Societal Collapse

One of the biggest scandals in the history of our government is starting to be revealed, and the implications are enormous.  According to the Social Security Administration more than 71 million Americans are receiving Social Security checks, and according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services more than 68 million Americans are enrolled in Medicare.  But the most recent census conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau found that there were only 55.8 million people that were age 65 or older living in the United States in 2020.  Obviously, there is something seriously wrong with these numbers.  We should be so glad that Elon Musk and his team are looking for fraud in the system, because it appears that we are being ripped off on a massive scale.

There are also more than 71 million Americans that are enrolled in Medicaid, and more than 42 million Americans are on food stamps.  Many of us suspect that there is a tremendous amount of fraud going on in those programs too.  But for today’s article, I would like to focus on Social Security.

At a recent rally in Wisconsin, Elon Musk brought a DOGE official named Antonio Gracias on to the stage, and Gracias discussed a large chart that was entitled “New Non-Citizen Social Security Numbers Issued”…

After handing out the money, Musk brought friend and DOGE colleague Antonio Gracias on stage to discuss the work he has done with the federal government’s Social Security system. Shortly after Gracias joined Musk, a large graphic that read, “New Non-Citizen Social Security Numbers Issued,” was illuminated on the screen behind them.

According to Gracias, millions of people that are not citizens of this country have been getting Social Security numbers.

In fact, more than 2 million non-citizens were granted Social Security numbers during fiscal year 2024 alone…

Gracias was referring to the total number of noncitizens who received Social Security numbers between FY 2021 and FY 2025. The chart showed a steady year-over-year increase under Biden, reaching more than 2 million in FY 2024, which ended on Sept. 30.

FY23 saw roughly 1 million noncitizens issued Social Security numbers, as did FY25, which began in October and will end in September of this year.

“This literally blew us away,” Gracias said. “We went there to find fraud and we found this by accident.”

This shouldn’t be happening.

But it is.

Even more alarming is the fact that large numbers of Social Security numbers have been stolen from the Social Security database.

This blew me away when I first heard about it.

Elon Musk is claiming that one particular thief “actually stole 400,000 Social Security numbers and personal information from the Social Security database”…

During the tele-town hall, one Wisconsin voter asked Musk: “You found a lot of fraud in Social Security. Do you know whether the Attorney General will investigate and prosecute that fraud?”

Musk responded: “I believe someone is going to be arrested tomorrow, because there’s someone who actually stole 400,000 Social Security numbers and personal information from the Social Security database… And was selling Social Security numbers and all the identification information in order for people to basically steal money from Social Security.”

“This is a particular avenue of fraud for illegal immigrants and voter fraud – because the main way identification is established in the US is via Social Security. If you comprise the Social Security system, you can basically get people to get defacto registered to vote – even if they’re not citizens – and get a bunch of benefits and to milk the system – this is pretty insane,” Musk said.

Why is this the first time that we are hearing about this?

If thousands upon thousands of Social Security numbers are being bought and sold online, that is a major national security breach in my opinion.

There are apparently many elderly Americans that are not currently receiving Social Security checks because fraudsters claiming to be them are getting those checks instead.  According to Musk, fraudsters that are impersonating retirees are calling in “all day, every day”…

“They steal people’s Social Security, is what happens,” Musk said in a Thursday exclusive interview on Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier.” “They call in, they claim to be a retiree, and they convince the Social Security person on the phone to change where the money is flowing. It actually goes to some fraudster. This is happening all day, every day. And then somebody doesn’t receive their Social Security, it’s because of all the fraud loopholes in the Social Security system.”

I had no idea that things were this bad.

According to a DOGE engineer named Aram Moghaddassi, 40 percent of the calls that are coming in to the Social Security Administration are from fraudsters…

DOGE engineer Aram Moghaddassi added in the interview, “At Social Security, one of the first things that we learned is that they get phone calls every day of people trying to change direct deposit information.”

“So when you want to change your bank account, you can call Social Security. We learned 40% of the calls that they get are from fraudsters.”

The good news is that Elon Musk and his team are trying to fix the system.

For example, a “major cleanup” of Social Security records is being conducted right now…

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced on Monday that almost 10 million Social Security records have now been updated.

In a post on X, DOGE said the Social Security Administration has been executing a “major cleanup” of records over the past four weeks.

“Approximately 9.9 million numberholders, all listed age 120+, have now been marked deceased. Another ~2 million to go,” the post said.

You would think that cleaning up the system to eliminate fraud and abuse would be something that we could all get behind.

But of course the truth is that the left is totally freaking out.

They absolutely hate what DOGE is doing, and Elon Musk says that he has been receiving thousands of death threats per day…

There were quite a few death threats, I have to tell you. I was like, my security team said, “Well, it’s actually gone down from yesterday to today. It went down from 18,000 to 17,000.” So I’m like, Well, maybe it’s getting better. But you can see how crazy some of these people are.

There are so many unhinged people in our society right now.

And Democrats in Congress will continue to stir up even more emotion, because they have no intention of altering their rhetoric.

In fact, Senate Democrats will be setting up a “war room” in order to “pummel the GOP” on the changes to Social Security that are being made…

The war room will serve as a central hub for Senate Democrats to plan messaging, create content, provide oversight, make field visits and host town halls to pummel the GOP on the issue.

Nobody that is legitimately receiving Social Security benefits will lose them as a result of the reforms that are happening.

In fact, as fraudsters are caught we could actually see benefits get restored to many elderly Americans that should have been properly receiving them in the first place.

But we could also potentially see millions of people that are fraudulently abusing the system get cut off.

I believe that this is the primary reason why the left is throwing such a massive temper tantrum over this.

If millions of fraudsters suddenly stop getting their monthly checks, we could witness a frightening nationwide explosion of anger.

And of course this is potentially just one element in a “perfect storm” that could cause rampant chaos to erupt in cities all over America.

We are already witnessing widespread political violence and civil disorder, and I expect it to get much worse in the months ahead.

Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written eight other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

The Trump administration is assembling an armada of bombers at a military base on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, and meanwhile the Iranians have loaded their missile launchers and are prepared to instantly respond to any attack. In other words, we have never been closer to an apocalyptic war in the Middle East than we are right now.  I really do not understand why more people are not talking about this, because I am convinced that this could become one of the biggest stories of 2025.  Once Iranian ballistic missiles start falling in Israeli cities and on U.S. bases throughout the Middle East, there will be no turning back. Unfortunately, it appears that peace is not likely at this point.

