December 5, 2025 • 11 mins
In this Briefing, Jon Decker breaks down the U.S.-brokered peace treaty between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, potential war crimes, and also examine the latest redistricting shifts and what they mean for the upcoming midterm elections. Decker previews the upcoming key moments from the World Cup Final Draw ceremony, and highlight the annual White House Christmas tree lighting.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the White House Briefing Room for Friday, December fifth.
I'm John Decker. President Trump. Heils a US broker peace
treaty between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
You've come to the US Institute of Pease to sign
a historic agreement that will end one of the longest
running conflicts anywhere in the world.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Congressional leaders are brief behind closed doors by the Navy
admiral who ordered a second strike on an alleged drug boat.
A win for Republicans at the US Supreme Court allows
Texas to use a new congressional map. A ceremony Friday
for the World Cup final draw, and the President and
(00:44):
the first Lady on the ellipse offer up holiday wishes
for twenty twenty six.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
And Milania and I are thrilled to wish everyone here
tonight and Americans all across this land a very, very
merry Christmas.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
But we begin with President Trump touting his peacemaking efforts
on Thursday as he presided over the signing of a
peace treaty aimed at ending decades of fighting between the DRC,
the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda. Five months after
the leaders of those two countries agreed to a US
(01:19):
broker peace deal. Both presidents met again at the US
Institute of Peace for a peace deal signing ceremony.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
You come to the US Institute of Peace to sign
a historic agreement that will end one of the longest
running conflicts anywhere in the world, with far more than
ten million people killed. Today we commit to stopping decades
of violence and bloodshed and to begin a new era
of harmony and cooperation between the Democratic Republic of the
(01:50):
Congo and Rwanda.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
The conflict between the countries has raged in Eastern Congo
for more than thirty years, and both leaders thanked President
Trump for helping to finally achieve peace with what is
now known as the Washington Accords. During the ceremony, President
Trump also touted bilateral trade agreements that have been reached
(02:12):
with both countries.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Today, the United States is also signing our own bilateral
agreements with iCONGO and Rwanda that will unlock new opportunities
for the United States to access critical minerals and provide
economic benefits for everybody.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Despite that formal signing of that peace treaty in Washington
on Thursday, fighting between Congolese forces and Rwanda backed rebels
continues to rage in eastern Congo. Also on Thursday, at
the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, Navy Admiral Frank Bradley,
in a closed door briefing for lawmakers, defended the September
(02:51):
second attack on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean.
Bradley told lawmakers that two men who survived an initial
attack on the boat attempted to continue their drug run,
making them targets. The admiral played footage of the hours
long incident, including his decision to order a follow up
(03:13):
strike that killed the two survivors. Now, his explanations before
that closed door classified briefing did not please everyone. Congressman
Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House
Armed Services Committee, and Congressman Jim Himes, the ranking member
on the House Intelligence Committee, issued a joint statement condemning
(03:37):
the September second strike and challenging Bradley's claims that the
two men were killed justifiably. The two lawmakers and their
statement said, the video we saw today showed two shipwrecked
individuals who had no means to move, much less pose
and immediate threat, and yet they were killed by the
(03:57):
United States military. Both Democratic congressmen called for the full,
unedited footage to be publicly released. Now, defense officials say
the survivors that were aboard that heavily damaged vessel attempted
to salvage packages of drugs and were believed to be
communicating with fellow Narco traffickers by a radio communication. Now,
(04:23):
defense officials say the survivors that were a board that
heavily damaged vessel attempted to salvage packages of drugs that
were on board, and were also believed to be communicating
with fellow Narco traffickers. But Congressman Smith said there was
little evidence for the Pentagon's claims. Meanwhile, some Republicans defended Bradley,
(04:46):
backing President Trump's claim that the casualties were Narco terrorists
seeking to kill Americans, not just sell an illicit product.
