Maybe the third time is the charm. President Trump indicates that a deal with Iran has been reached and agreed by all the participating stakeholders.
[Source]
Friday, June 12, 2026
President Trump Nominates SDNY U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to Serve as Director of National Intelligence
President Trump has announced current Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the position of Director of National Intelligence. [Truth Social] This nomination would seem to officially moot ADNI Bill Pulte.
Jay Clayton is a fellow alumnus along with President Trump from the University of Pennsylvania (undergraduate ’88, and law school ’93).
Clayton also was the signatory for the Nicholas Maduro indictment in his USAO position in New York. Clayton was prosecuting the case.
While Clayton holds national security clearances, his nomination position would seemingly ensure Deputy DNI Aaron Lukas remains in position – per statutory guidelines for military intelligence, or similar, requirement within the ODNI office.
[NOTE: Depending on Clayton’s current intelligence status]
PRESIDENT TRUMP – “I am pleased to announce the Nomination of very Highly Respected Jay Clayton, former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the former Head of Sullivan & Cromwell, one of the most prominent and successful Law Firms anywhere in the World, and the current United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to be the next Director of National Intelligence and, importantly, to serve in my Cabinet. Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay. I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
There is a possibility this nomination announcement could change the dynamic in the Senate, where the previous FISA (702) reauthorization bill from the House currently resides.
Jay Clayton was not previously friendly to Cryptocurrency in the position of SEC Chair.
By nominating Clayton, Trump shifts from an acting chief with no intelligence experience to a nominee with extensive legal and regulatory credentials. The move follows mounting pressure from lawmakers to resolve the FISA stalemate and install a confirmed leader at the DNI. It also reflects Trump’s pattern of selecting figures he views as trusted allies with experience in high-profile legal roles.
With the House rejecting a short-term FISA extension and many lawmakers out of Washington, the Senate must address Clayton’s confirmation alongside the urgent need to renew surveillance powers. The compressed schedule risks both issues remaining unresolved before the program lapses. The overlap of leadership transition and legislative deadline underscores the political and operational pressure on Congress. (source)
Short Term FISA (702) Extension Fails in House – Strangely Specific Concern from Democrat Leadership
Keep in mind the FISA (702) extension already passed the House, and the bill is sitting in the Senate where the ever-predictable John Thune is not bringing it up for a vote.
This morning the House tried to pass a short-term FISA (702) extension for three weeks (ending July 2). The measure failed by a vote of 218 to 198. In addition to Democrats, nineteen republicans also voted against it.
The Democrats are claiming their lack of support surrounds the appointment of Bill Pulte as Acting DNI effective June 19, and their concern that Pulte will weaponize the FISA (702) authority to conduct political surveillance. Yes, it’s a rather hypocritical projection within their claim.
[SOURCE]
Now, you might ask yourself…. where in the world would the Democrats get the idea that FISA (702) would be used to get “dirt on President Trump’s political enemies.” What would lead them to that suspicion?
As customary, the radical leftists are projecting based on their own conduct. This is the same “702” authority that Barack Obama and Joe Biden previously used to do exactly that political surveillance. We have outlined the entire operation in granular detail citing all of the FISA records that showed exactly what the Obama-Biden group were doing.
It’s difficult to keep general information hidden in/around Washington DC, and I suspect Democrat Leadership have heard something about what DNI Tulsi Gabbard is poised to release surrounding FISA (702) abuse.
For more than a few years CTH has been chasing multiple records relating to known FISA (702) abuses, including our effort to get the previous notification from the National Security Agency (NSA) to the FISA Court which outlined key details about which offices, agencies and portals were used by “contractors” to exploit the NSA database.
Additionally, do not forget there are classified versions of Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s investigative report(s) on known FISA 702 abuses once he was given access to the Dept of Justice National Security Division. Horowitz specifically investigated Obama era FISA (702) abuses and outlined two reports, one public (redacted) and one classified.
Without going into a lot of detail, I suspect Tulsi Gabbard and Aaron Lucas might be releasing some newly declassified information surrounding prior NSA database abuse and declassified information about the identified surveillance targets therein. This might explain where that unusually specific concern from Democrat leadership is originating.
Methinks they doth protest too much.
Asian Trade Officials Remind Canada that All Deals are Contingent on Access to USA Market
An interesting article in Japan Times reinforces several insider trade discussions that have been taking place over the past eighteen months. Essentially, all trade deals with Canada are contingent upon their access to the USA market. Lose the USMCA trade deal, and any trade terms between Asian and Canadian counterparts are null and void.
This is not the first time this background from key trade nations has been shared with Canada. Japan told Canada last year that most sector trade, specifically the auto industry, was contingent upon tariff-free access to the U.S. market. If Canada loses the USMCA, the terms of trade change completely.
This reality is now surfacing in comments directly from the Canadian trade teams and business insiders within Canada. They are now admitting without the USMCA their leverage for trade with other countries disappears. This is a considerable admission from within Canada government that has not yet become part of the average Canadian understanding.
If Canada loses their trade agreement with the USA, all other countries will modify their trade agreements with Canada. Think about the leverage within that reality, overlay the Canadian government’s severe anti-Trump mindset, and you quickly realize just how dangerous Mark Carney is for Canada.
JAPAN TIMES – […] Carney’s push to lessen dependence on the U.S. is colliding with a stubborn reality: access to American markets remains a crucial part of Canada’s appeal to prospective trading partners, according to interviews with a dozen government officials and business leaders.
[…] Canadian officials acknowledge that the main draw for many potential trading partners is the prospect of gaining tariff-free access to the world’s largest market through Canada’s participation in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.
Carney regularly touts Canada’s preferential access to the U.S. market, noting that more than 85% of bilateral trade remains tariff-free.
“That (USMCA deal) has been kind of a baseline of our investment attraction message,” said a top Canadian government official who requested anonymity to speak frankly.
[…] The auto sector — dominated by Japanese automakers Toyota and Honda — is a prime example. […] Together the two companies account for over 75% of vehicles made in Canada.
[…] “For many of the Japanese companies investing here, one of the reasons for their investment is definitely the special access Canada has enjoyed over the long years,” said Ishii Hideaki, minister and deputy head of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Ottawa.
[…] Goldy Hyder, CEO of the Business Council of Canada, which represents large companies, praised the government’s efforts to attract investment into critical minerals and energy. But he also sounded a note of caution.
“For large investors from Asia or Europe looking at Canada, any decision to deploy capital would necessarily take into account not only our national investment climate but also our connections to the North American continental economy as a whole.” (read more)
Last year we noted an insider trade report from Toyota warning that if the U.S. cancelled the USMCA, Toyota would move all production out of Canada. The U.S. market is the majority reason Toyota operates in Canada.
As noted in the Japan Times article, this is the first time the Canadian trade and business community have openly stated their trade strategy is contingent upon selling access to the U.S. market. If Canada loses that access, everything within the economy of Canada will dramatically change.
There are trillions at stake.
Yesterday, yet again, President Trump affirmed he has no intention of continuing the USMCA and will instead prefer two separate bilateral trade agreements, one with Mexico and one with Canada.
Things are going to get spicy very quickly.
Most Canadians have no idea just how consequential that shift will be.
This is a recap video highlighting the damage Mark Carney has done.
Highlight reel of @MarkJCarney torching the Canada-U.S. relationship every chance he gets.
— Michael Lucci (@Michael7ucci) June 10, 2026
cc: @RMC19861987 pic.twitter.com/oJeyglnAB6