James' World 2

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Before we go any further, it’s important to define our terms. This newsletter is going to focus on the laws of war, not a related concept called rules of engagement. The laws of war reflect the mandatory, minimum level of lawful conduct, and all soldiers are legally obligated to obey them at all times and in all conflicts.

Rules of engagement are rules devised by commanders that are often more restrictive than the laws of war. For example, when I was in Iraq, our rules of engagement sometimes kept us from attacking lawful targets, in part because we wanted to be particularly careful not to inflict civilian casualties.

In my service, we were often frustrated by the rules of engagement. We did not, however, question the laws of war.

There are now good reasons to believe that the U.S. military, under the command of President Trump and Hegseth, his secretary of defense, has blatantly violated the laws of war. On Nov. 28, The Washington Post reported that Hegseth issued a verbal order to “kill everybody” the day that the United States launched its military campaign against suspected drug traffickers.

According to The Post, the first strike on the targeted speedboat left two people alive in the water. The commander of the operation then ordered a second strike to kill the shipwrecked survivors, apparently — according to The Post — “because they could theoretically call other traffickers to retrieve them and their cargo.” If that reporting is correct, then we have clear evidence of unequivocal war crimes — a no quarter order and a strike on the incapacitated crew of a burning boat.

And if it’s true, those war crimes are the fault not of hotheaded recruits who are fighting for their lives in the terrifying fog and fury of ground combat but rather of two of the highest-ranking people in the American government, Hegseth and Adm. Frank M. Bradley, the head of Special Operations Command — the man the administration has identified as the person who gave the order for the second strike.

My colleagues in the newsroom followed on Monday with a report of their own, one that largely mirrored The Post’s reporting, though it presented more evidence of Hegseth’s and Bradley’s potential defenses. Hegseth, our sources said, did not order the second strike, and the second strike might have been designed to sink the boat, not kill survivors.

But if that’s the explanation, why wasn’t the full video released? The administration released limited video footage of the first strike, which created the impression of the instant, total destruction of the boat and its inhabitants. Now we know there was much more to see.

At the same time, Hegseth and the Pentagon have offered a series of puzzling and contradictory statements. Sean Parnell, the Pentagon spokesman, told The Post that its “entire narrative was false.”

Hegseth weighed in with a classic version of what you might call a nondenial denial. In a social media post, he said the Post report was “fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory,” but rather than explain what actually happened (and make no mistake, he knows exactly what happened), he followed up with an extraordinary paragraph:

As we’ve said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be “lethal, kinetic strikes.” The declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people. Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization.

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Illustration by George Douglas; source photographs by Douglas Sacha and SENEZ/Getty Images

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Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

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‘Tis the season to be wary. You can blame a glitch in the North Pole’s AI or a stocking full of data breaches, but this holiday season, our inboxes are getting stuffed with more phishing emails and texts more often than ever before. Scammers are getting smarter, too. Not only are they crafting more suspicious links, but they’re making their schemes harder to call out than ever. Putting a stop to these digital Grinches is a full-time job all its own. According to the the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, phishing and spoofing scams stole more than $70 million in holiday joy (and funds) in 2024.

Unfortunately, these criminals are good at what they do. Several scammy links do actually include standard “https” encryption and domains similar to legitimate websites in order to trick everyday people. 

If you unwrap a scam link, you risk more than just a lump of coal. You could suffer major financial loss, hand over your credit card details to a “Secret Santa” you definitely don’t know, or accidentally download malware that freezes your device faster than a winter storm. Here’s how you can freeze scammers in their tracks this holiday season and protect yourself. 

How to identify scam links

Scam links are regularly found in phishing emails, text messages or other communications sent by cybercriminals. They’re designed to fool you into downloading malware or bringing you to a fake website to steal your personal identifying information. Some examples of popular phishing scams include unpaid toll, gold bar, and employment scams. 

Criminals typically send these links out en masse — often aided by artificial intelligence. Enough people fall victim to phishing scams every year that con artists find it worth their while to follow the same playbook.

Here’s how to avoid taking the bait.

Check the URL

“Smartphones do their best to block scam links, so attackers use tricks to make their links clickable,” said Joshua McKenty, CEO of Polyguard.ai, a cybersecurity company that helps businesses protect mobile phones and call centers from AI-driven phishing scams.

For example, you’ll want to watch for an “@” sign in the URL, or you might have two different URLs “glued together” by a question mark, he added. Especially if the first URL is a Google.com or an Apple.com link.

Dave Meister, a cybersecurity spokesman for global cybersecurity company Check Point, added that you may be able to hover over the URL to reveal the actual destination. People should also look out for “typo-squatting,” when the URL looks authentic, but it has “PayPa1” instead of “PayPal.” That should tip you off that it’s a bad link.

Remember the URLs you frequently visit

It would behoove everyone to pay attention to the URLs they visit often.

“Major brands, especially banks and retailers, don’t often change up their domain names,” McKenty said. “If the link says Chase.com, it’s likely safe. If it says, Chase-Banking-App.com, stay away.”

Be suspicious of short links

Short links are often in texts and on social media. “Sadly, there’s no safe way to check a shortened URL,” McKenty said. He recommended not clicking on them.

“Bit.ly” or “shorturl” links often have standard “https://” encryption, which makes them appear trustworthy. In these cases, it’s best to read the message itself and pay attention to any threatening language or pressure to act immediately to identify the scam.

How are scam links sent to victims? 

Text scams

Ironically, these don’t always rely on website links. In fact, phone numbers are a frequent vehicle used in scammers’ phishing attempts, according to McKenty. 

“People get tricked into clicking a phone number that’s not actually their bank or the IRS, and then surrendering identity information on the phone,” he said.

