NEO MAG

"I was a huge Everly Brothers fan. They were myMonkees," says Dolenz. He recalls sitting eighth-row center at the duo's 1983 reunion concert at Royal Albert Hall, hoping Phil and Don would sing his favorites. "I'd been to some very disappointing shows where the headliner doesn't do anything except maybe one big hit."

The Everly Brothers played their hits and as Dolenz sang along on "Wake Up Little Susie" and "Cathy's Clown" ("Don't want your love-uv-uv-uv-uv anymore"), he thought, "If I ever do go back and am asked to sing (the Monkees') songs, I'm going to make sure I sing every one in their entirety, no melodies and no screwing around," he tells USA TODAY. "I've stuck with that, including arrangements and opening licks and hooks."

At 80, he'sthe last Monkeehere to absorb the outpouring of love from fans as the made-for-TV group turns 60.Davy Jones, the band's baby-faced, percussion-shaking frontman, died in 2012 at just 66, sending shockwaves through the Monkees' once-preteen admirers. Bass and keyboard playerPeter Tork, 77, and guitarist and songwriterMichael Nesmith, 78, died in 2019 and 2021 respectively.

The anniversary is being celebrated with Rhino's just-released"The A's, The B's & The Monkees,"a new compilation of their singles released between 1966 and 1970, and Dolenz's60 Years of the Monkees tour, which launches Feb. 12 in Solana Beach, California. A stop in LA on Sept. 12 marks the 1966 premiere date of the innovative NBC sitcom, and Dolenz promises storytelling and a chronological performance of the hits (a Monkees Eras Tour, if you will).

"All the music is always there, that's the meat and potatoes," he says. "This time, it's going to be a lot of video, talking about the genesis, the genetics of the show."

He acknowledges it can be emotional being the only Monkee on stage.

"Of course I went through the whole grieving thing, but in some ways, they've never left. Every time I do a show, they're there," Dolenz says. If he catches a video glimpse of his bandmates during a performance, "It can still kind of choke me up."

Dolenz remains both pragmatic and romantic about the group and its legacy.

For years, "I have tried to clear up the misconception that the Monkees was a band. It wasn't, it was a musical comedy sitcom." He says he had no issue with being cast as the drummer (at the time, he wasn't one). Though Dolenz is the voice of the bulk of the band's hits, it wasn't the music he was listening to at the time: "I was not a 10-year-old girl or boy."

"I was a humongous Beatles fan, I was a fan of the Animals, the Stones, Otis Redding," he says. "I was a bluesy-rocker kind of guy."

Advertisement

Yet "to this day, I love singing them," he says of beloved Monkees tunes such as "I'm a Believer" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday."

"I've learned to appreciate what makes a really good song. I would wonder: Why do I still love this song? Because it was f------ written by Carole King and Neil Diamond andBoyce & Hartand Harry Nilsson and Paul Williams and David Gates."

He shrugs off the Monkees' continued exclusion from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, despite the band's commercial success, cultural impact and longevity. Could it ever happen, maybe in the musical influence category?

"It started out as a private country club," he says of the Rock Hall's launch, which coincided with the Monkees' improbable '80s MTV rebirth. "And like a private country club, they are allowed to have anybody in it they want and not have anybody in it they don't want." At this point, "I just don't know. It isn't on my radar that desperately."

He's prouder of the Monkees' two 1967 Emmys, for outstanding comedy series and comedy director: "To me, it doesn't get better than that."

Hey, hey, it's the Monkees' 60th anniversary!

