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Nicole Eggert says 'every day is like a gift' as she tests negative for cancer markers
"Baywatch" star Nicole Eggert is treating every day like a gift after years of battling breast cancer.
Eggert spoke to Fox News Digital on Skid Row in Los Angeles about her current health status as she gave back, side-by-side with the Los Angeles Mission and Hope the Mission, during Thanksgiving week.
The star said that she is grateful to be able to celebrate the holiday by volunteering and the joy of having both of her daughters under the same roof for the holiday.
"I get to be here. That I get a holiday. Every day is like a gift now, and… my other daughter will come in from New York. So we will all be together, and there's nothing like having both your kids under your same roof at the same time. It's magical," Eggert said.
ERIN ANDREWS HAD 'NO SYMPTOMS' BEFORE CANCER DIAGNOSIS, PUSHES FOR EARLY SCREENINGS
Eggert has two daughters, Dilyn and Keegan. Eggert told Fox News Digital having her daughter, Dilyn, with her while she gave back wasn't just important to her – it was necessary.
"Well, giving back is always important. It's just necessary. So, I like her to be able to participate, and she enjoys it. She's a good kid, and you know, we can get caught up in our privileged life and so I think it's always important to look around you and take care of your city," Eggert said.
WATCH: Nicole Eggert shares update on her health
For the first time, Los Angeles Mission and Hope the Mission will serve side by side on Skid Row: a historic collaboration bringing together two leading Missions to pursue a common purpose with greater reach and commitment.
KAT TIMPF REVEALS BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS WHILE ANNOUNCING THE BIRTH OF HER SON
In 2023, Eggert was diagnosed with stage 2 cribriform carcinoma breast cancer. In August, she revealed that she underwent surgery to battle her breast cancer.
"Had a mastectomy with reconstruction on Thursday. How was ur weekend?" Eggert posted to Instagram. In the caption of her post, she added the hashtags #breastcancer #breastcancerawarness #feelyourselfup and tagged the Instagram page for Dr. Kyle Song of South Coast Plastic Surgery.
Eggert told Fox News Digital that she is currently in good health.
REALITY STAR SHARES DEADLY MELANOMA UPDATE AS DOCTORS DISCUSS PROGNOSIS
"I'm good right now. I'm testing negative for any disease. So, that's fabulous. It's a month-to-month thing. So it's like, I get a clear bill of health, and then I enjoy the rest of the month, and then we do it all over again. So you know, it never kind of ends. It's always this journey. But I am not complaining. So far, everything is still looking good and markers are clear," Eggert said.
WATCH: Nicole Eggert shares the importance of giving back this holiday season
Eggert first revealed her diagnosis during a January 2024 interview with People magazine. The "Charles in Charge" star said she initially felt pain in her left breast and gained 25 pounds within three months.
Believing them to be symptoms of menopause, she was surprised to locate a lump during a self-exam in October. Eggert's doctors diagnosed her with stage 2 cribriform carcinoma breast cancer in early December 2023.
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According to the Cleveland Clinic, most cribriform carcinoma breast cancer cases are estrogen receptor-positive, occurring when "high levels of estrogen in breast cancer cells help cancer grow and spread."
After receiving her diagnosis, Eggert underwent her first mastectomy and lymph node removal. The actress completed chemotherapy in July 2024 and received radiation therapy.
During a December 2024 interview with Fox News Digital, Eggert explained that she would undergo a second mastectomy and breast reconstruction as the next steps in her treatment plan.
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Following those surgeries, Eggert said she will either undergo a hysterectomy or begin hormone therapy, which would require a monthly estrogen-blocker injection for the next ten years, in addition to the two oral medications she will need to take for the next five years.
WATCH: Nicole Eggert shares what she is grateful for this season
"There's a lot that goes into this," she explained. "The mastectomy is strange. I kind of went into it thinking they were just going to remove the breast tissue, and you recover from stitches and scars and, like, that's it. But there's so much more to it because they cut through so many nerves. So, that sensation and getting used to that is very bizarre.
