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Today’s top stories
Sarah Beckstrom, one of two West Virginia National Guard members shot in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, has died. President Trump announced the 20-year-old’s death during a Thanksgiving call to service members. Beckstrom and 24-year-old Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe were on patrol a few blocks from the White House when the alleged gunman, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, opened fire. Wolfe remains in critical condition.
Authorities say Lakanwal served in Afghanistan alongside U.S. forces in an elite counterterrorism unit linked to the CIA and the military. He applied for asylum during the Biden administration and was granted protection in April. In response to the shooting, the Trump administration has launched a comprehensive reexamination of thousands of refugees and migrants who were admitted to the U.S. and granted green cards, and has pushed for efforts to denaturalize and deport certain migrants. Experts and advocacy groups note that Afghan applicants were repeatedly scrutinized before arrival and that, while vetting was imperfect, it was extensive; they also emphasize that most Afghan refugees live peacefully in the U.S.
At least 128 people have died after a massive fire tore through a high-rise housing complex in Hong Kong that houses roughly 4,600 residents. The blaze, which unfolded from Wednesday into Friday, is among the region’s deadliest in decades, and officials warn the death toll may rise. Police have arrested three men on alleged manslaughter charges in connection with the fire.
Books We Love
Andrew Limbong from NPR’s Book of the Day introduces Books We Love, NPR’s year-end recommendation engine featuring more than 380 books with a filterable tag system. A few staff picks:
– The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami — a dystopian novel about mass surveillance and the costs of escape through collective risk-taking.
– King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby — gritty crime fiction centered on a family-run crematorium entangled with a local drug gang.
– Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy — a memoir exploring complicated, turbulent love between a daughter and her mother.
– Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green — a witty, cogent look at TB as a continuing public-health challenge.
If you want more recommendations year-round, subscribe to NPR’s books newsletter.
Black Friday stories you may have missed
The nonprofit children’s safety group Fairplay and other advocates are urging gift-givers to avoid buying AI toys this holiday season. They warn interactive dolls and robots that mimic friendships can exploit children’s trust and disrupt human relationships.
Muralist Maxx Moses is hosting the Black Friday Artists Market in San Diego for the second year, reclaiming the day to celebrate Black culture, community and economics with emerging and established local artists.
Retailers are expected to offer deep discounts as they chase cautious shoppers. The National Retail Federation projects Americans will spend more than $1 trillion this season on gifts, food and decorations, a roughly 4% increase year over year.
Other notes
Millions are traveling after Thanksgiving; NPR’s How To Do Everything podcast has tips to reduce car sickness. Weekend recommendations from NPR culture: the film Sentimental Value, coverage of Stranger Things’ final season, four new books released this week, holiday music streams on the NPR app, and recipes for transforming leftovers from chef Kathy Gunst.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.