White House says that second strike on vessel was legal and conducted in ‘self-defence’
In response to questions from reporters today, Karoline Leavitt defended the second strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel on 2 September this year.
“President Trump and secretary Hegseth have made it clear that presidentially designated Narco terrorist groups are subject to lethal targeting in accordance with the laws of war,” Leavitt said of the targeted attack, in which the defense secretary reportedly told officials to “kill everybody” after two survivors were identified after an initial strike.
“Adm Bradley worked well within his authority and the law directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated. And I would just add one more point to remind the American public why these lethal strikes are taking place, because this administration has designated these Narco terrorists as foreign terrorist organizations,” the press secretary added.
Leavitt said today that strike was conducted in “self-defence to protect Americans in vital United States interests”. She also noted that the strike was conducted “in international waters and in accordance with the law of armed conflict”.
To date, the strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean have killed more than 80 people, and targeted at least 22 more boats. According to the Washington Post, who first broke the story, some current and former US officials and experts have said that the Trump administration’s missile strikes in the Caribbean may be unlawful. Historically, the US government has intercepted drug-trafficking boats in the water and prosecuted the alleged smugglers. For his part, Hegseth has refuted claims that the strikes were illegal.
Key events
West Virginia governor says that there is ‘positive news’ about national guard member who was severely wounded in DC shooting
West Virginia governor Patrick Morrisey said today that he received “positive news” from US air force staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe – who is critically injured in hospital after being shot in downtown DC last week.
At a press conference today Morrisey said that Wolfe gave a “thumbs up” when asked by a nurse if he could hear her question.
“We were told that he also wiggled his toes. So we take that as a positive sign,” Morrisey added, before saying he was not going to “speculate”.
World Aids Day not commemorated by US government for first time in almost 30 years
Today is World Aids Day – the international commemoration of the lives lost to HIV/Aids, highlight efforts to contain the epidemic, and to raise awareness among the general public.
However, this is the first year since 1988 where the US government will not formally recognize World Aids Day, according to various reports, citing emails from the state department.
As my colleague, Lucy Campbell, reports, since Trump returned to the White House, he has cancelled foreign aid programs that combat HIV and Aids, scrapped research and prevention resources, and restricted funding under the two-decade-old President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, or Pepfar, the government’s global HIV program established under the Republican president George W Bush, which is estimated to have prevented 25m early deaths.
Here’s a recap of the day so far
-
In response to questions from reporters today, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the second strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel on 2 September this year. She said today that strike was conducted in “self-defence to protect Americans in vital United States interests”. She also noted that the strike was conducted “in international waters and in accordance with the law of armed conflict”. A reminder that that the defense secretary reportedly told officials to “kill everybody” after two survivors were identified after an initial military strike. Experts and former officials warn that the strike may be unlawful.
-
The White House also confirmed today that Donald Trump will meet with top national security advisers on the matter of Venezuela today. The press secretary also noted that the president will host his ninth cabinet meeting of the year on Tuesday. And on Thursday, the president will host the President of the Republic of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to sign a peace and economic agreement.
-
Throughout the first press briefing post Thanksgiving, Leavitt also blamed Joe Biden for last week’s shooting in DC that killed one national guard member and left another in critical condition. “I would just point out one more time that the Biden administration was responsible for the original sin that led to this tragic killing last week, the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan” she said, referring to the 29-year-old suspect and Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
-
A federal appeals court ruled today that Trump’s personal lawyer, Alina Habba, is serving unlawfully as the US attorney for the district of New Jersey. The third circuit rejected a challenge from the justice department to keep Habba in her position, upholding a lower court’s decision that she was disqualified from serving in the role.
-
Donald Trump’s top envoy, Steve Witkoff, is set to meet with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday. He’ll be joined by the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Today, the White House said that the administration “feels very optimistic” that a deal to end the war in Ukraine will be reached. “I will let the negotiators negotiate, but we do feel quite good, and we’re hopeful that this war can finally come to an end,” Leavitt said today.
-
Over the weekend, the president threw his weight behind Matt Van Epps, the Republican candidate in the special election in Tennessee’s seventh congressional district. Van Epps is running against Aftyn Behn – a Democratic state representative – to replace former GOP congressman Mark Green. A reminder, that Trump carried the district by 22 points in 2024, but after the success of November’s elections for Democrats across the country, the party is hoping to flip the Maga stronghold.
