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Nov 4, 2025 - World

Five-year-old Luz spent 72 days separated from her father, Julio Rodriguez, after they were detained at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018.Escaping extortion and violence in Guatemala, Julio was detained in Texas while Luz was sent to a shelter in New York. Eventually, they reunited in Atlanta and joined family in Massachusetts.Melanie Hernandez left Guatemala in the middle of the night in 2019 with her 14-year-old son, Lucas, fleeing an abusive husband. She left behind an adult daughter and five-year-old son with severe heart disease. Melanie spent several days away from Lucas when detainees were separated by gender at the U.S. border.The Rodriguez and Hernandez families are just two of 16 that experienced family separation under the first Trump administration, and who are now the subjects of a book by Gabrielle Oliveira, Now We Are Here: Family Migration, Children’s Education, and Dreams for a Better Life.The families from Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador all came to the U.S. with children, the youngest four months old. Some mothers were pregnant. The parents and children faced significant trauma that lingers though they are settled in the U.S., pursuing asylum cases, Oliveira writes.Oliveira observed the children in school as much as twice a month over two to three years. Gabrielle Oliveira (provided photo)She observed families at home and engaged in communities, from meetings with lawyers to trips to the grocery store and church, for more than 2,500 hours. She interviewed parents and some children twice a month. “I think if we have children as our North Star for policymaking, it would change everything,” Oliveira, a Harvard professor, told Raw Story.‘More tragedy’From being mugged to paying bribes, the families encountered numerous dangers on their way to the U.S., Oliveira writes.One family traveled in a windowless truck with 50 other people, including babies, pregnant women and elderly folks.Julio Rodriguez paid a smuggler $7,000 to help him and Luz get to the U.S., traveling for 12 days from Guatemala to Ciudad Juárez in Mexico.Diana López, from Guatemala, recalled crossing the Rio Grande with her two-year-old in her arms. When her daughter fell into the river, Lopez grabbed her from underwater.López told Oliveira: “When I was leaving the water with Belén in my arms I was relieved that we survived the river … But when I looked up what I saw were these electric pistols … the next thing I know I felt it in my arm, stinging, and I fell to the ground.” "Now We Are Here" book coverWhile the parents were often fleeing unsafe situations, the ultimate motivation in risking all to cross the border came down to seeking better education for their children, Oliveira writes.Melissa Santos, a mother from Brazil, told Oliveira: “It’s one of those things: do you stay and let your children not have a chance, become drug addicts, and get shot by a stray bullet, or do you travel north and risk being arrested, shot, and deported. It’s more the same … more tragedy.” ‘Did I make a mistake?’Oliveira learned that many parents questioned whether the trek was worth it, then found themselves separated and exposed to inhumane treatment after reaching U.S. soil.The families encountered another hurdle: COVID-19, which stopped children attending school in person. Julio told Oliveira how he would comfort Luz, who was missing her mom and home: “I used to tell her about the good life we would have and that she would not believe the schools … I was just trying to have her not be sad all the time … But I kept thinking about the mistakes I made … Did I make a mistake bringing her?”Oliveira, who immigrated to the U.S. herself, from Brazil, said parents saw children having nightmares, seeming detached, or struggling in school. Some parents were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder but had to keep moving forward."That's why the title is Now We Are Here,” Oliveira said. “The counter mantra to the ‘What if, what if, what if, what if’ is ‘Now we're here,’ so this is the shot that we have. That kind of stabilized the doubts of being worthy or not.” ‘They're going to grow up with this trauma’President Donald Trump was in the White House for his first term when the 16 families came to the U.S. With the second Trump administration employing even harsher immigration enforcement tactics, Oliveira imagines families such as those she writes about now being unable to reach the U.S.“So many of them were escaping life-and-death moments, so not being able to ask for asylum, not being able to do that, I think it would be extremely, even more dangerous than what it was a few years ago, just because of how the border is right now,” Oliveira said.With the Trump administration aggressively detaining and deporting immigrants — and encouraging unaccompanied children to self-deport — Oliveira said another form of family separation is happening. “It's going to be forever with them. They're going to grow up with this trauma, and it's not an easy one to address,” she said. Oliveira has stayed in touch with those she interviewed. Some, she said, have been afraid to leave their homes for doctor’s appointments, psychological treatment or speech therapy, due to the wave of deportations and detentions.“It was a real chilling effect,” Oliveira said. Still, the children she followed remained in school, with six teens having graduated high school. Oliveira has mixed feelings about her book being published at this moment.“I'm happy that at least there are these stories in this moment right now, and they're needed,” she said. “Let's think about the well-being of children. We can come together on this one.“It also makes me nervous … that it could be misplaced or misused, or in any of these ways that it wasn’t intended … the moment that we're living, it's a delicate one to tell stories."

