White House shifts anti-cartel strategy to armed conflict after military strikes in Caribbean
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 month, according to U.S. officials.
The White House says those operations are part of a broader national-security campaign to stop what it calls a direct threat to Americans — and insists the administration’s legal case to do so is “ironclad.”
“The President acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans,” deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement.
CARTEL CONNECTION: HEZBOLLAH AND IRAN EXPLOIT MADURO’S VENEZUELA FOR COCAINE CASH
A White House official stressed that the report “does not convey any new information,” noting that it followed a Sept. 15 strike against a designated terrorist organization after earlier operations in the Caribbean.
Immediately after the report was delivered, the Department of War carried out its fourth strike on suspected traffickers in the Caribbean, killing four in international waters off the coast of Venezuela.
“A boat loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE was stopped, early this morning off the Coast of Venezuela, from entering American Territory,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
From law enforcement to wartime paradigm
The new memo effectively shifts U.S. operations against drug cartels from a law-enforcement model — arrests and prosecutions — to a wartime paradigm that allows for lethal force and detention without trial. Like the post-9/11 War on Terror, the administration argues that drug cartels are “unlawful combatants” and can be targeted militarily rather than treated as criminals.
Administration officials maintain this approach is legally justified, while critics warn it stretches presidential authority.
TRUMP APPROVES MILITARY ACTION AGAINST LATIN AMERICAN CARTELS CLASSIFIED AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS
Legal and constitutional questions
Under Article II of the Constitution, presidents may use force to repel sudden attacks. The Trump administration argues drugs that have killed more than 100,000 Americans per year in recent years constitute an urgent national security threat, granting authority for the strikes.
But national security lawyers say that authority is limited.
“That’s a far cry from authorizing an ongoing series of strikes,” wrote Georgetown law professor Marty Lederman, who argued such a campaign would amount to “war in the constitutional sense” and therefore require congressional approval.
National security lawyer Irina Tsukerman said the administration’s framing signals a protracted campaign and an effort to assert unilateral presidential authority.
AJS: What is the administration’s framing?
“He’s saying he doesn’t even need to go to Congress, because he’s essentially taking action against these unlawful combatants, and it’s going to be a long-term operation, just like with the War on Terror,” she said.
She also noted that, unlike al Qaeda or ISIS, no authorization for use of military force exists for cartels.
“The president has only the authority to continue strikes for 60 days,” she added. “Beyond that, Congress must approve.” That means the 60-day war powers clock is already running — it began with the first strike on Sept. 2. Unless Congress acts, that authority expires in early November.
So far, Democratic leaders have questioned the scope of the strikes but have not moved to block them. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., claimed Trump’s advisors are pushing him toward war.
“The insecure, overcompensating war mongers around Trump — who convinced him to change the name of the Department of Defense — now seem to be trying to goad Venezuela into a war no one wants,” he wrote on X last month.
Regional strategy and Venezuela
Pedro Garmendia, managing director of geopolitical risk firm The Pinafore Group and a former representative of Venezuela’s interim government at the Organization of American States, the international body of Western Hemisphere nations, said the strikes should be viewed less as isolated counternarcotics operations and more as part of a larger regional message.
“For years, the regime in Venezuela has used its ties to drug trafficking organizations and international terror groups like Hezbollah to prop itself up and destabilize its rivals,” Garmendia said. “This is best understood as an extension of the Bush Doctrine. It lets Trump take control of the Caribbean, a major drug route, while also sending messages to Iran, China and Russia — all of whom have a footprint in Venezuela.”
TRUMP UNLEASHES US MILITARY POWER ON CARTELS. IS A WIDER WAR LOOMING?
Garmendia argued that by treating cartels as non-state combatants, the administration is also signaling that Nicolás Maduro’s regime is not a legitimate government, but a “zombie behemoth” sustained by foreign sponsors and criminal enterprises.
