YANKEE MURDER ON THE HIGH SEAS
'They know they got caught': National security expert slams defense of boat strikes
Robert Davis
December 2, 2025
December 2, 2025
RAW STORY
A national security expert slammed the Trump administration during a podcast interview on Tuesday over its shifting defenses about its strikes against alleged drug boats.
The administration has conducted at least 21 strikes against alleged drug boats and killed upwards of 80 people, according to multiple reports. A recent report from The Washington Post, citing two sources familiar with the matter, indicates Defense Secretary gave an order to kill survivors of one of the strikes, which experts have said could amount to a war crime.
Ben Rhodes, a former national security advisor in the Obama White House, discussed the strikes on a new "Pod Save The World" episode.
"The headline of this whole thing is that they know they got caught committing murder," Rhodes said. "They are acting like people who are guilty of murder because they are."
During a press conference on Tuesday, Hegseth claimed that he wasn't aware of any survivors of the attack in question and had departed for another meeting when the strike order was given. Some analysts noted that this claim seemed to contradict Hegseth's previous claims that he watched the strike in its entirety.
His shifting answer seemed to match the Trump administration's evolving narrative about the particular strike, The Washington Post reported on. Initially, the administration claimed they were removing a hazard. Since then, the administration has claimed it was self-defense, podcast co-host Tommy Veitor noted.
"The whole world is watching video evidence of a war crime," Rhodes said. "And it's a sign too that even Pete Hegseth...is aware that he's going to have a life after Donald Trump is there to protect him. This is becoming an increasingly common thread with this group, that they're aware that there's some accountability that may be on the horizon for them."
A national security expert slammed the Trump administration during a podcast interview on Tuesday over its shifting defenses about its strikes against alleged drug boats.
The administration has conducted at least 21 strikes against alleged drug boats and killed upwards of 80 people, according to multiple reports. A recent report from The Washington Post, citing two sources familiar with the matter, indicates Defense Secretary gave an order to kill survivors of one of the strikes, which experts have said could amount to a war crime.
Ben Rhodes, a former national security advisor in the Obama White House, discussed the strikes on a new "Pod Save The World" episode.
"The headline of this whole thing is that they know they got caught committing murder," Rhodes said. "They are acting like people who are guilty of murder because they are."
During a press conference on Tuesday, Hegseth claimed that he wasn't aware of any survivors of the attack in question and had departed for another meeting when the strike order was given. Some analysts noted that this claim seemed to contradict Hegseth's previous claims that he watched the strike in its entirety.
His shifting answer seemed to match the Trump administration's evolving narrative about the particular strike, The Washington Post reported on. Initially, the administration claimed they were removing a hazard. Since then, the administration has claimed it was self-defense, podcast co-host Tommy Veitor noted.
"The whole world is watching video evidence of a war crime," Rhodes said. "And it's a sign too that even Pete Hegseth...is aware that he's going to have a life after Donald Trump is there to protect him. This is becoming an increasingly common thread with this group, that they're aware that there's some accountability that may be on the horizon for them."
Military's top brass worried as highest-ranking officer disappears amid crisis: analyst
Tom Boggioni
December 2, 2025
Tom Boggioni
December 2, 2025
RAW STORY
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General Dan Caine, speak during a press conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., June 26, 2025. REUTERS/Idrees Ali
With the Pentagon mired in a major crisis amid accusations that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth committed a war crime, the Washington Post’s David Ignatius reported there is one missing voice in all the hubbub.
During an appearance on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe,” co-host Joe Scarborough shared a clip of former Pentagon head Leon Panetta raising concerns about a deadly strike that reportedly killed two survivors of an earlier attack as they clung to the damaged vessel.
He then pressed Ignatuis, “David, where is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs? Where is General [Dan] Caine in all of this? We haven't heard anything from him.”
“So it’s a good question,” the columnist replied. “This is a period where the uniformed military is being asked, in effect, to take the fall for the Secretary of Defense. And you'd think that General Caine, at a time when people in the Pentagon are deeply concerned about this, would be more visible.”
“He [Caine] spoke over the weekend to the chairman of the House and Senate Armed Services Committee, and went through, in a classified way, details that they wanted to know about, about these operations in the Caribbean,” he reported.
“But this is a time when we're really looking for the person who represents our military to be present, to, in a sense, offset or counterbalance the Secretary of Defense. And so it would be a good time to see more of General Caine. But the fact that he's been so absent has been noted to me by several senior military officials in the last 24 hours.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General Dan Caine, speak during a press conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., June 26, 2025. REUTERS/Idrees Ali
With the Pentagon mired in a major crisis amid accusations that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth committed a war crime, the Washington Post’s David Ignatius reported there is one missing voice in all the hubbub.
