TV News LIES

Amid escalating tensions with Venezuela and US military strikes on suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean, the US admiral who commands military forces in Latin America will step down at the end of this year, the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, announced on social media.

Adm Alvin Holsey’s abrupt departure comes less than a year after he took over as head of the US military’s southern command, which oversees operations in Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The posting typically lasts three years.

A source told Reuters that there had been tension between the four-star commander and Hegseth as well as questions about whether he would be fired in the days leading up to the announcement.

The New York Times reports that an unnamed US official said that Holsey “had raised concerns about the mission and the attacks on the alleged drug boats”.

In a statement shared on social media, Hegseth did not disclose the reason for Holsey’s plan “to retire at year’s end”.

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A former U.S. Marine Corps colonel and combat veteran of 24 years resigned in late September, now saying he did so because of President Donald Trump and “concern for our country’s future.”

In an op-ed titled “I resigned from the military because of Trump,” published in The Washington Post on Thursday, Doug Krugman noted that “no commander in chief is perfect,” but said he nevertheless believed that previous presidents took their oaths to the Constitution With Trump, he wrote, he no longer believes that.

The Department of Defense has been in the spotlight during Trump’s second term under the leadership of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Trump administration has rebranded the department the “Department of War,” fixated on the physical appearance of military personnel, and ordered National Guard troops to heavily Democratic cities despite the opposition of blue state governors.

During an in-person meeting where hundreds of military leaders were summoned to a Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, Trump outlined his vision for using the military for domestic purposes to fight the “enemy from within.”

Krugman wrote in his op-ed that although it was not clear to him if Trump was referring to real crime or to political dissent, “military force is not the answer.”

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Roughly 46,000 full-time U.S. military members are without pay during the federal government shutdown despite President Donald Trump's push to pay active duty troops.

The impacted service members, known as dual-status technicians, are full-time employees of the National Guard and other military reserve units who under federal law must wear their military uniform to work daily, must maintain part-time military uniform to work daily, must maintain part-time military membership and must meet military standards. According to the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill, the military currently has roughly 46,000 dual-status technician positions distributed across crucial functions like helicopter and plane maintenance, technology support, weapons repair and administrative support for isolated units.

The catch? Dual-status technicians are, technically speaking, civilian employees of the Defense Department despite the inherently military aspects of their jobs. And during the ongoing federal government shutdown, the Pentagon's civilian employees are going without pay, though many of them (including most technicians) must stay on the job due to the vital national security nature of their work.

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National Guard troops sent to Illinois by President Donald Trump can stay in the state and under federal control, but can’t be deployed to protect federal property or go on patrol for now, an appeals court ruled Saturday.

The decision comes after federal Judge April Perry on Thursday ruled to temporarily block the National Guard deployment for at least two weeks, finding no substantial evidence that a “danger of rebellion” is brewing in Illinois during Trump’s immigration crackdown.

The appeals court on Saturday granted a pause in the case until it can hear further arguments.

The on-again, off-again deployments stem from a political and legal battle over Trump’s push to send the Guard to several U.S. cities. His administration claims crime is rampant in those cities, despite statistics not always supporting that.

If a president invokes the Insurrection Act, they can dispatch active duty military in states that fail to put down an insurrection or defy federal law. However, Perry said she found no substantial evidence that a “danger of rebellion” is brewing in Illinois during Trump’s immigration crackdown.

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US troops have been sent to Israel as part of the peace deal approved on Thursday to support and help monitor the ceasefire, according to multiple news reports.

Senior US officials told reporters that 200 troops will initially be on the ground with a “civil-military coordination center” operated by US Central Command to help facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance into the territory wracked by two years of war, the Associated Press reported, citing two officials who confirmed the report on the condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorized for release.

Reuters and ABC News also reported on military troops being sent to Israel.

The troops are part of a broader team that also includes partner nations, non-governmental organizations and private-sector entities there to help monitor the peace deal and the transition to a civilian government in Gaza, US officials said.

US service members have already begun arriving in the region from arou

Reuters and ABC News also reported on military troops being sent to Israel.

The troops are part of a broader team that also includes partner nations, non-governmental organizations and private-sector entities there to help monitor the peace deal and the transition to a civilian government in Gaza, US officials said.

US service members have already begun arriving in the region from around the globe, according to one of the officials, and will continue to travel to the region over the weekend to begin planning and establishing the center. American troops will not be sent into Gaza, they said, and the coordination center will be staffed by about 200 US service members who have expertise in transportation, planning, security, logistics and engineering.

nd the globe, according to one of the officials, and will continue to travel to the region over the weekend to begin planning and establishing the center. American troops will not be sent into Gaza, they said, and the coordination center will be staffed by about 200 US service members who have expertise in transportation, planning, security, logistics and engineering.

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A federal judge on Saturday temporarily blocked President Trump’s deployment of 200 National Guard members to Portland, Ore. 

U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut granted Oregon and Portland officials’ request for a temporary restraining order, barring implementation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s memo that authorized federalizing the troops over the state’s objection.

“This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law,” the Trump-appointed judge wrote. 

Immergut denied the Trump administration’s request to pause her order while the administration appeals. Her order is set to expire in 14 days but could be extended, and she set a trial for Oct. 29.  

State and city officials jointly sued the Trump administration last month after the president vowed to protect “war-ravaged” Portland and its U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offices he described as “under siege.”

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