NATO ups its support for Ukraine as the United States pursues peace talks, the Trump administration freezes asylum and visa reviews from 19 countries, and a watchdog exposes billions of taxpayer dollars in fraud under Biden-era diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
It’s Thursday, December 4, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251204-member-exclusive">video version</a> can be seen on The Daily Wire:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">NATO Wants A Say On Ukraine</h2>
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Topline: The United States continues to facilitate talks between Russia and Ukraine while other NATO countries rally support for Kiev.
NATO wants to be more involved in the discussions on Ukraine than it has been recently. Almost every foreign minister for NATO met in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss that and the broader approach to Ukraine.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was notably absent from the meeting — the first time in over two decades that the U.S. secretary of State had missed a gathering like this. Though that didn’t deeply concern many officials because Rubio has built up a lot of trust among NATO allies. 
Rutte digs in: The United States has been trying to find an end to the war that both sides can live with. But NATO’s secretary-general, Mark Rutte, has made plans to keep funding Ukraine through 2026 and maybe longer if necessary.
“We have to make sure that whilst [peace talks] take place and we are not sure when they will end, that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position to keep the fight going, to fight back against the Russians, but also in the strongest possible position when peace talks really get to a point where they sit at the table,” Rutte <a href="https://x.com/TRTWorldNow/status/1996176461934534920">said</a> on Wednesday.
Some members of the NATO alliance have poured money into a program to buy U.S. weapons for Ukraine to the tune of about $1 billion a month.
Moscow talks: The Kremlin said Tuesday that it couldn’t find a compromise it could agree with after U.S. officials met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moscow said that some of the American proposals have been good — likely in reference to the early framework that received so much pushback from Ukraine and the rest of Europe.
Moscow seems to be dead set on territorial gains over what it has control of already, however. Putin has repeatedly signaled that he wants all of the Donbas region, which he does not have full control over.
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump’s Immigration Moves After National Guard Shooting</h2>
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Topline: The Trump administration halts more immigration following the D.C. shooting of two National Guard troops by an Afghan migrant.
Trump has already halted the processing of asylum applications and put a pause on visas, but there is a lot more being done. The Trump administration has directed U.S. citizenship and immigration services to look at 19 countries that it says are of concern as potential hotbeds of terrorism. Those countries include Afghanistan and several others in the Middle East, in Africa, and in South Asia.
The Trump administration wants USCIS, the agency that vets immigration applications, to scrutinize individuals who are applying or have been accepted to some programs. What this looks like in practice is the administration halting all processing of any legal immigration applications from individuals from these 19 countries.
For those who have been accepted to become green card recipients or citizens already, swearing in ceremonies have been put on pause as the Trump administration more thoroughly vets them.
National Guard shooting: The Department of Homeland Security now says this individual was barely vetted. Interestingly, when the United States left Afghanistan during the botched withdrawal from the country, the alleged shooter had no criminal background check. Nor did he have a biometrics check, cyber background check, or financial background check.
Nor was he the only one who came through this way. There were about 77,000 others admitted into the country through what&#8217;s called Operation Allies Welcome.
This lax vetting has already been pointed out before. A government watchdog came out months after the withdrawal and said the vetting was poor and minimal at the time. In some known cases, individuals were “vetted,” let into the country through this program, and then only after were their links to terrorism discovered.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">The SBA Program Spending Taxpayer Money On DEI</h2>
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Topline: New investigations from Peter Schweizer’s Government Accountability Institute have revealed just how much taxpayer money has been funneled through federal DEI initiatives – sparking more allegations of widespread fraud and corruption under the Biden administration that still needs to be rooted out.
Morning Wire spoke with Seamus Bruner, director of research at the Government Accountability Institute, about what&#8217;s being called the “DEI Industrial Complex.” (This interview has been edited for clarity.)
Morning Wire: Your team has done extensive research on what&#8217;s being called the “DEI Industrial Complex.” We&#8217;ve had our own investigative reporter, Luke Rosiak, digging into this and revealing some pretty alarming findings. First, what kinds of potential abuses are we seeing related to DEI in the federal government?
Bruner: This our latest exposé, and we give Luke a great shout out in it. He&#8217;s done amazing work on this Small Business Administration program. It&#8217;s called 8(a). Kind of an unwieldy title, but the devil is in the details with this. It&#8217;s a multi-billion dollar pass through scheme that rewards minority contractors or people who are “disadvantaged,” which has a very loose definition. I mean, perhaps even just not having access to internet when you&#8217;re way up in your mountain cabin in Yosemite or wherever could qualify you. But you have these firms that set up, Native American firms or any other sort of minority group — Native Americans have been pretty blessed by this program to the tune of billions of dollars. And it turns out that they&#8217;re not disadvantaged at all. The shareholders wear Rolex watches and are very wealthy. Well, in turn, this allows them to partner with real big firms like the Boston Consulting Group or McKinsey &amp; Company or firms that are not at all disadvantaged, and they receive no bid contracts under this program. And for anybody who knows anything about a no bid contract, it&#8217;s about as corrupt as it can be.
Morning Wire: Right. Why are we just now learning about this corruption?
Bruner: The program has been around for decades, but only under the Biden administration did the quotas triple. It really exploded just in the last several years. There was a USAID program, the contracting officials at USAID were taking bribes, over $1 million in bribes. We&#8217;ve also seen a $100 million contract. The minority contractor got 65% of that $100 million. So, well over $50 million. They only did a small fraction of the work.
Morning Wire: Do you think the DEI movement in particular really ratcheted this up – is that the culprit here in terms of the scale that we&#8217;re seeing now?
Bruner: Yeah, absolutely. President Trump, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, and Treasury Secretary Bessent deserve credit. They really kicked off the investigations into this. The problem is that even though the Trump administration has declared war on DEI in the federal government, this isn&#8217;t necessarily called a “DEI program.” We&#8217;re seeing this across all kinds of sectors, especially in education. They&#8217;re getting rid of the word “DEI” and they&#8217;re using new words – “disadvantaged” or what have you. And the problem is, that there are “disadvantaged” people in America and we do want to support them and help them. But when you are giving multi-billion dollar conglomerates contracts under the banner of being “disadvantaged,” it hurts everybody.

