United News of Bangladesh

An Afghan national has been taken into custody after shooting two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House Wednesday afternoon, leaving the troops hospitalized in critical condition. FBI Director Kash Patel and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed the shooting, while West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey retracted earlier reports of deaths, citing “conflicting reports” about the guardsmen’s condition. The suspect was also shot and sustained injuries not considered life-threatening, officials said. Law enforcement identified the 29-year-old suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who entered the U.S. in 2021 under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome, a program that evacuated and resettled Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal. Lakanwal had been living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children. Authorities are still verifying his background. Police said the shooting occurred roughly two blocks northwest of the White House near a metro station. Video footage reviewed by investigators suggested the gunman “came around the corner” and immediately opened fire. Mayor Bowser described the incident as a “targeted shooting.” At least one National Guard member exchanged fire with the suspect before other troops held him down. President Donald Trump, in a video message, called for a reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees admitted under the Biden administration, calling the attack “a crime against our entire nation.” U.S. officials have not yet determined a motive. Witnesses reported chaos at the scene, with people fleeing as first responders administered CPR and treated the wounded troops. Police and fire vehicles cordoned off the area, while Secret Service and ATF agents assisted at the site. Helicopters were deployed, including one that landed on the National Mall. Vice President JD Vance said the attack was “a somber reminder” of the risks faced by all soldiers, including active duty, reserve, and National Guard members. National Guard Bureau Chief Gen. Steven Nordhaus canceled holiday plans to visit D.C. troops, and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll visited the hospitalized guardsmen, describing their condition as heartbreaking. The shooting comes amid ongoing debates over the Trump administration’s use of National Guard troops in U.S. cities to address rising crime. Nearly 2,200 troops remain in Washington under a joint task force, with hundreds of West Virginia Guard members among them. The deployment, initially federalized in August, had been temporarily challenged by a federal judge last week but continues while the administration appeals.  

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is barring South Africa from participating in next year’s G20 summit near Miami and halting all U.S. payments and subsidies to the country over its treatment of a U.S. government representative at this year’s summit. Trump skipped sending a U.S. delegation to last weekend’s Johannesburg summit, claiming South Africa’s white Afrikaners were being violently persecuted, a claim the South African government has rejected. He said South Africa refused to hand over its G20 hosting duties to a U.S. embassy official after the summit. “Therefore, at my direction, South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We are going to stop all payments and subsidies to them, effective immediately.” South Africa called the U.S. decision an insult, noting the handover ceremony occurred at its Foreign Ministry because the U.S. was absent. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said Trump’s claims about Afrikaner farmers are “misinformation and distortions.” The 2026 summit will be held at Trump’s Doral golf club in Miami, a decision some see as personal. The U.S. had boycotted this year’s Johannesburg summit, declining to sign its declaration, which focused on issues affecting developing countries. Trump’s administration has also limited U.S. refugee admissions to 7,500 annually, mostly reserved for white South Africans, following his January suspension of the program. Since then, only a small number have arrived, largely Afrikaners, a minority group historically central to apartheid. Afrikaners, descended mainly from Dutch, French, and German settlers, number about 2.7 million in South Africa’s 62 million population. While historically associated with apartheid, the community is diverse, with some members opposing the former regime.

The United States’ top military officer, Gen. Dan Caine, visited American troops in Puerto Rico and aboard a Navy warship on Monday, as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Venezuela over alleged drug trafficking. Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was joined by his senior enlisted adviser, David L. Isom. According to Caine’s office, the visit aimed to “engage with service members and thank them for their outstanding support to regional missions.” This is Caine’s second visit since the U.S. military expanded its presence in the Caribbean, including deploying the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier and hundreds of Marines earlier this year. Officials have described the forces as “on the front lines of defending the American homeland.” Trump has not ruled out military action against Venezuela as part of an escalating campaign targeting drug-smuggling operations. U.S. strikes on 21 suspected drug boats have killed over 80 people, and the administration recently designated Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization, a move that provides additional options for pressuring President Nicolás Maduro. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the designation opens “a whole bunch of new options” for the U.S., but he did not clarify whether strikes inside Venezuela were planned. “Nothing is off the table, but nothing’s automatically on the table,” Hegseth told conservative media outlet OAN. The Trump administration has increasingly targeted Latin American criminal organizations with the terrorist label, previously reserved for groups like al-Qaida and ISIS, citing their involvement in drug and migrant trafficking.  

