00:01Hegseth under fire, from a deadly boat strike to Signal Gate, but today an admiral takes the heat on the hill.
00:08Plus, federal raids hit Minneapolis, ramping up pressure and rattling the Somali community.
00:14And the drunk raccoon taking over the internet, the holiday mix-up that got him there.
00:21The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:27These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:33Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. We begin this morning with news scrutiny on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
00:38President Donald Trump said Wednesday he's fine with releasing any video his administration has of a U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean.
00:48A strike that left two initial survivors dead.
00:51Critics say Hegseth ordered the military to eliminate all crew members, and that's what set the operation in motion.
00:58When two men survived the initial hit, the commander on the scene, Admiral Mitch Bradley, reportedly ordered a second strike to carry out Hegseth's directive.
01:08On Wednesday, new details emerged.
01:10ABC News reports the survivors were seen trying to climb back aboard the boat to salvage drugs, and appeared to be communicating with other boats that could have picked them up, making them valid targets, according to U.S. officials.
01:23Critics have called the second strike a war crime, and multiple congressional investigations are now underway.
01:30When asked whether Hegseth or Bradley should face consequences, here's what the president said.
01:35I think you're going to find that this is war, that these people were killing our people, by the millions, actually, if you look over a few years.
01:43I think last year we lost close to 300,000 people were killed.
01:47So to be clear, you support the decision to kill survivors after the initial strike?
01:52No, I support the decision to knock out the boats, and whoever's piloting those boats, most of them are gone.
01:59But whoever are piloting those boats, they're guilty of trying to kill people in our country.
02:04Admiral Bradley is expected to testify on Capitol Hill today, and will show video of that second strike.
02:10Hegseth has stood by him, saying Bradley made the right call, and that, quote, we have his back.
02:16Meanwhile, the Pentagon Inspector General says Hegseth did share classified information in a group signal chat about a planned military operation in Yemen.
02:26The app is encrypted, but not approved for classified material.
02:30The findings come after an eight-month probe into what's been called signal gate.
02:35The IG says the details Hegseth sent were marked secret and could have put American troops at risk if intercepted.
02:42The report also says he violated regulations by using his personal phone for official business.
02:49Hegseth maintains he did not share classified information in that chat.
02:53House Democrats have now released more than 150 pictures and at least a dozen video clips from Jeffrey Epstein's private island,
03:01a new look at the Virgin Islands estate where he allegedly abused underage girls.
03:06The material was originally gathered during civil litigation in 2020.
03:10In a statement on Wednesday, Democrats said they're releasing the images, quote,
03:14to ensure public transparency and to help reconstruct Epstein's horrific crimes, adding it's time for President Trump to release all the files now.
03:23The House Oversight Committee also confirms it has received Epstein-related financial records from JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank,
03:32which could shed light on his business network.
03:34Ranking member Robert Garcia says those records will be made public in the days ahead.
03:39Also Wednesday, in a separate legal fight, attorneys for Jelaine Maxwell argued against unsealing grand jury material in her case
03:47and said they planned to seek her release from prison.
03:50Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for the sex trafficking of minors.
03:54Federal immigration raids are now underway across New Orleans.
03:58Part of the Trump administration's latest crackdown, and they're already creating scenes of tension and fear across the city.
04:05On Wednesday, Border Patrol agents fanned out across Kenner, a suburb just west of the city,
04:10driving through neighborhoods, parking lots, even stopping a man mowing a lawn.
04:14The administration says it's targeting immigrants accused of violent crimes, including home invasion, armed robbery, and rape,
04:21and blames local sanctuary-style policies for letting some suspects go.
04:26But the tactics are sparking fear.
04:28In one neighborhood, a man stood on his roof for more than an hour as agents surrounded his home,
04:33only coming down after the convoy pulled away.
04:37The operation is also rolling out in Minneapolis,
04:40just hours after President Trump launched into a tirade against Somali immigrants
04:45and called Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, quote, garbage.
04:48He noted that the Somali community is under investigation in Minnesota
04:52with allegations of massive fraud and stealing of state money.
04:55Again Wednesday afternoon, the president doubled down,
04:58telling reporters in the Oval Office that Somali immigrants have destroyed our country.
05:02He also took another swipe at Omar, who came to this country as a Somali refugee while in her teens.
05:09The Somalians should be out of here.
05:12They've destroyed our country.
05:13And all they do is complain, complain, complain.
05:17You have her.
05:18She's always talking about the Constitution provides me with...
05:23Go back to your own country and figure out your Constitution.
05:27I mean, our president's obsession with me and the Somali community really is creepy and healthy.
