President Trump discusses the last two weeks with Fox News Maria Bartiromo. The interview is broken down into a few segments below. WATCH:
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In the second segment below, President Trump discusses the Big Beautiful Bill.
Things are getting very interesting as the clock ticks toward the end of the USMCA trade agreement.
Almost no one is watching the USMCA element because it quietly exists only in the background of events. However, pay close attention to the ancillary stories because they will eventually merge with the end of the USMCA and two bilateral trade agreements between the U.S-Canada and the U.S. and Mexico later this year.
NATO funding and Canadian economic independence, and by extension the EU and China, comes into the northern agreement. Border security and Mexican economic independence, and by extension immigration and China, comes into the southern agreement. The strength of MAGAnomic policy flows directly through both.
In the quiet sphere, a few days ago Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a key player in the trade program, announced sanctions against three Mexican financial organizations that underline the influence of the Mexican cartels and the Mexican government. [Treasury Announcement Here]
“The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued orders identifying three Mexico-based financial institutions—CIBanco S.A., Institution de Banca Multiple (CIBanco) [ORDER HERE], Intercam Banco S.A., Institución de Banca Multiple (Intercam) [ORDER HERE], and Vector Casa de Bolsa, S.A. de C.V. (Vector) [ORDER HERE]—as being of primary money laundering concern in connection with illicit opioid trafficking, and prohibit, respectively, certain transmittals of funds involving CIBanco, Intercam, and Vector. These orders are the first actions by FinCEN pursuant to the Fentanyl Sanctions Act and the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which provide Treasury with additional authorities to target money laundering associated with the trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, including by cartels”. (more)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is furious. “The Treasury Department hasn’t provided a single piece of evidence to show that any money laundering was taking place,” she said. “We aren’t going to cover for anyone, there isn’t impunity here. They have to be able to demonstrate that there was actually money laundering, not with words, but with strong evidence.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine hold a press briefing at the Pentagon, to cover the NATO meeting and the strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities. WATCH (prompted):
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Presidential envoy Steve Witkoff deserves a great deal of credit for what followed in the aftermath of President Trump’s final elimination of the Iranian nuclear threat. Throughout the 12-day war, Witkoff maintained a diplomatic connection to the Iranian delegation in order to position a ceasefire upon conclusion.
The Trump administration is now taking a more firm stance toward who in Iran they will accept negotiations with. As noted by Secretary Rubio, the use of intermediaries has exhausted its usefulness. While Qatar may play a role as an interlocutor to bridge the two sides, the time has come for direct face-to-face discussions with Iranian officials.
With the potential of a peace agreement and increased stability throughout the region, there is an opportunity for an expanded investment and economic zone throughout the middle east, not just in Iran. As CTH noted regarding the threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, technically it is not the Iranian government who closes the strait, but rather the maritime insurance companies who refuse to underwrite an enlarged risk. The same concept applies when the absence of conflict becomes the norm. Steve Witkoff draws attention to this background context within his remarks.
An ancillary benefit in the Russia-Ukraine conflict comes from a very public display of FAFO outcomes. None of the principle characters within NATO, the EU, the U.K nor Ukraine or Russia want to face the Godzilla FAFO strategy that President Trump is willing to deploy.
The reason why the NATO partners responded with great deference to President Trump in the Netherlands is no global observer wants to face Godzilla in FAFO mode, militarily or economically. Even before the dust settled from 70 tons of massive ordnance detonation deep underground in Iran the leaders of the world knew things would be different now.
How different? We saw the outcome at the Hague.
President Trump and his national security team held a meeting with NATO Sec.-Gen. Mark Rutte during the 2025 NATO Summit in the Hague, Netherlands, and took questions from the media.
Interestingly, NATO Secretary Mark Rutte emphasizes the new commitment from Canada repeatedly. As one of the worst offenders to adhere to their NATO obligations, and against the backdrop of tariffs and targeted trade negotiations, obviously Canada is trying to position themselves against the Trump economic agenda.
