“One of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team picks to advise on community safety is an author who once penned a book titled ‘The End of Policing.’ Alex Vitale, a Brooklyn College sociology professor, was among those tapped on Monday to help staff Mamdani’s committee on community safety amid the mayoral turnover. ‘I’m excited to announce that I have been asked to join the Mamdani Transition Team to work on community safety issues. A New Era for NYC,’ Vitale posted on X touting the news. The liberal professor is behind the 2017 anti-cop book — that decries ‘broken windows’ and other proactive policies. ‘The problem is not police training, police diversity, or police methods. The problem is the dramatic and unprecedented expansion and intensity of policing in the last 40 years, a fundamental shift in the role of police in society,’ a description of the book reads.” (11/25/25)
“A federal judge in Manhattan is demanding more information from the Justice Department as he weighs its request to unseal records from the sex trafficking case against Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime confidante Ghislaine Maxwell. Judge Paul A. Engelmayer on Tuesday ordered the Justice Department to tell him what materials it plans to publicly release that were subject to secrecy orders in the British socialite’s case. The deadline: Noon on Wednesday. Engelmayer’s order came after the Justice Department on Monday asked for his permission to release grand jury records, exhibits and discovery materials in the Maxwell case. Engelmayer said government lawyers must file a letter on the case docket describing materials it wants to release ‘in sufficient detail to meaningfully inform victims’ what it plans to make public.” (11/25/25)
“The brain goes through five distinct phases in life, with key turning points at ages nine, 32, 66 and 83, scientists have revealed. Around 4,000 people up to the age of 90 had scans to reveal the connections between their brain cells. Researchers at the University of Cambridge showed that the brain stays in the adolescent phase until our early thirties when we ‘peak’. They say the results could help us understand why the risk of mental health disorders and dementia varies through life. The brain is constantly changing in response to new knowledge and experience – but the research shows this is not one smooth pattern from birth to death. Instead, these are the five brain phases: Childhood (from birth to age nine); Adolescence (nine to 32); Adulthood (32 to 66); Early ageing (66 to 83); Late ageing (83 onwards).” (11/25/25)
“Venezuela has told international airlines to resume flights to the country within 48 hours or risk being stripped of their clearance to fly there altogether. Several airlines suspended their flights to Venezuela after the US aviation regulator warned on Friday of ‘heightened military activity’ in the area. The warning came as the US ramped up pressure on the Venezuelan government, sending the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the southern Caribbean as part of a larger military build-up. The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has warned Venezuela’s aviation authority that rescinding airlines’ clearance would only isolate the country further. Venezuela’s aviation authority (Inac), which reports to the country’s ministry of transport, issued the ultimatum on Monday.” (11/25/25)
“Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) on Monday agreed to pay more than $5 million in back taxes to settle a Department of Justice lawsuit stemming from nearly two decades ago. The Justice Department filed suit against Justice early on Monday, saying that the West Virginia Republican has ‘“neglected or refused to make full payment’ of $5.16 million in debt that he and his wife owed [sic] in 2009. It was filed in the Southern District of West Virginia and at the request of the IRS. Later in the day, a separate filing showed that Justice and his wife agreed to pay back [sic] the total in full. … The IRS filed tax liens against the Justices last month to the tune of more than $8 million, also dating back to 2009. The West Virginia lawmaker indicated to reporters last month that he believed the IRS’s claims against him were politically motivated.” (11/25/25)
“President Donald Trump is directing the federal government to combine efforts with tech companies and universities to convert government data into scientific discoveries, acting on his push to make artificial intelligence the engine of the nation’s economic future. Trump unveiled the ‘Genesis Mission’ as part of an executive order he signed Monday that directs the Department of Energy and national labs to build a digital platform to concentrate the nation’s scientific data in one place. It solicits private sector and university partners to use their AI capability to help the government solve engineering, energy and national security problems, including streamlining the nation’s electric grid, according to White House officials who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to describe the order before it was signed. Officials made no specific mention of seeking medical advances as part of the project.” (11/24/25)
“The century-old partnership between the U.S. military and Scouting could be coming to an end. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning for the military to sever all ties with Scouting America, saying the group once known as the Boy Scouts is no longer a meritocracy and has become an organization designed to ‘attack boy-friendly spaces,’ according to documents reviewed by NPR. In a draft memo to Congress, which sources shared with NPR but which has not yet been sent, Hegseth criticizes Scouting for being ‘genderless’ and for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. … The proposal calls for the Pentagon to no longer provide medical and logistical aid to the National Jamboree …. It also states that the military will no longer allow Scout troops to meet at military installations in the U.S. and abroad, where many bases have active Scout programs.” (11/25/25)
“Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court told judges on Tuesday that a suspected Seleka militia leader in the Central African Republic had complete control over a prison where inmates were arbitrarily detained and abused over a decade ago. According to prosecutors, Mahamat Said Abdel Kani ran a prison where suspected supporters of then-President Francois Bozize were beaten and tortured. … Said has denied seven charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. His defence will present their closing argument later this week.” (11/25/25)
“French police arrested four further suspects on Tuesday as part of the investigation into the audacious Louvre jewel heist last month, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement. The suspects are two men aged 38 and 39 and two women aged 31 and 40, and were being interrogated by police, the statement said.” (11/25/25)
“The two leading candidates in Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election – incumbent Umaro Sissoco Embalo and main challenger Fernando Dias – have both declared victory before the release of official results. Both campaigns had claimed on Monday that their contender exceeded the 50 percent threshold needed to win outright, eliminating the need for a run-off. … There was no immediate comment by the National Electoral Commission, which is expected to announce provisional results on Thursday, regarding the conflicting claims. Twelve candidates competed in Sunday’s poll that saw a turnout of more than 65 percent.” (11/25/25)
