Category: News
Afghan national in custody after shooting of 2 National Guard members near White House
WASHINGTON — An Afghan national has been accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members just blocks from the White House in a brazen act of violence at a time when the presence of troops in the nation’s capital and other cities around the country has become a political flashpoint.
What we do and don’t know about the shooting of 2 National Guard members in DC
FBI Director Kash Patel and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said the guard members were hospitalized in critical condition after Wednesday afternoon’s shooting. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey had walked back his statement Wednesday announcing the troops had died, saying he received “conflicting reports” about their condition.
The rare shooting of National Guard members on American soil, on the day before Thanksgiving, comes amid court fights and a broader public policy debate about the Trump administration’s use of the military to combat what officials cast as an out-of-control crime problem.
The Trump administration quickly ordered 500 more National Guard members to Washington.
The suspect who was in custody also was shot and had wounds that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
The 29-year-old suspect, an Afghan national, entered the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country, officials said.
The initiative brought roughly 76,000 people to the U.S., many of whom had worked alongside U.S. troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators. It has since faced intense scrutiny from Trump and his allies, congressional Republicans and some government watchdogs over gaps in the vetting process and the speed of admissions, even as advocates say it offered a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban reprisals.
The suspect, who has been living in Washington state, has been identified by law enforcement officials as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, but authorities were still working to fully confirm his background, two law enforcement officials and a person familiar with the matter said. The people could not discuss details of an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Lakamal arrived in Bellingham, Washington, about 79 miles (127 kilometers) north of Seattle, with his wife and five children, said his former landlord Kristina Widman.
Wednesday night, in a video message released on social media, President Donald Trump called for the reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who entered under the Biden administration.
“If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them,” he said, adding that the shooting was “a crime against our entire nation.”
Jeffery Carroll, an executive assistant D.C. police chief, said investigators had no information on a motive. He said the assailant “came around the corner” and immediately started firing at the troops, citing video reviewed by investigators.
“This was a targeted shooting,” Bowser said.
Troops held down the shooter
The shooting happened roughly two blocks northwest of the White House near a metro station. Hearing gunfire, other troops in the area ran over and held down the gunman after he was shot, Carroll said.
“It appears to be a lone gunman that raised a firearm and ambushed these members of the National Guard,” Carroll said, adding that it was not clear whether one of the guard members or a law enforcement officer shot the suspect.
“At this point we have no other suspects,” Carroll said at a news conference.
At least one of the guard members exchanged gunfire with the shooter, said another law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Social media video shared in the immediate aftermath showed first responders performing CPR on one of the troops and treating the other on a sidewalk covered in broken glass.
Witnesses saw people fleeing
Michael Ryan was just across the street when he heard loud bangs and started running with others. When he later came back, he told AP he saw a person pinned to the ground as people shouted “stay down,” and, nearby, National Guard troops hugged each other.
“It’s just a terrible situation to see,” Ryan said.
Emma McDonald, who exited a metro station just after the shots were fired, said she and a friend sought safety with others in a cafe. McDonald told AP that minutes later she saw first responders rolling a stretcher carrying a National Guard member whose head was covered in blood.
Police tape cordoned off the scene, and fire and police vehicle lights flashed and helicopter blades thudded overhead. Agents from the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were there, and National Guard troops stood sentry nearby. At least one helicopter landed on the National Mall.
“I think it’s a somber reminder that soldiers, whether they’re active duty, reserve or National Guard, our soldiers are the sword and the shield of the United States of America,” Vice President JD Vance said in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he delivered a Thanksgiving message to troops.
Gen. Steven Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau, scrapped plans to spend the holiday with troops at Guantanamo Bay in order to travel to D.C. and be with guard members there instead.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said on social media that he visited the wounded National Guard members in the hospital and that his “heart breaks for them.”
Troops deployed to DC under emergency order
Trump issued an emergency order in August that federalized the local police force and sent in National Guard troops from eight states and the District of Columbia. The order expired a month later, but the troops remained.
Nearly 2,200 troops currently are assigned to the joint task force operating in the city, according to the government’s latest update.
Last week a federal judge ordered an end to the deployment, but she also put her order on hold for 21 days to allow the administration time to either remove the troops or appeal.
The guard members have patrolled neighborhoods, train stations and other locations, participated in highway checkpoints and been assigned to pick up trash and guard sports events.
More than 300 West Virginia National Guard members were deployed in August. About 160 of them volunteered last week to extend their deployment until the end of the year, while the others returned home just over a week ago.
Associated Press journalists Konstantin Toropin, Seung Min Kim, Safiyah Riddle, Matt Brown, Mike Balsamo, Eric Tucker, Jesse Bedayn, Evan Vucci, Nathan Ellgren, John Raby, Hallie Golden, Michael R. Sisak and John Seewer contributed.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/27/afghan-national-shooting-national-guard/
Saquon Barkley is in a funk. Can the Philadelphia Eagles running back snap out of it vs. the Chicago Bears?
PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley can admit it now after another futile effort. He’s in a “funk.”
Of late? Absolutely.
The Philadelphia Eagles running back and AP Offensive Player of the year ran for just 22 yards on 10 carries in a loss — an epic collapse, actually — to the Dallas Cowboys. Barkley even lost a key fumble in the fourth quarter that helped turn a 21-0 lead into a 24-21 loss for the Eagles’ biggest blown lead in a defeat since 1999.
All season? Yup, and that makes the frustration even worse for Barkley, who would have been hard-pressed to match last season’s numbers — 2,005 yards rushing in the regular season, an NFL-record 2,504 yards rushing for the regular season and playoffs, two 200-yard games (one in the playoffs) and six rushing touchdowns of 60-plus yards (also including playoffs) — that earned him a record-setting contract extension.
But did anyone expect this kind of drop-off?
Barkley limps into Friday’s game against the Chicago Bears (8-3) barely on track for 1,000 yards rushing this season. He has only 684 yards this season and a 3.7 yards-per-carry average. Forget six rushing TDs of 60-plus yards — he’s had eight games this season where he’s rushed for 60 or fewer yards.
“We’re trying pretty much anything and everything we can to find ways to get him going,” beleaguered offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo said. “I know that the guys are excited for something new this week to see if we can get it going.”
Barkley has gamely tried to take the blame for his performance that down the stretch could determine if the Eagles (8-3) — who still comfortably lead the NFC East — can make another serious run at a Super Bowl championship.
“I’ve had funks before. Just got to break it,” Barkley said. “Only way I know how is by flushing this, working my butt off, and get ready for the next opportunity.”
So what explains the dramatic dip in performance?
There are a multitude of reasons starting with a new OC in Patullo, who has failed to master the art of play-calling, even with so much talent in Barkley, Jalen Hurts and wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
The offensive line has been riddled with injuries and inconsistency that often has offered Barkley little room to run. Barkley ran for a whopping 1,328 yards before contact last season and averaged 3.8 yards per carry before contact. This season he has averaged only 2.3 yards per carry before contact.
“It’s not on Saquon. It’s on all of us,” offensive lineman Jordan Mailata said. “You could just watch the film. We always say we’re one block away. As tiring and as repetitive as it is, that is the truth.”
Barkley — who insisted this week he is healthy — hasn’t faced the Bears since 2022 when he ran for 146 yards while playing for the Giants.
“He hasn’t had the year that he had last year, but he’s still a threat every time he touches the ball. He’s a guy we’re going to have to corral,” Bears safety Kevin Byard III said. “I think when you talk about game planning against the team like that, he’s definitely priority number one to stop him.”
Bears win the close ones
The Bears hung on to beat Pittsburgh 31-28 on Sunday with old nemesis Aaron Rodgers sidelined by a broken left wrist, after rallying in the final two minutes the previous three weeks. With their eighth win in nine games, they maintained a slim lead in the NFC North over Green Bay (7-3-1) and Detroit (7-4).
The Bears have won two games by one point each and have six total wins by a touchdown or less.
The Bears have the same pivotal question as the Eagles: Can they really keep winning this way?
For the Bears, the problem is quarterback Caleb Williams, who has completed 59.2% of his passes on the season, after coach Ben Johnson called 70% their goal. Yet, the Bears rank first in the NFL in turnover margin (plus-16) and second in rushing offense (142.3 yards per game), and leading those categories wins teams a lot of games — and the Bears have done plenty of winning, even if BetMGM Sportsbook has them at 66-1 to win the Super Bowl.
Hey, worrying about how to fix a potential playoff team sure beats the alternative of where the Bears were at this point last season. Their Thanksgiving loss at Detroit was their sixth straight in what ballooned into a 10-game losing streak.
“It’s come along really well, but it’s really those veterans that I just can’t sing their praises enough. They lead the charge there in terms of how that locker room responds each and every week,” Johnson said. “Being able to hit that reset button and we’ve had some success.”
Patullo gets a vote of confidence
Patullo got a vote of confidence from coach Nick Sirianni after the Eagles blew a 21-0 lead. The Eagles have tailed off in Patullo’s first season and rank only 24th overall in offense, 21st in rushing, 23rd in passing and 17th in scoring.
Patullo has absorbed the brunt of the criticism from unhappy fans — offensive lineman Lane Johnson even called the offense “predictable” after a loss to the Giants last month — but seemingly will still call the shots for the immediate future.
Sirianni said this week he had not considered a play-calling change.
“I feel like we’ve got the right people,” he said.
Patullo tried to not to blame one specific area of an offense that has failed to put up big numbers even in wins. It scored a combined 26 points in consecutive wins over Green Bay and Detroit — victories that fattened the Eagles’ record and yet still yielded complaints from veterans such as Brown.
