US at armed conflict with Latin America drug cartels

The US military says it carried out another strike on a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three men in the third attack this week.

This pushes the overall death toll to more than 200 people.

The Trump administration declared the US is at armed conflict with Latin American drug cartels saying they are behind the flow of drugs into American communities.

The video shows a small vessel floating in the ocean before it is hit and engulfed in a fireball. It cuts to what could be the boat in flames, surrounded by a large plume of parcels or some other objects spread around it in the water.

Meanwhile, the US State Department announced it will designate Brazil's two biggest criminal groups as foreign terrorist organisations early next month - a move the South American nation's government has said it will interpret as undue interference in its politics.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says in a statement the First Command of the Capital and the Red Command will be considered foreign terrorist organisations as of Jun 5th.

Until then, they will be named as specially designated global terrorists, which hampers their ability to make financial transactions as they are regarded as a threat to US citizens.

Rubio's announcement comes 24 hours after a visit by Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro a presidential hopeful and son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro who has advocated for the move.

The senator's bid to face President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in October's election is at risk after he admitted receiving money from a disgraced banker.

Leonardo Paz, a researcher at Getulio Vargas Foundation says "Can the Trump government influence the Brazilian election? I think so but I also think it's early to know if he will do it. The Bolsonaro family showed their strength and influence in the White House by being received there and getting the Trump government to approve this measure.

Whether this will lead to further attempts to influence the Brazilian election I don't think we can say for sure yet. At the very least, this action has raised a red flag about that possibility.