TV News LIES

A group of 17 transgender US air force members has sued the Trump administration for denying them early retirement pensions and benefits.

The complaint, submitted in federal court, describes the government’s move against them as “unlawful and invalid”.

The legal action follows the air force’s confirmation it would deny early retirement benefits to all transgender service members with 15 to 18 years of military experience, a decision that effectively pushes them out of the military with no retirement support at all.

“The Air Force’s own retirement instruction provides that retirement orders may only be rescinded under very limited circumstances, none of which were present here,” the lawsuit says.

Among the named plaintiffs are Logan Ireland, Ashley Davis, Kira Brimhall and Lindell Walley.

Glad Law, one of the advocacy groups behind the lawsuit who is representing the affected service members, said the revocation of early retirement support had ripped away financial support and benefits these families were counting on after long years of excellent service to their country.

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In a social media post, the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, just announced “Operation Southern Spear”, a new military mission apparently signaling that the war on drugs could soon be an actual war.

“President Trump ordered action — and the Department of War is delivering. Today, I’m announcing Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR. Led by Joint Task Force Southern Spear and [US Southern Command],” Hegseth wrote on X.

This mission, he added, “defends our Homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere, and secures our Homeland from the drugs that are killing our people. The Western Hemisphere is America’s neighborhood – and we will protect it.”

He offered no other details, as strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and a massing of forces in the region have prompted widespread speculation that US military strikes on Venezuela are imminent.

The US Southern Command (Southcom) is the US military’s combatant command that encompasses 31 countries through South and Central America and the Caribbean.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced another U.S. military strike against an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the Eastern Pacific on Tuesday, killing two “narco-terrorists.”

Hegseth said U.S. forces struck a vessel operated by a designated terrorist organization, and the boat was operating in international waters.

It is unclear which terrorist group the Defense secretary is referring to. However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is slated to brief the “Gang of 12” tomorrow on ongoing strikes against alleged narco-terrorists in the Caribbean.

“We will find and terminate EVERY vessel with the intention of trafficking drugs to America to poison our citizens,” Hegseth said in a post on social platform X.The Pentagon chief said that no U.S. service members were injured in the operation and that the boat was operating along a “known narco-trafficking route.”

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said late Saturday that U.S. forces struck an alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean and killed three after a string of similar strikes in the region in recent weeks.

“Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on another narco-trafficking vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO) in the Caribbean,” Hegseth said in a post on the social platform X.

“Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters,” Hegseth continued. “All three terrorists were killed, and no U.S. forceshttps://thehill.com/policy/defense/5585410-us-forces-strike-drug-vessel-hegseth/ were harmed in this strike.”

Saturday’s strike is the latest in a series of U.S. military efforts targeting alleged narcotrafficking in the Caribbean Sea.

Since early September, the Trump administration has directed the Defense Department to carry out strikes against alleged drug smuggling, killing upward of 64 people in international waters. There have also been strikes in the East Pacific.

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The Pentagon has given the White House the green light to provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles after assessing that it would not negatively impact US stockpiles, leaving the final political decision in President Donald Trump’s hands, according to three US and European officials familiar with the matter.

Trump said earlier this month during a working lunch with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House that he would rather not provide the missiles to Ukraine because “we don’t want to be giving away things that we need to protect our country.”

The Joint Staff informed the White House of its assessment earlier this month, just before Trump met with Zelensky who has been pushing for the missiles to more effectively target oil and energy facilities deep inside Russia. Tomahawks have a range of around 1,000 miles.

The assessment buoyed the US’ European allies, who believe that the US now has fewer excuses not to provide the missiles, two European officials said. Trump also said just days before meeting Zelensky that the US has “a lot of Tomahawks” that it could potentially give to Ukraine.

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A three-star general who worked on the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Joint Staff,, is retiring from the role after reported friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Dan Caine. 

“General McGee is retiring, and the War Department is grateful for his service,” chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed Thursday in a statement to The Hill.

McGee, who retired from his post earlier this month, was the director for strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff, advising Caine on long-term military strategy. 

McGee objected to Hegseth and Caine on a range of issues, including the Trump administration’s strikes against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and the Russia-Ukraine war, according to CNN, which first reported on McGee’s departure.

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