A Trump-backed candidate appears set to take the reins in Colombia after the country was governed for four years by a far-Left president. 
Right-wing lawyer Abelardo De la Espriella defeated leftist Senator Iván Cepeda, according to initial results. The Trump administration congratulated De la Espriella Sunday night after he took 49.7% of the vote to his opponent’s 48.7%. 
“National dignity has triumphed, hope has triumphed. Today is a wonderful night in which democracy shone and Colombia demonstrated its greatness. This is the night in which we mark a new order: the Homeland Miracle,” De la Espriella said on X. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Ha triunfado la dignidad nacional, ha triunfado la esperanza.
Hoy es una noche maravillosa en que brilló la democracia y Colombia demostró su grandeza.
Esta es la noche en la que marcamos un nuevo orden: la Patria Milagro.
Firme por la Patria. 🫡 
(A.D.L.E) 🇨🇴🐅 <a href="https://t.co/aaaWi0ZM8p">pic.twitter.com/aaaWi0ZM8p</a>
— Abelardo De La Espriella (@ABDELAESPRIELLA) <a href="https://x.com/ABDELAESPRIELLA/status/2068897625940562129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
While De la Espriella declared victory, leftist Colombian President Gustavo Petro <a href="https://x.com/petrogustavo/status/2068831260982571151">claimed</a> no one could yet be declared victor until the election was certified by judges. He alleged that voting machines had been compromised by Israel. 
Petro said that “software was compromised and others wrote data for polling stations and voting posts” and that the “only entity in the world capable of doing that is the state of Israel.”
President Donald Trump, who endorsed De la Espriella earlier this month, <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116791057884875243">said</a> in a Truth Social post that “he won, BIG.” 
Secretary of State Marco Rubio <a href="https://x.com/SecRubio/status/2068851809440116849">said</a> that he looked forward to working with De la Espriella. 
“The Trump Administration looks forward to working closely with your incoming administration to advance regional security cooperation, end illegal immigration to the United States, and strengthen our economic ties,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a social media post. “Colombia&#8217;s best days are ahead.”
Commenting on Rubio’s post, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said that the Trump administration’s anti-drug trafficking efforts in partnership with Latin American leaders <a href="https://x.com/StephenM/status/2068872925118169460">would</a> “change the entire future of the Western Hemisphere.”
In his endorsement, Trump said that De la Espriella would crack down on crime, illegal immigration, and drug trafficking. De la Espriella ran on a law-and-order platform involving taking a firm approach to rebel groups that have plagued the country for years. 
“The results of this election are very important to the future of Colombia and its relationship with the United States,” Trump said in his endorsement. “Because of his tremendous accomplishments in life, and his political support for me personally, it is my honor to give Abelardo my complete and total endorsement.”
A wave of Right-wing leaders has been elected in Latin America in recent months including in Honduras, Costa Rica, Chile, Bolivia, and Ecuador.

TOPSHOT-COLOMBIA-ELECTION-RUNOFF-VOTE

Another Trump-Backed Candidate Declares Victory Over The Left In Latin America

Colombia

Donald Trump

Global Politics

Marco Rubio

Colombian President Gustavo Petro sparked outrage this week after posting the phrase “Heil Hitler” on social media in response to a newspaper column endorsing conservative presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, a law-and-order candidate who has openly aligned himself with many of United States President Donald Trump’s policies.
Petro’s post consisted solely of the words “Heil Hitler” and appeared as a reply to a social media post promoting a <a href="https://www.elespectador.com/opinion/columnistas/felipe-zuleta-lleras/abelardo-el-cirujano-que-colombia-necesita/">column</a> by Colombian commentator Felipe Zuleta Lleras. The column praised De la Espriella as the candidate best positioned to restore security, reduce the size of government, and reverse the policies of Colombia’s political left.
The article argued that Colombia needs “order, authority and economic freedom,” praising De la Espriella’s proposals for a military crackdown on organized crime, the construction of mega-prisons, tax reductions, and a dramatic reduction in the size of the state.
“Voting for him is not simply electing a president; it is opting for a surgeon determined to operate the nation’s structural problems without his pulse shaking,” the column concluded, translated from spanish.
Petro’s disturbing response came as Colombia <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1w2xvwq8g9o">heads toward a June 21 presidential runoff</a> election that has become a referendum on the legacy of the left-wing president’s administration.
Sunday’s first-round vote saw De la Espriella finish first with 43.7% of the vote, narrowly ahead of left-wing Sen. Iván Cepeda, an ally of Petro, who received roughly 41%.
De la Espriella, a businessman and attorney known as “El Tigre,” has campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform, promising a major military offensive against cartels and guerrilla groups, expanded cooperation with the United States, and a dramatic reduction in Colombia’s bureaucracy. The conservative candidate has frequently praised Trump and advocated stronger security partnerships with Washington.
Petro, meanwhile, has often clashed with Trump and has criticized what he describes as excessive American influence in Latin America. Although relations between the two leaders improved after a White House meeting earlier this year, the Colombian president has repeatedly attacked U.S. foreign policy and aligned himself with left-wing movements throughout the region.
The “Heil Hitler” post is particularly notable given Petro’s long history of invoking Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany in political disputes.
Immediately following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel, Petro repeatedly <a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/colombian-president-says-those-who-say-he-is-anti-semitic-are-ignorant-/3022238">compared</a> Israel’s military operations in Gaza to Nazi Germany. He accused Israel of operating “concentration camps,” suggested that Hitler was being “reborn” through modern political movements, and drew comparisons between Israeli military actions and the Holocaust.
Those remarks prompted sharp criticism from both Israeli and American officials.
Israeli diplomats accused Petro of making hostile and antisemitic statements after he repeatedly refused to explicitly condemn Hamas while escalating his criticism of Israel.
Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, later testified before Congress that Petro’s <a href="https://thecitypaperbogota.com/news/united-states-condemns-petro-for-crossing-red-line-with-antisemitic-remarks/">comments</a> had crossed a “red line.”
“It is offensive and unfortunate that leaders like Petro have compared what is happening with Hitler,” Lipstadt said during a House hearing focused on rising antisemitism in Latin America. She also criticized Petro’s rhetoric for undermining peace efforts and contributing to concerns within Colombia’s Jewish community.
Petro has repeatedly denied accusations of antisemitism, arguing that his criticism is directed at the Israeli government rather than Jewish people. In October 2023, he claimed accusations that he supported Hamas or harbored anti-Jewish views were the product of “ignorance.”
Yet his latest social media post demonstrates a continued willingness to invoke Nazi imagery against political opponents.
The controversy comes at a particularly sensitive moment for Colombia as voters prepare to choose between two starkly different visions for the country’s future. De la Espriella has promised an aggressive crackdown on crime, closer ties with the United States, and sweeping free-market reforms. Cepeda, backed by Petro, has pledged to continue many of the current administration’s policies, including negotiations with armed groups and expanded social programs.
As of publication, Petro had not publicly elaborated on the meaning of his “Heil Hitler” post or offered any clarification regarding the remark, nor has the post been deleted.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa Receives The President Of Colombia Gustavo Petro

