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The Guardian
9 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Trump defense official led thinktank that spread lies about Tren de Aragua
A senior official appointed to the defense department led a thinktank that promoted fake news about the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang, according to InSight Crime, a non-profit analyzing organized crime. Joseph Humire was appointed this summer to be the head of policy focusing on the western hemisphere within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. He was previously the executive director of a conservative thinktank focused on global security. Humire's appointment comes as the Trump administration is ramping up its aggressive strategy against organized crime in Latin America and the Venezuelan government, which it accuses of working with TdA. Under Humire's leadership, the Center for a Secure Free Society thinktank published the 'TdA Activity Monitor', tracking alleged crimes by accused members of the gang throughout the US. According to InSight Crime, at least five event entries in the tracker appeared to have been 'completely fabricated'. InSight Crime found zero basis for the false entries, with local police departments telling researchers the purported crimes were nonexistent. InSight Crime analyzed more than 90 of the entries, finding many relied on unverified sources. 'Some incidents are included multiple times, inflating the gang's perceived presence and activities,' researchers found. The monitor is no longer available online following InSight Crime's reporting. 'The TdA Monitor is an aggregator, not a primary source of information about Tren de Aragua's activities,' a statement from the Center for a Secure Free Society said, adding that it 'reflects the media reporting'. The Department of Defense declined to comment. Humire has spoken publicly about alleged Tren de Aragua crimes on Fox News and other conservative outlets. He has also promoted the idea that the Venezuelan government is directing the gang's crimes around the world, despite doubts from the intelligence community. Humire authored a report in December 2024 for the conservative Heritage Foundation, writing that Tren de Aragua 'is a perfect proxy and tool of asymmetric warfare' by the Venezuelan government to 'destabilize democratic countries'. In March, Humire made similar claims before Congress. But US intelligence agencies have cast doubt on the theory that Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro directs the gang, according to an intelligence memo whose release angered top officials, who then reportedly ordered a rewrite. TdA has been a major focus of the Trump administration, which designated the group as a terrorist organization earlier this year. Members of the gang have been implicated in violent crimes across the hemisphere but organized crime experts say descriptions of the group have exaggerated its scale, reach and structure. Despite skepticism from US intelligence agencies, Trump officials have repeatedly said the Venezuelan government, under Maduro, is working with Tren de Aragua to 'infiltrate' the US. The accusation was used to justify the Alien Enemies Act invocation in March, leading to the expulsion of hundreds of Venezuelans accused of being gang members to a Salvadorian prison. Humire's appointment to the defense department comes as the administration turns up the pressure on Venezuela. Last week, Trump directed the Pentagon to use military force on some drug cartels – a significant escalation in the 'war on drugs' – and the justice department doubled a bounty on Maduro to $50m. The justice department has accused top Venezuelan officials of running the 'Cartel of the Suns' to traffic drugs to the US. The state department recently declared the Cartel of the Suns to be a terrorist organization, but experts also say this claim may be overstated. Rather than a hierarchical organization trafficking drugs under Maduro's orders, InSight Crime explains it is more-so a 'network of networks' within the military. The Trump administration has increased the US's involvement in Latin America through threats of tariffs and military intervention, alleged backroom deals and prisoner swaps. Rightwing leaders have cozied up to Trump, including El Salvador's authoritarian Nayib Bukele. An analysis by the Guardian and the Quincy Institute shows Latin American leaders have spent millions of dollars hiring lobbyists to influence the White House.
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump calls Russian city incorrect name before crunch talk with Putin
US President Donald Trump has mistakenly referred to Russia's second-largest city as " Leningrad" on Truth Social, despite its name being St Petersburg since 1991. This geographical error followed Trump's repeated assertion that he was "going to Russia" for his upcoming summit with Vladimir Putin, which is actually scheduled to take place in Alaska, a US state since 1959. The highly anticipated meeting between Trump and Putin is set for Friday to discuss the war in Ukraine. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt largely dismissed Trump's geographical slips and described the upcoming summit as a "listening exercise" for him. Leavitt lowered expectations for the meeting, acknowledging that a definitive solution to the conflict is unlikely to emerge as only one party involved in the war will be present.
Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Newsom mocks Trump in all-caps post
Published: | Updated: California Gov. Gavin Newsom is being celebrated by leaderless Democrats after adopting Donald Trump's unique social media style to mock the president. Newsom announced on Tuesday that California would redraw its congressional districts after Trump ignored the governor's letter urging him to call off redistricting in red states. 'DONALD 'TACO' TRUMP, AS MANY CALL HIM, 'MISSED' THE DEADLINE!!! CALIFORNIA WILL NOW DRAW NEW, MORE 'BEAUTIFUL MAPS,' THEY WILL BE HISTORIC AS THEY WILL END THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY (DEMS TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!),' wrote Newsom's press office on X. The post is meant to mimic the unique cadence and colorful language Trump uses to write his messages on Truth Social in blaring all-caps font. 'BIG PRESS CONFERENCE THIS WEEK WITH POWERFUL DEMS AND GAVIN NEWSOM — YOUR FAVORITE GOVERNOR — THAT WILL BE DEVASTATING FOR 'MAGA.' THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! — GN.' Newsom wrote a letter to Trump on Monday demanding Trump order GOP-dominated states, including Texas , halt their efforts to redraw congressional districts. The governor told Trump he's 'playing with fire' before promising 'California can neutralize any gains you hope to make.' Newsom's office gave Trump until Tuesday evening to respond to the letter. The crude-Trumpian all-caps language of the tweet invoked celebration from Democrats who have been leaderless and searching for a fighter following their 2024 election drubbing. 'Love him or hate him, you've got to admit he's the fiercest fighter right now,' wrote X user @ML3democrats in a tweet that received over 57,000 likes. 'He terrifies Trump.' 'Gavin Newsom is so good at this,' Majid M. Padellan told his 1.3 million followers on X while attaching a screenshot of Newsom's tweet. Popular Democratic activist Brian Krassenstein praised Newsom on X, stating, 'Holy CRAP. Gavin Newsom is good at this game!' 'HA: Gavin Newsom just announced, in a way MAGA will understand, that California is moving forward with redrawing their maps after Trump failed to meet the deadline to stand down,' Harry Sisson commented. 'Go for it, Newsom!' Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Trump and Republican congressional leadership are urging several Republican-led states to redraw their districts to help create more opportunities for the GOP. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott responded earlier this week to Newsom's threats to neutralize any Republican gains. The Texas leader vowed to remove up to 10 of the 12 Democratic seats in the Lone Star State.
