
Meadows contempt vote shows growing power of January 6 committee
CNN
The House of Representatives staked out a dramatic new defense of democracy by citing Mark Meadows for criminal contempt over his refusal to testify about Donald Trump's coup attempt on January 6.
The move against the former White House chief of staff Tuesday was the latest effort to penetrate the inner circle of an ex-President who watched the US Capitol come under attack by a mob incited by his plot to overturn a fair election. But it also showed how the House select committee investigating the assault is now taking on a far more important role than simply documenting a day that will live in infamy. It has become a vital protagonist in the battle to save American democracy in the run-up to a presidential election in which Trump may try to reclaim power, through nefarious means if necessary.

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.









