summer, the Trump administration has ordered strikes on boats of alleged drug traffickers.

87 people have been killed, including a controversial so-called double tap strike that killed 2 survivors of the initial bombing this week.

The U.S.

military also seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast of the Caribbean Sea.

President Trump has threatened to ground invasion calling Venezuelan President Nicolas Nicolas Maduro, narco terrorist.

He's made similar claims about Colombian President, Gustavo, Petro, as well.

Joining us now are Juan Gonzalez, a senior fellow with the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

He's also the co-host of Democracy.

Now it's a weekday news program that airs on TV radio and YouTube.

And on zoom, we have Alberto Cole, director of global engagement and law professor at DePaul University and Lena Brito and associate professor of Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Northwestern University.

Thanks to the 3 of you for joining us.

So as we mentioned, the U.S.

has seized oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, taking over its resources.

The White House says that they plan to go through the legal process of forfeiture to have that tanker turn into a U.S.

port to seize that oil.

Us senator from Illinois, Durbin has called for a public briefing following the seizure of that tanker.

Here he is.

>> Hoping the bridge into the whole Senate hoping making public.

We edging toward war Venezuela.

The American people have a right know what's going >> Juan Gonzalez, do you agree with Senator Durbin that we're inching towards a war with Venezuela?

>> Oh, well, there's no doubt there are 15,000 troops and the largest aircraft carrier in the world and not in that Caribbean Sea on vacation.

There's a clear there's been escalating threats by the U.S.

government.

Not only with the attacks on the small boats allegedly carrying Karen drugs, but also the declaration by President Trump last year closing the air space over Venezuela.

Something that's illegal for the U.S.

government to 2.

It's a country can only close in airspace over another country.

involved in an armed conflict or if the United Nations has so approved.

So the mere fact of of claiming to close the airspace is another escalation by the Trump administration.

Another of the tanker is is further proof that the administration is inching toward a military conflict with Venezuela.

>> We had a Trump has called both the Venezuelan and Colombian president Narcoterrorists.

Is he manufacturing consent for an invasion for the conflict that Juan Gonzalez just referring to?

>> Oh, yes, definitely.

He's not only manufacturing consent.

Well, he's also doing with these are deployment of these type of discourse is also closing ranks with the right wing forces within each country.

Let's not forget that gloomy on right-wing politicians had traveling to Washington, D.C., scenes.

Trump was inaugurated area this year to talk to different people in his administration to show that they support whatever decision they made about the neighboring country Venezuela in yesterday.

actually last 2 or 3 days.

We so in Oslo in Norway, but it could mean a do they need know that peace prize winner also you know, complimenting Trump and talking about these, the print to see acts of war aggression on the part of the Trump administration against been us as the sciences more weeks.

So it's not just about manufacturing consent in the public sphere of the United States is also about closing ranks with those in those countries that are supporting these type of aggression on the part of the Trump administration.

>> Vertical.

Same question to you.

Is Trump manufacturing consent here?

>> I would look at it that way.

First of all, I think that Venezuela, Colombia, 2 separate cases, Venezuela is a dictatorship.

It also is responsible for facilitating a state actor, the export of huge amounts of cocaine, 2 United States and now to Europe through Africa.

Venezuela drug trafficking organizations are working with African.

You had groups to export massive quantities to Europe under international law.

The states are free to take countermeasures in response to the state's illegal acts.

The fact that Venezuela government is.

Up to a tent in working with these transnational criminal organizations provides a legal justification for the United States to threaten if necessary the removal of them under a regime, which, by the way, is an illegitimate He stole the election and a vast majority of Venezuelans, including our fellow Venezuelans who are in this country today with approval of a move to overthrow But the key point is that this is that the seizure of the Tigers, Leo, as a countermeasure in response to back as well as an international legal responsibility under international, not told report to All right.

So Alberto, additionally, senators have been shown video of the so-called double tap that we're referring an alleged drug boat also near Venezuela.