Revisit the band's best photos, starting with a 1967 group portrait (clockwise from top left): Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Davy Jones.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> America's made-for-TV Beatles, buried in sand on Feb. 2, 1967: Davy Jones (back) with Mike Nesmith (from left), Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The boys goofing at a news conference in England on June 29, 1967.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The band in their 1966 Dean Jeffries-designed Monkeemobile.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Davy Jones catches up on his fan mail.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The Monkees performing in their signature double-buttoned shirts on Feb. 2, 1967.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Davy Jones with TV producer Bert Schneider, co-creator of "The Monkees," on Dec. 19, 1966.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The Monkees film a flying sequence for their NBC sitcom in 1968.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Michael Nesmith, seen here in 1967, showed up for his Monkees audition in a wool knit cap and the look stuck.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The Monkees in matching shirts and vests for a 1967 promotional portrait.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Davy Jones is all smiles as he signs autographs for younger fans at a welcome party given him by RCA Records at St. Clairs Restaurant in Nashville on Sept. 7, 1968.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Monkees drummer and singer Micky Dolenz on Feb. 6, 1967.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Micky Dolenz (from left), Mike Nesmith and Davy Jones of the Monkees back up Johnny Cash during a taping of the new "The Johnny Cash Show" at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on May 6, 1969.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Peter Tork shows off a pile of sketches from his U.K. mail in January 1968.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Twinning in matching shirts and vests on "The Monkees" TV show.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Michael Nesmith of the Monkees with his wife, Phyllis Ann Barbour, at Heathrow Airport in London on Feb. 14, 1967.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A publicity still shot on Feb. 1, 1967, with Davy Jones hanging from the trapeze.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Davy Jones of the Monkees with Lulu in the garden of her home in St John's Wood in London on June 1, 1968.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The Monkees in a hospital scene from the TV show in May 1967.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Davy Jones (left) and Micky Dolenz in the U.K. on Nov. 23, 1977.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Micky Dolenz of the Monkees blows into a cowhorn outside a boutique on King's Road in London.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The Monkees in a boardroom, contemplating nonsense with a stock ticker in a scene from their TV show.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The Monkees as mad scientists, complete with bubbling beakers, lab coats and glasses.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Manchester-born Davy Jones, the only English member of the Monkees, in September 1968.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A promotional portrait of the four Monkees lined up in directors chairs emblazoned with their names and the band's famous guitar logo.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The reunited Monkees, Micky Dolenz (from left), Peter Tork and Davy Jones, promoting their tour in London on March 8, 1989.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Relive the magic of the Monkees in archival photos

Hey, hey, it's the Monkees' 60th anniversary!Revisit the band's best photos, starting with a 1967 group portrait (clockwise from top left): Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Davy Jones.

Though Tork and Nesmith were often visibly chafed, Dolenz says he has "never" been unhappy being a Monkee.

"Well, there were times when I did not like being famous and a celebrity and being harassed and followed and sued and threatened," he says, laughing. "There are times I'll be in a restaurant to this day and somebody yells at me across the room, 'Hey, Monkee, come here! Sign my wife's napkin.' "

He's happy performing and recording (2021's "Dolenz Sings Nesmith" was produced by Christian Nesmith, Mike's son), and says he won't ever get off the road, though he's being "more selective" these days. "It's 22 hours of commuting for a two-hour gig, essentially. I hate the travel, but they pay me to travel, I sing for free. When I came to that realization, it made it easier to amortize. The show is the easy part, that's why they call it playing."

The fandom longs for more. "People call me all the time: 'There should be a Monkee movie, there should be a documentary,' " Dolenz says, though the quartet had "absolutely no ownership" of the brand.

Still, "I am incredibly appreciative" to have been a part of it, he says. "It has given me a great frigging life."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Micky Dolenz talks Monkees 60th anniversary tour, being final member

The show must go on, and E! just found a way to save theirReal Housewives of New Yorkspinoff,The Golden Life. Earlier this week, they firedJill Zarinfor her unhinged rant aboutBad Bunny, but there's another Bravo legend coming on board. They've tappedDorinda Medleyto save the day. Grab a martini glass, and get ready for some chaos. She's startin'.

Dorinda Medley joins the cast of E! series The Golden Life

We know you've been following this story.Jill screwed upher big return to TV by sharing a controversial video on Super Bowl Sunday,bashing Bad Bunny's halftime performance. She didn't like all the Spanish, and she thought the lack of white people made the show feel like a "political statement."

Following a massive wave of backlash,E! fired Jillfrom the upcoming show before cameras ever started rolling. That move left some fans wondering if the show would even continue—especially since a racism scandal is what tanked RHONY in the first place.

According toPage Six, the show is still moving forward, and Dorinda has signed on the dotted line. BetweenThe Traitors, the E! Series, and her still-in-developmentBluestone Manor show, it's safe to say Dorinda is no longer on pause.

What's interesting is that Dorinda wasn't necessarily hired at the last minute to replace Jill. Their sources suggest that she was always involved in the show, but the network wanted to reveal it closer to the premiere date. It was supposed to be a surprise, but now, the cat's out of the bag.

Advertisement

Dorinda will join Sonja Morgan, Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, and Kelly Bensimon in the upcoming RHONY spinoff. The cameras will follow the RHONY ladies as they navigate their post-Bravo lives in Palm Beach, Florida. Although Dorinda doesn't live in Florida like the rest of the cast, they'll make it work somehow.

The show's logline teased: "Bound by decades of shared history, fallouts, and friendship, this fan-favorite group of New Yorkers are starting fresh together in the Sunshine State."

The Real Housewives of New Yorkis streaming on Peacock while we wait for more news on The Golden Life.

