Tag Archives: Media bias

Mar 13 2026

Democrat Senator Ruben Gallego Urges President Trump to Renegotiate USMCA


Posted originally on CTH on March 12, 2026 | Sundance

It is transparently obvious now that Canada is going to rely on UniParty (Corporate) opposition to President Trump in the dissolution of the USMCA (CUSMA) in favor of two distinctly different bilateral trade agreements; one with Canada and one with Mexico.

A bilateral trade negotiation between the United States and Canada would be devastating to the interests of the Canadian government.  Particularly after the Venezuela operation and new strategic relationship with the United States, Canada has almost zero points of leverage to negotiate anything similar to their current exploitative trade position.

Canada is going to rely on congress to stop Trump from forcing reciprocity in the bilateral discussions. However, as a positive indicator that President Trump will factually have congressional support for the elimination of the USMCA, Democrat Senator Ruben Gallego has written a letter to President Trump requesting a comprehensive review. [LETTER HERE]

[SOURCE]

This is a key Senate democrat who notes the problem.  One of Gallego’s top points of concern is the loophole that Canada uses to assemble Chinese component parts into finished goods for tariff free distribution into the United States.

Ever since President Trump won the 2024 election, Mexico has been taking proactive independent action to block Chinese component goods. But Canada has done the opposite and begun to enhance their trade relationship with China to take even more Chinese component and finished goods.

Gallego writes to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer from the position of wanting to increase wages and enhance jobs in both Mexico and the USA, growing both economies. However, Gallego’s advocacy simultaneously bolsters why the USMCA should be dissolved and also puts Canada at a distinct disadvantage.

MEXICO – Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters during her morning news briefing on Wednesday that her U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, is open to doing away with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) and replace it with individual trade deals with each country.

[…] “There might be revisions that create bilateral deals instead of involving the three countries because some things are more important between Mexico and the United Sates or between Canada and the United States,” said Sheinbaum. “Not everything has to be trilateral.”

Mexico’s president said the subject was brought up by Trump during a Tuesday phone conversation. […] According to Sheinbaum, her country is ready to consider possible changes. (read more)

Just like the original NAFTA dissolution, if Senate democrats agree the USMCA is structurally flawed then Canada will lose its only hope to retain the trilateral agreement.

It appears that some Senate democrats like Gallego recognize this issue and support the need for exceptional change.

There is a significant difference between Mexico and Canada as it pertains to trade.  Two distinctly different bilateral trade agreements would be the best outcome for the USA.

Team Mexico have already been holding bilateral discussions with USTR Jamieson Greer, and I suspect the broad outlines of a free trade agreement between the U.S and Mexico have already been agreed.

While Mexico has been working diligently for 16 months to get into alignment with the USA on a new free trade agreement, Canada has been doing everything possible to retain their “elbows up” position in opposition to the USA.  This will not work out well for Canada.

“The key thing that has struck me, and I think it has struck all Canadians, is so many of these guys in the Trump administration, frankly, they just hate Canada,” said Brian Clow, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s deputy chief of staff who led Canada-U.S. affairs. {source}

“Canada joining at a later date”? 😂🤣😂

Mar 13 2026

Witkoff and Kushner Meet Russian Delegation in Florida – Reports Indicate Discussions of Strategic Economic Cooperation on Oil


Posted originally on CTH on March 12, 2026 | Sundance 

The fact that Team Russia and Team USA would be discussing a strategic economic alliance on the issue of energy is not a surprise to those who watched both President Putin and President Trump outline that same content discussion in Alaska last August.  However, given the current conflict with Iran and the escalating oil price issue, Russia and the USA discussing Russian oil capacity and U.S. sanctions therein takes on a new angle.

It has been obvious that domestic U.S. politics, in combination with the Russia-Ukraine war, has impeded President Trump from organizing a strategic reset with Russia pulling away from historic conflicts.  However, CTH is also clear-eyed on the longer-term ramifications for Eastern Europe when contrast with Putin’s ambitions to fix what he perceives as prior Russian Federation mistakes regarding the West (more on that at the end).

As noted in social media exchanges from Witkoff and Dmitriev, the discussion was productive.

[SOURCE]

All indications of this meeting give the appearance of less focus on progress in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and a higher focus on current economic conditions -created by the Iran conflict- that could be enhanced with cooperation between the U.S. and Russia. {GO DEEP BACKGROUND}

According to Kirill Dmitriev, Russian special presidential envoy for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries and director general of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), relayed through the Russian News Agency (TASS), “he visited the US upon orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin, taking part in a meeting of the heads of a working group on economic cooperation between the two countries.”

