“Kill Them All”: That was the order Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave during the first US strike on a boat in the Caribbean, two sources with direct knowledge of the operation told the Washington Post. To comply with that order, the Special Operations commander ordered a second strike to kill the two survivors.

The White House is Trying to Save Hegseth’s Skin. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Hegseth authorized Admiral Mitch Bradley to carry out the strikes, but did not give an order to “kill everybody.” When a journalist asked Leavitt to explain why the strike wasn’t a war crime, she said it was “conducted in international waters and in accordance with the law of armed conflict,” which is not an explanation. The Trump Administration has provided no evidence that backs up the allegations behind these two killings, or the 81 other killings in the Caribbean and Pacific.

While killing these people and threatening war over Nicolás Maduro’s fake cocaine empire in Venezuela, President Donald Trump pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was serving a 45-year sentence for weapons charges and literally distributing cocaine. He was “at the center of one of the largest and most violent drug-trafficking conspiracies in the world,” said the Department of Justice in a statement after his conviction last year. 

War … and Peace? US envoys are meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin this morning to discuss a plan to end the country’s war on Ukraine. Steve Witkoff, the Trump diplomat dealing with Putin, has already visited Russia six times since January. You can check for updates here and here.

Clankers: If you need another excuse to go Sarah Connor mode, starting January 1, Washington will be one of six states participating in a new federal AI-assisted Medicaid program called “Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction.” Until now, our state’s Medicaid recipients didn’t need prior authorization (permission) for most services. But the magic of Artificial Intelligence will help determine whether or not they qualify for services like pain management, cervical fusion, arthroscopic knee surgery, and impotence treatment. Here’s the full list of procedures. 

To top it off: The evil feds have set up a twisted profit incentive. These AI companies will be “compensated based on a share of averted expenditures.” In other words, they’ll get a cut. The more claims the companies deny, the more money they get. 

Fixes: Light Rail stations from Capitol Hill to Northgate will close early for late night work this week. If you’re planning to catch a ride there past 11 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, you’ll be catching a bus instead, and adding 45 minutes to your travel time. Sound Transit’s new plan for scheduled maintenance a few nights a month should reduce unexpected shutdowns.

Charity: Somebody pledged an anonymous $50 million donation to University of Washington’s Medical Laboratory Science Program, enough to completely cover seniors’ in-state tuition for decades, and expand the program from 70 to 100 students by 2035. These seniors need the financial help. The time spent on clinical rotations and studying for their national board exam makes a part-time job nearly impossible.

Weather: It’ll be cloudy with a high of 46. Tonight, expect patchy fog into Wednesday morning.

Worse Weather: In the last week, the Midwest has seen three snowy winter storms (on Saturday, Chicago saw its snowiest ever November day at 8.4 inches). This morning, a storm that could go bomb cyclone mode will shimmy its way up the coast of New England. Boston, New York and Philadelphia are expected to dodge heavy snowfall.

Finding Out: Starbucks is paying out a $38.9 million settlement after breaking New York City labor law half a million times since 2021. More than 15,000 workers will receive restitution payments for their unpredictable schedules and randomly cut hours.

It was World AIDS Day yesterday. For the first time since its creation in 1988, the US didn’t participate. The administration says it’s “modernizing” its approach to infectious disease. "Is this a symbolic act? Yes, it is and it symbolizes something that is actually devastating and chaotic," Mitchell Warren, the executive director of AVAC, a global HIV prevention organization based in the U.S, told NPR. As part of his “America First” agenda, Trump has slashed global health funding, disrupting HIV/AIDS care for people in countries like Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Kenya.

Dear Whamageddon participants, I don’t respect you.

Charlie Brown Christmas enjoyers, I do respect you. Here you go.