Trump Suggests Ground Strikes on Venezuela Could Be Next
"Foreign war distracts from domestic attacks on democracy: Trump Administration Authorizes Covert C.I.A. Action in Venezuela
"Proof Trump's drug war against Venezuela is horseshit -
It is notable that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in its most comprehensive annual report on the subject, the 2023 World Drug Report, states that Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia are the main cocaine producers. The same report identifies Australia, New Zealand, U.S., and Spain as the largest cocaine consumers worldwide. Curiously, Venezuela is not mentioned in any of these reports, neither as a producer nor as a major consumer.
Washington’s escalating war on Venezuela: Narco-myths and imperial designs""
Published Oct. 15, 2025 Updated Oct. 16, 2025, 4:45 a.m. ET
Image - President Trump at a news conference in the Oval Office on Wednesday. Doug Mills/The New York Times
Where Things Stand
* Venezuela escalation: President Trump said he was considering expanding his military operations in the Caribbean to include ground strikes in Venezuela, which would be a significant escalation of the campaign that has so far targeted vessels at sea. The Trump administration has said, without evidence, that those strikes had hit boats transporting drugs for cartels. “We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” he said.
* Cities crackdown: Mr. Trump said in an appearance with Attorney General Pam Bondi and the F.B.I. director, Kash Patel, that the deployment of federal law enforcement officers and the National Guard to U.S. cities was “just at the start.” He said he wanted his administration to “start looking” at San Francisco, adding that federal officers would also “go into other cities that we’re not talking about purposely.”
* Layoff lawsuit: A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from conducting mass layoffs during the government shutdown, a victory for unions that challenged Mr. Trump’s plan to use the fiscal standoff to cut thousands of personnel. Read more ›
Oct. 16, 2025, 2:11 a.m. ETOct. 16, 2025
Laurel Rosenhall
Reporting from Sacramento
A military celebration sparks another Newsom-Trump feud.
An amphibious landing training last year at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Daniel Cole/Reuters
The U.S. Marine Corps said on Wednesday that its large military celebration planned this weekend at Camp Pendleton in Southern California would not close any public highway or transportation route, hours after Gov. Gavin Newsom of California raised fears of missiles soaring over Interstate 5.
The Marine Corps said in a statement that it would conduct “live-fire” activities, but that its event would take place at a beach west of the freeway. Earlier in the day, Mr. Newsom had raised alarms about the ceremony, and bemoaned what he described as the administration’s lack of planning with local authorities.
The episode was the latest example of how communications have broken down between Mr. Newsom and the Trump administration over all manner of activities, including the ceremony to honor the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps.
Camp Pendleton, near the city of Oceanside between San Diego and Los Angeles, is the Marine Corps’ largest training facility on the West Coast. It includes a portion of undeveloped coastline and sits close to Interstate 5, a heavily traveled corridor.
The White House previously announced that the Saturday event would feature “amphibious assault demonstrations” and that Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were scheduled to attend. But Mr. Newsom’s office said that three days before the celebration, California officials still had not received detailed information about the planned activities.
Mr. Newsom’s office raised alarms. His spokesman, Izzy Gardon, said that it had learned the military planned to use ordnance as part of the ceremony, possibly launching it from the sea, over Interstate 5 and onto some part of the base’s 125,000 acres.
Mr. Gardon said on Wednesday that the governor had begun coordinating with state transportation officials and the California Highway Patrol to potentially close the freeway as a public safety measure for parts of this weekend, a major shutdown of California’s primary north-south interstate.
“We are preparing for this potential scenario while we await clearer instruction from anyone in the federal government,” Mr. Gardon said.
Shortly before 10 p.m. Pacific time on Wednesday, the Marines issued a statement explaining what it had in store. They said they would host a “live-fire Amphibious Capabilities Demonstration” at Red Beach, which is west of the freeway. They also said the exercise would occur on “approved training ranges and comport with established safety protocols” without the need to close public roads.
“All air, surface and ground movements are scripted and rehearsed in accordance with standard operating procedures and established safety checklists,” the Marines said.
A related celebration is scheduled to take place afterward at Del Mar Beach, less than 10 miles south.
Mr. Gardon was not immediately available for comment after the Marines issued their statement.
The Camp Pendleton event with Mr. Vance and Mr. Hegseth, both of whom served in the military, is scheduled to fall on the same day that anti-Trump activists have planned a slew of “No Kings” protests around the country. In June, “No Kings” protests took place at the same time President Trump held a military parade in Washington.
The military event will be recorded by the White House Production Office to show in a national broadcast on Nov. 9.
Oct. 15, 2025, 11:21 p.m. ETOct. 15, 2025
Zolan Kanno-YoungsWhite House reporter
Trump hosts dinner for wealthy donors to White House ballroom project.
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