TELL US – ARE YOU EXCITED TO SEE DORINDA JOIN THE GOLDEN LIFE? ARE THERE ANY OTHER FORMER RHONY STARS THAT COULD BE A GOOD FIT FOR THE SHOW?

The postJill Zarin's Replacement for The Golden Life Revealed After Shock Firingappeared first onReality Tea.

TheGoFundMeforJames Van Der Beek'swidowKimberlyand their six kids has hit a huge milestone.

As of the evening of Wednesday,  February 11, the GoFundMe campaign has surpassed the $1 million mark and has raised its target to $1.3million.

James and Kimberly, who were married 16 years,shared childrenOlivia (born in 2010) Joshua (born in 2012), Annabel (born in 2014), Emilia (born in 2016), Gwendolyn (born in 2018) and Jeremiah (born in 2021) and money raised will go towards supporting the family.

The family faced financial strain as James battledstage 3 colorectal cancer.His death was announced earlier on Wednesday via his Instagram page. He was 48.

Every Celebrity Who Donated Money to Support James Van Der Beek's Family After His Death at 48

Following his deaththe GoFundMe was set up with the description explaining that Kimberly and the kids were "out of funds."

"James Van Der Beek was a beloved husband, father, and friend who touched the lives of everyone around him," the GoFundMe page read. "After a long and courageous battle with cancer, James passed away on February 11, 2026 leaving behind his devoted wife, Kimberly, and their six wonderful children. Throughout his illness, the family faced not only emotional challenges but also significant financial strain as they did everything possible to support James and provide for his care."

The page noted that James' family are now "facing an uncertain future" following their heartbreaking loss.

"The costs of James's medical care and the extended fight against cancer have left the family out of funds," the fundraiser's description continued. "They are working hard to stay in their home and to ensure the children can continue their education and maintain some stability during this incredibly difficult time. The support of friends, family, and the wider community will make a world of difference as they navigate the road ahead."

Several celebrities have already contributed to the fundraising efforts, includingDerek Hough,Ricki LakeandBusy Phillips.

After sharing his diagnosis publicly in November 2024, James tried several avenues toraise much needed funds in his fight against the debilitating disease.

James sold some of his personal memorabilia fromVarsity BluesandDawson's Creekto help offset the cost of cancer treatment.

HisDawson's CreekcostarMichelle Williamsorganized a star-studded cast reunion – which includedJoshua JacksonandKatie Holmes– at Broadway's famed Richard Rodgers Theater in September 2025 to raise money for James.

'Dawson's Creek' Cast Quotes About James Van Der Beek's Cancer Battle Before His Death

While James was forced to pull out of the event at the last minute due to a stomach virus, the actor made a cameo via a video message where he thanked fans and friends for their support during the difficult time.

James' deathwas announced via his Instagram account on Wednesday.

"Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace," a statement shared via his Instagram read. "There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend."

The Travis County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed James was pronounced dead at 6:44 a.m. on Wednesday. A medical professional made the call to their office.

Belgium NATO Defense Ministers

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not attend Thursday's gathering of defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels. His no-show came after Secretary of State Marco Rubioskipped the last meetingof NATO foreign ministers in December.

It's rare for members of a U.S. administration to miss a meeting of the organization's top decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, at the level of ministers, let alone two meetings in a row. Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby was sent in Hegseth's place.

"Sadly for him, he is missing a good party," Icelandic Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir told reporters. "Of course, it's always better that the ministers attend here, but I would not describe it as a bad signal."

"I'm not disappointed," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said. "Each of us has a full agenda. And one time the American defense minister is here, and one time not, so it's his decision and his duties he has to fulfill."

How times have changed

When asked what NATO's purpose was in its infancy in 1949, NATO's first secretary-general, the British general and diplomat Lord Hastings Ismay, was reputed to have replied: "To keep the Americans in, the Russians out and the Germans down."

Nowadays, Germany is stepping up. After Russia invaded Ukraine four years ago, it vowed to spend 100 billion euros ($118 billion)to modernizeits armed forces in coming years.

A big part of NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte's job is to keep the Americans in.

"They have to take care of the whole world. This is the United States," Rutte told reporters before chairing the meeting. "I totally accept it, agree with it."

"They have always consistently pleaded for Europe doing more, Canada doing more, taking more care of the defense of NATO territory, of course in conjunction with the United States," he said.

That means more European spending on conventional weapons and defense, while the U.S. guarantees NATO's nuclear deterrent.

But doubts linger, and surprises from the Trump administration cannot be ruled out. Allies still wonder whethermore U.S. troopswill be withdrawn from Europe.

