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GOP fractures over Hegseth’s ‘double-tap’ Caribbean strike as Congress probes legality
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Senate Republicans are divided on their view of the deadly Sept. 2 strikes in the Caribbean as congressional inquiries into the matter mount, with some arguing that subduing suspected drug boats is the right move while others question the legality of the so-called double-tap attacks.
The Senate and House Armed Services committees are gearing up for hearings into the strikes after reports that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, later confirmed by the White House, authorized a second strike to eliminate survivors on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean.
But there is a growing tension among Republicans over what to do. Some support the desire of Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., for stringent oversight of the incident, while others see the strikes as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on drugs flowing into the country.
JOHNSON POINTS TO OBAMA-ERA DRONE PRECEDENT AS CONGRESS PROBES DEADLY CARIBBEAN STRIKE
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defended the Trump administration’s strikes on alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean Sea on Friday. (Omar Havana/Getty Images)
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital he was «very, very, very supportive of killing drug dealers. I think the more narco-terrorists that we kill, that we save American lives.»
«I’m not concerned about killing people whose intent was to kill Americans at all,» Moreno said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Hegseth gave the green light for the second strike, but noted that it was Adm. Frank Bradley, the head of U.S. Special Operations Command, who ordered and directed it.
That confirmation came after a report from The Washington Post claimed Hegseth had ordered to «kill them all,» which some on the Hill have disputed.
HEGSETH BACKS SPECIAL OPS CHIEF’S ‘COMBAT DECISIONS’ IN DEADLY CARIBBEAN STRIKE AHEAD OF CLASSIFIED BRIEFING
Sen. John Kennedy pauses while speaking to members of the media at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, May 21, 2019. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said he read the article and charged that there «wasn’t an exact quote from Secretary Hegseth. There was an anonymous source paraphrased what the secretary allegedly said.»
«So, here we’ve got a story in The Washington Post, which is known to hate Trump and Republicans, by a reporter who is citing an anonymous source that supposedly is saying that Hegseth said it before the strike even happened, but they don’t know exactly what he said,» Kennedy said. «That is a waste of your time and mine.»
When pressed about Leavitt’s confirmation of the authorization, Kennedy said, «I don’t care what the White House press secretary said.»
Still, some Republicans want answers to what exactly happened.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., reiterated that he believed that the Senate and House Armed Services committees’ impending probes into the matter was a «natural place» to look at what happened with the strikes, but he stopped short of weighing in on whether a second strike was right or wrong.
«Well, I don’t know the particulars yet, and that’s why we’re gonna have the — we’ll look,» Thune said.
BIPARTISAN SENATORS CALL ON HEGSETH TO RELEASE STRIKE ORDERS ON ALLEGED DRUG BOATS IN CARIBBEAN
Sen. Jack Reed listens during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 3, 2022. (Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images)
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said that since the report came out, «We want to get to the facts.»
«Obviously, if there was a direction to take a second shot and kill people, that’s a violation of an ethical, moral or legal code,» Tillis said. «We need to get to the bottom of it. But right now, it could be, I think, was it Oxford that the word of the year is ‘rage bait’? Could be rage bait too. So we want to get to the facts.»
Senate Democrats are demanding a fulsome dive into the incident, and toeing the line of whether what transpired was a war crime.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he expected to have a briefing with Bradley this week.
When asked what questions he wanted to be answered, Reed said the top priority was to find out whether the strikes comported with «the law of war and [Uniform Code of Military Justice] and international law.»
«I think one of the easiest ways to begin to dispel the question is to make public the video of the strikes,» Reed said.
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Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., has, time and again this Congress, remained a staunch critic of action taken in Iran and in the Caribbean and moved to curtail the administration’s actions through resolutions that would stymie President Donald Trump’s war powers.
He said lawmakers needed to get to the bottom of «whether a war crime has been committed.»
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., was cautious not to fully paint the incident as a war crime before getting more facts, adding that he hoped the reports of the strikes were «not accurate.»