Latin American Trump Rival Tweets ‘Heil Hitler’

Adolf Hitler

Nazi Germany

Politics

At least 13 people were killed and 17 wounded in an explosives attack in western Colombia on Saturday, a police source told Reuters, in violence authorities have blamed on dissidents of the FARC guerrilla group.
The attack took place on the Pan-American Highway in the El Tunel area of Cajibio municipality, about 35 km (22 miles) from Popayan, the capital of Cauca province, according to authorities.
Cauca Governor Octavio Guzman said on X the attack was one of several criminal actions reported in the province on Saturday.
&#8220;Cauca cannot continue to face this barbarity alone. We are facing a terrorist escalation that demands immediate responses. We demand forceful, sustained and effective action from the national government in the face of the grave public order crisis we are experiencing,&#8221; he added.
Presidential candidate Paloma Valencia, a member of the opposition right-wing Democratic Center party who is from Cauca, called the attack &#8220;terrorism&#8221; carried out by the dissident FARC faction, which rejected a 2016 peace deal.
&#8220;President Gustavo Petro&#8217;s government cannot continue minimizing the violence or dismantling the state,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We demand immediate action, full backing for our Armed Forces and police, and concrete results.&#8221;
Petro, a former rebel himself whose term as president is nearing an end, has pursued a &#8220;total peace&#8221; policy with guerrillas through negotiations and intermittent ceasefires.
(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta and Diego Ore; Editing by Alistair Bell, Rod Nickel)

Explosives Attack In Colombia Kills Over A Dozen

Crime

Explosion

South America

World

Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego partied late into the night at a Bogotá nightclub during an official trip to Colombia last year despite warnings that his life was in danger, according to a new report. 
Citing sources familiar with the August 2025 <a href="https://www.gallego.senate.gov/news/press-releases/icymi-senator-gallego-travels-to-colombia-on-congressional-delegation-trip/">trip</a>, Gallego, a close friend of disgraced ex-Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA), was informed of a credible threat to his life while attending a dinner with U.S. Embassy officials, NOTUS <a href="https://www.notus.org/senate/ruben-gallego-colombia-trip-embassy-threat">reported</a>. The outlet said the embassy employees advised him not to leave the embassy compound, but Gallego later went out to a club in Bogotá, where he remained until approximately 3:00 am.
The report also states that Gallego invited multiple U.S. Embassy personnel to join him at the nightclub. At least one female staffer was among those invited, according to NOTUS.
In a statement, a spokesman for Gallego disputed the report&#8217;s description of the evening, saying the senator “coordinated closely with embassy security throughout the trip, including on the evening in question, and followed all security guidance.” 
“While at dinner at the conclusion of a successful congressional delegation trip, the Senator and his Chief of Staff invited Embassy staff to join them, a common way to recognize the work of those who support these visits,” the spokesman said. “As one of the first Colombian-American Senators elected to Congress, Senator Gallego was proud of the work done in Colombia and looks forward to continuing efforts to strengthen U.S. ties in the Southern Hemisphere.”
Gallego’s trip focused on discussions with Colombian officials about “organized crime, the business climate, and China’s growing influence,” according to his office. 
The Arizona Democrat has come under increasing scrutiny due to his ties to Swalwell, who resigned from Congress after being accused of sexual assault and misconduct. Gallego, who once <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-lawmakers-pose-shirtless-while-riding-camels-on-qatar-trip-bought-by-special-interest-group-report">rode camels</a> shirtless in Qatar with Swalwell, initially defended his friendship before accusing him of living a double life. 
“I’ve read the San Francisco Chronicle’s reporting and I take it seriously,” he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/swalwells-dem-buddies-flee-like-rats-after-sexual-assault-allegation">said</a>. “What is described is indefensible. Women who come forward with accounts like this deserve to be heard with respect, not questioned or dismissed.”

Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act

Swalwell’s Best Buddy In Congress Partied Hard In Colombia On Work Trip

Arizona

Congress

Eric Swalwell

Senate

President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro held face-to-face talks at the White House on Tuesday following a year of frayed relations.
The meeting was the first between a South American head of state and Trump following the January 3 U.S. raid in Caracas that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. 
Unlike most of Trump’s meetings with heads of state this past year, this meeting was closed to the press. Photos released by the White House and Petro show Vice President JD Vance also attended the meeting. 
At a separate event on Tuesday, Trump told reporters that he &#8220;got along very well&#8221; with Petro.
&#8220;He and I weren&#8217;t exactly the best of friends, but I was never insulted because I never met him at all,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We get along great.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
President Trump said he got along “very well” with Colombian President Gustavo Petro during their meeting today, despite months of insults.
“He and I weren&#8217;t exactly the best of friends, but I was never insulted because I never met him at all,” Trump said. <a href="https://t.co/ETtljfwklz">pic.twitter.com/ETtljfwklz</a>
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) <a href="https://twitter.com/KassyAkiva/status/2018815786165682658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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After the meeting, Petro posted a photo of a certificate folder featuring an image of the two leaders on one side and, on the other, a note signed by Trump that read, “Gustavo — A great honor,” and “I love Colombia.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Gustavo: Un gran Honor. 
Amor a Colombia&#8221;. Donald Trump. <a href="https://t.co/1Tl7eIbAPr">pic.twitter.com/1Tl7eIbAPr</a>
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) <a href="https://twitter.com/petrogustavo/status/2018764117893406985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
In a separate post, Petro shared that Trump had given him an <a href="https://x.com/petrogustavo/status/2018772658737869234" target="_blank" rel="noopener">autographed</a> copy of Trump&#8217;s book &#8220;The Art of the Deal.&#8221;
Petro spoke about the meeting in a press conference shortly after, describing his meeting with Trump as &#8220;positive.&#8221;
Petro said the president also gave him a red Make America Great Again hat, adding that he and the president share a pact &#8220;for life.&#8221;
A day after the capture of Maduro, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/after-threats-from-trump-colombian-president-rings-the-white-house">Trump said</a> that Colombia is “very sick too” and “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.” He added that Petro is “not going to be doing it for very long.” Asked whether U.S. forces might operate in Colombia as well, Trump responded, “Sounds good to me!”
Petro responded to the U.S. raid, calling it an “assault on sovereignty” and an “illegal kidnapping.” In a later post, he implied that he would take up arms if the U.S. military intervened in his country. 
 
“I swore not to touch another weapon since the 1989 peace agreement, but for the sake of the homeland, I will take up arms again, even though I don’t want to,” Petro, who is a former Marxist revolutionary, <a href="https://x.com/petrogustavo/status/2008063024343515623">posted</a> on X.
A few days later, Trump posted that he received a call from Petro, claiming he “appreciated his call and tone.”
“It was a Great Honor to speak with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements that we have had,” Trump said, adding that they were planning a visit to the White House by Petro.
On Monday, Trump signaled the primary topic in the meeting would be about the “tremendous amount of drugs” being trafficked from Colombia, the world&#8217;s largest producer of cocaine.
He added that Petro has become “very nice” after the U.S. arrested Maduro.
“He changed his attitude very much,” Trump said.
Petro is term-limited and set to vacate his office in August.
Relations between the two leaders were already severely strained prior to Maduro’s arrest. 
At the United Nations General Assembly in September, Petro delivered a sharply anti-American address that prompted the U.S. delegation to walk out of the chamber. 
In his speech, Petro accused Trump of complicity in genocide in Gaza and called for criminal charges to be brought against U.S. officials.
“This hall is a mute witness, and an accomplice, to genocide in today’s world. When we believed it was only the property of Hitler, Trump does not speak of democracy, he does not speak of the climate crisis, he does not speak of life – he only threatens, kills, and lets tens of thousands be killed,” Petro said.
Petro went after Trump for authoring drone strikes on boats in the Caribbean that the U.S. government accused of belonging to narco-terrorists who were trafficking narcotics. Petro said the passengers of the boats were only young people fleeing poverty.
“There must be criminal charges opened against those officials of the United States, including the senior official who gave the order – President Trump, who allowed missiles to be fired against young people who simply wanted to escape poverty,” he said.
During the same visit to the United States, Petro also attended an anti-Israel protest, where, according to the U.S. State Department, he encouraged U.S. soldiers to disobey orders and incited violence. The State Department <a href="https://x.com/StateDept/status/1971758644929925312">said it</a> revoked Petro’s visa due to what it described as his “reckless and incendiary actions.”
During the New York City protest, Petro reportedly said, “I ask all the soldiers of the United States’ army, don’t point your rifles against humanity,” and “disobey the orders of Trump.”
Petro <a href="https://apnews.com/article/gustavo-petro-colombia-visa-trump-disobey-orders-ebca5169a8323ef087b709c5b8dc69b1">responded</a>, claiming he has “immunity to go to the U.N.” and that he is also a European citizen who does not need a visa to travel to the United States.

Trump and Gustavo Petro

After Months Of Threats And Insults, Trump Finally Meets With Colombian President

Trump Meets With Colombian President After Months Of Threats And Insults

Gustavo Petro

WASHINGTON — Days after President Donald Trump warned that he was open to another military operation in Colombia, President Gustavo Petro was ringing the White House with explanations and promises of a visit to Washington, D.C.
Petro&#8217;s call followed Saturday&#8217;s unprecedented midnight raid in Venezuela, wherein the United States captured Venezuela&#8217;s President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and brought them back to New York to face American justice.
The next day, aboard Air Force One, President Trump told reporters of Colombia: &#8220;Colombia is very sick too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.&#8221;
&#8220;He&#8217;s not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you,&#8221; the president predicted, and asked if the United States would conduct an operation against Colombia, he responded: &#8220;It sounds good to me!&#8221;
Petro initially released a statement on the raid in Venezuela on Sunday slamming Trump for his criticisms and arguing that his name &#8220;does not appear in the judicial files on drug trafficking over 50 years, neither from before nor from the present.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1024811" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/after-threats-from-trump-colombian-president-rings-the-white-house/colombia-venezuela-us-conflict-crisis" rel="attachment wp-att-1024811"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1024811" class="wp-image-1024811 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-2254524553-865x576.jpg" alt="" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-2254524553-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-2254524553-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-2254524553-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-2254524553.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" /></a>Colombia&#8217;s President Gustavo Petro sings the national anthem during the March for Sovereignty and Democracy against US President Donald Trump&#8217;s threats to Petro at Bolivar Square in Bogota on January 7, 2026. (Photo by Luis ACOSTA / AFP via Getty Images)</div>
But on Wednesday evening, Trump posted on Truth Social and shared that he had received a call from Petro.
&#8220;It was a Great Honor to speak with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements that we have had,&#8221; the president shared.
&#8220;I appreciated his call and tone,&#8221; Trump continued, &#8220;and look forward to meeting him in the near future. Arrangements are being made between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Foreign Minister of Colombia. The meeting will take place in the White House in Washington, D.C.&#8221;
During Wednesday&#8217;s White House press briefing, The Daily Wire asked White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt about the president&#8217;s threats to Colombia, and whether Petro should expect a visit from Delta Force.
&#8220;That would be a very unwise question for me to answer,&#8221; Leavitt responded.

