US, Venezuela military moves ratchet up tensions, risk of armed conflict

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Tensions are rising between the U.S. and Venezuela, with an American carrier strike group arriving in the region and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro mobilizing his military forces. The Pentagon said the USS Gerald R. Ford, which is the world’s largest aircraft carrier, entered the region Tuesday in support of the Trump administration’s mission “to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations.” President Donald Trump has accused Venezuela’s authoritarian leader of controlling “narcoterrorists” who have targeted the U.S. And Trump has ordered a series of military strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats departing Venezuela in the Caribbean. “60 Minutes” correspondent Norah O'Donnell asked Trump in a recent interview if the military action in the waters near Venezuela are about stopping narcotics or about getting rid of Maduro. “No, this is about many things. This is a country that allowed their prisons to be emptied into our country. To me, that would be almost No. 1, because we have other countries ,” he said before O'Donnell interjected and the conversation turned to immigration. She then asked if Maduro's days as president are numbered. “I would say yeah,” Trump said. “I think so, yeah.” Trump declined to say whether he’d allow the U.S. to attack Venezuela on land. Ernesto Sagás, an expert in Latin American politics who teaches at Colorado State University, said Trump will go with his gut on how to proceed in Venezuela. But Sagás said Trump has competing factions whispering in his ear. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others want to get rid of a triad of Latin American dictators in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, Sagás said. _______________ Stay up to date with our social media: WOAI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/news4sa/ WOAI on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/News4SA WOAI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/news4sa Subscribe to WOAI on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpsuSNiFkl4T4owtIb8QqWQ/?sub_confirmation=1 Daily News Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyFwDPyddKc7LjpC-mcnv_GVlPbuj84-M For more information, visit https://news4sanantonio.com/ Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: [email protected] Call the Newsroom: 210.442-6397 WOAI is a TX based station and an NBC Television affiliate owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. #WOAI #NEWS4SA #NEWS4SanAntonio #WOAI4 #SanAntonio