"And then also the lymph node removal is much more painful than the mastectomy," she continued. "Much more complicated and affects the body much more. So, I wasn't really prepared for that because they didn't mention that they removed lymph nodes.
"It's something I had to figure out on my own," Eggert added. "You know, from my bed going, ‘What is wrong with me?’ And it's the discovery of all of this and then figuring out solutions that work for my body and trying everything nonstop until something works."
John Stamos and Jerry O’Connell bury the hatchet after yearslong rift over Rebecca Romijn
Rebecca Romijn's husband, Jerry O'Connell and John Stamos playfully put their yearslong feud to rest.
O'Connell and Stamos posed together for a photo featuring the "Full House" star's wife Caitlin McHugh.
"First @zohrankmamdani and @realdonaldtrump Then me and @johnstamos You are up @russian_kremlin & zelenskyy_official," O'Connell captioned the post.
O'Connell, Stamos and McHugh were together to celebrate Howie Mandel's birthday. The "Deal or No Deal" host commented on the post, writing, "This is what I do. I bring people together. You’re welcome."
The photo came as a shock, years after a feud began between Romijn, O'Connell and Stamos over comments the actor made about his ex-wife in his memoir "If You Would Have Told Me." Stamos shared details of his failed marriage to Romjin, who he was married to from 1998 until 2005, in the book.
After her divorce from Stamos, Romijn moved on with O'Connell. The two share twin daughters together.
Stamos has also since moved on, marrying McHugh in 2018. The two first met on the set of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" in 2011 but reconnected romantically years later.
While everyone had seemingly moved on with their lives, Stamos brought up past wounds in his 2023 memoir.
While promoting his memoir, Stamos opened up about how he felt "emasculated" in his marriage to Romijn as she found Hollywood success while he struggled in his career.
"I think that she outgrew me," Stamos said during an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show." The "Full House" star noted that he could have tried harder to save the marriage, but things ended up falling apart. "I didn't work as hard as I should at anything."
Stamos also revealed he was "shattered" by the end of his marriage for years and admitted he looked at Romijn as if she was "the Devil."
"In my mind back then, she was the Devil, and I just hated her. I couldn't believe how much I hated her, and it ruined my life," Stamos told People magazine. "One of the steps in AA, the fourth step, is you lay out all your grievances, everything that people did to you. And then I said, 'Oh, she did this, she did that, blah, blah, she did blah, blah.' And then my sponsor goes, 'Now what part did you play in that?' And I go, like, 'None.'"
After writing his memoir, Stamos had a change of heart.
"You start thinking, it's like, 'Oh, she wasn't the Devil. Maybe I was as much to blame as her,'" he explained. "It was very public, and that was very painful. I didn't write much about that, but it's hard."
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O'Connell told Andy Cohen that he didn't read the memoir and Romijn didn't have "any interest" in diving into Stamos' book either during an appearance on the Bravo star's radio show in November 2023.
"There was an interest in my household," O'Connell allowed. "But it’s so funny, after hearing his interview beginning to end on ['The Howard Stern Show'], any interest of reading the book went away."
The claims made by Stamos did make things "awkward" with the couple's twin daughters.
"My children are 14, and they see what we see now," O'Connell said at the time. "There's no hiding, there's no more keeping things from them. It's pretty crazy when your kids come out for breakfast and go, 'Hey mom, your ex has a book out and called you the devil. What are your thoughts?'"
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Romijn had claimed she was "blindsided" by the way Stamos portrayed their marriage in his memoir.
"I was very surprised by all of that, incredibly shocked actually," she told Entertainment Tonight in January 2024. "I was sort of blindsided by it. But you know, I don't really want to help him sell his books based on those headlines. So that's all I really want to say about it."
Much hasn't been said since, until the now-infamous photo shared by O'Connell.
For Romijn and Stamos, the playful photo might mark a fresh chapter.
