Good morning. In this edition:

• 🏛️ National Guard shooting in D.C.
• 🍿 Zootopia 2 powers box office
• 🐯 Ligers and zorses

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.49-minute read (929 words).

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"Nothing can dim the light that shines from within."

–Maya Angelou (1928-2014)

On Wednesday, two National Guard members were shot and seriously wounded in an ambush-style attack just blocks from the White House in Washington, D.C.

One National Guard member, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, died from her injuries one day later. The other, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, remains in critical condition. Both were deployed from West Virginia as part of the Trump admin’s recent order for federal law enforcement to combat crime in D.C.

The suspected shooter, a 29-year-old man from Afghanistan, is in custody. He first immigrated to the US in 2021 through a special visa program after working with the CIA during the Afghanistan War, and was eventually granted asylum in April 2025.

• The suspect’s motive in the attack, described by President Trump as an “act of terror,” is currently unclear.
• US officials say he drove from his home in the state of Washington with a goal of staging an attack in America’s capital.
• Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem yesterday said authorities believe the suspect was “radicalized" after coming to the US from Afghanistan, and that it occurred “through connections in his home community and state.”

The shooting has prompted swift immigration changes

In the wake of Wednesday’s shooting, the Trump admin temporarily halted all US asylum decisions in general, and paused issuing visas for Afghan nationals.

Trump officials also blamed the Biden admin for inadequately vetting the alleged shooter, and said the gov’t plans to reopen cases for all ~233,000 refugees who entered the US under Biden, and possibly strip them of their legal status.

• Separately, President Trump pledged to “permanently pause” all legal immigration from what he called “third world countries” in response to the National Guard shooting, and also pushed for “reverse migration.”
• This includes a “rigorous reexamination” of all green cards (permanent US residence cards) issued to individuals from countries of concern, a list of 19 nations that includes Afghanistan, Cuba, and Iran.

Looking ahead…Federal officials say the suspected shooter will face first-degree murder charges. Investigations into his motive are still ongoing.

📊 Flash poll: In general, do you agree with the new federal immigration changes enacted in response to last week’s National Guard shooting in D.C.?

• Yes
• No
• Unsure/other

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🛒 US consumers spent a record-high $11.8 billion online on Black Friday, per data from Adobe Analytics.
• ✈️ Airbus orders recall of 6,000 jets due to risks from solar radiation, canceling hundreds of flights globally.
• 🧾 President Trump says US may "almost completely" eliminate income tax in the next couple of years due to tariff revenue.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏆 Zootopia 2 earns $156 million domestically in its holiday weekend debut, as well as the highest-ever global opening for an animated movie ($556 million); total domestic Thanksgiving box office posts top-5 all-time performance. | AI artist Solomon Gray currently holds the #1 songs on the Billboard and iTunes charts for digital sales of Christian and gospel music.
• 🏟️ CFB: Week 14 is in the books (recap). | NFL: See a full Week 13 recap (link) | Red Bull’s Max Verstappen wins Qatar Grand Prix, setting up a F1 title-deciding race in Saudi Arabia this weekend.
• 🎓🏈 Lane Kiffin leaves #6 Ole Miss to become head coach at rival LSU; Kiffin won’t coach Ole Miss in the College Football Playoffs. | Florida hires Tulane's Jon Sumrall as their new head football coach.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🌋 World’s largest lithium deposit lies buried under a supervolcano on the Nevada-Oregon border, new research suggests; scientists estimate the total lithium to be worth ~$1.5 trillion at today’s prices.
• 🦴 New study concludes ~3.4 million-year-old foot fossil found in Ethiopia belongs to a previously unknown ancient human relative.
• 🍳 America’s favorite cooking oil—soybean oil—directly contributes to developing obesity, per new mice study.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 💥 Washington Post report alleges Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered a second strike to kill two shipwrecked survivors from September attack on suspected drug trafficking boat from Venezuela; Democratic lawmakers say intentionally killing survivors amounts to a war crime, while GOP lawmakers dismiss report as anonymous and unproven.
• 🧑‍⚖️ Georgia prosecutor ends President Trump's election interference case; it concludes the last active proceeding accusing Trump of leading a criminal enterprise to overturn the 2020 election.
• 🌎 President Trump declares airspace around Venezuela should be considered closed; it comes two days after Trump suggested land strikes against Venezuela could be imminent, amid a US pressure campaign against President Nicolás Maduro. | Trump says he will pardon former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted of drug trafficking charges in a US court last year. | Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff resigns hours after anti-corruption investigators raid his home.

☝️ The 99th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade saw record-high viewership last week, per new Nielsen data, with 34.3 million people tuning in to the NBC and Peacock broadcasts. This year’s edition featured 34 balloons, four mini-balloons, 28 floats, 33 clown groups, and 11 marching bands.

🤔 Did you know? Ligers (lion + tiger) and zorses (zebra + horse) are species that exist in real life, but only thanks to human matchmaking. The parent species never actually cross paths in nature today.

📰 Worth a read: Tired of the modern obsession with optimization? Blame the Victorians, not Big Tech.

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• Your butt shape can help predict diabetes risk
• TIME magazine's top 100 photos of 2025.
• The music that keeps animals calm

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On Friday, we covered a new healthcare plan reportedly being considered by the Trump admin to extend Covid-era enhanced tax credits for the Affordable Care Act (with some caveats), which was delayed last week after pushback from GOP lawmakers.

❓ Our question to you: Do you think Congress should extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, or let them expire at the end of this year?

• Extend them: 64%
• Let them expire: 28%
• Unsure/other: 8%

Click here to read some of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 650 votes and 76 longform responses.

Monday: December 1; ISM manufacturing index for November

Tuesday: National Special Education Day

Wednesday: ADP publishes private jobs data for November

Thursday: Weekly US unemployment claims; Metroid Prime 4: Beyond releases for Nintendo Switch

Friday: Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 hits theaters; start of CFB championship weekend

Guess the definitions of the following Greek/Latin root words:

1. Deb
2. Fund
3. Lun
4. Opt
5. Uber

🏆 Guinness World Records just crowned a German horse named Pumuckel as the shortest living adult horse in the world, at just 21.1 inches tall. Despite his tiny size, the therapy horse makes big rounds at nursing homes, schools, and care facilities.

1. Deb = Owe (e.g., debit)
2. Fund = Bottom (fundamental)
3. Lun = Moon (lunar)
4. Opt = Best (optimal)
5. Uber = Fruitful (exuberant)

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