The Pentagon claims that attacks on civilian boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific have severely curtailed the import of illegal drugs to the United States. And President Donald Trump says this has saved more than 1 million American lives. Experts call these assertions laughable and reporting by The Intercept shows that claims by the White House and War Department are baseless, phony, or both.

“The administration has failed to explain the long-term objectives of this mission or provide any evidence of reduced drug flows into the United States,” Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee said about the campaign on Thursday. “I would ask for a credible answer to this most fundamental question: What is the operation actually meant to accomplish?”

Experts in the laws of war, as well as members of Congress from both parties, say the strikes are illegal, extrajudicial killings because the military is not permitted to deliberately target civilians — even suspected criminals — who do not pose an imminent threat of violence. These summary killings are a deviation from the standard practice in the long-running U.S. war on drugs, in which law enforcement agencies generally detained suspected drug smugglers and brought them to trial on criminal charges.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/64210105

According to journalist and investment analyst Steve Ratner, Donald Trump abused his fans to the tune of over $4 billion with a crypto scam that has all the signs of insiders cashing in at the expense of the MAGA true believers.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/46309633

President Trump on Friday suggested that the War Powers Act, which requires presidents to seek congressional authorizations for foreign conflicts, is unconstitutional, as the Iran war hit 60 days, a key milestone under the Vietnam War-era law. The U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran on Feb 28, but Trump formally notified Congress on March 2 about U.S. military operations against the country — 60 days ago on Friday. Ahead of his departure for a weekend in Florida, Trump was asked whether he would now seek approval from lawmakers. “It’s never been sought before, there’s been numerous, many, many times and nobody’s ever gotten it before, they consider it totally unconstitutional,” Trump told reporters ahead of his departure from the White House. “But we’re always in touch with congress. But, nobody’s ever sought it before, nobody’s ever asked for it before, it’s never been used before. Why should we be different?” It’s unclear who “they” was referring to, but it’s a new argument from the Trump administration.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/46145132

One of the Trump administration’s newest immigration judges said that some women are just a “warm, wet hole.”

Melissa Isaak, an Army veteran and reservist, was hired by the Justice Department on April 8 as a temporary immigration judge. She was permitted to begin hearing cases immediately, according to an announcement from the Executive Office for Immigration Review.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/64007590

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/63311376

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/63311374

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/46109388

cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/44735309

“Every few months, Americans are asked to resume their banquet and pretend a shooting didn’t just happen,” one commentator on Bluesky wrote after the correspondents dinner. Another account responded: “Well, in fairness, that’s what we ask of school kids.”

Boring and terrifying dystopia.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.bestiver.se/post/1069233

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cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/58918566

Now that a federal judge has ruled that Donald Trump can't hide behind immunity to avoid civil liability for his Jan. 6 speech and the violence that followed that day, the president has a week to explain "why merits discovery should not proceed against him."

In a brief order on Monday, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta told the Democratic lawmakers and Capitol Police officers suing Trump that discovery against the president remains on hold, including a deposition. Whether that continues depends on what Trump says next, the judge suggested.

"The condition to stay discovery against any defendant or third party in these matters is no longer extant, with the court having ruled on Defendant President Trump's immunity motion," Mehta's minute order began. "Accordingly, the parties in these consolidated cases shall meet and confer and, by May 1, 2026, submit a proposed discovery plan."

"President Trump shall show cause by April 29, 2026, why merits discovery should not proceed against him. His response shall be no more than ten pages," the Barack Obama-appointed jurist added.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/46253841

cross-posted from: https://lemmings.world/post/44571889

Escalating tensions between Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump are being shaped by an unusual factor: the pope's native fluency in English, which eliminates traditional Vatican diplomatic buffers and amplifies his political impact in the United States.

cross-posted from: https://discuss.online/post/38567560

As these efforts took shape, Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, launched a salvo that appeared rather serious. Last month, the former television personality said New York’s Medicaid program last year provided personal care services, covering things such as bathing and meal preparation, to roughly 5 million people.

“That level of utilization is unheard of,” Oz said in a social media video, in which he levied the allegations. He added that New York needs to “come clean about its Medicaid program.”

But the CMS chief was wrong. The number wasn’t 5 million, it was 450,000. Oz was off by a factor of 11. (He also made false claims about eligibility for the program. The video he posted remains online as of this writing.)

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/45403912

The White House Correspondents' dinner is a yearly tradition stretching back over a century, yet this year's host could perhaps prove controversial as many users of gay hookup app Grindr have opposed the association.

Beginning all the way back in 1921, the White House Correspondents' dinner, organized and operated by the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) is a joining of journalists covering politics in the United States and some of the current administration's leading officals.

It's often attended by the president, and frequently features segments where the head of state mocks themselves, yet the host for this year's edition could perhaps spark debate and division among members of the LGBTQ community.

As reported by The Hill, gay hookup app Grindr is, for the first time ever, hosting a WHCA dinner party on April 25, which also marks the first time that President Donald Trump will be in attendance across both of his terms.

Trump was notably the only president since the dinner's creation to not attend a single event, having skipped every one during his first term, yet he announced last month on Truth Social that he would be bucking the trend by showing face this year.