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Today’s best stories
The White House is rushing to tighten controls on legal immigration following last week’s shooting of two National Guard members in the nation’s capital. The suspect in the shooting, Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, has been charged with first-degree murder. He was granted asylum this year after arriving in the United States through a Biden-era program that granted temporary legal status to those who helped the U.S. military in Afghanistan.
Members of the National Guard patrol the Navy Yard area November 28, 2025 in Washington, DC
Andrew Leiden/Getty Images
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Andrew Leiden/Getty Images
- 🎧 NPR’s Ximena Bustillo reports First that she obtained a notice issued by the Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services late last month, which calls for a review of all refugees admitted to the country under the Biden administration. This action would essentially reopen their case and could involve re-interviewing them, with the possibility of some losing their status. Immigration advocates have described recent changes to refugee reviews, visas and green cards as destabilizing for families already living in the United States.
Some US lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, say President Trump’s actions against a boat in the Caribbean Sea can constitute a war crime. War crimes charges come after The Washington Post reported a September strike that left two survivors clinging to the wrecked boat. According to the report, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave orders to kill everyone aboard alleged drug boats, leading to a second strike that killed survivors. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said that if true, it would violate the Department of Defense’s laws of war and international laws regarding the treatment of individuals in such situations. To date, U.S. military forces have destroyed 21 boats suspected of being involved in drug trafficking and killed 83 people, but have failed to provide proof that the boats were actually transporting drugs.
- 🎧 Trump has pushed for regime change in Venezuela since his first termsays NPR freelance reporter John Otis. The country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, has crushed Venezuela’s democracy and economy, forcing millions of citizens to flee abroad. Venezuela says the United States has a different motive for the attacks and accuses it of trying to take control of its oil reserves. But experts say the 15,000 U.S. troops stationed on warships in the Caribbean are not enough to take control of the country.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner hosted a Ukrainian delegation for talks yesterday in an effort to end the war in Ukraine. The discussions focused on the new U.S. peace plan, which was initially criticized as heavily biased toward Russia but has since been modified with input from Ukraine and Europe. Talks are expected to continue today as Witkoff travels to Moscow.
- 🎧 Witkoff addresses meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin following newly leaked transcript it appeared to show him coaching the Kremlin on how to engage with Trump, notes NPR’s Charles Maynes. Trump dismissed the leak as a matter of negotiation, and Putin defended him as a polite person trying to work with them. Maynes claims that during the negotiation process, Putin tried to get the United States to pressure Ukraine into accepting a deal. Russian negotiators frequently discuss potential financial benefits the United States could reap once the war ends and sanctions are lifted, according to Maynes.
Cost of living
People visit Garden State Plaza during Black Friday shopping on November 28, 2025 in Paramus, New Jersey. According to the National Retail Federation, nearly 187 million people are expected to shop between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday this year.
Eduardo Muñoz Álvarez/Getty Images
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Eduardo Muñoz Álvarez/Getty Images
The NPR series Cost of living: the price we pay examines the causes of rising prices and how people are coping with years of stubborn inflation.
Tariffs, inflation and layoffs affect people’s ability to spend this holiday season and influence their purchasing decisions. Jeanine Skowronski, financial journalist and founder of the “Money As If” newsletter, speaks with Morning edition host A Martínez to share tips on managing financial stress when shopping this time of year.
- 🛍️ If you have money to buy gifts and you want to, don’t hesitate to do so. But if you don’t have the funds, you can skip the gifts this year.
- 🛍️ Try going through your recent bank statements to understand how much money you can comfortably spend without being stressed.
- 🛍️ If you overspend, remember you can reset.
Listen to tips on how to manage financial stress during the holiday season or read the transcript. This week the series will discuss smart tactics you can use to reduce your bills. Stay up to date with the latest stories here.
How are rising prices changing the way you live? Fill this form to share your story with NPR.
Life advice
Can you identify which videos are real and which are AI-generated?
Screenshots from NPR/Collage by Emily Bogle/NPR
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Screenshots from NPR/Collage by Emily Bogle/NPR
AI-generated videos seem to be everywhere these days, leaving many people confused as to what is real and what is fake. Although it can be difficult to determine the authenticity of online content, experts suggest following these simple do’s and don’ts to help you evaluate what you see.
- ➡️ Many AI videos are usually around 8-10 seconds long.
- ➡️ These videos tend to frame their subject perfectly, and the action starts and stops cleanly.
- ➡️ Context is important. Note where the content was posted and who shared it. If the content comes from an account that has been active for a long time and covers a number of topics, this may indicate that it comes from a real person.
- ➡️ If you’re not sure if a video is from the account you’re viewing, consider performing a reverse image search on Google or another platform.
Now put these tips to the test and see if you can tell right from wrong with this quiz.
3 things to know before you leave
The long-lost painting “Christ on the Cross” by Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens, hidden for more than four centuries, is on display at the Osenat auction house in Versailles, west of Paris, on November 30, 2025.
Michel Euler/AP
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Michel Euler/AP
- Painting Christ on the crossrediscovered last year after being lost for more than 400 years, was sold yesterday at the Osenat auction house in Versailles for $2.7 million.
- Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime” has become a staple of the season over the years, despite its controversial nature. Some people think it’s one of the worst Christmas songs. But is this the case? People on both sides defend their points of view.
- Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson a year ago, returns to court this week as his lawyers ask a Manhattan judge to exclude some evidence in the case. (via Gothamiste)
This newsletter was published by Suzanne Nuyen.
