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Pentagon ramps up US military border presence to combat cartels

Over 12,000 U.S. military troops have been deployed in strategic areas across four states located near the U.S.-Mexico border to join the fight against Mexican drug cartels as part of an initiative being driven by the Pentagon.

Top Pentagon officials testified before lawmakers on the U.S. Armed Forces Committee that battling the cartels is now being treated as a mission to defend the homeland. As part of an effort being dubbed “Operation Southern Spear,” soldiers from the Southern Command are spread across six national defense areas in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.

With illegal border crossings at a historic low as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, the focus has shifted to cartel activity. Several transnational organizations have been linked to the flow of illicit drugs, including fentanyl, into the United States. Officials say that cartels are operating throughout the country.
Operation Southern Spear is a joint operation between the U.S. Southern Command and Joint Force Task Force Southern Spear, military officials said. It involves defending the homeland by conducting operations against narcoterrorist groups across the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility.

U.S. Navy officials said that the military operation will deploy unmanned air and surface vessels to provide coordinated maritime awareness while conducting counternarcotics operations.

The effort led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who have since been transported to the United States. Pentagon officials have testified to lawmakers that narcoterrorists represent the biggest security threat to the Western Hemisphere.

Some lawmakers say cartel activity along the border has intensified since the killing of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader and Mexican drug lord “El Mencho.”

Officials with the Southern Command said their mission now centers on disrupting cartel operations from the point of drug production in South America to the places near the U.S.-Mexico border where those narcotics are being distributed. Pentagon officials testified on Capitol Hill that suspected drug trafficking vessel traffic has dropped 30% in the Caribbean and 25% in the Eastern Pacific.

But Pentagon officials remain concerned about cartel activity in the United States. That includes drug trafficking being conducted by Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan transnational organization that Department of Homeland Security officials tell NewsNation is operating in 46 states.
DHS officials say that federal immigration agents and officials have arrested more than 7,800 gang members, including 1,232 who have been linked to Tren de Aragua. Another 1,271 arrests have been made linked to MS-13, another gang that has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration.

“This is one of the most vicious gangs on planet Earth,” DHS officials tell NewsNation. “They rape, maim and murder for sport.”

Earlier this month, Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, hosted the Shield of the Americas Summit in Florida, where officials hosted what they called the United States’ “strongest like-minded allies … to promote freedom, security and prosperity in the region.”

As part of its mission to combat cartels, the effort now includes an 18-nation countercartel coalition. U.S officials say that allies who are part of the partnership are seeking more assistance in fighting drug trafficking organizations in foreign countries.
“The only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our militaries,” President Donald Trump said at this month’s summit. “We have to use our military. You have to use your military.”

However, one issue that lawmakers on Capitol Hill are pressing for stems from Trump’s comments about taking Cuba, which Pentagon generals insist is involved with threats across the United States, including those coming out of Venezuela, the home base of Tren de Aragua.

“Cuba has been involved in pretty much every threat that the United States has faced from the Western Hemisphere, whether it’s intelligence, whether it’s aligning with criminal groups, whether it’s working with external state actors, the Cuban government has been intricately involved in a lot of these threats, and fundamentally, we’re involved inside Venezuela,” Pentagon officials testified.

Generals told lawmakers that they currently have flyaway kits deployed but won’t say where. The kits are meant to detect and defeat threats to department installations that are seeing incursions, and they’re already operating effectively, adding that they will get two more kits within the next month.

Read More : Cartels on the southern border: 12K U.S. troops assigned to battle drug organizations
Environmental groups, developer push back against Alabama’s proposed solar farm freeze

By John Sharp | jsharp@al.com

An effort to temporarily halt and regulate a controversial South Alabama solar farm is raising concerns that legislation moving through Montgomery could inadvertently slow the expansion of clean energy across the state.

Read More : Environmental groups, developer push back against Alabama’s proposed solar farm freeze - al.com
Trump Plays Hardball on Voter-ID Bill as Some in GOP Push Back

A key elections bill backed by President Donald Trump is setting up a high-stakes debate in Washington, while also exposing divisions within the Republican Party over both policy and strategy.

The Senate has begun considering the SAVE America Act, legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in person, mandate photo identification for voting, and significantly restrict mail-in ballots. The measure cleared an initial procedural vote this week, but its path forward remains uncertain.

President Trump is pressuring Republicans to support the bill, warning he would not endorse members of his party who vote against it. In a social media post, he said “only sick, demented, or deranged people” would oppose the legislation.

However, some Republican senators have raised concerns about the bill’s scope and its practical impact. Lisa Murkowski said the requirement to present citizenship documents in person could be especially difficult in rural states, writing that in Alaska it could mean “purchasing plane tickets and securing lodging… at a personal cost of hundreds to thousands of dollars.” Thom Tillis also questioned the need for the bill, saying, “I’m content with the safety and security of our elections” in his state.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has allowed debate to move forward but has cautioned that the bill will likely require Democratic support to clear the Senate’s 60-vote threshold. “Getting an outcome would require Democrat votes,” Thune said.

That reality has sparked a separate internal debate among Republicans over whether to try to force the issue through more aggressive tactics. Senator Mike Lee, the bill’s lead sponsor, is pushing for a so-called talking filibuster—essentially keeping the Senate floor open continuously in an effort to pressure Democrats to either allow a simple-majority vote or relent under political pressure. Lee has argued that Republicans should keep debate going until the bill passes, saying lawmakers who oppose that strategy may need to be “replaced.”

But Thune and other GOP leaders are skeptical that approach would work. A traditional talking filibuster would halt all other Senate business and require near-total unity within the Republican conference to sustain around-the-clock floor action. With a narrow 53–47 majority and several Republicans already opposed to parts of the bill, leadership doubts they could maintain the effort indefinitely while also overcoming procedural moves from Democrats.

Meanwhile, Democrats remain unified in opposition, arguing the bill could limit access to voting. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats are prepared for an extended debate, adding, “If MAGA Republicans want to bog down the Senate over a debate on voter suppression, Democrats are ready… as long as it takes.”

Mail-in voting has emerged as a major sticking point within the GOP as well. Several Republican senators from rural states have raised concerns about proposals to sharply limit or eliminate it, noting that large portions of their constituents rely on voting by mail.

For now, the legislation faces long odds. Unified Democratic opposition, the Senate’s 60-vote requirement, and divisions within the Republican Party are all likely to make passage difficult—despite strong backing from the president and his allies.