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  • ‘Franklin the Turtle’ publisher slams Hegseth post joking about boat strike

    ‘Franklin the Turtle’ publisher slams Hegseth post joking about boat strike

    The publisher of Franklin the Turtle, a Canadian book franchise aimed at preschoolers, has expressed criticism after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to make light of deadly boat strikes in Latin America by posting a doctored image that showed the well-known turtle character attacking the crew of a narcotics vessel.

    The Washington Post reported exclusively Friday that Hegseth gave a spoken order to kill the entire crew of a vessel thought to be ferrying narcotics in the Caribbean Sea, the first of more than 20 such strikes carried out by the administration since early September. When two survivors were detected, a military commander directed another strike to comply with Hegseth’s order that no one be left alive, the Post reported.

    In a post on X over the weekend, Hegseth shared an image of a doctored book cover, titled “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists,” that depicted the elementary-school-aged turtle firing a rocket-propelled grenade at apparent drug traffickers. “For your Christmas wish list …” Hegseth wrote.

    In a statement late Monday, the cartoon’s publisher, Kids Can Press, issued a statement that did not name Hegseth, but said: “Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity. We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values.”

    In an emailed response to a request for comment Tuesday, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, “We doubt Franklin the Turtle wants to be inclusive of drug cartels … or laud the kindness and empathy of narcoterrorists.”

    The Franklin the Turtle franchise began in 1986 and spans over 30 books, as the young turtle embarks on familiar coming-of-age milestones including falling in love, celebrating Thanksgiving and having a sleepover. The series has sold more than 65 million copies in over 30 languages, according to its publisher, and has been made into two educational television series and multiple movies.

    On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer described Hegseth’s post as a “sick parody of a well-known children’s book,” and accused Hegseth of being childish and unserious. “This man is a national embarrassment. Tweeting memes in the middle of a potential armed conflict is something no serious military leader would ever even think of doing.”

    Pressure has been mounting on the Pentagon to provide a full accounting of its orders to target alleged narcotics traffickers in the Caribbean Sea with lethal force, in strikes that have killed more than 80 people to date. Following the Post’s report, lawmakers in the House and Senate pledged to open inquiries to see if a war crime was committed during the first strike, where the two survivors were targeted. Legal experts have said the survivors did not pose an imminent threat to U.S. personnel and thus were illegitimate targets.

    On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged Hegseth had authorized the commander, Adm. Frank M. Bradley, to conduct the Sept. 2 strikes, while saying Bradley had “worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed.” Writing on social media Monday night, Hegseth said he stood by the admiral and “the combat decisions he has made.”

    The statements were seen as an attempt to distance Hegseth from the growing fallout from the strikes, with military officials expressing concern that he was attempting to insulate himself from any legal recourse and leave Bradley to face the fallout alone, the Post reported.

  • Michael and Susan Dell donate $6.25 billion to encourage families to claim ‘Trump Accounts’

    Michael and Susan Dell donate $6.25 billion to encourage families to claim ‘Trump Accounts’

    NEW YORK — Billionaires Michael and Susan Dell pledged $6.25 billion Tuesday to provide 25 million American children 10 and under an incentive to claim the new investment accounts for children created as part of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending legislation.

    The historic gift has little precedent, with few single charitable commitments in the last 25 years exceeding $1 billion. Announced on GivingTuesday, the Dells believe it’s the largest single private commitment made to U.S. children.

    Its structure is also unusual. Essentially, it builds on the “Trump Accounts” program, where the U.S. Department of the Treasury will deposit $1,000 into investment accounts it sets up for American children born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028. The Dells’ gift will use the “Trump Accounts” infrastructure to give $250 to each qualified child under 11.

    “We believe that if every child can see a future worth saving for, this program will build something far greater than an account. It will build hope and opportunity and prosperity for generations to come,” said Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies whose estimated net worth is $148 billion, according to Forbes.

    Though the “Trump Accounts” became law as part of the president’s signature legislation in July, the Dells say the accounts will not launch until July 4, 2026. Michael Dell said they wanted to mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.

    “We want these kids to know that not only do their families care, but their communities care, their government, their country cares about them,” Susan Dell told the Associated Press.

    Under the new law, “Trump Accounts” are available to any American child under 18 with a Social Security number. Account contributions must be invested in an index fund that tracks the overall stock market. When the children turn 18, they can withdraw the funds to put toward their education, to buy a home or to start a business.

