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Explosive new reporting on Fernando Cerimedo — the far-right operative dubbed “MAGA’s Man” in Latin America who was jailed for allegedly ordering the murder of his pregnant mistress and is under investigation for drug trafficking — featured what one journalist called an “extremely unsurprising” cameo from President Donald Trump’s son.Cerimedo is an Argentine political consultant and publicist, and is connected to Trump’s orbit in several ways. He was honored at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort as 2025’s “best Hispanic political consultant,” and has business ties with Brad Parscale, Trump’s former campaign manager who’s now running a pro-Israeli online influence campaign.In August, Cerimedo was arrested in Bolivia following the shooting of Nadia Beller, a Bolivian lawyer and activist who was reportedly pregnant with Cerimedo’s child. Cerimedo had been married to former Argentine government official Natalia Basil since at least 2024.Bolivian authorities are investigating whether Cerimedo had arranged for his mistress to be killed, as well as for his alleged links to drug trafficking. In some of the Spanish-language reports, photos of Cerimedo with Donald Trump Jr. had surfaced, something that immediately caught the attention of journalist Ryan Grim, co-founder of Drop Site News.Grim also pointed to the Trump administration’s recent move to revoke the visas of Bolivia’s attorney general — who oversees the Cerimedo probe — and other officials over alleged corruption, accusing the White House of working to cripple the case.“This is why they are now physically coming after the Bolivian attorney general,” Grim wrote in a social media post on X. “The right in Latin America is heavily bound up in drug trafficking and Cerimedo’s arrest was/is threatening to expose it all. Don Trump Jr cameo extremely unsurprising.”According to the Associated Press, the Trump administration started the process to revoke visas for 27 Latin American officials from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, which the outlet noted were all nations “friendly with President Donald Trump.”“Those leaders have complained that many of those targeted by the visa revocations were hindering their efforts to fight crime,” the Associated Press’ report reads.This is why they are now physically coming after the Bolivian attorney general. The right in Latin America is heavily bound up in drug trafficking and Cerimedo’s arrest was/is threatening to expose it all. Don Trump Jr cameo extremely unsurprising. https://t.co/qDIJBjveqn— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) October 1, 2026

Thousands gather in Mumbai with heavy police presence as concerns mount that millions will be denied voting rightsIndia’s youth-led Cockroach movement kicked off more nationwide protests on Friday as thousands of people gathered in Mumbai, amid mounting concerns that millions of citizens are being unfairly stripped of their vote.The movement, which calls itself the Cockroach Janta party (CJP) and has massive support among the country’s gen Zs, returned to the streets to demand the resignation of the chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar. Continue reading...

President Donald Trump's hands-off approach to artificial intelligence (AI) and the tech billionaires behind it are running into unexpected resistance from one of his own staunch allies in the Senate, according to Politico.Sen. Josh Hawley's (R-MO) "populist push" against AI is exposing a schism in the GOP as lawmakers try to balance backing Trump's preference for voluntary industry standards against mounting voter anxiety over the technology's risks. Hawley's "call for AI safety legislation this week" — including imposing corporate liability when AI causes harm — stands in direct contrast to Trump's approach of letting the industry police itself."I think everyone kind of feels like the impact that this is going to have — not just on our economy but on how we live our lives — is reason to be concerned," GOP strategist Jason Roe told Politico. "I think the politicians that seize on it are going to probably reach beyond their base, to voters outside of their respective parties that care about where we're going on this."Republicans remain divided on how to respond. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has said at least "light touch" regulation will eventually be needed, even while broadly praising Trump's approach, while House Speaker Mike Johnson prefers a voluntary framework that matches Trump's own instincts.Hawley's skepticism of Big Tech isn't new — he's gone after social media companies over alleged censorship of conservatives, battled Flock's traffic-camera surveillance network, and raised alarms about chatbots endangering children."Hawley used a hearing this week on rogue AI to call for companies to be liable for the harm their AI models cause. His comments drew praise from Democrats, highlighting the bipartisan role Hawley could play in crafting legislation next year regardless of who wins the midterms," Politico reported, adding, "That collegial atmosphere was the latest sign that Hawley has rekindled tech-minded alliances across the aisle, which had frayed in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol given his vote against certifying the 2020 election."

The Trump administration has “quietly” set the stage in recent weeks to potentially “resume major combat operations against Iran,” Axios’ Barak Ravid reported on Thursday night, citing multiple U.S. officials.On Sunday, the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and an accompanying strike group "quietly" left California toward the Middle East region, one U.S. official told Ravid. And, within the past few weeks, the Trump administration sent Patriot missile batteries to U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which Ravid noted carried major implications.“The U.S. will need Saudi Arabia to allow it to use the country's airspace if major combat operations resume,” Ravid wrote. “But the Saudis are unlikely to grant permission if they feel oil facilities won't be protected.”In late July, President Donald Trump was “seriously considering” launching a “massive attack” on Iranian energy targets, but ultimately decided against it after being pressed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who feared retaliatory strikes on Saudi energy sites. As suggested by Ravid, the Trump administration’s shipment of Patriot missile batteries “to protect oil and gas facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar” could be a sign that Trump is preparing to finally move forward with those plans. U.S. officials further supported the suggestion, telling Ravid that bin Salman’s pleas were a key reason for Trump opting for an economic pressure campaign against Iran over military strikes.On the departure of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, one U.S. official told Ravid that the U.S. military would be well equipped should hostilities resume.“This means the Middle East region could potentially have up to three aircraft carrier strike groups. This is much more firepower,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday recounted what he repeatedly called an “amazing” story about an Israeli plumber who supposedly helped save a plunging passenger plane — while acknowledging he didn’t know whether the extraordinary account was true.Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu relayed the story to him after a FlyDubai Flight plunged thousands of feet amid a violent cockpit incident.“I did speak to Bibi Netanyahu at length about this event,” Trump said.Trump claimed an injured pilot managed to open the cockpit door before an Israeli plumber rushed in, pulled the other pilot from his seat and grabbed the controls.“Having never flown a plane, he took the stick, lifted it up and leveled out the plane before it crashed,” Trump said.“Now, this is the story that I heard,” Trump quickly added. “I don’t know if it’s true, but that’s the story that I got from Bibi.”Trump then dropped what he called “the craziest thing” about the wild tale.“When I asked why he did that, he said he watches the show ‘Air Disasters.’ You know the show? It’s that crazy show,” Trump said. “But he said he watches it a lot, and he learned from watching that show sort of how to fly.”"I mean, you tell me, this is the craziest thing," Trump said.Trump repeatedly marveled at the account, telling reporters and those in the Oval Office with him on Wednesday that it was “the most amazing story.”He also remained captivated by the plumber’s apparent actions.“Well, now maybe I will start watching it,” Trump said of ‘Air Disasters.’

