War Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered another strike against a suspected “narco-terrorist” boat on Thursday as he pushes back against “war crime” accusations leveled against him by Democratic lawmakers. The strike killed four men believed to be transporting drugs to the United States in the Eastern Pacific, according to the U.S. Southern Command, which released an unclassified video of the bombing. The U.S. Southern Command said that “intelligence confirmed” the boat was carrying “illicit narcotics.” On Dec. 4, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and… pic.twitter.com/pqksvxM3HP — U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) December 4, 2025 Since September, the Trump administration has ordered strikes against at least 23 drug boats, killing 87 suspected drug runners. Hegseth celebrated the latest strike as Democrats in Congress call for him to face consequences over accusations that he ordered a second missile strike on a suspected drug boat when survivors were in the water. The Washington Post cited anonymous sources in a report last week that claimed Hegseth gave an order to “kill them all” after two men survived the first missile strike. As Democrats’ criticism of Hegseth continued to mount on Thursday, the War secretary responded to a social media post from Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet, who wrote, “Every new attack aimed at Pete Hegseth makes me want another narco drug boat blown up and sent to the bottom of the ocean.” “Your wish is our command, Andrew. Just sunk another narco boat,” Hegseth replied. The claims reported in the Washington Post story were refuted by Navy Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley, who told lawmakers on Thursday that Hegseth did not issue a “kill them all” after a first strike left two survivors. 50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at DailyWire.com/cyberweek. Bradley “was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all,” said Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton. Lawmakers also watched the video of the second strike, which showed “two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat, drifting in the water,” according to Washington Democratic Congressman Adam Smith. “The order was basically: Destroy the drugs, kill the 11 people on the boat,” Smith added. Cotton argued that the second strike was necessary because the survivors were attempting to salvage the drugs. “I saw two survivors trying to flip a boatload of drugs down the United States back over so they could stay in the fight, and potentially, given all the context — we heard of other narco-terrorist boats in the area coming to their aid to — recover the cargo and recover those narco-terrorists,” he told reporters after watching video of the follow-up strike. Hegseth has also faced criticism from some Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who said that the video of the strike showed that the survivors were “distressed, shipwrecked or incapacitated people.” Paul also called on Hegseth to release the video of the strikes for Americans to watch and judge for themselves. Hegseth said during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that he “didn’t personally see survivors” after watching a live feed of the strike in question as it was carried out. “The thing was on fire. It was exploded in fire and smoke. You can’t see it,” Hegseth said, adding, “This is called the fog of war.”

Episode Description: This week, Karissa and Arielle tackle two big, very real-world solutions: how to gracefully ask friends and family if they’re sick before a holiday hangout, and why the U.S. finally introducing its first female crash test dummy is a major win for road safety and equity. They unpack expert advice on setting health boundaries without drama, explain how the new THOR-05F model closes a decades-long safety gap for women and smaller drivers, and share a quick round-up of other uplifting stories from The Optimist Daily. They also spotlight an excerpt from Barnet Bain’s upcoming book How to Be a Friend in an Unfriendly World and explore how deeper friendship and human connection can be powerful tools for personal and collective wellbeing. (You can read the excerpt and preorder the book here.) Want to be part of the Optimism Movement? Become an Emissary. Subscribe to our FREE Daily Newsletter and follow us on Instagram, X, and Blue Sky. The Optimist Daily is a project of the World Business Academy. Donate link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/donate-to-support-the-optimist-daily/?gift=Y%20http:// Transcript: Theme music  Karissa  Hello, and welcome to the Optimist Daily’s Weekly Roundup. I’m Karissa.  Arielle  And I’m Arielle, and we’re working hard to put solutions in view and optimism in movement.  Karissa  Welcome back! We are here with another episode of the pod to share the solutions from The Optimist Daily this week.  