A video of a US military strike on an alleged drug boat that killed two survivors of the initial attack has said he would not oppose its public release if the Pentagon were to declassify it, adding that it shows “nothing remarkable.”
Democrats are pushing the Trump administration to release the video of the second strike on the boat which was incapacitated in the Caribbean, amid accusations the attack was unlawful.
Eleven people died in the 2 September attack, including two men killed in the follow-up strike as they reportedly clung to wreckage for an hour. That killing has been met with intense scrutiny and accusations of war crimes after the Washington Post reported defense secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill them all”. Adm Frank Bradley of the US navy, who oversaw the attack, told lawmakers on Thursday there was no such order – and the Pentagon has defended the legality of the attack.
Cotton, who backs Donald Trump’s campaign against suspected drug smugglers, was among the officials who were briefed on the strikes.
“I think it’s really important that this video be made public. It’s not lost on anyone, of course, that the interpretation of the video … broke down precisely on party lines,” said Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. He said he has spent “years looking at videos of lethal action taken, often in the terrorism context, and this video was profoundly shaking.”
Democrats urge Pentagon to release video of strike on alleged drug boat
Donald Trump has said he has no problem releasing the video. But, despite the president’s statement, Hegseth did not commit to doing so on Saturday.
“We’re reviewing the process, and we’ll see,” he said on Saturday, adding that the Pentagon wanted to ensure sensitive information was not compromised.
Kremlin hails Trump’s national security strategy as aligned with Russia’s vision
The Kremlin has heaped praise on Donald Trump’s latest national security strategy, calling it an encouraging change of policy that largely aligns with Russian thinking.
The remarks follow the publication of a White House document on Friday that criticises the EU and says Europe is at risk of “civilisational erasure”, while making clear the US is keen to establish better relations with Russia.
US may end support for Ukraine, Trump Jr says
Donald Trump may walk away from the Ukrainian war, the US president’s oldest son said in comments to a Middle East conference. In a lengthy tirade against the purpose of continued fighting in Ukraine, Donald Trump Jr also said that Ukraine’s “corrupt” rich had fled their country leaving “what they believed to be the peasant class” to fight the war.
Trump slams ‘lack of loyalty’ from Democrat he pardoned
Donald Trump criticized US House member Henry Cuellar of Texas for deciding to run for re-election as a Democrat days after issuing a pardon. Cuellar and the congressman’s wife faced bribery charges, allegedly accepting thousands of dollars from Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank in exchange for advancing their interests.
Judge blocks Trump prosecutors from key evidence in Comey case
A federal judge has temporarily blocked prosecutors from accessing materials from a key ally of James Comey, making the already uphill criminal case against the former FBI director even more difficult.
Ilhan Omar says Trump’s anti-Somali tirade ‘completely disgusting’
US House member Ilhan Omar on Sunday defended the Somali community in her Minnesota congressional district, saying it was “completely disgusting” when Donald Trump recently referred to them as garbage.
“These are Americans that he is calling ‘garbage,’” Omar, a Somalia-born Democrat, said while responding to the president’s remarks on CBS’s Face the Nation. “I think it is also really important for us to remember that this kind of hateful rhetoric – and this level of dehumanizing – can lead to dangerous actions by people who listen to the president.”
What else happened today:
Republicans in Congress privately made fun of Donald Trump only to come around to support him when he won their party’s 2024 White House nomination, outgoing GOP House member Marjorie Taylor Greene said.
The fiancee of a Jamaican-born, decorated US army veteran who is now facing deportation under the Trump administration says she hopes his story might inspire legislative action to restore immigration protections for former military members.
Benjamin Netanyahu said the first phase of the UN-backed Gaza ceasefire plan is nearly complete and that the second must disarm Hamas, with next steps to be discussed later this month in Washington with Donald Trump.
Catching up? Here’s what happened on 6 December 2025.
