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Soon, Navy Admiral Who Oversaw Double-Tap Boat Strike Briefs Congress; Fear Grips Somali Community in Minneapolis Amid New ICE Operation; Giannis Hurts Calf Amid Uncertainty Over Bucks Future. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired December 04, 2025 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, an admiral facing scrutiny will have his say, briefing Congress on the follow-up strike that killed survivors aboard an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean. What he plans to tell lawmakers about why he ordered that second strike.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Arctic blast, freezing temperatures could shatter dozens of records across the country.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And a training mission gone horribly wrong, an F-16 slamming into the California desert, sending a fireball into the sky, a split second decision saving the pilot's life.

I'm Sara Sidner with Kate Baldwin and John Berman. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: So, this morning, it is time to hear the commander's side of the story, the admiral that the White House says gave the order for the follow-up strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean is set to offer a classified briefing today on Capitol Hill and take questions, and The Wall Street Journal is reporting that he is planning to tell lawmakers the two survivors of that first strike were seen actively continuing their drug running mission even after the boat was hit that first time, which he says led to the second hit.

Also, today, we're expecting the unclassified version of a Pentagon watchdog report on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's use of the messaging app, Signal, when he discussed sensitive military operations back in March. And as we told you first on CNN, sources say the report found that Hegseth's messages risk endangering U.S. troops, among other things.

CNN's Alayna Treene is live at the White House. There's a lot that is going to be happening today. How much are we going to learn about it? What are you hearing from there?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, a lot of attention, Kate, on the Pentagon, and specifically, of course, Secretary Hegseth, between these two things that we're going to see happening. I want to start with this briefing, this really high-stakes anticipated briefing that Admiral Bradley is going to be giving to members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committee.

It's going to be closed door, as you mentioned. It's going to be classified. But what he's expected to tell lawmakers could be crucial to trying to rebut the claims from legal experts, as well as some Democratic lawmakers, that that second strike on that boat back in September could have amounted to a war crime.

He's expected to say essentially that after that first attack, nine people on board were killed, but there were still two survivors. And he's expected to tell them that, from their understanding, those two survivors were trying to continue their drug run and, essentially, that made them vulnerable for a second attack. They're going to argue that it was within his right to order that second strike on the boat.

And, look, we've been hearing now from lawmakers for days from both Republicans and Democrats about how they were very skeptical of that second strike, particularly if those two survivors were incapacitated, or if they really were going to try and continue to fight or oppose any threat to the military who are carrying out this operation. They want to know who saw this, who knew this. They also are likely going to press Bradley on what Hegseth had said publicly during that cabinet meeting on Tuesday that he had only been there for the first part of this strike. And they also want to probably get more answers on, really, how did they reach their conclusions that these two survivors were still a potential threat. So, that's going to be a big focus.

Then, again, still watching to see this I.G. report coming out today on Hegseth and the use of Signal, that's only going to be a big point of talk for Hegseth today as well. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Yes. And the mood of lawmakers after they receive this classified briefing will be an important thing to gauge today as well.

It's great to see you, Alayna. Thank you so much for kicking us off. John?

BERMAN: All right. Joining us now is CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig. Counselor, great to see you.

I want to read you The Wall Street Journal reporting on what Admiral Bradley's going to say today. Admiral Frank Mitch Bradley plans to say he and his legal adviser concluded the two survivors were attempting to continue their drug run, making them in the already damaged vessel legitimate targets for another attack, two defense officials said.

So, we're day five or six into this. This is sort of the defense they appear to have settled on. What's significant about this? How does this change maybe the framing?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I think they're finding a gray area here. So, let's consider a couple hypothetical scenarios that I think can help explain the law.

[07:05:01]

If there was a first strike on a ship and then it turned out there were two people in the water clinging to shards of aluminum from the boat, they would be defenseless, they would be incapacitated, absolutely against every Geneva Convention, Hague Convention, law of war available. It would be a war crime. It would be illegal. That's scenario one.

If on the other extreme, there was a strike, but there were still two people on board and they were firing back at American forces or radioing in attacks, physical attacks, artillery strikes on American forces, they would still be in play, and that would be legal. Now, we've landed, I think, closer to the first scenario but somewhere in that gray area, in the middle.

BERMAN: Okay. And, again, in order to prove that second scenario, in theory, they'll have to produce video, communications, whatever, that may be what they do today. This all hangs on it being an armed conflict, which of course is a completely different set of circumstances.

HONIG: And that takes us out a level to all 21 of these strikes that have happened on these ships. The premise for all of this is essentially we are in a war. Donald Trump has said this is an armed conflict, this is a terrorist organization.

Now, we do not have an authorization for use of military force from the Congress, which is the way we now essentially declare war. If Congress declared that, there would be very little legal question, but that's not been declared.