«I will say, though you know as somebody who has sunk two ships myself, that folks in the military need to understand, you know, the law of the sea, the Geneva Conventions, what the law says,» Kelly said. «And I’m concerned that if there were, in fact, as reported, you know, survivors clinging to a damaged vessel, that could be, you know, over a line. I hope it’s not the case.»
senate,pete hegseth,white house,defense,politics
Con la llegada de la Semana Santa, El Salvador ha puesto en marcha un amplio dispositivo de prevención y protección ciudadana en el marco del denominado “Plan Verano”, cuyo eje central será el despliegue de 342 guardavidas de la Unidad de Guardavidas de Protección Civil. Esta medida busca proteger a los miles de visitantes que se prevé acudirán a las 34 playas, siete parques recreativos y dos lagos más concurridos del país durante este periodo vacacional.
El director de Protección Civil, Luis Alonso Amaya, detalló que estos 342 profesionales de salvamento acuático estarán distribuidos en 180 puntos de monitoreo, con el objetivo de fortalecer la vigilancia y la capacidad de respuesta ante incidentes en zonas turísticas de alta afluencia. Amaya subrayó que los guardavidas forman parte de un esfuerzo interinstitucional más amplio, que involucra a diversas entidades del Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil, cuyo trabajo se articulará desde el Centro de Operaciones de Emergencia (COE), habilitado desde hoy hasta el 6 de abril.
El despliegue de los guardavidas representa solo una parte del dispositivo que el Gobierno ha dispuesto para estas fechas. La estrategia contempla la instalación de puestos de mando en Sonsonate y San Salvador, donde históricamente se registra una importante concentración de feligreses y turistas, especialmente desde el Jueves Santo hasta el Domingo de Resurrección. Las autoridades prevén que la llegada masiva de visitantes aumente los riesgos asociados a actividades acuáticas y recreativas, por lo que la presencia de personal capacitado y recursos estratégicamente ubicados resulta esencial para la prevención y atención de emergencias.
En paralelo a la labor de los guardavidas, el Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil suma alrededor de 100,000 personas movilizadas para atender las distintas tareas de control, prevención, vigilancia y respuesta inmediata. Este contingente incluye equipos del Ministerio de Salud (Minsal), el Fondo Solidario para la Salud (Fosalud), la Superintendencia de Regulación Sanitaria (SRS), la Policía Nacional Civil (PNC), la Fuerza Armada, el Cuerpo de Bomberos, la Cruz Roja salvadoreña y el Sistema de Emergencias Médicas (SEM).
El director del Sistema de Emergencias Médicas, Carlos Orellana, informó que habrá 17 bases operativas a escala nacional, de las cuales 15 son terrestres, una aérea y una marítima. Además, se contará con más de 100 ambulancias terrestres, así como unidades aéreas y marítimas especializadas para atender cualquier eventualidad. Orellana insistió en la importancia de seguir las recomendaciones de las autoridades en todas las actividades al aire libre para minimizar los riesgos, recordando que la prevención es clave para evitar incidentes que lamentar.
A este dispositivo se suma el Cuerpo de Bomberos, que contará con más de 800 efectivos desplegados en todo el país y más de 170 inspectores encargados de labores preventivas. El director de la institución, Baltazar Solano, señaló que el sistema de respuesta estará disponible las 24 horas y recordó a la ciudadanía que el número de emergencia es el 913. Solano hizo énfasis en la necesidad de respetar las recomendaciones viales, evitar conducir bajo los efectos del alcohol o el uso del celular y respetar los límites de velocidad, ya que las estadísticas muestran un aumento de accidentes y víctimas durante el periodo vacacional.
En cuanto a las expectativas turísticas, la presidenta del Instituto Salvadoreño de Turismo, Eny Aguiñada, indicó que se espera la llegada de 1.7 millones de visitantes a los distintos sitios públicos administrados por el instituto y otras instituciones, así como al centro histórico y playas públicas. Para el turismo internacional, se proyecta recibir 145,000 visitantes, de los cuales el 38% proviene de Guatemala, el 20% de Honduras, el 28% de Estados Unidos y el 14% del resto del mundo.
La coordinación interinstitucional será fundamental para garantizar que la población y los turistas disfruten de las vacaciones con tranquilidad. Las autoridades han reiterado que el éxito del Plan Verano dependerá tanto del trabajo de los equipos de emergencia como de la colaboración de la ciudadanía, haciendo un llamado a acatar las indicaciones y mantener conductas responsables en todos los espacios públicos.
