🇺🇸🇺🇸🤝🇧🇴 — U.S. Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar congratulates Rodrigo Paz on his election in Bolivia.

Bolivia has broken free from the grip of socialism and is charting a bold new course toward freedom and integrity.

Now is the moment to rebuild trust, confront narcotrafficking, and stand together for a stronger, safer hemisphere.

Congratulations to President-elect Rodrigo Paz.

Rep. María Elvira Salazar (@RepMariaSalazar) on 𝕏 🖇

🇺🇸🇨🇴🌎 Today, the U.S. announced its 7th strike in SOUTHCOM, destroying a boat affiliated with a Colombian cartel. The U.S. has massed 10,000+ troops in the region, with most in Puerto Rico and on 12 U.S. Navy ships. Also:

- USAF B-52H bombers + USMC F-35B fighters conducted a bomber attack demo
- Special forces spotted near Trinidad and Tobago
- AC-130J Ghostrider gunships deployed to Puerto Rico
- Additional ships arrived in theater: Military Sealift Command oilers USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO 187) and USNS Kanawha (T-AO 196), U.S. Army landing craft utility USAV Wilson Wharf (LCU 2011), littoral combat ship USS Wichita (LCS 13) replaced USS Minneapolis-St. Paul (LCS 21)
- NYT: U.S. installed a new long-range radar system (AN/TPS-75) in St. Croix, USVI, and built a new bunker to store ammunition and support drone ops at Rafael Hernández Airport
- New Joint Task Force (JTF) under II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) established
- SOUTHCOM Commander, Admiral Holsey, retiring

Last week, POTUS acknowledged authorization for the CIA to conduct covert ops in Venezuela and previewed: "We are looking at land now, because we've got the sea very well under control."

🔗 Ian Ellis

🇬🇧UK Defence Secretary John Healey has authorized the military to shoot down any unidentified drones over their bases.

It is expected that this order will be extended to civilian airports as well.

🇵🇱✔️🇺🇦👤 — 📰 ZeroHedge | Poland Lets Ukrainian Wanted By Germany In Nord Stream Blasts Walk Free: 'A Just Act' | October 18, 2025:

"A Polish court has simply let a Ukrainian citizen suspected by Germany of sabotaging the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022 walk free.

The Polish judge ruling in the case not only decided to ignore the European arrest warrant issued by German authorities last month, but went so far as to say that if the man did have a part in the undersea bombing, then it was a "just" act.

The suspect, identified as Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, has been wanted by Germany and the case has attracted international attention and controversy; but upon being freed the crowd in the court room reportedly let out cheers."

🗄 Archive

🔗 Source:

🇺🇸🔫🤝🇺🇦 — 📰 ZeroHedge | The US Has Given Ukraine The Most Aid To Date | October 18, 2025:

"Following Zelensky's trip cap-in-hand to Washington this week, we note that (to date) the United States has been the biggest supporter of Ukraine in terms of aid, according to data from the Ukraine Support Tracker compiled by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).

EU institutions (including the European Commission and the Council), followed by Germany and the United Kingdom have been the next biggest contributors.

The following chart, via Statista's Anna Fleck, looks at financial assistance (such as loans and grants), humanitarian aid (like food and medical supplies), and the value of weapons and equipment delivered. This included in-kind donations to the Ukrainian military and financial support tied to military purposes."

🗄 Archive

🔗 Source

🇮🇹📆📝 — The Rightist-leaning Meloni government has today become the third longest-lasting and most stable government in 79 years of the Republic's history.

🇺🇸⚔️🇻🇪 As tensions in the Caribbean rise, the U.S. Navy has deployed 20% of its fleet replenishment oilers to the region, key vessels used to refuel and resupply other warships at sea.

🔗 Hunterbrook

🇺🇸⚔️🇻🇪 Ammunition depots have begun to be established at U.S. military bases in Trinidad and Tobago, a Caribbean island nation located just off the coast of Venezuela.

📝: Trump suddenly tariffing Colombia, telling Zelensky to accept Putin’s terms because we "need our weapons," the commander of SOUTHCOM resigning…

It can only mean one thing: invasion!

🔗 UK Report

🇺🇸🇨🇴 "...AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA. The purpose of this drug production is the sale of massive amounts of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and havoc..." - President Trump

🔗 The White House

🇺🇸❌🇨🇳 — US Treasury Secretary Bessent 4 days ago about the Rare Earth exports ban from China to USA:

There is a low-level official in the Chinese trade team who is unhinged, and his name is Li Chenggang. In August, Li Chenggang made threats to plunge the global economy into chaos if the United States imposes fees on Chinese ships docking. Now it's China against the whole world.

🔗 Navroop Singh (@TheNavroopSingh)

🇨🇳🔥📝 — Reuters reports that the Communist Party of China purged Li Chenggang from his post as Chinese Negotiator at the World Trade Organization

➡️ China has formalised the new role of top trade negotiator Li Chenggang, dropping him from the post of permanent representative to the World Trade Organization, the official news agency Xinhua said on Monday.

➡️ The news come after tension between the world's two biggest economies flared after the United States added more foreign companies under its sanctions and China set wide-ranging export curbs on rare earths and critical materials in response.

➡️ The announcement, following Li's April appointment to the job of lead international trade negotiator, was part of a routine list of recent ambassadorial changes approved by President Xi Jinping.

📝 China's current representative to the WTO now is Li Yongjie, who presented her credentials on September 29, the trade body said on its Weibo social media account. Beijing sometimes makes no formal announcement when an official takes up a new role.

🔗 Source: Reuters

🇺🇸🤝🇦🇺 — POTUS Donald Trump signs a critical minerals deal with Australian Prime Minister Albanese

"We're doing a real job on rare earth and many other things."

🇺🇸📞🇺🇦❌🇷🇺 — POTUS Donald Trump is asked about the War in Ukraine:

REPORTER:

At the UN, you said that Ukraine could possibly win the war...

Trump:

"Well, they could. They could still win it. I don't think they will, but they could still win it... anything can happen. You know, war is a very strange thing."