The event airs live on NBC and Telemundo, with Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, and Hoda Kotb hosting, and is also streaming on Peacock.
Offutt Air Force Base Hosts Thanksgiving Events to Support Airmen and Families
Service members and families at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, celebrated the Thanksgiving season early with community events on Nov. 21. Volunteers from the Offutt Advisory Council and 55th Wing leadership distributed 600 turkeys, 600 hams, 900 pounds of hamburger, and grocery gift cards outside the James M. McCoy Airmen Leadership School to assist Airmen in need during the holidays.
Meanwhile, Airmen from the 55th Maintenance and Operations Groups gathered for a luncheon and family tour of an RC-135 aircraft inside Dock 1. Organizers said the goal was to strengthen bonds between units and provide a sense of belonging for those far from home.
An Airman carves a turkey at a Thanksgiving luncheon on Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, November 21, 2025. Image Credits: DVIDS.
Leaders emphasized the importance of connection and morale during the holidays, with Airmen describing the event as a reminder of family and support within the Offutt community.
Two National Guard Troops Shot Near White House in Suspected Targeted Attack
Two West Virginia National Guard members deployed to Washington, D.C., were critically injured Wednesday after being shot near the White House in what officials described as a targeted attack.
Police identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the US in 2021. He was also shot and taken into custody with non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators have not determined a motive.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed the troops’ conditions, calling the incident a “brazen act of violence.”
The shooting occurred two blocks northwest of the White House, where other troops quickly subdued the gunman.
BREAKING 🔴
Two National Guard troops were shot near the White House on Wednesday, according to a report. pic.twitter.com/IVIE77eH17
— Polymarket Intel (@PolymarketIntel) November 26, 2025
US President Donald Trump ordered 500 additional National Guard troops to the capital following the attack, raising the total deployment to about 2,200.
Witnesses described chaos as shots rang out and law enforcement flooded the area. The attack comes amid ongoing controversy over the administration’s use of National Guard troops in major US cities to curb violent crime.
Trump vowed the shooter “will pay a very steep price,” while Vice President JD Vance urged Americans to pray for the wounded soldiers.
ICE Detains Massachusetts Woman With DACA Status
Bruna Ferreira, a 33-year-old Massachusetts business owner and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, remains in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody two weeks after being detained while driving to pick up her 11-year-old son in New Hampshire.
Her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, said she was stopped in Revere, Massachusetts, and transferred between multiple states before being sent to a Louisiana detention facility. He called the detention “unconstitutional” and said Ferreira has no criminal record or history of flight risk.
Ferreira, who emigrated from Brazil as a child, shares custody of her son with her former fiancé, Michael Leavitt, the brother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
🇺🇸 ICE DETAINS RELATIVE OF WHITE HOUSE PRESS SEC KAROLINE LEAVITT
The mother of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, Bruna Caroline Ferreira, was detained by ICE in Revere, Massachusetts, and is now held in Louisiana awaiting deportation.
Officials say she overstayed her visa by 25 years… https://t.co/sNLUNVGfI0 pic.twitter.com/SjqvuEeUzJ
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) November 26, 2025
The White House declined to comment.
The Department of Homeland Security said Ferreira entered the US on a tourist visa that expired in 1999 and cited a prior arrest for battery, which her attorney disputes and for which no public court record exists.
Homeland Security officials reaffirmed that DACA protections do not grant legal immigration status or automatic protection from deportation under current Trump administration policy.
US-Russian Crew Launches to International Space Station for Eight-Month Mission
A joint US-Russian crew successfully launched Thursday aboard a Soyuz spacecraft from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome en route to the International Space Station (ISS).
The Soyuz MS-28, carrying NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, lifted off at 2:27 p.m. local time and is expected to dock with the ISS about three hours later.
Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut and two Roscosmos cosmonauts BLASTS OFF from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to the ISS pic.twitter.com/q45LVeP0v1
— RT (@RT_com) November 27, 2025
Williams, a physicist on his first spaceflight, will spend eight months conducting scientific and technological research alongside his crewmates.
The trio will join seven astronauts already aboard the station, including NASA’s Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and Jonny Kim, Japan’s Kimiya Yui, and three Russian cosmonauts.
Macron Unveils New Voluntary Military Service Plan as France Prepares for Rising Russian Threat
French President Emmanuel Macron will announce a new national military service plan Thursday aimed at strengthening France’s defense readiness amid growing fears of Russian aggression in Europe.
The initiative, which offers young people a voluntary path to serve, stops short of reintroducing conscription, which France ended in 1996. Macron said the plan reflects the “need to prepare the nation for growing threats” and reaffirmed that volunteers will not be deployed to Ukraine.
France is increasing its defense budget by 6.5 billion euros ($7.6 billion) over the next two years, with annual spending set to reach 64 billion euros by 2027—double the level when Macron took office in 2017.
The country also plans to expand its reserve force from 40,000 to 100,000 by 2030.
France set to revive military conscription – but this time it’s voluntary
➡️ https://t.co/wL0AsaIgsN pic.twitter.com/GhX4HRjf3V
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) November 26, 2025
The announcement follows warnings from France’s new Army Chief of Staff, General Fabien Mandon, that Russia is preparing for potential confrontation with NATO by 2030.
France joins several European nations, including Germany, Belgium, and Poland, in introducing new voluntary military service programs as part of broader efforts to strengthen continental defense.