On Sunday, the Tehran Times warned the western world that Iran’s ballistic missiles are “loaded onto launchers in all underground missile cities and are ready for launch”…

The state-controlled Tehran Times reported on X Sunday that Iran’s missiles are “loaded onto launchers in all underground missile cities and are ready for launch.” The newspaper issued a stern warning, stating that any escalation would come “at a heavy cost for the US government and its allies.”

The Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Force also issued a statement warning that any act of aggression against Iran will be met with a “severe response.”

So why have the Iranians made such an alarming move?

Needless to say, it is because they know that they could soon be bombed into oblivion.

I believe that President Trump is not bluffing.  In an interview with Kristen Welker of NBC News, he explained that if Iran does not make a deal there “will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before”…

“If they don’t make a deal there will be bombing. It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before,” Trump told NBC News’ Kristen Welker during a phone interview.

I have no doubt that Trump is serious.

And to back up his threat, he has assembled “an air armada of B-2 and B-52 bombers” at a base on the island of Diego Garcia…

In the meantime, the U.S. is building an air armada of B-2 and B-52 bombers in the Indian Ocean at the Joint U.S.-U.K. Base of Diego Garcia.

CBN News military analyst Chuck Holton explained, “Keep in mind the B-2 bomber was essentially built specifically to bomb the nuclear facilities in Iran. They have the capability of lifting what they call a massive ordnance penetrator; the largest bunker-buster bomb the United States possesses.”

If B-2 and B-52 bombers start bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities that are deep underground, we will officially be at war with Iran.

And that war could commence at lot sooner than most people think.

The letter that President Trump sent to the Iranians gave them a two month deadline, and a good bit of time has already passed since they received that letter…

It’s been several weeks since US President Donald Trump sent a letter to Iran giving it two months to arrive at a nuclear deal or it would likely face military force.

No one knows exactly how Trump will calculate the deadline: two months from when the letter was sent, two months from when the Islamic Republic received the letter, two months from when it responded, or two months from when talks may start.

But after Trump’s deadline, European countries Germany, France, and the UK (the E-3) set June as a deadline for Tehran to reach a nuclear deal lest it face global sanctions being snapped back on it according to a provision of the 2015 nuclear deal it signed with the West.

The Iranians have clearly stated that there will be no negotiations, and the clock is ticking.

One very important point that I want to make is that if we do go to war with Iran, it will probably kill any potential peace deal with the Russians.

Meanwhile, Trump is insisting that his administration will “go as far as we have to go” to take control of Greenland…

President Donald Trump said the U.S. will “go as far as we have to go” to get control of Greenland, ahead of a planned visit to the Arctic island by Vice President JD Vance that has prompted criticism from Greenland and Denmark.

Vance, second lady Usha Vance and Energy Secretary Chris Wright will lead the U.S. delegation to visit the Pituffik military space base in the northwest of the island, having scaled back plans for a broader and longer visit. The American group was originally planning to visit the Greenlandic capital, Nuuk, and a dog sled race.

Honestly, I do not understand his reasoning.

We already have a military base in Greenland.

Why do we need the entire country?

According to Trump, “we can’t have great international security” unless we control it, and he is also claiming that “the world needs us to have Greenland”…

“We need Greenland. And the world needs us to have Greenland, including Denmark. Denmark has to have us have Greenland. And, you know, we’ll see what happens. But if we don’t have Greenland, we can’t have great international security.”

If this is going to happen, it isn’t going to happen peacefully, because the new prime minister of Greenland is being quite defiant…

Greenland’s new prime minister has issued a strong message to Donald Trump following the US president’s claims over the island. In a defiant message, Jens-Frederik Nielsen said: “We must listen when others talk about us. But we must not be shaken. President Trump says the United States is ‘getting Greenland.’

“Let me make this clear: The U.S. is not getting that. We don’t belong to anyone else. We decide our own future. We must not act out of fear. We must respond with peace, dignity and unity.

“And it is through these values that we must clearly, clearly and calmly show the American president that Greenland is ours. It was like that yesterday. That’s how it is today. And that’s how it will be in the future.”

So how is this going to play out?

Does Trump actually intend to use the U.S. military to invade Greenland?

Surely he can’t be seriously considering that, because such a move would turn the entire world against us.

In addition, a military invasion of Greenland would probably kill any potential peace deal with the Russians.

If you have read my books, you already understand why a peace deal with the Russians is vitally important.

This is our one and only opportunity to avoid the kinetic phase of World War III, and we must not blow it.

Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written eight other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

If peace is on the way, why are they feverishly preparing for World War III?  It appears to me that NATO countries are convinced that something really big is coming.  Is there something that they know that they aren’t telling the rest of us?  As I discussed yesterday, things in the Middle East are really heating up, and the conflict in Ukraine has reached a very dangerous stage.  If negotiations with Russia fail, both sides are likely to significantly escalate matters in a desperate attempt to win the war, and the Russians could come to the conclusion that a final showdown with NATO has begun.  We do not want the Russians to view the conflict in Ukraine in those terms, because they are already extremely paranoid and it wouldn’t take much to push them over the edge.  Unfortunately, NATO countries continue to do things that will raise tensions instead of easing them.  The following are 7 actions that NATO countries are taking which indicate that something really big is coming…

#1 France is getting ready to distribute a 20 page survival manual that instructs citizens what to do if a full-blown war erupts…

France is the latest country set to issue an invasion survival how-to guide for its citizens.

The 20-page booklet will give advice to French civilians on how to defend the republic in the face of an invasion by signing up to reserve units or local defence efforts.

It will also have tips on how to create a survival kit with essentials including six litres of water, canned food, batteries, and basic medical supplies.

#2 The French government is also telling their citizens to leave Iran “immediately”…

French authorities on Thursday requested its citizens to immediately leave the territory of Iran.

The French Foreign Ministry has issued a warning to its citizens amid the release of one of its nationals who had been imprisoned in Iran for over 880 days.

#3 It is being reported that military planners in the UK have ordered special forces units to get ready to be sent to Ukraine…

Special Forces units were told to prepare for mobilisation to Ukraine by military planners tasked with readying forces by the Cabinet Office, according to two military sources with knowledge of the directive.

The command centre for UK military planning, the Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ), was sent directives last week to begin the process for the deployment of personnel and resources.

The orders, which also applied to Special Forces reservists, put personnel on standby in order to ensure military equipment is in working order before receiving a notice to mobilise to Ukraine.

