Closing summary
This concludes our live coverage of the second Trump administration for the day. Here are the latest developments:
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that US forces launched a second strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel on 2 September, but described it as legal “self-defense to protect Americans”.
Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary who ordered the attack, distanced himself from the commander who carried out the second strike, suggesting that the Pentagon supported the commander, but that he had made the decision to kill shipwreck survivors, which is a war crime.
Hegseth previously told his former colleague at Fox & Friends he had monitored the attack in real time. “I watched it live,” Hegseth said the morning after the strikes.
US Navy vice admiral Frank Bradley, who was the commander in charge of the attack, will provide a classified briefing to lawmakers on Thursday.
A federal appeals court ruled today that Trump’s former personal lawyer, Alina Habba, is serving unlawfully as the US attorney for the district of New Jersey.
The US homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, was criticized on Monday for using language on social media that closely echoes dehumanizing terms for immigrants deployed by neo-Nazis and white supremacists.
The Canadian publisher of the Franklin the Turtle books, a series for children, has condemned the “unauthorized” use of the beloved character’s image by the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.
Mark Kelly, the Democratic senator from Arizona, said that Trump’s accusation that he is guilty of Seditious behavior, punishable by death” has led to a new wave of threats against him and his wife, Gabby Giffords, a former congresswoman who survived an assassination attempt in 2011.
Commander who ordered second strike in Septmber attack on suspected drug traffickers to brief Congress
US Navy vice admiral Frank Bradley will provide a classified briefing to lawmakers overseeing the military on Thursday as they investigate a US military attack on a boat allegedly carrying drugs that included a second strike that killed two survivors.
Bradley, who was commander of Joint Special Operations Command at the time of the 2 September attack, ordered the follow-up strike, the White House said Monday as it defended the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth from accusations that he had ordered a war crime.
Mike Rogers, the Republican chair of the House Armed Services Committee, said he was “satisfied” following a conversation with Hegseth on the attack, but that he also wanted to hear from Bradley.
“We’ll all have clarity on Thursday afternoon,” Rogers said.
'I watched it live', Hegseth told Fox the day after September strike where shipwreck survivors were killed
Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, suggested on Monday that he did not give a direct command to have two survivors of a strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat killed in a follow-up attack.
But the morning after the attack, of 3 September, Hegseth told his former colleagues on the morning show Fox & Friends that he had monitored the operation in real time.
“I can tell you that was definitely not artificial intelligence: I watched it live,” Hegseth said.
On Sunday, Donald Trump told reporters that Hegseth had told him that he did not order a second strike to kill “the two men”.
“He said he did not say that, and I believe him,” Trump said, referring to a verbal order from Hegseth to conduct a second strike once the survivors were spotted. “He said he didn’t do it, he said he never said it.”
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Kristi Noem criticized for using language 'virtually indistinguishable' from neo-Nazis to support Trump's new travel ban
The US homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, was criticized on Monday for using language on social media that closely echoes dehumanizing terms for immigrants deployed by neo-Nazis and white supremacists.
“I just met with the President,” Noem wrote on her official government X account on Monday.
“I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies,” she added.
“This language is virtually indistinguishable from what you’d find on Stormfront,” Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a lawyer and senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, responded, making reference to a neo-Nazi internet forum.
Noem’s post went on to describe immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers as “foreign invaders” who aim “to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS.”
The homeland security secretary contrasted those hoping to find refuge in the United States today with “Our forefathers” who “built this nation”. She did not address the fact that the European colonists who founded the country were themselves foreign invaders who drove out the native population and settled on stolen land.
In June, Donald Trump signed a proclamation to implement a new travel ban that fully or partially “restricted the entry of foreign nationals” from 19 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
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Publisher of Franklin the Turtle books condemns Hegseth's 'denigrating, violent' use of beloved character's image
The Canadian publisher of the Franklin the Turtle books, a series for children, has condemned the “unauthorized” use of the beloved character’s image by the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.
In a social media post on Sunday, Hegseth made light of a series of deadly US strikes on the boats of suspected drug smugglers off Venezuela by posting the mock cover of a new entry in the series: “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists”, with an image of the turtle, wearing a US military uniform, firing a rocket-propelled grenade at armed drug runners.
“Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity,” the publisher Kids Can Press said in a statement. “We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values.”
The Canadian author of all 30 books in the Franklin series, Paulette Bourgeois, is a former journalist who worked as a freelance writer in Washington DC before coming up with the idea for the character while watching an episode of the sit-com M*A*S*H.
