https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/trump-confirms-cia-authorization-venezuela-2025-10-15/
WASHINGTON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that he authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, marking a sharp escalation in U.S. efforts to pressure President Nicolas Maduro's government.
The New York Times first reported the classified directive, citing U.S. officials familiar with the decision, saying the Trump administration's Venezuela strategy aims to remove Maduro from power. The administration has offered $50 million for information leading to Maduro's arrest and conviction on drug trafficking charges.

The new authority would allow the CIA to carry out lethal operations in Venezuela and conduct a range of operations in the Caribbean, the Times reported.
Asked why he authorized the CIA to operate in Venezuela, Trump told reporters his reasons were migration of Venezuelans to the United States and drug trafficking.
"I authorized for two reasons really," Trump said. "Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America...they came in through the border. They came in because we had an open border," he told reporters in the Oval Office. "And the other thing are drugs," Trump said.
Trump has not provided evidence for his claim that Venezuela is sending former prisoners to the U.S.
He added that the U.S. has made progress intercepting drug shipments at sea, and that additional efforts are now focused on overland routes.
"We are looking at land now, because we've got the sea very well under control," Trump said. Reuters could not independently determine what specific actions Trump has authorized and the White House declined to elaborate on the president's comments.
Historically, the agency's involvement in such operations has varied widely from direct paramilitary engagement to intelligence gathering and support roles with little to no physical footprint.

https://cdllife.com/2025/bill-calls-for-end-of-cdl-reciprocity-with-mexico-and-canada/
>See below for more provisions in the Protecting America’s Roads Act:
>Requires CDL applicants to prove lawful status and domicile
>Mandates DHS SAVE verification for all non-citizen applicants
>Limits non-citizen CDLs to the shorter of Form I-94 expiration or one year
>Requires in-person renewals and transfers
>Directs states to revoke licenses when eligibility lapses, and establishes penalties for states that don’t comply
>Authorizes 287(g) agencies to report unlawful CDL operators

I don’t think this is the way to do it, forcing people to renew their CDL every year just to work in the US. Maybe add secondary testing or a basic fucking English test at the border(s) for all CDL holders who have a 18 wheeler. This is only going to make the price of goods on all sides skyrocket even more.

>“It is time to end the danger posed by illegal immigrant and foreign national truck drivers who are not capable of safely operating an 18-wheel commercial vehicle or, in many cases, understanding English language warning signs and road instructions,” said Rep. Van Duyne.

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/interstate-85-jackson-county-fiery-crash-kane-hammock-arrested

was he texting?
smart phones should be banned

Stephen Miller may have just accidentally confirmed that he, not President Donald Trump, is the one calling the shots in regard to deportation raids and National Guard deployments.

“Illinois governor says we’re provoking actions that are unlawful,” Miller said on CNN on Monday. “Why would the mere presence—just think about this for a second. If I put federal law enforcement and National Guard into a nice sleepy Southern town, is anyone gonna riot?”

Miller’s use of the first person is alarming here, suggesting that he—an unelected deputy chief of staff—has either the complete authority or an outsize influence on the administration’s most authoritarian decisions.

“Miller says quiet part out loud,” one user wrote on X. “He determines where to put ICE, CBP & other federal agencies, but he is also doing the same for various National Guards. An unelected staffer making these decisions, where is the president? Both Miller and Vought are running this admin.”

Additionally, Miller misrepresents small Southern towns and the actions of the National Guard. If hundreds of armed military members descended on some remote Southern locale and started violently rounding up neighbors, employees, and friends, I’d be willing to bet that it wouldn’t go so peacefully.

Miller made the remarks in the same interview where he claimed Trump has “plenary authority,” after being asked whether the administration would abide by court rulings blocking his deployment of troops to American cities.

https://newrepublic.com/post/201663/stephen-miller-says-i-trump-powers-national-guard

The winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize dedicated her award to Donald Trump. Simultaneously, independent reports from all across the US started flooding local news outlets of Neo-Nazi Socialists literally imploding.
https://www.newsweek.com/nobel-peace-prize-donald-trump-maria-corina-machado-10862378
Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dedicates Her Award to Donald Trump

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has publicly dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to the people of Venezuela and to President Donald Trump, citing their unwavering support in the fight for democracy. In a statement shared on X, Machado called the recognition “a boost to conclude our task: to conquer Freedom.”

"We are on the threshold of victory and today," she wrote, "more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy. I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!"

Machado, an opposition leader in Venezuela, has campaigned tirelessly for democracy and remains a central figure in the struggle against Nicolás Maduro’s government. She defeated several prominent contenders for the award, including Trump, who had openly campaigned for it this year by highlighting his role in helping to end multiple global conflicts.

Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee lauded Machado for being a "key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided—an opposition that found common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government."