Ex-FBI special agent explains Afghan vetting failures in wake of National Guard ambush: ‘Ticking time bomb’
The ambush shooting of two National Guard members near the White House is fueling fresh scrutiny of the vetting of Afghan evacuees, with former FBI special agent Nicole Parker telling Fox News Digital the screening process during the rushed 2021 withdrawal was essentially a "free-for-all."
Tens of thousands of Afghans were evacuated to the U.S. in the wake of the withdrawal and subsequent Taliban takeover of the country. The chaotic nature of the operation raised concerns at the time from Republicans, and in official reports, that some evacuees were not properly vetted and could have catastrophic consequences.
"They said it is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode because we've just allowed all of these people into our country," Parker told Fox News Digital.
In August 2022, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., revealed that a whistleblower said 324 individuals had entered with derogatory information, while a 2022 report by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) separately found the department failed to properly vet Afghan evacuees entering the U.S., creating potential national security risks.
TRUMP ORDER PUTS THOUSANDS OF AFGHAN ALLIES WAITING FOR US RESETTLEMENT IN LIMBO
Parker told Fox News Digital that FBI agents worked with Department of Defense contractors in foreign countries to screen Afghans, but the State Department repeatedly overrode security concerns.
"There were individuals that were not being recommended to come to the United States, yet they were being overridden by the Biden State Department," Parker said. "Initially, it was a free-for-all and no one was being vetted."
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the claims.
The OIG report noted that during the evacuation, the Pentagon moved Afghan evacuees to a network of temporary staging bases known as "lily pads" in countries like Germany, Qatar, Spain and Italy. Evacuees stayed there only days or weeks as U.S. officials attempted rapid screening and collected biographic and biometric data before sending them to the United States.
The inspector general found the lily pads were rushed, understaffed and inconsistent, leading to major documentation gaps, missing records and vetting shortcuts.
Jason Pack, the chief executive officer at Media Rep Global Strategies, a public relations and crisis communications firm, told Fox News Digital that "it was a massive humanitarian operation, but it also carried unavoidable risk."
"That evacuation moved more than seventy thousand people into the country in a short period of time," Pack said. "Records were scattered, databases were incomplete, and screening teams were processing people at a pace that made perfect vetting impossible. Cases like this force investigators to go back and examine those files with fresh eyes."
Under OAW, DHS used humanitarian parole — normally approved on a case-by-case basis — to quickly process tens of thousands of Afghans into the U.S., bypassing the special immigrant visa (SIV) and refugee programs, which can take years.
While the administration touted a multilayered process using multiple Pentagon, DHS and FBI databases, the audit found "critical data" was not always available and that evacuees were admitted without full vetting.
FORMER IRAQI REFUGEE LIVING IN TEXAS PLEADS GUILTY TO CONSPIRING TO SUPPORT ISIS
"Many times it felt like anyone was allowed to come into the United States from Afghanistan, regardless of who they were," Parker said. "What happened to our National Guard service members is a direct result of their lack of vetting."
Parker said it was almost impossible to vet evacuees because they arrived with no verifiable documents or records, leaving nothing to run through intelligence or criminal databases, putting citizens, law enforcement and the National Guard at risk. The two West Virginia National Guard members remain in critical condition after being shot just blocks from the White House.
"America is full of people we do not know. We don’t know who they are, where they are, or what sleeper cells are here," she said.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro on Thursday slammed the vetting process that allowed suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, to enter the U.S. through the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome. Pirro said that he had been living in Washington state with his wife and five children before driving cross-country to reach the nation’s capital.
"Whatever their cause or motive may be, we should not have to live in fear in the nation's capital, especially by one who came here from a foreign country, and through a process that was so absurd that he came through and was released into this country," Pirro said. "This is what happens in this country when people who are not properly vetted are let in."
FBI Director Kash Patel echoed her words, saying they want to highlight the alleged lax vetting process.
