Good morning. This is the Up First newsletter — your quick briefing for the day. Subscribe to get it in your inbox and listen to the Up First podcast for the morning news.
Top stories
Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old member of the West Virginia National Guard who was shot while on duty in Washington, D.C., has died, President Trump said during a Thanksgiving call with service members. Beckstrom and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe were on patrol a few blocks from the White House when an alleged gunman, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, opened fire. Wolfe remains in critical condition.
The administration has said it will undertake a wide review of refugees and migrants who were admitted to the U.S. and granted green cards following the attack. Officials point to Lakanwal as an example of inadequate vetting. Reporting indicates Lakanwal served in Afghanistan alongside U.S. forces in an elite counterterrorism unit linked to the CIA and the military, applied for asylum during the Biden administration, and received protection in April under the Trump administration.
Advocates and experts caution that the narrative of wholly insufficient vetting overlooks the repeated scrutiny many Afghans faced before and after arriving in the U.S. Audits have found the Afghan refugee process imperfect, but experts say it was extensive and that most Afghan arrivals are living peacefully.
In Hong Kong, at least 128 people have died after a massive fire tore through a high-rise housing complex that shelters roughly 4,600 residents. The blaze, which burned from Wednesday into Friday, is one of the deadliest in the region in decades. Authorities have warned the death toll could rise and have arrested three men on alleged manslaughter charges related to the fire.
Books we love (a few picks)
Andrew Limbong, host of NPR’s Book of the Day, highlights NPR’s year-end roundup, Books We Love, a searchable list of more than 380 recommended titles. Staff favorites include:
– The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami — a dystopian novel about mass surveillance and social manipulation, useful for thinking about collective risk and escape.
– King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby — a brutal crime thriller centered on a family-run crematorium that becomes entangled with local gangs.
– Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy — a candid, sometimes uncomfortable memoir about Roy’s relationship with her mother.
– Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green — a blend of history and reporting that treats TB as a present, serious but curable disease.
Black Friday stories you may have missed
– Consumer and child-safety groups, including Fairplay, recommend avoiding AI-enabled toys this holiday season, warning that interactive dolls and robots can exploit children’s trust and disrupt human relationships.
– Muralist Maxx Moses is holding the Black Friday Artists Market again at Graffiti Gardens in San Diego, showcasing local artists and celebrating Black culture and community economics.
– The National Retail Federation projects Americans will spend more than $1 trillion this holiday season on gifts, food and decorations, roughly in line with last year.
– If you’re traveling after Thanksgiving and prone to car sickness, NPR’s How To Do Everything podcast offers tips to make the trip more comfortable.
Weekend picks
What NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
– Movies: Sentimental Value — a film about a director trying to reconnect with estranged daughters while working on a new feature, exploring the clash between art and parenthood.
– TV: Stranger Things — the 1980s-set series returns for its final season this week; NPR critic Eric Deggans assesses whether the conclusion satisfies (spoiler warning).
– Books: NPR highlights four notable new releases, from a deep dive into crossword culture to a posthumous short-story collection.
– Music: NPR’s holiday music streams include party playlists and holiday jazz across the network.
– Food: Chef Kathy Gunst shares recipes to remake Thanksgiving leftovers into fresh meals.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.