11 h. ago US struck another boat illegally carrying drugs off Venezuela coast, Trump says

President said US would turn attention to drug trafficking happening on land during speech at navy ceremonyUS forces on Saturday evening struck another vessel illegally carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela, Donald Trump said on Sunday to thousands of sailors at a ceremony celebrating the US navy’s 250th anniversary. He added that the US would also start looking at drug trafficking happening on land.Trump made the comment during a speech at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, next to the Harry S Truman aircraft carrier. It was not immediately clear if he was referencing a strike announced on Friday by defense secretary Pete Hegseth. Continue reading...

Events

24 h. ago Why Trump’s speech to US military top brass was such a disaster | Sidney Blumenthal

The president of the United States seemingly does not understand what the military is forNo dictator or would-be dictator on day one has ever assembled before him in one room the entire senior officer corps of his armed forces in order to have them belittled as failures and humiliated for their slovenly personal appearance, while degrading whole classes serving in the army, navy and air force degraded as inferior and unworthy. No dictator has ever pleaded for generals and admirals to applaud his remarks, followed by deafening silence.Donald Trump is used to entering to the din of a mob jazzed up with YMCA. “I’ve never walked into a room so silent before,” Trump said when he addressed the country’s highest-ranking military leaders at the Marine Corps Base Quantico on Tuesday. “Don’t laugh. Don’t know if you’re allowed to do that.” He was trying to force some tittering, an old lounge act gag to rouse a dead audience. “You know what? Just have a good time.” The comedian who felt his ro...

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29 h. ago Trump’s bullying of Latin America isn’t part of any plan – he doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing | Simon Tisdall

The president’s threats to attack Venezuela are regressive, dangerous and almost certain to backfireRunning for president in 2024, Donald Trump vowed to avoid costly, often disastrous overseas US military interventions like Iraq and Afghanistan. This was a key plank in his isolationist “America first” platform. Yet within months of his inauguration, US forces were bombing Yemen and Iran. Looking south, Trump threatened to seize the Panama canal. Now, the Pentagon is gearing up for attacks on “terrorist” drug cartels deep inside Colombia and Mexico. Of most immediate concern is a possible renewed White House effort to forcibly impose regime change on Venezuela.Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s hard-left authoritarian president, believes this effort is already under way. He says the US is waging “undeclared war” on his country after several deadly strikes on Venezuelan vessels in international waters. Trump notified Congress last week that the US is engaged in “armed conflict” with drug car...

Politics

56 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: ‘Political will’ needed to restore external power to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, UN watchdog says

Rafael Grossi says ‘security situation’ around plant must improve for repairs to be carried out; French photojournalist Antoni Lallican killed by Russian drone strike. What we know on day 1,319See all our Ukraine war overageThe head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog said on Friday he was discussing proposals with Russia and Ukraine to restore off-site power to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, calling it a “question of political will”. Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has been cut off from external power since 23 September, with the fuel in its reactors being cooled by emergency diesel generators. The International Atomic Energy Agency director general, Rafael Grossi, said: “Both sides say they stand ready to conduct the necessary repairs on their respective sides of the frontline. But for this to happen, the security situation on the ground must improve so that the technicians can carry out their vital work without endangering their lives.”French photojournalist Ant...

Events

56 h. ago Trump to host large Navy celebration this weekend while military goes without pay during shutdown: ‘THE SHOW MUST GO ON!’

Trump said thousands of active-duty servicemembers and military families will be at ‘the largest Celebration in the History of the Navy’

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63 h. ago US military poised to seize ports and airfields in Venezuela as Trump strikes a fourth 'narco

As the U.S. military builds its presence in the Caribbean amid heightening tensions with Venezuela, there is mounting evidence that troops are preparing for a potential conflict.

Events

64 h. ago Hegseth says four killed in US strike on alleged drug boat off Venezuelan coast

Pentagon chief says strike – fourth by US military in recent weeks – targeted boat with ‘substantial amounts’ of drugsThe US killed four people in a strike against a vessel just off the coast of Venezuela that was allegedly carrying illegal drugs, US defense secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday.The strike came a day after Trump officials notified Congress that the US was entering a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels. Continue reading...

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66 h. ago US military under fire in Virginia, but were Trump and Hegseth shooting blanks?