Administration is ‘very optimistic’ on agreement to end war in Ukraine, White House says
Ahead of special envoy Steve Witkoff’s meeting with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the administration “feels very optimistic” that a deal to end the war in Ukraine will be reached.
On Sunday, Witkoff and secretary of state Marco Rubio had a “productive” meeting with Ukrainian negotiators in Florida, ahead of tomorrow’s Moscow summit.
“This is sort of the shuttle diplomacy that you’ve seen from this administration play out, where we speak equally with both sides,” Leavitt said today. “We put points on paper. Those points have been very much refined. But as for the details, I will let the negotiators negotiate, but we do feel quite good, and we’re hopeful that this war can finally come to an end.”
During today’s White House briefing, the press secretary gave a results readout of the president’s most recent MRI scans. She noted that the imaging was performed “because men in his age group benefit from a thorough evaluation of cardiovascular and abdominal health”. Leavitt added that it was carried out preventively.
“President Trump’s cardiovascular imaging was perfectly normal, no evidence of arterial narrowing, impairing blood flow or abnormalities in the heart or major vessels,” she said today. “Overall, his cardiovascular system shows excellent health. His abdominal imaging is also perfectly normal.”
“In summary, this level of detailed assessment is standard for an executive physical at President Trump’s age, and confirms that he remains in excellent overall health.”
Leavitt also confirmed that Donald Trump will meet with his national security team on Venezuela later today. This comes after his phone call with president Nicolás Maduro, where Trump reportedly gave the Venezuelan leader an ultimatum to step down.
The press secretary said that she would not say whether the administration would support the release of video footage of the 2 September strike, deferring to the Pentagon.
White House says that second strike on vessel was legal and conducted in ‘self-defence’
In response to questions from reporters today, Karoline Leavitt defended the second strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel on 2 September this year.
“President Trump and secretary Hegseth have made it clear that presidentially designated Narco terrorist groups are subject to lethal targeting in accordance with the laws of war,” Leavitt said of the targeted attack, in which the defense secretary reportedly told officials to “kill everybody” after two survivors were identified after an initial strike.
“Adm Bradley worked well within his authority and the law directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated. And I would just add one more point to remind the American public why these lethal strikes are taking place, because this administration has designated these Narco terrorists as foreign terrorist organizations,” the press secretary added.
Leavitt said today that strike was conducted in “self-defence to protect Americans in vital United States interests”. She also noted that the strike was conducted “in international waters and in accordance with the law of armed conflict”.
To date, the strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean have killed more than 80 people, and targeted at least 22 more boats. According to the Washington Post, who first broke the story, some current and former US officials and experts have said that the Trump administration’s missile strikes in the Caribbean may be unlawful. Historically, the US government has intercepted drug-trafficking boats in the water and prosecuted the alleged smugglers. For his part, Hegseth has refuted claims that the strikes were illegal.
White House blames Biden administration for national guard shooter’s entry to US
Addressing reporters today, press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated that the president has “permanently paused migration of foreign nationals from third world countries that pose a very high risk” to the US. This includes special interest visas – a legal pathway for Afghan nationals who were employed by or worked alongside the US government.
“The terrorist who gunned down American soldiers, blocks away from the White House in an ambush, was an Afghan national who was flown into our country by Joe Biden’s administration in September 2021 in the chaotic wake of their botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, one of the most embarrassing moments in the history of our great country,” Leavitt said of 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal. “Joe Biden’s historic failure in Afghanistan continues to haunt this country and our men and women in uniform.”
Leavitt begins White House briefing
Karoline Leavitt has started the White House briefing, and outlines a busy week for Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, the president will host his ninth cabinet meeting of the year. On Tuesday afternoon, Trump will make an announcement in the Oval Office on his initiative to create Trump accounts. On Thursday, the president will host the President of the Republic of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to sign a peace and economic agreement. That evening Trump and the first lady will take part in the lighting of the national Christmas tree on the Ellipse. And on Friday, the president will attend the Fifa World Cup final draw at the Kennedy Center.
Agriculture secretary says department reviewing programs to check for undocumented immigrants receiving benefits
Agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins said today that her department will be reviewing all programs to “ensure only legal citizens are receiving benefits”.
In a statement to social media, she added: “Earlier this year, USDA put states on notice reminding them illegal immigrants and certain non-citizens CAN NOT receive SNAP benefits.”
