Dec 01 WATCH: White House insists alleged drug boat attack was lawful, confirms second strike By Aamer Madhani, Associated Press White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt offered a justification for the Sept. 2 strike after lawmakers from both parties on Sunday announced support for congressional reviews of U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea… Continue reading
Nov 29 Maduro's government rejects Trump's claim of closing Venezuelan airspace By Gabriela Molina and Josh Boak, Associated Press Venezuela’s government said it “forcefully rejects” Trump’s claim about closing the airspace and that it was a “colonial threat” intended to undermine the country's "territorial integrity, aeronautical security and full sovereignty.”… Continue reading
Nov 29 Watch 2:21 News Wrap: Trump declares Venezuela's airspace 'closed' after weeks of escalating tensions By PBS News Weekend In our news wrap Saturday, Trump declared Venezuela’s airspace to be considered closed despite not having the legal authority to do so, Russia carried out deadly drone and missile attacks overnight in Ukraine, the FAA ordered airlines to update software… Continue watching
Nov 26 Dominican Republic grants U.S. access to restricted areas for its fight against drug trafficking By Dánica Coto, Associated Press It is the first major public agreement that the U.S. has struck with a Caribbean nation as it seeks friendly allies to support its attacks against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the region and beyond. Continue reading
Nov 24 Democratic senators ask Trump administration to provide legal basis for Venezuela strikes By Associated Press The U.S. military has carried out lethal strikes on alleged drug smugglers, which President Donald Trump has defended as a necessary escalation to curb the flow of drugs into the United States. Continue reading
Nov 24 U.S. set to label Maduro-tied Cartel de los Soles as a terror organization. It's not a cartel per se By Regina Garcia Cano, Associated Press The move planned Monday comes as President Donald Trump evaluates whether to take military action against Venezuela, which Trump has not ruled out despite bringing up the possibility of talks with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Continue reading
Nov 17 Trump floats possible talks with Venezuela but leaves military action on the table By Regina Garcia Cano, Aamer Madhani, Associated Press President Donald Trump isn't ruling out military action against Venezuela despite bringing up potential diplomatic talks with its leader, Nicolás Maduro. 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 12 Watch 6:42 U.S. carrier in Caribbean amid Venezuela tensions and outcry over drug boat strikes By Nick Schifrin, Kayan Taraporevala, Dan Sagalyn A U.S. aircraft carrier reached the Caribbean as part of the Trump administration’s escalating pressure campaign on Venezuela and its broader effort to combat drug trafficking. In recent months, the U.S. has killed dozens of people, prompting an outcry across… 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