Earlier today, two Venezuelan F-16s armed with air-to-surface missiles conducted a low-altitude flyover of the USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109) in the southern Caribbean Sea, in what was described as a “show of force” against the U.S. Navy. The Jason Dunham is one of several Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers deployed to the region, carrying out counter-cartel and counter-narcotics operations off Venezuela’s coast.

President Trump is set to sign an executive order on Friday renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War, returning to its original title. “Everybody likes that we had an unbelievable history of victory when it was the Department of War,” Trump said last month. Both Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have recently voiced support for the change, which is part of the administration’s broader “warrior ethos” campaign at the Pentagon.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced today during his visit to Ecuador, that the United States would be designating two Ecuadorian-based gangs, Los Choneros and Los Lobos, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT), a move welcomed by Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who has also requested that U.S. Soldiers be deployed to Ecuador to assist in combating the gangs that have plagued the country since at least 2019. In addition, Rubio announced that the U.S. would provide $13.5 Million “to help Ecuador improve its ability to provide security for its citizens, take on and combat drugs and crime,” as well as another $6 Million in drones for the Ecuadorian Navy.

Dashcam footage from a Russian military truck near Debaltseve in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast captured the moment the vehicle was struck by a Ukrainian “Bulava” loitering munition system—nicknamed the “Ukrolancet” for its resemblance to the Russian Army’s ZALA Lancet.

The Israel Defense Forces announced that 12 ministers from the Houthi Political and Security Cabinet were killed in the August 28 strikes on the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. The operation, dubbed Operation Lucky Drop, reportedly targeted a military facility where senior commanders and government ministers were gathered to direct and oversee terror activities against Israel. Those confirmed killed include: • Prime Minister of Houthi-controlled Yemen: Ahmed al-Rahawi • Minister of Culture and Tourism: Ali Qasem Hussein Al-Yafe’i • Political Chief of Staff: Muhammed Al-Qubaisi • Cabinet Secretary: Zahad Al-Amadi • Minister of Foreign Affairs: Jamal Ahmed Ali Amer • Minister of Welfare and Labor: Sami Mohammed Ahmed Baja’-alah • Minister of Information: Hashem Ahmed Abdulrahman Sharaf Al-Din • Minister of Justice and Human Rights: Mujahid Ahmed Abdullah Ali • Minister of Youth and Sports: Mohammed Ahmed Ali Al-Muwallad • Minister of Industry and Trade: Maeen Hashem Ahmed Al-Mahakhar • Minister of Electricity, Energy and Water: Ali Saif Mohammed Hassan Shar • Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources: Rajwan Ali Ali Al-Rubaie Several additional senior military and political officials are also believed to have been killed or severely wounded in the strike, which occurred just north of Sana’a.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), had an outburst today while testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, declaring that America is the “sickest” nation in the world and blaming the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Lawmakers from both parties challenged him over his apparent push for anti-vaccine policies and his removal of senior officials and scientists from the CDC.

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician and current chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP) Committee, asked Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. whether he believed President Trump deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for Operation Warp Speed—a program in which the Department of Defense and several other agencies helped accelerate the development, production, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics. Secretary Kennedy responded, “Absolutely.” Cassidy then pressed him, asking why he would say that after having just claimed minutes earlier that the COVID-19 vaccine killed more people than the virus itself.

Israeli strike on southern Lebanon

Venezuelan President Maduro claimed that eight warships, equipped with 1,200 missiles and accompanied by a nuclear submarine, are positioned against Venezuela. In a message to Trump, Maduro warned: "Be cautious, as Marco Rubio seeks to embroil you in a violent conflict in South America, the Caribbean, and Venezuela, aiming to tarnish your legacy with a massacre of the Venezuelan people, leaving your name stained for centuries."