Messages From the U.S. Attack on Iran
Re 'The Perils of Unchecked U.S. Power Abroad,' by Oona A. Hathaway (Opinion guest essay, June 24):
Many commentators, in this newspaper and elsewhere, have asserted that presidents cannot use military force without congressional authorization. This position fundamentally misreads the Constitution's war powers framework. While Congress holds the power to 'declare war,' this term was explicitly chosen in place of 'make war'' to prevent the legislature from requiring the nation to wage war by committee.
The Constitution's true check on presidential war-making lies in Congress's exclusive control over military funding. Once lawmakers appropriate funds for military capabilities, the president's constitutional role as commander in chief grants broad discretion over deployment. This reflects the founders' deliberate design: Congress controls the sword through appropriations, while the president wields it through command authority.
Historical practice confirms this framework. Since World War II, nearly every postwar president has unilaterally initiated military force without first consulting Congress, with George W. Bush being the sole exception thanks to the broad authorization for the use of military force that Congress passed early in his first term after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Congress retains powerful tools to constrain military action: reducing appropriations, restricting funding for specific operations or eliminating capabilities entirely. But legislators cannot simultaneously fund military forces and then claim constitutional authority to micromanage their tactical deployment.
Nicholas B. CreelMilledgeville, Ga.The writer is an associate professor of business law at Georgia College and State University.
To the Editor:
There are many of us who opposed the U.S. decision to bomb Iran last weekend. Of note is the fact that, as a result of the attack, some reports show that at a minimum Iran's nuclear capability has been set back many years.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
ICE Chief Doubles Down On Arresting Undocumented People With No Criminal History
President Donald Trump once promised to focus on the 'worst of the worst' as he sought to ramp up immigrant deportations, but a recent interview from his acting ICE chief underscored just how far the administration has departed from that vow. ICE is doubling down on arresting undocumented immigrants without criminal histories, Todd Lyons, the acting head of the federal body, told CBS's Camilo Montoya-Galvez in an exclusive interview. 'Under this administration, we have opened up the whole aperture of the immigration portfolio,' he said. 'If we encounter someone that isn't here in the country legally, we will take them into custody.' That approach marks a sharp break from the policies of the Biden administration, which directed agents to apprehend undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds, those who posed a national security threat and those who had entered the U.S more recently, CBS notes. It's also counter to claims that the Trump administration once made about focusing on those with serious criminal records, and prompted sharp blowback as ICE agents have targeted everyone from a high school student driving to sports practice to immigrants attending routine court hearings. Of the roughly 100,000 deportations ICE has documented between January 1 and June 24, about 70,000 involved a person with a criminal conviction, a CBS review of internal government data found. And just a small fraction of those who faced criminal convictions did so for violent offenses, Montoya-Galvez noted. (Living in the U.S. without documentation is a civil offense and not a criminal offense, Vanity Fair notes.) 'We can't look at it just based on violence,' Lyons said in the CBS interview. A July Axios review also determined that noncriminal ICE arrests increased in June, and that 'people without criminal charges or convictions made up an average of 47% of daily ICE arrests' in the early portion of that month. Lyons claimed in the interview that deporting immigrants who are 'the worst of the worst' was still a chief priority for the administration, and DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lyons also outlined other ways that ICE will ramp up enforcement as it receives a staggering funding infusion from Republicans' recent tax bill, which will make it the highest funded federal law enforcement agency in the U.S. The agency will continue workplace raids, despite the concerns that have been raised about racial profiling and the trauma they've caused for immigrant communities. It will also penalize companies that hire undocumented immigrants, he said. 'We're focusing on these American companies that are actually exploiting these laborers,' Lyons said. Lyons noted, too, that agents will continue to wear masks during enforcement actions, due to concerns for their privacy and personal safety, a move that has garnered criticism for shielding officers from accountability and inspiring fear in immigrants who are approached by them. 'I'm not a proponent of the masks; however, if that's a tool that the men and women of ICE use to keep themselves and their families safe, then I'll allow it,' he said. Such moves come as the president has reportedly set a goal of a million deportations by the end of this year, one which Lyons said was 'possible' to achieve as ICE's sweeping and controversial tactics continue unabated. 'We hear a lot about the administration deporting the worst of the worst. And as far as we can tell from all available data up to this point, the data has not really supported that,' Austin Kocher, a professor at Syracuse University, told ABC News in July. Related... Volunteers Flock To Support Migrants Targeted By ICE At Immigration Courts Army Veteran And U.S. Citizen Arrested In California Immigration Raid Old Clip Of Stephen Miller Praising Torture Resurface Amid Aggressive Immigration Enforcement
The Hill
24 minutes ago
- The Hill
We can't win the fight to end HIV if we cut funding and access to medication
