A killing at sea marks America’s descent into lawless power

September 10, 2025

Jon Duffy

The United States has crossed a dangerous line.

Last week, an American military platform destroyed a small vessel in the Caribbean, killing 11 people the Trump administration claims were drug traffickers. It was not an interception. It was not a boarding with Coast Guard legal authority. It was a strike—ordered from Washington, executed in international waters, and justified with little more than “trust us.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox that officials “knew exactly who was in that boat” and “exactly what they were doing.” He offered no evidence.

On Sept. 2, 2025, President Trump posted a video showing what he said was a U.S. military strike on suspected drug smugglers on a boat in the Caribbean Sea. Donald Trump via TruthSocial