Nov 2, 2025 - World

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was ridiculed over the weekend after a statement in which he announced closer cooperation with China and declared, "God bless both China and the USA!"Hegseth on Saturday took to social media to disclose the new stance toward a nation previously treated as an adversary by the administration."I just spoke to President Trump, and we agree — the relationship between the United States and China has never been better. Following President Trump’s historic meeting with Chairman Xi in South Korea, I had an equally positive meeting with my counterpart, China’s Minister of National Defense Admiral Dong Jun in Malaysia. And we spoke again last night. The Admiral and I agree that peace, stability, and good relations are the best path for our two great and strong countries," Hegseth wrote. "As President Trump said, his historic 'G2 meeting' set the tone for everlasting peace and success for the U.S. and China."Hegseth added, "The Department of War will do the same — peace through strength, mutual respect, and positive relations. Admiral Dong and I also agreed that we should set up military-to-military channels to deconflict and deescalate any problems that arise. We have more meetings on that coming soon. God bless both China and the USA!"That comment led to some outrage from critics and observers who support the administration.Conservative ex-GOP lawmaker Adam Kinzinger replied with this quote, “Oceania was at war with Eurasia; therefore Oceania had always been at war with Eurasia," along with a meme of a man wearing a MAGA hat and the words "fell for it again.""God bless both China……. wtf???? Dude" he added.Trump-supporting I Love America News wrote "Meanwhile in China," along with the Chinese leader appearing to read "The Art of the Deal" by Trump. Several other accounts shared similar memes.Gary P. Nabhan, a user who frequently shares and supports comments made by Hegseth, asked him, "How will you deconflict when China invades Taiwan? Or have you already signaled China that you won’t oppose the invasion?"Michael D. Swaine of the Quincy Institute said, "Golly Gee, that's just great Petey. All problems and bad blood gone, poof. We are now bosom buddies, so all those past defense documents, presidential statements, Congressional bills, etc. that spoke of China seeking to overturn the global order, displace the US from Asia, suppress other countries etc., etc., were silly goofs. A couple of meetings and all is well. Boy is Trump a genius or what?! Why do we even need diplomacy or the military for that matter. (except to attack Americans and murder people Donnie doesn't like, of course). Who knew that international relations was so easy?!!"Podcaster Spencer Hakimian chimed in, "Hegseth TACO’ing on China. Wow."

Nov 2, 2025 - World

Another three people were killed in the Caribbean according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who announced Saturday another strike on a sea vessel as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to target supposed “narco-terrorists,” but critics are pushing back against Hegseth for being complicit in what many have labeled “extrajudicial killings.”“You are nothing but a 'hit man' for Trump,” wrote X user “Jennie M Reed,” who frequently shares content critical of the Trump administration. “Nothing more.”The Trump administration has accelerated its targeting of suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean in recent weeks, killing at least 64 people that it says were trafficking narcotics to the United States, but members of Congress – including some Republicans – say they haven’t been adequately briefed on the strikes, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) in particular having condemned them as being illegal state-sanctioned executions that deny those executed due process.“Trump, Hegseth, and senior military commanders murdered 3 more people last night and the homicides near 100 people, and they expect you to take their word for it that they were transporting drugs and accept it,” wrote Ron Filipkowski, a former federal prosecutor, in a social media post on X Sunday. “They murder whoever they want whenever they want.”The strikes have been accompanied by the Trump administration’s military escalations with Venezuela, which have included the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group to just off of Venezuela’s shores. President Donald Trump has rationalized the targeting of Venezuela by arguing that the nation is responsible for trafficking a significant amount of narcotics into the United States – particularly fentanyl – though findings from U.S. intelligence agencies refute this. U.S. intelligence has assessed that “little to none” of the fentanyl trafficked to the United States is being produced in Venezuela, and that many of the sea vessels struck by the Trump administration did not even have the capacity to even reach American shores.“Another day, another extrajudicial killing by a wannabe dictator and his drunk secretary of war,” wrote X user “Endri Bejte,” who’s frequently posted content critical of Trump, referencing past allegations against Hegseth for having frequently abused alcohol.Trump, Hegseth, and senior military commanders murdered 3 more people last night and the homicides near 100 people, and they expect you to take their word for it that they were transporting drugs and accept it. They murder whoever they want whenever they want. pic.twitter.com/8exWESJlpp— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) November 2, 2025

