What we're covering
• Double-tap controversy: Senior lawmakers are receiving classified briefings from the admiral who Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said ordered a follow-up strike on an alleged Caribbean drug boat. The House Intelligence Committee chair expressed confidence in Hegseth, while a top Democrat described his meeting with military officials as “troubling.”
• Trump stands by Hegseth: President Donald Trump said he’d support releasing video of the second strike and stood by his secretary of defense, as Hegseth faces bipartisan backlash for the strikes and use of the Signal app.
• Diplomatic moves: Trump signed a peace deal today alongside the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, who alluded to a difficult path ahead. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials are traveling to the US for ongoing peace talks, a source told CNN.
• DC pipe bomber probe: Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a man accused of planting pipe bombs near the RNC and DNC headquarters before the Jan. 6 Capitol riot has been charged with using an explosive device.
Top GOP lawmaker says strikes were “entirely lawful and needful" after briefing on double-tap strike
The chairman of Senate Intelligence Committee issued a fierce defense of the September double-tap strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean, following a briefing with Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Dan Caine.
“The first strike, the second strike and the third and the fourth strike on September 2nd were entirely lawful and needful, and they were exactly what we’d expect our military commanders to do,” chairman Tom Cotton said.
Asked what he saw reviewing video of the second strike, Cotton told reporters, “I saw two survivors trying to flip a boat, loaded with drugs bound for the United States, back over so they could stay in the fight.”
He continued, “And just like you would blow up a boat off of the Somali coast or the Yemeni coast, and you’d come back and strike it again if it still had terrorists and it still had explosives or missiles, Admiral Bradley and Secretary Hegseth did exactly what we’d expect them to do.”
Cotton also told reporters Admiral Bradley “was very clear” he was not given an order to “kill them all” or not give quarter.
“Admiral Bradley was very clear that he was given no such order, not to give no quarter or to kill them all. He was given an order that, of course, was written down in great detail, as our military always does,” he said.
"Cold case" of pipe bomber has been solved, Attorney General Bondi says
As lawmakers on Capitol Hill continue to be briefed on the US boat strikes in the Caribbean, elsewhere in the city, the Department of Justice made a major announcement regarding the Jan. 6 Capitol riot pipe bomber investigation.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced today that Brian Cole Jr., the man accused of planting viable pipe bombs outside the DNC and RNC offices the night before the 2021 attack, has been federally charged with using an explosive device.
The years-long investigation is still ongoing, Bondi said, adding that investigators were still executing search warrants and that more charges could be brought against Cole.
She slammed former President Joe Biden’s Justice Department for failing to make an arrest sooner, saying that the “cold case languished for four years.”
Rwandan and DRC presidents allude to difficult path ahead after signing peace deal alongside Trump
The presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo alluded today to a difficult path ahead after signing a peace deal alongside President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, to end a decades-long conflict.
“There will be ups and downs on the road ahead,” Kagame continued. “There is no doubt about it. Rwanda, I know, will not be found wanting. I can assure you of that.”
“The Democratic Republic of Congo will fully play its part with dignity, with consciousness and consistency and with the support of our partners, we will remain watchful, vigilant but not pessimistic,” Tshisekedi said. “We’ll be clear eyed but resolutely optimistic.”
Though Rwanda and the DR Congo signed an agreement to end the war back in June under US guidance, that deal did not put an end to fighting in eastern DR Congo.
Democratic lawmakers press CEOs on Trump ballroom donations
Nearly a dozen Democratic lawmakers sent letters today to executives from seven companies — including Amazon, Apple and Meta — asking for more information about their donations to President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom, including whether they were seeking “favorable treatment from the federal government.”
Among the questions the lawmakers asked the executives from Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Union Pacific Railroad are:
- why they decided to donate to the ballroom
- who made the decision
- how much they donated
- and whether they discussed the donation with Trump or any administration or campaign official.
The members of Congress who sent the letters include Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, Richard Bluementhal, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and Reps. Dave Min, Mark Taken, Hank Johnson, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Andre Carson, Dan Goldman and Yassamin Ansari.
“This is the most corrupt presidential administration in history,” Min said in a statement to CNN. “And while this Department of Justice may not be enforcing any laws against Trump’s benefactors, corporations need to know we are watching closely. The rule of law still exists in this country and anyone who participates in pay-to-play should consider themselves on notice.”
The president hosted some of the donors for a dinner at the White House in October. Days later, demolition of the White House East Wing began to make room for the proposed 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which the president has said would cost “about $300 million.”
