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Trump administration halts all asylum decisions in wake of DC National Guard shooting

The Trump administration has halted all decisions regarding migrants seeking asylum in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard members. The suspected shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who was granted asylum earlier this year.
Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph B. Edlow wrote on X Friday evening, “USCIS has halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. The safety of the American people always comes first.”
A notice sent to asylum officers explicitly tells them not to enter “any decision information for affirmative cases.”
Applications in “defensive” cases are filed by immigrants facing deportation and are decided by immigration judges under the direction of the Department of Justice.
The man suspected of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members —one fatally — near the White House Wednesday, likely underwent extensive vetting as a CIA asset and again as he sought..

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American Airlines expecting delays amid holiday travel after major software issue grounds hundreds of planes

American Airlines is expecting delays over the holidays as a major software issue grounds hundreds of planes.
The carrier said Friday that a software change on a significant number of Airbus A320 jets is expected to impact about 340 planes.
American Airlines said in a statement shared by multiple outlets that the vast majority of affected planes should have their software updated by “today or tomorrow.”
The software issue comes at a chaotic time for airlines as 6 million U.S. travelers fly domestically over the Thanksgiving holiday, according to estimates from the American Automobile Association.
open image in galleryAmerican Airlines is expecting delays over the holidays after a major software issue grounds hundreds of planes (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)It’s currently unclear when the issue will be fully resolved, but American Airlines said it is “intently focused on limiting flight cancellations – especially with customers returning home from holiday travel.”
“Still, our over..

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Zelensky’s top adviser resigns after Ukrainian anti-corruption raid on his home

Zelensky's top adviser resigns after Ukrainian anti-corruption raid on his home8 hours agoShareSavePaul Kirby,Europe digital editor andJaroslav LukivShareSaveReutersYermak has for years been Zelensky's closest aide and has played a key role in talks towards ending the warUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has resigned following an anti-corruption raid on his home.
Yermak, a towering figure with enormous political influence, has been Zelensky's closest adviser throughout Russia's full-scale war, but has come under increasing pressure over an escalating scandal – even though he is not accused of any wrongdoing.
Zelensky had recently appointed him to head crucial negotiations, with US President Donald Trump leading a new drive to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
In a stark address to the nation outside his presidential office, Zelensky called for unity, warning: “We risk losing everything: ourselves, Ukraine, our future.”
The ..

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Eight more arrested over fire in Hong Kong that killed at least 128 people

Eight more arrested over fire in Hong Kong that killed at least 128 people10 hours agoShareSaveHafsa KhalilShareSave'Solemn scenes': BBC reports from outside Hong Kong's scorched buildingsAt least 128 people are now known to have died in a devastating fire that engulfed multiple high-rise buildings in Hong Kong.
Eight people have been arrested on suspicion of corruption over the renovation works the blocks had been undergoing before the fire. Three others were detained earlier on manslaughter charges.
The cause of the fire remains unclear, though officials said that polystyrene and protective netting placed on the outside of the windows facilitated its spread.
A further 79 people were injured in the blaze – the city's deadliest in more than 70 years. Dozens remain missing.
Police went into the buildings to start gathering evidence, after authorities said that an investigation would take place over the next three to four weeks.
The Independent Commission Against Corr..

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Trump announces death of National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom following Washington DC shooting: Updates

CloseNational Guard shooter 'drove across the country to ambush troops in DC'National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom sustained a “mortal wound” when she was shot in what authorities are calling a targeted attack in D.C., her father told the New York Times Thursday.
Beckstrom’s father, Gary Beckstrom, told NYT over the phone, “[Sarah] has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery.”
Beckstrom, 20, was shot alongside National Guard member Andrew Wolfe, 24, Wednesday afternoon. Both had come out of surgery by Thursday morning but were in “critical condition.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department was looking at pursuing the harshest charges against the suspected shooter, which could include the death penalty if one of the Guard members dies.
The suspected shooter was identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the country in September 2021. He was living in Bellingham, Washington with his wife and five children, according t..

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Rahmanullah Lakanwal: Who is the National Guard shooting suspect and what happened in DC?

