U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing options for carrying out military strikes targeting drug cartels operating inside Venezuela, including possible strikes within the country.

Washington

The US administration, under Donald Trump, has intensified efforts to combat the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua, which has been designated a terrorist group. This includes arrests, deportations, and public criticism of previous administrations for their handling of the gang's activities. 

Law enforcement operations have resulted in the detention of individuals allegedly linked to Tren de Aragua, with some denying involvement. Despite a Venezuelan military crackdown on the gang's headquarters, authorities report that the group continues to pose a threat, with thousands of suspected members arrested and deported in recent months.

Trump weighs strikes targeting cartels inside Venezuela

It was back in March. A US military plane disembarked a group of detainees and handed them to Salvadorian authorities. The operation was filmed, including the man's transfer to a local detention facility. Some of those deported and arrested allegedly belonged to Tren de Aragua, a criminal group which Donald Trump has vowed to target throughout his campaign. Tren de Aragua. The US administration has classified Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization and many of its actions have shocked America. A whole array of illegal activities which can happen anywhere, like in this apartment block in Aurora, Colorado, located east of Denver. There were good people living here, right? Some of them were US citizens, some of them were migrants. But when the gang came in here, they started living in some of these apartments and at some point they started extorting the folks who lived here. And they said, if you're going to live here, you have to pay us too. The gang was in control of these buildings up until a few weeks ago. The police evacuated the area, arresting some 50 people. So what we're looking at here is the arrest of a TDA gang member. He was living in these buildings right here and he was involved earlier this day in a kidnapping scheme, an extortion scheme of a pregnant woman here in Colorado. Cindy Romero faced this escalating violence for a year before being forced to leave. In this footage captured by security cameras outside her apartment, men are seen hunting down someone. Her neighbor's body was found, riddled with bullets. You hear all the shots? That was right outside my window. And they killed my friend and they put bullet holes in both of my cars and they did $10,000 worth of damage on that street. It was terrifying and it should have never been allowed to happen. She ended up buying several guns and sharing her story on Fox News. Bus loads and van loads of people would show up at the building. Donald Trump used the trend of the Aragua story on the campaign trail to criticize the previous administration. By the way, they're taking over parts of cities all over the place. After his election, several raids led to arrests. But a number of people that were detained denied being part of the gang. It seemed that trend Aragua lost some of its influence after the Venezuelan army took control of their headquarters located in this detention center. Still, the gang remains a threat. It's allowed to grow and become stronger in these other areas and it eventually affected North America. Where we're at now. That's the difference with this gang. The Trump administration says that 3,000 of the gang's members were arrested in the past six months. But their identities have not all been disclosed before those arrested were deported out of the country.

The White House said the U.S. is sending 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico. It comes as the Defense Department confirmed that two armed Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over a U.S. Navy ship in the region on Thursday.

U.S. to send F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico amid Venezuela tensions

President Trump signed an executive order to start the process of renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War, restoring a name the agency last held in the late 1940s.

Trump orders Defense Department be renamed as Department of War

Xi and Kim, along with top officials from their countries, met on Thursday at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People a day after Kim attended a Chinese military parade alongside other foreign leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Beijing

China’s Xi and North Korea’s Kim meet in Beijing, pledge deeper ties

Two Venezuelan fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham, multiple Defense Department officials confirm, calling the action a "show of force." CBS News' Willie James Inman and Charlie D'Agata report.

Caracas

Two Venezuelan fighter jets fly over U.S. Navy ship, officials confirm

A massive Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at a Hyundai manufacturing site in Georgia led to hundreds of immigrants being detained for apparently living and working in the U.S. illegally.

Savannah

Massive ICE raid at Hyundai site leaves 475 detained in Georgia

Israel targeted a high-rise building in Gaza City, the military said in a statement. As the world braces for Israel's major military operation to seize Gaza's largest city, Hamas released a video purportedly showing two hostages, including one calling on Israel not to carry out its planned Gaza City offensive.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Israel strikes Gaza City high-rise building, Hamas releases another hostage video

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is wrapping up a two-day trip to Latin America. It comes as the countries in the region watch the Trump administration step up military activity in the area, to combat drug trafficking and illegal migration.

