I'm used to debian, it was the first on the list of distros I downloaded to try and it worked right away, so I kept it. Overall, Pop Os is unintrusive and works, so it's perfect for me.
I have a Samsung Flip3. I love how it fits neatly into my pocket and how I can easily place it at a good angle to read something while I'm at a table eating.
If you are clumsy with phones it's probably not a good idea, but if you are and the crease doesn't bother you, it's a fun phone.
Do beware that you pay a premium and you'll have worse battery life and camera for it.
Not as important as what has already been said but actually making a call when you really need something done. You'd be impressed how much more quickly your problems can get fixed when you talk to a human being.
I suppose if your only concern is whether a bomb is going to drop on you, you are correct. But maybe you should consider if being kidnapped, tortured and killed without your family ever knowing what actually happened to you is "safe"
While Latin America is, overall, a good choice, it's important to recognize that the mask off fascism we are seeing from the US will only increase the meddling they already do on their "backyard", so keep that in mind.
The only news here are the ukrainians using them. Russia has had them for years by this point.