From the wholesale gutting of federal agencies to the ongoing government shutdown, Russell Vought has drawn the road map for Trump’s second term. Vought has consolidated power to an extent that inside...

Making sense of the circus

House Republicans on Wednesday narrowly beat back efforts to limit President Donald Trump’s campaign against suspected drug smuggling boats in Latin America and block military action against Venezuela. The votes marked the first time the House has weighed in on the boat strikes that began in September and the Trump administration’s escalating pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. GOP unity: Republicans largely stuck together to defeat the Democratic-led measures, with Speaker Mike Johnson limiting defections to just a handful of GOP lawmakers. A resolution blocking strikes against designated terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere — a designation the Trump administration has used as a rationale for attacking alleged drug smugglers — offered by House Foreign Affairs top Democrat Gregory Meeks of New York, failed 210-216. Two Republicans broke ranks to support the measure, offset by two Democrats who opposed it. A second measure to prohibit military action “within or against” Venezuela, sponsored by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), came up short in an even narrower 211-213 vote. The vote saw three GOP lawmakers vote in favor, while one Democrat opposed it. Both measures would have required Trump to seek authorization from Congress to either continue the strikes or take military action against Venezuela. Democrats argue the military campaign against drug traffickers is a significant escalation that requires lawmakers to sign off. “These strikes have not been authorized by Congress, and the administration has not sought congressional authorization to use lethal military force to address alleged criminal activity that, under the United States law ... does not carry the death penalty,” Meeks said on the House floor. “That is a profound escalation, and one Congress has neither debated nor approved.” ‘Double-tap’: The vote came as Democrats press for a full investigation into an early September “double tap” strike, where survivors of an initial hit on a suspected drug boat were killed in a follow-on attack that has raised the possibility a war crime was committed. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has rejected bipartisan calls to release the full footage of the incident. Members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees were shown the video during a classified briefing Wednesday, but most lawmakers still haven’t seen it. Republicans countered that Trump has the legal authority to target cartels and tackle the danger posed by illicit drugs. “We decided long ago that we would not tolerate threats to the American people from terrorists like al Qaeda and ISIS,” House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said. “We shouldn’t tolerate it from narco-terrorists either.” Regime change?: Democrats further warned that Trump is pushing for regime change in Venezuela, noting his threats of land strikes there, and warned of the possibility of an open-ended conflict in Latin America. Republicans countered that Democrats’ resolution would handcuff Trump from addressing a future threat posed by Venezuela. “This resolution is preemptive surrender,” said House Foreign Affairs Chair Brian Mast (R-Fla.). “Russia delivers nukes there? President cannot respond.” The Trump administration has shifted considerable military assets, including a large naval presence that includes an aircraft carrier strike group, into the region. Trump further stepped up his pressure campaign against the Maduro regime on Tuesday, ordering a blockade of Venezuela targeting sanctioned oil tankers. The votes follow two unsuccessful attempts to curtail Trump in the Senate. Compromise defense policy legislation that is headed to Trump’s desk, meanwhile, withholds a portion of Hegseth’s travel budget until the Pentagon shares full footage of its drug boat strikes with Congress.

Dr. Vinay Prasad circulated a memo before FDA scientists finished their work. His conclusions overshot what the agency’s own analysts ultimately found.