“Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday defended the secondary strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea, citing ‘the fog of war’ as reason for his not seeing any survivors in the water when the strike was ordered and launched. Hegseth’s comments came during a cabinet meeting hosted by President Donald Trump the day after the administration insisted the strike, which it says was ordered by Navy Vice Adm. Frank ‘Mitch’ Bradley, was lawful. Legal experts say the U.S. military would have committed a crime if survivors were killed, and lawmakers have announced congressional reviews of the strikes. Bradley is expected to provide a classified briefing Thursday to lawmakers overseeing the military.” (12/02/25)
“Republican Matt Van Epps defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn in a congressional special election in the western Nashville suburbs, which was being closely watched for signs of Republican weakness going into congressional midterms next year. The Associated Press called the race at 9.47 EST with Van Epps holding a 52% to 46% lead. … Donald Trump carried the district by 15 points in 2020 and 22 points in 2024. But special elections can be unpredictable, and polling placed Behn within a few points of Van Epps in recent days.” (12/02/25)
“Costco Wholesale Corp. joined a fast-growing list of businesses suing the Trump administration to ensure eligibility for refunds if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the president’s signature [and illegal] global tariffs policy. The nation’s biggest warehouse club chain is among dozens of companies to file lawsuits in a U.S. trade court since late October challenging President Donald Trump’s use of an economic emergency powers law to impose the levies, according to court records. It’s one of the biggest corporate players to jump into a fight largely driven this year by small businesses and Democratic state officials. The Supreme Court heard arguments on Trump’s tariffs on Nov. 5. The justices put the fight on a fast-tracked schedule but didn’t say when they intend to rule. In the meantime, businesses of all sizes have brought cases pressing similar legal claims with the goal of avoiding uncertainty about their eligibility for refunds if the court rules against Trump.” (12/02/25)
“Salvador Nasralla, of the centrist Liberal Party, took a razor-thin lead in Honduras'[s] presidential election over Nasry Asfura, the conservative candidate backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, on Tuesday in a vote count plagued by delays and system failures. The latest results released by the electoral authority around 2:30 p.m. local time showed Nasralla on 39.96% and Asfura of the National Party on 39.80%, with just over 60% of votes counted. Rixi Moncada, of the ruling leftist LIBRE Party, was well behind in third place with 19.19%. Asfura had previously been leading by around 500 votes when results were last released on Monday.” (12/02/25)
“The right to trial by jury will be pared back in Britain in an attempt to clear a backlog of cases clogging up the justice system, the government announced Tuesday. Justice Secretary David Lammy said overload and delays had created ‘an emergency in our courts’ that risks collapsing trust in British justice. The U.K. court system has struggled to clear a backlog of cases built up since the COVID-19 pandemic. The government says there are almost 80,000 cases waiting to be heard in criminal courts in England and Wales, more than double the pre-pandemic figure, with some cases taking several years to reach trial.” [editor’s note: Yeah, “no jury trial for you, a government official will decide” just SCREAMS “trust British justice” – TLK] (12/02/25)
It’s a “Hybrid Wednesday” at the freedom movement’s daily newspaper — a full 60-item email and social media edition, PLUS another 30-35 news stories, opinion pieces and audio/video links at the web edition:
“Former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes launched his bid to replace retiring Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday, joining an already crowded and competitive Democratic primary. Barnes, who lost a 2022 Senate race against Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), focused on affordability and attacked Republicans in his launch video …. Barnes’[s] entrance is not expected to clear the primary field, like it did in his 2022 Senate primary, several Wisconsin Democrats said. A half-dozen Democrats are already vying to replace Evers, including Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, state Rep. Francesca Hong, state Sen. Kelda Roys and attorney Missy Hughes. Evers over the summer announced he wouldn’t run for a third term.” (12/02/25)
“Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said on Monday that it seized full control of Babanusa, a transport junction in the country’s oil-producing South. In a statement, the RSF said its “liberation” of Babanusa in West Kordofan state — the latest frontline in the war in Sudan — came as it repelled ‘a surprise attack’ by the Sudanese army in what it called ‘a clear violation of the humanitarian truce.'” (12/02/25)
“A former Memphis, Tenn., police officer who pleaded guilty to kidnapping and murdering a 30-year-old man while on duty has been sentenced to 38 years in prison. Patric Ferguson, 34, was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty in August to federal civil rights, firearms, kidnapping and obstruction charges for the fatal shooting of Robert Howard. … Prosecutors said Ferguson, who had been a police officer since October 2018, abducted Howard from his home at gunpoint and killed him in the back of his patrol car while on duty. He then disposed of the body in the Wolf River, with assistance from Joshua Rogers, who pleaded guilty May 8 to obstruction charges and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17.” (12/02/25)
“Haiti’s transitional presidential council has backed an electoral law in the latest step toward holding a general election for the first time in nearly a decade. The approval late Monday means that the government can finally publish an official and long-awaited electoral calendar, after fears that the council would try to push back the tentative dates to stay in power longer. … The adoption of the electoral law came as some council members have pushed for the ouster of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, including Fritz Alphonse Jean, who was recently sanctioned by the U.S. government. Some believe that U.S. visa restrictions, like the one imposed on Jean, are being used as a threat to try and influence Haiti’s politics. Three of seven council members with voting powers weren’t present for Monday’s meeting, where the electoral law was approved, including Jean, according to Le Nouvelliste newspaper.” (12/02/25)