En suma, el despliegue de 342 guardavidas, junto a la movilización de miles de personas en tareas de prevención y respuesta, conforma el mayor esfuerzo de seguridad y protección civil implementado en El Salvador para unas vacaciones de Semana Santa. El plan busca reducir los riesgos y proteger la vida de los visitantes, en un contexto de alta movilidad y concentración de personas en balnearios y lugares turísticos del país.
corresponsal:Desde San Salvador, El Salvador
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be abolished, blasting the federal agency as «rogue» and «reckless» as questions mount over the city’s handling of illegal immigration following the fatal subway killing of an elderly veteran.
During a news conference announcing new street safety efforts, the mayor said he has spoken to President Donald Trump about immigration enforcement operations in the city, claiming ICE a «rogue agency.»
«We’re making clear that no one is above the law in this city, that everyone has to follow the rule of law,» Mamdani said. «I have made clear to the president, both in our private conversations and our public conversations, about the fact that I believe that ICE is a rogue agency.»
Mamdani added that he believes ICE is «reckless» and «delivers nothing toward the furthering of the cause of public safety.»
SHANGHAI SABOTAGE: INSIDE SINGHAM’S SECRET STRATEGY TO DEMONIZE AMERICA
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday that ICE should be abolished. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
«I’ve also been public about my belief that ICE is an entity that should be abolished, and that is critically important in our city, where we’ve seen too many New Yorkers living in fear of even going to what would otherwise be routine immigration check ins,» he said. «… What we’ve had in the interim is a federal entity that has been operating with a level of impunity, and that has to come to an end.»
The mayor went on to support protests against the Trump administration, endorsing the «No Kings NYC» protest planned for Saturday in Manhattan.
«I think that rallies are an incredibly effective way for New Yorkers to both organize together and make it clear what their vision is for the city, for the state, for this country,» Mamdani said. «I think that what we’ve seen is that there’s an attempt to make many in our city feel as if they are alone, when they believe that ICE has no place in our city, when they believe that every single New Yorker who lives in this city belongs in this city, and should be made to feel as if such.
DHS EXPOSES BACKGROUND OF NYC CITY COUNCIL EMPLOYEE AFTER MAMDANI FUMED OVER ARREST
Agitators waving flags at a «No Kings» rally in Los Angeles. (SIPA USA)
«What these rallies are — are also an opportunity to realize that you are not in the minority when you have those beliefs. You are, in fact, one of a growing coalition of people who want to see a shred of decency, dignity and humanity come back to our city and our country’s politics.»
Reporters did not question Mamdani about the recent murder of 83-year-old Air Force veteran Richard Williams, who died after he was allegedly shoved onto New York City subway tracks by an illegal immigrant from Honduras. Mamdani has yet to publicly comment on the killing.
When asked if Honduran national Bairon Posada-Hernandez, 34, would be turned over to ICE, the mayor’s office referred Fox News to the Department of Corrections (DOC).
HOMAN SAYS NYC MAYOR MAMDANI ‘MADE IT CLEAR HE’S NOT GOING TO WORK WITH ICE’ ON IMMIGRATION
Bairon Posada-Herandez, an illegal immigrant, is charged with murder after allegedly shoving Richard Williams, 83, and another man, onto Manhattan subway tracks. Williams died from his injuries days later. (Getty Images/Department of Homeland Security)
A DOC spokesperson said the agency processes ICE detainers «consistent with local law,» which limits cooperation.
Under city law, ICE is only notified if there is a detainer backed by a judicial warrant (I-200 or I-205), and the person has a qualifying recent conviction for a violent or serious crime.
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It is unclear if ICE will be notified or take custody of Posada-Hernandez, who has been deported from the U.S. four times, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
DHS officials have asked New York City to cooperate, saying, «Posada-Hernandez is a serial criminal and four-time deported illegal alien who NEVER should have been able to walk our streets and harm innocent Americans. He is now facing murder charges. We are calling on New York sanctuary politicians to not release this murderer. Please join us in praying for Mr. Williams’ family, friends, and loved ones.»
zohran mamdani, new york city, us protests, homeland security, illegal immigrants, donald trump, politics
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