By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Southern Command announced that it had conducted another strike against a small boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, following a pause of almost three weeks.

It is the 22nd strike the U.S. military has carried out against boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that the Trump administration claimed were trafficking drugs.

There were four casualties in Thursday’s strike, according to the social media post, bringing the death toll of the campaign to at least 87 people.

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In a video that accompanied the announcement, a small boat can be seen moving across the water before it is suddenly consumed by a large explosion. The video then zooms out to show the boat covered in flames and billowing smoke.

The strike was conducted the same day Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley appeared for a series of closed-door classified briefings at the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers began an investigation into the very first strike carried out by the military on Sept. 2. The sessions came after a report that Bradley ordered a follow-on attack that killed the survivors to comply with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s demands.

Bradley told lawmakers there was no “kill them all” order from Hegseth, but a stark video of the entire series of attacks left some lawmakers with serious questions.

Legal experts have said killing survivors of a strike at sea could be a violation of the laws of military warfare.

Bradley spoke to lawmakers alongside the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, in a classified session. His testimony provided fresh information at a crucial moment as Hegseth’s leadership comes under scrutiny, but it did little to resolve growing questions about the legal basis for President Donald Trump’s extraordinary campaign to use war powers against suspected drug smugglers.

Lawmakers offered differing accounts of what they saw on the video.

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas said he saw the survivors “trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs bound for United States back over so they could stay in the fight.”

Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said, “What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service.”

“You have two individuals in clear distress, without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel,” he said, adding they “were killed by the United States.”

Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said the survivors were “basically two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat, drifting in the water — until the missiles come and kill them.”

Holiday shopping, seasonal eats and photos for the Christmas card can be checked off the to-do list this weekend on one of St. Paul’s historic shopping corridors.

The Grand Meander, a 20-block holiday festival along Grand Avenue, starts at 11 a.m. Saturday where visitors can shop local sales, take photos with Santa, enjoy carolers and ride the Trolley.

The annual event has something to offer even if you’re on a budget: Find free cake tasting at Nothing Bundt Cakes, free hot apple cider at mor (a new women’s boutique) and a free favor bag for kids from Emery’s Playhouse that includes a mini puzzle, crayons and an in-store coupon for parents.

Here’s a look at what else is on tap for Saturday.

Pit stops

Fire truck rides with the Winter Carnival Vulcans start at 10 a.m. at Emmett’s Public House and Saji-Ya, near the corner of Grand Avenue and St. Albans Street.

Moloney’s Irish Imports, an Irish gift shop that recently opened along the avenue, will host a bagpiping Santa until 1:45 p.m. Saturday.

Gourmet grocery store Golden Fig Fine Foods plans to roast Iowa-grown chestnuts in front of its storefront at 794 Grand Ave.

Local authors and illustrators including Karen Wirth, Sam Kalda, Eric Madsen, Mathew Zefeldt and Maren Daniels will be available to sign their books from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Wet Paint, located at 1684 Grand Ave.

To find the full calendar of events, go to grandave.com/events/grandmeander.

Summit Avenue

Another part of the Grand Meander festivities, the 16th annual Summit Avenue Artisan Festival, starts at 10 a.m. Saturday.

More than 40 artisans are on tap for this year’s market including Good Graces Paper Co., InFlux Glass Arts, Off the Hook Fiber Arts and food vendors like Egg Roll Queen, Black Roots Sauces and Seasonings, Renee’s Cooking Oils and Stacy’s Homestead Honey.

Located at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ at 900 Summit Ave., the free event draws more than 1,000 visitors a year.

“We love seeing the church filled with art, laughter and community energy each year,” said festival manager Jennifer Harris, in a news release. “This event brings people together to support local makers, celebrate the season and share in something joyful and uniquely St. Paul.”

To see a full list of events, go to www.spucconsummit.org/artisanfestival.

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Bulgarian conductor Delyana Lazarova returns to Orchestra Hall — after last joining the Minnesota Orchestra in the summer of 2024 — to lead a riveting interpretation of Antonin Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony. Along with works by Caroline Shaw and Joseph Haydn, the concert highlighted inventive works from three centuries.

Principal guest conductor for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Utah Symphony, Lazarova brings a fiery presence and taut precision that recalls conductor laureate Osmo Vanska. With forceful, clean movements, she leads the orchestra with bold articulation.

To begin the concert, the orchestra performs “Entr’acte,” written by Shaw in 2011. It’s an exploration of liminality, where shifting states create disorientation. Named after the interval between acts of a play or opera and inspired by a moment of tonal change in a Haydn quartet, the work has a dream-like quality, with musicians at times barely touching the strings to create a hallowed sound. Swirling notes, pizzicato, muted phrases and swelling passages produce a thrilling experience.

For Thursday morning’s performance, the orchestra pushed through a disruption when an audience member appeared to experience a mental health crisis. With admirable concentration, principal cellist Tony Ross stayed the course through his solo, locking eyes with Lazarova as the orchestra continued despite shouting near the stage.

