Month: October 2025

The U.S. carried out two more strikes on alleged drug vessels this week—this time on the Pacific side of Latin America—killing five people and marking a major expansion of the Trump administration’s anti-narcotics campaign. No U.S. personnel were injured in either operation, officials confirmed.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that the military conducted the lethal strikes on two consecutive days against the boats in the eastern Pacific — the eighth and ninth known strikes by the US military on alleged drug-smuggling vessels since the start of September — with all seven previous strikes targeting boats in the Caribbean Sea. The first strike occurred Tuesday in international waters off Colombia, killing two people. A second, in the eastern Pacific on Wednesday, left three more dead. At least 37 people in total have been killed in the nine strikes.

Hegseth said on X Wednesday, noting a Tuesday strike in the Pacific had killed both people on board, that “Narco-terrorists intending to bring poison to our shores, will find no safe harbor anywhere in our hemisphere.”  Hegseth said the boat in that strike was “being operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization(s) and conducting narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific. … Narco-terrorists intending to bring poison to our shores, will find no safe harbor anywhere in our hemisphere. Just as Al Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people. There will be no refuge or forgiveness — only justice.”

Hegseth later said the US conducted a lethal strike on a second suspected drug boat in the eastern Pacific, killing all three people on board:  “Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out yet another lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO),” Hegseth wrote on X.

At a White House briefing on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said the administration is preparing to take the fight beyond the seas: “They had one today in the Pacific, and the way I look at it — every time I look — because it is violent and it is very — it’s amazing, the weaponry, you know they have these boats that go 45 to 50 miles an hour in the water, and when you look at the accuracy and the power — look, we have the greatest military in the world.” Trump added that the naval operations have disrupted maritime smuggling routes and forced traffickers to move shipments inland.

Trump also indicated that future U.S. action could include strikes on land targets: “We will hit them very hard when they come in by land. They haven’t experienced that yet, but now we are totally prepared to do that,” while emphasizing that while he would “probably go back to Congress and explain exactly what we are doing,” he believes such approval is not legally required.

While the administration has labeled the targeted cartels as “terrorist organizations,” that classification has drawn backlash from critics who are pressing for more transparency—and a clearer legal justification—before the campaign moves to land-based targets.

Editorial credit: Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock.com

Federal authorities announced Thursday that more than 30 people across 11 states — including Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former NBA player Damon Jones — have been charged in a pair of nationwide investigations into illegal sports gambling poker rigging schemes connected to organized crime. Federal prosecutors emphasized that the ongoing investigation does not currently involve college basketball.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced at a news conference that the federal takedown includes charges including wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, robbery and illegal gambling, stating that “the fraud is mind-boggling.”  Patel described the arrests as “extraordinary,” noting that theinvestigation not only exposed “fraud that these perpetrators committed on the grand stage of the NBA,” but also dealt a major blow to “La Casa Nostra,” referencing the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, and Luchei crime families.

The large-scale operation, coordinated by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, uncovered two interconnected criminal enterprises: one involving fraudulent sports bets placed by current and former NBA players, and another centered on high-stakes poker games allegedly rigged with advanced cheating technology and tied to multiple Mafia families.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that the profits from the alleged poker scheme ran up to $7 million “and counting,” with the investigation taking place across two years. Authorities said some NBA players involved in the betting ring allegedly faked injuries to influence game outcomes, while others laundered their proceeds through shell companies, cash transactions, and cryptocurrency transfers. The sweeping federal effort, dubbed “Operation Nothing But Net,” led to arrests across multiple states and included charges such as wire fraud, money laundering, illegal gambling, robbery, and extortion.  Commissioner Tisch confirmed that organized crime associates were among those detained.

U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. said the suspects allegedly used “very sophisticated cheating technologies” in the underground poker operation, including altered self-shuffling machines capable of reading cards and predicting the strongest hands at the table. That information was allegedly transmitted to an off-site operator, who then relayed it to a designated player — known as the “quarterback” — to secretly signal the winning strategy to others in on the scheme. Nocella added that the suspects “used high-tech cheating technology to steal millions of dollars from secretly rigged underground poker games.” Prosecutors said the poker games were backed by the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese families and that some defendants in the second case had direct ties to these organized crime groups.

Billups was taken into custody in Portland and charged in connection with the poker and organized crime case; while Rozier was arrested in Orlando and faces charges related to the alleged sports betting conspiracy.

Jones, a former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach, was implicated in both investigations after he allegedly provided inside information about NBA games to co-defendants who used it to place sports bets. According to Nocella, six defendants are accused of their involvement in the sports betting case, while there are 31 defendants allegedly involved in the rigged poker games. Jones is one of three people allegedly involved in both cases, Nocella said.

Rozier, a 10-year NBA veteran originally drafted by the Boston Celtics in 2015, joined the Miami Heat in 2024 after a stint with the Charlotte Hornets. His attorney, Jim Trusty, criticized how the arrest was handled, saying, “They characterized Terry as a subject, not a target, but at 6 a.m. this morning they called to tell me FBI agents were trying to arrest him in a hotel.  It is unfortunate that instead of allowing him to self-surrender, they opted for a photo-op.” He accused prosecutors of “taking the word of spectacularly in-credible sources rather than relying on actual evidence of wrongdoing,” adding that “Terry was cleared by the NBA” and is “not afraid of a fight.”

