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Georgia eyes College Football Playoff first-round bye after dominating Alabama in SEC Championship
Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton got off to a much quicker start against Alabama in Saturday’s SEC Championship than he did last week against in-state rival Georgia Tech.
Stockton finished the Bulldogs’ dominant 28-7 victory over the Crimson Tide at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with three touchdowns to secure Georgia’s spot in the College Football Playoff (CFP).
While winning the SEC title put Georgia (12-1) in position for a first-round playoff spot, Alabama (10-3) suffered its third loss of the year. The Tide are now in jeopardy of missing one of the coveted 12 CFB postseason spots.
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Head coach Kirby Smart and Georgia’s win also put an end to Alabama’s dominance in the schools’ recent head-to-head matchups.
The Tide had won each of the past four meetings in the SEC Championship Game, and Smart was a mere 1-7 overall against Alabama. Prior to Saturday, the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship marked Smart’s lone victory against the neighboring state school.
Smart has now coached Georgia to four conference titles.
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The Crimson Tide were believed to be in good position when they moved up to the ninth spot in last week’s CFP rankings, but the lopsided loss to the Bulldogs renewed concerns that Alabama could miss the playoff for the second consecutive season under head coach Kalen DeBoer.
After the loss, DeBoer made his case for the ninth-ranked Crimson Tide not falling out of contention for the CFP.
"I think you look at the games that we played throughout the season, but if you’re really looking at this game, I mean, it was a 14-point game with seven and a half minutes to go, and we had the ball," DeBoer said. "You look at things that didn’t go well – we gave them four short fields. And again, I don’t want to take anything away from what Georgia did.
"The field position battle is part of it. But we gave them four short fields. I mean, that’s a testament to our defense being resilient."
Late in the first quarter, Daylen Everette's interception of Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson’s pass deflected by KJ Bolden gave the Bulldogs the ball near midfield. Stockton’s 1-yard scoring pass to Dillon Bell gave Georgia a 14-0 lead.
A block by London Humphreys helped Nate Frazier score easily on a 9-yard run to cap Georgia’s first possession of the second half, extending the lead to three touchdowns.
Alabama posted the biggest comeback in SEC Championship Game history when it beat Georgia 35-28 in 2018 after trailing by 14 points.
The latest CFP rankings and first-round pairings will be released on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Kelsey Grammer calls Trump 'one of the greatest presidents we've ever had' at Kennedy Center Honors
Kelsey Grammer thinks President Donald Trump is "one of the greatest presidents we've ever had."
Earlier Saturday, Trump awarded the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees with their medals in the Oval Office. After the ceremony, the State Department Kennedy Center Honors medal presentation dinner was held.
This year's recipients include Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor and George Strait, Michael Crawford and the members of KISS.
Speaking to Fox News Digital ahead of the dinner, Grammer, who was accompanied by his daughter Faith, called Trump "extraordinary."
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"I think he's extraordinary. He's one of the greatest presidents we've ever had. Maybe the greatest. There are some things he still wants to get done, and I think that's terrific, but there was a big hill to climb," Grammer said.
"And we were left with some very interesting things going on," he concluded.
The "Cheers" star also touched on Stallone being honored during this year's ceremony and said he's "over the moon" about it.
"I was on the selection committee, so I knew about it," he added. "He's a force of nature. Sylvester Stallone has captured our imagination in several different roles and performed them beautifully."
Grammer said it was "about time" that Stallone was honored.
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Strait spoke to Fox News Digital on the red carpet and said, "It’s a great honor" to be recognized by the Kennedy Center Honors.
During the Oval Office ceremony, Trump called the honorees "incredible people" who represent the "very best in American arts and culture."
"I know most of them, and I’ve been a fan of all of them," Trump said, according to the Associated Press.
"This is a group of icons whose work and accomplishments have inspired, uplifted and unified millions and millions of Americans. This is perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class of Kennedy Center Honorees ever assembled," Trump continued.
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During the ceremony, Trump appointed each honoree with a newly designed medal, donated and created by jeweler Tiffany & Co.
It’s a gold disc etched on one side with the Kennedy Center’s image and signature rainbow colors. The honoree’s name and the ceremony date appear on the reverse.
