Dave Mattingly

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is saying more about U.S.

military strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean, especially one in September.

As NPR's Greg Myrie reports, Hegseth says he did not order a follow-up attack that killed survivors of an initial strike.

No breakthroughs on ending Russia's war with Ukraine are reported following yesterday's high-level talks in Moscow.

President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Putin for about five hours.

Afterwards, a Kremlin spokesman described the talks as constructive, while adding some aspects of the latest U.S.

peace proposal remain unacceptable to Moscow.

Key sticking points include Ukraine giving up territory to Russia.

A survey of U.S.

diplomats finds morale at the State Department is extremely low, with President Trump's second term in the White House approaching the one-year mark.

Here's NPR's Michelle Kellerman.

Republican Matt Van Epps is celebrating a win in Tennessee's special election for the 7th District congressional seat.

Van Epps defeated Democratic candidate Afton Bain in the race to replace GOP Congressman Mark Green.

He left the House for a job in the private sector.

Bain is a progressive state lawmaker who carried Nashville in yesterday's election.

Donald Trump carried the district by 22 percentage points in the 2024 presidential race.

This is NPR News.

It's been nearly 12 years since a Malaysian Airlines flight disappeared over the Indian Ocean.

Before the end of the month, the country's transport ministry says it will resume the search for the Boeing 777.