Overview

• CNN reporting revealed a classified OLC opinion asserting the president can treat a broad, non‑public list of cartels and suspected traffickers as imminent threats and authorize lethal attacks.
• A recent Pentagon memo to lawmakers leaned on that opinion to justify a claimed armed conflict with cartels, following at least four U.S. strikes on vessels in the southern Caribbean, including one last week that killed four.
• Justice Secretary Pam Bondi is set to testify on Capitol Hill as members of Congress renew demands for the opinion after repeated requests were denied.
• The administration has also expanded CIA covert authorities for counter‑cartel operations, including the use of arming‑capable surveillance drones over the region, according to sources cited by CNN.
• Current and former military lawyers have questioned the legality of killing suspected traffickers, noting the shift from traditional law enforcement interdictions to a wartime framework without judicial review.