National Guard; Fire in Hong Kong; Books We Love: NPR

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Today’s best stories

Sarah Beckstrom, one of two West Virginia National Guard members who were shot Wednesday in Washington, D.C., has died. President Trump announced the death of the 20-year-old during a Thanksgiving call to the military. Beckstrom and the other Guard member, Andrew Wolfe, 24, were patrolling a few blocks from the White House when the suspected shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwalopened fire. Wolfe remains in critical condition. In the wake of the shooting, the Trump administration is launching a comprehensive “review” of thousands of refugees and migrants who were admitted to the United States and granted green cards.

• 🎧 Lakanwal served in Afghanistan alongside U.S. forces as part of an elite counterterrorism unit linked to the CIA and the military.tells NPR’s Brian Mann First. The suspected shooter sought asylum under the Biden administration and was granted protection in April of this year under the Trump administration. Trump called for an effort to “denaturalize migrants” and “deport” foreign nationals. Mann notes that the Trump administration’s narrative suggests that Lakanwal was allowed to enter the United States without proper review, indicating that it could be a wider problem. But sources like the nonprofit group AfghanEvac told NPR that Lakanwal was allegedly scrutinized multiple times in Afghanistan and before his arrival in the United States. Experts say that while the Afghan refugee selection process was audited and found to be flawed, it was thorough. They also point out that the majority of Afghan refugees live peacefully in the United States.

At least 128 people dead after massive fire ravages high-rise apartment complex which houses around 4,600 people in Hong Kong from Wednesday to Friday. It is one of the deadliest fires in the region in decades, and authorities have indicated the death toll could continue to rise. Police arrested three men for manslaughter in connection with the fire. Here is what else do we know.

(Just a few) of the books we love

Hello friends – Andrew Limbong here, host of NPR’s Book of the Day podcast. I’m contacting you this week to let you know about our annual recommendations engine, Books we love. If you want to come hang out and continue talking about book stuff, subscribe to the books newsletter!

This week, NPR dropped its massive end-of-year book recommendation tool, Books we love. It’s not enough an end-of-year list, top 10 or whatever, given that there are over 380 books included. Instead, it’s a way of saying: here’s a bunch of books. There is something here for you.

But I get it: 380 is an intimidating number, even with Books We Love’s dandy filter label system for cell phone. So here’s just a little slice, a sliver, a taste of some of the books that many of our contributors and reviewers have looked at this year.

📚 The dream hotel by Laila Lalami — You know that scary feeling you get when you’re chatting with someone about needing a new TV, and then your phone sends you the latest TV deals? This dystopian novel is like that but scarier. Emily Kwong, NPR host Short wavewrites: “I found The dream hotel informative for navigating a society plagued by mass surveillance – where the only way out can be found by taking the risk together.

• 📚 King of Ashes by SA Cosby —If you prefer detective stories, Cosby’s latest film focuses on a small family business that becomes involved with a local drug gang. If you think you’ve heard this before, know that this small business is actually a crematorium. Weekend Edition Producer Melissa Gray writes: “This story twists and turns violently to a dark and satisfying conclusion. »
• 📚 Mother Mary comes to me by Arundhati Roy — At this time of year, many people feel… different, complicated, and contradictory feelings about their parents. Novelist Arundhati Roy grapples with her own ambivalent feelings about her mother in this new memoir. Morning edition Host Leila Fadel writes: “It’s a story of turbulent love and liberation that is beautiful, witty and sometimes uncomfortable to read.”
• 📚 Everything is tuberculosis: The history and persistence of our deadliest infection by John Green — You may recognize tuberculosis by its more romantic name, consumption. But… it’s weird that there was a time when we idealized this deadly disease, right? In this book, Green presents tuberculosis as a real, deadly, but curable concern. Here and now Producer James Perkins Mastromarino writes that the book is “witty, compelling, and achingly beautiful.”

Again, this is just a tiny fraction of the hundreds of books we have in this year’s edition of Books We Love, as recommended by our contributors and reviewers. But if you are interested and want to read books all year round, subscribe to the books newsletter!

Black Friday Stories You May Have Missed

It’s the season of giving, and some children’s and consumer rights groups are concerned about the latest buzz-worthy AI toys.

Elva Etienne/Getty Images

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Elva Etienne/Getty Images

Child safety nonprofit Fairplay is urging donors to refrain from purchasing AI toys for children this holiday season. In an advisory, Fairplay and other child and consumer advocacy groups point out the potential dangers of toys such as interactive dolls and children’s robots designed to mimic human behavior and interact with children as if they were friends. The notice emphasizes that these toys exploit children’s confidence and can disrupt human relationships, among other negative effects.

Muralist Maxx Moses puts the “Black” in Black Friday. For the second year in a row, he is organizing the Black Friday Artists Market at Graffiti Gardens in San Diego. Moses painted the walls of the studio, which he uses to collaborate with local organizations. The market will feature a diverse group of emerging and established local artists, aimed at celebrating black culture, community and economy. (via KPBS)

This holiday shopping season, expect deep discounts as retailers aim to encourage cautious shoppers to splurge. National Retail Federation predicts record season, with Americans expected to spend more than $1 trillion on gifts, food and decorations, reflecting a growth rate of approximately 4%, similar to last year.

Now that the excitement of Thanksgiving is over, it’s time for millions of Americans to make that long journey home. For some, travel means dealing with motion sickness. If you’re one of these people, don’t worry, NPR How to do everything podcast has the advice you need to make the journey better.

Weekend Picks

Renate Reinsve in Sentimental Value.

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Neon

Find out what NPR watch, read and listen this weekend:

🍿 Movies: In Sentimental valuea well-known filmmaker works on his next feature film while trying to reconnect with his former daughters. According to Pop Culture Happy Hourher project highlights the complexity between art and parenting.

📺 Television: This week marked the beginning of the end for Netflix’s 1980s horror drama. Stranger Things. But will this final season bring a satisfactory conclusion? Here’s what NPR critic Eric Deggans says have to say. (Warning: there are spoilers ahead).

📚 Books: Do you really need MORE recommendations after Andrew Limbong’s essay? If the answer is yes, consult four books released this weekwhich range from a deep dive into crosswords to a posthumous collection of short stories.

🎵 Music: Now that Thanksgiving is over, as Mariah Carey says, “It’s time…” to turn on the holiday music. Download the NPR app today and explore our special collection of holiday music streams from across the NPR network, from the perfect soundtrack for your next party to the best holiday jazz.

🍽️ Food: Leftovers taking over your fridge today? Chef Kathy Gunst has recipes to help you transform them into something perhaps even better than when you first ate them.

This newsletter was published by Suzanne Nuyen.