Russia Rejects Major Concessions as Leak Reveals US Envoy Advised Moscow on Trump Peace Pitch
Russia said Wednesday it will not make major concessions in peace talks over Ukraine, after a leaked call revealed US envoy Steve Witkoff advising a senior Russian official on how to frame a proposal for President Donald Trump.
Witkoff is expected to travel to Moscow next week with other US officials to discuss a potential end to the nearly four-year war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is ready to move forward with the US-backed framework but wants European allies involved. Kyiv and its partners are alarmed by reports that the plan aligns with Russian demands, including blocking Ukraine’s NATO membership and recognizing Russian control of about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
The leaked transcript, published by Bloomberg, prompted bipartisan criticism in Washington. Republican lawmakers, including Senator Mitch McConnell, warned against any deal that “rewards aggression.” Trump defended Witkoff’s role, calling it “standard negotiation.”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov dismissed talk of compromise, saying Moscow would not abandon its key objectives.
💬🇷🇺Russia says it won’t make any concessions in a peace deal over its war against Ukraine
Well, that’s pretty much what was expected.
Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov claims that all possible concessions were already made by Putin “in Anchorage, Alaska.”
Everything else, he… pic.twitter.com/U7zz21xKEr
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) November 26, 2025
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was “premature” to expect a deal, though Trump confirmed Witkoff and Jared Kushner would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next week.
Russian forces currently control about 19 percent of Ukraine, advancing slowly but steadily despite heavy losses.
Lebanon and Cyprus Sign Long-Delayed Maritime Border Deal, Opening Path for Energy Exploration
Lebanon and Cyprus signed a long-pending sea border agreement Wednesday, resolving nearly two decades of dispute that had stalled offshore oil and gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides signed the deal in Beirut, finalizing an accord first drafted in 2007 but delayed over Lebanon’s maritime dispute with Israel and domestic political turmoil.
Christodoulides called the pact a “historic agreement,” while Aoun said it signals Lebanon’s readiness for broader regional cooperation.
The deal is expected to boost both nations’ energy prospects as Europe seeks to diversify gas supplies away from Russia.
Today is a historic day.
Cyprus and Lebanon take a major step in deepening 🇨🇾🇱🇧 longstanding excellent relations, and strengthen regional stability, firmly anchored on international law and UNCLOS.
After almost two decades we sign the final text of the Exclusive Economic Zone… pic.twitter.com/NiwnxerllB
— NikosChristodoulides (@Christodulides) November 26, 2025
Cyprus, which has discovered about 20 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, hopes to start exporting by 2027.
For Lebanon, the agreement offers a potential economic lifeline amid financial collapse and ongoing instability, including intermittent Israeli strikes in the south and tensions involving Hezbollah.
Beirut still lacks a finalized maritime border with Syria, leaving parts of its offshore potential untapped.
Militants Kill Three Police Officers in Attack on Checkpoint in Northwest Pakistan
Armed militants opened fire on a police checkpoint in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province overnight, killing three officers before fleeing the scene, authorities said Thursday.
Police in Hangu district returned fire, though it remains unclear if any attackers were wounded or killed. A search operation is underway.
No group has claimed responsibility, but officials suspect the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has carried out similar attacks in recent years. The assault came days after a deadly attack on security forces’ headquarters in Peshawar that killed three officers and injured 11 others.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the officers’ “bravery and sacrifice,” noting the ongoing security challenges in the region.
#UPDATE: Three policemen killed in militant attack on checkpoint in northwest Pakistan — officials https://t.co/QDqsWIHq6u pic.twitter.com/Kh9Tn1v7E4
— Arab News Pakistan (@arabnewspk) November 27, 2025
In a separate incident, three children were killed Wednesday by an explosive device in Balochistan province.
Pakistan has faced a surge in militant violence since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, straining relations between Islamabad and Kabul despite a Qatar-brokered ceasefire in October.
Death Toll Rises to 55 in Hong Kong High-Rise Fire
At least 55 people have died and more than 70 were injured in one of Hong Kong’s deadliest fires in decades after flames engulfed a residential complex in Tai Po district, authorities said Thursday.
The blaze began Wednesday afternoon on scaffolding outside a 32-story tower at the Wang Fuk Court complex and spread across seven of its eight buildings before firefighters brought it largely under control.
Police arrested three men—two company directors and an engineering consultant from Prestige Construction & Engineering—on suspicion of manslaughter, citing gross negligence and the use of substandard materials.
Investigators believe flammable Styrofoam and non-fire-resistant cladding contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. One firefighter was among the dead.
The death toll from a fire that broke out Wednesday at an eight-building residential complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district has climbed to 55
💢 279 others remain missing following the disaster in the complex, consisting of more than 1,900 apartments https://t.co/79fl6BtX5a pic.twitter.com/A5KfQU8OFy
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) November 27, 2025
Nearly 900 residents were evacuated, while contact was lost with 279 others as rescue operations continued. The government ordered citywide inspections of renovation sites to verify construction safety standards.
Chinese President Xi Jinping offered condolences to victims’ families.
The disaster, Hong Kong’s deadliest since a 1996 commercial building fire, has renewed scrutiny over the city’s reliance on bamboo scaffolding and construction safety practices.
Sources: News Agencies
Morning Brief: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Launches, Macron Unveils Voluntary Military Service Plan, Russia Rejects Major Concessions
Thanksgiving dawns with parades, politics, and global unrest shaping this Thursday morning’s top stories, November 27, 2025.
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