Are the Lethal U.S. Strikes on Venezuelan Boats Legal?

The Brian Lehrer Show | Sep 17, 2025

The Trump administration's recent lethal strikes on purported drug boats in Venezuela drew widespread condemnation from experts in international law. Brian Finucane, senior adviser at the International Crisis Group and a non-resident senior fellow at Reiss Center on Law and Security at NYU Law, talks about the strikes and breaks down their legality, plus discusses the implications of that analysis.

WNYC is funded by sponsors and member donations

Top Stories

Mamdani hasn't made NYC's buses free. Riders stopped paying anyway.

MTA Chair Janno Lieber suggested the mayor's 2025 campaign pledge led to a rise in fare evasion on buses.
Gothamist |

F@#$ the AI Overlords

A guide to getting AI to work for us, and not the other way around.
On the Media |

Democratic Challengers: Abdul El-Sayed and Nithya Raman

David Remnick speaks with two left-leaning Democrats challenging not just Trump’s agenda but their party’s tarnished image: Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, and Nithya Raman in Los Angeles.
The New Yorker Radio Hour |

Defining "Middle Aged"

Julie Beck talks about the difficulty of determining when being "middle aged" actually starts.
The Brian Lehrer Show |
YOU ARE ONLINE