In an optically smart move by French authorities, the main shopping and tourist regions of Paris are now under a localized curfew as police try to stop the riots, arson and looting – yet maintain the important tourism aspect.  Other towns in France are also ordering curfews in the districts with the spreading violence.

CBC – Paris police issued an overnight curfew on Monday in two areas of the French capital in efforts to prevent further violence, after a weekend marred by France’s worst rioting in years that targeted city halls, other public buildings and thousands of businesses across the country.

The order aims to protect “people and property from the violence and looting,” the Paris police statement said.

The curfew prohibits anyone from entering or remaining on the Place de la République, where rioting took place Saturday, and the shopping neighbourhood of Les Halles, which has been subject to looting.

The curfew will be in effect from 11 p.m. local time Monday until 6 a.m. Tuesday. In addition, gatherings and demonstrations are banned from 8 p.m., the Paris police said.

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Speaking to reporters in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Secretary Rubio delivered remarks about central Asia and the importance of the region to U.S. interests.  Central Asia, the “stans”, are a significant opportunity due to their location between Asia and the Federation of Russia.

Secretary Rubio answered a question about the Ukraine-Russia conflict by saying the United States will continue looking for opportunities to help end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Rubio said the war has brought enormous loss of life and destruction, warning of the risk of escalation and the possibility of the conflict spreading into another country.

Rubio stressed that diplomacy requires continued efforts and said the ultimate test will be whether Russia and Ukraine are willing to make concessions to reach a deal. The Secretary of State also addressed Ukraine’s use of Star Shield and said the United States remains focused on ending the war.  WATCH:

As both Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, Marco Rubio is a key person to watch on the issues surrounding Ukraine specifically because of his prior tenure on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI).  Remember, the CIA and USAID were the originators of the 2014 Maidan revolution and later the installation of Volodymyr Zelenskyy.  Rubio is one of the key people who knows exactly what the U.S. influence operation was inside Ukraine.

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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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CTH doesn’t put as much weight on the strategic planning of President Trump as outlined by the folks at Promethean Action.  The results Trump achieves may end up at the same destination, but Trump’s geopolitical map to get there is not as predictable as Mike Steger may propose.

That said, there is some good insight as Steger interprets what he believes is in the background of President Trump’s larger objective with the Ukraine-Russia conflict in general, and with Russia specifically.

In this Sunday Overview, Mike Steger breaks down Trump’s broader strategy toward Russia, Ukraine, and Europe, examining how energy agreements, economic reconstruction, and security guarantees could lay the foundation for a new international order. As European governments face mounting debt and political pressure, Mike examines Volodymyr Zelensky, Marine Le Pen, Alice Weidel, and the growing debate over Europe’s economic future. Drawing on Otto von Bismarck, World War I, British geopolitics, and the American System, Mike explores why he believes Trump’s strategy could reverse more than a century of conflict and usher in a new era of industrial growth and Western civilization.  WATCH:

Chapters:

00:00 Trump’s Strategy to Reshape Europe
01:10 The Three Pillars of Trump’s Peace Plan
02:30 Trump’s Economic Pressure Campaign
04:10 Ukraine and Europe’s Financial Crisis

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Factually, CTH is very comfortable, perhaps even optimistic, to see President Trump take a full wolverine position toward the insufferable position of Zelenskyy. ♦ TRUMP: IN PROCESS OF NEGOTIATING PEACE BETWEEN RUSSIA,UKRAINE ♦ TRUMP: ZELENSKYY USING DIESEL REFINERIES IN RUSSIA AS A TARGET ♦ TRUMP: ZELENSKYY DOESN’T WANT TO END THIS WAR ♦ TRUMP: I WANT THIS WAR END

President Trump delivers this message via Truth Social:

“My decision on Russia is a very simple one. I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table. Great progress is being made, and that includes current hostage negotiations!

Signing that document at this time will do that, and I can sign it later, or any time that I want! Perhaps more importantly, Russia is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran, compared to what they could be doing, and I want to keep it that way, and will, unless stupid people get in the way.

Lastly, Zelenskyy is using Diesel Refineries in Russia as a target, knowing that these attacks are seriously hurting the world diesel markets, including those in the United States. Farmers, ranchers, and businesses of all kinds are suffering greatly from this, but Russia is, nevertheless, sending, at a low price, millions of barrels of diesel to the World. Zelenskyy doesn’t care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him, and that Crooked Joe Biden gave him in the past, he doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did. He could have made a better deal two years ago than he can now. His country is in shambles, a large portion of his land is lost, his oceans and seas are gone, and his male population is low, wounded, and/or dead. I WANT THIS WAR END! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

~President DONALD J. TRUMP

Zelenskyy responds via his X Account:

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Following days of riots, violence, arson, buildings destroyed and mass looting, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a national address to the people of France.  Remarkably, in the beginning of his remarks Macron says no one in the French government understands what is happening, but he is demanding an investigation.