Among those defenders Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas, he's the
chairmen of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He said the survivors
were seen on video seeking to flip the boat that
(05:07):
was loaded with drugs bound for the United States so
they could stay in the fight. Now, the Defense Department's
Law of War Manual states that people in a shipwreck
meeting a vessel that can no longer operate cannot be
fired upon, and combatants in such a situation would be
considered rendered out of action. Now, despite that classified briefing,
(05:30):
there are still plenty of questions that remain, and near
the top of that list is the question of where
Secretary Pete Hegseth was throughout the course of the operation.
Hag set said this week that he monitored the first strike,
but didn't stick around to see either the survivors or
the second strike targeting them. Besides more answers coming from
(05:53):
hegset about his whereabouts that day, many lawmakers are also
clamoring for both Admiral Bradley and Secretary Hegseth to testify
before Congress in a public setting. Some legal news on
Thursday that could have major political ramifications for the midterm elections.
(06:14):
The Supreme Court will allow Texas to use a congressional
map that adds as many as five Republican seats four
next year's midterms, and that boosts the Republicans' chances of
retaining control of the House of Representatives. The unsigned order
from the Supreme Court reads that the district Court improperly
(06:35):
inserted itself into an active primary campaign, causing much confusion
and upsetting the delicate federal state balance and elections. Justice
Elena Kagan, joined by Justices Sonia Soda, Mayor and Katanji
Brown Jackson, wrote a seventeen page descent from that unsigned order. Now,
(06:57):
Texas's new congressional map was designed at the request of
President Trump and was approved by the Republican controlled state
legislature and Governor Greg Abbott over the summer, and the
redistricting by Texas has touched off a tit for tat
among many countries around the country. California in November passed
(07:18):
Proposition fifty that planned California map will add five new
Democratic leaning congressional districts. That too, is being challenged in
court by the Trump administration. New maps favoring Republicans more
heavily have also passed in North Carolina and Missouri. In Indiana,
(07:39):
state lawmakers just this week moved ahead with debate on
a new map that could add two additional Republican House seats. Meanwhile,
an effort to redraw the map in favor of Democrats
is moving forward in Virginia, and it doesn't end there,
a bipartisan redistricting commission approved a map that could help
(08:00):
Republicans pick up a seat or two in Ohio, and meanwhile,
in Utah, a new court ordered map will likely allow
Democrats to pick up one congressional seat. Friday is a
day in which the President will get to pursue another
one of his passions. President Trump will take the stage
at Friday's World Cup Final draw ceremony at the Kennedy Center.
(08:24):
During the ceremony, countries will find out who they will
face in the first group stage matches. President Trump, Mexican
President Claudia Shinbaum, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are
all expected to take part in the ceremonial ball draw.
This will mark the first time that Mexican President Shinbaum
(08:47):
and President Trump will actually meet in person. It's a
two hour program that will open with a performance by
Andrea Buccelli before moving to remarks from FIFA of President
Jiohnny and Nina. Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger will also perform,
and Infantino will then introduce President Trump as the recipient
(09:10):
of the World Cup Peace Prize. This show will then
shift to the official draw, Balls labeled with each country's
name will be pulled from pots to form twelve groups
of four teams each for the twenty twenty six World
Cup tournament. Finally, on Thursday, President Trump and First Lady
(09:30):
Milania Trump continued the more than century old tradition of
lighting the National Christmas Tree.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
So is everybody ready to light the beautiful Christmas Tree?
Are you ready? So? The First Lady is going to
do the honors, and we're going to do a countdown.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
We'll go from five to zero, okay, five, four, three
two one.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
I was out there for that tree leading ceremony with
the President as part of the pool, and let me
tell you, it was really cold outside. The tree lighting
event on the Ellipse was the one hundred third tree
lighting event, which dates to former President Calvin Coolidge, who
presided over the first lighting in nineteen twenty three. The
twenty twenty five Christmas Tree is a thirty two foot
(10:27):
red spruce that grew in Highland County, Virginia, and the
National Christmas Tree display runs until January first and is
free for visitors. As for the President's schedule for Friday,
the President at eleven forty in the morning, attends that
FIFA World Cup drawing at the Kennedy Center. At three
(10:49):
o'clock in the afternoon, the President will sign executive orders
in the Oval Office, and then at eight pm, the
President and the First Lady attend a concert by Andrea
Bocelli in the Easter Room. That event is closed press.