05:37And we are not, and I am not, someone to be intimidated, and we are not going to be scapegoated.
05:44We are here to stay.
05:46The Minneapolis-St. Paul area is home to the largest Somali community in the country, about 84,000 people.
05:53DHS says it could make 5,000 arrests or more in this surge.
05:58Some in the Somali community are speaking out, trying to reassure neighbors who say they're terrified.
06:03Man, I'm not scared, you know.
06:05There's nothing to be scared of, you know.
06:07There's a Constitution in this country, and we have rights, and every single one of us has rights.
06:15And we're not scared, but we have some Somali communities that are very scared.
06:21New this morning, federal prosecutors are now moving to re-indict New York Attorney General Letitia James,
06:27just one week after a judge threw out the original case.
06:30MS Now reports a new grand jury in Norfolk, Virginia, is expected to hear evidence as early as today,
06:36presented by a federal prosecutor brought in from Missouri.
06:39A federal judge dismissed the first round of indictments against James and former FBI Director James Comey,
06:45ruling that the acting U.S. attorney who brought the charges was not legally appointed and had no authority to prosecute.
06:52The judge, though, left the door open for the DOJ to try again.
06:56According to MS Now, top Justice Department officials have been split on how to proceed
07:01and are still weighing whether Comey can even be charged again because of a possible statute of limitations issue.
07:08All of this comes after months of internal turmoil inside the Eastern District of Virginia,
07:13where career prosecutors warned there was no factual basis for either case,
07:17even as the White House pushed for charges.
07:19Out West, a judge sentenced a California doctor who sold ketamine to actor Matthew Perry in the weeks before his death.
07:28He is the first defendant to face punishment in the case.
07:31Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic that can cause people to hallucinate.
07:3544-year-old Salvador Plasencia arrived in court to learn his fate.
07:39He pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution, admitting he illegally sold the friend to star 20 vials of ketamine,
07:47even texting another doctor about, quote, how much this moron will pay.
07:51The judge hit him with 30 months in federal prison, saying Plasencia fed Perry's addiction for personal profit.
07:58Perry's mother, Suzanne, and stepfather, Dateline's Keith Morrison, sat in the front row,
08:03both delivering emotional statements about the loss of their son.
08:07Asked by a reporter after court if he agreed with the judge's sentence, here's what Morrison said.
08:13Does it matter?
08:14No, not really.
08:17Look, it's a tragic story, and, you know, sometimes apparently nice guys do bad things.
08:23The legal system has to take account.
08:26Four others charged the case will be sentenced in the coming months.
08:30Perry died in 2023 from the acute effects of ketamine.
08:34He was 54.
08:34Finally this morning, a break-in at a Virginia liquor store.
08:38You've got to see this, with a suspect that honestly has been through enough.
08:43Police say this masked bandit right there, a full-grown raccoon, crashed in through the ceiling,
08:49then went on what animal control is calling a full-blown rampage at the liquor store.
08:54Rum, moonshine, vodka, even peanut butter whiskey.
08:58He tasted everything and then passed out cold on the bathroom floor.
09:06Officers scooped him up, let him sleep it off at the shelter, and said he showed no injuries other than maybe a hangover and poor life choices.
09:15You see all the bottles there.
09:16Officials hope he learned his lesson, but let's be honest.
09:19If you put peanut butter whiskey on the bottom shelf, someone or something is going to snatch it.
09:25All right, so I absolutely love these images, but I have a few questions.
09:28So when the raccoon wakes up, does he figure out where he is and what happened?
09:32Does he feel shame for passing out drunk?
09:35Does he start communicating with his fellow raccoons, you know, apologizing for his behavior the night before, saying it won't happen again?
09:42Hmm.
09:42Food and, shall we say, drink or thought.
09:47All right, a busy Thursday ahead.
09:49Here's what we're tracking.
09:50Starting with an RFK junior-appointed committee meeting, kicking off in Atlanta.
09:55Members are taking a fresh look at how vaccines are given to Americans, especially children.
10:00Then at 9.30, Speaker Mike Johnson formally swears in Tennessee's newest Republican, Matt Van Epps.
10:06At noon, we'll get the latest read on mortgage rates from Freddie Mac.
10:09And tonight, President Trump and First Lady Melania lead the national Christmas tree lighting.
10:15Hey, don't let your Uncle Bob on Facebook be your news source.
10:18Get unbiased updates straight to your inbox each morning.
10:21Sign up at san.com slash newsletters.
10:24Those are your unbiased updates for this Thursday.
10:26We'll see you back here tomorrow, Friday.
10:27We'd love that.
10:28For all of us at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DiGrelli.
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