President Donald Trump is ordering the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to head to the Caribbean as he ramps up his crusade against drugs — marking the first time a carrier has conducted an operational deployment in the region in more than 30 years.

Trump has built up naval assets in the region as attacks against alleged drug boats have increased since September, but sending an aircraft carrier is an unprecedented move. A warship like the Ford hasn’t participated in military operations in the region since 1994, when two carriers were dispatched to respond to political unrest in Haiti for Operation Uphold Democracy, according to U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) records shared with Fox News Digital. 

The Ford’s deployment comes as Trump has signaled that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro may not be in office much longer. The Trump administration has conducted 15 strikes in the Caribbean, while U.S. lawmakers have raised concerns about their legality and a broader conflict in the region.

During Operation Uphold Democracy, aircraft carriers USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS America headed to the region as part of a multinational intervention, after Haitian Lt. Gen. Raoul Cedras led a military coup in 1991 that ousted the island’s first freely elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

In July 1994, the United Nations passed a resolution authorizing the use of military force to restore democracy in Haiti, paving the way for Operation Uphold Democracy to launch in September 1994 as a military buildup designed to pressure Cedras’ regime to step down, according to the State Department’s Office of the Historian.

At the time, President Bill Clinton justified the intervention, which involved nearly 25,000 U.S. troops, as necessary to remove the Cedras regime after employing ‘every diplomatic avenue possible.’

Clinton said in a radio address Sept. 17, 1994, that the Cedras regime had two options: either leave peacefully or be ousted forcefully.

‘The remaining question is not whether they will leave but how they will leave,’ Clinton said in a radio address Sept. 17, 1994. ‘They can go peacefully and increase the chances for a peaceful future and a more stable future for Haiti in the near term, not only for all those whose democracy they stole but for themselves as well. They can do that, or they will be removed by force.’

In addition to military forces, Clinton also announced that former president Jimmy Carter, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Colin Powell and Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., had departed for Haiti in a final attempt to secure a peaceful transfer of power.

U.S. forces started to arrive in Haiti Sept. 19, 2024, while diplomatic negotiations between the U.S. delegation and Cedras’ regime were underway, ultimately prompting Cedras’ regime to surrender and allowing Aristide to return to power.

Since Operation Uphold Democracy, carriers have sailed through SOUTHCOM’s waters for several exercises and supported humanitarian efforts. For example, the USS George Washington completed exercises in the region as part of the Southern Seas 2024 deployment aimed at facilitating maritime partnerships with allies as part of a homeport change from Norfolk, Virginia, to Yokosuka, Japan.

The carrier participated in these exercises in 2008 and 2015 during homeport changes between the East Coast and Japan. Altogether, there have been a total of 10 Southern Seas missions since 2007, according to SOUTHCOM.

Additionally, the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson also assisted with humanitarian relief efforts in 2010 after Haiti suffered a massive earthquake as part of Operation Unified Response, according to Naval History and Heritage Command.

Meanwhile, Trump is ramping up strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean — totaling 15 strikes since the beginning of September — stoking concerns from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle about whether they are legal. For example, Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced a war powers resolution prohibiting U.S. armed forces from engaging in ‘hostilities’ against Venezuela.

‘The Trump administration has made it clear they may launch military action inside Venezuela’s borders and won’t stop at boat strikes in the Caribbean,’ Schiff said in a statement Oct. 17.

However, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Oct. 26 that the Trump administration has the authority it needs to conduct these strikes, and that Trump has decided its ‘time’ for Maduro to go.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

The Trump administration repeatedly has stated it does not recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state, and claims he is instead a leader of a drug cartel. Likewise, the Trump administration increased the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million in August, claiming he is ‘one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world.’

After the Trump administration announced the Ford would head to SOUTHCOM’s area of operations, Maduro accused Trump of ‘fabricating a new eternal war.’

‘They promised they would never again get involved in a war, and they are fabricating a war,’ Maduro said in a national broadcast on Oct. 24.

Meanwhile, Trump said Sunday in an interview with CBS’ ’60 Minutes’ that although he doesn’t expect a war with Venezuela, he believes Maduro’s days are limited when asked about ordering the carrier to the region.

The Ford may be the Navy’s newest carrier, but it’s already been quick to respond to several significant conflicts since its first full-length deployment in 2023. For example, the Pentagon sent the Ford to the Eastern Mediterranean in October 2023 after Hamas’ initial attack on Israel.

While in the Caribbean, the Ford is expected to conduct strike operations on land, and provide close air support for special operations troops, according to experts.

‘I estimate the FORD will be doing strike operations against narcotics trafficking and manufacturing sites ashore as well as providing close air support to special operations troops,’ Bryan Clark, director of the Hudson Institute think tank’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, said in a Monday email to Fox News Digital.

Brent Sadler, a senior fellow for naval warfare and advanced technology at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, said that the carrier’s deployment seeks to put additional pressure on Venezuela, so Caracas doesn’t retaliate following the U.S. military strikes in the region. 