Senate plans confirmation vote for Jared Isaacman, Trump's off-again, on-again nominee to lead NASA
The US Senate plans to vote next week on the on-again, off-again, on-again nomination of Jared Isaacman, a private astronaut and ally of Elon Musk, for the post of Nasa administrator.
Ted Cruz, the chairman of the Senate committee on commerce, science and transportation announced on Monday that the confirmation vote is now scheduled for next Monday, 8 December.
Isaacman’s nomination was previously pulled by Donald Trump in May, just days after Musk’s official departure from the White House, where the SpaceX CEO had burned bridges during his term as a “special government employee” overseeing the wholesale destruction of government agencies.
Without explanation, Trump reversed course last month and renominated Isaacman, after letting Nasa languish for months with Sean Duffy, the secretary of transportation, serving in a dual role as acting Nasa administrator.
Isaacman’s confirmation hearing is scheduled for this Wednesday.
He has the support of dozens of former Nasa astronauts who sent a letter to the committee calling for his confirmation last week. One of the signatories is Scott Kelly, whose identical twin brother Mark is the Democratic senator from Arizona under attack by Trump.
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Hegseth seems to distance himself from admiral who ordered strike to kill survivors of suspected drug boat
Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, seemed to distance himself on Monday from the commander who ordered a second strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean in September in order to kill survivors of a first strike.
Hegseth, who ordered a lethal strike on the boat, pledged his support for the commander in a social media post which cast the decision as one made by the commander, not him.
“Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September 2 mission and all others since. America is fortunate to have such men protecting us,” Hegseth wrote on the social media platform X.
When the Department of War “says we have the back of our warriors — we mean it,” Hegseth added, even as he appeared to put all the responsibility on the special operations commander.
As Ryan Goodman, a former defense department lawyer, explains, if an order was issued to kill survivors of a shipwreck, that is a textbook violation of the laws of war, as established in 1945 when a Nazi U-boat commander was found guilty and sentenced to death by a British military court in occupied postwar Germany.
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Mark Kelly blames Trump for new wave of threats to his wife, Gabby Giffords, victim of 2011 attack
Speaking at a news conference in Washington on Monday, Mark Kelly, the Democratic senator from Arizona, said that Donald Trump’s accusation that he is guilty of Seditious behavior, punishable by death”, for reminding soldiers in a social media video that they can refuse illegal orders, has led to a new wave of threats against him and his wife, Gabby Giffords, a former congresswoman who survived an assassination attempt in 2011.
“My family knows the cost of political violence. My wife Gabby was shot in the head and nearly died while speaking with her constituents. The president should understand this too; he has been the target of political violence himself”, Kelly said.
“Gabby and I are no strangers to political violence. We get a lot of threats already,” Kelly added. “She gets threats on her life, more so today because of what Donald Trump said about me 10 days ago: that I should be hanged, that I should be executed,” Kelly said.
Kelly told reporters that “threatening calls that we get into our office have skyrocketed, and they were very graphic”.
The senator added that the president “thinks he can shut me up,” but the intimidation would not work. “I have First Amendment rights, I’m a US senator, I’m doing my job,” Kelly said. “He ain’t gonna shut me up. I mean, he intimidates other people. I’m not intimidated by Donald Trump or Pete Hegseth or anyone else.”
“We’ve become so accustomed to Donald Trump’s behavior that it is worth emphasizing: The president of the United States said that two US senators and four members of the House should be arrested, hanged, and executed for something that is true,” Kelly also said, referring to Trump’s call for all six Democrats with service backgrounds who took part in the video reminding active-duty troops and intelligence officers that they can refuse unlawful orders.
The video was recorded after lawmakers were made aware that at least one strike on suspected drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean had been carried out to kill survivors, which is a textbook violation of the laws of war.
In his prepared remarks, Kelly contrasted his own biography with that of the president, saying:
In 1991, when Donald Trump was driving the Taj Mahal casino into bankruptcy, I was getting shot at over Iraq and Kuwait. In 2001, after Donald Trump said that the collapse of the Twin Towers now meant he now owned the tallest skyscraper in Manhattan, I was carrying flags honoring 9/11 victims into space on a rocket ship.
In 2003, when Donald Trump was writing birthday greetings to the monster, Jeffrey Epstein, I was the first on the scene to recover the bodies of my fellow astronauts who died when Space Shuttle Columbia exploded during re-entry.
