Tag: donald trump

Trump Suggests US Strikes on Alleged Drug Shipments on ‘Land’ Are Coming Soon

President Trump on Wednesday suggested that US strikes on alleged drug shipments “on land” could be coming soon amid the US bombing campaign targeting boats in Latin America.

Trump has made similar comments before, and according to multiple media reports, the US is preparing to bomb Venezuela with the goal of ousting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and is using cracking down on drug trafficking as a pretext.

The president claimed to reporters at the White House that he had “legal authority” to launch the strikes, but Congress hasn’t authorized the bombing campaign, which the Constitution requires for launching a war. Trump said he may notify Congress of the plans to launch strikes on land targets, but didn’t say he would seek authorization.

“We will hit them very hard when they come in by land. And they haven’t experienced that yet, but now we’re totally prepared to do that. We’ll probably go back to Congress and explain exactly what we’re doing when [they] come to the land,” the president said.

The president previously told Congress that he believes the US is now in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels. Trump has framed the airstrikes as self-defense, pointing to the large numbers of drug overdoses in the US, but they are primarily caused by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, which don’t come from Venezuela, something Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who has been very critical of the campaign, has pointed out.

“There is no fentanyl made in Venezuela. Not just a little bit, there’s none being made. These are outboard boats that, in order for them to get to Miami, would have to stop and refuel 20 times,” Paul told British journalist Piers Morgan this week.

“It’s all likely going to Trinidad and Tobago. There are a lot of reasons to be worried about this. Number one is the broader principle of when can you kill people indiscriminately when there’s war. That’s why when we declare war is supposed to be done by Congress. It’s not supposed to be done willy nilly. When there’s war you just kill people in the war zone, there are rules of engagement,” Paul added.

Since September 2, the US has bombed at least seven boats in the Caribbean and one in the eastern Pacific near Colombia, extrajudicially executing 34 people at sea, according to numbers released by the Trump administration, without providing evidence to back up its claims about the targets. Sources told The Washington Post on Wednesday that any US airstrikes in Venezuela would likely first target alleged trafficker encampments or clandestine airstrips, but regime change remains the ultimate goal.

“There really is no turning back unless Maduro is essentially not in power,” a person familiar with the administration’s deliberations told the Post.

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US military conducts ninth lethal strike on drug smuggling vessels in Eastern Pacific

Three narcoterrorists were killed in what is believed to be the ninth deadly attack on vessels attempting to smuggle illegal drugs into the U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the strike on social media Wednesday evening.

Hegseth’s post included a video that showed a small boat moving along the water. Several seconds into the video, the boat explodes and is seen floating motionless in flames.

The latest strike took place in the Eastern Pacific, marking the second strike against a vessel in the Eastern Pacific within a day. The previous seven took place in the Caribbean.

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U.S. ranchers oppose Trump’s plan to import more Argentine beef, experts doubt it will lower prices

President Donald Trump’s plan to cut record beef prices by importing more meat from Argentina is running into heated opposition from U.S. ranchers who are enjoying some rare profitable years and skepticism from experts who say the president’s move probably wouldn’t lead to cheaper prices at grocery stores.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association along with the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America and other farming groups – who are normally some of the president’s biggest supporters – all criticized Trump’s idea because of what it could do to American ranchers and feedlot operators. And agricultural economists say Argentine beef accounts for such a small slice of beef imports – only about 2% – that even doubling that wouldn’t change prices much.

South Dakota rancher Brett Kenzy said he wants American consumers to determine whether beef is too expensive, not the government. And so far there is little sign that consumers are substituting chicken or other proteins for beef on their shopping lists even though the average price of a pound of ground beef hit its highest point ever at $6.32 in the latest report before the government shutdown began.

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Trump’s nominee to lead watchdog agency withdraws after controversial text messages

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead a federal watchdog agency withdrew his nomination from consideration on Thursday evening.

Paul Ingrassia withdrew from the Office of Special Counsel after Politico reported a text chat of him saying Martin Luther King Jr. Day should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell.” He also said that he could have a “Nazi streak.”

Ingrassia’s lawyer did not confirm or deny to Politico that the messages were real. His lawyer said they could have been manipulated or missing context.

“I will be withdrawing myself from Thursday’s HSGAC hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel because unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time,” Ingrassia wrote on Truth Social. “I appreciate the overwhelming support that I have received throughout the process and will continue to serve President Trump and the administration to Make America Great Again!” HSGAC is the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs.