Nov 1, 2025 - World

Donald Trump on Saturday threatened military action on foreign soil, escalating previous remarks about the nation.The president previously raised the possibility of sanctions against Nigeria for allegedly failing to rein in the persecution of Christians in what Trump now calls a "disgraced country." Nigerian officials have forcefully denied all the allegations.Trump went even further over the weekend, specifically threatening to use a military solution to what he considers to be a problem with persecution."If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, 'guns-a-blazing,' to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities," Trump said on Truth Social Saturday. "I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!"See the full post here.

Nov 1, 2025 - World

By Robert Muggah, Princeton The U.S. military buildup along South America’s northern rim is, Washington insists, aimed at “narco-terrorists.” A growing chorus of analysts aren’t convinced; they suspect what the Trump administration is really after is regime change in Venezuela.Nicolás Maduro, the country’s leader since 2013, is taking no chances. In recent weeks, he responded to the Trump administration’s moves as if invasion were imminent. After a September emergency decree and martial rhetoric about a “republic in arms,” the Venezuelan president says militias and reservists are now mobilized nationwide.The leftist leader has ordered armed forces, police and militia to deploy across 284 battlefronts — a national defense posture that surges troops on sensitive borders. He has also massed 25,000 soldiers near Colombia, a likely vector for infiltration.In addition, roughly 4.5 million members of the National Bolivarian Militia, an auxiliary force created in 2005 and made up of civilian volunteers and reservists, have reportedly mobilized. Civilians are being trained by the armed forces in weapons handling and tactics sessions to knit local “people’s defense” committees into the defense architecture.This placing of Venezuela on a war footing follows months of U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean. And there is no doubt that should it come to it, the U.S. boasts a far larger and more sophisticated military than Venezuela.But as an expert on Latin American politics, I suspect that might not be enough to remove Maduro from power — or encourage opposition figures in Venezuela on Washington’s behalf. In fact, any direct attempt to do so might only lead to a slow process that risks entrenching Maduro’s position.Powerful friends Alongside nationwide domestic mobilization, the Venezuelan leader still has some pretty powerful international friends. Maduro boasts some 5,000 Russian Igla-S, man-portable anti-aircraft missiles positioned at key air-defense points. While unverified, these reports are indicative of the short-range air defense and anti-ship capabilities being supplied by nations friendly to the Maduro regime.On Oct. 28, a Russian Il-76 heavy cargo plane, operated by a sanctioned carrier tied to Russian military logistics, landed in Caracas after a multi-stop route through the Caucasus and West Africa. If not an outright sign of solidarity, this is a signal that Russia can airlift advisers, parts and munitions at will.Iran’s long, quiet hand is visible in Venezuela’s drone program. It was reportedly seeded with Mohajer-2 kits and expanded over the years into armed and surveillance platforms assembled at state plants by Tehran-trained technicians.Cuba, for its part, has for more than a decade embedded intelligence and internal security advisers across Venezuela’s military services, an underdiscussed force multiplier that helps the regime police dissent and maintain loyalty.Although Russia, Cuba and Iran may help Maduro survive, they are unlikely to save him from any determined American campaign.Cautious oppositionIf Washington is hoping that its military squeeze may encourage Venezuelans to take matters into their own hands, the domestic scene is less favorable. The opposition to Maduro is fragmented and vulnerable after being deprived, fraudulently by most accounts, victory in a 2024 vote and a subsequent year of repression.The Democratic Unitary Platform remains split between a pressure wing and a participation wing after the disputed vote. The jolt of morale handed to the opposition on Oct. 10, when the de facto 2024 opposition candidate María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize, has yet to move the needle.There is a low probability, in my opinion, that the opposition can forcibly remove Maduro without a trigger, such as a major split within the security services, sustained mass mobilization with elite defections, or a massive U.S. intervention.The regime’s domestic security architecture and control of courts, prosecutors