White House defends second boat strike as lawful; Witkoff meets Putin in Moscow
The Trump administration claims a follow-up strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat — which reportedly hit survivors of an initial attack — was “within the law,” even as calls increase for a congressional review.
Plus, a third storm in a week is strengthening into a bomb cyclone Tuesday, bringing snow, ice and dangerous winds from the Midwest to New England — and threatening another tough commute.
And accused CEO-killer Luigi Mangioni returns to court as a judge determines what evidence, including the gun and notebook seized at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, will be permitted at trial.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, December 2, 2025.
Thanks for sticking with us. Craig Nigrelli returns Wednesday with your next Unbiased Updates.
US admits to follow-up boat strike as Trump weighs action on Venezuela
The White House has confirmed the U.S. military carried out a second strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat in September. It was a strike that, according to the Washington Post, targeted survivors of the initial missile hit.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that the Navy admiral who ordered that follow-up strike acted within his authority and the law. She said he directed the engagement to ensure the vessel was destroyed and “the threat to the United States of America was eliminated.”
This comes as bipartisan calls for answers intensify. Leavitt said Congress will conduct a review of the administration’s boat strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. It’s a program critics say has pushed the legal boundaries, particularly after the report alleging Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth verbally ordered commanders to kill the remaining survivors.
Navy Vice Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, the officer who authorized the second shot, will brief lawmakers in a classified session Thursday.
The Trump administration has insisted the operations are lawful and aimed at foreign terrorist organizations tied to drug cartels, some of which officials claim operate under Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. But lawmakers in both parties say if the survivors-targeting allegation is true, it may constitute a war crime.
Meanwhile, CNN reported that Trump met with top national security officials in the Oval Office on Monday as tensions with Venezuela rise. The president said he’s considering whether to strike the Venezuelan mainland.
Witkoff heads to Moscow as new push for Ukraine peace faces hard red lines
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday for a high-stakes meeting as the U.S. pushes for a potential path to ending the war in Ukraine.
This comes just days after top U.S. officials hosted a Ukrainian delegation in Florida, where both sides worked through revisions to the Trump administration’s draft peace plan. Those updated details haven’t been made public, but the original proposal drew immediate backlash from Kyiv and its European allies.
That early version called for Ukraine to surrender territory claimed by Moscow, cap the size of its military, and permanently give up NATO membership, all seen as non-starters by Ukraine.
Putin, for his part, has also shown little willingness to compromise, repeatedly insisting that Russia will not retreat from the occupied regions it claims as its own.
Third winter storm becomes ‘bomb cyclone’ as northeast braces for snow
A third winter storm is now moving up the East Coast on Tuesday morning, the third storm in a week. Forecasters say it will rapidly strengthen into a bomb cyclone later Tuesday.
Snow is already spreading across parts of the northeast and New England, and the morning commute is messy in several interior cities.
Overnight on Monday, the system pushed through the Midwest and Great Lakes, dropping a couple more inches in places like Chicago, Springfield and Kansas City, all of which were still digging out from record November snowfall the weekend before.
Tuesday, the storm shifts its focus east. Interior Pennsylvania, upstate New York and much of New England could pick up several inches, with some higher elevations topping half a foot.
Pittsburgh, Albany and Buffalo are already seeing widespread impacts.
Along the I-95 corridor, many spots may see flakes early, but most locations are expected to flip to rain as warmer air moves in.
And behind this system comes a bigger punch. An arctic blast could drive temperatures to their coldest levels of the season by late week, with some areas potentially flirting with record lows.
Noem calls for travel ban in wake of National Guard shooting
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is calling for a sweeping new travel ban in the wake of last week’s deadly shooting involving two West Virginia National Guard specialists. The suspect, an Afghan national, had been granted asylum in the U.S.
In a post on social media Monday, Noem said she had a meeting with Trump and is recommending “a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.”
Trump shared the post, but did not comment on it.
It’s still unclear which countries Noem wants included in her proposed ban. Back in June, Trump signed an order blocking entry from 12 nations, including Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Democrats probe Kash Patel’s Gulfstream flights
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are opening a formal investigation into FBI Director Kash Patel’s use of the bureau’s Gulfstream jet, a move first reported by CBS News.
