Pentagon sends ground forces to train in Panama’s jungle for first time in decades
Spc. Trey Woodard/U.S. Southern Command
(NEW YORK) — For the first time in more than two decades, the Pentagon has begun sending conventional ground forces to Panama to train in the jungle there, returning U.S. soldiers and Marines to a three-week course once called the “Green Hell” because of its similarities to Vietnam.
The training program at Base Aeronaval Cristóbal Colón, formerly known as Fort Sherman, is relatively small in scope but is expected to ramp up over the next year, according to one defense official.
The program began earlier this year and is not intended to prepare troops for a potential mission, including inside Venezuela, the official said.
Still, the military’s interest in jungle warfare in Latin America is noteworthy given Trump’s heightened focus there. Since taking office, Trump has vowed to “take back” the Panama Canal and repeatedly threatened to attack Venezuela because of its alleged role in transiting illegal narcotics.
“If you can train and fight in one of the most difficult and challenging locations in the world, you build a really lethal, effective force,” the defense official said of the rationale behind the new training program.
Alex Plitsas, a former Pentagon official and senior fellow at The Atlantic Council, said the new training course wouldn’t likely play a role in potential operations inside Venezuela. The training effort appears to be more about building Panama’s capacity to handle security threats in the region.
But the move signals a shift in priorities by the Trump administration, he said.
“It’s an expansion of an existing military relationship, but it’s not happening in a vacuum,” Plitsas said. “It’s happening as a broader change in policy. There’s a renewed interest in South America, where the president sees the drug flow to the United States as a national security issue with the intention of potential military action.”
Jungle training hasn’t been a priority for the military since 9/11, when the nation’s focus shifted to counterterrorism operations in the Middle East. The Defense Department in recent years has relied on a smaller Army jungle training center in Hawaii and at a Marine Corps site in Okinawa, Japan.
During the Vietnam War, however, Fort Sherman was considered a prime location where most troops could hone their jungle survival skills before shipping off to war.
Conditions at the Panamanian training site are considered among the harshest in the world, including venomous snakes and several layers of thick, towering vegetation that can make it difficult to operate communications and night-vision equipment or evacuate wounded personnel.
By 1999, the training site shuttered and the last of the U.S. military departed Panama as part of an agreement ceding U.S. control of the Panama Canal.
Shortly after taking office, though, Trump expressed renewed interest in the region, declaring the U.S. would be “reclaiming” the Panama Canal. That effort has since been couched by Pentagon officials as a renewed “partnership” with Panama to prevent Chinese influence over the canal, which the U.S. relies on heavily for shipping.
Trump also has overseen an unprecedented buildup of U.S. troops to the region, deploying 10,000 troops and, more recently, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier. The public display of force appears to be a kind of pressure campaign aimed at forcing out Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
By August, the military had set up the “Combined Jungle Operations Training Course” with Marines and Panamanian forces training as part of a pilot program. A military spokesperson said there have since been 46 graduates of the three-week course: 18 Marines, one Army soldier and 27 personnel from Panama’s National Aeronaval Service, National Border Service and National Police.
According to the Defense official, the Army plans to ramp up training over the next year, eventually sending in platoons of some 40 soldiers at a time to train.
Steve Ganyard, a retired Marine Corps colonel and ABC contributor, said the renewed interest in Panama is likely a practical one, but it also can be used to send a message.
“From a practical perspective, it’s easier to get to Panama than Okinawa. And the jungles of Central and South America have their own unique challenges,” he said. “That said, no doubt a message is being sent to Maduro by conducting combat training in his neighborhood.”
(NEW YORK) — Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani’s projected victory as New York City’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor marks a historic moment, that could galvanize those communities, some voters and experts tell ABC News.
“It is going to make a big difference for our people — South Indians, Muslims, people who are immigrants like me. They will also think … there’s a place for them in this country,” Asif Mahmood, a Democratic bundler who helped fundraise for Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris and ran for Congress himself, told ABC News ahead of Election Day.
Some Democratic strategists have pointed out that South Asian and Arab Muslims in the U.S., many of whom immigrated post-1965, have historically not been invested in politics. Asian-Americans in general have also been underrepresented in polling and research, even in recent election years, ABC News previously reported.
But Mamdani’s catapult into the national spotlight could help turn the tide, with members of those communities mobilizing in large numbers on his behalf throughout his campaign.
In fact, South Asian voter turnout in the 2025 NYC primary election increased by about 40% compared to the 2021 primary, according to data from research firm L2 provided to ABC News.
“This has created so much interest,” Mahmood said, saying that South Asians and Muslims are “definitely engaging more” in New York politics. He did, however, express concerns over how long the participation will last, and said he was “real skeptical” that such energy will translate to other candidates in the future.
The emphasis on a candidate’s identity was particularly heightened in this race — something that has been embraced by Mamdani’s campaign and supporters, but attacked by his opponents.
