Overview
- The Senate vote, led by Sens. Tim Kaine, Adam Schiff and Rand Paul, failed largely along party lines, preserving President Trump’s ongoing maritime campaign.
- In classified briefings, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Office of Legal Counsel officials said they lack a current legal justification for strikes on Venezuelan territory and are seeking a separate DOJ opinion.
- The administration says 16 acknowledged strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have killed at least 66 people and targeted “designated narcoterrorists” based on U.S. intelligence, as the Pentagon surges forces including the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group.
- UN Special Procedure experts urged Washington to halt the attacks and open impartial investigations, warning the killings at sea may be unlawful and could constitute international crimes.
- Lawmakers from both parties pressed for evidence and legal rationale as some questioned using lethal force over interdiction and officials conceded they may not know individuals’ identities before firing; the White House argues the War Powers law does not apply to these strikes.