9 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

Events

13 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...

Events

16 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

Events

17 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

Events

7 d. ago US lawmakers condemn seizure of Venezuelan oil tanker: ‘Trump is sleepwalking us into a war’

Unease grows in Washington, including among some Republicans, over Trump administration’s escalating military posture in the CaribbeanUS politics live – latest updatesSenior Democratic lawmakers and at least one Republican have condemned Wednesday’s seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker off the nation’s coast, with one saying Donald Trump is “sleepwalking us into a war with Venezuela”.There is growing, at least somewhat bipartisan unease in Washington over the administration’s escalating military posture in the region. Trump has accused Venezuela of facilitating drug trafficking, and increased the US military presence in the Caribbean to a level not seen in decades. The administration has also conducted a campaign of bombings of alleged drug boats, killing more than 80 people so far. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Dramatic moment US troops storm oil tanker as Venezuela accuses Trump administration of 'piracy'

‘We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever, actually, and other things are happening,’ says US President Donald Trump

Events

1 week ago Democrats urge Pentagon to release video of strike on alleged drug boat

Trump team faces mounting pressure as members of Congress allege that the deadly attack was unlawfulUS Democrats on Sunday pushed the Trump administration to release video of a second strike on an alleged drug boat incapacitated in the Caribbean, continuing to escalate pressure on the Pentagon amid accusations the attack was unlawful.Eleven people died in the 2 September attack, including two men killed in a follow-up strike as they reportedly clung to wreckage for an hour. That killing has been met with intense scrutiny and accusations of war crimes after the Washington Post reported defense secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill them all”. Adm Frank Bradley of the US navy, who oversaw the attack, told lawmakers on Thursday there was no such order – and the Pentagon has defended the legality of the attack. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Admiral tells lawmakers that all 11 people on alleged drug boat hit by double

The double-tap strike against the alleged drug vessel has been at the center of a growing controversy

Events

1 week ago Astonishing new claim that survivors of Pete Hegseth's 'war crime' boat strike were 'waving before second attack'

Pete Hegseth is under intense scrutiny over the September 2 attack after at least two people on the vessel allegedly filled with drug dealers were still alive after the first strike.

Events

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.

Events

1 week ago Hegseth orders new strike that kills 4 on alleged drug boat amid ‘double tap’ controversy

Attack comes just hours after Admiral Frank ‘Mitch’ Bradley briefed concerned lawmakers about the September ‘double tap’ strike

Events

1 week ago Hegseth orders new strike that kills four on alleged drug boat amid ‘double tap’ controversy

The attack comes just hours after Admiral Frank ‘Mitch’ Bradley briefed concerned lawmakers about the September ‘double tap’ strike

Events

1 week 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...

Events

1 week ago US admiral defends second strike on alleged drug boat in Caribbean

Briefing to lawmakers over September 2 mission comes as Trump and Hegseth seek to distance themselves

Events

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...

Events

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...

Events

2 w. ago Pentagon reportedly knew strike on alleged drug boat left survivors

It is still unclear who ordered the strikes and whether US secretary of defense Pete Hegseth was involved, source tells Associated PressThe Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it had started its immigration enforcement operation in New Orleans today.In a statement, the department said Operation Catahoula Crunch would target “criminal illegal aliens roaming free thanks to sanctuary policies”. New Orleans is the latest Democratic-run city (albeit in a Republican-led state) to see federal immigration agents on its streets. Most recently, the Trump administration targeted Charlotte, North Carolina, and touted the arrest of more than 300 undocumented immigrants. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Hegseth says he ‘didn’t stick around’ to watch second strike on alleged drug boat; Trump vows land strikes on cartels are coming ‘very soon’ – live

President says countries manufacturing and selling drugs to the US are “subject to attack”, adding that strikes wouldn’t be limited to VenezuelaTrump says he and Hegseth didn’t know about second strike on alleged Venezuelan drug boatPete Hegseth told US soldiers in Iraq to ignore legal advice on rules of engagementJoseph Gedeon is a politics breaking news reporter based in WashingtonThe FBI director, Kash Patel, is “in over his head” and leading a “chronically under-performing” agency paralyzed by fear and plummeting morale, according to a scathing 115-page report compiled by a national alliance of retired and active-duty FBI special agents and analysts. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Hegseth says he did not ‘stick around’ to watch second strike on alleged drug boat, but says admiral made ‘right call’ – US politics live

Defense secretary’s comments comes after Trump said Hegseth ‘didn’t know’ about second strike that killed two shipwrecked survivorsTrump administration is ‘selling out’ admiral to shield Hegseth over boat strikes, officials sayPete Hegseth told US soldiers in Iraq to ignore legal advice on rules of engagementJoseph Gedeon is a politics breaking news reporter based in WashingtonThe FBI director, Kash Patel, is “in over his head” and leading a “chronically under-performing” agency paralyzed by fear and plummeting morale, according to a scathing 115-page report compiled by a national alliance of retired and active-duty FBI special agents and analysts. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Hegseth doubles down on Caribbean boat strikes, says military commanders have ‘done the right things’

Defense secretary has been insisting that an admiral gave the order for the second strike on alleged drug boat back in SeptemberTrump administration is ‘selling out’ admiral to shield Hegseth over boat strikes, officials sayPete Hegseth told US soldiers in Iraq to ignore legal advice on rules of engagementJoseph Gedeon is a politics breaking news reporter based in WashingtonThe FBI director, Kash Patel, is “in over his head” and leading a “chronically under-performing” agency paralyzed by fear and plummeting morale, according to a scathing 115-page report compiled by a national alliance of retired and active-duty FBI special agents and analysts. Continue reading...

Events