Born in Uganda, Mamdani is a Muslim of Indian descent who has lived in the United States since he was seven years old before becoming a naturalized citizen in 2018.
“This campaign has awakened something powerful in New York’s South Asian and Muslim communities — a sense of visibility, pride, and political belonging that’s been denied for generations,” Dora Pekec, a spokesperson for Mamdani, told ABC in a statement.
Vishvajit Singh, a storyteller and artist who has lived in NYC for ten years, told ABC News prior to Election Day that “the excitement to vote is real, even beyond the South Asian community.”
“Both supporters and critics of his candidacy stand to benefit — his rise may open more opportunities for South Asians (‘desis’) in U.S. governance,” Singh said, adding that Mamdani’s victory will “inspire children of brown and even Hispanic backgrounds to think about big governmental positions.”
Raza Ahmad Rumi, a policy analyst and lecturer at City University of New York originally from Pakistan, told ABC how Mamdani’s rise “reflects a generational shift in New York politics.”
“His charisma and connection with people — including support from white and Jewish youth — show that his appeal goes far beyond identity,” Rumi said.
Mamdani’s impact appears to transcend beyond the Big Apple, reaching community members across the country and overseas.
“I don’t know a single South Asian — and I know a lot of South Asians — who doesn’t know about this race going on,” Mahmood, who is based in California, said.
Dr. Naomi Green, assistant-secretary general for the Muslims Council of Britain, told ABC News that Mamdani’s “broad support across New York and beyond is proof that people value justice and inclusion over prejudice.” In 2016, London made history when the city elected its first Muslim mayor.
Ushering in NYC’s first Muslim mayor marks a significant milestone in a place that has experienced longstanding Islamophobia, especially following the deadly 9/11 terrorist attacks that occurred in the city.
The dark day in NYC was repeatedly mentioned in the run-up to Election Day, with Mamdani accusing his opponent, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, of engaging in Islamophobic rhetoric relating to him and 9/11.
Cuomo has pushed back on these accusations, arguing that Mamdani was being divisive and falsely alleging Islamophobia. Speaking to Fox News just days before the election, Cuomo accused Mamdani of “playing the race card” and attempting to win voters on the basis of his identity.
Mahmood told ABC that such commentary actually helped Mamdani by fueling voter anger against his opponents.
But not all South Asians are enthusiastic about Mamdani. In October, Cuomo launched a “South Asians for Cuomo” coalition that rallied around the Independent candidate over Mamdani.
The Indian community has seen particular divide, with some criticizing Mamdani’s economic policies and even accusing him of being anti-Hindu, pointing to his past remarks about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Mamdani campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on these anti-Hindu accusations. A campaign adviser told the New York Times that Mamdani rejects anti-Hindu rhetoric, and pointed out that his mother is Hindu.
Fahad Solaiman, member of Jackson Heights Bangladeshi Business Development Association and Community Board, told ABC that he takes issue with feasibility of Mamdani’s promises, calling them “unrealistic.”
“We’re hardworking people. There are so many South Asian Americans in public office now — even the FBI Director is South Asian. But the problem isn’t who’s in office; it’s the kind of promises being made. [Mamdani] overpromises constantly,” Solaiman said.
Mamdani has also received backlash from some members of the Jewish community, with over 1,000 rabbis nationwide signing a letter decrying his rhetoric on Israel.
Mamdani’s victory as the Democratic candidate also comes during a time of declining Democratic support among Indian-Americans nationwide. The Carnegie Endowment for American Peace found less Indian-Americans voting blue in 2024 compared to 2020, even with former Vice President Harris, a Black and Indian woman, at the top of the Democratic ticket.
A recent Pew Research Center report also noted shrinking Muslim support for Democrats, with 42% of Muslims identifying with or leaning Republican in 2024, compared to 13% of Muslims identifying or leaning Republican in 2017.
Mahmood emphasized that Mamdani’s identity does not define his candidacy.
“He’s not going to make his mayorship [about being] a Muslim mayor, but he’s a good mayor, and he happens to be Muslim,” Mahmood said. “He’s a good mayor, he happens to be South Asian.”
National Thanksgiving turkeys Waddle and Gobble are presented to journalists at the Willard InterContinental on November 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Two very lucky birds won the White House lottery this year — a presidential pardon and a lifetime free from the Thanksgiving dinner table.
Waddle and Gobble, who had their names chosen by the public online, were pardoned by President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump Tuesday in the annual tradition that spares two Thanksgiving turkeys from becoming the centerpiece of a holiday meal.
“See how happy he is,” Trump remarked of Gobble at the ceremony. Waddle was not present at the formal pardoning ceremony.
“Waddle, by the way is missing in action, but that’s OK, we can pretend Waddle is here,” Trump said.