“We’ve had these dry spells a little bit, whether it was running the ball, whatever it may be, but it hasn’t been one specific thing,” Patullo said. “I think that’s where it’s been a challenge for us to try to find what can we change, what can we do? Because there are certain areas that we feel really confident in.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/27/saquon-barkley-funk-bears-eagles/
Column: Plenty for Chicago sports fans to be thankful for — from Ben and Bananas to Bedard and Byard
Last year on Thanksgiving, I warned readers to avoid discussing the “three E’s” during their family get-togethers:
Eberflus, Elon and the election.
Thankfully there’s no longer any reason to discuss former Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus, Elon Musk’s approval ratings have dropped significantly since his bromance with President Donald Trump, the 2024 election is old news and the midterm elections aren’t for another year.
For Chicagoans, there are many more reasons to celebrate this Thanksgiving, from the resurgence of the Bears to the Cubs’ playoff run to the fine fall weather we had been having.
In other words, we can all relax, watch football, eat turkey and enjoy each other’s company without bringing up topics that can turn your Thanksgiving meal into that fork-flinging episode of “The Bear.”
Here are some things I’m thankful for in 2025.
Ben Johnson
The first-year Bears coach not only has them in first place at Thanksgiving, he has brought a renewed sense of optimism to perennially pessimistic Bears fans. It’s not “How are they going to blow this?” anymore. It’s “How are they going to win this?” Improbable wins are still wins.
Banana Ball
When the Savannah Bananas brought their act to the South Side in August, it showed that fans indeed would come out to the corner of 35th Street and Shields Avenue to watch a baseball game if it was entertaining enough. It was part baseball, part “Glee” episode and part Harlem Globetrotters. Banana Ball comes to Wrigley Field next July and hopefully will make Chicago an annual stop on its national tour.
Pete Crow-Armstrong and Colson Montgomery
Crow-Armstrong didn’t have a great second half for the Cubs, and Montgomery didn’t even get called up to the White Sox until the Fourth of July. But both young stars proved in stretches they’re the future of their respective teams. “PCA” was even gracious enough to thank the Wrigley Field ushers and security guards at their daily meeting for doing their jobs. Both should be around for a long, long time, assuming Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts and Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf don’t blow it.
Joe Mansueto and Justin Ishbia
Mansueto, the Chicago Fire owner, is privately financing a $650 million stadium for his team at The 78 site in the South Loop. “It is my belief that these stadiums should be privately financed,” Mansueto said. “Most of the value accrues to the sports team. So it’s only fair that the sports team shoulders the cost of its construction.”
Ishbia, who eventually will take over the Sox from Reinsdorf and also hopes to build a new ballpark, told the Tribune he’s simply a “steward” of the team and plans to win “many championships for decades to come” when he takes control. These guys “get” Chicago.
Churros at White Sox games
You still can get a churro for less than $7 at Sox Park, and it’s a treat that should not be ignored, no matter what kind of a diet you’re on. Dessert still matters.
Pope Leo XIV
Cardinal Blase Cupich presents former White Sox player Paul Konerko with a jersey signed by Pope Leo XIV during a ceremony honoring the 2005 World Series champions July 12, 2025, at Rate Field. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
The election of Chicago priest Robert Prevost to lead the Catholic Church was so stunning, not even Nostradamus could’ve predicted it. But news of Pope Leo XIV’s ascension made all Chicagoans proud, particularly T-shirt vendors, Sox marketing executives and Aurelio’s Pizza in Homewood. What he’s going to do with all that Sox, Bears and Bulls swag he has been gifted is now one of life’s biggest mysteries.
Chi Resisters
Normally Chicagoans come together only during blizzards and sports championships. But the massive resistance to ICE by average citizens of Chicago and its suburbs ran bloviating Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino out of town. It was our finest hour.
Josh Giddey’s shot and Colston Loveland’s catch
The buzzer-beating, game-winning, half-court shot by Bulls guard Josh Giddey to beat the Los Angeles Lakers on March 27 at the United Center was as good a sports moment as we’d seen in this town since before the pandemic.
Then Bears rookie tight end Colston Loveland said “Hold my Malört,” making a game-winning, 58-yard touchdown catch from Caleb Williams in the final seconds of a 47-42 comeback win over the Bengals on Nov. 2 in Cincinnati. Moments like that are why we love sports.
Wieners Circle
It wasn’t just the lure of a free hot dog that brought hundreds of people out in the rain to the delightfully rude North Side stand after the owners promised free dogs if Williams threw four touchdown passes against the Dallas Cowboys. It was the idea that we’re all in this together. Caleb made it happen, and though he didn’t show, his dog, Supa, did. Cheers to owner Ari Levy, the trash-talking “Poochie” and the entire Wieners Circle gang for reminding us how much we love our city, our football and our hot dogs.