The medallion hangs from a navy-blue ribbon, replacing the original large rainbow ribbon – adorned with three gold plates – that rested on the honoree’s shoulders and chest and had been used since the first Honors program in 1978.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Pearl Harbor survivor recalls attack he 'can't forget' ahead of 84th anniversary
Pearl Harbor survivor Ken Schubring enlisted when he was just 17.
"Everything seemed to lean toward that being in the cards sooner rather than later," the 103-year-old told WANF-TV this week, days ahead of the anniversary of the 1941 attack. "So not much of a decision to be made."
Schubring ended his guard duty on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, then went to eat.
"I went to eat breakfast after my duty and shortly before 8 a.m., an explosion shook our bunkers," he said at a Veterans Day ceremony at the National WWII Museum this year, according to Spirit America. "Everyone rushed outside."
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"The sky was full of airplanes, dive bombers," he continued. "I hit the deck, crawled to a ditch nearby… and stayed there until the first wave had finished."
In another interview, Schubring told CBS News that despite his age, the attack was something he "can’t forget."
And as one of just 13 Pearl Harbor survivors remaining alive as the 84th anniversary of the assault approaches on Sunday, he’s a rarity.
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His son, Ken Schubring Jr., told CBS he wants Americans to remember the "sacrifice" of those who experienced Pearl Harbor.
"I mean, the sacrifice that was given that day and then, subsequently years later, I mean, you can’t put a price on that. You can’t forget it," he said.
Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn said it was a "pleasure" to help Schubring get to the WWII Museum ceremony last month.
"God bless the veterans who have served our country so courageously," she wrote on X last month. "It was a pleasure to help WWII Veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor Ken Schubring Sr. get to this ceremony so that he could be honored for all that he has sacrificed for our nation."
After Pearl Harbor, Schubring became a flight engineer on B-29 bombers, flying missions in the Pacific.
"We’d fly straight over Iwo Jima or around it to our targets," he told WANF. "The bombings were individual bombings."
Schubring still remembers where he was when he heard the Japanese had surrendered.
"About two hours into our return from a bombing raid over Osaka … the radio announced Emperor Hirohito had asked for an armistice," he told the station. "The war was over."
Even after he left the military, Schubring continued to fight for justice, working for racial school integration in Athens, Georgia, where he was school board president.
"I remember getting called a lot of bad things, but my dad never wavered," his son told CBS of the at-the-time controversial policy.
EXCLUSIVE: Trump-led Kennedy Center nearly doubles fundraising from Biden era, smashing record with $23M haul
EXCLUSIVE: The Kennedy Center Honors has raised a record $23 million for its 48th annual celebration, nearly doubling the $12.7 million raised last year under President Biden, as President Donald Trump begins his tenure as chairman of the Kennedy Center, Fox News Digital has learned.
According to the Kennedy Center, the $23 million total marks the largest fundraising haul in the 48-year history of the Honors, which was launched in 1978 as the institution’s highest recognition of lifetime artistic achievement.
While Kennedy Center Honorees have visited the Oval Office privately in past years, Trump on Saturday hosted the first official, on-camera ceremony recognizing the recipients inside the Oval Office, introducing each honoree ahead of Sunday night’s gala.
Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell told Fox News Digital that the center "nearly doubled last year’s fundraising, reaching a historic $23 million dollars," calling the Honors "one of our nation’s highest celebrations of the performing arts."
Trump’s expanded role as chairman and his direct involvement in the weekend’s events, officials say, have contributed to what they describe as "intense interest and momentum" around the program.
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Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, told Fox News Digital the new benchmark reflects unprecedented donor enthusiasm.
"The record-breaking $23 million in contributions to the Kennedy Center Honors is a testament to the extraordinary support for our mission and affirms a vibrant future for this beloved American institution," she said.
During Saturday evening’s Oval Office ceremony, a first in Honors history, Trump personally introduced each of the 2025 honorees. "Great honor," he began. "And I'm delighted to welcome to the Oval Office… our truly exceptional 2025 Kennedy Center honorees."
He went on to call the group "perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class of Kennedy Center honorees ever assembled."
This year’s recipients include George Strait, members of the rock band KISS — Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley (posthumous) — Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor and Sylvester Stallone.
Trump singled out each in turn, praising Strait as a "country music legend," Crawford as a "great star of Broadway," Gaynor as "the disco queen," Stallone as "one of the true great movie stars," and KISS as "the incredible rock band."