“The leaders of the cartels and gangs are the members of the government. They are completely intertwined,” he said. “The message here is more to Venezuelan authorities — that they are legitimate targets as well. If I were a minister in Maduro’s government, or even Maduro, I would be very scared by that declaration.”
He added that Venezuela lacks the capacity to retaliate against overwhelming U.S. force. “They don’t have the ability to intercept an F-35 or match the firepower already in the Caribbean,” Garmendia said.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, facing an election year, may adopt an “anti-imperialist” posture toward U.S. escalation but is unlikely to provide material support to Maduro, while Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva may try to discourage strikes but is not expected to openly defend Caracas.
“Maduro’s regime is essentially a drug cartel that captured an entire country,” Garmendia said. “I don’t see Lula putting his hands on the fire to save him.”
Escalating tensions
Trump has also moved to cut off diplomatic channels with Caracas, instructing his special envoy, Richard Grenell, to suspend all outreach efforts to Venezuela, the New York Times reported. This shift marks a further turn toward a hardline posture: now, rather than negotiate, the White House is doubling down on military leverage as its primary tool.
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With Friday’s strike, a total of 21 people have been reported killed across four operations over the past month. The U.S. has also repositioned 10 F-35 jets to Puerto Rico for counter-narcotics missions, and the Pentagon is weighing strike options inside Venezuelan territory.
Maduro responded this week by declaring a state of emergency over what he called U.S. “aggression.” Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said Maduro signed a decree granting himself “special powers” to act in defense if the U.S. “dares to attack our homeland.”
Legally, the White House says the president’s authority covers limited strikes for now. But unless Congress signs off before November, the operation could spark a fresh war-powers showdown.
Kaine defends Jay Jones amid AG candidate’s texts envisioning murder of top Republican
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine defended his fellow Democrat, former Del. Jay Jones of Norfolk, as the attorney general nominee’s campaign unravels after texts surfaced depicting Jones envisioning the murder of a top state Republican.
Pressed ahead of a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday, Kaine said Jones’ comments were “indefensible” but that he is “still a supporter” of his candidacy against incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares.
“Jay has apologized,” Kaine said.
“I’ve known Jay Jones for 25 years,” he said. “I think those statements were not in character, and he has apologized — I wish other people in public life would sincerely apologize for stuff.”
YOUNGKIN PRESSES DEMS TO PUSH JAY JONES OFF VIRGINIA AG TICKET AFTER ‘BEYOND DISQUALIFYING’ MESSAGES SURFACE
Asked whether Jones’ controversy will affect other Democrats on the ballot, Kaine replied that the situation is a “significant challenge” for Jones but that he doesn’t think it will affect other races.
“I think he’s got to explain it in ways that Virginia can see who he really is,” Kaine added.
Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., is at the top of the ticket against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in the governor’s race, and Democratic state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi is facing conservative commentator John Reid for the lieutenant governorship.
Fox News later followed up with Kaine, asking if he definitively does not believe Jones should drop out.
“Yeah, I’ve answered the question correctly, and I don’t think I can improve on the first answer,” Kaine said.
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Jones had, apparently accidentally, texted Virginia Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chester, a message about then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, venting about Gilbert’s friendship with a recently deceased Democratic Party elder.
The texts first came to light Friday to National Review, and were later confirmed to Fox News Digital through multiple Richmond, Virginia, sources.
Jones had said the late state Sen. Joe Johnson, D-Bristol, “leaked” Democratic goings-on to Gilbert and the GOP caucus, before remarking: “If those guys die before me, I will go to their funerals to p— on their graves. Send them out awash in something.”
VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE ONCE REFERENCED PUTTING TWO BULLETS IN HEAD OF GOP LEADER, TEXTS SHOW
Jones then envisioned that Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, would be shot twice in the head if lined up with Cambodian Khmer Rouge dictator Pol Pot and former German Chancellor Adolf Hitler and the executioner only had two bullets.
“Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time,” he added.
