This is southwest Florida in focus.

Worries grow for thousands of Venezuelan immigrants across the state as tensions mount between the U.S.

and Venezuela.

We discuss the impact for those who recently lost legal protection against deportation.

Getting ahead of breast cancer.

How doctors are incorporating artificial intelligence into breast exams, and why the fashion industry is now embracing exotic animal skins after once avoiding natural materials.

With the help of Florida hunters.

Hello, I'm Sandra Victorova.

thank you very much for joining us.

Well, fear mounts for thousands of Venezuelans in Florida.

They now risk being deported after recently losing their temporary protected status, or TPS.

And they worry about the possibility of U.S.

military action in their homeland.

The Trump administration says it hasn't ruled out the use of force with Venezuela.

The white House is pushing for the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, accusing him of being involved in drug trafficking through cartel de la Solas.

What Washington now calls a terrorist organization the largest aircraft carrier in the world, the USS Gerald R Ford, arrived in the Caribbean this week.

The Pentagon says that ship is supporting counter-narcotics efforts.

U.S.

has already conducted 21 strikes on boats said to be involved in trafficking, killing dozens of people.

Immigrants in southwest Florida worry about what this means for them.

On November 7th, the U.S.

Supreme Court allowed TPS to be terminated for this group of Venezuelans, a status that allowed them to legally live in the U.S.. Now they have limited or no legal options to remain.

It's estimated that this ruling affects more than 230,000 Venezuelans in Florida, the largest population in the U.S.. For more on this story, we're joined by Tim Padgett, America's editor, with WLRN our public media partner in Miami.

Thank you for joining us, Tim.

Thank you.

So, Tim, help us to understand how significant it is that the US has designated cartel de la Solas as a foreign terrorist organization.

Well, it speaks to the heart of this new, let's say, US doctrine.

In the hemisphere that drug traffickers can now be classified or designated as terrorists and not just terrorists, but terrorists who are combatants at war with the United States by virtue of their, trafficking deadly drugs to the United States.

So essentially, the Trump administration has designated, the cartel de Los Solis, the cartel, the drug cartel that's associated with the Venezuelan regime, not just as civilian criminals, but as war combatants.

Who can therefore, in the Trump administration's mind, legally be executed, by military means rather than dealt with, under law enforcement protocol?

This is this is something quite new.

As far as drug interdiction experts are concerned.

And so to call this cartel that, as I said, is associated with the Venezuelan regime itself, is is quite a step.

Why would the US be interested in using force in Venezuela?

Well, there's a twofold reason.

One.

You you you're you're taking that drug interdiction doctrine that I mentioned before.

Two a from a law enforcement level to a military level.

So you on the one hand, you feel that you're wiping out drug supply in Venezuela.

But on the other hand, again, this twofold purpose you because the Venezuelan regime itself, who has designated it as part of that narco trafficking operation in Venezuela.

You could then be also in turn, achieving regime change.

If if you're if you're knocking out enough of what you believe, props up the regime in Venezuela, you could be then as I said, achieving regime change, which is what so many people in this hemisphere won in the first place.

Help us to understand how is this conflict between Washington and Caracas impacting Venezuelans who now face deportation, now that TPS status has expired?

For them?

Well, I think most people who are Venezuelans, who are losing their temporary protected status here are very concerned, if not afraid, about going back to Venezuela.

I mean, we've had many, many reports over the past year of Venezuelans being deported back to Venezuela, who have been treated somewhat like pariahs, if not targeted by the regime as untrustworthy.

And some many fear, that, you know, they could they could, be headed to prison if they if they make a wrong move.

But not only the political, repression, aspect of this, we also have to take into consideration the economic crisis that Venezuela is going through.

We're still seeing in Venezuela the worst humanitarian crisis in modern South American history, which is why almost a quarter of the country's population, since 2014, has fled the country and migrated to countries like the U.S.

and many other countries around the hemisphere.

If we cannot not this.

Why should Floridians care about what's happening in Venezuela, especially if they don't, you know, necessarily have friends who are Venezuelan?

Well, I think what's going to happen with Venezuela one way or the other is going to have a big effect on a democracy in the region.

I think, democracy, democratic norms are under real threat these days in Latin America.

And I think, whatever happens in Venezuela is going to have a bigger impact on that.

But in, in, in, in the bigger picture for Americans, I immigration is is one of the big considerations we have to take into account.

Before Trump, took over in his second administration, Venezuelans were the number one nationality illegally crossing the US southern border.

During that time at the end of the, Biden administration.

You remember when we were having a full blown crisis on the overwhelmed US southern border?

So migration immigration is a big factor here.

