Pete

Nov. 29 (UPI) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied ordering the U.S. military to “kill everybody” and said news reports claiming such are “fake news.”

Hegseth was responding to a report by the Washington Post on Friday that accused Hegseth of verbally ordering military personnel to kill all 11 crew members by carrying out a second strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel on Sept. 2.

That strike was the first of many targeting drug vessels in international waters, but the Washington Post only cited anonymous sources to back its claim, which the Defense Department has called fabricated and “fake news,” according to The Guardian.

“We told the Washington Post that this entire narrative was false yesterday,” Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell said in a social media post on Friday.

“These people just fabricate anonymously sourced stories out of the whole cloth,” Parnell continued.

“Fake news is the enemy of the people,” he added.

Hegseth went further, calling the Washington Post report “fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.”

The Washington Post said Hegseth’s alleged verbal order resulted in a second strike on the vessel as two surviving crew members clung to the wreckage, which killed them.

The report on Friday prompted Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and ranking member Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., to order inquiries into the matter to determine the facts.

Hegseth said every strike carried out against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean has been legal and only targeted members of designated foreign terrorist organizations.

A group of “former military attorneys” on Saturday released a report saying international law prohibits the targeting of attack survivors and requires the attacking force to “protect, rescue and, if applicable, treat them as prisoners of war,” the Washington Post reported.

The U.S. military has struck 21 vessels whose crews were alleged to be smuggling drugs to the United States and killed 83, according to USA Today.

Turns out that retreating from head coach to offensive coordinator wasn’t a great fit for Chip Kelly. At least not in the NFL.

The Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday fired the former UCLA coach moments after they were defeated by the Cleveland Browns, 24-10, falling to a 2-9 record. Kelly’s stint as offensive coordinator was an abject failure: Among 32 NFL teams, Las Vegas is tied for last at 15.0 points per game and is 30th with 268.9 in total yards per game.

Kelly bolted from UCLA in 2023 after six overwhelmingly mediocre seasons as head coach to become offensive coordinator at Ohio State, which won the NCAA national championship in 2024.

Another opportunity arose immediately thereafter when Pete Carroll became the Raiders’ head coach and invited Kelly to run the offense.

Although Kelly’s NFL experience was limited to failed head coaching stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, he jumped at the opportunity, saying on a podcast that “the one thing about the NFL that I love is it’s the ultimate level of competition. It’s football at the highest level.”

Carroll, who is struggling to find traction with the Raiders at age 74 after a decorated career as coach of the Seattle Seahawks and USC, swiftly learned that Kelly wasn’t up to the task despite being paid $6 million this season, double any other offensive coordinator in the NFL.

“I spoke with Chip Kelly earlier this evening and informed him of his release as offensive coordinator of the Raiders,” Carroll said in a statement. “I would like to thank Chip for his service and wish him all the best in the future.”

Carroll became enamored by Kelly’s ability to put points on the scoreboard 16 years ago. USC was handed its worst loss in Carroll’s nine-year tenure when Oregon — coached by Kelly — pounded the Trojans, 47-20.

If Carroll wondered if he’d ever get payback, it came Sunday. But the dismal state of the Raiders falls on him as head coach.

“I am grateful for the opportunity with the Raiders, bottom line in this league you have to win,” Kelly told NFL reporter Jay Glazer. “I really loved those players, But hey, we gotta win. I get it.”

It’s difficult to see where Kelly will turn next. A return to the college ranks as a head coach seems a stretch. His abrupt departure from UCLA in February of 2024 put the Bruins in a difficult position. Most high school recruits had been signed and top transfers gone.

The Times’ Bill Plaschke wrote that Kelly was clearly uncomfortable with the way college football was evolving, with NIL player pay, the transfer portal creating roster uncertainty and cozying up to 17-year-old high school players as important as ever.

And the timing and manner in which he left made him appear selfish. “With him, it was Chip first, Chip all day, Chip every day, and he didn’t care who knew it,” Plaschke wrote.

Imprisoned rapper Tory Lanez has failed in his efforts to overturn his guilty verdict for shooting Megan Thee Stallion five years ago.

A three-judge panel from the California 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled against 33-year-old Lanez (legal name Daystar Peterson) on Wednesday, reinforcing his convictions on three felony counts stemming from the violent incident in 2020. Neither representatives for Peterson or Megan Thee Stallion (legal name Megan Pete) immediately responded to requests for comment on Thursday.

Peterson’s legal team can petition to have the California Supreme Court hear the appeal, despite Wednesday’s decision.

Canadian musician Peterson, who rose to popularity in the late 2000s, was convicted in December 2022 of assault and weapons offenses. He was convicted of assault with a firearm, illegal possession of a firearm and negligent discharge of a gun, following a two-week trial that featured tearful testimony from Pete.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in August 2023. Peterson is currently carrying out his sentence at the California Men’s Colony near San Luis Obispo. He was relocated there after he was stabbed by a fellow inmate at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi earlier this year.

