U.S. military operations and policy decisions under the Trump administration are drawing scrutiny, with costs mounting in the Caribbean and legal challenges emerging in Washington, D.C. According to Bloomberg calculations, the operational price tag of ships deployed in the Caribbean reached over $20 million a day at its peak from mid-November to mid-January, as reported by Fortune. Meanwhile, legal battles are brewing over Trump's efforts to leave his mark on public spaces.
The Trump administration's military posture in the Caribbean has become increasingly expensive. Fortune reported that the cost of the military presence there is in the billions. This includes the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, which the administration initially portrayed as a low-cost, concise operation.
In Washington, D.C., two golfers filed a lawsuit to prevent the Trump administration from overhauling a public golf course, citing violations of environmental laws and concerns about the course becoming "another private playground for the privileged and powerful," as stated in a Fortune article. This suit follows other legal challenges, including one aimed at preventing the demolition of the East Wing of the White House for a proposed ballroom, a project estimated to cost $400 million.
Elsewhere, the U.S. military reported a series of airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria. According to the Associated Press, the strikes were in retaliation for a December ambush that killed two U.S. soldiers and an American civilian interpreter. U.S. Central Command stated that American aircraft conducted 10 strikes against over 30 IS targets between February 3 and Thursday, hitting weapons storage facilities and other infrastructure.
In international affairs, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a keynote speech at the annual Munich Security Conference. While his words reassured European stakeholders, tensions remain, as reported by NPR.
NPR also reported on the experiences of its London correspondent, Lauren Frayer, who has been covering Britain with the legacy of empire in view, after years of covering India.
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