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Trump also unveiled the Honors’ new medallions, redesigned and donated by Tiffany & Co. "We will be presenting this year with the Kennedy Center Honors medallions, which will be designed this year with the help of the fantastic team at Tiffany and Company," he said.
The new medallion features a gold disc etched with an image of the Kennedy Center, flanked by rainbow colors representing the breadth of art disciplines celebrated by the Honors.
The reverse side includes each honoree’s name in script above the date of the 2025 Medallion Ceremony, and the medallion hangs from a navy-blue ribbon "associated with dignity and tradition," according to the institution’s description.
The honorees will be formally recognized Sunday evening during a star-studded celebration at the Kennedy Center following a State Department reception, which Trump noted "was never done before" because "we never had a president hosting the awards before. This is the first."
This year’s class spans five decades of American cultural achievement. Strait, known as the "King of Country Music," holds more than 100 million RIAA certifications and remains the only artist to chart a Top 10 hit every year for more than thirty years. KISS has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and remains one of America’s most enduring rock groups.
Crawford is internationally known for originating the title role in "The Phantom of the Opera." Gaynor has achieved global stardom across five decades and is a two-time Grammy winner.
Stallone, an Academy Award–nominated actor, writer and director, has shaped generations of filmgoers through the "Rocky" and "Rambo" franchises.
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The Kennedy Center itself, founded in 1971 as the national living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, hosts more than 2,000 performances each year. The Honors began in 1978 and have become a defining fixture of Washington’s cultural calendar.
Trump also highlighted ongoing renovations to the Kennedy Center building, which he said are being carried out "at a level that nobody's ever seen before," noting congressional funding for major upgrades — including improvements to acoustics. "The sound is so fantastic," he said. "If it's built with bad sound, you never get it fixed."
The 48th annual Kennedy Center Honors will air Dec. 23 on CBS and will stream on Paramount+, with live access for Premium subscribers and next-day streaming for Essential subscribers.
Officials say the weekend’s events, from the FIFA World Cup draw to the Oval Office reception to Sunday’s gala, reflect a new chapter for the institution as it enters its first full year under Trump’s leadership and prepares for the next phase of renovations, programming, and donor expansion.
Julia Roberts and Sean Penn weigh in on cancel culture, says shame is 'underrated' these days
Julia Roberts and Sean Penn are weighing in on cancel culture in 2025.
During an interview with Variety, Roberts and Penn discussed their illustrious careers and bringing "shame" back into the entertainment industry.
While discussing Roberts's recent film, "After the Hunt," the actress shared a pivotal moment for her when she was mingling with her cast mates and realized that "listening" is what's missing from culture in today's generation.
"Luca [Guadagnino] and Andrew [Garfield] and Ayo [Edebiri] and Chloë [Sevigny] came to our house and sat for days and days at our kitchen table, and we had all these conversations," Roberts began.
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"Really bright people do not jockey for their position. They share their ideas and their feelings and then they listen intently. It’s the listening that I feel we’ve gotten the farthest from in culture, because conversations get so intense so quickly, and you’re just waiting for that break so that you can say, 'OK, but this is why I’m right. This is why what I believe is better,'" she continued.
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"It was so nice to have the time and to be with truly bright people, and hearing what everybody had to say. We didn’t necessarily tell all our characters’ secrets. But it was just a great playground of thought," Roberts concluded.
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Penn chimed in, "'Not everything is supposed to make you comfortable' — I just wanted to go, 'Thank God somebody’s saying this.'"
"We’re in this time of a lot of talk therapy, a lot of what I’d call the trauma industry. I think shame is underrated these days," he continued. "It’s got a bad name this decade. Why shouldn’t people be ashamed of things? Hold on to it for a while and reenter with some more humility."
Roberts replied, "Real humility."
Trump backs Clemens’ Hall of Fame bid, rejecting banned-substance allegations tied to MLB’s steroid era
Roger Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards and pitched for New York Yankees teams that won back-to-back World Series titles. But Clemens’ career was ultimately defined by baseball’s steroid era.
Clemens last pitched in a Major League Baseball (MLB) game in 2007 during his second stint with the Yankees. By 2008, he found himself embroiled in a federal investigation into the suspected use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) by several prominent major league players.