Chuck Swirsky
Is there anyone who loves their job more than the Bulls play-by-play announcer? If so, I’ve yet to meet them. His calls on WSCR-AM 670 are always entertaining, win or lose, and many don’t realize he was a sports-talk pioneer in Chicago at age 25 on the old WCFL-AM 1000, which is now WMVP. The world needs more Swirskys.
Bedard and Byard
At age 20, Blackhawks star Connor Bedard is 12 years younger than Kevin Byard III, the veteran Bears safety. One career is just beginning, and the other is nearing its final stages. Bedard arrived with so much hype as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, it was nearly impossible to live up to expectations during his first two seasons. Now he’s considered one of the game’s elite players.
Byard came to the Bears last year with virtually no expectations but has led the team’s defensive resurgence and is tied for the league lead with five interceptions. Bedard and Byard are living proof that age is only a state of mind.
Kyle Hendricks
The former Cubs pitcher retired without a peep after spending his 11th and final season with the Los Angeles Angels. No farewell tour. No statement. No nothing. In an age when many athletes feel the need to call attention to themselves 24/7, Hendricks’ classy exit was most welcome. We were fortunate to have someone like “The Professor” represent our city for as long as he did.
Wrigley Field
There’s no better atmosphere in sports than a game at Wrigley Field, as evidenced by Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers. “Waking up, I felt it,” Nico Hoerner said. “I wish the ivy could turn.” The Cubs wouldn’t make it past the NLDS, but Wrigley came alive in October for the first time in years, and it was worth the wait.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/27/chicago-sports-thanksgiving/
Review: ‘Zootopia 2’ delivers wit and charm of original and then some
That “Zootopia 2” is as fresh, funny and densely packed as the first film feels like a miracle, but the truth is that there’s nothing miraculous about it: it’s just made by humans who put a lot of heart, humor and a whole lot of movie references into this long-awaited sequel.
It’s been nine years since “Zootopia” charmed audiences (and won an Oscar), and the bright, brash sequel proves this buddy cop action comedy procedural featuring an ensemble of wild animals still has the juice. We’d watch mismatched crime-fighting partners Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) solve all manner of crimes-of-the-week, Columbo-style.
The reason it works so well isn’t necessarily the crimes or mysteries, but the world-building and characters. Writer/director Jared Bush (who co-directed with Bryon Howard), fills the world of Zootopia, a strange and magical world where all animals can live together thanks to a series of innovative “weather walls,” with smart, witty, fast-talking creatures, visual jokes and puns as far as the eye can see, and delivers a wildly compelling pair of characters to follow on this madcap corruption-busting quest.
Nick is the “dirtbag fox”; Judy the “dumb bunny,” but in actuality, she’s a clever rabbit and he’s a fiercely loyal pack animal. The key to their appeal is the Mulder and Scully “will they or won’t they” tension between them, even though they’re a pair of interspecies cartoon animals. Bateman infuses Nick with rakish charm and a deep sense of cynicism; he needs Judy’s sense of altruism and commitment to justice for motivation, just as she needs his street smarts and pragmatism to get her out of jams.
In their last adventure, they ousted Mayor Bellwether (Jenny Slate), and in “Zootopia 2,” they’re going deeper into the dark history of Zootopia, thanks to a zootennial celebration. While chasing down a tip about a customs official, they uncover a plot to steal a historical journal that details the invention of the weather walls. But as they learn more about the history of Zootopia, they discover the real reason why reptiles and snakes were banished and sent underground, and new plans by wealthy developers, the Lynxley family, to displace communities of animals while expanding their chilly Tundraland.
An urban planning political thriller — Bush must have been reading “The Power Broker,” Robert Caro’s biography of New York City urban planner Robert Moses, while penning the script for “Zootopia 2.” Not only does it address the ways in which policies can be manipulated in order to oppress certain communities deemed undesirable or smeared as dangerous, the film is also a timely rebuke of billionaire influence on politics, a lesson that can’t be impressed too early, frankly. At one point, the nefarious Lynxley patriarch (David Strathairn) threatens the new mayor, a Fabio-esque stallion with a flowing mane named Winddancer (Patrick Warburton), alleging that he chose him, and so he should do as Lynxley pleases.
It’s potent stuff for a kids movie, but “Zootopia 2” is clearly made to delight adults as well. There are references to other Disney movies like “Ratatouille,” but also to more adult fare, like “The Shining,” and classic action movies. What’s miraculous about what Bush has pulled off is that this feels like a film that can appeal to everyone, combining razor-sharp social commentary, silly humor and kid-friendly animated animals into a genuinely thrilling and smart film.
The climax does get a bit protracted with a series of backstabbings and betrayals, but the journey to get there is so fun. Goodwin and Bateman are excellent as usual, and favorite characters like Idris Elba’s Chief Bogo and Nate Torrence’s Clawhauser are back, with standout new additions in Fortune Feimster’s conspiracy-minded YouTube beaver Nibbles Maplestick, Ke Huy Quan’s mysterious Gary de’Snake, and an aw-shucks nice guy performance from Andy Samberg as a misfit Lynxley sibling.
