Overview
- The Washington Post reports President Donald Trump held back-to-back meetings with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Kain as U.S. forces in the region study Venezuela’s air defenses and prepare for potential orders.
- Trump told reporters he has formed his view on how to proceed regarding Venezuela without disclosing details, while the Pentagon has not announced any authorization to strike Venezuelan territory.
- The Wall Street Journal says a secret Justice Department memo frames fentanyl as a potential chemical-weapons threat and leans on cartel terrorism designations to justify maritime strikes, though a DOJ spokesperson said the legal rationale does not depend on chemical-weapons arguments.
- The Times reports UK intelligence and military services paused sharing Caribbean ship-movement data on advice from Attorney General Richard Hermer over legal exposure concerns, and Russia’s Foreign Ministry formally criticized U.S. methods as breaching international obligations.
- The Pentagon confirmed the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group’s arrival for counter-narcotics operations, media tallies cite roughly 20 small boats destroyed with nearly 80 fatalities in recent months, and Trinidad and Tobago scheduled joint exercises with U.S. forces for November 16–21.