The Afghan national suspected of killing one National Guardsman and wounding another in Washington, D.C., last week was “radicalized” after coming into the United States, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Noem told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that the federal government believes 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal maintained “connections” to people in Afghanistan who may have helped radicalize him. Lakanwal was allowed to enter the United States under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome following the former president’s disastrous withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country. “I will say we believe he was radicalized since he’s been here in this country,” Noem said. “We do believe it was through connections in his home community and state, and we’re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him, who were his family members, who talk to them.” Lakanwal is accused of shooting National Guardsmen Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe on the day before Thanksgiving, killing Beckstrom and seriously wounding Wolfe. The suspected shooter was injured by return fire, but he is expected to survive and stand trial. Lakanwal was charged with first-degree murder, with more charges expected to be handed down as the investigation continues. President Donald Trump called the shooting a “terrorist attack,” saying that the suspect “went nuts.” “It happens too often with these people,” Trump added. The suspected shooter was granted asylum in the United States after serving alongside U.S. troops in a special Afghan Army unit that was backed by the CIA, the Associated Press reported. Noem blamed the Biden administration for failing to properly vet Afghan refugees who were granted asylum in the United States. Lakanwal’s asylum claim was approved in April under the Trump administration, but Noem said “the vetting process all happened under Joe Biden’s administration.” “Vetting is happening when they come into the country, and that was completely abandoned under Joe Biden’s administration,” Noem added. Lakanwal reportedly exhibited troubling behavior long before he attacked National Guard troops in D.C., according to the Associated Press. Lakanwal settled with his wife and children in Bellingham, Washington, where he reportedly struggled to hold a job and failed to assimilate into U.S. culture, according to emails from a community advocate who works with Afghan refugees. In one email from January 2024, the community advocate wrote that Lakanwal “has not been functional as a person, father and provider since March of last year, 03/2023. He quit his job that month, and his behavior has changed greatly.” The community advocate added that Lakanwal would spend weeks in a “darkened room, not speaking to anyone, not even his wife or older kids.” After receiving the emails from the community advocate, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants checked up on Lakanwal, but it appears that Lakanwal was not contacted or refused assistance. Lakanwal drove across the United States from Bellingham to Washington, D.C., where he allegedly carried out the attack, according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.

The Washington Post ran with an anonymously-sourced hit piece claiming that War Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered Seal Team 6, when executing a strike against narco-terrorists in the Caribbean, to “kill them all” — and legacy media outlets fell all over themselves platforming guests who would question whether or not such an order, if given, was legal. For those who don’t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week’s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed. Once the story began circulating on Saturday, Hegseth addressed it directly, saying, “As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.” “As we’ve said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be ‘lethal, kinetic strikes.’ The declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people,” Hegseth continued. “Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization.” The focus across media outlets was on what happened after the initial missile strike: operators watched a live feed that showed two survivors clinging to the wreckage of the boat. Then, according to The Washington Post’s report, a second strike was carried out in order to comply with the directive to “kill them all” — and the legality of that second strike in particular was where they focused the majority of the attention. On ABC’s “This Week,” host Jonathan Karl brought in global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz to discuss the issue, and she questioned whether the second strike, reportedly carried out when the two survivors were not known to be an “imminent threat” might stand in violation of the “rules of war.” “Did those two men clinging to the side of the boat pose an imminent threat?” she asked, and she wondered aloud whether the order to strike a second time had been given with the knowledge that survivors were hanging on for dear life, and whether the lawyers had been consulted about the legality of such a strike. “Did those two men clinging to the side of the boat pose an imminent threat?”@MarthaRaddatz weighs in on the Washington Post reporting of a military strike that allegedly targeted two survivors in the Caribbean. https://t.co/qh5zs8hdWr pic.twitter.com/alnukF1hlq — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 30, 2025 Karl then set up Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) with the framing of the second strike as a “war crime.” Van Hollen agreed that it would certainly be a “war crime,” but only if one accepted the Trump administration’s assertion that the United States was, in fact, at war with the cartels. “But it could be worse than that. If that theory is wrong, then it’s plain murder,” he said. “But even if you accept their legal theory, then it is a war crime.” “I do believe that the Secretary of Defense should be held accountable for giving those kind of orders.” Sen. Van Hollen comments on the Washington Post reporting of a military strike that allegedly targeted two survivors in the Caribbean. https://t.co/CeUj71b7jA pic.twitter.com/eqaL76Vd4o — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 30, 2025 Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) took the same position as Raddatz, arguing that he could not see how two men hanging onto wreckage in the water amounted to an “imminent threat.” “It’s hard to believe that two people on a raft trying to survive would pose an imminent threat,” he said, but argued that he didn’t believe Hegseth would give an order to kill survivors after an initial strike. Rep. Don Bacon on the Washington Post reporting of a military strike that allegedly targeted two survivors in the Caribbean: “It’s hard to believe that two people on a raft trying to survive would pose an imminent threat.” https://t.co/Nh3a5IomlB pic.twitter.com/NmxgtniEnp — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 30, 2025 On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) argued that he was unsure of the legality of any of the strikes against narco-terrorists. “It’s time for Congress to rein in a president who is deciding to wage war on his own say so, which is not what the Constitution allows,” he said. He also argued that a second strike “rises to the level of a war crime if it’s true.” