Trump to ramp up war on Venezuelan drug trafficking

( Yahoo )

The U.S. is set to announce new operations against Venezuela in its war on drug trafficking today after peace talks with Ukraine about its war with Russia got underway over the weekend.

Venezuela: The Trump administration is expected to designate what is called the Cartel de los Soles a terrorist organization. The move, which targets a decentralized group of corrupt government officials involved in the global drug trade, would ramp up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. [AP]

Bigger picture: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that nothing, including land operations, is “off the table” in the fight against “narco-terrorists.” Most Americans, including some prominent Republicans, don’t support a war against the South American country. [Time]

Ukraine: U.S. and Ukrainian officials discussed a U.S. plan for peace in Ukraine yesterday, even as European allies said that it was too conciliatory to Moscow. President Trump has given Kyiv a Thanksgiving deadline to accept the terms. [CBS News]