Trump joins presidents of DR Congo and Rwanda for peace deal signing
President Donald Trump is joining the presidents of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda on Thursday for a ceremonial signing of a peace deal intended to stop decades of fighting in eastern Congo.
Trump announced that the deal, which he said formalizes terms agreed to in June, is called the Washington Accords.
Trump hosted the foreign ministers of each nation in June, when they signed what the US president called “a wonderful treaty.” But deadly fighting in the region has persisted in the months since Trump touted that agreement.
For the US president, however, this is another moment to herald his efforts to end conflicts around the world. Thursday’s signing is being held at the former US Institute of Peace building, which the State Department renamed for Trump on Wednesday, after his administration gutted the independent agency earlier this year.
Trump said Wednesday the newly signed compact would include a “permanent ceasefire, the disarmament of non-state forces, provisions for refugees to return to their homes, and justice and accountability for those who have committed illegal atrocities.”
A key tenet of the agreement is that it will open up some of the region’s critical minerals for the US government and American businesses as well as energy cooperation, a Trump administration official said.
Trump also touted bilateral agreements the US is signing with each country to “unlock new opportunities for the United States to access critical minerals.”
“And we’re going to take out some of the rare earth, take out some of the assets, and pay, and everybody is going to make a lot of money,” Trump said.
CNN’s Alayna Treene contributed to this post.
First lady Melania Trump touts progress in effort to return Ukrainian children
First lady Melania Trump announced that seven more Ukrainian children allegedly abducted by Russia have been returned to their families, heralding what she has described as “unwavering” dedication to the effort, despite some concerns from advocates.
“My dedication to guaranteeing the safe return of children to their families in this region is unwavering. I commend the leadership and persistent diplomacy of Russia and Ukraine in the pursuit of the reunification of children and families,” Trump said in a press release announcing the release of the children, six boys and one girl.
Remember: Trump announced earlier this year that she was working through direct communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with backchannel meetings and calls with the Kremlin on the issue, touting the release of eight Ukrainian children in October.
More context: Some advocates who have lauded the children’s return also raised concerns in conversations with CNN about the way the first lady got involved — and especially her passive-voice characterization of how the children ended up in Russia, fearing that it will only end up playing to Putin.
“Everyone is moving very carefully, but everyone is clear on the point that the first lady’s office needs to hear: Thank you — but it is 35,000 kids, not seven or eight,” Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, told CNN at the time. Raymond’s Ukraine Conflict Observatory is operating on private donations through the end of the year after the Trump administration cut its funding.
Top lawmakers remain tight-lipped about classified briefings on boat strikes
Following classified briefings on the US military’s second strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, top lawmakers on the Armed Services Committees mostly declined to comment on the meetings this morning.
Rep. Mike Rogers, chair of the House Armed Services Committee, did not share any information from the briefing and told CNN he was “running late for a meeting.”
Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, told CNN, “yes,” he’s pushing for an additional briefing with the full committee, but Smith did not provide further information, saying he would instead release a statement.
Sen. Roger Wicker, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also declined to comment on the briefing, saying “I’m going to withhold comment at this point.”
Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley will continue to brief top lawmakers throughout the day.
Senate GOP leader doesn't defend Hegseth but says it's up to Trump if he stays on the job
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “serves at the pleasure of the president” even as he acknowledged the Signal controversy was a “mistake” that should not be repeated.
“He serves at the pleasure of the president, and again, I think that ultimately, the metric by which I would measure is: are we safer today? And I think that arguably, you look at the prior administration, I don’t think there’s any question about that,” he said when asked if it was appropriate for Hegseth to continue to lead the department after the DOD Inspector General found he endangered troops though his actions.
He was pressed by CNN if the country would be even safer if someone other than Hegseth, who has been battered by controversy, was in charge, but he didn’t directly answer.
“The Signalgate issue, I think, everybody’s acknowledged was a mistake. Hopefully, they’ve learned from it and can do it better,” he said. “But again, he serves at the pleasure of the president, and I think as I observe what’s happening both here at home and around the world, I think our country and our world are safer places because of this administration’s leadership.”
Pentagon watchdog releases unclassified version of its report on Hegseth’s use of Signal
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth risked compromising sensitive military information that could have endangered US troops and jeopardized mission objectives in March when he used Signal to share details about an upcoming operation targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen, the unclassified version of a report by the Pentagon’s Inspector General released on Thursday confirms.
Specifically, the unclassified Inspector General report concludes that Hegseth violated Department of Defense regulations both by sending the information to a Signal group chat that included other top Trump officials, and a reporter, and using his personal phone to do so, according to the report.