Drugs also a big factor.

But also let's let's not forget the Venezuela is home to the world's largest oil reserves.

So there's a huge economic factor at play here as well.

So there are a lot of reasons, that that that Americans should care about what happens, right now in Venezuela.

And if the Trump administration doesn't achieve regime change in Venezuela in all that it's doing, I mean, as we have just sent our largest aircraft carrier into the Caribbean to try to intimidate this regime out of power.

If that doesn't work, we could see this very brutal dictatorship in Venezuela become even further entrenched because it will feel that it won, against the US, that it won this, this, this, this game of chicken, let's call it with the U.S.

and it could become even more repressive.

Tim Padgett with WLRN thank you so much for your time.

Thank you.

After the break, creating fashion with invasive species.

How one Florida company is protecting our ecosystem.

One handbag at a time.

For decades, Burmese pythons have ravaged the Everglades.

But now Florida has a new solution for the invasive species.

Turn them into high fashion.

The state is paired with the Miami based company and verso, which works with hunters who catch the snakes.

The company takes those skins to the fashion houses, which turns them into accessories like belts and wallets.

Earlier this year, Governor Ron DeSantis touted plans to continue expanding the pythons removal from the ecosystem catches that have already reached record numbers in 2025.

In July of this year, we had 748 removals, compared to 235 removals in July of 2024.

And honestly, 235 removals was not considered a small number at the time.

With more on how invasive species are being developed into fashion.

We're joined by Henry Ferré, the head of development within Versace leathers.

Mr.

Ferrari, welcome.

Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

So obviously, your company targets the Burmese python in the Everglades, but also invasive species like the lionfish in some Florida waters.

So I've seen the photos for the $2,000 python, high heels and the lionfish wallets and the jewelry.

I have to say, they look great.

It made me wonder, is there really a market for these products?

They certainly are beautiful.

And absolutely.

The fashion industry is a $4 trillion industry.

And traditionally, exotics have come from farms and native ranges.

They come from the wild.

And here we have the exact same product in the Everglades that can be used on the market.

So how did this all start?

The founders of our company were scuba divers and and diving, you know, year after year looking at coral reefs.

They were wondering what's being done about the lionfish.

And to solve that type of problem, you need the budget.

The size of the Pentagon, which invasive species managers and governments just do not have.

And so they looked towards the most powerful purchasing group on the planet, the consumer, and asked the question, how can we create something of value out of something so problematic and turn that bad into a good?

So help us to understand how this partnership actually developed between the state of Florida and NASA.

Yeah, absolutely.

So Florida around ten years ago started the Patriot program.

So, Python action team removing invasive constrictors.

And it's been an incredibly successful program over the past ten years, consistently removing Burmese pythons from the Everglades.

We are WCS contractor that manages Patrick and then helps manage the 50 subcontracted hunters that are actively going out to the Everglades to remove remove pythons.

We spoke earlier and you said this is actually beneficial.

This partnership is beneficial to hunters as well.

Explain that.

So since we have started managing Patrick, we have, three removals.

The the agency's administrative workload is down 89%.

And most importantly, to the hunters, aside from the increase in removals, is they are, on average, being paid 60% better because of our ability to tap into the $4 trillion social market.

So essentially, you then process the skins once they provide you the animals.

If the hunters want to sell us the skins, we will buy them and we will process them into high grade luxury luxury leather for the fashion industry that can be seen on the streets of New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Milan and London.

Really all over the world.

So tell us what the consumer reaction has been to seeing invasive species used in items like this.

I was reading a British Vogue article where they questioned whether exotic leathers can be ethical, and the conclusion was yes, and I'm wondering what you're hearing from consumers on this topic.

Consumers are going crazy for this.

They do not have to sacrifice quality for the beautiful python skin and the exotics that they they are sad that they want.

They now are able to get the same exact product, but not from a farm or from an endangered wild population.

But from the Florida Everglades where the Burmese python is actively destroying that important ecosystem.

So in versatile, it's that it maintains an ethical and humane end to end supply chain.

Explain what that means.

Some some folks are obviously interested in your products.

Might still be concerned about you know, how the animals are being killed.

Explain that we have 5 or 6 different quality quality controls throughout throughout our system.

And in turning these wild, invasive populations into into products.

What that means is that at any step of that, that along that chain, if anything is done improper or inhumanely, we will not purchase it.

It is not going into the market.

And by enforcing that through an economic lens, it's it's just simply not going to happen for anyone who is interested in in supporting in versus mission, what's the best way to to tap into your products?

I assume you actually sell it the skins to the fashion houses, correct.

You're not selling directly to the consumer.

