This week on Now and Next:

The Russian Navy is parked mere miles off the coast of Florida. A frigate, a nuclear-powered submarine, an oil tanker and a rescue tug arrived in Havana harbour on June 12. 

RCAF veteran, retired Major General Scott Clancy - Leader, Author, Speaker, Mentor, Coach has a unique perspective on this. He served as Director of Operations for NORAD. He says the frigate "Gorshkov" is armed with cruise missiles - all conventional weapons. Russia's cruise missiles have a range of approximately 3,000 kilometers. (NOTE: Toronto is just under 2,500 from Cuba. Just saying.)

General Clancy says, "a wave of cruise missiles could come at North America, all conventional, taking out a significant amount of targets - crippling American and Canadian economic and electrical infrastructure elements. That's the real threat here."

That threat is amplified because there is no North American military mechanism that could effectively defend against cruise missiles launched off the coast of Cuba. 

But wait! No need to locate the nearest bomb shelter! (Yet).

Clancy's quick to point out the Russian exercises are meant as a message from Moscow to Washington. "We're coming straight at your (North American) homeland."

All of this happens as the G7 gathers in Italy. Among other things, the leaders will consider the need to financially support for Ukraine and ponder what the world will look like if Donald Trump ascends to the presidency for a second term in 2025.

David Schultz, professor of politcal science and a US constitutional authority at Hamline University, says the closer we get to the November election day, the more likely is appears the United States and the world will have to brace for Trump 2.0.

Either way, a Trump win or a Trump loss, Professor Schultz expects domestic turmoil, (if not political chaos), leading up to and following Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025.