According to the envoy, the meeting addressed both promising projects that can help restore Russia-US relations and the current crisis on global energy markets.

The US is becoming increasingly aware of the role of Russian oil and gas in ensuing the stability of the world economy, as well as of the [in]effectiveness of sanctions against Russia, Dmitriev said after the meeting. (source)

“We discussed promising projects that could contribute to the restoration of Russian-American relations and the current crisis on global energy markets,” Dmitriev also wrote in a Telegram post.

“Today, many countries, primarily the United States, are beginning to better understand the key, systemic role of Russian oil and gas in ensuring the stability of the global economy, as well as the ineffectiveness and destructive nature of sanctions against Russia.”

With the strong likelihood that Russia’s restart of their flagship LNG terminal Arctic-2 was directly related to the August summit in Alaska {SEE HERE}, there is already a baseline established for strategic cooperation.

President Trump would have no problem with Russia introducing millions of barrels of oil into the global market given the issues created by conflict in/around the Strait of Hormuz.  However, obviously the issues for streamlined Russia oil exports surround (1) preexisting sanctions, (2) domestic U.S. anti-Russia politics and (3) the political and economic position of the anti-Russia European Commission leadership.

As we previously outlined with the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) benefit, Russia previously extracted, liquified and pumped massive amounts of LNG into floating storage platforms from Arctic-2.  Those LNG supplies doubled and tripled in value in a few days once Qatar shut down their production facilities and are now being sold to various Asian countries.

Europe has a massive energy problem with severely low LNG storage rates and now a shortage of oil, with EU gasoline prices rising much higher & faster than the rest of the world.  Europe is facing a severe energy crisis overall and now their preexisting economic troubles are being amplified.

More than ever Europe needs the Russian oil/gas, but ridged ideologues will never compromise on their anti-Russia position.  They have even steeper sanctions against Russian oil/gas scheduled to trigger at the end of this month.

It will be interesting to see how President Trump navigates the potential benefit from Russian energy products into the global market against the backdrop of all the geopolitical angst and political opposition against Russia.

…. AND that brings me to a point of discussion that I’ve had with a few dialed-in people.

When you look at the long term, and when you overlay the mindset of Russian President Vladimir Putin, almost everyone in Russia/Eastern Europe who evaluates the future can see the potential for Putin to exploit the EU’s self-created economic vulnerabilities for his own expansionist objectives.

Yes, some elements of the U.S. banter about further Russian expansion are not propaganda.  Most of it is, but there is an element to the future forecast -beyond the Ukraine conflict- that could see Russia in a much stronger position, and the EU in a position of significant weakness.

The MAGA-minded European and Russian people, the ones who have strong wisdom on the issues, can all see a specific set of dominos falling that could place Putin in a position to recapture the remaining pro-Russian geographies in Europe back into an expanded Russian Federation.

Given the highly unstable mindset and friction points within European leadership, that would be a very bad combination to contemplate.

A strategic USA reset with the Russian Federation is a reasonable and pragmatic goal.  There is no reason for America and Russia to be in conflict or opposition and pulling Russia away from a relationship with China has massive benefits for both countries.

The Russian people are not affectionate toward China at all, not even a little bit.  In reality, China is a necessary ally for Russia but not a choice they would select if other options were available and variables were changed.  The Russian people are exceptionally independent, incredibly strong and brutally proud; however, they are also more Western-minded (European, without self-flagellation) than Eastern-minded (Asian).

Here’s where/why Trump is being careful and pragmatic.  President Trump doesn’t want to see an outcome where Russia is eventually stronger than Europe.  There’s not enough frictionless history between the USA and Russia to trust Putin when he says the Federation has no plan to expand into Europe.

The USA can/should be strategic allies with Russia. However, it would be much better if a strong Europe existed at the same time.  Hence, Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio continuing to emphasize that Europe needs to stop cowering in politically correct wokeness.  The EU is destroying itself at the same time Russia is getting stronger.

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Last point, the Lyndon LaRouche team, Promethean Action PAC, are very happy with the ongoing fracture of the USA away from the UK/EU group.  However, be cautious around Political Action Committees who say, “President Trump needs people to understand what he is doing” and we are here as his official policy interpreters.

Remember, President Trump doesn’t need policy interpreters.