‘The Ford’s arrival in SOUTHCOM area is not unprecedented but given the ongoing attacks on Cartel boats significant. I see this move as intended to deter Venezuela from escalating the crisis and providing the President extra options should he want to increase the attacks on the Cartels,’ Sadler said in an email to Fox News Digital on Monday. ‘That said, I would anticipate the Ford’s air wing being very active in air surveillance and defense.’

President Donald Trump issued scads of Truth Social posts on Sunday backing politicians for re-election, including GOP Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and a slew of House Republicans.

‘Sarah Huckabee Sanders has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election — SHE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!’ the president exclaimed in one post. 

Sanders, who served as Trump’s White House press secretary during a portion of his first term, is the daughter of U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor.

She thanked Trump.

‘Thank you, President @realDonaldTrump! It’s an honor to have your endorsement, and Arkansas stands with you in the fight to Make America Great Again!’ she declared in a post on X. 

Trump also expressed his support for many House Republicans, including Reps. Jim Jordan and Warren Davidson of Ohio, James Comer of Kentucky, and many others.

‘Jim Jordan is a very good friend, fighter, and WINNER, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!’ the president declared in a Truth Social post.

The GOP will be trying to maintain its majorities in the House and Senate during the 2026 midterm elections. Election Day will be exactly one year from today, on Nov. 3, 2026.

European left-wing politicians are crossing the Atlantic to study a campaign model they see as a blueprint for revival — the campaign of New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist whose grassroots machine has captured attention far beyond his Queens district.

According to a Politico Europe report on Monday, far-left delegations from France, Germany and the U.K. visited New York this week to observe Mamdani’s operation firsthand. Among them were the deputy leader of the U.K. Green Party; a parliamentary officer for Germany’s Left (Die Linke) Party; as well as a French member of the European Parliament, with the goal of translating what they see as a successful campaign into more victories for Europe’s hard-left parties.

Alan Mendoza, executive director of the London-based Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital, ‘Nobody would have thought New York would succumb to this five years ago. But there are certain conditions — a problematic economy, cost-of-living issues, and weak opposition — that make it fertile ground. Those conditions certainly exist in many European cities, so you can see an immediate crossover.’

Mendoza added, ‘It’s no surprise they’re coming to study Mamdani’s campaign,’ he said. ‘It looks like it’s going to be a very successful one, and the fact that somebody with his views and policies looks like they’re about to be elected as mayor of one of the most famous cities in the world is a boon to all those who share his politics internationally.’

Mendoza described Mamdani as a ‘trailblazer’ for hard-left movements that have often struggled to win major offices in Western democracies. ‘He’s bringing victory where there has always previously been defeat for politicians of the far left,’ he said. ‘His tactics, his style, his pronouncements — his form of forging a governing coalition, are going to be of keen interest to similar hard leftists around the world.’

In New York, Mamdani has built his base through neighborhood-level activism, which European politicians see as a path to reenergize voters. The former leader of the U.K.’s Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, who now leads the upstart Your Party, said on social media that he and his team phone banked for Mamdani.

Corbyn shared the phone-banking link which leads a website organized by the Democratic Socialists of America’s NYC chapter which is urging volunteers to mobilize voters for Mamdani.

Mendoza warned that replicating Mamdani’s ideological platform could deepen polarization. ‘Europe is already more statist and more left-wing as a rule than America anyway,’ he said. ‘So if he can win in New York, why can’t a hard leftist win in Europe? The question is whether those policies would actually work — and history shows they don’t.’

Mendoza dismissed identity as a driving factor behind Mamdani’s success, despite debates over his immigrant background. ‘It’s not an ethnicity question,’ he said. ‘It’s a question of what his ideology is — and that can be shared by people whether they’re born in a country or not.’

Fox News’ Emma Bussey contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Andrew Cuomo on Monday while threatening to withhold federal funding from New York City if Zohran Mamdani, who he labeled a ‘Communist’, wins the mayoral election.

In a lengthy post on Truth Social, he also warned that the city would face ‘total economic and social disaster’ under Mamdani’s leadership.

‘If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home, because of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!’ he wrote in the post.

‘It can only get worse with a Communist at the helm, and I don’t want to send, as President, good money after bad. It is my obligation to run the Nation, and it is my strong conviction that New York City will be a Complete and Total Economic and Social Disaster should Mamdani win,’ he added before claiming a win for Mamdani would be a ‘Complete and Total Economic and Social Disaster.’

The president’s post also marked his latest attempt to guide New Yorkers at the polls.

‘A vote for Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without the beret!) is a vote for Mamdani,’ Trump added.

‘Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!’

Speaking at a press event in New York on the eve of the election, Mamdani responded to the president’s Truth Social post.

‘The MAGA movement’s embrace of Andrew Cuomo is reflective of Donald Trump’s understanding that this would be the best mayor for him,’ he said.

‘Not the best mayor for New York City, not the best mayor for New Yorkers, but the best mayor for Donald Trump and his administration.’

