Trump unleashes 160 Truth Social posts in overnight barrage, Hegseth caught lying over his involvement in the possible war crimes, publisher of Franklin the Turtle blasts Trump and Hegseth, and more!!
By Aaron Parnas•December 2, 2025•6 min read
Opinion & Commentary
Good morning, everyone. I want to begin today’s update with the biggest personal news of my career: this morning, I was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Media category. Not social media—media—alongside 29 extraordinary journalists and industry leaders under the age of 30.
This has been a dream of mine since I was young—not because of the accolade itself, but because of what it represents. It affirms the legitimacy of the work we are doing. A panel of respected broadcast journalists reviewed our work and decided that our journalism belongs on this list. That recognition is only possible because of you. This honor isn’t just mine; it belongs to all of us.
Less than a year ago, I made the leap into journalism full-time—a decision that changed the course of my life. Just last year, I was a lawyer logging thousands of hours, struggling to feel like I was contributing anything meaningful to the world. Today, thanks entirely to your support, we have built the largest news Substack in the world. We reach tens of millions of people every day. We inform, we educate, and we empower people across backgrounds and generations.
We built this together.
To everyone who reads every day—thank you.
To everyone who believes in this mission and believes in me—thank you.
Trump unleashed an unusually frantic late-night Truth Social barrage—posting more than 160 times in under five hours, amplifying right-wing content including Alex Jones, attacking Democratic figures as “seditious,” pushing his immigration crackdown, and demanding clemency for convicted MAGA activist Tina Peters—highlighting escalating rhetoric and increasingly erratic public messaging from the president.
The White House is distancing defense secretary Pete Hegseth from accusations he ordered a “kill everybody” second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat, saying a Navy commander made that call—while Congress launches probes into the operation, experts question the legality of months of deadly US maritime strikes with little evidence provided, and Hegseth publicly defends the admiral involved.
Despite that, Hegseth has been caught lying about his involvement in the strikes. In the day after the strike on September 2nd, Hegseth proclaimed that he watched the strikes live and that he knew exactly what assets were needed for the strike. This is a transcript of Hegseth’s Fox News appearance:
Defense secretary Pete Hegseth is facing intense scrutiny after reports that he told US soldiers in Iraq to ignore JAG rules of engagement—part of a broader pattern in his book and career of attacking legal restraints on warfare—as he’s also accused of issuing an illegal “kill everybody” order in a recent Caribbean strike, prompting warnings from experts that such actions could constitute war crimes up the chain of command.
The Washington Post has confirmed that senior military officials are reportedly furious with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt for suggesting a Navy commander — not Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — was responsible for a potentially illegal “kill” order in the controversial boat strike, accusing her of deflecting blame onto service members to shield Hegseth amid growing war-crime scrutiny.
The publisher of “Franklin the Turtle” condemned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for posting an unauthorized, militarized parody of the beloved children’s character shooting at drug traffickers—an attempt to glorify the Trump administration’s deadly boat strikes that has already sparked legal and ethical backlash amid accusations Hegseth ordered survivors killed.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino erupted at New York Post columnist Miranda Devine after she revealed an internal assessment in which current and former FBI agents reportedly describe him and other Trump-installed leaders as unqualified “clowns,” triggering a furious public meltdown as criticism of the bureau’s new leadership intensifies.
Republican Senator Bernie Moreno’s push to abolish dual citizenship by forcing Americans to declare “exclusive allegiance” to the U.S. has inadvertently ensnared Melania and Barron Trump—both of whom hold dual citizenship—drawing awkward attention to how the proposed MAGA-backed legislation would directly impact the Trump family.
A deep-red Tennessee House district has become unexpectedly competitive as Republican Matt Van Epps and Democrat Aftyn Behn battle in a high-spending special election, with national figures from both parties intervening, Trump’s declining approval and low post-Thanksgiving turnout boosting Democratic hopes, and attack ads intensifying as polls show a tight race despite the district’s heavy GOP lean. Election Day is today!
CNN has confirmed that the Justice Department may seek fresh indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James as early as this week after their previous cases were thrown out because Trump-appointed interim prosecutor Lindsey Halligan lacked legal authority—setting up a high-stakes clash over reindictment, statutes of limitations, and the administration’s continued use of unlawfully appointed prosecutors.
Putin claimed Russian forces captured the strategic Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk—though Kyiv disputes full loss—while hosting Trump envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow for talks on a US-backed peace proposal that still heavily favors Russian demands, casting doubt on any breakthrough as Russia pushes battlefield gains and signals it’s prepared to keep fighting if negotiations stall.
According to the Guardian, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, the National Guard member critically wounded in last week’s D.C. shooting that killed fellow guard member Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, is showing signs of improvement as officials charge the accused gunman—an Afghan national who previously assisted U.S. troops—with first-degree murder, prompting the White House to freeze asylum decisions and Afghan visa issuances while additional Guard deployments continue under Trump’s federal crime initiative.
Good news:
A Portland nonprofit called Pile of Puppies brings entire litters of puppies to visit chronically or terminally ill children, offering joyful “puppy pile” sessions that temporarily lift spirits; the volunteer-run group has delivered 2,000 visits so far, funded by donations that allow families to gift these moments of comfort and connection.
Romania has achieved a remarkable 94% return rate for plastic, glass, and metal beverage containers just two years after launching its nationwide deposit-return system with RetuRO, transforming one of Europe’s weakest recycling records into one of its best through retailer incentives, consumer deposits, and large-scale reverse-vending infrastructure.
A new Gemini South Telescope image captures the Butterfly Nebula’s spectacular “wings” of glowing hydrogen and oxygen gas—shed by an ultra-hot white dwarf whose 450,000°F surface is sculpting one of the most striking planetary nebula shapes in the sky, chosen by Chilean students for the observatory’s anniversary contest.
