INTERNACIONAL
Trump unleashes US military power on cartels. Is a wider war looming?
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President Donald Trump is spearheading a military buildup in the Caribbean, already signing off on a series of U.S. military strikes against alleged drug vessels from Venezuela.
So far, the Trump administration has conducted at least three deadly strikes against alleged drug smuggling boats, prompting some lawmakers in Congress to question the legality of these strikes and request additional oversight.
The strikes are the latest escalation from the Trump administration as it moves to crack down on drug cartels and the influx of illicit drugs into the U.S. And they come after the administration designated drug cartel groups like Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel and others as foreign terrorist organizations in February.
Building up naval forces in the Caribbean gives the U.S. the capacity to not only conduct such strikes in international waters near Venezuela, but also within Venezuela itself, according to Geoff Ramsey, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council international affairs think tank.
TRUMP SAYS ‘WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS’ WHEN ASKED ABOUT POSSIBILITY OF STRIKING VENEZUELA AMID RISING TENSIONS
President Donald Trump is spearheading a military buildup in the Caribbean. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
In August, Trump approved sending several U.S. Navy guided missile destroyers to bolster the administration’s counter-narcotics efforts in the region.
«Whether we see more consequential strikes will depend more on political calculations in Washington than on operational capability,» Ramsey said in an email Wednesday to Fox News Digital. «The administration could use the strikes as occasional shows of force, or it could escalate into a more systematic campaign. But the risk of doing so would be that we could destabilize Venezuela and spark an internal armed conflict with no clear end game.»
Ramsey said the strikes come with a «real risk of escalation» and said that Venezuela views them as violations of sovereignty. Additionally, attacks inside Venezuelan territory could ignite a «cycle of retaliation,» he said.
«That would raise the prospect of a wider confrontation between the U.S. and Venezuelan forces, which could potentially end up sparking an internal armed conflict in the South American country, which could destabilize the region,» Ramsey said.
«So far President Trump seems aware of these risks, which is why the strikes so far have been carefully framed as counter-narcotics operations in international waters rather than an overt attack on the Venezuelan government.»
After Trump sent the destroyers to the U.S. Southern Command, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said his country was prepared to respond to any attacks, adding that the move amounted to «an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat.»
TRUMP TOUTS US STRIKE AS MADURO SLAMS MILITARY ‘THREAT’ OFF VENEZUELA
The USS Gravely and several other destroyers have been deployed to the U.S. Southern Command as the Trump administration takes on drug cartels and President Nicolás Maduro. (Getty Images)
Following the second strike, Maduro said the incident is part of a larger effort «to intimidate and seek regime change» in Venezuela. The Trump administration has said it does not recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state and views him as a leader of a drug cartel.
Meanwhile, members of Congress have cast doubt on whether the strikes the Trump administration approved are even legal in the first place. For example, senators Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., filed a war powers resolution Friday that would block U.S. forces from engaging in «hostilities» against certain non-state organizations.
Senators Tim Kaine, D-Va., pictured here, and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., recently filed a war powers resolution that would block U.S. forces from engaging in «hostilities» against certain non-state organizations. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«President Trump has no legal authority to launch strikes or use military force in the Caribbean or elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere. The Administration has refused to provide Congress with basic information about the multiple strikes it has carried out, including who was killed, why it was necessary to put service members’ lives at risk, and why a standard interdiction operation wasn’t conducted,» Kaine said in a statement Friday.
«Congress simply cannot let itself be stiff-armed as this Administration continues to flout the law.»
The Senate will be required to consider and vote upon the resolution.
Even so, the Trump administration has indicated from the beginning it’s prepared for additional strikes.
«Obviously, they won’t be doing it again,» Trump told reporters in September after the first military strike. «And I think a lot of other people won’t be doing it again. When they watch that tape, they’re going to say, ‘Let’s not do this.’ We have to protect our country, and we’re going to. Venezuela has been a very bad actor.»
Likewise, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signaled the U.S. military would launch future strikes on other drug vessels attempting to smuggle narcotics into the U.S.
TRUMP ANNOUNCES US MILITARY CONDUCTED ‘LETHAL STRIKE’ ON VENEZUELAN DRUG BOAT IN CARIBBEAN
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signaled the U.S. military would launch future strikes on other drug vessels attempting to smuggle narcotics into the U.S. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
«We’ve got assets in the air, assets in the water, assets on ships because this is a deadly serious mission for us, and it won’t, it won’t stop with just this strike,» Hegseth told Fox News in September after the first strike.
«Anyone else trafficking in those waters who we know is a designated narco-terrorist will face the same fate.»
However, the strikes likely will not continue long term as boat traffic in the region dies down in response to the strikes, according to Bryan Clark, director of the Hudson Institute think tank’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology.
