President Trump’s direct threat that Colombian President Gustavo Petro “will be next, soon” marks an unprecedented escalation against a democratically elected ally, signaling the administration’s willingness to target any leader who challenges America’s anti-drug operations. Trump Issues Direct Warning Over Drug Production President Trump delivered an unmistakable threat to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, stating, “Colombia is producing a lot of drugs, so he’d better wise up, or he’ll be next. He’ll be next soon. I hope he’s listening; he’s going to be next.” This marks the first time Trump has directly threatened regime removal against a long-standing U.S. ally over drug policy disagreements. The warning comes as part of Trump’s expanded anti-drug trafficking operations targeting both Mexico and Colombia. Trump admitted he had not “really thought too much about” removing Petro previously, but is now reconsidering due to Colombia’s role as the world’s largest cocaine producer and Petro’s leftist policies that diverge from traditional U.S.-backed drug eradication efforts. Petro Responds With War Declaration Warning Colombian President Petro fired back with his own stark warning, declaring, “To threaten our sovereignty is to declare war; do not damage two centuries of diplomatic relations.” This response demonstrates how Trump’s aggressive rhetoric risks fracturing critical security partnerships that have anchored U.S. influence in Latin America for decades. In a diplomatic counter-move, Petro formally invited Trump to visit Colombia and witness their counter-narcotics operations firsthand. This invitation appears designed to challenge Trump’s characterization of Colombia as uncooperative while demonstrating Petro’s confidence in his government’s anti-drug efforts, despite pursuing alternative policies that emphasize rural development over forced eradication. White House Reveals Personal Motivation Behind Threats White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed the personal dimension driving Trump’s hostility, describing Petro’s recent statements about the U.S. as “very alarming and frankly insulting” and emphasizing that “the president doesn’t like it.” This admission confirms that Trump’s threats stem partly from wounded pride rather than purely strategic drug policy considerations. The escalation threatens to undermine decades of U.S.-Colombia security cooperation established through Plan Colombia, which invested billions in Colombian military and police capabilities. Colombia remains one of America’s most important regional partners, making Trump’s public threats particularly destabilizing for broader hemispheric security arrangements and anti-drug coordination efforts. Sources: Insulted Trump reveals personal reason for targeting Colombian President

State lawmakers, desperate to address America’s sky-high drug prices, have turned their fire on pharmacy benefit managers. Their chosen tools — outright bans in Arkansas and suffocating regulations in Indiana — will not rein in drug costs. They will close pharmacies, however. And disabled Americans will feel the pain first and worst.For millions of people living with disabilities or chronic illnesses, the neighborhood pharmacy isn’t just a place to pick up a prescription. It is a medical anchor — often the only dependable access point in a fragmented health care system.Policy leaders must hold three truths at once: Drug prices are too high, access is too fragile, and for disabled Americans, both problems collide.When states make it harder for pharmacies to operate, they aren’t tightening consumer protections. They are tightening a noose around the patients they claim to protect.Proximity is keyHealthy, mobile adults can switch pharmacies with mild frustration. Disabled Americans can’t. They rely on stable, nearby pharmacy relationships to manage complex regimens, limited transportation, and conditions that make in-person care indispensable.A person with epilepsy juggling multiple medications cannot suddenly travel to a pharmacy two towns over. A disabled veteran with hearing loss cannot sit on hold for an hour to fix a refill problem. A parent caring for a child with developmental disabilities needs a pharmacist who knows her family and can explain changes — especially potential interactions — face to face.For disabled patients, proximity isn’t convenience. It is continuity, safety, and sometimes survival.Long before I served as commissioner for the Administration on Disability at Health and Human Services, I was a teacher who learned that real service depends on presence. You must know the person in front of you. The same holds true in every field: the banker who helps you fix a missed payment, the pastor who walks beside his congregation. Their influence comes from relationship.Pharmacists are no different. They cannot be replaced with apps, compliance checklists, or centralized call centers. Their work depends on knowing their patients — and being close enough to serve them.What happens when pharmacies disappear?Imagine telling a cancer patient he now needs to drive 20 miles for treatment because a state ban forced his local pharmacy to close.Imagine telling a parent managing her child’s seizure medications that she must start over with a new pharmacy because the compliance burden became too much to stay open.Imagine telling a stroke survivor who no longer drives that “it’s only a few minutes farther.” For many disabled Americans, a few minutes farther means losing independence — or tipping into crisis.Pharmacies provide far more than prescriptions. They monitor complex drug regimens and catch dangerous interactions. They manage refills when cognitive disabilities make self-management difficult. They offer immediate, walk-in guidance when something feels wrong. They coordinate with doctors on sudden changes. And maybe most importantly, they provide calm, in-person clarity that no software platform can match.Lawmakers say they want to help, but they are ignoring what disabled Americans need most: stable, nearby pharmacies that can remain open.RELATED: The maligned and misunderstood player that Big Pharma wants gone Oleg Elkov via iStock/Getty ImagesAccess is a crisisDrug prices in America are too high. Disabled Americans feel that burden more than anyone because they use more medications, more often, and for longer durations. Many rely on mail-order programs and already face delays and shortages.So yes, policymakers should push for lower prices. They should demand transparency from pharmacy benefit managers so patients know what they are paying. They should pressure pharmaceutical companies to create pricing structures that serve consumers instead of shareholders.But none of that will matter if the pharmacies disabled Americans depend on are regulated out of business.Policy leaders must hold three truths at once: Drug prices are too high, access is too fragile, and for disabled Americans, both problems collide.You cannot help vulnerable people by making their closest health care providers harder to reach. If states want to protect patients, they should create a regulatory environment where pharmacies can survive — and where the communities that depend on them can too.