During an appearance on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe,” co-host Joe Scarborough shared a clip of former Pentagon head Leon Panetta raising concerns about a deadly strike that reportedly killed two survivors of an earlier attack as they clung to the damaged vessel.
He then pressed Ignatuis, “David, where is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs? Where is General [Dan] Caine in all of this? We haven't heard anything from him.”
“So it’s a good question,” the columnist replied. “This is a period where the uniformed military is being asked, in effect, to take the fall for the Secretary of Defense. And you'd think that General Caine, at a time when people in the Pentagon are deeply concerned about this, would be more visible.”
“He [Caine] spoke over the weekend to the chairman of the House and Senate Armed Services Committee, and went through, in a classified way, details that they wanted to know about, about these operations in the Caribbean,” he reported.
“But this is a time when we're really looking for the person who represents our military to be present, to, in a sense, offset or counterbalance the Secretary of Defense. And so it would be a good time to see more of General Caine. But the fact that he's been so absent has been noted to me by several senior military officials in the last 24 hours.”
'Wow': Newsmax analyst stuns warning Trump admin should face war crime prosecution
Daniel Hampton
December 2, 2025
Daniel Hampton
December 2, 2025
RAW STORY
A Newsmax legal analyst delivered a sharp and stunning rebuke of the Trump administration this week, telling viewers of the right-wing network that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and anyone else involved in a controversial, deadly boat strike ought to be "prosecuted for a war crime."
Hegseth has faced intense scrutiny and criticism following a report that he ordered an unlawful no-survivors strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean. Legal experts and ex-military lawyers have said such an order would constitute a war crime if the reports are accurate.
Newsmax's judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano delivered a sobering assessment to viewers on the show National Report.
"It gives me no pleasure to say what I’m about to say because I worked with Pete Hegseth for seven or eight years at Fox News. This is an act of a war crime," he said. "Ordering survivors — who the law requires be rescued — instead to be murdered; there’s absolutely no legal basis for it.”
Napolitano continued, "Everyone along the line who did it, from the Secretary of Defense to the admiral to the people who actually pulled the trigger should be prosecuted for a war crime for killing these two people."
The remarks caught observers off guard, with Democratic commentator Kaivan Shroff writing on X, "Woah."
"Newsmax’s legal analyst just said Pete Hegseth and everyone involved in the illegal boat strike should be 'prosecuted for a war crime.' They’ve even lost Newsmax on this one," he said.
Ryan Goodman, a chaired law professor at New York University, simply added, "Wow."2
Goodman shared another remarkable quote from Napolitano, who said Republicans in Congress "seem to be as exasperated by it as the Democrats do."
"I think it’s getting beyond politics now. The killing is out of hand. And this last one, in which Pete Hegseth first denied that he gave the order, and then the White House said he did give the order ... and then the White House said it was in self-defense. Self-defense! You got two people in the ocean clinging to a burning boat to stay alive, and they’re gonna be killed for self-defense? That doesn’t make any sense.”
A Newsmax legal analyst delivered a sharp and stunning rebuke of the Trump administration this week, telling viewers of the right-wing network that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and anyone else involved in a controversial, deadly boat strike ought to be "prosecuted for a war crime."
Hegseth has faced intense scrutiny and criticism following a report that he ordered an unlawful no-survivors strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean. Legal experts and ex-military lawyers have said such an order would constitute a war crime if the reports are accurate.
Newsmax's judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano delivered a sobering assessment to viewers on the show National Report.
"It gives me no pleasure to say what I’m about to say because I worked with Pete Hegseth for seven or eight years at Fox News. This is an act of a war crime," he said. "Ordering survivors — who the law requires be rescued — instead to be murdered; there’s absolutely no legal basis for it.”
Napolitano continued, "Everyone along the line who did it, from the Secretary of Defense to the admiral to the people who actually pulled the trigger should be prosecuted for a war crime for killing these two people."
The remarks caught observers off guard, with Democratic commentator Kaivan Shroff writing on X, "Woah."
"Newsmax’s legal analyst just said Pete Hegseth and everyone involved in the illegal boat strike should be 'prosecuted for a war crime.' They’ve even lost Newsmax on this one," he said.