«These strikes will probably intensify for a couple weeks and then abate as fewer boats attempt to make the crossing. That is likely the intent of the operation,» Clark said in an email Tuesday to Fox News Digital. «I think it is very unlikely to result in a broader conflict because the Venezuelan government will not want one.»
white house,secretary of defense,donald trump,pete hegseth,venezuelan political crisis
INTERNACIONAL
Harris resurrects campaign word salad when concerned pregnant mom asks about raising a son under Trump
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NEW YORK — Former Vice President Kamala Harris tried to quell a nine-month-pregnant mom’s concerns over having a baby boy under the Trump administration, resurrecting a campaign phrase celebrating the «children of the community.»
«Part of how I was raised to think about things was that the children of the community are our children of the community. And we all have some, I think, responsibility — you can call it a moral responsibility, you can think of it in different ways — but to be invested in their well-being and success,» Harris said Wednesday evening from The Town Hall theater venue in Midtown Manhattan.
Harris was in New York City to launch her book tour to promote «107 Days,» which offers a detailed and personal retelling of her days on the 2024 presidential campaign trail after then-President Joe Biden dropped out amid mounting concerns over his mental acuity.
KAMALA HARRIS’ BOOK, MEDIA TOUR SLAMMED BY LIBERAL CRITICS AS ‘EMBARRASSING’ AND ‘UNHELPFUL’
Harris only took a couple questions from the audience, including one from a nine-month-pregnant mom who was concerned about raising a son with a «good heart and moral compass» under «this current political climate.»
Former Vice President Kamala Harris tried to quell a nine-month-pregnant mom’s concerns over having a baby boy under the Trump administration Sept. 24, 2025. (Jacquelyn Martin/The Associated Press)
Harris quelled the mom’s concerns by reassuring her she would teach her son how to be «strong,» which would catapult him to «role model» status as an adult.
«To teach that our own children, that that is the way that we expect that they will live, which is to see the connection between themselves and others, to see the interdependence between themselves and others, and to have a sense of understanding that it’s a sign of strength to lift other people up,» she continued.
BERNIE URGED HARRIS TO FOCUS ‘ON THE WORKING CLASS, NOT JUST ON ABORTION,’ BOOK REVEALS
Harris argued that President Donald Trump has a «perverse notion» that strength is measured by «who you beat down,» which she rejected.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage of The Town Hall theater venue in New York City Sept. 24, 2025, to launch her book tour for «107 Days.» (Fox News Digital )
«I used to talk about it a lot in those 107 days, which is this perverse notion that is absolutely being pushed by this guy in the White House, which is to suggest that the measure of strength is based on who you beat down,» she said. «Instead, what I think everyone here understands, which is the true measure of strength, is based on who you lift up.»
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Kamala Harris argued that President Donald Trump has a «perverse notion» that strength is measured by «who you beat down,» which she rejected. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)
Harris added that she was excited about the future of the unborn baby under his mom’s leadership.
«You’re going to teach him to be strong in every way that is important, and he will be a role model,» she continued. «And we are very, very excited for the future of that child.»
Harris repeatedly has used the phrase «the children of the community are the children of the community» while speaking during public events, including as vice president and when she was running for the presidency in 2024.
Conservative critics and others frequently mocked Harris’ «word salad» comments during the election cycle, including in September 2024 when she tied inflation to her «children of the community» phrase.
«I grew up understanding the children of the community are the children of the community, and we should all have a vested interest in ensuring that children can go grow up with the resources that they need to achieve their God-given potential,» Harris said, explaining she wanted to lower the cost of groceries for struggling families and vowing to take on big corporations who gouged customers.
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Harris kicked off her book tour in New York City before traveling to cities from coast to coast to promote her new book, which was released Tuesday.
Her roughly hourlong conversation Wednesday evening included taking a few shots at Trump, as well as celebrating how former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served as her mentor and supporter throughout the 2024 election.
politics,kamala harris,joe biden,new york city,donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
Corea del Sur efectuó disparos de advertencia contra una embarcación norcoreana que violó su frontera marítima
El ejército de Corea del Sur disparó tiros de advertencia el viernes después de que un barco mercante de Corea del Norte cruzó la frontera marítima en el mar Amarillo, lo que obligó a la nave a retirarse, informó el Estado Mayor Conjunto (JCS).
El barco ingresó en aguas surcoreanas alrededor de las 5 de la mañana, cuando cruzó la Línea Límite del Norte (LLN) cerca de la isla surcoreana de Baengnyeong, señaló el JCS en un comunicado.
“Nuestras fuerzas emitieron señales de advertencia y dispararon tiros de advertencia, después de lo cual el buque se retiró más allá de nuestras aguas”, indicó la institución, que agregó que respondió “de acuerdo con los procedimientos” y que sigue “monitoreando de cerca los movimientos de Corea del Norte”.
