Hegseth embroiled in strike scandal; Minneapolis braces for ICE raids
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces renewed scrutiny, from the deadly boat strike to “Signalgate.” But Thursday, the focus shifts to Admiral Mitch Bradley, who will testify on Capitol Hill about ordering that second strike.
Plus, federal immigration raids are expanding into Minneapolis, fueling fear within the Somali community and provoking backlash as the administration increases its rhetoric and enforcement.
And a raccoon that got tipsy on fermented fruit is now internet-famous, turning a holiday mishap into a viral moment of pure chaos.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, December 4, 2025.
Hegseth continues facing scrutiny over boat strikes, Signal messages
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’s fine with releasing any video his administration has of a U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean. It’s a strike that left two initial survivors dead.
Critics say Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the military to eliminate all crew members, and that’s what set the operation in motion.
When two men survived the initial hit, the commander on the scene, Admiral Mitch Bradley, reportedly ordered a second strike to carry out Hegseth’s directive.
On Wednesday, new details emerged. ABC News reports the survivors were seen trying to climb back aboard the boat to salvage drugs, and appeared to be communicating with other boats that could have picked them up, making them “valid targets,” according to U.S. officials.
Critics have called the second strike a war crime and multiple congressional investigations are now underway.
When asked whether Hegseth or Bradley should face consequences, here’s what the president said.
“I think you’re gonna find that this is war, that these people were killing our people by the millions, actually, if you look over a few years. I think last year we lost close to three hundred thousand people were killed,” Trump said.
When asked if he supports the decision to kill survivors of the initial strike, Trump said, “No. I support the decision to knock out the boats and whoever is piloting those boats, most of them are gone, but whoever are piloting those boats, they’re guilty of trying to kill people in our country.”
Bradley is expected to testify on Capitol Hill on Thursday and will show a video of that second strike. Hegseth has stood by him, saying Bradley “made the right call” and that “we have his back.”
Meanwhile, the Pentagon inspector general said Hegseth did share classified information in a group Signal chat about a planned military operation in Yemen. The app is encrypted but not approved for classified material.
The findings follow an eight-month investigation into what’s been called “Signalgate.”
The inspector general said the details Hegseth sent were marked “secret” and could have put U.S. troops at risk if intercepted. The report also said he violated regulations by using his personal phone for official business.
Hegseth maintains he did not share classified information in that chat.
New images of ‘Epstein Island’ released, Democrats say financial records coming
House Democrats have released more than 150 pictures and more than a dozen video clips from Jeffrey Epstein’s private island, a Virgin Islands estate where he allegedly abused underage girls.
The material was originally gathered during civil litigation in 2020.
In a statement Wednesday, Democrats said they’re releasing the images “to ensure public transparency” and to help reconstruct epstein’s “horrific crimes,” adding “it’s time for President Trump to release all the files, now.”
The House Oversight Committee also confirmed it has received Epstein-related financial records from JP Morgan Chase and Deutsche Bank, which could shed light on his business network.
Ranking member Robert Garcia says those records will be made public “in the days ahead.”
Also Wednesday, in a separate legal fight, attorneys for Ghislaine Maxwell argued against unsealing grand jury material in her case and said they plan to seek her release from prison.
Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for the sex trafficking of minors.
DHS crackdown hits New Orleans, targets Minneapolis
Federal immigration raids are now underway across New Orleans as part of the Trump administration’s latest crackdown. However, they’re already creating scenes of tension and fear across the city.
On Wednesday, border patrol agents fanned out across Kenner, a suburb just west of the city, driving through neighborhoods, parking lots and even stopping a man mowing a lawn.
The administration says it’s targeting immigrants accused of violent crimes including home invasion, armed robbery, and rape. It blames local “sanctuary-style” policies for letting some suspects go.
But the tactics are sparking fear. In one neighborhood, a man stood on his roof for more than an hour as agents surrounded his home, only coming down after the convoy pulled away.
The operation is also rolling out in Minneapolis just hours after Trump launched into a tirade against Somali immigrants and called representative Ilhan Omar “garbage.” He noted that the Somali community is under investigation in Minnesota with allegations of massive fraud and stealing of state money.
Again Wednesday afternoon, the president doubled down, telling reporters in the oval office that Somali immigrants have “destroyed our country.” He also took another swipe at Omar, who came to this country as a Somali refugee while in her teens.
