Reporting from Trinidad—seven miles of chop across from Venezuela. I spent yesterday on the north coast talking to fishermen, watching the swells and the sky, and listening for the low thrum of outboards in the dark. The unofficial conflict in the Caribbean isn’t “upcoming.” It’s here. And the people who feel it first are the ones who put to sea before sunrise.

One veteran fisherman summed up the mood: “Everyone’s panicking. But the currents run west. If boats are getting hit out there, they’re not washing up on Trinidad.” He’s right about the physics—and he’s right about the fear. When your livelihood depends on a skiff and a single engine, rumors travel faster than weather.

This is what’s changed: U.S. and regional forces are aggressively interdicting multi-engine go-fasts—boats that don’t fish, don’t loiter, and don’t make economic sense unless you’re hauling contraband. Fishermen here run one, maybe two motors; the boats being blown apart offshore carry four or five. That isn’t artisanal fishing; that’s a business model built on outrunning law enforcement.

Why Trinidad Matters

Look at a map. Trinidad is a stone’s throw from Venezuela’s Paria Peninsula, with Grenada and the Windwards stepping north toward the wider Caribbean. That corridor is a logistics belt for drugs, weapons, and people—one end fed by state-protected criminal networks in Venezuela, the other pressed by markets farther north. When interdictions move offshore into international waters, fishermen feel squeezed, even if they aren’t the targets.

At the same time, Caracas is hosting foreign hardware and foreign interests, making this coastline a laboratory for great-power probing: air defenses versus fifth-gen aircraft, sensors versus small craft, and the propaganda value of every explosion caught on a cellphone.

What’s Signal, What’s Noise

• Signal: Multi-engine fast boats in international waters are getting stopped—hard. The platforms and rules of engagement point to a sustained campaign, not one-off shows of force.

• Signal: Regional governments are split. Some denounce “U.S. aggression”; others quietly welcome the pressure on smuggling routes that poison their own communities.

• Noise: Viral claims that “fishing boats” are being targeted around Trinidad. The profiles don’t match, and the west-running currents make the most dramatic wash-ashore stories physically unlikely.

What Happens Next

Expect a drawn-out maritime cat-and-mouse: more seizures, more burned hulls, and more political theater. If Caracas keeps fronting for extra-regional actors, pressure will escalate—economically, diplomatically, and, when necessary, kinetically. That doesn’t require a ground war. It requires blocking the arteries that fund the regime and the cartels it shelters.

For Trinidadians, the path forward is practical: clear, public comms from Port of Spain, tight rules for small-craft lanes, and steady coordination with allies so legitimate boats aren’t left guessing. For Venezuelans who want their country back: hold fast. When criminal economies lose their sea lanes, regimes that rely on them get brittle—fast.

A Word on Perspective

I’ve covered wars and disasters for more than two decades. The pattern is familiar: chaos at the edges before clarity at the center. Don’t mistake noise for narrative. Boats with five outboards aren’t chasing tuna. And caution tape on the shoreline doesn’t mean the fishermen are the enemy.

Bottom line: The Caribbean is no longer a backwater. It’s a contested space where currents, cartels, and great-power probes meet. Trinidad sits on the seam. We’ll keep reporting from the waterline.

In the 1960s, a researcher named John Calhoun built a perfect world for mice. No predators. No disease. Unlimited food and water. Perfect climate. No struggle. It was called *Universe 25*.  

President Trump is making headlines for talking tough on nuclear weapons with Russia, and it’s worth unpacking what that really means.

Before we get there, though, there was breaking news this morning that deserves attention.

FBI Foils a Terror Plot in Michigan

The FBI says it stopped two planned terrorist attacks in Michigan, arresting multiple suspects just outside Detroit. According to Director Kash Patel, the suspects were plotting a violent assault for Halloween weekend.

One of the operations took place in Dearborn, a city that has long been home to radical Islamist enclaves. The discovery of a planned attack there isn’t surprising, but it is deeply concerning.

Credit where it’s due—Patel and the field agents made this a priority, and it appears they may have prevented a major tragedy.

Trump’s Nuclear Tough Talk

Now to the big story. President Trump recently announced that the United States will resume nuclear testing—or at least preparations for it.

He wrote:

“The United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country... I’ve instructed the Department of War to start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis with Russia. That process will begin immediately.”

Here’s the reality: Russia actually holds more total nuclear weapons than we do, particularly in tactical warheads. But the United States has more weapons ready to launch—around 1,800 compared to Russia’s 1,700.

So Trump isn’t entirely wrong, but it’s a matter of definitions. Either way, once you reach a few thousand nuclear weapons, arguing about who has more is like arguing who brought the bigger match to a fireworks factory.

Putin’s “Wonder Weapons”

Putin’s regime has been boasting about a nuclear-powered ICBM—one they claim can circle the globe indefinitely before striking its target. It sounds terrifying, but independent monitoring stations haven’t detected any such test.

This is typical Russian theater. It’s designed to project strength when reality shows weakness. The truth is, Russia’s military remains hollowed out by corruption and incompetence. Generals line their pockets while troops scavenge for spare parts. Their much-touted “superweapons” are often vaporware.

So when Trump talks tough, it’s as much about deterrence as it is about politics.

Testing Without Testing

The United States hasn’t conducted a live nuclear explosion since 1992. Russia’s last was in 1994. Modern computer simulations have made live tests unnecessary. They’re expensive, environmentally risky, and strategically unwise because they give our adversaries valuable data.

Experts say there’s no technical reason to conduct new tests. Our deterrent remains intact and ready.

The Real Threat: China

While Russia blusters, China is quietly building the largest nuclear expansion in its history. The Pentagon reports that Beijing is adding new land, sea, and air-based systems and constructing facilities to rapidly increase its warhead production.

That should concern everyone. Russia is bleeding, but China is building. And Beijing’s growth trajectory is far more deliberate—and dangerous.

Venezuela on the Radar

Meanwhile, another hotspot is heating up. Sources inside the Pentagon confirm that President Trump has ordered the identification of strike targets inside Venezuela—air bases, naval ports, and air defense systems.

Caracas has become a testing ground for Russian hardware, including its S-400 air defense systems. Moscow wants to see how their technology performs against American aircraft like the F-35 and B-1 bomber.

In short, Venezuela could become a proving ground for the next phase of global confrontation.

The Bottom Line

Nuclear rhetoric, economic turmoil, and proxy wars are reshaping the world order faster than most people realize. The new arms race isn’t about numbers—it’s about leverage, influence, and who blinks first.

But fear isn’t preparation. Wisdom is.

When governments print money, when tyrants rattle nuclear sabers, and when the media looks the other way, it’s time for ordinary people to steady themselves—financially, spiritually, and mentally.

“The smartest people don’t panic. They prepare.”

Gold and silver might safeguard your savings. Faith and community will safeguard your soul. Both matter more than ever in the uncertain days ahead.