All eyes are on the French Presidential Election (Round #1) being held today.  There are multiple candidates but only the top two go to round #2.  Most predictions have Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron as the top two candidates.

UPDATE: 5:30pm EDT  Surprising most of the liberal punditry, and contradicting most of the earlier exit polls, Marine Le Pen has won the first round over her closest rival Emmanuel Macron (link):

Francios Fillon conceded and endorsed the political establishment favorite Macron.  Melenchon has refused to endorse anyone.  As expected the national runoff will be:

Marine Le Pen -vs- Emmanuel Macron

Similar to Hillary Clinton, Macron will carry the endorsement of the professional political class and all of the left-wing French media.  Similar to Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen will be running as an outsider against the entire political apparatus and the media machine.

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U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis was in Israel earlier today where he participated in a joint press conference with Israeli Defense Minister Liberman.

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Prior to departing Indonesia (Day #5/#6) to begin a visit in Australia (Day #6/#7), Vice-President Pence delivered remarks at ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, in Indonesia.

• Transcript of Remarks with President Widodo
• Transcript of Remarks at ASEAN

Vice-President Pence fostered a spirit of goodwill, cooperation and endeared the administration by mentioning “Kartini Day“.   Kartini Day is an Indonesian holiday commemorating the birth in 1879 of Raden Ajeng Kartini, one of the country’s national heroes and a pioneer in the emancipation of Indonesian women. Throughout Indonesia women wear their national dress to symbolize their unity, and the nation enjoys parades, lectures, and various school activities.

Further acknowledging the presence of female minister of foreign affairs Retno Marsudi, ex trade minister Mari Pangeatu, and businesswoman Shinta Kamdani. Warm, diplomatic subtleties not missed by the Indonesian people and President Joko Widodo.

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During a press conference yesterday with Italian President Gentiloni, President Trump was asked about the future U.S. role Libya.

QUESTION:  President Trump, do you see a role for your administration in helping stabilizing Libya?  And do you agree that stabilizing Libya means combating terrorism and ISIS?

PRESIDENT TRUMP:  “I do not see a role in Libya.  I think the United States has right now enough roles.  We’re in a role everywhere.  So I do not see that.  I do see a role in getting rid of ISIS.  We’re being very effective in that regard.  We are doing a job, with respect to ISIS, that has not been done anywhere near the numbers that we’re producing right now.  It’s a very effective force we have.  We have no choice.  It’s a horrible thing to say, but we have no choice.  And we are effectively ridding the world of ISIS.  I see that as a primary role, and that’s what we’re going to do, whether it’s in Iraq or in Libya or anywhere else.  And that role will come to an end at a certain point, and we’ll be able to go back home and rebuild our country, which is what I want to do.”

[Transcript]

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The example today of President Obama stepping in to influence the French election stands as a direct highlight upon the hypocrisy of left-wing progressives (Marxists).

Against a predictable strategy, French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron is promoting a phone call today from former President Obama (Audio Embed Below).

Under Obama’s leadership the U.S. State Department has a long history of working to influence elections in France.  Additionally, as we shared from research into the Ambassador Rivkin Project the left-wing U.S. globalists have considered France to be the fulcrum for their global intentions toward the larger EU.

• Facebook Blocks Le Pen Supporters
• CNN Pushes Narrative of Russia Interfering in France
• WikiLeaks Releases CIA documents of U.S. election efforts in France
• History of State Dept. Charles Rivkin Project

Team Obama including Team Clinton have worked earnestly to carry leverage and influence over France and elected French politicians.  The travelers within Obama’s closest circles have always considered France ideologically aligned to their limo-liberal sensibilities.

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Media are reporting that at least one police officer had been killed and at least two others seriously wounded by two Kalashnikov-wielding gunmen on the Champs Elysees in central Paris tonight.

French authorities have stated the incident was probably a ‘terrorist act’ and the famous venue was on lockdown by 9pm as heavily armed officers flooded the area. Another individual – believed to be the killer – was killed, according to police sources.

Reports suggest ‘at least’ two shooters were involved in the attack which took place as presidential candidates took part in a TV debate nearby before Sunday’s election.

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No event is happening in a vacuum.  It is critical to emphasize this basic point when evaluating the foreign policy of President Trump and his administration.  There is a very well planned multidimensional construct within the sequencing of individual events which shows a policy thread weaving throughout.

The challenging aspect for most of the current U.S. electorate, and specifically those who follow politics closely, is the Trump administration’s position to not publicly espouse targeted and strategic policy objectives.

This deliberate yet not publicly promoted approach is a paradigm shift for those who reference modern diplomatic politics through the prism of past doctrines and their public advancement.  The Trump foreign policy approach is a planned, deliberate, consequential, and intentionally quiet undertaking.

That LOOK !

The Trumpian approach is becoming increasingly easier to see. However, it is not the typical approach customary amid politicians who use momentary events to elevate the appearance of their self-importance.

Quite the contrary, with the Trump team each action and participant provides visible dots, but the administration intentionally does not connect those dots for the media or the consuming public – or trumpet their importance.

The Administrations’ focus is on the ultimate outcome each individual event brings to the aggregate conclusion. ie. ‘the goal’; and not on the individual elements as they are assembled.

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Captured suspect Kori Ali Muhammad is an Islamic activist within the “Black Lives Matter” movement.

(Via Associated Press) […]  Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer says the suspect in a shooting that killed three people in downtown Fresno told police he hates white people and shouted “God is great” in Arabic before the killings.

All three victims in Tuesday’s killings were white. The police chief says they were shot minutes apart in close proximity in areas around downtown.

Thirty-nine-year-old Kori Ali Muhammad was arrested shortly afterward. He was already wanted for a separate killing from last week, in which a Motel 6 security guard in Fresno was gunned down.

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During a flight to Saudi Arabia Defense Secretary James Mattis answered some current events questions about strategic policy objectives:

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During a February interview which broadcast just before the Superbowl, President Trump recalled riding with former President Barack Obama to the Inauguration on Jan. 20 when he asked Obama to list the three greatest issues America was facing.

[…] “I asked him what you think our biggest problem is and he told me,” Trump said, recalling the limousine ride to the U.S. Capitol with Obama.

“I can’t tell you,” Trump said after O’Reilly interrupted to ask about specifics. “But it’s a problem, its a military problem with a certain place. No, it’s not China. But it is – he did mention, cause I did ask him what would you say our number one, two, three problems are and the number one problem that he felt – I was a little bit surprised, but I fully understand.” (link)

Almost every mainstream political pundit and political observer believes the concerning country within that conversation was North Korea. Indeed, if you were to evaluate the comment in isolation, against the backdrop of world media headlines, N-Korea seemingly becomes a natural conclusion.

However, CTH does not believe North Korea was the country of concern. President Obama viewed and acted upon all foreign affairs through the prism of ideological belief. Every action taken by the Obama administration was in furtherance of an ideological world-view that was personal to the small circle of like-minded fellow travelers.

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