World
‘Patently illegal’: Critics dispute legality of Trump’s Iran strikes
 
																								
												
												
											Washington, DC – As United States President Donald Trump lauded what he called the “spectacular military success” of the strikes he authorised against Iran, Democrats were quick to accuse him of overstepping his authority.
Numerous critics accused Trump late on Saturday of violating the US Constitution by launching military attacks against Iran’s nuclear sites without the approval of Congress.
“Trump said he would end wars; now he has dragged America into one,” Senator Christopher Van Hollen Junior said in a statement.
“His actions are a clear violation of our Constitution – ignoring the requirement that only the Congress has the authority to declare war.”
In the lead up to the US attacks, legislators from both main parties have pushed measures to compel Trump to approach Congress before launching any strikes.
The US Constitution gives Congress the authority to declare war or authorise the use of force for specific purposes.
Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) base has also been vehement in its opposition to the US joining Israel’s war. It has pointed out that Trump won the election on the promise not to commit Washington to yet another war in the Middle East. They want Trump to focus on domestic issues, particularly the economy.
‘Grounds for impeachment’
Lawmakers’ authority over the military was further enshrined in the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which curbed the president’s war-making powers.
Progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Trump violated the constitution and the War Powers Resolution.
“He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment,” she said.
The president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, so he can order attacks, but his decisions must be within the guidelines of what is authorised by Congress.
However, the president can order the military in the case of a “sudden attack” or to respond to emergencies.
Several Democrats were quick to note that Iran’s nuclear facilities, which have been operating for years, did not pose an imminent threat to the US.
The US intelligence community confirmed in an assessment in March that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon.
Trump has increasingly relied on executive powers in governing domestically, and now he appears to be sidelining Congress in his foreign policy.
But with Republicans in control of the Senate and the House of Representatives, lawmakers have few tools to influence his military decision. Impeachment is almost out of the question.
President Trump sending U.S. troops to bomb Iran without the consent of Congress is a blatant violation of our Constitution. pic.twitter.com/pqzAeS4K19
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) June 22, 2025
No legal justification for strikes
Lawmakers have introduced bills under the War Powers Resolution to ban attacks on Iran without the approval of Congress, but Trump is likely to veto the proposals if they pass.
Congress could overturn the veto with two-thirds majorities in the House and the Senate, but Trump’s strikes have enough support to make that outcome unlikely.
The US president has not provided a legal justification for the strikes, but he is likely to argue that he was responding to an urgent situation or cite an existing military authorisation.
In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Congress passed a law allowing then-President George W Bush to launch what would become the global “war on terror”.
Millions of people have been killed and societies devastated due to the US wars on Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, among others, waged as part of the so-called “war on terror”. It has also cost trillions of dollars and the lives of thousands of US soldiers.
In 2002, lawmakers approved another authorisation to allow the invasion of Iraq a year later.
These laws, known as the Authorisation for Use of Military Force (AUMF), remain in place, and previous presidents have invoked them to justify attacks that were not specifically approved by Congress.
Brian Finucane, a senior adviser with the US programme of the International Crisis Group and former State Department lawyer, said the attack on Iran is “patently illegal”.
“Even under the prevailing executive branch doctrine, this is likely to constitute ‘war’ requiring congressional authorization,” he wrote in a social media post.
Statement from Rep. Ilhan Omar on U.S. Bombing of Iran:
“The strikes on Iran, ordered by President Trump and executed without congressional authorization, mark a dangerous and reckless escalation of an already volatile conflict in the Middle East.
“Military strikes will not…
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) June 22, 2025
Key progressive Senator Bernie Sanders was speaking at a rally in Oklahoma when Trump announced the attack.
As Sanders told the crowd about the US strikes, attendees started chanting: “No more war!”
“It is so grossly unconstitutional,” he said. “All of you know that the only entity that can take this country to war is the US Congress; the president does not have that right.”
Former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers will be “demanding answers” from the administration.
“Tonight, the President ignored the Constitution by unilaterally engaging our military without Congressional authorization,” she said in a social media post.
 
																	
																															World
Video: Ultra-Orthodox Community Protests Israel’s Military Draft
 
														new video loaded: Ultra-Orthodox Community Protests Israel’s Military Draft
transcript
transcript
Ultra-Orthodox Community Protests Israel’s Military Draft
Hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews demonstrated against the military draft in Israel.
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You can’t force people to be otherwise than the way they are. This is us. This is the way we are. You can’t change us. You can’t force people to do otherwise. It’s no good. 
By Jorge Mitssunaga
October 30, 2025
World
Cruise ship allegedly leaves 80-year-old woman behind on island, daughter demands answers after death
 
														NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The daughter of an 80-year-old woman found dead after allegedly being abandoned by her cruise ship recently called for a coronial inquest into her mother’s death, calling the incident “a failure of care and common sense.”
Suzanne Rees, who was partaking in a luxury 60-day cruise in Australia, was found dead Sunday after she was reported missing Saturday night.
Rees was last seen on a group hiking tour of Lizard Island, about 200 miles north of Cairns, but did not return to the Coral Adventurer cruise ship—which left at about 6 p.m. Saturday.
Witnesses said they heard commotion on the radio and saw the ship returning to the island on a vessel tracker.
AMY BRADLEY CASE HINGES ON ‘SOMEBODY REMEMBERING’ AS INVESTIGATORS HUNT FOR NEW LEADS 27 YEARS LATER: EXPERT
The daughter of an 80-year-old woman found dead after allegedly being abandoned by her cruise ship on an Australian island is calling for an investigation into her death. (iStock)
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), Australia’s national maritime safety regulator, told Fox News Digital it was notified about the incident by the vessel at about 10 p.m. local time Saturday, prompting AMSA to initiate a response.
An AMSA spokesperson said they assisted Queensland Police in the search, and are continuing to work closely with Queensland authorities, including Queensland Police and WorkSafe Queensland.
“AMSA will make an assessment as to whether there was any non-compliance associated with the passenger not being counted onto the ship and, if necessary, will take action to address them,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement. “AMSA intends to conduct inquiries on board the vessel when it arrives in Darwin. We are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding why the passenger may not have been accounted for during boarding. AMSA offers its condolences to the family and loved ones of the person who has passed. Our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.”
TWO VACATIONERS DROWN AT CARNIVAL’S NEW BAHAMAS PRIVATE ISLAND

Suzanne Rees was on a luxury 60-day cruise in Australia, when she was left behind on Lizard Island and later found dead, her daughter alleges. (Mark Conlin/VW PICS/UIG )
Rees’ daughter, Katherine, told ABC Australia “from the little we have been told, it seems that there was a failure of care and common sense.”
“We understand from the police that it was a very hot day, and Mum felt ill on the hill climb. She was asked to head down, unescorted,” Katherine told the outlet. “Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count.”
The family reportedly said they are hoping to learn if Rees’ death could have been prevented.
IRISH BIKINI DESIGNER FOUND DEAD ON YACHT MONTHS AFTER DIVORCE AND PRIOR LEGAL DISPUTE

The daughter of an 80-year-old woman found dead after allegedly being abandoned by her cruise ship on Lizard Island in Australia is calling for an investigation into her death. ( Education Images/UIG )
The Coroner’s Court of Queensland on Wednesday confirmed to ABC Rees’ death was “referred to the coroner for investigation.”
Once the coroner’s investigation is complete, a decision will be made about launching an inquest into the death.
AMSA said details surrounding the timing of the vessel’s arrival and AMSA’s next steps are not available, as the investigation remains active.
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“The Coral team have been in contact with the woman’s family, and we will continue to offer support to them through this difficult process,” Coral Expeditions CEO Mark Fifield reportedly wrote in a statement. “While investigations into the incident are continuing, we are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the woman’s family.”
The operation of the vessel is regulated under the Australian Navigation Act 2012 and relevant workplace laws, according to AMSA.
Fox News Digital’s Pilar Arias contributed to this report.
World
Merz urges deeper ties with Turkey despite disagreements on Gaza
 
														Europe should forge a deeper strategic partnership with Turkey in response to emerging global challenges, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday on his first official visit to Ankara, which has played a crucial mediating role in the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
Merz was speaking alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, just days after Turkey and the United Kingdom finalised a multi-billion-euro deal for the sale of 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets.
Germany, part of the consortium that manufactures the advanced fighter aircraft, recently lifted its longstanding objection to their export to Turkey.
Merz’s visit also comes amid reports of German backing for Turkey’s participation in a European defence initiative known as the Security Action for Europe (SAFE), a €150 billion programme designed to enhance the continent’s military capabilities.
The initiative allows non-EU countries, including Turkey, to join defence projects.
Greece openly opposes Turkey’s participation in SAFE, arguing that Ankara must first drop its standing threat of war linked to sea boundary disputes between the two NATO members.
Merz did not mention SAFE but underscored the importance of cooperation.
“Germany and Turkey should use the enormous potential of our relations even better in the coming months and years,” he said.
“There are compelling reasons for this, because we are entering a new geopolitical phase marked by the politics of great powers,” the chancellor said.
“A central conclusion from that for me is that as Germans and Europeans, we must expand our strategic partnerships, and there is no way around a good and deepened partnership with Turkey.”
Divisions surfaced during the joint news conference over human rights and the situation in Gaza.
The advocacy group, Human Rights Watch, had urged Merz to speak out against Turkey’s crackdown on the opposition, including the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
The opposition figure, widely seen as a potential challenger to Erdoğan, has been held in pretrial detention since March on corruption charges, which he denies. This week, Turkish authorities filed new charges against him for alleged espionage.
Merz avoided direct mention of İmamoğlu but said: “Decisions have been made in Turkey that do not yet meet the requirements regarding the rule of law and democracy as we understand them from the European point of view.”
Erdoğan responded by defending Turkey’s judicial system.
“No matter what position you hold, if you trample on the law, judicial authorities in a state governed by the rule of law are obliged to take whatever action is necessary,” he said.
On the issue of Gaza, Merz said that Germany has stood firmly by Israel since it was founded in the aftermath of the Holocaust and will always do so. But “that doesn’t mean that we respect or accept every political decision by an Israeli government and accept it without criticism.”
Merz has frequently criticised Israel’s actions in Gaza in recent months.
On Thursday, he stressed that “Israel made use of its right of self-defence and it would have taken only a single decision to avoid the countless unnecessary victims: Hamas should have released the hostages earlier and laid down its weapons. Then this war would have been over immediately.”
Erdoğan, a vocal critic of Israel’s military actions, again accused Israel of using “starvation and genocide” as weapons of war.
The Turkish leader argued that Hamas does not possess bombs or nuclear weapons, while Israel does, and criticised Germany for allegedly ignoring the imbalance.
“As Germany, can’t you see this?” he asked.
Additional sources • AP
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