The nation’s top military officer, Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will visit American troops Monday in Puerto Rico and on a Navy warship in the region, where the U.S. has amassed an unusually large fleet of warships and has been attacking alleged drug-smuggling boats.

Caine’s visit comes as President Donald Trump evaluates whether to take military action against Venezuela. The U.S. military’s buildup and 21 boat strikes off the South American coast have killed more than 80 people.

Trump’s administration has most recently ramped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by designating the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization. In previewing the step about a week ago, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns, of being “responsible for terrorist violence” in the Western Hemisphere. Venezuelans began using the term Cartel de los Soles in the 1990s to refer to high-ranking military officers who had grown rich from drug-running.

Here's the latest:

Mamdani stands by Trump criticism despite friendly White House meeting

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani didn’t back down in an interview that aired Sunday from past criticism that President Donald Trump acted like a despot and a fascist after a surprisingly friendly White House meeting between the two men.

The newly elected democratic socialist and the Republican president have fiercely criticized each other in the past. Trump called Mamdani a “100% Communist Lunatic” in a social media post following the incoming mayor’s election victory, and Mamdani has said Trump was attacking democracy. Yet the two political foils emerged smiling after the meeting on Friday and spoke of shared goals.

Pressed about his past criticism during a “Meet the Press” interview conducted Saturday, Mamdani said his views remained unchanged.

▶ Read more about what Mamdani had to say

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Trump, Xi spoke on the phone Monday, US and Chinese officials say

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed trade, Taiwan and Ukraine, according to the White House and Chinese officials.

Xi told Trump that Taiwan’s return to mainland China is “an important part of the post-war international order,” according to China’s official news agency Xinhua.

A White House official confirmed the call happened on Monday morning but offered no details.

The conversation came after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently said Japan’s military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island Beijing says must come under its rule.

Xi, in the phone call, said China and the U.S., which fought together during the war, should “jointly safeguard the victorious outcome of World War II.”

The two leaders also discussed trade, but the Chinese statement did not reveal any concrete agreements on matters such as purchases of American soybeans.

Top US military adviser visits Caribbean as Trump ramps up pressure on Venezuela

The nation’s top military officer will visit American troops Monday in Puerto Rico and on a Navy warship in the region, where the U.S. has amassed an unusually large fleet of warships and has been attacking alleged drug-smuggling boats.

Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is Trump’s primary military adviser. The Pentagon said Caine will “engage with service members and thank them for their outstanding support to regional missions.” Caine’s visit comes as Trump evaluates whether to take military action against Venezuela.

The U.S. military’s buildup and 21 boat strikes off the South American coast have killed more than 80 people. They’re seen by many as a pressure tactic on Maduro to resign.

Airlines cancel flights to Venezuela after FAA warns of worsening security, military activity

International airlines increasingly canceled flights to Venezuela on Sunday after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration warned pilots to use caution when flying in the country’s airspace because of worsening security and heightened military activity.

Marisela de Loaiza, president of the Airlines Association in Venezuela, told The Associated Press that six carriers have indefinitely suspended flights: TAP, LATAM, Avianca, Iberia, Gol and Caribbean. Turkish Airlines suspended flights from Nov. 24 to 28.

On Friday, the FAA warned pilots that unspecified threats “could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes,” as well as planes taking off and landing in the country and even aircraft on the ground.

The warning came as President Donald Trump’s administration has ramped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

▶ Read more about military activity in Venezuela

AP, Trump administration argue access case before federal appeals court

The Associated Press and the Trump administration were due back before a federal appeals court Monday in their fight over media access, with the AP arguing that a news outlet should not be punished for its point of view and the White House insisting the president should determine who can question him in the Oval Office.

AP sued three Trump administration officials, including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, in February after its reporters were barred from the “pool” of journalists who follow the president up close. The administration’s action, it said, was in response to an institutional decision by AP to continue using the term “Gulf of Mexico” as its default style after Trump renamed it the “Gulf of America.”

The case has wound its way through federal district court and, more recently, federal appellate court throughout the year.

Julie Pace, AP’s executive editor, wrote in an op-ed piece Monday morning that the question of access is not just about AP; it’s about people’s access to the government that works for them.

▶ Read more about the court case

A sheriff, a billionaire, a tinge of scandal. California governor’s race packs drama, uncertainty

The race for California governor features former presidential wannabes, a county sheriff, two women who could become the first female to hold the office, House members current and former, an ex-Cabinet secretary and at least one billionaire with another in the wings. The contest has been singed by scandal and witnessed one campaign nearly melt down.

And it hasn’t officially started yet.

The pending exit of term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom has created the most wide-open and crowded field for the state’s highest office in memory. The job pays $242,000 a year but provides an arguably more valuable national political platform and the ability to engage in trade, climate and other global affairs. By default, the California governor, in a state of nearly 40 million people, is a national figure.

Newsom is widely expected to launch a White House run after the Democrat’s term ends in early January 2027.

▶ Read about the candidates the race has attracted so far

Big changes to the agency charged with securing elections lead to midterm worries

Since it was created in 2018, the federal government’s cybersecurity agency has helped warn state and local election officials about potential threats from foreign governments, shown officials how to protect polling places from attacks and gamed out how to respond to the unexpected, such as an Election Day bomb threat or sudden disinformation campaign.

The agency was largely absent from that space for elections this month in several states, a potential preview for the 2026 midterms. Shifting priorities of the Trump administration, staffing reductions and budget cuts have many election officials concerned about how engaged the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency will be next year, when control of Congress will be at stake in those elections.

▶ Read more about how states are approaching the anticipated gaps

Thousands of arrests by Trump’s crime-fighting task force in Memphis strain crowded jail and courts

A task force ordered by President Donald Trump to combat crime in Memphis, Tennessee, has made thousands of arrests, compounding strains on the busy local court system and an already overcrowded jail in ways that concerned officials say will last months or even years as cases play out.

Since late September, hundreds of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel tied to the Memphis Safe Task Force have made traffic stops, served warrants and searched for fugitives in the city of about 610,000 people. More than 2,800 people have been arrested and more than 28,000 traffic citations have been issued, data provided by the task force and Memphis police shows.

The task force, which includes National Guard troops, is supported by Republican Gov. Bill Lee and others who hope the surge reduces crime in a city that has grappled with violent crime, including nearly 300 homicides last year and almost 400 in 2023.

▶ Read more about what’s happening in Memphis

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