Ryan Goodman, a chaired law professor at New York University, simply added, "Wow."2
Goodman shared another remarkable quote from Napolitano, who said Republicans in Congress "seem to be as exasperated by it as the Democrats do."
"I think it’s getting beyond politics now. The killing is out of hand. And this last one, in which Pete Hegseth first denied that he gave the order, and then the White House said he did give the order ... and then the White House said it was in self-defense. Self-defense! You got two people in the ocean clinging to a burning boat to stay alive, and they’re gonna be killed for self-defense? That doesn’t make any sense.”
'Admirals have receipts': Hegseth warned subordinates will have evidence of his orders
Tom Boggioni
December 2, 2025
December 2, 2025
RAW STORY
Should a serious inquiry be conducted by Congress into the reported killing of two survivors left clinging to a vessel after a kinetic strike on an alleged drug-running boat, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should be prepared to face military officials who will go in prepared to defend themselves.
Late Monday, the Wall Street Journal editorial page editors suggested, “If Mr. Hegseth is right, then the factual record will support him. There are layers of bureaucracy between the Secretary of Defense and the business end of a missile. You can bet senior military officers bought insurance on their own careers by recording the advice they gave and the directions they received.”
Using that as a jumping-off point, MS NOW host Joe Scarborough agreed and pointed out that the Pentagon chief could find himself in a war with his subordinates as he tries to fend off blame — and they will likely come with “receipts.
After noting that Admiral Alvin Holsey, former head of U.S. Southern Command, which oversees all military activity in the Caribbean and South America, resigned abruptly after the supposed drug interdiction attacks began, the “Morning Joe” co-host remarked, “Think about how chilling it is for Pete Hegseth that you have somebody who resigned in anger reportedly over this, and also, as David Ignatius said, well, actually, he's quoting the Wall Street Journal editorial page — these admirals, these officers, they have receipts.”
“They aren't going to do this without making sure they have evidence of authority sent by Pete Hegseth,” he predicted. “Which is why I'm just — I personally believe — which is why the White House had to come out yesterday and admit this happened and not blame it, as Pete Hegseth did, on lefty fake news reporters.”
Should a serious inquiry be conducted by Congress into the reported killing of two survivors left clinging to a vessel after a kinetic strike on an alleged drug-running boat, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should be prepared to face military officials who will go in prepared to defend themselves.
Late Monday, the Wall Street Journal editorial page editors suggested, “If Mr. Hegseth is right, then the factual record will support him. There are layers of bureaucracy between the Secretary of Defense and the business end of a missile. You can bet senior military officers bought insurance on their own careers by recording the advice they gave and the directions they received.”
Using that as a jumping-off point, MS NOW host Joe Scarborough agreed and pointed out that the Pentagon chief could find himself in a war with his subordinates as he tries to fend off blame — and they will likely come with “receipts.
After noting that Admiral Alvin Holsey, former head of U.S. Southern Command, which oversees all military activity in the Caribbean and South America, resigned abruptly after the supposed drug interdiction attacks began, the “Morning Joe” co-host remarked, “Think about how chilling it is for Pete Hegseth that you have somebody who resigned in anger reportedly over this, and also, as David Ignatius said, well, actually, he's quoting the Wall Street Journal editorial page — these admirals, these officers, they have receipts.”
“They aren't going to do this without making sure they have evidence of authority sent by Pete Hegseth,” he predicted. “Which is why I'm just — I personally believe — which is why the White House had to come out yesterday and admit this happened and not blame it, as Pete Hegseth did, on lefty fake news reporters.”
'Does that sound familiar?' Erin Burnett wallops Hegseth with clip of his own words
Robert Davis
December 2, 2025
Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attend a cabinet meeting. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
CNN host Erin Burnett uncorked a brutal fact check on Tuesday of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's claims that members of the military have to follow orders, regardless of their legality.
During a segment on her show, "Erin Burnett OutFront," Burnett played a video that CNN's KFile investigators found of Hegseth talking about illegal orders in 2016. Burnett pointed out that Hegseth's rationale at the time was starkly different than the one he has displayed recently.
"I do think there have to be consequences for abject war crimes," Hegseth said in the video. "If you're doing something that is just completely unlawful and ruthless, then there is a consequence for that. That's why the military said it won't follow unlawful orders from their commander in chief."
"He's talking about not following unlawful orders," Burnett said. "Does that sound familiar?"
The Trump administration's strikes against alleged drug boats in international waters have inspired debate about military orders. To date, the administration has conducted more than 20 strikes that have killed nearly 100 people, but has provided scant evidence that their targets are a threat to national security.
