Good morning. In this edition:

• 🤔 War crime?
• 🤖 “Code red” for OpenAI
• 🎶 Best albums of 2025

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.45-minute read (919 words).

Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here for free.

"One who wants a rose must respect the thorn."

–Persian proverb

In comments yesterday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the US military’s decision to launch a follow-up strike on a suspected drug-running boat in the Caribbean Sea, after two shipwrecked occupants survived the initial strike.

• Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Hegseth also told reporters he had left the room when the order for a second strike was given, after watching the first strike live.
• Hegseth said he instead authorized Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley to execute the September 2 operation to destroy the drug trafficking boat, which the Trump admin says was carrying drug-runners from the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

How we got here: Hegseth’s comments follow a Washington Post report, published Friday, that first publicized the second strike targeting the two shipwrecked survivors.

The Pentagon’s initial response to WaPo’s article last week described the report as “completely false.” But on Monday, the White House confirmed there was a second strike on the suspected drug boat, though officials say Hegseth gave Admiral Bradley the authority to make the order.

Why it’s a big deal

If carried out as described, the second strike may rise to the level of a war crime for killing incapacitated enemy combatants according to many law-of-war experts. Lawmakers from both parties say they plan to investigate the circumstances behind the strike, with Democrats quick to describe it as a war crime, and some Republicans also raising legal concerns.

• Under US military law, as well as Article 3 of the Geneva Convention, it’s illegal to kill enemy combatants who are out of the fight.
• “For example, orders to fire upon the shipwrecked would be clearly illegal,” reads a passage from the Pentagon’s law of war manual.

On the flip side: Hegseth and other top Trump admin officials say the second strike was a lawful action to ensure the boat was destroyed and to eliminate a continued threat to the US. Hegseth yesterday also noted that the fire and smoke following the initial strike on the suspected drug boat made it so “you can’t see anything,” like survivors in the open water.

Big picture: The news comes as Trump has ordered a significant military buildup near Venezuela, raising the prospect of more severe action against President Nicolás Maduro’s government to deter drug trafficking. Over the weekend, Trump said the airspace above Venezuela should be considered closed, while the US military has positioned 11 warships and 15,000 troops near the country in recent months.

📊 Flash poll: In your opinion, how will the US military campaign against alleged drug trafficking from Venezuela play out?

• It will escalate to full-blown war
• It will escalate with US attacks inside Venezuela, but not war
• It won’t escalate further
• Unsure/other

Most routines stay the same year-round, but holiday stress, travel, and disruptions can create new nutrient gaps. Persona’s 5-minute quiz builds a personalized daily vitamin plan based on your habits, diet, medications, and health goals.

With daily packs that make sticking to your routine simple, plus nutritionists who adjust your plan as you go, you can take on the holidays without missing a beat.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🤖🚨 OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly tells employees the company is declaring a “code red” effort to improve ChatGPT’s quality; the move, which delays other products as a result, comes amid increased competition from AI rivals, especially Google.
• 🧑‍⚖️ Costco sues Trump admin seeking a full refund of tariffs paid since the President imposed “reciprocal” and “fentanyl” tariffs earlier this year.
• 🛒 202.9 million US consumers shopped during the five-day stretch from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, a new record high, per the National Retail Federation.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 📺 Stranger Things Season 5 draws 59.6 million views across its first five days, setting a new Netflix record for English-language TV debut.
• 🚫🎾 Serena Williams denies reports of a comeback, after news broke that she reentered pro tennis’ official drug testing pool.
• 🏈 CFB coaching carousel: #5 Texas Tech agrees to new seven-year contract with head coach Joey McGuire, while #11 BYU’s Kalani Sitake is reportedly staying put following interest from Penn State.

Upwork Business Plus makes hiring one less thing to worry about with AI that surfaces the right freelancer in minutes, not days. Spend less time searching and more time actually moving work forward.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🐍 Anacondas have remained giant-sized for at least 12.4 million years, new fossil analysis reveals; many animals were bigger than their modern relatives during that period—but very few such species are still alive today.
• 💥 French scientist discovers new mathematical equation that describes how broken objects on Earth follow certain principles when they shatter.
• 💉🧠 Getting vaccinated for shingles can protect people from dementia, or slow progression of the disease, new study suggests.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🌨️ Major winter storm dumps several inches of snow across the Northeast and Midwest, causing travel delays and the death of at least one driver.
• 💰 Michael and Susan Dell to donate $6.25 billion to a new gov’t program that’ll provide $250 savings accounts for ~25 million US children under 10 years old (sometimes called “Trump accounts”); here’s how to claim it.
• 🏛️ Supreme Court hears oral arguments in case over whether internet service providers can be held financially liable for failing to take action against illegal streaming of copyrighted material (aka online piracy). | Russian President Vladimir Putin holds talks for nearly five hours with President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to discuss plans to end the war in Ukraine.

☝️ Samsung this week unveiled its first-ever trifold smartphone, which goes on sale in South Korea later this month and will hit US markets in Q1 2026 (estimated price tag: ~$2,800). While closed, the device operates as a normal smartphone, but when opened, it serves as a three-panel tablet.

🤔 Did you know? Donuts used to have no holes (just like this newsletter 🍩😉). The classic ring shape first showed up in the mid-1800s, when American sailor Hanson Gregory supposedly poked the center out so that his mom’s fried dough would cook more evenly.

📰 Worth a read: Feel a connection to a celebrity you’ve never met? Your bond may be ‘parasocial.’

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• How the world measures happiness (it’s not just about smiling)
• Could Homer Simpson support his family in today's economy?
• The 50 best albums of 2025

💪 Finish the year strong... Persona's expert-built quiz creates your custom vitamin plan in 5 minutes, then delivers convenient daily packs. Cyber Week: Save 20% on your first monthly order and 10% on every order after.

How it works: We provide an incorrect stat. Your challenge is to guess whether the actual number is over or under the given value.

• 🦁 60 MPH: The top speed of a lion
• 🦉 200°: How far an owl can rotate its head
• 🍵 3 billion: Estimated cups of tea consumed worldwide per day

💸 One GameStop customer really was ready to catch 'em all, after bringing in an ultra-rare, PSA-10 certified holo Gengar Pokémon card to a Texas branch, and trading it in for a record-breaking $30,494.70.

1. 🦁 Under; about 50 MPH
2. 🦉 Over; 270° of rotation
3. 🍵 Over; around 5 billion cups/day

Advertise with us: Want to reach other smart and inquisitive readers like you? Become a DONUT partner here.