World Nov 25 Top U.S. military officials will visit Caribbean leaders as Trump weighs next steps By Konstantin Toropin, Associated Press
World Nov 10 U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats kill 6 in the eastern Pacific The dual strikes on Sunday bring the total number of known attacks up to 19 and the death toll to at least 75 people since the Trump administration launched a campaign against drug trafficking in South American waters that many… By Associated Press
World Nov 07 Trump has accused boat strike targets of being narco-terrorists. The truth is more nuanced, AP investigation finds In dozens of interviews in villages on Venezuela’s breathtaking northeastern coast, from which some of the boats departed, residents and relatives said the dead men had indeed been running drugs but were not narco-terrorists or leaders of a cartel or gang. By Regina Garcia Cano, Associated Press
Politics Nov 04 Trump administration announces 16th deadly strike on an alleged drug boat The attack Tuesday killed two people aboard the vessel, Hegseth said, bringing the death toll from the Trump administration's campaign in South American waters up to at least 66 people in at least 16 strikes. By Konstantin Toropin, Associated Press
World Oct 31 UN human rights chief: U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats ‘unacceptable’ The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk called for an investigation into the strikes, in what appeared to mark the first such condemnation of its kind from a United Nations organization. By Associated Press
Oct 30 WATCH: Warner criticizes Trump administration’s exclusion of Democrats from boat strikes briefing By Mary Clare Jalonick, Joey Cappelletti, Associated Press The Trump administration’s increasing efforts to exclude Democrats from national security briefings could endanger troops and keep important information from the public, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee warned Thursday. Continue reading
Oct 28 U.S. launches strikes on 4 alleged drug-running boats in the eastern Pacific, killing 14 By Konstantin Toropin, Associated Press Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that the U.S. military has carried out strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean on four boats accused of carrying drugs, killing 14 people and leaving one survivor in the deadliest single day since the… Continue reading
Oct 23 A timeline of U.S. military strikes on boats off South America and what Congress has said By Ben Finley, Konstantin Toropin, Associated Press In less than two months, President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth say the U.S. military has killed at least 37 people in nine strikes against drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. Continue reading
Oct 22 U.S. strikes 8th and 9th alleged drug-carrying boats, this time in the Pacific, Hegseth says By Konstantin Toropin, Associated Press The strikes represent an expansion of the military's targeting area as well as a shift to the waters off South America where much of the cocaine from the world’s largest producers is smuggled. Continue reading
Oct 19 Fact-checking Trump’s claim that each boat strike off Venezuela’s coast saves 25,000 lives By Maria Ramirez Uribe, PolitiFact President Donald Trump said U.S. military strikes on five Venezuelan boats have saved more than 100,000 lives because the maneuvers thwarted drug smuggling. Several aspects of Trump’s statement make it wrong. Continue reading