Yesterday marked two years since the invasion of Gaza. A lot of you found my work right after October 7, 2023, when I started doing daily live hits—first for CBN, then YouTube. In that time, Israel has changed the battlefield—and itself.

What’s changed on the ground (as I see it):

• Hostages: Of the original 251, the bodies of 13 are still in Hamas hands. Israel expects to recover most—but maybe not all—of those remains.

• Territory: The IDF currently controls over 50% of Gaza (they’d pushed above 80% before resetting to the “yellow line”).

• Destruction: Roughly 80% of Gaza’s buildings are destroyed—clearing that rubble alone will take years.

• Hamas losses: ~20,000 militants have “shuffled off this mortal coil,” as the Bard would say.

• Force experience: 120–180k IDF troops have now cycled through combat—experience Israel didn’t have in 2023.

“Twelve IDF soldiers died to avoid endangering living Israeli hostages. That tells you how Israel values life.”

Israel has carved Gaza into northern/central/southern zones with new security corridors (think “walls” that let them clear-and-hold faster). They’ve also kept aid flowing by sea, land, and air—and yes, it’s messy, costly, and controversial. From a strictly military standpoint, Israel has met many objectives; the strategic cost is global: a generation that’s been taught to see Israelis as the bad guys. That image will take time—and truth—to rebuild.

Golfing on a deserted course in war-torn Burma with the Free Burma Rangers isn’t exactly your typical day on the green. The fairways are overgrown, the bunkers are real craters, and “fore!” sometimes means incoming fire. But when life hands you a warzone, you improvise — a stick, a beat-up ball, and a little gallows humor. Out here, every swing’s a miracle and every missed shot feels like a small victory for sanity.

Good morning from the lodge in West Virginia. I’m hearing from a lot of people who are genuinely worried they won’t receive welfare benefits if the government shutdown drags on. That fear is already boiling over online—threats to loot, videos full of rage, and a general sense that Thanksgiving might turn into a flashpoint. Whether you rely on those benefits or not, this affects you. Civil order is fragile when basic expectations get yanked.

What’s real, what’s hype

• Programs at risk first: If the standoff goes long, WIC would feel the pinch earliest, SNAP/TANF next. Some states have said they’ll float stop-gap funding—but there’s no guarantee, and timelines can slip.

• Weaponized pain: Democrats are using the prospect of missed payments to club Republicans—same playbook we see overseas when leaders leverage civilian hardship. It’s cynical, but it works because fear is loud and contagious.

• Fragile order: If cards flash “insufficient,” we won’t see orderly breadlines. We’ll see flash-mob shoplifting and parking-lot grabs. I’ve watched it happen in other crises; you don’t want to be in the middle aisle when that starts.

The hard numbers nobody likes to say out loud

• 42 million Americans use SNAP.

• 6–7 million use WIC.

• ~21 million kids get free or reduced school meals.

That’s tens of millions who plan their month around government reloads.