We have had international drug importation into this country for centuries, yet no administration, Republican or Democrat, has ever said that is the equivalent of being at war. In fact, if you look at the legal sources, the way we defined armed conflict is, first of all, an armed, it's not even clear these people were armed, right, an armed organized force that's making a sustained assault on the American homeland. All of those elements, I think, are very fairly in question here.

BERMAN: And even if you accept the premise from the administration that this is an armed conflict, even with this new version of events that we're seeing now for the first time, is it clear that trying to deliver the drugs and/or calling or communicating with another boat would be a threat?

HONIG: So, really important point. Even if there is a war, even if you have combatants, if they are incapacitated, if they are defenseless, if they are wounded or shipwrecked, that's actually a literal textbook example, you cannot circle back and kill them. So, that's number one.

Number two, this argument that, well, they're bringing in drugs, drugs are dangerous, people use drugs and sometimes die, that is dangerous. That is a federal crime. That is something we are absolutely entitled to try to stop. However, it lacks the imminence that usually has been required for this type of strike. Usually, if you have this kind of strike, it has to be a bomb's about to go off, someone's about to get shot, there's about to be a physical attack on U.S. forces or people. BERMAN: Very quickly, Admiral Bradley is talking to Congress today. There is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Do their interests align 100 percent legally?

HONIG: No. They could, in fact, diverge. Because the key question to listen for is, what did each individual specifically know at that moment? If Pete Hegseth knew there were two survivors, and perhaps, hypothetically, they were unarmed or not dangerous, and he gave an order, he could be in trouble if he didn't know that though, and only Bradley knew that, then it could -- the buck could stop at Bradley. So, their interests, they have some commonality, but they're not exactly aligned.

BERMAN: Elie Honig, Counselor, great to see you today. Obviously a lot of questions here, we could learn more over the course of the day how this is explained and what evidence also they have, which is crucial. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Ahead, come to our city and you won't find a hellhole. The mayor of Minneapolis hitting back at President Trump after Trump's xenophobic attack on the city's Somali community.

Plus, breaking overnight, why The New York Times is now suing the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Also a full blown rampage, we have new details on that crazy animal that was caught ransacking a liquor store, and how long it took that guy to sober up.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did see his eyes going back and forth, like a typical drunk person and he obviously could not stand up.

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SIDNER: Anxious and fearful. The Somali community is on edge as federal immigration agents zero in on Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. The Twin cities are home to the nation's largest population of people of Somali descent. Many are starting to talk about how they're functioning now that they have been under attack by the president.

CNN's Whitney Wild is in Minneapolis. You've been speaking with folks from the community. What are they telling you this morning?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is a lot of anxiety here, Sara. We spoke with one woman, 24 years old. She is -- you know, her parents are Somali. She considers herself Somali, but she was born in America. She carries a passport. She called the experience simply insane. She could have never imagined that as an American born citizen she would have ever had to carry paperwork to prove her citizenship.

But this is the reality for the Somali community here in Minneapolis, and it is a large community. There are more than 80,000 Somalis who are living in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas. 58 percent of them were born right here in the United States. 87 percent of them are citizens. Many people are speaking out.

Here's more from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and more members of the community who say they are living, as you said, in anxiety and fear.

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MAYOR JACOB FREY (D-MINNEAPOLIS, MN): Come out to Minneapolis. What you won't find is a hellhole but a beautiful city. It is a city and a park. You won't find a community that is tearing down Minneapolis in our Somali Americans. You will find a group of people that is uplifting Minneapolis and is proud to be here. They are proud to call this extraordinary place home.

SUMAYA MURSAL, SOMALI AMERICAN IN MINNEAPOLIS: A lot of people haven't been leaving their home for work or making a living, so it's very unfortunate and very sad.

EDIL HUSSEIN, SOMALI AMERICAN IN MINNEAPOLIS: I feel like it's sad to see everyone inside right now. This is very empty for this area, especially this place to be this quiet, nobody walking around, I think, is insane.

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[07:15:06]

WILD: Sara, we went to Karmel Mall. That's really the heart of the Somali community here in Minneapolis. It is normally bustling. There are people everywhere, as these shop owners, you know, try to make a living here in America, and it was virtually empty. Most of the people that we spoke with were people who work there and that was pretty jarring for the people who know that that is normally a very vibrant place.

The city says that they're doing everything they can to try to protect citizens. For example, Mayor Jacob Frey says he signed an executive order that prohibits ICE from using city parking lots to stage for operations. Sara?

SIDNER: Yes. And we just were seeing a sign on one of the businesses saying, no ICE unless they had a warrant. There is a lot of fear and trepidation there. We will see what happens with potential raids that the president has been talking about.