"This individual is in this country for one reason and one reason alone, because of the disastrous withdrawal from the Biden administration and the failure to vet in any way, shape or form this individual and countless others," Patel said.
Meanwhile, a Pentagon inspector general report in February 2022 revealed that at least 50 evacuees were brought to the U.S. whose information indicated "potentially serious security concerns," and that officials were unable to locate dozens with derogatory information.
Hawley also uncovered an August 2021 email directive instructing U.S. officials to prioritize filling evacuation flights and to "err on the side of excess," allowing passengers to board even if their qualifications were not completely uncertain. Then-FBI Director Christopher Wray said the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces were actively investigating a number of Afghan evacuees as a result.
In a 2021 Senate hearing, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas insisted that "well over 99 percent" of evacuees were screened and vetted before boarding flights — but later acknowledged under questioning that he could not guarantee that standard applied in every case.
If the Afghans weren’t vetted before getting on the plane, Mayorkas said, they were "screened and vetted while in flight and were placed in immigration enforcement proceedings and in removal proceedings" if any derogatory information was deduced.
When further pressed and reminded by Graham that he was under oath, Mayorkas said, "No. No, I can’t speak to that."
Fox News' Brooke Singman, Adam Shaw and Pat Ward contributed to this report.
Fuzzy Zoeller, who won Masters in first appearance at Augusta National, dead at 74
Two-time major champion Fuzzy Zoeller died at the age of 74, the PGA Tour announced on Thursday.
"Fuzzy was a true original whose talent and charisma left an indelible mark on the game of golf," PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. "Fuzzy combined competitive excellence with a sense of humor that endeared him to fans and fellow players alike. We celebrate his remarkable legacy and extend our deepest condolences to his family."
Zoeller was a 10-time winner on tour, including the aforementioned majors. His first major, and second PGA win, was the 1979 Masters, which was his first time ever playing at Augusta National.
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He then won the U.S. Open five years later at Winged Foot Golf Club in epic fashion, going up against Greg Norman in an 18-hole playoff. Zoeller shot a three-under 67 while Norman was eight strokes behind. Zoeller and Norman were the only players to shoot under par in the four regulation rounds, going 4-under. Curtis Strange's third-place finish came at 1-over.
He finished second at the 1981 PGA Championship and third in the 1994 Open Championship at Turnberry, which is now owned by President Donald Trump.
Zoeller owned a share of the lead heading into the final round in Scotland, but Nick Price shot 4-under in the final round, while Zoeller shot an even 70 to lose by three strokes.
Zoeller also won the Senior PGA Championship in 2002, and had one other top-10 finish at the Masters.
Zoeller represented the United States in the 1979, 1983 and 1985 Ryder Cups, winning his first two before losing his final. The 1985 Ryder Cup was the first time the United States had lost the Ryder Cup since 1957, as the Great Britain team expanded to all of Europe. That brought in golf legends like Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer and Sandy Lyle.
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Putin calls Trump’s peace plan a ‘starting point’ as he warns Ukraine to pull back or face 'force'
Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed interest in using President Trump’s peace plan as a negotiating departure point to end the nearly four-year war between Ukraine and Russia.
"We need to sit down and discuss this seriously," Putin told reporters at the end of a three-day visit to Kyrgyzstan, according to an Associated Press report. He added, "Every word matters."
Putin described U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan as "a set of issues put forward for discussion" rather than a draft agreement.
"If Ukrainian troops withdraw from the territories they occupy, hostilities will cease. If they don’t withdraw, we will achieve this by force," the Russian strongman said.
Andy Barr, R-Ky., a House Foreign Affairs Committee member, told Fox News Digital the situation reinforces the need for strong American leadership. "Russia invaded Ukraine because Joe Biden was the weakest president in American history."
Barr, a candidate for U.S. Senate in Kentucky said, "President Trump’s peace-through-strength leadership kept Putin fully contained. This war never would have happened under his watch. Trump is the peace president… the only leader who can end this war and bring stability back to Europe."
