Overview

• The guided-missile cruiser passed the Pedro Miguel lock around 9:30 p.m. local time on Aug. 29 and continued its roughly 80-kilometer transit to the Atlantic, observed by AFP journalists.
• The move adds to a multi-ship presence that includes the destroyers USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson, with U.S. media estimating roughly 4,000 personnel involved.
• U.S. authorities have raised the reward for Nicolás Maduro to $50 million and accuse him of leading a drug cartel.
• Caracas has deployed 15,000 security personnel to the Colombia border and announced drone and navy patrols of its waters, while touting millions of militia members that experts question.
• White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said President Trump is prepared to stop drug trafficking and bring those responsible to justice.