Takeaways from Day 2 of the Hunter Biden federal gun trial
CNN
The second day of Hunter Biden’s trial laid the groundwork for both sides of the case, as prosecutors and defense attorneys battled over the fundamental issue at play: whether Biden purchased a gun while addicted to drugs.
The second day of Hunter Biden’s trial laid the groundwork for both sides of the case, as prosecutors and defense attorneys battled over the fundamental issue at play: whether Biden purchased a gun while addicted to drugs. In opening statements Tuesday, prosecutor Derek Hines made clear that President Joe Biden’s son “isn’t charged with possessing drugs,” but rather because he allegedly lied on a federal background check form. “Addiction may not be a choice,” Hines said, but it is a choice to illegally buy a gun. Hines continued: “We’re here because of the defendant’s lies and choices. … No one is above the law. It doesn’t matter who you are or what your name is.” Melissa Cohen Biden, Hunter Biden’s wife, vigorously shook her head in disapproval when Hines argued that Biden knew he was an addict when he bought the gun. Defense attorney Abbe Lowell repeatedly highlighted during his opening statement that prosecutors needed “to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hunter knowingly violated the law.”

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.









