Oh, this is interesting for those who walk the deep weeds.

On June 29th a woman dressed as a man placed a package bomb at the Monaco residence of Ukrainian business tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev who refused to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.  Yermolaiev, a Ukrainian property tycoon, was sanctioned by Kyiv in 2023 over his alleged business activities in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Immediately after the bombing suspect was identified as Ukrainian national Anastasiia Berezovska, the Zelenskyy government said she was operating as a Russian asset and had not been to Ukraine in years. Ukrainian sources suggested she was born in Kazakhstan, holds a Russian passport, and lived in occupied Crimea. {citation}

All reasonable/non-pretending people recognized immediately Ukraine was the likely source of the terrorist attack, and Zelenskyy was just trying to cover his tracks.  Well, Ukraine’s narrative has just collapsed as the bomber was just found in Kiev, shot four-times in the back of the head, and the suspect in her killing is a Ukraine intelligence agent.

This news breaks this morning just as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is prancing around the NATO summit in Turkey, despite Ukraine not being a NATO member.

CTV – KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s Security Service on Tuesday said it found the body of Ukrainian national Anastasiia Berezovska, who had been wanted by authorities in Monaco in connection with the bombing targeting Ukrainian business tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev.

The security service, also known by its local abbreviation SBU, said an officer serving in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency confessed to killing Berezovska with the help of a former law enforcement officer. He claimed he acted on his own initiative and without informing his superiors, the statement said.

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President Trump and Turkish President Recep Erdogan hold a bilateral meeting in Ankara, Turkey, ahead of the beginning of the NATO summit.   President Trump and President Erdogan exchanged pleasantries, appreciation and mutual respect in their introduction with the media.  Video Prompted to 01:45

The first question to President Trump was about selling F-35’s to Turkey.  President Trump notes the issue should not be controversial as Turkey is a NATO ally.  People who are concerned about F-35 sales, should publicly explain why a NATO member should be denied an allied weapon.

President Trump also noted there is a chemistry of honesty between himself and President Erdogan.  He said directly if the NATO summit were not being held in Ankara, there is a strong possibility President Trump would not have attended.  This positions Erdogan with strong respect as expressed by President Trump.

Again, President Trump outlines the specifics of why the European members of NATO are no longer reliable allies.  In a weird way this is the exact same long-term position of Turkey and explains the synergy between the two leaders on the issue.

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You have to really understand the NATO relationship with Turkey, Recep Erdogan and, well, essentially the Muslim Brotherhood, to understand the dynamics at play.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan is a perfectly Turkish man of notoriously intemperate disposition.

Erdogan wears many masks; however, unlike many leaders he does so publicly.  He will say whatever is needed to make the ‘West’ think they have upper hand, while doing exactly the opposite.

Erdogan will decry terrorism, take in Syrian refugees and simultaneously kill Kurds, and provide safe harbor for the worst elements of The Muslim Brotherhood (political Islam).  No one sleeps in Erdogan’s camp without one eye open and a weapon under their pillow.

The ‘West’ hates his duplicity and leverage.  The Russians don’t trust him an inch. The Arabs think he’s sketchy, and the Persians tolerate him.  However, Erdogan is centered in the Gateway between the Middle East and Europe; even Turkey’s geography is critical.

There is only one guy in global politics who interacts with Recep Erdogan in a way that generates mutual respect; that guy is Donald Trump.  The skillset that Trump carries is his lack of pretending, his brutal honesty in every interaction.   Trump could be standing next to Erdogan at a presser, answer a question and say, “He’s a strong man, he’s probably lying, but that’s ok, I like him, it’s strong politics, you can’t be weak we will figure it out.”…. To wit Erdogan won’t flinch an inch but smile inside.

In a weird way, 99% of the viewing public will not understand the dynamic of this relationship, but it’s funny.  If there was one global leader who would be disliked by NATO more than Erdogan, it’s probably Trump.  The two non-pretending leaders -absolutely critical for everything- have a great deal of mutual respect for each other. There’s a reason why the notoriously insufferable NATO manipulator met President Trump at the airport, with an official greeting. WATCH:

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There’s a reason why President Erdogan arranged a state arrival ceremony and honor guard review for President Trump in Ankara.  Video Below:

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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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Both Toyota and Honda had previously warned the Canadian government that without the USMCA they would shift production from Canada to the U.S. to avoid tariffs and secure long-term manufacturing stability.  We presume a similar message was conveyed to Mexico.