Donald Trump has hit out at the suspect arrested after two National Guard soldiers were shot in Washington, D.C., in what the president described as a “monstrous, ambush-style attack.”
The guardsmen from West Virginia were shot by a lone gunman just north of the White House shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday.
But the motive of the suspect, identified in reports as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, remains unclear. More than 2,000 National Guard troops have been deployed to D.C. in Trump’s crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital.
Trump, who has been in Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday, said in an address Wednesday night: “I am determined to ensure that the animal who perpetrated this atrocity pays the steepest possible price.”
open image in galleryA member of the U.S. Secret Service stands guard in a cordoned-off area after two National Guard members were shot near the White House (Reuters)Here is everything we know about the shooting so far:
Who is the suspected sh..

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Firefighters search for hundreds still missing in devastating Hong Kong tower blocks fire

Firefighters search for hundreds still missing in devastating Hong Kong tower blocks fire9 hours agoShareSaveJaroslav LukivandFan WangShareSaveWatch: Deadly fire engulfs Hong Kong apartment blocksFirefighters are still searching for hundreds of missing people after a massive fire tore through multiple high-rise residential buildings in Hong Kong.
At least 83 people are now known to have died in the blaze – the city's deadliest in more than 70 years – at Wang Fuk Court's complex, which is home to thousands.
The tower blocks had been undergoing extensive renovations – and while the exact cause for the fire is unclear, police say materials on the outside of the buildings may have facilitated its spread.
Three construction firm executives have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and gross negligence, and Hong Kong's chief executive John Lee has vowed a comprehensive investigation.
The fire, which tore through seven of eight tower blocks in Tai Po district on Wednesda..

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Video shows speed fire spreads in Hong Kong tower block

Video shows speed fire spreads in Hong Kong tower blockBBC Verify has geolocated video footage which appears to show the early stages of a fire at a high-rise public housing complex in Hong Kong – and how fast the blaze took hold.
The video shows a fire in Wang Cheong House which tallies with an account given by the deputy director of Hong Kong Fire Services, Derek Armstrong Chan, who confirmed the location the fire started.
According to the person who posted the video on social media site Threads, they heard banging sounds before seeing the fire at 14:51 local time (06:51 GMT).
They said the first firefighters arrived six minutes later, by which time the fire had spread to the fourth floor.
The blaze, which has spread through seven tower blocks in Tai Po district, has killed at least 75 people, while nearly 300 remain missing.
Follow live coverage here12 hours agoHong KongShareSave

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Two West Virginia National Guard members critically wounded in Washington DC shooting

A man is in custody after two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot and critically wounded in Washington, D.C., near the White House on Wednesday afternoon.
There were initially reports that the two had died, though it was later confirmed that they were wounded and are being treated in local hospitals.
The shooting occurred near 17th and I Street Northwest. Police described the individual as a “lone gunman” who rounded a corner and opened fire on the Guardsmen.
Nearby members of the Guard heard gunshots and were able to “subdue the individual” after a “back and forth” in which the suspect was also shot, Executive Assistant Washington Police Chief Jeff Carroll said during a press conference on Wednesday.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser described the attack as a “targeted shooting.”
open image in galleryTwo National Guard members were shot Wednesday near the White House, prompting a mass law enforcement response including Secret Service agents and National Guard troops (..

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500 teenagers show up at school board member’s house party after social media leak: ‘We saw cans, beer cans on the road, police cars’

Hundreds of teenagers showed up at an Arizona school board member’s house party after his address was leaked on social media.
“There were girls twerking and not a lot of clothes on. We saw cans, beer cans on the road, police cars,” one neighbor said of the scene to AZFamily.
Dr. Matthew Pittinsky of the Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board was hosting a small gathering for his son’s birthday a couple of weeks ago when things got out of hand.
Authorities responded to Pittinsky’s Paradise Valley home at around 9 p.m. local time that night following reports of underage drinking and a large gathering.
About 500 teens were found on Pittinsky’s property, one of whom was sent to the hospital for suspected alcohol poisoning, according to police documents obtained by AZFamily.
Hundreds of teenagers showed up at Arizona school board member Dr. Matthew Pittinsky’s house party after his address was leaked on social media (Scottsdale Unified School District)When the teens were questi..