Now, the president has defended the order that was made under U.S.

Admiral Frank Bradley claiming that those who were killed were responsible.

>> For killing Americans by the millions by trafficking in illicit drugs.

Critics, though, have raised concerns that that second strike might have broken international law.

What are your thoughts?

>> Yeah, this is a separate issue if indeed we killed people who defenses on the see that would be a war crime.

And this is a totally separate issue.

And on that issue, I do agree with the president's critics that this is unacceptable.

I want sink a boat and you have a couple of survivors out and see.

Our obligation is to rescue And, you know, if take them into the legal system for processing.

>> Well, fighting one, especially disagree, Professor Cole, not only the double tap strike, all of the strikes an justifiable under international law because first of there's been proof that these that these folks were of transporting drugs and even if they were, it's not a basis to kill them.

It's a basis to arrest them and bring them to trial into a due process.

And also this whole issue of Venezuela being a key transporter of drugs, even U.S.

intelligence services say that Venezuela has played a minor role compared to Colombia, which has always been the main trafficker of cocaine into the United States, Mexico, which has been the main trafficker of fentanyl into the United States.

Even Ecuador and the Dominican Republic are are transporting or trend shipping more drugs in Venezuela is so there's no a justifiable reason to pick up Venezuela, holding other countries Latin America that supplied drugs to the United States to target them in this Lana breach of the White House says that this Go right ahead.

One one of those solid just said.

>> And argue, my colleague, Professor Cole 2 counts the first one.

This is not a war crimes.

And this is not just my opinion.

This is the opinion of human rights lawyers like my purpose of Priyanka mode.

A party with Peaches had their Western law school.

They called these extra judicial killings is traditional assassinations.

These are no war crimes because there's no more legally the clear here.

So therefore, this is just simple.

Extrajudicial executions.

And the other thing that I with, Professor Cole, but I agree with Juan Gonzalez is Actually this super highway for cocaine trafficking to the U.S.

into Europe is now it put to work and nobody in the Trump administration is talking about because President put the word is not right-wing ally of the Trump administration so we can see does write year they put Chris and the worst case scenario all the time to gear it in the best case scenario of the Trump administration policies and actions in South America.

>> When of the White House has said that this is all about maintaining security in the Western Hemisphere.

How does this conflict mirror?

What we may have seen in past instances of U.S.

intervention in the region.

>> received Trump actually resuscitating a very full he story called Potter.

That goes back to the early 19 sentry.

The gunboat diplomacy we're the Ulysses, the use military, a Grecian the threat of military occupation and innovation to bend the will of those governments that they disagree with over those countries with strategic resources such as the case of Ennis.

we oil and today we did with this easing of this oil time Kerr that contradiction in on big area Legis shown a kid because they've been talking about drones and that this is about rocks and then these happened.

So it's not about Trump's is about controlling a strategic resource.

So interesting thing Trump knows that the war on drugs very flexible in malleable Hackett of his strategy is resources.

In the end, these courses to use a stay by a list for the front purposes is those particular the purpose most We're almost out of time.

I want to play a quick clip from Venezuelan President Maduro.

Here's what he said.

It's to be up to the U.S.

>> A little our message to the people, United States remains the same peace above all No decreasing no to bloodshed for no to war for oil.

The recipe for eternal.

>> Alberto Colin, come to you on this first.

Just a couple of seconds.

What do you make of the president's comment there?

>> Well, he's a liar.

He cheated on the agreement that he made with President Biden.

The agreement was that he would allow free and fair elections exchange for that.

President Biden agreed to lead.

Chevron operate in Venezuela for the first time in many years, my door broke his promises and he will do anything.

He will cheat lie and to do anything and kill lots of people, including imprisoning and torturing and killing political opponents.

For the sake of staying power.

So his promises are worthless.

I think that we need to keep this in mind.

I that's the unfortunate that we're going to have to leave Professor, we're actually out of time.

>> Always a conversation that