Trump says US is in 'armed conflict' with drug cartels after ordering strikes in the Caribbean

President Donald Trump has declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and says the United States is now in an “armed conflict." That's according to a Trump administration memo obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. A person familiar with the matter who's not authorized to comment publicly says Congress was notified about the designation by Pentagon officials Wednesday. The move comes after the U.S. military last month carried out three deadly strikes against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean. At least two of those operations were carried out on vessels originating from Venezuela. The top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committees says drug cartels “must be dealt with by law enforcement.”