00:00A major show of U.S. military power this morning as the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, moves into waters near Latin America.
00:12The Pentagon says it's part of the Trump administration's expanding campaign against drug cartels.
00:17But the move is fueling speculation of a much larger plan.
00:20The Ford strike group, including three destroyers and more than 4,000 sailors and Marines, is now operating under U.S. Southern Command, north of the Caribbean Sea.
00:31The Pentagon says the carrier will help disrupt narcotics trafficking and dismantle transnational criminal groups.
00:38It joins existing assets already in the region, surveillance drones, F-35 fighters, and at least one U.S. submarine.
00:45Since September, the administration says it has carried out 19 strikes on suspected drug-running boats, killing 76 people, part of what the administration calls a crackdown on cartels.
00:57But the buildup has renewed speculation that it could also be aimed at Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro.
01:03Defense Secretary Pete Hegsitt says the mission is strictly counter-narcotics, while President Trump insists Maduro's days are numbered.
01:11In response, Venezuela now says it is launching a massive mobilization of troops, weapons, and equipment in what it calls a defensive move against the, quote, imperialist threat from the United States.
01:24The defense minister says the order came directly from Maduro, with land, air, and reserve forces carrying out drills through Wednesday.
01:32The Ford's arrival brings the total U.S. military presence in the region to about 15,000 personnel, one of the largest in decades.
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