Clemens testified before Congress that he did not take PEDs and was acquitted of the federal charge of lying to Congress. Clemens is now one of eight Baseball Hall of Fame nominees selected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee.
President Donald Trump has made it clear that he believes Clemens should be in Cooperstown.
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On the eve of the announcement of the newest list of inductees, Trump took to Truth Social to effectively reject accusations of Clemens’ previous steroid use. "The only reason he is not (in the Hall of Fame) is because of rumors and innuendo, which were not proven," Trump wrote.
Trump also pointed to Clemens' nickname, "The Rocket," saying "he earned" the moniker "very early in his career because of his blazing fastball, was just as dominant before those erroneous allegations were leveled against him. I sincerely hope that the Committee uses its great judgment (Roger’s opponents never proved a thing against him, and he may have the best pitching record, all told, in the History of Baseball!), and the Baseball Commissioner has the Strength, Wisdom, and Power to do the right thing, and put Roger Clemens in The Baseball Hall of Fame, IMMEDIATELY!"
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Neither the MLB commissioner’s office nor the White House immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
The Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee considers retired players whose eligibility to make it to Cooperstown via a majority vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) has expired. The writers’ association is responsible for selecting recently retired players.
Clemens’ last chance to be listed on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot was in 2022; that year he received just over 65% of the vote. Players must receive at least 75% of the vote to become enshrined in Cooperstown.
Power-hitting outfielder Barry Bonds, whose historic career was also tainted by accusations of PED use, is being considered this year by the committee. Bonds also avoided criminal charges in a steroid probe. He has previously stated he never knowingly used any banned substances.
Clemens and Bonds were two of the high-profile names listed in the Mitchell Report in 2007.
The report was authored by former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, R-Maine, who conducted a monthslong probe into the suspected use of human growth hormone and anabolic steroids.
Trump has previously voiced support for Clemens’ Hall of Fame hopes. After Trump wrote in a social media post that there was "no evidence" the retired pitcher was a steroid user, Clemens thanked the president for his support.
"I appreciate the love! DT knows more than anyone the fake news that’s out there," Clemens wrote on X in August. "Everyone has their agendas… I played the game to change my family’s direction generationally and to WIN!"
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Russia unleashes major drone, missile attack on Ukraine as US diplomatic talks continue
Russia launched a major attack against Ukraine overnight as talks between Ukraine and the U.S. continued in Florida this week.
Moscow sent 653 drones and 51 missiles across Ukraine, leaving eight people injured, Ukrainian officials said.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attacks, writing on X, "We must continue to put pressure on Russia to force it towards peace."
Macron said he plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and their British and German counterparts in London Monday.
Zelenskyy said Saturday he had a "substantive phone call" with American officials involved in the talks with the Ukrainian delegation in Miami.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff on Friday shared a readout of the talks, which also included President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The readout called the talks "constructive discussions on advancing a credible pathway toward a durable and just peace in Ukraine."
"American and Ukrainian parties underscored that an end to the war and credible steps toward ceasefire and de-escalation are necessary to prevent renewed aggression and to enable Ukraine’s comprehensive redevelopment plan, designed to make the nation stronger and more prosperous than before the war," it said.
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After Russia’s Friday night barrage, Ukraine’s air force said 29 locations were hit, and the military was able to shoot down 585 drones and 30 missiles.
Three of the eight wounded were hurt in the Kyiv region, local officials reported.
The "massive" attack also targeted power stations in the country, and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant temporarily lost power overnight, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Zaporizhzhia is under Russian control and not in use, but it needs power to cool its shutdown reactors to prevent a catastrophic incident.
Zelenskyy said a drone strike had also "burned down" the train station in the city of Fastiv near Kyiv.
The general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces later said Ukrainian forces said its military hit Russia’s Ryazan Oil Refinery.
ICE acting director, Boston Archdiocese demand ‘ICE was here’ Nativity be removed from Massachusetts church
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, as well as the Archdiocese of Boston, are calling for the removal of an "ICE was here" sign that was placed at a Nativity scene at a Massachusetts church.
"The actions of the activist reverend, Stephen Josoma, are absolutely abhorrent and add to a dangerous narrative responsible for a more than 1,150% increase in assaults on ICE officers," Lyons told Fox News Digital in a statement.