MRN_251204_V!

Morning Brief: NATO Steps Up For Ukraine, Trump Expands Immigration Crackdown, & More Biden DEI Fraud

Morning Brief: NATO Steps Up For Ukraine, Trump Expands Immigration Crackdown, And SBA Funds DEI

Afghanistan

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Donald Trump

Immigration

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The Biden administration “barely vetted” the Afghan migrant accused of shooting two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C. last week, a Homeland Security official revealed Tuesday.
The alleged shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, didn’t undergo multiple standard background checks after he arrived in the United States in 2021 as part of the Biden administration’s “Operation Allies Welcome” program that brought over 77,000 individuals from the war-torn nation following the botched withdrawal of American troops, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News host John Roberts.
The Biden administration allowed Lakanwal into the U.S. because of his past work with federal agencies operating in Afghanistan, including the CIA, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/national-guardsmen-shooting-suspect-worked-with-the-cia-agency-head-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> last week. He received asylum in April, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rahmanullah-lakanwal-mental-health-case-worker-emails/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to CBS News.
“We saw with this terrorist here, he was barely vetted, there was no biometric vetting, there was no criminal background check, cyber background check, financial background check. Really, they took some people and they just took them at their word, that&#8217;s a huge problem,” McLaughlin said.
“And it really can&#8217;t be overstated what the Biden administration did to this country in putting it in danger. So, I would say absolutely the vetting process is an issue, but these countries of origin too,” McLaughlin added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
The damage that the Biden administration did to this country cannot be overstated.
President Trump and Secretary Noem are putting an end to the reckless policies that allowed millions of illegal aliens and foreigners into our country unvetted. The vetting process will now… <a href="https://t.co/wRC6hi377D">pic.twitter.com/wRC6hi377D</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1995956782712455534?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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President Donald Trump was quick to turn off immigration pipelines following the recent attack.
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The federal government halted asylum decisions and stopped issuing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-department-orders-posts-to-refuse-visas-to-afghan-nationals?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=State+Department+Takes+Action+On+Afghan+Nationals+Following+Trump+Pledge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">visas</a> to Afghans. On Tuesday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued new guidance to pause the processing of all immigration applications for individuals from 19 “high risk countries.”
The targets of the halt include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, countries that were subject to travel <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-06-10/pdf/2025-10669.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restrictions</a> enacted in June.

Job Biden Speaks At Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) In San Diego

Biden Admin ‘Barely Vetted’ Afghan Terror Suspect Accused Of Shooting National Guard Troops In D.C.

Biden Admin 'Barely Vetted' Afghan Terror Suspect Accused Of Shooting National Guard Troops In D.C.

Washington D.C.

The Trump administration has paused the processing of all immigration applications for individuals from 19 &#8220;high risk countries&#8221; following the shooting of two National Guard troops by an Afghan national while they were patrolling Washington, D.C., last week.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services directed personnel to stop the decision-making process for immigration applications for anyone from the countries &#8220;of concern,&#8221; according to a Tuesday agency memo. The new guidance extends to immigrants slated to receive a Green Card or citizenship.
Some immigrants from the targeted countries have already received the dates of their naturalization ceremonies, which are being cancelled, <a href="https://x.com/BillMelugin_/status/1996034668559225279?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Fox News. Meanwhile, the Trump administration will launch a &#8220;re-review&#8221; of asylum-seekers who entered the U.S. after former President Joe Biden&#8217;s inauguration in 2021.
&#8220;This order aims to safeguard U.S. citizens from aliens who may seek to commit terrorist acts, pose threats to national security, promote hateful ideologies, or exploit immigration laws for malicious purposes,&#8221; the memo stated.
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The new rules apply to immigrants from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, countries that were targets of travel <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-06-10/pdf/2025-10669.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restrictions</a> enacted in June.
President Donald Trump has recently taken steps to shut down immigration pipelines following the D.C. shooting by Afghan migrant Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who was brought to the U.S. through the Biden administration&#8217;s &#8220;Operation Allies Welcome,&#8221; which brought over 77,000 Afghans following the botched withdrawal of American troops.
The Afghan man received asylum in April, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rahmanullah-lakanwal-mental-health-case-worker-emails/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to CBS News.
West Virginia National Guard soldier Sarah Beckstrom, 20, tragically died from the wounds she sustained in the attack. Her colleague, Andrew Wolfe, 20, continues clinging to life.
The Biden administration justified Lakanwal&#8217;s entry to the U.S. over his past work for American government agencies operating in Afghanistan, including the CIA, agency Director John Ratcliffe <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/national-guardsmen-shooting-suspect-worked-with-the-cia-agency-head-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> last week.
The Trump administration immediately responded to the attack by “halting” asylum decisions and stopping the issuance of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-department-orders-posts-to-refuse-visas-to-afghan-nationals?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=State+Department+Takes+Action+On+Afghan+Nationals+Following+Trump+Pledge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">visas</a> to Afghans.
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US-IMMIGRATION-NAPOLITANO

