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Washington DC Latest: Trump Orders Immigration Curbs as FBI Probes Guard Shooting (Bloomberg)
President Trump’s administration is expanding its immigration enforcement in the aftermath of the shooting of a pair of National Guard members in Washington.
US Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died after being shot Wednesday. US Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.
The suspect is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who was subdued and taken into custody shortly after.
The rare shooting of National Guard members comes as the presence of troops in the nation’s capital and other cities around the country has been a flashpoint issue for months, fueling court fights
and a broader public policy debate about the Trump administration’s use of the military to combat what officials cast as an out-of-control crime problem, according to the Associated Press. The Trump administration quickly ordered 500 more National Guard members to Washington after the shooting.
Investigation: Congress Probes US Strike on Venezuelan Vessel Over Possible War Crimes (Financial Times)
Democratic Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Kelly suggested that Pete Hegseth may have committed war crimes and violated international law after US media reports alleged he ordered the killing of all those aboard a suspected Venezuelan drug-smuggling vessel in September, following an initial strike that left two survivors, according to the Financial Times.
The Senate and House Armed Services Committees have both vowed greater scrutiny of the Trump administration’s campaign against the alleged drug boats. Given that both committees are led by Republicans, their fact-finding efforts mark a rare divergence from the White House by its congressional allies.
Escalation: Trump Downplays Venezuelan Airspace Threat as US Mulls New Steps (Bloomberg)
President Trump said Sunday that people shouldn’t read much into a social media post in which he said Venezuelan airspace should be considered closed.
The US is enacting a widening campaign in the Caribbean, one that began with fatal strikes on boats in international waters and continued when the US deployed additional Navy ships, including an aircraft carrier, to the region, adding to speculation it may be about to strike Venezuela.
Resignation Watch: Trump Ally Troy Nehls Joins Growing Group of Retiring US House Members (Axios)
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), one of President Trump's most steadfast allies, said Saturday he will retire from Congress rather than seek re-election in 2026.
Honduras Election: Trump-Endorsed Candidate and Sportscaster Lead Honduran Presidential Race (New York Times)
Election authorities in Honduras announced on Sunday night that the conservative former mayor Nasry Asfura endorsed by President Trump and Salvador Nasralla, a sportscaster rival, were virtually tied in a presidential election that many predicted would be volatile even before Trump weighed in on the race.
Voters went to the polls just days after
Trump
endorsed Asfura and announced he would pardon an unpopular ex-president from Asfura’s National Party who was convicted on drug-trafficking charges, including cocaine and weapons offenses, in US federal court last year.
Hong Kong Latest: City Mourns Victims of Deadliest Fire in Decades (Bloomberg)
Hong Kong declared three days of mourning on Saturday for victims of the city’s deadliest fire in nearly eight decades. The massive fire engulfed the Wang Fuk Court, a residential apartment complex in Hong Kong's Tai Po district, on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
Chief Executive John Lee led a ceremony at the government headquarters, where officials held three minutes of silence for victims of the blaze.
Authorities found Hong Kong’s deadly fire was accelerated by workers using cheaper substandard netting and evading government testing, as police said the death toll has risen to 151. Police have so far arrested 14 people in connection with the fire, authorities said.
Asia Econ Strain: China Factory Activity Slumps for Longest Stretch on Record (Bloomberg)
China’s factory activity improved but remained in contraction in November, extending its streak of declines to a record as the country’s economic slowdown deepens.
The readings offer an early glimpse of how the world’s second-biggest economy fared in November, after months of global trade turbulence and an unprecedented decline in investment.
So far this quarter, industrial production has had its smallest gain since the start of the year, while exports unexpectedly contracted, as global demand failed to offset the slump in shipments to the US.
Selective Summit: Trump’s G-20 at His Miami Golf Resort Will Be an Invite-Only Event (Bloomberg)
When Donald Trump welcomes the Group of 20 to his private golf resort in Miami next year, he’ll decide who’s on the guest list.
That much is clear after the US president said in a social media post that he won’t invite South Africa, the holder of this year’s G-20 presidency and the object of the US president’s ire for some time now:
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