Trump dispenses with trials, orders military strike on alleged Venezuelan drug-trafficking boat (Now up to 2, 3, 4...)

What an AP reporter found when she investigated US military strikes on Venezuelan drug boats​

The four dead men included a fisherman, a down-on-his-luck bus driver, a former military cadet and a local crime boss.


The 42-year-old [fisherman] was considered among the peninsula’s best pilots, [and] wanted to save enough money to buy a 75-horsepower boat engine so he could operate his own [fishing] boat and not work for others.

UK pauses intelligence-sharing with US on suspected drug vessels in Caribbean

Britain has suspended the sharing of intelligence with the US on suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean amid concerns information supplied may be used to engage in lethal military strikes by American forces.

Such a decision – a rare rupture between the normally close military allies – would indicate that the UK does not believe the Trump administration’s controversial practice of sinking boats allegedly used by drug traffickers is legal.

Several legal analysts have said that the attacks on boats were extrajudicial killings and any unprovoked attack on Venezuela would be a further clear violation of international law.

Oona Hathaway, the president-elect of the American Society of International Law and a former Pentagon legal adviser, said criminal liability may arise for those involved in the attacks. “I know they know what they are doing is wrong. If they refuse, they disobey orders. If they do it, they are violating international law and domestic law,” she said.

“There’s no serious argument there is anyone other than civilians on these small boats, despite what the US government says,” [Brian Finucane, a senior adviser with the US programme at the International Crisis Group.] added. “So that should be an obvious concern if the UK or other countries who could in some ways be supporting these lethal strikes.”

Fox News: Venezuela mobilizes troops, weapons in response to US warship buildup in Caribbean​

Venezuela has deployed military units and began amassing weapons and equipment in response to the Trump administration's mobilization of U.S. warships in the Caribbean.

essentialsaltes said:

Colombian president says US military struck Colombian boat, killed his citizens​

White House called the allegation "baseless."

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To influence Trump on Colombia, Sen. Bernie Moreno brought a fake image of the country's president in a prison jumpsuit​

Two days before the lunch, Trump, at odds with Petro for months, posted on social media that Petro was “an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs” in Colombia. Trump said he was stopping all U.S. aid to the country and told reporters he would soon announce new tariffs on Colombia.

Moreno wanted to encourage Trump to take a more targeted approach — directly aimed at Petro. To do so, the senator brought along a document titled “The Trump Doctrine For Colombia and the Western Hemisphere.” In addition to five policy ideas, the one-page outline featured large images of Petro and Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela, in orange prison jumpsuits.

Three days after the lunch with senators, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against Petro, his family and a government official over allegations of involvement in the global drug trade, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying in a statement that Petro “has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity.” Petro has strongly denied involvement with the drug trade and has said he will fight the sanctions in U.S. courts.

On Sunday, the publication Cambio Colombia first reported on the existence of the document when it discovered that the White House had posted a photo from the Oct. 21 event showing James Blair, a deputy chief of staff, holding Moreno’s memo.

Petro posted on X that he was recalling the Colombian ambassador to the U.S. for the second time in a month and demanding to know why he is being portrayed “as if I were a prisoner,” calling the print-out “a brutal disrespect” to his supporters and nation.

Speak loudly and carry a banger meme.