Arielle  Yes, we are. And if you’d like to get all of these solutions to your inbox, then you can sign up for our free daily newsletter. That way it’s quick, easy, and you’ll get a dose of optimism every day.  Karissa  Yeah, and if you don’t really check your e-mail too often and you want this positive news in your social feeds, go ahead and give us a follow. We’re on just about everything, Blue Sky, Facebook, X, even Pinterest if you want some good lifestyle stories. We are @OptimistDaily, except on X, where we are @OdeToOptimism.  Arielle  As usual, we would love to thank our Emissaries who are our financial supporters. Without them, we wouldn’t really be able to do what we’re doing. If you’d like to become an Emissary, then I would suggest you check out our show notes, where we have a link; click on it and see how you can become a supporter.  Karissa  You can also gift a donation to somebody in their name. So, if you need a Christmas gift and you want to give the gift of optimism…  Arielle  Yeah, Christmas gift, Hanukkah gift, whatever you celebrate, or if you just want to be generous.  Karissa  Yeah, but of course we always appreciate non-financial support. Just by sharing this podcast or forwarding our newsletter to a friend, you know, liking, engaging, reposting a social media post. All that helps us with our mission to get optimism and solutions-oriented thinking out there in the world.  Arielle  Definitely. So, Karissa, how has your week been?  Karissa  It’s been a nice week. I just can’t believe it’s so close to the end of the year. Coming back from the Thanksgiving holiday… My Thanksgiving holiday was chill, but also a lot of home renovations that were going on during the week. Coming from that, it wasn’t too, I guess, restful. So, coming back to work this week was good because I was still, like…  Arielle  In a productive mode.   Karissa  Yeah, exactly. But then I was like, whoa, I got to ramp up the productivity even more because we have some end of the year stuff to do.  Arielle  Yeah, I know. I think that’s my I’m an Optimist, But… of the week. I’m an optimist, but I’m realizing just how close to the end of 2025 we are. And it’s kind of freaking me out. There’s still so much to do. Also, lots of family gatherings and obligations. If anyone from my family’s listening, I love you guys. It’s not always obligations! But you know, it takes time.  Karissa  So yeah, speaking of the holidays, my sister over Thanksgiving had COVID. So, it was already going to be a small gathering, but it became even smaller because she was sick. And overall, I just felt really bad for her because she was in her room on the holiday. And luckily, the rest of our family didn’t get sick. But it’s cold and flu season, and the holidays make it even more likely that you might catch something.  Arielle  Yeah, for sure.  Karissa  But it kind of made me glad to see one of our solutions this week that deals with this very issue. The title is, Is it rude to ask if someone’s sick before a holiday hangout? Here’s what the experts say.   Well, tis the season of hosting, gathering, and feasting. And for many of us, this means that it’s basically one long parade of hugs, handshakes, shared desserts, shared drinks, and recycled indoor air because it’s cold. Unfortunately, it’s also the prime time for the cold and flu carousel to spin at full speed. And while it should feel normal to ask people if they’re sick before they show up to your home, most of us still kind of treat it like it’s a breach of etiquette.  Arielle  Yeah, it seems like many of us have forgotten the protocols that came from the global pandemic, which was just five years ago.  Karissa  We’re all probably guilty of rolling back those protective measures since things got “back to normal”. And I say that in quotes, of course, because COVID is very…  Arielle  I mean, your sister just got it.  Karissa  Yeah, she just got it. And with so many respiratory viruses circulating like COVID, the flu, RSV, and the good old-fashioned mystery sniffles, a quick, “Hey, is everyone feeling well?” is actually one of the kindest things you can ask your guests. Infectious disease specialist Dr. Linda Yancey and psychotherapist Terri Cole agree that normalizing this conversation protects the people you love.  Arielle  Yeah, no one wants to get sick. And if I have the sneaking suspicion that it was me and my sniffles who got someone else sick after a get-together, then the guilt that follows is horrible.  Karissa  Same here, Arielle. But unfortunately, many people don’t automatically connect their mild symptoms to the potential impact on others. As Dr. Yancey explains, mild cold symptoms can be serious for certain people and young children.  Arielle  Right. I mean, a little congestion might be nothing but a little bit annoying for me, but for babies, older adults, and immunocompromised friends, they can end up in the hospital if they catch whatever it is I’ve got.  