Multiple Democrats, all of whom are military veterans, recently made a video telling military members that they do not have to follow illegal orders. Trump described the video as "seditious behavior," and Hegseth has threatened to court-martial the Democrats featured in the video.
December 2, 2025
RAW STORY
Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attend a cabinet meeting. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
CNN host Erin Burnett uncorked a brutal fact check on Tuesday of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's claims that members of the military have to follow orders, regardless of their legality.
During a segment on her show, "Erin Burnett OutFront," Burnett played a video that CNN's KFile investigators found of Hegseth talking about illegal orders in 2016. Burnett pointed out that Hegseth's rationale at the time was starkly different than the one he has displayed recently.
"I do think there have to be consequences for abject war crimes," Hegseth said in the video. "If you're doing something that is just completely unlawful and ruthless, then there is a consequence for that. That's why the military said it won't follow unlawful orders from their commander in chief."
"He's talking about not following unlawful orders," Burnett said. "Does that sound familiar?"
The Trump administration's strikes against alleged drug boats in international waters have inspired debate about military orders. To date, the administration has conducted more than 20 strikes that have killed nearly 100 people, but has provided scant evidence that their targets are a threat to national security.
Multiple Democrats, all of whom are military veterans, recently made a video telling military members that they do not have to follow illegal orders. Trump described the video as "seditious behavior," and Hegseth has threatened to court-martial the Democrats featured in the video.
Trump 'ultimately responsible' for war crimes: retired colonel
Adam Lynch
Retired Colonel Cedric Leighton told CNN anchor Kate Bolduan that Trump is the man in charge of a potential war crime attack in the Caribbean — no matter how hard his administration may try to hurl a U.S. commander under the bus.
The Washington Post reported last week that on September 2, U.S. forces fired on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea, then fired on it again in an obvious “double tap” when it was determined that some of the occupants had survived the initial strike. This reportedly came as the result of a directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "kill them all."
These strikes, claimed with little evidence to be drug traffickers, are now drawing criticism from Republican lawmakers with Sen. Rand Paul, (R-Ky.) wondering to Semafor if Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was "incompetent" or "lying." Anonymous officials described the move of blaming Adm. Frank M. Bradley for the second strike as throwing service members “under the bus” and “protect Pete’ bulls——.”
“The way this is characterized was kind of interesting because when Secretary Hegseth made his announcement via tweet, basically saying that he backs up all the decisions that admiral Bradley made, the real underlying current here seems to be the fact that the decisions were admiral Bradley’s and Hegseth himself is not really taking responsibility for these actions,” said Leighton.
“But the fact of the matter is, these actions were carried out at the behest not only of secretary Hegseth, but also of President Trump. So, they are ultimately responsible for how the military carries out these missions,” Leighton added. “They have to not only ensure that these orders are carried out, if they want them carried out, but they also have to make sure that those orders are lawful. And if you don't make sure those orders are lawful and people engage in these kinds of attacks and the so-called double-tap attack, that would be a significant breach of the laws of war, but it is also potentially a war crime.”
Adam Lynch
December 02, 2025
ALTERNET
Retired Colonel Cedric Leighton told CNN anchor Kate Bolduan that Trump is the man in charge of a potential war crime attack in the Caribbean — no matter how hard his administration may try to hurl a U.S. commander under the bus.
The Washington Post reported last week that on September 2, U.S. forces fired on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea, then fired on it again in an obvious “double tap” when it was determined that some of the occupants had survived the initial strike. This reportedly came as the result of a directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "kill them all."
These strikes, claimed with little evidence to be drug traffickers, are now drawing criticism from Republican lawmakers with Sen. Rand Paul, (R-Ky.) wondering to Semafor if Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was "incompetent" or "lying." Anonymous officials described the move of blaming Adm. Frank M. Bradley for the second strike as throwing service members “under the bus” and “protect Pete’ bulls——.”
“The way this is characterized was kind of interesting because when Secretary Hegseth made his announcement via tweet, basically saying that he backs up all the decisions that admiral Bradley made, the real underlying current here seems to be the fact that the decisions were admiral Bradley’s and Hegseth himself is not really taking responsibility for these actions,” said Leighton.
“But the fact of the matter is, these actions were carried out at the behest not only of secretary Hegseth, but also of President Trump. So, they are ultimately responsible for how the military carries out these missions,” Leighton added. “They have to not only ensure that these orders are carried out, if they want them carried out, but they also have to make sure that those orders are lawful. And if you don't make sure those orders are lawful and people engage in these kinds of attacks and the so-called double-tap attack, that would be a significant breach of the laws of war, but it is also potentially a war crime.”