However, Putin critics believe he is seeking to trick the U.S. and the European Union.
The former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, who predicted Putin’s jingoism and invasion of Ukraine, told the Polish international news network TVP that "Peace under Putin is unachievable for one simple reason: Putin is war — and Russia is gearing up for even more."
Kasparov has also criticized NATO, Trump and the EU for failing to defend Ukraine and evict Russia from Ukraine’s entire territory.
"We owe them everything," Kasparov recently said about Ukraine at the Halifax International Security Forum.
MOMENTUM BUILDS IN UKRAINE PEACE PUSH, BUT EXPERTS FEAR PUTIN WON’T BUDGE
Kremlin officials have had little to say so far about the peace plan put forward last week by Trump. Putin has been recalcitrant about accepting previous Trump plans to end the war.
Putin has demanded that Ukraine completely withdraw from the entirety of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions before Russia considers any sort of "peace negotiations" — notably including areas of each of those oblasts that Russia does not occupy. He also wants to keep Ukraine from joining NATO and hosting any Western troops, allowing Moscow to gradually pull the country back into its orbit.
The Institute for the Study of War on Wednesday cast doubt on Russian claims that its invasion is unstoppable as it is still struggling to capture cities in the eastern Donetsk region.
"Data on Russian forces’ rate of advance indicates that a Russian military victory in Ukraine is not inevitable, and a rapid Russian seizure of the rest of Donetsk Oblast is not imminent," the Washington-based think tank said. "Recent Russian advances elsewhere on the front line have largely been opportunistic and exploited seasonal weather conditions.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Moscow next week, the Kremlin says, while U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who in recent weeks has played a high-profile role in the peace efforts, may be heading to Kyiv.
The initial U.S. peace proposal was criticized for being skewed toward Russian demands, but an amended version emerged from talks in Geneva on Sunday between American and Ukrainian officials. Sidelined European leaders, fearing for their own security amid Russian aggression, are angling for deeper involvement in the process.
The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.
Anna Kepner's father wants stepson to 'face the consequences' in cruise ship death case
The father of an 18-year-old cheerleader who was found dead aboard a Carnival cruise ship says his stepson should be punished if investigators determine he played a role in her death.
Christopher Kepner said his 16-year-old stepson had always seemed like "a normal kid" and that he remains in shock over his daughter’s killing.
Anna, 18, was found dead aboard the Carnival Horizon on Nov. 7 during a family vacation with her father, stepmother, grandparents and several siblings. She was discovered wrapped in a blanket and covered in life jackets in a room she shared with her stepbrother.
"I want him to face the consequences … I will be fighting to make sure that does happen," Kepner told People.
CHEERLEADER'S CRUISE SHIP DEATH HAS FAMILY POINTING FINGERS
"I do not stand behind what my stepson has done," he said. Kepner did not directly say his stepson was responsible for Anna’s death.
"I cannot say that he is responsible, but I can’t decline," he added.
Anna’s death has reportedly been ruled a homicide by "mechanical asphyxiation," but authorities have not announced any suspects or arrests. She was found in the cabin she shared with her stepbrother, relatives have said.
Mechanical asphyxia means an external force obstructs breathing, Dr. Priya Banerjee, a board-certified forensic pathologist, previously told Fox News Digital.
Dr. Michael Baden, the former chief medical examiner of New York City, said mechanical asphyxiation is not always a homicide, though it can be, and it is up to prosecutors to determine any charges.
LIFE JACKETS MEANT TO SAVE LIVES COULD EXPOSE A KILLER IN FLORIDA TEEN'S CRUISE SHIP MYSTERY
The FBI is leading the investigation and has not publicly named any suspects.
Anna’s stepbrother was identified as a potential "suspect" by his own parents in court filings amid an unrelated custody dispute. No charges have been filed.