President Trump, With Secretaries Of Navy And War, Makes An Announcement From His Mar-a-Lago Resort In Florida

After Threats From Trump, Colombian President Rings The White House

White House

President Donald Trump suggested that Colombia’s president may be a target after a successful U.S. operation resulted in former President Nicolás Maduro’s arrest and extradition from Venezuela.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday evening that Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, “likes making cocaine,” but that he would not be “doing it very long.” On Saturday, Trump had said that Petro should “watch his *ss.”
“Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you,” Trump <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-UQhHTfb1o">told</a> reporters. The president seemed unwilling to elaborate until a reporter suggested that another operation may be launched against Petro.
“Sounds good to me,” Trump responded.
The military operation to arrest and extradite Maduro was carried out after federal prosecutors <a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/venezuela-strikes/card/maduro-faces-federal-drug-trafficking-charges-in-u-s--hqFy8dcmWFBCuxLJNORl?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqeYgAcBlRh51Uvh3wCJ8020FqkT15IPnz2XYyX5jN1l33I6L9ntmutXssFMg7A%3D&amp;gaa_ts=695b2297&amp;gaa_sig=DjtuJAhTN507BmAwspbTt6oiut0yMxKthj25zY0Om4byOVcOepJFFZciTmv-ZxQrAeWHEe5hiSg-YyiFtvcaFQ%3D%3D">secured</a> an indictment against the Venezuelan dictator in 2020 for drug trafficking. During a five-hour mission early Saturday morning, explosions rocked Caracas as American service members arrested Maduro and put him on board a U.S. warship to be taken to New York for trial.
Trump has continued to ramp up the pressure on Maduro in recent months, amassing warships and thousands of troops in the southern Caribbean. But even as the United States built up forces off the coast of Venezuela, Petro <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2025/11/gustavo-petro-colombia/684776/">taunted</a> Trump.
In the wake of Maduro’s arrest, Petro has continued to publicly attack the United States, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx1rpxzyx9o">claiming</a> that the operation was an &#8220;assault on the sovereignty&#8221; of South America. Petro has <a href="https://x.com/petrogustavo/status/2007979103090290767">denied</a> the accusations of drug trafficking against himself and also defended Maduro against similar charges made by the United States.
The United States military has targeted drug boats between South America in the United States for months, mostly in the Caribbean, but some boats have been destroyed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Colombia, as well.
U.S. officials have also issued public warnings for Cuba, as well. Secretary of State Marco Rubio <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/after-venezuela-rubio-says-cuba-is-in-a-lot-of-trouble">said</a> on Sunday that “the Cuban government is a huge problem.”
“I’m not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right now in this regard, but I don’t think it’s any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime,” he said in an interview on NBC.

Trump: Colombia’s President ‘Likes Making Cocaine,’ Won’t ‘Be Doing It Very Long’

Trump: Colombia's President ‘Likes Making Cocaine,’ Won't 'Be Doing It Very Long’

Venezuela

The United States has seized a very large <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/venezuela-cries-international-piracy-after-u-s-seizes-oil-tanker?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=9&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Venezuela+Cries+%E2%80%98International+Piracy%E2%80%99+After+U.S.+Seizes+Oil+Tanker">oil tanker</a> off the Venezuelan coast.
President Trump confirmed that the United States had pursued the seizure. According to Attorney General Pam Bondi, it was headed to Cuba.
There’s been talk about establishing a no-fly zone around Venezuela. All of this is external pressure, presumably designed to force the possibility of a regime change in Venezuela without any serious threat to American troops going in on the ground.
In <a href="https://x.com/DHSgov/status/1998909254854746523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1998909254854746523%7Ctwgr%5E8f093637fc0050e48ee90200825bb3534d8c39c8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fvenezuela-cries-international-piracy-after-u-s-seizes-oil-tanker">a video</a>, you can see an American helicopter hovering over a gigantic oil tanker as soldiers begin rappelling down onto the deck. The soldiers, with guns drawn, move toward the control booth, presumably to stop the tanker from moving toward its target.
The United States military is unparalleled at what it does and does not play around.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
KNOCKOUT.
If you threaten our nation, or break the law, there is no place on land or sea where we won’t find you.
Thank you to the brave service members from <a href="https://twitter.com/USCG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USCG</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/ICEgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ICEGOV</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/FBI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBI</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeptofWar</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/TheJusticeDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheJusticeDept</a>. <a href="https://t.co/KUCRjES267">pic.twitter.com/KUCRjES267</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1998909254854746523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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President Trump has always been clear in his belief that if the United States is engaged in armed conflict somewhere, we should keep the spoils that we reap. He said that about the Iraq War, suggesting that if you&#8217;re going to go to war, then you may as well take the oil as some form of compensation.
When it comes to the Venezuelan government shipping oil over to Iran in violation of sanctions or allowing the Iranians to combine their oil with Venezuelan oil and ship that elsewhere and ship the money back to Iran, keeping the spoils would be worthwhile.
If it turns out that the United States is now prepared to interdict all oil that may or may not be headed for Iran or from Iran, then this could absolutely cripple the Venezuelan economy even more than it has suffered before.
Venezuela’s economy is highly dependent on oil, mainly through its impact on exports and government revenue. Oil accounts for over 80 to 90% of all total export earnings in recent years. So if that were to shut down, whatever is left of the Venezuelan economy would basically collapse. That seems to be something that the United States is pursuing at this point.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2332-us-seizes-venezuelan-tanker?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=The+Ben+Shapiro+Show&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Trump has also made clear he is going to put pressure on Gustavo Petro, the president of Colombia, which has historically been a relatively conservative state. But Petro, a far-left socialist, is more oriented toward China and Iran.
President Trump was asked about Petro describing the seizure as “barbarian.”
“He&#8217;s been fairly hostile to the United States. I haven&#8217;t given him a lot of thought,” Trump replied. “And he’s going to have himself some big problems if he doesn&#8217;t wise up. Colombia is producing a lot of drugs. &#8230; He better wise up or he&#8217;ll be next.”
The United States could put pressure on the Petro regime in Colombia. The next scheduled election for president in Colombia happens in May of 2026. So there&#8217;s every possibility that Petro could be in trouble as well.
All of this seems to be part of a broader national security strategy pursued by the White House. According to the new national security document, the foreign influence of China, Iran, or Russia in the Western hemisphere has to stop.
The national security strategy of the United States is very much a muscular Monroe Doctrine, suggesting that the Western hemisphere be cleared of outside influence.
It’s about time.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

