A fire at a US nuclear weapons site has released radioactive material, the National Guard is reportedly being mobilized ahead of next week’s elections, and bird flu has reached another major flock. Here is what the Watchmen are seeing this Thursday.

A Fire at the Savannah River Site

A fire broke out yesterday in a single room at the Savannah River National Laboratory near Aiken, South Carolina, and caused an unfiltered, ground-level radiological release. Radioactive water was released from the site. It triggered a site area emergency, and rail, river and air traffic nearby was restricted.

This isn’t a minor facility. Savannah River is the sole producer of tritium, it stores plutonium on site for nuclear weapons, and it supports other US nuclear weapons programs. One has to ask whether this was sabotage, too. There are a lot of layers to that question, and if you start peeling that onion, you’re going to get a bad smell.

The National Guard and Next Week’s Elections

According to journalist Ken Klippenstein, National Guard units in all 50 states are being quietly mobilized for next week’s elections. The mission covers direct observation of ballot drop boxes, plus federal cybersecurity support. He reports it’s the first time in US history the Guard has been deployed at this scale ahead of a national election. Hegseth has also ordered military spy agencies to mobilize “every asset to defend our election” so every lawful voter can cast a ballot free from foreign intimidation, coercion or fear.

Most of us would agree with the cybersecurity support. Direct observation of ballot drop boxes is the part I’d ask you to weigh for yourself. I’ve been hoping President Trump would take this election seriously and safeguard it from the abuse and lack of transparency we’ve seen in past years. We just want to know the election is secure. If we win fair and square, great. If we lose fair and square, honestly, that’s better than recent years, when who knows what was going on.

Israel’s Election Fight

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud party has officially claimed Israel’s election was stolen by Arab parties through widespread fraud, alleging bribery, intimidation, violence, double voting and ballot manipulation. Netanyahu says he is submitting hundreds of testimonies to the police, the Shin Bet and the Central Elections Committee and demanding an immediate investigation. Those are Likud’s allegations, and an investigation would have to test them. Are we about to see the same thing in the United States? We might.

Butter Recall, Gasoline Stocks and Bird Flu

A plant-based butter is being recalled in 10 states over possible yeast, mold and E. coli contamination. Don’t eat it. Whether you should be eating that stuff in the first place is another question, and seed oils are just the worst.

Midwest gasoline stockpiles fell by 1.2 million barrels to 41 million, a record low, according to Energy Department data. An Ohio refinery that has been down for maintenance is close to restarting, which should help Ohio a little, but major refinery problems remain across the Midwest and not enough gasoline is reaching the heartland. A record low sounds like a shortage to me, and I expect the squeeze to continue in the near term.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for Sac County after H5N1 bird flu was confirmed in a commercial turkey flock. It’s Iowa’s eighth detection this year, and the proclamation, which runs through November 27th, gives the state emergency powers to suppress the outbreak. Just this week we saw over a million hens culled. It isn’t even November yet, and this could escalate dramatically like it has in previous years.

Menopause Drugs Running Short

Women who couldn’t find estrogen patches switched to injectable estradiol and creams, and now those are in shortage too. Demand surged after the FDA dropped a boxed warning on these drugs. If you need them, stock up as best you can.

What the Watchmen Are Seeing

South Carolina: Kate wrote from Aiken to confirm the fire and the unfiltered radiological release. Imagine this in your backyard and you ask, should I drink the water? You probably don’t own a filter that removes radiation. As far as we can tell, tap water in those areas is safe right now, but would you have a stockpile of water to drink until you felt more confident in the supply?

On military bases: Richard asked whether the military is hardening its bases. Yes, it has been going on for a couple of months. They’re working to make bases self-sufficient, with their own water not tied to civilian supplies and their own power that runs if the grid goes down.

Spokane, Washington: Rick asked whether it’s a better use of money to buy a new bomber or to make sure our bases can operate in a grid-down situation. I think hardening bases against a cyber attack on the power grid is a good idea. In my view, it doesn’t take much more than a rifle with a long-distance scope to take out transformers in the United States, it has happened before, and they tried to hush it.

California: Butterfly Fairy’s pay app couldn’t transfer earnings to the bank at midnight Tuesday. The bank said the error was at the app’s bank. It went through on a second try, but it felt like being hacked. Do you have multiple bank accounts? You should. Keep some cash at home, some money in a second account, and every sign-in detail and account number so you can set up a transfer quickly if your primary bank goes down.

Food costs: Teresa has been watching sardines, which went from $1.18 to $1.42 in two months. They stocked up because of this channel, and their older dogs love them too. Samantha in rural East Texas says Super One has a big meat sale, 10 pounds of chicken for $4.70 with a five-bag limit. Grab deals like that where you find them.

Texas: Lee, shopping at HEB, bought applesauce cups. The second one tasted horrible, nothing like apples, and was refunded. A bag of veggie chips had a strong pesticide smell and a 2027 date. “It’s getting worse, folks. I’m learning to can myself now.”

One meal a day: Chick Mama Pallet Farm has gone to one meal a day. Food costs are part of it, but she says almost all US food makes her sick except what she grows herself. Fasting for part of the day is something many people report benefits from, and eating less also saves money and your waistline.

Canned food: Jeff learned the hard way to put cardboard between stacked cans. I’d add plastic between the layers too. Some of my canned green beans burst their seals, the liquid soaked the cardboard on every level, and the cans below rusted out. I lost a lot of cans.

Ebola: Gerald notes Ebola kills through severe diarrhea and electrolyte imbalance, with three to four liters of fluid lost a day, and the only treatment is massive IV hydration. I’m not saying everyone needs an IV kit, but if someone in your circle has medical experience, would they have the tools to save a life? IV kits don’t go bad.

Frozen pipes: Wayne says at zero or 20 below, his pipes freeze if the cold lasts more than 24 hours. Do you know how your house works and at what temperature your pipes will rupture? That’s part of preparedness.

The Bottom Line

A radiological release at a nuclear weapons site, the Guard mobilizing for an election, record-low Midwest gasoline stocks, bird flu back in Iowa and shortages of women’s medicine. Taken together, the pattern is strained supplies and a public asking whether it can trust what it’s told.

Keep a water stockpile in case your tap becomes a question. Have a second bank account and some cash. Stock the medicines you depend on. Store your canned goods properly. And know how your house handles the cold before winter tests it.

Watch the video: 🚨🚨South Carolina Nuclear Weapons Facility- Watchmen Updates

Steve Poplar is the publisher of The Poplar Report.