Category World News

In the midst of a significant US military expansion in the area, US President Donald Trump has stated that he is not considering conducting strikes in Venezuela. This appears to contradict his own statements from earlier this month.

The US is currently sending its largest warship, the USS Gerald R Ford, to Venezuelan coast along with fighter jets, warships, and thousands of soldiers there.

Trump responded, “No,” when reporters on Air Force One on Friday asked if the media had any knowledge that he was considering engaging in strikes in Venezuela.

In response to a statement in the Miami Herald that claimed Washington’s forces were on the verge of hitting Venezuela, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered the same message.

Rubio claimed in a post on X that “your’ sources, who claiming to have knowledge of the situation, manipulated you into writing a fake story.”

Trump’s quick response on Friday appeared to contrast with remarks he made earlier this month about Venezuela on at least twice.

The US president said last week that he would not “necessarily request a declaration of war” and would instead declare, “I think we’re just going to kill people who are bringing drugs into our country.” OK? We’re going to murder them.

He continued, “Now they]drugs are coming in by land… you know, the land will be the next.”

At least 62 people have died and 14 boats and a semi-submersible have been destroyed as a result of the US military’s string of strikes on ships in the Caribbean and eastern the Pacific since early September.

The Trump administration has stated that the attacks are aimed at alleged drug trafficking, but it has not yet provided any proof to the public to back up its claims.

In a statement released on Friday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk referred to the attacks as “unacceptable” and “and their mounting human cost.”

Whatever the criminal conduct alleged against them, Turk urged the US to stop these attacks and take all necessary steps to stop extrajudicial killings of those aboard these ships.

Meanwhile, a new YouGov poll found that less Americans voted for the US Navy’s presence in Venezuela than it did in September.

Only 30% of respondents to the most recent poll said they were completely or partially supportive of the naval deployment, while 37% said they were not.

In contrast, 36% of people in September were approve, compared to 38% who were not.

Nicolas Maduro, president of Venezuela, has accused the US of “fabricating a new eternal war” against him in response to the US escalation.

He has also refuted US allegations of drug use.

According to him, “Venezuela is a country that does not produce cocaine leaves,” according to experts who claim US citizens smuggle drugs into the country through the Mexican land border.

Military is on alert in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago, which is close to Venezuela and has hosted a US warship, raised the alarm of its military on Friday and recalled all personnel to their bases in response to Trump and Rubio’s comments.

According to the AFP news agency, Trinidadian forces are being placed on “STATE ONE ALERT LEVEL,” according to a message the army sent. According to police, “all leave is prohibited” until further notice.

Additionally, soldiers’ orders to report to duty were confirmed by the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian newspaper.

Venezuela suspended a significant gas deal with Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday, citing Trinidad and Tobago’s acceptance of the USS Gravely US warship.

Trinidad and Tobago claims that the warship is used for regular, planned joint military exercises with the US.

US senators are looking for answers to “anti-drug” strategy questions.

The Republican and Democratic-controlled branches of the US Senate Armed Services Committee have said that there haven’t been any responses to their inquiries into the legal justification for the US’s attacks on Caribbean vessels.

Republican Senators Roger Wicker and Democrat Jack Reed both released a statement on Friday, along with two letters requesting more details about the strikes, both of which were dated September 23 and October 6, both of which were addressed to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Donald Trump, president of the United States, has urged the Senate to end the government shutdown and reopen it as a result of the ongoing debate over the issue.

Republican leaders, who have long opposed such a move, swiftly rejected that idea on Friday.

The Senate rule calls for 60 votes to be overcome objections, and the filibuster makes reference to it. The Senate’s minority Democrats are currently in a position to limit the Republican Party’s influence.

Democrats have had enough votes to keep the government shut while reserving access to healthcare subsidies in the currently polarized chamber, which is currently split by 53 to 47. No party has yet to have a serious desire to end the rule.

In a late-night social media post on Thursday, Trump declared, “THE CHOICE IS CLEAR – INITIATE THE “NUCLEAR OPTION, GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER.”

The Senate will be frightened by Trump’s sudden decision to assert himself in the now 31-day shutdown and his highly polarizing call for the end of the filibuster. It might encourage senators to reach a compromise or cause the chamber to experience a new crisis. Or it might be disregarded.

Few Republican leaders have dared to publicly criticize Trump, who they say is at odds with him.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has stated on numerous occasions that he is not thinking about changing the rules to end the shutdown, arguing that it is essential for the Senate’s foundation and has allowed Republicans to veto Democratic initiatives when they are in the minority.

The leader’s “position on the significance of the legislative filibuster remains unchanged,” according to Thune spokesman Ryan Wrasse on Friday.

The Republican senator from Wyoming, John Barrasso, the second-most popular, said his position on a filibuster has not changed.

In addition, Mitch McConnell, a former Republican leader, is still in the Senate. He vehemently opposed Trump’s filibuster pleas in his first term.