U.S. Seizes Venezuelan Tanker. The Trump Doctrine Is Working.

Ben Shapiro

Gulf of America

Iran

Opinion

President Trump

U.S. Military

The United Kingdom has stopped sharing intelligence with the United States on drug boats in the Caribbean to stay out of major counter-narcotics strikes in the region.
While controlling multiple territories in the Caribbean, the U.K. has long helped the U.S. interdict drug smugglers in the open sea, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/11/politics/uk-suspends-caribbean-intelligence-sharing-us">reported</a>. But as the mission becomes more lethal, the U.K. no longer wants to be involved.
The intelligence blackout began over a month ago.
The Department of War has launched more than a dozen strikes on boats, killing 76 people.
Believing that the strikes violated international law, the U.K. started to worry that its intelligence was helping the U.S. locate the vessels before obliterating them.
Trump administration officials have <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DepartmentofWar/videos/4345830319036573/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defended</a> the strikes, saying the drug traffickers are “operating under the control” of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Some legal experts, however, have questioned President Donald Trump&#8217;s authority to act on the threats without congressional approval.
Brian Finucane, a former State Department legal adviser, recently told The Daily Wire that “the strikes are not legal” and lack justification.
“The precedent that this administration seems to be invoking are strikes the U.S. has taken over the course of the last 20-plus years in the context of the U.S. war on terror against groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS,” he said. “But those precedents are really irrelevant and a red herring with respect to the strikes we’re seeing in the Caribbean and now the Pacific.”
“For the first time, the U.S. government designated criminal entities, drug trafficking organizations as foreign terrorist organizations,” he explained. “But those assertions seem to be undermined by the U.S. Intelligence community.”
Dr. Nicholas Creel, law professor at Georgia College and State University, believes the strikes are legal, pointing to roughly five out of 30 examples of “instances where we moved first and somebody died” where the president actually received congressional approval.
“What a lot of people lose in this is if we do agree that the president has the authority to respond to attacks, who is it that gets to define an attack is? It has to be the president,” Creel said. “It necessarily cannot be Congress.”
“That’s why we chose this word to give the president the authority to respond to these attacks so it has to be that decides what this attack is. And if you or I think this is not an attack, fine, but we’re not the president.”
He continued: “Pretty much every president since FDR would have to have been said to have acted unconstitutionally in terms of the war powers, which seems a bit odd. If it’s that common a practice, is it really, I mean, just because people are doing it doesn’t mean it’s legal, but at the same time, if everybody is basically doing it? Is it really illegal?”

Trump/Starmer

UK Now Refuses To Share Certain Intelligence With United States Over Drug Boat Strikes

