed. The tech team approach is to pull the govt data into their AI model and use the modeling to evaluate efficiency.

WASHINGTON DC – […] The DOGE team is using AI software accessed through Microsoft’s cloud computing service Azure to pore over every dollar of money the department disburses, from contracts to grants to work trip expenses, one of the people said. Lower-level department staffers were directed by agency leadership to let Musk’s teams access the sensitive financial data, the person said.

The use of AI inside the Education Department, which has not previously been reported, shows how Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which includes former employees from his tech empire, is tapping the favorite tool of Silicon Valley as part of its mission to drastically slash the size and functions of the federal government. {READ MORE}

I’m sure there is some value in this process. In fact, I am certain that utilization of enhanced algorithmic AI software to streamline government data systems does hold merit. However, that’s not the big picture issue that concerns CTH. {GO DEEP}

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The CIA and Intelligence Community working together with Silicon Valley tech teams to develop best in class AI systems, using references from prior nuclear weapon development, “The Manhattan Project.”  Huh, what could possibly go wrong. {GO DEEP}

BREITBART – CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Breitbart News last week that President Donald Trump’s administration is considering creating a national laboratory akin to the Manhattan Project to help develop and steer the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

“When you talk about AI, one of the things I want to explore is whether we can expand and establish a national laboratory for the development of AI to help the U.S. government leverage emerging technology to make sure American leadership is that,” Ratcliffe told Breitbart News in his first interview as CIA director last week.

[…] Ratcliffe explained the idea for national laboratories dates back to the Manhattan Project, where the U.S. government helped scientists develop nuclear weapons that won World War II for the United States and allied nations. He said the recent announcement from Trump of “Project Stargate,” the half-trillion-dollar initiative to promote AI, could be expanded upon to include more public-private partnerships akin to the Manhattan Project that get the U.S. out in front of the nation’s adversaries on AI.

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