By Eric Swalwell The US airstrike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad lacked two key elements that any American military strategy must have: the trust of the American people and allies to back us up. This world is full of bad actors, and how we choose to deal with them has far-reaching implications for our immediate national security and our long-term interests. Our adversaries, including Russia, China and North Korea, work against our interests every day, but we don't call in airstrikes against their top leaders or generals. Soleimani was among the worst, but he was not from some stateless terrorist organization -- he was a sovereign nation's senior military leader. This is the first time in recent history the United States has eliminated such a figure. Yet President Donald Trump took this momentous step alone and without any identifiable plan for the ramifications. He did not consult our allies or notify Congress. Had he done so, he would have heard words of caution from prominent officials and allies. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world can't afford another war in the region, and leaders "must exercise maximum restraint." Federica Mogherini, the European high representative for foreign and security policy, tweeted that Soleimani's killing was "an extremely dangerous escalation." Even our British allies are urging de-escalation. Perhaps most importantly, the President took this grave step without the confidence and faith of the American people, three quarters of whom, according to a poll conducted before the killing of Soleimani, do not want to wage war in Iran, and the majority of whom disapprove of Trump's foreign policy. It is not at all clear that his actions are based on credible intelligence, or even that they were undertaken in the best interests of our national security. We are beset by doubt, and rightfully so. An American president should be knowledgeable, thoughtful and trustworthy enough to discharge his or her duties as commander in chief without immediately being second-guessed. Sadly, that is not how President Trump governs. President Trump's past actions have alienated and angered our allies. And he has forfeited the benefit of the doubt by barraging us with lies on matters involving Russia, by throwing our own intelligence community and public servants under the bus when they contradict him and by ignoring our military experts' advice whenever it fails to fit into his personal political goals. We've seen this particularly in his conduct regarding Ukraine, for which he was impeached. During a House Intelligence Committee hearing in November, Marie Yovanovitch, a longtime public servant and the former US ambassador to Ukraine, testified that "the US is the most powerful country in the history of the world in large part because of our values, and our values have made possible the network of alliances and partnerships that buttresses our own strength." It is a principle that, according to overwhelming evidence, President Trump ignored. He withheld millions of taxpayer dollars from Ukraine, while it was at war with our adversary, to score cheap political points. And when brave public servants came forward to question and expose his criminal and unconstitutional actions, the President unleashed his wrath on them, calling our diplomats and military personnel -- who served courageously across multiple administrations -- traitors. Some have asked why what President Trump did in Ukraine matters; this crisis makes it clear. As Yovanovitch explained in her November testimony, President Trump's rash conduct "undermines the US, exposes our friends, and widens the playing field for autocrats like President Putin. Our leadership depends on the power of our example and the consistency of our purpose. Both have been opened to question." In short, when our values are called into question and our alliances soften, America is weaker. That is where we find ourselves now as President Trump puts us closer to the brink of full-scale war. Where was President Trump when all this occurred? The world saw him hanging out at Mar-a-Lago as it learned of the action he took without consulting Congress, without the support of our allies and with the likelihood of blowback that could affect everyone's security and economy. He behaves now as he always has -- as if he's the CEO of his own little fiefdom, and he need answer to nobody. Protecting American lives is any president's paramount duty, but we must determine whether sound intelligence justified this strike. We must know he is protecting our security and not his own selfish interests. President Trump has refused to acknowledge that the Constitution and the law apply to him; now his hubris tells him he has the power to wage war all by himself. None of this is acceptable. Congress must and will do its constitutional duty by wielding its powers of the purse and of oversight. Given his abysmal track record, we cannot and will not take him at his word. We cannot let him unravel the credibility and trust that this country has spent its entire history earning from its allies and its own people. The world used to know that we cared about our allies, about the rule of law and about democracy. It must know so again; we must not let the President lead us into an unnecessary war on his personal whim.

By Ryan C. Brooks | BuzzFeed News Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images California Rep. Eric Swalwell announced at a press conference Monday that he is ending his short-lived bid for president and running for reelection to his House seat, becoming the second Democrat to drop out of the 2020 race, leaving the field at 23 candidates. “After the first Democratic presidential debate, our polling and fundraising numbers weren’t what we had hoped for, and I no longer see a path forward to the nomination. My presidential campaign ends today,” Swalwell said. Swalwell’s announcement comes just three months after he declared he was running during an April appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. “The polls have had their way, so here we are in July,” Swalwell told reporters of his decision to drop out. That decision isn’t exactly a shock. Despite qualifying and participating in the June Democratic debates, Swalwell’s campaign has failed to gain traction in the crowded field of candidates and has dwindled on the lower end of polling. Swalwell’s campaign abruptly canceled a swing through New Hampshire over the long Independence Day weekend. Swalwell is best known for his position on the House Intelligence Committee and the House Judiciary Committee and his work on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Swalwell, 38, was one of the youngest Democrats running for president and spent his time during the June debate telling former vice president Joe Biden that it was time for him to “pass the torch” to a younger generation of Democrats so they could solve issues like gun control, automation, student loan debt, and climate change. The first candidate to drop out of the race was Richard Ojeda, a former West Virginia legislator and congressional candidate who briefly ran a populist campaign for the Democratic nomination after losing his House race. He quit the 2020 primary at the end of January. The remaining candidates are: former vice president Joe Biden; Sens. Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Michael Bennet, Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar, and Kirsten Gillibrand; Reps. Seth Moulton, Tulsi Gabbard, and Tim Ryan; South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg; former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper; Washington Gov. Jay Inslee; Montana Gov. Steve Bullock; former representatives Beto O’Rourke, John Delaney, and Joe Sestak; New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio; entrepreneur Andrew Yang; former Housing secretary Julián Castro; author Marianne Williamson; Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam.