Read top expert analysis (and listen to/watch our podcast) on the lethal strikes on suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean here 👇 www.justsecurity.org/120753/colle...

- A program of lethal strikes against suspected criminals (summary executions, no due process), - being carried out by the U.S. military, - outside of any armed conflict and without any threat of imminent armed attack This is a five-alarm fire for the rule of law:

Many thanks to Senator @slotkin.senate.gov for this wide-ranging conversation with @tessbridgeman.bsky.social and me on @justsecurity.org podcast. Economic security China and AI Fentanyl and military operations against drug cartels Military on U.S. streets more www.buzzsprout.com/2074610/epis...

Read this by leading expert and former JAG Geoff Corn on the speed boat attack last week. Crucial insight on the right Qs - how did this order make it down the chain of command? - and the dangers for the rule of law and potential abuse of military power: 👇 www.thecipherbrief.com/a-dangerous-...

My thoughts on the Tren de Aragua speedboat strike.

Must read by @mikeschmitt.bsky.social on the U.S. strike against a suspected drug smuggling vessel in the Caribbean. An excellent analysis & a cautionary note: "We seem to be on a normative slippery slope that endangers the very values the right to use force in self-defense is meant to protect."

Striking Drug Cartels under the Jus ad Bellum and Law of Armed Conflict By top laws of war expert @mikeschmitt.bsky.social www.justsecurity.org/120235/drug-...

NEW: The war powers report on Trump's attack on a suspected drug trafficking vessel in the Caribbean last week is included in our @rcls-nyu.bsky.social War Powers Reporting Project searchable database and included here: warpowers.lawandsecurity.org/reports/2025...

Murder on the High Seas? What You Need to Know about the U.S. Strike on the Caribbean Vessel @becingber.bsky.social & @bcfinucane.bsky.social join @tessbridgeman.bsky.social to unpack the attack, the Trump admin’s limited justification, and what to expect next.  www.buzzsprout.com/2074610/epis...

It’s never good news when this group’s expertise is making the podcast waves but I was honored to speak with @tessbridgeman.bsky.social and @bcfinucane.bsky.social for the @justsecurity.org podcast this week on the President’s air strike on people he alleges were smuggling drugs at sea—

I hope Congress is asking for the Trump memo authorizing military force against... suspected criminals. Sure seems likely it sets up a program of extrajudicial killing (designating a cartel a "terrorist group" doesn't create a legal basis to use force): CNN: www.cnn.com/2025/09/05/p...

1/3 Just so we are all clear on this. Based on what this former official "who has years of direct experience in fighting drug cartels" told the Times. The order to blow up the Venezuelan boat may have instead killed migrants who were being smuggled. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/u...

This is not a thorny issue. This is not fraught. It is extrajudicial killing. It is the killing of civilians under any standard of law. He killed them on the basis of his-say so that they are drug smugglers, mere criminals. It was premeditated. And he's saying he's going to do it again and again.

I've read and coded every War Powers Report ever sent to Congress (check them all out, with interactive graphics and a searchable database 👇), and this one on #Trump's attack on an alleged drug smuggling vessel in the Caribbean stands out. I'll explain below: warpowers.lawandsecurity.org

Via @justsecurity.org on the drug vessel strike. "Labeling these groups . . . does not authorize the use of military force or trigger the military rules that apply in armed conflict." @bcfinucane.bsky.social @rgoodlaw.bsky.social @tessbridgeman.bsky.social www.justsecurity.org/119985/label...

NEW 🧵The White House has now issued its first formal legal justification for the lethal attack on a vessel in the Caribbean. This War Powers report to Congress is long on bluster and short on substance. This letter does not adequately justify the premeditated killing of apparent civilians. 1/n

Trump Claims the Power to Summarily Kill Suspected Drug Smugglers The move to treat criminals as if they were wartime combatants escalated an administration pattern of using military force for law enforcement tasks at home and abroad. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/u...

This is important. The first 24 hours of press coverage fumbled the ball. But the US just murdered 11 people in international waters. Analogies to the US’s (highly suspect, morally and legally) targeted killings of suspect terrorists don’t work. This crossed their own lines, and they know it.

1/ I worked at DoD. I literally cannot imagine lawyers coming up with a legal basis for lethal strike of suspected Venezuelan drug boat. Hard to see how this would not be "murder" or war crime under international law that DoD considers applicable. Read expert analysis by @bcfinucane.bsky.social⤵️

It's always a busy news day, but the military attack on an alleged drug smuggling vessel is a very big deal. @bcfinucane.bsky.social breaks down domestic and international law questions here: www.justsecurity.org/119982/legal...

Must read

It's amazing that the E3 action to start the 30-day clock on sanctions on Iran has gotten so little attention in the U.S. press. Could lead to an Iranian pullout from the NPT; to further war; to a deal on verification and limits; or to... very little. ACA's Kelsey Davenport covers the specifics.

What You Need to Know About Iran Sanctions Snap Back at the UN: A Q&A with Kelsey Davenport www.justsecurity.org/119774/iran-...