With all the charm and wit of the original, “Zootopia 2” manages to deliver what we loved about the first film — and more, and that’s the true holiday miracle.
Katie Walsh is a critic for Tribune News Service.
“Zootopia 2” — 3.5 stars (out of 4)
MPA rating: PG (for action/violence and rude humor)
Running time: 1:48
How to watch: In theaters Nov. 26
How to watch the Chicago Bears’ Black Friday game vs. the Philadelphia Eagles
The Chicago Bears will face their toughest test of the season when they take on the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday.
The Bears and Eagles square off at 2 p.m. Friday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. It’s the only NFL game on the schedule Friday.
Want the latest Bears news? Subscribe to the Chicago Tribune to read it all — and sign up for our free Bears Insider newsletter.
Here’s what to know about the Week 13 matchup, including how to watch it.
Who are the Bears playing?
The Bears (8-3) take on the Eagles (8-3) in a matchup of two of the NFC’s best teams. They’re currently tied for the second-best record in the conference behind the Los Angeles Rams (9-2).
The Bears and Eagles haven’t played since 2022. Philadelphia has won six consecutive games in the series, including the infamous “double doink” playoff matchup in January 2019. The Bears last beat the Eagles in 2011.
Have the Bears played on Black Friday before?
The NFL owns Thanksgiving from a sports-viewing perspective, and once again the league has three games on Thursday this year.
Beginning in 2023, the NFL introduced a standalone Black Friday afternoon game.
Prime Video took over as the broadcast partner for “Thursday Night Football” in 2022, but it doesn’t broadcast any of the three Thanksgiving games. Instead, it has exclusive broadcasting rights to the Black Friday game.
This will be the NFL’s third Black Friday game. The Bears never have played on Black Friday, although they have an extensive history of playing on Thanksgiving. They are 20-16-2 in 38 Thanksgiving games. That includes last year’s baffling loss in Detroit, which proved to be former coach Matt Eberflus’ final game.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus watches quarterback Caleb Williams (18) take a snap in the second quarter against the Lions at Ford Field on Nov. 28, 2024, in Detroit. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Since 1920, the Bears have played just three games on a Friday, according to Stathead. Their last Friday game came on Sept. 16, 1966 — a Week 2 loss to the Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Before that, the Bears defeated the Cleveland Rams on Friday, Sept. 15, 1939, under the lights at Soldier Field in the season opener. It was a rare night game in Chicago for the Bears, who typically played at Wrigley Field, which had no lights back then.
The Bears also beat the Cleveland Indians football team — a league-sponsored team that played only one season — during a season-opening game on Friday, Sept. 18, 1931, at Loyola Stadium. That was the only game the team ever played at Loyola Stadium.
What does this game mean for the playoffs?
Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright celebrates after defeating the Steelers 31-28 on Nov. 23, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
As things stand, with both 8-3 teams near the top of the NFC, this game could have big playoff implications.
If the Bears and Eagles were to finish the season with identical records, their head-to-head result would be the first tiebreaker in determining which team earns the higher seed for the postseason.
Perhaps more notable is if the Bears lose Friday, Thursday’s winner in the matchup between the Detroit Lions (7-4) and Green Bay Packers (7-3-1) would take possession of first place in the NFC North (the Lions currently hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Bears). That would push the Bears into a wild-card spot and drop their seed from the current No. 3 to potentially No. 5 or No. 6.
This is a pivotal stretch for the Bears, who face the Eagles, Packers (twice), Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Lions over their final six games.
How can I watch or listen?
The game will be broadcast worldwide on Prime Video and available to stream in more than 240 countries and territories. Anyone with an Amazon Prime membership has access to Prime Video. Announcers Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit will be on the call.
In the Chicago area, the game also will be broadcast on Fox-32.
The Bears radio broadcast with Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer is available on WMVP-AM 1000. The game is also available on radio at Westwood One and in Spanish at WVIV-FM 93.5.
US Adoptions From Abroad Are Declining
US Adoptions From Abroad Are Declining
The number of children adopted from abroad is declining in the United States, according to data from the U.S. Department of State.
As Statista’s Anna Fleck details below, while more than 12,700 children were adopted internationally in 2009, that figure has dropped to under 1,200 in 2024.
You will find more infographics at Statista
This is due to several reasons.
For example, although the U.S. signed the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption in 1994, it wasn’t until 2008 that it came fully into effect there. Designed to ensure more ethical intercountry adoptions and to prevent the abduction, sale of, or trafficking in children, the Convention requires proof that each given child has been deemed eligible for adoption by the child’s country of origin and that due consideration has been given to finding an adoption placement for the child in its country of origin.
Each adoption agency must also be accredited or approved on a Federal level.
According to Adoption.com, while the Hague Convention is beneficial it has also led to increased waiting times and fees, with many poorer countries unable to meet standards.
