Trina's Kitchen: Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole in the Kitchen

Stacia e-mailed to note Bowl Me Over's recipe for Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole:

Ingredients

▢ 1 pound lean ground beef

▢ 2 large bell peppers seeded and diced

▢ 1 onion peeled and diced

▢ 1 ½ cups beef stock

▢ 15 ounces diced tomatoes I used fire roasted tomatoes

▢ 1 cup long grain white rice uncooked

▢ 2 cups cheese

▢ 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

▢ 3 cloves garlic minced

▢ 1 ½ teaspoons Montreal Grill Seasoning

▢ ½ teaspoon salt

▢ ½ teaspoon pepper

▢ ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray the 9x13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.

Using a large, deep pan over medium heat. Brown ground meat.

Dice the bell peppers and onions. Add to the meat as it cooks, along with the diced onions.

Mince the garlic and add to the pan. Next add Worcestershire, salt, pepper, paprika and grill seasoning. Mix to combine.

Add the remaining ingredients, reserving ½ cup shredded cheese - stir until well combined.

Pour the entire mixture into the baking dish. Top with remaining cheese, cover with aluminum foil and bake until all the liquid is absorbed, the cheese melts and the casserole is hot and bubbly. About 45 minutes.

If desired remove the foil set under the broiler to brown the cheese. This only takes 3-5 minutes.

Allow the Stuffed Pepper Casserole to sit 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

If using brown rice, increase the cooking time to one hour.

Use any combination of bell peppers; red, yellow, orange or green peppers.

Stacia loves stuffed bell peppers but doesn't like making them. She finds this recipe to be much easier to make and it gives her the taste she loves.

News? About two weeks ago, Rachel Maddow did a segment on Oregon and ICE. ICE was basically stealing a US Coast Guard helicopter that community depended upon. Here's the segment.

Anna Griffin (New York Times) has an update on the story tonight:

The Trump administration has reversed plans to remove a U.S. Coast Guard rescue helicopter from a fishing and crabbing community in Oregon, lawmakers said Thursday, after facing uproar from worried residents and a temporary restraining order by a federal judge.

Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, posted on social media that he had spoken with Coast Guard officials and that they had returned the helicopter to the Pacific Coast town, Newport, “and promised to keep it there.”

Some residents thought that the helicopter was removed to make way for ICE operations there. It is unclear whether the helicopter’s return means federal officials may still place an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in the central coast town.

Newport sits where the Yaquina River meets the Pacific Ocean, and the estuary and nearby shorelines are known for dangerous king tides, sneaker waves and storm surges. Crossing the Yaquina Bay bar to reach commercial crab and fishing grounds by boat can be a perilous sprint through high waves and rapidly shifting channels.

This is C.I.'s "The Snapshot" for Thursday:

Thursday, December 4, 2025. Kristi Noem took time out from lying and from her apparent extra-martial affair to kidnap a second grader in Vermont and now detain him in Texas, a MEIDASTOUCH NEWS video exposes one of her threads of lies, Pete Hegseth is found to have endangered the troops -- put their lives at risk -- by an inspector general in a newly released report, he continues to lie about the War Crime where he killed survivors of a strike, the family of one the murdered has filed legal charges against him, and much more.

"“I strongly condemn the abduction of one of our 2nd graders and his mother by ICE while traveling during the school vacation. This is yet another example of the terror our families face simply by doing things other people take for granted-going to school, shopping for groceries, or just visiting family. I call for their immediate release and for the US government to bring basic humanity and due process back. Our 2nd grader should be in his classroom, not in a detention cell." That's Wilmer Chavarria, Superintendent at JFK Elementary School in Winooski, Vermont. Chavarria is quoted in Billal Rahman's NEWSWEEK report:

A 7-year-old student in Vermont and his mother were detained by immigration authorities while traveling over the Thanksgiving break, according to the superintendent of Vermont’s Winooski school district.

The boy, who attends JFK Elementary School in Winooski, failed to show up for classes on Monday after the holidays, according to the school. School officials contacted his home, and his father reported that he had been unable to reach his wife and son since Thursday, according to Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria.

[. . .]

The pair are being held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, pending a hearing before an immigration judge, who will decide whether they may remain in the United States.

To support the boy and his mother, the district located the detainees, helped connect them with legal assistance, and provided their father in Winooski with US$1,000 from a private emergency fund, according to VTDigger.

