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.

Out here in the rugged hills of Armenia, there’s a place where faith meets hard work — and lives are being changed because of it. This is the Mercy Projects Rancho California, a patch of land that’s turning hope into something you can see, touch, and feel. What started as a simple vision has grown into a thriving outreach where faith and farming come together. The team here isn’t just raising animals and crops; they’re raising up the next generation of leaders for Armenia. You’ll meet the men and women who’ve worked hard to build a safe haven for this part of the world, building a community that reflects God’s love in real, practical ways. It’s gritty. It’s beautiful. And it’s proof that when people of faith step out and serve, incredible things can happen. Come along with me as we visit the Mercy Projects Ranch — a place where hope grows deep roots in the Armenian soil. Learn more or support the work: https://www.mercyprojects.org/

“If a system pays people not to work, don’t be shocked when it produces more people who don’t work.”

The Real Cost of “Free”

Let’s do the math.

The U.S. spends trillions of dollars every year on welfare and entitlement programs—federal, state, and local combined. When you divide that by the number of taxpayers, you’re effectively paying about $3,500 a month to fund these systems.

That’s your money. Every month. Whether you like it or not.

And if only 1% of that is wasted through fraud—and I assure you it’s much more—that’s a billion dollars a month going straight into the ether.

The Government Accountability Office estimates 11% of welfare spending is lost to fraud, waste, and abuse. Eleven percent. That’s not a rounding error; that’s a hemorrhage.

“Fraud isn’t a bug in the system—it’s the business model for people who know how to game it.”

What I Found on the Ground

This isn’t theory for me. I’ve been to the villages in Guatemala and seen what happens when America subsidizes dependency.

One mountain town I visited looked like a ghost village. The mayor told me it used to hold around 2,000 residents, but now maybe 200 remain—mostly women and children. Almost all the men had gone to the United States.

And they’re not just sending postcards home. They’re sending money.

Those “remittances” are being used to build 3,000-square-foot mansions in a town where people once lived in bamboo huts with dirt floors. American tax dollars—channeled through welfare checks and under-the-table cash work—are being wired home and turned into marble staircases and brass fixtures.

Across Latin America, that story repeats. Over $200 billion a year leaves the U.S. in remittances. Not all of it is ill-gotten, but enough is that it’s propping up entire foreign economies—Mexico, India, even China—with money that originated from your tax bill.