In 2011, when Trump was hosting a reality show, and peddling conspiracy theories against president Barack Obama, I was sitting next to my wife’s hospital bed as she recovered from a gunshot wound to the head.
I’ve been through a lot worse in service to my country; the president and Pete Hegseth are not going to silence me.
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“If Donald Trump continues his actions against Venezuela, we will immediately file a War Powers Resolution to block the deployment of U.S. forces to Venezuela,” the senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer wrote on social media on Monday. “The power to declare war lies solely in the hands of Congress—not Donald Trump.”
Trump holds talks with advisers on Venezuela – report
Donald Trump held talks on Monday with top advisers to discuss the pressure campaign on Venezuela, among other topics, a senior US official told Reuters.
The official said the Oval Office meeting included senior members of Trump’s national security team. No details of the talks were immediately available.
The session came as Trump ratchets up pressure on Venezuela over what the US says are drug shipments emanating from that country that threaten the lives of Americans.
While the Trump administration has accused Venezuela’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, of being a “narco-terrorist” kingpin, the president has pledged to pardon a former Honduran president, Juan Orlando Hernández, sentenced last year to 45 years in US federal prison for allegedly creating “a cocaine superhighway to the United States”.
Despite those mixed messages, the Trump administration has been weighing Venezuela-related options to combat what it has portrayed as Maduro’s role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans. Maduro has denied having any links to the illegal drug trade and accused the US of plotting to steal Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
On Saturday, Trump said the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety,” but gave no further details, stirring anxiety and confusion in Caracas.
Trump confirmed on Sunday that he had spoken to Maduro, whom the US considers an illegitimate leader after an election the opposition called fraudulent, but Trump declined to provide details of the conversation when asked about it on Air Force One on Sunday.
US forces in the region have been described as focused on counter-narcotics operations, even though the assembled firepower far outweighs what is necessary for them. The US military has carried out at least 21 strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since September, killing at least 83 people.
Reports of looming action have proliferated in recent weeks as the US military has deployed forces to the Caribbean amid worsening relations with Venezuela.
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Roger Wicker, the Mississippi Republican who leads the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CNN on Monday that he intends to get all of the video and audio recorded by the Pentagon during strikes on a suspected drug smuggling boat off Venezuela in September to determine if a second strike was carried out to kill survivors, as the Washington Post reported on Friday.
“I’ve spoken to the secretary of defense and we’ll be speaking to the admiral that was in charge of the operation,” Wicker said. “The secretary did indicate, which has now been in the news media, that there was a second attack.”
Asked if there were survivors of the first strike, Wicker responded: “I don’t have that information… but I do think we’ll get that information. And we’re certainly going to have available to us all of the audio and all of the video”.
Treasury secretary announces investigation of rightwing activist's allegation that federal funds were diverted to Somali militants
The US treasury department is investigating allegations from a rightwing activist that federal funds were fraudulently diverted from Minnesota to benefit al-Shabaab, an Islamist militant group in Somalia.
The investigation was announced on social media by Scott Bessent, the treasury secretary, in response to an investigation by the activist and writer Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute who previously devised the campaign against critical race theory.
Bessent announced the investigation in a deeply partisan message that thanked Donald Trump, who has asserted without evidence that Somali Americans were “ripping us off”, and blamed the possible fraud on what the secretary called “the feckless mismanagement of the Biden Administration and Governor Tim Walz”.
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Former US ambassador to Russia asks why Jared Kushner is going to Moscow for talks with Putin but not Marco Rubio
A Wall Street Journal report that Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who holds no government role, is flying to Moscow with the president’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, for talks with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, instead of the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, left a former US ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, puzzled.
“Can someone explain to me why Special Envoy Witkoff and the presidents son-in-law participate in negotiations with both the Ukrainians and Russians, but our Secretary of State only talks to the Ukrainians and is not leading the delegation to talk to Putin?” McFaul, who was as Barack Obama’s ambassador in Moscow from 2012 to 2014, asked on social media. “I don’t get it.”
As McFaul pointed out, Rubio, who is both Trump’s secretary of state and national security adviser, was at the literal center of talks with Ukraine’s negotiators in Florida on Sunday, seated between Witkoff and Kushner.
While the apparent sidelining of Rubio in this diplomatic effort mirrors the central role played by Witkoff and Kushner in brokering a ceasefire in Gaza, there is one practical consideration that could explain the absence of the secretary of state from the flight to Moscow. Rubio has been banned from entering Russian territory since last year when his name, and that of his wife, was added to a list of US citizens subject to personal sanctions by the Russian government, apparently over his support for Ukraine after the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.
