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Admiral Briefs Congress on Dual Strikes on Alleged Drug Boat; Fears Grip Somali Community in Minnesota as ICE Agents Zero In; Father Lobbies for Better Benefits for Wounded Veterans. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired December 04, 2025 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Turning back to Capitol Hill right now, Admiral Mitch Bradley is briefing lawmakers about that September 2nd follow-up strike on an alleged drug boat. The Pentagon says Bradley ordered the follow-up attack. The Pentagon argues the survivors were still in the fight and they were radioing for help.

We're joined now by retired JAG officer Dan Maurer. He's an associate professor of law at Ohio Northern University. Colonel, thank you so much for being with us.

People who briefed on this strike say that the -- have been briefed on this strike -- say that the Defense Department has been making this case that the survivors were still in the fight. You heard that. Because they appeared to be radioing for help, that they could have theoretically continued trafficking the drugs if they had been rescued.

Is that a sound legal argument?

LT. COL. DAN MAURER, RETIRED ARMY JAG: No, it's not. And thank you for having me again, Brianna. No, it's not a sound legal argument.

It's not factually accurate. We haven't seen the second strike video, as I understand it. So there's, we're kind of relying on hearsay here.

But the bottom line is a shipwrecked crew member of a vessel, whether they're Osama bin Laden himself, a drug kingpin, a drug runner, a combatant, a street criminal, whoever it is, is shipwrecked. And communicating back to shore, communicating back to their organization, communicating to someone they know for a rescue does not make them a combatant. It does not make them targetable.

It is simply calling for a rescue. They have to actually pose a threat to someone else. The tangential possibility that they someday may be rescued and therefore redo this whole thing again and pose another threat at sea is not enough to justify lethal force.

And all that argumentation, all that Defense Department argumentation about they're still a combatant, they're still targetable, that all depends heavily on the belief that this is a non-international armed conflict. And you heard Senator Blumenthal earlier say it's not. And I agree. It is not an armed conflict. The rules of law, the -- excuse me -- the laws of war do not apply in this situation. The law of criminal prosecution applies.

The law of federal narco-interdiction applies. That's the law that applies here, and that's it. But even if this were an international armed conflict or a non-international armed conflict, the laws of war would still prohibit targeting shipwrecked crew members.

Again, no matter how evil they are, no matter how bad they are, no matter how high up in the chain of command they are, they are war to combat, period.

[14:35:00]

KEILAR: So explain to us how it would work in this case. The legal decisions being made at the time of this strike. We just heard from Senator Coons.

He said on the Hill that he did hear some reassuring details about U.S. intelligence and the role of military lawyers. But can you talk to us a little bit about how normally military lawyers would be engaged in the moment with this?

MAURER: Sure. In a normal situation -- and I can't say that this is a normal situation, but speaking from experience in Iraq, Afghanistan, the global war on terror over the last two decades -- in an operations center that is commanding and controlling a targeting operation, targeting cell would be involved, that would involve the commander, various munitions experts, targeteers, planners, logisticians, and a JAG, a Judge Advocate General Corps officer. And at the high level of JSOC, a three-star command, or SOCOM, a four-star command, the lawyer in the room -- and there may be more than one -- are usually very, very experienced, higher ranking, field-grade officers, usually major, lieutenant colonel, colonel even, in Army and Marine Corps ranks, commander, captain in Naval ranks.

They have a lot of experience. They have a lot of judgment. They've been around the block. They understand the laws of armed conflict.

They understand how to interpret evidence. And again, if you're in a combat situation, in an armed conflict, that lawyer is there to ensure that the target is a valid, legitimate target in accordance with the rules of engagement, one, but also, more importantly, the law of war. And the rules of engagement are supposed to reflect the laws of war.

No rule of engagement, no matter how aggressive the command wants to be, no matter how aggressive the commander-in-chief wants to be, no rule of engagement can break the laws of armed conflict. It is a red line you cannot cross. So the lawyer is there to ensure that the commander is making an appropriate decision.

But I want to emphasize that the JAG has no veto. The JAG can't simply approve or disapprove a strike. I've heard that language being vented about in the public sphere quite often.

The JAG said I could do this. JAG said I can't do this. The JAG advises.

The JAG is a subject matter expert. The commander decides.

