President Donald Trump will be holding a celebration of his 100 days in office during a stop in Michigan.  It makes sense to pick Michigan as the auto industry is representative of the Trump global trade reset and tariff program.

So far, eleven new or expanded U.S. automotive factories have been announced as major automakers seek to establish production lines in the USA to avoid 25% auto tariffs.  The latest announcement was from Toyota, for expanded facilities in West Virginia.

“Toyota Motor Corporation’s North American manufacturing subsidiary, Toyota North America Inc, announced this week that it plans to invest a further US$88 million in its West Virginia plant in the US to assemble its next generation of hybrid transaxles.” {source}

Additionally, South Korea is on the losing end of negotiation leverage due in large part to their position within the auto sector.  Japan has already had preliminary discussions with the Trump administration on a new free trade agreement. Now we see South Korea coming to the table for the agreement outline today.

(Reuters) – A South Korean delegation will meet U.S. counterparts on Thursday for an opening round of trade talks, with cooperation on shipbuilding and energy expected to be on the agenda, and possibly shared defence costs, as Seoul seeks lower tariffs.

(more…)

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 †

.

(more…)

President Trump’s patience with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is obviously wearing thin.  However, the key for President Trump to change the dynamic; the thing he is inarguably trying to avoid; is a full U.S withdrawal and subsequent isolation for Zelenskyy.

President Trump via Truth Social:

“Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is boasting on the front page of The Wall Street Journal that, “Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea. There’s nothing to talk about here.”

This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama, and is not even a point of discussion. Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired? The area also houses, for many years before “the Obama handover,” major Russian submarine bases.

It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War. He has nothing to boast about! The situation for Ukraine is dire — He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country.

(more…)

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 †

.

(more…)

Interesting series of events converging.  According to multiple media outlets, a delegation from the U.S, Europe and Ukraine are scheduled to meet again in London tomorrow for further discussions of the peace proposal.

President Trump said Monday they had “very good meetings” about Ukraine and Russia recently as Trump was likely debriefed from the meeting that Secretary Rubio and Envoy Steve Witkoff held in Paris, France with Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine, EU and U.K officials.  However, this was the same Paris meeting that preceded Secretary Rubio saying if progress was not made quickly, the USA would exit their role in negotiating a peace deal.

President Trump and Secretary Rubio are putting pressure on Ukraine, EU, U.K as well as the CIA background players to get to a place of earnest peace discussion, by threatening to pull back from their effort and likely allowing Russian President Putin a lot of implied latitude to increase hostile action.

The belligerent Ukraine officials (harsh Nazi tones on display) feel emboldened to keep fighting with enhanced funding and support from the EU, U.K, NATO and CIA operatives embedded with Ukraine forces.  As an ancillary matter, the potential for Trump to pull back stands as a visible motive for the USA Deep State to keep attacking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

At a certain point President Trump is going to have to make a decision on further support.  If Trump exits the proxy war, that’s when the real internal battle with the CIA will likely surface. This is a very interesting dynamic to keep watching as CIA Director John Ratcliffe appears to be a bystander, incapable of stopping the independent elements of the CIA from operating their own agenda.

(more…)

CBS 60-Minutes has been one of the most deliberately manipulated news and opinion programs in the past several years.  They have been so over-the-top in their gaslighting and biased media coverage, that all credibility within the weekly broadcast TV show has been eviscerated.

Bill Owens has been the executive producer of the show since 2019, specifically responsible for increasing the bias and propaganda openly displayed.  President Trump has sued 60-Minutes over their extremely manipulative editing of an interview with Kamala Harris in 2024.  That lawsuit is ongoing.

Today, Bill Owens announced he is resigning as executive producer of the broadcast, citing his inability to continue making independent decisions about the subject matter presented on the broadcast.

(VIA MSM) – Bill Owens, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, said Tuessday that he is resigning from the program, telling staffers he had lost his ability to make independent decisions about the show.

“Over the past months, it has also become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it,” Owens wrote in a memo obtained by Deadline. “To make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience. So, having defended this show – and what we stand for – from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward. (read more)

(more…)

I said right after the election the foreign policy and econ institutions would be the first and easiest to deconstruct.  I also said the Intelligence, Main Justice, National Security and Defense apparatus would be the most difficult.

Here’s the high elevation picture of how it works.  The more President Trump (the Executive Branch) doesn’t use the institution, the easier it is to take them apart.  Foreign policy is being run out of the White House, with Rubio doing well.  All economic policy is being run out of the White House, with Bessent and Lutnick doing well.

[Meanwhile, Trump is ignoring (for now) the CIA silo, as if they didn’t exist; but that cannot last long (see Ukraine).  HHS, Ed, Energy, Interior and EPA are making slow and steady progress]

Conversely, President Trump leaves Pam Bondi (Justice), Kash Patel (FBI) and Tulsi Gabbard (DNI) to run/manage their own shops.  It’s an issue of (in)ability, and you can see Main Justice and the FBI remains a hot mess.  Bondi and Patel refuse to call their institutions corrupt, so the operators within them just keep doing what they have always done.  This was predictable, if you just look honestly at the big picture dynamic.

Today, Marco Rubio starts taking apart around 20% of Foggy Bottom. “The Trump administration has begun an aggressive shake-up at the State Department that will close 132 agency offices, including those launched to further human rights, advance democracy overseas, counter extremism, and prevent war crimes.” {READ MORE}

MARCO RUBIO – “Today America confronts a new era of great power competition and the rise of a multipolar order with a State Department that stifles creativity, lacks accountability, and occasionally veers into outright hostility to American interests. The Department has long struggled to perform basic diplomatic functions, even as both its size and cost to the American taxpayer has ballooned over the past fifteen years.

The problem is not a lack of money, or even dedicated talent, but rather a system where everything takes too much time, costs too much money, involves too many individuals, and all too often ends up failing the American people.”

(more…)

Vice-President JD Vance travels to India as part of a diplomatic tour that includes geopolitical relationships and trade deals.  With the Trump administration emphasizing an Indo-Pacific strategy to help thwart aggressive Chinese expansion, India plays a key role.  Indeed, the Trump plan in term #1 always included close economic ties with India; in term #2 that strategy remains.

Enhancing term #2 and the geopolitical strategy around the Indo-Pacific approach, JD Vance represents a close personal relationship with India that fits inside a natural synergy he has with Silicon Valley and the Indian tech community. The Tech Bros love India, and with JD and Usha Vance representing close ties to the nation, JD Vance fits the pro-India trade position like a glove. Usha Vance’s parents are Telugu-speaking teachers from Andhra Pradesh. They had moved to the US in the early 1970s.

For President Trump the relationship with India is ‘business strategic’, a hedge against Beijing.  For Vice President JD Vance the relationship with India is personal.

Vice President JD Vance praised India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, “Our kids just like him. And because children have such a good sense of character, I like Prime Minister Modi too. It’s a great foundation for the future of our relationship.” Vance highlights personal warmth alongside diplomatic ties because for him and the Tech Bros, this relationship with India is personal. WATCH:

.

(more…)