"He was the only one that was in the room, and the FBI has an ongoing investigation in which they will have to provide the evidence to say that he did do it or did not do this," Kepner told the outlet. "And I would’ve never thought that any of this would’ve happened."
"Right now, my best course of action is to let the FBI do what they’re doing. They have the evidence that they need. When they make the arrest, then we’ll start seeing the justice side of things," he said.
Kepner was a high school varsity cheerleader who planned to join the Navy after graduation and ultimately wanted to become a K-9 police officer.
Katy Tur says Trump doing 'much more' than Biden ever did as NYT reports on president's 'fatigue'
MS NOW host Katy Tur said during a podcast on Wednesday that President Donald Trump was doing "much more" than former President Biden did, amid a New York Times report that said the president was showing signs of "fatigue."
"The Daily Beast Podcast" host Joanna Coles and Tur pointed out that the president makes himself visible, and said Trump loves press conferences and does more than the former president. She added, "All of our attention is on him, we are watching this in a micro-moment by micro-moment."
Trump fumed over the Times' report, which was headlined "Shorter Days, Signs of Fatigue: Trump Faces Realities of Aging in Office," and called it a "hit piece" in a post on social media. The Times defended their reporting in a statement on Wednesday, and said the "reporting is accurate and built on first-hand reporting of the facts. Name-calling and personal insults don’t change that, nor will our journalists hesitate to cover this administration in the face of intimidation tactics like this."
"I think, not to get on the bandwagon and to push back a little bit, he is doing much more than, certainly Joe Biden did," Tur said.
TRUMP RESPONDS TO CRITICS WITH COUNTERPUNCHES ACROSS POLITICS AND ONGOING CULTURE WARS
"He is out there in a way that past presidents haven’t even been out there. He does give access. He’s constantly on television," Tur added. "He might be slowing down for him and slowing down because he’s getting up there in age, but he is still very much mobile. I mean, he’s doing overseas travel. He’s coming back, he’s handing out Halloween candy. Sometimes these trips are one day. I mean, he is very much still engaged."
The MS NOW host went on to argue that discussions about the topic should be relative to Trump himself and not Biden. Trump is the oldest elected president ever after he won last year's election at the age of 78.
"He's not doing the same amount of travel that he used to. I mean, the domestic travel has certainly declined. He's not doing those rallies. He's not standing in front of a crowd for an hour or two hours, three hours in, you know, Grand Rapids, Michigan, any longer. And I think that's telling. But this has got to be relative to him and not necessarily relative to Joe Biden," she said.
EX-BIDEN STAFFER JEN PSAKI WONDERS WHY TRUMP 'SPENT A WEEK HIDING' IN SEGMENT ABOUT HEALTH RUMORS
Tur described going to a Christmas Party during the Biden administration and not being able to understand what the former president was saying.
"I went to the Christmas party, during the Biden years, and he came out at like eight o'clock, and he gave a speech to the assembled room of journalists, and you could not understand a word he was saying, right," Tur said. "Its different."
The Times reported that it analyzed Trump’s schedule and found "fewer public events" than he had during his first term and suggested that he typically appears between noon and 5 p.m. The report also said Trump seemed to doze off during a recent Oval Office event.
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Trump often mocks his predecessor's stamina, and Biden's mental and cognitive decline in office ultimately led to him being forced out of the White House race in 2024. Trump broke Biden's record as the oldest elected president ever with his 2024 win, as Biden was 77 when he won the 2020 race.
Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.
Details emerge on CIA unit alleged National Guard shooter served with in Afghanistan
The Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guardsmen just blocks from the White House on the day before Thanksgiving served in an elite CIA counterterrorism unit in Afghanistan, according to new details that emerged Thursday about the suspect’s background.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, served in Afghanistan with NDS-03, an elite unit operated by the CIA with direct U.S. intelligence and military support, according to Afghan Evac, a non-profit that works with Afghans on Special Immigrant Visas (SIV).
