The Friday Brief with Phoenix Ricks
The Friday Brief is a calm news podcast by Girl Friday, a boutique global affairs firm in Washington, D.C. We believe awareness impels action for a world of good.
The Friday Brief with Phoenix Ricks
What is the Cártel de los Soles?
Earlier this year, the Trump administration designated several cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations, upping the stakes on how to handle transnational crime. Yesterday, the U.S. military fatally struck a boat carrying alleged "narco-terrorists" in international waters. Was that legal? And what are "narco-terrorists?" We're delving into the classification of Tren de Aragua and its relationship with the Cártel de los Soles (Cartel of the Sun), which is so shrouded in mystery that some people doubt its existence. Plus: Will Trump send law enforcement to Chicago despite Governor Pritzker's statements, and why is DC's Mayor Bowser changing her tune? All of this in under 15 minutes!
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Welcome to The Friday Brief, a news podcast by Girl Friday. I’m Phoenix Ricks, the CEO of Girl Friday and your host. This is your brief for September 3, 2025.
The BBC reported that Donald Trump confirmed the U.S. has carried out a strike against a ship in the Caribbean, killing eleven people, or as Trump called them, "narcoterrorists." The term narcoterrorism goes back to the 1980s, during epic battles between narcotics traffickers and their South American governments. Trump posted on social media that this operation, which happened yesterday, targeted members of Tren de Aragua. The Biden administration classified Tren de Aragua as a transnational criminal organization, but the Trump administration upped the stakes by designating it as a foreign terrorist organization. This made waves because that designation changes how the U.S. government interacts with purported members of Tren de Aragua and their alleged or perceived supporters. And I believe it was questioned because Tren de Aragua, until relatively recently, was most often described as a gang, even more so than a formidable cartel or criminal syndicate. Now, that's not to minimize their crimes, which NPR says include reported drug and people smuggling, along with even high-profile murder allegations. They have expanded their power and territory, making it sensible for the Biden administration to have classified them as a transnational criminal organization. Do they now meet the standards of being a terrorist organization? Well, the Trump administration has cited Tren de Aragua's attacks on U.S. police officers and their alleged ties to Cártel de los Soles, the Cartel of the Sun.
Here's where things get interesting, and I read about cartels all the time and can tell you this is a little bit abnormal. There's disagreement as to whether this cartel exists. If you read about the Cartel of the Sun, you're going to see the word "allegedly" quite often. Even the date of formation, allegedly sometime in the early 1990s, is disputed. France24 has a great article about this ongoing debate. Some people, like Trump's allies in Argentina and Ecuador, say it is a cartel. The Trump administration says it is a "Venezuela-based criminal group headed by Nicolas Maduro and other high-ranking Venezuelan individuals." Could the president of a country lead a cartel? Well, there are other people, including governments and experts on cartels, who don't believe it exists at all. For instance, an analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank said, "There is no such thing, so Maduro can hardly be its boss." There is a middle ground in this conversation as well. France24 reported that Insight Crime, another think tank, says, "Rather than a hierarchical organization with Maduro directing drug trafficking strategies, the Cartel of the Suns is more accurately described as a system of corruption wherein military and political officials profit by working with drug traffickers."
So, if we examine the middle ground option, there may not be an organization that meets our definition of a cartel's structure, but there could be a process in place that allegedly facilitates crime. So now, going back to yesterday's strike on the vessel. Trump claims the ship was in international waters, had illegal drugs on board, and was heading to the United States. ABC News reported that when asked about the situation, Marco Rubio implied there could be other similar operations, saying "That's why they're there on a counter drug mission, and they're going to continue to operate. As far as specifics and future operations, I have to refer you to the Pentagon on that.” When confirming the strike on social media, Trump also posted a blurry video of the strike, which has been challenged, without any supporting evidence to my knowledge, by Venezuela’s government. The last I checked, news agencies were in the process of verifying the footage as authentic and not an AI creation.
And on that note, reporters aren’t just looking into the video but the entire military operation. BBC Verify has been speaking with experts in maritime law, and some are suggesting that this strike may not have been legal. The United States is not a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; however, the BBC says that the U.S. has previously indicated that it would "act in a manner consistent with its provisions." This United Nations convention says that countries will not interfere with ships in international waters. Now, of course, there are some exceptions, such as a state needing to intercept a ship that is being pursued in its waters, but crosses into international territory. Professor Luke Moffett of Queens University Belfast said, "Force can be used to stop a boat but generally this should be non-lethal measures.”
I highly doubt this will be the last time reporters and legal experts have to pose these questions about this administration's actions in international waters. They have not indicated that this was a one-and-done operation, quite the opposite, in fact. But what, if anything, can or will be done to truly investigate further? Would any foreign government challenge the U.S.'s actions, especially if it is determined that these were narcotics traffickers? And, if the U.S. is found to be in breach of maritime laws or even just maritime norms in this case, what would be the result?
We see in the U.S. that the White House’s use of force is being questioned domestically as well. However, even here, politicians are doing little more than voicing their concerns or perhaps, in some cases, challenging the White House in court. The Hill reported that Illinois Governor JB Pritzker was insulted by Donald Trump’s assertion that he should be calling the White House to ask for help to curb crime in Chicago. Pritzker said, “It’s an insult to any and every citizen to suggest that any governor should have to beg the president of any political party for resources owed their people. When did we become a country where it’s OK for the U.S. president to insist on national television that a state should call him to beg for anything, especially something we don’t want? Have we truly lost all sense of sanity in this nation, that we treat this as normal?” While the Trump administration is being cagey about specifics, Tom Homan did confirm that “a large contingent” of ICE officers would arrive in Chicago after Labor Day. Of note, it is now officially after Labor Day.
Chicago is, of course, not the only city dealing with the legal impacts of this administration’s decisions. However, unlike Washington, D.C., residents of Chicago are at least assured that they understand how their political leadership feels about these issues. Now, we know DC is in a legally precarious situation, which is one of the many reasons we’re always fighting for genuine representation, but Mayor Bowser’s recent statements have raised alarm bells around here. It's hard for people to tell if she’s genuinely softening to Trump, caving to White House pressure under undisclosed duress, or playing a strategic long game to ultimately protect DC. The New Republic reported that Mayor Bowser “ordered that the city work with federal law enforcement indefinitely.” To be extra clear, she provided no expiration date for “indefinitely” and said this is a “pathway forward beyond” Trump’s so-called 30-day crime emergency. Trump has now changed his tune about Mayor Bowser and has called her “very helpful.”
So it seems that right here, in my hometown, we’re going to have masked law enforcement prancing around the city, hopping in and out of unmarked cars for unknown reasons, terrifying school children, and taking people from their homes and places of employment. I haven’t just seen this on TV or social media; I've also experienced it in real life, and I can tell you, as a passerby, it is incredibly disconcerting. If you haven't seen the videos, I want you to imagine what it might be like driving around military tanks in your city while seeing masked men take parents away from their shocked children. Given the way my heart sank just seeing these masked men, I cannot imagine what it feels like for children to witness this happening to their parents, simply because they might be undocumented immigrants. I hope that as they slide down this “indefinite” path with this administration, our mayor and DC City Council are loud about prioritizing the health and well-being of DC residents, tourists, and above all else, all of the children here. But if they aren’t, one thing is for sure: DC will be.
Thank you for listening to The Friday Brief. Make sure you and your friends don’t miss an episode! Check out thefridaybrief.com, and follow The Friday Brief on Instagram and TikTok. Until next time, I’m Phoenix Ricks, signing off from Washington, DC. Let’s work together for a world of good.
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