So I lease a new car every three years (yeah, I know) and I always pick a different make and model. Honestly, that’s half the fun of leasing. Except Tesla’s Full Self-Driving has gotten so good that, for the first time, I decided to trade my Model Y for… another Model Y. ONE PROBLEM: THEY’RE SOLD OUT. Not just the Model Y. $TSLA has sold out of every model they make. My lease is up next month, and I genuinely have no idea WTF I’m going to do. So much for all those protests outside Tesla dealerships. Seems like the Cancel @elonmusk campaign just ain’t working. (Apparently I can lease a “pre-certified” used Model S or X, though… 🤔)

My month-long California vacation is over. I spent most of it on my yacht—but I also stayed in a number of motels. Yes. Motels. Cheap motels. I normally stay at Hiltons. The first week of my vacation, I did. Then I woke up sweating in the middle of the night because of lousy AC controlled by a gaslighting thermostat (post below), took a weak shower, and discovered I’d paid $35 a night to park at a highway hotel surrounded by acres of empty asphalt. So I tried an experiment: forget the brand. Prioritize cold AC, hot showers, and good reviews. My criteria were simple: Giant AC unit visible in the photos. Recently remodeled. No horrifying guest photos. Rating above 8/10. In one month, I saved $1,359. And it’s been glorious. I did walk into one terrible room. But it cost less than half the Hilton rate, so I ate the charge, walked out, and booked another cheap motel. Will I do this again next trip? I don’t know. There are three major drawbacks: Every motel smells like lemon Lysol. Most of the lighting has all the warmth of a police interrogation room. The walls are sometimes approximately three molecules thick. But I’ll take all three over waking up drenched in sweat, then standing under a low-pressure Hilton shower wondering why I paid 3x for the privilege. So what did I choose for my last night in California? The Vagabond Inn in San Luis Obispo. It’s clean and the AC could preserve a cadaver. The shower has the water pressure of a fire hose. Five stars. No notes. Now I just have to explain to my wife why our credit-card statement looks like I spent a month in California having a string of affairs with truck stop barmaids. 💀

I’m F’n exhausted. An update on me getting cancelled. The last two years have been an absolute whirlwind. Dozens of trips to DC, the White House, The Pentagon, plane rides with Hegseth, meetings with three secnavs, countless Admirals, think tanks, conferences, shipyards, seatrials… all while running the most visited maritime website in the world. Wrote a good chunk of the SHIPs Act, several NDAA provisions, helped with the Navy budget and DOW reforms, BATTLESHIPS, FIREBOATS, went through a grueling appointment process only to not get it. On several boards and significant advisory duties with over a dozen startups. Emotionally my kids are both off to college. Which hurts. I turn 60 next year. My mom, who I love, is aging and moved down the block. My company is kicking ass but every penny goes to tuition. MSM hit piece after hit piece are taking a toll. Two major campaigns to cancel me (“stolen valor’ for saying the USMM is a military service and my dragging Canada) And my primary job, running @gCaptain, is busier than ever thanks to disruption in shipping not seen since WW2 but also the accuracy of my predictions means I get a lot of calls from people managing huge fleets and global logistics… some of them billionaires. These are just the highlights I want to share. The hardest things I don’t want to share but I have been putting an enormous amount of work into returning to the Catholic Church. I’m F’n exhausted. Mentally. Physically. Financially. Morally. This isn’t a bad thing. I feel like I’ve just finished a marathon. I have lots of pride in what’s been accomplished. John Wooden said, “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you are capable.” But it’s not just me of course. It’s a tram effort. I’ve pushed and supported a team of the best people who are getting this nation back on track to build ships and pull the Overton Window back from batshit crazy. But right now I got nothing left to give. I’ve been in California on my yacht for weeks and I don’t have a return ticket home. Just been puttering around the local harbor and going for long walks. At the height of the absolute shit storm that cane first with a major Bulwark hit piece, then the ‘stolen valor” nonsense, the tidal wave of anger from Canada then 9/11 which hits hard because dad was FDNY. And nobody realizes the amount of reading and writing and serious mind hurting thinking being effective at this level takes. As that was all washing over me I called a lot of friends and mentors. All were impressed with what’s gotten done these past two years, all said to keep pushing, but all had suggestions. Keep posting but… Don’t make it political or Don’t be such an ahole or Cut ties with Trump or Stop being critical of Trump or Spend less time on x or Give the Admirals a break or Don’t beat up on allies or Write shorter posts or Stop promoting that person or Really focus on a new appointment or Just consult and make big money …the list is endless But what they don’t understand, what so few understand, the secret I’ve learned getting sh!t done in DC is all those things are links in the chain of influence. Remove one and the chain breaks. I don’t enjoy trashing military readiness in Canada but IT MATTERS, I don’t enjoy being both critical of the Iran was while deeply impressed with our military’s actions. I don’t enjoy threats of violence for saying the USMM is a military service but that’s the truth I know. And the hardest part? I’ve been hanging on my boat and going on long walks thinking about the hardest part. The source of my exhaustion and uncertainty what to do next…. 1/2

There is a maritime component to all this (Cuba is an island) and @DataRepublican is a friend. There’s a lot more to this story than has emerged on X. All I will say is Colonel John Boyd often wrote about the "fog of war" for a reason with a focus on human perception, time, and tempo. After writing about ship collisions for twenty years I’ve found three universal truths: 1) Both ship captains always share some degree of fault 2) Neither would have collided if one ship remained in port 3) Ships were not built to remain in port I can’t provide details, and I don’t know all the facts, but what I do know about this collision makes me respect @DataRepublican even more.

“this has become hyper-politicized to the point that the bad-faith actors you always find in election years are drowning out serious people critiquing or supporting the substance of the memorandum.”

