
Trump tightens grip on GOP while Biden bets on expanding federal power
CNN
Prominent Republicans rededicated themselves to Donald Trump's creed of grievance, lies and demagoguery this weekend as President Joe Biden bolstered his counter bet on the use of expansive federal power to ease America's crises.
The dueling approaches reflect a nation torn not only by ideological divides and disputes over the role of government but one that often lacks a common version of the truth as the 45th president stokes the discord and resentments still boiling after his single, turbulent term. Trump tightened his grip on the GOP as potential future candidates and lawmakers flocked to party and donor meetings in Florida capped by the ex-President's profane rant that laid out the culture war blueprint he insists will return the party to power.
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.









