Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has defended the US military's decision to kill all 11 people on board a suspected drug-smuggling boat, citing their inclusion in an internal list of narco-terrorists who could be lethally targeted. The action was carried out on September 2 after the first strike had already been authorized by Hegseth, according to officials.
Hegseth stated that he would have made the same decision even if he hadn't left the room before the second strike order was given. The list of targets is not prohibited under US and international law, unlike a "no quarter" order which instructs troops to show no mercy to enemy combatants, regardless of their surrender status.
Senator Tom Cotton defended the strikes, stating that the initial survivors on board were not incapacitated, and argued that targeting foreign terrorist organizations is a valid target. However, not everyone in Washington is comfortable with this approach, including Senator Adam Schiff, who urged the administration to release footage of the operation.
Meanwhile, Congressional Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with President Donald Trump's handling of affordability concerns, and some even call for a pivot from the current strategy. The party fears that its disjointed approach may cost them majorities in Congress if not addressed.
In related news, flooding in Texas has left nearly 600 people missing, prompting frantic 911 calls, while other stories include Lando Norris winning his first ever Formula 1 world championship in Abu Dhabi and a US business owner laying off employees due to economic uncertainty.
Hegseth stated that he would have made the same decision even if he hadn't left the room before the second strike order was given. The list of targets is not prohibited under US and international law, unlike a "no quarter" order which instructs troops to show no mercy to enemy combatants, regardless of their surrender status.
Senator Tom Cotton defended the strikes, stating that the initial survivors on board were not incapacitated, and argued that targeting foreign terrorist organizations is a valid target. However, not everyone in Washington is comfortable with this approach, including Senator Adam Schiff, who urged the administration to release footage of the operation.
Meanwhile, Congressional Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with President Donald Trump's handling of affordability concerns, and some even call for a pivot from the current strategy. The party fears that its disjointed approach may cost them majorities in Congress if not addressed.
In related news, flooding in Texas has left nearly 600 people missing, prompting frantic 911 calls, while other stories include Lando Norris winning his first ever Formula 1 world championship in Abu Dhabi and a US business owner laying off employees due to economic uncertainty.
i mean i get it, national security and all that but come on, can we pls just have a clear set of rules here? not this grey area where ppl are just making stuff up as they go along. 
and what's with all these conflicting opinions? one day it's okay to kill, next day its not 
It sounds like a lot of executive power being wielded by one person. And what's with the 'no quarter' order not applying? Is that just because it's convenient for them to say that the targets weren't even hurt in the first place? 
I don't get why they can't release footage of the whole thing, either - transparency is important, right? 
It seems like there are a lot of people in power who aren't on the same page about this, and it's causing a lot of tension. And on top of all that, we're dealing with flooding, economic uncertainty, and just general chaos... 
. Its like, we can't just let them get away with being bad guys and hurting innocent people. The list of targets might not be illegal under some laws but still, its a valid reason to take drastic measures. I mean, its like someone's gotta keep the world safe from these scammers and smugglers 
. And on a lighter note, has anyone seen Lando Norris's face after winning that Formula 1 championship? 
I'm sure he was super stoked!
didn't they think of better ways to take down the real bad guys?
abu dhabi is lit!
Shouldn't transparency be key in situations like these? Or is that just good governance talking 
?
! I'm loving his humility about it too - he's still down-to-earth despite all the fame 
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. So the US military kills all these people on board that boat without even asking if they were innocent or not? That's some serious overreach right there. I don't care about the list of narco-terrorists, it's still 11 human lives we're talking about. And what's with the no quarter thing? Just because it's not prohibited under law doesn't mean it's okay to just go ahead and kill people willy-nilly. That's just basic human decency 
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. As someone who's all about self-care and mindfulness, it's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that these people were even considered a threat in the first place.
. Like, I get that they were on a suspected drug-smuggling boat, but 11 people? That's just crazy 
. And the fact that they got listed as narco-terrorists and could be targeted is like, who decides that? 
. I mean, I get why they were considered threats, but can't we try to de-escalate situations instead of resorting to force? It feels like the military is playing with lives here 
. We should be talking about how to build trust and cooperation, not just who's getting ahead in the game. And can we please focus on supporting those in need, like the folks in Texas who have been affected by flooding? 
It's time for us to put our differences aside and come together as a nation 
these politicians need to be held accountable for their actions, but instead they're more worried about winning elections 
meanwhile, texas is flooding and people are losing their homes 
. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for some sorta accountability, but come on, we're not exactly dealing with your average joe here