Happy Holidays from the TSB family!

NATIONAL

National Guard Shooting in DC: Two National Guard members were shot in what authorities described as a "targeted" ambush near the White House. One has died. As law enforcement officials investigate the shooting, U.S. immigration policy has undergone rapid changes. The Trump administration has abruptly halted the processing of any immigration requests from Afghan nationals, and the president has vowed to further crack down on immigration. NPR USA TODAY

Nasdaq Notches First Monthly Loss Since March as Dow, S&P 500 Make Gains: A late November rally propelled stocks near record highs, with investor optimism over a potential Federal Reserve interest-rate cut in December helping reverse the effects of an earlier midmonth market slump. YAHOO FINANCE

INTERNATIONAL

US Presidential Advisor Steve Witkoff coached a Putin aide on how Russian leader should pitch Trump on Ukraine peace plan: President Donald Trump’s chief interlocutor with the Russian government last month advised a senior aide to Vladimir Putin on how the Russian leader should go about pitching the U.S. president on a peace plan aimed at bringing an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. PBS

US inches closer to direct attacks on Venezuela: President Donald Trump on Nov. 29 issued a warning to avoid airspace around the South American country. Trump has already signaled imminent land attacks in Venezuela, a country larger than the size of Texas and a population of over 31 million people. USA TODAY

IMMIGRATION

ICE agents arrest green card applicants in San Diego: The father of an autistic teenager. The wife of a Navy veteran. The mother of a 6-month-old. These are just a few of the people Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have arrested at green card appointments in San Diego this month, according to immigration lawyers in San Diego. KPBS

Canada Plans To Poach H-1B Visa Holders, Skilled Workers Amid US Immigration Crackdown:  Amid its biggest immigration overhaul in decades, Canada is planning to reduce admissions of foreign students, including Indians, by 25-32 per cent starting next year, while creating special entry pathways for thousands of top international researchers and H-1B visa holders from the United States. NDTV

THE WORST ADMINISTRATION EVER?

White House launches new ‘media bias’ tracker on site: The White House launched a “media bias” tracker on Friday, highlighting news publications that it has accused of “offenses” against the current administration after the president’s verbal clashes with reporters over their articles in recent weeks. THE HILL

Disappeared to a Foreign Prison: The Trump Administration is deporting people to countries they have no ties to, where many are being detained indefinitely or forcibly returned to the places they fled. The U.S. Department of State considers South Sudan too dangerous for almost all Americans – it warns travelers to plan for hostage situations and has evacuated all non-essential diplomats. Yet, the Trump administration has waged a massive legal effort to treat South Sudan – and other conflict-ridden countries – as “safe third countries” to receive people deported from the United States. REFUGEE RIGHTS, NEW YORKER

ICE Offers Up to $280 Million to Immigrant-Tracking ‘Bounty Hunter’ Firms: Immigration and Customs Enforcement is expanding plans to outsource immigrant tracking to private surveillance firms, scrapping a recent $180 million pilot proposal in favor of a no-cap program with multimillion-dollar guarantees. WIRED (paywall) ECONOMIC TIMES

Accusations of "sedition" spark uproar after video on refusing illegal orders: Six Democratic lawmakers are facing federal inquiries after they recorded a video urging military service members not to follow unlawful orders, a message President Trump alleged was "seditious." CBS

Trump administration unresponsive after container ship fire, Port of Los Angeles chief says: The head of the largest port in the United States said the Trump administration has not reached out to offer assistance following a fire that erupted on a container ship. CNBC

Charges dropped against Utah doctor accused of throwing away $28,000 in COVID vaccine doses: The federal government on Saturday dismissed charges against a Utah plastic surgeon accused of throwing away COVID-19 vaccines, giving children saline shots instead of the vaccine and selling fake vaccination cards. AP

Survivors on ‘narco boat’ targeted by Trump order were blown apart after Hegseth verbal command to ‘kill everybody’: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly gave a verbal order to leave no survivors behind as Donald Trump’s administration launched the first of more than a dozen attacks on alleged drug-running boats that have killed more than 80 people over the last three months. INDEPENDENT

Trump to pardon ex-Honduras leader serving drug trafficking sentence in US: While boasting of blowing small fishing boats out of the water for alleged drug smuggling, Donald Trump has said he will grant a pardon to Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, who is serving a 45-year prison sentence in the US on drug trafficking and weapons charges.  Could this be because Marc Andreessen has invested in Próspera, a controversial private "startup city" or special economic zone (ZEDE) located on the Honduran island of Roatán? Election observers are worried about the safety and integrity of the upcoming elections in the country. GUARDIAN

Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with ‘suspicious’ travel patterns: The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious. The predictive intelligence program has resulted in people being stopped, searched and in some cases arrested. AP

DESI NEWS  

Asian American groups file a legal challenge to Texas' redistricting plans: Fort Bend County, southwest of Houston, sits at the heart of Texas' 22nd Congressional District. It's home to the state's largest Asian American population, including many immigrants. So when the Texas Legislature met to redraw congressional maps, many Asian Americans hoped Texas-22 would reflect that. But what actually happened is that those lines, when they were redrawn, were redrawn in a way such that they've actually diluted their power. NPR

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND SAFETY

Senate Committee to Challenge Auto-Safety Mandates That Hurt ‘Affordability’: Lawmakers will take aim at vehicle-safety mandates in a coming Senate hearing, targeting some auto-industry regulations once considered too sacrosanct to attack. Senate Republicans in January plan to criticize requirements for safety technology, such as automatic emergency braking and alarms that remind drivers a child is in the back seat, arguing they are ineffective and will unnecessarily raise the cost of cars. MSN

Third infant dies from whooping cough in Kentucky as outbreak worsens nationwide: The unvaccinated baby's death comes as Kentucky has reported at least 566 cases of whooping cough so far this year. Nationally, more than 25,000 cases of whooping cough have been reported in 2025, marking the second straight year of high numbers after cases dropped during the pandemic. Health experts say falling vaccination rates are driving the surge in cases across the country. KSBY

GOOD NEWS  

James Comey, Letitia James welcome judge’s decision to toss criminal cases: Federal judge calls justice department’s actions ‘unlawful exercises of executive power’ because prosecutor was unlawfully appointed. GUARDIAN

Grassroots progressive political action group Run For Something reports that in the Nov. 4, 2025, elections, 144 of its candidates had outright wins, including 43 flips. All politics are local and RFS is a great organization to support. 

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