House Speaker Mike Johnson also defended the filibuster on Friday, saying from his chamber across the Capitol, “it’s not my call.”

Johnson continued, “The filibuster has always been the safeguard in the Senate,” adding that Trump’s remarks reflect “the president’s anger at the situation.”

In the divided Senate, Thune would not currently have the votes necessary to change the filibuster.

Republican Senator John Curtis of Utah responded to Trump’s comments on Friday morning by saying, “The filibuster forces us to find common ground in the Senate.” Principles shouldn’t change, but power does. I’m not interested in reducing it.

Years of debate have surrounded the legislative filibuster. When they were in control of Washington, many Democrats pushed for its abolition, just as the Republicans do now, four years later.

However, enough Democratic senators ultimately opposed the motion, predicting that it would come back to haunt them.

Trump’s demands come as he has turned down negotiations with Democratic leaders to put an end to the longest shutdown in human history.

He claimed in his post that he gave his choice a “great deal” of thought on the trip back home from Asia, and that one question remained unanswered: Why do the Democrats continue to allow the Democrats to stifle some aspects of the government.

He returned to his Mar-a-Lago home later that day and did not mention the filibuster as he spoke to reporters from Washington and arriving in Florida for the weekend.

Trump has not been actively involved in any serious discussions, despite bipartisan senators’ ongoing quiet discussions.

Democrats won’t support reopening the government until Republicans agree to extend the healthcare subsidies. The Republicans claim they won’t engage in negotiations until the government is reopened.

Trump needs to start negotiating with Democrats, according to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who claims the president has spent more time with international leaders than with the government shutdown in the United States.

The dysfunction of the shuttered federal government is causing a wave of concern from coast to coast. The SNAP food aid program is scheduled to stop. There are delays in flights. Without a paycheck, the workers are leaving.

And Americans are first to realize how much healthcare costs are rising in the current impasse.

Based on flimsy claims that Christians in the nation are being “slaughtered” by Muslims, United States President Donald Trump has announced that Nigeria will be placed on a watchlist for religious freedom.

Trump stated in a social media post on Friday that the African country would be listed among the “Countries of Particular Concern” on the Department of State’s list.

According to Trump, “Christianity is in danger of dying in Nigeria.” “There are countless Christians killed,” he said. This large-scale slaughter was carried out by radical Islamists. I designate Nigeria as the “COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN.”

In the past, the Nigerian government has refuted these claims. However, critics warn that naming Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” might lead to a rise in sanctions.

Trump also appears to have skipped the customary course of action in these matters.

In order to monitor and advocate for the end of religious persecution, the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act established the category of “country of particular concern.”

However, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, a bipartisan body established by Congress, and State Department experts, typically give that label.

Trump stated in a Friday post that he had asked the House Appropriations Committee, two congressmen, Riley Moore, and Tom Cole to “immediately look into this matter.” Both candidates are Republicans.

Trump’s claims appear to refute the language of right-wing lawmakers, which characterizes violent and contentious disputes in Nigeria as the result of violent attacks by radical Islamists on Christians.

However, experts claim that the framing is largely inaccurate, arguing that national strife cannot simply be explained by differences in religion.

Nigeria has a largely Christian north and a majority of its residents are Muslims. Boko Haram, a group that has caused unrest and displacement for more than a decade, has been conducting violent attacks against the nation.

Conflicts over resources, such as water, have also heightened tensions and occasionally caused violent clashes between predominantly Muslim shepherds and predominantly Christian farmers. However, Nigeria has refuted the claim that religious affiliation is the primary cause of these conflicts.

Representative Moore continued to express his thoughts on Friday’s announcement in a statement.

According to Moore, “I have been calling for this designation since my first floor speech in April, in which I highlighted the suffering of Christians in countries with Muslim majority.”

He added that he intended to “make sure Nigeria receives the international pressure, accountability, and attention it so desperately needs.”

Trump’s decision was also applauded by Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. In a press release, he stated, “I am deeply gratified to President Trump for making this determination.” “I have fought for years in Nigeria to stop Christians from being massacred and persecuted.”

Trump has attempted to bolster his support among the Christian right in the US since taking office for a second term in January.

He announced at a prayer breakfast in February that his administration would form a task force to combat anti-Christian bias in the federal government.

His administration later issued a memo allowing federal employees to conduct workplace evangelism in July.

Trump’s administration has recently been criticized for its approach to refugees, which includes those who are fleeing persecution or violence in their own countries, despite the alleged anti-Christian violence in Friday’s post.

Trump set the lowest-ever refugee admissions cap on Wednesday, limiting entry to just 7,500 for the entire fiscal year 2026.

He explained in a notice posted to the Federal Register’s website that the majority of those spots would be “primarily distributed among Afrikaners from South Africa” and “other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination.”

Critics pointed out that refugees are granted refuge from fear of systematic oppression rather than discrimination.

Trump has ratcheted up diplomatic ties with South Africa, falsely accusing white Afrikans of being the victims of a “genocide,” an assertion that is frequently supported by far-right figures.