Trump Halts Immigration From 19 ‘High Risk Countries’ Following National Guard Shooting

Trump Admin Halts Immigration From 19 'High Risk Countries' Following National Guard Shooting

The Afghan migrant accused of shooting two National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington, D.C., last week has pleaded not guilty.
Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is accused of shooting West Virginia National Guardsmen, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe. Beckstrom tragically died from her wounds just a day after the attack.
During a virtual hearing Tuesday, Lakanwal, who joined from a hospital bed where he&#8217;s being treated for gunshot wounds, pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, which include assault with intent to kill while armed; possession of a firearm; possession of a firearm during a crime of violence; and murder, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/suspect-dc-shooting-national-guard-members-charged-murder-pleads-not-g-rcna247014" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to NBC News.
It was also revealed in court documents that Lakanwal yelled &#8220;Allahu akbar!&#8221; as he carried out the brutal attack. Additionally, he was apparently restrained just as he tried to reload his gun.
A judge denied the suspect bond, according to NBC.
Both Beckstrom and Wolfe “were sworn in less than 24 hours before they were shot on the street in Washington,” United States Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said during a press conference Thursday morning.
Beckstrom had volunteered to work during the Thanksgiving holiday to give her fellow soldiers time with their families before the shooting occurred.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
President Trump says he spoke with the parents of Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, who is still hospitalized and in serious condition:
&#8220;They said he didn’t have a chance. I will tell you, the one who said he is going to live is his mother. I spoke to his mother, &#8216;Sir, he is going to… <a href="https://t.co/sWqnw24nlp">pic.twitter.com/sWqnw24nlp</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1995906785346265239?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
Wolfe “remains in serious condition,” but is showing signs of movement and awareness, Republican West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said during a press conference Monday.
During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, President Donald Trump said he spoke with Wolfe&#8217;s parents.
&#8220;They said he didn’t have a chance,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;I will tell you, the one who said he is going to live is his mother &#8230; &#8216;Sir, he is going to live.&#8217; I spoke to her very soon after this horrible event took place with this scum that is able to come into our country.&#8221;
&#8220;I spoke to his mother, &#8216;Sir, he’s going to be okay. I’m telling you.&#8217; No doctor thought that. Nobody thought that. He was hit bad places. She was so positive, it was incredible. And possibly right. &#8230; That would be amazing. If he lives, it would be amazing, a miracle, actually,&#8221; he recalled of the conversation.
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Lakanwal came to the United States in 2021 as part of President Joe Biden’s “Operation Allies Welcome,” when roughly 77,000 Afghan nationals were ushered into the country during the botched withdrawal of American troops, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The Afghan man received asylum in April, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rahmanullah-lakanwal-mental-health-case-worker-emails/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to CBS News.
The Biden administration justified bringing Lakanwal to the U.S. over his work with U.S. government entities in Afghanistan, including the CIA, agency Director John Ratcliffe <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/national-guardsmen-shooting-suspect-worked-with-the-cia-agency-head-says">said</a> last week.
The Trump administration has responded to the attack by “halting” asylum decisions and stopping the issuance of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-department-orders-posts-to-refuse-visas-to-afghan-nationals?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=State+Department+Takes+Action+On+Afghan+Nationals+Following+Trump+Pledge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">visas</a> to Afghans.

National Guard Continue Patrolling Washington, DC After Shooting

Afghan Migrant Pleads Not Guilty In DC Shooting Of National Guard Soldiers

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recommended a “full travel ban” on potentially dozens of countries on Monday.
Noem said on Monday she had met with President Donald Trump and pushed for a travel ban on all countries that have “been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.” Noem’s move to crack down on foreign entry into the United States comes as the president has paused asylum claims from 19 countries after an Afghan national allegedly killed a National Guardsman in Washington, D.C.
“Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom—not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS,” Noem wrote in a <a href="https://x.com/Sec_Noem/status/1995642101779124476">post</a> on X. “WE DON&#8217;T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.”
Noem did not specify which countries would be included in the travel ban under her criteria.
Law enforcement says that Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal shot two National Guardsmen in D.C. last week. Lakanwal worked with U.S. forces in Afghanistan before coming to the United States during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan under former president Joe Biden.
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Lakanwal applied for asylum in the United States last year, and his request was granted earlier this year under the Trump administration.
Noem deflected on Sunday when asked if the Trump administration vetted Lakanwal before granting him asylum. The Homeland Security secretary said during an interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press” that “vetting is happening when they come into the country, and that was completely abandoned under Joe Biden’s administration.”
Trump paused asylum claims from 19 countries last week, announcing the move in a pair of Truth Social posts on Thanksgiving. The countries included under the pause are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Those countries “of Identified Concern” were originally listed in a June 4 <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/06/restricting-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-united-states-from-foreign-terrorists-and-other-national-security-and-public-safety-threats/">executive order</a>.
The president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-dont-want-those-people-trump-defends-refugee-pause-declines-to-lay-out-timeline?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98We+Don%E2%80%99t+Want+Those+People%E2%80%99%3A+Trump+Defends+Refugee+Pause%2C+Declines+To+Lay+Out+Timeline">said</a> Sunday that he would not put a time limit on the pause because “we have enough problems. We don’t want those people.”