The issue involves several recent trips that Democrats say seem personal, including an October flight to Pennsylvania to see Patel’s girlfriend perform at a wrestling event and a “date night” in Tennessee. They are also questioning a separate trip to Texas to visit a GOP megadonor’s hunting ranch.
Democrats Reps. Jamie Raskin and Sydney Kamlager-Dove sent a letter to Patel stating that the flights seem unrelated to his official responsibilities. They requested travel logs, passenger lists and any communications about the trips by Dec. 15.
Patel must use government aircraft for security reasons and can take personal trips if he reimburses the cost.
The FBI has not commented on the new inquiry.
Mangione fights to keep key evidence out of CEO murder trial
The high-stakes evidence battle in the Luigi Mangione case continues Tuesday after a dramatic first day in court, where prosecutors showed new surveillance footage of the CEO shooting and Mangione’s arrest at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s.
The judge is set to decide whether jurors will see some of the most damaging items in the case, including the handgun investigators say matches the murder weapon and a notebook describing an intent to “wack” a health care executive.
On Monday, the court reviewed footage of the shooting, followed by footage of Mangione eating breakfast as officers approached. A call from a McDonald’s manager initiated the arrest.
His defense team has argued that the search of his backpack was illegal and that statements made before he was read his rights should be thrown out.
Prosecutors argued that police acted lawfully and that the backpack contained important evidence, including a 9-millimeter gun and a notebook they say shows motive.
A Pennsylvania correctional officer mentioned that Mangione was under “constant watch” following his arrest, as the prison aimed to prevent an “Epstein-style situation.”
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges.
He faces life in prison and possibly the death penalty in the federal case.
The hearing is expected to last at least a week.
Flying without a Real ID will soon cost $45, TSA says
Starting Feb. 1, 2026, flying without a Real ID will cost travelers.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that travelers who arrive at the airport without a Real ID-compliant license or another approved form of identification will now be required to pay a $45 fee to verify their identity.
The agency is rolling out a new system called TSA Confirm.ID. It’s optional, but without it, you may be turned away at security.
The ID check covers a 10-day travel window, and TSA says paying the fee in advance should speed things up. However, wait times could still be longer at many airports.
About 94% of travelers already use Real IDs or other accepted documents, such as passports, military IDs or trusted traveler cards.
But critics say the new fee burdens lower-income travelers and could confuse occasional flyers who don’t realize their “identity” now expires in ten days.
TSA continues to urge anyone without a Real ID to visit their DMV soon before the new changes take effect.
Oxford chooses ‘rage bait’ as 2025 word of the year
As the year ends, it’s that time when everyone reflects on the trends that shaped the past 12 months. Even Oxford University Press has joined in, selecting a single word or phrase that captures the cultural mood.
This year’s pick: “Rage bait.”
Oxford defines it as: “online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted in order to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media account.”
“Rage bait” rose to the top after more than 30,000 people voted on three finalists.
The runners-up: “aura farming” and “biohack.”
More from Straight Arrow News:
USDA Secretary wants to ‘deconstruct’ SNAP. Changes are already happening
The Department of Agriculture plans sweeping changes to the country’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other USDA-administered welfare programs to eliminate fraud and misuse. Details about the plan aren’t yet known, but policy analysts said changes from the One Big Beautiful Bill could either reduce or eliminate benefits for millions.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said changes were coming on Fox News nearly two weeks ago and hinted they could be major. She told the network that the 43-day government shutdown allowed her to see inadequacies with SNAP.
“But I think what was an unintended consequence of the Democrats shutting the government down for 43 days is it shined this very bright light on one of their pet programs, and now has given us a platform to completely deconstruct the program,” Rollins said.
She declined to say more. But she wrote on X Monday that all USDA programs are under review “to ensure only legal citizens are receiving benefits.”
USDA handles a number of federal assistance programs, including SNAP; Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC; the National School Lunch Program and others.
Changes have already happened after President Donald Trump signed the Republican-drafted One Big Beautiful Bill, which made sweeping budget changes to many federal departments and programs. The Urban Institute, a public policy research institute founded by the administration of former President Lyndon B. Johnson, projected that SNAP changes would affect 22.3 million families.
About 1 in 8 Americans receive SNAP benefits. Read the full story now>
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
