Reuters World News - Venezuela, Ukraine, Thailand and RFK Jr

Episode Date: September 5, 2025

* This podcast has been republished to correct a technical error which removed part of Andrew Gray's answer on Europe and Ukraine As tensions rise in the Caribbean, we look at the legal authority for the fatal U.S. military attack on a boat President Trump said was carrying illegal drugs. Twenty-six nations pledge postwar security guarantees to Ukraine and wait to hear what the U.S. will contribute. Thailand elects a new prime minister, ditching the candidate of the Shinawatra family's once-dominant ruling party. And U.S. senators pit Robert F. Kennedy Jr. against Trump on vaccine policy in a heated Senate hearing.  Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter here. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, as Venezuelan fighter jets fly over a U.S. warship, we look at the legality of Trump's strike on a vessel he says was carrying narcotics. 26 countries vowed to give Ukraine post-war security guarantees, but the U.S. has yet to give a commitment. RFK Jr. faces a Senate grilling that pits him against his boss, Donald Trump. And succession, Armani style. It's Friday, September 5th. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, seven days a week. I'm Tara Oaks in Liverpool. Two Venezuelan fighter jets have flown over a US Navy destroyer in the Caribbean, triggering a stern U.S. warning to Caracas.

It raises tensions just days after a U.S. strike killed 11 people aboard a vessel from Venezuela. Trump says it was carrying illegal narcotics. Tom House has been looking into the legal authority for the attack. So the President of the United States has the authority to, he's a commander in chief, he can't declare war. That's up to Congress. But nonetheless, the president has the authority to carry out these sort of attacks that are meant to, the most to meet certain criteria. They have to be in the national interest. They can't rise to the level of war. This clearly didn't. And they can't be doing something that's restricted by Congress. That's a pretty broad range of things that the president can do. And that's why we've had attacks like the attacks on Iran

on their nuclear facilities. And both Biden and Trump carried out attacks on the Houthis in Yemen because they were attacking shipping. So that's in a national interest. When there's been attacks, often internally, the White House has gone to some extent to prove that the people involved were involved in operations. They were bomb makers. They were poised to carry out attacks. That's why this, I think, struck a lot of people as quite different from past actions. Donald Trump said the boat was operated by Trenaragua as a group that is a drug cartel and a criminal cartel that he is declared at foreign terrorist organization. This group was involved in sex trafficking, murders. They're not a nice group of people, but they are not at war with the United States in the traditional sense. The Trump administration

has not provided any proof that the people on that boat were armed. The boat Trump said was carrying narcotics. He didn't say they were carrying arms or explosives, and they have no history of carrying out attacks in the sense that a group like al-Qaeda has on the United States. 26 nations say they're ready to support Ukraine if there's a peace deal with Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron has already announced these countries could send in troops. The U.S. will contribute, though Trump's still finalizing what that might look like. European Affairs editor Andrew Gray says for now there's still a lot of unknowns. Some of that would be about an international reassurance force,

mixture of troops on the ground, forces in the air and on sea, meant to deter Russia and reassure the Ukrainians. He didn't spell out the size of that force. He didn't say exactly which countries would contribute. Some have made clear they wouldn't put boots on the ground, but they would help in other ways. And then they had a call with President Trump. in that call, they basically laid this out to the American side

and what they're hoping for is a commitment from President Trump, from the Americans, to help with these security guarantees. Trump has made clear there'd be no American boots on the ground, but perhaps some support in the air, help with intelligence, other things like that. And above all, they're really looking for a guarantee that if that force came under attack, the European reassurance force, then the Americans would come to their aid. and they think that's critical to avoid the Russians actually attacking that force. And on that call, Trump had other issues on his mind.

