The Latest: Lawmakers urge congressional reviews of Trump’s military strikes on boats
Dec 1, 2025, 5:29 AM | Updated: 6:50 pm
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 on what 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.
President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday 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 is also weighing whether to carry out strikes on the Venezuelan mainland.
The Latest:
U.S. and Ukrainian officials completed roughly four hours of talks Sunday aimed at finding an endgame to the war just days before a U.S. envoy is due in Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“It’s not just about the terms that ends fighting,” Rubio said. “It’s about also the terms that set up Ukraine for long-term prosperity. … I think we built on that today, but there’s more work to be done.”
The move by Trump’s administration intensifies efforts to limit legal immigration.
The Republican administration is promising to pause entry to the United States from some poor nations and review Afghans and other legal migrants already in the country.
“If you want to have it released, I’ll release it,” the president said during an exchange with reporters as he traveled back to Washington from Florida.
He called the results of the October tests “perfect,” but said he could not recall which part of his body was scanned.