That's it for the White House Briefing Room for Friday,
December fifth. I'm John Decker. Have a great weekend.
Welcome to the White House Briefing Room for Friday, December fifth.
I'm John Decker. President Trump. Heils a US broker peace
treaty between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
You've come to the US Institute of Pease to sign
a historic agreement that will end one of the longest
running conflicts anywhere in the world.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Congressional leaders are brief behind closed doors by the Navy
admiral who ordered a second strike on an alleged drug boat.
A win for Republicans at the US Supreme Court allows
Texas to use a new congressional map. A ceremony Friday
for the World Cup final draw, and the President and
(00:44):
the first Lady on the ellipse offer up holiday wishes
for twenty twenty six.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
And Milania and I are thrilled to wish everyone here
tonight and Americans all across this land a very, very
merry Christmas.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
But we begin with President Trump touting his peacemaking efforts
on Thursday as he presided over the signing of a
peace treaty aimed at ending decades of fighting between the DRC,
the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda. Five months after
the leaders of those two countries agreed to a US
(01:19):
broker peace deal. Both presidents met again at the US
Institute of Peace for a peace deal signing ceremony.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
You come to the US Institute of Peace to sign
a historic agreement that will end one of the longest
running conflicts anywhere in the world, with far more than
ten million people killed. Today we commit to stopping decades
of violence and bloodshed and to begin a new era
of harmony and cooperation between the Democratic Republic of the
(01:50):
Congo and Rwanda.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
The conflict between the countries has raged in Eastern Congo
for more than thirty years, and both leaders thanked President
Trump for helping to finally achieve peace with what is
now known as the Washington Accords. During the ceremony, President
Trump also touted bilateral trade agreements that have been reached
(02:12):
with both countries.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Today, the United States is also signing our own bilateral
agreements with iCONGO and Rwanda that will unlock new opportunities
for the United States to access critical minerals and provide
economic benefits for everybody.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Despite that formal signing of that peace treaty in Washington
on Thursday, fighting between Congolese forces and Rwanda backed rebels
continues to rage in eastern Congo. Also on Thursday, at
the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, Navy Admiral Frank Bradley,
in a closed door briefing for lawmakers, defended the September
(02:51):
second attack on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean.
Bradley told lawmakers that two men who survived an initial
attack on the boat attempted to continue their drug run,
making them targets. The admiral played footage of the hours
long incident, including his decision to order a follow up
(03:13):
strike that killed the two survivors. Now, his explanations before
that closed door classified briefing did not please everyone. Congressman
Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House
Armed Services Committee, and Congressman Jim Himes, the ranking member
on the House Intelligence Committee, issued a joint statement condemning
(03:37):
the September second strike and challenging Bradley's claims that the
two men were killed justifiably. The two lawmakers and their
statement said, the video we saw today showed two shipwrecked
individuals who had no means to move, much less pose
and immediate threat, and yet they were killed by the
(03:57):
United States military. Both Democratic congressmen called for the full,
unedited footage to be publicly released. Now, defense officials say
the survivors that were aboard that heavily damaged vessel attempted
to salvage packages of drugs and were believed to be
communicating with fellow Narco traffickers by a radio communication. Now,
(04:23):
defense officials say the survivors that were a board that
heavily damaged vessel attempted to salvage packages of drugs that
were on board, and were also believed to be communicating
with fellow Narco traffickers. But Congressman Smith said there was
little evidence for the Pentagon's claims. Meanwhile, some Republicans defended Bradley,
(04:46):
backing President Trump's claim that the casualties were Narco terrorists
seeking to kill Americans, not just sell an illicit product.
Among those defenders Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas, he's the
chairmen of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He said the survivors
were seen on video seeking to flip the boat that
(05:07):
was loaded with drugs bound for the United States so
they could stay in the fight. Now, the Defense Department's
Law of War Manual states that people in a shipwreck
meeting a vessel that can no longer operate cannot be
fired upon, and combatants in such a situation would be
considered rendered out of action. Now, despite that classified briefing,
(05:30):
there are still plenty of questions that remain, and near
the top of that list is the question of where
Secretary Pete Hegseth was throughout the course of the operation.