    The Dells will put money into the accounts of children 10 and younger who live in zip codes with a median family income of $150,000 or less and who won’t get the $1,000 seed money from the Treasury. Because federal law allows outside donors to target gifts by geography, the Dells said using zip codes was “was the clearest way to ensure the contribution reaches the greatest number of children who would benefit most.”

    The Dells hope their gift will encourage families to claim the accounts and deposit more money into it, even small amounts, so it will grow over time along with the stock market.

    There is a political benefit for Trump and fellow Republicans. The accounts will become available in the midst of a midterm election, providing money to millions of voters — and a campaign talking point to GOP candidates — at a critical time politically. The $1,000 deposits are slated to end just after the 2028 presidential election.

    At the White House on Tuesday, Trump praised the Dells saying their gift was, “truly one of the most generous acts in the history of our country.”

    Trump said many companies and many of his friends would also be donating, adding “I’ll be doing it, too.”

    Brad Gerstner, a venture capitalist, who championed this legislation, said the accounts will give all children renewed hope in the American dream.

    “It’s hard to give effective dollars away at scale, particularly to the country’s neediest kids in a way that you have confidence that those dollars are going to compound with the upside of the U.S. economy,” said Gerstner, who is also the founder of Invest America Charitable Foundation, which is supporting the Treasury in launching the accounts.

    “Fundamentally, we need to include everybody in the upside of the American experiment. Otherwise, it won’t last. And so, at its core, we think it can re-energize people’s belief in free market, capitalist democracy,”″ Gerstner said of the accounts.

    About 58% of U.S. households held stocks or bonds in 2022, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, though the wealthiest 1% owned almost half the value of stocks in that same year and the bottom 50% owned about 1% of stocks.

    In 2024, about 13% of children and young people in the U.S. lived in poverty, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and experts link the high child poverty rates to the lack of social supports for new parents, like paid parental leave.

    While the funds in the Trump Accounts may help young adults whose families or employers can contribute to them over time, they won’t immediately help to diminish childhood poverty. Cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and childchildcare were also included in the spending package are likely to reduce the support children from low-income families receive.

    Ray Boshara, senior policy adviser with both the Aspen Institute and Washington University in St. Louis, said he is excited about the idea that the Trump Accounts will be able to receive contributions from the business, philanthropic and governmental sectors.

    “We would like to see this idea continue and get better over time, just like any big policy,’ said Boshara, who co-edited the book The Future of Building Wealth. “The ACA, Social Security — they start off fairly flawed, but get much better and more progressive and inclusive over time. And that’s how we think about Trump Accounts. It’s a down payment on a big idea that deserves to be improved and there’s bipartisan interest in improving them.”

    Through the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, the Dell’s have reported giving $2.9 billion since 1999, with a large focus on education.

    Michael Dell said they had not initially envisioned committing so much to boost the child investment accounts, but Susan Dell said that changed over time.

    “We’re thrilled to be spearheading this in the philanthropy sector and are so excited because we know that more people are going to jump on board because really, we can’t think of a better idea and better way to help America’s children,” she said.

  • Trump’s push to end the Russia-Ukraine war raises fears of an ‘ugly deal’ for Europe

    Trump’s push to end the Russia-Ukraine war raises fears of an ‘ugly deal’ for Europe

    BRUSSELS – However Donald Trump’s latest push to end the war in Ukraine pans out, Europe fears the prospect of a deal – sooner or later – that will not punish or weaken Russia as its leaders had hoped, placing the continent’s security in greater jeopardy.

    Europe may well even have to accept a growing economic partnership between Washington, its traditional protector in the NATO alliance, and Moscow, which most European governments – and NATO itself – say is the greatest threat to European security.

    Although Ukrainians and other Europeans managed to push back against parts of a 28-point U.S. plan to end the fighting that was seen as heavily pro-Russian, any deal is still likely to carry major risks for the continent.

    Yet Europe’s ability to influence a deal is limited, not least because it lacks the hard power to dictate terms.

    Land and security are the main sticking points as Russia and Ukraine mull Trump’s peace proposal

    It had no representatives at talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Florida at the weekend, and will only watch from afar when U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff visits Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

    “I get the impression that, slowly, the awareness is sinking in that at some point there will be an ugly deal,” said Luuk van Middelaar, founding director of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics think tank.

