Congress ups pressure to release boat strike video with threat to Hegseth’s travel budget
Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images US lawmakers are trying to pressure the Trump administration to release video of a controversial “double-tap” military strike by limiting Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget. The incident on 2 September, in which the US carried out a second deadly strike on a boat in the Caribbean, has raised fresh questions about the legality of Trump’s campaign targeting alleged drug-carrying vessels. A provision buried in a lengthy defence spending policy would restrict travel funds for Hegseth’s office until the Pentagon hands over unedited footage. TheRead more
2 U.S. fighter jets fly over Gulf of Venezuela as lawmakers demand answers on boat strikes
The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, arrived in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Dec. 1. The U.S. military flew a pair of fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela on Tuesday. (Seaman Abigail Reyes/U.S. Navy/Reuters) The U.S. military flew a pair of fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela on Tuesday in what appears to be the closest American warplanes have come to the South American country’s airspace since the start of the Trump administration’s pressure campaign. Public flight-tracking websites showed a pair of U.S. NavyRead more
Canada ‘continues to monitor’ U.S. boat strikes in Caribbean as questions swirl and allies squirm
Video released by the Pentagon shows the moment a suspected drug boat was struck in the Caribbean on Sept. 2. (U.S. Department of War) The federal government says it is keeping a close eye on lethal strikes by American forces on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean, while continuing with operations in the region. Canada has conducted Operation Caribbe — an anti-drug trafficking mission in partnership with the United States Coast Guard — since 2006. The Department of National Defence says that mission has nothing to do with the deadlyRead more
Zelenskyy says Ukraine will present revised peace plan to U.S. Wednesday
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that a revised plan for peace with Russia will be given to the U.S. Wednesday. (Francesco Fotia/Reuters) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reaffirmed his refusal to cede any territory, resisting U.S. pressure for painful concessions to Russia as he continued to rally more European support for Ukraine. Speaking to reporters Tuesday on WhatsApp, Zelenskyy said three documents were now being discussed with American and European partners — a 20-point framework document that is constantly changing, a document on security guarantees and a document aboutRead more
White House denies report U.S. ordered ‘second strike’ on already bombed alleged cartel boats
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters while on board Air Force One on Sunday. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press) Lawmakers from both U.S. parties said Sunday they support congressional reviews of military strikes ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, citing a published report that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for all crew members to be killed as part of a Sept. 2 attack. The lawmakers said they did not know whether last week’sRead more
A ‘more serious public image’: How the Princess of Wales is making it clear she’s back in the public eye
Catherine, Princess of Wales, speaks at the Future Workforce Summit hosted by the Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood, in London on Nov. 18. (Adrian Dennis/Reuters) After finishing her chemotherapy treatment last year, it was clear that Catherine, Princess of Wales, would take only measured and gradual steps back into public life. One notable step came the other day when she made her first public speech in two years. She spoke of her work promoting early childhood development and urged the 80 business leaders in attendance to see virtueRead more
Pope Leo finds his voice on first foreign trip
Getty Images The Pope arrived in Beirut on Sunday Pope Leo XIV has arrived in the Lebanese capital Beirut a week after Israeli air strikes hit the Lebanese capital. For a man known for being measured and careful in what he does, it seems quite the statement to land in a country so affected by conflict in what is his first foreign trip. The Pope has already spent three days in Turkey and, watching his diplomacy at close quarters, we are learning a little more about how he intends toRead more
Pentagon investigating Democrat senator for video urging troops to defy ‘illegal orders’
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in October. Kelly served in the U.S. navy as a fighter pilot before going on to become an astronaut. (Mariam Zuhaib/The Associated Press) The Pentagon says that it is investigating Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona for possible breaches of military law after Kelly joined a handful of other lawmakers in a video that called for U.S. troops to refuse unlawful orders. The Pentagon’s statement, which was posted on social media on Monday, cited a federal law that allowsRead more
Anand says Canada taking public safety seriously as it pursues trade deal with India
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada must change its foreign policy focus. (Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press) Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada continues to take public safety, transnational repression and foreign interference seriously as it negotiates a trade agreement with India — a country Ottawa once iced out over allegations it was involved in the killing of a Sikh activist on Canadian soil. “It is extremely important to take these types of issues very seriously, and we do,” Anand told CBC’s Power & Politics on Monday. “And that’sRead more
U.S. Justice Department renews bid to have Jeffrey Epstein grand jury files unsealed
A demonstrator in Washington holds a sign demanding the release of the Epstein files in September. The U.S. Justice Department is again seeking to have the grand jury files in the Epstein case unsealed. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) The U.S. Justice Department renewed its request Monday to unseal grand jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking cases, arguing they should be made public under a new law requiring the government to open its files on the late financier and his longtime confidante. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton cited the EpsteinRead more