The success of a transplant from a patient with only one copy of the protective gene might be a one-off, but may also allow others to benefit.

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File this one under "Sudden Respect," our NewsBusters classification for instances of the liberal media praising a conservative person or publication expressing an opinion supportive of the Democrat party line at the momemt. It happened on today's CNN This Morning, when host Audie Cornish approvingly cited Andrew C. McCarthy of National Review, apropos the reported second strike on a narco boat that was allegedly intended to kill two survivors of the first strike. Wrote McCarthy, a former Assistant United States Attorney: "If this happened as described in the Post report, it was, at best, a war crime under federal law." Here's a suggestion: what if Audie were to occasionally cite National Review when it makes the case in opposition to the liberal talking point o' the day? The CNN segment went on to knock Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is said to have ordered the second strike, for posting a meme of the children's story character Franklin the Turtle firing on a boat of narco terrorists. Said Cornish wryly: "[It] "doesn't feel like you could kind of meme your way out of it."   Also, CNN Senior Media Analyst Sara Fischer bizarrely suggested that Democrats have hit on a "winning issue," which is "preserving democracy" from Trump. That was not a winning issue for Kamala Harris last year. I've seen in the past few months, there's been so much drama around whether it's been lawful use of the National Guard to go into cities and to sort of temper whatever illegal action they say is happening there.  You feel this sense that the military is being used for political purposes, broadly speaking, whether it's here at home or it's internationally.  And I think Democrats are seeing that as a key issue ahead of the midterms next year. It plays into this issue that was a winning one for them around preserving democracy. PS: At the end of the segment, Cornish teased an upcoming discussion of the shooting at a children's birthday celebration in Stockton, California in which four people, including three children, were killed. The mayor of Stockton has called it "domestic terrorism," saying it was "gang violence." But Cornish lamented, "Is no place safe from gun violence?" Yeah, those doggone guns, up to their violent ways again. Here's the transcript. CNN This Morning 12/1/25 6:06 am ET AUDIE CORNISH: Sara, there's two reasons why we're talking about this today, and I think why Americans would care about it. One, there has been a question about whether or not we are effectively somehow [chuckles]going to war with Venezuela.  But two, you saw Mark Kelly there. Democrats just finished getting in a battle saying, hey troops, pay attention to unlawful orders, illegal orders. And then you have various Republicans coming out and saying, was this unlawful? Was this illegal? It feels like it's sort of undermines what the White House has been saying.  SARA FISCHER: The wording matters a lot here, Audie. When you say we're in a war on drugs, one of the things that Republicans have come out and said is, if this is something that you're going to characterize as a war, that's why we're going to view these as war crimes. So you don't get to have it both ways.  And then, too, on the Republicans coming out against this, I've seen in the past few months, there's been so much drama around whether it's been lawful use of the National Guard to go into cities and to sort of temper whatever illegal action they say is happening there.  You feel this sense that the military is being used for political purposes, broadly speaking, whether it's here at home or it's internationally.  And I think Democrats are seeing that as a key issue ahead of the midterms next year. It plays into this issue that was a winning one for them around preserving democracy. And so I think that they're going to continue to hone in on that. Republicans, of course, hate that narrative. But the fact that you have so many coming out and saying that this could be a potential war crime means that they don't want to be on the wrong side of history.  CORNISH: Yeah, I was seeing, one more thing I want to show you guys. The National Review, you had commentator Andrew McCarthy saying: "If this happened, as described in the Post report, it was, at best, a war crime under federal law. It's a serious matter. The administration's defense cannot be 'we killed them because our plan is to use lethal force.'"  The way people are talking about this doesn't feel like you could kind of meme your way out of it.  MICHELLE PRICE: Yeah, and the Secretary of Defense last night was posting, of a children's book, of a character gleefully killing what he called narco terrorists. So he seemed to be embracing this as kind of a joke that there was any kind of backlash. There did not seem to be any kind of reflection or commentary that they were taking it seriously when you're posting images and memes like this.  CORNISH: Yeah, and I'll be interested to see what other Republicans talk this week, if this investigation actually goes any further.  You guys stay with me. We've got a lot more to talk about today. Coming up on CNN This Morning, a mass shooting at a child's birthday party. Is no place safe from gun violence? 

