HEGSETH DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM STRIKE: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is distancing himself from the second strike the U.S. carried out on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean in early September.
Hegseth told reporters at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday that he didn't "stick around" to see the second strike that the military carried out, killing two survivors an the initial strike.
"I watched that first strike live. As you can imagine, at the Department of War, we got a lot of things to do, so I didn't stick around for the hour and two hours, whatever, where all the sensitive site exploitation digitally occurs. So I moved on to my next meeting," he said.
Hegseth said he didn't learn that Adm. Frank Bradley ordered a second strike to be carried out until a "couple" hours later. Still, Hegseth defended Bradley's order.
"Adm. Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat. He sunk the boat, sunk the boat and eliminated the threat," Hegseth said. "And it was the right call. We have his back."
The operation was the first in a string of more than 20 boat strikes in the Caribbean and East Pacific in the months since.
Trump has also sought to distance himself from the strike while defending Hegseth, telling reporters on Sunday that he has "great confidence" in his Defense chief.
But some Democrats have said Hegseth and Bradley may have committed a war crime. They also accuse Trump and Hegseth of trying to set up Bradley to take the fall for the strike, as he gave the final order, The Hill's Mike Lillis reports.
The Washington Post reported that Hegseth gave the order to "kill everybody" on the boat, which he has denied, leading Bradley to order the second strike to kill the two survivors clinging to the boat's wreckage.
The GOP is divided over how to respond to the incident. The Republican leaders of the House and Senate armed services committees have vowed to investigate the matter in a bipartisan probe with their Democratic colleagues.
Some Republicans have individually been critical of the second strike and suggested it may have been illegal, such as Rep. Mike Turner (Ohio), a former House Intelligence Committee chair.
But the committee's investigations are frustrating the president's allies as Trump is facing a key moment in his standoff with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports.
Bradley will brief lawmakers Thursday about the strikes.
▪ The Hill: Leon Panetta says no question second strike was a war crime.
▪ The Hill: Trump's Cabinet faces mounting scrutiny.
MINNESOTA ICE OPERATION: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is reportedly set to target Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., in the next round of its immigration raids as Trump rails against Somali immigrants coming into the country.
Multiple outlets reported that a new ICE operation will target hundreds of Somali migrants in the Twin Cities. It comes as Trump has harshened his rhetoric against those in the country without legal status, particularly Somali migrants in Minnesota.
After a conservative activist published unsubstantiated accusations last week alleging money stolen from Minnesota programs has gone to the militant group Al-Shabab, which controls parts of Somalia, Trump vowed to send Somalis living in Minnesota "back to where they came from."
The president has also sparred with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) on various subjects, including over a claim that the state is a "hub of fraudulent money laundering activity." Walz accused Trump of "demonizing an entire community" in his actions and words regarding Somali migrants.
Trump said Tuesday during the Cabinet meeting that he didn't want Somali immigrants in the U.S., saying they "contribute nothing."
The New York Times reported ICE plans to deploy strike teams made up of ICE officers, agents and other federal officials. About 100 officers and agents have been gathered for the operation.
▪ The Hill: Trump ramps up immigration crackdown.
VACCINE PANEL MEETING: The vaccine advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is set to meet later this week to vote on possible changes to hepatitis B vaccinations for newborns and the childhood vaccine schedule.
The votes will come months after the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) delayed a vote to recommend pushing back the timing of newborns' hepatitis B vaccinations.
The Hill's Joseph Choi reports that some medical professionals and lawmakers are questioning the possible change, arguing no new evidence has precipitated it.
The meeting is taking place as ACIP's controversial chair, Martin Kulldorff, was appointed to a different role in the Department of Health and Human Services. Kulldorff is a staunch vaccine critic and argued in September that removing vaccine mandates would increase trust in public health.
But no vaccine mandate for hepatitis B exists in the U.S.
▪ Reuters: Hepatitis B changes would be most consequential yet.
COSTCO'S TARIFF FIGHT: Costco has filed a lawsuit requesting a full refund of financial losses as a result of Trump's tariffs if the Supreme Court ultimately strikes most of them down.
The retail giant adds heft to a growing corporate push for tariff refunds as observers and the administration await a ruling from the court as to the legality of Trump's unilateral tariffs on many countries. The court heard oral arguments last month.
Other companies that have sued for refunds include food companies like Bumble Bee Foods and cosmetics companies like Revlon. But Costco is arguably the most notable yet to do so.
▪ The Hill: Trade deal pushes U.K. to increase drug spending.
No comments:
Post a Comment