‘CONSUMED WITH HATE’: WINSOME SEARS, JASON MIYARES UNLOAD ON DEMOCRAT JAY JONES OVER VIOLENT TEXTS
He went on to suggest that Gilbert and his wife, Jennifer, were “breeding little fascists.” The Gilberts have two young children.
Since the texts were sent in 2022, Gilbert resigned from the House of Delegates to briefly accept President Donald Trump’s nomination to be the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia based in Roanoke. He has since left that post as well.
The texts came one week after documents from New Kent County showed Jones had been charged with reckless driving on a notorious straight-arrow stretch of Interstate 64 between Virginia’s Williamsburg and Richmond in the middle of the night.
Jones escaped the typical one-year jail sentence by filing 1,000 community service hours split between his own political PAC and the NAACP’s Virginia branch.
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A New Kent County, Virginia, official told Fox News Digital that it was not uncommon to have traffic-related crimes prosecuted with the defendant not receiving jail time during the COVID-19 era amid capacity and spacing concerns for more serious offenders.
Jones is set to face Miyares at the University of Richmond on Oct. 16 for their only debate, at which the firestorm is sure to be a top issue.
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Amazon package contained hundreds of unmarked ballots as Maine election questioned
Maine authorities are investigating after a resident claimed her Amazon order arrived containing hundreds of unmarked absentee ballots last week.
The ballots, sent out ahead of November’s election, were reported missing by the town of Elsworth, Maine, on the same day that the woman said she found the ballots on her doorstep. Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said that state law enforcement and the FBI are investigating the incident.
“This year, it seems that there may have been attempts to interrupt the distribution of ballots and ballot materials,” Bellows said at a press conference.
“I have full confidence that law enforcement will determine who is responsible, and any bad actor will be held accountable,” she added.
NEW TWIST IN THE MOST COMBUSTIBLE REPUBLICAN SENATE PRIMARY IN THE COUNTRY
Maine’s Nov. 4 election features a Republican-backed ballot initiative that would impose photo ID requirements for voting and reduce the reliance on drop boxes.
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“What this means is that Mainers need to turn out in force, and every single person that supports voter ID and securing our elections needs to get out and vote between now and Nov. 4 to ensure that we secure our elections,” said Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.
Maine Republicans called on the FBI and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the incident in a letter last week.
Meanwhile, Amazon has said it is not responsible for the mishandling of the ballots.
“Based on our initial findings, it appears that this package was tampered with outside of our fulfillment and delivery network, and not by an Amazon employee or partner,” the company said in a statement.
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The company said it is cooperating with the state investigation.
FBI fires employees after discovery of ‘baseless monitoring’ of GOP senators’ calls
The FBI has already terminated employees and abolished the CR-15 squad just one day after it was revealed that several Republicans’ private communications and phone calls had been tracked.
FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday announced the actions the bureau had taken in response to the revelation of the “baseless monitoring” during the Biden administration and promised more actions to come.
“We are cleaning up a diseased temple three decades in the making — identifying the rot, removing those who weaponized law enforcement for political purposes and those who do not meet the standards of this mission while restoring integrity to the FBI. I promised reform, and I intend to deliver it,” Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
JACK SMITH TRACKED PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS, CALLS OF NEARLY A DOZEN GOP SENATORS DURING J6 PROBE, FBI SAYS
Patel also posted about it on X, saying, “Transparency is important, and accountability is critical. We promised both, and this is what promises kept looks like… We terminated employees, we abolished the weaponized CR-15 squad, and we initiated an ongoing investigation with more accountability measures ahead.”
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino replied to the post and echoed Patel’s message, writing, “We promised you transparency and accountability. We will continue to deliver on those promises. You deserve better.”
The CR-15 squad was the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s public corruption unit. The squad helped former Special Counsel Jack Smith investigate President Donald Trump, according to NBC News, which cited sources familiar with the matter.