Mar 13 2026

President Trump Notes Briefing on Iranian Sleeper Cells that Entered During Biden Open Border Era


Posted originally on CTH on March 12, 2026 | Sundance

During an impromptu press availability last night, President Trump was asked about potential Iranian sleeper cells or groups sympathetic to Iran that are active on U.S. soil.

Obviously, the threat from groups and individuals sympathetic to Iran creates an increased need for the Dept of Homeland Security and FBI to operate enhanced domestic surveillance, an unfortunate outcome that further enhances the need for FISA(702) authorities.

When this potential terror threat is combined with the millions of people who crossed the U.S. southern border during the Biden administration, the Palantir project within Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), the need for rapid and aggressive deportation tracking and the Dept of Homeland Security (DHS), we can reasonably be assured that domestic surveillance will expand.

On the positive side of the issue, recent reports highlight Iranian citizens helping U.S/Israeli drones to target Iran regime officers on the streets in Tehran which has caused the regime police to withdraw from roadblocks and checkpoints.  [Well-sourced data here] This type of operation empowers the voices of the citizen opposition to organize.  WATCH:

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Mar 12 2026

Energy Secretary Chris Wright Discusses Iranian Tanker Strikes Near Strait of Hormuz and Strategic Petroleum Reserve Release


Posted originally on CTH on March 11, 2026 | Sundance

Tanker ships in the Gulf region continue to be targeted by various Iranian munitions including air and sea drones.  Three tanker ships were hit today.  Secretary of Energy Chris Wright appears on Fox News to discuss the issues with Iran and the decision to release oil from the SPR.  WATCH:

WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright released the following statement regarding the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR):

“Earlier today, 32 member nations of the International Energy Agency unanimously agreed to President Trump’s request to lower energy prices with a coordinated release of 400 million barrels of oil and refined products from their respective reserves.

“As part of this effort, President Trump authorized the Department of Energy to release 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, beginning next week. This will take approximately 120 days to deliver based on planned discharge rates.

“President Trump promised to protect America’s energy security by managing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve responsibly and this action demonstrates his commitment to that promise. Unlike the previous administration, which left America’s oil reserves drained and damaged, the United States has arranged to more than replace these strategic reserves with approximately 200 million barrels within the next year—20% more barrels than will be drawn down—and at no cost to the taxpayer.

“For 47 years, Iran and its terrorist proxies have been intent on killing Americans. They have manipulated and threatened the energy security of America and its allies. Under President Trump, those days are coming to an end.
“Rest assured, America’s energy security is as strong as ever.”

Mar 12 2026

President Trump Impromptu Presser on Iran and SAVE America Act Departing the White House


Posted originally on CTH on March 11, 2026 | Sundance

President Trump answers questions from the media as he departs the White House for Ohio and Kentucky.  The majority of the questions surrounded Iran and the SAVE America Act.  WATCH:

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Mar 12 2026

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff Gives Background Information on Breakdown of U.S-Iran Diplomatic Discussions


Posted originally on CTH on March 11, 2026 | Sundance

President Trump’s U.S. Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, recently sat down with Greta Van Susteren to outline the point of diplomatic discussions with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi when things broke down.

The Witkoff explanation is interesting as he outlines Iran’s unwillingness to even consider a cease to their ballistic missile program as part of the expanded security talks.  According to Envoy Witkoff, Foreign Minister Araghchi was intransigent on several key points of concern; even becoming loud and aggressive as he was pushed to explain why seeking ballistic missiles would be needed.

It’s an interesting background perspective that gives context to the decision that President Trump ultimately reached.  WATCH: 

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Mar 11 2026

 Auto Sector, Big Stupid Government, China, Climate Change, energy, Environmentalism, European Union, Germany, Glo-Bull Warming, media bias, Professional Idiots, propaganda, Transportation


Senate Majority Leader John Thune again reiterated there are not enough Senate votes to get the SAVE America Act to the status of a ‘talking filibuster.’ “The votes aren’t there for a talking filibuster,” Thune said Tuesday. “It’s just a reality.”

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Mar 11 2026

Volkswagen Loses Half Their Profit, Now Plan to Cut 50,000 Jobs Over Next Four Years


Posted originally on CTH on March 10, 2026 | Sundance

The origin of this issue goes back to 2021 and the relaunch of the Build Back Better European green energy program to fight the non-existent climate change problem.  We have been highlighting the consequences within the EU auto sector.

