🚨 Will Congress Impeach Pete Hegseth?
Lawmakers sense blood in the water around the ‘Secretary of War Crimes,’ former Trump attorney Alina Habba loses big in court, and Costco sues the White House?
🤖🧠 On this day in 2014, Stephen Hawking asserted that advanced artificial intelligence could very well “spell the end of the human race.” I’m so glad the Trump administration has fought tooth and nail to do away with any and all efforts to regulate the technology!
Good morning! Peter here, still nursing a tryptophan hangover after all that Thanksgiving turkey. Nevertheless, I persevere for you, my dear Zeteo family. As I’ve reflected on my lovely long weekend, I’ve come to realize there aren’t any truly famous Thanksgiving movies… I love Jodie Foster’s ‘Home for the Holidays’ (2005). Holly Hunter, Anne Bancroft, and Robert Downey Jr. are simply incredible, but the film is a cult classic at best. What’s your favorite Turkey Day flick? Let me know in the comments!
In today’s ‘First Draft,’ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under fire from all sides, Donald Trump’s approval rating continues to plummet, GOP lawmakers who challenge the administration face swatting attacks, and Laura Loomer gets an office in the Pentagon?
DON’T GET STUCK WITH THE PAYWALL: Currently, anyone can read ‘First Draft,’ but it will go behind the paywall starting Monday, Dec. 8. If you’re a free subscriber, consider upgrading to your subscription to unlock all ‘First Draft’ has to offer.
‘Secretary of War Crimes’
By late yesterday, scores of congressional Democrats and at least one top Republican had stated on the record that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth may have violated both US and international law by issuing a “no quarter” order during one of the Trump administration’s recent military operations against suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean. That is to say, as my colleague Swin chronicled yesterday for ‘First Draft,’ when Hegseth reportedly called for a follow-up strike to ‘kill all survivors’ following a Sept. 2 operation, he likely committed either murder or, yes, an out-and-out war crime. The Geneva Convention, after all, explicitly prohibits targeting wounded, shipwrecked combatants.
“If the reporting is true, it’s a clear violation of the [Department of Defense’s] own laws of war,” Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine told CBS News.
“We’re not Russia. We’re not Iraq. We hold ourselves to a very high standard of professionalism,” Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly asserted on CNN. “Going after survivors in the water, that is clearly not lawful.”
Massachusetts Democratic Senator Ed Markey went further, declaring on social media, “Pete Hegseth is a war criminal and should be fired immediately.”
Importantly, I must reiterate, it hasn’t been just Democrats sounding the alarm. Republican congressman and former chairman of the Intelligence Committee Mike Turner told CBS News, “Obviously if [the no quarter order] occurred, that would be very serious, and I agree that that would be an illegal act.”
We now have reason to believe Turner isn’t the lone Republican in this thinking. Yesterday evening, progressive congressman and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee Ro Khanna, one of the lawmakers chiefly responsible for bringing about the successful vote to release the Epstein files, said that he’s poised to announce an “unprecedented bipartisan House Armed Services investigation into this illegal strike.” One can assume Khanna wouldn’t make such a bold proclamation if at least several of his GOP colleagues on the committee had not already privately agreed to such a bold move.
If you’re shocked to hear about this anti-alleged-war-crime “Avengers Assemble” unity, please allow me to present how one of the longtime pillars of conservative media, the Drudge Report, is framing the Trump admin’s fiasco…
Secretary Hegseth, I’m afraid you’re about to be introduced to the underside of a bus.
Late yesterday evening, the Washington Post reported that sources at the Department of Defense are outraged at the idea that Hegseth may not face accountability for his role in the second strike.
“This is ‘protect Pete’ bullshit,” one military official told the Post following press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s desperate kabuki theater yesterday afternoon, when she sought to lay blame for the alleged war crime at the feet of Hegseth’s subordinate, Admiral Frank Bradley.
Liberal lawmakers like Khanna are right to feel they have a real political opportunity here, even if their leadership team doesn’t yet recognize it.
Late yesterday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries poured cold water on the notion that Democrats should pursue impeachment against Pete Hegseth. “Republicans will never allow articles of impeachment to be brought to the floor of the House of Representatives, and we know that’s the case,” Jeffries stated from a press podium.
Now, the minority leader’s calculus is right that the GOP will never go along with a proper impeachment process of Hegseth… for now. Although, I question whether the House Democratic leader should base HIS proposals off of “what Mike Johnson will accept.”
Democrats must not let the former Fox News morning show host wriggle off the hook. It’s incumbent upon lawmakers to build up pressure to subpoena every last official, to obtain every last communication that was involved in the administration’s changing talking points on this vile, bloody brouhaha. Last week, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated the Washington Post’s reporting was “completely false.” Yet, yesterday, Leavitt admitted the Post’s scoop regarding the second strike was accurate and claimed that the so-called “double tap” was an act of “self-defense.”
Democrats, your mission is clear: drum up pressure to subpoena them all. Get to the truth. Prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that former Republican Rep. Justin Amash was right to crown Pete Hegseth, “Secretary of War Crimes.”
🗞️ What You Need to Know
It’s a cult: At least nine Republicans in Indiana have been targeted in swatting attacks after being threatened by Trump if they didn’t vote in favor of new GOP-friendly congressional maps. Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that several of his offices in New York received bomb threats with an email subject line reading “MAGA.” Local and federal law enforcement are investigating the threats.
