Physician and climate change advocate Jill Stein announced her intent on Thursday to run for the Green Party’s nomination in the 2024 presidential election, marking potentially her third bid for the presidency, following campaigns in 2012 and 2016. She declared her candidacy via social media, promising to challenge the two-party system in place, address the ongoing climate crisis, and promote a Green New Deal. Stein’s official campaign launch is expected on November 21.
During her 2012 and 2016 presidential campaigns, Stein garnered 0.36 percent and 1.07 percent of the popular vote respectively. Stein’s 2016 run ended amidst critiques from some Democrats who alleged her presence split votes favoring Hillary Clinton. Stein also initiated recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania—states where former President Donald Trump secured his win against Hillary Clinton.
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Alongside Stein are several other long-shot contenders, including Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Cornel West, both running as independents, as well as progressives Marianne Williamson and Cenk Uygur. Stein’s 2024 platform is expected to be largely centered on the establishment of an Economic Bill of Rights and the execution of a Green New Deal.
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This is a small gift to whomever the Republican nominee is, and is already causing consternation amongst Democrats who thought they could avoid such a scenario
This is a small gift to whomever the Republican nominee is, and is already causing consternation amongst Democrats who thought they could avoid such a scenario show more
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins revealed that 186,000 dead people are receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food stamps, with half a million recipients receiving double benefits.
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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture, and state governments providing SNAP data.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Rollins shared this information this week, following data collection from 29 states earlier this year.
💬KEY QUOTE: “But here’s the most unbelievable news I have [learned] really just over the last few days: That 5,000 dead people, that was just one month; the number is closer to 186,000 deceased men and women and children in this country are receiving a check.” – Brooke Rollins
🎯IMPACT: A major overhaul of the SNAP program is planned, requiring all recipients to reapply to verify eligibility.
IN FULL
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has disclosed alarming figures regarding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud. She revealed that 186,000 dead people are still receiving SNAP benefits and that roughly 500,000 participants may be collecting duplicate payments.
Rollins said that upon taking office, she contacted all 50 states requesting detailed information on SNAP recipients, including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and addresses. She said this marked the first time the federal government had requested such data to ensure food stamps are not being distributed to ineligible recipients, including illegal immigrants.
“The Democrat Party has turned its back on working Americans and built its entire strategy around protecting illegal aliens,” Rollins wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “They know if the handouts stop, those illegals will go back home, and Democrats will lose 20+ seats after the next census.”
According to Rollins, 29 states, mostly Republican-led, submitted their data earlier this year, which was analyzed over the summer. “[H]ere’s the most unbelievable news I have [learned] really just over the last few days: That 5,000 dead people, that was just one month; the number is closer to 186,000 deceased men and women and children in this country are receiving a check,” she said.
Rollins added that data from Democrat-leaning states had not yet been fully reviewed, suggesting additional discrepancies may be uncovered. She announced plans for a comprehensive overhaul of the SNAP program, which would require all recipients to reapply and verify their eligibility. “It’s gonna give us a platform and a trajectory to fundamentally rebuild this program,” she said.
The SNAP program has seen significant changes in participation in recent years. Data indicates that since President Donald J. Trump took office, the number of Americans receiving food stamp benefits has declined by more than 600,000.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Former First Lady Michelle Obama discussed conforming to supposed white beauty standards during her time in the White House in an interview promoting her fashion book, The Look.
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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Michelle Obama and actress Tracee Ellis Ross.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Interviews and discussions held at events such as the 2025 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival and the 2025 SXSW Conference in Austin, Texas.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Let me explain something to white people! Our hair comes out of our head naturally in a curly pattern, so when we’re straightening it to follow your beauty standards, we are trapped by the straightness!” – Michelle Obama
🎯IMPACT: Obama’s comments have reignited discussions around supposed hair discrimination and laws to ban it.
IN FULL
Former First Lady Michelle Obama claims she felt forced to conform to “white beauty standards” during her time in the White House, revealing she kept her hair straight for eight years to fit in with white expectations. Speaking with actress Tracee Ellis Ross to promote her new fashion book, The Look, Mrs. Obama described the effort as “exhausting” and blamed white society for imposing standards that many black women feel pressured to follow.
Mrs. Obama reflected on her upbringing in Chicago and her experiences navigating elite spaces, saying black people are often taught that “how you present can sometimes save your life.” She wrote in her book, “In a way, being First Lady was just another professional experience where I had to conform to a white environment of appropriateness.”
Addressing white people directly, Mrs. Obama said, “Let me explain something to white people! Our hair comes out of our head naturally in a curly pattern, so when we’re straightening it to follow your beauty standards, we are trapped by the straightness!”
