Top Democrat says US forces killed ‘shipwrecked sailors’
A top Democrat has called footage of a US military strike on surviving Venezuelan drug traffickers “one of the most troubling things” he has seen in public service.
The US House Intelligence Committee has heard testimony from the admiral who ordered a second strike to kill surviving narco-terrorists on a Venezuelan drug boat and watched the harrowing footage of the mission.
There has been an outcry in recent days since it emerged on September 2, on the first occasion America bombed a Venezuelan vessel, two people survived only to be taken out by a second missile.
The top Democrat on the intelligence committee, Representative Jim Himes, told reporters the footage was harrowing and believed it should be made public.
“What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service,” Congressman Himes said.
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) September 2, 2025
“You have two individuals in clear distress, without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel, were killed by the United States.
“Any American who sees the video that I saw, will see the United States military attacking shipwrecked sailors – bad guys, bad guys, but attacking shipwrecked sailors.
“Now there’s a whole set of contextual items that the admiral explained. Yes, they were carrying drugs. They were not in the position to continue their mission in any way.
“People will someday see this video, and they will see that that video shows, if you don’t have the broader context, an attack on shipwrecked sailors.”
The congressman said Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley defended his decision for the “double tap” second strike during the closed door hearing.
However chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Republican Tom Cotton, had a very different take after attending the same hearing.
“The first strike, the second strike and the third and the fourth strike on September 2nd were entirely lawful and needful, and they were exactly what we’d expect our military commanders to do,” Senator Cotton said.
“I saw two survivors trying to flip a boat, loaded with drugs bound for the United States, back over so they could stay in the fight.”
“And just like you would blow up a boat off of the Somali coast or the Yemeni coast, and you’d come back and strike it again if it still had terrorists and it still had explosives or missiles, Admiral Bradley and Secretary Hegseth did exactly what we’d expect them to do.”
FOLLOW UPDATES BELOW:
VENEZUELAN LEADER’S SECRET CALL TO TRUMP REVEALED
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro wanted Donald Trump to help him keep A$300 million from his funds in order to flee the country.
Sources told the UK’s Telegraph Maduro also asked for amnesty for up to 100 officials and arrangements made for his safe passage to a new country in a 15 minute phone call made late last month.
The sources said while the Venezuelan leader wanted to stay in a Western country, Mr Trump suggested he consider relocating to China or Russia.
It comes after the Miami Herald reported Maduro offered to hold free and fair elections in exchange for keeping control of the military but president Trum rejected the terms.
‘DADDY’S HOME’: WHITE HOUSE RELEASES CHRISTMAS CARTOON
Washington DC is getting into the festive spirit with the White House releasing Christmas themed cartoon starring President Trump.
Mr Trump is depicted wearing a Santa hat amid a snowy scene with the words “Daddy’s Home” emblazoned at the top.
The phrase is a reference to when NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte affectionately dubbed Mr Trump “daddy” during their June summit to the delight of the US leader.
HEGSETH ‘RISKED COMPROMISE OF SENSITIVE INFO’
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of commercial messaging app Signal to discuss strikes on Yemen risked compromising sensitive information and could have put troops at risk, the Pentagon’s independent watchdog said.
“The secretary sent nonpublic DoD information identifying the quantity and strike times of manned US aircraft over hostile territory over an unapproved, unsecure network approximately two to four hours before the execution of those strikes,” the inspector general’s office said in a report, using an abbreviation for the Department of Defence.
“Using a personal cell phone to conduct official business and send nonpublic DoD information through Signal risks potential compromise of sensitive DoD information,” it said.
The report noted that Mr Hegseth is an “original classification authority” and can decide when materials no longer require protection, but said his actions “created a risk to operational security that could have resulted in failed US mission objectives and potential harm to US pilots.”
Mr Hegseth – who declined to be interviewed as part of the inspector general’s investigation -nonetheless described the report as a “total exoneration,” saying in a post on X: “Case closed.”
The probe was sparked by the Atlantic magazine’s revelation in March that its editor-in-chief was inadvertently included in a Signal chat in which officials including Mr Hegseth and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz discussed impending strikes on Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels.
The magazine initially withheld the details the officials discussed, but later published them after the White House insisted that no classified information was shared and attacked the editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, as a liar.
No classified information.
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 3, 2025
Total exoneration.
Case closed.
Houthis bombed into submission.