A Nativity scene at St. Susanna Parish in Dedham, a suburb of Boston, shows an empty manger with a sign reading "ICE was here," along with contact information for a group that monitors immigration enforcement in Massachusetts.
Rev. Stephen Josoma, the pastor at St. Susanna, said the church's peace and justice group organizes a display annually. Josoma told Fox News that they, "try to see what would it be like if Christ was born into the context of the world today, what would he be facing?"
Josoma calls the Nativity scene "religious art," and shared with Fox News Digital that it's intended to "evoke emotions in people."
"It's supposed to affect people deeply, it's supposed to move people, it's supposed to change people," Josoma said. "So, if this evokes a strong reaction, it's maybe good to take a look at that."
Lyons added that Josoma "has become infamous for using his pulpit to advance his activist agenda and has now caught the attention of the Archdiocese of Boston, which has publicly condemned his most recent political stunt. On behalf of ICE and our many law enforcement professionals in Massachusetts — many of whom are practicing Catholics and first-generation Americans — I applaud the Catholic Church and the Archdiocese for taking a stand against such a dangerous and extremist narrative."
The Archdiocese’s Secretary for Communications and Public Affairs, Terrence Donilon, told Fox News Digital in a statement that the sign was "divisive political messaging," and called for its removal.
"The people of God have the right to expect that, when they come to church, they will encounter genuine opportunities for prayer and Catholic worship — not divisive political messaging," he wrote.
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The statement further said that the church's norms "prohibit" using sacred objects for any other purpose than, "the devotion of God's people."
"St. Susanna Parish neither requested nor received permission from the Archdiocese to depart from this canonical norm or to place a politically divisive display outside the church," wrote Donilon. "The display should be removed, and the manger restored to its proper sacred purpose."
Josoma has used controversial Nativity scenes in the past. He has used them to send messages about gun control, climate change, and also reportedly had Baby Jesus placed in a cage separated from his parents during Trump's first presidency in 2018.
Other churches across the country have also used Nativity scenes to criticize ICE and highlight immigration issues.
In Illinois, a church showed a manger scene that depicted baby Jesus' hands zip-tied together and gas masks on Joseph and Mary.
The church, Lake Street Church of Evanston, said the scene "reimagines the nativity as a scene of forced family separation, drawing direct parallels between the Holy Family's refugee experience and contemporary immigration detention practices."
Fox News Digital's Olivia Palombo contributed to this report.
Police in Italy stop pro-Palestinian protesters from disrupting Olympic torch relay
Police in Italy successfully intercepted and prevented pro-Palestinian activists from interfering with a sacred Olympic tradition Saturday.
The Italian police said the pro-Palestinian activists were blocked from the opening stages of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics torch relay.
Both groups of protesters were removed before they reached the relay route in Rome, according to police.
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A third group of about 10 people that was monitored by police waved Palestinian flags when the relay passed by the city’s biggest university, La Sapienza.
There were also three people carrying signs in support of Venezuela near the American embassy.
In October, more than 2 million demonstrators marched through more than 100 Italian cities to protest the war in Gaza.
Olympic champion swimmer Gregorio Paltrinieri began the relay in the statue-lined Stadio dei Marmi, and the torch was carried for 20 miles before ending the day in Piazza del Popolo.
The relay will cover nearly 7,500 miles and wind its way through all 110 Italian provinces before reaching Milan’s San Siro Stadium for the opening ceremony Feb. 6.
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In all, there will be 10,001 torch-bearers.
The next stops on the torch relay are Viterbo Sunday and Terni Monday.
Pro-Palestinian protesters have become regulars at sporting events over the past year, especially those involving Israeli teams.
Last month, multiple people were arrested at a soccer match in the United Kingdom that involved Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv. Israeli fans of the team were prohibited from attending the match due to safety concerns, but disturbances still broke out with anti-Israel protesters in the vicinity.
An Israeli cycling team was excluded from an October race in Italy, the Giro dell'Emilia, because of concerns over potentially disruptive pro-Palestinian protests. Organizers made the decision after protesters repeatedly disrupted the recent Spanish Vuelta.
Seven of the past 11 days of racing at the Vuelta were cut short or interrupted because Spain's government estimated more than 100,000 people were on the streets in Madrid during the final stage in September.
