🇨🇺 Cuban population on the island has apparently dropped from 11 million to only 8 over past five years, and still no end in sight to the exodus

🔗 ASPertierra

🇪🇺🪖 EU wants its citizens to prep for crises — or war

Bottled water, energy bars, a flashlight and more: the EU is pushing for every household in the 27-country bloc to have a three-day survival kit ready in case crisis strikes — be it a conflict or natural disaster.

EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib told AFP the idea would be formally presented Wednesday as part of a broader “preparedness strategy” for the bloc.

In practice, Brussels would like every citizen to be equipped for 72 hours of self-sufficiency, said Lahbib, in line with a key report last year on strengthening Europe’s civilian and military preparedness.

https://insiderpaper.com/eu-wants-its-citizens-to-prep-for-crises-or-war/

🇨🇳🇹🇼🚤 Stairway To Taiwan – The Chinese Amphibious Bridging System

The Chinese designs discussed here appear to be self-propelled. Therefore, despite termed “barges”, they are more accurately seagoing vessels capable of transiting across significant distances unassisted. This aspect carries importance for a notional invasion of the Taiwanese main.

Primary use for Type 2 is as a direct connector of the bridging system to the shore. Type 2 features shorter legs for shallow waters, no extended platforms enabling the berthing of ferries, and possibly waterjet propulsion.

[Type 1] features longer, sturdier legs, suggesting a requirement to operate in deeper waters or further from shore. Furthermore the Type 1 appears to have propellers and rudders fitted, again suggesting an optimisation for operation at increased draft.

Type 3 is the terminal element of any combination with the other platforms discussed here. Type 3 would likely facilitate disembarkation from the largest Ro/ro-vessels furthest from shore.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/03/stairway-to-taiwan-the-chinese-amphibious-bridging-system/

💬🇺🇸🇾🇪 The full chat logs were published by Jeffrey Goldberg

OSINTdefender on X: Following continued downplaying of the incident by officials with the Trump Administration, who continue to claim that what was talked about in the recent Signal group-chat regarding strikes against the Houthis in Yemen was not considered “war planning” and was not classified; Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief for The Atlantic, has now released what appears to be the full chat-log for the group in Signal, as well as the identity of every person included in the chat.

The log proves that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz was the one to add Goldberg to the group, as well as claims by Goldberg that information about strike timing, weapons systems, and targets were posted in the chat by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hours before the start of the strike operation in Yemen.

🔗 OSINTdefender

🇺🇸/🇲🇽 Hegseth Gives Order to Enhance Military Mission at Southern Border

Until now, the U.S. military mission at the southern border has been static. Service members have been engaged mostly in stationary detection and monitoring activities. But no longer.

On March 20, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order allowing service members involved in the mission to do more and conduct their mission on foot or on board Stryker armored vehicles.

https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4134243/hegseth-gives-order-to-enhance-military-mission-at-southern-border/

🇺🇸🗺🗺 — Satellite imagery from Indo-Pacific Watch Center shows 3x USAF B-2 “Spirit” Long-Range Strategic Stealth Bombers on the tarmac today at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, as well as possibly 4 others under hardened aircraft shelters, bringing the total B-2s that could be at the base to 7.

In addition to the USAF B-2s, at least 7x USAF KC-135 “Stratotanker” Aerial-Refueling Tankers can also be seen at the base, almost certainly to be used for future missions the bombers get tasked by Pentagon

Over the past days, USAF has been moving assets to RAF Airbase of Diego Garcia, as tensions with the Iranian Regime grows

🔗 IPWC (@IndoPacWatch)

🇮🇱🇵🇸 Israeli military to increase activity in additional areas in Gaza

📝 Emanuel Fabian: Defense Minister Israel Katz warns Palestinians in Gaza that the military will soon operate in additional areas of the Strip, telling them to learn from civilians in Beit Lahiya who have been protesting against Hamas.

"Gaza residents, the IDF will soon operate with intensity in additional areas in Gaza and you will be required to evacuate for your protection from the combat zones," he says in a video statement.

"The plans are ready and approved. Hamas is risking your life and will make you lose your homes and more and more land that will be added to the Israeli defense array," Katz says, referring to an expanding buffer zone along the Gaza border.

