
Fourth quarter takeaways: Vulnerable Democrats and GOP groups build big war chests, George W. Bush weighs in
CNN
Some of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents in the Senate have raised enormous sums and head into the midterms with massive war chests, new campaign finance reports show. But they will face deep-pocketed Republican opposition.
But they will face a well-funded opposition: In a sign of momentum for the political party out of power, major Republican groups working to win back the House and Senate started the year with cash advantages over their Democratic counterparts.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and two outside groups affiliated with GOP leadership in both chambers entered the election year with a combined $220 million in cash reserves.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth risked compromising sensitive military information that could have endangered US troops through his use of Signal to discuss attack plans, a Pentagon watchdog said in an unclassified report released Thursday. It also details how Hegseth declined to cooperate with the probe.

Two top House lawmakers emerged divided along party lines after a private briefing with the military official who oversaw September’s attack on an alleged drug vessel that included a so-called double-tap strike that killed surviving crew members, with a top Democrat calling video of the incident that was shared as part of the briefing “one of the most troubling things” he has seen as a lawmaker.

Authorities in Colombia are dealing with increasingly sophisticated criminals, who use advanced tech to produce and conceal the drugs they hope to export around the world. But police and the military are fighting back, using AI to flag suspicious passengers, cargo and mail - alongside more conventional air and sea patrols. CNN’s Isa Soares gets an inside look at Bogotá’s war on drugs.

As lawmakers demand answers over reports that the US military carried out a follow-up strike that killed survivors during an attacked on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, a career Navy SEAL who has spent most of his 30 years of military experience in special operations will be responsible for providing them.