Correct?

Absolutely.

And the best way to support this is to buy invasive made products.

We work with about 50 different brand partners at this point.

You can get them all through our website and versa.com.

And again the best way to do this is support invasive made products.

Invasives cause about 60% of species extinctions globally, and every year they cost the globe around $423 billion.

We finally have an opportunity to counteract that and create something of value out of something that's that's harming our planet.

Henry Frey, we thank you so much for your time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

This time of year, it is hard to avoid that yummy butter and sugar in holiday recipes.

But at the Health Teaching Kitchen, anyone can learn how to cook delicious bites and eat healthier.

The program was accepted into the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative, joining similar programs around the country.

WGCUs Cary Barbor visited a class to see what is on the menu.

Things get dull, so it gives you an idea for something else and on a healthy level.

That's Laurie Messina of Fort Myers.

Messina is learning to cook healthier meals at the Healthy Life Center teaching kitchen at Lee health.

I took a sweet potato.

I baked it at 400 degrees, cut it up, and then just mashed it up.

The classes are offered 2 or 3 times per month for just $5 a class.

Registered dietitian Ekaterina Gallegos teaches the very popular cooking demonstrations.

Keeping things simple, keeping it lighthearted.

Making sure it's fun, and of course, giving everyone a sample of food.

People love samples.

The day we attended, she was demonstrating healthier versions of sweet treats like peanut butter balls, sweet potato brownies, and fruit salad with honey lime dressing.

This was so good.

It's definitely.

And the brownies.

Oh my gosh, I love the brand.

Galio says she's constantly innovating and won't repeat a class topic within a year.

We're also going to add a little bit of maple sirup, and here you can use whatever sweetener you prefer.

I would say 70% of my classes are like health conscious, and then the other 30% are like, we're just teaching the technique and we're making authentic foods.

She occasionally brings in guest chefs, too.

Here I'm bringing someone from Italy that's going to cook authentic eggplant parmesan, admitting that eggplant parmesan is not exactly healthy.

Gallo says that cooking at home and not eating processed and packaged foods does give you a leg up on healthy eating.

Everything we're doing is from scratch.

I think if people can understand if you're cooking from scratch, you're doing good.

This would make about 30 balls.

The teaching kitchen, located at Lee Health Coconut Pointe, also offers hands on culinary classes as well as longer term classes for people in cardiac rehab.

Here's participant Laurie Messina again.

There's also a certain amount of camaraderie that comes from these classes.

A lot of the people are the same faces and you get to know them, and it's just a nice community based thing that everyone can partake in for WGCU News I'm Cary Barbor in Estero.

Eating healthy during the holidays is so much easier said than done.

Thanksgiving pies.

Cookies for Santa.

All those sweets can just be too good to pass up.

So to learn more on how we can avoid the sugar overload, we're joined by Troy Duell, a health educator and founder and CEO of Centurion Health, a pharmaceutical and supplement company.

Welcome, Mr.

Doyle.

Thanks for having me, Sandra.

Well, no secret sugars in so many of our processed foods.

What is the impact of too much sugar on our body?

Some people may say, well, I'm still pretty healthy.

I do eat a lot of sugar, but I'm still healthy.

What's the impact?

It is devastating, really, and we're becoming, I guess, more acquainted in better understanding of what's happening.

As a matter of fact, they now call type three diabetes.

Alzheimer's is what they're calling type three diabetes because of the inflammation that sugar causes.

We all know about the effects of obesity.

We all know about the effects of diabetes and things along those lines.

But it's really those hidden things like inflammation and, things like Alzheimer's disease.

We know that it's having an effect on the liver because it's having to process things much more, than it normally does.

And we're just continuing to see that it has ramifications that most of us don't even think about.

They're talking about links to stroke, depression, infertility.

They're just so many things that are really starting to pop up that, really should give us all a little bit more pause about what we're eating and the things that we're taking into our body each day.

Fruits and vegetables, they also contain.

Sure.

So from a biological impact on our bodies, what is the difference between the sugar you'd get in an apple versus what we might get from our favorite cookies?

That's a great question because yes, it does have sugar.

But the biggest difference is when you have sugar from your fruits and vegetables, you have all the other nutrients that your body needs.

So you're going to get the fiber, you're going to get the vitamins and everything else, so you're not getting empty calories.

The issue we typically have are with the processed sugars.

And on average, we're getting about 81g per day of added sugars, which is the equivalent of about 65 pounds per year.

And that's that's actually for our kids.

For us as adults, we're getting about 77g per day when on average we're supposed to by the American Heart Association for men get about 36g per day, and for women about 24g.

So it is a big, big difference.