“The ban applies to those involved in conceiving, carrying out and justifying the anti-Russia policy adopted by the current administration of the United States, as well as those directly involved in anti-Russia undertakings,” the Kremlin explained in 2024 when an earlier slate of Americans was “permanently banned” from entering Russia. “The decision is part of retaliatory measures in response to the massive and constantly expanding list of sanctions imposed by the American government on Russian citizens for supporting the Kremlin and the special military operation.”
McFaul is also on the list of Americans barred from Russia, as are more than 2,000 journalists, actors, officials and lawmakers, including then senator JD Vance and the late John McCain, who was just one of several US officials whose right to visit Russia was taken away after they were already dead.
In a number of places, the list of Americans banned from Russia by the Kremlin overlaps with Donald Trump’s personal enemies list. Those barred from ever visiting Russia include: Barack Obama, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Elizabeth Warren, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Rachel Maddow, John Bolton, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mark Kelly, Janet Mills and even the Georgia secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, who famously refused Trump’s plea to “find” him the exact number of votes he needed to overturn his loss to Joe Biden in the state’s 2020 election.
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'We have a little more than three years left', Trump says at White House Christmas party
In remarks at a White House Christmas party on Monday, Donald Trump acknowledged a reality some of his supporters have tried to deny: that he will not be president in just over three years.
“We have a little more than three years left”, the president said, in remarks captured on video and shared on social media by the White House. “Three years for Trump is an eternity,” he added, “that’s a long period of time.”
Trump also praised the national guard troops who were shot in Washington DC last week. “I want to just pay my respects to the National Guard, and those two incredible people. One is no longer with us,” the president said, “and we have another one who is fighting for his life.”
“Both of them were the best, everything,” he added.
Trump then claimed that because of the deployment of the national guard troops he ordered, “we have a safe city again.”
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, 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”.
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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 strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel on 2 September this year. She said that the 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 these actions may have been unlawful.
The White House also confirmed today that Donald Trump will meet with top national security advisers on the matter of Venezuela later 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 for 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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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:
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.
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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.
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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 for 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.
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Trump continues to lambast Democratic lawmakers over troops video
The president has picked up where he left off before Thanksgiving, when it comes to his anger at the six Democratic lawmakers who took part in a video urging service members to “refuse illegal orders”.
A reminder, that Trump initially went on a Truth Social tirade, accusing the members of Congress (all of whom are veterans or former intelligence officials) of sedition, adding that their actions are “punishable by death”.
In the early hours of Monday morning (12:45am ET to be precise) Trump recounted the US Code, including a section which calls for the fine or imprisonment, for up to 10 years, for those who “interfere, impair, influence the loyalty, moral or discipline of the military and naval forces”.
“DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE!!!,” Trump concluded on social media today.
Trump's envoys Witkoff and Kushner to meet with Putin in Moscow
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, who has been integral in the ongoing negotiations with Russia. This comes after a Bloomberg report from last week included a leaked transcript between Witkoff and a senior Moscow official, about how Russia could curry favor with Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, in Paris, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and France’s president Emanuel Macron met today.
“Peace must become truly durable. The war must end as soon as possible. Much now depends on the involvement of every leader,” Zelenksyy wrote on social media following their closed-door discussion. “We will also be speaking with other leaders today,” he added.
My colleague, Jakub Krupa, is covering the latest developments at our dedicated live blog below.
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Trump invites families of national guard members shot in DC to the White House
After two members of the West Virginia national guard were shot in DC last week, the president has invited their families to the White House.
One soldier, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, was killed in the attack –which took place the day before Thanksgiving. Her fellow service member, US air force staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains hospitalized in critical condition. Vigils across West Virginia have taken place in their memory.
“I said: ‘When you’re ready, because that’s a tough thing, come to the White House. We’re going to honor Sarah,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday. “And likewise with Andrew, recover or not.”
My colleague, Marina Dunbar, reports that mourners came together over the weekend at Webster County high school in West Virginia to honor Beckstrom. Both she and Wolfe had been serving with the West Virginia national guard as part of Trump’s federal initiative to support policing efforts in DC.
Donald Trump is back in Washington today. As of now, he doesn’t have any public events scheduled. At 4pm ET he’ll sign congressional bills, but that’s currently closed to the press.
We will, however, hear from White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, at 1pm ET. She’s due to hold a briefing with reporters, and we’ll be bringing you the latest as it happens.
