“A former Memphis, Tenn., police officer who pleaded guilty to kidnapping and murdering a 30-year-old man while on duty has been sentenced to 38 years in prison. Patric Ferguson, 34, was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty in August to federal civil rights, firearms, kidnapping and obstruction charges for the fatal shooting of Robert Howard. … Prosecutors said Ferguson, who had been a police officer since October 2018, abducted Howard from his home at gunpoint and killed him in the back of his patrol car while on duty. He then disposed of the body in the Wolf River, with assistance from Joshua Rogers, who pleaded guilty May 8 to obstruction charges and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17.” (12/02/25)
“Haiti’s transitional presidential council has backed an electoral law in the latest step toward holding a general election for the first time in nearly a decade. The approval late Monday means that the government can finally publish an official and long-awaited electoral calendar, after fears that the council would try to push back the tentative dates to stay in power longer. … The adoption of the electoral law came as some council members have pushed for the ouster of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, including Fritz Alphonse Jean, who was recently sanctioned by the U.S. government. Some believe that U.S. visa restrictions, like the one imposed on Jean, are being used as a threat to try and influence Haiti’s politics. Three of seven council members with voting powers weren’t present for Monday’s meeting, where the electoral law was approved, including Jean, according to Le Nouvelliste newspaper.” (12/02/25)
“In a major philanthropic move, billionaires Michael and Susan Dell are donating $6.25 billion dollars to deposit $250 into savings accounts for up to 25 million American children. The announcement from the Dells, which was confirmed by a White House official, gives the funds to Invest America, which sets up a tax-advantaged investment account for American children starting at birth. The so-called Trump Accounts are a key piece of President Trump’s signature tax and spending legislation, which passed earlier this year.” (12/02/25)
“Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said after meeting with President Trump on Monday that she’s recommending a travel ban on multiple countries in connection with criminal activity in the U.S. Trump widened his administration’s hardline immigration crackdown after officials said the suspect in last Wednesday’s ambush-style shooting in D.C. that killed one National Guard member and critically injured another was an Afghan national [that Trump’s administration approved for asylum]. ‘I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies,’ Noem said on X, without specifying which countries she was referring to.” (12/01/25)
“Two journalist unions have filed a legal complaint in France against Israel for allegedly obstructing the work of French journalists in the Palestinian territories, including by denying access to Gaza, they said Tuesday. Israel has not allowed international journalists into the blockaded Palestinian territory since the start of the war in October 2023 against Palestinian militant group Hamas, except when embedded with Israeli forces. … It is the latest of several such complaints linked to the Gaza war in France, where the authorities have jurisdiction in the case of an alleged breach of rights or crime against a French citizen.” (12/02/25)
“Rick Pazdur, the FDA’s top drug regulator, told staff Tuesday he submitted his resignation to the agency, an abrupt departure weeks after he was convinced by Commissioner Marty Makary to take the post to help bring stability to an agency reeling from months of upheaval, according to four people familiar with the decision granted anonymity to discuss the move. … Pazdur in recent weeks clashed with Makary over the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher program, according to media reports. That program — which aims to speed final review of drugs that address health priorities, pose a transformative innovative impact, address an unmet medical need, help onshoring efforts or increase affordability — was also criticized by Pazdur’s predecessor, George Tidmarsh.” (12/02/25)
“Bulgaria’s government said Tuesday it is withdrawing a controversial budget proposal after protests against it drew tens of thousands of people and saw clashes between police and protesters. Opposition and business groups have warned that plans for higher taxes, increased social security contributions and spending increases could hurt investment and expand the shadow economy as the country prepares to join the eurozone at the start of next year. The government first promised to withdraw the draft for thorough revision after protests last week, but later refused to do so, sparking protests in the capital, Sofia, and other major cities Monday night. Organizers said that 50,000 people attended the protest in Sofia.” (12/02/25)
“The U.S. Justice Department is seeking dismissal of a lawsuit that fired former federal prosecutor Maurene Comey brought against it, saying she didn’t properly follow administrative complaint procedures before suing. The argument was in court papers filed Monday prior to a Thursday hearing in Manhattan federal court. In September, Comey sued the department, the Executive Office of the President, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, the Office of Personnel Management and the United States. The lawsuit said her July firing was based on political reasons, including that her father is former FBI Director James Comey. President Donald Trump fired James Comey in 2017.” (12/02/25)
“Air travelers in the U.S. without a REAL ID will be charged a $45 fee beginning in February, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday. The updated ID has been required since May, but passengers without it have so far been allowed to clear security with additional screening and a warning. The Department of Homeland Security says 94% of passengers are already compliant and that the new fee is intended to encourage travelers to obtain the ID. REAL ID is a federally compliant state-issued license or identification card that meets enhanced requirements mandated in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.” (12/01/25)
“Police arrested prominent Tunisian opposition figure Ayachi Hammami at his home on Tuesday to enforce a five-year prison term on a conviction for conspiracy against state security, his family told Reuters. An appeals court handed down jail terms of up to 45 years last week to dozens of opposition leaders including Hammami, business figures and lawyers on charges of conspiracy to overthrow President Kais Saied. Critics called the sentences a sign of Saied’s increasingly authoritarian rule. … The opposition says the charges are fabricated and aim to crush Saied’s critics through the judiciary.” (12/02/25)