Mamdani also responded to Elon Musk supporting Cuomo on Monday, saying ‘the reason that the President of the United States of America, the reason that one of the wealthiest men in the world are both trying to get involved at the last minute, is that they know we will accomplish everything we have run on.’

The socialist mayoral candidate spoke out about Trump’s threat to withhold federal funding from the city, and labeled it unlawful.

‘It is not the law,’ Mamdani told reporters. ‘And too often we treat everything that comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth as if it is already legal, just by virtue of who is saying it.’

What if Sen. Bernie Sanders is right and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is wrong?

What if the AI revolution causes mass layoffs of American workers, as the Vermont senator warned in a recent Fox News op-ed? And what if Powell is wrong that the softening labor market is due primarily to supply issues — lower immigration and a lower labor participation rate — rather than AI-produced ‘efficiencies’?

What will be the response of policymakers? What should it be?

AI will soon become a political battleground. Democratic socialist Sanders, ever the class warrior, has already questioned whether AI will help all Americans or only ‘a handful of billionaires.’ Like the trade deals that sent millions of jobs overseas, Sanders worries that the massive investment flowing into AI could result in up to 100 million Americans losing their jobs over the next decade. He could be right; imagine the repercussions.

Young people are already losing faith in capitalism and cozying up to socialism. Two-thirds of Democrats now view socialism more positively than capitalism. Nothing could undermine our capitalist system faster than widespread job losses stemming from a tech breakthrough cheered by the investor class.

This is the critical issue of our day — one getting scant attention, even from self-described ‘data-driven’ Powell, who is perennially looking backward rather than forward. In his latest press conference, Powell answered one question about employment by saying, ‘The supply of workers has dropped very, very sharply due to mainly immigration, but also lower labor force participation. So, and that means there’s less need for new jobs, because there’s — there isn’t this flow into the pool of labor where people need jobs.’ Excuse me, what?

The economy is growing, yet hiring is declining. Though the government shutdown has blocked the usual monthly labor reports, plenty of data suggests the job market is weakening. Companies are increasingly citing AI investment as a factor in lower headcounts.

Corporate America is spending tens of billions of dollars on AI, promising shareholders great gains in productivity. But where will that productivity come from, other than reducing headcounts? Certainly, people armed with artificial intelligence can deliver information and analyses more rapidly, making themselves and their organizations more productive. But ultimately, it will also make some people redundant and slow new hiring. The impact on America’s labor market will be profound — and is largely being ignored.

Amazon recently announced it was laying off 14,000 employees. A top human resources official at the firm sent a note titled ‘Staying nimble and continuing to strengthen our organizations.’ She wrote that ‘the world is changing quickly. This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet, and it’s enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before.’

What kinds of workers are at risk? Factory workers and truck drivers, for sure, who are already being replaced by robots and AI — but also white-collar employees. Fortune notes that the Amazon layoffs ‘show it’s coming for middle management first.’ The world’s largest retailer employs about 1.5 million people; 14,000 is a drop in the bucket. But the trend is worrisome — and for those 14,000 people, devastating.

Amazon is not alone. UPS recently announced it has cut 48,000 jobs this year — 14,000 management positions and 34,000 in operations. UPS started the year with about 500,000 employees. Target also made headlines recently, saying it will cut 8% of its corporate workforce — its first significant layoffs in a decade.

Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas cites market and economic conditions as the main reason for most corporate layoffs to date but also points to AI. That makes sense. After all, the economy is growing briskly — second-quarter real GDP growth was 3.8%, and it looks like we’ll see robust expansion for the third quarter as well.

There has never been a faster adoption of new technology. Already, an estimated one-third of Americans use AI; ChatGPT receives 5.4 billion visits per month. Global AI revenues are expected to total $391 billion this year and could reach $3.5 trillion by 2033. These estimates may be optimistic, but top tech firms are investing about $400 billion this year alone to expand capacity, according to The Wall Street Journal. They clearly believe the projections.

Bernie Sanders aside, no one should want to halt the AI revolution. Artificial intelligence promises extraordinary advances in medicine and other sciences — and could radically improve education for America’s children.

It’s also largely American companies that will benefit from the explosion in AI spending, reaping the profits and influence that come with global dominance of a new technology. Rising productivity will spur hiring in certain industries and boost real wages. It will also allow for the retirement of the 20-plus million baby boomers still working.

But there may well be a period of adjustment when layoffs exceed job creation. Unemployment may rise, fueling anger at the innovations producing more out-of-work Americans and resentment toward the companies behind the disruptions.

Lawmakers and financial leaders need to be prepared for this possibility — one that could deepen voters’ growing affection for socialism and rejection of capitalism. That would be a disaster for a country that has outperformed every other nation on Earth, producing unprecedented opportunity and wealth.

Otherwise, it will be Bernie Sanders and his left-wing colleagues dictating the response. Sanders advocates a 32-hour workweek with no loss in pay, giving workers significantly more power and imposing a ‘robot tax’ on big tech companies. Such measures would slow American competitiveness and growth, as they have in Europe.

We cannot allow that to happen.