Quito

U.S. mulls military base in Ecuador

A powerful aftershock struck eastern Afghanistan late on Thursday night. More than 2,200 people have already died the quake. Rescue crews are still searching remote villages, but rescue efforts are hampered by rough terrain and aftershocks. The World Food Programme says food stocks are running low and could be exhausted within weeks.

Kabul

Afghanistan quake death toll passes 2200 as food supplies run low

What happens in Ukraine once the war with Russia is over? France tells President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that 26 nations are now ready to offer security guarantees, including the possible deployment of foreign troops as part of a post-war peace arrangement.

Paris

Ukraine Invasion

Ukraine's European allies agree security guarantees

CEOs from some of the nation's biggest tech companies sat down for a dinner with President Trump on Thursday. Among those present were Tim Cook, Sam Altman, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.

Trump hosts Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and other tech CEOs

U.S. President Donald Trump had a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders Thursday about Russia's war in Ukraine. CBS News White House reporter Olivia Rinaldi has more.

Trump speaks with Zelenskyy, pushes Europe to stop buying Russian oil

"With infinite sorrow, the Armani Group announces the passing of its creator, founder, and tireless driving force: Giorgio Armani," the fashion house said in a statement on Thursday.

Milan

'King' of Italian fashion Giorgio Armani dies at 91

A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration unlawfully terminated about $2.2 billion in grants awarded to Harvard University and can no longer cut off research funding to the prestigious Ivy League school.

Cambridge

Trump admin unlawfully cut Harvard's funding, U.S. judge rules

Russian President Vladimir Putin has delivered a statement after meeting leaders on the sidelines of the military event in Beijing. He spoke about Russian security interests, and the Ukraine war.

Moscow

Putin wraps China visit with gas deal, calls for Ukraine peace talks

Hope is fading of finding survivors in the rubble of homes devastated by a powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan over the weekend that killed more than 1,400 people, as emergency services struggle to reach remote villages.

Kunar

Hope fades for finding survivors after Afghan quake kills over 1400

Portuguese authorities say at least 15 people died after a streetcar derailed and crashed in the capital of Lisbon. CBS News senior foreign correspondent Imtiaz Tyab has the latest.

Lisbon

Iconic streetcar in Portugal's Lisbon derails, 15 killed

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, along with Republican Reps. Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene, held a news conference on Wednesday with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's sexual abuse. CBS News' Caitlin Huey-Burns has more details.

Epstein survivors add voices to calls for transparency

Israel's central intelligence agency, Shin Bet, said that it thwarted an assassination plot by Hamas against the country's right-wing minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Reuters reports.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Israel reportedly thwarted plot to assassinate right-wing minister

In California on Tuesday, a jury took less than an hour to clear Cardi B of assault allegations made in a $24 million civil lawsuit. A security guard claimed the rap star attacked her in 2018.

Los Angeles

Cardi B wins civil case against security guard

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the U.S. military struck a boat apparently carrying drugs from Venezuela. CBS News' Charlie D'Agata has the latest details.

Trump says U.S. struck drug-carrying boat from Venezuela

China's Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, along with other world leaders, for a huge military parade showing off new technology.

Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un attend China's massive military parade

A Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives committee said it released more than 33,000 pages of files on the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as party leadership looked to end a push by a bipartisan pair of lawmakers to force a vote on the matter.

U.S. House committee releases thousands of Epstein files

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou last week called for parliament to hold an earlier-than-expected vote of confidence in him. Next week’s ballot could lead to the collapse of his centrist government and prompt a period of further instability in the European Union’s second biggest economy.

France’s PM faces crucial confidence vote amid political turmoil

Tens of thousands of reservists began to report for duty on Tuesday for a new Israeli offensive to seize Gaza City, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to accelerate despite warnings from senior ranks.

Israel calls up reservists as military chief clashes with ministers

The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday released over 33,000 pages of documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Breakdown