    “Trump clearly wants a deal. What is very uncomfortable for the Europeans…is that he wants a deal according to great-power logic: ‘We’re the U.S., they are Russia, we are big powers’.”

    Rubio seeks to reassure Europeans

    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Europeans will be involved in discussions about the role of NATO and the European Union in any peace settlement.

    But European diplomats take limited comfort from such reassurances. They say that just about every aspect of a deal would affect Europe – from potential territorial concessions to U.S.-Russian economic cooperation.

    The latest initiative has also triggered fresh European worries about the U.S. commitment to NATO, which ranges from its nuclear umbrella through numerous weapons systems to tens of thousands of troops.

    German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said last week that Europeans no longer know “which alliances we will still be able to trust in future and which ones will be durable.”

    Despite Trump’s previous criticism of NATO, he affirmed his commitment to the alliance and its Article 5 mutual defense clause in June in return for a pledge by Europeans to ramp up their defense spending.

    But Rubio’s plans to skip a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels this week may only fan European jitters, amid fears that an eastern member of the alliance may be Moscow’s next target.

    “Our intelligence services are telling us emphatically that Russia is at least keeping open the option of war against NATO. By 2029 at the latest,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said last week.

    Trump’s pro-Kremlin ‘peace’ plan for Ukraine will encourage Putin to wage more war | Trudy Rubin

    Europeans fear territorial concessions will embolden Putin

    European officials say they see no sign that Putin wants to end his invasion of Ukraine. But if he does, they worry that any deal that does not respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity could embolden Russia to attack beyond its borders again.

    Yet it now seems likely any peace accord would let Moscow at least keep control of Ukrainian land that it has taken by force, whether borders are formally changed or not.

    The Trump administration has also not rejected out of hand Russian claims to the rest of the Donbas region that Moscow has been unable to capture after nearly four years of war.

    Moreover, Trump and other U.S. officials have made clear they see great opportunities for business deals with Moscow once the war is over.

    European officials fear that ending Russia’s isolation from the Western economy will give Moscow billions of dollars to reconstitute its military.

    “If Russia’s army is big, if their military budget is as big as it is right now, they will want to use it again,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters on Monday.

    Europe struggles to exert leverage

    But European leaders have struggled to exert a strong influence on any peace settlement, even though Europe has provided some 180 billion euros ($209.23 billion) in aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

    The EU has a big potential bargaining chip in the form of Russian assets frozen in the bloc. But EU leaders have so far failed to agree on a proposal to use the assets to fund a 140-billion-euro loan to Ukraine that would keep Kyiv afloat and in the fight for the next two years.

    To try to show they can bring hard power to bear, a “coalition of the willing” led by France and Britain has pledged to deploy a “reassurance force” as part of postwar security guarantees to Ukraine.

    Russia has rejected such a force. But even if it did deploy, it would be modest in size, intended to bolster Kyiv’s forces rather than protect Ukraine on its own, and it could only work with U.S. support.

    “The Europeans now are paying the price for not having invested in military capabilities over the last years,” said Claudia Major, senior vice president for transatlantic security at the German Marshall Fund of the United States think tank.

    “The Europeans are not at the table. Because, to quote Trump, they don’t have the cards,” she said, referring to the U.S. president’s put-down of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in February.

    ($1 = 0.8603 euros) (Additional reporting by Lili Bayer, John Irish and Sabine Siebold; writing by Andrew Gray; editing by Mark Heinrich)

  • Costco sues the Trump administration over tariffs, seeking a “complete refund”

    Costco sues the Trump administration over tariffs, seeking a “complete refund”

    Wholesale retail giant Costco has sued the federal government to ensure it will receive a “complete refund” on import duties if the Supreme Court rules against President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.

    The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York on Nov. 28 and reviewed by USA TODAY, asked the court to find Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs as unlawful.

    Costco, the largest warehouse club operator in the United States, said it has been the “importer of record” for products affected by the tariffs, but did not provide a specific dollar amount it is seeking in damages. The corporation noted in the filing that the suit was necessary because importers are not guaranteed to receive a refund if the high court strikes down the tariffs, unless they sue.

    How are Philly-area businesses handling Trump’s tariffs?

