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The U.S. is making its biggest show of force in the Caribbean in a generation as American pressure on Venezuela escalates again.
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The U.S. is now making its biggest show of force in the Caribbean in a generation
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And late last night, the pressure on Venezuela's regime escalated again. The Navy says the USS Gerald Ford, the most advanced aircraft carrier in the fleet
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crossed into the Caribbean Sea on Sunday. The Trump administration calls it a counter-drug mission
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but experts say it's a direct warning to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
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And just hours later, the U.S. turned up the heat even more
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the U.S. will designate Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization
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He says the cartel, allegedly led by Maduro and top figures in his regime
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is responsible for terrorist violence across the hemisphere and massive drug trafficking in the United States
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The designation takes effect November 24th. Last night President Trump added a new twist saying the U may be having talks with Maduro claiming the Venezuelan leader appears to want to engage We may be discussing we may be having some discussions with Maduro and we see how that turns out
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They would like, they would like to talk. The U.S. has already carried out strikes on at least 22 vessels in the region over the last two months
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The latest strike happened this weekend. A drone hitting a boat in the eastern Pacific, killing three men on board
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So far, the administration has not released any evidence that those killed were narco-terrorists
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And some key allies, including the UK and Colombia, have stopped sharing intelligence over legal concerns about the U.S. operations
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The USS Gerald Ford, along with fighter jets and guided missile destroyers
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are now part of what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is calling Operation Southern Spear
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Commanders say it's designed to protect the U.S. from narco-terrorism. Southern Command says the Ford Strike Group, 4,000 sailors, dozens of fighter jets and three warships is now joining a growing U.S. naval force already positioned off Venezuela
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