Karissa  Yeah, and no one wants that. As this solution states, RSV is actually a perfect example of that because most adults experience it like a typical cold, but babies under six months and kids under two with heart or lung conditions face a much higher risk of severe illness. And the same goes for the flu, a virus that hospitalizes hundreds of thousands of people each year.  Arielle  And I hate to keep bringing this up, but we all saw what happened with COVID. A lot of people who contracted it only had to deal with cold or flu-like symptoms. But so many others had severe complications, long covid symptoms that they might still be dealing with, or had even lost their lives.  Karissa  I did end up seeing my aunt over the weekend. We were just talking about COVID since my sister came down with it, and she was talking about how when she got COVID the first time around, she lost her taste and smell, and it just hasn’t come back correctly.  Arielle  Oh my gosh.  Karissa  Everything just smells really kind of nasty to her.  Arielle  Oh no.  Karissa  Yeah, there are so many effects that I’m sure a lot of people are dealing with. And you just never know how someone’s body may handle a sickness. But in general, it just sucks to be sick.   Culturally, we’ve been conditioned to power through sickness. There’s no paid sick leave? That’s no problem. We’ll just go to work anyways. And social plans that took weeks to coordinate? Why cancel when you can just grab tissues and pretend it’s allergies? As Dr. Yancey puts it, people don’t want to let down the people around them, even if pushing through puts others at risk.   I definitely relate to this because it can feel awkward having to cancel something last minute or call out for another day of work. But with the holidays in full swing, it’s really important to, one, make sure you aren’t showing up to gatherings or work or anything else when you are ill. And it’s also important to make sure your fellow attendees, especially if you are hosting, aren’t sick either.  Arielle  Right. It’s definitely an important responsibility, but it can also feel so, as you say, awkward. How do you ask someone if they’re sick without making it weird?  Karissa  Terri Cole, who specializes in boundary setting, says the key is to skip the dramatic lead-in. No, “we need to talk,” no family meeting, no nervous text with seven disclaimers. She suggests trying to keep it light and collaborative. Try something like, “Hey, can we agree to let each other know if anyone isn’t feeling well this season? I’m trying to be mindful of everyone’s wellness. I’ll do the same on my end.” That’s it. You know, no accusations, no guilt tripping, just a simple agreement to look out for each other.  Arielle  I guess it really can be that simple. And I like this approach of making it a collaborative effort rather than accusing someone of bringing the germs to the function.  Karissa  Exactly. Cole also recommends sharing context when it’s relevant. If you’re hosting a gathering where someone’s bringing a newborn or an immunocompromised relative, being upfront helps everyone make informed decisions as well. She says you don’t have to write a thesis, but a little background information helps people understand why you’re asking.  Arielle  And how should you define being sick to other people? Because some people may have a lingering cough from a week-long sickness, but they’re feeling better already and… Yeah, it’s just kind of a grey space.  Karissa  I mean, yeah, it’s tricky because one person’s tiny cough is another person’s full viral storm. But that’s why Dr. Yancey suggests using a clear benchmark, which is fever. She says a fever of 101 or higher is a nice dividing line because that means you’re genuinely sick. But like you mentioned, Arielle, coughs and congestion can be trickier to interpret, especially because COVID-19, RSV, and the flu all present really similarly. But if someone’s feverish, really coughing up a storm, or struggling with more than just mild sniffles, or in other words, actively symptomatic, then it’s worth hitting pause on the potluck.  Arielle  Yeah, and if we’re being honest with ourselves, sometimes we just know if we’re too sick to be around other people. This solution is a great reminder to just try to be extra careful around the holidays and not let FOMO get the best of you. We have to work together to try to prevent spreading illness, and it’s actually a genuine act of care and love.  Karissa  And I guess the keyword is “try,” because even with check-ins, boundaries, vaccines, and best intentions, holiday germs have range. Indoor gatherings plus cold weather plus travel equals prime conditions for viruses to do what they do. And some viruses are even in their most active levels of contagiousness before even showing symptoms.  Arielle  Yeah, the sneaky viruses.  Karissa  Yeah, but regardless, asking about symptoms gives everyone more agency.  