Hag set said this week that he monitored the first strike,
but didn't stick around to see either the survivors or
the second strike targeting them. Besides more answers coming from
(05:53):
hegset about his whereabouts that day, many lawmakers are also
clamoring for both Admiral Bradley and Secretary Hegseth to testify
before Congress in a public setting. Some legal news on
Thursday that could have major political ramifications for the midterm elections.
(06:14):
The Supreme Court will allow Texas to use a congressional
map that adds as many as five Republican seats four
next year's midterms, and that boosts the Republicans' chances of
retaining control of the House of Representatives. The unsigned order
from the Supreme Court reads that the district Court improperly
(06:35):
inserted itself into an active primary campaign, causing much confusion
and upsetting the delicate federal state balance and elections. Justice
Elena Kagan, joined by Justices Sonia Soda, Mayor and Katanji
Brown Jackson, wrote a seventeen page descent from that unsigned order. Now,
(06:57):
Texas's new congressional map was designed at the request of
President Trump and was approved by the Republican controlled state
legislature and Governor Greg Abbott over the summer, and the
redistricting by Texas has touched off a tit for tat
among many countries around the country. California in November passed
(07:18):
Proposition fifty that planned California map will add five new
Democratic leaning congressional districts. That too, is being challenged in
court by the Trump administration. New maps favoring Republicans more
heavily have also passed in North Carolina and Missouri. In Indiana,
(07:39):
state lawmakers just this week moved ahead with debate on
a new map that could add two additional Republican House seats. Meanwhile,
an effort to redraw the map in favor of Democrats
is moving forward in Virginia, and it doesn't end there,
a bipartisan redistricting commission approved a map that could help
(08:00):
Republicans pick up a seat or two in Ohio, and meanwhile,
in Utah, a new court ordered map will likely allow
Democrats to pick up one congressional seat. Friday is a
day in which the President will get to pursue another
one of his passions. President Trump will take the stage
at Friday's World Cup Final draw ceremony at the Kennedy Center.
(08:24):
During the ceremony, countries will find out who they will
face in the first group stage matches. President Trump, Mexican
President Claudia Shinbaum, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are
all expected to take part in the ceremonial ball draw.
This will mark the first time that Mexican President Shinbaum
(08:47):
and President Trump will actually meet in person. It's a
two hour program that will open with a performance by
Andrea Buccelli before moving to remarks from FIFA of President
Jiohnny and Nina. Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger will also perform,
and Infantino will then introduce President Trump as the recipient
(09:10):
of the World Cup Peace Prize. This show will then
shift to the official draw, Balls labeled with each country's
name will be pulled from pots to form twelve groups
of four teams each for the twenty twenty six World
Cup tournament. Finally, on Thursday, President Trump and First Lady
(09:30):
Milania Trump continued the more than century old tradition of
lighting the National Christmas Tree.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
So is everybody ready to light the beautiful Christmas Tree?
Are you ready? So? The First Lady is going to
do the honors, and we're going to do a countdown.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
We'll go from five to zero, okay, five, four, three
two one.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
I was out there for that tree leading ceremony with
the President as part of the pool, and let me
tell you, it was really cold outside. The tree lighting
event on the Ellipse was the one hundred third tree
lighting event, which dates to former President Calvin Coolidge, who
presided over the first lighting in nineteen twenty three. The
twenty twenty five Christmas Tree is a thirty two foot
(10:27):
red spruce that grew in Highland County, Virginia, and the
National Christmas Tree display runs until January first and is
free for visitors. As for the President's schedule for Friday,
the President at eleven forty in the morning, attends that
FIFA World Cup drawing at the Kennedy Center. At three
(10:49):
o'clock in the afternoon, the President will sign executive orders
in the Oval Office, and then at eight pm, the
President and the First Lady attend a concert by Andrea
Bocelli in the Easter Room. That event is closed press.
That's it for the White House Briefing Room for Friday,
December fifth. I'm John Decker. Have a great weekend.
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