Overview
- The Navy confirmed the Ford strike group transited the Anegada Passage, joining nearly a dozen U.S. ships and about 12,000 sailors and Marines under Operation Southern Spear.
- U.S. forces have struck at least 22 vessels since early September, killing at least 83 people, with officials offering no public proof the targets were narcotics traffickers.
- President Trump said he has "sort of" decided next steps on Venezuela as senior aides presented options that reportedly include possible land strikes, and he has authorized covert CIA activity.
- Trinidad and Tobago began joint drills with U.S. troops and the Army says it is reactivating jungle training in Panama, while Venezuela staged large military exercises and denounced the moves as aggression.
- Regional and political scrutiny is intensifying, with the U.N. human-rights chief and some U.S. lawmakers questioning the legal basis as Senate Republicans blocked a bid to curb presidential war powers.