my turn light is my arm
The starter circuit is completely separate. Just keep digging along the wiring in that circuit as described. And the wire color from the fues to the first connection drop to the radio coudl well be black; often the wire colros on the mymopar schematics seem to be suggestions... or the factory was out of red wire that day!
You took the column wiring and turn signal switch out of the circuit when you pulled the flasher. (Turn signal power to the TS switch has to go through the flasher.)
As far as checking the line out to the neutral-safety/backup switch, the wiring to the NSS section of that switch is competely separate from the wiring to the backup section of the switch. So you can have a good functioning NSS, and at the same time have a short to ground in the backup switch section or the wiring to/from the back up switch. So that HAS to be troubleshot as part of your investigation.
