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Venezuela Claims Trump's Video of Strike Against Suspected Drug Smugglers Is AI
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Venezuela Claims Trump’s Video of Strike Against Suspected Drug Smugglers Is AI

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President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that his government had conducted a “kinetic strike” against suspected drug smugglers from Venezuela in a boat traveling in the Caribbean. The strike killed 11 people, according to Trump, and he claims they were all gang members.

None of those points has been confirmed, and drug smuggling is not a capital offense, making Trump’s strike almost certainly illegal under international law. But Venezuela had a rather interesting reply. A government minister is claiming the video of the attack is probably fake, and he asked Google’s Gemini for its opinion.

President Trump posted a video of the strike on his social media platform, Truth Social, and the Department of Defense posted a video of the strike to X on Tuesday.

. @POTUS “Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of… pic.twitter.com/aAyKOb9RHb

— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) September 2, 2025

Venezuela asked Gemini

Freddy Ñáñez, the Minister for Communication and Information in Venezuela, tweeted Tuesday that, “It seems that Marco Rubio keeps lying to his president: after putting him in a dead end, now he gives him as ‘proof’ a video with AI (thus proven).”

Ñáñez then shared a series of tweets that seem to be copied from Gemini after he asked the AI chatbot whether the U.S. government video is real.

“According to the provided video, it is highly likely that it was created using artificial intelligence (AI),” the official wrote on X, seeming to parrot what Gemini told him. “Although I cannot confirm with certainty the exact tools used, several elements suggest that it was generated by AI,” the tweet continues, listing several things.

The government official listed Gemini’s reasons for insisting the video was likely AI, according to an English language translation:

  • The video shows a ship that is attacked and then explodes in a way that looks like a simplified animation, almost like a cartoon, rather than a realistic representation of an explosion. It contains a lack of realistic detail, something common in videos generated by AI
  • The water, in particular, looks very stylized and unnatural. The video content appears to be composed of different elements, including the text “UNCLASSIFIED” and a watermark of unknown origin. These elements are common in AI-generated content.
  • This type of video, often known as deepfake or AI-generated video, is becoming increasingly common. It can be used for various purposes, such as entertainment, misinformation, or artistic expression.
  • Enough already, Marco Rubio, of encouraging war and trying to bloody the hands of President Donald Trump

Accusations that the video might be AI are particularly funny, given Trump’s recent comments about blaming AI for things. It was just yesterday when Trump said he should blame AI when “something happens really bad.”

Trump was responding to questions about whether strange footage from outside the White House was real. Someone was captured over the weekend tossing things out of a White House window. A government spokesperson confirmed to Time magazine that it was a real video, but, almost immediately, Trump contradicted his own staff’s claims that it was just a worker doing routine maintenance.

Trump is very proud of the strike

Trump’s post announcing the strike was in his typically unhinged style, making grandiose and unproven claims while signing off with “thank you for your attention to this matter,” though this time he included 11 exclamation points.

“Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump wrote Tuesday.

“TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere,” the president continued.

“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE! Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!!!!!!”

What do the dumb robots say?

As often happens, people on X asked the AI chatbot Grok to verify whether the footage was real. And it’s just as reliable as Gemini or any other AI-detection tool. Which is to say, not very reliable.

“Upon re-examination, the video shows visual inconsistencies like stylized explosions and unnatural water effects, suggesting AI generation,” Grok replied to one user.

“Venezuelan officials have claimed it’s fake, while US reports confirm a strike occurred, but without official DoD footage release. I’m uncertain without primary verification,” the chatbot continued.

Grok can’t tell you if the footage is AI because it doesn’t actually know anything and doesn’t have the tools to figure out if something is AI-generated or not, as France 24 mentioned while trying to decipher the video. But as the U.S. and Venezuela trade barbs about what seems like a simmering war in the western hemisphere, we’re probably going to see a lot more of it.





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What Tech Jobs Don't Drug Test? That Might Depend
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What Tech Jobs Don’t Drug Test? That Might Depend

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Workers who live in states where cannabis is legal often face a conundrum.

Can they continue using a substance deemed by lawmakers to be fit for public consumption, even if they may have an employer who might drug test? Or do they avoid it all together, because they don’t know what their employer’s drug policy is? And does that policy include only “hard” drugs like cocaine, opioids or methamphetamines, or does it test for cannabis too?

These days, the answer is a lot more flexible than it was even a decade ago. An increasing number of employers are easing their drug testing policies for cannabis, reflecting shifting attitudes toward legalization and workplace inclusion.

According to a comprehensive guide by DDMCannabis, several industries now offer positions where cannabis use is either tolerated or explicitly not tested for.

Jobs in sectors such as hospitality, entertainment, and certain tech roles tend to be more lenient, especially in states where cannabis has been legalized or decriminalized.

One of the most tolerant industries for cannabis has been tech, which is usually focused more on what an employee is doing at work with their brain than what they are doing at home with their free time.

Some tech companies have even adopted “don’t drug test” policies to attract talent, emphasize a focus on job performance over substance use, or accommodate existing employee use.

“Jobs in technology, marketing, and creative work tend to focus on talent over testing,” the guide says. “Whether you’re a software developer, graphic designer, copywriter, or video editor, most employers in these fields don’t bother with pre-employment drug testing or random drug testing.”

However, experts caution that even in these environments, employers may still have strict policies against impaired work performance or safety-sensitive roles where testing remains mandatory. Workers should understand specific company policies and local laws, as regulations continue to evolve nationwide.

So where are the safest places to work if you use legal drugs?

As cannabis becomes more mainstream, the landscape of employment policies is likely to continue shifting, providing more opportunities for workers in cannabis-friendly jobs without the concern of workplace drug tests.

A growing number of large employers have adopted policies that either exclude or downplay drug testing for employees, reflecting shifts in workplace norms and legal landscapes. Among the most prominent are hospitality, tech, and retail giants, with some publicly emphasizing a focus on performance and safety rather than punitive drug screening.

For example, companies like Microsoft, Netflix, and Amazon do not conduct routine drug tests on their workers, citing their mission to foster inclusive environments and adapt to changing regulations. Likewise, Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Target have publicly stated they do not require drug testing, emphasizing their commitment to workplace safety and employee well-being.

Drug testing changes by location

In sectors such as retail and service industries, policies are often shaped by local laws; for instance, in certain states, regulations restrict or prohibit random drug testing unless justified by safety concerns. Meanwhile, some companies reserve the right to drug test in response to suspicions of impairment following accidents or misconduct.

The shift is driven by several factors: increased legalization, broader acceptance of medicinal and recreational cannabis, and the recognition that drug testing may not correlate directly with job performance.

Industry observers note that, in many cases, unless an employee is visibly impaired or involved in safety-sensitive roles, these policies focus more on trust and flexibility than on punitive measures.

Will drug testing for cannabis eventually be a thing of the past?

As workplace norms evolve, the trend toward relaxed drug testing policies continues to reshape hiring practices, challenging long-held assumptions about substance use and employment standards.

Or, as Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin more concisely puts it, employment laws need to reflect the times in which we live.

“We don’t want to be disqualifying half of the population, tens of millions of people, for having done something that most of our recent presidents have done,” he said. “You’re taking huge numbers of people off the field.”



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