It’s important to note that undocumented immigrants are already ineligible to access the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (Snap). However, Snap is calculated per household, so if there is a mixed-status family, Snap benefits will only be enough for US citizens/eligible members in that home.
“Right now, we are requiring states turn over recipient data to fight waste, fraud, and abuse. Even though 22 blue states have refused to provide the data, we are using every tool to compel their compliance,” Rollins said today. “WHAT are they hiding? WHO are they hiding?”
In a short while, we’ll hear from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is briefing members of the media.
Of note, the White House website now has a searchable “media bias” portal, where they list several news outlets and reporters in order to catalog “the avalanche of lies, deliberate distortions, and manufactured hoaxes” from organizations they claim are sympathetic to liberal causes.
In lighter news, Melania Trump has unveiled the holiday decorations at the White House with the theme for this year: “Home Is Where the Heart Is.”
The decor nods to next year’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the founding of the United States of America.
The Associated Press notes that the elaborate decorations include 75 wreaths, 51 Christmas trees, more than 700 feet of garland, more than 2,000 strands of lights, over 25,000 feet of ribbon, over 2,800 gold stars, more than 10,000 butterflies and 120 pounds of gingerbread.
This year, the official White House Christmas tree, which is always on display in the Blue Room, also honors Gold Star families, those that lost a member during active-duty military service.
The official tree traditionally recognizes each state and territory and this year’s fir is decorated with ornaments showcasing the official bird and flower of each.
The Green Room celebrates family fun, featuring large portraits of the first and the current presidents, George Washington and Donald Trump, respectively, each made from more than 6,000 Lego puzzle pieces.
Thousands of blue butterflies decorate the Red Room and its tree in a celebration of young people and in tribute to Melania Trump’s Fostering the Future initiative , which is part of her Be Best child-focused initiative, to support people who have been in foster care.
And, a holiday highlight, the gingerbread White House on display in the State Dining Room shows off the mansion’s South Portico and offers a special glimpse into the Yellow Oval Room, a sitting room off the Truman Balcony in the president’s private living quarters on the second floor.
It was made using 120 pounds of gingerbread, 100 pounds of pastillage, a sugar-based modeling paste; over 10 pounds of chocolate and 5 pounds of royal icing.
Donald Trump plans to meet today with top advisers to discuss Venezuela, among other topics, two sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters.
The Oval Office meeting, scheduled for 5pm ET, is expected to include secretary of state Marco Rubio, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and other senior members of Trump’s team, the sources said.
It follows an astonishing report that Trump gave Nicolás Maduro an ultimatum to relinquish power immediately during their recent call, which Venezuela’s authoritarian leader declined, demanding a “global amnesty” for himself and allies.
Yesterday, the US president confirmed the call had taken place, telling reporters:
I wouldn’t say it went well or badly, it was a phone call.
Neither the US nor Venezuelan government have offered further details of the topics discussed during the highly unusual conversation, which is thought to have happened on 21 November.
But sources told the Miami Herald that Trump had sent a “blunt message” to Maduro, who is the focus of a four-month pressure campaign in which the US president has ordered a massive naval deployment off Venezuela’s northern coast.
“You can save yourself and those closest to you, but you must leave the country now,” Trump reportedly said, offering safe passage for Maduro, his wife and his son “only if he agreed to resign right away”.
My colleague and Latin America correspondent Tom Phillips has the story:
Richard Luscombe
Donald Trump has said he will release the results of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan conducted during his surprise “semiannual physical” in October – but was unable to tell reporters what part of his body was under investigation.
The oldest-ever US president faced questions over the procedure on Air Force One as he traveled back to Washington DC on Sunday night after a Thanksgiving break in Florida. It is the latest episode of recurring concern about the cognitive abilities and mental fitness of the 79-year-old, who insisted he had “aced” earlier tests relating to his brain functioning.
Asked if he would make public the outcome of the scan, Trump said: “If you want to have it released, I’ll release it.” He asserted that the result was “perfect” even though he admitted again he had “no idea” what part of his body was scanned.
“It was just an MRI,” he said. “What part of the body? It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test, and I aced it.”
Trump was similarly vague about the scan after his 10 October visit to the Walter Reed national military medical center, which was portrayed by Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, at the time as a “routine yearly checkup”, even though he had his annual physical in April.
“I have no idea what they analyze, but whatever they analyze, they analyzed it well and they said that I had as good a result as they’ve ever seen,” he said in November. “The doctor said it was the best result he has ever seen as a doctor.”