A few paragraphs into the prepared transcript and Macron says high fuel prices driven by President Trump’s war against Iran, “a war we had nothing to do with,” is certainly the cause of the protests that have mysteriously turned violent for some unknown reason.  Macron further notes those protests are righteous, justified and he agrees with them.

This is quite a remarkable address.  WATCH:

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The image below represents the entire dynamic.

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Yesterday at approximately 4:00pm a large fire broke out at a Canadian military base and spread quickly. CFB Wainwright (Canadian Forces Base Wainwright) is situated adjacent to the Town of Wainwright in east‑central Alberta.

CFB Wainwright is one of Canada’s busiest military training bases, where soldiers prepare for combat operations. It is home to the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre, which conducts realistic battlefield exercises, and the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre, which provides military training. {LINK}

Media reports, citing unnamed military sources, {LINK} said that a live-fire training exercise hit a gas line or gas well on the base, causing an explosion that spread as a result of high winds. High wind gusts reaching up to 100km/h fanned the flames, causing the blaze to spread rapidly beyond the base’s perimeter and into the adjacent Municipal District of Wainwright.

A doctor at a hospital in the city of Edmonton, 180km (120 miles) northwest of Wainwright, told Canada’s national broadcaster patients were being brought to hospitals across the city as its health-care facilities became “completely overwhelmed” by the number of people requiring care.  Today, Prime Minister Mark Carney confirms that four servicemembers were killed and several dozens were injured.  WATCH:

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Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent appears on NBC’s Meet the Press to discuss the current status of the economy and ongoing geopolitical events.  Within the interview [Video and Transcript Below] Secretary Bessent notes that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is coordinating closely with both British King Charles and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, needs to be very careful about the malicious lies he is speaking to U.S. audiences. WATCH: 

[Transcript] – KRISTEN WELKER: Welcome back. Joining me now is Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Secretary Bessent, welcome back to Meet the Press.

SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT: Kristen, good to be with you.

KRISTEN WELKER: It’s great to have you back. Let’s start on inflation, these new inflation numbers we got this week. Consumer prices rose in September at the fastest pace in five months, to 3.7%. Are the president’s policies driving up inflation?

SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT: Kristen, we have an energy shock. And if you look underneath the hood in the numbers, core inflation has been very flat before this month, and it’d been down for four months in a row. So core inflation is down. The food is below the Fed’s targets. The prescription drugs have had the biggest decrease in history. Rents are down. So this is an energy shock. We will get to the other side of the Iran conflict, and those prices will come down.

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Again, there are multiple dynamics unfolding inside this story.  However, as to the central component of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy complaining about hampered access to Starlink and/or Starshield, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sets the record straight.

Ukraine has never had access to the U.S. military version of Starshield; providing that level of guidance access would be akin to the United States being in direct conflict with Russia using a proprietary U.S. military system. This is not our circus and not our war; there is no need for U.S. military conflict with Russia.

Because Ukraine does not have that access, it is now revealed that Zelenskyy has been using Starlink, a commercially available satellite system – but that system is not permitted by SpaceX to be used for military efforts.  This is almost certainly where the relationship between Elon Musk and former Ukraine Defense Minister Michael Fedorov comes into play. Fedorov is no longer in the Ukraine govt.   WATCH:

Rubio notes that Zelenskyy’s claims against the White House are nonsense.  The White House has not interfered or instructed the military about the use of Starshield because Ukraine has never had Starshield to use.  If Ukraine has been violating the terms of service by weaponizing Starlink (they have) then the commercial provider can act independently to block or stop that access. [Full Transcript Below]

In the background of this storyline, we should always remember that about a month ago Russia finalized their own upgraded satellite system that covers Russia and eastern Europe.  It is widely suspected the increased accuracy of Russian targeting inside Ukraine is specifically because of their own enhanced capabilities, which now highlights the vulnerability of Ukraine if they do not have weaponize their Starlink access and the new desperation therein.

Bottom line, Secretary of State Marco Rubio continues to highlight his mastery of cutting through the nonsense and staying focused on the priorities of the administration with messaging that cuts through the media chafe.  Rubio excels in this role far beyond prior expectations. Very impressive.

On the topic of his travel to the “stans”, watch carefully. This is connected to the overall Russia/Central Asia agenda.

Transcript Below:

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