1/ The White House said Navy Adm. Frank Bradley ordered a second strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat on Sept. 2 that killed survivors of an initial U.S. attack, and it defended the action as lawful under authority from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Bipartisan committees in the House and Senate opened investigations after reports that Hegseth had issued a verbal directive to kill everyone aboard, which he denied. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Bradley acted “within his authority and the law,” while not disputing that the first strike left survivors before the follow-on attack. Nevertheless, lawmakers, legal experts, and foreign allies warned that killing people unable to fight could be a war crime, and some said the Pentagon hasn’t provided the requested videos, orders, or legal opinions. The Sept. 2 operation was the first in a series of more than 20 U.S. strikes on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that have killed over 80 people. (Politico / Associated Press / Axios / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Washington Post / The Guardian / CNN / New York Times)
2/ Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said investigators believe Rahmanullah Lakanwal was radicalized after arriving in the U.S., following the shooting near the White House that killed National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom and wounded Andrew Wolfe. She blamed Biden-era vetting for allowing the Afghan immigrant into the country in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome even though the Trump administration approved his asylum in April. Former U.S. officials said Lakanwal had been repeatedly vetted during his CIA-backed service in Afghanistan, during the 2021 evacuation, and again before his asylum grant. (ABC News / NPR / Washington Post / The Guardian / Reuters / NBC News / Bloomberg / Axios / CBS News / New York Times / Reuters)
- Trump called the shooting of two National Guard members an “act of terror,” saying the U.S. “must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden.” Trump directed agencies to stop Afghan immigration processing and pause all asylum decisions and vowed to “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries,” declaring that “only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation.” Trump also pledged to “terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions,” “remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country,” “end all Federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens,” “denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility,” and “deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.” (NBC News / Axios / ABC News / New York Times / Reuters / Bloomberg / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal)
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3/ A federal appeals court ruled that Alina Habba has been serving unlawfully as the U.S. attorney in New Jersey, rejecting the Trump administration’s use of a series of personnel moves to keep her in the job without Senate confirmation. The three-judge panel for the Third Circuit said the tactics used by Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department “bypasses the constitutional process entirely” in violation of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. (Associated Press / New York Times / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / Politico / Washington Post)
4/ ON FRIDAY: Trump said he was canceling all Biden executive orders that were signed using an autopen, claiming without evidence that aides operated the device without Biden’s approval. Trump said “any document signed” with the autopen was “terminated” and warned that Biden “will be brought up on charges of perjury” if he says he approved the process. Biden previously denied the claims and said he made all decisions during his presidency. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have urged a Justice Department investigation, even though their report offered no concrete evidence that aides acted without Biden’s consent. (NBC News / The Guardian / Wall Street Journal)
5/ The White House said Trump’s October MRI was a “preventative” scan and reported “perfectly normal” cardiovascular and abdominal results with “no evidence of arterial narrowing” or other problems. The memo followed Trump’s comments to reporters that he had “no idea” what part of his body was scanned. The White House had previously described the visit only as a “follow-up evaluation” that included “advanced imaging,” without explaining the purpose of the MRI during a routine physical or why the imaging focused only on the heart and abdomen. (Bloomberg / CNBC / Axios / Reuters / Associated Press / CNN / Wall Street Journal / Politico)
poll/ 36% of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing as president – his lowest level of his second term – while 60% disapprove. Republicans’ approval dropped seven points to 84%, while Independents’ approval fell eight points to 25% – their lowest rating in either of Trump’s terms. Democrats’ approval, meanwhile, stayed at 3%. (Gallup)
The 2026 midterms are in 337 days.
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