KEILAR: Yes, they're a resource, right, for a commander, and it ultimately comes down to the commander making that decision. Thank you so much, Lieutenant Colonel Dan Maurer. Really appreciate it.

MAURER: Thank you.

KEILAR: Coming up, Minneapolis officials say the immigration crackdown on the city's Somali community is creating widespread fear. We'll discuss with the executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

[14:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Members of the Somali community in Minneapolis-St. Paul are on edge as federal immigration agents zero in on the Twin Cities, home to the largest population of people of Somali descent in the United States. We've learned that like in many other communities, some of those residents are having to carry around their passports or other documents in case they have to prove they're in the country legally.

Our next guest, Jaylani Hussein, is the executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Jailani, thank you so much for being with us. You told reporters yesterday that you were aware of examples of U.S. citizens being asked about their citizenship.

Are you aware of any of those folks being detained? Is there any evidence there of racial profiling?

JAYLANI HUSSEIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CAIR MINNESOTA: Absolutely. In fact, we've heard multiple individuals detained, some for short periods, some a little bit longer, who are U.S. citizens. We've heard multiple reports of that, and that actually is the aspect here.

We believe they are looking for Black people, and particularly Somali Americans who are Black and immigrants. And so right now, as these ICE raids continue, they're predominantly stopping U.S. citizens.

SANCHEZ: This also comes at a time when we are hearing from the president specifically on Somali immigrants. Recently, at a cabinet meeting, the president said that Somalia is considered to be the worst country on earth. He's called Somali migrants, among others, people who have destroyed the country, urging them to go back to where they came from and to fix it.

What do you make of the argument that Somalians have negatively impacted American society directly from the president?

HUSSEIN: I think the president is not only mistaken here, but he is literally textbook definition of racism. Attacking the Somali American community is very unfortunate. The Somali American community have been here for now 30-plus years, and we came here predominantly, actually, by George Bush Sr., who provided refugees to come to the United States in the early 90s, like myself. And Somali Americans today pretty much complete the state of Minnesota. We are your educators, your teachers, your nurses, your doctors, and also doing some of the toughest jobs in factories across the state of Minnesota and across this country. Somali Americans are a predominantly younger generation today.

In fact, the majority of us are now born in the United States. We are part and parcel of the success of the state of Minnesota. Not only are we in Congress and other parts of the country, other parts of industries, but the Somali American is actually a success story, and we believe that is at the heart of why President Trump is targeting us, and partially because of our congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, who has broken so many ceilings and will live out a legacy much longer than this president.

SANCHEZ: There's also a scandal that the president and some of his allies have honed in on. This $300 million alleged fraud that's centered on Feeding Our Future, this nonprofit organization, a COVID- 19 program that was meant to provide free meals to needy kids. Of the 70 or so people charged in that case, most are members of the Somali community.

Do you think that scandal is giving the White House ammunition for these attacks?

HUSSEIN: I think this actually, first of all, fraud is wrong. In fact, this particular fraud impacts specifically low-income families, which many are Somali Americans. In fact, they were victims in this particular moment.

But what's interesting is that this fraud, and among there are many frauds during the pandemic, which this one is only the one that's getting some attention, impacted all of us as taxpayers. But as far as the Somali American community, we reject it and condemn this fraud. We have in the past as well.

[14:45:00]

But most importantly, we know that this is conflating the truth here. You cannot single out an entire community for the acts of individuals, and we know that. And the president is using this moment to try to target our community.

In fact, you know, most of the local Republicans in the state of Minnesota, you know, did not make that mistake of claiming the entire community is responsible for the acts of individuals. In this moment, some of them are jumping in on that, and it's going to be unfortunate, because in the state of Minnesota, we actually saw an increase of Trump supporters, even within the Somali American community. And he should be asked about that, that now we're seeing many of those individuals probably not supporting Republican candidates in the future.

He's also targeting his own base that supported him in this past election. So President Trump needs to be talked to specifically about his targeting of the Somali American community, which is anti- Blackness, anti-immigrant, and anti-Muslim.

SANCHEZ: Jaylani Hussein, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your point of view.

HUSSEIN: Thank you for having me.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

Coming up, a critical CDC committee punting on a decision that would have made major changes to the childhood vaccine schedule. Why they decided to delay a vote again on that change?

