64 m. ago US strikes two more alleged drug boats, bringing death toll to over 100

US military declares five alleged drug traffickers killed in Pacific OceanThe US military said it killed on Thursday five more alleged drug traffickers aboard two vessels in the Pacific Ocean, bringing the divisive campaign’s death toll to over 100.The Trump administration has carried out such strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September but has provided no evidence that the boats are involved in drug trafficking, prompting debate about the operations’ legality. Continue reading...

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3 h. ago US military says 2 strikes on alleged drug boats kill 5 in eastern Pacific

The U.S. military says that it conducted two more strikes Thursday against boats it said were smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing five people

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21 h. ago Trump latest: US military kills four in strike on another alleged drug boat after president attacks Biden in TV address

Latest deadly strike in eastern Pacific announced as President Donald Trump continues to blame predecessor Joe Biden for the state of the U.S. economy after almost a year in power

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25 h. ago US strike on alleged drug boat in Pacific kills four, as Trump accuses Venezuela of taking ‘our oil’

The announcement from Pete Hegseth comes a day after Trump issued a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving VenezuelaThe US military carried out a lethal strike on a vessel it said was engaged in drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific, according to defense secretary Pete Hegseth, as Trump further ratcheted up pressure on Venezuela, accusing the country of taking US oil.On Wednesday Hegseth said the “lethal kinetic strike” on a vessel engaged in “narco-trafficking operations” had killed four people. The latest strike in the Pacific brings the death toll to 99 since the US began its campaign of striking alleged drug-trafficking boats in September. Continue reading...

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27 h. ago US military strikes another alleged drug boat in eastern Pacific, killing 4

This occurred the same day the House rejected efforts to limit Trump’s power to use military force against cartels

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28 h. ago US military says it carried out lethal strike on vessel in Pacific, killing four, as Trump addresses country – live

Pete Hegseth says no US military harmed as US Southern Command says it hit three vessels in international watersFour Republicans join Democrats to force vote on bill that would extend Obamacare subsidiesThe Donald Trump-appointed chair of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, will soon make his first appearance before Congress since sparking an uproar with comments seen as pressuring ABC to temporarily pull comedian Jimmy Kimmel from the air.ABC indefinitely suspended Kimmel’s show over statements he made following the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which prompted Carr to say that he wanted broadcasters to “take action” on Kimmel, and: “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Continue reading...

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28 h. ago US military carried out lethal strike on vessel in Pacific, killing four, says Pete Hegseth

Announcement comes day after Trump said a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving VenezuelaThe US military carried out a lethal strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing four people, according to defense secretary Pete Hegseth.In a post on Twitter/X, Hegseth wrote: “Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. A total of four male narco-terrorists were killed, and no US military forces were harmed.” Continue reading...

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28 h. ago US military says strike on alleged drug boat kills 4 in eastern Pacific

The U.S. military says it attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people

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53 h. ago Trump orders blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela

Move against all sanctioned vessels comes amid escalating campaign against authoritarian leader Nicolás MaduroDonald Trump has ordered “a total and complete” blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, ramping up pressure on the country’s authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro.The move comes amid an escalating campaign by the Trump administration against Maduro that has included a ramped-up military presence in the region and more than two dozen military strikes on vessels in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea near Venezuela, which have killed dozens of people. Continue reading...

Politics

53 h. ago Trump orders blockade of oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela

Move against all sanctioned vessels comes amid escalating campaign against authoritarian leader Nicolás MaduroDonald Trump has ordered “a total and complete” blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, ramping up pressure on the country’s authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro.The move comes amid an escalating campaign by the Trump administration against Maduro that has included a ramped-up military presence in the region and more than two dozen military strikes on vessels in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea near Venezuela, which have killed dozens of people. Continue reading...

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65 h. ago Hegseth and Rubio to brief members of Congress on boat strikes as questions mount – live

On Monday night, the US military said it attacked three more boats believed to have been smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing eight peopleUS military says eight killed in strikes on three boats in eastern PacificAcross the pond today, Keir Starmer’s office has said that any legal action against the BBC was a matter for the broadcaster but the UK government supported its independence.It comes after Donald Trump finally filed his lawsuit demanding damages worth up to to $10bn for the way a BBC Panorama documentary – which aired over a year ago – edited a speech he gave to supporters on 6 January 2021 before they attacked the US Capitol. Continue reading...

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2 d. ago US military strikes destroy another three suspected drug boats as eight people are killed

The US military says it carried out strikes on three boats in the eastern Pacific accused of drug smuggling, killing eight people, as scrutiny over the campaign intensifies on Capitol Hill.

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2 d. ago US military says eight killed in strikes on three boats in eastern Pacific

US Southern Command says boats were ‘engaged in narco-trafficking’The US military has launched a fresh round of deadly strikes on foreign vessels suspected of trafficking narcotics, killing eight people.The US Southern Command posted footage of the strikes on social media on Monday, announcing it had hit three vessels in international waters. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago US military says strikes on 3 boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean kill 8 people

The U.S. military says it has attacked three boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing a total of eight people

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1 week ago Hegseth gives defiant speech defending ‘drug boat’ strikes amid scrutiny

At event in California, US defense secretary says Trump has power to take military action ‘as he sees fit’Pete Hegseth on Saturday doubled down on his defense of US military strikes on alleged drug cartel boats in the Caribbean, arguing that Donald Trump has the power to take military action “as he sees fit” and dismissing concerns that the strikes violate international law.Hegseth spoke on Saturday at the Ronald Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, California, amid growing scrutiny over the legality of the attacks and his leadership of the Pentagon. Continue reading...

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1 week ago Four killed in latest ‘drug boat’ strike as Hegseth faces war crimes accusations

The US military conducted another deadly strike on an alleged drug boat, killing four men on board.

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2 w. ago Pentagon announces it has killed four men in another boat strike in Pacific

Strike comes amid congressional turmoil over legality of US attacks on suspected drug smugglersThe Pentagon announced on Thursday that the US military’s southern command had conducted another deadly strike on a boat suspected of carrying illegal narcotics, killing four men in the eastern Pacific.Video of the new strike was posted on social media by the US southern command, based in Florida, with a statement saying that, at the direction of Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, “Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization”. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago US lawmakers call for inquiry into second US military strike on alleged Caribbean drug boat

Democratic representative Jim Himes, who saw footage of attack, called it ‘one of the most troubling scenes’ he’s observed in public serviceAnalysis: Killing of survivors sparks outrage – but entire US ‘drug boat’ war is legally shakyA Democratic congressman described an unedited video of an extrajudicial military strike that killed two survivors in the Caribbean as “one of the most troubling scenes” he’s seen in public service, as human rights advocates and policy experts are lining up to demand the video’s public release.Congressman Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House intelligence committee, made the remarks on Thursday after viewing footage in a classified briefing of the 2 September follow-up attack that killed two men clinging to wreckage off the coast of Venezuela. His assessment came as experts called the operation murder under international law. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Killing of survivors sparks outrage – but entire US ‘drug boat’ war is legally shaky

Pentagon’s Law of War manual clearly prohibits attack, but justification for whole campaign also faces tough questionsGraphic depictions of two survivors being killed by a second US military strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug ferrying boat have provoked outrage where previously there was none – or at least relatively little.A firestorm of controversy has greeted a recent Washington Post report which suggested that a deadly attack on a vessel carrying 11 people in the Caribbean was followed with a second assault after the initial strike failed to kill everybody onboard. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Trump says ‘this is war’ as he continues to ramp up threats and attacks on Venezuela

Dozens of strikes against alleged drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean have killed more than 80 people since September

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