Archiv: deflection / fogging / secrecy / cover / cover-up / covert operations


17.12.2025 - 04:35 [ ABC News ]

Hegseth says Pentagon won’t release video of strike on drug boat survivors to public

At issue is whether the Sept. 2 military strike on the alleged drug boat amounted to a war crime, as some lawmakers have suggested. Officials have confirmed there were four military strikes against the boat — the first strike killing nine of the 11 people aboard. Some 40 minutes later, a second strike was ordered to kill the remaining two survivors. Two more strikes were ordered to sink the boat, officials say.

Trump initially said he would release the video, telling reporters on Dec. 3 “whatever they have, we’d certainly release, no problem.” Trump later backtracked, saying he would defer to Hegseth.

15.12.2025 - 02:23 [ U.S. Southern Command ]

Cooperative Security Locations

Caribbean CSL (Aruba-Curacao, The Netherlands Antilles)

The CSL is at two locations: Curaçao`s Hato International Airport and Aruba`s Reina Beatrix International Airport. The formal 10-year access agreement with the Kingdom of the Netherlands was signed in March 2000 and the Netherlands` parliament ratified the agreement in October 2001. Both CSL locations required minor construction improvements to include aircraft parking ramps, maintenance, and operations buildings. Counter-drug flights were made from these locations even as improvements were being made. To date, the Aruba CSL has seen limited improvement and use while the Curacao CSL has received all required improvements to include ramp space for two large, two medium, and six small aircraft, a fresh water rise facility, a maintenance hangar, and an operations building.

Aruba-Curacao provides effective, rapid response operations in the northern source zone, which includes the Guajira Peninsula of Colombia and the Venezuelan border region, as well as a large part of the transit zone. The U.S. Air Force handles day-to-day operations at the CSL.

15.12.2025 - 02:21 [ SimpleFlying.com ]

„Outrageous“: JetBlue A320 Narrowly Avoids Mid-Air Collision With US Military Tanker Over Curaçao

To maintain a safe level of separation, the JetBlue aircraft halted its climb and leveled its altitude before eventually climbing again to cruising altitude. During communications between the aircraft and ATC, Curaçao‘s control center confirmed that the military tanker was not visible on their screens either.

With its transponder not switched on, the aircraft would also not have been visible to JetBlue‘s Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which relies on transponder signals from nearby aircraft to warn of potential collisions. While this near-miss occurred during daylight hours, the situation could have been a lot worse if it happened at night during minimal visibility.

15.12.2025 - 02:15 [ CNN ]

JetBlue plane near Venezuela avoids ‘midair collision’ with US Air Force aircraft

A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curaçao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a US Air Force refueling tanker on Friday, and the pilot blamed the military plane for crossing his path.

“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control. “They passed directly in our flight path. … They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous.”

The incident involved JetBlue Flight 1112 from Curaçao, which is just off the coast of Venezuela, en route to New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

10.12.2025 - 07:33 [ ABC News ]

Admiral ousted by Hegseth talks privately to lawmakers

(December 9, 2025)

Adm. Alvin Holsey, who was pushed out of his post as the top U.S. military commander overseeing operations in Latin America, spoke privately with several lawmakers on Tuesday, according to three people familiar with the meeting — an indication that Congress is quietly pursuing a bipartisan inquiry into the Sept. 2 boat strike in the Caribbean Sea.
(…)
Also on Tuesday, House and Senate leaders known as the „Gang of Eight“ are hearing separately from President Donald Trump‘s national security team: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

10.12.2025 - 07:19 [ KomoNews.com ]

Hegseth won‘t commit to letting Congress see video of deadly boat strike, Schumer says

WASHINGTON (TND) — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth would not commit to showing all members of Congress the full video of a deadly double strike on an alleged drug boat on September 2.

He shared the news after he attended a closed-door meeting with Hegseth, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as fellow top lawmakers known as the „Gang of Eight“ on Tuesday afternoon.

10.12.2025 - 07:16 [ CBS News ]

Sen. Warner says „Gang of Eight“ wasn‘t shown Sept. 2 boat strikes video in Hegseth-Rubio briefing

(8 hours ago)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees on Tuesday about the Sept. 2 strikes on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean. CBS News congressional correspondent Caitlin Huey-Burns has the details.

