Maduro is in a tough stot, right now.

Pressure keeps piling up, as a massive naval force is to be stationed in the Caribbean Sea out of the coast of Venezuela.

The Donald J. Trump administration has taken several steps to contain – and possibly even topple – the mis-government of Bolivarian socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro, a man the US classifies as a Narco-terrorist and a cartel head.

First, the US charged Maduro for evading sanctions, and put a bounty on his head, as you can read in DOJ Offers $50 Million Reward for Information Leading to Arrest of Venezuela’s Dictator Maduro.

After that, the US military is now deploying over 4,000 Marines and sailors to the waters around Latin America and the Caribbean as part of a ‘counter-cartel mission’.

This deployment includes the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (comprising the USS Iwo Jima, USS Fort Lauderdale, and USS San Antonio), a nuclear-powered attack submarine, several destroyers, a guided-missile cruiser, and additional P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft.

That is the biggest show of force in Latin America in a quarter of a century.

Tupy Report:

“According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), U.S. destroyers and other naval vessels — reportedly arriving in 36 hours to the Caribbean Sea — can position themselves outside Venezuela’s territorial waters at a distance greater than 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) from the coast. In other words, “right there”

Legally, those destroyers and ships can remain in that area for as long as they wish. What they cannot do is interfere with Venezuela’s “legal” commercial activity, since the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) does extend up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coast.”

And today, White House Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt reinforced the notion that all these military assets are NOT just for show.

WH Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says Trump, with respect to Venezuela, is ready to “use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into” the U.S. She also says Nicolás Maduro is “not a legitimate president” and his regime is a “narco terror cartel.” This… pic.twitter.com/aPoAhpVRQO

— Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) August 19, 2025

“President Trump is prepared to use every instrument of American power to prevent drugs from reaching our country and bring those responsible to justice.

The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela! It is a narco-terrorist cartel, and Maduro is NOT a legitimate president. He is a fugitive and head of a narco-terrorist cartel indicted in the U.S. for drug trafficking.”

Read more:

US Sends 3 Destroyers, 4,000 Troops to the Coast of Venezuela to Combat ‘Drug Threats’, Days After Offering $50 Million Reward for Maduro’s Arrest

The post Trump Is Ready to Use ‘Every Element of American Power’ Against Venezuela’s ‘Narco-Terrorist’ Nicolas Maduro to ‘Stop Drugs From Flooding Into the US’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The U.S. Marshals Service announced on Tuesday that citizens can now receive a $500 reward for “tips that lead to an arrest in Washington, D.C.,” as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital. 

This follows President Trump’s federal takeover of Washington, DC.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, President Trump declared a “public safety emergency” in the nation’s capital, federalized the Metropolotan Police Department, and deployed hundreds of National Guard troops and federal agents on the streets to tackle the rampant crime, homelessness, and illegal immigration crises.

President Trump activated 800 DC National Guardsmen after he declared last Monday that it was “Liberation Day in DC.”

BREAKING: “This is Liberation Day in DC, and We’re Going to Take Our Capital Back” – President Trump Announces He is Invoking Section 740 of DC Home Act, Federalizing DC Police, and Sending in National Guard (VIDEO)

The U.S. Marshal's Service said in an X post,

In the effort to #MakeDCSafeAgain the U.S. Marshals announce a $500 reward for tips that lead to an arrest in Washington, D.C. Scan the QR code above or visit http://usmarshals.gov/tips to submit a tip!

In the effort to #MakeDCSafeAgain the U.S. Marshals announce a $500 reward for tips that lead to an arrest in Washington, D.C. Scan the QR code above or visit https://t.co/H3TflOnrfj to submit a tip! pic.twitter.com/nFlAZCub5U

— U.S. Marshals Service (@USMarshalsHQ) August 19, 2025

The agency, which is overseen by the Department of Justice, is one of the agencies assigned to the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force created by the President’s March “Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful” executive order.

According to the webpage provided, "USMS Tips is exclusively dedicated to receiving information on U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) wanted fugitives, registered sex offender not residing at correct address, potential threats to the federal judiciary, or USMS Supported missing child cases."

However, it appears the tip line is now open to all law violations.

Nearly 500 criminals have been arrested since federal operations began on August 7.

The post U.S. Marshals Service Announces $500 Reward for Tips that Lead to an Arrest in Washington, DC appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Newly released emails released by DOJ official Ed Martin reveal Joe Biden’s own Justice Department red-flagged the thousands of last-minute autopen pardons.

Earlier this year it was revealed Ed Martin was probing Joe Biden’s pardons amid the growing autopen scandal.

The Oversight Project broke the story about the Biden autopen scandal wide open after they discovered thousands of acts of clemency and executive actions were signed with an autopen rather than a wet signature.

Autopen Update
We analyzed Biden’s Jan. 19, 2025 “pardons” for:

-Biden Family Members
-Anthony Fauci
-General Milley
-J6 Committee
-Gerald Lundergan

They all have the same exact Biden autopen signature https://t.co/jc6mkx37il pic.twitter.com/8VeBDwLNv7

— Oversight Project (@ItsYourGov) March 11, 2025

There was a second frequently used autopen signature for Joe Biden’s pardons and commutations.

Autopen A and Autopen B have slight differences in the signatures.

SECOND AUTOPEN DISCOVERED

We have found that there was a second frequently used autopen signature for President Biden on pardons and commutations. https://t.co/ociYTfdTkp pic.twitter.com/EeT4Tz9Gb0

— Oversight Project (@ItsYourGov) March 13, 2025

Biden officials such as Neera Tanden, Jeff Zeints, Stephanie Feldman and others were involved in the autopen scandal.

