U.S. Carrier Arrives as Washington Targets 'Cartel de los Soles' and Trump Signals Talks With Maduro

Overview

• U.S. Southern Command confirmed the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group is now operating in the Caribbean under Operation Southern Spear.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. will designate the alleged Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, with the designation taking effect on November 24.
• A new strike on a vessel in the Pacific killed three people on Saturday, raising publicly reported deaths since September to at least 83 across 21 attacks.
• President Donald Trump told reporters he could hold conversations with Nicolás Maduro even as the U.S. maintains military deployments and legal pressure.
• Nicolás Maduro ordered “permanent mobilization” in six eastern states and denounced planned U.S.–Trinidad and Tobago exercises near Venezuelan waters.