    Costco also claims in the lawsuit that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) denied its request to delay the calculation of the total tariffs that it owes. The lawsuit claims that Costco’s ability to receive a refund will be significantly impacted if those calculations are completed.

    The suit is separate from the larger case challenging Trump’s tariffs that the Supreme Court heard on Nov. 5.

    Other companies have sued to preserve refund rights, but the Issaquah, Washington-based retail warehouse club operator is among the largest to sue the administration so far. Others that have sought to protect tariff refunds include Bumble Bee Foods, eyeglass giant EssilorLuxottica, Kawasaki Motors, Revlon, and Yokohama Tire, court records show.

    Costco and the CBP did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s requests for comment on Dec. 1.

    The affordability squeeze has consumers gloomy

    ‘Razor-close case’

    During nearly three hours of debate on Nov. 5, Supreme Court justices questioned whether Trump has the power to impose sweeping tariffs on most imports using the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Several legal experts said the justices’ questions reveal a lot about where they stand on Trump’s policy.

    Ashley Akers, a former Justice Department attorney now with the law firm Holland & Knight, previously told USA TODAY that she heard a “notable skepticism from justices across the ideological spectrum.”

    “Overall, it felt like a strong day for the tariff challengers, though it feels like this will be a razor-close case,” Akers said.

    Several justices were concerned that if they sided with Trump, Congress would lose control over tariffs, even though the Constitution gives that power to lawmakers, said Curtis A. Bradley, an expert on foreign relations law at the University of Chicago Law School.

    Oliver Dunford, an attorney with the libertarian Pacific Legal Foundation, said the case is complicated enough without a majority of the court focusing on just one legal argument.

    “If I had to guess,” Dunford said, “I’d guess that the court will rule against the president without agreeing on the reason.”

    The Supreme Court took the tariff case on an accelerated basis, but has not said when it will rule.

    Contributing: Maureen Groppe, Bart Jansen, and Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY; Reuters

    This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Costco sues US to preserve tariff refunds if Trump loses appeal

    Reporting by James Powel, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

    USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

  • Gangs launch large-scale attack in Haiti’s central region as hundreds flee gunfire, burning homes

    Gangs launch large-scale attack in Haiti’s central region as hundreds flee gunfire, burning homes

    SAINT-MARC, Haiti — Heavily armed gangs attacked Haiti’s central region over the weekend, killing men, women, and children as they set fire to homes and forced survivors to flee into the darkness.

    Police made emergency calls for backup, asserting that 50% of the Artibonite region had fallen under gang control after the large-scale attacks targeting towns including Bercy and Pont-Sondé.

    “The population cannot live, cannot work, cannot move,” one of Haiti’s police unions, SPNH-17, said Sunday on X. “Losing the country’s 2 largest departments — West and Artibonite — is the greatest security failure in modern Haitian history.”

    The bulk of Haiti’s police force and the Kenyan officers leading a U.N.-backed mission to help repel gangs are in the capital, Port-au-Prince, which itself is largely held by gangs.

    Guerby Simeus, a Pont-Sondé official, told the Associated Press by phone on Monday that he had confirmed nearly a dozen deaths, including a mother and her child and a local government employee.

    “The gangs are still in Pont-Sondé,” he said, noting that no additional police had arrived.

    A run for the coast

    Many survivors fled to the coastal town of Saint-Marc, where hundreds of angry people on Monday demanded that the government take action against gangs who have repeatedly attacked Haiti’s central region.

    “Give me the guns! I’m going to fight the gangs!” said Réné Charles, who survived the attack. “We’ve got to stand up and fight!”

    The crowd tried to break into the mayor’s office, with one unidentified man telling the AP that they weren’t going to rely on the government any longer: “We’re going to take justice into our own hands!”

    Charlesma Jean Marcos, a political activist, said the gang announced last week that they were going to invade the area, and that they alerted authorities to no avail.

    “For now, the only people really fighting (the gang) is the self-defense group,” he said. “A country cannot run like this.”

    Marcos urged all the survivors sleeping on the street and in public parks to instead sleep inside police stations and government offices until the government can take back Artibonite.

    “A lot of people are going to be hungry,” he warned. “We can support you today, we can support you tomorrow, but we won’t be able to support you forever.”

    More than half of Haiti’s population is already experiencing crisis levels of hunger or worse, with gangs blocking main roads and the ongoing violence displacing a record 1.4 million people.