She then blamed the supposed white expectation that black people straighten their hair for the fact that many black people cannot swim, saying, “That’s why so many of us can’t swim! And we run away from the water—people won’t go to the gym, because we’re trying to keep our hair straight for y’all. It is exhausting, and it’s so expensive and it takes up so much time!”
Addressing an imaginary white person harassing her, she railed, “Don’t tell me how to wear my hair, don’t wonder about it, don’t touch it—just don’t!”
❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Mexican migrant with a criminal history, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, was deported after being assisted by a Wisconsin judge in evading immigration authorities earlier this year.
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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, Judge Hannah Dugan, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
📍WHEN & WHERE: The deportation occurred on Thursday, following an incident in April at a Milwaukee County courthouse.
💬KEY QUOTE: “If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you, and remove you from our country. That’s a promise.” – Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin
🎯IMPACT: The Flores-Ruiz case has raised concerns about judicial activism against the enforcement of immigration laws.
IN FULL
A 31-year-old Mexican national, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who had a long history of violent crime and was previously deported in 2013, has been removed from the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Thursday. After re-entering the U.S. without authorization, Flores-Ruiz faced charges including strangulation, suffocation, battery, and domestic abuse.
The removal follows an April hearing in Milwaukee County where Hannah Dugan, a county circuit judge, is accused of helping Flores-Ruiz evade arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Court records allege she hid him in her jury room and escorted him out of the courtroom through a back door. Dugan faces federal obstruction charges and has pleaded not guilty.
“Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a previously removed illegal alien, has a laundry list of violent criminal charges including strangulation and suffocation, battery, and domestic abuse,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Judge Hannah Dugan’s actions to obstruct this violent criminal’s arrest take activist judge to a whole new meaning.” She added: “Thanks to the brave men and women of ICE law enforcement, this criminal is OUT of our country.”
According to the complaint, victims and prosecutors were present in the courtroom when Dugan allegedly facilitated Flores-Ruiz’s exit while ICE agents waited outside. Dugan’s defense maintains she was acting in her capacity as a judge and is claiming immunity, while also challenging the federal presence in a state courtroom as a violation of Wisconsin’s sovereignty.
During his sentencing on immigration violations last week, U.S. District Judge Pamela Pepper told Flores-Ruiz: “I very much hope you can find a way to make a living back home rather than coming back here.” Following the hearing, he was deported to Mexico.
The case illustrates ongoing tensions between federal immigration enforcement and leftist judges. Several Biden-era judges have freed migrants arrested in operations in cities like Chicago, Illinois, where a judge order DHS to free hundreds of illegals earlier this week.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Trump administration finalized a rule revoking Biden-era restrictions on oil and gas drilling in Alaska.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Department of the Interior (DOI), President Donald J. Trump, and North Slope community leaders in Alaska
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Announced on November 13, 2025, impacting the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.
💬KEY QUOTE: “By rescinding the 2024 rule, we are following the direction set by President Trump to unlock Alaska’s energy potential, create jobs for North Slope communities and strengthen American energy security.” – Doug Burgum
🎯IMPACT: The move restores energy development opportunities, creates local jobs, and reduces U.S. reliance on foreign energy sources.
IN FULL
The Trump administration announced on Thursday, November 13 that it is moving to rescind a former Biden government rule restricting oil and gas drilling in Alaska. According to the Department of the Interior (DOI), the finalized rule—set to be published in the Federal Register on November 17—will reverse limits on drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve on Alaska’s North Slope.
The National Petroleum Reserve, which spans approximately 23 million acres, has been designated for energy development since 1923. However, Biden-era policies restricted drilling on over 13 million acres of this area, citing perceived environmental concerns.
Conversely, the DOI now aims to restore drilling to enhance U.S. energy security and reduce dependence on foreign sources. This, the department argues, will bring federal energy policy further into alignment with President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order to expand natural resource development on federal and state lands in Alaska.
“By rescinding the 2024 rule, we are following the direction set by President Trump to unlock Alaska’s energy potential, create jobs for North Slope communities, and strengthen American energy security,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. He added that the action promotes responsible development while benefiting both Alaska and the nation.
Local support for the decision came from the Voice of the Arctic Inupiat, a nonprofit representing North Slope communities, which highlighted the benefits of tax revenue for essential services. North Slope Borough Mayor Josiah Patkotak called the move a “meaningful step toward restoring a federal process” that respects local leadership. “Good policy comes from good process, which requires hearing directly from the people who live, work, and hunt here,” Patkotak stated.
