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House Republicans rejected a pair of Democratic-backed resolutions Wednesday that would have put a check on President Donald Trump's power to use military force against drug cartels and the nation of Venezuela. Democrats forced the votes using war powers resolutions as Trump has stepped up his threats against the South American nation and Congress has questioned how the US military is conducting a campaign that has destroyed 26 vessels allegedly carrying drugs and killed at least 99 people, including an attack Wednesday. The legislation would have forced the Trump administration to seek authorization from Congress before continuing attacks against cartels that it deems to be terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere or launching an attack on Venezuela itself. Rep Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, argued that Trump's aggressions in the region were really because the president is coveting Venezuelan oil. They were the first votes in the ..
President Donald Trump demanded Wednesday that Venezuela return assets that it seized from US oil companies years ago, justifying anew his announcement of a blockade against oil tankers travelling to or from the South American country that face American sanctions. Trump cited the lost US investments in Venezuela when asked about his newest tactic in a monthslong pressure campaign against leader Nicols Maduro, suggesting his administration's moves to confront leaders in Caracas are at least somewhat motivated by disputes over oil investments, along with accusations of drug trafficking. Some sanctioned tankers already are diverting away from Venezuela. "We're not going to be letting anybody going through who shouldn't be going through, Trump told reporters of his call for a blockade. You remember they took all of our energy rights. They took all of our oil not that long ago. And we want it back. They took it they illegally took it. US oil companies dominated Venezuela's petroleum ...
The US military said Monday that it attacked three boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing a total of eight people as scrutiny over the boat strikes is intensifying in Congress. The military said in a statement on social media that the strikes targeted designated terrorist organisations, killing three people in the first vessel, two in the second boat and three in the third boat. It didn't provide evidence of their alleged drug trafficking but posted a video of a boat moving through water before exploding. President Donald Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted the US is engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels. But the Trump administration is facing increasing scrutiny from lawmakers over the boat strike campaign, which has killed at least 95 people in 25 known strikes since early September, including a follow-up strike that killed two survivors clinging to the ...
A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curacao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a US Air Force refuelling tanker on Friday, and the pilot blamed the military plane for crossing his path. We almost had a midair collision up here, the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control. They passed directly in our flight path. ... They don't have their transponder turned on, it's outrageous. The incident involved JetBlue Flight 1112 from Curacao, which is just off the coast of Venezuela, en route to New York City's JFK airport. It comes as the US military has stepped up its drug interdiction activities in the Caribbean and is also seeking to increase pressure on Venezuela's government. We just had traffic pass directly in front of us within 5 miles of us maybe 2 or 3 miles but it was an air-to air-refueller from the United States Air Force and he was at our altitude, the pilot said. We had to stop our climb. The pilot said
A US Navy admiral who oversees military operations in Latin America handed off command responsibilities Friday as scrutiny increases over the Trump administration's deadly strikes on alleged drug boats in the region. Adm. Alvin Holsey has retired one year into a posting that typically lasts three to four years and transferred leadership duties to his top military deputy, Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan Pettus, during a ceremony at US Southern Command headquarters near Miami. In farewell remarks, Holsey did not mention the military operations or the reasons for his early retirement. But he urged his successor to uphold longstanding partnerships in the region by standing firmly behind the shared values of democracy and support for the rule of law. To be a trusted partner, we must be credible, present and engaged, Holsey said. Holsey's shock retirement was announced by the Pentagon in October, over a month into the Trump administration's strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean Sea an
The US imposed sanctions on three nephews of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, among others, on Thursday as President Donald Trump looks to inflict further pressure on the South American nation. The new sanctions on Franqui Flores, Carlos Flores and Efrain Campo come a day after Trump announced that the US had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Also included in the sanctions are Panamanian businessman Ramon Carretero Napolitano, six firms and six Venezuela-flagged ships accused of transporting Venezuelan oil. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control published the list of sanctions on Thursday. The sanctions are meant to deny them access to any property or financial assets held in the US, and the penalties are intended to prevent US companies and citizens from doing business with them. Banks and financial institutions that violate that restriction expose themselves to sanctions or enforcement actions. This is not the first time Maduro's family has been involv
Following Washington's escalating pressure campaign against Venezuela and its government, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday took a sharp swipe at the United States, accusing it of pursuing "territorial expansionism" in parts of Latin America while speaking about global resistance to foreign pressure.In a post on X, Khamenei wrote "withstanding enemy pressures is Resistance," adding that such pressure may take different forms, including expansionist goals or attempts to influence cultural and social identity."Withstanding enemy pressures is Resistance. The goal of such pressure may be territorial expansionism - like what the US is now doing in some Latin American countries - or it may involve cultural & religious matters, or pressure to change people's lifestyles & their identities," Khamenei stated in his post.The remarks by Iran's supreme leader were in reference to Washington's increased pressure tactics over South America, particularly Venezuela ..