FBI’S TRUMP PROBE ‘ARCTIC FROST’ ALSO INVESTIGATED CHARLIE KIRK’S TPUSA, GRASSLEY REVEALS
On Monday, Fox News Digital learned that Smith allegedly tracked the private communications and phone calls of nearly a dozen Republican senators as part of his investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots.
Trump reacted to the revelation on Tuesday and slammed Smith in a post on Truth Social that read, “Deranged Jack Smith got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. A real sleazebag!!!”
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A document, reviewed by Fox News Digital on Monday, revealed that Smith and his “Arctic Frost” team investigating Jan. 6 were allegedly tracking the phone calls of GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and GOP Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.
The document, recently discovered by Patel and exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, is titled “CAST Assistance” and dated Sept. 27, 2023. “CAST” refers to the FBI’s cellular analysis survey team. The case ID is marked in the document as “ARCTIC FROST—Election Law Matters—SENSITIVE INVESTIGATIVE MATTER—CAST.”
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Additionally, it states the names of the lawmakers and that an FBI special agent on Smith’s team “conducted preliminary toll analysis” on the toll records associated with the lawmakers.
An FBI official told Fox News Digital that Smith and his team tracking the senators were able to see which phone numbers they called, the location the phone call originated and the location where it was received.
A source said the calls were likely in reference to the vote to certify the 2020 election.
Jimmy Kimmel’s brief audience boom circles the drain as viewers flee
Jimmy Kimmel’s ratings boom appears to be circling the drain.
Disney briefly suspended ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last month after the host’s remarks about the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk sparked widespread backlash. Once Disney reversed course, the liberal comedian drew a massive audience for his much-hyped return on September 23.
On Thursday, Oct. 2, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” averaged 1.9 million viewers, shedding 71% of the audience that tuned in for the host’s return from suspension.
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The decline among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54 was even more significant, as “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” managed 265,000 viewers from the critical group on Thursday night to lose 85% of the 1.7 million who tuned in on Sept. 23. It marked Kimmel’s smallest audience among demo viewers since the suspension.
Kimmel averaged 1.6 million viewers in 2025 before Disney decided to temporarily sideline him, so another drop would result in the show returning to its pre-scandal viewership.
ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” also trailed Fox News’ “Gutfeld!” across the board on Thursday.
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Gutfeld averaged 2.8 million total viewers to top Kimmel by 49% and 370,000 demo viewers for a 40% edge in that category, too.
Kimmel found himself in hot water last month when he falsely suggested that Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination, was part of the “MAGA gang,” despite reports he had a left-wing ideology, which was reaffirmed in the indictment filed the next day.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel told his audience.
The false suggestion that Robinson was a MAGA supporter sparked outrage and scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Disney decided to suspend the show after Nexstar and Sinclair pulled airings of Kimmel from their stations, and Kimmel reportedly had told executives last week he would not apologize for his comments.
SINCLAIR ENDS JIMMY KIMMEL BAN AFTER SIDELINING HOST AMID CHARLIE KIRK CONTROVERSY
Kimmel’s brief benching caused outrage from the left, and hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside Disney’s location in Burbank, California, to demand that Disney put “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” back on the air. Protesters also gathered outside Kimmel’s studio on Hollywood Boulevard, where they were recorded chanting, “ABC bent the knee! No to the FCC!”
Disney’s suspension lasted less than a week and Kimmel returned with a passionate monologue but stopped short of a full apology. Once Kimmel addressed the situation, he immediately went back to bashing President Donald Trump and other conservatives on a nightly basis.
Kirk’s supporters panned Kimmel’s non-apology, saying the ABC host failed to take responsibility for the falsehood.
“Kimmel is an unrepentant liar who tried to blame Charlie’s assassination on the part of the country that just spent the last 2 weeks praying and holding vigils,” Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet reacted.
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Actress sounds alarm on ‘outrageous’ support for Hamas, two years since Oct 7 massacre
Emmy Award-winning actress and pro-Israel advocate Patricia Heaton warned Americans that if they don’t speak out against rising antisemitism and anti-West propaganda following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks in Israel, the United States could face another 9/11.
