News Wrap: Authorities arrest 7 accused of plotting Europe terror attack

William Brangham:

Authorities in Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands arrested seven people accused of plotting terror attacks.

Three suspects in Germany were said to be members of Hamas who were plotting attacks on European Jews because of the Israel-Hamas war. In Brussels, at a European summit, the Danish prime minister said it shows the gravity of the situation.

Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark (through interpreter): It is very, very serious, and, of course, concerning Israel-Gaza, it is completely unacceptable for someone to bring an external conflict into Danish society.

William Brangham:

Earlier this month, European Union officials warned of a huge risk of attacks over the Christmas holiday period.

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a defense policy bill today worth $886 billion. It included the biggest pay raise for troops in more than 20 years, but it dropped many of the demands from conservative Republicans, including restrictions on abortion and transgender care. The Senate approved it last night, and President Biden is expected to sign it.

In Kenya, the military has intensified efforts to evacuate hundreds of people trapped by flooding. At least 170 people have died in the deluge since heavy rains began in November. Aid groups say it's the worst flooding there in a century. More than 600,000 people have had to flee their homes.

Gabey Aliow Issak, Kenya Resident (through interpreter):

While I was running away from the rains and the floodwater, I fell down and broke my hand. After the incident, my family and I came here, the young and old ones. Since then, we are waiting for a solution to this problem. We are pleading with the government to support us.

William Brangham:

Forecasters say the heavy rains are expected to continue into the new year.

Amazon has won a major legal victory in Europe and won't have to pay more than $270 million in back taxes. The E.U.'s highest court today rejected claims of illegal financial support from Luxembourg, where Amazon has its European headquarters. The E.U.'s antitrust chief argued the company received special low tax rates, so almost three-quarters of its European profits were not taxed.

Back in this country, retail sales rebounded in November in a surprise start to the holiday shopping season. The Commerce Department reports spending was three-tenths-of-a-percent after falling in October. Analysts had expected another decline. Sales were especially strong online and at clothing and furniture stores.

And on Wall Street, stocks closed slightly higher. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 158 points to close at 37248. The Nasdaq rose 27 points. The S&P 500 added 12.