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said he stands by his earlier remarks accusing President Donald Trump of behaving like a despot and a fascist, despite the two appearing unusually cordial after a White House meeting on Friday. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, and the Republican president have long been political adversaries. Trump recently labeled the incoming mayor a “100% Communist Lunatic” on social media after his election win, while Mamdani has repeatedly warned that Trump threatens democratic norms. Still, both emerged from their meeting smiling and highlighting areas where they could work together. Asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” in an interview aired Sunday whether he still believed his past criticism, Mamdani said nothing had changed. “Everything that I’ve said in the past, I continue to believe,” he said. “We shouldn’t shy away from disagreements, but we also have to focus on why we sit at the table. I’m in the Oval Office to deliver for New Yorkers, not to make a point.” Trump, for his part, had brushed off Mamdani’s criticisms during their meeting and even stepped in to ease a tense moment. When a reporter asked Mamdani if he still thought Trump was a fascist, the president answered first, saying, “That’s OK. You can just say yes. OK? It’s easier. I don’t mind.” Pressed again on the program about whether he still supported the label, Mamdani replied, “That’s something that I’ve said in the past. I say it today.” Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Trump wants to work with “everybody who cares about the future of the American people.” He acknowledged policy differences but said improving lives is a shared goal across both parties. Despite their political distance, analysts said the meeting carried potential benefits for both men. Mamdani gained valuable one-on-one time with the president ahead of taking office, while Trump used the moment to highlight his focus on affordability — an issue increasingly central to voters.  

President Donald Trump announced Friday that he is “immediately” ending temporary legal protections for Somali migrants living in Minnesota, a move targeting a program designed to limit deportations. Minnesota hosts the largest Somali community in the United States, many of whom fled decades of civil war in Somalia and were drawn to the state’s social support programs. However, the number of Somalis affected by the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is relatively small, with a congressional report in August estimating just 705 individuals nationwide. TPS, established by Congress in 1990, protects people from deportation when their home countries face civil unrest, natural disasters, or other dangers. The designation is granted by the Homeland Security secretary in 18-month increments. Trump announced his decision on social media, claiming Minnesota is “a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity” and alleging Somali gangs are terrorizing residents. “Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!” he wrote. The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the move, warning it “will tear families apart.” Executive Director Jaylani Hussein described the action as a “political attack on the Somali and Muslim community driven by Islamophobic and hateful rhetoric.” Trump, who campaigned on a promise to deport millions of immigrants, has previously sought to end TPS for 600,000 Venezuelans and 500,000 Haitians, as well as limit protections for migrants from Cuba, Syria, and other countries, in a broader effort to implement stricter immigration policies.  

President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met Friday in the Oval Office, marking their first face-to-face encounter after months of publicly criticizing each other. Trump has repeatedly called Mamdani a “100% Communist lunatic” and a “total nut job,” while Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has described Trump’s administration as “authoritarian” and himself as “Trump’s worst nightmare.” Despite the political friction, both signaled willingness to discuss shared priorities for the city. In a Fox News Radio interview Friday morning, Trump said he expected the meeting to be “quite civil,” noting that they share the goal of strengthening New York. Mamdani, who takes office in January, sought the meeting to explore ways to improve affordability in the city. The session comes after a contentious mayoral race in which Trump backed independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, questioned Mamdani’s citizenship, and warned he could face arrest over immigration-related policies. Mamdani won the election, portraying Cuomo as a “puppet” of Trump and emphasizing his progressive and immigrant identity. Observers noted that the meeting offers both men a high-profile platform. For Trump, it provides a chance to address voter concerns about the cost of living, while Mamdani can present his vision directly to the nation’s most powerful figure. The tone of the discussion remained uncertain, with both sides aware of the potential for political theatrics.

The U.S. Supreme Court met in private Friday to consider President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily. The justices could decide as early as Monday whether to hear the administration’s appeal of lower court rulings that blocked the order nationwide. The order has not taken effect anywhere in the country. If accepted, the case could be argued in the spring, with a final decision expected by early summer. Signed on the first day of Trump’s second term, the order is part of a broader immigration crackdown, which also includes expanded enforcement operations and the first peacetime use of the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act. Lower courts have uniformly ruled that the order likely violates the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil, except for children of foreign diplomats or occupying forces. The administration argues that children of noncitizens are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States. The Supreme Court has already issued mixed rulings on related immigration policies. It blocked rapid deportations of Venezuelan gang members under the Alien Enemies Act but allowed enforcement actions in Los Angeles to resume after a lower court limited stops based on race, language, or occupation. The court is also reviewing an emergency appeal to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago for immigration enforcement, which was blocked by a lower court. Trump’s birthright citizenship order is the first major immigration policy from his administration to reach the high court for a final ruling. Legal challenges include a nationwide injunction by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco and a class-action lawsuit in New Hampshire covering all affected children. The American Civil Liberties Union, representing the New Hampshire plaintiffs, called the administration’s arguments “flimsy” and said it is ready to defend the constitutional right to citizenship.  