02.12.2025 - 21:44 [ Middle East Eye ]

UK government lawyers use ‚secret evidence‘ to justify ban on Palestine Action

A portion of Tuesday’s hearing was held in closed session to allow the government to present material it says cannot be disclosed on national security grounds.

During these closed proceedings, known as closed material procedures (CMP), Ammori and her legal team replaced by a special advocate appointed by Ammori.

However, the special advocate is not permitted to share the government’s submissions with Ammori or her lawyers.

It means that if Ammori loses her case based on the secret evidence, neither she nor her team will know what the government argued against her or Palestine Action.

02.12.2025 - 18:55 [ CNC3.co.tt ]

Dennis rejects US radar on Tobago

“We do not want it here.”

That was the message from PNM Tobago political leader Ancil Dennis in a video posted to social media as he rejected the US military radar now spinning at the ANR Robinson International Airport.

Dennis told Tobagonians the device was brought in without proper explanation and said the Government must “carry it back to Trinidad.”
He accused the Prime Minister, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine and Tobago East MP David Thomas of misleading the public by giving different descriptions of the radar.

29.11.2025 - 18:53 [ Trinidad Express ]

Resisted by Grenada, radar spotted in Tobago: As 4th US aircraft flies in

Yet another US Marine aircraft was detected overnight heading into Tobago, the fourth of its kind over the course of the past week, as imagery on the island appeared to depict a powerful air defence US radar system at the ANR Robinson international Airport.

The sightings come after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday confirmed the US military presence on the sister isle, backtracking on previous claims that previous military aircraft sighted on the island were only there to help the country with a “roadway.”

29.11.2025 - 18:24 [ CNC3.co.tt ]

Prime Minister defends silence on US Marines in Tobago ‘I withheld work on radar details to protect national security’

On Wednesday, when a C-17 Globemaster with the words Air Force emblazoned on its side was spotted at Tobago’s airport, a picture of the aeroplane was circulated widely on social media, with several citizens questioning its purpose.

Later that day, outside the Red House, the Prime Minister explained that the aircraft had brought in US marines to assist in constructing a roadway. At the time, she said that, to her knowledge, there were no longer any marines in the country. However, US marines were later seen at a popular hotel in Tobago. The day after, the Prime Minister clarified that following further inquiries, she had been informed that marines were still in Tobago and were assisting with work on the runway, roadway, and radar system at Tobago’s airport.

24.11.2025 - 18:50 [ Times of Israel ]

Protesters in Tel Aviv, including opposition leaders, demand Oct. 7 state inquiry

(November 22, 2025)

The protest was organized for the second straight week by the October Council, which is made up of families who lost loved ones in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack and are demanding a state probe.

In attendance was former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who is considered the most credible challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Also at the protest were Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, and MKs Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot and Yair Golan, all of whom lead centrist or left-wing parties opposed to Netanyahu.

24.11.2025 - 18:47 [ Jfeed.com ]

To uncover the truth: Bereaved families establish the ‚October Council‘

(November 5, 2025)

„This issue is not political.“ I am a Zionist. We are a people who study and grapple with the truth. To this day, Jews sit in pairs every day and seek answers. Even to the most difficult questions. There is no disagreement here; we all want to learn from our experience of October 7th. I join the 85% of Israeli citizens who are calling for the establishment of an immediate and proper state commission of inquiry to investigate everything and everyone.

20.11.2025 - 16:40 [ Times of Israel ]

High Court orders government to explain why it’s not launching Oct. 7 state inquiry

The court demanded to know why the government is not exercising its authority to establish such a commission, which could “examine in an independent, professional, and impartial manner” the events surrounding the October 7 attacks.

Preliminary orders switch the burden of proof from the petitioner, in this case several liberal watchdog groups, to the respondent — the government — and indicate that the court is taking the petitions very seriously.

The government has until January 4 to respond.

