At the conclusion of the discussions in Switzerland, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spent time emphasizing the two groups attained a very important objective. Putting all other issues aside, they had formally mapped out a communication strategy for deconfliction between U.S. and Iranian leadership.

Meaning, if everything starts to go sideways both the USA and Iran agreed to the mechanism for immediate talks.  Even if fighting and hostile action was taking place, the deconfliction agreement laid out the process to keep both sides in direct communication.  This is not like the “red phone” approach toward nuclear deconfliction, even if both sides were in the midst of red zone brutality against each other.

This urgent deconfliction assembly is exactly what appears to have been triggered, when earlier today President Trump announced via Truth Social that U.S. and Iran delegations were going to meet in Doha.

[SOURCE]

Both President Trump and Secretary Rubio well understand that as long as a direct communication process is in place, all of the various regional escalations can be managed safely.

Some element within Iran attacks a ship; the USA retaliates and takes out critical infrastructure. The conflicted point does not disrupt the communication process.  This is the optimal solution approach.

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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

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Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

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Katharine Birbalsingh, argues that the West’s moral crisis began with the values we taught our children. She explores how schools, culture, and social media have shaped a generation to see the world through the lens of oppressor and oppressed—and why restoring duty, responsibility, and moral character is essential to the future of Western civilization. WATCH:

As I watched this remarkable speech, I realized what Birbalsingh describes is what does not exist in Russia. When you talk to a person in Russia about DEI, victim mindset or the various equities of personage emphasized in the modern, cultural ‘west’; a Russian person has absolutely no reference point to engage in the conversation.

Chapters:

00:00 A Moral Crisis in the West
02:04 How White Guilt Changed a Generation
03:47 The Values We Took for Granted
06:09 Teaching Children to See Oppressors and Victims
08:22 Why Young People No Longer Love Their Country
10:30 This Is a Civilizational Failure
11:35 Save Our Children, Save the West

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You might remember recent reports outlining how the economy of Canada has slipped into a recession, posting two consecutive quarters with a negative GDP outcome.  There are multiple reasons for this shrinkage, but the dominant factor is, well, quite frankly, Canadian politics and economic policy.

Meanwhile, in Mexico the opposite is happening.  Mexico’s economic activity grew 1.2% in April from the prior month, the national statistics agency said, compared with a revised increase of 0.6% in March and beating a forecast of a 0.9% increase in a Reuters poll of analysts. {source}

It is not coincidental to see the Mexican economy performing well, while the Canadian economy is contracting.  Despite their identical proximity to The United States, each nation is currently executing a fundamentally different set of economic policies.

The Canadian government has been exceptionally combative with the U.S.A, leading to friction, tariffs and economic back-and-forth measures between the two nations.

The Mexican government has expressly understood the nature of their dependency, admitted it, taken no action to diminish it, and purposefully set out to align itself with the interests of America.

Canada is combative. Mexico is collaborating.

It seems unlikely that the three nations can agree on major economic policies, as a trilateral partnership would need alignment in core areas like energy policy. Canada’s energy policy is fundamentally separate from those of the U.S. and Mexico, and this is an issue that can’t be resolved through a trade agreement alone.

A large part of Mexico’s economy relies on remittances from Mexican workers in the U.S. sending money back to their families. As long as the U.S. job market stays strong—and it’s only getting stronger in the industries where many Mexicans work—Mexico will continue to benefit from America’s economic growth.

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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

(more…)

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

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The first three days are always critical in a major disaster. Aid agencies consider those first 48 to 72 hours as crucial for retrieving people alive, though that can be extended if they have access to food and water.

Venezuelan officials said 17 flights carrying more than 1,600 rescue team members had touched down by Saturday as rescue workers fan out in the most devastated areas.  Approximately 6 million people are affected in the quake zone.

Search teams from Mexico, the U.S.A, Brazil, El Salvador, France and other countries are now on the ground. Rescuers search through partially collapsed buildings, pushing their heads into holes in pancaked concrete to search for signs of life, occasionally hearing movement and digging to locate survivors.  The work is physical and emotional.

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Barbara Boyd discusses three Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani winning upset victories in New York congressional primaries, framing the results as part of a long-term cultural project rather than a purely economic platform. She argues the DSA’s internal education centers on communist theorist Antonio Gramsci and his strategy of revolution through cultural “hegemony,” citing a deleted Instagram post from a group tied to one winner that called for the “total eradication of Western Civilization.”

Boyd highlights a newly published DSA platform proposing major constitutional changes, then links Gramsci to the Council on Foreign Relations’ “post-Trump world” series, noting CFR fellow Charles Kupchan opens with a Gramsci quote and attacks reindustrialization and tariffs. She claims British imperial networks historically sponsored Marx and later Gramsci, using communism and counterculture against rivals, and urges promoting Trump’s “American System” economics and an optimistic national culture ahead of the midterms. WATCH:

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In my opinion, Tucker Carlson is no longer an option for the intellectually honest or stable-minded person.  In the past several months as he has increased his anti-MAGA efforts Carlson and/or his production team have intensely avoided any guest who might challenge the outlandish nonsense he has been creating on his podcasts.

Occasionally CTH glances to see who Tucker is interviewing and generally check in on Carlson only to gain an understanding of the political network he represents.  I find the dishonesty in his monologues now repellant. However, that said, President Trump Social Media Advisor Alex Bruesewitz stated he appeared on the Carlson podcast in order to finally push back against some of the malicious narratives the former Fox News host was promoting.

I watched to see how this ‘confrontation’ might unfold.

Alex Bruesewitz is a 29-year-old consultant who specializes in social media.  He is reported to be the closest thing to a Charlie Kirk voice who intersects with the White House and President Trump directly to share Gen-Z policy perspectives. Thus, it would be interesting to finally see some reasonable confrontation with Tucker.

Unfortunately, this interview is deficient on pushback.  It’s clear that Alex Bruesewitz is friends with Tucker Carlson and reluctant to firmly and appropriately challenge the falsehoods Carlson has been promoting.  To be fair, Alex Bruesewitz did offer some gentle correction -key word ‘gentle‘- but allowed the majority of antagonistic Carlson points to remain unaddressed.

My takeaway from watching the entire podcast back and forth encapsulates into two main points:

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