"What for me is the most important is the no-surprise policy that has been agreed between the NATO secretary-general and the U.S.," Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said.

Stepping back

Publicly at least, the Trump administration is doing much less at NATO. A year ago, Hegseth warned that America'ssecurity prioritieslie elsewhere and that Europe would have to look after itself, and Ukraine in its battle against Russia's full-scale invasion.

Advertisement

Supplies of U.S. guns and money that were sent to Ukraine by the previous administration of President Joe Biden have dried up under Trump. European allies and Canada are obliged tobuy weaponsfrom the United States to donate now.

Western backers of Ukraine were also meeting at NATO on Thursday to drum up more military support. A scheme proudly championed by the Pentagon under Biden, theUkraine Defense Contact Groupis now chaired by the U.K. and Germany.

U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey announced that Britain would provide "an extra half a billion pounds ($682 million) in urgent air defense to Ukraine. This is Britain being a force for good in the world, building a new deal for European security within NATO."

Sweden also intends to fund the purchase of more American weapons. The Netherlands will send more flight simulators to help Ukrainian fighter pilots train to fly F-16 jets.

Arctic Sentry

The one "deliverable" from Thursday's meeting was the announcement that NATO would launchArctic Sentry, its response to U.S. security concerns in the high north, and an attempt to dissuade Trump from trying to seize Greenland.

It's ostensibly aimed at countering Russian and Chinese activities or influence in the Arctic region.

But Arctic Sentry is essentially a rebranding exercise. National drills already underway in the region, like those run by Denmark and Norway, will be brought under the NATO umbrella and overseen by the organization's military chief.

It is not a long-term NATO operation or mission.

Denmark, France, Germany will take part in the "military activities" happening under Arctic Sentry, but they have not said in what way. Finland and Sweden are likely to get involved. Belgium is considering what role it might play.

It remains unclear what role, if any, the United States will take.

"It can't just be more from the United States," U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said ahead of Thursday's meeting. "We need capable allies that are ready and strong, that can bring assets to all of these areas of our collective security."

Trump'srenewed threatslast month to annex Greenland — a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark — have deeply shaken the rest of the alliance. NATO's primary role is to defend the territory of its 32 member states, not to undermine it.

European allies and Canada hope that Arctic Sentry and ongoing talks between the Trump administration, Denmark and Greenland will allow NATO to move on from the dispute and focus on Europe's real security priority,Russia's waron Ukraine.

Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said the Arctic security arrangement at least means that "we stop having some food fights over the Atlantic."

"I think that the Greenland saga was not the best moment of NATO (over) the last 76 years," he told reporters. "It was a crisis that was not needed."

Recent trilateral U.S.-Ukraine-Russia talks in the United Arab Emirates were described by all sides as constructive, though appear to have failed to find a breakthrough on several contentious points or secure a new truce covering critical energy infrastructure.

After the most recent round of talks last week, Zelenskyy said that U.S. officials proposed a temporary pause in attacks on energy targets, which would have mirrored the brief pause on such attacks that occurred at the end of January.

Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Kyiv is yet to receive a response from Moscow on the purported offer. "On the contrary, we've received a response in the form of drone and missile attacks. This suggests that they are not yet ready for the energy ceasefire proposed in Abu Dhabi by the American side," he said.

Russian drone strikes undermining 'all diplomatic efforts,' Zelenskyy says

Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 25 missiles and 219 drones into the country overnight, of which 16 missiles and 197 drones were shot down or suppressed.

The impacts of nine missiles and 19 drones were reported across 13 locations, the air force said. "The main targets are Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Odesa," the air force wrote on Telegram.

Four people, including two children, were also injured in strikes on the central city of Dnipro, Ukraine's Interior Ministry said. An earlier strike on the Synelnykove city just outside of Dnipro killed four people and injured three others, the regional administration said in posts to Telegram.

The Interior Ministry said that at least 13 people were injured in a series of drone strikes in the city of Barvinkove in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

The regional military administration in Odesa said one person was also injured there by Russian strikes.

Russian border regions face blackouts after Ukrainian strikes, governors say

The Interior Ministry reported damage to several areas of the capital. At least two people were injured by the attacks on Kyiv, according to the head of the city's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that almost 2,600 residential buildings were left without heating due to "damage to critical infrastructure targeted by the enemy."

In total, approximately more than 1 million people without heating in the Ukrainian capital, according to Klitschko and Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba.

DTEK -- Ukraine's top private energy firm -- reported major damage to its energy infrastructure in Odesa, plus an attack on a thermal power plant.