Lakanwal’s unit operated in Afghanistan’s southern region — in Kandahar, Helmand and Uruzgan — out of the former compound of the late Taliban leader Mullah Omar, commonly referred to as "Mullah Omar’s house" and by U.S. forces as "Camp Gecko."
NDS-03 was one of about five paramilitary groups working with the CIA. They were commonly called "Zero Units" due to the numbers following their National Directorate of Security (NDS) or Afghan intelligence service designation.
The Afghan members of the units were highly vetted and trained by the CIA and carried out some of the toughest counterterrorism missions against the Taliban, Al Qaeda and others. They were very trusted and brave, according to those who worked with them.
Lakanwal entered the U.S. legally in 2021 under humanitarian parole as part of the Biden administration's Operation Allies Welcome that followed the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover of the country. The operation aimed to support and resettle vulnerable Afghans, including those that had helped U.S. troops in the past.
He had his asylum application approved in April 2025 under the Trump administration, the non-profit group said.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro and FBI Director Kash Patel criticized the vetting process during a press conference on Thursday.
Pirro said the shooting is an example of what happens "in this country when people are allowed in who are not properly vetted." Patel said the Biden administration allowed "thousands of people into this country without doing a single piece of background checking or vetting."
A senior U.S. official told Fox News that the CIA would have done its own vetting of him through a variety of databases, including the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) database, to see if he had any known ties to terrorist groups before working with him.
Lakanwal began working with the CIA around 2011, when he was likely 15 years old, according to the official, who added that the CIA would have kept the identities of those they worked with secret.
The official noted it was common at the time for Afghans to forge their birth certificates to appear 18 or older before applying to work with the U.S. government. Few official records of birth are kept in Afghanistan, and it was often difficult to know anyone's exact age, the official added.
NCTC would have vetted him during Operation Allies Welcome in 2021 for any ties to terrorism before he was allowed into the U.S., the senior official said.
"In terms of vetting, nothing came up," the senior U.S. official told Fox News. "He was clean on all checks."
The senior official added that the U.S. government had been doing continuous, annual vetting since the Afghans’ arrival in the U.S., especially in the wake of the foiled terror plot in Oklahoma before last year’s election, which involved an Afghan evacuee.
Lakanwal is accused of shooting National Guardsmen Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, near the Farragut West Metro station around 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
Pirro said the suspect "ambushed" the pair in a "targeted" attack. The suspect was then shot by a responding Guardsman and subdued. He was hospitalized and placed under "heavy guard," she said.
Beckstrom and Wolfe remained in critical condition after undergoing surgery, Pirro said.
Faith leader explains why Charlie Kirk's final Thanksgiving message matters
Nearly three months after his assassination, Charlie Kirk's legacy is inspiring many to live their lives with gratitude, prayer and truth. In 2024, just weeks after the presidential election, Kirk delivered a Thanksgiving statement on the importance of being thankful. Communio president JP De Gance says it is a message that is still relevant in 2025.
"I think Charlie's message repeats those messages of Thanksgivings long ago when we were at different times, we've had setbacks as a country, we have had sufferings as a country, we had losses as a country and the message of Thanksgiving is that in all things we can be grateful," De Gance told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. "We can look to God above, and thank him both for all of our many blessings and then even, you know, it's through our sufferings that we so frequently grow to become better men and women."
Kirk said that he loved Thanksgiving, which he called a "uniquely American tradition," because it was a time when people of all faiths could come together to recognize the importance of gratitude.
"I think it speaks very well to our nation that there is a day when we stop and say thank you," Kirk said in 2024. He believed that "the ungrateful make the world worse" and "the grateful make the world better."
PASTOR RECALLS LAST MOMENTS WITH CHARLIE KIRK: 'AMERICAN MARTYR'
"Gratitude is the fruit that makes everything else taste sweet. But then you must be thankful to whom? To the Almighty God," he added.
De Gance also spoke about the significance of gratitude in the Christian faith, noting that humility allows Christians to recognize the good things in their lives that emanate from God. He added that while Thanksgiving comes once a year for the nation, it is something that "ought to be part of the daily Christian walk."