#4 Turkey has announced that it would also be willing to deploy troops to Ukraine “if needed”…

Turkey would be ready to deploy troops to Ukraine as part of a broader peacekeeping mission if needed, a Turkish defence ministry source said on Thursday.

“The issue of contributing to a mission … will be evaluated with all relevant parties if deemed necessary for the establishment of regional stability and peace,” the source said.

The Russians have already stated that they will never accept NATO troops on Ukrainian soil under any circumstances.

So why are these nations preparing to send troops anyway?

#5 Poland is preparing for a showdown with Russia by “conscripting every adult male for military training”…

Warsaw is preparing to face down any invasion by Vladimir Putin by conscripting every adult male for military training.

But the Eastern European nation also wants nukes and President Andrzej Duda has now said the US could send some of its arsenal to his country.

#6 The Baltic states are jointly constructing a massive defense line that includes six hundred bunkers, tank ditches, dragon’s teeth and rocket systems…

The Baltics are building a joint defence line on their border with Russia that will have some six-hundred bunkers across each border.

It will also include tank ditches, forests, dragon’s teeth, hedgehogs, and rocket systems.

Poland and the Baltics have also withdrawn an international treaty banning anti-personnel landmines as they prepare to stop an advancing Russian army in its tracks.

#7 In a letter that was delivered to the Iranians, Donald Trump has given Iran only two months to reach a peace agreement…

President Donald Trump has given Iran a two-month deadline to reach a new nuclear agreement, according to a report by Axios.

A letter sent earlier this month to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of consequences if Tehran continued its nuclear program while also offering renewed talks. The message, described as uncompromising, made clear that prolonged negotiations were not an option.

According to Axios, it “isn’t clear whether the two-month clock begins from the time the letter was delivered or from when negotiations start”.

Since the Iranians have already said that there will be no negotiations, I would assume that the clock started when the letter was delivered.

So the good news is that the bombing of Iran will probably not happen next month.

But if Trump is serious, there is a very good chance that it could happen before the midpoint of this year.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainians just conducted an absolutely massive drone strike on a Russian strategic bomber airfield that is located hundreds of miles from the front lines…

Ukrainian forces backed by Western munitions and technology struck a major Russian strategic bomber airfield on Thursday with drones, 435 miles from the Ukrainian front lines.

The strike ignited a massive explosion and sent a huge blast of fire into the air at Engels-2 airbase in Russia.

Videos posted by Reuters showed a huge blast spreading out from the airfield and wrecking nearby cottages.

Russia reportedly called this the largest drone attack ever.

The Ukrainians keep trying to provoke the Russians into doing something really dramatic.

One of these days, the Ukrainians might just succeed.

The Russians are fed up with the government in Kyiv.  If negotiations with Trump fail, I expect the Russians to bring down the hammer.

We really are right on the verge of an apocalyptic conflict with Russia, and we really are right on the verge of an apocalyptic conflict in the Middle East.

The final exit ramps for both of these conflicts are rapidly approaching, and so let us hope that global leaders make very wise decisions in the months ahead.

Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written eight other  books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

They keep telling us that we have entered a time of peace, but more conflict just continues to erupt all over the globe.  Israel has just resumed ground operations against Hamas, President Trump is threatening to keep bombing the Houthis until they are “completely annihilated”,  we are being told that “something’s going to happen” with Iran very soon, and the very limited agreement between the Russians and the Ukrainians to avoid striking energy infrastructure did not even last 24 hours.  Compared to last week, do we have more war or less war?  Clearly, we have more war.  So you will have to excuse me if I am skeptical of those that are crying out that a time of “peace and safety” is now upon us.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was supposed to lead to a permanent resolution of the conflict.

But instead, the ceasefire is now dead and the war is back on…

The Israeli military said on Wednesday its forces have resumed ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip, as a second day of airstrikes killed at least 20 Palestinians, according to local health workers.

The renewed ground operations come a day after more than 400 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes in one of the deadliest episodes since the beginning of the conflict, shattering a ceasefire that has largely held since January.

The Israeli military said its operations have extended Israel’s control over the Netzarim Corridor, which bisects Gaza, and were a “focused” manoeuvre aimed at creating a partial buffer zone between the north and the south of the enclave.

Israel wants the remainder of the hostages to be released.

After all this time, Hamas is still refusing to do that.

One Israeli official is warning that if Hamas continues to hold on to the hostages, military operations will escalate “to the point of total war”…

“We’re in a new phase of the conflict,” the official said. “From here we either move forward with developments towards the release of additional hostages – which is a major goal – or there’ll be consistent escalations to the point of total war,” the official said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is now at war with the Houthis in Yemen.

During the last administration, Joe Biden would lightly strike the Houthis once in a while, but now President Trump is pledging that “the Houthi barbarians” will be “completely annihilated”…

Reports are coming in that while Iran has lessened its intensity on Military Equipment and General Support to the Houthis, they are still sending large levels of Supplies. Iran must stop the sending of these Supplies IMMEDIATELY. Let the Houthis fight it out themselves. Either way they lose, but this way they lose quickly. Tremendous damage has been inflicted upon the Houthi barbarians, and watch how it will get progressively worse — It’s not even a fair fight, and never will be. They will be completely annihilated!

A few days earlier, U.S. Secretary of State told CBS News that we are “doing the entire world a favor by getting rid of these guys”…

“We’re doing the entire world a favor by getting rid of these guys and their ability to strike global shipping. That’s the mission here, and it will continue until that’s carried out,” he said. “That never happened before. The Biden administration didn’t do that. All the Biden administration would do is they would respond to an attack. These guys would launch one rocket. We’d hit the rocket launcher. That’s it.”

What kind of a military campaign will be required to completely eliminate the Houthis?

I would encourage everyone out there to seriously consider the answer to that question.

The last time I checked, the U.S. Constitution requires congressional approval before we declare war on someone.

Of course we are rapidly getting close to a major war with Iran as well.

During a recent discussion with reporters, President Trump promised that “something’s going to happen very soon”…

As Iran nears the finish line to obtain nuclear weapons, US President Trump is warning that the world is down to its “final moments” to intervene. While expressing his preference for a peace deal over military action, Trump maintained that significant developments are imminent.

“U.S. President Donald Trump hinted [earlier this month] that the United States could take military action against the Iranian nuclear program ‘very soon’ if the Islamic Republic does not strike a deal with the United States,” The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) reported. “Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said that there would be ‘interesting days ahead’ with respect to Iran.”

