By Sarah Ferris, CNN

(CNN) — Top Capitol Hill Democrats, and a small number of Republicans, watched in alarm Saturday as the US launched a major assault on Iran, decrying President Donald Trump’s call for the overthrow of another foreign government without their expressed approval.

Trump ordered the strikes on Tehran just days before the GOP-led House and Senate are each set to formally debate and vote on US military action in Iran. Democrats, along with at least three Republicans, say the president’s decision, with lawmakers scattered across the nation and not planning to return to Washington for days, raises serious questions about the legality of the attack.

“It’s a slap in the face of the United States Congress. The president has launched an illegal war when there is no imminent threat. He did not consult with Congress or allow for a debate in Congress, which even George W. Bush did,” Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California told CNN on Saturday morning.

Now, House and Senate Democratic leaders — as well as the famously anti-interventionist Republican Rep. Thomas Massie — are demanding that GOP leaders bring Congress back into session immediately to hold a formal vote on the unfolding conflict in Iran.

“I am opposed to this War. This is not ‘America First,’” said Massie of Kentucky.

“The Constitution conferred the power to declare or initiate war to Congress for a reason, to make war less likely,” Sen. Rand Paul, a leading Republican in the Senate effort to curb Trump’s war authority, similarly declared, adding that his “oath of office is to the Constitution, so with studied care, I must oppose another Presidential war.”

Those votes to require congressional approval for military action against Iran, which were already set for midweek, will amount to a major test of loyalty for some of the GOP’s far-right flank, who have for years championed Trump’s promise of keeping America out of foreign wars. Those Republicans will be forced to take a public stance after months of simmering consternation over Trump’s legal authority as he has dramatically expanded powers abroad with Congress on the sidelines.

Multiple GOP sources told CNN they believe those three Republicans — Massie, Paul and Rep. Warren Davidson, who has also publicly condemned the attack without authorization — are likely on an island in their own party. Even so, Democrats believe it might be enough to deliver the rebukes.

“I do think this has a real chance of passing. And it’s going to be seen like the Iraq war vote,” Khanna added, referring to the historic 2002 vote in Congress that authorized the US invasion of Iraq.

Even if the measure passes, it is subject to a presidential veto, and a two-thirds vote to override could be a challenge to reach. So while it would be unlikely to change the president’s actions, it would be seen as a stunning rebuke of the administration.

One Republican, speaking to the CNN on the condition of anonymity because they had received classified briefings on the operation, fiercely disputed that Trump was leading the nation into another conflict akin to the Iraq War. The person believed there was wide support in the party for the president’s actions.

Indeed, dozens of Republicans were quick to praise Trump’s actions on

By Dan Berman, Devan Cole, CNN

(CNN) — Legal experts are already skeptical of President Donald Trump’s constitutional authority to launch new military action against Iran without Congress’ approval, especially if it leads to a prolonged conflict.

Like with the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities last summer and the January military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the attacks bring the issue of executive authority and the extent of presidential powers to the forefront.

The White House hasn’t presented a legal justification to the public, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio didn’t give a full accounting of one to members of Congress, multiple sources told CNN.

Trump “violated the Constitution by invading Iran because the Constitution is crystal clear on who has the authority to declare war and commit American service members to battle and that is Congress alone,” said Christopher Anders, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union who is an expert on national security matters.

“The president has tried to grab that power for himself without getting authorization from Congress before doing so,” Anders added.

The Constitution unambiguously states that only Congress can declare or authorize war.

“This is very obviously a war,” said Ilya Somin, a law professor at George Mason University and a scholar at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. “You don’t have to take my word for that — Trump himself says it’s a war.”

In his message announcing the strikes early Saturday, the president said: “The Iranian regime seeks to kill. The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties. That often happens in war, but we’re doing this not for now. We’re doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission.”

CNN has reached out to the Justice Department and White House counsel’s office for comment.

While only Congress can declare or authorize war, Trump and other presidents have continuously cited the Constitution’s Article II, which says the commander in chief has the power to direct US military forces in engagements necessary to advance American national interests abroad.

In addition, the Supreme Court has been generous in approving Trump’s expansive use of power, most notably in its 2024 immunity ruling. That view contributed to the analysis to move forward under Article II authority when the US struck Iran last summer, a senior White House official said at the time.

Article II was used in part to legally justify the recent US military operation to capture Maduro. The Justice Department issued a classified legal opinion (and later a redacted version) saying Trump was not limited by domestic law in carrying out law enforcement operations overseas.

What if the conflict goes on longer?

The post Three launches slated from Vandenberg SFB over four days; residents may hear sonic booms appeared first on edhat.

Por Tal Shalev, CNN

El primer ministro israelí, Benjamín Netanyahu, declaró en la noche de este sábado que “hay muchas señales” de que el líder supremo de Irán “ya no está con nosotros”, aunque no llegó a afirmar definitivamente su muerte.

“Hay muchas señales de que este tirano ya no está con nosotros”, declaró Netanyahu, al añadir que Israel había destruido su complejo.

Mientras tanto, el portavoz del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores iraní, Esmail Baghaei, declaró a ABC News que el presidente y el líder supremo de Irán están sanos y salvos.

El sistema de gobierno iraní está funcionando, afirmó Baghaei.

Sin embargo, Irán no ha publicado ningún video de Jamenei desde que comenzaron los ataques el sábado por la mañana.

CNN informó previamente que Jamenei fue uno de los objetivos de la primera salva de ataques contra Irán, junto con otros altos líderes, pero fuentes israelíes afirmaron que no había confirmación de su muerte.

Netanyahu también afirmó que la operación contra Irán requiere “paciencia” y que la misma “durará tanto como sea necesario”.

“Esta guerra conducirá a una paz verdadera”, prometió Netanyahu en su declaración.

Según la Oficina del Primer Ministro, Netanyahu habló por teléfono con el presidente estadounidense, Donald Trump, esta mañana.

La oficina publicó una fotografía de Netanyahu hablando por teléfono sentado en un escritorio, con un mapa de Medio Oriente bajo el brazo.

A la izquierda de Netanyahu, se encuentra visiblemente un ejemplar de “Aliados en Guerra”, una obra histórica reciente sobre la Segunda Guerra Mundial y la alianza entre el Reino Unido, Estados Unidos y la Unión Soviética contra los nazis.

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