Rob Schmitz is NPR's international correspondent based in Berlin, where he covers the human stories of a vast region reckoning with its past while it tries to guide the world toward a brighter future. From his base in the heart of Europe, Schmitz has covered Germany's levelheaded management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of right-wing nationalist politics in Poland and creeping Chinese government influence inside the Czech Republic.
UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn was arrested and charged with third-degree assault this week. Penn is scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Dec. 2 in Hilo District Court. This is Penn's sixth arrest of the year.