President Trump went on to tell reporters: “We’re down to final strokes with Iran. We’re down to the final moments. We’re at the final moments. Can’t let them have a nuclear weapon. We have a situation with Iran that something’s going to happen very soon—very, very soon. Hopefully, we could have a peace deal. I’m not speaking out of strength or weakness. I’m just saying, I’d rather see a peace deal than the other, but the other will solve the problem.”

Iran has already said that there will be no deal.

So it is just a matter of time before the bombing of Iran begins, and then we will officially be at war with the Iranians.

But at least we are close to a peace deal with the Russians, right?

Actually, no we are not.

Less than 24 hours after President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to end attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days, the Ukrainians launched a drone attack against a Russian oil transfer facility…

Less than 24 hours later, Russia has accused Ukraine of already breaking the Trump agreement. Russia’s defense ministry on Wednesday said Ukraine attack an oil transfer facility in Russia’s Krasnodar Region that services an international pipeline operation partially owned by American investors.

The ministry described that the overnight attack saw three kimikaze drones target the site near the village of Kavkazskaya. The site transfers crude to a pipeline operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), an international firm which has among its partners US giants Chevron and Mobil, Russia’s RT notes.

The drone impact reportedly set fire to an oil reservoir, which has reportedly taken emergency crews a long time to extinguish. Local reports say crews are still battling the blaze.

In response, the Russians bombed energy infrastructure in the Ukrainian city of Slovyansk…

Russian forces have bombed a key piece of Ukraine energy infrastructure just hours after Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump he would halt attacks on the grid.

Slovyansk, a city in the Donetsk region, was targeted according to local reports, leaving part of the city without electricity.

There had been hope that an agreement not to attack energy infrastructure could be a step toward a broader deal.

But the truth is that the two sides are light years apart from agreeing to any sort of a permanent deal.

The Russians are insisting that the four eastern territories that the Russians have annexed are now a part of Russia forever…

Russia’s privately owned Kommersant business newspaper reports that President Putin is pushing his US counterpart to grant recognition of Russia’s annexation of the four territories in exchange for a pledge not to seize more land.

Kommersant says that Putin is fundamentally arguing that “there’s no taking back what Russia has gained” – and that the eastern territories are now permanently part of the Russian Federation.

On the other side, “President Z” is demanding that the Russians return all Ukrainian territory that has been captured in exchange for a deal…

In a press conference with President Stubb of Finland in Helsinki today, the Ukrainian president said: ‘We’re fighting for our sovereignty and our independence — we’ll win this war.’

Zelensky drew clear red lines for peace, insisting that his nation would not accept territorial losses as part of a peace deal, and that the return of ‘thousands’ of prisoners held in Russia was ‘unconditional’.

The Russians aren’t going to give the territory that they have captured back.

Anyone that thinks that is going to happen is just being delusional.

The Russians are winning the war and they are constantly gobbling up even more territory.

Any peace agreement must reflect the reality on the ground.

Since the Ukrainians and our European allies are not willing to accept that, I am convinced that there will be no permanent agreement.

But if these negotiations fail, this conflict will almost certainly go to an entirely new level.

During an interview with Laura Ingraham, President Trump admitted that U.S. forces could potentially end up being involved if a deal with Russia cannot be reached…

Trump suggested that his push for a broader cease-fire is rooted in keeping US forces out of a potentially larger conflict.

“Look, we’re doing this – there are no Americans involved. There could be if you end up in World War III over this, which is so ridiculous,” the president explained.

“But, you know, strange things happen,” he warned.

I certainly hope that “strange things” do not happen.

Most Americans would like to see peace in the Middle East and most Americans would like to see peace with Russia.

But instead we just keep getting more war.

We have been warned about what will happen if we keep going down this road.

Once someone decides to start using nuclear weapons, we could potentially see millions of people die.

One explosion is all it is going to take for everyone to put their fingers on their triggers.

If we were smart, we would be racing toward peace.

Unfortunately, for now we are steamrolling in the opposite direction.

Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written eight other  books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

Did you know that we are bombing the Houthis in Yemen?  If so, you are far more informed than most of the population, because most Americans would have no hope of actually finding the nation of Yemen on a blank map of the world.  On Saturday, President Trump ordered a “decisive” bombing campaign to begin, and it will continue until the Houthis stop attacking U.S. targets in the Red Sea.  Of course the Houthis have no intention of ending their attacks, and so now we are at war with the Houthis for the foreseeable future.  On his Truth Social account, President Trump warned the Houthis that “hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before”…

Today, I have ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen. They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones.

Joe Biden’s response was pathetically weak, so the unrestrained Houthis just kept going. It has been over a year since a U.S. flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden. The last American Warship to go through the Red Sea, four months ago, was attacked by the Houthis over a dozen times. Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at U.S. aircraft, and targeted our Troops and Allies. These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk.

The Houthi attack on American vessels will not be tolerated. We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective. The Houthis have choked off shipping in one of the most important Waterways of the World, grinding vast swaths of Global Commerce to a halt, and attacking the core principle of Freedom of Navigation upon which International Trade and Commerce depends.

Our brave Warfighters are right now carrying out aerial attacks on the terrorists’ bases, leaders, and missile defenses to protect American shipping, air, and naval assets, and to restore Navigational Freedom. No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the Waterways of the World.

To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!

It certainly didn’t take long for the airstrikes to begin.

On Sunday, it was being reported that U.S. aircraft had hit “multiple locations across the country”…

U.S. airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen continued overnight Sunday with significant intensity, striking multiple locations across the country.

The Iran-backed terrorist group said at least 31 people were killed and 101 wounded, mostly women and children, though the claims could not be independently verified.

The wave of strikes follows President Donald Trump’s decision to launch a large-scale military campaign against the Houthis, marking the opening phase of a broader U.S. offensive against the rebel group, which has resumed threats against Israel and international shipping in the Red Sea.

There were times during the Biden administration when the U.S. conducted airstrikes against the Houthis.

But those airstrikes were very limited.

What we witnessed on Sunday was quite dramatic, and Mike Waltz is claiming that the airstrikes “took out” multiple Houthi leaders…

The U.S. airstrikes that bombarded Yemen on Saturday targeted and “took out” multiple leaders of the Iranian-backed Houthis, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said Sunday.

Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” Waltz argued to co-anchor Martha Raddatz that these latest strikes differ from the countless strikes the Biden administration launched against the rebel group, which the Trump administration has designated a foreign terrorist organization.

“These were not kind of pinprick, back and forth — what ultimately proved to be feckless attacks,” Waltz said. “This was an overwhelming response that actually targeted multiple Houthi leaders and took them out. And the difference here is, one, going after the Houthi leadership, and two, holding Iran responsible.”