Heaton, along with “#EndJewHatred” and “The Lawfare Project” founder Brooke Goldstein, spoke to Fox News Digital ahead of the two-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre and warned that Americans are not paying enough attention to the threat posed by antisemitism and radical Islam — not only to Jewish people, but to all Americans.
“It’s hard to believe, but we’re going to see a 9/11 again in this country if people don’t wake up, take a stand, and make their voices heard,” Heaton told Fox News Digital.
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Goldstein, who recently invited Heaton to speak about defending the Jewish people during a “Lawfare Project” seminar, said Americans have lost sight of the threat that radical Islamists pose — but believes they are beginning to recognize it again.
“I think Americans are starting to wake up and understand that radicalization — especially theologically motivated radicalization — is a threat to the United States,” Goldstein said. “Why has it taken us so long after 9/11, when Islamist radicals flew planes and killed thousands of civilians, to realize this is not just about the Jews?”
She said that in the years since Sept. 11, 2001, Americans have been bombarded with messaging suggesting any criticism of radical Islam is Islamophobic.
“But what happened after 9/11 was an orchestrated campaign of what I call ‘Islamophobi-mania’ — where any counterterrorism expert, journalist, author, or even cartoonist who spoke about the threat of radical Islam was branded Islamophobic or racist,” Goldstein said.
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Goldstein stressed that Hamas’ killing of more than 1,500 people in Israel in 2023 was not only an attack on Israel but an assault on Western civilization.
“Americans are waking up that this is a threat to us,” she said. “We have American civilians who were kidnapped and killed, and others who remain hostages in Gaza. This is an attack on Western democracies — an attack on the West by radical Islamist states funding proxy groups engaged in what they call a holy war.”
Heaton said she was dismayed that many Americans and people around the world have embraced anti-Israel propaganda and sided with radicals who seek to destroy the West.
“After October 7, I assumed that all of America, and particularly Christians, would be standing up for Israel, that there would be a massive outcry on October 8th, and 9th, and 10th in support of Israel and condemning what had happened,” she said. “And instead, there was sort of silence from most Americans and a lot of churches and huge support for Palestine and for Hamas and for Gazans who went in and participated in this slaughter.”
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Heaton added, “This is a horrible thing that we witnessed. And now the whole world is supporting the perpetrators. It’s outrageous.”
The actress said she founded the “October 7th Coalition” [O7C] after seeing how many Americans turned against Israel following the Hamas terror attack. The coalition describes itself as a network of Christians standing up against antisemitism in the United States.
Its mission statement states, “We recognize Israel’s right to exist and we emphatically and vociferously reject all antisemitism. We are here to unite, promote, and encourage meaningful public and private action in the Christian community to strengthen relationships with our Jewish friends and neighbors.”
Heaton told Fox News Digital that Christians must defend the Jewish people not only for their sake, but because attacks on them are attacks on all Judeo-Christian communities.
“It’s very important for Christians to recognize this and support the Jewish people. And for our own self-interest, also for the interest, as Brooke said, for democracy, for Judeo-Christian values that we all cherish, and we benefit from,” Heaton said. “But you have to remember 9/11. You have to remember the first attack on the World Trade Center, and you have to take seriously these attacks on Jews that are happening on American soil.”
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Social Security recipients getting double payments due to calendar scheduling quirk
A quirk in the fall calendar means some Social Security recipients will get two benefit payments in October. However, they aren’t receiving an extra payment.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) ordinarily disburses payments for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) on the first of a given month. The SSI program provides monthly payments to eligible older adults who have little or no income, as well as to disabled individuals, which is different from Social Security’s standard retirement benefits.
When the first of the month falls on a weekend or a federal holiday, SSI payments for that month are made on the last business day of the preceding month to ensure that beneficiaries have received their funds before the new month begins, and they face potential expenses.
