US lawmakers back review of strikes on alleged drug smuggling vessels
Global News
Lawmakers from both parties said Sunday they support congressional reviews of recent U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs.
Lawmakers from both parties said Sunday they support congressional reviews of U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, citing a published report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for all crew members to be killed as part of a Sept. 2 attack.
The lawmakers said they did not know whether last week’s Washington Post report was true, and some Republicans were skeptical, but they said attacking survivors of an initial missile strike poses serious legal concerns.
“This rises to the level of a war crime if it’s true,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.
Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, when asked about a follow-up strike aimed at people no longer able to fight, said Congress does not have information that happened. He noted that leaders of the Armed Services Committee in both the House and Senate have opened investigations.
“Obviously, if that occurred, that would be very serious and I agree that that would be an illegal act,” Turner said.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday evening while flying back to Washington from Florida, where he celebrated Thanksgiving, confirmed that he had recently spoken with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The U.S. administration says the strikes in the Caribbean are aimed at cartels, some of which it claims are controlled by Maduro. Trump also is weighing whether to carry out strikes on the Venezuelan mainland.
Trump declined to comment on details of the call, which was first reported by The New York Times.
The burst pipe, which damaged hundreds 19th and 20th century books, occurred mere weeks after the brazen daylight heist of royal jewels.
The magnitude 7.2 quake struck off the coast of Hokkaido, near the coastal city of Aomori with an epicenter about 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) below the sea surface.
The ceasefire's next stage includes the deployment of an international force to secure Gaza and forming a temporary supervised Palestinian government to run day-to-day affairs.
The state government has ordered an inquiry to determine the exact cause of the fire and responsibility, which left at least 25 people dead.
San Diego has agreed to pay $30 millions to the family of a 16-year-old who was fatally shot, making it one of the largest settlements of a police-involved killing case in U.S.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro of leading a 'narco-terrorist' state that allows shipments of drugs to be trafficked into the U.S. and Europe.
Gehry died in his home in Santa Monica after a brief respiratory illness, said Meaghan Lloyd, chief of staff at Gehry Partners LLP.
The strategy reinforces Trump’s “America First” philosophy, which favors nonintervention overseas, questions decades of strategic relationships and prioritizes U.S. interests.
The 18-karat yellow gold miniature pendant was 'recovered' without the need for medical intervention, according to authorities.
Canada finds out its group opponents today for next summer’s expanded 48-nation FIFA World Cup at the tournament draw in Washington, D.C.
A petition filed on behalf of the family of Alejandro Carranza says he was killed after the U.S. military bombed his fishing boat on Sept. 15.
The RCMP says no charges will be laid against a wayward pilot whose actions forced officials to scramble four CF-18 fighter jets during the G7 leaders' summit in Alberta in June.
A British inquiry found that Russian President Vladimir Putin was responsible for a nerve agent attack on British soil in 2018, leading the U.K. to sanction a Russian spy agency.