Unfortunately, the Houthis are showing no signs of backing down.

Instead, they are claiming that they just attacked several U.S. warships…

Yemen’s Houthi terrorists claimed to have attacked the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier – as well as several American warships – in the Red Sea.

The terror group said, without offering evidence, that they attacked the Truman and its warships with ballistic missiles and drones in response to the U.S. attacks.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said on Sunday: ‘The armed forces, with the help of God Almighty, carried out a qualitative military operation targeting the American aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and its accompanying warships in the northern Red Sea, using 18 ballistic and cruise missiles and drones in a joint operation carried out by the missile force, Drone Air Force and the naval forces.’

Unless the Houthis ultimately back down, this conflict is not going to end any time soon.

At the end of his post about the Houthis on Truth Social, President Trump also had an ominous warning for Iran…

To Iran: Support for the Houthi terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY! Do NOT threaten the American People, their President, who has received one of the largest mandates in Presidential History, or Worldwide shipping lanes. If you do, BEWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!

Since he entered the White House, President Trump has brought up the possibility of war with Iran over and over again.

But so far, the mainstream media does not seem to be taking those threats seriously.

I don’t understand why they aren’t.

I believe that Trump is very serious.

And on Sunday, Mike Waltz clearly stated that “all options are always on the table” when he was asked if direct military action against Iran is possible…

Asked by Raddatz if direct military action on Iran is a possibility, Waltz said ‘all options are always on the table with the president.’

‘Iran needs to hear him loud and clear,’ Waltz said. ‘It is completely unacceptable, and it will be stopped, the level of support that they’ve been providing the Houthis.’

He said Trump is coming in with ‘overwhelming force’ and will hold the not only the Houthis accountable but Iran as well.

Waltz said if Iranians have put in other things, like ships, trainers or intelligence, to help the Houthis attack ‘those targets will be on the table too.’

Of course the Iranians are not going to back down either.

They have made no secret of their hatred for Trump, and one of their top generals just warned that Iran is ready to deliver a “decisive and devastating response”…

“We are not a nation to live in hiding. We are a valid and legitimate system in the world. We announce it if we attack anywhere,” Salami said in a speech broadcast in Farsi.

The general did not say Iran had been threatened, but that the country would offer a “decisive and devastating response to any threat” against it.

Salami’s words echoed those of President Donald Trump, who announced on Saturday he had ordered the U.S. military to launch a “decisive and powerful” strike against the Houthis in Yemen.

Our relations with Iran have not been this bad since the Iranian hostage crisis over 40 years ago.

And it is just a matter of time before the Trump administration and the Israeli government decide that the clock has run out and that it has become necessary to bomb Iran’s nuclear program.

Unfortunately, the Chinese and the Russians have clearly chosen to side with the Iranians in this matter…

China and Russia stood by Iran on Friday after the United States demanded nuclear talks with Tehran, with senior Chinese and Russian diplomats saying dialogue should only resume based on “mutual respect” and all sanctions ought to be lifted.

In a joint statement issued after talks with Iran in Beijing, China and Russia also said they welcomed Iran’s reiteration that its nuclear programme was exclusively for peaceful purposes, and that Tehran’s right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy should be “fully” respected.

Once the bombing of Iran begins, how will the Chinese and the Russians react?

And what would Iran’s next moves be?

We really are living at a time of “wars and rumors of wars”, and we are seeing very troubling alliances form right in front of our eyes.

So let us hope for peace, but let us also prepare ourselves for global war.

Michael’s blockbuster entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written eight other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

And I suppose that it is just a “coincidence” that all of this is happening as the U.S. and Israel threaten to strike Iran’s nuclear program?  Maybe you don’t believe that “signs” exist, and that is okay.  But nobody can deny that President Trump has threatened Iran with military action if they do not make a deal, and nobody can deny that President Trump has told the press that something is going to happen with Iran “very, very soon”.  Those are facts.  It is also a fact that there is going to be a Blood Moon eclipse on Thursday night.  Of course the Biblical festival of Purim begins when the Sun goes down on Thursday evening.  Nobody out there can dispute any of this.

And now we have learned that “blood rain” has just turned a beach in Iran “blood red”…

A popular beach was coloured blood red as heavy rains fell on the mineral-rich coastline in Iran.

Footage circulating online showed how the downpour lit up the Silver and Red Beach on Hormuz Island as tourists gathered to marvel at its colour.

Floodwater running off the rocks at the tourist attraction created spectacular waterfalls, leaving an eerie trail of red up to the shoreline.

The rain falling from the sky is not actually red.

But when very heavy rains mix with the “high iron oxide content in the volcanic soil”, it creates a phenomenon that is absolutely spectacular.

Footage of the blood red beach in Iran was shared on Instagram, and it has already been liked 29 million times…

The footage was shared on the Instagram account hormoz_omid and has currently amassed 29 million likes and 8,000 comments. The post is captioned: “Heavy rain today, red beach. Today, the red beach was at its peak with the presence of tourists.” It shows floodwater running off the rocks as the shoreline turns red.

Since this is a naturally occurring phenomenon, some of you may want to argue that it doesn’t really mean anything.

Okay.

But what about the Blood Moon Purim eclipse that is going to occur on Thursday night?…

The blood moon total lunar eclipse happens Thursday night into Friday morning and, if the weather cooperates, the red moon could be a stunner that’s especially easy to see and even photograph.

This will actually be the second in a series of three Blood Moon eclipses on Purim.

And I am entirely convinced that these eclipses are a sign that we are in a season of war.

On October 7th, 2023 Hamas invaded Israel and a season of war in the Middle East erupted.

Subsequently, we witnessed the first Blood Moon Purim eclipse in March 2024.

Now we are about to witness the second Blood Moon Purim eclipse on Thursday night, and there will be a third Blood Moon Purim eclipse in March 2026.

Purim is the Biblical festival that is most closely associated with conflict, and we read about how that festival originated in the Book of Esther.

Of course Persia was the setting for the Book of Esther, and today the nation of Persia is known as Iran.

The Iranians have absolutely no intention of giving up their nuclear program, and they also have absolutely no intention of negotiating with President Trump while he is threatening them.

Earlier this week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded to Trump’s threats by telling him to “do whatever the hell you want”…

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would not negotiate with the US while being threatened, telling President Donald Trump to “do whatever the hell you want”, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday.