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Kristi Noem Wants A ‘Full Travel Ban’ On Countries ‘Flooding Our Nation With Killers’

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President Trump Orders Hundreds More National Guard Troops to D.C. After Shooting Of Guardsmen

Another Violent Attack From An Immigrant Proves We Need Denaturalization

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Over the Thanksgiving weekend, President Trump went into high gear talking about the necessity of deporting all third-world migrants and of stopping further third-world migration into the United States.
This has been a long time coming — Trump has been saying this for roughly a decade. One of the very first things he did during his first administration was attempt a migration moratorium on a series of countries where vetting was very, very difficult.
All of this is now coming to a head. On Thursday, President Trump said he would permanently pause all immigration from what he called third-world countries.
President Trump <a href="https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1994272683387687053">stated</a>:
<blockquote>Even as we have progressed technologically, Immigration Policy has eroded those gains and living conditions for many. 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.
These goals will be pursued with the aim of achieving a major reduction in illegal and disruptive populations, including those admitted through an unauthorized and illegal Autopen approval process. Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation. Other than that, HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for — You won’t be here for long!</blockquote>
This happened in the aftermath of a dual set of stories, one of them being an Afghan national shooting two members of the National Guard, killing one, and the other the unbelievable story of Somali welfare fraud in the state of Minnesota.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem <a href="https://grabien.com/story?id=558818">stated</a>, “The President is absolutely determined to stop all processes at this point in time from third-world countries until we can have a thorough opportunity to go through these individuals, know that they&#8217;re here for the right intentions, and that they even should be in our country to begin with. He&#8217;s putting Americans first, their safety first.”
The State Department then immediately announced it would pause visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports, stating, “The department is taking all necessary steps to protect U.S. national security and public safety again.”
Noem said the shooting suspect, who was let in the country by the Biden administration, was later radicalized through connections already in the country, which is significantly more dangerous than just bringing people in from cultures that are non-communicative and non-coalescing with Western civilization.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2324-the-trump-administration-cracks-down-on-third-world-migration?elementPosition=0&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-974957 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
If there are people being brought in who are initially somewhat friendly to the United States and then become radicalized in the United States, you have to start asking some pretty serious questions about which organizations in the United States are actually radicalizing people.
The real concern then becomes an Islamization problem inside the United States, which would fit with lone wolf attacks, ISIS-inspired attacks, or ISIS-connected attacks. Those range from the Fort Hood shooting in 2009 all the way through to the 2025 New Orleans truck attack, in which an ISIS-inspired person killed 14 people.
It&#8217;s amazing how terrorist attacks like the latter can completely be memory-holed. It happened at the beginning of this year. 14 people were killed, and we&#8217;ve already forgotten about it because the way the media works is this: If someone is inspired by ISIS or a radical Islamic group and they commit a terror attack in the United States, we simply memory-hole it.
The same thing happened in 2016 with the Orlando nightclub shooting, the deadliest mass shooting in American history at that time, in which a shooter killed 49 people. The shooter in that case pledged allegiance to ISIS.
What did we get? A national debate about whether Christians were too intolerant toward gay people, even though it was an Islamic terror attack.
There was also the 2015 San Bernardino terror attack, in which a couple of people who communicated with ISIS via encrypted messages killed 14 people and injured 22 others.
So radicalization in the United States is a massive problem that requires the FBI and the DOJ to actually follow through on what they are supposed to do: Track down the groups doing the radicalizing, follow them around, and monitor the places where the radicalization is occurring.
That is a significantly harder problem to solve than shutting the borders, which is what President Trump is attempting to do. They are not mutually exclusive. You can shut the borders to immigration and mass migration from third-world countries. We should also track down the groups doing the radicalizing.
In the National Guard case, it seems that the shooter became radicalized after he came to the United States.
The New York Post reports that a leading national refugee agency was warned multiple times about him. Apparently, the shooter&#8217;s behavior was so disturbing that a local community advocate reached out to a refugee organization for help.
This connects with another gigantic story that broke over the course of last week, the amount of Somali welfare fraud in Minnesota. Between 1990 and 2025, the United States has seen significant Somali immigration, with estimates suggesting between 140,000 and 167,000 Somali immigrants settling here.
The fraud scandal in Minnesota is staggering. Over $1 billion in taxpayers’ money was reputedly stolen, more than Minnesota spends annually to run its entire Department of Corrections. The reality is that importing gigantic waves of Somali immigrants into Minnesota, of all places, might create some culture clash.
Reports say that when the allegations were first made about welfare fraud in Minnesota, the first response was, “We can&#8217;t look into this. It&#8217;s racist.”
So President Trump has responded to all of this by doubling down on his suggestion that third-world migration be reversed.
Douglas Murray has a great <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/11/27/opinion/afghan-terror-and-somalia-fraud-shows-why-trump-is-right-on-migrants/">column</a> over in the New York Post in which he states:
<blockquote>You have to be careful with a country. Even a nation as vast in size and huge in population as the United States cannot be endlessly experimented upon. You cannot just leave borders open, or allow in large numbers of people with totally different value systems from your own. That is the mistake many European countries have committed in recent years. They have opened their homes up to people from almost every part of the world where there is civil strife, war or just a lower standard of living.
The results can be seen everywhere. It is the reason why a country like Sweden — that used to be such a placid, decent place — has become one of the most violent countries in the world not actually at war. Grenade attacks, gang-warfare: these things were recently alien to Sweden. Not anymore. It is the same here in the United States — though here the effects are more dispersed, so the problem can be covered up for longer.</blockquote>
He writes that all of this begs the question: Why should a group of people be given sanctuary in the United States, who presumably say they were fleeing from terror, only to use their time in the United States committing fraud to send money to terrorists?
The president of the United States is right about this particular issue.
Democrats, of course, are freaking out about it.
It&#8217;s all coming to a head now, and not just because of the recent shooting of National Guard members in Washington, D.C., or what&#8217;s happening in Minnesota.
It’s happening all over the West because the West has finally decided to wake up to the reality that — through our niceness, kindness, and civility — we should never have allowed our nations to be eaten from within by people who enter and then take advantage of all the benefits, only to fight and destroy that same civilization.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP-MILITARY-HOLIDAY

