Professor, it's great to see you. Thanks for being with us. Was the seizure of this tanker illegal.On its face, it sure looks like it. We had a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court. We had sanctions in place, actually, and a pretty comprehensive regime against both this particular tanker and as well as numerous sanctions against the Venezuelan government and nation going back to 2005.But against this tanker, there were sanctions against it going back to 2022, in fact, for allegedly illegally smuggling oil ...

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have raised questions about the Trump administration's deadly boat strike campaign. And yesterday, they finally got some answers. During a briefing with top military officials, a group of congressional leaders viewed unedited footage of that highly scrutinized September 2nd attack for the first time.That's a so-called double tap strike that killed shipwrecked survivors who were seen clinging to the broken alleged drug boat after the initial impact. Multiple members descr ...

Alleged War Crime Investigation - A classified briefing was held regarding the September 2nd operation involving a strike on a suspected Venezuelan drug boat and a subsequent strike on its survivors [1][2] - Congressman Jim Heims, present at the briefing, found the video evidence "troubling" and raised "profound moral and ethical issues" [4][23] - The legality of the second strike is questioned, particularly whether it violated the laws of armed conflict and Pentagon regulations regarding engagement with individuals no longer capable of hostilities [24][26] - Congressman Heims stated there was "no radio" or means of communication found on the survivors, contradicting reports suggesting they were attempting to continue their drug run [43][44] - Congressman Heims hopes the American public will have an opportunity to see the video and judge for themselves [23] Conflicting Accounts and Responsibility - Secretary Hegsth claimed he "didn't stick around" for the details of the operation and attributed the decision to Admiral Bradley [14][15] - Admiral Bradley reportedly stated that Secretary Hegsth was not in the room when the order for the second strike was given and that there was no "kill them all" order [34][36] - Congressman Heims stated that Secretary Hegsth's "fog of war" characterization is inaccurate, as the video allowed close observation of the individuals for a lengthy period [29][30] - Congressman Heims suggests Secretary Hegsth and Donald Trump are avoiding responsibility, deviating from military tradition where senior leaders take accountability for actions [40] - Congressman Heims believes Pete Hegsth needs to testify publicly about this [45]

Joining us now to break down all this, Punch Bowl News co-founder and MS Now political contributor Jake Sherman, staff writer for The Atlantic, Missy Ryan, Wall Street Journal national security reporter Vera Bergen Gruin, and retired commander of US Army Europe, Lieutenant General Mark Hurtling. It's good to see all of you. General Hurtling, I'll begin with you.Knowing more about the September 2nd boat strikes, what do you think Democrats were so disturbed by after that briefing from the Admiral. probably t ...

Political Conflict - The report highlights a conflict between President Trump and Republican Senator Rand Paul regarding US strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean [1][2] - Senator Paul criticized the strikes, questioning the evidence and potential innocence of those targeted, estimating that 25% of those targeted might be innocent [3] - President Trump responded to Senator Paul's criticism with insults on Truth Social [3] - Senator Paul was notably absent from a Republican lunch at the White House, further indicating the ongoing feud [4][5] Government Funding Bill - Senator Paul is expected to continue his opposition to the government funding bill, suggesting the conflict with President Trump will persist [6]

No matter how many drug boats are blown up, drug smuggling is not going to disappear. On the contrary, it is probably coming to a port near you. We explain why https://t.co/LJaMeMM2cIPhoto: AP https://t.co/ndlmUKcl6e ...

We are getting more details about that US strike on a Venezuelan speedboat the administration says killed 11 people on Tuesday. And many of those details only raise more questions. According to the New York Times, Pentagon officials were still working Wednesday on what legal authority they would tell the public was used to back up the extraordinary strike in international waters.That is so extraordinary it's it's out of step with even the worst American administrations. I mean, the Bush White House after 91 ...

We are getting more details about that US strike on a Venezuelan speedboat the administration says killed 11 people on Tuesday. And many of those details only raise more questions. According to the New York Times, Pentagon officials were still working Wednesday on what legal authority they would tell the public was used to back up the extraordinary strike in international waters.That is so extraordinary it's it's out of step with even the worst American administrations. I mean, the Bush White House after 91 ...