“It is unacceptable for us that they [the US] give orders and make threats. I won’t even negotiate with you. Do whatever the hell you want”, state media quoted Pezeshkian as saying.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that Tehran would not be bullied into negotiations, a day after Trump said he had sent a letter urging Iran to engage in talks on a new nuclear deal.

Wow.

We really are on the verge of war with Iran.

I don’t expect the bombing of Iran to begin this week.

In fact, I don’t expect it to happen any time this month.

But unless something really dramatic happens, it is coming soon.

Interestingly, the Iranian navy is currently “taking part in a three-day drill with Russia and China”…

Iran’s navy is taking part in a three-day drill with Russia and China. Iranian media said that the Iranian navy had successfully executed the second day of the joint drill. “The three-day naval drills, codenamed the 2025 Maritime Security Belt, kicked off Monday in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman,” the report said.

“Rear Admiral Mostafa Tajeddini, deputy operations commander of the Iranian Navy, said on Tuesday that aerial photography exercises and tactical formations were successfully conducted during the joint maritime drill,” IRNA added.

We keep pushing Russia, China and Iran closer together.

That is not good.

In order to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program, a bombing campaign that is unlike anything we have ever seen in the Middle East would be required, because most of Iran’s nuclear facilities are very deep underground.

In response, the Iranians would inevitably launch large numbers of missiles at Israel and at U.S. bases all over the Middle East.

And then we would officially be at war with Iran.

President Trump and his national security team surely must know all of this.

But they have also determined that the Iranians cannot ever be allowed to develop their own nuclear weapons.

Of course it is entirely possible that the North Koreans or someone else may have already given the Iranians nukes.

And we know that Iran has a long history with biological weapons…

For example, in 1996, the CIA concluded that “Iran holds some stocks of biological agents and weapons. Tehran probably has investigated both toxins and live organisms as biological warfare agents. Iran has the technical infrastructure to support a significant biological weapons program with little foreign assistance.”

In 2000, DCI Nonproliferation Center Director John Lauder testified to Congress that “Iran is pursuing both civilian biotech activities and a biological warfare (BW) program,” that its BW program was then “in the late stages of research and development,” and that Iran “already holds some stocks of BW agents and weapons.”

In 2003 and 2005 reports, the State Department stated that, “Iran has an offensive biological weapons program in violation of the BWC. Iran is technically capable of producing at least rudimentary biological warheads for a variety of delivery systems, including missiles.” In 2011, then–Director of National Intelligence James Clapper stated that “Iran probably has the capability to produce some biological warfare (BW) agents for offensive purposes, if it made the decision to do so. We assess that Iran has previously conducted offensive BW agent research and development. Iran continues to seek dual-use technologies that could be used for BW.”

For a moment, I would like for you to consider an ominous scenario.

After the United States bombs Iran, sleeper agents that have already been embedded in our country are instructed to release extremely contagious biological agents in major cities in the U.S. and Israel.  All of a sudden, people start noticing very large blisters develop on their hands, faces and necks.  Thousands of Americans rapidly drop dead, and sheer panic sweeps through those major cities as millions of people attempt to escape.

What I have just described is not a plot for a science fiction movie.  Rather, it is a very real scenario that I have been warning about for years.

Once the bombing of Iran begins, everything will change.

So perhaps we should start paying attention to the signs that are happening all around us, because once the bloodshed starts it will be too late.

Michael’s blockbuster entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written eight other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

Do you remember the days when the complete and utter dominance of the U.S. military could not be questioned?  Sadly, those days are long gone.  I have written extensively about how the Russian military has now surpassed us in a number of key areas, but it could be argued that the ascendancy of the Chinese military has been even more stunning.  At this point nobody can deny the fact that China is a military superpower, and Chinese defense spending continues to soar…

China will raise defense spending by 7.2 percent for a third consecutive year, the country said Wednesday, as it continues a military buildup that a Trump Pentagon nominee has warned is geared toward war with the United States.

Of course when we are talking about China we always need to make a distinction between the figures that are being released for public consumption and what is really going on behind the scenes.

According to Newsweek, some U.S. analysts are convinced that the Chinese are actually spending over 700 billion dollars a year on defense when “unreported outlays” are accounted for…

Some analysts believe China is spending far more than it lets on. Accounting for unreported outlays, some analysts have estimated the true figure is more than $700 billion—not far behind the U.S.

Today, more than 2 million people serve in the Chinese military.

That makes the Chinese military the largest in the world.

Approximately 1.3 million people serve in the U.S. military.

That makes the U.S. military just the third largest in the world.

But at least we have a bigger navy, right?

Wrong.

At this point China has more than 700 warships, while the U.S. now has fewer than 500 warships.

And if a war in the Pacific did erupt, the Chinese could pump out warships far faster than we could.

According to Fox News, China “now has a shipbuilding capacity 230 times greater” than we do…

The Chinese defense industrial base is operating at a “wartime footing,” and now has a shipbuilding capacity 230 times greater than the U.S.’s, making a potential invasion of Taiwan a not-unlikely outcome.

That is nuts.

How did we allow that to happen?

The one bright spot for the U.S. is our Air Force.

The U.S. Air Force currently has more than 14,000 military aircraft, while the Chinese have about 3,000 military aircraft.

But when it comes to missiles, that is another story altogether.

According to Bloomberg, China has the world’s “leading hypersonic arsenal”, while the U.S. is hopelessly behind…

China leads the world in developing, testing and deploying hypersonic weapons, beating out Russia while the US, having already spent $12 billion, has yet to field even one. The weapons can travel five times the speed of sound, making interception by existing defensive systems difficult at best. China, senior US defense intelligence analyst Jeffery McCormick told Congress Tuesday, has the world’s “leading hypersonic arsenal” thanks to Beijing’s two-decade long effort “to dramatically advance its development of conventional and nuclear-armed technologies and capabilities through intense and focused investment, development, testing and deployments.”

What is wrong with us?

Why are we behind both the Chinese and the Russians when it comes to hypersonic missile technology?

The Chinese are also way ahead of us when it comes to missile defense systems.  They have been purchasing Russian systems which are far superior to our own, and they have been using Russian technology to improve their own designs…

Similarly, China’s defense industry has bought, copied, and adapted Russian-made air and missile defense systems, apparently with Russian acquiescence. Six years after acquiring Russia’s S-300, China produced its own copy, the HQ-9, which still serves as one of the PLA’s primary surface-to-air missile systems. Likewise, the Chinese HQ-16 missile system was copied from the Russia Buk-M1-2 but appears to have been made in full collaboration with the Russian Almaz-Antey Corporation. This trend continues with even the most advanced systems, as China purchased the state-of-the-art S-400 in 2014, began testing in 2018, and appears to be currently using the system to improve its own designs.