“The Somalians should be out of here. They’ve destroyed our country. And all they do is complain complain complain,” Trump said. “You have her talking about ‘the constitution provides me with’… Go back to your own country and figure out your constitution.”
“I mean, our president’s obsession with me and the Somali community really is creepy and unhealthy,” Omar said. “And we are not, and I am not, someone to be intimidated and we are not gonna be scapegoated. We are here we are here to stay.”
The Minneapolis-St Paul area is home to the largest Somali community in the country at about 84,000 people.
DHS says it could make 5,000 arrests or more in this surge.
Some in the Somali community are speaking out, trying to reassure neighbors who say they’re terrified.
“There’s nothing to be scared of, you know. There’s a constitution in this country. And we have rights. And every single one of us has rights. And we’re not scared. But we have some Somali communities that are very scared,” said Mohamed, an Uber and Lyft driver in the area.
DOJ moves to re-indict Letitia James
Federal prosecutors have filed a new indictment against New York Attorney General James, just one week after a judge dismissed the original case.
MS NOW reported that a new grand jury in Norfolk, Virginia, is expected to hear evidence as soon as Thursday, presented by a federal prosecutor brought in from Missouri.
A federal judge dismissed the initial indictments against James and former FBI Director James Comey, ruling that the acting U.S. attorney who filed the charges was not properly appointed and lacked the authority to prosecute.
The judge, however, left the door open for the DOJ to try again.
According to MS NOW, top Justice Department officials are divided on how to move forward and are still considering whether Comey can be charged again due to a potential statute-of-limitations problem.
All of this follows months of internal turmoil in the eastern district of Virginia, where career prosecutors warned there was no factual basis for either case, even as the White House pushed for charges.
Doctor convicted in Matthew Perry’s case; judge states he ‘fed’ actor’s addiction
Out west, a judge sentenced a California doctor for selling ketamine to actor Matthew Perry in the weeks prior to his death. Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 44, is the first defendant to face punishment in the case.
Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic that can cause people to hallucinate.
Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution, admitting he illegally sold the “Friends” star 20 vials of ketamine, a potent anesthetic that can cause hallucinations. He even texted another doctor about “how much this moron will pay.”
The judge sentenced him to 30 months in federal prison, stating that Plasencia “fed” Perry’s addiction for personal profit.
Perry’s mother, Suzanne, and stepfather, Keith Morrison from Dateline, sat in the front row, both giving emotional statements about the loss of their son.
Asked by a reporter after court whether he agreed with the judge’s sentence, Morrison responded.
“Does it matter? No, not really,” Morrison said. “It’s a tragic story and, you know, sometimes apparently nice guys do bad things, and the legal system has to take account of it.”
Four additional individuals charged in the case will face sentencing in the upcoming months.
Perry died in 2023 from the acute effects of ketamine at age 54.
Drunken bandit: Raccoon breaks into liquor store, blacks out
A break-in at a Virginia liquor store involving a suspect who, honestly, has been through enough.
Police say a masked bandit, a full-grown raccoon, crashed through the ceiling. Then, they went on what animal control is calling a “full-blown rampage.”
Rum, moonshine, vodka and even peanut butter whiskey — the little guy sampled a bit of everything.
He proceeded to pass out cold on the bathroom floor of the liquor store.
Officers scooped him up, let him sleep it off at the shelter, and said he showed no injuries, other than maybe a hangover.
Officials hope the little guy learned his lesson.
But let’s be honest, if you put peanut butter whiskey on the bottom shelf, someone or something will snatch it.
More from Straight Arrow News:
VA creating database of ‘non-citizen’ employees, leaked memo says
The Department of Veterans Affairs is creating an urgent and extensive internal database of non-U.S. citizens employed by the department, according to documents leaked to The Guardian. The publication said the memo has prompted concern within the agency over a potential immigration crackdown affecting its own employees.
A spokesperson for the department confirmed that the VA would share some of the data it’s gathering with other federal agencies.
“VA will share any adverse findings with the appropriate agencies to ensure anyone who is not authorized to be in the U.S. is dealt with accordingly,” the spokesperson told The Guardian.
The plan follows similar data-sharing plans the Trump administration has pushed. In April, the IRS announced it would share taxpayer information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Read the full story now>
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
