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Dem pressure builds for answers on Trump’s Caribbean strikes, commander’s sudden exit
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Democrats are pushing for more answers on President Donald Trump’s crusade against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean as the number of strikes continues to climb and amid the sudden retirement announcement of the military commander who oversees U.S. operations in the region.
While Trump claims that the strikes are necessary to put drug traffickers and cartels «on notice» and has warned them he will blow them «out of existence,» lawmakers are increasingly demanding more oversight and evidence backing up the legality of the strikes.
As a result, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, is urging Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., to bring the House back to session so the committee can hold a hearing on the operations in Latin America and to give the outgoing military commander an opportunity to testify.
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Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., leaves the U.S. Capitol after the last votes of the week on Thursday, September 4, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
«President Trump and his Administration continue to fail to answer pressing questions regarding the President’s orders to carry out lethal U.S. military strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea,» Smith said in a Monday statement.
«They have failed to demonstrate the legality of these strikes, provide transparency on the process used, or even a list of cartels that have been designated as terrorist organizations,» Smith said. «We have also yet to see any evidence to support the President’s unilateral determinations that these vessels or their activities posed imminent threats to the United States of America that warranted military force rather than law enforcement-led interdiction.»
The Trump administration has adopted an aggressive approach to combat the flow of drugs into the U.S., and designated drug cartel groups like Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa and others as foreign terrorist organizations in February.
Additionally, the White House sent lawmakers a memo Sept. 30 alerting them that the U.S. is engaged in a «non-international armed conflict» with drug smugglers, and the U.S. military has conducted at least seven strikes against vessels off the coast of Venezuela.
TRUMP TOUTS US STRIKE AS MADURO SLAMS MILITARY ‘THREAT’ OFF VENEZUELA
President Donald Trump directed a deadly strike on a suspected drug-running boat, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Oct. 3. 2025. (SecWar/X)
Meanwhile, the commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), whose area of operations includes the Caribbean waters where the strikes against the alleged drug boats have been conducted, announced Thursday he is retiring suddenly by the end of 2025.
Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, who became the commander of SOUTHCOM in November 2024, said that he will retire from the Navy in December in a highly unusual move. No reason for his abrupt exit was provided, and the Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
However, the New York Times reported Thursday that Holsey had raised concerns and questions about the strikes against the alleged drug boats.
«Never before in my over 20 years on the committee can I recall seeing a combatant commander leave their post this early and amid such turmoil,» Smith said. «I have also never seen such a staggering lack of transparency on behalf of an Administration and the Department to meaningfully inform Congress on the use of lethal military force.»
«It is time for House Republicans to return to the Capitol and negotiate with Democrats so that we can all get back to doing our jobs for the sake of our national security and national defense,» Smith said.
The House has been out of session since September, and, since then, the government has entered a partial shutdown due to a lapse in funding.
HOW TRUMP’S STRIKES AGAINST ALLEGED NARCO-TERRORISTS ARE RESHAPING THE CARTEL BATTLEFIELD: ‘ONE-WAY TICKET’
Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth visits to the Panama Canal on April 08, 2025 in Panama City, Panama. Panama Canal Administrator Dr. Ricaurte Vasquez Morales welcomes Pete Hegseth. (Daniel Gonzalez/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A spokesperson for Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Smith isn’t the only one pressing for more information on Trump’s war on drugs. Lawmakers in the Senate — including some Republicans — also are pushing for greater oversight on the strikes, and have called into question whether the strikes were even legal as Trump weighs land operations next.
On Friday, Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced a war powers resolution that would prohibit U.S. armed forces from participating in «hostilities» against Venezuela.
«The Trump administration has made it clear they may launch military action inside Venezuela’s borders and won’t stop at boat strikes in the Caribbean,» Schiff said in a Friday statement.
«In recent weeks, we have seen increasingly concerning movements and reporting that undermine claims that this is merely about stopping drug smugglers,» Schiff said. «Congress has not authorized military force against Venezuela. And we must assert our authority to stop the United States from being dragged — intentionally or accidentally — into full-fledged war in South America.»