But at least we have more nukes.

For now.

Just recently, President Trump revealed that China will have an “equal amount” of nuclear warheads within four to five years…

The Republican said on Friday: “I know Russia and us have by far the most.

“China will have an equal amount within 4-5 years.

“It would be great if we could all denuclearise because the power of nuclear weapons is crazy.”

As for the military technologies of the future, the Chinese are in really good shape.

For example, it has been estimated that the Chinese are about 10 years ahead of us when it comes to drone technology.

I recently asked Google AI about this, and this is what I was told…

Yes, according to current information, China is considered the leader in drone technology, primarily due to the dominance of DJI, a Chinese company that holds a significant share of the global consumer drone market, making them the leading producer and seller of civilian drones worldwide.

At this stage, DJI pretty much dominates everyone else.  According to MIT’s Technology Review, DJI actually has “more than a 90% share of the global consumer market”…

Whether you’ve flown a drone before or not, you’ve probably heard of DJI, or at least seen its logo. With more than a 90% share of the global consumer market, this Shenzhen-based company’s drones are used by hobbyists and businesses alike for photography and surveillance, as well as for spraying pesticides, moving parcels, and many other purposes around the world.

Okay, so what about AI?

The good news is that the U.S. still has a lead in AI technology, but Time Magazine recently published an article that discussed the fact that our lead is shrinking fast…

But fast forward to today, and a flurry of impressive Chinese releases suggests the U.S.’s AI lead has shrunk. In November, Alibaba and Chinese AI developer DeepSeek released reasoning models that, by some measures, rival OpenAI’s o1-preview. The same month, Chinese videogame juggernaut Tencent unveiled Hunyuan-Large, an open-source model that the company’s testing found outperformed top open-source models developed in the U.S. across several benchmarks. Then, in the final days of 2024, DeepSeek released DeepSeek-v3, which now ranks highest among open-source AI on a popular online leaderboard and holds its own against top performing closed systems from OpenAI and Anthropic.

Before DeepSeek-v3 was released, the trend had already caught the attention of Eric Schmidt, Google’s former CEO and one of the most influential voices on U.S. AI policy. In May 2024, Schmidt had confidently asserted that the U.S. maintained a two-to-three year lead in AI, “which is an eternity in my books.” Yet by November, in a talk at the Harvard Kennedy School, Schmidt had changed his tune. He cited the advances from Alibaba, and Tencent as evidence that China was closing the gap. “This is shocking to me,” he said. “I thought the restrictions we placed on chips would keep them back.”

That is certainly alarming.

If we fall behind in the technology race, it is just a matter of time before we are no longer the leading global superpower.

According to a very shocking study that was released in 2024, “China dominates the US in 57 of 64 critical technologies, up from just three in 2007″…

A comprehensive, 20-year study released by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in 2024 calculated that China dominates the US in 57 of 64 critical technologies, up from just three in 2007.

The US, which led in a whopping 60 sectors in 2007, now leads in just seven.

ASPI based its rankings on cumulative innovative and high-impact research published and patented by national universities, labs, companies and state agencies.

Wow.

We were soundly defeating China in 2007, but now the Chinese have pulled way ahead of us.

During a recent Senate hearing, one of President Trump’s nominees openly admitted that China has become “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to U.S. national security”…

In responses to questions submitted ahead of a nomination hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Elbridge Colby, a security analyst and President Donald Trump’s nominee for undersecretary of defense for policy, gave a warning about the trajectory of U.S.-China relations.

“I agree that China is ‘the most comprehensive and serious challenge to U.S. national security,'” Colby said, citing the Pentagon’s 2022 National Defense Strategy.

So what are we going to do if China invades Taiwan?

It has always been assumed that the U.S. would defend Taiwan, but it is not likely that we would win such a conflict.

China is much, much closer to Taiwan than the United States is.  If a war over Taiwan erupts, that would give the Chinese a major advantage.

Hopefully China will not decide to pull the trigger on an invasion any time soon, but Chinese officials continue to make ominous statements about Taiwan.  Here is just one recent example…

Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Chinese defense ministry, said Sunday that U.S. arms shipments would not stop the inevitable end of “Taiwan independence.”

“The more rampant ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists become, the tighter the noose around their necks and the sharper the sword hanging over their heads will be,” he said in remarks delivered during the ongoing annual legislative session of China’s rubber-stamp congress.

Over the past couple of years, the Chinese have been conducting military exercises around Taiwan over and over again.

Admiral Samuel Paparo has accurately pointed out that these Chinese military exercises are actually rehearsals for an invasion…

“Their [China’s] aggressive maneuver[s] around Taiwan right now are not exercises as they call them. They are rehearsals. They are rehearsals for the forced unification of Taiwan to the mainland.

“Beijing’s military build-up, their gray-zone operations, their military coercion against Taiwan, grow more concerning every day. The People’s Liberation Army’s increasingly complex, multi-domain operations demonstrate clear intent and improving capability.”

Of course Taiwan is just one of the flashpoints that could cause a war between the U.S. and China to erupt.

The Panama Canal is another one.

Our relations with China have been rapidly deteriorating for a long time, and this should deeply trouble all of us.

As I write this, new tariffs have already been imposed on both sides as our ongoing trade war with China continues to escalate.

And throughout human history we have seen many trade wars eventually evolve into shooting wars.

The Chinese are preparing for war because they can see where things are heading.

But most Americans are not concerned about the possibility of war with China at all, and I believe that is a tragic mistake.

Michael’s blockbuster entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written eight other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

What do think Iran is going to do once we start bombing their nuclear facilities?  They know that it is coming, and they have been preparing to respond.  When Iranian missiles are raining down on Israeli targets and U.S. military bases throughout the Middle East, there will be no turning back.  We will officially be at war with Iran.  Needless to say, a war with Iran would be far different from our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The Iranians have the 8th largest military on the entire planet, and they are armed to the teeth with highly advanced missiles.  It would take a “shock and awe” campaign that is unlike anything we have ever seen before to subdue Iran, and full-blown regime change would probably require an invasion.

Most people simply do not realize how close we are to an apocalyptic scenario in the Middle East.  On Friday, President Trump revealed that he has issued a very chilling ultimatum to the Iranians…

President Donald Trump on Friday revealed that he has sent a letter to Iran warning that it can either “make a deal” with Washington, D.C., on its nuclear program or face the U.S. “militarily.”

