CARRIER DEPLOYED TO SOUTHCOM FOR CARTEL CRACKDOWN TIED TO U.S. BORDER DRUG FLOWS; MSNBC WARNS OF 'PRIVATE ARMY'

MSNBC’s Alicia Menendez and Tom Nichols warned that the Trump administration’s SOUTHCOM surge — including deploying the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to target transnational cartels — risks normalizing use of the U.S. military as a political tool. The segment follows expanded maritime and air operations near Venezuela, cartel FTO designations, and new sanctions on Colombian officials. Supporters frame the moves as a border security and counternarcotics push aimed at disrupting drug flows tied to U.S. border corridors; critics raise legal and escalation concerns.