U.S. Marines protecting the U.S. embassy in Haiti exchanged gunfire with suspected gang members last week, a Marine spokesman announced Sunday.Captain Steven J. Keenan told Fox News that Marines supporting embassy operations came under fire from several suspected gang members outside the U.S. embassy complex in the Haitian capital of Port Au Prince on the evening of November 13. “U.S. Marines are committed to the safety and security of U.S. embassies worldwide and respond to all threats with professionalism and swift, disciplined action,” Keenan said.
No U.S. service members were injured as a result of the incident, according to a report from The Washington Post.
The long unstable Caribbean nation has largely suffered a government collapse in recent years, which began in earnest following the assassination
of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. The assassination created a power vacuum that has led to several changes in heads of state and the loss of vast amounts of Haitian territory to organized gangs.
As of this report, gangs control about 90 percent of Port-au-Prince despite the deployment of Kenyan military personnel under a United Nations mandate to bolster Haiti’s security forces.
The ongoing issue with gangs in Haiti stems from a surge in organized criminal groups exploiting political instability since 2021, fueled by arms trafficking, corruption links to political elites, and economic collapse, leading to widespread violence including massacres, kidnappings, sexual assaults, child recruitment, and forced displacement
Over 200 gangs operate nationwide, with coalitions like Viv Ansanm (Living Together) coordinating attacks to expand influence, control illicit markets, and challenge state authority by establishing parallel governance in seized areas. Gangs have intensified operations in 2025, spreading from Port-au-Prince into rural departments like Artibonite and Centre, paralyzing commerce through roadblocks, exacerbating famine-like conditions for 5.7 million people.
Haiti has received substantial security assistance from outside nations to combat gangs, beginning with the UN-authorized Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in 2024. Primarily lead by Kenyan forces, the UN mandate has received support from Jamaica, Bahamas, Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador, while the U.S. has provided $25 million in aid for the MSS.
The November 13 incident is not the first time foreign diplomats and embassies have come under attack in Haiti. Earlier incidents include gangs targeting U.S. embassy vehicles in March and October 2024, leading to partial staff evacuations of non-essential personnel. A UN helicopter was also struck by gunfire in October 2024 as it was attempting to deliver food aid.
As a result of the violence, the European Union has evacuated all diplomatic staff, while the nation’s lone international airport has been closed due to numerous instances of gunfire targeting aircraft.
The wheels are coming off the socialist bus.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is tapping the brakes on Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s $700 million plan for free city buses, casting early doubt on one of the far-left lawmaker’s biggest campaign promises, The New York Post reported.
Speaking at the SOMOS political retreat in Puerto Rico on Saturday, Hochul said she’s already spent heavily to support the city’s struggling MTA and questioned how much further the state could go.
“I continue to be excited at the work of making the slowest buses in America fast and free,” Mamdani said Monday during an unrelated press conference. “And I appreciate the governor’s continued partnership in delivering on that agenda of affordability.”
But Hochul’s comments in San Juan marked the latest break between the moderate Democratic governor and Mamdani, the Democratic socialist she endorsed just two months ago.
Hochul happily rode Mamdani’s coattails during the campaign as he energized progressives with promises of affordability and social programs, but she has shown far less enthusiasm for actually paying for them.
The governor has rejected several of Mamdani’s cornerstone ideas, including proposals to raise taxes on wealthy New Yorkers to fund $10 billion in new benefits like free child care and fareless transit.
Her caution could create a serious roadblock for the incoming mayor, whose ambitious plans rely on support from Albany to move forward.
The top two Democratic leaders in the state Legislature — Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins — have signaled more willingness to help Mamdani pursue his agenda.
That divide leaves Hochul increasingly isolated from the party’s energized left flank, which has been openly pressuring her to embrace higher taxes on the rich.
During recent public appearances, activists have twice interrupted the governor with chants of “Tax the rich,” drawing a sharp rebuke.
“The more you push me, the more I’m not going to do what you want,” Hochul told the SOMOS crowd in response.
Still, Hochul did not fully reject Mamdani’s wish list.
She said she’s open to working with him on expanding free child care, though she made clear it would be an expensive and long-term goal.
“We’ll be on a path to get there, because I’m committed to this as ‘mom governor’ — I get it,” Hochul said.
“But also to do it statewide, right now, it’s about $15 billion — the entire amount of my reserves.”
The cautious tone was a reality check for Mamdani, who has portrayed himself as the champion of “everyday New Yorkers” and promised to make the city more affordable through massive new public spending.
Hochul’s remarks also came as she continues her own political maneuvering ahead of a likely 2026 re-election bid.
After the SOMOS conference, she flew to the Dominican Republic to attend a breakfast celebrating cross-cultural exchange — an event seen as an appeal to one of New York’s largest and most influential immigrant voting blocs.
Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers trace family roots to the Dominican Republic, making the outreach a politically savvy move for a governor seeking to rebuild her base while keeping the party’s left wing at arm’s length.
Whether Hochul and Mamdani can maintain their uneasy alliance may determine not only the future of free buses and child care, but also the balance of power within the New York Democratic Party.