“I said, I hope you’re going to negotiate, because it’s going to be a lot better for Iran,” Trump told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on “Mornings with Maria,” in reference to a letter he sent to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal,” he said. “I would prefer to make a deal, because I’m not looking to hurt Iran.”

Subsequently, President Trump informed reporters that were gathered in the Oval Office that “something’s going to happen” with Iran “very, very soon”…

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that something related to Iran is “going to happen very soon”.

“We have a situation with Iran that something’s going to happen very soon, very, very soon. You’ll be talking about that pretty soon, I guess,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office.

“And hopefully we can have a peace deal,” he added. “You know, I’m not speaking out of strength or weakness. I’m just saying I’d rather see a peace deal than the other [option], but the other will solve the problem.”

I know that President Trump would prefer to make a peace deal with the Iranians.

But the Iranians are already ruling out any sort of a deal…

The letter appeared to have been addressed to Iran’s supreme leader, the 85-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has recently opposed negotiations with the US so long as economic sanctions are in force.

The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, responded by saying: “We will not enter any direct negotiations with the US so long as they continue their maximum pressure policy and their threats.”

And there are rumors on social media that the Iranians are threatening to destroy all U.S. bases in the region if they get attacked…

Iran has issued a final warning to the US and Israel through Saudi Arabia.

An attack on Iran is tantamount to the destruction of all US bases in the region and the destruction of all Israeli nuclear facilities.

This is a crisis that should have been dealt with during the Biden administration.

At this point, the Iranian nuclear program has advanced to a very alarming stage…

Rafael Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agency director, told the IAEA board this week that Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% had reached 275kg. He said: “Iran is the only country that enriches uranium to this level without having nuclear weapons.”

That quote stunned me.

Nobody can deny what the Iranians are attempting to do.

If they stay on the path that they are on, it won’t be too long before they are able to produce multiple nuclear weapons…

The U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has repeatedly warned in recent months that Iran is pushing forward in its development of near-nuclear-grade uranium and now possesses enough uranium, if further enriched, to develop five nuclear weapons.

President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have both repeatedly stated that Iran will never be allowed to produce a nuclear weapon.

And since Iran is not willing to make a deal with Trump, it is only a matter of time before the bombing of Iran begins.

Needless to say, all hell will break loose once that happens.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is no longer providing intelligence to Ukraine, and President Trump has suspended all shipments of military aid in an attempt to force the Ukrainians to the negotiating table.  When he was asked about this during an interview that aired on Sunday, he suggested that Ukraine “may not survive anyway”…

President Trump suggested that Ukraine might not be able to survive against Russia even if the US forged ahead with full-blown support for its fight.

Trump’s remarks came while defending his decision to draw down support to Ukraine in the face of Polish President Andrzej Duda’s and others’ concerns that Europe lacks the might to prop up Kyiv without the US.

“Well, it may not survive anyway,” Trump told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” in an interview that aired Sunday.

The Russians already had the upper hand, and now their troops are surging forward.

On Friday, it was being reported that three-quarters of the Ukrainian force in Kursk is “almost entirely surrounded”…

The fuse has been burning slowly, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s risky August invasion of Russia’s Kursk region is about to blow up in his face in spectacular fashion — as thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are suddenly in imminent peril of being encircled, according to open source intelligence analysts. The crisis comes as Zelensky is under increasing US pressure to reach a negotiated end to the war — and a loss of captured Russian territory promises to make his already-deteriorated bargaining position even weaker.

According to DeepStateMAP.live, an interactive map of the war run by Ukrainian military bloggers, their country’s forces in Kursk are nearly cleaved into two, with roughly three-quarters of Ukraine’s forces in Russia almost entirely surrounded on Friday. Their last connection between the two forces was a kilometer long and under 500 meters wide at its thinnest section.

It isn’t just Ukrainian soldiers that are in danger of being cut off in Kursk.

There are apparently lots of western mercenaries there too, and at this moment they are being pounded into oblivion.

On Sunday, the Russians captured several more settlements…

Russia’s defense ministry on Sunday said troops took back the settlements of Malaya Loknya, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye and Kositsa from Ukrainian forces.

“The lid of the smoking caldron is practically closed,” Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president who is now the deputy chairman of the country’s Security Council, said on Sunday of Russian advances in Kursk. “The offensive continues. Carry on!”

Ukrainian and Russian military bloggers warn Kyiv’s hold on the region is more tenuous than ever, with Russian troops backed by North Korean forces launching incessant attacks.

Once the Russians have cleared out Kursk, they may use it as a launching pad to initiate an offensive in the direction of Kyiv.

So we will want to watch this area of the front very closely.

The Ukrainians have been caught off guard by how aggressive the Russians have been in recent days.  In one operation, Russian special forces actually “walked inside a gas pipeline to strike Ukrainian units from the rear”…

Russian special forces walked inside a gas pipeline to strike Ukrainian units from the rear in the Kursk region, Ukraine’s military and Russian war bloggers reported, as Moscow claimed fresh gains in its push to recapture parts of the border province that Kyiv seized in a shock offensive.

Many of our European allies are very frustrated with President Trump’s efforts to force Ukraine to the negotiating table because those efforts are hurting the Ukrainians on the battlefield.

But the truth is that President Trump is also trying to force Russia to the negotiating table…

I do not believe that threatening Russia is the correct approach.

In fact, I believe that if President Trump continues to threaten Russia it will backfire severely.

We have entered such a dangerous chapter of human history.  As Steve Bannon has astutely observed, we are “already deep into the kinetic part of the third World War”…

Bannon went on to explain that the casualties amassed in the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts have already exceeded the total deaths in the first phase of World War II, including the invasion of Poland, the fall of France and the Blitz over England.

“The world’s on the brink. We’re already deep into the kinetic part of the third World War,” Bannon asserted.

I really wish that more people understood this.

Bannon says that some portions of Ukraine “look like Dresden in 1945”, and he is 100 percent correct about that…

“Parts of Ukraine look like Dresden in 1945. You’re in a kinetic war right now that’s every bit as dangerous and every bit as brutal, if not more brutal, than the opening phase of World War 2,” he added.

Hundreds of thousands of Russians are already dead.

More than a million Ukrainians are already dead.

In the Middle East, we have already seen a tremendous amount of death and destruction, and now a final showdown with Iran is looming.

What will it take for people to finally wake up?

World War 3 is here, and once the bombing of Iran begins that will ramp things up to an entirely new level.

Michael’s blockbuster entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written eight other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.