Multiple GOP Senators rebuked Ingrassia’s nomination, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune. He hoped Trump would pull Ingrassia’s nomination himself.

Democrats also chimed in. Senator Minority Chuck Schumer called the messages “foul” and “disqualifying, while speaking on the Senate floor.

“And it’s hard to believe there is any process in any White House that would allow such a man through to be nominated,” he added.

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CIVIL WAR? Trump Administration to Establish “National Guard Response Force” to be Mobilized for Mass Civil Unrest by April 2026

A new memo has been unearthed, showing that the Trump Administration is preparing to mobilize National Guard troops across the nation by April 2026 to stop potential uprisings amid the nationwide No Kings protests and violent anti-ICE protests in cities like Chicago, Illinois, and Portland, Oregon. 

This comes after the Trump administration won a lawsuit over the President’s deployment of National Guard troops in Portland to quell riots against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Trump has activated hundreds of California and Texas National Guard troops in Portland and Chicago, but was recently blocked by a Trump-appointed District Court Judge.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, on Monday, the Ninth Circuit allowed President Trump to deploy Oregon National Guard troops to Portland and said he “lawfully exercised his statutory authority under 10 U.S.C. § 12406(3), which authorizes the federalization of the National Guard when “the President is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.””

In a separate case, Trump has asked the US Supreme Court to intervene and allow National Guard troops to be deployed in Chicago.

The new memo, obtained exclusively by investigative reporter Anthony Cabassa, outlines the planned implementation of a “National Guard Response Force” (NGRF), which will be used for crowd control and civil disturbance operations in all states, territories, and the District of Columbia.

Units of up to 500 troops will be trained to fully deploy within 24 hours in the case of a violent uprising or riot.

Troops will also be trained and equipped to use non-lethal weapons, including TASER/Oleoresin and Capsicum Spray, according to the memo.

The memo reads in part, “states will train, equip and make NGRFs operational NLT 1 April 2026. NGRFs are required in all 53 States and Territories. The District of Columbia has a unique solution set directed by the Secretary of War. NGRFs will train in civil disturbance operations and prepared to deploy approximately 25% of the force in 8 hours, 50% of the force in 12 hours, and the full response requirement in 24 hours.”

This provides insight into what the Trump Administration expects by spring, given the ongoing uprisings and left-wing insurrection in states across the nation.

Cabassa reports on Substack that a source told him the move is “not normal,” and they “have never seen an order like this before.”

“Hoping this is only to be safe and a precaution, and none of this will be used in a real scenario,” the source said, according to Cabassa.

“It also feels like leadership has intelligence or indications that something more significant could happen between January and May [of 2026]. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be pulling specialized … forces into a role [they] were never meant to fill.”

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UN experts say US strikes against Venezuela in international waters amount to ‘extrajudicial executions’

U.S. strikes against Venezuela in international waters are a dangerous escalation and amount to “extrajudicial executions,” a group of independent United Nations experts said on Tuesday.

In recent months, U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered strikes on at least six suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean, killing at least 27 people. 

The strikes are part of Trump’s ongoing campaign against what he says is a “narcoterrorist” threat emanating from Venezuela and linked to its president, Nicolas Maduro.

The U.N. experts acknowledged Trump’s justification for the military action, but said: “Even if such allegations were substantiated, the use of lethal force in international waters without proper legal basis violates the international law of the sea and amounts to extrajudicial executions.”

The independent experts, who are appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council, said the strikes violate the South American country’s sovereignty and the United States’ “fundamental international obligations” not to intervene in domestic affairs or threaten to use armed force against another country.

“These moves are an extremely dangerous escalation with grave implications for peace and security in the Caribbean region,” they said in a statement.

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White House posts massive list of criminal illegal immigrants who were on Medicaid

The White House on Monday released a list of criminal illegal immigrants who reportedly received Medicaid benefits while living in the United States. The post, shared on the administration’s official account, included mugshots of offenders and noted the crimes for which they were arrested, along with the label “Received Medicaid.”

The new release follows weeks of partisan conflict over government funding. Earlier this month, on October 1, a government shutdown began after lawmakers failed to agree on a budget. The main point of contention was over healthcare funding and whether illegal immigrants should have access to taxpayer-funded programs.

