One of the wounded soldiers, Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died Thursday, while Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Trump Says US to Target Venezuelan Drug Traffickers on Land ‘Very Soon’
President Trump said Thursday that US operations against Venezuelan drug traffickers will expand to land routes “very soon,” following a months-long military buildup in the Caribbean aimed at toppling President Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
Speaking to US service members in a Thanksgiving call, Trump said maritime smuggling had declined due to U.S. naval strikes on suspected drug boats and that new efforts would now focus on land interdictions.
The comments come days after the US designated Maduro as the leader of a terrorist organization.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States will “very soon” start taking action to stop suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers on land. pic.twitter.com/HGo60jTRhj
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) November 28, 2025
Trump also said he was open to future talks with the Venezuelan leader but emphasized continued pressure through military and diplomatic means.
The White House, Pentagon, and State Department declined to comment on the timing or scope of the planned operations.
Orbán Visits Moscow for Energy Talks With Putin After Securing US Sanctions Exemption
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday to discuss continued access to Russian oil and gas, defying broader European efforts to cut energy ties with Moscow during its ongoing war in Ukraine.
The visit, Orbán’s second to Russia since the invasion, follows his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington, where he secured an exemption from US sanctions on Russian energy giants Lukoil and Rosneft.
Orbán said the exemption allows Hungary to maintain affordable fuel supplies through at least next year.
Orban says Putin meeting today focuses on SECURING affordable Russian oil & gas free from US sanctions
On discussing Ukraine’s peace plan: ‘We can hardly avoid it’ pic.twitter.com/HEPETcUgB3
— RT (@RT_com) November 28, 2025
Hungary remains one of the few European Union nations still heavily reliant on Russian fossil fuels and has resisted the bloc’s plan to end all Russian energy imports by 2027.
The Trump administration said its sanctions have already driven down Russian oil prices, even as Orbán’s outreach underscores ongoing divisions in Europe over energy and the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Agents Raid Top Zelenskyy Aide’s Home and Office Amid Energy Scandal
Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) investigators raided the home and office of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, as part of a $100 million corruption probe in the energy sector.
Yermak, one of Ukraine’s most influential officials and a key figure in talks with the United States, confirmed the searches and said he was cooperating fully.
The NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office led the operation, part of an expanding investigation into alleged high-level misconduct.
Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies (NABU & SAPO) are carrying out a search at Andrey Yermak Kyiv home as part of an investigation into alleged corruption in the energy sector.
Meanwhile Office of the President’s head Yermak instructed full cooperation: “Investigators have… pic.twitter.com/7CvsiERw3E
— EMPR.media (@EuromaidanPR) November 28, 2025
The raids add political pressure on Zelenskyy as his government seeks to maintain Western backing and funding while confronting Russia’s ongoing invasion.
Belarus’ Lukashenko Visits Myanmar Ahead of Disputed Election, Pledges Support to Military Regime
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Myanmar on Thursday for a goodwill visit, becoming only the second foreign leader to visit the country since its 2021 military coup. His trip comes weeks before Myanmar’s widely criticized election, which opponents say is designed to legitimize continued military rule.
State media said Lukashenko was greeted with full honors in Naypyitaw and will meet junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to discuss expanding cooperation, with several agreements expected to be signed.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko arrived in Naypyitaw Thursday night for his first visit to Myanmar, at a time when the military regime remains diplomatically shunned by much of the world. He received a red-carpet welcome led by the junta’s PM. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar pic.twitter.com/yCAO2YNRVb
— The Irrawaddy (Eng) (@IrrawaddyNews) November 28, 2025
Belarus, along with Russia and China, has supplied Myanmar with military equipment, radar systems, and air defense technology since the coup.
Lukashenko previously pledged to send election observers during Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Minsk in March.
Rights groups condemned the Belarus visit as an endorsement of Myanmar’s repressive regime and its efforts to normalize military control through a “sham” election.
Japan to Resume Oura Bay Reclamation for New US Marine Airfield in Okinawa
Japan’s Defense Ministry will restart land reclamation work at Oura Bay in northern Okinawa to build a new US Marine Corps airfield at Henoko, ending a five-month suspension during typhoon season.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Friday that the new phase, approved by a Japan-US joint committee on November 20, would begin once preparations are complete.
The airfield is set to replace Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, but the long-delayed project has faced legal challenges and environmental concerns.
Construction is projected to continue until at least 2033 and cost nearly $6 billion, with the base expected to be operational by 2036.
Recently, comments by Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi regarding China and the announcement of surface-to-air missiles being deployed at Yonaguni Island have attracted attention and discussion about Japanese military infrastructure in the First Island Chain.
Below is our… pic.twitter.com/tpHjkGNiWO
— Taiwan Security Monitor (@TaiwanMonitor) November 25, 2025
Work will also resume to reinforce soft seabed sections using sand piles, with about 2,900 of 71,000 completed before storms halted operations in June. Officials said typhoon delays are already factored into the schedule and are not expected to affect the overall timeline.
US Launches Task Force-Philippines to Bolster Defense, Deter China in South China Sea
The US military has established Task Force-Philippines, a new joint unit of about 60 personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps led by Marine Major General Thomas Savage, to strengthen defense cooperation with Manila and counter China’s growing influence in the South China Sea.
Announced October 31 by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, the task force will coordinate with Philippine forces on joint exercises, crisis response, and maritime defense operations under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.
A recently established U.S.-Philippine military task force designed to deter coercion and respond to crises in the disputed South China Sea will not likely stay a two-country effort for long. https://t.co/2zaUMYxdaE
— The Japan Times (@japantimes) November 28, 2025
Based in an undisclosed location, the unit will rotate personnel as needed but have a permanent staff presence.
US officials said the initiative supports the Philippines’ Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept and reflects Washington’s commitment to maintaining regional stability and a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Death Toll in Hong Kong High-Rise Fire Rises to 128 as Search for Victims Continues
Firefighters in Hong Kong recovered dozens more bodies Friday while searching a burned-out apartment complex in Tai Po, bringing the death toll from the massive Wang Fuk Court fire to at least 128.
Authorities said some victims were too badly burned to identify, and officials warned the number could still rise as searches continued in seven of the eight towers engulfed by flames.
The blaze, which began Wednesday in bamboo scaffolding used for renovations, spread rapidly across buildings due to flammable materials on the exterior. It took 24 hours to bring the fire under control and was not fully extinguished until Friday morning.
About 2,300 emergency personnel were involved in the operation, with 79 people injured.
A deadly fire ripped through a cluster of Hong Kong’s high-rises, killing dozens, even after inspectors had flagged unsafe materials at the site.@minminlow has the latest from the ground: https://t.co/bpWfYjjUCd pic.twitter.com/FF8PnSKpb1
— Bloomberg (@business) November 28, 2025
Police arrested three men—two construction company directors and an engineering consultant—on suspicion of manslaughter, alleging gross negligence. Officials are now inspecting other housing estates under renovation to ensure fire safety compliance.
The incident is Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades.
Sources: News Agencies
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Morning Brief: Trump Orders Halt to Immigration, Hungary’s Orbán Visits Moscow for Energy Talks, Japan to Resume Oura Bay Reclamation
Trump tightens immigration, expands drug ops, and crises unfold from Ukraine to Hong Kong. Here’s your Friday Morning Brief, November 28, 2025.
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