The FBI director, Kash Patel, is “in over his head” and leading a “chronically under-performing” agency paralyzed by fear and plummeting morale, according to a scathing 115-page report compiled by a national alliance of retired and active-duty FBI special agents and analysts.
The leaked assessment, obtained by the New York Post and prepared for both congressional Senate and House judiciary committees, is based on confidential accounts from 24 FBI sources.
They accuse Patel of lacking the experience to lead the FBI and that managers will not take initiative without explicit direction for fear of being fired. Patel’s first six months have produced a “troubling picture” of an organization described by insiders as a “rudderless ship”, with two sources independently characterizing the director as being “in over his head”. One stated he “lacks the requisite knowledge or deep understanding of all the FBI’s unique and complex investigative and intelligence programs”.
One key accusation is that the FBI has become “internally paralyzed by fear”. Managers are “afraid of losing their jobs”, and “waiting on directions from the FBI director” rather than taking initiative, according to multiple sources.
The assessment comes amid ongoing controversies surrounding Patel’s tenure. Before his February 2025 confirmation, nearly 60 civil rights organizations urged the Senate to reject his nomination because of his lack of experience, foreign ties and misleading statements. Since taking office, he has faced criticism for refusing to release Jeffrey Epstein files and for prematurely announcing an arrest in the Kirk investigation that had to be retracted.
Trump says it’s ‘very important’ for Israel to maintain a ‘strong’ dialogue with Syria
Donald Trump said today that it is “very important” for Israel to maintain “a strong and true dialogue with Syria”. In a post on Truth Social, he added it was vital that “nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous State”.
In November, Trump met with Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House – the first visit of its kind. Today, Trump noted that al-Sharaa is “working diligently to make sure good things happen”, and that both “Syria and Israel will have a long and prosperous relationship together”.
Trump’s comments today come after a military operation by Israel in southern Syria over the weekend, where 13 people were killed, in an attempt to capture two leaders of an Islamist militant group who were allegedly plotting an attack on Israel.
Appeals court rules Alina Habba is serving unlawfully as top federal prosecutor
A federal appeals court ruled today that Trump’s personal lawyer, Alina Habba, is serving unlawfully as the US attorney for the district of New Jersey.
The third circuit rejected a challenge from the justice department to keep Habba in her position, upholding a lower court’s decision that she was disqualified from serving in the role. A reminder that Habba was not confirmed by the Senate to her position, but installed through a Department of Justice maneuver after she failed to secure an appointment by federal district court judges.
This is the second blow to the Trump administration’s top federal prosecutor picks. Last week, a federal judge ruled that Lindsey Halligan, the interim US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia, was unlawfully appointed. It meant that the cases Halligan brought against Trump adversaries, James Comey and Letitia James, were ultimately thrown out.
As Pete Hegseth continues to face scrutiny following a Washington Post report that he “gave a spoken directive” on 2 September to “kill everybody” on board in a second strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel, the defense secretary appeared glib on social media.
He posted a picture on Sunday evening, which shows a parody cover of a Franklin the Turtle book, where the beloved character is shooting small boats below him filled with men transporting drugs. “For your Christmas wish list,” Hegseth captioned the illustration.
The defense secretary continues to deny the Post’s claims. “As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland,” he wrote in a statement on Friday.
Trump backs GOP candidate in Tennessee special election as race tightens
Over the weekend, the president threw his weight behind Matt Van Epps, the Republican candidate in the special election in Tennessee’s seventh congressional district. Van Epps is running against Aftyn Behn – a Democratic state representative – to replace former GOP congressman Mark Green. A reminder, that Trump carried the district by 22 points in 2024, but after the success of November’s elections for Democrats across the country, the party is hoping to flip the Maga stronghold.
“HE WILL BE A GREAT CONGRESSMAN,” Trump said of Van Epps on Truth Social, adding that while he “cherishes Christianity and Country Music”, his opponent “hates them both”. This comes after Republicans have criticized Behn for resurfaced comments on a 2020 podcast. “I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music,” she said of Nashville, which is part of the district she’s running to represent.
My colleague, Chris Stein, reports that a survey from Emerson College Polling and the Hill found Van Epps up by just two percentage points over Behn, leading with 48% support to her 46%. He adds that the district is mostly made up of the sort of rural territory in which Democrats have struggled to compete, but also includes part of blue-leaning Nashville, as well as the city of Clarksville, a swing area whose residents may well decide the race.
Read Chris’ full report below.