The performance was briefly paused until the person was escorted out. Audience reactions varied, with one person calling for police from the balcony. The smattering of applause from a few patrons as the person exited provided a disturbing end to the incident.

Soon the moment was forgotten as the orchestra moved on to Haydn’s Sinfonia concertante in B-flat major. Soloists Yi Zhao, Erik Wheeler, Kate Wegener and J. Christopher Marshall performed admirably in a piece that sits somewhere between a symphony and a concerto, allowing the musicians to shift fluidly between ensemble playing and spotlight moments. The work begins with a triumphant clip, followed by an Andante where the four soloists engage in light back-and-forth before the piece concludes with high-spirited virtuosity.

After intermission, the orchestra performs Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, “From the New World.” Written during his 1893 stay in New York, the work reflects the composer’s interpretation of African-American spirituals and what he believed to be Native American musical traditions. It’s telling that an early “American” classical work was penned by a visiting European, and that Dvorak’s ideas about indigeneity were shaped more by literature — notably Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Song of Hiawatha” — than by direct experience. Even so, his imagining of America has become one of the country’s most iconic symphonic statements.

The first movement moves from a soft, lyrical opening into flashes of energy, pushed forward by timpani and far-off horn calls. Lazarova guides these shifts with a sure hand, letting the brass and winds surge while keeping the strings warm and grounded. The Largo’s famous English horn melody rises with quiet ache, joined gently by the bassoon in a duet that feels both intimate and expansive.

The Scherzo is bright and agile, its restless drive balanced by a lighter, dance-like middle section, with touches of triangle and the cellos tapping their bows adding color. The final movement opens with a dark, weighty theme before charging ahead, the orchestra gathering momentum through plucked strings, sweeping lines, and bold brass, all building to a full-throttle finish.

In the end, Lazarova led a program that balanced poise, imagination, and sheer musical vitality, leaving the audience with a fresh sense of discovery.

Dvorak New World Symphony

When: Friday, Dec. 5, at  8 p.m.

Where: Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls.

Tickets: $69-$159

Accessibility: See minnesotaorchestra.org/plan-your-visit/accessibility

Capsule: Guest conductor Delyana Lazarova brings a dynamic vitality to her engagement with the Minnesota Orchestra in an evening that includes Shaw, Haydn and Dvorak.

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By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and OLIVIA DIAZ, Associated Press

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The Justice Department failed Thursday to secure a new indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James after a judge dismissed the previous mortgage fraud prosecution encouraged by President Donald Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Prosecutors went back to a grand jury in Virginia after a judge’s ruling halting the prosecution of James and another longtime Trump foe, former FBI Director James Comey, on the grounds that the U.S. attorney who presented the cases was illegally appointed.

The Justice Department could go back to the grand jury to try again. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.

James was initially charged in October by the U.S. attorney installed by the Trump administration to replace the prosecutor who resigned under pressure to bring criminal cases against Comey and James.

James denied any wrongdoing and accused the administration of using the justice system to seek revenge against Trump’s political opponents.

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The allegations related to James’ purchase of a modest house in Norfolk, where she has family. During the sale, she signed a standard document called a “second home rider” in which she agreed to keep the property primarily for her “personal use and enjoyment for at least one year,” unless the lender agreed otherwise.

Rather than using the home as a second residence, James rented it out to a family of three, allowing her to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, prosecutors alleged.

Even if the charges are resurrected, the Justice Department could face obstacles in securing a conviction against James.

James’ lawyers separately argued the case was a vindictive prosecution brought to punish the Trump critic who spent years investigating and suing the Republican president and won a staggering judgment in a lawsuit alleging he defrauded banks by overstating the value of his real estate holdings on financial statements. The fine was later tossed out by a higher court, but both sides are appealing.

The defense had also alleged “outrageous government conduct” preceding her indictment, which the defense argued warrants the case’s dismissal. The judge hadn’t ruled on the defense’s arguments on those matters before dismissing the case last month over the appointment of Lindsey Halligan as U.S. attorney.

U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie took issue with the mechanism the Trump administration employed to appoint Halligan, a former White House aide with no prior prosecutorial experience, to lead one of the Justice Department’s most elite and important offices.

Halligan was named as a replacement for Erik Siebert, a veteran prosecutor in the office and interim U.S. attorney who resigned in September amid Trump administration pressure to file charges against both Comey and James. He stepped aside after Trump told reporters he wanted Siebert “out.”

The following night, Trump said he would be nominating Halligan to the role of interim U.S. attorney and publicly implored Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against his political opponents, saying in a Truth Social post that, “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility” and “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”

Comey was indicted three days after Halligan was sworn in by Bondi, and James was charged two weeks after that.

The Justice Department had defended Halligan’s appointment but has also revealed that Bondi had given Halligan a separate position of “Special Attorney,” presumably as a way to protect the indictments from the possibility of collapse. But Currie said such a retroactive designation could not save the cases.

Though the defendants had asked for the cases to be dismissed with prejudice, meaning the Justice Department would be barred from bringing them again, Currie instead dismissed them without prejudice — leaving open the possibility that prosecutors could try to file the charges again.

Richer reported from Washington.