“A convenience store manager in Kenner locked a group of Border Patrol agents out as they approached the store on Saturday. In a cell phone video he took of the incident, the group appears to be with the [gang’s top shot-caller], Gregory Bovino. ‘You want some chicken? You ain’t getting it here, bro,’ Wayne Davis can be heard taunting the agents through the door. Davis is an assistant manager of the Brother’s convenience store in Kenner where the incident happened. He said he was helping a customer when he saw two unmarked SUVs speed into the parking lot and stop in front of the store. Agents came out wearing Border Patrol vests. … Davis locked the door from behind the counter as the agents approached. … ‘I’m not going to let them do what they think they can do,’ he said, ‘because they can’t.'” (12/09/25)
“Carmaker Stellantis is teaming up with Estonia-based ride-hailing platform Bolt to deploy driverless vehicles across Europe, with plans to begin on-road trials in 2026, the companies said on Tuesday. The collaboration will integrate Stellantis'[s] purpose-built autonomous vehicle platforms with Bolt’s ride-hailing network, which serves more than 200 million customers in over 50 countries, including 23 member states of the European Union. Deployment will be phased from prototypes and pilot fleets to progressive industrial scale-up, with an initial production target in 2029, the joint statement said.” (12/09/25)
“German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday that the Trump administration’s new national security strategy underscores the need for Europe to become ‘much more independent’ from the United States in terms of security policy. Merz also pushed back against the notion that European democracy needs saving. The U.S. strategy, published Friday, paints European allies as weak, while offering tacit support to far-right political parties, and was critical of European free speech and migration policy. On Monday, European Council President António Costa warned the U.S. against interfering in Europe’s affairs and said only European citizens can decide which parties should govern them. Merz, the leader of the European Union’s most populous nation and its biggest economy, said he wasn’t surprised by the substance of the strategy as it was largely in line with a lecture U.S. Vice President JD Vance gave to European allies in Munich in February.” (12/09/25)
“Uber Technologies Inc. is introducing a way for some people to use the ride-hailing service without the company’s signature app. The rideshare giant plans to install physical kiosks at places like airports, starting with LaGuardia in New York, it said in a statement on Tuesday. These outposts, which were designed with travelers in mind, include a large touch screen with a credit card reader and receipt printer. The booking experience mirrors what consumers might be used to on the mobile app.
The first kiosk will be at LaGuardia’s Terminal C, with installations at hotels, ports and other international airports to follow over the coming months, the company said. The experience was intended for ‘international visitors arriving without a local data plan or anyone who prefers an in-person experience,’ it added.” (12/09/25)
“Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order Monday evening designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood as ‘foreign terrorist organizations.’ The order, which was posted on the governor’s social media accounts, stated that Florida would be designating the two organizations as terrorist groups due to alleged connections to anti-Israel groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Palestinian groups. … CAIR called the order ‘defamatory and unconstitutional’ and said it plans to file a lawsuit against DeSantis.” (12/08/25)
“Australia at midnight (1300 GMT) on Wednesday became the first country in the world to ban social media for children under 16, blocking them from platforms including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook. Ten of the biggest platforms were ordered to block children or be fined up to A$49.5 million ($33 million) under the new law, which was criticised by major technology companies and free speech campaigners, but praised by parents and child advocates. The ban is being closely watched by other countries considering similar age-based measures as concerns mount over the effects of social media on children’s health and safety. ‘While Australia is the first to adopt such restrictions, it is unlikely to be the last,’ Tama Leaver, a professor of internet studies at Curtin University, said.” (12/09/25)
“A bomb explosion killed more than 30 people and wounded 20 others in eastern Congo following a dispute between the Congolese army and a pro-government militia, despite a deal signed in Washington and touted as a major step toward peace in the country. Residents and civil society leaders told The Associated Press that the FARDC, the Congolese army’s acronym, and Wazalendo, which has been helping the army combat the insurgents, clashed before they felt the blast in the town of Sange in South Kivu Sunday evening. … The explosion came less than a week after a U.S.-brokered peace agreement was finalized in an attempt to stop the ongoing war between the Congolese armed forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group in the eastern part of Congo.” (12/08/25)
“A planned news conference on Tuesday by Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado was canceled after a several-hour delay, a day before the award ceremony in Oslo. Machado, who last appeared in public 11 months ago, had been due to hold a traditional news conference the day before the formal award ceremony. But the lunchtime event was delayed without explanation, until the Norwegian Nobel Institute said three hours after the scheduled time that ‘it will not take place today.’ ‘María Corina Machado has herself stated in interviews how challenging the journey to Oslo, Norway, will be,’ the institute said in an email. ‘We therefore cannot at this point provide any further information about when and how she will arrive for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.’ The institute did not specify whether the news conference would take place at a later point.” (12/09/25)
“President Trump’s former personal lawyer Alina Habba stepped down as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey on Monday. Habba was recently disqualified from the role last week after an appeals court found that she was serving unlawfully. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X the Justice Department will seek further review of the ruling and is ‘confident’ the decision will be reversed. Habba said Monday she will continue to serve as Bondi’s senior adviser for U.S. attorneys.” (12/08/25)
