Almost Daily… Sometimes, I get busy. Some quick X threads from the last few days, mostly about news in National Security. We do the scrolling so you don’t have to. This post also serves as an open thread. I welcome readers to post comments or additional links related to national security or history, even if they are not directly related to the links below.
Interesting observation since I started writing these, China has overtaken the US as the country that reads this blog the most, and the word search for “Hamas” has skyrocketed up the leaderboard. I am not really sure what to make of that. Should I be flattered that they care enough to read it, or disappointed that more Americans aren’t? Perhaps I am over the target and should promote these more.
The @WhiteHouse has been releasing videos of U.S. forces blowing up drug-smuggling boats as if they’re Superbowl ads.
They’ve quietly mobilized additional military assets to Puerto Rico.
But drug smuggling may not be the full story—or the real motivation.
A far more concerning… pic.twitter.com/Ic3eJSYlVb
— Jason Lewris (@jasonlewris) November 16, 2025
If you only click on one link today, this should be it. I don’t know if this dude is correct here, but this feels right, at least partially correct. Just the other day, I was texting with a couple of my brothers about the military buildup in the Gulf and generally made the case that the buildup was more about foreign influence that included China, Russia, and Iran via Hezbollah than drugs in regard to Venezuela. This guy goes into way more detail. If you cannot see below the fold the initial tweet continues:
“Here’s how a small Venezuelan island (Isla de Margarita), Iranian-backed terrorist groups, and U.S. housing may all connect within a sophisticated people-transportation network into the United States.”
He continues:
“Why does this matter? Because Iran and Venezuela were already aligned long before the strikes. And Venezuela’s cartel networks run well-established smuggling routes across the Caribbean and into the United States. The U.S. has been quietly deploying more military resources to Puerto Rico-as recently as last week.”
And one more for good measure, but you really should read the entire thread:
“The alarming part: Venezuela and Iran already own U.S. properties-many through shell companies with direct ties to their governments. And there are dense pockets of these holdings along the southern border.”
Rare earth metals are not rare.
The issue is the smelters and refineries to make the finished rare earth metals from the raw ore.
It has been impossible for over 40 years to build these types of industries in Europe, the USA or anywhere except China.
So China built them and… pic.twitter.com/Jug61HnsT8
— Wall Street Mav (@WallStreetMav) November 16, 2025
China’s grip on Rare Earths is a self-inflicted wound. I am convinced that the environmental movement was, in part, funded by foreign adversaries.
PLA Daily, the official Chinese military outlet warns Japan:
“Japan will become a sea of fire from Hokkaido to Okinawa, with no place left unscathed. Any attempt to interfere in the Taiwan issue will drag Japan into an abyss of no return, turning its homeland into eternal… pic.twitter.com/q1WjI62oYX
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) November 16, 2025
Put a pin in this one and watch to see if Japan backs down. I wish, at the very least, that the US and Australia would issue official statements in support of Japan. Why does Taiwan matter to Japan? In a word, trade. If China controlled the Taiwan Straight, Japan’s ability to exercise freedom of navigation in trade would be severely curtailed. This is a big deal.
NEW: For the first time in over a month, four China Coast Guard vessels entered Kinmen’s restricted waters today, according to Taiwan’s Coast Guard.
The vessels, CCG 14603, 14515, 14609, and 14529, operated with their AIS transponders turned off and remained in the area for… pic.twitter.com/tn7Mce2x9v
— Taiwan Security Monitor (@TaiwanMonitor) November 13, 2025
The provocations continue.
Not just Alaska. Chinese fishing militia is all the way in Newfoundland, too
Hell, they’re even in Antarctica, hunting krill & decimating whale population
But they still hit poorest countries hardest, where locals or officials have no means to push backhttps://t.co/59i8ENA6lW pic.twitter.com/epGZ8L2qfY
— Dr. Minh Tran (@MinhDr18) November 13, 2025
It is not just the South China Sea West Philippines Sea. China is everywhere destroying the world’s fisheries. WE need to weaponize environmentalism!
BREAKING:
The huge crowd of Mexican Gen Z anti-cartel protesters have torn down the wall in front of the presidential palace
There’s now a full-blown battle with the riot police posted behind it. The protesters are trying to storm Sheinbaum’s office pic.twitter.com/vH4PxyxO1i
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) November 15, 2025
This makes me so happy. It is a couple of days old, so I hope the momentum hasn’t been lost. Sheinbaum is a shill for the globalists and cartels and has to go.
Mosul just did something the world forgot was possible.
Two ancient churches destroyed by ISIS have reopened. Not as ruins… but as living places of worship again.
On October 15, church bells rang over a city that once echoed with gunfire. Christians and Muslims stood together,… pic.twitter.com/lL0be29NMs
— Culture Explorer (@CultureExploreX) November 13, 2025
Something positive to end the day on. I was briefly in Mosul (I think) on my second deployment. That was before it was wrecked by ISIS. This makes my heart happy.