Vice President JD Vance previously said Democrats were misrepresenting their position on the issue. “A Democrat talking point, they say ‘we’re not actually trying to give healthcare benefits to illegal aliens,’ and here’s why it’s not true,” Vance said in an interview with Fox News earlier this month.

Vance said the Trump administration cut two Biden-era programs that had allowed federal money to be used for healthcare provided to illegal immigrants, including hospital services and benefits granted to mass-paroled migrants. “Democrats want to turn it back on,” he said. “The first thing they put out to reopen the government actually turned that money for health care benefits for illegal aliens back on.”

In a separate interview earlier this month, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) was questioned by LindellTV reporter Alison Steinberg about whether Democrats were prioritizing healthcare for illegal immigrants. Waters said Democrats “want healthcare for everybody” and denied that they were putting non-citizens before Americans.

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“Take Out Trump”: Colombian President Petro Makes Shocking Threat Against President Trump in Univision Interview

Colombian President Gustavo Petro threatened to “take out” President Donald Trump in an lengthy interview with Univision on Monday a day after Trump called Petro “an illegal drug leader.”

Relations between Colombia and the United States are at a nadir after the U.S. destroyed a suspected drug running boat in the Caribbean last month, killing a Colombian national. Petro said the man was a fisherman. A report by El Pais says the man had a criminal record involving the theft of hundreds of weapons from a police station in 2015.

Colombia recalled its ambassador to the U.S. on Monday for consultations.

Last month, the State Department revoked Petro’s visa during the U.N. General Assembly after he spoke at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York City and called on U.S. troops to disobey orders by Trump.

Speaking with Univision President Daniel Coronell at the end of the interview at Casa de Nariño in Bogota, Petro said if Trump won’t change, the solution is to “take out Trump,” loudly snapping his fingers.

Petro: “Humanity has a first offramp, and it is to change Trump in various ways. The easiest way may be through Trump himself–the easiest. If not, take out Trump.”

PRIMERA SALIDA Y ES CAMBIAR A TRUMP DE DIVERSAS MANERAS. PUEDE SER POR EL MISMO TRUMP, LA MáS FáCIL, SI NO SACA LA TRUMP.” (Note: Both X and Google translate the comment as “take out Trump.” The MRC translation is “get rid of Trump.”

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FBI Confirms Hunting Stand Near Trump’s Air Force 1: 4 Things to Know

The FBI’s deputy director provided more details about a hunting stand that was found overlooking President Donald Trump’s Air Force One in Florida, saying the agency is now using its forensic tools in an investigation.

On Oct. 19, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the existence of the stand in a statement to multiple news outlets, including The Epoch Times.

Hunting stands, also known as tree or deer stands, are platforms that give hunters a better vantage point when hunting game such as deer.

Stand Is Dismantled

Agents with the Secret Service discovered the stand and were “very concerned” about the finding, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino told Fox News on the morning of Oct. 20.

“I believe we had our plane flown down there,” he said. “This hunting stand was appropriately dismantled. It’s being flown to our lab. I believe it’s there right now, and all the forensic tools we have, from digital tools to biometric tools, are all going to be applied to try to find out who put this up there and why.”

The Secret Service has since made changes to the security around the Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the stand was found, Bongino said.

“The FBI has since taken the investigatory lead—flying in resources to collect all evidence from the scene, and deploying our cell phone analytics capabilities,” Patel said in his Oct. 19 statement. “We are working with our [Justice Department] partners on service of any legal process required and will provide updates when able.”

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White House agrees to cancel student debt for millions of borrowers

The Trump administration says it is canceling student debt for millions of borrowers — a pivot from its previous moves to block some loan forgiveness plans.

In an agreement with the American Federation of Teachers, the White House will again start processing student loan forgiveness for eligible borrowers in two income-driven repayment plans — Income-Contingent Repayment and Pay as You Earn — until they expire.

President Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” is slated to phase out those two programs by July 1, 2028. They have over 2.5 million enrollees total, a higher ed expert estimated.

“This is a tremendous win for borrowers. With today’s filing, borrowers can rest a little easier,” said Winston Berkman-Breen, legal director for Protect Borrowers, which acted as counsel for the teachers’ union.

“The US Department of Education has agreed to follow the law and deliver congressionally mandated affordable payments and debt relief to hard-working public service workers across the country, and will do so under court supervision. We fully intend to hold them to their word.”

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