Trump has brushed off lawmakers’ concerns about the legality of the strikes, and said Oct. 14 that the alleged drug vessels are «fair game» because they are «loaded up with drugs.»
congress,pentagon,white house,venezuelan political crisis,defense
INTERNACIONAL
Israel receives 2 more hostage coffins from Gaza through Red Cross operation as identification begins
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Israel on Tuesday received the coffins of two hostages returned from Gaza through the Red Cross, and officials said the remains will be identified before being released to their families as the military vowed to keep working to bring home all remaining captives.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the coffins were handed over to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet force inside Gaza. From there, they will be transferred to Israel, where they will be received in a military ceremony with the chief military rabbi.
Once received, the coffins will be placed in the custody of the National Center of Forensic Medicine of the Ministry of Health, where they will be identified. The families will receive formal notification once the process is complete.
The prime minister’s office said all families of the deceased hostages have been updated and sympathy has been expressed for their loss.
ISRAEL NAMES TWO OF FOUR DEAD HOSTAGES RETURNED BY HAMAS, HOW THEY DIED
People walk past posters of hostages held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv Oct. 10, 2025. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images)
«The effort to return our hostages continues ceaselessly and will not stop until the very last hostage is returned,» Netanyahu’s office said.
The news comes the same day remains of a hostage returned from Gaza were identified as Sgt. Maj. Tal Haimi, commander of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak’s rapid response team.
REMAINS OF LAST FEMALE HAMAS HOSTAGE AND IDF SOLDIER HANDED OVER TO ISRAEL
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as President Donald Trump prepares to deliver remarks to the Knesset Oct. 13, 2025 in Jerusalem. (Kenny Holston/Pool/Getty Images)
Haimi was 41 when he died, and, according to the IDF, he was killed in combat while defending Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. His remains were taken to Gaza, where they were held for more than two years.
Haimi’s family initially believed he was taken alive, and Israel declared him deceased Dec. 13, 2023.
REMAINS OF LAST FEMALE HAMAS HOSTAGE AND IDF SOLDIER HANDED OVER TO ISRAEL
The Israeli army held a military protocol for deceased hostage Tal Haimi. (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
Following the identification of Haimi’s remains, Netanyahu’s office expressed condolences to his family and reiterated its call for Hamas to release the remains of all deceased hostages for proper burial.
The IDF echoed the call, demanding Hamas fulfill its obligations under the agreement brokered by the Trump administration.
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On Oct. 13, 2025, the final 20 living hostages returned to Israel after more than two years in captivity. Since then, the remains of 28 deceased hostages have gradually been returned, while 13 others — including U.S. citizens Itay Chen and Omer Neutra and soldier Hadar Goldin, whose body has been held since 2014 — remain in Gaza.
Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
israel,terrorism,armed forces,benjamin netanyahu
INTERNACIONAL
Undercover video reveals red state university employee suggesting DEI is simply being rebranded
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FIRST ON FOX: A conservative watchdog group has released a video that it says raises concerns that administrators at the University of Utah are continuing to push diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), possibly at odds with a relatively new state anti-DEI law.
«No, no comment,» University of Utah education coordinator Lucas Alvarez told Accuracy in Media when asked about an allegation he was pushing DEI in violation of a 2024 law aimed at curbing DEI practices inside state universities.
Accuracy in Media President Adam Guillette then showed Alvarez video of him explaining the current DEI practices at the university.
«We’re still, I think, figuring out as we go, like, HB261,» Alvarez said in the video. «It’s complicated, I mean, like, the programs that we’re doing, I think technically we’re still allowed to do them, but they have to be marketed in a certain way.»
BOMBSHELL REPORT EXPOSES ‘DEEPLY CONCERNING’ MIDWEST UNIVERSITY INITIATIVE PUSHING FAR-LEFT K-12 LESSON PLANS
A conservative watchdog group has released a video suggesting DEI is being rebranded at University of Utah. (Accuracy in Media)
When pressed by Guillette on what he meant by changing «marketing,» Alvarez once again said no comment.
Alvarez was also pressed about another comment he made on video suggesting DEI was still a focus at the university, explaining that his department has been «meeting with a lot of campus partners» to do the «strategic work» of being in «compliance» but pointing out that these partners have «academic freedom.»
«I think what he was referring to was the professors have academic freedom to do research and speak from their expertise in the field that they’ve studied,» LeiLoni McLaughlin, the university’s director of the Center for Community & Cultural Engagement, told Guillette when asked what Alvarez meant.
UNIVERSITY DOCTOR RESIGNS AFTER UNEARTHED AUDIO EXPOSES HIM BOASTING ABOUT SKIRTING ANTI-DEI LAWS
The University of Utah campus is viewed from Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Rick Bowmer/AP Photo)
«He kind of suggested that they shifted things over to the professors though,» Guillette said, prompting McLaughlin to explain she thinks that was a «false statement.»
McLaughlin was then asked by Guillette what Alvarez meant by changing the «marketing.»
«I think with the legislative changes, every university has had to shift,» McLaughlin said.
«Shift their actions or just shift how they market what they are doing,» Guillette responded.
«Both,» McLaughlin answered.
WATCH: DEI STILL IN PLACE AS COLLEGE ‘FINDING WAYS’ AROUND BAN, OFFICIAL ADMITS: ‘PROUD OF THE FIGHT’
People march outside the office of hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, protesting his campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion and attacks against former Harvard University President Claudine Gay in New York City, Jan. 4, 2024. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
A University of Utah spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement, «I reject the assertion that the university is hiding diversity work with rebranding and remarketing.»
«The changes required under HB 261 transformed how we support student success, recruit faculty, celebrate events and create a sense of belonging on our campus.»
The spokesperson added that Alvarez is «not a spokesperson for the University of Utah.»
«His comments do not reflect the position of the institution,» the spokesperson continued. «The comments of LeiLoni McLaughlin, director of our Center for Cultural and Community Engagement…were much more aligned with university leaders.»
The spokesperson also pointed to an interview that she said showed the Black Student Union was «extensively mourning the loss of their center and identity-based resources» due to the school following the new law.
The school has previously outlined measures taken to conform with the law, including closing identity-based resource centers, transferring DEI employees to other jobs on campus, and prohibiting diversity statements in hiring.
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«This isn’t about one or two bad apples — it’s about a broken system,» Guillette told Fox News Digital about his video footage, filmed in October 2024 and May of this year.
«Utah needs a Kansas-style DEI ban with a reporting mechanism and actual legal consequences. And more importantly, America’s university system needs to be fundamentally reshaped with a focus on education rather than activism.»
Republicans across the country, along with President Donald Trump’s administration, have scored major victories pushing back on DEI in favor of meritocracy standards, but experts have warned that universities and organizations will be hostile toward the idea of giving up those methods and will instead attempt to rebrand them under different banners.
«At first, they just pushed back on, tried to defend DEI itself, but when that became so obvious that what DEI really was anti-White, anti-Asian, sometimes anti-Jewish discrimination in hiring and promotion, they abandoned that,» Consumers’ Research Executive Director Will Hild told Fox News Digital earlier this year. «Now what they’re trying to do is simply change the terminology that has become so toxic to their brand. So we’re seeing a lot of companies move from having departments of DEI, for example, to ‘departments of belonging’ or ‘departments of inclusivity.’»
Hid added, «It is the exact same toxic nonsense under a new wrapper, and they’re just hoping to extend the grift, because a lot of these people — I would say most of the people — working in DEI are useless.»
politics,campus radicals,utah,education
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Censura para Celia Cruz en Cuba: un grupo de artistas denunció que no pudieron homenajearla en el centenario de su nacimiento
Celia Cruz, la reina de la salsa, cumpliría este martes 100 años. Sin embargo, entre el silencio oficial y denuncias de censura, el centenario de la artista cubana más universal pasó desapercibido en Cuba.
