Three suspected narco-terrorists were killed, according to Hegseth. The strikes were ordered at the direction of President Donald Trump.

Hegseth said the Pentagon conducted “yet another lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO). Yet again, the now-deceased terrorists were engaged in narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific.”

TRUMP APPROVES MILITARY ACTION AGAINST LATIN AMERICAN CARTELS CLASSIFIED AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS

(Secretary of War via X)

“The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and was carrying narcotics,” he continued. “Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters. All three terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike.”

This is the ninth vessel strike since September and the second strike reported in the Eastern Pacific. A total of 37 have reportedly been killed while two survived and were later repatriated to their home countries.

TRUMP UNLEASHES US MILITARY POWER ON CARTELS. IS A WIDER WAR LOOMING?

A U.S. military drone strike ordered by President Trump destroyed a vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Oct. 22, 2025, killing three suspected narco-terrorists, according to the Department of War. (Department of War)

“These strikes will continue, day after day,” Hegseth said on Wednesday. “These are not simply drug runners—these are narco-terrorists bringing death and destruction to our cities. These DTOs are the ‘Al Qaeda’ of our hemisphere and will not escape justice. We will find them and kill them, until the threat to the American people is extinguished.”

The Pentagon has refused to release the identities of those killed or evidence of drugs on board.

The Trump administration has been scrutinized in recent weeks over the strikes, including by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who raised concerns about killing people without due process and the possibility of killing innocent people.

A U.S. military drone strike ordered by President Trump destroyed a vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Oct. 22, 2025, killing three suspected narco-terrorists, according to the Department of War. (Department of War)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In a recent interview, Paul cited Coast Guard statistics that show a significant percentage of boats boarded for suspicion of drug trafficking are innocent.

The senator has also argued that if the administration plans to engage in a war with Venezuela, as it has targeted boats in recent weeks it claims are transporting drugs for the Venezuela-linked Tren de Aragua gang, it must seek a declaration of war from Congress.

The post Hegseth says US conducted another strike in Eastern Pacific targeting alleged narco-traffickers appeared first on My Blog.

Trump announced the donation on Thursday, but declined to reveal the donor’s identity, only describing him as a “patriot” and a friend. The president again refused to name the person on Friday while talking to reporters aboard Air Force One shortly after departing Washington for Asia, calling the donor “a great American citizen” and a “substantial man.”

“He doesn’t want publicity,” Trump said on Friday. “He prefer that his name not be mentioned, which is pretty unusual in the world I come from, and in the world of politics, you want your name mentioned.”

But the two people familiar with the matter told The New York Times that the man is Mellon, a wealthy banking heir and railroad magnate.

MYSTERY TRUMP ALLY DONATES $130M TO COVER TROOPS’ PAYCHECKS AMID SHUTDOWN CHAOS

The anonymous donor who gave $130 million to the Pentagon to pay troops during the government shutdown has been identified as Timothy Mellon. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

It remains unclear how long the donation will cover the troops’ salaries. The Trump administration’s 2025 budget asked for about $600 billion in total military compensation, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The $130 million donation would equal about $100 a service member, according to The New York Times.

Mellon, a grandson of former Treasury Secretary Andrew W. Mellon, is a backer of Trump who gave tens of millions of dollars to groups supporting the president’s 2024 campaign. Last year, he gave $50 million to a super PAC supporting Trump, making it one of the largest single contributions ever disclosed, the newspaper noted.

President Donald Trump had declined to reveal the donor’s identity. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The billionaire was not a prominent Republican donor until Trump was first elected but has given hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years into supporting the president and the GOP.

He is also a significant supporter of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who also ran for president in 2024, first as a Democrat and later as an independent before dropping out to endorse Trump. Mellon donated millions to Kennedy’s presidential campaign and has also given money to the secretary’s anti-vaccine nonprofit, Children’s Health Defense, according to The New York Times.