Wondering what's going on with 3 European countries initiating #Iran sanctions snap back at the UN? Read my Q&A with @kelseykdavenport.bsky.social (Arms Control Association Nonproliferation Director)👇 www.justsecurity.org/119774/iran-...

A thoughtful and timely must read by Phil Gordon: For meaningful security assurances in a post-war #Ukraine, get Congress involved and draw from the #Taiwan Relations Act model: 👇

Phil Gordon weighs in on how to craft a credible post-war security guarantee for #Ukraine: The U.S. and its allies can use the Taiwan model, drawing on the Taiwan Relations Act, to make Ukraine more secure without writing checks they cannot cash. www.justsecurity.org/119517/secur...

Always read @ambdanfried.bsky.social for nuanced, sober, historically-informed, pragmatic analysis that doesn't skimp on values or justice either. Here's his latest on how the #Russia-Ukraine war could end and, crucially, what security for #Urkaine really means in practice: 👇

US policy is a roller coaster. But after yesterday’s WH meetings, there is a path to greater security for Ukraine, the most critical part of ending Russia’s war of aggression. www.justsecurity.org/119273/trump...

New: A must read by @eliavl.bsky.social to understand the goals and the consequences of the latest #Gaza plan. 👇

Have you always wanted a podcast version of Early Edition, @justsecurity.org's curated round up of domestic and international news? It has arrived! Check it out here 👇 justsecurityoutloud.buzzsprout.com

Check out the new and improved Litigation Tracker on Legal Challenges to Trump Administration actions. Now including overall totals of court outcomes at the top. You can filter by case status, Executive action, & issue. Stay informed! 👇 www.justsecurity.org/107087/track...

ICYMI: A must read by Alex DeWaal and @tomdannenbaum.bsky.social on the conditions of life collapsing in #Gaza and what must be done about it 👇

If you're looking for analysis from a true expert on the status of #Iran's nuclear program, what might have been lost after the Israel-US strikes, and what could come next, listen to this conversation with ‪@richardmnephew.bsky.social‬:

“Are we allowed to conduct a federal trial to countermand the president when he says this is an invasion?” Major problem with asking for SCOTUS precedents in this space is that no past President has engaged in such a bad faith invocation of Alien Enemies Act. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Come work at @rcls-nyu.bsky.social!

Must read piece Directly engaging issues of the day on US strike on Iran @briannarosen.bsky.social focuses on the high stakes in concerns about the politicization of intelligence community's work. She also offers concrete proposals to address the identified risks.

The WH letter to Congress on the Iran strikes — I’ll explain in a brief thread below what we can read into this of the Admin’s legal position on both domestic and international law.

A must read analysis. I can't recommend this highly enough. True expertise on the most pressing issues now. By @briannarosen.bsky.social @tessbridgeman.bsky.social and Nima Gerami

With news Trump is considering striking Iran, Brian Egan and I break down the legal framework for when the President can use force and how Congress can prevent unlawful wars

Reupping this more-timely-than-ever Expert Backgrounder (from 2020) Top experts directly addressed how the Constitutional framework applies if President wants to go to war with Iran in particular By Brian Egan and @tessbridgeman.bsky.social Military Action Against Iran and US Domestic Law

Experts who advised a president answer key questions on when action against #Iran would be lawful, and what options Congress has to oppose it. By Brian Egan and @tessbridgeman.bsky.social

"It would be hard to envision what circumstances do not amount to war that Congress must authorize if using military force in Iran in this set of circumstances does not reach that threshold" Brian Egan, ex-DOS Legal Adviser, NSC Legal Adviser & @tessbridgeman.bsky.social ex-NSC Deputy Legal Adviser

Significant ruling by Judge Boasberg for men sent to CECOT prison. "The Government must facilitate the Class’s ability to seek habeas relief to contest their removal under the Act." Important moment for the rule of law and against government lawlessness. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

From our new Q&A on wartime authorities, and when they can and can't be used, with @becingber.bsky.social and @scott-roehm.bsky.social: www.justsecurity.org/113973/warti...

And a simple chart on the 2001 #AUMF and what it does and doesn't allow:

The US isn't at war with migrants or cartels. But #Trump policies are blurring the line between war and peace. @becingber.bsky.social, @scott-roehm.bsky.social & I unpack: -What are wartime powers? -When can they be used? -What do and don't they unlock? 👇 www.justsecurity.org/113973/warti...

NEW: Expert explainer by @tessbridgeman.bsky.social @becingber.bsky.social & @scott-roehm.bsky.social With the #Trump admin blurring the line between war and peace: When can the President invoke wartime powers? What do they unlock? www.justsecurity.org/113973/warti...

Are you a fan of @justsecurity.org's litigation tracker? You can now get updates on important developments in litigation against Trump administration executive actions delivered to your inbox every weekday by signing up for “Today on Just Security”👇 www.justsecurity.org/newsletter-s...

Thank you, @kim.senate.gov. Article I needs defenders like you now more than ever.

Reasonable grounds to believe “migrants across Libya are victims of crimes against humanity and that acts of murder, enforced disappearance, torture, enslavement, sexual violence, rape and other inhumane acts are committed in connection with their arbitrary detention.” www.ohchr.org/sites/defaul...