“Savage” rapper Pete, on the other hand, is currently at the center of two legal disputes. One is a harassment suit filed against her in 2024, from a cameraman who alleges that she forced him to watch her have sex in a car while on tour in Europe. The other is a 2024 defamation lawsuit against blogger Milagro Gramz.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

PETE Davidson and Colin Jost’s Staten Island Ferry wreaked havoc on the New York City Marathon and caused major delays for runners, a source has said.

The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal that the massive ship’s trip through the waters between Staten Island and Brooklyn to display a Nike ad during the New York Marathon created issues for anxious racers on Sunday, November 2.

“Pete and Colin’s ferry caused a delay for runners taking the ferry to Staten Island for the start of the marathon,” a source claimed.

Despite the ferry being owned by a couple of comedians, no one was laughing. 

“Some people thought it was a joke but it wasn’t,” the insider continued.

Runners waiting at Pier 79 in Manhattan to get to Colin and Pete’s native Staten Island for the start of the marathon grew irritated as workers told them they were delayed due to the JFK Staten Island Ferry’s troubles in the harbor.

The Saturday Night Live co-stars ferry, which had been painted bright pink for the Nike advertisement, was tugged from its dock in Staten Island.

“The runners’ ferries were leaving about 20 minutes later than they should’ve, and they were told there were issues with Staten Island helping the guys out with the ferry. It was causing a backup on the river.

“Everyone was already anxious so it was a bit frustrating.”

The U.S. Sun reached out to a rep for the JFK Ferry for comment. 

ROUGH RIDE 

In photos exclusively obtained by The U.S. Sun last month, the ferry was seen painted bright pink with a hint of the Nike logo in its dock in Staten Island.

The massive vessel looked rusted and rotted in its slip, appearing far from the upscale entertainment venue the Saturday Night Live stars had envisioned.

From one vantage point, the famous ferry’s orange paint had faded to a faint pink after being left unattended on the salty water under the hot sun. 

The ship’s sides showed extensive rusting and what seem to be saltwater stains beneath the windows.

The opposite side of the decommissioned New York City Department of Transportation vessel showed the bright pink paint job with the Nike logo peeking out from behind giant tarps.

The comedians have been racking up huge docking fees for the boat they hoped to transform, but they also have unpaid legal bills, according to a lawsuit filed in New York against their company, Titanic 2. 

The suit claims an outstanding bill of $13,000 is owed to the law firm Nicoletti, Hornig, Namazi, Eckert & Sheehan.

The ship’s last public sighting before the marathon was when it was used for the Tommy Hilfiger show during New York Fashion Week in September 2024.

A video posted to the fashion house’s Instagram showed the ferry wrapped in their signature red, white, and blue logo, docked in New York’s harbor with the Statue of Liberty in the background, before it was docked for the event. 

PETE & COLIN’S GRAND VISION AND SETBACKS

In a December 2024 interview, Pete laid out his ambitious plans for the vessel.

“We do have, believe it or not, an in-depth plan,” Pete told the Wall Street Journal at the time. “Every day I get asked about this f***ing boat, and we’re raising the funds.

“We’re going to do a floor at a time. There’s a full plan in motion, and meanwhile, people are renting it out.”

The ferry was indeed rented for the Tommy Hilfiger show (which Colin Jost attended, though Pete did not) and also served as the set for a horror film, Steamboat Willie.

The ship’s planned renovation has faced numerous delays over the last three years.

FRIENDSHIP ON THE ROCKS

Once close friends and SNL castmates, Pete and Colin’s relationship soured in 2024 amid Pete’s personal struggles.

“Something big happened and Colin is now refusing to be in the same building, let alone the same room as Pete,” an insider exclusively told The U.S. Sun at the time. 

“Colin doesn’t want to be associated with Pete.”

The pair were seen shaking hands when Pete made a cameo on SNL in November 2024, but the interaction was visibly tense.

Pete seemed to hint at his rumored rift with Colin when discussing his friend and fellow comedian, John Mulaney, and the few friends who have remained loyal.

“I watched him as he took it on the chin a couple of years ago and had to completely revamp his life,” Pete said in the WSJ interview. 

“I’m kind of in the midst of that now, and he’s been helping me so much. It was so inspiring to watch him beat his addiction, become an even bigger comedian, go on an arena tour, start a family.

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“He’s so happy now and it looks effortless, but it’s not.”

He concluded by naming his closest confidants: “And I’ve got to say, he’s always had my back and he’s always there, and not a lot of people are for me. I would say it’s just him, Lorne [Michaels] and Machine Gun Kelly.”