Hegseth embroiled in strike scandal; Minneapolis braces for ICE raids

Hexith under fire from a deadly boat strike to Signal Gate

But today, an admiral takes the heat on the hill. Plus, federal raids hit Minneapolis, ramping up pressure and rattling the Somali community

And the drunk raccoon taking over the Internet. The holiday mix-up that got him there

The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world

These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News. Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli

We begin this morning with news scrutiny on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he's fine with releasing any video his administration has

of a U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, a strike that left two initial survivors dead

Critics say 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 Hegs' 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 going to 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 300,000 people were killed

So to be clear, you support the decision to kill survivors after the initial strike

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

Admiral Bradley is expected to testify on Capitol Hill today and will show video of that second strike

Hegseth has stood by him saying Bradley made the right call and that, quote, we have his back

Meanwhile, the Pentagon Inspector General says 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 come after an eight-month probe into what's

been called SignalGate The IG says the details Hegseth sent were marked secret and could have put American troops at risk if intercepted The report also says he violated regulations by using his personal phone for official business

Hegseth maintains he did not share classified information in that chat. House Democrats have now released more than 150 pictures and at least a dozen video clips from Jeffrey Epstein's private island

A new look at the Virgin Islands estate where he allegedly abused underage girls

The material was originally gathered during civil litigation in 2020. In a statement on Wednesday, Democrats said they're releasing the images, quote

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 confirms it has received Epstein-related financial records

from JPMorgan 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 Jelaine Maxwell argued against unsealing grand jury material in her case

and said they planned to seek her release from prison. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for the sex trafficking of minors

Federal immigration raids are now underway across New Orleans. Part of the Trump administration's latest crackdown, and 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, 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

and 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 President Trump launched into a tirade against Somali immigrants

and called Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, quote, 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 You have her She always talking about the Constitution provides me with

Go back to your own country and figure out your Constitution. Our president's obsession with me and the Somali community really is creepy and unhealthy

And we are not, and I am not, someone to be intimidated and we are not going to be scapegoated

We are here to stay. The Minneapolis-St. Paul area is home to the largest Somali community in the country, 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

I'm not scared, you know. 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. New this morning, federal prosecutors are now moving to re-indict

New York Attorney General Letitia James just one week after a judge threw out the original case

MS Now reports a new grand jury in Norfolk, Virginia is expected to hear evidence as early

as today presented by a federal prosecutor brought in from Missouri. A federal judge dismissed the

first round of indictments against James and former FBI Director James Comey, ruling that the acting

U.S. attorney who brought the charges was not legally appointed and had no authority to prosecute

The judge, though, left the door open for the DOJ to try again. According to MS Now, top Justice

Department officials have been split on how to proceed and are still weighing whether Comey can

even be charged again because of a possible statute of limitations issue. All of this comes

after months of internal turmoil inside 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. Out West, a judge sentenced a California doctor

who sold ketamine to actor Matthew Perry in the weeks before his death

He's the first defendant to face punishment in the case. Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic that can cause people to hallucinate

44-year-old Salvador Placencia arrived in court to learn his fate. He pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution, admitting he illegally sold the Friend Star 20 vials of ketamine

even texting another doctor about, quote, how much this moron will pay

The judge hit him with 30 months in federal prison saying Placencia fed Perry addiction for personal profit Perry mother Suzanne and stepfather Dateline Keith Morrison sat in the front row both delivering emotional

statements about the loss of their son. Asked by a reporter after court if he agreed with the

judge's sentence, here's what Morrison said. Does it matter? No, not really. Look, it's a tragic

story and, you know, sometimes apparently nice guys do bad things. The legal system has to take

account of it. Four others charged the case will be sentenced in the coming months

Perry died in 2023 from the acute effects of ketamine. He was 54. Finally this morning

a break-in at a Virginia liquor store. You've got to see this with a suspect that honestly

has been through enough. Police say this masked bandit right there, a full-grown raccoon

crashed in through the ceiling, then went on what animal control is calling a full-blown rampage at the liquor store

Rum, moonshine, vodka, even peanut butter whiskey. He tasted everything and then passed out cold on the bathroom floor

Officers scooped him up, let him sleep it off at the shelter, and said he showed no injuries other than maybe a hangover and poor life choices

You see all the bottles there. Officials hope he learned his lesson, but let's be honest

If you put peanut butter whiskey on the bottom shelf, someone or something is going to snatch it

All right, so I absolutely love these images, but I have a few questions. So when the raccoon wakes up, does he figure out where he is and what happened

Does he feel shame for passing out drunk? Does he start communicating with his fellow raccoons, you know, apologizing for his behavior the night before, saying it won't happen again

Hmm. Food and shall we say drink or thought? All right. A busy Thursday ahead. Here's what we're tracking

Starting with an RFK junior appointed committee meeting kicking off in Atlanta

Members are taking a fresh look at how vaccines are given to Americans, especially children

Then at 930, Speaker Mike Johnson formally swears in Tennessee's newest Republican, Matt Van Epps

At noon, we'll get the latest read on mortgage rates from Freddie Mac. And tonight, President Trump and First Lady Melania lead the national Christmas tree lighting

Hey, don't let your Uncle Bob on Facebook be your news source. Get unbiased updates straight to your inbox each morning

Sign up at san.com slash newsletters. Those are your unbiased updates for this Thursday

We'll see you back here tomorrow, Friday. We'd love that. For all of us at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli

Have a great day. We've been the raccoons out there