Hegseth boat strike orders; Nationwide Guard taking pictures : NPR

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At this time’s high tales

President Trump and his advisers met yesterday night to debate subsequent steps with Venezuela as tensions proceed to accentuate with the U.S. The Trump administration has confronted scrutiny over its strikes towards what it alleges are drug boats touring from Venezuela to the U.S. These strikes have killed dozens of individuals. On Friday, The Washington Submit reported that U.S. forces struck a ship on Sept. 2, leaving survivors. Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly gave an order to kill these survivors. Some Congress members imagine this may occasionally represent a struggle crime.

• 🎧 Press secretary Karoline Leavitt yesterday did not deny Hegseth ordered the second strike, however mentioned he licensed U.S. Navy Adm. Frank M. Bradley to take these actions, NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben tells Up First. NPR’s Tom Bowman spoke yesterday with a U.S. official who was not licensed to talk publicly. This official disputed the White Home’s account, stating that Hegseth issued the command for “two strikes to kill” and two further strikes to “sink the boat.”
• ➡️ Venezuelan exiles in America are amplifying a stress marketing campaign towards Venezuelan chief Nicolas Maduro. A lot of these exiles stay in Doral, Fla., the place an estimated 2 in 5 persons are from Venezuela and have tales of persecution.

Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will be part of White Home envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow at present for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They’ll talk about a U.S. peace plan geared toward ending the struggle in Ukraine.

• 🎧 Kushner participated in negotiations with a Ukrainian delegation in Florida over the weekend. His involvement in discussions in Russia considerably elevates his function, NPR’s Charles Maynes says. Maynes notes that this example is harking back to Kushner’s participation within the Gaza negotiations. With each Witkoff and Kushner within the Kremlin, European leaders are involved that the U.S. and Russia will in some way minimize offers over their heads.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan man accused of taking pictures two Nationwide Guard members final week in Washington, D.C., appeared to expertise a private disaster — not radicalization — within the years main as much as the assault. This perception comes from a refugee resettlement volunteer who labored carefully with Lakanwal and his household over a number of years in Bellingham, Washington. The volunteer agreed to talk with NPR on situation of anonymity as a result of they worry for his or her security and the security of others who work with the Afghan refugee group.

• 🎧 By 2023, after Lakanwal struggled to seek out everlasting work and confronted cultural isolation, the volunteer described him as withdrawing, changing into extra remoted and behaving more and more erratically, NPR’s Brian Mann says. The volunteer says he by no means noticed or sensed any hazard from Lakanwal towards the group or the U.S. In Afghanistan, Lakanwal was a member of a paramilitary group referred to as Zero Unit that may go after Taliban fighters. The volunteer’s largest concern was that he was a hazard to himself. Mann says that the person’s account of Lakanwal’s habits is supported by emails they shared, which present they raised considerations about his psychological well being in January 2024.

An NPR investigation into Trajector, a Florida-based firm initially established to help disabled veterans, reveals that Trajector prioritizes aggressive debt assortment and maximizing income. The corporate is charging army veterans as much as $20,000 for help with incapacity claims, regardless of the VA stating this motion could also be unlawful and that such providers needs to be supplied freed from cost.

Deep dive

The group Impartial Middle believes that synthetic intelligence could possibly be the important thing to disrupting the two-party system in American politics. Its objective is to elect a number of impartial candidates to the Home of Representatives in 2026. By utilizing AI, it goals to determine districts the place impartial candidates have an opportunity of success and uncover promising candidates. If they will win even a couple of seats, it might stop both get together from attaining a majority and upend the way in which the Home presently operates.

• ➡️ The Impartial Middle goals to have round 10 candidates in place by spring, concentrating on a win in no less than half of the races. Adam Brandon, a senior adviser on the group, predicts this may encourage reasonable partisans within the Home to change affiliations.
• ➡️ AI additionally gives alternative to get a snapshot of the core points and considerations of voters by monitoring what persons are speaking about in actual time.
• ➡️ One criticism the group receives is that non-winning candidates on the poll affect which candidate wins — an thought often called “spoilers.” However Brett Loyd, who runs the nonpartisan polling and knowledge agency overseeing the polling and analysis on the Impartial Middle, argues that critics of independents stepping into races have a vested curiosity within the present system.

Image present

Lego portraits of George Washington and President Trump adorn the home windows within the Inexperienced Room throughout a tour of the Christmas decorations contained in the White Home on Monday.

Michael Zamora/NPR

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Michael Zamora/NPR

White Home excursions are set to renew at present, simply in time for the vacation season. The excursions have been on a three-month hiatus as a consequence of Trump’s estimated $300 million ballroom venture, which concerned the elimination of the East Wing. In previous years, the excursions started within the East Wing, which was adorned through the holidays with decorations for its many guests to take pleasure in. Excursions will now enter and exit by means of the North Portico as a substitute. Yesterday, journalists previewed the decorations chosen by first woman Melania Trump to “honor the guts of America,” in accordance with the White Home. The “Dwelling Is The place The Coronary heart Is” themed decorations embody 75 wreaths with pink bows, 51 Christmas bushes and greater than 2,000 strands of sunshine. Take a look at this look contained in the White Home vacation tour.

3 issues to know earlier than you go

JonOne with one of many work featured in his sol present at Miami’s Museum of Graffiti.

Greg Allen/NPR

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Greg Allen/NPR

1. This week, on the annual Artwork Basel honest in Florida, a brand new exhibition at Miami’s Museum of Graffiti explores the origins and improvement of avenue artwork.
2. Three octogenarian nuns gained worldwide fame after fleeing their care residence and breaking into their former convent. They’ve attracted over 185,000 Instagram followers, however their superior says they will keep provided that they offer up social media — a suggestion they’ve rejected.
3. The 2025 Oxford Phrase of the Yr is “rage bait,” which beat fellow shortlist nominees “aura farming” and “biohack” after three days of on-line voting. This is how the phrase has been outlined.

This article was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.