By BEN FINLEY, KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and REGINA GARCIA CANO, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has dispatched a fleet of American warships into the waters off Venezuela, bragged about fatal strikes on alleged drug boats and claimed Venezuela will pay an “incalculable” price if it won’t accept more people deported from the U.S.
The unusual naval buildup off South America has stoked fears of invasion in Venezuela and speculation that Trump could try to topple its authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, who has lost support in his own country and faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S.
At the same time, experts say the flotilla isn’t big enough for a land offensive against a country twice the size of California. It all raises questions about U.S. inten