No hubo reportes inmediatos de que fuerzas norcoreanas respondieran con disparos o con otro tipo de acción militar.
El incidente se produjo dos días después de que Corea del Sur realizara ejercicios de tiro real en la LLN, una línea que el régimen de Corea del Norte no reconoce formalmente. Pyongyang sostiene que la frontera marítima debería estar más al sur, lo que ha provocado numerosos enfrentamientos en el pasado.
La franja occidental del mar Amarillo ha sido escenario de choques militares, entre ellos el bombardeo norcoreano de 2010 contra la isla de Yeonpyeong y el presunto torpedeo de la corbeta surcoreana Cheonan el mismo año, hechos que dejaron 50 muertos.
En 2022, las dos Coreas intercambiaron disparos de advertencia después de que otro barco norcoreano cruzara la frontera marítima disputada.
En enero de 2024, el líder dictador norcoreano Kim Jong-un reiteró que su país no reconoce la LLN, establecida por el mando de la ONU al final de la guerra de Corea (1950-53), conflicto que concluyó con un armisticio y no con un tratado de paz.
El ejército surcoreano recordó que permanece en un estado de preparación elevada para proteger firmemente sus aguas territoriales.
El presidente surcoreano Lee Jae Myung, que asumió en junio, ha prometido una postura más moderada hacia Pyongyang que la de su predecesor, Yoon Suk Yeol. En un discurso el martes ante la Asamblea General de la ONU, Lee afirmó que trabajará para poner fin al “círculo vicioso” de tensiones con Corea del Norte y aseguró que su gobierno no buscará un cambio de régimen.
El presidente de Corea del Sur, Lee Jae-myung, y su homólogo de Polonia, Karol Nawrocki, acordaron este miércoles ampliar la cooperación bilateral en materia de defensa. El tratado busca consolidar la asociación estratégica fortalecida a raíz de la guerra entre Ucrania y Rusia y de los recientes episodios de intromisión territorial por parte de drones rusos en espacio aéreo polaco.
“Ambos líderes reconocieron el continuo desarrollo de la cooperación bilateral en la industria de defensa, en particular en áreas como los tanques, y acordaron ampliarla para lograr resultados mutuamente beneficiosos para las empresas de ambos países”, señaló un comunicado de la oficina presidencial surcoreana.
Durante la cumbre en Nueva York, Lee manifestó su esperanza de que la colaboración alcance también el sector de submarinos y respaldó el avance del programa impulsado por Polonia. Nawrocki, por su parte, destacó que los tanques K2 surcoreanos se entregan conforme a los plazos estipulados en los contratos con Varsovia.
Polonia se ha posicionado como un destino clave para las exportaciones surcoreanas de defensa, con contratos por miles de millones de dólares que contemplan tanques K2, obuses K9, cazas FA-50 y lanzacohetes Chunmoo, algunos a ensamblarse en territorio polaco. Ambos países firmaron en marzo un plan de acción hasta 2028 que convertirá a Polonia en centro europeo de ensamblaje.
(Con información de EFE y AP)
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested he is ready to step down from office once Russia’s war on Ukraine ends.
During an interview with Axios Wednesday, the Ukrainian leader also maintained his primary focus remains achieving peace rather than securing another term.
«My goal is to finish the war,» Zelenskyy told Barak Ravid on The Axios Show following his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York and before heading back to Kyiv.
When pressed on if Ukraine would hold elections during a ceasefire, Zelenskyy was firm.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy answers questions during an exclusive appearance on Fox News’ «Special Report» with Bret Baier. (Fox News)
«So do you commit that if tomorrow, President Putin agrees for a ceasefire of three months, six months, whatever you will push forward to go for elections in Ukraine?» Ravid asked. «Yes,» Zelenskyy responded.
When asked whether he envisioned leading Ukraine in peacetime, Zelenskyy again suggested his intent to step aside once the war is won.
«If we will finish war with Russia? Yes,» Zelenskyy said, before clarifying that elections were not his personal ambition.
«It’s not my goal, elections,» he explained. «I want it very much, in a very difficult period of time, to be with my country, help my country. Yes, that is what I wanted. My goal is to finish the war,» he stated.
PUTIN DEMANDS CONTROL OF KEY UKRAINIAN TERRITORY IN EXCHANGE FOR PEACE: EUROPEAN DIPLOMAT
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 at Roma Convention Center La Nuvola, on July 10, 2025. (Antonio Masiello/Getty Image)
The Ukrainian leader’s remarks come as his country is under martial law, imposed since Russia’s full-scale invasion started in February 2022.
Under martial law, elections can’t be held.
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Zelenskyy, first elected in 2019 in a landslide, would have seen his five-year term end in May 2024 if the war with Russia had not started.
Now Zelenskyy has been in office for over six year which is beyond his original mandate.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office for comment.
volodymyr zelenskyy,vladimir putin,ukraine
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