17.11.2025 - 17:27 [ CNN ]

Marjorie Taylor Greene says feud with Trump „has all come down to the Epstein files“

(November 16, 2025)

The Georgia lawmaker said she doesn’t understand why the president is fighting against the files being released, as she doesn’t believe he has been implicated in anything illegal by any of Epstein’s victims.

“That is the question everyone is asking, is why fight this so hard?”

02.11.2025 - 22:18 [ Newsday.co.tt ]

Military devise ‚war‘ plans after call-out – Troops stand down

MILITARY COMMANDERS have devised three specific courses of action to be taken in the event of any land strikes involving US forces and neighbouring Venezuela.

This follows a mandatory call-out of thousands of active soldiers, sailors and other personnel on October 31 to report for duty by 6 pm and a subsequent lockdown of all military installations.

(…)

The combination of a motion to extend the state of emergency for three months being debated in Parliament, media reports of an imminent strike to Venezuela, sparked a wave of anxiety in some parts of the country with some schools ending earlier and private businesses shutting their doors.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar later called for calm, vowing to keep the public informed of any major developments.

02.11.2025 - 22:11 [ Newsday.co.tt ]

Patriotic Front: Citizens want informed leaders

On October 31, Persad-Bissessar said she was unaware of reports that TT Defence Force (TTDF) personnel had been ordered to immediately return to base. She added she would find out and repeated her statement for people to remain calm in the face of reports which claimed US military strikes against targets in Venezuela were imminent.

Panday said, „The concern is that the head of the NSC should at least be aware of why the Defence Force was placed on high alert.“

She added if Persad-Bissessar genuinely did not know, „that raises serious questions about communication and coordination at the highest level of government, especially in a time of regional tension.“

31.10.2025 - 23:27 [ Middle East Eye ]

Exclusive: Inside the UAE‘s secret Sudan war operation at Somalia‘s Bosaso

“They’re frequent and the logistics are transferred immediately to another aircraft that is on standby and is destined for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan through the neighbouring countries,” said Abdullahi, a senior Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) commander at Bosaso Airport, who spoke to Middle East Eye using a different name for security reasons.

According to flight tracking data, satellite imagery, multiple local sources, and US and regional diplomats, the origin of these planes and their cargo is clear: the United Arab Emirates.

(…)

As MEE reported recently, Bosaso is connected to a ring of bases built and expanded by the UAE across the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. The bases, on the islands of Mayun, Abd al-Kuri, Samhah; at the Somaliland port of Berbera and the Yemeni port of Mocha, are all on territory nominally controlled not by the UAE but its allies or clients.

25.10.2025 - 02:09 [ UltimasNoticias.com.ve ]

Coastal defense activated

The mobilization began at 4:00 a.m. in the states of Zulia, Falcón, Carabobo, Aragua, Miranda, La Guaira, Anzoátegui, Sucre, and Nueva Esparta—that is, along the entire Venezuelan coast.

They activated 105mm towed artillery pieces, ZU-23 systems (towed twin anti-aircraft automatic cannon) and Igla-S anti-aircraft missiles, as well as VN1 amphibious armored vehicles, among other equipment.

18.10.2025 - 17:23 [ CNC3.co.tt ]

US seizes survivors of strike on suspected drug sub in Caribbean

For the survivors of Thursday’s strike, the saga is hardly over. They now face an unclear future and legal landscape, including questions about whether they are now considered to be prisoners of war or defendants in a criminal case. The White House did not comment on the strike.

17.10.2025 - 15:05 [ telesur ]

President Sheinbaum urges non-intervention as Trump admits authorizing CIA operations against President Maduro.

(October 16, 2025)

“Self-determination of peoples—no to interference or invasion,” she said, clarifying that her stance was not only personal but also aligned with the Mexican Constitution.

Sheinbaum’s remarks came amid a growing climate of U.S. military aggression near Venezuela, which several Latin American governments have described as a threat to regional peace and stability.

06.09.2025 - 16:37 [ Wafa.ps ]

19,000 Palestinians detained since start of genocidal war on Gaza, says Prisoner’s Society

RAMALLAH, September 5, 2025 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) said Friday that Israeli occupation forces have carried out more than 19,000 detentions in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, since the start of the ongoing genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 202.

