Strike First, Explain Never
October 30, 2025
24 min
153
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Episode 153 · October 30, 2025
Strike First, Explain Never
0:00 / 24:37
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The Atlantic Episodes Around October 30, 2025
Episode 325 of 364 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
24:37This episodeStrike First, Explain Never
Summary
So far, the U.S. has blown up 14 boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific, killing at least 57 people. In the two months since the strikes began, the administration has consistently offered the same explanation: The U.S. has a fentanyl overdose problem, and these boats are a source of that drug. The federal government has stuck to that line despite the Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of Homeland Security saying most of the fentanyl brought into this country comes from Mexico, not through the Caribbean.
Nancy Youssef covers national security for The Atlantic. She joins the show to discuss the strikes, the administration’s changes to the military, and the lack of transparency in the transformed Pentagon.
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