The two birds stayed at the luxurious Willard InterContinental hotel in D.C. ahead of their Rose Garden ceremony, according to the hotel.
The two turkeys are provided to the White House by the National Turkey Federation, who will take Gobble and Waddle back to North Carolina, where they will live under the care of the Prestage Department of Poultry Science at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, per the school.
Trump also took the opportunity to tout his administration’s accomplishments, including the passage of his “one, big beautiful bill,” working to increase safety in cities across the country, and mitigating international conflicts.
“The turkeys known as Peach and Blossom last year have been located, and they were on their way to be processed, in other words to be killed, but I stopped that journey and I am officially pardoning them,” Trump said.
Trump also harangued Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer at the ceremony, joking he wanted to name the birds after the two politicians.
“When I first saw their pictures, I thought we should send them, well I shouldn’t say this — I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy, but then I realized I wouldn’t be pardoning them, I would never pardon those two people,” he added.
While American presidents as far back as Abraham Lincoln have pardoned turkeys, the modern tradition did not begin until 1989 during George H.W. Bush’s administration, even though Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan had both pardoned turkeys during their stays in the White House, according to the White House Historical Association.
“But let me assure you, and this fine tom turkey, that he will not end up on anyone’s dinner table, not this guy — he’s presented a presidential pardon as of right now –and allow him to live out his days on a children’s farm not far from here,” Bush said in 1989, officially launching the yearly custom, according to the WHHA.
xPresident Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend a signing ceremony at the Saudi Royal Court, May 13, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Win Mcnamee/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Tuesday marked the first time Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has set foot in the U.S. since 2018, following what U.S. intelligence has said was his approval of an operation that led to the murder of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul, causing global outrage.
As they met in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump responded to questions about 9/11 families angered over the visit, saying, “things happen, but he knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that.”
Shortly before, Trump welcomed him to the White House with a lavish arrival ceremony, complete with Saudi flags next to American flags, a red carpet, horses and a color guard.
Cannons were fired in the background and a military flyover, featuring three F-35 and three F-16s fighters, took place overhead.
Trump and MBS shook hands and smiled for the cameras before entering their bilateral meeting.
“It’s an honor to be your friend and it’s an honor that you’re here,” Trump told later MBS inside the Oval Office.
The crown prince has previously denied ordering the murder of Khashoggi but ultimately acknowledged responsibility as the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
Trump denies conflict of interest, defends MBS over Khashoggi death
ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce asked Trump about whether there was a conflict of interest with his family doing business in Saudi Arabia while he was president, as The Trump Organization has multiple active projects in the kingdom.
Last month, the Trump Organization also announced plans for a Trump Plaza to be built in Saudi Arabia, complete with “a vibrant green spine inspired by Central Park that brings Manhattan-style vibrancy to the heart of Jeddah.”
Trump insisted he has nothing to do with his family business.
“What my family does is fine. They do business all over. They’ve done very little with Saudi Arabia, actually. They could. I’m sure they could do a lot. And anything they’ve done has been very good,” he said.
Bruce also brought up Khashoggi’s murder and the anger 9/11 families have expressed over MBS’s visit to the Oval Office. The kingdom has long been under fire over its alleged role in the attacks.
Trump defended MBS over the Khashoggi death and told Bruce, “You don’t have to embarrass our guest asking a question like this.”
“As far as this gentleman is concerned, he’s done a phenomenal job,” the president said of the prince. “You’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial,” he said referring to Khashoggi. “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about, whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that.”
MBS addressed both issues.
“I feel painful about families of 9-11 in America, but we have to focus on reality,” he said.
The prince alleged that Osama bin Laden used Saudis to destroy the relationship between the kingdom and the United States.
“We’ve been working to prove [bin Laden] wrong and continuing developing our nation. It is critical for the safety of the world,” he said.
MBS said of “the journalist” that “it’s really painful to hear, anyone losing their life for no real purpose.”
“It’s been painful for us in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “We’ve did all the right steps of, investigation, etc., in Saudi Arabia, and we’ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happened like that. And it’s painful, and it’s a huge mistake. And we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.”
Trump will host a dinner for the Saudi leader on Tuesday night with a who’s who of guests.
Billionaire Elon Musk was slated to attend, marking his first time back in the White House after he left the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a source with knowledge of the plans told ABC News.
Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays in the Saudi Pro League, will also be at the White House Tuesday, a White House official confirmed to ABC News.
Ahead of the Tuesday meeting, the crown prince had apparently scored a highly coveted weapons deal that includes advanced F-35 fighter jets from the U.S.
Trump confirmed on Monday during an event in the Oval Office that he plans to sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia as part of a weapons deal, which experts say would mark the first time those jets have been sold to an Arab military.
A focus on defense and business
Trump and MBS spoke with reporters in the Oval Office, where the president said he was “very proud” of the job the crown prince had done.