UK Stops Sharing Certain Intelligence With US Over Drug Boat Strikes

Drugs

United Kingdom

President Trump brokers several monumental deals in Asia, the U.S. ramps up its military presence in the Caribbean, and we get an expert opinion on the state of the Trump economy.
It’s Monday, October 27, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251027-member-exclusive">the video version can be seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Strikes Trade Deals In Asia</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-991431" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Trade-Tour-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Trade-Tour-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Trade-Tour-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Trade-Tour-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Trade-Tour-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Trade-Tour.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: President Trump landed in Asia on Sunday to kick off a whirlwind diplomatic tour aimed at securing new trade deals and peace treaties.
Trump arrived in Malaysia, the first stop on his tour of South Asia, which will also include visits to Japan and South Korea.
The main goal of the trip is to lock down more trade deals and open up access to Asian markets. Within hours of his arrival in Malaysia, the president announced new trade agreements with Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia. Each country will eliminate the vast majority of existing tariffs on U.S. imports, and the latter two will allow for unprecedented American investments in rare earth mineral production.
While this trip was focused on trade, the president also signed a ceasefire deal between Cambodia and Thailand, two longtime foes who were on the brink of war this summer after fighting broke out over a border dispute. Under this new agreement, the two sides will pull back military forces from the border and exchange POWs.
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“I love doing it. I shouldn’t say it’s a hobby, because it’s so much more serious than a hobby — but it’s something that I’m good at and it’s something I love to do,” <a href="https://x.com/clashreport/status/1982325118300004784">said</a> Trump.
Meeting Xi: This trip will be defined by Trump’s sit-down with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The two will meet face-to-face on Thursday for the first time since 2019. Ahead of that high-stakes showdown, Trump expressed optimism regarding a “comprehensive deal” that could end the tit-for-tat trade war that’s lasted all year and resulted in unprecedented tariff rates exceeding 100%.
Ahead of that sit-down, officials from both sides have been meeting virtually non-stop this week to hammer out the framework for a potential deal. Beijing says a “basic consensus” has been reached and that the two sides “engaged in candid, in-depth, and constructive exchanges.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump’s Moves Against Drug Trade In South America</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-991433" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Carriers-To-The-Caribbean-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Carriers-To-The-Caribbean-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Carriers-To-The-Caribbean-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Carriers-To-The-Caribbean-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Carriers-To-The-Caribbean-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Carriers-To-The-Caribbean.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: President Trump ordered the most advanced U.S. aircraft carrier group to the Caribbean last week as he floated the possibility of strikes against drug cartels on land. And the Trump administration placed sanctions on the president of Colombia as tensions continue to rise with the erstwhile U.S. ally.
Venezuela: President Trump moved the USS Gerald R Ford carrier group to join the forces already stationed in the Caribbean. The Ford carrier group is the largest in the U.S. military, so this is an aggressive signal from the president that he isn’t satisfied with a few drug boats blown up here and there.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham appeared on CBS’ &#8220;Face The Nation&#8221; on Sunday and said he had spoken to President Trump about potential land strikes in South America.
“I think that’s a real possibility,” <a href="https://x.com/FaceTheNation/status/1982479665525613037">said</a> Graham. “I think President Trump has made a decision that Maduro, the leader of Venezuela, is an indicted drug trafficker, that it’s time for him to go, that Venezuela and Colombia have been safe havens for narco-terrorists for too long.”
Venezuelan Dictator Nicolas Maduro said last week that there are 5,000 Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles stationed around the country to defend the airspace. He also said that “millions of men and women with rifles would march across the country” if the United States were to attack on Venezuelan soil.
Colombia: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his family on Friday. Bessent said in a statement that Petro “has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity.”
Colombian officials have pushed back, pointing to continued interdiction of cocaine &#8212; but the country’s coca fields have grown continuously since Petro took power in 2022. Trump’s moves against Colombia have received support from Republicans representing sizable communities of Colombian Americans.
“Colombia is once again the number one producer of coke in the world. Colombians don&#8217;t deserve that,” <a href="https://x.com/RepMariaSalazar/status/1982503947744243931">said</a> Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar. “President Trump has a responsibility to stop drugs coming into this country.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">E.J. Antoni On Inflation and Trump’s Trade Deals</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-991435" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Growth-Without-Gimmicks-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Growth-Without-Gimmicks-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Growth-Without-Gimmicks-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Growth-Without-Gimmicks-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Growth-Without-Gimmicks-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Growth-Without-Gimmicks.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: The latest economic report shows inflation slightly cooler than experts predicted at 0.3% rather than the predicted 0.4%. The White House is touting the numbers as yet more proof that Trump’s economic plan is working.
Morning Wire spoke with economist E.J. Antoni of the Heritage Foundation. (The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.)
Morning Wire: First, big picture – we&#8217;re nine months into Trump&#8217;s second term. How is the economy doing?
Antoni: I&#8217;d say the best way to describe it is that it&#8217;s in the midst of a transition, right? For basically the last two years of the Biden administration, you had a labor market that was being propped up in a lot of ways by government hiring. That&#8217;s gone away. In fact, it&#8217;s been replaced with government firings. And the result of that is a drag on the overall jobs numbers, right? In the same way, when you look at something like the way we measure the economy through gross domestic product or GDP, you had government purchases which were accounting for a very large percentage of that. That&#8217;s all gone away. In fact, it&#8217;s been replaced by a reduction in those government purchases, which is a drag on the headline number. What I&#8217;m trying to get at here is, as the government re-privatizes, as the Treasury Secretary says, you will see what looks like sluggish growth – which I think we&#8217;re in right now – but in reality is actually a returning to health. It&#8217;s almost like the chemotherapy that makes you feel really lousy, but gets rid of your cancer.
Morning Wire: The inflation numbers were a little bit cooler than projected. How do you feel about the state of inflation right now?
Antoni: Pretty good, especially since the number one driver of inflation in that CPI report for the month of September was gasoline prices going up so much, except that increase has completely reversed in the first three weeks of October. Now, prices are actually slightly lower than they were in most markets. We should expect the next CPI report – if we can even get it, it&#8217;s unclear because the government shut down – but if we could get it, we would expect even cooler CPI numbers.
Morning Wire: Treasury data show the tariff collection has really surged in recent months. What is the net effect of Trump&#8217;s tariff plan thus far in the economy? Are they working as advertised?
Antoni: Well, I guess it depends on how we want to say as advertised, right? … But here are the facts. They&#8217;re bringing in way more revenue than anticipated to the Treasury. We can certainly have a debate over who is paying for those tariffs. But, the fact is they&#8217;re bringing in billions of dollars in revenue, in fact, hundreds of billions of dollars when you annualize it. That&#8217;s one of the reasons why September had the biggest surplus ever for the month of September in terms of the Treasury monthly statement. It was because not only have we seen a reduction in overall government spending, but an increase in revenues, overall revenues of course, because the economy&#8217;s growing, but also specifically from customs duties, which are from the increase in tariffs.
Morning Wire: Is the reshoring effect — like Stellantis moving some production to the U.S. — is that a real trend or just a few isolated incidents?
Antoni: It’s certainly a real trend, but it is being blunted to a certain extent right now. You are seeing help to the manufacturing sector, and that some of it is being re-shored. But you&#8217;re also seeing, at least in the short term, some pain inflicted on manufacturing because, again, some of the things being tariffed are actually inputs. You&#8217;re making it more expensive, let&#8217;s say, for a car manufacturer to buy steel from abroad for the time being. Now, once that steel gets re-shored back to the United States and you can buy it domestically, then it&#8217;s a moot point, right? But at least for the time being, you&#8217;re having competing effects there where one is helping, the other is hurting.
Morning Wire: Final question, we&#8217;re about to wrap up the year with a couple months left here. What do you project to happen big-picture with the economy over the next few months?
Antoni: I think we&#8217;re going to continue to see some of these very positive trends with economic growth where, although the public sector, the government is shrinking, we&#8217;re going to continue to see growth in the productive private sector. And in particular, one of the reasons why I&#8217;m so optimistic here is that the growth we have seen thus far this year, which I think will continue, has been driven by increases in earnings, not simply increases in debt. … Their money is going further because earnings growth is outpacing inflation. That&#8217;s a very positive development.

