A group of former military #attorneys [ #JAG] who have scrutinized the #Trump administration’s #military activities in #LatinAmerica released an assessment Saturday outlining relevant international & domestic laws, & said that regardless of whether the #US is in an armed conflict, conducting law enforcement or other military operations, the targeting of defenseless people is prohibited.

https://www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/former-jag-working-group-no-quarter-statement.pdf

#Hegseth #law #murder #ExtrajudicialKillings #Congress #WarPowers

#Hegseth’s order, which has not been previously reported, adds another dimension to the campaign against suspected drug traffickers. Some current & former #US officials & #LawOfWar experts have said that the #Pentagon’s lethal campaign—which has killed more than 80 people to date—is #unlawful & may expose those most directly involved to future prosecution.

#Trump #criminal #law #murder #ExtrajudicialKillings #Carribean #Pacific #Venezuela #InternationalLaw #Constitution #Congress #WarPowers

A group of former military #attorneys [ #JAG] who have scrutinized the #Trump administration’s #military activities in #LatinAmerica released an assessment Saturday outlining relevant international & domestic laws, & said that regardless of whether the #US is in an armed conflict, conducting law enforcement or other military operations, the targeting of defenseless people is prohibited.

https://www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/former-jag-working-group-no-quarter-statement.pdf

#Hegseth #law #murder #ExtrajudicialKillings #Congress #WarPowers

#Hegseth’s order, which has not been previously reported, adds another dimension to the campaign against suspected drug traffickers. Some current & former #US officials & #LawOfWar experts have said that the #Pentagon’s lethal campaign—which has killed more than 80 people to date—is #unlawful & may expose those most directly involved to future prosecution.

#Trump #criminal #law #murder #ExtrajudicialKillings #Carribean #Pacific #Venezuela #InternationalLaw #Constitution #Congress #WarPowers

#US #AircraftCarrier arrives in the #Caribbean in major buildup near #Venezuela

The nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier arrived in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday in a display of US #military power, raising questions about what the new influx of troops & weaponry could signal for the #Trump admin’s purported drug enforcement campaign in #SouthAmerica.

#law #murder #Constitution #InternationalLaw #Congress #WarPowers #authoritarianism #despotism #Autocracy
https://apnews.com/article/aircraft-carrier-venezuela-trump-ford-strikes-drugs-241ea9e039d717b9f80f793922cb7cc9?utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=2025-11-16-USS+Gerald+R.+Ford

#US #AircraftCarrier arrives in the #Caribbean in major buildup near #Venezuela

The nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier arrived in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday in a display of US #military power, raising questions about what the new influx of troops & weaponry could signal for the #Trump admin’s purported drug enforcement campaign in #SouthAmerica.

#law #murder #Constitution #InternationalLaw #Congress #WarPowers #authoritarianism #despotism #Autocracy
https://apnews.com/article/aircraft-carrier-venezuela-trump-ford-strikes-drugs-241ea9e039d717b9f80f793922cb7cc9?utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=2025-11-16-USS+Gerald+R.+Ford

Venezuelan #military preparing #guerrilla response in case of #US attack

#Venezuela is deploying #weapons, including decades-old Russian-made equipment, & is planning to mount a guerrilla-style resistance or sow chaos in the event of a US air or ground attack, according to sources with knowledge of the efforts & planning documents seen by Reuters.

#Trump #law #WarPowers #Congress #SeparationOfPowers #InternationalLaw #LawOfArmedConflict #authoritarianism #autocracy
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuelan-military-preparing-guerrilla-response-case-us-attack-2025-11-11/?utm_source=braze&utm_medium=notifications&utm_campaign=2025_engagement

Good. Stop enabling the fascist #Trump regime’s #ExtrajudicialKillings

#UK suspends some #intelligence sharing with #US over boat strikes in major break

The #UnitedKingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the #Caribbean because it does not want to be #complicit in US #military strikes & believes the attacks are #illegal, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

#law #murder #DueProcess #WarPowers #Congress
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/11/politics/uk-suspends-caribbean-intelligence-sharing-us

Venezuelan #military preparing #guerrilla response in case of #US attack

#Venezuela is deploying #weapons, including decades-old Russian-made equipment, & is planning to mount a guerrilla-style resistance or sow chaos in the event of a US air or ground attack, according to sources with knowledge of the efforts & planning documents seen by Reuters.

