Dec 12 Leadership of U.S. command in Latin America changes hands amid scrutiny over boat strikes By Joshua Goodman, Associated Press A U.S. Navy admiral who oversees military operations in Latin America handed off command responsibilities Friday as scrutiny increases over the Trump administration's deadly strikes on alleged drug boats in the region. Continue reading
Dec 10 House passes annual defense bill to raise troop pay and overhaul weapons purchases By Stephen Groves, Ben Finley, Associated Press The bill's passage on a 312-112 vote comes at a time of increasing friction between the Republican-controlled Congress and President Donald Trump’s administration over the management of the military. Continue reading
Nov 30 Lawmakers voice bipartisan support for congressional reviews of Trump's boat strikes By Kevin Freking, Associated Press Lawmakers from both parties said Sunday they support congressional reviews of U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, citing a published report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for… Continue reading
Nov 16 U.S. aircraft carrier arrives in the Caribbean in major buildup near Venezuela By Ben Finley, Associated Press The nation's most advanced aircraft carrier arrived in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday in a display of U.S. military power, raising questions about what the new influx of troops and weaponry could signal for the Trump administration's drug enforcement campaign in South America. Continue reading
Nov 13 Watch 8:18 Military personnel seek legal advice on whether Trump-ordered missions are lawful By Amna Nawaz, Dan Sagalyn, Winston Wilde, Liz Landers Military service personnel have been seeking outside legal advice about some of the missions the Trump administration has assigned them. The strikes against alleged drug traffickers and deployments to U.S. cities have sparked a debate over their legality. Amna Nawaz… Continue watching
Nov 07 Trump has accused boat strike targets of being narco-terrorists. The truth is more nuanced, AP investigation finds By Regina Garcia Cano, Associated Press 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. Continue reading
Nov 01 New Pentagon policy undercuts transgender troops' ability to fight military ban, AP reports By Konstantin Toropin, Associated Press The Pentagon has rolled out a new policy that will severely undercut the ability for transgender troops who have been banned from the armed forces by the Trump administration to turn to boards of their peers to argue for their right to… Continue reading
Oct 31 Hegseth vows in talks with China that U.S. will 'stoutly defend' Indo-Pacific interests By Eileen Ng, Associated Press The U.S. Secretary of Defense said Friday he told his Chinese counterpart during talks in Malaysia that Washington would “stoutly defend” its interests in the Indo-Pacific. He also signed a new agreement aimed at strengthening security ties with India. Continue reading
Oct 31 WATCH: Trump denies U.S. is considering strikes against Venezuela By Associated Press The Trump administration has carried out a series of strikes on boats in the Pacific Ocean that it contends were carrying drugs. The strikes have killed 61 people and the U.S. has also built up an unusually large force of… Continue reading
Oct 30 Hegseth orders military to send dozens of attorneys to help the Justice Department, AP learns By Konstantin Toropin, Associated Press Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the military to provide dozens of lawyers to the Justice Department for temporary assignments in Memphis and near the U.S.-Mexico border that could run through next fall, according to a memo released this week and… Continue reading