Due to the way the 2025 calendar falls, two SSI payments will go out in the month of October – one payment went out on Oct. 1 for October’s benefits, while the second payment will go out on Friday, Oct. 31 for the month of November’s benefits.
A BIG CHANGE IS COMING FOR SOCIAL SECURITY RECIPIENTS AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER
SSI payments are typically made via direct deposit, though beneficiaries without bank accounts or who want to receive the funds through a different mechanism can get them on Direct Express cards.
SSA moved to discontinue paper checks at the end of September following a Trump administration order earlier this year that mandated all federal payments transition to electronic transfers, such as direct deposit to bank accounts or transfers to debit cards.
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Data from the SSA showed that as of September, more than 68 million Americans around the country were receiving Social Security benefits. Of that figure, around 390,000, or about 0.6%, were receiving paper checks.
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The SSA website offers methods by which beneficiaries can enroll in direct deposit through the My Social Security platform, or by phone through either the SSA or the Treasury Department’s electronic payment solution center.
Beneficiaries may also enroll in person by visiting their financial institution.
Archaeologists find ‘vile’ dungeon site hiding beneath city’s market square
Archaeologists in the United Kingdom recently unearthed ancient relics beneath a bustling marketplace — including the remains of a “vile” dungeon.
Announcing the discovery in a Sept. 23 press release, officials at the University of Leicester said the dig yielded “extraordinary evidence of 2,000 years of human activity” in Leicester’s marketplace.
Archaeologists uncovered the finds while working alongside construction crews who are redeveloping the market square.
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“Among the most poignant finds is the grave of a Roman infant, buried beneath a floor of a timber building dating back nearly 1,800 years,” the university’s statement said.
“Nearby, the team uncovered rarely found Roman pottery kilns, offering new insights into domestic life and industry in Roman Leicester.”
Excavation leader Gavin Speed said his team found pottery, coins, jewelry and small mosaic cubes amid the Roman sediment, as well as some traces of Anglo-Saxon settlers.
But the most eyebrow-raising discovery was the remains of a 16th-century dungeon. It was once described in historical records as “a most vile prison.”
“We can see multiple market surfaces, each representing a different generation and some 800 years of market activity.”
“The dungeon is believed to have been part of the Gainsborough Chamber — a building first mentioned in records in 1533,” officials said.
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“A high-status civic building, the chamber served as a venue for judicial proceedings, mayoral business, feasting and celebrations, until its demolition in around 1748.”
Speed said the redevelopment of the market square provides “a rare opportunity to investigate what lies beneath this important site.”
“Leicester is one of the most archaeologically explored cities in the country, yet this particular area has remained relatively untouched — until now,” said Speed.
“We anticipated finding evidence of Roman occupation, as the marketplace sits in what would have been the southeast corner of Roman Leicester, but the discoveries have surpassed our expectations.”
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Speed compared the entire excavation to “looking at a slice through an archaeological cake.”
He said, “We can see multiple market surfaces, each representing a different generation and some 800 years of market activity. We have even identified traces of former medieval market stalls, preserved as post-holes.”
“I hope we’ll be able to put some of the archaeologists’ remarkable finds on display for the public to enjoy too.”
Peter Soulsby, mayor of Leicester, emphasized the importance of “learn[ing] as much as we can” about the city’s past.
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“We’re very fortunate to have the expertise of ULAS in the city,” he said. “The work of their archaeologists is showing how this key site has been in use for thousands of years, with everyone from the Romans to the Victorians leaving traces of their existence behind them.”
He added, “ULAS will continue to work alongside our contractors to extract as much information from the site as they can, and I hope we’ll be able to put some of the archaeologists’ remarkable finds on display for the public to enjoy too.”
Leicester is about 91 miles south of York, where archaeologists recently discovered the remains of a medieval hospital in a similar excavation.
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In June, a sinkhole in York yielded remnants of St. Leonard’s Hospital, built between the 12th and 13th centuries.