If you think you got a message from a scammer, as tempting as it is to mess with them, do your best to resist. If you interact with the scammer, they may want to circle back, knowing that you’re reachable. 

Email scams

Emails can also have scam links.

McKenty said that while clicking on phone numbers and links in texts is happening more frequently, “the biggest dollar losses are still the classic email scams.”

He suggests copying any link you see into a notes app so that you can properly inspect it before clicking.

QR code scams

Sometimes, scams can even be embedded into a QR code.

“QR codes have become the new stealth weapon, used everywhere from restaurant menus to parking meters,” said Meister.

“Scammers are known to slap fake codes on top of real ones in public, or embed them in phishing emails, linking to cloned websites or malware downloads,” he said.

Before you scan, make sure the QR code makes sense. If it’s on the side of a gas pump, on a random park bench or in an unrecognized email, it’s better to avoid it.

Social media direct messages

Chances are, you’ve run into these scam links. Sometimes social media accounts get compromised by cybercriminals posing as people you know. 

If your “uncle” sends you a direct message while sounding like a pushy timeshare salesman, telling you to check out this investment opportunity by clicking on a link, call your uncle first.

What if I already clicked a link?

If you clicked on a scam link, a number of things could happen. If you have software protecting your device, the firewall probably blocked it. If you don’t have software protecting you from computer viruses and malware, then you might have a problem.

Try these tips if you think you might’ve clicked on a phishing link:

• Get anti-virus software.

• If you don’t already have anti-virus software that can help rid your laptop or desktop of viruses, you should get one. There are plenty of free and paid options to choose from

• Be aware of malware. Your phone isn’t immune to malware. Scam links are often designed to trick somebody into downloading malware, which can then give the scammer access to your phone. If your phone is infected with malware, do not access any financial apps. Instead, clear your browser cache, remove any apps you don’t recognize, or try a factory reset. If you’re really stuck, you could also call your phone’s tech support. Your phone might be slow or unresponsive, and you may see increased pop-up ads if it’s infected.

• Contact your bank or credit card issuer.

• If you’ve been visiting your bank website or app on a compromised device, to be safe, let your financial institution know.

• Contact the authorities. If you clicked on a spam link and were scammed out of money, report it to the Federal Trade Commission so they can spread the word about the scam. You’ll also want to call your police department and anyone else you can think of. The more people are aware of a scam, the less likely they’ll fall for it.

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You should never be clicking unexpected links sent to you via text.  Getty/Karl Tapales

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Where Things Stand

• James indictment: A grand jury declined to reindict Letitia James, New York’s attorney general, rejecting efforts to revive a criminal case that had been sought by President Trump, according to people familiar with the matter. The unsuccessful attempt to revive the case against Ms. James does not necessarily end the administration’s efforts to put her on trial. Read more ›

• Boat attack video: Top military officers showed senior members of Congress video of a Sept. 2 attack on a boat suspected of carrying drugs, and defended the follow-up strike that killed two survivors. Lawmakers left the closed-door meetings with starkly different conclusions: Democrats said the video deepened their concerns about the legality of the Trump administration’s military campaign, while several Republicans said they were satisfied it was lawful. Read more ›

• Pipe bomb inquiry: A Virginia man was charged with placing two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of both Democratic and Republican headquarters buildings on the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, did not offer a motive, and falsely accused the Biden administration of allowing the investigation to languish. Read more ›

Trump switches architects for his White House ballroom project.

President Trump has hired a new architecture firm to oversee the design of his new ballroom, the White House said on Thursday, a move that comes after he had multiple disagreements with his original designer.

The president chose Shalom Baranes Associates, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that has designed other government buildings, to oversee the next phase of the project, a White House spokesman, Davis R. Ingle,​ said in a statement. He added that the firm would join​ “a team of experts to carry out President Trump’s vision on building what will be the greatest addition to the White House since the Oval Offic​e.”

Tim Walz calls Trump’s tirade against Somalis in Minnesota ‘vile.’

Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota on Thursday called President Trump’s recent tirades against Somalis in the state “vile,” warning that xenophobic rhetoric could lead to bloodshed.

“This creates danger,” Mr. Walz, a Democrat, told reporters during a news conference. “We know how these things go, they start with taunts, they turn to violence.”

The Trump administration cuts the length of work permits for asylum seekers and refugees.

The Trump administration said it would reduce how long work permits are valid for refugees and asylum seekers, intensifying a sweeping crackdown on legal immigration after an Afghan national was charged with the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington.

The federal government will now require some migrants to renew their work permits every 18 months instead of every five years, according to a statement from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Thursday. The agency said the change would help it screen and vet migrants more often, allowing it to identify people with “potentially harmful intent so they can be processed for removal.”

The Supreme Court clears the way for Republican-friendly Texas voting maps.

The Supreme Court cleared the way on Thursday for Texas lawmakers to use newly redrawn congressional maps favoring Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections.

The decision overturns, at least for now, a lower-court ruling that the new maps were likely an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. That decision had blocked lawmakers from using the maps in the midterms.

Grand jury is said to decline to re-indict Letitia James, New York State’s attorney general.

A grand jury in Norfolk, Va., declined on Thursday to re-indict Letitia James, New York’s attorney general, rejecting efforts to revive a criminal case that had been sought by President Trump, according to people familiar with the matter.

The unsuccessful attempt to revive the case against Ms. James does not necessarily end the administration’s efforts to put her on trial, even after a federal judge dismissed an earlier indictment last month in ruling that the prosecutor who brought the case was unlawfully appointed by Mr. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

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Letitia James, the New York attorney general, outside a courthouse in Norfolk, Va., in October.Credit…Allison Robbert for The New York Times

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