Nationwide Guard assault suspect’s disaster. And, U.S. official sheds gentle on boat strike

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Right now’s prime 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 Put up 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 increasingly represent a struggle crime.

• 🎧 Press secretary Karoline Leavitt yesterday did not deny Hegseth ordered the second strike, however stated 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 extra strikes to “sink the boat.”
• ➡️ Venezuelan exiles in America are amplifying a strain marketing campaign towards Venezuelan chief Nicolas Maduro. Lots of these exiles dwell 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 in the present day 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 position, NPR’s Charles Maynes says. Maynes notes that this case is paying homage 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 by some means lower offers over their heads.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan man accused of capturing 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 intently 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 concern for his or her security and the security of others who work with the Afghan refugee group.

• 🎧 By 2023, after Lakanwal struggled to search 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 known as Zero Unit that may go after Taliban fighters. The volunteer’s greatest 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 earnings. 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 companies ought to be offered freed from cost.

Deep dive

The group Unbiased Heart 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 unbiased candidates to the Home of Representatives in 2026. By utilizing AI, it goals to establish districts the place unbiased candidates have an opportunity of success and uncover promising candidates. If they’ll win even a number of seats, it may forestall both get together from attaining a majority and upend the best way the Home at present operates.

• ➡️ The Unbiased Heart goals to have round 10 candidates in place by spring, focusing on a win in not 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 a very good 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 information agency overseeing the polling and analysis on the Unbiased Heart, argues that critics of independents moving 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 in the present day, simply in time for the vacation season. The excursions had been on a three-month hiatus on account 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 in the course of the holidays with decorations for its many guests to get pleasure from. Excursions will now enter and exit by way of the North Portico as a substitute. Yesterday, journalists previewed the decorations chosen by first girl Melania Trump to “honor the heart of America,” in keeping with the White Home. The “Home Is Where The Heart Is” themed decorations embrace 75 wreaths with pink bows, 51 Christmas bushes and greater than 2,000 strands of sunshine. Try 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 truthful 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 house and breaking into their former convent. They’ve attracted over 185,000 Instagram followers, however their superior says they’ll keep provided that they provide up social media — a proposal 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. Here is how the phrase has been outlined.

This text was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.