Earlier this year, the Winooski School District became the first in Vermont to pass a “sanctuary schools” policy aimed at protecting immigrant students and families from federal immigration enforcement actions, according to the school.

Abigail Saxe (WCAX) adds:

The family has a court date scheduled for early January, but will be staying in the Texas detention facility until then. Chavarria says their primary goal is to get the student back in Vermont until the court date, so they can go to school while they wait. “Being in a detention center is less than ideal. I don’t think any child, any second grader should be held in detention, basically in jail for weeks,” he said.

Chavarria, a U.S. citizen, was also detained and held for hours just a few months ago. He said he worries for families that may not know their personal rights as he did.

Eric Paquette, a Winooski native, said he was saddened by the news and is worried for the child’s mental health. “It’s just not right,” Paquette said. “People need to recognize this is going to create trauma for the child to overcome, and then to trust people? He’s really going to need everybody’s support.”

Paquette said he’s proud of how the community is trying to help. “I expect that out of Winooski, I expect that out of Vermont,” Paquette said.

I need to note that I'm lucky. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff would raise this issue if it happened to a 7-year-old in California. ICE is very lucky it happened in Vermont where Senator Bernie Sanders tends to give ICE a pass -- on its actions in Vermont and on its property in Vermont. In fact, the last time Sanders issued a press release to call out ICE was April 23rd when 8 farm worked in Vermont were detained by ICE. April 23rd. I didn't realize that Gaza had been annexed by the state of Vermont. I see over ten press releases since April 23rd on Gaza. But none on ICE. Someone might want to let Bernie know that ICE has national headquarters and local offices in Vermont. Might want to pass on that The Vermont Asylum Assistance Program maintains this page to keep track of ICE activity in the state. Looking at their info, I'm seeing over 800 people detained by ICE in Vermont. That's a significant number especially when the population of the state isn't even 650,000.

In fact, let's note a November 20th press release from Senator Padilla's office:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, demanded answers from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leadership on the hiring standards and training protocols for newly hired ICE agents. The Senators argued that by significantly lowering hiring and training standards for new federal agents, the Administration has already compromised the integrity, professionalism, or operational readiness of the federal immigration law enforcement workforce.

In their letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott, the Senators pushed for answers on DHS’ changes to its hiring and training policies to rebuild the public’s trust and ensure integrity in law enforcement.

“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) bears full responsibility for ensuring that every individual placed in a position of federal authority has undergone thorough vetting, comprehensive training, and is subject to robust oversight. The authority to detain and use force, including, in extreme circumstances, deadly force, is not a game, and it is not a performance,” wrote the Senators. “Deploying personnel who lack the qualifications and training long required of federal officers all but guarantees breaches of constitutional, statutory, and regulatory obligations, threatens public safety and civil rights, endangers officers, risks repeating historical abuses of federal power, and undermines the legitimacy of law enforcement and democracy.”

“In addition to lowering hiring standards, public reports of misconduct among current officers call into question the Department’s ability to adequately train thousands of new hires on an accelerated timeline. American citizens and noncitizens alike are already experiencing the consequences of DHS’s undermining of accountability and failure to maintain even basic professional standards,” continued the Senators.

Reporting last month indicated that ICE dismissed more than 200 newly hired recruits after they failed to meet even the newly lowered hiring requirements. Many of these issues arose during training after many of the recruits admitted that they had not been fingerprinted or drug tested. This revelation raises concerns that other recruits already on the job were not properly vetted, threatening public safety.

Senators Booker and Padilla demanded answers to a series of questions regarding the Department’s vetting, training, and supervision protocols for all current, newly hired, and reassigned personnel so that Congress can assess whether DHS is meeting its constitutional obligations.

“DHS has a duty to ensure that all officers — both new and currently in service — are properly trained, effectively supervised, and held accountable for their actions. In only months, DHS’s failure to meet its obligations has tarnished the reputation of federal law enforcement, endangered and victimized the public, and eroded public trust in the rule of law. This is unacceptable, and DHS must act swiftly to correct these failures, uphold the rule of law, and respect the Constitutional rights of all people in America,” concluded the Senators.

