'Drugs are the excuse': US deploys aircraft carrier off South America; fears rise over regime change in Venezuela

Amid growing concerns that Washington’s anti-drug campaign could evolve into a new "war on terror" — or a prelude to toppling Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — the US military on Friday deployed the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford to waters off South America. The Pentagon said the move aims to expand operations against drug traffickers and "illicit actors," even as the buildup in the Caribbean and near Venezuela deepens speculation about the Trump administration’s broader intentions in the region. US defense secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R Ford and its strike group to move under the US Southern Command to "bolster US capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States," Pentagon spok