Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville ignited a firestorm on Wednesday night, demanding the federal government to “IMMEDIATELY BAN all ISLAM immigrants and DEPORT every single Islamist who is living among us” -- hours after an Afghan national ambushed and shot two National Guardsmen near the White House.

Wounded National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, is not expected to recover. Her father Gary told the New York Times, “I’m holding her hand right now. She has a mortal wound.” “It’s not going to be a recovery.” The NY Times Report The father of National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, who was critically wounded in […] The post Wounded National Guard Member Has a “Mortal Wound” appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) posted a performance piece on Sunday — wringing her hands as she blamed the recently-ended government shutdown on President Donald Trump and claimed that he had almost single-handedly ruined Thanksgiving because of it — and got an impromptu review from actress and filmmaker Justine Bateman. Murray, who voted to keep the government closed — and thus deprive millions of Americans of their food stamp (SNAP) benefits — more than a dozen times, claimed that Trump and Republicans were taking major steps to deprive families of food assistance as the holidays approached. Her main point of contention appeared to be the fact that President Trump had refused to override her vote — and the votes of a majority of Democrats — and do what they would not do, and she insisted that he was the real reason families were being made to suffer. WATCH: It’s nearly Thanksgiving and everyone should remember that Trump fought all the way to the Supreme Court to deny families SNAP benefits this month. All of this after Trump & Republicans passed the largest cuts to SNAP in HISTORY this summer. It’s fundamentally immoral. pic.twitter.com/tiDol5wegG — Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) November 24, 2025 “It’s nearly Thanksgiving and everyone should remember that Trump fought all the way to the Supreme Court to deny families SNAP benefits this month. All of this after Trump & Republicans passed the largest cuts to SNAP in HISTORY this summer. It’s fundamentally immoral,” she said. Right now, DailyWire+ annual memberships are fifty percent off during our Black Friday sale. Join now at dailywire.com/blackfriday. Bateman chimed in with her review, addressing everything from the actress and her demeanor to the staging and the setting chosen for the video. WATCH: #SocialMediaVideoCritique Per: @sunnylohmann – There are many unfortunate issues with this piece. – The actress appears to be at once under-rehearsed, and also weary of the task of performing. – Careful casting is a must when a project has an exacting director. The impression… https://t.co/DlAxrq3NyE — Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) November 25, 2025 “There are many unfortunate issues with this piece,” Bateman began, starting in on Murray immediately. “The actress appears to be at once under-rehearsed, and also weary of the task of performing. Careful casting is a must when a project has an exacting director.” “The impression given here is that the director’s efforts to elicit a proper performance caused the actress to check out during her takes,” Bateman continued. “The resulting dialogue delivery is halting. Awkward pauses within the compound word ‘Thanksgiving’ and before some prepositions are perhaps an effort by the actress to sabotage the piece itself.” When she’d finished with the actress and her awkward delivery, Bateman turned her attention to the staging of the shot — and some of the issues that a good camera operator would certainly have noticed before making the film public. “The utilitarian lighting appears to have been applied hastily and implies a parking garage or other industrial settings,” she noted. “The camera frame is vertical with some hazy video filled in at the sides. Avoid this at all costs. This implies an amateur effort. Properly orient your camera horizontally.” “Finally, the setting is extremely distracting. The first impression is that the actress is standing in a bathroom stall. The low wall on her left as the semi-private partition. The orange object on the floor appears to be a toilet with closed toilet seat cover,” Bateman concluded. “The silver pipe on the wall suggests an old-fashioned flush system, where the tank is installed above. And the red box serving as the ‘flush’ button.”

The father of Sarah Beckstrom, one of the two National Guard members allegedly shot by Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, said that she has a “mortal wound” and is not expected to survive. “I’m holding her hand right now,” Gary Beckstrom said. “She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery.” ?Sad news: The father of 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom from the WV National Guard says her death is all but certain. "She has a mortal wound. It's not going to be a recovery." pic.twitter.com/IJMIOYQ6th — Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) November 27, 2025 Beckstrom, 20, an Army Specialist, had volunteered to work the Thanksgiving holiday so that her fellow soldiers could go home to their families, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News Thursday. “She volunteered to be there on Thanksgiving, working today,” Bondi said. “She volunteered, as did many of those guardsmen and women, so other people could be home with their families. Yet, now, their families are in hospital rooms with them while they are fighting for their lives.”  “The accused gunman had been part of an Afghan ‘partner force’ trained and supported by the C.I.A. in the southern province of Kandahar, officials said. An Afghan intelligence official said the suspect had served in one of what were known as Zero Units, Afghan paramilitary forces trained to target the Taliban and that were accused of widespread killings of civilians,” The New York Times reported. On Thursday, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro made it clear that if either Beckstrom or Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, the other Guard member who was shot, did not survive, the federal government would seek charges of murder in the first degree against the suspect, making him eligible for the death penalty. Speaking at a press conference Thursday morning, Pirro stated, “As we stand here today, the charges that are appropriate right now are three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, a violation of DC code 22–401 and DC code 22–4502. He will also be charged  possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. He faces 15 years under assault with the intent to kill. We intend to continue monitoring what the charges will be, depending upon the well-being of the guardsmen. We are praying that they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree.” “But make no mistake,” she declared. “If they do not, that will certainly be the charge: murder in the first degree. The Department of Justice under Attorney General Pam Bondi is committed to a thorough and impartial investigation where we will hold this perpetrator accountable under the full weight of the law.”

