War on cartels? White House says it has an iron-clad case to strike narco-terrorist groups

The White House has told Congress the United States is now in an "armed conflict" with narco-traffickers operating in Latin America — a declaration that sounded to some like a formal announcement of war.Last week, a memo sent to lawmakers stated that the U.S. is in a "non-international armed conflict" with drug traffickers classified as "unlawful combatants." That followed President Donald Trump’s earlier designation of several cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and four U.S. strikes on boats allegedly carrying narcotics near Venezuelan waters, which killed 21 people over the past mont