The Trump Administration Cracks Down On Third-World Migration

ISIS

Radical Islamic Terror

The heroic National Guard soldier who survived the brutal shooting on Wednesday by a crazed Afghan man in Washington, D.C., is now responsive to the nurses treating him, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced Monday.
While West Virginia National Guardsman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meet-the-hero-national-guardsmen-fighting-for-their-lives-after-dc-attack?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Meet+The+Hero+National+Guardsmen+Fighting+For+Their+Lives+After+DC+Attack">Andrew Wolfe</a>, 24, &#8220;remains in serious condition,&#8221; he&#8217;s showing signs of movement and awareness, Morrisey said during a press conference.
&#8220;We were told that Andrew was asked if he could hear, the nurse who asked the question to give a thumbs up, and he did respond. We were told that he also wiggled his toes. So, we take that as a positive sign,&#8221; Morrisey said.
&#8220;Melody, the mom has been so positive a force, and she&#8217;s been asking people across the country to pray for her son, and those prayers are working,&#8221; he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
BREAKING: West Virginia National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe has responded to nurses after being injured by the Afghan shooter in D.C.
WV Governor: “Andrew was asked if he could hear the nurse and to give a thumbs up. He did respond.”
KEEP PRAYING!!! 🙏 <a href="https://t.co/rZr1sHZmT9">pic.twitter.com/rZr1sHZmT9</a>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1995553549472739621?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
Specialist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/just-horrible-president-trump-announces-death-of-national-guard-soldier">Sarah Beckstrom</a>, 20, of the West Virginia National Guard, passed away a day after she was shot alongside Wolfe while deployed to D.C. as part of President Donald Trump&#8217;s crackdown on crime.
Both soldiers “were sworn in less than 24 hours before they were shot on the street in Washington,” United States Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro revealed during a press conference Thursday morning.
“They were uniformed members of the West Virginia National Guard, and they were in D.C. to keep D.C. safe pursuant to President Trump’s executive order to make DC safe and beautiful,” Pirro said.
“They answered the call, they took the charge, they volunteered, they put their lives on the line for people they don’t even know, and that unfortunately is becoming a reality more and more for the members of law enforcement,” she said.
The suspect, Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, entered the U.S. in 2021 as part of President Joe Biden’s “Operation Allies Welcome,” the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire late Wednesday.
The program brought 77,000 Afghan nationals into the country during the botched U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
He was granted asylum in April, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rahmanullah-lakanwal-mental-health-case-worker-emails/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to CBS News.
After Beckstrom succumbed to her injuries, federal prosecutors <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/charges-upgraded-against-afghan-shooting-suspect-after-national-guard-soldier-dies">upgraded</a> charges against Lakanwal to first-degree murder, which could result in the death penalty.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday blamed the Biden administration for allowing the alleged shooter into the country.
“This attack underscores the single greatest national security threat facing our nation. The last administration let in 20 million unknown and unvetted foreigners from all over the world,” Trump said.
Trump has also responded by &#8220;halting&#8221; asylum decisions and stopping the issuance of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-department-orders-posts-to-refuse-visas-to-afghan-nationals?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=State+Department+Takes+Action+On+Afghan+Nationals+Following+Trump+Pledge">visas</a> to Afghans.