On Wednesday, CNN first reported details of the classified version of the IG report, which was sent to Congress Tuesday evening.
The unclassified version confirms that Hegesth declined to sit for an in-person interview with the IG as part of its investigation and, in written responses, asserted that the information did not require classification before it was shared, citing his broad authority as Defense Secretary.
Read the unclassified report here.
House intel chair says he is "satisfied" with Bradley briefing on boat strikes
House Intelligence Chairman Rick Crawford told CNN that he is “confident” in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after receiving a classified briefing from Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley about US military strikes in the Caribbean.
“I feel confident and have no further questions of Hegseth,” Crawford told CNN.
Asked if he was told that Hegseth ordered the second strike on a suspected drug boat in September after the original strike did not kill everyone on board, Crawford said, “I’m not going to disclose the details of the meeting we just had, but I’m satisfied with the information I received.
Crawford said he thought the second strike was justified and that it is his “understanding” that Bradley ordered the second strike.
“We shouldn’t be surprised when we send folks to do a mission, when they do their mission,” Crawford added.
Himes after strike briefing: "One of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service"
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said leaving a briefing with top US military officials that what he learned about September’s double-tap strike in the Caribbean was “one of the most troubling things” he’s seen as a congressman.
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut told reporters that Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley defended the decisions taken during the September strike. But Himes concluded after reviewing video of the incident that “you have two individuals in clear distress, without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel, were killed by the United States.”
“People will someday see this video, and they will see that that video shows, if you don’t have the broader context, an attack on shipwrecked sailors,” the congressman said.
He said the admiral said there was no “kill them all” order and there was not an order to grant no quarter.
Himes said he thinks the video should be released publicly.
Catch up on the latest on the US strikes against alleged drug boats
The US military has killed at least 83 people in strikes that have destroyed 22 boats as part of a campaign that Washington says is aimed at curtailing the flow of drugs into the United States. See a timeline of the strikes here.
There had been three survivors of those strikes, two of whom were briefly detained by the US Navy before being returned to their home countries. The other is presumed dead after a search by the Mexican Navy.
The Trump administration has told Congress that the US is now in an “armed conflict” against drug cartels, beginning with its first strike on September 2, labeling those killed “unlawful combatants” and claiming the ability to engage in lethal strikes without judicial review due to a classified Justice Department finding.
The US military’s September strike has come under increased scrutiny as the Trump administration’s explanation has shifted. CNN and other outlets have reported that after an initial strike on a boat killed some of the crew and appeared to disable the ship, the military determined there were survivors and ordered at least one additional strike, according to sources.
Trump revived a playbook carried out in Afghanistan for his campaign targeting alleged drug boats. The US spent more than a decade carrying out attacks, known as “signature strikes,” based on similar rough intelligence profiles as part of its drone campaign in the Middle East.
Admiral and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman arrive at US Capitol for briefing
Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine arrived at the US Capitol roughly half an hour ago, ahead of a day of briefing senior lawmakers.
The briefings will be related to the controversial double-tap strike the US conducted against a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean in September.
They did not respond to a shouted question from a reporter as they arrived.
Pentagon officials make case for follow-up strike, saying survivors were still "in the fight"
The Defense Department has been making the case for the follow-up strike that killed survivors during an attack on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean by arguing that the survivors were still “in the fight.” They appeared to be radioing for help and could have theoretically continued trafficking drugs if they’d been rescued, according to people briefed on the strike.
Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, who will brief Congress today on the double-tap strike, is expected to make a similar case to lawmakers and will show the video of the operation, an official said.
What we know about the Navy SEAL leader facing questions from Congress today about the double-tap strike
More than two months after a reported double strike on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean, lawmakers are set to question a career Navy SEAL with over 30 years of military experience about the attack.
Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, a Navy SEAL officer was the commander of Joint Special Operations Command at the time of the strike, has had the responsibility of the follow-up attack pinned on him by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, as well as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Bradley is broadly respected by Republicans and Democrats alike, and sources who served alongside him or under him praised him as a quintessential Naval officer.
A source familiar with Bradley described him as stoic, meticulous, and “very level-headed.” He has largely approached the idea of speaking with Congress positively and with an understanding that this is what the job requires, the source said.
The admiral, who now leads US Special Operations Command, had carried out “thousands of strikes over his career,” the source familiar said. “This was his 37th month at [Joint Special Operations Command] — he knew what he was doing.”
Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said earlier this week that Bradley is “a highly decorated, highly respected” officer. Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said he has a “stellar reputation” and said any decision to carry out a follow-on strike is the fault of the culture fostered by Hegseth, as well as President Donald Trump.
