It's the Brian Lair Show on WNYC. I'm Bridget Bergen, sitting in for Brian today. Earlier this month,

President Trump went public with dramatic video, a U.S. strike blowing up a boat in the

Caribbean. He said the people on board were Venezuelan narco-terrorists and claimed the operation

saved American lives. He did not provide the details, like who those 11 people actually

were, what evidence tied them to drugs or crime, or what legal

authority he was relying on. This strike didn't take place in a declared war zone. It wasn't cleared

with Congress, and it comes at a time when the administration has been casting violent criminals

in Latin America as the next front in what it calls a global war on terror. On Monday, the U.S. military

struck a second boat, killing three more people. So what does international law say about

sinking a vessel in international waters? How much latitude does a U.S. President have to take

this kind of action, and what precedent might it said if other countries follow suit?

Joining us is Brian Funukin, senior advisor at the International Crisis Group and a non-resident senior

fellow at NYU Laws Reese Center on Law and Security. He's a national security lawyer who's been

studying U.S. uses of force overseas for years. Hey, Brian, welcome

to WNYC. Good morning. Pleasure to join you. And listeners, we'd like to hear from you. Should the U.S.

military be targeting suspected drug traffickers overseas? Or is that an overreach that risks

drawing us into new conflicts? The number 212-433 W-N-YC, that's 212-433-9692, you can call or text.

Brian, for people who haven't been following this as closely, can you walk us through what the administration says happened with these strikes?

So the administration has documented at least two strikes somewhere in the Caribbean.

The first occurred on September 2nd, allegedly in water beyond the territorial sea of any state,

against a vessel that had 11 people in it.

The administration, President Trump, showed video of that.

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