Thank you for your attention to this IG report. https://t.co/eQPO5iPIRc
The chat included messages in which Mr Hegseth revealed the timing of strikes hours before they happened and information on aircraft and missiles involved, while Waltz sent real-time intelligence on the aftermath of the military action.
“If this information had fallen into the hands of US adversaries, Huthi forces might have been able to counter US forces or reposition personnel and assets to avoid planned US strikes,” the watchdog report said.
Mr Trump at the time rejected calls for Hegseth to be fired and largely pinned the blame on Waltz, whom he ultimately replaced as national security adviser, appointing him as US ambassador to the United Nations instead.
US media then reported in April that Hegseth had created a second Signal chat in which the March Yemen strikes were discussed with people including his wife and brother, but the Pentagon chief likewise weathered that storm and remained in office.
US PEACE INSTITUTE NAMED AFTER TRUMP AMID RWANDA-CONGO TRUCE
The US Institute of Peace headquarters has been officially renamed after Donald Trump who helped facilitate a peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mr Trump and the leaders of the African nations signed the deal in Washington even as fighting continued on the ground.
“I think it’s going to be a great miracle,” Mr Trump told reporters after the signing with Paul Kagame, the longtime president of Rwanda, and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi.
The US President thanked Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the honour of renaming the building.
“President Trump will be remembered by history as the President of Peace. It’s time our State Department display that,” Mr Rubio posted to X along with a photo illustrating the signage had already been changed over.
This morning, the State Department renamed the former Institute of Peace to reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation's history.
— Department of State (@StateDept) December 3, 2025
Welcome to the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. The best is yet to come. pic.twitter.com/v7DgkoZphn
TRUMP EYES AUSSIE SUPERANNUATION SCHEMES
Donald Trump says he is interested in matching Australia’s superannuation system for Americans.
“We are looking at programs. There’s a certain Australian plan that people are liking and they’re talking about,” President Trump told reporters during a White House press conference on Tuesday, US time.
“You know what I mean? There’s a plan where, not for children necessarily, but it’s for people. Working people. And we are looking at other things.
“Different from this, I think this is very unique, but different from this. But very important.”
When asked whether he was talking about superannuation, Mr Trump responded affirmatively. “Yep, we’re looking at it very seriously,” he said.
“It’s a good plan. It’s worked out very well.”
American retirement schemes are significantly more complex than those in Australia.
At the moment they have a choice between drawing a monthly Social Security payment from the government and individual retirement accounts (IRA) or employer-sponsored 401K.
Unfortunately according to Economic Innovation Group, 42 per cent of full-time working Americans don’t have access to a plan at all.
Of those who do participate in saving for retirement, 50.5 per cent do not receive a matching employer contribution.
‘THREAT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’: HUGE VISA PAUSE
The US has immediately paused asylum applications from residents of nations deemed a security risk pending a comprehensive review of immigration policies in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington last week.
About 1.4 million people with pending asylum applications will be caught up by the order that will also see those already granted asylum and benefits subject to further review.
Nineteen countries have been singled out under the ban including Laos, Libya, Somalia, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Yemen, Burma and Cuba and the list could grow to more than 30.
In a policy memo, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) detailed the situation.
“In light of identified concerns and the threat to the American people, USCIS has determined that a comprehensive re-review, potential interview, and reinterview of all aliens from high-risk countries of concern who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021 is necessary,” the memo states.
“Lastly, USCIS may, when appropriate, extend this review and reinterview process to aliens who entered the United States outside of this time frame.”
The memo references a planned terror attack during last year’s election by an Afghan national.
“Recently, the United States has seen what a lack of screening, vetting, and prioritising expedient adjudications can do to the American people,” it said.
“In another instance, an Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is suspected of planning and executing a terrorist attack in Washington, DC against two National Guard members, one who was killed and another who remains critically injured.
“USCIS plays an instrumental role in preventing terrorists from seeking safe haven in the United States and ensuring that USCIS’ screening and vetting and adjudications prioritise the safety of the American people and uphold all U.S. laws.”
Shortly before the memo was released, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she had met with President Donald Trump and proposed a travel ban.
“I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies,” she wrote on X.
“Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom — not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS,” the DHS chief continued. “WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.”
– with AFP
More Coverage
Originally published as Top Democrat says US forces killed ‘shipwrecked sailors’
Join the conversation
Katy Perry, Justin Trudeau’s new romance chapter
Read more
Intimate detail Baldoni shared with pregnant Lively revealed
Read more