DEFENSE SECRETARY Pete Hegseth (Shutterstock).

Did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth give an order to “kill them all” in an incident in international waters near Venezuela involving alleged drug smuggling boats?

The viewing of video by lawmakers about the incident brought no agreement on that point, according to the Associated Press.

Senator Tom Cotten (R-Arkansas) said that he was told that Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley “was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to “kill them all,” after left a classified briefing.

Senator Adam Smith (D-Washington) saw it differently . “The order was basically: Destroy the drugs, kill the 11 people on the boat,” he said. Smith described the situation as “basically two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat, drifting in the water.”

The Washington Post has reported that Admiral Bradley ordered an attack on the survivors of an aerial strike in compliance with an order from Hegseth to “kill everybody.”

Supreme Court OKs new Texas maps

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday voted to allow the use in the 2026 elections of a district map in Texas drawn to create five new “Republican-friendly” seats in the House of Representatives.

UNITED STATES Supreme Court building (Flickr/Geoff Livingston).

The decision by the high court overturns a lower federal court ruling that the new maps illegally discriminated on the basis of race.

The strategy of redrawing the maps to gain a partisan advantage began in Texas at the urging of President Donald Trump.

That prompted a successful campaign by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to ask voters in the Golden State to do the same for the Democrats. Proposition 50 passed overwhelmingly this last month.

It’s typical for the party holding the White House to lose seats in the House in mid-term elections.

Weather: Slow to warm up

December weather in our West Orange County cities will be warming up, bit by bit. The forecast for Friday is for sunny skies and a daytime high of 70 paired with an overnight low of 48. Saturday will be similar at 70 (50) with mostly sunny skies. Sunday should be a bit warmer at 71 (55) under partly cloudy skies. Monday will take a leap to 76 (55) and a return to sunny skies.