NEWS & STUFF. Correspondents dinner shooting. Jimmy K. Panama Canal and Strait of Hormuz. Etcetera.

Good Morning America: “How the Secret Service was able to stop the D.C. shooting suspect.” Grownup discussion of this issue matters–especially in these dark days of widespread hate. And how political/societal hate implodes and explodes in (usually) deadly violence. Yet what I read: The Correspondents Dinner was “scripted.” A ready hate-Trump yarn, in the absence of an insight. Idiotic. Anyhow,  what are mostly scripted? Regime change. Pre-planned by a host country’s opposition and/or military “reformists/rebels” and the sponsoring foreign (super)power. Think Manila 1986 and Caracas 2026. (Hey, let’s talk as adults.) ☮️🗽☮️

The Independent: “Melania urges ABC to 'take a stand' after Kimmel's 'widow' joke before shooting.” The First Lady has criticised down-low jester Jimmy over a joke in which he called her an "expectant widow" just days before a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Of course, this dude has said more crap that only drunken roadside imps yap about. Why would ABC allow this “late night TV hooligan” to stay on the mic? Because he brings in viewership$? 🤨😞🤨

Associated Press: “Panama Canal fees spike to $4 million as ships flee Hormuz chokehold.” Sure, there are alternative routes, and the winners are big business, as ever. Although Panama has full ownership and control of the Canal since 1999, operations of its key ports are under these giants: The Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings, a BlackRock-led consortium, and Maersk. For U.S. interests, it helps that President José Raúl Mulino maintains a “a pragmatic, cooperative relationship” with the Trump administration. Jose is on the same page with Washington, in regards to Chinese influence and migration. 🇵🇦⛽️🇺🇸

NBC: “Clinton, Bush, Obama and Biden share their opinion on America's future.” POTUSes. I didn’t read their “opinions,” but you know. Anyhow, stuff that Donald Trump is dealing with are basically handed to him by past presidents. The difference is, The D tries hard to fix them.

      These: Bill Clinton’s trade pact with China’s Jiang Zemin in 2000 ushered in China’s relentless trade expansionism. George W. Bush’s handling of the post-9/11 anti-terror program only heightened global terrorism rather than contained the scourge. Barack Obama’s management of the war in Afghanistan and upgrade of military aid to Israel perked up Washington’s military brinkmanship. And Joe Biden’s relative nonchalance in “letting in” a record number of undocumented migrants (1+ million average) crashed an already bankrupt fiscal management of immigration policies. 🏛🗽🏛

Reuters: “United CEO reportedly raises industry-reshaping deal with American Airlines to Trump.” And so on and so forth. Sans the Iran war, which Mr Trump tried to avoid, his POTUS playbook is meant as a reset. Cut costs, review of U.S. aid and NATO share, foreign policy premium on trade, immigration whip and crime pursuit. So shudder is an understatement. Of course, he expected the thumbs-down. You see, the universe has evolved, especially with the economic advent of China. Trump is set to shake the Dragon’s expansionism as he maintains America’s stature as global #1. But look at how Europe deteriorated, as Asia and the Middle East move ahead. 🏛🗽🏛

STUFF. Hungarian elections. Fentanyl and drug cartels. Political party cliches.

Associated Press: “Hungary's election jolts Trump world, raising new concerns about midterms.” What is so big a deal with JD Vance’s endorsement or Donald Trump's so-called alignment with the vanquished chief, Viktor Orban? I look beyond the U.S. Left/Right angst.

      Seriously, new leader Peter Magyar's party Tisza is not very different from Mr Orban's Fidesz. They were former partymates, in fact. Tisza or Mr Magyar is Center-Right, hardcore European populist, and heavily anti-migrant. Essentially a MAGA parallel. Although Orban isn't really old at 62, Hungarians want a younger Rightist leader. Magyar is 45.

      Meanwhile, Europe has been going Right-wing in recent years, due to social issues, not necessarily political. They are hobbling from a gasping economy (below 1 percent) since 2009, and reeling from the migrant crisis since 2016. Yet it seems cool to stereotype voters or the people based on academic boxes or the "convenience" of drawing whatever to the hate-Trump board. As though the U.S. really changed that much, regardless of Donald Trump. It’s all relatively good. But look at Europe. The global power pre-21st century has considerably been weakened by the EU leadership's ineptitude and whacked sense of priority. 🇭🇺🇭🇺🇭🇺

CBS: “Fentanyl lab uncovered as U.S. pressures Mexico on cartels.” I am diggin’ how Claudia Sheinbaum and Donald Trump are working together versus drug cartels. Carry on! Meanwhile, take note of the record number (1 million+!) cartel-facilitated border crossings from 2021 to 2024, as Joe Biden erased the Merida Initiative and replaced it with his “holistic” Bicentennial Framework for Security etcetera. Laughable!

      Yet these on Trump II: <>Lowest number of migrant crossings since the 1970s! <>Mexico has transferred nearly 100 high-ranking cartel members to the United States across three major operations since February 2025. <>And of course, the erasure of drug kingpin El Mencho. 🇺🇸☮️🇲🇽

When the smart-ass blah on your face about Far Right stereotypes or Far Left cliches, it’s as though you are clueless as dumb. Politics varies depending on where we are. Cultural facts more than ideological alignments. “Right-wing” parties in Europe, for example, are called Sweden Democrats, Freedom Party of Austria, Alternative for Germany or AfD, VOX, Reform UK etcetera. Per academia, they are Conservative populists, yet if you dig in what they’re fighting for, you’d see parallels with other cultures that are also boxed as revolutionaries, liberals or progressives. 🏛🏛🏛