The protesters said their actions were aimed at denouncing Israel's military campaign in Gaza after Hamas' deadly attack on Israel Oct. 7, 2023.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Hegseth hints at major defense spending hike, reveals new details on Trump’s anti-narco-terrorism operations
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth offered new details Saturday about how he personally authorized the Trump administration’s first strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel off Venezuela on Sept. 2, telling Fox News’ Lucas Tomlinson he watched the strike live in the Pentagon after giving the green light.
Earlier in his keynote remarks, Hegseth declared that President Donald Trump is the true heir to Ronald Reagan’s "peace through strength" doctrine, accusing past bipartisan leaders of drifting into endless wars.
After his speech, Hegseth sat down with Tomlinson for a Q&A that revealed new details about the Sept. 2 operation, which he said was the first in a series of more than 20 U.S. strikes targeting cartel-linked narco-terrorist networks across the Caribbean.
He also sharply rejected reporting that he had instructed U.S. forces to kill all individuals on the boat.
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"(Is) anybody here from The Washington Post? I don’t know where you get your sources, but they suck," Hegseth said when asked if he had ever issued such an order. "Of course not … you don’t walk in and say, ‘Kill them.’ It’s just patently ridiculous."
Hegseth also said it took "a couple of weeks, almost a month" to build the intelligence required for the first strike. He said the Pentagon had to reorient assets that had been focused "10,000 miles around the other side of the world for a very long time."
He kept strike authority at his level only for the initial operation due to its "strategic implications."
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"The briefing that I received before that strike was extensive, exhaustive," he said. "Military side, on the civilian side, lawyers, intel analysts, red-teaming … all the details you need to strike a designated terrorist organization."
Hegseth said the target was part of an organization President Trump had formally designated as a terrorist group.
"My job was to say execute or don’t execute," he said.
He approved the strike.
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According to Hegseth, he viewed the mission feed "for probably five minutes or so" before moving to other tasks once the strike shifted to tactical execution.
Hours later, Hegseth said he was informed by commanders that a second strike was necessary.
"There had to be a re-attack, because there were a couple of folks that could still be in the fight," he said, citing access to radios, a possible link-up point with another boat and remaining drugs on board.
"I fully support that strike," he said. "I would have made the same call myself."
He added that secondary attacks are common in combat zones and fell "well within the authorities of Adm. Bradley," who now oversees strike decisions. Hegseth said he no longer retains approval authority for subsequent missions.
Addressing questions about survivor protocols, Hegseth pointed to a later incident involving a semi-submersible drug vessel.
"In that particular case, the first strike didn’t take it out, and a couple of guys jumped off and swam," he said. After the vessel was struck again and sank, U.S. forces retrieved the survivors.
"We gave them back to their host countries," he said, adding that the situation "didn’t change our protocol" but reflected different circumstances.
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Hegseth argued that the operations have already had a deterrent effect.
"We’re putting them at the bottom of the Caribbean. … It will make the American people safer," Hegseth said.
Tomlinson pressed Hegseth on President Trump’s public statement that he did not oppose releasing the unredacted video of the first strike.
"We’re reviewing it right now," Hegseth said, citing concerns over "sources, methods" and ongoing operations.
Hegseth said defense spending is one of the issues that "keeps [him] up," adding he was recently in Oval Office meetings about the fiscal year 2026 and fiscal year 2027 budgets.
Asked directly whether defense spending as a share of GDP will rise, he replied, "I think that number is going up," while declining to get ahead of President Trump.
"We need a revived defense industrial base," he said. "We need those capabilities. We need them yesterday."
Tomlinson also asked whether Hegseth regretted using Signal ahead of combat operations in Yemen, referencing a recently closed inspector general review.
"I don’t live with any regrets," Hegseth said. "I know exactly where my compass is on our troops." He argued that morale has surged under Trump.
"The revival of the spirit inside our military … the desire to join and reenlist is at historic levels," he said.
Asked whether he prefers troops equipped with more AI-enabled tools or autonomous systems replacing them, Hegseth said the modern battlefield requires both.
"It has to be both," he said. "What AI is doing to ten, 100, 1,000 times the speed of sensing … is critical."
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Tomlinson ended with a traditional Reagan Forum question, asking who Hegseth wants to win the Army–Navy game.
"Well, I’m with Navy," he said, before adding that the Marine Corps "stood strong" during political "nonsense" in recent years.