    A region overrun with gangs

    The attacks in central Haiti began late Friday and late Saturday, with gang members broadcasting them live on social media.

    The attacks were blamed on the Gran Grif gang, which operates in the area and was responsible for an attack on Pont-Sondé in October 2024 that killed at least 100 people, one of the biggest massacres in Haiti’s recent history.

    “I heard heavy shooting, so much shooting,” one unidentified man recalled to the Associated Press and criticized the lack of police, saying he was stuck inside his house all weekend until Monday morning. “Why don’t they send any drones to Artibonite? They just use the drones in Port-au-Prince. I feel this gang is special. They don’t want to destroy this gang.”

    A spokesperson for Haiti’s National Police did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

    Gran Grif is considered one of Haiti’s cruelest gangs. Its leader, Luckson Elan, recently was sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council and the U.S. government. Also sanctioned was Prophane Victor, a former legislator whom the U.N. accused of arming young men in the Artibonite region.

    The U.N. has said killings have risen dramatically in Haiti’s Artibonite and Centre departments this year, with 1,303 victims reported from January to August, compared with 419 during the same period in 2024.

    “These assaults underscore the capacity of gangs to consolidate control across a corridor from the Centre to the Artibonite amid limited law enforcement presence and logistical constraints,” a recent U.N. report stated.

    Fritz Alphonse Jean, a member of Haiti’s transitional presidential council who was sanctioned by the U.S. last month and is seeking to oust the current prime minister, condemned the latest attacks.

    “Blood continues to flow, lives and property continues to be lost in front of a government incapable of addressing the population’s problems for more than a year,” he wrote on X, adding: “Stability???!”

  • New York backs 3 new casinos, including at Mets stadium and a golf course Trump once ran

    New York backs 3 new casinos, including at Mets stadium and a golf course Trump once ran

    NEW YORK — New York City is poised to get its first Vegas-style casinos, including one next to the home stadium of baseball’s New York Mets and another that could see a windfall for President Donald Trump.

    They were among three casino proposals approved for lucrative gambling licenses on Monday by a key state panel. No casinos will end up coming to Manhattan, however, as several other competing proposals were already scrapped, including one in the heart of Times Square.

    The state Gaming Commission is expected to formally issue the licenses before the end of the year, as the gambling revenues are already factored into the state budget. Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul said the casinos promise to unlock billions of dollars in funding for the state’s transit system and create jobs; however, opponents have repeatedly warned that easy access to casinos will lead to increased gambling addiction.

    Bally’s plan to spend $4 billion building a casino at the Ferry Point golf course in the Bronx could mean millions of dollars for Trump. When the company purchased the city-owned golf course’s operating rights from the Trump Organization in 2023, it promised to pony up another $115 million if it won a casino license. Spokespersons for the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

    In nearby Queens, billionaire New York Mets owner Steve Cohen has proposed building an $8.1 billion Hard Rock casino on a parking lot of Citi Field. The complex would include a performance venue, a hotel, and retail and shopping space.

    Resorts World, meanwhile, has proposed investing more than $5 billion to expand an existing slots parlor into a full casino at the Aqueduct Race Track, which is also in Queens near John F. Kennedy International Airport. It too would add hotel, dining, and entertainment options.

    Vicki Been, chairperson of New York Gaming Facility Location Board, said the panel believed New York City was “plenty strong” enough to sustain the three planned casinos, despite their close proximity. The region’s dense and relatively affluent population, combined with high tourism, makes it one of the country’s most robust gaming markets, the board said, adding that nearby residents are expected to form the core of repeat visitors, bolstered by travelers from the U.S. and abroad.

    Using conservative assumptions, the board’s consultants estimated the casinos would bring $7 billion in gambling revenues for the state from 2027 to 2036, plus $1.5 billion in licensing fees and nearly $6 billion in related local taxes. The plans include public safety investments and upgrades to public transit and roadways.

    However, the board cautioned that the casinos have “ambitious” timelines for opening. The expansion at Aqueduct Race Track aims to open some facilities by March, while the Citi Field and golf course sites plan for a 2030 opening.

    Anti-casino protesters, meanwhile, chanted “Shame on you! Shame on you!” as they were escorted out of the meeting in midtown Manhattan.