Read more about the admiral in our full article here.
Ahead of US-Ukraine talks, Putin says Russia will seize Donbas by any means
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would seize the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine “in any case,” including by military means, according to state media.
One of the Kremlin’s biggest demands has been for Ukraine to surrender territory in the Donbas region, which has been annexed but not yet conquered by Russia.
Ahead of a summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday, Putin gave an interview with India Today, in which he said Russia would “liberate Donbas and Novorossiya in any case — by military or other means,” according to Russian state media TASS.
Novorossiya, or New Russia, is a historical term referring to territories toward the west during the Russian empire. Putin has revived the term and used it in declaring Crimea part of Russia in 2014.
Putin also described his meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, about a plan to end the war on Tuesday as lasting a long time since both parties had to “go through each point of the peace proposals,” according to TASS.
Putin said Russia did not agree with some of the points of the US-brokered proposal, but that it was a “difficult task.” He reiterated Russia’s demands that Ukraine withdraw its troops from Donbas and “refrain from military action,” according to TASS.
Trump said the US delegation had a “very good meeting” with Putin, and that they believed the Russian president “would like to see the war ended” — though the talks failed to yield a breakthrough.
Ukrainian officials are traveling to the US, where they have been invited to hold talks with their American counterparts on a plan to end Russia’s war, a Ukrainian source told CNN.
Here's what is on Trump's schedule today
On top of his efforts to bring about an end to the war in Ukraine, President Donald Trump also has ambitions of stopping a decades-long conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The foreign ministers of Rwanda and DR Congo signed a White House-brokered peace deal in Washington, DC back in June. Today, the leaders of both countries are set to meet with Trump and then each other.
Here’s what’s on Trump’s schedule today. Most early events are closed to the press, though we’re expected to have access to the signing ceremony around noon.
- 11 a.m. ET: Trump greets Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame.
- 11:10 a.m. ET: Trump also greets the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi.
- 11:20 a.m. ET: The three presidents participate in a trilateral greeting.
- 12:10 p.m. ET: Trump, Kagame and Tshisekedi participate in a signing ceremony at the Institute of Peace — which now bears Trump’s name after the administration gutted the independent agency earlier this year. This event is set to be open to the press, so we’ll bring you updates as it happens.
- 6 p.m. ET: Trump participates in the National Tree Lighting Ceremony at President’s Park alongside first lady Melania Trump. This is also open to the press.
Ukraine delegation traveling to US for talks on peace plan, source says
Ukrainian officials are travelling to the US, where they have been invited to hold talks with their American counterparts on a plan to end Russia’s war, a Ukrainian source told CNN.
The head of the Ukrainian delegation Rustem Umerov and Kyiv’s Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov are travelling to Miami, the source said.
Peace talks are gaining momentum following a lengthy meeting in Moscow on Tuesday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Those talks were “very useful, constructive, and highly substantive,” but a “compromise option was not found,” Russian foreign policy adviser and Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
Zelensky said Wednesday that Umerov and Hnatov will “begin preparations for a meeting with the envoys of President Trump in the United States.”
GOP senator says Hegseth is responsible for processes that led to strike on survivors in the Caribbean
North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis tells CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is responsible for the processes that led to the killing of survivors from a boat strike in the Caribbean.
Trump's pressure on Venezuela is raising questions at home and abroad. Here's what we know
President Donald Trump says a massive show of force from the US around Venezuela is “much beyond” a pressure campaign on his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro, as he weighs next steps after saying strikes on the alleged drug targets in the country would start “soon.”
The US military has amassed roughly 15,000 troops and more than a dozen warships in the region, and Trump has been briefed on a range of options, including targeted strikes on Venezuelan government and military facilities, or potentially a more direct attempt to oust Maduro.
The US military has already struck a string of boats that it alleges are carrying drugs, killing 83 people since the first attack in September.
That attack is coming under growing scrutiny after a followup strike — or so-called double-tap — was ordered following an initial hit that did not kill everyone on board.
Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also sought to distance themselves from the decision to launch the second strike, insisting they weren’t aware of what the military had done after the first strike.
Hegseth said the admiral who ordered the second strike, Frank “Mitch” Bradley, has his full support. And Trump said his administration would release video of the second strike
Today, Bradley will face questions from Congress over that strike as bipartisan criticism from lawmakers grows, with particular concerns over its legality.
CNN’s Donald Judd, Samantha Waldenberg, Alayna Treene, Alejandra Jaramillo, Morgan Rimmer, Natasha Bertrand, Annie Grayer and Betsy Klein contributed reporting to this post.