The president touted the business deals and economic cooperation.
“We’ve been really good friends for a long period of time. We’ve always been on the same side of every issue,” Trump told MBS as he smiled on.
Now more than seven years later, the Saudi leader has business on his mind as he seeks to deepen ties with the U.S. through cooperation on oil and security, while also expanding the regime’s global outreach in finance, artificial intelligence and technology. Saudi Arabia notably boasts the world’s largest economy and maintains its lead as the world’s top oil producer.
The prince’s trip to the U.S. is being billed as an “official working visit,” and is designed to follow up and advance on Trump’s May appearance in Riyadh — the first official visit of Trump’s second term in office.
During that May visit, Trump announced a $142 billion arms package with the Saudis, which according to a White House fact sheet was the “the largest defense cooperation agreement” Washington has ever done.
“A lot of the financial and economic and artificial intelligence deals that they announced that were very ambiguous six months ago, I think we might start to see some teeth from them this time around and hopefully get a little bit more clarity on what those deals actually are,” said Elizabeth Dent, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former director for the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula in the office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon.
The agreement covers deals with more than a dozen U.S. defense companies in areas including air and missile defense, air force and space advancement, maritime security and communications, the fact sheet said.
Features from the deals included, a multi-billion dollar investment in America’s AI infrastructure, enhanced cooperation on civil nuclear energy, defense sales to enhance defense cooperation between both countries and fulfillments of the Saudis’ $600 billion investment pledge via dozens of targeted investments.
The kingdom in turn announced a $600 billion investment in the U.S. spanning multiple sectors, including energy security, defense, technology, global infrastructure and critical minerals.
“We believe, in the future openness of America. We believe in what you’re doing, Mr. President, really creating a lot of good things on good foundation to create more economic growth, more business in America,” the crown prince said.
Some of the other notable deals announced under the $600 billion pledge included investments in: U.S.-based artificial intelligence data centers and energy infrastructure; advanced technologies; Saudi infrastructure projects; U.S. energy equipment and commercial aircraft; the U.S. health care supply chain; and U.S. sports industries.
The potential sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to the Saudi kingdom is likely to cause consternation from Israel.
U.S. law requires that any weapons sale package to countries in the Middle East does not risk Israel’s security, and it’s unclear if Trump has cleared that hurdle in permitting the sale of fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.
“There’s a whole host of issues that encompass this. Part of it is that Israel has to be able to maintain their congressionally-mandated qualitative military edge, which Congress does determine that,” Dent said. “And so, if the deal goes forward, I think we just have to see how they’re going to figure out the best way to ensure Israel can maintain that, as the only country in the Middle East that currently has F-35s.”
“I think the Israelis are probably pretty uncomfortable with these rumors swirling around without normalization in sight,” Dent added.
Saudis insist on ‘credible pathway’ to Palestinian statehood
The Saudi leader is seeking security guarantees from the U.S. amid turbulence in the Middle East. The security agreement with the U.S. has been in a development stage and has not yet been formalized, but the kingdom is seeking to deepen military and security ties between the two countries.
The security guarantees are viewed by some as part of a larger regional “megadeal” involving normalization with Israel, something Trump will surely push for, even as the Saudi kingdom has refused to do so under the current Israeli leadership.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Friday that he would discuss the issue with the crown prince.
“I hope that Saudi Arabia will be going into the Abraham Accords fairly shortly,” he said.
Earlier this year, Trump signed an unprecedented defense pact with Qatar via executive order that recognizes the “enduring alliance” between the U.S. and Qatar and provides Qatar an explicit security guarantee in the event of “external attack.”
Many analysts have said they believe the Saudis are looking for a similar defense pact with the U.S.
“I think it’ll be kind of similar to Qatar’s, where it basically just says it will consider any sort of threat or attack on Saudi Arabia to be an attack on the United States, and then the United States will respond appropriately, which could range from political to military options. So, I think that the administration will make sure to give themselves that decision space,” Dent said. “There’s a lot to work through here. Obviously, I think a lot of it will be about expectation management.”
The kingdom is notably invested in implementing the president’s 20-point Gaza peace plan. The kingdom has previously stated it wants to see the emergence of a credible path toward an independent and a free Palestine as a condition for supporting the demilitarization of Hamas and reconstruction of Gaza.
But Israel has put up a roadblock to Palestinian statehood, which will undoubtedly cause angst among Arab regional partners who are pushing for sustained peace in Gaza.
“Our opposition to a Palestinian state in any territory has not changed,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday during his weekly cabinet meeting. “Gaza will be demilitarized and Hamas will be disarmed, the easy way or the hard way.”
Netanyahu has long opposed a Palestinian state, saying in recent months that its creation would only reward Hamas and endanger Israel’s security.
ABC News’ Christopher Boccia, Will Steakin and Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.
