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5️⃣ Putin Vows Retaliation After Ukraine's "Spiderweb" Devastation
Vladimir Putin "very strongly" threatened Donald Trump that Russia "will have to respond" to Ukraine's devastating Operation Spider's Web during a 75-minute phone call that sounded like it came straight from Sputnik News. Ukraine's 18-month operation destroyed 41 Russian aircraft including nuclear-capable bombers across five time zones, yet Trump's response was to legitimize Putin's threats rather than celebrate Ukraine's defensive success. The call happened outside official diplomatic channels with no White House oversight - shadow diplomacy serving Russian interests while Trump chickens out on supporting actual American allies fighting for freedom.
4️⃣ U.S. Jobs Market Collapses to Two-Year Low
Private sector job creation crashed to just 37,000 in May - missing economists' expectations by nearly 200%. Trump's response? Pressure Jerome Powell to cut rates rather than address the underlying economic destruction his policies are causing. Regional disparities tell the real story: while South Dakota sits at 1.9% unemployment, Nevada hits 5.8%. This isn't policy failure - it's deliberate sabotage of American workers while Trump prioritizes Putin's approval over economic recovery.
3️⃣ Trump's Economic Triple Threat Destroys American Dream
Steel and aluminum tariffs doubled to 50% today, adding $2,000-$4,000 to car prices while the housing market posts its worst buyer-seller imbalance on record. Sellers outnumber buyers by 490,000 - a 33.7% gap that's the widest since tracking began. Research proves Trump's 2018 tariffs added 1,000 steel jobs while destroying 75,000 manufacturing positions. The pattern is clear: no jobs, no affordable houses, no affordable cars. This is the American Dream being deconstructed in real time by someone who's spent 79 years spending other people's money.
2️⃣ ICE Arrests Chilean Tourist, Abandons 12-Year-Old in Times Square
NYPD and ICE arrested Javiera Montero, a Chilean woman on vacation with her 12-year-old daughter, holding her eight hours without charges while leaving the child crying and alone on one of the world's busiest streets. This wasn't mistaken identity - it was state terrorism designed to show that anyone, anywhere, can be arrested for the crime of "looking un-American." Brown shirts followed this family from the airport to their hotel, surveilling tourists before striking. When your government abandons 12-year-olds on dangerous streets to terrorize families spending money here, you're witnessing apartheid in real time.
1️⃣ Hegseth Erases Harvey Milk from Navy History
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is stripping Harvey Milk's name from a Navy ship, potentially announcing the decision during Pride Month as a deliberate cultural assault. Milk, a Navy veteran who served during the Korean War before becoming a gay rights icon, was assassinated in 1978 for his beliefs. His famous words - "If a bullet should ever enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door" - proved prophetic in advancing LGBTQ rights globally. Now Hegseth, who like many aggressive homophobes likely has his own closeted experiences, wants to erase this hero's legacy to appease white nationalist supporters afraid of their own sexual insecurities.
The Pattern Emerges
From Putin's direct threats to economic destruction to state terrorism against tourists to erasing civil rights heroes - each story reveals coordinated authoritarian assault on American values. The opposite of fear is love, and that's exactly what Trump's regime seeks to destroy. Canada offers 2.99% mortgage rates while America hits 6.99% because competent leadership matters. The choice is clear: love, inclusivity, and actual American values, or continued descent into authoritarian hatred serving foreign interests.
The FiveStack is available as an audio podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Advertising inquiries email next@narativ.org. The FiveStack is a co-production of deanblundell.substack.com and narativ.org.
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