Human Race: Admiral under fire

U.S. Navy Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley appeared before lawmakers for a series of classified briefings on Dec. 4 to answer questions about two missile strikes on a small boat in the Caribbean reportedly carrying illicit drugs. The initial Sept. 2 strike did not fully destroy the vessel or kill all those on board. Democratic lawmakers and top military lawyers claim the follow-up attack unlawfully killed noncombatants since the two survivors weren’t engaged in the fight anymore. The strike is one of at least 21 attacks that have killed more than 80 people on vessels believed to be shuttling illicit drugs to the United States in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean, most originating from Venezuela.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he was unaware of the second strike until hours later and insisted Bradley was responsible for authorizing the action. During the closed-door hearings, Bradley confirmed that Hegseth did not issue the order for the second round of missile strikes, lawmakers said. Still, Hegseth came to the four-star admiral’s defense, saying Bradley did the right thing by “eliminating the threat.” Lawmakers came away with different impressions of the video footage, which some said showed two helpless men clinging to the wreckage. But Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said they were attempting to flip the boat back over to collect their scattered cargo and continue the operation.

Bradley leads the Joint Special Operations Command, which coordinates the most sensitive missions carried out by groups like SEAL Team Six and Delta Force.

Bombing arrest

On Dec. 4, federal officials arrested Brian Cole Jr., 30, on charges related to the pipe bombs found at the Republican and Democratic national committee buildings in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021. Attorney General Pam Bondi praised investigators for sifting through evidence the Biden administration left sitting for nearly five years. Officials believed Cole planted the bombs the night of Jan. 5, but found no evidence linking the failed attack to the Capitol riots. Probes by the Department of Homeland Security and the House Oversight Committee showed that then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris separately passed within feet of the DNC bomb before it was discovered. —Christina Grube

Not guilty?

Lying in a hospital bed underneath a blanket, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal pleaded not guilty during a virtual court hearing to counts of murder, assault, and firearm possession. Law enforcement officials say they are still investigating Lakanwal’s motive for fatally shooting a National Guard member and wounding another in broad daylight on the streets of Washington, D.C. The Afghan national previously worked closely with U.S. intelligence agencies on counterterrorism missions. He arrived in the United States during Operation Allies Welcome, which resettled at least 90,000 Afghans after the country fell to the Taliban. A volunteer with the organization that resettled Lakanwal’s family in Bellingham, Wash., said the father of five appeared to be experiencing an escalating mental health crisis in the years leading up to the attack. —Addie Offereins

Big investment

Michael and Susan Dell announced a $6.25 billion donation to U.S. children, extending so-called Trump Accounts to 25 million American children previously ineligible. The Dells’ pledge is a staggering sum in an era when few single charitable gifts have topped $1 billion in the last 25 years. Children 10 and under born before Trump’s second term and living in areas where the median family income is $150,000 or less can claim an investment account seeded with $250. This donation is in addition to a June pledge from Dell Technologies to match the $1,000 Trump Account contributions for children of U.S.-based Dell employees. —Grace Snell

Pardon, please

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested a presidential pardon Nov. 30, even before his yearslong corruption cases are decided. Netanyahu, indicted in 2019 for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, said in a video address that the ongoing proceedings hinder his ability to govern and a pardon would help reconcile the nation. Israel’s longest-serving prime minister began his latest term in December 2022 and denies any wrongdoing in the corruption cases. Opposition leaders have called for Netanyahu to resign, while U.S. President Donald Trump encouraged his Israeli counterpart to grant a pardon. President Isaac Herzog’s office said he will study the “extraordinary” request carefully before deciding. —Todd Vician

Priest killed

Kidnappers in northern Nigeria murdered Anglican priest Edwin Achi after their ransom demands were not met. Church leaders announced Achi’s death Nov. 26 in a statement decrying the crime as wounding “the conscience of our nation.” Kidnappers seized Achi, along with his wife and daughter, from their home a month ago. Days before his death, his captors released a photo of Achi and his wife, as well as other captive Christians. Achi’s death adds to a list of at least three other clergymen killed this year following abductions, according to news outlet Truth Nigeria. Achi’s wife and daughter remain in captivity. —Kim Henderson

Home free

The former president of Honduras was released from federal prison on Dec. 2, following a pardon from President Donald Trump. Juan Orlando Hernández received a 45-year sentence last year for allegedly helping drug cartels import roughly 400 tons of cocaine into the United States in one of the “most violent drug trafficking conspiracies in the world.” Hernández argued he was innocent, and many Honduran people believed him, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. In his Nov. 28 pardon announcement on Truth Social, Trump argued Hernández “had been treated very harshly and unfairly.” —Bekah Bernhardt

Missionary charged

A former Ohio missionary appeared in court on Dec. 4 and pleaded not guilty to federal charges of alleged child sex abuse while serving overseas. Prosecutors charged Jeriah Mast with illicit sexual conduct against minors during more than 30 trips to Haiti between 2002 and 2019. Mast allegedly committed the abuse while serving with the Anabaptist nonprofit Christian Aid Ministries, according to an archived statement from the group. The federal indictment detailed a 2019 confession Mast made to local law enforcement, in which he admitted to molesting about 30 Haitian children and another four in Ohio. Mast is scheduled to face trial on Feb. 2, 2026. —Christina Grube