In one of the latest setbacks for the Trump administration, New Jersey's acting U.S. attorney has been disqualified from the role after an appeal by the government. On Monday, an appellate court ruled that New Jersey acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, a Trump appointee, is disqualified from the role. 'It is apparent that the current administration has been frustrated by some of the legal and political barriers to getting its appointees in place.'A panel of three judges on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals — two George W. Bush appointees and one Obama appointee — unanimously affirmed a lower-court judge's ruling against Habba's appointment. “It is apparent that the current administration has been frustrated by some of the legal and political barriers to getting its appointees in place. Its efforts to elevate its preferred candidate for U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Alina Habba, to the role of Acting U.S. Attorney demonstrate the difficulties it has faced — yet the citizens of New Jersey and the loyal employees in the U.S. Attorney’s Office deserve some clarity and stability,” the court wrote, according to the Associated Press.RELATED: California judge disqualifies Trump's LA-area prosecutor — but he's not going anywhere Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesThe administration can either ask for a full panel of 3rd Circuit judges to reconsider the decision or it can turn to the Supreme Court, according to Fox News.Habba was sworn in as interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey on March 28 of this year, replacing John Giordano, now the ambassador to Namibia.The Trump administration has fought tirelessly to keep his appointed U.S. attorneys in their positions, including Bill Essayli in the Central District of California and Sigal Chattah in Nevada. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that he recently spoke with Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan president whom the State Department recently identified as the leader of a foreign terrorist organization and for whom the U.S. is offering a $50 million bounty.Trump would not elaborate on the nature or details of the call, which reportedly occurred last week. When asked whether it went well, Trump said, "I wouldn't say it went well or badly. It was a phone call."'That's going to start very soon.'Sources allegedly familiar with the exchange told the Miami Herald that the White House gave Maduro an ultimatum: "Safe passage would be guaranteed for him, his wife Cilia Flores, and his son only if he agreed to resign right away."The leadership in Caracas reportedly proposed in turn that Maduro surrender control to his political opposition but maintain control of the country's military.One source told the Herald that the call amounted to a last-ditch effort to stave off a direct confrontation."First, Maduro asked for global amnesty for any crimes he and his group had committed," said the source. "Second, they asked to retain control of the armed forces — similar to what happened in Nicaragua in ’91 with Violeta Chamorro. In return, they would allow free elections."Washington rejected both proposals, and Caracas rejected, in turn, the demand that Maduro resign immediately, said the source.RELATED: Europeans want US missiles to defend them, not America — and Rubio's had enough of their hypocrisy Photo by Gladjimi Balisage/US Navy via Getty ImagesThe White House did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.An individual in regular contact with regime officials recently told the Wall Street Journal that Maduro and his cohort largely regard Washington's threats as a bluff.The skepticism in Caracas appears misplaced, given that the Trump administration has not only proven willing to blow away scores of alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea, incurring international and domestic condemnations in the process, but has amassed over a dozen warships and 15,000 troops in the region.The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, which entered the Caribbean Sea last month, features the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, as well as over 70 aircraft, two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, and an integrated air and missile defense command ship, the destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill, the Navy said.The carrier strike group joined the two guided-missile destroyers that were already operating in the Caribbean along with a pair of guided-missile cruisers — the USS Lake Erie and the USS Gettysburg — and elements of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, which includes the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.The source in contact with regime officials told the Journal that Maduro figures the only way the U.S. can remove him from power is by sending troops to Caracas.In his Thanksgiving Day address to U.S. troops, Trump lauded the efforts of the U.S. Air Force's 7th Bomb Wing for its efforts to "deter Venezuelan drug traffickers" by sea and hinted at taking the fight ashore, stating, "We'll be starting to stop them by land.""The land is easier," said Trump. "But that's going to start very soon."On Saturday, Trump said in a social media post, "To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY."It appears that Caracas may now be taking the Trump administration more seriously.Venezuela's foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday, "Venezuela denounces and condemns the colonialist threat that seeks to affect the sovereignty of its airspace, constituting yet another extravagant, illegal, and unjustified aggression against the Venezuelan people."Citing sources familiar with the matter, CNN indicated that Trump will hold a meeting at the White House on Monday to discuss next steps on Venezuela.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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