Earlier today Toyota announced they were moving half of their Tacoma Truck production from Mexico to an expanded facility in Texas that will now encompass 5 million square feet in San Antonio.

(Bloomberg) — Toyota Motor Corp. is moving production of its popular Tacoma midsize truck from a plant in Mexico to San Antonio as part of a $3.6 billion investment in the Texas facility.

The Japanese carmaker will build a second production line in San Antonio, where it currently makes full-size pickups and SUVs, and add some 2,000 new jobs by 2030, it said Monday.

The shift, following Toyota’s pledge last year to spend $10 billion on its US manufacturing operations over the next decade, comes as talks between the US and Mexico to renew a North American free trade agreement have stalled. President Donald Trump, who has pressed Toyota to invest more in the US, let a July 1 deadline pass without a trade pact extension.

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You can’t watch the lumbering nemesis of promoted cultural marxism succeed in sportball and not laugh. I watch this video with a smile; in part because I have watched hundreds of videos of European regulars saying they cannot believe how wonderful their experience in America has been.

The larger sense, the biggest picture, is how each of these voices are declaring themselves free from the proximity of EU propaganda, and when that moment is reached these realities can never be unseen.

At the same time, I think of the EU bureaucrats standing jaw-agape wondering if things will ever be the same again….. a 6-foot-5 Viking warrior who has absolutely no time for anything fancy

My friends, the need for control is a reaction to fear. The control mechanisms have weakened with every Viking cheer and drumbeat. It is a good day for freedom.

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I suspect we are only a few days away from watching the professional leftists claim that support for Norway is akin to a global rise of white nationalism; aka, cheering for the Norsemen is racism.

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FACT: It has been over 60-years since Canada purchased a submarine.  FACT: Canada has never built one.  FACT: Currently the Canadian military have ONE operable submarine out of a fleet of four used ones previously purchased. FACT: Canada recently proclaimed themselves as the North American defender of the Arctic.

Now, put all those facts in the overlay of the December 2024 meeting in Mar-a-Lago between President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.  President Trump was demanding that Trudeau increase their NATO spending and develop a working Canadian military.

Someone recently asked in the comments section why I have an issue with Canada, specifically why a new level of distain for our Northern neighbors.  Quite simply, there is a level of lying that exceeds my tongue bite capacity; that level of deceit comes when fabricating lies is accompanied by pretending. The Canadian government is the worst type of political abuser.  They willfully pretend and simultaneously lie to the Canadian people. That’s the answer.

Today, the government of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announce that German industrial shipbuilder TKMS will be awarded a contract for “up to 12 submarines” valued between $20 and $30 billion {source link}.  Now, let’s not pretend.

First, the submarine contract is intended to get Canada back into reasonable position on their NATO obligations.

In reality, it is quite remarkable to think about the Canadian nation with only one currently functional submarine. “Canada hasn’t purchased unused submarines since the 1960s, during the Cold War, and has never ordered anywhere near 12 at once. Canada currently owns four subs, all of which were purchased second-hand, and only one of which is typically operational.” {citation} Now, think about that Mar-a-Lago conversation again.

Second, Canada can’t build their own submarines?

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Hours before the news broke, Maine Senate Democrat candidate Graham Platner cancelled all his campaign events.

A woman has just come forward to Politico with a direct accusation that Platner raped her.

(Via Politico) – A woman who dated Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner says he forced her to have sex with him nearly five years ago despite her repeated objections, an allegation Platner denies.

The woman, a 41-year-old Maine resident named Jenny Racicot, detailed the alleged incident to POLITICO in three interviews over the past two weeks. POLITICO also spoke with a man Racicot dated and confided in the years after the alleged incident, and reviewed documents, including emails between Racicot and her therapist and messages between Racicot and an acquaintance whom she warned against getting involved with Platner years before he ran for office.

[…] he entered her rural Maine home uninvited one night in late 2021, deeply intoxicated, and forced himself on her while she repeatedly told him to stop. She said she cut off contact with him after telling him the encounter was not consensual.

“I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” she said. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.’”

[…] Racicot said she was torn over coming forward in part because she agrees with Platner politically. (read more)

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As noted by Secretary Rubio tongue-in-cheek, all the FIFA “drama” is turning into an “international incident” that might even be discussed at the NATO assembly in Turkey.  WATCH:

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