Overview
- Associated Press reports the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group is expected to reach waters near Venezuela within days.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegset announced Operation Southern Spear to target drug cartels under U.S. Southern Command with a dedicated task unit.
- The Washington Post previously reported a wider U.S. naval grouping in the region that includes eight warships, a nuclear submarine and a special‑purpose vessel.
- CNN tallied roughly 20 small boats destroyed in recent U.S. strikes off Latin America with nearly 80 fatalities, drawing legal questions and a complaint from Colombia’s president about a fisherman killed.
- Media reports say President Trump authorized CIA covert operations in Venezuela and planners prepared military options, while Trump said on October 31 he was not considering strikes on Venezuelan territory, and President Nicolás Maduro appealed to Americans for peace in CNN remarks.