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** Q&A on Vetting of Accused National Guard Shooter
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The deadly ambush shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., on the day before Thanksgiving took an immediate political turn, as President Donald Trump and others in his administration cast blame on former President Joe Biden, saying his administration failed to vet the suspect and tens of thousands of other refugees resettled into the U.S. after the American military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Although details about the history and motivation of the alleged shooter, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, are still emerging, FactCheck.org’s deputy director, Rob Farley, put together a Q&A on what's publicly known so far ([link removed]) about the vetting of Afghan evacuees in general, and of Lakanwal specifically.

Although Trump claimed that Lakanwal and other Afghans were “unvetted” and “unchecked,” there are reports that Lakanwal was vetted several times, in Afghanistan and in the U.S., most recently as part of obtaining asylum status earlier this year.

In Afghanistan, Lakanwal was part of a so-called “Zero Unit,” an Afghan intelligence unit and paramilitary force that worked with the CIA in opposing the Taliban. As such, sources with knowledge of Lakanwal’s case told the Washington Post that Lakanwal was vetted carefully before being allowed to work with the CIA in Afghanistan, and that he was vetted again before he arrived in the U.S. in 2021.

While an inspector general report issued in 2022 warned that vetting of Afghan evacuees was often hampered by “inaccurate, incomplete, or missing” data, Rolling Stone reported that Lakanwal “underwent more vetting than most Afghans. No one just joined the CIA’s Zero Units. Soldiers had to be recommended by a close family member or friend. The CIA then vetted each member before even offering a probationary period.”

New details about Lakanwal’s life in the U.S. continue to emerge in media reports, raising questions about whether a vetting failure played a role in the tragic shooting. Rolling Stone quoted an Afghan veteran who fought alongside Lakanwal who said Lakanwal was struggling with mental illness and an inability to financially provide for his family.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, “We believe he [Lakanwal] was radicalized since he’s been here in this country.”

For more on the suspect, the vetting of him and other Afghan evacuees, and some of the sweeping new policies Trump has initiated in response to the shooting, see: “Q&A on Vetting of Accused National Guard Shooter ([link removed]) .”
IN THE NEWS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory committee, reconstituted by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is holding a two-day meeting Dec. 4 and 5. The committee will vote on delaying the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. Since universal hepatitis B vaccination for infants was recommended in 1991, hepatitis B infections in children have fallen by 99%. Read more: "Previewing the CDC’s December Vaccine Advisory Meeting ([link removed]) . ([link removed]) "
HOW WE KNOW
Speaking from the House floor in November, Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett said that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, among other Republicans, “also took money from somebody named Jeffrey Epstein, as I had my team dig in very quickly.” Federal Election Commission records show that the contributions to Zeldin in 2020 were not from the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein who died in August 2019. Read more: "Sorting out the Facts on Epstein Claims ([link removed]) ."
WORTHY OF NOTE
A new survey ([link removed]) by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, our parent organization, found that Americans were more likely to accept guidance on vaccination from the American Medical Association than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The survey asked ([link removed]) a nationally representative sample of 1,006 adults in November: "If the AMA and the CDC disagree on the safety of a vaccine, would you be more likely to accept the recommendation of the AMA, the CDC, neither, or are you not sure?" Only 16% chose the CDC, while 35% chose the AMA. About one-fifth said neither, and 27% said they weren't sure.

The APPC's press release on the survey noted that the results were similar for Republicans, Democrats and independents. "Regardless of party, Americans would accept the AMA’s recommendations on vaccine safety over the CDC’s. More than 4 in 10 (43%) self-identified Democrats say they would accept the AMA’s recommendation regarding the safety of a vaccine, while 18% would accept the CDC’s. Three in 10 (31%) self-identified Republicans indicate that they are more likely to accept the AMA’s recommendation over the CDC’s (13%). Similarly, among self-identified independents or those in other parties, 31% would accept the AMA recommendation, compared with 18% who say they would take the CDC’s," the press release said.

The survey was conducted after the CDC revised its website to say that its previous statement that “vaccines do not cause autism” is “not an evidence-based claim.” We wrote ([link removed]) about how the revised website misleads about vaccines. For instance, the webpage cherry-picked data from a recent study, directly echoing HHS Secretary Kennedy’s prior misuse of the study.


** Wrapping Up
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Here's what else we've got for you this week:
* Examining Trump’s Pardon of Former Honduran President Convicted of Trafficking Drugs to U.S. ([link removed])
President Donald Trump pardoned Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, on Dec. 1, claiming without evidence that his prosecution had been a “setup” by the Biden administration and that Hernández was targeted because he was president of a country where drug cartels operated.

* Unpacking the FDA’s Black Friday Vaccine Memo ([link removed])
The head of the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine division claimed in a leaked email that “at least 10 children” died from COVID-19 vaccination, using that to justify major vaccine regulatory changes. Experts, however, say too little information was provided to verify the claim.

* Experts Say Democratic Video Not ‘Seditious,’ as Trump Claims ([link removed])
After six congressional Democrats released a video advising members of the U.S. military and national security community to “refuse illegal orders,” President Donald Trump said the lawmakers should be tried in court for “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” But legal experts told us this was not sedition and that the legislators were restating the law that only lawful orders must be followed.

* Trump Misrepresents Biden’s Job Numbers, SNAP Data to Tout His Own Record ([link removed])
Addressing a meeting of McDonald’s restaurant owners, President Donald Trump distorted his predecessor’s record on employment, falsely claiming that government jobs were increasing while “real jobs” were declining. The number of private-sector jobs increased every year under former President Joe Biden’s term and was up about 12% by the time he left office.

Y lo que publicamos en español ([link removed]) (English versions are accessible in each story):
* Revisión de los hechos en afirmaciones relacionadas con Epstein ([link removed])
El 18 de noviembre, la Cámara votó casi unánimemente para obligar al Departamento de Justicia a divulgar “todos los registros, documentos, comunicaciones y materiales de investigación no clasificados” relacionados con la investigación y el procesamiento de Jeffrey Epstein. En los días anteriores y posteriores a la aprobación de la ley, legisladores de ambos partidos lanzaron acusaciones contra sus oponentes políticos en relación con Epstein y el contenido de algunos de los documentos publicados.

* Expertos afirman que el video de los demócratas no es “conducta sediciosa”, como afirma Trump ([link removed])
Después de que seis congresistas demócratas publicaran un video en el que aconsejaban a los miembros de las Fuerzas Armadas y la comunidad de seguridad nacional de Estados Unidos que “rechazaran órdenes ilegales”, el presidente Donald Trump afirmó que los congresistas deberían ser juzgados por “¡CONDUCTA SEDICIOSA, castigada con PENA DE MUERTE!”. Sin embargo, expertos legales nos informaron que esto no era sedición y que los legisladores estaban reafirmando la ley que establece que solo se deben cumplir las órdenes legítimas.

* La versión revisada de la página web de los CDC sobre el autismo y las vacunas no está basada en evidencia científica ([link removed])
Bajo la dirección de Robert F. Kennedy Jr., quien ha luchado contra las vacunas por mucho tiempo y ahora es secretario de Salud y Servicios Humanos, los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades modificaron su página web para indicar que su declaración anterior de que “las vacunas no causan autismo”, “no es una afirmación basada en evidencia”. Pero la versión revisada de la página web es la que induce a error sobre las vacunas.

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