Senator Padilla has been a leading voice in opposition to President Trump’s cruel and indiscriminate mass deportation agenda, including against his unprecedented, illegal militarization of Los Angeles and other American cities. Yesterday, Padilla walked out of Senate Republicans’ unserious subcommittee hearing entitled “ICE Under Fire: The Radical Left’s Crusade Against Immigration Enforcement,” in protest of the Trump Administration’s violent immigration enforcement actions across the country. In July, Padilla and Senator Booker introduced the VISIBLE Act to require immigration enforcement officers to display clearly visible identification during public-facing enforcement actions.

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Secretary Noem, Acting Director Lyons, and Commissioner Scott,

We write regarding the surge in hiring of thousands of new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers by the end of 2025. Given the magnitude and pace of this expansion of federal law enforcement forces, we are seeking information on the hiring standards and training protocols in place to ensure that this rapid expansion does not compromise the integrity, professionalism, or readiness of the federal immigration law enforcement workforce. Of particular concern is the potential deployment of inadequately trained or insufficiently vetted enforcement officers in cities across the country.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) bears full responsibility for ensuring that every individual placed in a position of federal authority has undergone thorough vetting, comprehensive training, and is subject to robust oversight. The authority to detain and use force, including, in extreme circumstances, deadly force, is not a game, and it is not a performance.

Deploying personnel who lack the qualifications and training long required of federal officers all but guarantees breaches of constitutional, statutory, and regulatory obligations, threatens public safety and civil rights, endangers officers, risks repeating historical abuses of federal power, and undermines the legitimacy of law enforcement and democracy.

For decades, federal law enforcement officers have been held to the highest eligibility standards, often exceeding those of state and local agencies, and have undergone a stringent vetting process. Once hired, they have received extensive training to ensure they meet baseline performance standards required for law enforcement. By all accounts, since the beginning of this year, DHS, ICE, and CBP have dropped the eligibility criteria and training requirements to dangerously low levels, creating the potential for a poorly trained force consisting of thousands of new officers, deployed in communities across America, with the legal authority to use deadly force. Last month, reports indicated that more than 200 newly hired recruits were dismissed after failing to meet ICE’s own hiring requirements. Many of the issues surfaced during training only after the recruits admitted during training that they had not been fingerprinted or drug tested, raising the alarming possibility that individuals who did not disclose such lapses may already be on the job. This amounts to government malpractice that endangers public safety.

Since January, the Administration has significantly expanded ICE and CBP operations, deploying officers to communities nationwide to locate and deport noncitizens. More than 70 percent of detained noncitizens have no criminal record, and many were actively engaged in the process to legalize their status. ICE and CBP personnel have been further supplemented by agents diverted from other federal agencies that do not conduct immigration enforcement. However, the Administration’s quota of 3,000 arrests per day – in addition to fueling indiscriminate arrests of immigrants – has created a demand for thousands more officers. To fulfill this “mission,” ICE has received $170.1 billion for immigration enforcement and the hiring of 10,000 officers under the Republican spending bill deceptively titled the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” making it the highest funded federal law enforcement agency in history. This infusion of funds has seemingly triggered a hiring frenzy that raises serious concerns about DHS’s recruitment standards and training protocols. In August, Secretary Noem announced that ICE planned to end all age restrictions by changing the minimum age for ICE agents from 21 years old to just 18 years old, a move widely criticized as reckless and politically motivated.

In addition to lowering hiring standards, public reports of misconduct among current officers call into question the Department’s ability to adequately train thousands of new hires on an accelerated timeline. American citizens and noncitizens alike are already experiencing the consequences of DHS’s undermining of accountability and failure to maintain even basic professional standards. In September, an ICE officer violently threw a woman to the ground at a New York immigration court. Although he was placed on administrative leave pending investigation, he was back in the field within days and faced no disciplinary action. Just weeks later, ICE officers grabbed and shoved journalists reporting from a hallway outside a New York City immigration court, hospitalizing one of the journalists. Poor training has also jeopardized federal law enforcement officers. In October, an ICE officer discharged their firearm, injuring two people including a United States Marshal. These incidents reveal systemic deficiencies that necessitate immediate and comprehensive review and reform to prevent endangering the public. They also raise questions about the effectiveness of supervisory structure, training of supervisors themselves, and the robustness of accountability systems to address misconduct. It is imperative to ensure that officers, particularly those hired under diminishing standards, are not granted unchecked authority to use unnecessary and excessive force or physical aggression.