Looking more closely at country specific examples, Guatemala is frequently held up as an example of what can go wrong when adoptions are commercialized and ethics disregarded, with stories of corruption and of children being kidnapped to then be adopted. These findings led Guatemala to placing a moratorium on new intercountry adoptions in 2008 until a Hague-compliant adoption process could be created and implemented. Until that point, Guatemala had been the only country worldwide to allow fully privatized adoptions, and in 2008 accounted for the second largest group of international adoptees after China.
In the last two and a half decades, more children from China have been coming to the U.S. as adoptees. Between 1999 and 2023, they numbered almost 83,000 compared with 46,000 from Russia, 30,000 from Guatemala, 21,500 adoptees from South Korea, 16,000 from Ethiopia and 12,000 from Ukraine. China stopped international adoptions during the pandemic, resuming the practice again in 2023, when 16 children were adopted in the U.S. This figure is expected to remain low, however, following an announcement from Beijing that the country will no longer be facilitating intercountry adoptions unless to blood relatives. The move takes place in a country experiencing a shrinking and aging population with a falling birth rate. Last fiscal year, a total of 24 children were adopted from China. Meanwhile, 74 children were adopted from Taiwan, which is the fourth highest number in 2024, trailing only after India (202), Colombia (200) and Bulgaria (79).
International politics also play a role in the global flows of adoption. This is the case with Russia, which banned adoptions by U.S. parents in 2012 in retaliation to the U.S.’ Magnitsky Act, which had sanctioned Russian officials and nationals for human rights abuses. As the following chart shows, where 1,588 Russian children were adopted in 2009, this fell to 0 in 2015, with no children having been adopted from the country since.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/27/2025 – 06:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-adoptions-abroad-are-declining
FBI Seizes $13-Million Mercedes Unicorn From Olympian Snowboarder Turned ‘Cocaine Kingpin’
FBI Seizes $13-Million Mercedes Unicorn From Olympian Snowboarder Turned ‘Cocaine Kingpin’
Submitted by The Bureau’s Sam Cooper,
In the aftermath of their second Ryan Wedding indictment bombshell, the FBI’s Los Angeles field office dropped one of the most surreal photos of the Giant Slalom case this week: a silver, open-top Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR roadster — valued at roughly US$13 million — parked under fluorescent lights in a federal impound warehouse.
Agents say the 2002 Mercedes CLK-GTR was seized from the organization of Ryan James Wedding, the former Canadian Olympic snowboarder now on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.
Other stunning details in the new indictment — which alleges that a Canadian lawyer advised Wedding to kill a federal witness, whom The Bureau has identified as a convicted fentanyl trafficker from Montreal who ran a cartel network whose “sole purpose” was exporting narcotics including MDMA from Canada to the United States — include claims that Wedding is allegedly protected by a Mexican businessman with ties to senior Mexican government officials.
As one of The Bureau’s U.S. sources put it, that allegation suggests the Mexican businessman is viewed as a more important Sinaloa Cartel boss than Wedding himself.
As for the Mercedes, online records show it is one of only six CLK-GTR roadsters ever built worldwide, making it one of the rarest and most valuable cars the U.S. government has ever confiscated.
The car itself is a relic from the wildest corner of 1990s motorsport.
Mercedes and AMG created the CLK-GTR for the FIA GT1 series — essentially a Le Mans race car thinly disguised as a road car.
The road-legal “Straßenversion” models were hand-assembled at AMG’s facility in Affalterbach, Germany, in the late 1990s, with a small batch of six roofless roadsters completed from 2002 onward. Under the carbon-fiber skin sits a 6.9-liter V-12 making around 600 horsepower, good for 0–100 km/h in about 3.8 seconds and a top speed of roughly 200 mph.
When new, the CLK-GTR was listed by Guinness World Records as the most expensive production car on sale, at about US$1.5 million; recent auction results put similar roadsters around US$10.2 million, with pre-sale estimates up to US$13 million.
For U.S. authorities, this is evidence. The U.S. Treasury Department, which has now sanctioned Wedding and a string of associates, says he “has laundered his illicit profits through an extensive transatlantic network of businesses and associates, channeling drug proceeds into luxury assets such as cars and motorcycles that are concealed around the world.” Treasury identifies two key money men behind that network: Toronto jeweller Rolan Sokolovski and former Italian special forces member Gianluca Tiepolo.
Sokolovski, Treasury says, handled the books for Wedding’s organization and washed its funds through his Toronto jewelry company, 2351885 Ontario Inc., which trades as Diamond Tsar, while also moving millions in drug proceeds via cryptocurrency to mask the origin of the money.
Tiepolo allegedly “worked closely with Sokolovski to procure and manage Wedding’s physical assets, including high-end vehicles,” and held “millions of dollars in Wedding’s property under his own name to conceal these assets from authorities.”