Far-left green agenda groups, such as the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), have criticized the rollback. Bobby McEnaney, NRDC director of land conservation, said, “This rollback is nothing more than a giveaway to the oil and gas industry. Weakening protections is reckless, and it threatens to erase the very landscapes Congress sought to safeguard.”
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Indiana’s GOP state senate leader announced the chamber will not reconvene in December to redraw congressional maps, dealing a setback to President Donald J. Trump’s redistricting push.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald Trump, Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray (R), Vice President J.D. Vance, and Indiana lawmakers.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Announcement made on Friday in Indianapolis, Indiana.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Today, I’m announcing there are not enough votes to move that idea forward, and the Senate will not reconvene in December.” – Rodric Bray
🎯IMPACT: The decision weakens the GOP’s efforts to secure a stronger House majority through redistricting, while Democrats ramp up similar efforts in other states.
IN FULL
Indiana state Republican lawmakers announced Friday that the state Senate will no longer convene in December to redraw congressional maps, delivering a significant blow to President Donald J. Trump‘s push for mid-decade redistricting to preserve his Republican House of Representatives majority. State Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray (R) made the decision to forego the December special session after determining the effort lacked the support to be successful after a failed test vote.
“Today, I’m announcing there are not enough votes to move that idea forward, and the Senate will not reconvene in December,” Bray said in a statement. The decision comes despite efforts by Vice President J.D. Vance, who visited Indiana multiple times to lobby lawmakers, and President Trump, who had hosted Bray and other state leaders in the Oval Office to discuss the matter in August.
The announcement has drawn sharp criticism from Trump’s allies. Alex Bruesewitz, a supporter of the America First leader, took to X (formerly Twitter) to call out Bray and other Republicans, saying, “Our party can no longer afford to harbor these gutless, self-serving traitors who stab us in the back while accomplishing absolutely nothing.” Meanwhile, Governor Mike Braun (R-IN) urged the Senate to “do the right thing and show up to vote for fair maps.”
Democrats, on the other hand, celebrated the decision. Representative Andre Carson (D-IN), whose seat was likely to be redrawn, praised the move, stating, “Prayer, people, and partnerships power change. Hoosiers do things differently. We’re about collaboration, not division.” Carson commended Bray and other lawmakers for sticking to “Hoosier values.”
The setback in Indiana is part of a broader struggle for Republican-led redistricting efforts, which have also stalled in Kansas, Nebraska, and New Hampshire. Meanwhile, Democrats are advancing their own redistricting plans in states like California and Virginia, which could potentially result in the gain of several seats.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) is considering a massive tax increase on New York corporations in order to pay for the far-left socialist agenda of New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D).
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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Gov Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, President Donald J. Trump, and New York corporations and taxpayers.
📍WHEN & WHERE: November 14, 2025, in New York.
🎯IMPACT: New York has already seen significant cuts in federal funding and is projected to face an over $4 billion budgetdeficit in the coming fiscal year, complicating matters for both Hochul and Mamdani.
IN FULL
Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) is considering a massive tax increase on New York corporations in order to pay for the far-left socialist agenda of New York City’s mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani (D). Following Mamdani’s victory in the city’s mayoral race, Hochul pledged not to raise taxes on the state’s high earners but is now considering a hike in the state corporate income tax instead.
Notably, the corporate tax increase under consideration would primarily serve as a means to alleviate a more than $4 billion budget deficit New York state is estimated to face in the coming fiscal year. However, Hochul’s administration believes the hike could also be used as a pay-for to cover some of Mamdani’s radical policy ideas, which have included city-owned grocery stores, a rent freeze, expansion of housing, free city buses, free childcare, and other far-left proposals.
While Hochul’s budget director has insisted that tax increases are “the last thing on my mind” and contends the state is in a “good spot financially,” the rumblings coming from Albany suggest New York’s top Democrat leader may be reversing course in light of Mamdani’s meteoric rise within the party.
The precarious fiscal situation forecasted for the state, though, could prove too much for Mamdani’s agenda. Already, New York state has seen federal cuts enacted by the Trump administration as the White House seeks to slash government waste and fraudulent spending. In early October, the Trump administration cut $18 billion in federal infrastructure funding to New York City over concerns it would be subjected to unconstitutional DEI constraints by city officials.
President Donald J. Trump previously threatened to cut federal funding to New York City if Mamdani were elected, citing his far-left policies. However, following Mamdani’s victory, Trump remarked that he would speak with the incoming mayor and “will help him a little bit, maybe.”
