CONTEXT for Los Angeles Riots:  Approximately 12.3 million Mexicans live abroad, both legally and illegally, with 97% of them living and working in the United States, according to BBVA Research.  Last year Mexicans living abroad sent $64.75 billion back home in remittances, largely from Texas and California to states in central and western Mexico.

According to data recently released, in April of this year remittances back to Mexico dropped 12.1%.  The Mexico central bank said April saw 8.1% fewer transactions than a year earlier, that’s down to 12.4 million transactions. For Mexico this is a devastating outcome.

How dependent is the Mexican Govt on these remittances?  Remittances sent home by Mexicans working outside the country surpassed petroleum revenues in 2015. {link} Oil Revenue in 2015 was 23.4 billion; remittances were $24.8 billion.  Last year in 2024 remittances were $64.75 billion…. and in April of this year the remittances dropped by 12.1%.

If you don’t think there is a critical financial motive in this, think again.

CALIFORNIA – About 700 U.S. Marines were mobilized Monday to support the California National Guard to protect federal personnel and property in Los Angeles during protests there, officials said.

The mobilization of the Marines from their base in Twentynine Palms, California, is temporary, to give time for additional National Guard troops to arrive.

Earlier Monday, President Donald Trump said he would support arresting California Gov. Gavin Newsom for purportedly obstructing federal immigration enforcement actions in Los Angeles.

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After reading the details of this arrest involving the smuggling of biological Roundworms, parasitic nematodes that can infect humans and animals, I am definitely adding Ivermectin and fenbendazole to the crisis kit.

Last week, two Chinese nationals were charged with allegedly smuggling into the U.S. a fungus called “Fusarium graminearum, which scientific literature classifies as a potential agroterrorism weapon. This week another Chinese national was arrested for smuggling in biological material containing Roundworms. Both the fungi and the Roundworm material can target and impact the U.S. agriculture sector, i.e. food supply.

DETROIT – Chengxuan HAN, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), was arrested and charged in a criminal complaint with smuggling goods into the United States and false statements, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr.

Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division, Acting Director of Field Operations John Nowak, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Jared Murphey, acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Detroit field office.

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Against the backdrop of a collapse of civil society in Los Angeles President Donald Trump will deliver remarks at an Invest in America roundtable.  We anticipate him taking questions from the media as part of the event.

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President Trump returns to the White House from a brief and undocumented trip to Camp David.  After pausing to talk to the construction teams assembling the massive new flagpole on the White House grounds, President Trump briefly spoke to reporters who asked questions about the Los Angeles riots.

During the Chopper Presser, President Trump noted the people behind the violence and mayhem in LA are “paid agitators, insurrectionists and bad people.” WATCH:

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At sporadic times of inconsequential normalcy, on the streets of Russia you will see two distinct types of people asked for identification, Asians and middle eastern males. When asked why, the average, ordinary grey-person in Russia going about their business, ambivalently has no idea.

Russia is a massive country.

To the southeast they are bordered by China, Mongolia and Asia, they even have a small border with North Korea. To the southwest they have the “stans,” most notably Kazakhstan; this region is the source of most domestic terrorists who attack inside Russia. To the West they have Ukraine and the EU nations.

From the standpoint of Russia, they have Asians on their East, Arabs on their South and EU supported Nazis on their Western flank. Keep in mind, despite the breakup of the Soviet Union the muscle memory from World War II is still very much a part of their social compact.

Consider Arlington Cemetary for scale. If you were to build a cemetery just from the battle of Leningrad (now St Petersburg) it would be bigger than Washington DC. If you were to build an Arlington type cemetery for all the Russians killed in World War II, the 27 million gravesites would envelop a landmass bigger than Washington DC and the state of Virginia combined.  These realities underpin Russian perspectives.

CTH shared previously that Russia is drawn into an alignment with China not by desire, but rather by necessity.  Most ordinary Russians do not like China, and they would prefer not to purchase Chinese industrial or manufactured goods.  Russian President Vladimir Putin is well aware of this, and I believe U.S. President Donald Trump is aware also.

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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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According to most media estimates, there are over a million illegal aliens in the greater Los Angeles area with many of them currently in a state of uprising against the United States government.  President Trump has authorized the Defense Department and Dept of Homeland Security to take any and all measures to protect the life and property of American citizens now held hostage within the conflict zone.

[Source]

The U.S Northern Command is prepared to deploy additional troops and approximately 500 active-duty marines if needed.

PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. – By direction of Secretary of Defense and in coordination with U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), approximately 2,000 California Army National Guard soldiers have been placed under federal command and control in a Title 10 status to support the protection of federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area.

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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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The blood slowly drains from the face of Margaret Brennan as she faces the indefatigable smiling truth that Kevin Hassett represents. The furrowed brows deepen, the lips pulsate to a purple posture, the accusatory sanctimony drips from her squints and failed constructs until ultimately, she is reduced to a sneering inflection of autonomous twitching.

Kevin Hassett smiles, thanks Ms. Brennan for her endeavors, outlines the White House position on the BBB and China trade negotiations, then happily orders an ice-cream cone for his walk back to the office on a bright sunny day.

[TRANSCRIPT] – MARGARET BRENNAN: We’re joined now by the Director of the National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett. He joins us from the White House. Good morning to you.

KEVIN HASSETT, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: Hey Margaret, good morning.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So I do want to allow you to respond to some of the very specific criticisms that Senator Klobuchar made. One of the things she brought up was something that, frankly, the Senate Majority Leader seemed to acknowledge was under discussion, and that was touching Medicare, making some kind of adjustment. He said anything we can do that’s waste, fraud, and abuse is open to discussion. Is the White House open to any discussion around Medicare?

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