We noted in October of last year, the EU’s mandated fines against auto manufacturers who do not hit their production goals for electric vehicle sales began in 2025.  EU automakers unable to meet the regulatory compliance goal began purchasing carbon credits to avoid stiff EU fines.  Many of those carbon credits were purchased from Chinese EV automakers, who then turned around and started using the extra EU revenue to discount Chinese cars sold in Europe.

At the same time as Chinese autos hit record highs in Europe, EU car sales are flat or declining.  Now, Volkswagen is announcing they lost half their profits in one year and will be cutting 50,000 jobs in the next four years.

(MSM – Europe) – Volkswagen just revealed its operating profit sank like a stone last year, dropping by more than half as tariffs, Chinese competition, and shifting strategies took a serious bite out of the bottom line. And that performance now has the VW Group’s execs reaching for the cost-cutting scissors, including plans to shed 50,000 jobs by the end of the decade.

The German automaker reported an operating profit of €8.9 billion ($10.3 bn at current rates) for 2025. That’s down a hefty 53 percent from the year before and well below what analysts were expecting. Revenue, meanwhile, barely moved, slipping only slightly to around €322 billion ($374 bn). (read more)

This was very predictable. In essence, EU car companies buy Chinese car company carbon credits, to avoid the EU fines.  The Chinese car companies then use the carbon credit revenue to subsidize lower priced Chinese EVs to the European car market, thereby undercutting the European EV car companies.

The EU tariff applied to gasoline powered cars or hybrids from China is 10%.  That tariff is not enough to stop the imports. The Chinese hybrid autos are substantially less than European car brands, and there’s no financial incentive for China to build auto plants in the EU zone especially when you consider the EU is subsidizing those cars by purchasing carbon credits.

When analyzed from a cost and consequence, the entire EU dynamic toward car companies is a little funny.  However, for Germany this is a serious issue, and with the German industrial economy already stagnant – every impact to their auto industry only makes the situation worse.

When you overlay the big picture of their expensive “green energy” costs, the EU find themselves in an unescapable downward spiral.  Quite literally, all commonsense seems to have been lost in their green energy chase.

By focusing on energy targets, specifically by trying to force production of European electric vehicles that are not favored by European car purchasers, the EU is shrinking their economy to the benefit of Beijing exploitation.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently travelled to China for a discussion with Chairman Xi Jinping.  Chancellor Merz returned to German with a stark message about how the nation needed to quickly get productive in order to meet the far superior work ethic he saw in China.

At the same time, the EU has destroyed its energy sector by chasing windmills and solar farms instead of maintaining the much cheaper coal and gas alternatives.  Overall, Europe has made a series of really bad decisions, but those consequences will surface the hardest within the largest industrial economy, Germany.

They’ve got major problems now.

Mar 9 2026

Mexico and USA Begin Bilateral Preparations to Dissolve USMCA Without Canada


Posted originally on CTH on March 8, 2026 | Sundance

One of the most curious aspects to the predictable USMCA review, ie. dissolution, has been the incapacity of the Canadian government or trade delegation to accept the United States is going to create two distinctly different bilateral trade agreements and eliminate the trilateral USMCA.

For 16 months the Canadians have refused to fathom the reality of what is going to happen this year.

The Canadians just cannot believe it is possible they will be forced to negotiate a free trade agreement without the cover of a multilateral construct. It has been remarkable to watch their dissonance.

Last week President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum held a phone call. At the conclusion of the call, Sheinbaum publicly asserted the reality the Canadians just refuse to accept.

MEXICO – Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters during her morning news briefing on Wednesday that her U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, is open to doing away with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) and replace it with individual trade deals with each country.

[…] “There might be revisions that create bilateral deals instead of involving the three countries because some things are more important between Mexico and the United Sates or between Canada and the United States,” said Sheinbaum. “Not everything has to be trilateral.”

Mexico’s president said the subject was brought up by Trump during a Tuesday phone conversation. […] According to Sheinbaum, her country is ready to consider possible changes. (read more)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney finally started to realize President Trump was likely to ignore Canada and begin direct discussions with Sheinbaum. So, Carney went to Mexico to try and get assurances from Sheinbaum that Mexico would not proceed without Canadian interests in mind.

