Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle search for answers on how the military carried

out strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats, and a special election in Tennessee could

serve as a bellwether for the midterms.

To discuss that and more, we turn now to our Politics Monday duo.

That is Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR.

Great to see you both.

Good to be here.

As we reported earlier, we know President Trump's meeting with his national security team

to talk about the pressure campaign on Venezuela.

And you both saw today, as Nick reported earlier, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers

expressing concerns about that's now a confirmed second strike on a drug boat, even as there were

survivors in the water.

Tam, you heard the White House say earlier that the commander who ordered that strike was well

within his authority.

Is that explanation enough to quiet the concerns of lawmakers?

I don't think it is, in part, because we're also getting other further explanations now coming from defense officials

who are speaking off the record.

On background, there's just a lot of movement here, a lot going on, and there are a lot of

questions.

There's also a political challenge for the White House because other than saying these are drug, narcote

terrorists, the White House hasn't really built a strong public case for this. Typically, if the

United States is getting involved in a military operation, the level of troop buildup and other members of the military that are now in

...