'Lot of heartburn in the Pentagon' over double-tap blame game: national security reporter
Members of the military attend a meeting convened by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, at Marine Corps Base Quantico, in Quantico, Virginia, U.S., September 30, 2025. REUTERS Kevin Lamarque
Members of the military attend a meeting convened by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, at Marine Corps Base Quantico, in Quantico, Virginia, U.S., September 30, 2025. REUTERS Kevin Lamarque
December 02, 2025
ALTERNET
CNN National Security correspondent Natasha Bertrand reports the Trump administration is causing headache with its back and forth over who is responsible for a deadly double strike that destroyed a Caribbean boat and then killed its stricken passengers floating in the water.
“[T]here is a lot of heartburn in the Pentagon right now amongst officials who are saying, ‘how is [Secretary of Defense Pete] Hegseth shifting entirely the blame to [Navy Adm. Frank] Bradley… while at the same time he's saying that he has his back?’ Clearly he's trying to shift responsibility for the entire strike to him.”
Former military officials are saying Bradley would be court martialed “under normal circumstances” for ordering strikes against helpless swimmers after an initial strike destroyed their boat.
“I think he's very much trying to have this both ways,” Bertrand told CNN anchor Dana Bash. “On the one hand, [Hegseth] is saying that we fully support what these commanders are doing. On the other hand, he's saying that we're going to keep striking narco-terrorists and put them at the bottom of the ocean. But also, this was Admiral Bradley’s decision. He's the one that made this decision on September 2nd to kill the survivors of that of that strike.”
This, said Bertrand, suggests “a little bit of vulnerability’ on the part of both Hegseth and the Trump administration.
“The reality is that there are serious questions about why they made that decision to kill survivors of that first strike and ultimately why they then changed course and began repatriating survivors after that first strike,” she said. “Was there a recognition there by lawyers, perhaps, that, ‘hey, maybe this is not going to be good for us in the future?’
Heads are also spinning because White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated multiple times that ultimately, Hegseth and Donald Trump are the ones who make all the decisions about the operations — but, at the same time, she and Hegseth both say Bradley was in charge of this particular operation, and ordered that second strike that killed the survivors.
“So while Pete Hegseth … said, ‘kill them all’ it was Admiral Bradley, according to the Pentagon, who then made the decision,” said Betrand. “And I think that there's a lot of exploiting this nuance and saying that because Hegseth didn't necessarily order that second strike to kill the survivors, … then that kind of absolves him of all culpability in this.”
“[T]here is a lot of heartburn in the Pentagon right now amongst officials who are saying, ‘how is [Secretary of Defense Pete] Hegseth shifting entirely the blame to [Navy Adm. Frank] Bradley… while at the same time he's saying that he has his back?’ Clearly he's trying to shift responsibility for the entire strike to him.”
Former military officials are saying Bradley would be court martialed “under normal circumstances” for ordering strikes against helpless swimmers after an initial strike destroyed their boat.
“I think he's very much trying to have this both ways,” Bertrand told CNN anchor Dana Bash. “On the one hand, [Hegseth] is saying that we fully support what these commanders are doing. On the other hand, he's saying that we're going to keep striking narco-terrorists and put them at the bottom of the ocean. But also, this was Admiral Bradley’s decision. He's the one that made this decision on September 2nd to kill the survivors of that of that strike.”
This, said Bertrand, suggests “a little bit of vulnerability’ on the part of both Hegseth and the Trump administration.
“The reality is that there are serious questions about why they made that decision to kill survivors of that first strike and ultimately why they then changed course and began repatriating survivors after that first strike,” she said. “Was there a recognition there by lawyers, perhaps, that, ‘hey, maybe this is not going to be good for us in the future?’
Heads are also spinning because White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated multiple times that ultimately, Hegseth and Donald Trump are the ones who make all the decisions about the operations — but, at the same time, she and Hegseth both say Bradley was in charge of this particular operation, and ordered that second strike that killed the survivors.
“So while Pete Hegseth … said, ‘kill them all’ it was Admiral Bradley, according to the Pentagon, who then made the decision,” said Betrand. “And I think that there's a lot of exploiting this nuance and saying that because Hegseth didn't necessarily order that second strike to kill the survivors, … then that kind of absolves him of all culpability in this.”
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