“With the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act by the Senate on Wednesday, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is all but assured to become a federally recognized tribal nation. The state-recognized tribe, whose historic and genealogical claims have been a subject of controversy, has been seeking federal recognition for generations. Congress has considered the issue for more than 30 years, but the effort gained momentum after President Donald Trump endorsed the tribe on the campaign trail last year. ‘It means a lot because we have been figuring out how to get here for so long,’ said Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery moments after celebrating the victory in the Capitol office of North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis. ‘We have been second-class Natives and we will never be that again, and no one can take it away from us.'” (12/17/25)
“The European Commission unveiled a plan on Tuesday to drop the EU’s effective ban on new combustion-engine cars from 2035 after pressure from the region’s auto sector, marking the bloc’s biggest retreat from its green policies in recent years. The move, which still needs approval from EU governments and the European Parliament, would allow continued sales of some non-electric vehicles. Carmakers in regional industrial powerhouse Germany and in Italy had sought easing of the rules. The EU executive appears to have bowed to calls from carmakers to keep selling plug-in hybrids and range extenders that burn fuel as they struggle to compete against Tesla and Chinese electric vehicle makers.” (12/16/25)
“Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday that she will sign a bill that will allow terminally ill New Yorkers to end their lives, using unusually personal language as she settled an emotional, decade-long battle between religious leaders and right-to-die advocates. The law will apply to adults who have incurable, irreversible illnesses and six months or less to live, and each patient will need the sign-off of three doctors. Eleven states, the District of Columbia and several countries in Europe have passed similar laws over the objections of some disability-rights advocates and religious organizations, most notably the Catholic Church, which have characterized the bill as legalizing assisted suicide.” [editor’s note: Why should anyone be required to seek permission from the state or from any number of doctors? – TLK] (12/17/25)
“A federal judge on Tuesday turned down preservationists’ request to halt President Donald Trump’s $300 million White House ballroom project, concluding that allowing below-ground construction to continue in the coming weeks was unlikely to produce irreparable harm to those opposed to the plan. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon denied the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s request for a temporary restraining order, but said he would hear arguments early next year about whether to issue a longer-term preliminary injunction against the project. Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, also said the Trump administration must follow through on a pledge to submit the project to the National Capital Planning Commission by the end of this year.” (12/16/25)
“Owners of stolen Kia and Hyundai vehicles may be entitled to money after the vehicle manufacturers failed to install common anti-theft technology, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta. As part of a settlement with multiple state attorneys general, including Bonta, the makers of Kia and Hyundai vehicles will pay a settlement of about $9 million. In 2022 and 2023, a dramatic rise in stolen Hyundai and Kia vehicles were reported in the U.S., thanks in part to viral TikTok trends and easily bypassed security. In California, vehicle thefts came in just under 203,000 in 2023, with the Kia Optima, the Hyundai Sonata and Hyundai Elantra as the top three most stolen cars. The vehicles were manufactured with ‘easily bypassed ignition locks and without anti-theft devices called engine immobilizers’, according to a news release from Bonta. The engine immobilizers help keep cars from being hot-wired by preventing them from starting unless a car’s ‘smart’ key with the digital code is present.” (12/17/25)
“Israeli authorities are expected to advance plans to build 9,000 new housing units in an illegal [squat] on the site of the abandoned Qalandiya airport in occupied East Jerusalem, in another attempt to cut off Palestinian lands from each other and block any possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state ever emerging. The so-called Atarot neighbourhood in northern East Jerusalem, reminiscent of the E1 plan to undermine Palestinian statehood, is to be discussed and have its outlines approved on Wednesday by the District Planning and Building Committee, according to Israeli group Peace Now. … It would build an Israeli enclave in an area where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians live in close proximity, with the aim of blocking development in a key area and further damaging the likelihood of a sovereign Palestinian state being established.” (12/17/25)
“U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday stateside designated Venezuelan government a ‘terrorist’ organization and ordered a ‘complete and total’ blockade of sanctioned oil tankers moving in and out of the country. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said ‘Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America.’ … The White House has reportedly undertaken a large military buildup in the Caribbean, including deploying its largest aircraft carrier to the region, as well as launching strikes against boats that it claims were trafficking drugs to the U.S.” (12/16/25)
“Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said Tuesday that China is now suing Missouri, in China, in the wake of the $24 billion American court judgment the state has obtained against China in connection with the pandemic. … In April, a federal judge in Cape Girardeau ordered the Chinese government to pay the money to Missouri after finding it hoarded personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. … Hanaway, in her news release Tuesday, said the new Chinese suit is demanding that the defendants in Missouri issue public apologies in the New York Times and other American media and internet platforms and in Chinese media and internet platforms. Hanaway also said the suit demands compensation equivalent to $50.5 billion plus legal fees and the right to claim further compensation.” (12/16/25)
“The Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine is currently receiving electricity through only one of two external power lines, its Russian management said on Tuesday. The other line was disconnected due to military activity, the management said, adding that radiation levels remain normal. Repair work will begin as soon as possible. The nuclear plant, Europe’s largest, has been under Russian control since March 2022, when Russian forces overran much of southeastern Ukraine. It is not currently producing electricity but relies on external power to keep the nuclear material cool and avoid a meltdown. Each side has regularly accused the other of shelling the facility.” (12/16/25)
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the Pentagon will not release the full, unedited video of the U.S. military’s September strike on an alleged drug boat, which [murdered] 11 ‘narco-terrorists,’ including two survivors in a follow-up strike. ‘In keeping with long-standing Department of War [sic] policy … Department of Defense policy, of course, we’re not going to release a top secret full unedited video of that to the general public,’ Hegseth told reporters after briefing senators on the U.S. military’s ongoing, lethal strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.” (12/16/25)
