There's many powerful vested interests in the West that oppose Russia sanctions. Their standard talking point is that sanctions will spike oil prices. Last week's Rosneft and Lukoil sanctions by the US are - once again - proving that this is wrong. Oil prices are falling again...

Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific. The four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics. Eight male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessels during the first strike. Four male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the second strike. Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the third strike. A total of 14 narco-terrorists were killed during the three strikes, with one survivor. All strikes were in international waters with no U.S. forces harmed. Regarding the survivor, USSOUTHCOM immediately initiated Search and Rescue (SAR) standard protocols; Mexican SAR authorities accepted the case and assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue. The Department has spent over TWO DECADES defending other homelands. Now, we’re defending our own. These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda, and they will be treated the same. We will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them.

The B-1Bs also flew ~20 miles north of Isla Margarita. @SA_Defensa

#Venezuela: The Ford Carrier Strike Group is like a floating fortress of capabilities. Our colleagues at @CSISDefense have assembled an estimate of the number of vertical launch system cells and Tomahawks in the Caribbean. BLUF: there's a huge increase with the CSG in region.👇

Hola, buen día. Ahora toca el Congreso. Vamos a cambiar la Argentina para siempre.

🚨42 years ago today, 7,300 American patriots landed on the Caribbean island of #Grenada after a Cuban regime-backed coup. God bless America! We saved Grenada from Communism!

Nichols was insufferable as an undergrad professor at @dartmouth. He won a bunch of Jeopardy matches (impressive) but then decided he was the “smartest man in the room” ™️ thereafter. He’s never risen above his mastery of trivia, & to trivia history will consign his memory.

"Desde que el presidente Petro agarró el poder, la producción de cocaína en Colombia se ha disparado al nivel más alto en décadas, inundando Estados Unidos y envenenando a los Americanos.” — @SecScottBessent Petro is now sanctioned by Treasury. home.treasury.gov/news/press…

¡Vaya! La IA se está volviendo increíblemente realista estos días, supongo.

Trump: "No creo que necesariamente vayamos a pedir una declaración de guerra. Creo que simplemente vamos a matar a las personas que traen drogas a nuestro país”.

3/3) When democracy is restored in Venezuela, there will be an instant appetite to buy Venezuelan crude oil by Indian refiners. Today they are dumping purchases of Russian crude. Ven oil would be perfect for them, once it is unsanctioned & free from control of the kleptocrats.

2/3) …to the narco-terrorist Maduro. As you know, Russian intelligence has been instrumental in propping up the dictator. The weaker Maduro’s benefactor becomes, the weaker the despot’s grip on power. But there also is a huge future opportunity here…

1/3) Great question @estebangerbasi. The most direct effect could be a reduction/complication in Rosneft’s ability to supply diluents like naptha, which PdVSA desperately needs. Indirectly, this further economic pressure on Putin may constrain the type of support he can give…

Must read 🧵 on the scale and impact of @USTreasury’s new Russia sanctions. @europeanunion should take note and follow suit:

9/9) Fifth, Russia’s on notice; Treasury is prepared to hit even harder. “Treasury is prepared to take further action if necessary to support President Trump’s effort to end yet another war.” — Secretary Bessent What might be coming next? 👇

8/9) … “rainy day” fund. It was meant to ensure stable funding for pensions, social programs, & infrastructure. Instead it’s being raided to cover the deficit. There’s only about $66B in liquid assets left. That means it may now deplete as early as the beginning of next year.

7/9) …make up ~25% of Putin’s budget. It was already thought that the deficit (because if increased war spending) could hit 2.6% of GDP by year’s end. Now it will almost certainly be worse. That means Putin’s National Wealth Fund will deplete even faster. The NWF is Putin’s…

6/9) Watch for the ruble to take a sharp drop tomorrow, & inflation to accelerate. Today’s sanctions are about to make the consequences of Putin’s war felt in the savings accounts & pocketbooks of Muscovites. Fourth, this will increase Putin’s budget deficit. Oil revenues…

5/9) Third: The Russian Central Bank desperately needs $ from oil sales to prop up the Ruble, fight inflation, & intervene in the market. @SecScottBessent just made Governor Nabiullina’s job much, much harder. Russia’s GDP growth is already near 0% & she’s facing stagflation.