
The numbers show Ron DeSantis' stock is rising
CNN
Former President Donald Trump still casts a large shadow over the Republican Party. Republicans who are not Trump are playing a difficult game of trying to raise their profile without trying to be seen as pushing Trump aside.
Right now, no Republican is doing a better job of setting himself up as Trump's successor than Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. If Trump decides not to run in 2024, DeSantis has as good if not better chance of being the party's nominee as anyone. Just a few months ago, DeSantis was like many other potential 2024 contenders: going nowhere fast. When Trump was not included in primary polls, DeSantis was averaging less than 5% and well behind the leaders such as former Vice President Mike Pence.
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.









