Venezuela Escalation, Shutdown Layoffs Paused, Military Pay
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What actions has President Trump taken regarding Venezuela's drug trade?
President Trump talks of striking Venezuela over the drug trade. We've almost totally stopped it by sea. Now we'll stop it by land.
That was as he said he authorized covert CIA operations in the country. So is it about drugs or regime change?
I'm Steve Inskeep with Leila Fadal, and this is Up First from NPR News. The president started mass layoffs during the government shutdown. Now a federal judge has stopped him, at least temporarily. Did the president overstep his authority?
And troops got their paychecks this week after the White House got involved.
What are the implications of Trump's covert CIA operations in Venezuela?
Seeing that come through was a big relief. As a family, we have four kids. It's a concern for us, and so it was kind of nerve-wracking.
But many military families are still struggling amidst the government shutdown. We'll tell you why. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
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President Trump says he authorized a covert CIA operation inside Venezuela.
The president was answering a question about a New York Times report of that operation. Trump portrayed it as part of a pressure campaign against the Venezuelan drug trade.
We've almost totally stopped it by sea. Now we'll stop it by land.
On Tuesday, the U.S. military struck a fifth boat, which the administration said was carrying drugs.
Why did a federal judge pause the Trump administration's shutdown layoffs?
The U.S. has built up forces in the Caribbean— In a way that prompts questions about whether the operation involves something larger, regime change.
NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordonez joins us to talk about this. Good morning.
Good morning, Lynn.
Okay, so Franco, we've seen these strikes on boats, which legal experts have called a flagrant violation of international and domestic law. The Trump administration disputes that. And now we're hearing this threat of land attacks. What more can you tell us about that?
What legal arguments are being made against the government shutdown layoffs?
Yeah, the administration has been talking about the boat strikes for weeks, but yesterday Trump actually took it a step further. When he was asked about the reports on the CIA, Trump appeared to say that he had authorized the spy agency to take action inside Venezuela.
I authorized for two reasons, really. Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America.
Now, the administration hasn't provided any evidence that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is sending prisoners to the U.S. And the second reason was the amount of drugs entering the U.S. via Venezuela. And I'll just emphasize that we don't know more details about this operation inside of Venezuela.
Okay, so tell us more about this military buildup, because it's led to a lot of questions about whether Trump is on a dangerous path to a bigger military conflict.
Right.
How are military families affected by the government shutdown?
I mean, we're talking about a lot of military hardware, including destroyers and thousands of sailors and Marines just off the coast of Venezuela. Benjamin Gaddan, who led the Venezuela portfolio at the Obama White House, told me that he doesn't think, quote, anyone plausibly believes this is merely a counter-narcotics operation.
It's such overkill in this naval deployment that there could be no justification if all the United States is trying to do is to attack a couple of small boats and intimidate drug traffickers. It's either a bluff meant to scare the pants off the Venezuelan generals or actual preparations for some sort of war with Venezuela.
Now, the White House is defending its actions, saying Trump campaigned on a promise to take on the cartels and that he'll do whatever it's necessary to stop the flow of dangerous drugs coming into the U.S.
I mean, Franco, it seems really contradictory because you have this president who portrays himself as a president of peace and is pledging peace in one part of the world and then threatening military escalation in another.
Yeah, I mean, it's really quite the pivot, especially for a president who sometimes is characterized as an isolationist and is definitely inward looking.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What actions has President Trump taken regarding Venezuela's drug trade?
0:02–0:35
2
What are the implications of Trump's covert CIA operations in Venezuela?
0:35–1:40
3
Why did a federal judge pause the Trump administration's shutdown layoffs?
1:40–2:06
4
What legal arguments are being made against the government shutdown layoffs?
2:06–2:57
5
How are military families affected by the government shutdown?
2:57–4:26
6
What measures were taken to ensure military pay during the shutdown?
4:26–5:34
7
How does the military pay situation impact military spouses?
5:34–7:35
8
What are the broader consequences of the shutdown on federal workers?
7:35–13:18
Speakers
8 identifiedMore from Up First from NPR
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