Arielle  Totally. It’s a chance to protect yourself, protect vulnerable loved ones, and avoid the dreaded text two days later that says, “So, I just tested positive.”  Karissa  Yeah, the holiday text that no one wants to receive. And remember, if you’re going to ask others to be honest, like we kind of mentioned already, you’ll need to do the same. As Dr. Yancey puts it, if you are sick, symptomatic, coughing, congested, especially feverish, you really do need to stay home.  Arielle  A really nice timely solution that we can all apply to our daily lives, especially around this time of year.   Well, my solution is not really about the holidays. Today I’m going to be talking about car safety, but not in the usual “buckle up and drive slower” way.   The title of my solution of the week is US introduces first female crash test dummy to close decades-long safety gap. Can you believe it’s taken this long for the US to produce its first ever crash test dummy modeled on female anatomy?  Karissa  No, I can’t believe it because I could have sworn we already had female crash test dummies… and that makes me feel significantly less safe, like in my car.   Arielle  I know, most people think there already is one, and I did as well. But what the US actually had were scaled-down versions of male dummies, not models truly based on female bodies. Until now, crash tests in the US have relied primarily on one main dummy, the Hybrid III, introduced in 1978 and based on the average male body back then, about 5 foot 9 and 171 pounds. That is still the standard for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s five-star crash ratings.  Karissa  So essentially cars have been designed and rated around that one body type for decades.  Arielle  Exactly. And that obviously has major consequences. Even though men make up the majority of traffic fatalities, studies show women are about 73% more likely than men to suffer serious injuries in crashes of similar severity. Women are also more at risk for specific injuries like trauma to the pelvis and liver.  Karissa  That’s sad. I mean, it seems like the system has been gender-neutral in name, but not in practice.   Arielle  Right. That is part of why this new dummy matters. She’s called THOR-05F. And as I explained earlier, she’s the first US crash dummy actually designed around the female anatomy and size. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, “After years of delays, our team has worked hard over the last eight months to finalize the details for this new, state-of-the-art female crash test dummy.”  Karissa  Let’s talk about what exactly makes her different now that we’re finally past the days of just making a smaller version of the male model.  Arielle  So compared to the old Hybrid III, the THOR-05F is a big technological leap. It has more than 150 sensors and can collect roughly three times more injury data. That means researchers can study a much wider range of trauma, everything from skull fractures and brain injuries to facial fractures and lower body impacts, which is so painful.  Karissa  Yeah, exactly. So, it sounds like they can finally see with a lot more detail what actually happens to a smaller body in a crash.  Arielle  Yes, and her movement is more realistic too. The THOR-05F can move forward, backward, side to side, and twist, which makes crash simulations much closer to a real human experience. The older Hybrid III has a rigid spine, but this new dummy has a flexible spine, so it can sit in different postures and measure forces along the lower back.  Karissa  Yeah, that seems especially important given the way people actually sit in cars. They move around, adjust the seats, lean, twist for seatbelts, and all of that.  Arielle  Yeah, exactly. And one of the biggest differences is in the sensors. The THOR-05F includes abdominal and pelvic sensors, which the older models simply did not have. That is crucial because those areas are statistically more vulnerable in female occupants. It can even measure forces in the arms, which is another improvement over its male-only predecessor.  Karissa  So, we are finally acknowledging that different bodies experience impact differently and designing tests to reflect that reality.  Arielle  Yes. The Department of Transportation said its shape and response in a crash are based on female bodies, which will ultimately enable better assessment of brain, thorax, abdominal, pelvic, and lower leg injury risk for small female occupants like me and you.  Karissa  Yeah, exactly. And I also imagine that this helps more than just women. It’s way better for anyone whose body type is closer to that small female model than to the average 1970s male.  Arielle  That is a great point. It broadens the safety picture for a huge part of the driving population. And lawmakers have been pushing for this. Senator Tammy Duckworth, co-sponsor of the She Drives Act, said “Any progress here is good, because there’s simply no good reason why women are more likely to be injured or die in car crashes.” Senator Deb Fischer added, “It’s far past time to make these testing standards permanent, which will help save thousands of lives and make America’s roads safer for all drivers.”  