Afghan national charged in Guard ambush shooting drove across US to carry out attack, officials say
WASHINGTON (AP) — An Afghan national has been accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members just blocks from the White House in a brazen act of violence. The guard members had deployed to the nation’s capital and were shot Wednesday afternoon. The FBI director and Washington’s mayor say the guard members were hospitalized in critical condition. The suspect who is in custody also was shot and had wounds that were not believed to be life-threatening. Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said at a Thursday news briefing that the guard members shot were Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24. Officials say the 29-year-old is an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome.
Wisconsin seeks to block Morgan Geyser’s conditional release after escape from group home
WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin authorities have asked a state court to revoke the conditional release of Morgan Geyser, the woman who in 2014 almost killed her sixth grade classmate in the name of horror villain Slender Man and escaped from a group home earlier this week. A Waukesha County Circuit Court judge agreed on Wednesday to seal the petition filed by the Department of Corrections late Tuesday seeking the revocation. Authorities say Geyser cut her GPS monitoring bracelet on Saturday night and fled the group home with a 43-year-old companion. Police outside of Chicago found Geyser on Sunday night.
3 arrested in Hong Kong, as a high-rise fire leaves at least 44 dead and 279 reported missing
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in years is still burning. It has left at least 44 people dead and 279 reported missing with rescuers pulling residents from blazing high-rise apartment buildings into the morning. Police had arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with fire which began Wednesday afternoon in a housing complex in Tai Po district, a suburb in the New Territories. By Thursday morning local time, the fire was yet to be put out and rescues continued with the death toll reaching 44. Hundreds of residents were evacuated as the fire spread across seven of the eight buildings in the complex.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade kicks off in Manhattan
NEW YORK (AP) — The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has kicked off in New York City. New balloons depicting Buzz Lightyear, Pac-Man and other characters are set to take to the skies. Floats featuring Labubu and Lego and a star-studded lineup of performers will grace the streets, along with a slew of marching bands, dancers, clowns and cheerleaders. The parade began Thursday morning. It will air on NBC and be simulcast on NBC’s Peacock streaming service.
Guinea-Bissau soldiers announce general as junta leader, cementing coup days after election
BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau (AP) — Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau have announced a new junta leader for the country, cementing a forceful takeover of power that began days after the country’s presidential election. The military high command said Thursday it has inaugurated Gen. Horta Inta-A as the head of the military government. The political opposition in Guinea-Bissau has accused deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of staging the coup to avoid defeat in Sunday’s presidential election. The Associated Press has not independently verifed the claims. The coup is the latest in a surge of coups in West Africa where democracy has recently been challenged by disputed elections that analysts say could embolden militaries.
Israel returns 15 more Palestinian bodies to Gaza as first phase of ceasefire nears end
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel has returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians, following Hamas’ return of the remains of an Israeli hostage. This exchange is part of the first phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Meanwhile, Turkish, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators met in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss the next steps. The next phases of the truce include deploying an armed International Stabilization Force and developing an international body to govern Gaza. But violence continued in Gaza as well as in the West Bank, where Israel said it was conducting a “broad counterterrorism operation” on Wednesday.
US-Russian crew of 3 blasts off to the International Space Station in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft
MOSCOW (AP) — A U.S.-Russian crew of three has started a mission to the International Space Station aboard a Russian spacecraft following a successful launch. A Soyuz booster rocket lifted off at 2:27 p.m. Thursday from the Russia-leased Baikonur facility in Kazakhstan. It docked at the station approximately three hours after liftoff. The Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft carried NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Russian crewmates Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov. All three are expected to spend about eight months at the orbiting outpost. NASA says this is the first spaceflight for physicist Williams and military pilot Mikaev. This is the second flight for Kud-Sverchkov.
French president unveils new military program for volunteers aged 18 and 19
VARCES, France (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a new military service program for volunteers aged 18 and 19. Starting next year, they will serve for 10 months. Macron revealed the plan on Thursday at the Varces military base in the French Alps. The program aims to strengthen France’s defenses amid growing threats, particularly from Russia. Volunteers will serve within France and its overseas territories, not in foreign military operations. Conscription, which ended in 1996, is not being reinstated. France plans to increase military spending and expand its reservist numbers in response to security concerns.
Pope Leo XIV encourages Turkey to be a force for stability and peace as he opens first foreign trip
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Pope Leo XIV is encouraging Turkey to be a source of stability and dialogue in a world riven by conflict. The American pope emphasized a message of peace as he arrived Thursday in Ankara on his first foreign trip as pontiff. After meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Leo praised Turkey’s historic role as a bridge between East and West. He said: “May Turkey be a source of stability and rapprochement between peoples, in services of a just and lasting peace.” Turkey has cast itself as a key intermediary in peace negotiations for the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
Georgia case against Trump dropped, ending efforts to punish president over 2020 election aftermath
ATLANTA (AP) — A judge has dismissed the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and others after the prosecutor who took over the case said he would not pursue the charges. The move on Wednesday ends the last effort to punish the president in the courts for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. Pete Skandalakis, the prosecutor who took over the case earlier this month, made the announcement in a court filing. He replaced Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was removed due to a conflict of interest. Legal action against Trump was unlikely to proceed while he is president. Fourteen other defendants still faced charges.