Headline Roundup • December 4th, 2025
Admiral Who Oversaw 'Double Tap' Boat Strike Speaks To Congress
Pete Hegseth,Boat Strikes,Venezuela,Donald Trump,Trump Administration,Secretary Of Defense,Drug Cartels,War On Drugs,Terrorism
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Following a report of a second strike on a boat in the Caribbean killing two survivors, Admiral Mitch Bradley attended a closed briefing with the Senate and House Intelligence Committees on Thursday.
The Details: Scrutiny against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has grown since reports claimed he gave an order to "kill-everyone," a report Bradley said is incorrect. Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) said, "The Admiral confirmed that there had not been a kill them all order and that there was not an order to grant no quarter." However, Himes also said that the newly shown video of the second strike on the boat was "one of the most troubling scenes" he has witnessed in public service.
For Context: The developments of the follow-on strike and subsequent investigation are ongoing, while at the same time, a Defense Department inspector general report concluded Hegseth violated Pentagon security policies and put US troops at risk by sharing sensitive operational information on the Signal app earlier this year. President Donald Trump has also announced that the "airspace above and surrounding Venezuela" should be considered "closed in its entirety" as the US continues to consider military action in the region.
How The Media Covered It: Fox News (Right bias) opened coverage by highlighting Bradley's testimony that Hegseth did not give an order to "kill them all." The Independent (Lean Left) and Newsweek (Center), on the other hand, led with the reaction lawmakers had to the newly released video of the second strike, while also mentioning the developments in the Signal app report.
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Featured Coverage of this Story
Democratic Rep. Jim Himes emerged from a closed-door briefing with Admiral Mitch Bradley, troubled by the video of the "double tap" strike conducted on an alleged drug boat in September, which killed survivors.
Representative Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Wednesday that newly shown video of a second U.S. strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean was "one of the most troubling scenes" he has witnessed in public service.

Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu via Getty Images; USSOCOM
Admiral Mitch Bradley confirmed to lawmakers that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth did not order all survivors of counter-narcotics strikes to be killed — even as they had mixed opinions on whether the so-called "double tap" strike was justified.
fox news