We called on industry to rapidly scale up munitions output, and @RTX_News is delivering. This landmark Tomahawk contract ensures our warfighters continue to have the lethal firepower they need to win.

Don't wave the Constitution in my face. The Constitution stops the government from silencing the press. It does not stop private citizens, the military, or anyone else from rejecting, criticizing, or refusing to defer to what journalists say.

This is a critically important tip from @jockowillink. A lot of boys today are insecure. Modern culture gives them plenty of reasons to doubt themselves. One surprisingly effective antidote is cockiness, not arrogance, but the kind that’s funny, deliberate, and just ridiculous enough to take the pressure off. I started doing this with my son when I taught him to ski. Here’s the problem: I’m afraid of skiing. I cofounded one of the biggest ski websites on the planet, but I suck at skiing. So how do you teach your kid something when he can plainly see you’re terrible at it? How do you project confidence when you’re about to eat shit directly in front of him? Cockiness. Find ONE tiny aspect of the activity you can dominate. Then own the hell out of it. “NOBODY takes a fall like me.” Say it with complete conviction. Eventually your kid asks the obvious question: “Dad, why should I listen to you?” “Well, son, someday you may be a better skier than me. But you will NEVER take as many spectacular faceplants as I have.” He’ll laugh. You don’t. Then you fall. You get up, look him dead in the eye and say: “TOLD YOU.” Ask if he got that EPIC faceplant on camera. If he didn’t, chastise him for missing the shot. We have the most fun doing this with mini golf. I’m decent at mini golf—usually a little under par—but I act like I’m Tiger Woods on Sunday at Augusta. We spent a weekend at Lake George and played something like two dozen rounds. Why am I good but not great? Because I know one secret: EVERY. HOLE. MATTERS. I’m locked in on every single putt. It drove my son insane. After a dozen rounds, he’s nearly broken. “You’re too good, Dad. I can’t beat you.” Next course? Kid shoots FIFTEEN UNDER PAR. That’s the other reason cockiness works: it’s FUN. You can’t perform at your best when you’re terrified of looking stupid. A little ridiculous confidence removes that fear. Suddenly you’re laughing, competing and pushing yourself harder. And here’s the best part: EVERYONE wants to correct a cocky guy. I was at a rifle competition last month acting cocky. Nine guys enjoyed the show. The best shooter there did not. Eventually he pulls me aside. “You think you’re so good, but you screwed up X, Y and Z.” Then he proceeds to explain, in excruciating detail, every mistake I made and exactly how I should fix it. So I pulled out a notebook and started taking notes. Afterward, I found him again. “Can you show me?” He gave me 30 minutes of personal instruction. The best shooter there had just become my private coach. The same thing happens constantly on X. Post something timidly and people scroll past. Post it with absolute confidence and suddenly experts pour out of the woodwork to explain—in extraordinary detail—every single thing you got wrong. Perfect. Take notes. Cockiness doesn’t have to mean believing you’re better than everyone else. Sometimes it means being confident enough to look ridiculous, confident enough to fail spectacularly, and confident enough to let someone prove you wrong. And if you’re going to faceplant anyway? Make damn sure somebody gets it on camera. P.S. how do you know when you crossed from cockiness to arrogance. People stop laughing. When you are cocky you’ll piss a few people off but when you are arrogant then everyone will tire of you. Remember I’m not saying I’m better than you at everything, and I’m open to criticism at what I got wrong, but I am saying I am better than you at something specific.

It IS rocket science! 🚀 #CVN73’s# aviation intermediate maintenance department works around the clock to build and maintain a jet engine. 🎥: MC3 Juan Cordova #SpiritOfFreedom# #CVN73# #ForwardDeployed# #AIMD#

How we take care of 5,000 Sailors. 🇺🇸 @USNavy Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Victoria Marc explains how the supply department provides food services to the crew out at sea aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73).

I have learned more about aviation from following KC than I have from my own son who’s attending the best aeronautical university in the world. And the tuition to follow him is not bankrupting me. Go follow 👇👇

Mark this is your team. Your party. And don’t give me the “I’m an independent” schtick. This is where they are heading, and have been for decades. Instead of complaining about it on the internet, maybe put your money where your mouth is and start cutting some checks?

When the Navy shows what our amazing sailors do at sea, we see the best of America. The USS George Washington (CNV-73) Public Affairs (@GW_CVN73) has been doing a good job letting our sailors speak directly to us and to show us the amazing work they do at sea. Deployments are tough. Extended deployments are harder. And combat deployments are on another level. But the officers and sailors in the Navy, on these specific ships, can handle it and they are reflect the best of America. The global US military logistical system that supports a deployed fleet is amazing. Literally no other nation can do this. It is impossible to describe in a simple soundbite. Again, thx to the GW public affairs for sharing the actual voices of our sailors at sea. This is the positive type of media engagement that is required to fight against massive misinformation. The leadership should take note. Show our sailors working at sea. BZ to all the GW Supply Department and crew, the strike group and all the other unseen crews of the many other ships, submarines and aircraft squadrons, merchant marine seafarers and vessels, and all the other elements of the deployed naval force. -- @cdrsalamander @BDHerzinger @shelbyholliday @Kristinawong @mercoglianos @johnkonrad

Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CBOW) project continues to bring in foreign windmills for install off VA Beach, VA… foreign boats, foreign parts, all paid for by $20 billion in @DominionEnergy ratepayers bill increases; delayed again, as Dominion bills ⬆️ 📸: @johnmorgan726

My views on why what the nation should be feeling now is gratitude in regards to the war in Iran. Gratitude that a sailor losing 25lbs on deployment is the worst Ro can dig up.