NPR News: 12-07-2025 11AM EST
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is defending U.S. military strikes on alleged drug cartel boats in the Caribbean. He said President Trump has the right to take military action as he sees fit. He spoke yesterday at a national security forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Some members of Congress are concerned the military action may violate international law. One of them is Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
I'm not making – drawing any conclusions here because when you make the accusation about war crimes, that is an accusation once made cannot be retracted. But we are in those waters or in that area because, again, I think this constant, careless, sloppy approach from Pete Hexaff.
Warner has called on Hegseth to resign. He was interviewed on NPR. Russia has welcomed President Trump's new U.S. national security strategy, calling it largely consistent with Moscow's vision. The Kremlin spokesman said he hoped the changes in U.S. policy would guarantee they could work together for a settlement in Ukraine. The BBC's Danny Eberhard reports.
President Trump's national security strategy has much that will appeal to Moscow.
What military actions is the U.S. taking against drug cartels?
Russia is now not labelled as a threat to the US, and the document says it's a core US interest to negotiate an expeditious cessation of hostilities in Ukraine. Also, it aims to prevent NATO from becoming, as it put it, a perpetually expanding alliance. The strategy contains wording harshly critical of much of Europe, suggesting it faces what it calls civilisational erasure – through migration and EU integration. The amended US security strategy set alarm bells ringing loudly in many European capitals. Some European politicians have questioned whether the US has now become more foe than ally.
The BBC's Danny Eberhard. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he won't withdraw from politics in exchange for a pardon in his corruption trial. He also says he expects negotiations over the future of Gaza to move forward soon. NPR's Jerome Sokolofsky reports.
Netanyahu was at a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz when a reporter asked about his six-year-long corruption trial. Would the prime minister leave public life if Israel's president grants his pardon request? He simply answered no. Netanyahu also said he expects to meet President Trump before the end of the month and to discuss the next stage of a ceasefire deal with Hamas. Second stage is achieved. We're about to finish the first stage. We're almost, we're there, almost. Israel still expects to recover the body of the last Israeli hostage, and Netanyahu said he also wants to talk to Trump about how to end Hamas rule in Gaza. Jerome Sokolovsky, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
This is NPR News. In the West African nation of Benin, the interior minister announced today the government has put down an attempted coup. Earlier, a group of soldiers went on television to announce it had dissolved the government. Gunshots were heard near the presidential palace, and the television signal was cut off for a time. Benin has seen multiple coups since its independence from France in 1960. A fire raged through a nightclub in India's Goa state overnight, killing at least 25 people. Shweta Desai reports.
The nightclub is in the Goan town of Arpora. Like much of the state, it is a popular party destination for Indians and tourists. The fire appeared to be triggered by an exploding gas cylinder, according to Goa's police chief. Local media are reporting the club's location made rescue efforts more difficult. It is surrounded by marshy lands and only accessible by a single narrow road. Fire engines had to park a few dozen feet away from the blaze. Village council members also wrote on social media they believe the club was illegally built and did not have basic safety features in place.
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