Rather than prioritizing comprehensive training and effective supervision, the Department reportedly is cutting corners and loosening its training requirements. In August, ICE ended its five-week mandatory in-person Spanish language course in favor of unspecified translation technologies. On August 8, Secretary Noem suggested DHS plans to open new training centers in cities across the country to meet the demand created by the unprecedented influx of new recruits that cannot, despite DHS’s claims to the contrary, be met by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. ICE leadership has also suggested that the agency is exploring additional ways to streamline training in its rush to deploy new recruits into the field. Alarmingly, while ICE officers previously received nearly five months of training, reports indicate they now receive just 47 days, a number chosen for its symbolic connection to President Trump being the 47th President, not any legitimate law enforcement metric to assess. This failure to adequately train officers strongly suggests that the Department is demonstrating deliberate indifference to the rights and safety of the individuals with whom ICE officers interact.

The credibility of ICE and CBP as law enforcement agencies depends on the quality and professionalism of their officers. Strong recruitment standards and rigorous training are essential not only to prepare officers for the challenges of the job but also to foster public confidence in the agency’s mission. We urge your agencies to commit to the highest possible standards for all officers, both newly hired and already in the field, and particularly for officer recruitment and training. Accordingly, we request detailed responses to the questions below regarding the Department’s vetting, training, and supervision protocols for all newly hired or reassigned personnel within 14 days, so that Congress can assess whether DHS is meeting its constitutional obligations. For each question, please provide information for recruit training and in-service training.

1. What specific changes have been made to the eligibility requirements for new ICE and CBP officers, and what is the rationale for those changes?

2. Have minimum educational or prior law enforcement experience requirements been altered, and if so, how? What is the rationale for those changes?

3. Have drug testing standards been modified, and if so, how? What is the rationale for those changes?

4. Have ICE or CBP changed the social media screening practices for applicants? Do social media screening practices include looking for and excluding applicants who hold any extremist views? Please describe the screening process and factors that may disqualify an applicant.

5. What modifications have been made to the training curriculum, and how do they differ from prior standards? Please specify the topics covered, changes to the training modules, including method of delivery, and the total duration of the training prior to and after the hiring surge.

6. What on-the-job training with a field officer did new recruits receive prior to the hiring surge? Under the hiring surge, do new recruits still receive this training?

7. What training or other resources have replaced the formerly mandatory five-week Spanish language course to ensure effective communication between officers and individuals who speak Spanish?

8. Please describe the existing training program for any ICE contractors who directly interact with detained people. Include details on the topics covered, training modules, including method of delivery, and the total duration of the training.

9. Are there proposals to streamline the training for these contractors? If so, please describe those proposals and provide the rationale for the changes proposed.

10. What specific changes have been made to metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of ICE and CBP officer training, and what is the rationale for these changes?

11. How will you ensure that any recent changes to performance and training metrics do not compromise officer preparedness or public safety?

12. What training do ICE and CBP provide to employees from other federal agencies reassigned to immigration enforcement operations? When are these employees required to complete such training? Include details on the topics covered, training modules, including method of delivery, and the total duration of the training.

13. For each of the following topics, (i) confirm whether officers from other federal law enforcement agencies assigned or reassigned to immigration enforcement receive training related to that topic; (ii) provide the number of hours of required training; and (iii) identify the platform on which these trainings will be delivered (e.g., classroom, scenario-based, virtual):

1. Constitutional law

2. Immigration law

3. Criminal law

4. Investigations

5. Witness interviews

6. Interactions with youth

7. Report writing

8. First aid and safety training

9. Crisis intervention

10. Firearms

11. Use of force

12. Deescalation

13. First amendment protected activity

14. Stops, searches, and arrests

15. Misconduct reporting

This Administration has been actively flaunting an aggressive, militarized approach to immigration enforcement, sending the message that it can use federal force against communities with impunity. At the center of this effort are thousands of officers who appear to lack the professionalism, tactical skill, and judgment required of federal law enforcement, yet have been given broad authority to operate unchecked, while the Department ramps up recruitment and hiring of an unprecedented number of new officers. DHS has a duty to ensure that all officers – both new and currently in service –are properly trained, effectively supervised, and held accountable for their actions. In only months, DHS’s failure to meet its obligations has tarnished the reputation of federal law enforcement, endangered and victimized the public, and eroded public trust in the rule of law. This is unacceptable, and DHS must act swiftly to correct these failures, uphold the rule of law, and respect the Constitutional rights of all people in America.

