Overview
- Multiple outlets report that President Trump has authorized CIA covert operations inside Venezuela, described as preparing the battlefield should broader military action follow.
- The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group and roughly 15,000 U.S. personnel are now in the Caribbean, part of the largest regional surge in decades.
- Since September, the Pentagon says it has conducted at least 21 lethal strikes on suspected narcotics boats, with about 80 deaths reported and continuing calls for evidence and accountability.
- Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected any foreign military action on Mexican soil after Trump said he would be OK with strikes, as Mexican forces removed U.S. Defense Department “restricted area” signs that contractors had placed on a beach near the Rio Grande.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded a classified briefing for all senators on the buildup and reported plans, while the planned designation of Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization expands U.S. targeting authorities.