Ukrenergo, the state energy transmission operator, reported power outages in Kyiv, Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the attacks as "Russian terror" in a post to X. "Each such strike is a blow to peace efforts aimed at ending the war. Russia must be forced to take diplomacy seriously and deescalate," he said.

Zelenskyy said in a post to Telegram, "There needs to be more protection against these attacks."

Russian strikes kill 3 in Ukraine as Zelenskyy calls for Western air defense aid

"The most effective defense against Russian ballistic missiles is the 'Patriot' system, and the supply of missiles for these systems is needed every day," he added, referring to the U.S.-made surface-to-air missile platform.

"Everything currently available in the air defense program should arrive faster," he said.

Ukraine continued its own drone strike campaign overnight. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 106 Ukrainian drones overnight into Thursday morning.

Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that two people were killed in drone attacks. At least 15 other people were injured across the region by Ukrainian attacks, the governor said. Gladkov also said Ukrainian forces fired several missiles into the region.

Local officials in the Volgograd, Tambov and Voronezh reported damage to industrial sites and falling drone debris in or close to residential areas.

'Normal life has disappeared': Russia's energy offensive plunges Ukraine into dark and bitter cold

Russia's federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsiya, reported temporary flight restrictions for airports in Kaluga, Volgograd, Saratov, Yaroslavl, Kotlas, Ukhta, Perm and Kirov.

Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement posted to social media that among the targets of the strikes were the main arsenal of Russia's missile and artillery forces in the Volgograd region. "This arsenal is one of the largest ammunition storage sites of the Russian army," the General Staff said.

The ongoing peace talks have seen no easing of long-range strikes by either side, as the fourth anniversary of Moscow's February 2022 full-scale invasion approaches.

As yet, no next round of talks have been scheduled. Zelenskyy said the U.S. had proposed a new trilateral meeting to be held in Miami, but that, "So far, as I understand it, Russia is hesitating."

"We are ready. It doesn't matter to us whether the meeting will be in Miami or Abu Dhabi. The main thing is that there should be a result," the Ukrainian president said.

Trump-Putin Alaska summit looms large in Kremlin's Ukraine negotiating strategy

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Thursday that Moscow had "a certain understanding" regarding the next round of talks. "We expect the next round to take place soon. We'll also give you directions on the location," he added, as quoted by the state-run Tass news agency.

Russian Foreign Ministry officials have this week been critical of the ongoing peace push.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this week suggested that the U.S. side had drifted from the understandings reached between Moscow and Washington at the August meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Lavrov also said Trump's administration had failed to roll back former President Joe Biden-era sanctions against Moscow.

Lavrov and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova framed the lack of progress as the fault of Kyiv and its European backers.

Russia downs 4,300 Ukrainian drones in December, setting new record, Moscow claims

"At the current stage, it is the European Union that is preventing the Kyiv regime from making any compromises in exchange for promises to provide everything necessary to continue military operations," Zakharova said in a briefing on Thursday, as quoted by Tass.

ABC News'Oleksiy Pshemyskyiand Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.

The unusual joint action comes despite tensions between the two countries, with President Trump vowing to strike Mexican drug cartels that he said posed a grave threat to national security.

"About 188 packages containing several tons of cocaine" were seized from the vessel off Clarion Island, about 680 miles from the Mexican port city of Manzanillo in Colima state, the Mexican navysaid in a statement.

The navy releasedimagesandvideoof the alleged drugs, showing packages laid out on the deck of a naval ship before being transported to shore.

Multiple people were arrested, the statement added, without specifying how many.

Mr. Trump has threatened to slap additional tariffs on Mexico to pressure the country into beefing up drug raids and cartel arrests. Mexico has sent nearly 100 members of Mexican drug cartels to the United States in recent months, including37 individualsin January.

A free trade agreement between the two neighbors and Canada is up for renegotiation this year.

The Trump administration said Wednesday thatMexican cartel dronesaround the U.S.-Mexico border had forced a Texas airport to shut down temporary. The closure in the Texas border city of El Pasostemmed from disagreementsbetween the FAA and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests, multiple sources close to the matter told CBS News.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded that her government had received no reports of drones belonging to cartels along the border.

Last summer, the Mexican navyseized 3.5 tons of cocainehidden in a "narco sub" off the Pacific coast, while releasing video of the vessel being intercepted. In November 2024, the Mexican Navy said it seized3.6 tons of cocaineaboard a semisubmersible off the Pacific coast which was spotted about 153 miles off the resort of Acapulco.

Details on new images of subject in Nancy Guthrie disappearance

Watch: Rep. Lieu accuses Bondi of lying under oath on Epstein files surrounding Trump

Masked, gloved subject seen on video approaching Nancy Guthrie's door