In his 2024 Thanksgiving message, Kirk encouraged his listeners to disconnect from technology during Thanksgiving and instead connect with their families.
ERIKA KIRK REFLECTS ON LIFE, LOSS AND FAITH IN FIRST TV INTERVIEW SINCE CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH
De Gance agreed with the sentiment, saying that it was important for Americans to take time to focus less on the "noise" of the modern world and more on those around them.
"There's so much noise from our technology and from the world around us, and I think it's a great reminder, a great message and exhortation to disconnect from the devices and take a step back from the daily noise," De Gance said.
In line with the mission of Communio, De Gance advised that this Thanksgiving people look to find ways to invite those who may not have a community to join them. He touched on the importance of seeking out those who may not have people to enjoy Thanksgiving with and extending an invitation to them.
CHARLIE KIRK'S BELIEF IN GOD AND THE WAY HE 'DEFENDED FAITH' IMPACTS SCORES OF YOUNG PEOPLE
"It can give us a chance and an opportunity to invite others into our homes to invite them in, to experience that gratitude," De Gance said. "We've got an epidemic of loneliness that is ravaging our country. . . . So we can ask ourselves, what are we doing to invite folks in who might not have someone to enjoy Thanksgiving with this season, or someone who might be far away from family and unable to travel, someone who might be a first responder and can't get back to his family."
For those looking to honor Kirk's legacy this Thanksgiving, De Gance suggests they look to the late activist's core messages for inspiration. He also advised young people to go to church on Thanksgiving weekend and for all to invite family and loved ones to join in prayers of gratitude.
In his last Thanksgiving message, Kirk said that "the fundamental story of Thanksgiving is to understand that there is a God and that you are not above him."
"We must have the humility to know that God is sovereign," Kirk said.
Singer Jackson Browne's son Ethan dies suddenly at age 52 after being found unresponsive
Jackson Browne has announced the tragic and sudden death of his son, Ethan Browne.
The singer-songwriter took to Instagram on Nov. 26 and announced that his 52-year-old son was found unresponsive in his home on Nov. 25.
"It is with deep sorrow that we share that on the morning of November 25, 2025, Ethan Browne, the son of Jackson Browne and Phyllis Major, was found unresponsive in his home and has passed away.
"We ask for privacy and respect for the family during this difficult time. No further details are available at this moment," the family's statement read.
Major and Browne tied the knot in 1975. At 30, Major took her own life by suicide when her son was a toddler in 1976.
In 1974, Ethan made his Rolling Stone cover debut. Jackson held his newborn son close to his face as the father-son duo posed for a photo.
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As far as Ethan's other big gigs, he appeared in Kate Hudson's movie, "Raising Helen," in 2004. He was also the founder of Spinside Records, a subsidiary of Inside Recordings.
In 2021, Jackson spoke to Route Magazine about his commitment to being a father after Major died.
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"Well, it was my main focus. I only had two things that I hoped I could fit together: being a songwriter and a father. And I looked at it like this, if I have to only be a father, I hope I’ll know it, and just do that. But life’s not like that, and you don’t get a notice in the mail saying you’re blowing it as a parent.
"You think you have the advice and the help you need, and sometimes you don’t, or you don’t heed it. The mistakes I’ve made as a parent are still with me. I think about them fairly often. It’s not that you’re not trying the whole time. It’s not that I wasn’t trying then. You’re just distracted by other things and some things don’t occur to you. Or maybe you ignore advice that you should have taken, because you’re overconfident," Jackson said at the time.
The following year, Jackson did an interview with Tru Rock Revival and discussed Ethan's qualities as a father himself.
"Ethan is a great father. He's a great son, a great man. I love seeing him with his kids. When I see him in his movies, modeling, with his daughter, and being such a great dad, it makes me very proud. It makes me feel I've done something really right in my life," Jackson said.