U.S. Flubs Caribbean Strike as Fishermen Survive Missile Attack

The US military botched a strike in the Caribbean on Thursday after a missile attack on a suspected drug vessel left survivors among the crew, a US official told Phil Stewart of Reuters.

Legal experts said the opinion is significant because it grants the president power to designate drug traffickers as enemy combatants. (Photo: Donald J. Trump, Truth Social)

The Trump administration has produced a classified legal opinion justifying lethal strikes against cartels and suspected drug traffickers, Natasha Bertrand and Kylie Atwood also reported for CNN. 

Legal experts said the opinion is significant because it grants the president power to designate drug traffickers as enemy combatants, allowing their extrajudicial killing without court oversight — a move critics argue violates due process rights under the US Constitution.

The Trump administration has produced a classified legal opinion justifying lethal strikes against cartels and suspected drug traffickers, Natasha Bertrand and Kylie Atwood also reported for CNN. 

Legal experts said the opinion is significant because it grants the president power to designate drug traffickers as enemy combatants, allowing their extrajudicial killing without court oversight — a move critics argue violates due process rights under the US Constitution.

Separately, President Donald Trump authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela aimed at toppling President Nicolás Maduro, prompting accusations of interference in another nation’s internal affairs.

Admiral Alvin Holsey, head of US Southern Command, announced his resignation two years before retirement, writing, “Effective Dec. 12, 2025, I will retire from the US Navy. It’s been an honor to serve our nation and defend the Constitution for over 37 years.” Alastair McCready reported for Al Jazeera.

Holsey’s departure followed diplomatic outrage from Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic, which accused US forces of killing their citizens during six naval operations.

Critics in the region have called for international legal action, branding Trump’s actions “criminal.”