Trump wages war on cartels; Amelia Earhart’s long-lost plane possibly found
President Donald Trump declares the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels. However, critics claim it’s a legal stretch, and Congress hasn’t signed off.
Plus, a massive fire erupted at a California oil refinery. The Chevron blaze is now contained, but the investigation into how it started remains ongoing.
And a strange object spotted in a remote island lagoon could finally crack the 88-year-old Amelia Earhart mystery.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Oct. 3, 2025.
Trump declares US in ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
President Donald Trump has declared the United States is now in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, according to a confidential notice sent to Congress.
The memo states cartel members, now designated as terrorists, can be targeted as unlawful combatants, similar to ISIS or al-Qaeda.
It follows a series of U.S. military strikes on Venezuelan boats supposedly carrying stashes of drugs and cartel operatives, as well as a growing buildup of American naval forces in the Caribbean.
However, the move is facing pushback.
Members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, say Trump should seek war powers approval. Some legal scholars warn that the strikes may violate U.S. law by using the military for law enforcement.
In a new escalation, Venezuela’s defense minister claims five U.S. F-35 fighter jets buzzed its Caribbean coast Thursday in what he calls a “provocation.”
Senate to reconvene for vote on bill to end government shutdown
It’s day three of the government shutdown and the Senate is set to reconvene Friday afternoon in hopes of getting a deal done.
Meanwhile, the White House is sounding the alarm. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the threat of mass layoffs and canceled federal programs is “very real.”
“Look, it’s likely going to be in the thousands. It’s a very good question, and that’s something that the Office of Management and Budget, and the entire team at the White House here, again, is unfortunately having to work on today,” Leavitt said. “These discussions and these conversations, these meetings would not be happening if the Democrats had voted to keep the government open.”
President Trump said on Truth Social that he’s meeting with Russ Vought, known for his role in “Project 2025,” to decide which “Democrat agencies” should be cut.
Leavitt added that thousands of federal workers could be let go.
As for a path out, Senators remain split over a House-passed plan to extend funding for seven weeks.
Democrats are demanding guarantees on healthcare tax credits and curbs on the president’s power to slash already-approved funds.
They say they’re ready to make a deal, but only if it’s the right one:
“Republicans have shut the government down because they don’t want to provide health care to working-class americans,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “House Democrats continue to be here, on duty. House Republicans are on vacation. We are ready, we are willing, we’re able to sit down with anyone, anytime, anyplace, including the president and the vice president.”
Massive fire erupts at California oil refinery
A massive fire at an oil refinery lit up the southern California sky, sending flames soaring, smoke billowing, and neighbors indoors.
The fire broke out around 9:30 p.m. Thursday at Chevron’s El Segundo refinery near LA.
Chevron called it an isolated incident. As of Friday morning, firefighters have it contained.
The company says all employees and contractors are safe and accounted for.
There were no evacuation orders, but Manhattan Beach officials did urge residents to shelter indoors as a precaution.
The El Segundo facility is the largest refinery on the west coast, with more than a thousand miles of pipeline and the capacity to process nearly 300-thousand barrels of crude oil a day.
Investigators are working to determine what sparked the fire.
Library director says he was fired after refusing to hand over sword
A replica sword, a royal gift and a career in public service — suddenly cut short.
Ahead of Trump’s recent state visit to the UK, the administration wanted a symbolic gift for King Charles — specifically, a sword once owned by Dwight D. Eisenhower, honoring his role as Supreme Allied Commander in World War II.
The Eisenhower Presidential Library displays several of those swords. And in 1945, Eisenhower received Napoleon Bonaparte’s sword.
However, when a state department liaison emailed about borrowing one — using a personal account under the name “Giftgirl2025” — the library director said no. He explained that the artifacts belong to the American people.
That director, Todd Arrington, said he was forced to resign this week.
After 30 years in government service, he told The New York Times and CBS News that he was told he could “no longer be trusted with confidential information.”
Arrington denied ever criticizing the Trump administration, but believes the sword standoff may have cost him his job.
Instead of the real deal, Trump ultimately gifted King Charles a replica — a cadet saber from West Point.
New clues could reveal Amelia Earhart’s lost plane after 88 years
After 88 years of speculation, could the mystery of Amelia Earhart finally be solved?
A team from Purdue University said there is “very strong” evidence that they have located Earhart’s long-lost plane. The team pointed to a satellite image of a “visual anomaly” in a lagoon on a remote South Pacific island.
The object, dubbed the “Taraia Object,” has appeared in photos dating back to 1938, just a year after Earhart and her navigator disappeared.
Researchers plan to go to Nikumaroro Island next month to scan, lift, and possibly identify what they believe could be the famous Lockheed Electra.
Earhart had planned to return that very plane to Purdue, where she worked before her final flight.
If this truly is the lost Electra, her final mission might still reach her intended destination, albeit in a very roundabout way.
More from Straight Arrow News:
Seasons canceled, coaches fired: The cost of hazing in high school football
David Bianchi calls the months of September and October “Hazing Season.” The Miami-based attorney has represented families in hazing cases for more than four decades. Incidents that were decades ago thought of as college fraternity rituals have trickled down into the high school ranks.
“The hazing problem has been around for a long time, and believe it or not, despite all the efforts to try to stop it, it seems to be getting worse, not better,” Bianchi said.
Several recent incidents across the country center on high school football teams and have led to suspensions, firings, lawsuits, criminal investigations and the cancellation of games.
There have been at least five high-profile cases in the news since late August. The principal at Elk Grove High School in Sacramento, California, sent a letter to parents outlining a hazing incident involving members of the football team, which led to the suspensions of several students. Administrators are now looking into the school’s “locker room culture.” Read the full story now >
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