Untitled design – 2025-12-01T125544.339

‘Prayers Are Working’: Hero National Guardsmen Responsive After DC Attack

'Prayers Are Working': Hero National Guardsmen Who Survived DC Attack Responsive

The Trump administration tightens immigration restrictions following a fatal attack on National Guardsmen, illegal alien access to federal benefits comes under scrutiny, and is the United States about to strike narco-terrorists on Venezuelan soil?
It’s Monday, December 1, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251201">video version can be seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/capital-attack-fallout-venezuelan-skies-closed-12-1-25/id1576594336?i=1000739099845" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Launches Immigration Crackdown After D.C. Shootings</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1007687" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Guardsmen-Shooting-Fallout-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Guardsmen-Shooting-Fallout-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Guardsmen-Shooting-Fallout-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Guardsmen-Shooting-Fallout-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Guardsmen-Shooting-Fallout-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Guardsmen-Shooting-Fallout.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The tragic shooting of two National Guard members from West Virginia by an Afghan national has triggered a massive immigration response from the Trump administration. And the president does not appear to be done with his sweeping actions.
Over the course of last week and then into the weekend, President Donald Trump has taken a series of aggressive actions in response to this attack, about which some very harrowing details continue to emerge.
The attack: Police say the 29-year-old suspect approached with a revolver and was shooting at a point-blank distance. He was also reportedly shouting “Allah Akbar!”
One heroic guardsman, armed with only a pocketknife, was able to stop the shooter. The guardsman heard the gunfire, charged the shooter, and then stabbed him with the knife.
Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old woman who was one of the guardsmen shot in the attack, died as a result of her injuries. The other guardsman who was shot, Andrew Wolf, is still fighting for his life. There continues to be an outpouring of support and prayers for his recovery and his family.
The suspect was also severely wounded, but he is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/national-guard-shooting-suspect-expected-to-survive?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=National+Guard+Shooting+Suspect+Expected+To+Survive">expected</a> to survive.
Where the prosecution stands: U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/charges-upgraded-against-afghan-shooting-suspect-after-national-guard-soldier-dies">said</a> that the charges have been upgraded to first-degree murder since Beckstrom’s death. Pirro said that this appears to be a case of an ambush-style attack. The FBI is even looking at this as a possible act of terrorism.
In response, President Trump said he is considering dispatching 500 more troops to the nation’s capital to keep the peace, doubling down on his earlier executive order to protect the city and quell crime.
The suspect: He came into the United States as part of Operation Allies Welcome, launched by the Biden administration after the botched 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal. Many soldiers, including Afghan and American soldiers, were killed during that process, and the Taliban was able to retake the country.
The suspect fought with a group of elite Afghan fighters known as &#8220;Zero Units.&#8221; They were all so-called “death squads” working with the CIA to help fight the Taliban. A friend of the suspect’s told the New York Post that he suffered from serious mental health issues as a result of his years in combat.
Immigration crackdown: Trump has said the United States is not admitting any more Afghan nationals. The president has ordered a review of how Afghans were vetted during and after the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Notably, tens of thousands of Afghan nationals came to the United States as refugees following the withdrawal.
The State Department has said it is refusing visas to Afghan nationals until it conducts further vetting of the country. The president has said that he will “deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Steps Up Enforcement Against Illegals Receiving Benefits</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1007689" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Illegal-Benefits-Axed-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Illegal-Benefits-Axed-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Illegal-Benefits-Axed-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Illegal-Benefits-Axed-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Illegal-Benefits-Axed-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Illegal-Benefits-Axed.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The Trump administration is working to remove federal benefits for people who are in the country illegally.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he will “end all Federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens.” He added that many recent arrivals depend on taxpayer-supported welfare programs while coming from “failed nations, or from prisons, mental institutions, gangs, or drug cartels.”
Bessent’s turn: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has moved to implement the president’s order. Bessent said that his department is working to cut off federal benefits to illegals and stressed that these must be preserved for American citizens.
Specifically, Bessent said the Treasury “will issue proposed regulations clarifying that the refunded portions of certain individual income tax benefits are no longer available to illegal and other non-qualified aliens.”
The Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network also issued an alert to better crack down on the exploitation of the U.S. financial system by illegals who are seeking to move illegally obtained funds. 
The department <a href="https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-issues-alert-cross-border-funds-transfers-involving-illegal-aliens#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20%E2%80%94Today%2C%20the%20U.S.%20Department,to%20move%20illicitly%20obtained%20funds">said</a> that over the past several years, the United States has witnessed a “significant volume of cross-border funds transfers, including remittances” from illegals.
MN Somalis: City Journal has reported in detail on a massive fraud scheme in Minnesota under the tenure of Democrat Gov. Tim Walz, where billions of taxpayer dollars intended for social services were funneled through fake nonprofits and shell companies, and — alarmingly — some of that money <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/minnesota-welfare-fraud-somalia-al-shabaab">ended up in the hands</a> of the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group Al-Shabaab.
Much of the fraud has been traced back to Minnesota’s Somali community, where fraudsters have allegedly exploited numerous loopholes in the state’s welfare system. But the story has been overlooked for a long time.
“I think it’s fair to say there was an unwillingness or inability from Democratic state officials in Minnesota to recognize some pretty obvious alarm bells here. Claims were skyrocketing, spiraling out of control,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpQQ9nJPBhg&amp;t=216s">said</a> investigative reporter Ryan Thorpe, who helped break the story. “The reality is, the Somali community … is a voting bloc you have to win if you&#8217;re going to win political office in Minneapolis.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Clears The Skies Over Venezuela</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1007691" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Venezuela-Tensions-Strike-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Venezuela-Tensions-Strike-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Venezuela-Tensions-Strike-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Venezuela-Tensions-Strike-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Venezuela-Tensions-Strike-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Venezuela-Tensions-Strike.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: Tensions are escalating after President Trump announced that the airspace over Venezuela should be considered closed. The announcement has raised new questions over potential U.S. strikes inside Venezuela amid the president’s war on drug cartels.
The situation around Venezuela appears precarious. Trump on Saturday posted on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115633041089714842">Truth Social</a>: “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
That post has again sparked predictions about when airstrikes could occur.
“We should read into it that strikes are very probably going to occur over the course of this week,” retired Admiral James Stavridis <a href="https://x.com/stavridisj/status/1994895666242257322">told</a> CNN. “When you hear the president of the United States throw that warning out there, to me it sounds like strikes are coming probably sooner rather than later.”
The fallout: Venezuela’s foreign minister called Trump’s post an “extravagant, illegal, and unjustified aggression against the people of Venezuela.” A country can’t actually close another country&#8217;s airspace, but that seems to be a technicality in this situation.
Ten days ago, the FAA had already warned about a “potentially hazardous situation” for flights over Venezuela. Commercial air traffic has avoided the area since. Venezuela has <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/venezuela-trump-airspace-migrant-repatriation-flights/">said</a> that U.S. migrant repatriation flights have stopped.
Diplomacy? The New York Times and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trump-declares-that-airspace-around-venezuela-should-be-considered-closed-07b748ee?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqdYROyIVy7gClY9Bq41wnncsq-Qat1oRTlqYoKx0V6tbAonb7EZrT7QkEcL4N8%3D&amp;gaa_ts=692c8335&amp;gaa_sig=FZG9XNJCxmFvKFgy6onM_3SgPB5tUMSPwJXqN2n4szJLOt3sdRVw2O24SgzgHNBcNUGqk8fn_gJ-kgAiYrOD0w%3D%3D">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported that Trump and Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan leader, spoke by phone recently. Trump confirmed the call on Sunday while speaking to reporters on board Air Force One. Trump did not provide details, but the call represents a shift after the U.S. cut off diplomatic talks in October.
Reportedly, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was on the call, as well, and Trump and Maduro spoke of the possibility of a meeting, which would be a significant shift after Trump called on Maduro to step down and authorized CIA operations in Venezuela.
Allies of the president have maintained that this is a drug operation–a very intense one, but one that will not lead to war.

