Trump escalates pressure on Venezuelan drug trade. And, judge pauses shutdown layoffs

"President Trump confirmed yesterday that he has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela. He portrayed it as part of a pressure campaign against the country's drug trade. On Tuesday, the U.S. military struck a fifth boat that the Trump administration said was carrying drugs. The U.S. has also built up forces in the Caribbean in a way that raises questions about whether this goes beyond interrupting the drug trade and could possibly be about regime change."

"The president says the focus on Venezuela is not just about drugs. He said that it is also about the number of Venezuelan migrants who have entered the U.S. in recent years. The tension between Trump and the country dates back to his first administration when he tried to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, NPR's Franco Ordonez tells Up First. Trump expended considerable political capital opposing Maduro, yet he remains in power. Some experts believe that Trump may see this as unfinished business."

"A federal judge in San Francisco has temporarily halted the Trump administration's latest wave of layoffs in the federal workforce. This comes as the federal government shutdown has crossed the two-week mark. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, who is overseeing the case, expressed that she believes these layoffs are probably illegal. Unions representing federal workers argue that the administration is illegally using the shutdown to engage in politically driven reductions in force."

President Trump authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela as part of a pressure campaign against the country's drug trade. The U.S. military struck a fifth boat alleged to be carrying drugs and has increased forces in the Caribbean, raising questions about potential regime-change implications. The administration cites migrant flows from Venezuela as an additional concern. A federal judge in San Francisco temporarily halted the latest wave of federal layoffs during an ongoing government shutdown, stating the layoffs are probably illegal. Unions contend the administration is using the shutdown to carry out politically driven workforce reductions.

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