The figures do not include detentions from Gaza, which are estimated to be in the thousands. The data covers those still held and those who were later released.

05.08.2025 - 22:31 [ Axios ]

Trump plans to „take over“ Gaza aid effort, U.S. officials say

Driving the news: Witkoff flew in from Miami to meet Trump for dinner on Monday, the sources say, fresh off a visit last week to Israel and Gaza.

A U.S. official said it was decided that the Trump administration will „take over“ management of the humanitarian effort in Gaza because Israel isn‘t handling it adequately.
The official didn‘t say what the U.S. role would actually entail, but said Gulf countries like Qatar will contribute funds, while Jordan and Egypt will also likely be involved.

19.07.2025 - 22:38 [ Fox News ]

Justice Department moves to unseal Epstein, Maxwell grand jury transcripts amid calls for transparency

Grand jury proceedings are ordinarily secret by law, or as the motion says, „a tradition of law that proceedings before a grand jury shall generally remain secret.“ But the filing notes this tradition „is not absolute.“

Federal courts have recognized „certain ‘special circumstances’“ where releasing grand jury records is appropriate even outside the usual exceptions, like when a case holds significant public or historical importance.

19.07.2025 - 22:33 [ theHill.com ]

Trump directs Bondi to release relevant grand jury transcripts in Epstein case

Many Trump supporters have pushed for additional disclosures after the FBI and Justice Department last week stated Epstein did not have a client list and that his 2019 death at his New York City jail cell was a suicide. A number of prominent Trump supporters have for years pushed conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death and claims that a client list would reveal ties between Epstein and prominent Democrats.

Epstein, accused in several cases of sex trafficking young girls, ran in high-powered circles with figures that included Trump, former President Clinton, Britain’s Prince Andrew, and several other celebrities and ultrawealthy people. Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, has been convicted of sex trafficking.

15.07.2025 - 20:37 [ Al Jazeera ]

Thousands of Afghans brought to UK under secret programme after data leak

The breach revealed the names of Afghans who had helped British forces in Afghanistan before they withdrew from the country in chaotic circumstances in 2021.

The details emerged after a legal ruling known as a superinjunction was lifted. The injunction had been granted in 2023 after the Ministry of Defence argued that a public disclosure of the breach could put people at risk of extra-judicial killing or serious violence by the Taliban.

14.07.2025 - 19:43 [ US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ]

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS AND THE PERMANENT SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS – INTERVIEW OF SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, U.S. SECRET SERVICE

(page 10)

HSGAC Majority: I also work for Chairman Peters. And just as starting point if you could maybe give us a really brief high-level overview of your role and responsibilities with respect to the July 13th rally at Butler.

Witness: Sure. I was assigned as the command post/slash security room agent.

(…)

(page 16)

And then talking about July 13th specifically, could you give us a sense of the chain of command on that day from your point of view, who, if anyone, you reported to on that day?

Witness: Sure. I reported to the site agent.

HSGAC Majority: To the site agent?

Witness: Yes.

(…)

(page 25)

HSGAC Majority: And who do you know who was responsible for making the decisions about the location of the event and what equipment would be there?

Witness: Typically, that would be the site agent.

HSGAC Majority: And did you have any conversations with the site agent prior to the 13th about the setup in the room?

Witness: About the setup in the room? No.

(…)

(page 30)

Witness: So, it was a very, very busy site. I think in earlier testimony, I‘ve said it was one of the busier sites I‘ve ever worked from a command post perspective, the amount of traffic that was coming through it.
(…)
And there was a constant flow of dispatch of medical personnel to people who were, you know, having issues in the crowd. Throughout the day, we had two or three lost children, one of whom actually spent some time in the command post and security room until they were reunited with their family. We had lost property coming into the command post and security room. We had a call about a media truck that was going to set the ground on fire. So, we had to figure out how to get fire trucks to that. (…)

HSGAC Majority: Got it. Can you talk a little bit about just the physical setup of the room, how big it was?

