What we're covering
• Double-tap controversy: Top House and Senate lawmakers appeared divided along party lines after classified briefings with the admiral who oversaw a follow-up strike on an alleged Caribbean drug boat. The House Intelligence Committee chair said he thought the second strike was justified, while a top Democrat described video as “one of the most troubling things” he’s seen as a lawmaker.
• Diplomatic moves: President Donald Trump signed a peace deal alongside the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, who alluded to a difficult path ahead. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials are in the US to get information about US talks with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
• 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 Intel Democrat wants more before weighing in on legality of strikes, but calls video "very troubling"
Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he wants more information on the controversial follow-up attack on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat before weighing in on it’s legality and the role of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, though he recounted “troubling” video shown in a briefing with Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley.
Asked by CNN if he agrees with Senate Intelligence Chair Tom Cotton that the attack was lawful, Warner responded, “I think the video was very disturbing. I am not going to weigh in on all of the questions about lawful morality judgments, until I get all the information,” saying he “can’t think of a more serious accusation” than war crimes.
Warner said he continues to have concerns about “this pattern from Secretary Hegseth of putting our uniform military in harm’s way or under duress,” citing the recent watchdog report about the Pentagon chief’s use of a messaging app to share sensitive war plans and the evolving narratives shared by the administration about the boat strikes.
“I think it doesn’t do the Secretary or our Armed Forces any service by holding back and not being transparent,” he said, warning that the remaining flotilla of US ships off the coast of Venezuela could put troops “potentially in harm’s way” and “doesn’t treat them with, I think, the appropriate transparency and directness they deserve.”
Warner told reporters the video shown in the briefing was “very disturbing” and all of Congress should be able to view it. The administration’s legal opinion underlying the attacks, he said, should be released “publicly.”
Pressed on if he believes, based on what he saw in the video, the survivors of the first attack presented a threat to the US, Warner responded, “I’m going to say what the video was very troubling, and I think more people need to see it, but I want to better understand the process, justification and some of the items.”
Asked if he believes Hegseth is ultimately responsible for the strikes, Warner responded, “these are the kind of questions that that still need to be answered.”
Unions file emergency request to stop Trump administration layoffs of foreign service officers
Two unions have filed an emergency request for a temporary restraining order to halt the State Department’s plans to lay off more than 250 foreign service and civil service workers on Friday.
The action is in violation of the short-term funding plan that Congress approved last month to reopen the federal government after a record-long shutdown, according to a supplemental complaint filed yesterday by the American Federation of Government Employees and the American Foreign Service Association. One measure barred the Trump administration from implementing any reductions-in-force, or RIFs, through the end of January.
The unions are asking a federal judge to prevent those terminations and to reverse other RIFs at the Small Business Administration, General Services Administration and the Education and Defense departments.
The looming layoffs are part of a sweeping reorganization at the State Department, during which 246 foreign service officers and more than 1,000 civil service officers were given reduction-in-force notices. This week, the foreign service officers received emails saying firings would be finalized on December 5.
A State Department spokesperson said the language in the continuing resolution doesn’t apply to these terminations “since the State Department’s lawful reduction in force (RIF) process was commenced and initiated well before the lapse in appropriations.”
“Legal opinions published by both OMB [Office of Management and Budget] and DOJ [Department of Justice] confirm that outcome. The State Department will proceed with executing the RIF process as planned,” the spokesperson said.
During the shutdown, several federal agencies issued RIF notices to thousands of workers. A federal judge halted the layoffs, calling them unlawful.
Hegseth ignores shouted questions about Caribbean strikes, Signal use
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth smiled and ignored shouted questions from CNN today regarding the potential release of the full video of US military strikes on an alleged drug boat on September 2.
Hegseth met this afternoon with Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson. After giving opening remarks, CNN asked Hegseth if he would release the full video of the “double-tap” strike in the Caribbean, a step President Donald Trump has said he would support. The strikes have come under intense scrutiny and were the topic of closed-door hearings on the Hill today with key committee lawmakers and the military officer who oversaw the strikes, Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley.
Hegseth did not answer the question but turned and smiled at the press.
When asked if he stood by his use of the Signal messaging app, after a Pentagon inspector general’s report published Thursday found he had risked compromising sensitive military information that could have put US troops in danger, Hegseth smiled again and did not answer.
Lawmakers attend briefing with top military official about double-tap strike. Here’s what you should know
More than two months after a reported double strike on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean that killed surviving crew members, lawmakers had a private briefing today with Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, a career Navy SEAL with over 30 years of military experience who oversaw the attack.
Here’s what you should know about the boat strikes controversy:
Lawmakers divided: Top House and Senate lawmakers emerged divided along party lines after the private briefing, with a top Democrat calling video of the incident that was shared “one of the most troubling things” he has seen as a congressman. But the panel chairman, Republican Rep. Rick Crawford of Arkansas, said that he thought the second strike was justified. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, also a Republican from Arkansas, called the strike “entirely lawful and needful.” But most top lawmakers on the Armed Services Committees mostly declined to comment.
On Hegseth’s alleged role: North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis told CNN that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is responsible for the processes that led to the killing of the boat strike survivors. But after the briefing, House Intelligence Chairman Rick Crawford told CNN that he is “confident” in Hegseth. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Hegseth “serves at the pleasure of the president” even as he acknowledged the another controversy involving the defense secretary, about his use of the Signal app earlier this year, was a “mistake” that should not be repeated.
Some context: 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.
CNN’s Haley Britzky, Zachary Cohen, Catherine Nicholls, Natasha Bertrand, Michael Rios, Avery Schmitz, Matt Stiles, Ellis Kim, Morgan Rimmer, Annie Grayer, Ted Barrett, Jenna Monnin, Sarah Ferris contributed reporting.
Ukrainian officials are in the US to get information about Washington’s talks with Russia, Zelensky says
Ukrainian officials are visiting the United States to obtain “full information” about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting this week with a US delegation aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Remember: A US delegation led by special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss the US proposal to end the war, but the talks failed to yield a breakthrough.
Zelensky said his country was “ready for any scenario” amid the fresh negotiations.
“Only a dignified peace means real security, and we are fully aware that this requires the support of our partners now and in the future,” Zelensky added.
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.