Hochul will likely face a strong challenge from Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) in 2026, with polling currently showing the two neck and neck. Mamdani’s term begins on January 1.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump announced plans to investigate deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s links to prominent Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton, and majorbanks.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Clinton, JPMorgan Chase, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: This week, following the release of over 20,000 pages of documents related to Epstein’s estate.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Epstein was a Democrat, and he is the [Democrats’] problem, not the [Republicans’] problem!” – Donald Trump
🎯IMPACT: The investigation could shed light on Epstein’s connections to powerful figures and institutions, sparking renewed scrutiny.
IN FULL
President Donald J. Trump has indicated he will soon direct Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to open probes into deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein‘s ties to Democratic Party figures, including former President Bill Clinton, as well as major financial institutions. In a post on Truth Social, Trump suggested that much of the recent focus on Epstein by Democrat lawmakers on Capitol Hill is part of an effort to obfuscate their party’s own ties to the convicted sexual predator.
“Now that the Democrats are using the Epstein Hoax, involving Democrats, not Republicans, to try and deflect from their disastrous SHUTDOWN, and all of their other failures, I will be asking A.G. Pam Bondi, and the Department of Justice, together with our great patriots at the FBI, to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, J.P. Morgan, Chase, and many other people and institutions, to determine what was going on with them, and him,” Trump wrote.
He added, “This is another Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, with all arrows pointing to the Democrats. Records show that these men, and many others, spent large portions of their life with Epstein, and on his ‘Island.’ Stay tuned!!!”
In another post, Trump emphasized, “Epstein was a Democrat, and he is the [Democrats’] problem, not the [Republicans’] problem!”
The renewed interest in Epstein’s connections follows the release of over 20,000 pages of documents from his estate this week by Congressional Democrats. Clinton has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. Meanwhile, a spokesman for JPMorgan Chase stated that the firm regrets “any association” with Epstein and emphasized that the company “did not help him commit his heinous acts.”
Notably, Trump’s announcement comes ahead of a House of Representatives vote next week on whether the DOJ should release all its files related to Epstein’s investigation. Representative Adelita Grijalva’s (D-AZ) recent swearing-in provided the 218th signature needed to trigger the vote.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, issued a stark warning about the current state of the populist-nationalist movement and its leadership on Stephen K. Bannon’s WarRoom show.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Raheem Kassam and Stephen K. Bannon.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: November 14, 2025, during a WarRoom broadcast.
💬KEY QUOTE: “As goes America next year, as goes the MAGA movement, as goes the Republican party’s successes or failures in the midterms, so goes Europe.” – Raheem Kassam
🎯IMPACT: The movement’s direction and leadership could negatively influence the upcoming U.S. midterm elections, with a knock-on impact on populist movements worldwide.
IN FULL
Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, expressed serious concerns about the current state of the populist-nationalist movement and its leadership to former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon on the WarRoom show on Friday, particularly in relation to the upcoming U.S. midterm elections. “That leadership is coming from a corporate class that have managed to capture so much of what I call MAGA Inc.,” Kassam warned.
“They sell out the people who started this movement… They have almost taken over the whole thing, and it is upon us to grasp it back, to wrestle it back; otherwise, we’re going to get killed next year,” he emphasized.
Kassam noted that the populist-nationalist movement, which began over a decade ago, was built on understanding and addressing the struggles of regular people. “[W]e went around to the little town halls and the little seaside towns all across the United Kingdom and we looked at what people were going through… people whose families and whose grandparents and great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents and whose entire family lineages have been sacrificed day upon day, whether it’s in the mines, whether it’s in the wars… that have created the world that we live in today and that we take for granted every day,” he said of the movement’s beginnings a decade ago.
“And what happened was we saw that they had been shunned, disparaged, spat upon by an establishment who said, ‘Yeah, thanks. We’ll take it from here. You know, thanks for all the hard work of your bloodline, but we’ll take it from here… We don’t need you,” Kassam explained.
The National Pulse chief stated that a similar process is now unfolding in America, with establishment figures who are “just in it for the big bucks” attempting to sideline the authentic populist-nationalists who built the movement “from the ground up,” with potentially disastrous consequences.
Kassam emphasized the importance of genuine engagement with the movement’s grassroots base, warning that the movement’s current trajectory could lead to significant setbacks in the upcoming U.S. midterm elections if these issues are not addressed. “The problem with it is that whether it’s the 50-year mortgages or the $2,000 checks or the bank bosses or the big farmer bosses hanging out in the Oval Office, people just don’t feel like we’re walking into next year in a position of strength. And I happen to agree with them,” he said. “We need to smarten up. We need to sharpen up on these things. And that’s where we are now.”
