WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration is set to ramp up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday by designating the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization.
The designation is the latest measure in the Trump administration’s escalating campaign to combat drug trafficking into the U.S. The move planned Monday comes as Trump evaluates whether to take military action against Venezuela, which Trump has not ruled out despite bringing up the possibility of talks with Maduro. Land strikes or other actions would be a major expansion of the monthslong operation that has included a massive military buildup in the Caribbean Sea and striking boats accused of trafficking drugs, killing more than 80 people.
But the entity that the U.S. government alleges is led by Maduro is not a cartel per se. Venezuelans began using the term Cartel de los Soles in the 1990s to refer to high-ranking military officers who had grown rich from drug-running. As corruption later expanded nationwide, first under the late President Hugo Chávez and then under Maduro, its use loosely expanded to police and government officials as well as activities like illegal mining and fuel trafficking. The “suns” in the name refer to the epaulettes affixed to the uniforms of high-ranking military officers.
Here’s the latest:
Trump, Xi spoke on the phone Monday, US and Chinese officials say
Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed trade, Taiwan and Ukraine, according to the White House and Chinese officials.
Xi told Trump that Taiwan’s return to mainland China is “an important part of the post-war international order,” according to China’s official news agency Xinhua.
A White House official confirmed the call happened on Monday morning but offered no details.
The conversation came after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently said Japan’s military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island Beijing says must come under its rule.
Xi, in the phone call, said China and the U.S., which fought together during the war, should “jointly safeguard the victorious outcome of World War II.”
The two leaders also discussed trade, but the Chinese statement did not reveal any concrete agreements on matters such as purchases of American soybeans.
Top US military adviser visits Caribbean as Trump ramps up pressure on Venezuela
The nation’s top military officer will visit American troops Monday in Puerto Rico and on a Navy warship in the region, where the U.S. has amassed an unusually large fleet of warships and has been attacking alleged drug-smuggling boats.
Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is Trump’s primary military adviser. The Pentagon said Caine will “engage with service members and thank them for their outstanding support to regional missions.” Caine’s visit comes as Trump evaluates whether to take military action against Venezuela.
The U.S. military’s buildup and 21 boat strikes off the South American coast have killed more than 80 people. They’re seen by many as a pressure tactic on Maduro to resign.
Airlines cancel flights to Venezuela after FAA warns of worsening security, military activity.
International airlines increasingly canceled flights to Venezuela on Sunday after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration warned pilots to use caution when flying in the country’s airspace because of worsening security and heightened military activity.
Marisela de Loaiza, president of the Airlines Association in Venezuela, told The Associated Press that six carriers have indefinitely suspended flights: TAP, LATAM, Avianca, Iberia, Gol and Caribbean. Turkish Airlines suspended flights from Nov. 24 to 28.
On Friday, the FAA warned pilots that unspecified threats “could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes,” as well as planes taking off and landing in the country and even aircraft on the ground.
The warning came as President Donald Trump’s administration has ramped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Read more about military activity in Venezuela