Whitney Wild, I know you'll be watching all of it, thank you so much, live there for us from Minneapolis. Kate?

BOLDUAN: And here's an interesting wrinkle with this. The Trump administration's mass deportation push is surprisingly taking a toll on beer. Sales for Constellation Brands, the U.S. owner of Modelo and Corona, have plunged and its stock has dropped nearly 40 percent this year, making it one of the worst performing companies on the S&P 500. Latinos make up roughly half of Constellation's customers, and we have seen and heard over and over again how Latinos are fearful and are not going out to stores, restaurants, and bars and the like, like they were, due to the immigration blitz happening in cities across the country. There have been -- there have also been contributing to this, they believe, job cuts in industries with large immigrant workforces causing customers to pull back on spending.

Other corporate giants are also hurting. Wingstop. Colgate, Palmolive and PepsiCo have also reported sales declines at stores and restaurants in heavily Latino neighborhoods, something to track closely.

Coming up for us, the biggest change yet could be coming today to what vaccines are recommended for children in the United States. HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.'s handpicked panel of people making the call. They're gathering today and what are they going to do?

A million dollars smash and grab caught on camera. Thieves in construction gear, no less, raiding a high-end boutique.

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[07:20:00]

BERMAN: So, this morning, nervous shivers throughout the NBA community as one of the game's biggest stars went down with an injury that I got to say didn't look good. And it comes right as Giannis Antetokounmpo might be looking to switch teams.

Let's get right to Andy Scholes with the latest. Good morning, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, John. Yes, the big story in the NBA yesterday was, and according to ESPN, Giannis and his agent were going to discuss his future with the Bucks after their poor start. So, if a trade is coming, you know, last night may have been the last time we see Giannis in a Milwaukee uniform, and that's because Giannis went down just three minutes into the game against the Pistons with a calf injury. The two-time MVP he was clearly upset as he went down because he knew it was bad.

The team ruled out an Achilles injury. But Bucks Head Coach Doc River says Giannis is going to have an MRI. Milwaukee without Giannis last night went on to upset the Pistons in this one by final 113-109.

Nuggets' Jamal Murray, meanwhile, just could not miss last night against the Pacers. Murray made 10 of his 11 three-point attempts. He poured in a season high 52 points. The Nuggets beat Pacers in that one, 135-120.

Spurs and Magic coming down to the final seconds last night, Orlando was down two. They get the ball into Franz Wagner, but Luke Kornet comes flying in for the game-saving block, even better than the block was Kornet's celebration The Spurs, they all mobbed him. San Antonio won that one, 114-112. They won seven out of nine without Victor Wembenyama.

All right, in the NHL, meanwhile, Alex Ovechkin keeps on scoring. The 40-year-old opened the scoring with the goal off the rebound there. Then in the second period, he added another on the power play. Ovechkin extending his career goals record to 911 now. Capitals, they blew out the Sharks in that one, 7-1.

All right, finally, it's going to be a star-studded day in D.C. tomorrow for the World Cup Draw. Shaq, Tom Brady, Aaron Judge, Wayne Gretzky will all be on stage as the balls are drawn. And for the first time ever, the World Cup has 48 nations for the draw. They're separated into 4 pots of 12 based on rankings. As a host, the U.S. is in pot one. So, then they're going to draw the balls from pot two, then pot three, then pot four to fill out the groups. 42 of the 48 teams have clenched spots. There's six placeholders for the nations that are headed to a playoff to get in.

Now, as a part of tomorrow's festivities, the village people are going to perform, YMCA. FIFA will also be handing out its inaugural peace prize. The USA's first game's going to be June 12th and SoFi Stadium. John, the full schedule is going to be released on Saturday. It's going to be 104 games, USA and Mexico and Canada. It all starts, you know, in June.

It seems like it was forever ago that we got the World Cup, right, but it's right around the corner now with the draw happening tomorrow.

BERMAN: Yes. 48 teams means extra games and extra round of games, and the U.S. being in pot one means, in theory, the U.S. might have an easier draw in that group stage. So, fingers crossed for the U.S. here.

Andy Scholes, great to see you. Thank you very much.

SIDNER: You know what? I might be a little biased, but SoFi Stadium is a great place to start, great-looking stadium. It happens to be home of the Rams and Chargers, far, yes.

BERMAN: Far away from here.

SIDNER: You won't be going to that first game.

[07:25:00]

All right, ahead, The New York Times is taking the Department of Defense to court. How this lawsuit could shape how the press covers the Trump administration.

And incredible video showing the moment of fighter jet plummets into the California desert. How the Air Force pilot is doing after managing to eject just moments before the crash.

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SIDNER: New this morning, The New York Times is ramping up its fight over the Pentagon's press crackdown. [07:30:03]

The Times is the first to sue the Defense Department and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.