    Jack Hu, one of the group’s organizers, said casino operators view older adults and workers as merely “cash cows to milk for money.” He said the proposals will have a disproportionately negative impact in the city’s Asian American communities, which are largely concentrated in Queens.

    “They bus our seniors to casinos, and they give them meal and gambling vouchers in the hopes that they’ll stay long enough to lose their entire Social Security check,” Hu said after the meeting.

    The commission is authorized to license up to three casinos in the New York City area after voters approved a referendum back in 2013 opening the door to casino gambling statewide.

    Since then, four full casinos with table games have opened in New York, but all of them are located upstate, miles away from Manhattan. The state also has nine gambling halls offering slot machines and other electronic gambling machines, but no live table games.

    The closely watched competition for a New York City license began with a crowded field, with some eight proposals in the running as recently as September.

    But four of the high-profile plans failed to get the stamp of approval from local advisory boards, automatically knocking them out of contention.

    Among the most notable was a Jay-Z-backed plan to build a Caesars Palace in Times Square, as well as two other resorts proposed in central Manhattan.

    Then in October, MGM abruptly pulled out of the license sweepstakes, saying the “competitive and economic assumptions underpinning” their plans had changed. The Las Vegas casino giant had planned a major expansion of the Empire City Casino, a slots parlor located at the Yonkers Raceway north of Manhattan.

  • National Guard member shot in D.C. has shown positive signs, W. Va. governor says

    National Guard member shot in D.C. has shown positive signs, W. Va. governor says

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia National Guard member who was shot last week in a brazen daytime attack in Washington, D.C., remains in serious condition but showed positive signs by giving a thumbs-up that he could hear a nurse’s question and wiggling his toes, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Monday.

    Morrisey said the family of 24-year-old U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe has asked the public to pray for him. Another member of the West Virginia National Guard, U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died after the shooting.

    “Andrew is still fighting for his life,” Morrisey said. “Andrew needs prayers.”

    Morrisey said he could not yet share details of any funeral arrangements for Beckstrom and wants to respect her family’s wishes.

    Beckstrom and Wolfe were shot Wednesday just blocks from the White House while deployed as part of President Donald Trump’s crime-fighting plan that federalized D.C. police.

    Investigators are working to determine a motive. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, is charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of assault in the shooting.

    Authorities said Lakanwal, who was shot in the confrontation, remained hospitalized and a court appearance has not yet been scheduled.

    The shooting prompted the Trump administration to halt all asylum decisions and pause issuing visas for people traveling on Afghan passports.

    After the shooting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump asked him to send 500 more National Guard members to Washington. Morrisey said he has not been asked to deploy additional troops from West Virginia.

    Overall, nearly 2,200 troops currently are assigned to the joint task force operating in the city, according to the government’s latest update. More than 300 West Virginia National Guard members were deployed in August. In mid-November, up to 170 of them volunteered to extend their deployment until the end of the year while the others returned to West Virginia.

    “Our sole focus right now is looking after the well-being of the 170 service members who are on the ground, focusing on the family, assuring that prayers are going out,” Morrisey said.

  • White House says admiral ordered follow-on strike on alleged drug boat, insists attack was lawful

    White House says admiral ordered follow-on strike on alleged drug boat, insists attack was lawful

    WASHINGTON — The White House said Monday that a Navy admiral ordered a second strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea and insists that a September attack that has come under bipartisan scrutiny was lawful.

    White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt offered a justification for the Sept. 2 strike after lawmakers from both parties on Sunday announced support for congressional reviews of U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, citing a published report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for a second strike that killed survivors on the boat in that incident.

    Leavitt in her comments to reporters on Monday did not dispute a Washington Post report that there were survivors after the initial strike in the incident. Her explanation came after President Donald Trump a day earlier said that he “wouldn’t have wanted that — not a second strike” when asked about the incident.

    “Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes,” said Leavitt, referring to U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Frank Bradley, who at the time was the commander of Joint Special Operations Command. “Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated.”

    The lawmakers said they did not know whether last week’s Post report was true, and some Republicans were skeptical. Still, they said the reports of attacking survivors of an initial missile strike posed serious legal concerns and merited further scrutiny.

    “This rises to the level of a war crime if it’s true,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.).

    Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), when asked about a follow-up strike aimed at people no longer able to fight, said Congress does not have information that happened. He noted that leaders of the Armed Services Committee in both the House and Senate have opened investigations.

