Hegseth or Admiral Bradley: Who approved the second Venezuela boat strike?

After two people survived the initial attack, the Trump administration is in the news that its military launched a second strike on a boat in the Caribbean Sea, which Washington claims was carrying drugs.

Two questions, one of which was at the heart of the controversy: Who authorized and was it legal to launch a second strike on the ship in September?

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What we are aware of is:

What transpired?

During Operation Southern Spear, a major campaign that President Donald Trump claims is aimed at destroying drug-trafficking networks, the US military struck a boat in the Caribbean on September 2, 2025.

Nine people died and the vessel was completely destroyed by the first strike. Left to cling to the debris were two survivors.

According to The Washington Post, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal directive that the paper’s reporting described as “to kill everyone.”

Admiral Frank Bradley, the commander of the mission, then issued an additional strike that claimed the lives of the two survivors.

What is known as a “double tap” strike, which is understood in military jargon, is illegal according to experts. Democrats and several Republicans in Congress have voiced their opposition to the strikes, who have pledged to lead the investigation.

The Senate Armed Services Committee, which is led by Republicans, made the announcement on Friday that it would ensure “oversight” of the strikes. The committee’s chairs, Democratic Senator Jack Reed and Republican Senator Roger Wicker, both informed the committee of recent news reports and the Department of Defense’s initial response, according to a statement released by the committee. They said the Committee has directed inquiries to the Department, and “we will be conducting thorough oversight to ascertain the facts” in these circumstances.

Separately, the House Armed Services Committee requested “a full accounting of the operation in question.”

Congress’s committees have sought audio recordings and other sources of documentation to reconstruct the order’s implementation.

More than 80 people have been killed and more than 20 boats have been targeted by the US’s wider operation in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean so far.

What has Pete Hegseth said?

Hegseth described the report as “fake news” on social media, claiming that the boat strikes were “approved by the best military and civilian attorneys, up and down the chain of command” and “in compliance with the law of armed conflict.”

He also appeared to support the double strike.

Hegseth stated in a social media&nbsp post on Friday evening that the “declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people.” Every trafficker we kill has a designated terrorist organization as its affiliation.

The Trump administration officially demonized the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua earlier this year as a terrorist organization. Additionally, it accused Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, of leading the Cartel de los Soles, which US officials described as a drug-smuggling network involving senior government and armed forces members.

In reality, Venezuelans refer to corrupt senior officials by a broad term, the Cartel de los Solos, rather than a cartel. Additionally, the US government’s own Drug Enforcement Agency names other nations as the main narcotics importers, not Venezuela. Tren de Aragua is a front for Maduro, according to Trump’s own intelligence agencies, which have established no connection between the gang and the president of Venezuela.

Has Trump and Trump argued in disagreement with one another?

Trump said in response to questions posed on Air Force One on Sunday that his administration “will investigate” the reports of the second ship’s September 2 strike.

However, he continued, “I wouldn’t have wanted that; not a second strike.”

He noted that Hegseth claimed that he had not ordered those two men’s deaths.

US troops assisted in several of the nearly two dozen subsequent US military strikes on boats and repatriated them to their respective nations.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed Hegseth’s argument in justifying the second strike on September 2 in contrast to Trump’s statement.

“The strike on September 2 was carried out in self-defense to safeguard American interests. In response to a reporter’s question on Monday evening, she responded, “The strike was conducted in international waters and in accordance with the law of armed conflict.”

Who then authorized the strike?

Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to carry out the “strikes” on September 2, according to the White House, giving the impression that the mission commander was given the order to launch multiple attacks on the ship if necessary.

Leavitt told a press conference on Monday that Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to carry out these kinetic strikes.

Bradley’s decision to carry out the second strike, according to Leavitt.

“Admiral Bradley performed well within the bounds of the law and his authority. She said: “He directed the engagement to make sure the boat was completely destroyed and the threat of narco-terrorists to the United States was eliminated.”

At the USSOCOM Change of Command Ceremony in Tampa, Florida, US on October 3, 2025, US Navy Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley, incoming commander of US Special Operations Command, speaks.

Why is it important to ask who ordered it?

A second strike, according to experts, was prohibited from killing survivors.

The Trump administration chose to be judge, jury, and executioner rather than having a criminal prosecution, according to Rachel VanLandingham, a military expert at Southwestern Law School, on their own claim that these individuals are having an extrajudicial killing or murder.

It’s a war crime to use that second strike against people who are shipwrecked and clinging desperately to the side of their boat wreckage. Because those shipwrecked have protected status under the law unless they, for example, shot a gun at someone, it constitutes a war crime. They are protected, she continued, but otherwise.

US envoys headed to Moscow to discuss Ukraine peace plan with Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin and American President Donald Trump will meet to discuss Washington’s proposed peace plan to end the Ukrainian conflict.

The White House expressed its “very optimistic” about achieving a deal before the meeting in Moscow on Tuesday. Ukraine is concerned that despite meeting with US officials on Sunday and Monday, the proposal still reflects Russian demands that are difficult to accept.

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As part of the renewed US diplomatic efforts to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine, which began in February 2022 when Moscow carried out a full-scale invasion of its neighbor, special envoy Steve Witkoff and president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner makes a visit to the Russian capital.

On Tuesday, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, will travel to Moscow to talk about the arrangement.

Trump, who had promised to resolve the conflict right away during his election campaign, has expressed disappointment that achieving that outcome has turned out to be more challenging than expected.

A 28-point draft proposal was leaked last week. It quickly received negative reviews as a “wish list” for Russia, calling for Ukraine to abandon NATO efforts, limit its military, and give up vast territory.

The original plan has since been modified, with the first meeting between Ukrainian and US officials on Sunday and Monday, followed by input from Kyiv and its allies in Europe.

The proposal’s full details have not been made public in its current form.

However, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president, stated on Monday evening that the “biggest challenge” in the ongoing negotiations is still to be preserving Ukraine’s “territorial integrity.

Putin has repeatedly stated that Moscow is willing to talk peace and that the most recent US proposals serve as a “basis for future agreements” in general.

He has also threatened that Russian forces will advance if Ukraine rejects a deal.

In recent months, Russian troops have made some headway on the front line in eastern Ukraine, which has seen little change in the course of years of attritional conflict.

The Ukrainian troops must leave their holding areas before fighting will end. We will use armed means to accomplish this if they don’t leave. That’s it, Putin said last week.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, said megaphone diplomacy was ineffective when describing Witkoff and Kushner’s upcoming visit.

Moscow has since reiterated its commitment to a ceasefire that does not fulfill its highest expectations, which Kyiv and its allies fear would leave Ukraine at risk.

“Looks better,” the phrase.

Zelenskyy said the most difficult aspect of the most complicated issue is the fact that the most complicated aspect of the conflict is “the most complicated issue” but that the latest peace plan “looks better” following discussions with European and US officials in Paris on Monday.

At a joint press conference in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said the flurry of diplomatic activity “could be a turning point,” but he also said that Ukraine must be the one to determine its own territorial boundaries.

More than 19% of Ukraine is under Russian control, up one percentage point from what it was two years ago. However, according to pro-Ukrainian maps, they have advanced this year at the fastest rate since 2022.

Putin’s military chiefs informed him on Monday that Pokrovsk, a strategic front-line town, had been taken over by Russian forces.

On Tuesday, Ukraine refuted that claim, saying that its forces are now occupying the northern portion of the important logistics hub and are launching offensives against Russian positions in the south.

US mass killings drop to 20-year low in 2025: Database

According to a database that records these incidents, the United States has experienced the lowest number of mass killings in 2025 in 20 years.

The Associated Press, which maintains the database alongside USA Today and Northeastern University, reported on Tuesday that a recent shooting at a family gathering in Stockton, California, left four people dead. This was the 17th mass killing this year.

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That figure is down nearly 59 percent from the previous year, when a record number of mass killings took place, even though it may still rise in December.

Mass killings, defined as incidents where four or more people intentionally killed themselves within a 24-hour period, without including any offender, are tracked by the database using police and FBI reports, media articles, and court records.

Regression to the mean

The database’s manager, a criminologist at Northeastern University, James Alan Fox, reported to AP that the database’s tally for 2025 had decreased by about 24 percent from that of 2024, which in turn had decreased by about 20 percent from 2023.

He claimed that the decline in crime rates was most likely a result of a “regression to the mean” — a return to more typical crime levels after an unusually high prior year.

“Will 2026 see a decline”? Fox stated. “I wouldn’t bet on it,” he said.

The figures may be volatile because the database tracked a rare phenomenon, according to Metropolitan State University professor James Densley.

A small change could appear like a wave or a collapse because there are only a few dozen mass killings per year, he claimed, when it was actually a return to more typical levels.

“2025 looks really good in historical context, but that doesn’t mean the issue is over,” said one analyst.

improved response times for mass casualties

However, he said that some factors may be causing the decline, such as a decline in violent and homicide crimes, which reached their highest level during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He claimed that improvements to the response to mass casualty incidents may also be a factor.

He cited a shooting that occurred in August while attending a mass at a Minnesota school, which would not have been documented because there were only two fatalities.

According to him, “the only deaths that were caused by the first responders’ bleeding control and trauma response” and that the fact that the shooting “surfered at some of the best children’s hospitals in the country” also contributed.

While there are no longer any gun violence and associated deaths in the US, according to Eric Madfis, a professor of criminal justice at the University of Washington-Tacoma, “we still have incredibly high rates and numbers of mass shootings compared to anywhere else in the world.”

In the US, firearms were involved in about 82 percent of all mass murders in 2025.

Hong Kong leader orders independent investigation into fire that killed 151

Hong Kong’s leader said an independent committee will be established to investigate the cause of the city’s deadliest fire in decades, which killed at least 151 people and left almost 80 injured.

John Lee, the chief executive of the Chinese-administered region, pledged on Tuesday to overcome vested interests and pursue accountability for the fire, which ripped through seven tower blocks in the Wang Fuk Court housing complex where more than 4,600 people lived in the city’s Tai Po district.