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) says the “shoddy” legal rationale the Trump administration provided Congress for its military strikes on alleged drug boats “was not at all persuasive that these are legal actions.” “It’s time for Congress to rein in a president who is deciding to wage war… pic.twitter.com/KrMKfTNhYb — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) November 30, 2025 On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) claimed that he would have disregarded the order to carry out the second strike. “I’m a guy who — I have sunk two ships … during the first Gulf War,” Kelly said. “I never in that situation questioned whether those strikes were legal. We were given an order to do this, it was a time of war.” Kelly went on to say that he, like Kaine, questioned the legality of the strikes from the start. BASH: You mentioned that you were a captain in the Navy. If you received that order, would you have carried it out? KELLY: No. No. pic.twitter.com/CngXyLvL1f — State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) November 30, 2025 A second strike on top of that — particularly when the men in the water supposedly posed no immediate threat — would rise to the level of a “war crime,” Kelly said. Sen. Mark Kelly: U.S. military carrying out second strike on a suspected drug vessel killing unarmed survivors “seems to” constitute a war crime. pic.twitter.com/eTJl19bVxm — State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) November 30, 2025 On Fox News’ “Big Weekend Show,” however, Marine Corps veteran Joey Jones pushed back and argued that an “imminent threat” does not always have to come in the form of guns pointed at American citizens. ? Joey Jones just ended the left with one quote: “Spare me the tears over terrorists when you don’t cry over Americans who’ve died from them. Spare me the tears over terrorists when you didn’t have anything to say when President Obama droned American citizens.” ??? pic.twitter.com/6ISsgZkWzD — Gina Milan (@ginamilan_) November 29, 2025 Jones noted that if the survivors were able to radio others in their drug trafficking network, that could be just as grave a threat — and could also quickly result in men with guns showing up to defend them.

NASHVILLE—The Sunday after Thanksgiving is traditionally the busiest travel day of the year. And yesterday was no exception. “We are projecting that the Sunday after Thanksgiving will be one of the busiest travel days in TSA history,” said Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl. The agency projected that more than 3 million travelers took to the skies on November 30. Some of those travelers may have thought twice about tossing on sweats for their flights home, thanks to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s recent exhortation to leave the pajamas at home and “dress with respect” on flights. The Daily Wire took a trip down to Broadway in the heart of Nashville to gauge how Americans felt about Duffy’s statement. “We used to have dignity in everything we did,” one man said, lamenting that “we have decayed into being comfortable in every aspect of our lives.” “I would agree people should dress up more, especially in the airport,” said another, whose nicely tailored suit may indicate a little bias. But others rejected Duffy’s call to fly formal — an attitude that may be appealing to anyone flying home after a long weekend filled with  stuffing, cheer, and more stuffing. “To dress up is just uncomfortable,” one woman told The Daily Wire. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wants to bring back civility to airplanes… do you prefer to fly comfy or classy?@LyndenBlake asks the people ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/o4kSYy1C61 — Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) November 26, 2025 This year’s domestic travel forecast includes an additional 1.6 million travelers compared to last Thanksgiving. Stahl said the record numbers are credit to President Donald Trump. “America is entering a Golden Age of Travel as record numbers of holiday travelers are taking to the skies,” he said. “The majority of TSA’s Top 10 Travel Days have happened since President Trump took office.” Duffy introduced a new campaign “The Golden Age of Travel Starts With You” ahead of the holiday season. RELATED: No More Pajamas, Folks: Is It Time To Dress To Impress On Planes Again? Duffy’s goal is to restore courtesy and class to air travel, by first respecting yourself. That message seems to resonate with Americans, with one traveler telling The Daily Wire that “dressing nicely is a sign that you respect yourself and those around you.” Another added that “all the airport staff will treat you better guaranteed.” Some travelers, though, argue that a revival of air travel standards needs to start at the top. “In the 1940s—1980s Americans wore their Sunday best until we realized that we were just flying in an air bus,” one traveler said. “When the seats were bigger and you had more room for yourself, sure, I had no problem dressing up.” It’s not just the crowded flights that discourage Americans from dressing up, but also the chaos that overcrowding brings: since 2021, the FAA has recorded nearly 6,000 incidents involving unruly passengers. Duffy hopes that as passengers begin dressing with dignity, we’ll see fewer of those incidents. “Let’s be merry this holiday season as we fly!” Duffy said. “Dress up to go to the airport, help a stranger out, and be in a good mood. We can bring civility back, it’s as easy as that!” A woman fresh off a plane told The Daily Wire she always dresses to impress when traveling, and offered this encouragement. “Comfort and dressing to impress can go together very well. Just please don’t wear a robe.”

