Thursday morning news: November 27, 2025

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Attack on guardsmen » Two National Guardsmen were fighting for their lives in a hospital this morning, after being shot just two blocks from the White House.

Jeffery Carroll with the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department:

CARROLL:  The suspect came around the corner, uh, raised his arm with a firearm and discharged at the National Guard members, uh, the National Guard members. There were other members that were in the area. They were able to, subdue the individual.

Officers from federal and local agencies swarmed the area and cordoned-off the scene, as helicopters flew overhead and National Guard troops stood watch.

Emergency crews rushed the victims to a hospital, where they were listed in critical condition. The suspect was also transported for medical treatment.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said last night that in response to the attack:

HEGSETH: President Trump has asked me and I will ask the Secretary of the Army to the National Guard to add 500 additional troops, national Guardsmen to Washington, D.C.

Authorities are calling it a targeted attack. And FBI Director Kash Patel has vowed to bring the attacker to justice.

Ukraine latest » A senior Kremlin official confirms that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Moscow next week. Efforts are picking up speed to find a consensus on ending Russia’s nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. officials say they’re seeing progress. But Eu foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas said today:

KALLAS: An immediate and unconditional ceasefire must be the first step to ending the war. But right now, we see zero indication that Russia is ready for a ceasefire. Russia is not winding down. It's a military machine, but ramping it up.

The southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia came under a large Russian drone attack overnight with at least 19 people wounded.

She added that “We still need to get from a situation where Russia pretends to negotiate to a situation where they need to negotiate.”

The Kremlin said Wednesday that Russian officials still haven't officially received the initial U.S. peace proposal.

Officials from the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine held talks in the United Arab Emirates earlier this week.

Israel latest » Israeli officials say they’ll go after any militants who threaten or harm Israelis and that they’re doing just that. Government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian:

BEDROSIAN:  The IDF, Shin Bet, and Border Police launched a large scale counter terrorism in operation in Northern Samaria.

Samaria is an area many other governments refer to as the West Bank.

SOUND: [West Bank operation]

Israeli military vehicles and personnel closed in around the town of Tubas earlier this week. Officials aren't saying specifically why the military action was necessary, but Bedrosian there will be no safe-haven for terrorists, and the Israeli forces:

BEDROSIAN: Continue to act forcefully to thwart terror activity and will reach anyone who harms anyone who threatens our citizens, our soldiers, and our security forces as well.

The governor of Tubas said the Israeli military has effectively cut off the city from the outside world.

Hong Kong fire » Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in years was still burning this morning. Firefighters continued to battle the flames engulfing several high-rise apartment buildings.

Derek Armstrong Chan with the Hong Kong Fire Service:

CHAN:  We encounter particular difficulties in, uh, several areas. Like, uh, the fire is spreading, uh, quickly to nearby buildings and, uh, scaffolding of the, uh, feted buildings are falling down, so post additional danger to our frontline personnel.

At least 44 people were confirmed dead Wednesday, and roughly 280 were reported missing, as rescuers have continued to pull residents from the building.

Police arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the fire, which began Wednesday afternoon in a housing complex.

Prosecutor declines Georgia election case against Trump » A Georgia judge has thrown out the election-interference case against President Donald Trump and more than a dozen co-defendants. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher has the details.

BENJAMIN EICHER: The move follows a decision by special prosecutor Pete Skandalakis to not move forward with the case. He stepped in recently after former Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was removed over an ethics controversy.

The investigation dates back nearly five years. Fani Willis charged that Trump illegally tried to sway the 2020 election results in Georgia

She pointed to a recorded call in which Trump urged the secretary of state to “find” additional votes.

Skandalakis said the allegations were serious but belonged in federal court, not at the state level.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

Jobless numbers » Weekly jobless claims fell again last week, dropping to 216,000, the lowest level since mid-April.

Fewer people filed for unemployment benefits than expected, even as hiring has slowed in recent months.

It’s another sign that while the labor market may have cooled, it’s holding steady.

Layoffs remain relatively low nationwide, and most workers who lose jobs are finding new ones fairly quickly.

Economists say the data points to a job market that is neither booming nor cracking as the year winds down.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: protecting vulnerable children in the U.S. foster system. Plus, praying for the persecuted church.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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