Billups, 49, a five-time NBA All-Star and the 2004 Finals MVP known as “Mr. Big Shot,” has been the Trail Blazers’ head coach since 2021 after a celebrated 17-year playing career that culminated in his Hall of Fame induction in 2024. Neither Billups nor his representatives have commented on the charges.

The NBA later released the following statement: “We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today. Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”

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Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, delivered a 22-hour marathon speech on the Senate floor beginning on Tuesday evening, holding the floor overnight and into the day Wednesday in protest of President Trump’s policies. The senator’s remarks also came amid a prolonged budget standoff between Democrats and Republicans that has kept the government partially shut down for four weeks.

Merkley, 68, began speaking at 6:21 p.m. on Tuesday and continued until 4:58 p.m. Wednesday, standing in front of a lectern at his desk for the entirety of the time.  He said his filibuster, as the procedural tactic is known, was an effort to sound the alarm on both the government shutdown and Trump, in his view, dragging the country “further into authoritarianism.”  Merkley said: “Trump’s plan is to replace government by and for the people with government by and for the powerful .. This is an incredible threat to our nation, to the entire vision of our Constitution, I don’t believe there’s a single senator here in the United States Senate who wants to see freedom crushed and authoritarian rule established here in the United States of America … Our founders did not want the president to be a king.”

The Senator from Oregon focused his remarks on what he described as a grave threat to American democracy — citing deportation efforts, terminated federal programs, the politicization of the Justice Department, and the deployment of the National Guard in U.S. cities.  He said:  “I’ve come to the Senate floor tonight to ring the alarm bells. We’re in the most perilous moment, the biggest threat to our republic since the Civil War. President Trump is shredding our Constitution.”

Merkley’s home city of Portland has long been a focal point of tension between Trump and Democratic officials. The dispute reignited recently when Trump ordered the Defense Department to coordinate the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland. A federal appeals court on Monday cleared the way for that move to proceed while legal challenges play out, allowing members of the Oregon National Guard to be federalized and sent to the city.  Merkley said during his speech that “President Trump wants us to believe that Portland, Oregon, in my home state, is full of chaos and riots because if he can say to the American people that there are riots, he can say there’s a rebellion. And if there’s a rebellion, he can use that to strengthen his authoritarian grip on our nation. Pretend there are riots, or even try to provoke violence, and tighten his authoritarian grip.”  He went on to describe Portland residents as peaceful in their demonstrations, and said they are not “taking the bait” but are instead “demonstrating with joy and whimsy. They want to make it clear to the world that what Trump is saying about there being violent protests or a rebellion in Portland is just not true.”

Over the course of the night, several of Merkley’s Democratic colleagues joined him on the floor, offering extended questions that allowed him short pauses while keeping the speech continuous. His address, one of the longest seen in the Senate in recent years, reflected his deep frustration with the current political climate and the direction of the Trump administration.

Merkley’s overnight address followed a string of marathon speeches by Democrats protesting Trump-era policies. Earlier this year, Sen. Cory Booker set a Senate record with a speech lasting over 25 hours, also aimed at calling out the administration’s actions. Merkley himself is no stranger to such efforts; in 2017, he spoke for more than 15 hours in an unsuccessful attempt to block the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.

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North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature has approved a new congressional map expected to strengthen the GOP’s hold on the U.S. House, making the state the latest battleground in a broader national redistricting effort aimed at securing Republican advantages ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

The state House passed the measure Wednesday by a 66–48 vote, one day after the Senate’s approval, finalizing a plan that could give Republicans an additional congressional seat. Under the new map, the 1st Congressional District—held by Democrat Don Davis and one of the few competitive seats in the state—would become more favorable to Republicans by incorporating portions of GOP Rep. Greg Murphy’s neighboring 3rd District. Davis criticized the move, saying, “This new congressional map is beyond the pale,” and pointed out that “in the 2024 election with record voter turnout, NC’s First Congressional District elected both President Trump and me.”

Republicans currently control 10 of North Carolina’s 14 House seats, and GOP leaders say the new lines could help them secure 11. Senate leader Phil Berger claimed the new map “respects the will of the North Carolina voters who sent President Trump to the White House three times.”  In addition, State Sen. Ralph Hise, who helped draft the proposal, said during a committee hearing, “The motivation behind this redraw is simple and singular: drawing new map that will bring an additional Republican seat to the North Carolina Congressional delegation.”

The move in North Carolina mirrors a broader GOP-led strategy seen across the country. Earlier this year, Texas Republicans pushed through a new map designed to flip up to five Democratic seats, while Missouri lawmakers redrew boundaries to make Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City-area district more conservative. Similar redistricting efforts are being considered in Kansas, Indiana, and Ohio—where new lines are mandated after a previous map passed without bipartisan support.

The redistricting effort has provoked sharp backlash from Democrats and voting rights advocates, who accuse the GOP of deliberately diluting the influence of minority communities. Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, whose veto power does not extend to redistricting measures, said in a video statement: “If I did have that power, I assure you I would veto this map. Republican legislative leaders are abusing their power to take away yours. They’re afraid they will lose in the midterms and afraid to say no to the President, so they’ve turned their backs on you to silence your vote in the 2026 election.”  Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the House Democratic campaign arm, addedd the map “was clearly drawn to dilute the voting power of Black voters by dismantling the Black Belt to stop North Carolinians from holding Trump and House Republicans accountable for ignoring the needs of hardworking Americans.”

Despite the protests, the map is now set to take effect for the 2026 elections, when Republicans hope to maintain their narrow House majority.

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