Transcript
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This message comes from Capital One with the Quicksilver card. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capital1.com for details. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. The Afghan man accused of shooting two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C. last week appeared to suffer a personal crisis before the attack. That's according to a refugee resettlement volunteer who worked closely with Ramanula Lakhanwal a period of years. NPR's Brian Mann reports.
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The volunteer who worked with Lachenwall in Bellingham, Washington, spoke with NPR on condition of anonymity because they said they feared for their safety. When they first worked with Lackinwall in 2022, he appeared hopeful and outgoing. But by 2023, his condition appeared to worsen as he struggled to find steady work. My biggest concern was that he would harm himself, the volunteer said. I worried he would be suicidal. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday Lachenwall appeared to be radicalized after coming to the US From Afghanistan, but the volunteer who worked with Lack and his family said there was no sign of that. They described an individual who seemed to be experiencing a deepening personal crisis. Brian Mann, NPR News.
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In Tennessee, a special election this week will determine who fills the state's empty congressional seat. As Mariana Bacillau of member station WPLN reports, polling shows the race will be tight in a district that overwhelmingly supported President Trump last year.
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Polling by Emerson College finds that only two points separate Democrat Afton Bain and Republican Matt Van Epps. With Van Epps in the lead, the numbers are a stark contrast to just last year, when incumbent Republican Mark Green won Tennessee's 7th Congressional District by 22 points. Green's surprise retirement this summer left the seat open for newcomers in a district that has been a Republican stronghold for decades. Trump now has a 47% approval rating in the district, with 49% disapproving of his job as president, according to the poll. Whoever wins the election will have to run for reelection next year during the midterms. For NPR News, I'm Mariana Baca Yao in Nashville.
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Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, appeared in court today for the first time since September. NPR's Sarah Ventri reports. These suppression hearings will determine what evidence will be admissible at his New York state trial.
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Mangione's lawyers are fighting for certain critical pieces of evidence to be excluded from his New York state trial, including a handgun and a notebook book in which prosecutors say Mangioni wrote of his intent to, quote, whack a health insurance executive. Both things were found in Mangione's backpack at the time of his arrest, which the defense argues happened without a search warrant. The defense also wants to suppress some of Mangione's statements to police, which they say were given before he was told he had the right to remain silent. The hearings will continue throughout the week. Sarah Ventri, NPR News, New York.