The fight to end HIV in our lifetimes just received a game-changing innovation. In June, the FDA approved Yeztugo (lenacapavir), a groundbreaking HIV prevention treatment that requires just two injections per year — and scored 99 percent effectiveness in trials. This monumental scientific breakthrough is poised to transform the lives of people who have found it hard to keep up with daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis, providing an option that fits better into their everyday lives. But as exciting as this development is, it could be undermined by the Trump administration's proposal to cut nearly $1 billion from federal HIV prevention programs. Innovations like lenacapavir could be a key tool to ending the epidemic, but only if we have the resources and policy to deliver it directly to those who need them most. Although lenacapavir's efficacy is groundbreaking, access remains another story. With a price tag hovering around $28,000 a year, this medication risks being out of reach for the very communities who need it most. We're still waiting to see how programs managed by Gilead Sciences, which developed the treatments, and the broader insurance markets will step up. And it's not just the cost of the drug itself. It's the labs, the provider visits, the follow-ups — each one a potential roadblock for someone trying to stay safe. Federal leadership is essential to ensuring this new HIV prevention tool reaches the communities who need it most. This includes updating clinical guidelines, funding support services and supporting the infrastructure that makes access possible. Unfortunately, the Trump administration and the Republican majorities in Congress are putting access to lifesaving innovations at risk. The administration's attacks on HIV prevention, including its proposals to eliminate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HIV budget and efforts to dismantle public health systems, threaten progress. The Republican budget reconciliation bill that President Trump signed over the July 4 weekend includes deep cuts to Medicaid — the largest payer for HIV care in the U.S. Without strong federal investment and coordination, expanding access to new tools and ending the HIV epidemic is at serious risk. Despite the real strides we have made in HIV prevention, those of us in the lesbian, gay, and transgender community — especially non-white Southerners in rural areas or navigating poverty — know that not every prevention strategy reaches us, works for us, or is built with us in mind. Our realities demand options that reflect the full truth of who we are and how we live. Lenacapavir offers real, powerful hope, but let's be clear: Science alone won't save us. What will make the difference is equitable and intentional policies that center our communities and a public health infrastructure that doesn't leave us behind. These numbers don't shift on their own. Yes, we have made progress over time. But the hard truth is that Black Americans still account for 43 percent of all new HIV diagnoses in the U.S., despite being just 13 percent of the population. The data is even more stark for Black transgender women: 44 percent are living with HIV, and their lifetime risk remains unacceptably high. And we cannot ignore the geography of this epidemic. The South accounts for 52 percent of all new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. That's not a coincidence — it is the result of systemic failures: limited access to healthcare, persistent stigma, lack of comprehensive sex education and the absence of strong non-discrimination protections. These barriers don't just prevent care — they trap people in cycles where prevention tools are out of reach. Among gay and bisexual Black men, the risk of contracting HIV is still 50 percent over a lifetime. Prevention tools like pre-exposure prophylaxis and lenacapavir hold promise, but they only matter if people can actually access them, without fear, shame or coercion. Ending this epidemic means creating environments where people are safe to make informed choices about their own health. The fight to end the HIV epidemic is not just about what happens in labs — it's about how we make these innovations real for our communities. Science is doing its part. Now is the time to urge Congress to reject any cuts to CDC HIV prevention efforts and to fully fund the HIV response. We have the tools to end this epidemic, but not if we dismantle the very systems our communities rely on to survive. The promise of lenacapavir, and the hope it represents, is too great to let fall through the cracks of policy neglect. The question is, will we make the choice to ensure that this breakthrough reaches all of us? Science has given us the tools. Now, we must ensure that everyone has the opportunity to use them.
New York Times
25 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trump Urges Washington and Cleveland Sports Teams to Revert to Native American Names
President Trump urged the Washington Commanders on Sunday to revert to their former name and threatened to derail a deal for the N.F.L. team to build a new stadium in Washington, D.C., if it didn't submit to his demand. The Commanders dropped their 'Redskins' name in 2020 amid pressure from corporate sponsors and after lobbying by Native American groups, who argued that the team's name and logo amplified racist stereotypes. On Sunday morning, as he played golf at his club in Washington, Mr. Trump posted a message on Truth Social pushing the team to reverse course. 'The Washington 'Whatever's' should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team,' Mr. Trump wrote. In his posts, Mr. Trump also urged the Cleveland Guardians baseball team, which changed its name from the Cleveland Indians in 2021, to follow suit. In one post, Mr. Trump claimed, without evidence, that there was 'a big clamoring for this' and that 'our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen.' Hours later, in another post, Mr. Trumpthreatened to impose 'a restriction' on the Commanders by thwarting the deal announced in April for the team to build a new stadium in Washington. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