    “Obviously, if that occurred, that would be very serious and I agree that that would be an illegal act,” Turner said.

    Trump on Sunday vigorously defended Hegseth.

    “Pete said he did not order the death of those two men,” Trump said. He added, “And I believe him.”

    Leavitt said Hegseth has spoken with members of Congress who may have expressed some concerns about the reports over the weekend.

    After the Post’s report, Hegseth said Friday on X that “fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.”

    “Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict—and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command,” Hegseth wrote.

    Leavitt also confirmed that Trump later on Monday would be holding a meeting with his national security team to discuss the ongoing operations in the Caribbean Sea and potential next steps against Venezuela.

    The U.S. administration says the strikes in the Caribbean are aimed at drug cartels, some of which it claims are controlled by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Trump also is weighing whether to carry out strikes on the Venezuelan mainland.

    Trump on Sunday confirmed that he had recently spoken by phone with Maduro but declined to detail the conversation.

    The September strike was one in a series carried out by the U.S. military in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean as Trump has ordered the buildup a fleet of warships near Venezuela, including the largest U.S. aircraft carrier.

    More than 80 people have been killed the strikes on small boats that the Trump administration alleges smuggle narcotics for drug cartels.

  • Doctor says Trump had preventative screening MRI on heart, abdomen with ‘perfectly normal’ results

    Doctor says Trump had preventative screening MRI on heart, abdomen with ‘perfectly normal’ results

    WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s doctor says the president had MRI imaging on his heart and abdomen in October as part of a preventative screening for men his age, according to a memo from the physician released by the White House on Monday.

    Sean Barbabella said in a statement that Trump’s physical exam included “advanced imaging” that is “standard for an executive physical” in Trump’s age group. Barbabella concluded that the cardiovascular and abdominal imaging was “perfectly normal.”

    “The purpose of this imaging is preventative: to identify issues early, confirm overall health, and ensure he maintains long-term vitality and function,” the doctor wrote.

    The White House released Barbabella’s memo after Trump on Sunday said he would release the results of the scan. He and the White House have said the scan was “part of his routine physical examination” but had declined until Monday to detail why Trump had an MRI during his physical in October at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center or on what part of his body.

    “I think that’s quite a bit of detail,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday when announcing the memo’s release.

    The Republican president said Sunday during an exchange with reporters as he traveled back to Washington from Florida that the results of the MRI were “perfect.”

    “If you want to have it released, I’ll release it,” Trump said.

    Trump added Sunday that he has “no idea” on what part of his body he got the MRI.

    “It was just an MRI,” he said. “What part of the body? It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and I aced it.”

  • Land and security are the main sticking points as Russia and Ukraine mull Trump’s peace proposal

    Land and security are the main sticking points as Russia and Ukraine mull Trump’s peace proposal

    Diplomats face an uphill battle to reconcile Russian and Ukrainian “red lines” as a renewed U.S.-led push to end the war gathers steam, with Ukrainian officials attending talks in the U.S. over the weekend and Washington officials expected in Moscow early this week.

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan became public last month, sparking alarm that it was too favorable to Moscow. It was revised following talks in Geneva between the U.S. and Ukraine a week ago.

    Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the revised plan could be “workable.” Russian President Vladimir Putin called it a possible “basis” for a future peace agreement. Trump said Sunday, “There’s a good chance we can make a deal.”

    Still, officials on both sides indicated a long road ahead as key sticking points — over whether Kyiv should cede land to Moscow and how to ensure Ukraine’s future security — appear unresolved.

    Here is where things stand and what to expect this week:

    U.S. holds talks with Kyiv then Moscow

    Trump representatives met the Ukrainian officials over the weekend and plan to meet with the Russians in coming days.

    Ukraine’s national security council head Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s armed forces Andrii Hnatov, presidential adviser Oleksandr Bevz, and others met with U.S. officials for about four hours on Sunday. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the session was productive but more work remains. Umerov praised the U.S. for its support but offered no details.

    Zelensky’s former chief of staff and former lead negotiator for Ukraine, Andrii Yermak, resigned Friday amid a corruption scandal and is no longer part of the negotiating team. It was only a week ago that Rubio met with Yermak in Geneva, resulting in a revised peace plan.

    Trump said last week that he would send his envoy Steve Witkoff to Russia. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed Monday that Putin will meet Witkoff today.