and the electoral council make a sudden elite split unlikely. Electoral displacement is also unpromising given that the official opposition is split on tactics, faces daily repression, and Maduro has repeatedly signaled he will not accept a loss — even if he loses.Street power, backed by sustained international leverage and U.S. military threats, are arguably the opposition’s best asset.Diaspora politics are febrile. South Florida’s large Venezuelan exile community reads the naval buildup as a potential turning point and lobbies accordingly, even as U.S. immigration and travel policies cut against their interests. The opposition’s mainstream leaders still mouth the catechism that change should come by Venezuelan hands, but more are openly courting external pressure to tilt the balance.What Washington might do nextThe Trump administration has certainly shown willingness to mount pressure on Maduro and encourage his opponents. Since August, the Pentagon has surged forces, destroyers and amphibious ships into the U.S. Southern Command’s patch. Then, on Oct. 24, Washington redirected the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the Caribbean.Meanwhile, attacks against suspected drug vessels will likely continue.The campaign has already resulted in at least 13 strikes and 57 killed in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific. And President Donald Trump has been consistent in linking the targeted cartels to Venezuela’s government and Maduro directly. Should the U.S. wish to escalate further, precision strikes on Venezuelan territory are not out of the question. With an aircraft carrier nearby and F-35s staged in Puerto Rico, the Pentagon has options.Meanwhile, covert actions will accompany any overt military posturing. The White House has openly declared that the CIA has authority to operate inside Venezuela. A U.S. Homeland Security agent reportedly tried to recruit Maduro’s chief pilot to fly the president into U.S. custody, a plot that fizzled but hints at the psychological ops now in play. Venezuela, meanwhile, has condemned “military provocation” by the CIA and others.It is worth recalling past attempts to unseat Maduro, including a 2018 drone attack at a Caracas parade and a failed freelance operation in 2020 that ended with deaths and dozens captured, including two former U.S. soldiers. The U.S. has denied any connection to both incidents.In any event, such operations seldom topple strongmen – but they do seed paranoia and crackdowns as regimes chase ghosts.Possible endgamesIf Washington’s real objective is regime change, the plausible outcomes are sobering. To be sure, a quick collapse of Maduro’s government is unlikely. A short, sharp campaign that dismantles the regime’s coercive tools could trigger elite defection. Yet Cuba-hardened internal security, patronage over the generals and years of sanctions-induced siege mentality make a palace coup improbable on a timetable that suits Washington.In my view, a slow squeeze is likelier.A hybrid strategy involving maritime and air pressure, covert agitation and inducements, targeted strikes to degrade regime capacity, and political, legal and cyber warfare to isolate Caracas and split the officer corps is realistic. But that path risks entrenching the regime’s hard-liners and worsening a humanitarian crisis even as it degrades Maduro’s capacity.Analysts warn that the regime change logic, once engaged, is hard to calibrate, especially if strikes kill civilians or hit national symbols.A boomerang is always possible. Military action will very likely rally nationalist sentiment in Venezuela, fracture hemispheric consensus and drag the U.S. into a longer confrontation with messy spillovers, from uncontrolled migration to maritime security threats.It is worth recalling that approximately 7.9 million migrants and refugees have already left Venezuela, with over 6.7 million residing in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Even the successful decapitation of Maduro’s regime would not guarantee a successor able to govern the country.At least three signposts matter in determining what happens next.The first is airlift cadence: More Russian cargo flights into Caracas point to accelerated military and technical aid. A second is the expansion of U.S. targets — a strike on a military installation or a presidential bunker would cross a political Rubicon, even if framed as a counter-narcotics operation. The third is opposition mobilization. If there are credible signs of Venezuelan demonstrations, protests and action, this will shape Washington’s appetite for escalation.But even if the White House clings to its current counter-drugs and counterterrorism narrative, all evidence points to the trajectory as an incremental regime change push with less than certain outcomes.