Trump Assumes Wartime Powers - The Friday AM Quickie 10/3/25
Treasure hunters off the Florida coast hit the score of a lifetime: a sunken treasure chest filled with more than 1,000 silver coins from the colonial Spanish fleet, plus some gold and gems, all worth an estimated $1 million. I bet I could do better. Who wants to sponsor my expedition? We could add a new membership tier. - Corey
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THE BIG NEWS
US Military Jets Menace Venezuela as Trump Tells Congress an 'Armed Conflict' Is Underway
It seems the White House is trying to retroactively justify its unlawful military attacks on civilian boats in the Caribbean Sea, and it's doing so in a way that promises an unlimited expansion of America's decades-old drug war. An undated confidential "notice" delivered to several Congressional committees this week says Donald Trump has "determined" that unspecified drug cartels have attacked the US – I guess everyone missed that story! – and that "the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations."
The determination means that Trump is assuming "extraordinary wartime powers" in a perverse evolution of the legally dubious approach of George W. Bush's "Global War on Terrorism," the New York Times reports. It continues:
"In an armed conflict, as defined by international law, a country can lawfully kill enemy fighters even when they pose no threat, detain them indefinitely without trials and prosecute them in military courts.
"Geoffrey S. Corn, a retired judge advocate general lawyer who was formerly the Army’s senior adviser for law-of-war issues, said drug cartels were not engaged in 'hostilities' — the standard for when there is an armed conflict for legal purposes — against the United States because selling a dangerous product is different from an armed attack.
"Noting that it is illegal for the military to deliberately target civilians who are not directly participating in hostilities — even suspected criminals — Mr. Corn called the president's move an 'abuse' that crossed a major legal line.
"'This is not stretching the envelope,' he said. 'This is shredding it. This is tearing it apart.'"
The most likely consequence will be more strikes on civilians at sea as well as potentially open conflict with Venezuela. The Washington Post reports that Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced yesterday that more than five US combat aircraft were detected near the country's coastline, an act he called a "provocation" and a threat to his nation's security. "We are watching them," he said, "and I want you to know that this does not intimidate us, it does not intimidate the people of Venezuela."
MORE STORIES TO WATCH
FDA Approves Generic Abortion Pill
Less than two weeks ago, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary said they were conducting a review of the safety of abortion medication, and anti-abortion activists were thrilled. Yesterday, the FDA announced it would approve a second generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone – and those same right-wing activists were furious. One calls the approval process "a total goat rodeo." Another calls the decision "a stain on the Trump presidency." Republican Sen. Josh Hawley says he's "lost confidence in the leadership at FDA." But healthcare advocates are pleased. Kirsten Moore, the director of the Expanding Medication Abortion Access Project calls the approval "welcome news for patients, providers, and the public, commending the FDA for doing its job "despite ongoing attempts by anti-abortion activists to spread fear and misinformation."
Newsom Counters Trump Threat to University Funding
Donald Trump plans to tie federal funding of universities to a pledge to censor liberal and leftist ideas, end desegregation efforts, refuse international students, crack down on student protest, and promote rightwing propaganda in the classroom. According to the New York Times, the regime's higher education "compact" was offered first to select universities, including many in Republican states. Some Democratic leaders aren't taking the threat to academic freedom, free speech, and one of America's biggest exports – higher ed – lying down. California Gov. Gavin Newsom yesterday responded to the federal compact by warning that any university in his state that agrees to it will instantly lose "billions" in state funding. "California will not bankroll schools that sell out their students, professors, researchers, and surrender academic freedom," Newsom says. May more states follow.
QUICKEST QUICKIES
- Two Killed, Four Wounded in Yom Kippur Attack on British Synagogue Police shot and killed the suspect, 35-year-old British citizen Jihad Al-Shamie, who rammed a car into people outside Manchester's Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation before stabbing others with a knife. via the Washington Post and BBC News.
- Munich Airport Halts Flights Due to Drone Sightings; Putin Calls Fears of Russian Incursions 'Hysteria' Meanwhile in Ukraine, Russian drone strikes have knocked nuclear power plants off the power grid for hours, prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to warn that "Russia is deliberately creating the threat of radiation incidents." via NBC News, the New York Times, and the Associated Press.
- Citing Project 2025, Trump Says He'll Use Shutdown to Permanently Cut 'Democrat Agencies' If Republicans don't bow to Democratic demands to restore healthcare cuts – the core issue in the shutdown standoff – annual out of pocket insurance premiums will increase by an estimated 114 percent, or over $1,000, next year. via the New York Times, the AP, and NBC News.
- Statue of Trump and Epstein Holding Hands Returns to National Mall The National Park Service, which initially yanked its permit for the statue, did not comment on the reversal, as the public relations officer was on furlough because of the shutdown. via the Washington Post.
SOME NUMBER
1 in 4
That's the approximate share of physicians in the US who are international medical graduates and potentially vulnerable to Donald Trump's new $100,000 fee for H-1B work visas, Politico reports. Most of those doctors work in red states – particularly Iowa, North Dakota, and West Virginia – prompting Republican lawmakers to ask for a carveout.
ON THE SHOW TODAY
10/3: Sam and Emma will be in the studio; the guest will be Jamaal Bowman, former U.S. Rep. serving New York's 16th Congressional District.
DON'T MISS MR CLIPS
Democratic Left Flank's Effective Shutdown Messaging Exposes Party Leadership Weaknesses
A heartening walk-and-talk with Bernie and AOC.
Reagan-Appointed Judge RIPS Trump's Authoritarianism
Contrary to popular MAGA belief, non-citizens have Constitutional rights!
PARTING WORDS
"This isn't just a ship. Marinette is sumud — steadfastness in the face of fear, blockade, and brutality."
-- The Global Sumud Flotilla, in a statement last night referencing the last boat in the Gaza aid flotilla still sailing after Israeli intercepted 41 boats and arrested nearly 450 activists, including world-famous names like Greta Thunberg and European elected officials. Hassan Jabareen, a lawyer who has represented flotilla activists, tells Al Jazeera that Israel will likely release those it has detained quickly, to avoid prolonging media coverage.
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