Episode Description: In this special Thanksgiving mini-episode of The Optimist Daily’s Weekly Roundup, Karissa and Arielle press pause on the usual headlines to say thank you. They share what they are personally grateful for this year, celebrate the Emissaries and listeners who keep solutions journalism alive, and invite anyone who isn’t already to support the work through donations, shares, and word of mouth. Want to be part of the Optimism Movement? Become an Emissary. Subscribe to our FREE Daily Newsletter and follow us on Instagram, X, and Blue Sky. The Optimist Daily is a project of the World Business Academy. Donate link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/donate-to-support-the-optimist-daily/?gift=Y%20http:// Transcript: Theme music  Karissa  Hi everyone, and welcome to a special Thanksgiving edition of the Optimist Daily’s Weekly Roundup. I’m Karissa.  Arielle  And I’m Arielle.  Karissa  And we are one day early because we wanted to wish you all, our fellow Optimists, a very Happy Thanksgiving on actual Thanksgiving Day. And we’re so glad you’re here with us for this little cozy episode, because today isn’t really about the headlines; it’s about you.  Arielle  Yes, truly, we just wanted to take a moment to step back and thank this incredible community that shows up for solutions every day. In a world that can feel very chaotic and dark and heavy, it means something real that you choose to spend your time with us.  Karissa  Yeah, absolutely. Arielle, is there anything that you wanted to share that you are grateful for this year?  Arielle  Well, I finally got a new mic, so I’m really happy about that. I’m sure our listeners will also be grateful for my sound upgrade that we’re experiencing right now. But also, on a more serious note, I am so happy that my family, my parents and my sisters are coming to Amsterdam to spend Christmas with me and my partner this year. That’s the first time that’s happening. So, yeah. How about you, Karissa? What are you grateful for this year?  Karissa  Well, First of all, that’s awesome. I’m glad your family will be joining you for the holidays. And for me this year, I have just been grateful for the little things. Each day I’ve been trying to write one positive thing that’s happened, even if it’s just as small as, you know, having a really nice cup of coffee or having a good workout that day.  Arielle  That’s a really nice thing to do.  Karissa  Yeah, this year, just this small little practice has been really good for me.  Arielle  So doable just to jot one positive thing about your day.   Karissa  Yeah.   Arielle  And I think I can speak for both of us, Karissa, when I say that we are grateful for our jobs.  Karissa  Definitely. Yeah, I mean, we say it pretty often here, but it’s worth repeating that The Optimist Daily exists (and we have a job!) because you read, you share, and you believe that good news deserves a seat at the table. And you know, we really wouldn’t be able to operate here or grow without our Emissaries.  Arielle  That is right. Our Emissaries are our core supporters, the financial contributors who keep the lights on, literally, and help us bring you solutions journalism in a media landscape that is often anything but solutions-focused.  Karissa  So, to our emissaries, thank you so much. You make this work possible, and you keep us afloat in this sea of negativity. And you also help us build a space that pushes back with hope, intelligence, science, and human connection.  Arielle  If you’re listening and you’ve been thinking about supporting the work that we do, this is a perfect moment. You can give once, monthly, or annually, whatever fits your life, and every contribution really makes a difference.  Karissa  Yeah, 100%. And you can even send us a check if you’re old school like that. Instructions are on our website, and as always, everything you need is linked in the show notes.  Arielle  And if donating isn’t possible right now, that’s absolutely okay and completely understandable. Sharing our stories, signing up for our free daily newsletter, and then forwarding that newsletter to a friend or telling someone about the podcast helps us just as much. That’s how this community grows.  Karissa  And speaking of community, we also want to remind you that our final installment of this year’s Local Changemaker series comes out this Friday. Both Changemakers, Shirley Santana Herrera and Shereen Arent, offer such special stories and an empowering way to close out the series.  Arielle  Yes, all of the 2025 Changemakers have inspired me in their own way. So, if you’ve yet to check out the series, you’re in luck. It’s perfect reading material for this long weekend. And as usual, we had more positive, uplifting solutions featured on the Optimist Daily this week, including…  Karissa  Brazil expands Indigenous territories as COP30 protests spotlight the stakes. How to handle confrontation the right way with expert tips for managing conflict. Perfect if you’re around people you might disagree with these holidays. And How Spain’s community solar revolution is helping families power up and costs go down. Puffins return after decades, offering hope for seabird revival on Isle of Muck.  Arielle  We also have The top five things to put away before Thanksgiving guests arrive, according to a designer. NHS expands free morning-after pill access across England, a major win for women’s health. And our two final change makers, like we mentioned, Elevation through knowledge: Shirley Santana Herrera’s blueprint for youth empowerment. And Shereen Arent and Sambhali US helped uplift 80,000+ women and girls in India.  Karissa  Wherever you are today, whether you’re traveling, cooking, resting, or chowing down on yummy food, which I hope you’re all able to do, we are so grateful that you’re part of this community.  Arielle  Thank you for choosing optimism. Thank you for believing that people are doing good work everywhere. And thank you for making it possible for us to share those stories with the world.  Karissa  Have a warm, safe, restorative holiday. We’ll see you back here next week!  Both  Happy Thanksgiving!   The post Podcast Transcript November 27, 2025— Thankful for optimists: a Thanksgiving shout out to The Optimist Daily community first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

'Electric rates soaring'

Scientists in Brazil are currently testing to see if the venom of an Amazonian scorpion could be used to poison breast cancer tumors. Researchers at the University of São Paulo’s Preto School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (FCFRP-USP) have long worked to clone and express proteins from rattlesnake and scorpion venom with hopes of transforming these powerful […] The post Scorpion Venom May Provide the Next Breast Cancer Breakthrough appeared first on Good News Network.