MRN-251027-Thumb-V1

Morning Brief: Trump’s Asia Blitz & Military Build-Up In The Caribbean

Cambodia

China

Inflation

Lindsey Graham

Morning Wire

Tariffs

Thailand

Xi Jinping

President Donald Trump may order land strikes on Venezuela and other parts of South America in pursuit of drug cartels without congressional authority, according to South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Graham appeared on CBS’ “Face The Nation” on Sunday and defended Trump’s suggestion last week that land strikes may be the next step after the U.S. military blew up 10 drug boats and submarines in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.
“I think that&#8217;s a real possibility,” said Graham on the potential for U.S. strikes on land in South America. “I think President Trump has made a decision that Maduro, the leader of Venezuela, is an indicted drug trafficker, that it&#8217;s time for him to go, that Venezuela and Colombia have been safe havens for narco-terrorists for too long.”
“I support that idea, but I think he has all the authority he needs,” Graham added after noting that Trump is expected to brief Congress on possible military operations in and around South America when he returns from a trip to Asia later this week.
The South Carolina senator cited operations ordered by former presidents George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan. The missions, which took place in Panama and Grenada, are precedents that should set the legal foundation for any land strikes against drug cartels ordered unilaterally by Trump.
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“When President Bush 41 took Ortega out in Panama, Reagan went into Grenada to deal with the Cuban influence from Grenada in our backyard – [Trump] has all the authority in the world,” said Graham. “This is not murder. This is protecting America from being poisoned by narco-terrorists coming from Venezuela and Colombia.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
U.S. land strikes on Venezuela are “a real possibility,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) says, telling <a href="https://twitter.com/margbrennan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@margbrennan</a> President Trump plans to brief Congress about potentially expanding the U.S. military operations “from the sea to the land.”
“I support that idea. But I think he has… <a href="https://t.co/q7iBG7D0H7">pic.twitter.com/q7iBG7D0H7</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1982479665525613037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
Graham’s comments come days after the administration announced the U.S.S. Gerald Ford aircraft carrier group would move to the Caribbean. The Ford is the newest and most technologically advanced carrier in the U.S. fleet, signaling the seriousness with which the White House is approaching its fight against drug cartels and terror networks that are flooding the United States with dangerous and illicit drugs.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the Ford’s latest assignment in a <a href="https://x.com/SeanParnellASW/status/1981759934539985132">post</a> on X.
The aircraft carrier group “will bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere,” said Parnell in a statement.