    Trump suggested he could eventually meet with Putin and Zelensky, but not until there has been more progress.

    Witkoff’s role in the peace efforts came under scrutiny last week following a report that he coached Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, on how Russia’s leader should pitch Trump on the Ukraine peace plan. Both Moscow and Washington downplayed the significance of the revelations.

    Where the two sides stand

    Eager to please Trump, Kyiv and Moscow have ostensibly welcomed the peace plan and the push to end the war. But Russia has continued attacking Ukraine and reiterated its maximalist demands, indicating a deal is still a ways off.

    Putin implied last week that he will fight as a long as it takes to achieve his goals, saying that he will stop only when Ukrainian troops withdraw from all four Ukrainian regions that Russia illegally annexed in 2022 and still doesn’t fully control. “If they don’t withdraw, we’ll achieve this by force. That’s all,” he said.

    The plan, Putin said, “could form the basis for future agreements,” but it is in no way final and requires “a serious discussion.”

    Zelensky has refrained from talking about individual points, opting instead to thank Trump profusely for his efforts and emphasizing the need for Europe — whose interests are more closely aligned with Ukraine’s — to be involved. He also has stressed the importance of robust security guarantees for Ukraine.

    The first version of the plan granted some core Russian demands that Ukraine considers nonstarters, such as ceding land to Moscow that it doesn’t yet occupy and renouncing its bid to become a member of NATO.

    Zelensky has said repeatedly that giving up territory is not an option. One of the Ukrainian negotiators, Bevz, told the Associated Press on Tuesday that Ukraine’s president wanted to discuss the territory issue with Trump directly. Yermak then told the Atlantic in an interview on Thursday that Zelensky would not sign over the land.

    Zelensky also maintains that NATO membership is the cheapest way to guarantee Ukraine’s security, and NATO’s 32 member countries said last year that Ukraine is on an “irreversible” path to membership. Since he took office, Trump has made it clear that NATO membership is off the table.

    Moscow, in turn, has bristled at any suggestion of a Western peacekeeping force on the ground in Ukraine, and stressed that keeping Ukraine out of NATO and NATO out of Ukraine was one of the core goals of the war.

    Putin seems to have time on his side

    Zelensky, meanwhile, has been under pressure at home.

    Yermak’s resignation was a major blow for Zelensky, although neither the president nor Yermak have been accused of wrongdoing by investigators.

    “Russia really wants Ukraine to make mistakes. There won’t be mistakes on our side,” Zelensky said. ”Our work continues, our struggle continues. We don’t have a right not to push it to the end.”

    An activist with Ukraine’s nongovernmental Anti-Corruption Center, Valeriia Radchenko, said letting go of Yermak was the right decision and would open a “window of opportunity for reform.”

    Putin, meanwhile, seeks to project confidence, boasting of Russia’s advances on the battlefield.

    The Russian leader “feels more confident than ever about the battlefield situation and is convinced that he can wait until Kyiv finally accepts that it cannot win and must negotiate on Russia’s well-known terms,” Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia and Eurasia Center wrote on X. “If the Americans can help move things in that direction — fine. If not, he knows how to proceed anyway. That is the current Kremlin logic.”

    Europe’s conundrum

    NATO and the EU are holding several meetings this week focused on Ukraine.

    Zelensky is holding talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday. In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is hosting Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal and EU defense and foreign ministers are gathering to discuss European military support for Ukraine and Europe’s defense readiness.

    On Wednesday, NATO foreign ministers will gather again in Brussels.

    The main issue for the EU right now is what to do with the frozen Russian assets in Belgium that the Trump peace plan in its initial version sought to use for postwar investment in Ukraine.

    Those funds are central to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s strategy to ensure continued help for Ukraine while also maintaining pressure on Russia. But Belgium’s prime minister is holding out, worried about the legal implications of tapping the frozen assets for Ukraine, the impact that could have on the euro — and of Russian retaliation.

    The diplomacy set in motion by Trump’s peace plan “painfully exposed” Europe’s weakness, Nigel Gould-Davies of the International Institute for Strategic Studies wrote in a recent commentary.

    “Despite being the main source of Ukraine’s economic and military support, it is marginal to the diplomacy of the war and has done little more than offer amendments to America’s draft peace plan,” Gould-Davies wrote.