Hegseth, Rubio to brief members of Congress on boat strikes as questions mount
Good morning and welcome to US politics live blog.
We start this morning with the news that the President Donald Trumpsenior officials of the Cabinet of Ministers for national security issues, Pete Hegseth And Marco Rubiowill arrive on Capitol Hill to brief members of Congress on the investigation into strikes on US warships in the Caribbean.
The briefing by the Defense Secretary and Secretary of State comes as questions grow over escalating military force and deadly boat strikes in international waters near Venezuela. The Associated Press notes that lawmakers are examining the Sept. 2 attack as they try to make the case for a broader U.S. military buildup in the region that increasingly appears to be aimed at Venezuela.
Monday evening The US military said it attacked three more ships suspected of carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific, killing eight people..
“We have thousands of troops and our largest aircraft carrier in the Caribbean – but zero, zero explanation for what Trump is trying to achieve,” the Senate Democratic leader said. Chuck Schumer.
Key events
Lagging data shows the US lost 105,000 jobs in October and added 64,000 in November.
Michael Sainato
The U.S. labor market grew more than expected last month, offsetting some of the damage caused by the federal government shutdown, official data showed.
Today's long-awaited report estimates that 105,000 jobs were lost, compared with 64,000 in November. Job growth in November was stronger than many economists had expected, with the consensus forecast for about 40,000 new jobs.
But The overall unemployment rate continued to rise – reaching 4.6% last month, a four-year high. – amid concerns about power US Economy.
Previous estimates for overall job growth in August and September were also downgraded, from a fall of 4,000 to 26,000 and a rise of 119,000 to 108,000, respectively.
The latest jobs data, usually released monthly, was delayed due to the government shutdown. Federal government jobs fell by 162,000 in October and by 6,000 in November.
The figures come amid turbulent U.S. economic data, once considered the gold standard in government data.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced that full October jobs data would not be released, and November jobs data was delayed by the 43-day federal government shutdown and questions had been raised about its accuracy.
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell warned last week that the BLS data should be taken “sceptically” while the hangover left over from the shutdown works its way through the system.
Ilhan Omar says Trump's repeated attacks are fueling climate of political violence
David Smith
US Congressman Ilhan Omar warned that Donald Trumprepeated personal attacks and dehumanizing rhetoric inciting an atmosphere of political violence that may have dangerous consequences.
Speaking days after the president called for her to be kicked out of the country, Omar said Trump's incendiary rhetoric reaches “the worst of people” and motivates them to act.
“We've had people jailed for threatening to kill me,” she told the Guardian. in an interview in her Washington office. “We have people who are being prosecuted right now for threatening to kill me, and that's something that lingers in the back of our minds. But I'm also worried that these people will find someone who looks like me in Minneapolis or across the country and think it's me and hurt them.”
Trump made a statement at a rally style event last week in Pennsylvania, where supporters chanted “Send her back!” after the president floated a baseless conspiracy theory that Somalia-born Omar married her brother to become a U.S. citizen. The Democrat, who came to the US as a refugee at age 12 and became a citizen at 17, called Trump's fixation “vile” and a “morbid and creepy obsession.”
Minnesota The congresswoman said the attacks followed a familiar pattern. “When he's not doing well… signal bigotry,” she said, accusing Trump of shying away from his failure to address the rising cost of living. “It’s the same book and he just goes back to it; he doesn’t know anything anymore.”
Starmer says Trump's legal challenge is a BBC matter
Today across the pond Keir StarmerThe office said any legal action against BBC was a broadcaster's business, but the UK government supported its independence.
This happens after Donald Trump finally filed a lawsuit seeking up to $10 billion in damages for the way a BBC Panorama documentary aired more than a year ago edited a speech he gave to supporters on January 6, 2021, before they attacked the US Capitol.
“Any legal action is a matter for the BBC itself. They have made it clear that they believe there is no case on the wider issue of defamation or libel, but that this is a matter for them and their legal teams to deal with,” a spokesman for the British Prime Minister told reporters.
“We will always defend the principle of a strong, independent BBC as a national broadcaster that can be trusted and trusted to report without fear or favour. But, as we have also consistently said, it is vital that they act to maintain trust by quickly correcting mistakes when they occur.”
My colleague Andrew Sparrow notes in our UK Politics Live blog: “Starmer has so far done everything he can to avoid being drawn into the scandal, arguing that the BBC is an operational independent organization and that the matter should be decided by the corporation and the president themselves. While there was speculation at one point that he and Trump might have talked about the dispute, it appears that this has not happened. However, he may find it difficult to stay away while this continues. The claim has been brought because there is evidence in other areas – trade policy, e.g. “that relations between the US and UK are no longer as warm as they were during the state visit.”
Monday evening American military said it had carried out a new round of deadly strikes on foreign vessels suspected of drug trafficking, killing eight people.
On Monday, US Southern Command posted footage of the strikes on social media, saying the strikes hit three vessels in international waters.
“Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting known drug trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in drug trafficking,” US Southern Command said. said in the post on X.
The black-and-white footage shows the ships moving through the water before being engulfed in violent explosions.
Closed congressional briefings Marco Rubio And Pete Hegseth It comes as the US is ramping up warships, flying fighter jets near Venezuelan airspace and seizing an oil tanker as part of its campaign against Nicolas Madurowho insisted that the real purpose of US military operations was to force him from office.
A reminder that Trump administration did not seek any congressional authorization to act against Venezuela. But lawmakers objecting to military interventions are pushing resolutions on military powers toward a possible vote this week.
The congressional administration's exclusion led to problematic military action, experts told The Associated Press, including a strike that killed two people who climbed onto part of a boat damaged in the initial attack.
Congress received little information about why or how the U.S. military carried out a campaign that destroyed more than 20 boats and killed at least 95 people.
Hegseth, Rubio to brief members of Congress on boat strikes as questions mount
Good morning and welcome to US politics live blog.
We start this morning with the news that the President Donald Trumpsenior officials of the Cabinet of Ministers for national security issues, Pete Hegseth And Marco Rubiowill arrive on Capitol Hill to brief members of Congress on the investigation into strikes on US warships in the Caribbean.
The briefing by the Defense Secretary and Secretary of State comes as questions grow over escalating military force and deadly boat strikes in international waters near Venezuela. The Associated Press notes that lawmakers are examining the Sept. 2 attack as they try to make the case for a broader U.S. military buildup in the region that increasingly appears to be aimed at Venezuela.
Monday evening The US military said it attacked three more ships suspected of carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific, killing eight people..
“We have thousands of troops and our largest aircraft carrier in the Caribbean – but zero, zero explanation for what Trump is trying to achieve,” the Senate Democratic leader said. Chuck Schumer.
