NEWSLETTER: Trump blew up a boat

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One of the most under-discussed stories this week is President Trump torpedoing a boat in the Caribbean that maybe had drugs on it.

The White House says the vessel was likely ferrying narcotics from Venezuela to the United States, thus justifying its decision to blow it up and kill all 11 people on board.

But there are a few urgent questions no one is asking: When did the military start doing drug enforcement? Why was the boat attacked instead of intercepted? When did Trump get approval from Congress to carry out strikes in South America?

(The answer, to at least the last question, is never.)

Indifference to war crimes is one of the few bipartisan modes left in Washington. For decades, lawmakers in both parties have been content to ignore presidents torturing detainees or bombing weddings, as long as it was done under the guise of “national security.” But under Trump, the consequences of that apathy are coming home to roost.

Trump’s strike in the Caribbean coincides with his push to deploy the National Guard to U.S. cities, supposedly to crack down on crime. Yet the troops now occupying Washington, D.C., are mostly standing around and picking up trash. That’s because of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which bars the military from engaging in most law enforcement activities.

The Posse Comitatus Act actually includes a carve-out for drug enforcement. But it limits the military’s actions to monitoring the flow of narcotics. It does not permit them to make arrests or, presumably, blow up boats.

But if Trump can order the military to kill foreign drug smugglers without pushback, what’s to stop him from ordering them to shoot Americans suspected of the same crime?

In this light, the Caribbean attack is a textbook case of “creating pretext”—when an authoritarian government manufactures an excuse to justify actions it was already planning. If illegal drugs are redefined as a national security threat, the military suddenly has license to conduct raids and detain offenders.

Trump’s authoritarian ambitions become clearer when you look at the cities he has threatened with military force: all are Democratic-led and have lower crime rates than many red states. This isn’t about law enforcement—it’s about crushing dissent.

Congressional Democrats have been reluctant to speak out against these threats, fearing it will make them look weak on crime. But the Caribbean attack isn’t about crime—it’s about the illegal use of military force, and they may find unexpected allies if they make it into a major issue. Some of Trump’s strongest supporters were outraged earlier this year when he took similar unchecked action against Iran.

If Democrats let the Caribbean attack fade into the news cycle, they’ll be enabling Trump’s authoritarian creep—just as unchallenged war crimes have always paved the way for more.

ICYMI

AJN contributor Bonnie Fuller spoke to Dr. Lou Rubino, a physician who fled Texas as a result of the state’s multiple abortion bans.

“Leaving Texas has been a relief,” Rubino said. “Here in Virginia, I can focus on patients and provide care in the right ways—medically, safely. You see, I took an oath as a doctor, and I take it very seriously.”

Rubino’s story is a firsthand account of how restrictive abortion bans are creating unequal health care access across the country.

Read more: In her own words: Why this Texas physician now helps women in Virginia

WATCH AN AD

The far-right Heritage Foundation, which created Project 2025, has a new ad touting E.J. Antoni, Trump’s pick to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Trump fired former BLS chief Erika McEntarfer after the agency published job numbers that he didn’t like. Many see Antoni’s nomination as a partisan takeover of the bureau that will lead to economic statistics that appease Trump but don’t comport with reality.

The ad is designed to pressure Republican senators into supporting Antoni. It will run on television and online. Check it out!

2028 WATCH… Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker doesn’t deny he’s eyeing a run… Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s podcast will be syndicated nationally on SiriusXM…

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