Dec 02 WATCH: Hegseth says he ‘didn’t stick around’ after giving order for 1st boat strike on Sept. 2 By Steff Staples Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that he learned about the second strike on an alleged drug boat on Sept. 2 hours after giving the order for the first strike. Continue reading
Dec 02 WATCH: Trump defends boat strikes, attacks Somali immigrants in final Cabinet meeting of the year By Will Weissert, Michelle L. Price, Associated Press The president started things off by noting that it was the last time his Cabinet would gather until 2026. The sleepy, and occasionally slipshod, gathering ended with a flurry of news. Continue reading
Dec 01 Watch 3:57 White House says U.S. fired twice at alleged drug boat, raising bipartisan legal concerns By Nick Schifrin, Solveig Rennan The White House confirmed that the military fired twice at a suspected drug boat during its campaign of airstrikes in the Caribbean. A source familiar with what happened tells PBS News that a second strike in early September came despite… Continue watching
Dec 01 Watch 6:15 ‘That 2nd strike was a violation of the laws of war,’ former senior military lawyer says By Geoff Bennett, Dan Sagalyn For perspective on the U.S. military strikes on suspected drug boats and the legal concerns, Geoff Bennett spoke with retired Maj. Gen. Steven Lepper. He served as the Air Force's Deputy Judge Advocate General, and as such, was the service's… Continue watching
Dec 01 What the law says about killing survivors of a boat strike, according to experts By Ben Finley, Associated Press Leveling a second strike on the survivors of an initial attack on an alleged drug boat would have been a crime, legal experts say. Continue reading
Dec 01 WATCH: ‘I am not going to be silenced.’ Sen. Kelly denounces ‘bullying’ by Trump, Hegseth By Ben Finley, Gary Fields, Associated Press President Donald Trump has accused Kelly and the five other Democratic lawmakers in the video of sedition "punishable by DEATH."… Continue reading
Dec 01 WATCH: White House insists alleged drug boat attack was lawful, confirms second strike By Aamer Madhani, Associated Press White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt offered a justification for the Sept. 2 strike after lawmakers from both parties on Sunday announced support for congressional reviews of U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea… Continue reading
Nov 26 Dominican Republic grants U.S. access to restricted areas for its fight against drug trafficking By Dánica Coto, Associated Press It is the first major public agreement that the U.S. has struck with a Caribbean nation as it seeks friendly allies to support its attacks against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the region and beyond. Continue reading
Nov 25 Top U.S. military officials will visit Caribbean leaders as Trump weighs next steps By Konstantin Toropin, Associated Press Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will travel to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and meet Wednesday with the country’s top leaders, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Continue reading
Nov 24 Democratic senators ask Trump administration to provide legal basis for Venezuela strikes By Associated Press The U.S. military has carried out lethal strikes on alleged drug smugglers, which President Donald Trump has defended as a necessary escalation to curb the flow of drugs into the United States. Continue reading