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“In order to avoid similar tragedies again, I will set up a judge-led independent committee to examine the reason behind the cause and rapid spreading (of the fire) and related issues,” Lee told reporters.

“We must uncover the truth, ensure that justice is served, let the deceased rest in peace and provide comfort to the living,” he said.

Asked by a reporter why he should continue in his job after such a disaster had unfolded in the city, Lee said reform was needed.

“Yes, we have identified failures in different stages. That is exactly why we must act seriously to ensure that all these loopholes are plugged so that those who are responsible will be accountable,” Lee said.

“The shortcomings will be addressed. The bottlenecks will be addressed and we will reform the whole building renovation system. To ensure that such things will not happen again,” he added.

The fire started last Wednesday afternoon around scaffolding that had been set up at the housing complex for maintenance work on the high-rise buildings.

Authorities suspect high winds and substandard plastic mesh and insulation foam used during the renovations prompted the rapid spread of the blaze, which overwhelmed firefighting efforts.

Lee said those responsible for the renovations had mixed substandard protective netting with authorised netting “so as to cheat the inspection”. Fire alarms at the complex were also not working properly, officials have said.

Residents told of ‘relatively low fire risks’

Investigators have completed their search and examination of all but two of the seven burned-out towers, finding bodies of residents in stairwells and on rooftops, trapped as they tried to flee the flames. About 30 people are still missing.

Hong Kong police have arrested 13 people for suspected manslaughter in a growing criminal investigation into the fire, while an anticorruption body has arrested 12 people in probes related to the tragedy.

Residents of Wang Fuk Court were told by authorities last year that they faced “relatively low fire risks” after complaining about fire hazards posed by the renovations, the city’s Labour Department said, including about the potential flammability of the mesh that contractors used to cover the scaffolding.

Tests on several samples of a green mesh that was wrapped around bamboo scaffolding on the buildings at the time of the blaze did not meet fire-retardant standards, officials overseeing the investigations told a news conference on Monday.

The city’s Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan said contractors working on the renovations had used substandard materials in hard-to-reach areas, hiding them from inspectors.

Amid a huge outpouring of grief in the city as well as calls for accountability, local media have reported the arrests of several people who were making this call.

Miles Kwan, a 24-year-old student, was reportedly arrested by police for “seditious intent” after handing out flyers demanding a government review of construction oversight in the city. Kwan was released on Monday, according to reports. Two other people, including a former district councillor, were also taken in by police, according to local media reports.

Asked about the arrests of people demanding action, Lee said he would “not tolerate any crimes, particularly crimes that exploit the tragedy that we have been facing now”.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued statements criticising the reported arrests of those calling for accountability.

“Now is the time for the Hong Kong authorities to transparently investigate the causes of the devastating fire … rather than silencing those who ask legitimate questions,” Amnesty International said.

Human Rights Watch’s Asia Director Elaine Pearson said authorities in Hong Kong should “not treat those demanding answers for the tragic fire as criminals”.

China’s national security office issued a statement warning those who would use the disaster to “plunge Hong Kong back into the chaos” of 2019 – when huge pro-democracy protests challenged Beijing and triggered a political crisis.

“We sternly warn the anti-China disruptors who attempt to ‘disrupt Hong Kong through disaster’,” the office said in a statement.

UN will cut 2026 budget by $577m by slashing workforce

As member state unpaid dues rise to $ 1.59 trillion, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the UN’s budget will shrink by 15.1 percent and staff will shrink by 18.8 percent in 2026.

The UN chief released the budget for the following year on Monday, which he had set at $ 3.24 billion, a $ 577 million reduction from 2025.

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According to a separate UN statement, the shortfall was caused by unpaid taxes from the United States, China, Russia, and Mexico as of September.

Due to the high demand in Palestine, Guterres claimed that the UNRWA budget will remain unaffected.

According to Guterres, “I made the decision to exempt UNRWA from any reductions that would have significant effects on the backbone of the entire humanitarian response in Gaza.” He added that the “Development Account and advocacy for Africa’s development” budget will remain at its 2025 level.

He said the UN will fill the void by reducing 2, 681 positions across multiple UN organizations, which “corespond to functions that, in our opinion, can be done better by others or can be reduced by efficiencies.”

According to the secretary-general, about 18% of UN posts are already vacant because of the country’s ongoing liquidity crisis, which includes unpaid member debts and other debts. He continued, “They are not necessarily related to the positions that have been targeted for cuts.”

Because of the liquidity crisis, he claimed, “Those vacancies do not correspond to a political decision based on a strategic priority, but simply by the fact that people have left and that we have the resources to pay for the replacement.”

He claimed that special political missions’ budget will be reduced from $ 149.5 million to $ 54.6% in 2026, which is a decrease from $ 149.5 million or 21.6 percent from the previous year.

Some missions will be closed, while others will be reduced, by reducing other ongoing operations.

The UN’s presence in New York, which is also among the world’s most expensive commercial real estate, has gradually decreased. This is where the UN headquarters is located.