White House taunts Sabrina Carpenter with another brutal ICE video days after singer rebuked them for using her song
White House posts new Sabrina Carpenter ICE video after deleting first one that angered singer
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The White House posted a video of pop star Sabrina Carpenter promoting deportations, just days after she slammed the Trump administration for using her song in a separate video as “evil and disgusting.”
In the new video, posted on X Friday, the White House altered a clip from Carpenter’s promo for Saturday Night Live, in which she said: “I think I might have to arrest someone for being too hot,” swapping out “too hot” for the word “illegal.”
The singer stood next to SNL star Marcello Hernández, an American whose parents are from Cuba the Dominican Republic, as he stretched out his arms as if ready to be handcuffed, and said: “Well, I turn myself in.”
The White House video then spliced footage of federal agents arresting people as Gucci Mane’s “I Get the Bag” played in the background.
Earlier this week, the White House used Carpenter’s song “Juno” in another White House video showing people getting detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda,” the singer replied to the video, which has since been taken down.
Good morning
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of President Donald Trump’s administration, as his Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth remains under pressure over the missile strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, which began on September 2 and have so far killed at least 86 people.
Joe Sommerlad5 December 2025 12:15
Pete Hegseth facing calls to testify under oath over boat strikes
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth remains under intense pressure over the legality of the administration’s missile strikes on alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine gave evidence to members of the House and Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees on Thursday, the first of the known lethal strikes against accused drug traffickers, which was conducted on September 2.
The attack has been the subject of outrage amid accusations that Hegseth ordered a second strike to “kill everybody” when two survivors were spotted clinging to wreckage in the ocean following the initial blast.
Admiral Bradley was adamant in his testimony that there had been no second “kill” order but that was not enough to reassure Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who has called for Hegseth to testify under oath.
Joe Sommerlad5 December 2025 12:30
House Democrat readying articles of impeachment against secretary of defense
Michigan Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar has pledged to file two articles of impeachment against Hegseth over his actions against the alleged drug boats and his part in the “Signalgate” scandal.
In a video posted to social media, Thanedar explained: “Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is uniquely unqualified for his role. Every day, it becomes clearer he is engaging in unlawful, illegal activity.”
Thanedar said the first would be “for murder and conspiracy to murder” over the deadly strikes on alleged narco-boats and the second for the “reckless and unlawful mishandling of classified information,” referring to Hegseth discussing plans for an airstrike on Houthi rebels in Yemen earlier this year in a group chat on the messaging app Signal.
The congressman went on to lay out his case against the secretary and concluded: “I love the United States of America and will always fight to uphold our Constitution. Pete Hegseth must be brought to justice.”
Thanedar also appeared on Fox News last night to explain his move, telling host Josh Breslow: “This secretary has to go. He’s incompetent. He’s, you know, violated – he has committed war crimes. He must go.
“And if both parties, if Republicans are willing to look at this for the merit of this case and not just their loyalty to President [Donald] Trump, this can be done.”
Joe Sommerlad5 December 2025 12:45
Latest missile attack kills four and takes death toll to 86
Just as those developments were taking place in Washington yesterday, U.S. Southern Command reported its latest strike on an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific, which, it said, killed four people, taking the total number of fatalities from the operation to at least 86.
Graeme Massie and Brendan Rascius have the story.
Joe Sommerlad5 December 2025 13:00
Recap: US admiral grilled over ‘troubling’ video of ‘double tap’ boat strike
Here are some key lines from the briefing delivered by Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine to members of the House and Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees yesterday about the first of the administration’s strikes on alleged drug boats near Venezuela on September 2.
- Admiral Bradley, who was in charge at the time of the mission, addressed lawmakers Thursday about the lethal strikes amid uproar over accusations that a second strike that day, killing two survivors of the initial attack, may have amounted to a “war crime.”
- Republican Rep. Rick Crawford, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he believes the strike in question was justified and said it was his understanding that Bradley ordered the strike – not the under-fire Secretary Hegseth.
- Democratic Rep. Jim Himes expressed profound concern after the closed-door briefing, describing footage of the attack shown in the session as “one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service.”
- Himes described the video by saying: “You have two individuals in clear distress, without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel, who are killed by the United States.”
- Republican Sen. Rand Paul also appeared to be distressed by the footage, telling reporters afterwards: “That video should be shown to every American.”
Joe Sommerlad5 December 2025 13:15
Trump to preside over Fifa World Cup draw at Kennedy Center
The president has an interesting day today, presiding over next summer’s Fifa World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center before signing off on another round of executive orders and then taking in an Andrea Bocelli concert with the first lady this evening.
He has been allotted three minutes to speak at the World Cup draw but is more than likely to run over, if past form is anything to go by – and may just receive a peace prize from world football’s governing body to make up for his disappointment in Norway in October.
Here’s Miguel Delaney to preview the event.
Joe Sommerlad5 December 2025 13:30
Watch: President and first lady light up national Christmas tree
President Trump and First Lady light National Christmas tree
Joe Sommerlad5 December 2025 13:50
Analysis: Republicans circle the wagons around an increasingly damaged Pete Hegseth
Two Republicans are willing to say Trump’s defense secretary acted improperly but, predictably neither one is sticking around, writes John Bowden.
Joe Sommerlad5 December 2025 14:10
GOP Senator questions where Hegseth was during Sept. 2 strike
North Carolina GOP Senator Thom Tillis wondered where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was during the second strike in the September 2 attack, the first of more than a dozen by the U.S.
“I’ll take at face value right now what Secretary Hegseth said. He said he wasn’t there, he said he was busy doing other things. I would assume a part of the record was what was the other thing he was doing that was more important than a battle damage assessment over the first strike in the Caribbean,” Tillis said on CNN.
Kelly Rissman5 December 2025 14:30
Watch: Virginia House speaker says they may redraw maps to give Democrats 10-1 advantage
Virginia House Speaker says they may redraw maps to give Democrats 10-1 advantage
Joe Sommerlad5 December 2025 14:50