Despite his political contributions, Mellon has sought to keep a low profile.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FREEZES $11 BILLION IN BLUE-STATE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, BLAMES DEMOCRATS FOR SHUTDOWN

The Pentagon said it accepted the donation under the “general gift acceptance authority.” (Reuters)

In an autobiography published in 2015, Mellon described himself as a former liberal who moved from Connecticut to Wyoming for lower taxes and fewer people.

The Pentagon said it accepted the donation under the “general gift acceptance authority.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of service members’ salaries and benefits,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to The New York Times.

But the donation may be a potential violation of the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits federal agencies from spending money in excess of congressional appropriations or from accepting voluntary services.

The post Trump ally who donated $130 million to pay troops amid shutdown revealed as reclusive billionaire heir: report appeared first on My Blog.

“On October 23, 2025, the Department of War accepted an anonymous donation of $130 million under its general gift acceptance authority,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to Fox News Digital Friday. “The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of Service members’ salaries and benefits. We are grateful for this donor’s assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops.”

But it’s unclear how the Trump administration can legally use the funds to pay troops without Congress’ involvement.

The Department of War received an anonymous donation of $130 million Oct. 23, 2025, to go toward paying U.S. troops during the government shutdown.  (Charley Triballeau/Agence France-Presse)

While the government may accept general donations that go toward general funds available to the government, Congress must appropriate that money to go toward federal employees’ salaries, according to Romina Boccia, the director of budget and entitlement policy at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington.

WHITE HOUSE MAY ‘RUN OUT’ OF FUNDS TO PAY MILITARY IF SHUTDOWN CONTINUES, JOHNSON WARNS

“The department is welcome to acknowledge this donor’s intent but that does not change the legal restrictions on Congress needing to appropriate funds to pay military salaries,” Boccia said in a Friday email to Fox News Digital.

Boccia said that the military is only permitted to accept private donations to support institutions like military schools, libraries, and museums, or to support service members or civilian employees who are wounded or killed in the line of duty.

Altering current restrictions would also require congressional intervention, she said.

TRUMP MOVE SPARES TROOPS’ PAY, BUT REPUBLICANS WARN SHUTDOWN RISKS REMAIN

It’s unclear how the Trump administration can legally use the funds to pay troops without Congress’ involvement. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“The only way to get around this restriction is if Congress decided to recategorize troop pay as mandatory or direct spending,” Boccia said.

Mandatory spending does not require annual approval from Congress and applies to programs like Social Security and Medicare, according to the Treasury.

Congress has the power of the purse, and Article I of the U.S. Constitution establishes that Congress is the branch of government with the authority to manage the federal budget.

TRUMP INSTRUCTS PENTAGON TO ENSURE TROOPS ARE PAID DESPITE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

It’s unclear who the donor is, and President Donald Trump said he would not identify the individual unless he received permission to do so, noting he didn’t believe the individual wanted any recognition. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that a “friend” of his had sent the government a $130 million check to go toward paying U.S. service members as their paychecks are on hold due to the budget stalemate.

“He called us the other day and said, ‘I’d like to contribute any shortfall you have because of the Democrat shutdown. I’d like to contribute personally, because I love the military and I love the country,'” Trump said Thursday.

It’s unclear who the donor is, and Trump said he would not identify the individual unless he received permission to do so, noting he didn’t believe the individual wanted any recognition.

The White House referred Fox News Digital to the Department of War and the Department of the Treasury when asked for additional details.

The Hindustan Times speculated that Tesla CEO Elon Musk or Jared Isaacman, a commercial astronaut and the founder and CEO of payment processing company Shift4 Payments, could be the donor.

Musk and Isaacman did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Trump previously signed an order allowing active-duty troops to receive their paycheck earlier in October by funneling unused Pentagon funds originally allocated for research and development. However, Republicans have said the solution is only temporary.

Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House. 

The post Mystery Trump ally donates $130M to cover troops’ paychecks amid shutdown chaos appeared first on My Blog.