Monday, December 1, 2025

Trump defends Hegseth on strikes near Venezuela

As lawmakers investigate "kill them all" orders, Trump backs Hegseth. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌  ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ 
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On Politics

Mon Dec 1 2025

 

Kathryn Palmer Politics Reporter

@KathrynPlmr

Hello, readers. Happy Monday and welcome back to OnPolitics after the long weekend. The first days back after a holiday are always a bit brutal − my coffee machine is already working overtime! Here's today's politics news.

Trump defends Hegseth on strikes off Venezuela

Several lawmakers have expressed alarm and outrage over reports that Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth ordered that a strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean in September leave "no survivors." President Donald Trump is downplaying the episode.

"I don't know anything about it," Trump told reporters yesterday. "He said he did not say that, and I believe him, 100%," Trump added, referring to Hegseth's reported directive. "He says he didn't do it."

Trump's lethal strikes, the U.S. says, were aimed at deterring ongoing Venezuelan drug trafficking, and were already facing scrutiny. Since September, the U.S. military says it has launched strikes on at least 21 boats in international waters, killing 83 people.

After a bombshell Nov. 28 Washington Post report that Hegseth ordered military officials to "kill them all" in a follow-up strike, lawmakers in the House and Senate have pledged to investigate.

Trump could not say on Nov. 30 whether a second strike had taken place, saying, "I don't know. I'm going to find out about it. But Pete said he did not order the death of those two men."

Usa Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters during travel to Washington, D.C., from Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, U.S., November 30, 2025. REUTERS/Anna Rose Layden

Anna Rose Layden, REUTERS

A politics pit stop:

Melania Trump's White House Christmas decor includes Lego portraits, dominoes, 120 pounds of gingerbread and 51 trees
Tim Walz slams President Donald Trump's social media posts on the Somali community and the use of a slur
Kristi Noem alleges National Guard DC shooting suspect, an Afghan asylum seeker, was "radicalized" in the U.S.
Democratic Sen. Cory Booker marries Alexis Lewis in private ceremonies in New Jersey and Washington

Poll: Americans say Trump raised prices

A new poll found more Americans are unhappy with Trump's stances on the economy and cost of living, and nearly twice as many respondents say the president has done more to raise prices than lower them.

In a recent Yahoo/YouGov poll, 49% of respondents said Trump's actions since he took office for his second term have raised prices. Just 24% said he'd done more to lower costs.

The survey, conducted from Nov. 21 to 24, also found more Americans blame Trump (38%) than Biden (31%) for inflation.

Americans' concerns about the cost of living and inflation have continued to be top issues for both parties. Respondents credited Democrats' focus on affordability as a component in their major victories in several key Nov. 4 races.

Trump warns of 'long time' asylum pause

Trump doubled down on his anti-immigration policies while speaking with reporters yesterday, saying his administration's pause on processing all asylum applications had "no time limit, but it could be a long time" until claims resume.

Following an attack in Washington, DC, that killed a member of the National Guard and left another critically injured, Trump vowed in a social media post to halt migration from all "Third World Countries."

The president ordered widespread reviews of immigration policies, including a reexamination of green cards issued to people from 19 countries considered "high-risk," and halted all asylum decisions.

The deadly shooting was allegedly carried out by a suspect identified as an Afghan national who entered the U.S. under a Biden-era refugee program in 2021 and was granted asylum in April of this year by the Trump administration.

Contact me at kapalmer@usatoday.com.

Seen from the Washington Monument on Nov. 14, 2025, in Washington, DC, construction crews continue to remove the East Wing of the White House and prepare for the new ballroom construction.

President Donald Trump and his chosen architect have clashed over the enormous construction project at The White House.

Alina Habba attends President Donald Trump's inauguration, in the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.
 

Trump loses on appointing ally Alina Habba as New Jersey prosecutor

A federal appeals court ruled Alina Habba, a former lawyer for Donald Trump, was unlawfully appointed the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey.

A new study found 2 in 3 people who took GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic to lose weight quit within one year. People with Type 2 diabetes are more likely to continue using the medication.
 

World Health Organization recommends GLP-1s. But there's a catch.

The WHO issued guideline on the use of GLP-1 therapies for obesity, conditionally recommending them as part of long-term treatment.

Organizer Anne Janzen listens to speakers during a meeting of the Butler County Commissioners at the Butler County Government Services Building in Hamilton, Ohio, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025.
 

'I'm outraged.' In Trump country, suburban grandmas take on ICE

A grassroots group of seniors protests Ohio county's cooperation with ICE. Only retirees are free to attend daytime commissioners' meetings, they say.

President Donald Trump, with first lady Melania Trump, disembarks from Air Force One upon arrival from Florida, at Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland, U.S., November 30, 2025. REUTERS/Anna Rose Layden
 

Trump says he will release his 'perfect' MRI results

President Donald Trump had previously disclosed he underwent an MRI exam on Oct. 10, but he did not say which part of his body was scanned.

 

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