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce808gvp56mo
Donald Trump is directing US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to pay military personnel despite the federal government shutdown.

The president said on Saturday that Hegseth must make sure troops do not miss out on their regular paycheque, scheduled for Wednesday. The directive comes as other government employees have already had some pay withheld and others are being laid off.

"I will not allow the Democrats to hold our Military, and the entire Security of our Nation, HOSTAGE, with their dangerous Government Shutdown," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

The Republican and Democratic parties blame each other for failing to agree on a spending plan to reopen the government.

Trump's message asks Hegseth to "use all available funds to get our Troops PAID" on 15 October, when military personnel would see their pay withheld for the first time since the shutdown began on 1 October.

Many US military employees are considered "essential", meaning they must still show up for duty without pay. Some 750,000 other federal employees - about 40% - have been furloughed, or sent home, also without pay.

Furloughed employees are legally supposed to receive back-pay after a shutdown ends and they return to work, but the Trump administration has insinuated this might not happen.

"The Radical Left Democrats should OPEN THE GOVERNMENT, and then we can work together to address Healthcare, and many other things that they want to destroy," Trump posted on Saturday.

Democrats have refused to vote for a Republican spending plan that would reopen the government after nearly 12 days shut down, saying any resolution must preserve expiring tax credits that reduce health insurance costs for millions of Americans and reverse Trump's cuts to Medicaid, the healthcare program for elderly and low-income people.

On Tuesday Vivek Ramaswamy wished a happy birthday to the late Charlie Kirk, the prominent conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, who was assassinated last month.

The post stirred a row, with netizens pointing out the irony of an Indian-origin figure mourning a MAGA spearhead who had previously called Indians "parasites" and opposed H-1B visas that allowed many Indians to live and work in the United States.

About a week before his murder, Kirk had reiterated his tough stance on immigration, saying too many Indians were entering the United States.

In a post on X, he had said, “America does not need more visas for people from India. Perhaps no form of legal immigration has so displaced American workers as those from India. Enough already. We’re full. Let’s finally put our own people first.”

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/vivek-ramaswamy-wishes-charlie-kirk-on-his-birthday-as-social-media-recalls-his-anti-h1b-parasite-remarks-on-indians/articleshow/124556442.cms

Day 15 of making a thread everyday until Republicans stop ripping food out of military family's mouths for the sake of billionaires.

Day 15 Updates:
- White House may 'run out' of funds to pay military if shutdown continues, Johnson warns https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-may-run-out-funds-pay-military-shutdown-continues-johnson-warns
- The Shutdown Is Wreaking Havoc on Military Families and Veterans https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/government-shutdown-veterans-military-families-1235447398/
- Judge blocks Trump's layoffs during shutdown, calling them illegal https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/judge-blocks-trumps-shutdown-layoffs-calling-illegal-rcna237837
- Democrats say they won’t be intimidated by Trump’s threats as the shutdown enters a third week https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-trump-democrats-firings-intimidated-senate-68b3fbc1317249faabc569ddf417f9a8

8647

https://www.politico.eu/article/us-donald-trump-threatens-to-disarm-hamas-quickly-and-perhaps-violently-israel-ceasefire-wobbles/
The U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire wobbled on Tuesday after Israel shot several people, Hamas dragged its feet on its side of the bargain and U.S. President Donald Trump raised the prospect of further violence.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said of the Palestinian militant group: “If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them. And it will happen quickly, and perhaps violently.”

Hamas forces have returned to the streets in areas of Gaza vacated by the Israeli military, clashed with other armed groups and killed alleged gangsters, AP reported.

Separately, Israeli troops shot several people on Tuesday who they accused of violating the ceasefire agreement by crossing the ‘yellow line’ behind which Israeli troops are stationed. Local authorities said six were killed.

There is also tension over the return of the bodies of people that Hamas took hostage on Oct. 7, 2023 who subsequently died, with Israel accusing the militant group of being too slow to return the remainder. Four bodies out of the estimated 28 were handed over on Monday.

Day 14 of making a thread every day until Democrats allow the US government to re-open

Day 14 Updates:
- Senate Republicans, determined to break the Democrat shutdown, are attempting to pass 3 mini funding bills https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/10/14/congress/senate-gop-will-try-to-advance-three-bill-minibus-during-shutdown-00608418
- The Democrat Shutdown continues as more government workforce reductions happen https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/10/14/congress/more-rifs-00607296
- 2 week mark of The Democrat Shutdown is reached: https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-government-shutdown-news-10-14-25

At the heart of the standoff is Democratic Party demands that Republicans agree to an additional $700bn in spending by restoring cuts to healthcare that were enacted over the summer and make permanent the expiring temporary COVID emergency health care credits enacted in 2023 that are due to expire Jan 1, 2026.