"Learn from the residents of Beit Lahiiya, as they did, you should also demand the removal of Hamas from Gaza and the immediate release of all Israeli hostages. This is the only way to stop the war," he adds.

🔗 Emanuel Fabian

🇺🇸❌🏳️‍⚧️ — US President Donald Trump to Transgenders: You will never be a woman

"No matter how many surgeries you have or chemicals you inject, if you’re born with male DNA in every cell of your body, you can never become a woman.

You're not going to be a woman."

🇺🇸/🇻🇪 Trump’s Threat of ‘Secondary Tariffs’ Invents New Trade Tool

President Donald Trump appeared to invent a new economic statecraft tactic on Monday by threatening what he dubbed “secondary tariffs” on countries that buy oil from Venezuela to choke off its oil trade with other nations.

The move was meant to pressure Venezuela for the “tens of thousands of high level, and other, criminals” that Trump said Venezuela has sent to the US.

“China is the main actor this is directed at because it’s essentially the black market for Venezuelan oil. They would not have to do secondary tariffs if it wasn’t for China.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-25/trump-s-threat-of-secondary-tariffs-invents-new-trade-weapon

https://archive.is/ZIeUf

🇵🇱 Poland suspends migrants' right to apply for asylum

Poland has temporarily suspended the right of migrants arriving in Poland via its border with Belarus to apply for asylum.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced it would be happening after the controversial bill, which will allow Polish authorities to suspend this right for up to 60 days at a time, was signed into law by President Andrzej Duda.

Tusk had said it would be adopted "without a moment's delay" while Duda said the changes were needed to strengthen security on the country's borders.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8719dl587zo

🇧🇷 Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro to stand trial on coup charges, court rules

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro should stand trial on charges related to an alleged plot to overturn the 2022 election results, the country’s Supreme Court has determined.

Bolsonaro was among 34 people charged last month with five crimes, including attempting a coup d’état. Part of the coup plot, prosecutors allege, involved a plan to potentially assassinate elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his vice president and a minister of the Supreme Court. Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing.

The court on Wednesday decided unanimously to fully accept the charges against eight of the accused, including Bolsonaro, his vice presidential candidate and other military and political leaders.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/26/americas/brazil-bolsonaro-stand-trial-coup-charges/index.html

🇺🇸🇸🇻 DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on X:

"I toured the CECOT, El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center.

President Trump and I have a clear message to criminal illegal aliens: LEAVE NOW.

If you do not leave, we will hunt you down, arrest you, and you could end up in this El Salvadorian prison."

🔗 Sec_Noem

🇿🇦 The South African government admits that it wants to expropriate ANY type of property, not just farms.

Under the new Expropriation Act, the government can legally take anything you own, including your vehicle, personal belongings, and financial assets.

📎 GovernmentZA

🇨🇦/🇺🇸 Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded to Trump’s tariffs.

“We’re going to make sure that we inflict as much pain as possible [on] the American people without inflicting pain on the Canadian population.”

🔗 AF Post

🇳🇱🇪🇺/🇺🇸 Dutch government wants to create “road map” for U.S. withdrawal from Europe

Europe and the United States of America have to create a “road map” with agreements about the U.S. withdrawal, the Minister of Defense, Ruben Brekelmans, has said. "Let us shape the transition together with the United States and not panic."

The Americans have indicated that Europe will have to take much more responsibility regarding their own safety. The U.S. wants to focus more of its attention on Asia. Brekelmans said on Tuesday during a debate in parliament that the U.S. withdraw will not come out of nowhere. “We should not be moving faster than the Americans themselves on this.”

The minister is calling for a road map to be developed for the transition. This document should include what the Americans will do less of in the short term and what Europe will have to take over. This will take years to do as Europe does not have important capacities like satellite communications, air transport, or intelligence.

https://nltimes.nl/2025/03/27/dutch-government-wants-create-road-map-us-withdrawal-europe

🇪🇺/🇺🇸 The EU is considering 'hitting US services exports, including Big Tech’s operations' in retaliation over Trump administration's tariffs, according to the FT.

🔗 The Spectator Index

🇺🇸Republicans are introducing legislation to abolish the TSA

🔗 Leading Report