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Wednesday March 25th – Open Thread

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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Chinese EV Manufacturers BYD and Gely Accelerate Plans for Canadian Dealerships

Put this in the USMCA (CUSMA) elimination/negotiation file.  Europe has already been the visible example of what happens when you open your market to low price Chinese EVs.

With the recent agreement by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Chinese auto manufacturers are now rushing to establish the dealerships, before the Beijing-Canada deal becomes an issue in the USMCA negotiation.

China is NOT going into Canada because they foresee a great market of Snow Mexicans purchasing their low price EVs.  They are going into Canada as a proactive measure to establish a North American footprint with an eye toward the USA.

(VIA MSM) – BYD and Chery are accelerating plans to establish a dealership network in Canada after the country introduced a quota allowing tens of thousands of Chinese-made EVs to enter at reduced tariffs. The rollout will begin in Toronto before expanding to other major cities, with BYD targeting about 20 dealerships in its first year. This marks a significant new front in North American EV competition, as Chinese automakers seek growth outside the U.S., where prohibitive tariffs keep them out.

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Senators Grassley and Johnson Release FBI Surveillance Subpoena on Kash Patel, Potentially Used for Control Leverage

Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson released 30 pages of documents today outlining how the Jack Smith investigation “Arctic Frost” was used to capture records of former Trump administration officials [SEE HERE].

In addition to information showing how Jack Smith was collaborating and strategizing with DC Judge James Boasberg in advance of the subpoena submissions, literally strategizing how best to target Donald Trump, there is something even more interesting in the release.

Many people have wondered why FBI Director Kash Patel seems compromised since he took office.  Well, the FBI subpoena into then civilian Kash Patel, highlights the extent of the FBI operation as they gathered background intelligence that could be used for blackmail and leverage over the eventual FBI Director.

[Source pdf page 28]

As noted by Hans Manche: “It didn’t just ask for Kash Patel’s phone records, it asked for everything he did from 2020 to 2023. Just to name a few, they requested all usernames and screen names, every address and email, complete billing and payment details including credit card and bank account numbers, every device ID, and a full log of every call, text, and voicemail showing who was contacted, when, and for how long. They also obtained all internet session data, including the exact IP addresses. So, this wasn’t just about who Kash called. It was basically a complete view of his entire life, mapping his daily routines, travel, relationships, finances, and even tracking the specific hardware he used. In short, they got a full digital shadow of his life.”

Yep, that’s how the FBI operates.

That’s how the FBI establishes leverage against anyone they view against their interests.

Now does the activity of FBI Director Kash Patel look a little differently with hindsight?

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President Trump Notes Iranian Leadership Currently in Negotiations Sent Something of “Great Value” to Verify Their Control of Government

Obviously, one of the challenges faced by President Trump following the elimination of all senior Iran political leadership, is to know who is left in power that has the ability to negotiate terms between Iran and the U.S.

During the Q&A media segment of Mark Wayne Mullin’s swearing in ceremony, President Trump was asked how he can trust the Iranian leadership he is currently communicating with.  President Trump responded that he doesn’t trust anyone; however, the voices in Iran currently negotiating with the U.S. team sent something of great value to the White House to verify their Bonafide’s.  It is an interesting segment.  WATCH (prompted):

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March 24th – 2026 Presidential Politics – Trump Administration Day 429

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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Tuesday March 24th – Open Thread

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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LaRouche PAC Gives London-Centric Perspective on Status of Mid-East Oil Economics

Barbara Boyd gives her perspective on the latest developments and President Trump policy intersects with the Iran conflict and the Mideast oil disruption.

According to the latest information from the region, some ships have begun navigating the Strait of Hormuz despite the conflict.  It is reported that Iran is charging a $2 million fee for safe passage, however those reports are not officially confirmed.

Mrs Boyd notes the Arab nations have historically -and recently- remained under the control of the British, and President Trump has fractured this financial control system.  While there is an obvious historic reference to that relationship, I’m not as convinced the connective tissue is as deep as ¹claimed in the modern era (last 20 years).   WATCH:

In the modern era, thanks to technological advancement and strategic policy (even before Trump), oil and gas development and use has increasingly become regional.  Oil dependencies and the trade partnerships are now associated more with refinement capacity than simply global commodities.  Not all oil is created equal.

In the “producers and users” chart below, you can see the origin of regional production and import relationships.  The oil supplies from the middle east flow mainly to China and Asia.  The oil from Russia is the current wildcard.

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Supreme Court Oral Argument on RNC Challenge to Post-Election Day Mail in Ballots

Earlier today the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in Watson v. Republican National Committee, the RNC’s challenge to a Mississippi law allowing mail-in or absentee ballots to be counted up to five days of Election Day.

Many observers have noted the court seems likely to rule that ballots for federal elections must arrive on/before election day itself.   The full oral argument is below.  LISTEN:

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USDA Rural Announces a $115+ Million Investment to Expand USA Sawmills and Timber Development

This is one of those small stories that carries the potential for significant domestic economic gains.

As many are aware, the U.S. imports a lot of softwood lumber from Canada. Combined with the energy products the lumber sector represents the top two U.S. imports from Canada.  With Venezuela now potentially positioned to replace the former, USDA Rural Development now stimulates domestic lumber development potentially positioned to replace the latter.

Taken as a whole, these two approaches significantly weaken the Canadian leverage that could be deployed in a Free Trade Agreement negotiation.  Assuming, of course, the USMCA is dissolved in favor of two bilateral FTAs.

USDA Press Release – At the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference today, U.S. Department of Agriculture Administrator for the Rural Business and Cooperative Service J.R. Claeys announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture is guaranteeing $115.2 million across eight states through the Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program (TPEP) to ensure sawmills and other wood processing facilities have the necessary funding to establish, reopen, expand, or improve their operations.

Today’s announcement includes recipients in the states of California, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

These investments represent a commitment by the Trump Administration to expand American timber production by 25%, reduce wildfire risk, and save American lives and communities by strengthening domestic wood processing capacity.

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President Trump Holds an Impromptu Press Availability Following Announcement of 5-Day Pause on Iran Strikes

President Trump delivers remarks and takes questions from reporters in Palm Beach, Florida, before boarding Air Force One en route to Memphis, Tennessee.  President Trump emphatically stated that continued negotiations with ‘leadership’ within Iran continues and reaffirms the conditions for a cessation of hostilities.

The military leadership within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (IRGC), do not recognize any political representation over their military control of Iran.  This fracture within the political structure of Iran is what seems to create the conflict with U.S. negotiations with political entities the IRGC refuses to recognize.

President Trump is confident the presentation of terms now being discussed with Iranian political leadership will be agreeable to both Israel and U.S. interests.  Additionally, President Trump discusses the issue and circumstances around former NTSC Director Joe Kent and his view on the controversy that have flowed since Kent’s resignation.  WATCH:

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