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: On today's Homefront, the push to provide desperately needed help to veterans with catastrophic injuries and their families who care for them. Last month, Republican lawmakers in the House introduced the Sherry Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act. The bill would expand benefits for veterans who suffer critical injuries during their service, but it goes beyond that to help address what veterans groups call the hidden cost of trauma and then impact of that on families, resources and time.

[14:50:04]

Advocates say when you strengthen the caregiver, you strengthen the veteran. This bill is named for Sherry Briley, the widow of an Army Blackhawk pilot who was killed in Somalia in 1993, and for Eric Edmundson, a former Army sergeant whose Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2005, leading to shrapnel wounds, a heart attack and a brain injury. On Wednesday, Eric and his father testified on the Hill in favor of this bill, and they are with us now. Eric and Ed, thank you so much for being with us.

ED EDMONDSON, ERIC EDMONDSON'S FATHER: Thank you for having us.

KEILAR: That must have been something to testify before Congress. For our families of wounded warriors, there is a lot of invisible labor and it is done with love. It's done with so much love, but it is a job that is all consuming and so important.

So tell us what the extra support in this bill will mean for families like yours and so many others.

EDMONDSON: The passing of H.R. 6047 would mean a lot to Eric and all the hundreds of veterans like Eric who are catastrophically injured. It will help them not only in the present, but in the future. It will help them cover expenses that he's having trouble covering now because the cost of living is astronomical.

And they have not had an increase in compensation pay for years. And that's what we're on the Hill today advocating for is trying to get an increase.

KEILAR: Eric, did it surprise you to have a bill named for you?

Tell us about the health challenges that Eric faces and what --

EDMONDSON: Health?

KEILAR: Yes, the health challenges that Eric faces and what that means for him day in, day out.

EDMONDSON: Eric deals with a lot of health issues. Eric can't speak. He can't walk.

He can't dress himself, feed himself. Eric has to have someone by his side 24-7 helping to dress, brush his teeth, get him ready for the day. And Eric has, when he was injured, he'd suffered a traumatic brain injury, multiple injuries.

He's full of shrapnel today. And then after they stabilized him, he had a heart attack. It took him 30 minutes to revive him.

So on top of that, he has an anoxic brain injury, which is causing the majority of his issues today.

KEILAR: So you and your wife and Eric, your wife have become your expert caregivers, right? And I think for our veterans, I think we know it's so important to honor their service and their sacrifice. But I do think it's sometimes easy for people to forget that part of that is honoring what the family members are doing for our veterans to help them.

How does it honor Eric's service and sacrifice and the service and sacrifice of other wounded veterans to make sure that their families are able to provide them the care they need and that they're able to get the care they need?

EDMONDSON: Yes. When Eric was injured and returned home from Iraq, we met him at Walter Reed and he spent several days in the intensive care unit. But it was obvious to his mother and I that he was going to need long-term care.

So we took our retirement, burnt down our debt load so we could come on board with his wife, Stephanie, and help take care of Eric. And what we wanted was for Eric to be a husband and a father, Stephanie to be a mother and a wife. And I have to worry about all the day-to-day issues that come with being catastrophically injured.

And when Eric deployed, his daughter was 10 months old. And, you know, remember back in Walter Reed, he was laying there in his bed and his hands were laying there. But just weeks later before he deployed, those hands were holding his newborn daughter.

KEILAR: You made a choice about how you wanted life to look after that.

[14:55:00] EDMONDSON: We've been at this for 20 years. His daughter that was 10 months old when he was injured is now 21 and a junior in college. And his son, Hunter, is 15 years old, a freshman in high school.

We kept his children out of the caregiving. We wanted them to just be children, you know.

KEILAR: Yes.

EDMONDSON: And Eric's son, Hunter, at one time said, my dad, he said, my dad's been through H-E double hockey pucks.

KEILAR: Hockey pucks.

ED EDMONDSON: H-E double hockey pucks. And he's right. And Eric has endured things no mortal man should be enduring.

And we're very proud of him and his family and what they've done. Right?

KEILAR: You're very proud of your dad too, Eric. Yes. Eric, I can see it. I can see that you are.

Eric, Eric and Ed, thank you so much for being with us. This is such an important topic and I really appreciate you being here to discuss it with us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Love that. When we come back, an arrest in the unsolved crime carried out just hours before the Capitol riot, a man accused of planting pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters, now in custody. The details coming your way in just moments.

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