#Trump #law #WarPowers #Congress #SeparationOfPowers #InternationalLaw #LawOfArmedConflict #authoritarianism #autocracy
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuelan-military-preparing-guerrilla-response-case-us-attack-2025-11-11/?utm_source=braze&utm_medium=notifications&utm_campaign=2025_engagement

The White House has said repeatedly that the #Trump admin’s actions “comply fully with the Law of Armed Conflict,” the area of #InternationalLaw that is designed to prevent attacks on #civilians.

But legal experts say the #LawOfArmedConflict would still apply to civilian drug traffickers, & the designation of a group as a foreign #terrorist organization does not automatically authorize the use of lethal force.

#law #murder #DueProcess #WarPowers #Congress

…the #Trump admin has argued that the #US #military can legally kill suspected traffickers because they pose an imminent threat to Americans & are “enemy combatants” who are in an “armed conflict” with the US, acc/to a memo sent by the admin to #Congress. The #DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion, which is still classified, reinforcing that argument, …& Trump has designated a number of drug cartels as “foreign terrorist groups.”

#law #murder #DueProcess #WarPowers #InternationalLaw

Good. Stop enabling the fascist #Trump regime’s #ExtrajudicialKillings

#UK suspends some #intelligence sharing with #US over boat strikes in major break

The #UnitedKingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the #Caribbean because it does not want to be #complicit in US #military strikes & believes the attacks are #illegal, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

#law #murder #DueProcess #WarPowers #Congress
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/11/politics/uk-suspends-caribbean-intelligence-sharing-us

#Trump has accused boat crews of being *narco-terrorists*. The truth, AP found, is more nuanced

One was a fisherman struggling to eke out a living on $100 a month. Another was a career criminal. A third was a fmr military cadet. And a fourth was a down-on-his-luck bus driver.

#law #murder #ExtrajudicialKillings #DueProcess #WarPowers #propaganda #AbuseOfPower #InternationalLaw #CrimesAgainstHumanity
https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-boat-strikes-drugs-cocaine-trafficking-95b54a3a5efec74f12f82396a79617ea?utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=2025-11-07-AP+Investigation

The men had little in common beyond their Venezuelan seaside hometowns & the fact all 4 were among the >60 people killed since early Sept when the US #military began attacking boats the #Trump admin alleges were smuggling drugs. Trump & top US ofcls alleged the craft were being operated by narco-terrorists & cartel members bound with deadly drugs for #US communities.

#law #murder #ExtrajudicialKillings #DueProcess #WarPowers #propaganda #AbuseOfPower #InternationalLaw #CrimesAgainstHumanity

#Trump has accused boat crews of being *narco-terrorists*. The truth, AP found, is more nuanced

One was a fisherman struggling to eke out a living on $100 a month. Another was a career criminal. A third was a fmr military cadet. And a fourth was a down-on-his-luck bus driver.

#law #murder #ExtrajudicialKillings #DueProcess #WarPowers #propaganda #AbuseOfPower #InternationalLaw #CrimesAgainstHumanity
https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-boat-strikes-drugs-cocaine-trafficking-95b54a3a5efec74f12f82396a79617ea?utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=2025-11-07-AP+Investigation

#Senate #Democrats renewed their request for more info about the strikes in a [strongly worded] letter on Friday to Secy of State #MarcoRubio, DNI #TulsiGabbard & #Hegseth.

"We also request that you provide all legal opinions related to these strikes & a list of the groups or other entities the President has deemed targetable," the senators wrote.

#Trump #criminal #law #murder #ExtrajudicialKillings #InternationalLaw #Constitution #Congress #WarPowers #AbuseOfPower #Autocracy #MafiaState

The #US #military has carried out another lethal strike on alleged drug smugglers in the #Caribbean Sea, #Defense Sec #PeteHegseth announced.

#Hegseth in a social media posting said the vessel was operated by a US designated terrorist organization but did not name which group was targeted. He said 3 people were killed in the strike.

#Trump #criminal #law #murder #ExtrajudicialKillings #InternationalLaw #Congress #WarPowers #AbuseOfPower #Authoritarianism #fascism
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/02/nx-s1-5594753/us-strike-caribbean-kills-3-drug-smugglers

#US lawmakers have been repeatedly
rebuffed by the White House in their demand that the #Trump admin release more info about the legal justification for the strikes as well as greater details about which cartels have been targeted & the individuals killed.

#Hegseth in his posting announcing the latest strike said "narco-terrorists are bringing drugs to our shores to poison Americans at home" & the Defense Dept "will treat them EXACTLY how we treated Al-Qaeda."

#law #murder #Congress #WarPowers