What's quite interesting is that the briefing from the White House so far has not focused on these security guarantees. It has focused on the American side telling the Europeans they want to see them do more to cut down or cut out reliance on Russian oil. Now, the European response to that would largely be, I think, that they've already done a lot. to cut down, cut back on their reliance on Russian oil. And they have a plan to phase it out completely. And the irony here is that some of the countries that are very reluctant to give up on Russian oil consider themselves to be close allies of particularly President Trump, for example, the Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban. Heated exchanges on Capitol Hill as both Democrats and Republicans grill Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. on his recent vaccine policies.

and human services. You don't have any idea how many Americans died from COVID? I don't think anybody knows that because there was so much data chaos coming out of the CDC. Our global health editor, Michelle Gershberg,

was watching the bipartisan questioning closely. The hearing with Secretary Kennedy was what one could call a very high-octane event in Congress. One of the particularly striking lines of questioning that came from Republican senators, as well as Democratic senators, was around Kennedy's views on COVID vaccines and more specifically on the program that President Donald Trump had put into place during the COVID-19

pandemic to accelerate the development of vaccines against this new virus. And what we saw, particularly led by Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, he's a Republican. He's also a doctor, and his vote was pivotal to the confirmation of Kennedy as health secretary. Senator Cassidy took the line that, in his view, President Trump should be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for investing in this vaccine program. Now, Kennedy has repeatedly called into question the safety and effectiveness of the COVID vaccine. And so the line of questioning appeared to create a separation between the president and his health secretary. Now, up until this point, and even after the hearing, the White House has said President Trump stands by Secretary Kennedy. But it was an interesting strategy to see

to what extent are members of Congress pushing the president to say, I'm still with Kennedy. While senators were pitting Kennedy's policies against Trump's, tech CEOs have been keen to show their support for the president. Thank you for incredible leadership, including getting this group together. Bill Gates there at a high-profile dinner with more than two dozen technology executives in the newly renovated White House Rose Garden. Executives have recently sought closer ties with the Republican administration, aligning corporate policies with the White House's push to roll back diversity and equity initiatives,

while courting Trump's favor on artificial intelligence and artificial intelligence and, other emerging technologies. Elon Musk did not attend. Tributes have been pouring in for Italian designer Jojo Armani, but his death is also raising questions about the future of his fashion empire. Carmel Crimmons is here with more. Armani was always fiercely protective of his brand.

He fought to keep it independent, even while other Italian fashion houses like Gucci and Fendi were being snapped up. He was the sole major shareholder in the group, And even after his death, he set up measures designed to preserve his legacy. So he drafted new company bylaws that kick in upon his death, and they lay out principles for those who inherit the group, including calling for a cautious approach to acquisitions and stating that any potential stock market listing could only take place after five years.

His likely heirs include his younger sister, his nieces and nephew, and his right-hand man, Pantilio del Orcoe. More clarity on who will inherit what may emerge in the coming week. when Armani's will is opened. Washington, D.C. is suing the Trump administration over his deployment of National Guard troops in the city. D.C.'s Attorney General says the move is unconstitutional and violates federal law. The White House is defending the troop presence, saying it protects federal assets and helps law enforcement. Another name change from the administration.

Trump plans to rename the Department of Defense, the Department of Defense, the Department of war, putting his stamp on the government's biggest organisation. And now to Thailand, where a Newton-chan Viracool has been elected Prime Minister, ending a week of chaos and political deadlock. His win trances the candidate of the Chinojara family's once-dominant party. Influential billionaire Thaksin Chinojara left Thailand late on Thursday for Dubai. You can follow this story as it develops on our dedicated live page, on Reuters.com and the Reuters app. And for your weekend, a recommended listen.

On Saturday, Christopher Waljasper goes on assignment to dig into beef. It's price point, what cattle ranches are facing, how trade policy is shifting where meat comes from, and the parasite that's threatening the entire industry. You can check that out tomorrow, wherever you get your podcasts. For more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favourite podcast player

and if you're listening on a smart speaker, just ask for the latest news from Reuters seven days a week. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.