Today I learned Mexico and Canada have devised new trade routes:
Canada and Mexico are developing a trade route called the “Northern Corridor” to bypass U.S. tariffs, enhancing their economic ties and reducing reliance on the U.S. market. This corridor aims to facilitate trade through rail and maritime links, avoiding U.S. customs and logistical controls. thecanadianpressnews.ca Wikipedia
The USS Spruance leaves San Diego, on Saturday. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Claire M. Alfaro)
The U.S. government has deployed another warship to waters near Mexico as part of President Donald Trump’s call to secure its southern border.
The USS Spruance is the second Navy destroyer that served in the Red Sea to be ordered to support the U.S. Northern Command’s mission.
Spruance departed U.S. Naval Base San Diego on Saturday, just days after the USS Gravely deployed to the Gulf of Mexico as part of the U.S. military’s response to Trump’s executive order declaring a national emergency at the border.
Gen. Gregory Guillot, the commander of U.S. Northern Command, said the deployment will focus on combating maritime-related terrorism, weapons proliferation, transnational crime, piracy, environmental destruction and illegal seaborne immigration.
Trade with Mexico:
Mexico suspended postal shipments to the U.S. as the Trump administration ends the “de minimis” exemption allowing duty-free entry of packages under $800.
U.S. investigations have shown that some Chinese companies sell chemicals knowing they will be used to make fentanyl. These companies communicate with buyers through encrypted messages and accept cryptocurrency payments.
China says it has some of the world’s strictest drug laws and has worked with the U.S. to stop illegal drug trade in the past. However, U.S. officials say China needs to do more.
India is also becoming a key supplier of fentanyl-making chemicals. In January 2025, two Indian chemical companies were charged with selling fentanyl-related chemicals to the U.S. and Mexico.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is deploying three Aegis guided-missile destroyers to the waters off Venezuela as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels, according to a U.S. official briefed on the planning.
The USS Gravely, the USS Jason Dunham and the USS Sampson are expected to arrive soon, said the official, who was not authorized to comment and spoke Tuesday on the condition of anonymity.
A Defense Department official confirmed that the military assets have been assigned to the region in support of counter narcotics efforts. The official, who was not authorized to comment about military planning, said the vessels would be deployed “over the course of several months.”
Chevron Cleared to Restart Venezuelan Oil Operations as Maduro Celebrates Renewed Ties
July 25, 2025
KEY POINTS
President Maduro confirmed Chevron can fully resume Venezuelan oil operations after months of U.S. sanctions.
Chevron’s return follows a prisoner exchange between Venezuela and the U.S., although not officially tied to the deal.
Venezuela’s oil output rose by 12% in recent months, reaching over 1 million barrels daily without foreign support.
Chevron has been officially granted approval to resume full oil operations in Venezuela, months after halting production in May 2025 due to U.S. sanctions.
The announcement was made by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Thursday, hailing the move as a turning point in U.S.–Venezuelan energy relations.
“Chevron has been notified to resume its operations on a legal basis and is welcome in Venezuela,” Maduro declared during a televised address. He also noted that “despite blackmail and restrictions,” Venezuela’s oil production had surged by 12% in recent months, reflecting the country’s ability to maintain growth without relying solely on foreign companies.
According to June data from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Venezuela’s oil output reached 1,069,000 barrels per day. This increase occurred even while U.S. sanctions forced Chevron, the country’s longest-operating foreign oil company, to suspend activities.
Chevron: Return Linked to Diplomatic Exchange Between Caracas and Washington
The U.S. company’s return to Venezuela follows a notable diplomatic event — a recent prisoner exchange between the United States and Venezuela. In the agreement, Caracas released 10 incarcerated U.S. citizens, while 252 Venezuelan migrants were repatriated from El Salvador. Although President Maduro did not explicitly confirm that Chevron’s reinstated license was a direct outcome of the exchange, the timing suggests that diplomatic negotiations played a pivotal role.
“Diplomatic and commercial relations must proceed with mutual respect and without blackmail,” Maduro stressed. He also reiterated his administration’s commitment to welcoming international firms under fair and legal conditions. “We hope Chevron continues for another 100 years in Venezuela,” he added, highlighting that the company has been active in the country for 102 years.
The move signals an easing of strained relations between Caracas and Washington, particularly under the foreign policy posture of Donald Trump, whose administration recently gave Chevron the green light to re-enter Venezuelan oilfields.
Maduro’s broader message included a renewed invitation to other foreign companies willing to respect Venezuela’s legal and political framework. Working groups, he said, are already coordinating with Chevron to ensure a smooth resumption of operations.
This development could potentially boost Venezuela’s struggling economy, which has been reeling under years of inflation, sanctions, and infrastructure decline. Analysts suggest that the restoration of foreign oil investment may improve Venezuela’s fiscal stability, though broader political reforms are still essential for sustained recovery.
Oluwatosin Racheal Alabi, an accomplished journalist, boasts of a pivotal year with Insight Links Media where she held the esteemed role of an international correspondent. Specializing in amplifying global stories, Oluwatosin stands out as a skilled writer and a vibrant, articulate speaker. Her unmatched zeal for journalism, combined with her audacious reporting style, distinguishes her in the realm of contemporary journalism. Advocating for truth and transparency, she continuously strives to bring unbiased and relevant narratives to the forefront.
(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday unveiled a comprehensive schedule to hold more than 30 offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Cook Inlet over the next 15 years.
And Mexican immigrants, many living in Hawaii, are being traced using their wiring of funds to their dependent loved ones:
“It is disheartening to see ICE and HSI resorting to surveillance tactics that turn routine, lawful actions — like sending money to loved ones — into grounds for immigration enforcement,” said Salmah Y. Rizvi, executive director of the ACLU of Hawaiʻi, in an emailed statement. “Hawaii’s large immigrant community relies on remittances to support families abroad, and this kind of government overreach creates a chilling effect, making people feel unsafe even doing everyday tasks.”
Jacquelyn Esser, a federal public defender representing Cordova Murrieta, said his was the only case she had seen in which ICE targeted an individual for deportation using remittance data.
Hanson’s affidavit did not identify the source of such detailed financial data, and ICE did not respond to questions about her investigation.
But ICE agents have access to detailed data about hundreds of millions of wire transfers to Mexico through a secretive database run by the Transaction Record Analysis Center, a nonprofit in Arizona
From The Intercept.
4th September 2025
The two new designees, Los Lobos and Los Choneros, are Ecuadorian gangs blamed for much of the violence that began since the COVID-19 pandemic. The designation, Rubio said, brings “all sorts of options” for the U.S. government to work in conjunction with the government of Ecuador to crack down on these groups.
Navy Sends Major Aircraft Carrier To Caribbean Amid Military Campaign Against Drug Cartels
BySara Dorn,Forbes Staff. Sara Dorn is a Forbes news reporter who covers politics.Follow Author
Oct 24, 2025, 02:17pm EDTOct 24, 2025, 02:59pm EDTShareSaveComment
Topline
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent the Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier to the Caribbean in a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s military campaign against Latin American drug cartels, the Defense Department said Friday
Retired, living in the Scottish Borders after living most of my life in cities in England. I can now indulge my interest in all aspects of living close to nature in a wild landscape. I live on what was once the Iapetus Ocean which took millions of years to travel from the Southern Hemisphere to here in the Northern Hemisphere. That set me thinking and questioning and seeking answers.
In 1998 I co-wrote Millennium Countdown (US)/ A Business Guide to the Year 2000 (UK) see https://www.abebooks.co.uk/products/isbn/9780749427917
borderslynn 