Según denunciaron artistas y promotores culturales, hubo esfuerzos de las autoridades por dejar sin efecto cualquier atisbo de homenaje.
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La Iglesia católica fue la única que realizó una actividad para recordar a Cruz, la cantante que inmortalizó éxitos globales como ‘“Bemba colorá”, “La vida es un carnaval” y “La negra tiene tumbao”.
Celia Cruz dejó la isla tras el triunfo de la revolución y jamás pudo regresar al país.
Misa en honor a Celia Cruz en La Habana
Este martes se ofició, a propuesta de un grupo de artistas, una misa en memoria de la popular artista cubana en la iglesia Nuestra Señora de La Caridad del Cobre en el popular municipio de Centro Habana.
Celia Cruz, cuyo segundo nombre era, precisamente, Caridad, era muy devota de esta virgen, Patrona de Cuba. Celia Cruz participando de los Latin Grammy de 2002 (Foto: AP/Kim D. Johnson).
“Hay un deseo de agradecimiento por su legado cultural (…) y lo que ella significó como embajadora de la cultura cubana para el mundo entero”, señaló Ariel Suárez, párroco de la iglesia y secretario adjunto de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Cuba. El religioso aseguró que no recibió ninguna presión oficial relacionada con esta eucaristía.
A un costado del altar destacó una imagen de Celia Cruz y en primera fila se ubicó un puñado de artistas cubanos. Entre ellos, el multinstrumentista y ganador de un Grammy Latino Alain Pérez.
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“Es lastimoso (la censura). Y personalmente creo que cometen un error las instituciones a estas alturas del mundo de tratar de cegar y limitar el significado de Celia. No puedo decir mucho más porque no es un misterio y no es nada que no sepamos los que estamos claros de esta situación”, afirmó Pérez.
Cancelan en La Habana un acto de homenaje a Celia Cruz
Recientemente, la Fábrica de Arte Cubano, una de las principales instituciones culturales privadas del país, canceló a última hora un espectáculo programado para el pasado domingo en honor a la ‘Guarachera de Cuba’ y lamentó que el acto no pudiera celebrarse.
El centro cultural colocó una butaca vacía en el lugar en el que debió realizarse el homenaje y la acompañó con una hora de silencio. En redes sociales se publicó una foto de un sillón con la leyenda “arte de la resistencia”.
La cubana Rosa Marquetti, autora del libro “Celia en el mundo”, afirmó que se trata de “un capítulo más a la historia de la censura y la aplicación de métodos de comisariado político dentro de la cultura cubana”.
Por qué Celia Cruz es silenciada por el gobierno cubano
Desde su exilio a Estados Unidos en 1960, un año después del triunfo de la revolución cubana, las autoridades isleñas y la artista mantuvieron una constante tensión, al punto en el que la cantante nunca pudo volver a su país.
Ya en territorio norteamericano, Cruz logró una fama internacional que la encumbró -para muchos- como la cubana más reconocida mundialmente en el último siglo.
La artista murió en 2003 sin haber regresado a su patria, aunque en 1990 se presentó en la Base Naval estadounidense de Guantánamo, un territorio bajo control estadounidense que La Habana reclamó históricamente. Celia Cruz quedó inmortalizada como la «reina de la salsa» (Foto: AP).
Pese a la censura, su música puede incluso sonar ahora en los hoteles cubanos -pertenecientes al conglomerado empresarial GAESA, de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias- sobre todo por las constantes peticiones de los turistas.
También es admirada por numerosos cubanos de la isla. Incluso, Laura de la Uz, una de las actrices más renombradas del país, la homenajeó a principios de los 2000 en una popular obra de teatro titulada “Delirio Habanero”, donde interpretó a tres personajes icónicos cubanos, Celia Cruz, el músico Benny Moré y un legendario barman apodado Varilla. La obra estuvo en cartelera en La Habana.
(Con información de EFE y AP)
cuba, Celia Cruz
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