Sincerely,

###

Some Americans are standing up against ICE's attacks on immigrants and US citizens. More need to be. And while Noem stonewalls Congress, yesterday, Shawn Cohen (DAILY MAIL) reported:

The Trump administration's frantic push to hire 10,000 new deportation officers by year's end has spiraled into what insiders describe as a national embarrassment - with lax vetting and a signing bonus of up to $50,000 luring in a wave of woefully unfit recruits.

An exhaustive Daily Mail investigation has exposed how Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lowered standards so dramatically that the new cohort now includes recent high school graduates and applicants who can 'barely read or write' as well as those who lack basic physical fitness and even have pending criminal charges.

Most of the new hires in the $30 billion initiative are retired law enforcement who are receiving virtual training and being repurposed for desk duty.

Meanwhile, total novices are being fast-tracked into the Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy in Georgia, where instructors have been left astounded at the levels of incompetence.

'We have people failing open-book tests and we have folks that can barely read or write English,' one Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official told the Daily Mail.

'We even had a 469-lb man sent to the academy whose own doctor certified him not at all fit for any physical activity.'

Insiders say the vetting process has been so rushed that officials didn't even wait for drug test results to come back before hiring recruits and flying them off to Georgia, only to discover afterward that tests came back positive.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told President Trump on Tuesday that the department will hire its 10,000th ICE officer within ten days. The department had no further comment to the Daily Mail on the story.

In one shocking incident, staff were left shaking their heads when one student asked to be excused from class so he could attend a court date on a gun charge.

Other recruits were even discovered to have tattoos associated with gangs and white supremacists when they stripped off their shirts during workouts.

Reports from FLETC include incidents of violence, disruptive behavior, and allegations of sexual misconduct on campus, most handled internally.

Not a good time for Kristi who turned fifty-four last Sunday. We didn't forget to wish her happy birthday -- we just didn't want to. Which means we're a lot like her husband who also ignored the opportunity to wish her a public happy birthday. Diksha (INQUISITR) reports:

Kristi Noem just turned 54 on November 30, and it was a perfect occasion to celebrate with family and friends. But her husband may not have been as excited as he did not wish her on social media. Many popular couples ensure that they wish each other on social media, and not doing so may send a bigger message.

It may signal trouble in marriage and possible conversations about divorce that the couple may be having in private. Although it’s not a rule to wish one’s partner on social media, doing it most years and suddenly skipping it can be a warning sign.

The Secretary of Homeland Security and her husband, Bryon Noem, have taken a step back from posting for each other on social media. Although they have been married since 1992, there have been rumors about their marriage crumbling.

When someone’s popular, such speculations are inevitable. Bryon did post about their 32nd anniversary last year on Instagram, but he did not post a birthday wish last year or this year. The last time he wished Noem on her birthday was in 2023, posting, “She is a sweetheart and so talented and a pleasure to be with.”

We have all heard about Kristi Noem’s alleged affair rumors with Corey Lewandowski since 2021. The news made it to the New York Magazine’s gossip column in September 2025. Skipping a birthday post may add more fuel to the rumors, showing there may be some truth.

Andrew Stanton (NEWSWEEK) reports:

A Marine veteran said he felt “betrayed” after U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained his wife, Chanidaphon Sopimpa of Thailand, during a green card meeting last month.

Sopimpa’s attorney Derek Poulsen told Newsweek that she overstayed her visa but had no other criminal record. Her arrest comes as a growing number of immigrants have been detained during green card meetings in San Diego over the past month.

Sopimpa met Samuel Shasteen, a Marine veteran, in 2022, months after Shasteen lost his wife to cancer, reported San Diego-based news station KNSD. The couple has since got married and began Sopimpa’s green card process.

She was detained last month while attending a green card interview with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Poulsen told Newsweek. While she did enter on a visitor visa and overstay, it is rare for the spouses of American citizens to be detained by ICE agents, he said. She had no further criminal record, he said.

The H*A*R*L*O*T of Homeland Security is being mocked for claiming -- in Tuesday's Cabinet meeting -- that her lord and personal savior Donald Chump -- who's apparently also the patron saint of adultery -- kept the hurricanes away over the last months. I think she should be mocked even harder for going after a 7-year-old boy. The child? Guess he should be glad he was a child and not a dog or Kristi would have shot him.