MRN_251201_V2 (2)

Morning Brief: Capital Attack Fallout, No Aid For Illegals, & Venezuelan Airspace Closed?

Morning Brief: Trump Cracks Down On Afghans, No Aid For Illegals, And Clear Skies Over Caracas

Media

Politics

Venezuela

The Afghan national suspected of killing one National Guardsman and wounding another in Washington, D.C., last week was &#8220;radicalized&#8221; after coming into the United States, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Noem told NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Meet the Press&#8221; on Sunday that the federal government believes 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal maintained &#8220;connections&#8221; to people in Afghanistan who may have helped radicalize him. Lakanwal was allowed to enter the United States under the Biden administration&#8217;s Operation Allies Welcome following the former president&#8217;s disastrous withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country.
&#8220;I will say we believe he was radicalized since he&#8217;s been here in this country,&#8221; Noem said. &#8220;We do believe it was through connections in his home community and state, and we&#8217;re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him, who were his family members, who talk to them.&#8221;
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 &#8220;terrorist attack,&#8221; saying that the suspect &#8220;went nuts.&#8221;
&#8220;It happens too often with these people,&#8221; 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 <a href="https://spectrumlocalnews.com/mo/st-louis/ap-top-news/2025/11/30/suspect-in-national-guard-attack-struggled-with-periods-of-dark-isolation-community-member-says">reported</a>. Noem blamed the Biden administration for failing to properly vet Afghan refugees who were granted asylum in the United States. Lakanwal&#8217;s asylum claim was approved in April under the Trump administration, but Noem <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/1995145198192771113">said</a> &#8220;the vetting process all happened under Joe Biden&#8217;s administration.&#8221;
&#8220;Vetting is happening when they come into the country, and that was completely abandoned under Joe Biden&#8217;s administration,&#8221; 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 &#8220;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.&#8221; 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.

National Guard shooting

Suspected National Guard Shooter Was ‘Radicalized’ Through ‘Connections’ In Afghanistan, Noem Says