President and his defence chief took aim at the ‘fat generals’, but some doubted there was much substance to the swagger on showThis week marked an inflection point in Donald Trump’s relentless politicisation of the US armed forces, as he delivered a partisan – if scattershot – campaign speech to the very room of people he is not supposed to: the commanders of the most powerful military in the world.For those declaring a five-alarm authoritarian fire in the US, there was plenty of smoke: the anti-woke rhetoric that has become a commonplace of the political right, the threats to summarily dismiss the generals who disagree with him, the transparent pleasure at deploying the military to perform police actions in major US cities. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Democrats call for Trump to be removed under the 25th Amendment after military threats to US cities. But can he be?

It’s not the first time Trump has faced calls to step down since he returned to the White House in January

Events

3 d. ago Can Trump be removed under the 25th Amendment? Democrats join call to oust president after military threats to US cities

It’s not the first time Trump has faced calls to step down since he returned to the White House in January

Politics

3 d. ago Hamas military chief 'WON'T accept Trump's peace plan and will continue to fight Israel in Gaza'

Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who played a key role in the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, is thought to believe the deal was designed to finish Hamas, whether the group accepts it or not.

Politics

4 d. ago Trump signs order promising measures, including military, to defend Qatar

Text appears meant to assure the Qataris following Israel’s surprise attack on the country targeting Hamas leadersDonald Trump has signed an executive order vowing to use all measures including US military action to defend the energy-rich nation of Qatar – though it remains unclear just what weight the pledge will carry.The text of the order, available Wednesday on the White House’s website but dated Monday, appears to be another measure by Trump to assure the Qataris following Israel’s surprise attack on the country targeting Hamas leaders as they weighed accepting a ceasefire with Israel over the war in the Gaza Strip. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Trump sounded ‘exhausted, incoherent and stupid’ in his speech to military top brass, says retired general

Retired General Barry McCaffrey, said the presentation at Quantico, in Virginia, was ‘one of the most bizarre, unsettling events I’ve ever encountered’

Events

4 d. ago Democrats liken Trump to Putin after call to use US cities for military training

Illinois governor JB Pritzker and others condemn the US president for suggesting cities be used as military training groundsA leading Democrat has compared Donald Trump to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin after the US president told military leaders on Tuesday that the armed forces should use US cities as “training grounds”.JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, which is bracing for Trump to deploy national guard troops to his state, questioned the president’s mental health and accused him of behaving like an autocrat. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago What do Trump and Hegseth’s inflammatory speeches to military generals signal? | Moira Donegan

The Trump administration evidently seeks to transform the US military into a partisan tool of the president’s regimeShortly after Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s defense secretary, summoned all the military’s generals to Quantico, Virginia, from their positions around the world in an unusual demand for an in-person assembly, Ben Hodges, a retired general, took to social media to evoke a bit of history. “July 1935,” Hodges said. “German generals were called to a surprise assembly in Berlin and informed that their previous oath to the Weiman constitution was void and that they would be required to swear a personal oath to the Führer. Most generals took the new oath to keep their positions.” Hegseth’s account replied to Hodges post: “Cool story, General”.Yet when the meeting finally happened on Tuesday morning, the army generals and navy admirals were treated to a 45-minute speech by Hegseth, followed by a rambling, hour-long address by Trump, which confirmed at least some of what Hodges ...

Events

4 d. ago Israel says ‘last opportunity’ for Gaza City residents to leave

Defence minister issues warning, while Hamas reportedly considers seeking amendments to Trump plan The Israeli military has issued what it said was its final warning for Gaza City residents to flee as it intensified its bombardment and offensive on Wednesday, while Hamas was reportedly considering requesting amendments to Donald Trump’s ceasefire ultimatum.Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said the warning was the last opportunity for people to move to southern Gaza as the military encircled the city. Gaza’s civil defence agency said on Wednesday that Israeli forces had killed at least 46 people, including 36 in Gaza City. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago ‘It could have been an email’: Viewers stunned by Hegseth and Trump’s bizarre Quantico speeches to military chiefs

One defense official called the meeting a ‘waste of money,’ and another likened it to a ‘press conference’

Events

5 d. ago ‘President is an idiot’: Democrat tees off after Trump vows ‘dangerous’ US cities could be ‘training grounds’ for military

The Marine Corps veteran didn’t hold back when asked to weigh in on Trump’s remarks to military leaders

Politics

5 d. ago The Department of War: Only manly men doing manly things in the name of America, thanks to our manly leaders Trump and Hegseth

It’s ‘highest male standard’ — zero fat, zero beards and zero diversity, writes Holly Baxter, as Hegseth exhorts US generals to WAR ... on culture

Politics

5 d. ago Trump says US cities should be used as military ‘training grounds’

Defence secretary Pete Hegseth also tells admirals and generals they must restore ‘warrior ethos’

Events