The New York Times recently reviewed some of the emails that the National Archives handed over to the Trump DOJ as part of their investigation into the autopen scandal.

The emails revealed that Biden’s staffers made decisions to sign the pardons with the autopen without directly hearing the orders from Joe Biden.

It was revealed that Joe Biden did not approve of each name for the pardons – AND after changes were made about the specific inmates, Biden did NOT sign off on the revised list. Rather, his aides just ran the final version through the autopen without Biden’s approval.

Now this…

Biden’s own DOJ warned that the last-minute autopen pardons of cop killers and child murderers was legally flawed.

The Washington Times reported:

A top Justice Department official warned the Biden administration that thousands of last-minute pardons signed by autopen were legally flawed and went against President Biden’s intentions by granting clemency to violent offenders who murdered children and police officers.

Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer criticized “highly problematic” language used in a single warrant, signed by the autopen, that pardoned hundreds of criminals in the final days of the Biden administration, according to a Jan. 18 email reviewed by The Washington Times.

Mr. Weinsheimer, writing to top Biden administration lawyers two days before Mr. Biden left office, said the wording of the pardoned offenses was too vague and could render the commutations “ineffective.” The lack of specificity could also result in commutations “in circumstances, including for crimes of violence, that was not intended,” he warned.

He also noted the Justice Department was blocked from playing any role in vetting the candidates for clemency and said the White House granted some pardons despite “voluminous objections” from the victims’ families.

Biden’s Own DOJ Threw Red Flag on Autopenned Pardons

NEW DOCS FROM @EagleEdMartin show Biden’s own DOJ warned against autopenned clemency awards.@realdonaldtrump should refuse to release inmates that received this illegal clemency and re-arrest those already released. pic.twitter.com/pPCYz8UD3f

— Oversight Project (@ItsYourGov) August 19, 2025

The post Newly Released Emails Reveal Joe Biden’s Own DOJ Red-Flagged Thousands of Last-Minute Autopen Pardons appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. are teaming up to Make America Healthy Again.

Secretary Hegseth shared the “Pete and Bobby Challenge” fitness initiative on social media.

Hegseth and Kennedy made the announcement from the Pentagon during a first-of-its-kind “fitness check.”

The event featured six, five-person teams representing the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Marine Corps and DOD. Each team participated in a competition where individuals had to complete 50 pullups and 100 pushups in 10 minutes or less.

Hegseth told the group, “We’re going to have a little fun today — a little competition between departments — and I appreciate you taking part.”

He explained that the fitness check was part of an overall DOD promotion to highlight the importance of physical fitness throughout the chain of command.

“We’ve talked about [how] we’re going to be fit, not fat; we’ve talked about how we’re going to be ready — it’s a real thing,” Hegseth continued. He added that it matters what service members look like, how they carry themselves, and whether or not they are capable of doing what the job requires of them on a physical level.

Hegseth also shared that in addition to physical fitness, physical health is a key ingredient to having a successful fighting force, noting why DOD is working with Secretary Kennedy and HHS to identify pilot programs to “improve the quality of food that troops are consuming.”

Secretary Kennedy also encouraged younger Americans to accept the challenge and the event underscored that 78% of young Americans don’t qualify for military service, with a failure to meet physical fitness standards being a major factor.

Hegseth completed the challenge in about five and a half minutes, with the 71-year-old Kennedy only slightly behind.

Watch:

President Trump set the example by putting forth efforts to make America healthy again.

That’s why we are introducing the Pete and Bobby challenge.

100 push-ups. 50 pull-ups. 10 minutes. pic.twitter.com/ppRrwqSUm0

— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) August 18, 2025

The challenge comes as Kennedy champions the “Make America Healthy Again” movement. In February, President Trump issued an Executive Order establishing the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission, to improve the health of Americans, particularly children.

Hegseth has also focused on making the U.S. military the most fit and well-equipped to defend the nation.

The post The “Pete and Bobby Challenge” Pete Hegseth and RFK Jr. Team Up to Make America Healthy Again appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Peace may break out in Budapest.

Probably the biggest development out of the historic peace talks in DC between Donald J. Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky plus the European leaders is the perspective of trilateral talks between US and Ukrainian leaders with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

While there’s a whirlwind of misinformation going around regarding proposals and other details of the peace process, a report has arisen that seems very plausible.

It says that the White House plans for the much-awaited trilateral meeting to be held in the Hungarian capital of Budapest.

Politico reported:

“The U.S. Secret Service is preparing for the summit in the Central European nation led by Prime Minister Victor Orbán, who has been close with President Donald Trump since the American president’s first term in office.”

I can think of no better place (other than the White House) for a tri-lateral summit between the United States/Russia/Ukraine than #Budapest. pic.twitter.com/FVMlu4EwXN

— Bryan E. Leib (@BryanLeibFL) August 19, 2025

The White House has naturally not responded to Politico’s request for comment.

“While the Secret Service often scouts multiple locations and the ultimate venue could change, Budapest is emerging as a first choice for the White House, said the two people, both granted anonymity to discuss private conversations.”

Putin reportedly told Trump that he preferred Moscow – but the optics would suggest a capitulation by Zelensky.

“Hungary would be an uncomfortable choice for Ukraine as it harkens back to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which the U.S., the United Kingdom and Russia promised to uphold Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and respect for its border in exchange for relinquishing its nuclear weapons.”

Read more:

“A Very Good, Early Step” – Trump Announces Meeting Between Putin and Zelensky and Later Trilateral Meeting in the Works! – Meeting Location to be Determined

The post White House Is Preparing for Trump-Putin-Zelensky Trilateral Meeting in Budapest: REPORT appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.