Tiepolo owns Italian and U.K. firms — Stile Italiano S.R.L. and TMR Ltd. — that trade in luxury motorcycles and cars, and he founded Windrose Tactical, a training outfit that has hosted Wedding’s alleged hitmen.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/27/2025 – 06:45
Macron presenta un nuevo servicio militar francés para voluntarios de 18 y 19 años
Associated Press
VARCES, Francia (AP) — El presidente francés, Emmanuel Macron, presentó el jueves un nuevo plan de servicio militar nacional mientras Francia busca fortalecer sus fuerzas armadas para abordar las crecientes preocupaciones sobre la amenaza de Rusia a las naciones europeas más allá de la guerra en Ucrania.
Macron anunció que los voluntarios de 18 y 19 años comenzarán a servir el próximo año en un nuevo programa de servicio militar de 10 meses.
“Un nuevo servicio nacional se establecerá gradualmente, a partir del próximo verano”, dijo Macron en un discurso en la base militar de Varces, en los Alpes franceses.
Macron afirmó que los jóvenes voluntarios servirán sólo en el territorio continental de Francia y en sus territorios de ultramar, no en las operaciones militares de Francia en el extranjero.
A principios de este año, Macron anunció su intención de ofrecer a la juventud francesa una nueva opción para servir voluntariamente en el ejército. Francia no está considerando restaurar el servicio militar obligatorio, que terminó en el país en 1996. Dijo que Francia busca reforzar sus defensas ya que la guerra de Rusia en Ucrania pone al continente europeo en “gran riesgo”.
“El día que envíes una señal de debilidad a Rusia —que durante 10 años ha tomado la decisión estratégica de volver a ser una potencia imperial, es decir, avanzar donde somos débiles—, bueno, continuará avanzando”, dijo a la radio RTL el martes.
Macron ha anunciado 6.500 millones de euros (7.600 millones de dólares) en gastos militares adicionales en los próximos dos años.
Dijo que Francia aspira a gastar 64.000 millones de euros en gastos de defensa anuales en 2027, el último año de su segundo mandato. Eso sería el doble de los 32.000 millones de euros en gastos anuales cuando asumió la presidencia en 2017.
El ejército de Francia actualmente comprende alrededor de 200.000 efectivos activos y más de 40.000 reservistas, lo que lo convierte en el segundo más grande de la Unión Europea, justo detrás de Polonia. Francia quiere aumentar el número de reservistas a 100.000 para 2030.
El nuevo jefe del Estado Mayor del ejército francés, el general Fabien Mandon, hizo la semana pasada una advertencia sobre la necesidad de que el país se prepare para “perder a sus hijos” en caso de un posible conflicto con Rusia, palabras que provocaron indignación en todo el espectro político.
Rusia anexó el 20% del territorio de Georgia en 2008, la península de Crimea de Ucrania en 2014 y lanzó una invasión a gran escala de Ucrania en 2022, dijo el general Mandon.
“Desafortunadamente, Rusia hoy, según la información a la que tengo acceso, se está preparando para una confrontación con nuestros países para 2030. Se está organizando para esto, se está preparando para esto, y está convencida de que su enemigo existencial es la OTAN”, dijo.
Macron ha dejado claro que los voluntarios del servicio militar nacional no serían enviados al frente.
“Debemos, en cualquier caso, disipar inmediatamente cualquier confusión de que vamos a enviar a nuestros jóvenes a Ucrania”, dijo Macron el martes. “Eso no es en absoluto de lo que se trata esto”.
Francia no es la única nación europea que refuerza sus capacidades militares.
Alemania está redoblando sus esfuerzos para atraer más reclutas, notablemente a través de un nuevo servicio militar voluntario. El plan aún debe ser aprobado por el parlamento.
El ministro de defensa de Bélgica envió una carta este mes a jóvenes de 17 años para alentarlos a inscribirse en el servicio militar el próximo año, con el objetivo de seleccionar 500 candidatos entre 18 y 25 años para lanzar el programa en septiembre.
Polonia ha comenzado recientemente a implementar un nuevo programa de entrenamiento militar voluntario y apunta a entrenar a 100.000 voluntarios por año a partir de 2027, ya que busca construir un ejército de reservistas con preocupaciones crecientes sobre Rusia. No está considerando un regreso al servicio militar universal, sino más bien un sistema de reserva.
Diez países de la UE tienen servicio militar obligatorio: Austria, Chipre, Croacia, Dinamarca, Estonia, Finlandia, Grecia, Letonia, Lituania y Suecia. Noruega, que no es miembro, tiene servicio militar obligatorio para hombres y mujeres. La duración del servicio varía desde tan solo dos meses en Croacia hasta 19 meses en Noruega.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Macron anuncia que voluntarios de 18 y 19 años entrarán en servicio en nuevo programa militar francés el año que viene
VARCES, Francia (AP) — Macron anuncia que voluntarios de 18 y 19 años entrarán en servicio en nuevo programa militar francés el año que viene.