Secondly, the emphasis is again on the damage assessment from the U.S. bombing of the Iran nuclear facilities. This is critical for President Trump to break free of the intelligence community control over U.S. foreign policy expanded in the next outline. WATCH:
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This is an interesting insight when overlaid with what you know about foreign government and their influence operations within U.S. politics.
Michael Doran is director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East. As a professional political insider, this consulting business model is party based on the currency of access to key policymakers, staff and advisors.
In this podcast with Bari Weiss the discussion is about Israel and the attack on Iran. Both Weiss and Doran are aligned with the interests of Israel and very supportive. However, in describing President Trump’s position toward Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu there is an interesting moment when Doran explains how foreign governments lost access and influence; essentially, when spying became more difficult. [Reference point 28:51]
In part, Secretary of State/National Security Advisor Marco Rubio restructured the National Security Council, and when he did that “Europeans and those in the Middle East” lost their ability to “plug-in” to their contact sources. The “cultivated sources” they used were no longer in place. It’s only about a minute on that aspect, but revealing when you consider influence operations and the push to war. WATCH:
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While it is a strong win, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision to fully stay the lower court order was not unexpected. The temporary restraining order issued by District Judge Charles Breyer was obviously political and legally weak, very weak.
The Ninth CCA simply affirmed that a violent crisis was afoot in California; federal officials and buildings were under attack; the local police and state government did nothing to stop it; so President Trump took legally authorized action to intervene, and took control of the national guard. [SEE RULING HERE]
The decision is not complicated. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously concluded President Trump lawfully exercised his authority in federalizing control of the guard. The ruling affirmed the Trump administration presented enough evidence to show it had a rationale for doing so, citing violent acts by protesters.
“The undisputed facts demonstrate that before the deployment of the National Guard, protesters ‘pinned down’ several federal officers and threw ‘concrete chunks, bottles of liquid, and other objects’ at the officers. Protesters also damaged federal buildings and caused the closure of at least one federal building. And a federal van was attacked by protesters who smashed in the van’s windows,” the court wrote. “The federal government’s interest in preventing incidents like these is significant.”
The court also found that even if the federal government failed to notify the governor of California before federalizing the National Guard as required by law, Newsom had no power to veto the president’s order. A common sense straightforward interpretation of the law.
Remember, President Trump proactively defused any reactionary Russian response by talking directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin prior to the eruption of conflict inside Iran. That discussion puts the Chinese interests into a somewhat isolated position. From recent Trump comments we can also see the carrot of sanction removal at play.
China has significant economic exposure within Beijing’s financial ties to Iran. With 90% of Iranian oil production fueling the Chinese economy any disruption would have considerable impact. As Gordon Chang notes in the interview with Maria Bartiromo, no one knows what China is currently sending into Iran via air cargo flights over the past several days. WATCH:
The surface benefit to Israeli attacks against Iran is the elimination of the nuclear threat. The underlying benefit from a USA perspective is the weakening of Chinese economic power that comes as an outcome of the current Iranian regime.
Chang is correct to put emphasis on these mysterious cargo flights.
The USA drone war capability has been tested in Ukraine and Russia. That capability, an enhanced capability thanks to the work of Palantir, could very well be deployed deep inside Iran as the IDF retains total air dominance. Palantir (Peter Thiel and Alex Karp) are ideologically aligned with the goals and objectives of Israel.
President Trump participated in a flagpole raising celebration earlier today at the White House. During the installation, President Trump delivered remarks to the media and took questions from the assembled press pool. WATCH:
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It was always going to be difficult to balance the long-term illegal alien workforce removal against the contrasted aggressive ICE deportation operation. President Trump’s two statements on the issue today highlight the difficult dynamic.
Just hours before President Trump noted the aggressive deportation operation would continue, he also noted there would be leniency for farm workers and those in the hospitality industry. Suggesting, “some changes are coming.”