US military kills 57 in naval strikes
In the past two months, the U.S. has hit 14 boats accused of carrying drugs.
ALSO WITH 95 A BIT SLOW. QUESTIONS ARE BEING RAISED OVER THE LEGALITY OF THESE STRIKES INVOLVING ALLEGED DRUG BUSTS OUT OF VENEZUELA, WITH A SIXTH STRIKE REPORTED LAST NIGHT. NEWS NINE SPOKE WITH SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN THIS WEEK, AND SHE SAYS THE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE RECENTLY HAD A CLASSIFIED BRIEFING. I THINK IT’S FAIR TO SAY THAT EVERYONE WHO WAS THERE WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE LEGAL BASIS ON WHICH THESE ATTACKS ARE BEING MADE. IF THERE IS AN ESCALATION, IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW ON WHAT BASIS THAT’S HAPPENING AND WHETHER WHAT THE UNITED STATES IS DOING IS LEGAL AND WHO WE’RE GOING TO PUT AT RISK. WHAT MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE SERVING IN THE MILITARY ARE GOING TO BE AT RISK BECAUS OF THESE ACTIONS, AND WE ARE GETTING THE FACTS ON THE BOAT STRIKES. JOINING US LIVE IS LOU JACOBSON, CHIEF CORRESPONDENT WITH POLITIFACT. LOU, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US. THANK YOU. YEAH. SO, LOU. WE WANT TO GET RIGHT INTO THIS. THIS WEEK, PRESIDENT TRUMP CLAIMED THAT THESE DEADLY STRIKES ARE SAVING A NUMBER OF LIVES IN THE U.S., AND HE HAD A SPECIFIC NUMBER. TAKE A LISTEN. EVERY BOAT THAT WE KNOCK OUT, WE SAVE 25,000 AMERICAN LIVES. SO EVERY TIME YOU SEE A BOAT AND YOU FEEL BADLY, YOU SAY, WOW, THAT’S ROUGH. IT IS ROUGH. BUT IF YOU LOSE THREE PEOPLE AND SAVE 25,000 PEOPLE, THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE KILLING OUR POPULATION. EVERY BOAT IS SAVING 25,000 LIVES. LOU, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HOW THE PRESIDENT HAS USED THIS NUMBER? YEAH. SO BASICALLY, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS CITED THIS FIGURE PRETTY FREQUENTLY, AND HE’S ALSO SAID HE WOULD CONSIDER SIMILAR STRIKES ON LAND AND NOT JUST ON THE WATER, BUT FOR STARTERS, THE WHITE HOUSE HAS DECLINED TO SHARE INFORMATION WITH JOURNALISTS OR THE PUBLIC ABOUT WHETHER THESE BOATS ARE EVEN CARRYING DRUGS IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT VENEZUELA WHEN IT COMES TO DRUG TRAFFICKING? YEAH, THE FIRST THING IS THAT SPECIALISTS IN DRUG POLICY SAY THAT VENEZUELA PLAYS A MINOR ROLE IN TRAFFICKING DRUGS TO THE U.S., AND THE MOST DEADLY DRUG COMING INTO THE U.S., WHICH IS FENTANYL. THAT’S A DRUG TRUMP HAS PREVIOUSLY CITED AS THE DRUG IN QUESTION FOR THESE STRIKES IS USUALLY COMING OUT OF MEXICO, OFTEN SMUGGLED ACROSS THE BORDER BY U.S. CITIZENS. SO IT’S NOT EVEN CLEAR THAT FENTANYL IS BEING TAKEN OUT OF THE PIPELINE BECAUSE OF THESE STRIKES ON THE WATER. ALL RIGHT.
US military kills 57 in naval strikes
In the past two months, the U.S. has hit 14 boats accused of carrying drugs.
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Updated: 9:17 AM CDT Oct 30, 2025
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The Trump administration is ramping up military attacks on boats they claim are carrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. Many of those targeted were Venezuelan, though the attacks have gotten broader with time. Since September began, the U.S. has attacked 13 separate times, destroying 14 ships and killing 57 people. The majority have taken place over the past month of October, in which 40 people were killed across 10 separate attacks. That’s largely because they’ve upped the frequency since the middle of October, targeting nine separate boats. On Oct. 27, the U.S. struck four boats in three attacks, killing 14 people and leaving one survivor. This marks the first time the U.S. has hit multiple ships in a single day. In an executive order signed on his first day back in office, President Donald Trump declared he would “ensure the total elimination” of drug cartels and their U.S. influence, designating them as “foreign terrorist organizations.”
NEW YORK — The Trump administration is ramping up military attacks on boats they claim are carrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. Many of those targeted were Venezuelan, though the attacks have gotten broader with time.
Since September began, the U.S. has attacked 13 separate times, destroying 14 ships and killing 57 people. The majority have taken place over the past month of October, in which 40 people were killed across 10 separate attacks. That’s largely because they’ve upped the frequency since the middle of October, targeting nine separate boats.
On Oct. 27, the U.S. struck four boats in three attacks, killing 14 people and leaving one survivor. This marks the first time the U.S. has hit multiple ships in a single day.
In an executive order signed on his first day back in office, President Donald Trump declared he would “” of drug cartels and their U.S. influence, designating them as “foreign terrorist organizations.”