Karissa  Yeah. And you said this is the first female crash test dummy in the US. So, what about other countries?  Arielle  The US is actually catching up. Places like Sweden and Australia have already implemented gender-specific models in their testing protocols. For U.S. regulators and advocates, this rollout is a long-awaited change in federal safety standards rather than a brand-new idea.  Karissa  Okay, so where does this go from here? Is the THOR-05F already in use?  Arielle  The Department of Transportation says the dummy will be formally incorporated into federal crash testing protocols after a final rule is published. Jonathan Morrison, the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, called it a long overdue step toward the full adoption of this new dummy for use in our safety ratings and federal motor vehicle safety standards.  Karissa  Yeah, well, it’s interesting that something so technical, a test dummy, can also be seen as a statement about whose safety actually counts.  Arielle  Yes, and that is what makes this bigger than a lab upgrade. For years, car safety has been built around one standard body that does not reflect at least half of the people on the road Introducing a female modeled crash test dummy is a way of saying those differences matter, and we are going to measure them, design for them, and hopefully save more lives because of it.  Karissa  In a way, this is both science and equity, using better data to close a safety gap that should never have existed in the first place.  Arielle  Yes, amen. It has taken a long time to get here, but as the THOR-05F enters formal use, it has the potential to reshape vehicle safety testing in a very practical way. more accurate data, better design decisions, and, over time, fewer people, especially women and smaller drivers, walking away from crashes with injuries that could have been prevented. And at the end of the day, more people walking away with their lives.  Karissa  I was thinking as you were talking about this, I guess I kind of hope to see more variety in test dummies too. Also, like bigger test dummies, different heights and weight can affect things. Seems like there is room for improvement, but this is definitely a good step in the right direction.  Arielle  We did have a lot of really cool solutions on The Optimist Daily that affect even more people, and they include.  Karissa  The simple daily habit that rewires your brain for resilience. Not all marine parks protect sharks. Here’s what works and what doesn’t. How much to gift teachers for the holidays: a stress-free guide. Turn off the lights: the simple nighttime habit that could protect your heart health. Italy officially recognizes femicide as a crime punishable by life in prison.  Arielle  We also have New England’s bet on heat pumps: a $450 million push toward cleaner, cheaper home heating. Grace Richardson makes history as first openly gay Miss England: I have achieved my dream. And Europe’s low-carbon future. Denmark’s North Sea oil field is now a carbon storage site.  Karissa  Awesome. And as an added bonus, we also shared a book excerpt from award-winning filmmaker and educator Barnett Bain. And this excerpt is from his upcoming book called How to Be a Friend in an Unfriendly World. Bain draws on decades of creative work and his teaching on the psychology of connection to explore friendship not just as a soft skill, but as a powerful, practical pathway to personal and collective well-being.  Arielle  This is the perfect book for you if you, like us at The Optimist Daily, believe that tangible change begins with listening deeply, showing up for one another, and choosing connection in a world that feels increasingly divided. Check out the excerpt on our website and find out how to get your hands on a copy or two or three if you’re looking for a meaningful gift for the loved ones in your lives. The book is set to be released next week on Tuesday, December 9th. So right now, this weekend is your last chance to pre-order.  Karissa  That’s exciting stuff. I highly recommend getting your hands on this book.  Arielle  If you’re in the middle of your gift shopping, then you are ahead of me. I’m always a last-minute gift shopper. But yeah, hopefully this episode gives some people a few good ideas.  Karissa  Yeah, and just reminds everyone to have a safe and enjoyable holiday season.  Arielle  With that, Karissa, and to all of our listeners, I wish you a wonderful weekend.  Karissa  Yeah, we’ll be back next week with more solutions. Until then…  Both  Bye!   The post Podcast Transcript December 5, 2025— Holiday health etiquette plus the first female crash test dummy is (finally) here first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

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