The liberal-dominated Australian parliament passed an amendment to its online safety legislation last year, imposing age restrictions for certain social media platforms.As of Dec. 10, minors in the former penal colony are prohibited from using various platforms, including Facebook, Reddit, Snapchat, TikTok, X, and YouTube — platforms that face potential fines exceeding $32 million should they fail to prevent kids from creating new accounts or from maintaining old accounts.Australian kids were quick, however, to find a workaround: distorting their faces to appear older.'They know how important it is to give kids more time to just be kids.'Numerous minors revealed to the Telegraph that within minutes of the ban going into effect, they were able to get past their country's new age-verification technology by frowning at the camera.Noah Jones, a 15-year-old boy from Sydney, indicated that he used his brother's ID card to rejoin Instagram after the app flagged him as looking too young.Jones, whose mother supported his rebellion and characterized the law as "poor legislation," indicated that when Snapchat similarly prompted him to verify his age, "I just looked at [the camera], frowned a little bit, and it said I was over 16."RELATED: App allegedly endangers ICE agents — now its creator is suing the Trump administration Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP via Getty Images.Jones suggested to the Telegraph that some teens may alternatively seek out social media platforms the Australian government can't regulate or touch."Where do you think everyone's going to?" said Jones. "Straight to worse social media platforms — they're less regulated, and they're more dangerous."Zarla Macdonald, a 14-year-old in Queensland, reportedly contemplated joining one such less-regulated app, Coverstar. However, she has so far managed to stay on TikTok and Snapchat because the age-verification software mistakenly concluded she was 20."You have to show your face, turn it to the side, open your mouth, like just show movement in your face," said Macdonald. "But it doesn't really work."Besides fake IDs and frowning, some teens are apparently using stock images, makeup, masks, and fake mustaches to fool the age-verification tech. Others are alternatively using VPNs and their parents' accounts to get on social media.The social media ban went into effect months after a government-commissioned study determined on the basis of a nationally representative survey of 2,629 kids ages 10 to 15 that:71% had encountered content online associated with harm;52% had been cyberbullied;25% had experienced online "hate";24% had experienced online sexual harassment;23% had experienced non-consensual tracking, monitoring, or harassment;14% had experienced online grooming-type behavior; and8% experienced image-based abuse.Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement on Wednesday, "Parents, teachers, and students are backing in our social media ban for under-16s. Because they know how important it is to give kids more time to just be kids — without algorithms, endless feeds and online harm. This is about giving children a safer childhood and parents more peace of mind."The picture accompanying his statement featured a girl who in that moment expressed opposition to the ban.The student in Albanese's poorly chosen photo is hardly the only opponent to the law.Reddit filed a lawsuit on Friday in Australia's High Court seeking to overturn the ban. The U.S.-based company argued that the ban should be invalidated because it interfered with free political speech implied by Australia's constitution, reported Reuters.Australian Health Minister Mark Butler suggested Reddit was not suing to protect young Aussies' right to political speech but rather to protect profits."It is action we saw time and time again by Big Tobacco against tobacco control, and we are seeing it now by some social media or Big Tech giant," said Butler.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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