Kristi's an idiot and a liar which MEIDASTOUCH NEWS makes clear -- with the videos to back it up -- below.

Chump's Cabinet is a wealth of unworthies. There's Pete Hegseth. On Pete, I have frequently noted here when people wonder why his wife is attached at his hip that it's because she's no dummy. She knows what happened before. But apparently some people don't because they question about Pete leaving the two previous wives. So let's note Jennifer Tisdale's report for the INQUISITR so we're all on the same page:

In his 2016 book, In the Arena, Hegseth wrote about how the conservative party should focus on the sanctity of marriage in terms of lowering divorce rates. At the time, he was divorced and married to his second wife, whom he would also divorce the following year.

Hegseth's first two marriages ended when he had extramarital affairs with colleagues. In fact, the Secretary of [Defense] and the woman who would become his third wife were welcoming their first child together before the ink was dry on Hegseth's divorce papers.

Again, that is why Jennifer Hegseth travels with him on every business trip. As ATLANTA BLACK STAR NEWS explains, she's not the only one in that marriage living in fear:

President Donald Trump and his administration are still in scramble mode as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unveils yet another revision of his story.

After days of brutal headlines over a Sept. 2 boat strike that left two survivors “blown apart in the water,” Hegseth rolled out a brand-new version of events — one that flatly contradicts his own on-camera boast that he had “watched it live.”

Standing beside a groggy-looking President Donald Trump during a Cabinet Room appearance on Tuesday, Hegseth insisted he never actually saw the survivors and wasn’t aware a second strike had taken place until “a couple hours later.”

“I did not personally see survivors … that thing was on fire and was exploded,” he told reporters. “You got fire, smoke, you can’t see anything. This is called the fog of war.”

But that explanation detonated instantly across social media — because Hegseth himself had earlier boasted on Fox & Friends, “I watched it live. We knew exactly who was in that boat. We knew exactly what they were doing.”

Within minutes, viewers were replaying that old clip and shredding his new version to pieces.

Loose Lips Hegseth gave away classified information in a nonsecure chat. The country's been waiting for the conclusion to the investigation into that. It's finally arrived. Lara Seligman and Lindsay Wise (WALL STREET JOURNAL) report:

A Pentagon watchdog has found Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated some of the department’s regulations when he shared sensitive information from his cellphone on Signal earlier this year, according to Sen. Mark Kelly (D., Ariz).

However, the Defense Department Inspector General also concluded that as Pentagon chief, Hegseth has the authority to declassify Defense Department information, Kelly said Wednesday after viewing the watchdog report the department sent to Congress. That suggests the defense secretary didn’t break the law.

[. . .]

The watchdog report states that Hegseth declined to sit for an interview with the inspector general, instead sending a written statement, according to a person with knowledge of the document. In that statement, Hegseth claimed that he intentionally declassified information that wouldn’t pose a threat to servicemembers or the mission, the person said.

However, the report found that the operational details he shared on Signal would have posed a risk to troops and the mission if it had been intercepted, according to the person and another person briefed on the report.

Gordon Lubold (NBC NEWS) adds:

The report outlines the findings of a more than eight-month investigation into Hegseth’s use of Signal, an encrypted but unclassified messaging app, to share details of the planned U.S. strikes in March before they had begun.

It found that the information could have imperiled American troops had it been intercepted by a foreign adversary, the two people who have read the report said. The evaluation by the Defense Department Inspector General also concluded that Hegseth violated military regulations by using his personal phone for official business, according to those people.

Hegseth has maintained that he shared no classified information on the group chat. The inspector general did not address whether Hegseth took the proper steps to declassify the information shared in the chat.

David Gardner and Sarah Ewall-Wice (THE DAILY BEAST) break it down to a single, important point, "Pete Hegseth put U.S. troops in danger by sharing sensitive war plans on the Signal group chat app, according to an inspector general’s report on the Signalgate scandal." For those who still don't get it, Shane Harris (THE ATLANTIC):

Now the Pentagon’s top watchdog has concluded that the information Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared in the chat could have put the mission, U.S. personnel, and national security at risk had it fallen into the wrong hands. The information Hegseth shared included the precise times that fighter pilots would attack their targets, the sort of information ordinarily shared only on secure platforms. If Houthi militants had learned those details in advance, they might have been able to shoot down American planes or better defend their positions.