Venezuela called the strikes 'murder'
Venezuela’s National Assembly has accused the US of committing “murder” with the strikes. It is one of the first acknowledgements by Venezuelan officials that their citizens have been targeted.
“There’s no declared war [between the US and Venezuela)] therefore this cannot be classified as anything but murder,” Jorge Rodriguez, the National Assembly president, told a press conference on Sunday.
“Every human being has the right to due process; no human being can be killed in a brutal manner.”
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Democrats respond to reported Venezuela strike
Senator Mark Kelly: “We’re going to have a public hearing. We’re going to put these folks under oath. And we’re going to find out what happened. And then, there needs to be accountability.”
He also told CNN: “If what has been reported is accurate, I have got serious concerns about anybody in that chain of command stepping over a line that they should never step over.”
Senator Chris Van Hollen: “I think it’s very possible there was a war crime committed.”
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And a quick reminder of the background to US strikes in these waters:
Since September, the US has expanded its naval presence in the region, carrying out strikes on what it says are drug-smuggling boats in waters off Venezuela and Colombia.
More than 80 people have been killed according to the US Defence Department.
The US has said it is destroying boats bringing in harmful drugs, and thus its attacks are launched out of self-defence – a legal justification for military attacks under international laws of armed conflict.
But it has provided scant evidence of the alleged criminality of the boats, and has also declined to provide identification details of the people it has killed on board the boats.
Venezuela’s National Assembly has accused the US of committing “murder” with the strikes.
The UN’s human rights chief Volker Turk has said there’s “strong evidence” such strikes constitute extrajudicial killings. He’s been calling for Congress investigate.
The reports then from the weekend add another layer of suspected illegality. The Washington Post reports that the US navy on 2 September struck a drug-running vessel, killing some of the 11 on board in the first strike. After commanders saw on the live drone feed that there were still two survivors clinging to the wreck, they executed an order to strike again, to kill all those on board.
Follow-up strikes are forbidden under the rules of war and engagement, i.e. what is legal fighting between parties in a conflict.
Clauses in the the Geneva Conventions also forbid the targeting of wounded participants, saying that those participants should instead be shielded, rescued and if applicable, treated as prisoners of war with relevant rights.
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Republican-led committees launching investigations
There’s been a swift response from lawmakers following the reports. Republican-led committees overseeing the Pentagon have vowed to conduct “vigorous oversight” into the boat strikes.
Senate Armed Services Committee:“Has directed inquiries to the Department, and we will be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances”.
House Armed Services Committee: “Is taking bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question”.
And lawmakers on both sides, speaking on talk shows on Sunday, called for congressional review.
“This rises to the level of a war crime if it’s true,” said Democrat Senator Tim Kaine on CBS’s Face the Nation programme.
Republican lawmaker Mike Turner said Congress did not know yet if the report of the follow-up strike was true.
“Obviously if that occurred, that would be very serious, and I agree that that would be an illegal act,” said Turner, a former chairman of the Intelligence Committee.
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Trump 'wouldn't have wanted' second strike on Caribbean boat
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One yesterday, the president defended Hegseth, saying he believed his statement “100%” that he hadn’t ordered the second strike.
“I’m going to find out about it, but Pete said he did not order the death of those two men.”
When asked if he would have wanted a second attempt to kill the survivors, the president said:
We’ll look into it, but no, I wouldn’t have wanted that – not a second strike. The first strike was very lethal.”
The Washington Post reported that Hegseth “gave a spoken directive” to “kill everybody” on board in September. When there were still two men left after the first strike, a Special Operations commander ordered the follow-up to comply with Hegseth’s direction, the newspaper reported.
Hegseth has strongly denied the report, calling it “fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory”.
He also said the US’s strikes on boats so far in the Caribbean had been “lawful under both US and international law”.
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Trump backs Hegseth amid report of repeated strike on boat
Good morning and welcome to our US politics live blog.
We’re straight back in the thick of it after Thanksgiving: lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are demanding answers from the Trump administration after reports defense secretary Peter Hegseth ordered a double-tap strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat off the coast of Venezuela, killing two people on board who had survived the first blast.
The allegations, first reported in the Washington Post on Friday, have sparked calls from Congress for an immediate investigation.
Hegseth, who calls himself the secretary for war on X, has called it “fake news” and Donald Trump says he believes him.
But Congress is alarmed. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers raised concerns at the weekend that if the reports were true, such attacks would be war crimes.
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