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed "solidarity with the Venezuelan people" on Thursday amid growing tensions between Venezuela's leader, Nicols Maduro, and the Trump administration. The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin spoke with Maduro by phone and reaffirmed his support for Venezuelan leader's policy of "protecting national interests and sovereignty in the face of growing external pressure." The call comes a day after American forces seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, the latest tactic from US President Donald Trump's administration to ramp up pressure on Maduro, who has been charged with narco-terrorism in the United States. During testimony before Congress on Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem linked the seizure of the vessel to the Trump administration's anti-drug efforts in the region. The US has built up its largest military presence in the region in decades and launched a series of deadly strikes on alleged drug-smuggling ...
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that the United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela amid mounting tensions with the government of Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro. It is the Trump administration's latest push to increase pressure on Maduro, who has been charged with narco-terrorism in the United States. "We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela -- a large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually," Trump told reporters at the White House. Trump said "other things are happening," but did not offer additional details, saying he would speak more about it later. The seizure was carried led by the US Coast Guard led effort and supported by the Navy, according to a US official who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. A day earlier, the US military flew a pair of fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela in what appeared to be the closest that warplanes had come to the South American country's
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado will miss the ceremony to award her the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on Wednesday, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Institute said. Machado last appeared in public 11 months ago. Nobel Institute director Kristian Berg Harpviken told public broadcaster NRK the Venezuelan opposition leader was not in the Norwegian capital on the day of the ceremony, and her daughter will accept the prize on Machado's behalf. We confirm that she will not attend the Nobel ceremony, but we are optimistic about her presence on the rest of the day's agenda, said Machado's spokesperson, Claudia Macero. She did not give information on Machado's current location. Prominent Latin American figures planned to attend Wednesday's ceremony in a signal of solidarity with Machado, including Argentine President Javier Milei, Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa, Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino and Paraguayan President Santiago Pena. Machado has been living in hiding and h
US Southern Command announced that it conducted another strike against a small boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, following a pause of almost three weeks. Thursday's strike is the 22nd the US military has carried out against boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that the Trump administration claimed were trafficking drugs. There were four casualties in Thursday's strike, according to the social media post, bringing the death toll of the campaign to at least 87 people. In a video that accompanied the announcement, a small boat can be seen moving across the water before it is suddenly consumed by a large explosion. The video then zooms out to show the boat covered in flames and billowing smoke. The strike was conducted the same day Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley appeared for a series of closed-door classified briefings at the US Capitol as lawmakers began an investigation into the very first strike carried out by the military on September 2. The sessions came after a repor
A Navy admiral told lawmakers Thursday that there was no kill them all order from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth as Congress scrutinises an attack that killed two survivors of an initial strike on an alleged drug boat in international waters near Venezuela. Adm Frank Mitch Bradley "was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all. He was given an order that, of course, was written down in great detail, said Sen Tom Cotton, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, as he exited a classified briefing. Cotton defended the attack, but a Democrat who also was briefed said that while there was no kill them all order from Hegseth, he was still deeply concerned by video of the second strike. What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service, Connecticut Rep Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters. You have two individuals in clear distress without any means of .