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🔵 US Targets Cartels
Citizen Frank
August 21, 2025
Good evening. It’s Wednesday, August 20.
The Trump administration has directed the military to prepare for lethal strikes against cartel targets inside Mexico, former Intercept journalist Ken Klippenstein reported.
The top-secret planning order, issued in late spring, directs Northern Command (NORTHCOM) to manage the attacks, which are to be ready by mid-September.
“Not only is Donald Trump uniquely focused on TCOs [transnational criminal organizations, the official name for cartels], having designated them terrorists in one of his first Executive Orders, but he has shown himself to be willing to take unilateral action despite potentially negative political ramifications,” says one senior intelligence official. He and the other sources say that military action could be unilateral — that is, without the involvement or approval of the Mexican government.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced plans Wednesday to cut her agency’s workforce by up to 40% in the coming weeks — and eliminate several offices that “politicized” the flow of critical information.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence had been staffed by more than 1,800 employees when Gabbard was sworn in but is expected to retain just 1,300, while at least three offices deemed redundant will be shut down, according to senior officials.
Not all of that reduction in force will come from firings, with many employees shifted to other executive branch agencies.
The Texas State House on Wednesday passed a new congressional map, blasting through a Democratic roadblock in a bid to bolster the GOP’s chances of holding onto the U.S. House next year.
The map passed the Republican-controlled House in a 88-52 vote, setting up a new look for the upcoming 2026 midterm elections with the addition of five Republican-leaning congressional districts in the Lone Star State.
Still, the map must make its way through the Texas State Senate before it lands on Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.
A beloved tv make-up artist who worked with stars at the news outlet Newsmax has allegedly been shot dead by her son inside their home.
Tributes have poured in for Travis Renee Baldwin, 57, after she was identified as the victim of a shooting at an apartment complex on Sunday.
Her son Logan Chrisinger, 27, has been charged with her murder.
A federal judge on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s bid to unseal grand jury materials used to charge disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein with sex trafficking, instead saying the government is the “logical party” to make any sweeping disclosures.
The Trump administration sought to make public the secret grand jury proceedings as pressure from the president’s political base mounted to increase transparency about the case, which has long captured the public imagination.
U.S. District Judge Richard Berman ruled that there is “clear precedent and sound purpose” for keeping grand jury records under seal, saying the government failed to show the Epstein papers demonstrate any “special circumstance” justifying their release.
Judge Frank Caprio, who is known for his heartwarming viral court moments, has died. He was 88.
According to a statement shared on his official Facebook page, the former Providence, Rhode Island, judge “passed away peacefully at the age of 88 after a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.”
“Beloved for his compassion, humility, and unwavering belief in the goodness of people, Judge Caprio touched the lives of millions through his work in the courtroom and beyond,” the statement continued. “His warmth, humor, and kindness left an indelible mark on all who knew him.”
Cracker Barrel is barreling along with its modern makeover.
After months of criticism from fans over the chain’s remodeling efforts, Cracker Barrel announced a logo change and menu updates on Tuesday, Aug. 19.
For the first time in 48 years, the Cracker Barrel logo will be text-only with no images.
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