A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to end its monthslong deployment of National Guard troops to help police the nation’s capital. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb concluded that President Donald Trump’s military takeover in Washington, D.C., illegally intrudes on local officials’ authority to direct law enforcement in the district. She put her order on hold for 21 days to allow for an appeal, however. District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued to challenge the Guard deployments. He asked the judge to bar the White House from deploying Guard troops without the mayor’s consent while the lawsuit plays out. Dozens of states took sides in Schwalb’s lawsuit, with their support falling along party lines. Cobb found that while the president does have authority to protect federal functioning and property, he can’t unilaterally deploy the D.C. National Guard to help with crime control as he sees fit or call in troops from other states. After her ruling, Schwalb called for troops to be sent home. “Normalizing the use of military troops for domestic law enforcement sets a dangerous precedent, where the President can disregard states’ independence and deploy troops wherever and whenever he wants — with no check on his military power,” Schwalb said. The White House, though, stood by the deployment. “President Trump is well within his lawful authority to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C., to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement with specific tasks,” said spokeswoman Abigail Jackson. “This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of DC residents — to undermine the President’s highly successful operations to stop violent crime in DC.” In August, President Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in Washington. Within a month, more than 2,300 National Guard troops from eight states and the district were patrolling the city under the command of the Secretary of the Army. Trump also deployed hundreds of federal agents to assist in patrols. The administration has also deployed Guard troops to Los Angeles and tried to send troops into Chicago and Portland, Oregon, prompting other court challenges. A federal appeals court allowed the Los Angeles deployment, and the administration is appealing a judge’s decision in Portland that found the president did not have the authority to call up or deploy National Guard troops there. The Supreme Court is weighing the administration’s emergency appeal to be allowed to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area in support of an immigration crackdown. A lower court has indefinitely prevented the deployment. In Washington, It’s unclear how long the deployments will last, but attorneys from Schwalb’s office said Guard troops are likely to remain in the city through at least next summer. “Our constitutional democracy will never be the same if these occupations are permitted to stand,” they wrote. Government lawyers have said Congress empowered the president to control the D.C. National Guard’s operation. “There is no sensible reason for an injunction unwinding this arrangement now, particularly since the District’s claims have no merit,” Justice Department attorneys wrote. The Trump administration has deputized the Guard troops in Washington to serve as special U.S. Marshal Service deputies. Schwalb’s office said out-of-state troops are impermissibly operating as a federal military police force in D.C., inflaming tensions with residents and diverting local police resources. “Every day that this lawless incursion continues, the District suffers harm to its sovereign authority to conduct local law enforcement as it chooses,” his office’s attorneys wrote.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a bill directing his administration to release all federal files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, ending months of pushback despite mounting pressure from within his own party. Trump had long resisted calls to make the files public, even though he could have ordered their release earlier. Announcing his decision on social media, he accused Democrats of using the Epstein issue “to distract” from Republican achievements. Under the new law, the Justice Department must disclose all documents and communications tied to Epstein — including details surrounding his 2019 death in federal custody — within 30 days. Redactions will only be allowed to protect victims or avoid compromising ongoing federal investigations. The department cannot withhold information over concerns of “embarrassment” or “political sensitivity.” The legislation’s passage marks a dramatic shift. What began as a fringe push by an unusual coalition of Democrats, a Trump critic and a small group of former Trump allies steadily gained traction. As recently as last week, the administration tried to dissuade one supporter of the bill, Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, by calling her to the Situation Room. She held firm. Facing overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress, Trump reversed course over the weekend, saying the controversy had become a distraction from the GOP agenda. “I just don’t want Republicans to take their eyes off all of the victories that we’ve had,” he posted on Tuesday. The House overwhelmingly approved the bill 427-1, with only Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana voting against it. He argued the measure risked exposing information about individuals not accused of wrongdoing. The Senate later passed the measure unanimously by skipping a formal vote. Trump had been socially acquainted with Epstein years earlier, but has long insisted he knew nothing of Epstein’s criminal activities and cut ties with him before his arrest. During Trump’s first term, several of his allies promoted conspiracy theories claiming federal authorities were hiding key information about Epstein’s death and potential connections to powerful individuals.

The U.S. House of Representatives returned to session this week after a multi-week hiatus, only to be quickly consumed by a series of censures, reprimands, and investigations of its own members, leaving little time for legislative business. Lawmakers have focused on punishing colleagues for political and personal transgressions rather than addressing pressing issues such as rising health insurance costs. Del. Stacey Plaskett, a Democrat from the U.S. Virgin Islands, survived a failed attempt by Republicans to censure her and remove her from the House Intelligence Committee over past communications with Jeffrey Epstein. Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., faced a new House Ethics Committee investigation following allegations of threatening behavior against a former partner. Other lawmakers, including Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., and Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Ill., have also faced censure or reprimand efforts this week. House Democrats criticized the GOP majority for prioritizing political punishments over urgent legislation. Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “It’s time for the House to actually do things that matter for the American people,” noting that Republicans have yet to bring bills addressing the high cost of living to the floor. Speaker Mike Johnson has struggled to maintain control as rank-and-file lawmakers use discharge petitions and procedural maneuvers to push controversial issues, including the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, ahead of the leadership’s schedule. Observers say the cycle of investigations and public punishments has become the new normal in the House, leaving critical legislation, including health care funding and government appropriations, at risk as the year-end approaches.