Chicago Heights priest nears end of two-month walk to New York for immigration justice
The Rev. Gary Graf set out walking Oct. 6, from Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home in Dolton. On Dec. 2, he expects to mark his successful arrival at the Statue of Liberty in New York City.
In between has been nearly two months of often lonesome walking through rural America in the name of justice for immigrant children.
“Here, they’ve grown up in a very different world,” Graf said. “It’s not a time to attack one another, but a time to kind of have a conversation with one another, and that’s what the walk for me has been all about, having those kinds of conversations.”
As a Chicago area native, Graf said traveling on foot through small town America made him confront how different the world is for people who live much smaller and less diverse communities.
“I think when we share together, somehow we come up with a larger truth,” Graf said. “It’s not just my view, or your view, but if you listen to me, I listen to you, and hopefully in hearing one other, we kind of, as a faith leader, we hear God’s voice.”
Graf is the head pastor at Our Lady of the Heights parish in Chicago Heights, a town that has experienced immigration arrests. Dozens of supporters came out to see him off when he set out on his journey.
Most of his walk has been alone, though friends and supporters came out to join him on the road at various times, he said.
“A high school classmate and his wife, and my brother-in-law, actually, and a friend of his, and then a college friend and his wife. And then one day, a group from the Archdiocese of Chicago,” Graf said. “It was a nice break, just being able to walk with someone else.”
Graf has been documenting his pilgrimage on social media, and online at stepupspeakout.org.
The journey hasn’t been without problems. Graf recounted that while visiting a priest’s home in Indiana, the second he had visited in the town that evening, he was offered the chance to ride a horse.
The horse broke into a gallop and he was thrown from its back, injuring his shoulder and breaking two ribs.
“Thinking back now, I remember Jesus’ words when he said if you go to a town, stay in one home and don’t move from house to house,” Graf said, chuckling. “I never understood what that Scripture meant until that Sunday, when I went to a second home.”
His spokesperson and a helper traveling along with him walked 20 miles in his stead, a day’s worth of walking, to give him a break.
The Rev. Gary Graf on Nov. 11, 2025. (Step Up, Speak Out)
Misfortunes aside, though, Graf said the core of the journey was the conversations he had with people.
“The people we’ve met along the way, church groups and some community groups that have heard about the walk and wanted to meet, we’ve had some wonderful conversations,” Graf said. “Very good-hearted people from many different traditions.”
He said one particular meeting in Pennsylvania, where residents were worried increased immigration enforcement might come to their communities, particularly struck him.
“We had a gathering where there was an Evangelical pastor, a Lutheran pastor, myself as a Catholic priest, a number of members of their communities and a number of people, there were at least five, that identified themselves as nonbelievers,” Graf said. “We had this wonderful conversation where what we all had in common was a feeling, a love of neighbor and to be compassionate, and what was happening, what they heard was happening in Chicago very much disturbed them.”
Graf on Oct. 10. (Step Up, Speak Out)
In the time Graf has been away from Chicago, there have been major developments regarding the immigration crackdown. The activity of federal agents in Chicago and the suburbs has cycled down, moving on to other cities, leaving the region and its immigrant communities reeling in the aftermath.
“I’m just hearing and hoping and praying that it’s been diminishing somewhat,” Graf said. “But then, the pain of Chicago, then, is starting to be released in other places.”
Graf said that his trip has led him to reflect on the history of the United States.
“Going though Ohio and Pennsylvania particularly, I’ll go through small towns and I see hometown heroes. And there’s pictures of, particularly men, but some women, obviously, that were in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, when my dad was in the Navy,” Graf said. “And going through towns, also, they’re dated back to 1801, and 1777, I mean, they’re dated back to Revolutionary War.”
To Graf, that history is a history of immigrants. When he set off on his journey, he talked about how his own great-grandparents’ experience immigrating through Ellis Island from Ireland and Germany had shaped his view of immigration justice.
Graf and others Nov. 15 during his walk. (Courtesy of Step Up, Speak Out)
Graf plans to mark his successful arrival at the Statue of Liberty with an interfaith prayer service at 2 p.m. Tuesday, at Robert Wagner Park in Battery Park City. There will be remarks from Muslim, Jewish and Christian faith leaders, as well as the sharing of personal stories of immigrant children.
He said that while he doesn’t know where his advocacy will take him next, the conclusion of his journey feels like a beginning, not an end.
“More and more as I get toward the end, I’m thinking that it just seems like it’s just the beginning,” Graf said. “Because this obviously is part of our lives and it’s not going away, the whole issue of immigration and the immigrants among us, and the conversation’s going to continue.”
Faith leaders have a responsibility to maintain humanity in that conversation, he said.
“Just reminding the powers that be in terms of the authorities, civil authorities, what is God’s mind and heart in all of this?” Graf said. “We are children of God.”
elewis@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/27/chicago-heights-priest-walk-immigration-justice/