Kassam also discussed the international implications of the MAGA movement’s success or failure, warning, “As goes America next year, as goes the MAGA movement, as goes the Republican party’s successes or failures in the midterms, so goes Europe.”
IN FULL
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: A 150-year analysis challenges conventional wisdom on the impact of tariffs, suggesting they lower prices and raise unemployment, contrary to establishment economic models.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Researchers Régis Barnichon and Aayush Singh from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco conducted the study.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The study analyzed data from 1870 to 2020 across the U.S., the U.K., and France, with findings published in November 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “We find that a tariff hike raises unemployment and lowers inflation,” the authors stated in their working paper.
🎯IMPACT: The findings challenge establishment economic models and suggest tariffs may work through demand-side mechanisms, reshaping debates on trade policy.
IN FULL
A major study released by researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco confirms what The National Pulse has long reported, i.e., tariffs are not inflationary and more often than not, have deflationary effects that push prices downward. The analysis, which covers 150 years of economic and trade data from the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, has major implications for how the Federal Reserve and economists understand President Donald J. Trump’s tariff policies.
“We find that a tariff hike raises unemployment and lowers inflation,” the authors, Régis Barnichon and Aayush Singh, write in their working paper released this month. “This goes against the predictions of standard models, whereby CPI inflation should go up in response to higher tariffs.”
Importantly, the study’s findings reveal that tariff shocks operate primarily through aggregate demand mechanisms—affecting confidence, investment, and spending patterns—rather than through the simple cost-push mechanism that trade models typically emphasize. This distinction matters enormously, as it means tariffs can be used as a policy tool without triggering the consumer price spirals that economists have incorrectly warned about for generations. The National Pulse has similarly reported that the most infamous trade levies in American history, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, had deflationary effects that fed into a larger deflationary event caused by the Great Depression.
The paper raises questions about the Federal Reserve’s response to tariffs, with the central bank’s chairman, Jerome Powell, having insisted for months that it would lead to increased inflation. If the main effects are lower inflation and higher unemployment—a key signal of deflationary demand destruction—monetary theory suggests that the Fed should cut interest rates when tariffs are imposed. Instead, the Fed largely held interest rates steady, only moving to slash borrowing costs in September despite President Trump correctly pushing for rate reductions since March.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. military has deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier near Venezuela as part of a counter-drug operation, drawing criticism and warnings from Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, President Donald J. Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and the U.S. military.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The operation, named “Southern Spear,” is currently underway in the Caribbean Sea, with its expansion announced on November 13, 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “No more forever wars. No more unjust wars. No more Libya. No more Afghanistan. Long live peace.” – Nicolás Maduro
🎯IMPACT: The deployment has raised regional anxieties and sparked debate over U.S. intentions, with observers suggesting it signals a push for regime change in Venezuela rather than countering narcotics traffickers.
IN FULL
Venezuela’s dictator Nicolás Maduro is urging the United States to avoid what he described as an “Afghanistan-style forever war” following the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier—the largest warship ever built—to the region. Maduro, who has faced widespread accusations of election fraud, made his remarks during a pro-government rally in Caracas on Thursday.
“No more forever wars. No more unjust wars. No more Libya. No more Afghanistan. Long live peace,” Maduro said.
While the U.S. military has now conducted 20 lethal strikes against cartel drug boats, many originating from Venezuela, in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean since September, the waters near Venezuela have also seen a significant buildup of U.S. Navy and Air Force assets. Currently, it is estimated that around 24 percent of the U.S. Navy is present in the Caribbean, marking an unprecedented deployment not seen in decades.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has announced that the military build-up is an expansion of “Operation Southern Spear,” the Navy’s counter-drug trafficking mission aimed at destroying the presence of narco-terrorists in the waters around Central and South America. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the mission is focused on dismantling “organized criminal narcoterrorists.”
The arrival of the Ford within Southern Command’s area of operation (SOUTHCOM AOR) marks a significant escalation in the region. The carrier, equipped with thousands of sailors and dozens of warplanes, is part of a broader deployment involving an estimated 12,000 personnel.
While the Trump administration has consistently characterized the buildup as part of an effort to end drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere, some observers believe the deployment may have other motivations. Elizabeth Dickinson, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, argued that an aircraft carrier is not a practical tool for combating the drug trade. “It’s clearly a message much more geared toward pressuring Caracas,” she said.
Colombia’s Marxist leader Gustavo Petro has suspended his country’s intelligence sharing with the United States over the drug boat strikes. Additionally, Petro has entered into a war of words with President Trump, accusing him of being a “barbarian.” The Colombian president has gone so far as to publicly threaten that “getting rid of” Trump may be necessary.
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