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Report: US to Send 10 F-35s to Puerto Rico

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1 day ago

Above: Four F-35 fighter aircrafts fly over the White House on Sept. 3, 2025. Image copyright: Oliver Contreras/AFP/Getty Images

story last updated 1 day ago

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Venezuela has become a narco-state and a key transit hub for cocaine shipments under Maduro's criminal and illegitimate leadership — posing a threat to the stability of the Western Hemisphere and the world. The U.S. buildup in the Caribbean is both an effort to rein in maritime drug trafficking and a show of force to the authoritarian Maduro regime. The U.S. doesn't want to start a war.

Atlantic Council

Establishment-critical narrative

Washington has provided no evidence for cartel accusations against Maduro, so this military buildup is just another doomed-to-fail regime change attempt disguised as anti-drug operations. If this was actually about tackling drug cartels, the Trump administration would have ruled out an invasion while cooperating with Venezuela to fight drug trafficking.

AntiWar