USS Gerald R. Ford

Lindsey Graham Says Trump ‘Has All The Authority He Needs’ To Strike Venezuela

Nicolas Maduro

United States

The FBI unveils a massive, mafia-tied gambling scheme involving big names in the NBA, the United States strikes another drug boat bringing “poison to our shores,” and sparks fly at the final debate for New York City mayor — but will it sway the race?
It’s Friday, October 24, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="NBA Scandal Unveiled &amp; Another Drug Boat Dusted" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kAUUH2tmqTM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
If you would rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">NBA Gambling Ring</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-990669" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Basketball-Betting-Bust-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Basketball-Betting-Bust-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Basketball-Betting-Bust-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Basketball-Betting-Bust-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Basketball-Betting-Bust-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Basketball-Betting-Bust.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: A sprawling NBA gambling scandal was announced on Thursday, resulting in dozens of arrests, including former and current NBA players, coaches, and members of the Italian mafia.
The alleged scheme involved more than 30 people arrested, including Miami Heat point guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, a former player in the Hall of Fame. 
Charges from the investigation included wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, robbery, and illegal gambling. 
“The FBI led a coordinative take down across 11 states to arrest over 30 individuals today responsible for this case, which is very much ongoing,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a press conference. “We also entered and executed a system of justice against Laca Nora to include the Bonanno Gambino Genevese and Luccese crime families.”
First indictment: The case involves two separate indictments. The first relates to an insider betting scheme. Defendants charged in this scheme allegedly received non-public information, such as when players would be sitting out for injuries or planned absences, and used that to profit from gambling bets. 
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“One example occurred on March 23, 2023, in Charlotte, Terry Rozier, an NBA player now with the Miami Heat, but at the time playing for the Hornets, allegedly let others close to him know that he planned to leave the game early with a supposed injury,” said NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “Using that information, members of the group placed more than $200,000 in wagers on his under statistics.&#8221;
Rozier exited the game after just nine minutes. The bets paid out tens of thousands of dollars in profit.
Second indictment: The second indictment relates to mafia-backed fixed poker games, where more than $7 million was cheated. This included new technology, such as an X-ray table that could read cards face down. Current or former NBA players like Billups were used to draw people into rigged games.
“The defendants in this case orchestrated a scheme to use wireless cheating technology to run rigged poker games across the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella. “What the victims, the fish, didn&#8217;t know is that everybody else at the poker game, from the dealer to the players, including the face cards, were in on the scam. Once the game was underway, the defendants fleece the victims out of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars per game.”
The poker games played in the New York area were backed by at least four of the five mafia families there.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Drug Boat Strikes And Russia Sanctions</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-990667" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Drug-Boat-Dusted-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Drug-Boat-Dusted-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Drug-Boat-Dusted-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Drug-Boat-Dusted-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Drug-Boat-Dusted-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Drug-Boat-Dusted.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The U.S. military carried out its ninth strike against what it said was a drug boat from a known terrorist entity heading toward the United States. Meanwhile, President Trump has imposed new sanctions on Russia for the first time since he returned to the Oval Office.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday that the military carried out its eighth and ninth strikes against drug boats. These strikes took place in the Pacific Ocean, a first. Up until now, the strikes have been targeted in the Caribbean, which is a known smuggling corridor for narcotraffickers in Venezuela and Colombia.
Latin American resistance: The Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, called to potentially “get rid” of Trump over his campaign of pressure. Trump has accused Petro of playing a role in the drug trade and has pulled U.S. funding to Colombia.
On Thursday, Trump responded to the Colombian president’s threats, saying that the Latin American leader is a “thug and bad guy” who should “watch it.”
For now, the strikes will continue, Hegseth says.
Sanctions on Russia: The Treasury Department has now announced new sanctions on Russia for the first time in Trump’s second term. The sanctions target Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil, as well as dozens of their subsidiaries.
The sanctions came alongside additional penalties from the European Union, as well as more from the U.K., announced last week. President Trump’s new pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin was a welcome move in Washington and in Europe.
“You have to compel Russia to engage in the peace process,” <a href="https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1981329802754769164">said</a> House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). “They&#8217;ve shown they cannot be trusted. There&#8217;s a big appetite in Congress to have sanctions like this, and I think it&#8217;s a very important step.”
More important than the sanctions themselves is the message they convey. In its announcement of the sanctions package, the Treasury also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-sanctioning-russian-energy-heres-what-to-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threatened</a> secondary sanctions against any entity that does business with Rosneft and Lukoil.
Trump on San Francisco: Trump has reversed course on sending National Guard troops to San Francisco. He said in a Truth Social <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115424560133045127">post</a> on Thursday that “friends of mine who live in the area called last night to ask me not to go forward with the surge in that the Mayor, Daniel Lurie, was making substantial progress.” He said he spoke to Lurie, a moderate Democrat who took office in January, and decided to give him a chance to turn the city around – which means Trump could change his mind in the future if he doesn’t like what he sees in San Francisco.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Mamdani Cracks In Second NYC Debate</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-990665" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mamdani-Melts-Onstage-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mamdani-Melts-Onstage-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mamdani-Melts-Onstage-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mamdani-Melts-Onstage-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mamdani-Melts-Onstage-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Mamdani-Melts-Onstage.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The frontrunner in New York’s mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani, faced a barrage of criticism in the final televised debate on Wednesday, raising questions about whether his performance managed to shake his lead or reinforce doubts about his readiness for the job.
The atmosphere of the race was definitely charged—not just because of the policies on the table, but also because of the direct, unrelenting pressure former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo put on Mamdani.
Polls show that while Mamdani is far and away the favorite to win, some also show he would be in a dead heat with Cuomo if Republican Curtis Sliwa were to drop out of the race.
Many media outlets and analysts said Mamdani looked uncomfortable and hesitant. He also appeared severely rushed. Some of his responses felt like watching a video at double speed.
However, some left-leaning outlets, such as Politico, said Mamdani won. The New York Times said Cuomo hurt him, but probably not enough. But the viral clips from the debate have received brutal responses, painting Mamdani as an unprepared left-wing extremist.
The debate: One of the most damaging moments circulating on social media came when Cuomo directly confronted Mamdani on his inexperience. 
“You have never had a job. You&#8217;ve never accomplished anything. There&#8217;s no reason to believe you have any merit or qualification for eight and a half million lives. You don&#8217;t know how to run a government, you don&#8217;t know how to handle an emergency, and you&#8217;ve literally never proposed a bill on anything that you&#8217;re not talking about,” Cuomo <a href="https://x.com/EYakoby/status/1981146015714726293">ripped</a> into Mamdani.
“In your campaign, you had the worst attendance record in the assembly, and you gave yourselves the highest raise in the United States of America. You went from $110,000 to $140,000, and then you never showed up for work, and you missed 80% of the votes. Shame on you,” he continued.
Cuomo also pinned Mamdani down on the rent freeze policy, labeling it as political blather.
“Zohran is a great actor. He missed his calling. Freeze rent sounds great, yeah, it affects about 25% of the number of housing units in the city of New York. It&#8217;s not a new idea. Bill de Blasio did it. It turned out to be a debacle,” Cuomo <a href="https://x.com/nypost/status/1981152739963945271">said</a>.
Often, Mamdani didn’t help himself. For example, when he suggested that when 911 receives a call, dispatchers should decide whether it’s appropriate to send police, or maybe send mental healthcare providers instead.
“Yet what we have in our city is asking those same police officers who are being asked to respond to shootings, respond to murders, to also respond to these calls. I trust the dispatchers who would be receiving these calls to make the determination as to whether there was any indication of violence. If there is no indication of a threat of violence, then we would set the mental health experts and providers to respond to those same incidents,” <a href="https://x.com/EYakoby/status/1981149365818585538">said</a> Mamdani.
How bad was it?: Polling data is still being analyzed, so it’s really too early to tell. But it’s interesting to note that there are reports that Chinese-owned TikTok appears to be pulling out all the stops for Mamdani now, maybe trying to head off any leaks of support.
The New York Post reported that TikTok’s algorithm has been boosting pro-Mamdani content while suppressing pro-Cuomo clips.

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