Habba nice life: A panel of appeals court judges unanimously upheld that Alina Habba is disqualified from her post as US attorney in New Jersey. It’s yet another blow to Trump’s efforts to indefinitely install his cronies as federal prosecutors without Senate confirmation.
Tariffs cost Costco: As some industries bend the knee to Trump’s MAGA agenda, Costco is joining a handful of big companies in suing the administration for a full refund of tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
El Chapo’s son pleads guilty: Son of notorious Mexican cartel leader “El Chapo” pleaded guilty on Monday to US drug trafficking charges, just months after his brother entered a plea deal. He faces at least 10 years in prison.
WTF TSA: Starting in February, the Transportation Security Administration will charge $45 for travelers flying domestically without a Real ID or passport, a new move intended to encourage more people to get Real IDs.
When it comes to complex situations such as Trump’s defense of the strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, conventional coverage can feel like a frustrating mess of propaganda and corporate interests. At Zeteo, we focus on the facts, but not all outlets follow our approach.
That’s where Ground News comes in. You can compare how outlets across the political spectrum are covering Trump’s defense of the strikes and threats of further military involvement in Venezuela. Take advantage of the opportunity to look beyond the story and zoom in on outlets that cover the legality of the strikes and the true narrative around them. Ground News pulls from 50,000+ sources worldwide, and its Blindspot feature is perfect for highlighting what’s missing from your daily news diet.
Now, with Ground News’ Vantage Plan, you can look beyond and truly see the full context behind every headline. Learn more at ground.news/zeteox and get 40% off the Vantage Plan for just $5 a month.
(This portion of the post was sponsored content.)
🧠 Pop Quiz!
How many lies or misleading claims did Donald Trump tell in his first term?
Keep your eyes out for the answer below!
Republicans Spend Big to Defend Trump’s +22 District in Tennessee
There’s a special election on Tuesday in Tennessee’s 7th congressional district, which Trump won by 22 points last year. Republicans are spending big to defend the seat and their increasingly small House majority.
Conservative outside groups, led by Trump’s primary super PAC, MAGA Inc., have poured more than $3 million into the race to boost Republican candidate Matt Van Epps against Democrat Aftyn Behn. Liberal groups have spent nearly $2.3 million to boost Behn.
Recent polling from The Hill suggests the race could be close, in a district where Republican candidates typically win by 20 points or more. The fact that there’s a race at all is the latest indicator of widespread voter backlash to Trump’s second presidency ahead of the 2026 midterms.
🚨 Don’t Miss It!
Zeteo’s Asawin Suebsaeng and Prem Thakker have a BIG SCOOP coming out tonight that you won’t want to miss. It has all the buzzwords: Trump, pardons, immunity, and lawlessness.
🌏 Anywhere But America
🇵🇸 Don’t forget Gaza: Israel reportedly killed at least two Palestinians in Gaza today, including photojournalist Mahmoud Wadi, in its latest violations of the so-called ceasefire.
🇭🇹 Fresh gang attacks in Haiti: Nearly a dozen people, including a mother and child, were killed in gang attacks in Haiti’s central region, AP reports. Much of the recent violence in the Artibonite region has been blamed on the Gran Grif group, one of Haiti’s most brutal gangs.
🇸🇩 Fighting over key Sudan town intensifies: The Rapid Support Forces paramilitary in Sudan said it had captured full control over the key transport junction of Babanusa in the country’s West Kordofan region – a claim the Sudanese army denied. Fighting in Kordofan has intensified following the RSF’s massacre in El Fashir – the key North Darfur city that the brutal paramilitary took control over in late October.
🇨🇲 Cameroon opposition leader dies in detention: Cameroon’s top opposition leader, Anicet Ekane, died in military detention. His family alleges he did not receive proper medical care – a claim the government denied. Ekane was detained during post-election tensions after deadly protests erupted over the contested reelection of Paul Biya, the world’s oldest ruler.
🌏 Global landmine casualties at 4-year high: There were more than 6,000 incidents of injuries or deaths caused by landmines or unexploded ordnances in 2024 – the highest recorded number in four years, a monitoring group said yesterday. Most incidents were recorded in Myanmar and Syria, per the Landmine Monitor 2025.
📊 Poll of the Day
Funny enough, the last time the president had an approval rating this low was when Trump was in office the first time…
🧠 Trivia answer: A whopping 30,573 lies and misleading claims, according to a Washington Post database.
🤦 WTF
… Wow …
🪓 Who’s on Trump’s Chopping Block?
When it comes to personnel, Donald Trump’s second administration has been weirdly ‘stable’ compared to his first term, where he fired more than a dozen people in his first year in office.
So as Trump’s first year in office nears its conclusion, Zeteo compiled a list of the top five candidates who could hear “you’re fired!” sooner, rather than later.
Let us know who you think will be the first out the door. Poll results will be included in tomorrow’s ‘First Draft’!
ICYMI From Zeteo
Zeteo’s Melanie Riehl, Akshay Gokul, and Minnah Arshad contributed to this newsletter.
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Congress doesn't do things anymore, especially things that could even vaguely be considered as responsible and ethical.
"Miracle on 34th Street" is a classic Thanksgiving movie that's gone the way of the dodo bird [sadly] It has a great ensemble of actors. It's about hope, giving, believing and loving. Things we don't see enough of in films.
As for the state of our nation - no words fit to print!