We're getting typically three times the amount of sugars than we should.

And it's all coming from things like our, ketchup, our, cookies, all those things that you think of normally.

But it's also in our salad dressings and barbecue sauce and all those things that we don't typically think of.

That contain the sugar.

That's really devastating for us.

So for folks who usually cave into the holiday sweetness overload, are there any strategies to fight that temptation?

Yeah, unfortunately, there are no simple strategies because it'd be great if we could just take a pill and everything would be fine.

But, it really does take a little bit of discipline.

And the way that I like to, to handle it is if, you know you're going to be going to an office party or to, your aunt and uncles, Christmas party or Thanksgiving dinner, then know which things you want to sacrifice for.

Fill up with the the good food.

First, make sure you're getting healthy proteins.

Make sure you're getting your fruits and vegetables, and then save a little bit of room for the for the dessert.

And don't gorge yourself on those desserts.

But really just pick 1 or 2.

And if you can get in the habit of maybe six days a week eating really, really well and then having one cheat day, that seems to be a good strategy for a lot of people to to use and take, especially during the holiday seasons, or come up with, say a number of days for days that you're going to have where you can go out and maybe cheat or have some of those goodies that you know are going to be at the office parties.

And then the rest of the time, really, concentrate on eating well and getting your diet and Jack.

Mr.

Troy, Dual, we thank you so much for joining us.

Thanks, Sandra.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Coming up.

Using artificial intelligence to save lives.

How?

Doctors are using AI to help detect breast cancers earlier than ever.

Artificial intelligence is changing how the world works.

And that includes doctors.

This year, Lee health incorporated AI for use in all of their mammograms to assist in detecting cancer.

And as WGCUs Jennifer Crawford explains, a Fort Myers radiologist says this technology is making breast cancer screenings faster and more accurate.

We found the tiny cancer hiding behind other areas.

Board certified diagnostic radiologist doctor Priyanka Honda scrutinizes 50 to 60 mammograms a day at Lee Health Coconut Point in a estero.

This one belongs to a 76 year old woman with no history of breast cancer.

She walks in because she had left armpit discomfort.

She felt something there.

So we put a little sticker in her left armpit and I look at everything.

I don't see much going on in her left armpit.

But her mammogram was one of the first evaluated by Doctor Honda after being analyzed by artificial intelligence.

And I alerted Doctor Honda to a possibly abnormal spot in the right breast.

Thankfully, this little area was flagged by AI, and we took extra pictures.

You know, it didn't look like much.

I thought the extra pictures weren't going to show us anything.

And lo and behold, in ultrasound we saw a tiny suspicious, tumor that we decided to biopsy.

The result from the biopsy, it was an invasive ductal carcinoma, grade two.

This had the potential to metastasize to lymph nodes.

So if we'd waited another year or two years, potentially, it would have gone to the patient's lymph node and been a much bigger deal for this patient.

Doctor Honda says during the first six weeks of AI being used to analyze mammograms at Lee health, AI has helped her find cancer in three cases she likely would have missed.

So I can't tell you why I found that, but it found it.

She has noticed overall detection rates slightly increasing among the thousands of mammograms read by I at Lee health in an average week at all our sites, let's say we find 15 breast cancers a week.

I think I would say maybe now we're finding 16.

Doctor Honda says AI assisted results increase accuracy, which decreases the number of women being called back for unnecessary testing.

We don't want to put women through an expensive, potentially a little bit, you know, painful, minimally invasive procedure.

And a lot of anxiety if we don't have to.

So we want to reduce our callback rate.

It's really helping us.

It's really helping us detect breast cancer better, faster and become more accurate about it.

With the use of AI.

Doctor Honda sees a future sooner than later where breast cancer is no longer a killer.

The goal is now to find breast cancer when it's so small that it's not really going to be a huge issue.

It'll be like a chapter in a woman's life where it is not the end of the book.

I always tell my patients this, but we found it so early that it's going to be maybe a turbulent few months, maybe a bad year, but it's going to be not something that reduces the patient's, lifespan.

As for the 76 year old patient, Doctor Honda says catching her cancer so early means an excellent prognosis for her future, rather than an end to her story.

This is going to be no big deal.

We're going to scoop it out.

For WGCU news, I'm Jennifer Crawford in Fort Myers.

Coming up next week a decline in drinking especially among younger generations.

We look at why fewer people are turning to spirits during the holidays and all year round.

We thank you so much for joining us today.

Make sure to download the WGCU app or visit wgcu.org where you can find all of our stories and those extended interviews.

Have a great weekend and we hope you will join us again here next week for Southwest Florida and focus.