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Long Weekend Edition. (Sunday night).

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1. President Trump said he would pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who is serving a 45-year sentence for drug trafficking, just as Hondurans prepare to elect a new president on Sunday. Trump said on Truth Social that Hernández has been treated “very harshly and unfairly.” “CONGRATULATIONS TO JUAN ORLANDO HERNANDEZ ON YOUR UPCOMING PARDON,” Trump wrote on Friday. Hernández was convicted last year for helping drug cartels ship hundreds of tons of cocaine into the U.S. in exchange for millions of dollars in bribes, a rare instance of a former foreign head of state being prosecuted on U.S. soil. Former U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said at the time that Hernández abused his position as president to “operate the country as a narco-state.” (Source: wsj.com)

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2. The United States is poised to recognize Russia’s control over Crimea and other occupied Ukrainian territories to secure a deal to end the war. The Telegraph understands that Donald Trump has sent his peace envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to make the direct offer to Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The plan to recognize territory, which breaks US diplomatic convention, is likely to go ahead despite concerns among Ukraine’s European allies. One well-placed source said: “It’s increasingly clear the Americans don’t care about the European position. They say the Europeans can do whatever they want.” (Source: telegraph.co.uk)

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3. To understand the story behind the administration’s Russia negotiations, The Wall Street Journal spoke to dozens of officials, diplomats, and former and current intelligence officers from the U.S., Russia and Europe, and American lobbyists and investors close to the administration. The picture that emerges is a remarkable story of business leaders working outside the traditional lines of diplomacy to cement a peace agreement with business deals. Read the whole thing. (Source: wsj.com)

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4. Republican-led committees in the Senate and the House say they will amplify their scrutiny of the Pentagon after a Washington Post report revealing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken order to kill all crew members aboard a vessel suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea several weeks ago. A live drone feed showed two survivors from the original crew of 11 clinging to the wreckage of their boat after the initial missile attack Sept. 2, The Post reported Friday afternoon. The Special Operations commander overseeing the operation then ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s directive, according to two people with direct knowledge of the operation, killing both survivors. Those people, along with five others in the original report, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity. (Source: washingtonpost.com)

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5. After the publication of The Post’s report Friday, Hegseth wrote on X that “these highly effective strikes are designed to be ‘lethal, kinetic strikes,’” adding: “Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization.” “Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict — and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command,” he said.

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