According to an exclusive report from Aviation Week, the U.S. Army has directed its fleet of experimental high-altitude, business jet–based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft—including the Airborne Reconnaissance Targeting Exploitation Mission Intelligence System (ARTEMIS), the Airborne Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare System (ARES), and the Army Theater-Level High-Altitude Expeditionary Next Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ATHENA)—to redeploy to the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Area of Responsibility. Built into heavily modified Bombardier Global 6500 jets, the aircraft will be withdrawn from current missions in Europe and the Indo-Pacific to support the Trump Administration’s intensifying campaign against drug cartels across Latin America and the Maduro regime in Venezuela.

Under pressure from the Trump Administration and as part of efforts to recover the remains of the thirteen hostages still believed to be in the Gaza Strip, an Egyptian search-and-recovery team entered Gaza through the Rafah Border Crossing early Saturday. Equipped with heavy machinery and vehicles, the team will work with local groups to locate the roughly dozen hostages thought to be buried beneath rubble in southern and central Gaza.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced that the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and its Carrier Strike Group — including the Arleigh Burke–class guided-missile destroyers USS Mahan (DDG-72), USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81), and USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) — have been redirected from the Mediterranean to the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of responsibility near Venezuela. The Ford will join the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and other U.S. air and naval assets already positioned in the southern Caribbean and around Puerto Rico. If there were any doubt that the Trump Administration is preparing a much broader operation involving Venezuela and the wider Latin American region, this move removes it. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group had only recently entered the Mediterranean, and its redeployment across the Atlantic suggests a major strategic shift — one that likely involves far more than targeting small cartel smuggling boats.

The Pentagon has confirmed plans to allocate a $130 million donation — reportedly from an “anonymous friend” of President Donald J. Trump — to cover pay for U.S. military servicemembers during the ongoing government shutdown, according to CNN. The move is likely illegal and raises serious concerns about whether private citizens can fund areas of government for which Congress has not appropriated money. When asked about the donor’s identity and any potential ties to foreign entities or interests, the White House press secretary directed inquiries to the Pentagon and the Treasury Department. The Pentagon, in turn, referred reporters back to the White House, characterizing the contribution only as an “anonymous donation” and declining to say whether Congress would be briefed on its details.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced today a new round of sanctions targeting Colombian President Gustavo Petro, along with several of his close associates — including his wife, son, and a longtime confidant. The sanctions allege that under Petro’s leadership, cocaine production in Colombia has surged to its highest levels in decades, flooding the U.S. market and endangering American lives. Today’s move follows weeks of sharp criticism from President Petro directed at the Trump Administration and its ongoing campaign of airstrikes against suspected narco-terrorist vessels operating in the Caribbean Sea.

U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) released footage earlier today—set to the sound of what appears to be a “ticking clock”—showing recent exercises conducted over the past few weeks by Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22nd MEU) and Sailors from the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), currently deployed in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela.

During a roundtable at the White House focused on cartel activity, President Donald J. Trump appeared to deny reports that two U.S. Air Force B-1B “Lancer” long-range bombers conducted a flight near Venezuela earlier in the day — despite their paths being clearly visible on Flightradar24, including moments when they came within 50 miles of the Venezuelan coast. When asked about the flight, Trump responded, “No, that’s not accurate. No, it’s false — but we’re not happy with Venezuela for a lot of reasons.”

Speaking earlier at the White House about recent U.S. military strikes on cartel-operated drug boats off Venezuela, President Donald J. Trump said, “The land is going to be next,” suggesting that future operations could include strikes on land-based targets inside Venezuela.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Office: The recent Knesset vote on annexation was a deliberate political maneuver by the opposition aimed at creating division during Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit to Israel. Both bills were introduced by opposition members of the Knesset. The Likud party and its religious coalition partners did not support the legislation — with the sole exception of one disgruntled Likud member who was recently dismissed from a committee chairmanship. Without backing from Likud, these bills have no realistic chance of advancing.

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban: "you have been able... to keep Hungary, our country, as the only migrant-free country in Europe... you have been able to defy the entire snake nest in Brussels... you have been able to protect your families and drive the LGBTQ activists from your schools."

I don’t think we can say with certainty that he was murdered, but claiming that the official version — “suicide, with no outside interference” — is flawless doesn’t seem reasonable either. There are many obscure points that have never been satisfactorily addressed, and it’s legitimate to raise doubts. To me, this case seems to mix real failures within the prison system and the investigation with possible intentional omissions or at least bias. The “official version” needs to respond convincingly to the recent discrepancies — and so far, it hasn’t done so in a fully convincing way for many outside analysts.

Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich: “My remarks about Saudi Arabia were certainly ill-chosen, and I regret any offense they caused. At the same time, I expect Saudi Arabia not to act against us or deny the heritage, traditions, and historic rights of the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland — in Judea and Samaria — and to work toward establishing a genuine peace with us.”

This morning, the Israeli Air Force launched a series of airstrikes against Hezbollah military targets in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, Eastern and Northern regions, citing violations of last year’s ceasefire. The strikes hit a Hezbollah compound used for training and live-fire exercises, a precision missile production facility, and other “terrorist infrastructure” in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate.