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King Charles Delivers Diplomatic Masterclass While America's Institutions Crumble
5️⃣ KING CHARLES TROLLS TRUMP WITH CANADIAN THRONE SPEECH
King Charles III delivered the first throne speech by a monarch in Canada since 1977, and it was a diplomatic masterpiece. With full royal pageantry—carriage processions, military honors, the works—Charles sat on his own Canadian throne and delivered what Dean called "one of the most incredibly symbolic statements ever made in the history of Canadian politics."
The speech emphasized Canada's sovereignty, multicultural identity, and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples while laying out Prime Minister Mark Carney's agenda for building new relationships with "better partners." As Dean put it: "Today we established that Canada is just going to go it alone with better partners and better people. And that relationship is over." The timing wasn't subtle—this was a nuclear statement by the king of England telling Trump that Canada remains "true north strong and free."
4️⃣ HARRY & MEGHAN RECREATE THE SYSTEM THEY FLED
The Sussexes are formalizing professional separation with dedicated chiefs of staff and separate teams—exactly the royal hierarchy they criticized before moving to California. Harry spent Memorial Day weekend in China for business while Meghan stayed home in Montecito with the kids during their daughter's birthday. Dean's prediction: "I think in the next year or so, you're probably going to see a separation of Meghan and Harry." The irony is rich—they attacked the royal system for having separate teams, then recreated it in Hollywood. As Zev noted, "It's the FAFO rule—this is the FO part."
3️⃣ REPUBLICANS SPLIT SEVEN WAYS ON TRUMP'S "BIG FLEECING BILL"
Senate Republicans face major divisions over Trump's massive tax package, with John Thune able to lose only three votes while no Democrats support it. The bill adds $5 trillion to the deficit while cutting Medicaid for 14 million people—what Dean called "a rounding error" tax break for the top 2% that "not one single person in that orbit would notice." Even MAGA senators like Ron Johnson and Rand Paul are breaking away, with Johnson saying the bill will "destroy us and kill Americans." The bill also includes provisions requiring bonds to challenge government officials for crimes—effectively making it impossible to hold Trump accountable.
2️⃣ UKRAINE BLEEDS WHILE SENATE SITS ON SANCTIONS
Putin launched 1,000 drones and missiles over three days, killing dozens of Ukrainian civilians, while 80 senators sit ready to pass crushing Russia sanctions with 500% tariffs. The "Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025" has supermajority support but Majority Leader Thune waits for Trump's blessing. As Zev noted, "That's not the way Congress is meant to work"—but fear of losing cushy lifestyles keeps Republicans from acting. Dean's brutal assessment: "All these f*****g unqualified a******s who've been given these incredible jobs" are asking themselves, "if I piss off the dotard, will I lose my gig?"
1️⃣ PENTAGON CREDIT CARDS FUND GAMBLING SPREES
Federal audits revealed Pentagon employees charged at least $500,000 on gambling, drinking, and online gaming using government credit cards, with one Air Force member withdrawing over $10,500 from Maryland casinos in five months. DOGE cancelled 200,000 federal credit cards after finding $40 billion in annual spending with minimal oversight. But as Dean pointed out, this is hardly the $2 trillion in savings Elon Musk promised—and Musk himself "got $8 million a day for the past four months" while "absconding with close to $3 billion to $4 billion in government contracts." The real government waste? DOGE itself.
The Bottom Line: As Dean concluded after visiting Rome's Pantheon: democracy works when it's "to offer all things to all people and to do acts for the common good"—the opposite of what we're seeing from Trump's America.
The FiveStack is available as an audio podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Advertising inquiries email [email protected]. The FiveStack is a co-production of deanblundell.substack.com and narativ.org.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.narativ.org/subscribe
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By D. Blundell and Z.Shalev5️⃣ KING CHARLES TROLLS TRUMP WITH CANADIAN THRONE SPEECH
King Charles III delivered the first throne speech by a monarch in Canada since 1977, and it was a diplomatic masterpiece. With full royal pageantry—carriage processions, military honors, the works—Charles sat on his own Canadian throne and delivered what Dean called "one of the most incredibly symbolic statements ever made in the history of Canadian politics."
The speech emphasized Canada's sovereignty, multicultural identity, and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples while laying out Prime Minister Mark Carney's agenda for building new relationships with "better partners." As Dean put it: "Today we established that Canada is just going to go it alone with better partners and better people. And that relationship is over." The timing wasn't subtle—this was a nuclear statement by the king of England telling Trump that Canada remains "true north strong and free."
4️⃣ HARRY & MEGHAN RECREATE THE SYSTEM THEY FLED
The Sussexes are formalizing professional separation with dedicated chiefs of staff and separate teams—exactly the royal hierarchy they criticized before moving to California. Harry spent Memorial Day weekend in China for business while Meghan stayed home in Montecito with the kids during their daughter's birthday. Dean's prediction: "I think in the next year or so, you're probably going to see a separation of Meghan and Harry." The irony is rich—they attacked the royal system for having separate teams, then recreated it in Hollywood. As Zev noted, "It's the FAFO rule—this is the FO part."
3️⃣ REPUBLICANS SPLIT SEVEN WAYS ON TRUMP'S "BIG FLEECING BILL"
Senate Republicans face major divisions over Trump's massive tax package, with John Thune able to lose only three votes while no Democrats support it. The bill adds $5 trillion to the deficit while cutting Medicaid for 14 million people—what Dean called "a rounding error" tax break for the top 2% that "not one single person in that orbit would notice." Even MAGA senators like Ron Johnson and Rand Paul are breaking away, with Johnson saying the bill will "destroy us and kill Americans." The bill also includes provisions requiring bonds to challenge government officials for crimes—effectively making it impossible to hold Trump accountable.
2️⃣ UKRAINE BLEEDS WHILE SENATE SITS ON SANCTIONS
Putin launched 1,000 drones and missiles over three days, killing dozens of Ukrainian civilians, while 80 senators sit ready to pass crushing Russia sanctions with 500% tariffs. The "Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025" has supermajority support but Majority Leader Thune waits for Trump's blessing. As Zev noted, "That's not the way Congress is meant to work"—but fear of losing cushy lifestyles keeps Republicans from acting. Dean's brutal assessment: "All these f*****g unqualified a******s who've been given these incredible jobs" are asking themselves, "if I piss off the dotard, will I lose my gig?"
1️⃣ PENTAGON CREDIT CARDS FUND GAMBLING SPREES
Federal audits revealed Pentagon employees charged at least $500,000 on gambling, drinking, and online gaming using government credit cards, with one Air Force member withdrawing over $10,500 from Maryland casinos in five months. DOGE cancelled 200,000 federal credit cards after finding $40 billion in annual spending with minimal oversight. But as Dean pointed out, this is hardly the $2 trillion in savings Elon Musk promised—and Musk himself "got $8 million a day for the past four months" while "absconding with close to $3 billion to $4 billion in government contracts." The real government waste? DOGE itself.
The Bottom Line: As Dean concluded after visiting Rome's Pantheon: democracy works when it's "to offer all things to all people and to do acts for the common good"—the opposite of what we're seeing from Trump's America.
The FiveStack is available as an audio podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Advertising inquiries email [email protected]. The FiveStack is a co-production of deanblundell.substack.com and narativ.org.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.narativ.org/subscribe