The Defense Department inspector general found that while the mission ultimately was not jeopardized, Hegseth violated his department’s own policies when he used Signal, a commercial messaging app that is not approved for sharing classified information. The IG’s report, scheduled to be published on Thursday, was described to us by numerous U.S. officials familiar with its findings.

Can it get worse for Pete Hegseth? You know it can. And it has. Frank Yemi (INQUISITR) reports:

The family of a Colombian fisherman killed in a U.S. strike in the Caribbean is accusing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of murder, pulling the Trump administration’s “drug boat” campaign into an international human rights showdown.

Alejandro Andres Carranza Medina, a 42 year old fisherman from Colombia, was killed on Sept. 15 when a U.S. military aircraft bombed the small boat he was working on, according to The Guardian. His wife and four children have now filed a formal complaint with the Washington, DC based Inter American Commission on Human Rights, alleging the United States carried out an “extra judicial killing” and violated his most basic rights.

The petition, filed Tuesday, names Hegseth personally. It argues that the defense secretary bears direct responsibility for Carranza’s death as part of the Trump administration’s air campaign against suspected narco boats operating in waters off Colombia and Venezuela.

“From numerous news reports, we know that Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of Defense, was responsible for ordering the bombing of boats like those of Alejandro Carranza Medina and the murder of all those on such boats,” the filing states. “Secretary Hegseth has admitted that he gave such orders despite the fact that he did not know the identity of those being targeted for these bombings and extra judicial killings.”

The complaint also argues that “U.S. President Donald Trump has ratified the conduct of Secretary Hegseth described herein,” directly tying Carranza’s death to the president’s push for kinetic military strikes against alleged trafficking vessels.

Human Rights attorney Dan Kovalik is representing the family. Aram Roston (GUARDIAN) notes:

The complaint was filed by Pittsburgh-based human rights lawyer Dan Kovalik. “On September 15, 2025, the United States military bombed the boat of Alejandro Andres Carranza Medina,” the filing says, “which Mr Carranza was sailing in the Caribbean off the coast of Colombia. Mr Carranza was killed in the process of this bombing.”

Kovalik identified Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, as the perpetrator, based on Hegseth’s own statements. “From numerous news reports, we know that Pete Hegseth, US Secretary of Defense, was responsible for ordering the bombing of boats like those of Alejandro Carranza Medina and the murder of all those on such boats. Secretary Hegseth has admitted that he gave such orders despite the fact that he did not know the identity of those being targeted for these bombings and extra-judicial killings,” the filing goes on.

The complaint adds: “US President Donald Trump has ratified the conduct of Secretary Hegseth described herein.”

[. . .]

Kovalik said: “We think this is a viable way to challenge the killing of Alejandro. We are going to seek redress for the family. We want the US to be ordered to stop doing these boat attacks. It may be a first step but we think it it’s a good first step.”

US House Rep Maggie Goodlander told MS NOW:

Pete Hegseth is a fundamentally unserious person who has no business serving as our Secretary of Defense. He has shirked responsibility in a position of extraordinary public trust and importance. The job of Secretary of Defense is one of the most important jobs in the world. He lacks the experience, and he's shown again and again that he lacks the judgment to be at the helm of the Pentagon, which is such an important part of American public life.

Senator Rand Paul spoke to reporters on Tuesday:

Secretary Hegseth said he had no knowledge of this, and it did not happen. It was fake news. It didn’t happen. And then the next day, from the podium at the White House are saying it did happen. So, either he was lying to us … or he’s incompetent and didn’t know it had happened. Do we think there’s any chance that … the secretary of the defense did not know there had been a second strike? So as a country, we’re just going to let people lie to us, to our face?

Senator Thom Tillis: I didn’t give a damn who it was … whoever knowingly violated — that was a violation of ethical, moral and legal code," said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) about the second strike. “If the facts play out the way they’re currently being reported, then somebody needs to get the hell out of Washington.

Senator Richard Blumenthal: Let's be clear that making Admiral Bradley the fall guy sends a signal to our professional military that they will be blamed for mistakes made by political leaders and that there'll be no protection for them when they follow those orders,

Senator Mark Kelly: Think about it: He runs around on stage discussing lethality, warrior ethos, and killing people. We have the most skilled and capable military this world has ever known. That's not the message that should come from the Secretary of Defence. He behaves like a 12-year-old pretending to be in the army. It’s ludicrous, it’s embarrassing, and I can’t imagine what our allies think when they see that guy in such a crucial position in our country.