Witness: Sure. It was a relatively large room, kind of in a standalone building. And there were essentially card tables or tables of about this size. You know, the six-foot, eight-foot tables set up in a big ring configuration. That was pretty much it. There was one door out the front, and then there were two small windows to my right. And there was a little kitchen in the back and a restroom.

(…)

(page 33)

I had to enlist the help of the Butler Farm Show personnel there to find me an extension cord and a power strip. So, I set up my radio so I could at least look out the door of the command post.

(…)

The security room also functioned as the — what we would call the down room. when the agents were getting relief from their post, it‘s where they would come. The site agents were in and out of the room throughout the day. The PI response and the counter sniper, CS Response Teams, were in and out of the room all day.

Other Pennsylvania State Troopers who were doing the same thing, who were being pushed, were in and out of the room all day. Our Uniformed Division personnel who were working the magnetometers who were on break, in and out of the room all day. And then at one point the agent assigned to work the UAS detection system, ended up taking up residence and setting up his station in the security room

(…)

(page 55)

HSGAC Majority: But the first person on the chain would‘ve been the site agent?

Witness: Correct.

HSGAC Majority: You mentioned in preparation the written materials were the only mention you saw of the setup that day. And correct me if I‘m wrong, but I believe you said it, reference commmand post or security room, but in this case, both?

Witness: Correct. So for this particular visit, the command post and the site security room for the Butler Farm Show were one and the same.

(…)

HSGAC Minority: I guess, let‘s start first with the man on the roof. Well, I mean at that time you didn’t know about it, so.

Witness: So the Man on the roof thing, again, I never heard the man on the roof thing because I believe if the claim is that that was said out loud into the room, that that was probably occurring as I‘m getting the same traffic of the local police are working a problem at 3 o‘clock, which I‘m listening to my Secret Service radio intently at that point.

HSGAC Minority: And are you only listening to your Secret?

Witness: Well, I‘m trying to listen to as much as I can, but I typically can only listen to one thing at a time.

HSGAC Minority: Do you recall, I guess, the level of activity that was going on around that time, around 6:09

Witness: Precisely at 6:09, no. But I will say that at the time that the call came across that the local police were working a problem at the 3 o‘clock, that the entire — everybody who was in the security room definitely peaked up and was very much turned on.

HSGAC Minority: So, is it that the locals were working something at the 3 o‘clock that raised it to enough of a threat level that you felt like you needed to communicate that out on the radio?

Witness: Yeah. I reported back what I heard on the radio that came across on the Secret Service radio from another Secret Service personnel. And to this day, I‘m still not sure exactly who that was, who called that into the security room. But I‘m listening for traffic on my Secret Service radio.

Witness Counsel: Can I just say that when you used the phrase „enough of a threat,“ there were between a suspicion and a threat, those are mutually exclusive categories and they have completely different meanings. If you wanted to expound on your understanding of the difference between a suspicion and a threat?

Witness: Sure. A threat is somebody who has the capability to do immediate harm to somebody. So even in this instance, even if I had heard that there was a man on a roof, a man on a roof solely that is not necessarily a threat.

14.07.2025 - 18:27 [ ABC.net.au ]

‚Disturbing‘ failures let would-be Trump shooter evade Secret Service before attack, final report finds

Until the first shots were fired, the security agent managing communication at a Pennsylvania rally never knew Donald Trump‘s would-be assassin had taken to the rooftops.

The Secret Service agent also testified he was unaware of a second command post set up by state police, according to the final Senate committee report on the attack.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee report also found there was „insufficient accountability“ by the Secret Service following the incident in Butler, Pennsylvania last July.

„Not a single person has been fired,“ the report said.

14.07.2025 - 18:19 [ CBS News ]

Before Butler shooting, Secret Service denied multiple requests to bolster Trump‘s security detail during his 2024 campaign, report says

„This report reveals a disturbing pattern of communication failures and negligence that culminated in a preventable tragedy,“ Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, wrote in the report. „What happened was inexcusable and the consequences imposed for the failures so far do not reflect the severity of the situation.“

The report accuses then-Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle of „falsely“ testifying to Congress that „no USSS asset requests were denied for the Butler rally.“ Cheatle resigned nearly a year ago after testifying before Congress.