Essentially, Carney wanted Sheinbaum to be on his team.  However, as diplomatically noted in the phone call with President Trump, President Sheinbaum politely rejected the Canadian partnership. [Insert Trump’s position toward Mexican cartels as an overriding thought]

The Canadians have been talking to U.S. media looking for sympathetic ‘Orange man bad’ coverage.  However, within the contacts between Canadian government officials and U.S. corporate allies, the sentiment from team Trump is very clear:

“The key thing that has struck me, and I think it has struck all Canadians, is so many of these guys in the Trump administration, frankly, they just hate Canada,” said Brian Clow, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s deputy chief of staff who led Canada-U.S. affairs. {source}

It’s not hatred, it’s annoyance.

Years of compounding parasitic annoyances and sanctimonious, ‘holier-than-thou’ pontifications from the arrogant and uppity Canadian government.

The only time Canada has been honest with themselves and with President Trump was when Justin Trudeau was exiting office and admitted Canada cannot function without all of the one-way benefits it receives from the USA {GO DEEP}.

That’s it. That’s the only time Canada has ever been honest about the nature of the economic relationship.  A time when Trudeau had already quit and would not be around to deal with the consequences.  However, the level of Canadian arrogance is not only visible to President Trump, even the Japanese can see it.

Remember that very close relationship between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and President Trump.  That professional, personal and respectful relationship is going to become strategically important this year.

Japan’s economic and trade representatives have told the Canadians that if the USMCA is dissolved, and if Canada no longer has the same trade access current available in the trilateral format, then Japan would rethink its entire investment portfolio in Canada, specifically the auto sector.

In essence, specifically as it pertains to the auto industry, Japan is saying if the USMCA is gone, Japan may pull all their cross-border manufacturing out of Canada and transfer it to the United States.

Prime Minister Mark Carney was recently questioned about the statements from Japan and he waxed nonsensically [SEE HERE] about how Canada would use Chinese BYD electric autos to replace lost Toyota manufacturing.

It’s a hot mess for Canada and getting worse.

Last Friday, Canada’s worst nightmare began unfolding:

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Mexican Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard announced the first round of bilateral discussions in preparation for the Joint Review of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA).

The ministers instructed negotiators to begin a scoping discussion on the necessary measures to ensure the benefits of the Agreement accrue primarily to the parties, including by reducing dependence on imports from outside the region, strengthening rules of origin, and enhancing the security of North American supply chains.

Ministers expect negotiators to hold the first meeting the week of March 16 and meet regularly thereafter as part of the Joint Review. [LINK]

Right there, you can see the exact same thing that took place in early 2017, when President Trump began organizing a bilateral trade discussion with Mexico only, in advance of his preferred approach to dissolve NAFTA and use two distinctly different bilateral trade agreements to replace it.  USTR Robert Lighthizer was working with Mexico only.

USTR Jamieson Greer, the studious protege’ of Lighthizer, now has the task of organizing the USA and Mexico while delaying any substantive contact/discussions with Canada until President Trump is ready to drop the hammer.

I can assuredly say President Trump wants everything outlined and in place for a U.S-Mexico deal before he announces the dissolution (joint review withdrawal) to end the USMCA.

There is little to no chance President Trump wants to renew a trilateral trade agreement that allows Canada to keep exploiting their market access to the U.S. without accepting reciprocity.

Remember, Canada’s main export is energy, and Trump has diminished that leverage through the Venezuela operation. Perhaps another ‘ah-ha’ moment for deep weed walkers.  Yes, in addition to giving China a body blow, taking control of Venezuela oil and minerals also weakens the leverage position of Mark Carney.  Can you see it now?

Canada has one key card they can leverage, congress.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is counting on the UniParty in Washington DC to stand in his corner against President Donald Trump and block any attempt to end the USMCA.  However, this is not going to be a surprise to President Trump, because Justin Trudeau did the same thing in 2018 when he coordinated his approach toward NAFTA through then Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

As I have said with great eagerness, it is going to be a lot of fun to watch this unfold.

Mar 9 2026

Sunday Talks – Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Fox News


Posted originally on CTH on March 8, 2026 | Sundance

Almost all of the corporate news programs today are carbon copies of the same tired talking points, driving home the reality that mainstream U.S. media are concentric circles of the same news feed.  Essentially, media reports reporting on media reports, of other organized media reports.

No one seems to be asking any of the core operational and policy questions that can cut to the heart of the matter.  ie., “you are doing XXX, what is the intent of this action/policy move, and can you describe in actionable terms what benefit the American people can expect as a result of the anticipated outcome”?   Instead, the questions are all hindsight and reactionary.  Frankly, the repetition is mind-numbing.

In this Fox interview, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright answers some of the same questions from the CBS interview, sans the arrogant and condescending tone during the questioning.  WATCH:

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