President Donald Trump declined to lay out a timeline on his administration’s planned pause on offers of asylum regarding 19 countries “of concern.” Trump defended the pause — but did not say when he might relax it — while speaking with reporters on board Air Force One on Sunday. The president said that the United States is better off without accepting refugees from the targeted countries. The 19 countries “of concern” included in the asylum pause are Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. “We don’t want people. We have enough problems. We don’t want those people,” the president said. “You know why we don’t want them? Because many have been no good, and they shouldn’t be in our country.” Asylum claims that will be blocked under the order are from countries that are “not friendly to us and countries that are out of control themselves–countries like Somalia that have virtually no government, no military, no police. All they do is go around killing each other, then they come into our country and tell us how to run our country,” said Trump. The president pointed to the case of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who has long been suspected of committing immigration fraud by marrying her brother. The president suggested that Omar married her brother to illegally immigrate to the United States, and that if the accusation is true, Omar should be thrown “the hell out of our country.” Omar has previously denied those claims. Trump first announced the pause on accepting asylum claims from 19 countries in a pair of posts on Truth Social on Thanksgiving Day. The president added that he plans to investigate and remove foreigners who are not citizens residing in the United States who are not a “net asset” to the country. “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s Autopen, and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country, end all Federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens of our Country, denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization,” said Trump.

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett raved about the holiday sales already underway as he told Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy that Americans had just delivered “the best Black Friday tha we’ve ever seen.” Hassett explained on “Fox & Friends: Weekend” that the end of the government shutdown had likely inspired a boost in consumer confidence as the holidays approached — and argued that wage growth under President Donald Trump compared to during former President Joe Biden’s administration was also likely playing a role in getting consumers through the doors. WATCH: National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett: “We just had the best Black Friday that we’ve ever seen… Retailers expect that both online and in-store sales are going to be the highest we’ve ever seen.” pic.twitter.com/zKhSJNXThI — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 30, 2025 “The fact is that we just had the best Black Friday that we’ve ever seen,” Hassett began. “And it’s not just because people are out there, you know, taking debt on their credit cards. It’s because incomes are way up under President Trump. They dropped about $3000 a person, $6000 a family, under Joe Biden and it’s up $1500 a person so far this year.” “And with all that extra money, and with the government shutdown over so that people feel comfortable going back to stores, we’re seeing a really blow-out Thanksgiving and Christmas coming our way,” he continued. “I think all the retailers expect that both online and in-store sales are going to be the highest we’ve ever seen — and the point is that’s happening even though inflation is way, way down under President Trump, you know it was 5-10% under Biden and right now it’s running at about 2.5%, and it’s not — it’s way lower than wage growth, so people’s incomes are going up by way more than inflation and that’s why we’re seeing these blowout sales.” Right now, DailyWire+ annual memberships are fifty percent off during our Black Friday sale. Join now at dailywire.com/blackfriday. Hassett delivered the same message on CBS News, pushing back on the narrative that Americans would only be spending more this Christmas because things had gotten more expensive. “I think the folks who were saying, ‘Well, maybe people are going to be anxious about going back and getting presents for the kids and so on,’ they have been disproven this weekend,” he said Top White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett says Black Friday spending increased this year, although early forecasts indicated that if spending was higher, it would likely be due to higher prices. “I think the folks who were saying, ‘Well, maybe people are going to be anxious… pic.twitter.com/UQev2irJkl — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) November 30, 2025 RELATED: Make Black Friday Easier — And Less Dangerous — With DW Shop The Official Woke-Free Gift Guide For 2025