00:00Hegseth under fire, from a deadly boat strike to Signal Gate.
00:05But 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.
00:17The 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.
00:34We 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
00:44of 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.
00:55And that's what set the operation in motion.
00:58When two men survived the initial hit, the commander on the scene, Admiral Mitch Bradley,
01:04reportedly 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
01:16and appeared to be communicating with other boats that could have picked them up,
01:20making 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 gonna find that this is war, that these people were killing our people by the millions, actually,
01:42if you look over a few years.
01:44I 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.
01:55And 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
02:23about 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 SignalGate.
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.
02:48Hegseth 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, to ensure public transparency and to help reconstruct Epstein's horrific crimes,
03:20adding it's time for President Trump to release all the files now.
03:24The 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.
03:35Ranking member Robert Garcia says those records will be made public in the days ahead.
03:40Also Wednesday, in a separate legal fight, attorneys for Jelaine Maxwell argued against unsealing grand jury material in her case
03:48and said they planned to seek her release from prison.
03:50Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for the sex trafficking of minors.
03:55Federal immigration raids are now underway across New Orleans, part of the Trump administration's latest crackdown,
04:01and 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.
04:15The 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,
04:34only 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.
04:49He noted that the Somali community is under investigation in Minnesota
04:52with allegations of massive fraud and stealing of state money.
04:56Again Wednesday afternoon, the president doubled down, telling reporters in the Oval Office
05:00that Somali immigrants have destroyed our country.
05:03He 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. They've destroyed our country.
05:14And all they do is complain, complain, complain. You have her.
05:18She's always talking about the Constitution provides me with...
05:24Go 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. We 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.
05:57Some in the Somali community are speaking out, trying to reassure neighbors who say they're terrified.
06:03I'm not scared, you know. There's nothing to be scared of, you know. There's a constitution in this country.
06:10And 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.
06:20New 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, even as the White House pushed for charges.
07:20Out 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.
07:40He pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution, admitting he illegally sold the Friend 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?
08:15No, not really.
08:17Look, it's a tragic story.
08:19And, you know, sometimes apparently nice guys do bad things.
08:23The legal system has to take account of it.
08:26Four others charged in the case will be sentenced in the coming months.
08:30Perry died in 2023 from the acute effects of ketamine.
08:34He was 54.
08:35Finally this morning, a break-in at a Virginia liquor store.
08:39You'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.
08:59He 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,
09:12other 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.
09:25Alright, 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,
09:38apologizing for his behavior the night before, saying it won't happen again?
09:42Hmm, food, and shall we say drink, poor thought.
09:47Alright, a busy Thursday ahead, here's what we're tracking.
09:50Starting with an RFK junior appointed committee meeting, kicking off in Atlanta.
09:54Members are taking a fresh look at how vaccines are given to Americans, especially children.
09:59Then at 9.30, Speaker Mike Johnson formally swears in Tennessee's newest Republican, Matt Van Epps.
10:05At noon, we'll get the latest read on mortgage rates from Freddie Mac.
10:10And 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.
10:28We'd love that.
10:29For all of us at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
10:31Have a great day.
10:32We've been the raccoons out there.
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10:38Follow us on your right today.
10:39We'll see you soon.
10:40On the other one, we'll see you in the MA.
10:42Do we John fitness?
10:44Will see you market for more discloseAw комп for questions in complained discussion?
10:45Okay.
10:46Have a great day.
10:47Do you want to share some of ourricikal recognition relationships?
10:48Have a great day.
11:01On the other one, you'll hang out.
11:03You finally will keep throwing data out there.
11:04You'll keep twisting template to fulfillment.
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