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What Chump is doing to these boats is illegal. That's all the attacks. There's no justification for any of it. Ellsworth Toohey (BOING BOING) explains:

The DOJ's secret memo authorizing missile strikes on boats in the Caribbean isn't a legal analysis - it's legal laundering.

According to leaks reported by The Guardian, the Office of Legal Counsel memo claims the strikes constitute "collective self-defense" on behalf of allies like Mexico and Colombia, who supposedly need us to blow up cocaine shipments because cartels are waging "armed violence" against their governments.

Small problems with this theory: No ally has publicly asked us to bomb boats. There's no evidence that cartels are engaged in "armed conflict" with any sovereign state. There's no evidence that cocaine sales finance a war rather than just enrich criminals. And there's zero evidence these strikes were "self-defense" against any imminent threat.

Yesterday, we just focused on Pete Hegseth as he continued his public transition from FOX "NEWS" personality to War Criminal. I understand he's contemplating top surgery. But a number of you thought I'd share something on the Tennessee election that took place Tuesday. A lot of times when you expect me to comment and I don't, I'm trying to be kind.

Several of you asked, so here goes. Matt Van Epps (MAGA) won against Aftyn Behn (Democrat). Some people were convinced Behn was going to pull it off. We didn't waste time on her, she was a loser. She shouldn't run again. What does the race mean?

Republicans should worry. Even against one of the worst candidates in years, Van Epps had to spend millions -- they flooded that district with money. And he almost lost.

Republicans need to worry.

You won't face many as ditzy as Aftyn Behn.

When Chump insulted her as not a Christian, her response was weak. When he attacked her claiming she didn't like country music, her response was weak.

She was an idiot over and over.

Chump says you don't like country music? You step up to the mike a press conference and start singing Patsy Cline's "Crazy." Not the whole song if you don't want to. Then you say, "Heard somebody lying on me and saying I didn't like country music. Can you be born in Tennessee and not like country music? Well, what's a New Yorker like Donald know about country music anyway? This is the fool who dances publicly over and over to the disco song 'YMCA'." That's what she should have done (and what she was advised to do, by the way) but didn't.

Again, not very smart. Neither is the DSA chapter in Knoxville. This was always going to be a loss for Behn.

So to recap: A ditz, a very poor campaigner and a Democratic Socialist running in that district and yet she managed to get 45% of the vote? Republicans across the country should be in a panic. Most of them will face Democratic Party candidates with a functioning brain.

Tomorrow, the plan is to note Jeffrey and Ghislaine developments. For now, let's note Lawrence addressing some of them on MS NOW last night.

Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) to introduce the Temporary Immigration Judge Integrity Act, legislation to prevent inexperienced temporary immigration judge appointments in light of the Trump administration’s abuse of loopholes in current regulations. U.S. Representative Juan Vargas (D, CA-52) is introducing companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Following the Trump administration’s mass firing of immigration judges and authorizing of up to 600 military lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges, the bill aims to close the loopholes the administration has been utilizing to speed up their mass deportation agenda – such as the lack of due process protections for individuals in immigration court proceedings.

“The Trump administration has already fired or forced out over 100 immigration judges across the country as part of their callous anti-immigrant crusade, and now they are allowing attorneys with zero prior immigration law experience to serve as temporary judges in immigration cases, making hugely consequential decisions about families’ futures,” said Senator Murray. “Every person deserves a fair hearing. The Temporary Immigration Judge Integrity Act is about making sure anyone serving as a judge in an immigration hearing has the basic qualifications to do the job, and that the Trump administration can’t keep unqualified temporary judges in place indefinitely.”

The bill would:

Cap temporary immigration judge appointments at four consecutive six-month terms: 2-year maximum service limit with at least a 3-year break in between services;
Prevent military attorneys and Judge Advocate Generals (JAGs) from being appointed as temporary immigration judges;
Authorize appointments of attorneys at the Department of Justice (DOJ) who meet the eligibility requirements;
Establish basic training requirements.

In addition to Senators Murray and Schiff, the bill is co-sponsored by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

The full text of the bill can be found HERE.

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The following sites updated: