US is sending an aircraft carrier to Latin America in major escalation of military buildup

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military is sending an aircraft carrier to the waters off South America, in the latest escalation and buildup of military forces in the region. The Pentagon spokesman said in a social media post Friday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group to deploy to U.S. Southern Command to “bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States.” The USS Ford is currently deployed to the Mediterranean Sea along with three destroyers. It would likely take several days for the ships to make the journey to South America.

Cause of Tennessee explosives plant blast that killed 16 could take months to determine

McEWEN, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say a massive blast at a Tennessee explosives plant that killed 16 people began in an area where workers used kettles to produce a mixture of explosives, and it set off other explosives stored nearby. Officials from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives offered an update Friday on their investigation into the Oct. 10 explosion at the Accurate Energetic Systems’ plant on the Hickman and Humphreys county line in unincorporated Bucksnort, about 60 miles southwest of Nashville. An ATF official says it could still take months to determine the cause of the blast.

US says it now plans to deport Abrego Garcia to Liberia as soon as Oct. 31

BALTIMORE (AP) — The U.S. government now plans to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia. A statement from his immigration attorneys on Friday that calls the plan “punitive, cruel, and unconstitutional.” The Salvadoran national’s case has become a magnet for opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies since he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador. Since his return to the U.S. in June, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been seeking to deport him to a series of African countries. The latest filing says he could be deported as early as Oct. 31. A federal lawsuit claims the administration is illegally using deportation to punish him for the embarrassment of its earlier mistake.

Pentagon accepts $130M donation to help pay the military during the government shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has confirmed it’s accepted an anonymous $130 million gift to help pay members of the military during the government shutdown. The announcement Friday raises ethical questions after President Donald Trump had said a friend offered the gift to defray any shortfalls. While large and unusual, the gift amounts to a small contribution toward the billions needed to cover service member paychecks. The Trump administration told Congress last week that it used $6.5 billion to make payroll. The next payday is coming within the week, and it’s unclear if the administration will again move money around to ensure the military does not go without compensation.