Biden Administration

Crime

Trump Administration

At least two media outlets responded to an Afghan national&#8217;s attack on two National Guardsmen by fretting over how President Donald Trump&#8217;s reaction might hurt refugees.
The suspect in the shooting, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national admitted to the United States in 2021, in the aftermath of former President Joe Biden&#8217;s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. On Wednesday, he opened fire on two National Guardsmen just blocks from the White House, killing one, Sarah Beckstrom and leaving the other, Andrew Wolfe, fighting for his life with critical injuries.
Trump, a vocal critic of the Biden administration&#8217;s Afghanistan failures, <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115625421503636680">quickly promised</a> to &#8220;fix&#8221; the problems created when Biden allowed &#8220;hundreds of thousands of people&#8221; to come into the United States from Afghanistan, &#8220;totally unvetted and unchecked.&#8221;
The president also vowed to &#8220;permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries&#8221; and said that he planned to &#8220;deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.&#8221;
Rather than cover the story straight or report on the risk that Biden&#8217;s refugee policies pose to American citizens, the Associated Press telegraphed concern for Afghan refugees in the United States.
&#8220;Trump administration plan to review Biden-era refugees sparks worry and uncertainty,&#8221; one AP headline <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-refugees-chaos-fear-biden-immigration-memo-review-4991f722e9484816f6ea4cc705a6cd63">read</a>.
<blockquote>The Trump administration’s <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/trumo-refugees-memo-biden-review-82cdbae263a903c6dcf25c2e04f50684" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">plan to review all refugees admitted</a> to the United States under the Biden administration is weighing heavily on people who could be affected by the evaluation, fueling uncertainty and worry among people who believed their status was secured.</blockquote>
Another headline <a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-shooting-refugee-reactions-368d69586a28dabf47bf8e7025946068">reported</a> that &#8220;Refugee groups worry about backlash after shooting of National Guard soldiers in DC.&#8221;
<blockquote>Many Afghans living in the U.S. are afraid to leave their houses, fearing they’ll be swept up by immigration officials or attacked with hate speech, said Shawn VanDiver, president of the San Diego-based group #AfghanEvac, a group that helps resettle Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the two-decade war.
“They’re terrified. It’s insane,” VanDiver told The Associated Press Thursday. “People are acting xenophobic because of one deranged man. He doesn’t represent all Afghans. He represents himself.”</blockquote>
Yet another piece <a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-shooting-afghan-operation-allies-welcome-b11c48fb0b807e8f519c266e2a004d8e">suggested</a> that Trump was in the wrong for criticizing the Biden administration for bringing unvetted Afghans into the United States in the first place. &#8220;Trump criticizes the program that brought Afghan refugees to the US who fought the Taliban,&#8221; it read.
<blockquote>The program, called <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-new-jersey-united-states-kabul-taliban-273f9ebedfdd94739d6dbe77d7cbc3db" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">Operation Allies Welcome</a>, was created after the 2021 decision to leave Afghanistan following 20 years of American intervention and billions of dollars of aid.
Democratic President Joe Biden, who oversaw the withdrawal started by his predecessor — Republican President Donald Trump — said the U.S. owed it to the interpreters and translators, the fighters and drivers and others who opposed the Taliban to give them a safe place outside of Afghanistan.</blockquote>
The New York Times was slightly more overt in its adoption of the &#8220;Trump pounces&#8221; theme, with one headline <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/27/us/politics/trump-national-guard-shooting.html">asserting</a> &#8220;Trump Uses National Guard Shooting to Cast Suspicion on Refugees.&#8221;
<blockquote>President Trump claimed there were &#8220;a lot of problems with Afghans,&#8221; without providing evidence, as his administration announced that it was implementing new immigration guidelines.</blockquote>
But as those outlets and others have chosen to ignore, Army Ranger veteran and Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell warned the Biden administration in real time, telling anyone who would listen that bringing unvetted Afghans into the United States was a recipe for disaster.
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At the time, he <a href="https://x.com/Surabees/status/1994030582116876620">told the story</a> of an Afghan interpreter who had been working with his platoon for more than a year before betraying them, putting them on a path where a land mine injured several and killed one of Parnell&#8217;s men.
&#8220;After that mission was over, during our After Action Report (AAR), we found out that our interpreter — who had been with us every step of the way, someone who we thought was our friend — we learned that he was working with an Iranian IED cell in Pakistan, and coordinated the placement of that mine,&#8221; Parnell explained.
But Parnell&#8217;s warning fell on deaf ears. Just one day before the deadly shooting cast a pall over a nation preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving, another Afghan national <a href="https://x.com/Brooketaylortv/status/1994807675767398902">was arrested</a> for making a terroristic threat&#8221; and posting it on TikTok.
Fox News national correspondent Brooke Taylor reported that Mohammad Dawood Alokozay made it clear in the video that he was building a bomb and had intended to target the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Like the shooting suspect in custody in D.C., Alokozay was brought into the United States in the aftermath of the Afghanistan withdrawal under Biden&#8217;s Operation Allies Welcome. He was granted legal permanent resident status in September 2022.

After Deadly National Guard Attack, Media Fret About Afghan Refugees

Media Outlets Turn Targeted National Guard Shooting Into 'Trump Pounces' Headlines

Associated Press

New York Times

Refugees

Former Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), attempted to blame President Donald Trump for the deadly shooting that took place in Washington, D.C., the day before Thanksgiving.
The suspect is an Afghan national, let into the United States during former President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration after the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, who opened fire on National Guard troops in the nation&#8217;s capital. One, SPC. Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, has died as a result of her injuries. But according to Wasserman Schultz, Trump was to blame for the horrific ambush attack.
WATCH;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rep Wasserman-Schultz attempts to blame Trump for NG shoot*ng, cites deployments in cities and &#8220;gun violence” as causes:
“The president looks everywhere except inward to blame his own policies&#8230;and it’s pretty disgusting.&#8221;
This is what they’re actually going with here. Sick. <a href="https://t.co/BX5TAd367V">pic.twitter.com/BX5TAd367V</a>
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://twitter.com/WesternLensman/status/1994411786204840262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Wasserman Schultz, responding to President Trump&#8217;s plan to go back and revisit the vetting process for the Afghan nationals who were brought into the United States as refugees, noted that in order for someone to have slipped through the cracks, there had to have been failures at a number of levels.
&#8220;We need to make sure that we have tight and appropriate and proper vetting. If there were gaps that admitted this person, they would have failed over multiple levels of gaps, and this individual was trusted enough to participate in assisting our military during the war in Afghanistan,&#8221; Wasserman Schultz said.
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She then pivoted to blame Trump, adding, &#8220;The president looks everywhere except inward to blame his own policies. We need to make sure that we don&#8217;t have our military deployed in our cities, handling law enforcement responsibilities, and we need to make sure that we address gun violence. We certainly need to make sure that we always have the proper and appropriate and tight vetting processes and those should be reviewed, but it&#8217;s never the president&#8217;s fault or his policies when it comes to his reaction, and it’s pretty disgusting.&#8221;
What Wasserman Schultz failed to acknowledge, however, was the fact that people like Pentagon spokesman and Army Ranger veteran <a href="https://x.com/Surabees/status/1994030582116876620">Sean Parnell</a> had sounded the alarm even at the time, warning that some Afghans who had been trusted and had worked with American troops on the ground had betrayed them when it mattered.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Former DNC Chair Blames Trump For National Guard Shooting

Democratic National Committee

Shooting

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