At the same time Donald Trump's approval numbers are hitting lows never seen before, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is enjoying a burst of popularity that's letting him push his agenda through with little resistance.The reason? His refusal to be bullied by the American president has Canadians and political rivals lining up behind him as his party adds new members. Carney is barreling forward with "a rewiring of Canada's economic, national-security and foreign policies" that, in some cases, would once have been "unthinkable" and unpopular, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. A political novice until he won the premiership last year, Carney has vanquished opposition that might have felled his predecessors thanks to a confrontation with Trump that has given him "unthinkable" popularity.Polls show Carney's Liberals would win a majority if an election were held today. According to the Journal, "Polls show that Carney’s Liberals would win a majority if an election were held today. A survey released Tuesday from Nanos Research found that Carney was the preferred choice for prime minister of more than 60% of respondents, the highest level it has recorded for him."That has lawmakers from "across the political spectrum" defecting to the Liberals over the past year, and his opponents are struggling to land a punch; Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has spent recent months fending off critics in his own party."Even in Alberta, a conservative stronghold, people view Carney more favorably than Poilievre or Premier Danielle Smith, according to the report."I cannot remember, in my adult life, a prime minister having this good an 18 months," said Darrell Bricker, chief executive of Ipsos told the Journal. "There has been very little pushback against any of the things that he's proposed."Lori Turnbull, a political scientist at Nova Scotia's Dalhousie University, said Carney likely wanted to pursue many of these policies regardless, but the conflict with the U.S. "gives him a logic, gives him a narrative that might make more sense to people." She added: "The way he's describing it is essentially we're in an emergency situation, we're in a kind of something that's similar to a war. He's made this about our sovereignty, and so it all kind of fits together."

U.S. allies Israel and Saudi Arabia scrambled jets early Wednesday morning in response to an incident aboard a FlyDubai flight that Israeli journalist Amit Segal reported was being treated as a “full-fledged terrorist attack.”“It appears that the co-pilot repeatedly stabbed the captain. Once the attack began, several crew members and passengers managed to break through the cockpit door and subdue the attacker,” Segal wrote in a statement published on social media. “According to one senior official, the co-pilot is currently being questioned, and indications are mounting that he intended to take control of the plane and crash it with the passengers on board.”The flight, FlyDubai Flight FZ1073, was diverted after the incident from its original destination in Israel toward Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported. The Boeing 737 plane had “suddenly and rapidly descended by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds” before pilots transmitted the first emergency signal, according to Flightradar24.According to The New York Times, Israel scrambled fighter jets in response to the incident, though the jets “turned back before entering Saudi Arabian airspace.” Saudi Arabia scrambled jets in response to “investigate,” the Times reported, citing an unnamed Israeli official.“The situation is under control, and all measures are now being taken to bring the Israeli passengers back to Israel safely,” reads a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Times reported.Following situation assessments and passenger testimonies, Israel is treating the incident as a full-fledged terrorist attack. It appears that the co-pilot repeatedly stabbed the captain. Once the attack began, several crew members and passengers managed to break through the… https://t.co/BXS4kIjGXk— Amit Segal (@AmitSegal) September 30, 2026

President Donald Trump accidentally admitted his own war is fueling inflation during a rambling Oval Office appearance, a progressive analyst pointed out.In a Tuesday episode of "The David Pakman Show," the host broke down clips of the president fielding reporters' questions after what he described as "multiple sleeping" moments during the event.At one point, Trump promised prices would fall the moment the fighting stopped."What happens as soon as that war ends? Inflation is going to be eradicated. Totally," Trump said.Pakman said that answer gave away more than Trump intended."There is an unintentionally revealing element to that answer, because Trump is arguing inflation is because of the war," Pakman said. "Well, the war is one that Trump singularly decided to pursue, an optional war, an ill-advised war, a misguided war."He added that the president was effectively pleading guilty to making the problem worse."He's acknowledging something his administration is doing is contributing to that problem," Pakman said. "And so it's a problem he will solve after he created it."Pakman also noted that "zero inflation isn't even the target," pointing out that the Federal Reserve aims for roughly 2 percent over the long run.The same appearance saw Trump call Canada "one of the worst countries in the entire world" moments after praising China, and predict that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney would soon come begging."They're going to come in, and they're going to say, sir, we are sorry, sir," Trump said. "They've treated the United States very, very badly."Trump also touted his executive order renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America," which Pakman said "doesn't mean we own it."The president then renewed his pledge of $5,000 checks funded by tariffs, but only "if Republicans win the House and the Senate." Pakman said the math doesn't add up, citing an estimated $1.3 trillion price tag that tariff collections come nowhere close to covering. He also stressed that tariffs are paid by American importers, who pass most of the cost on to consumers."He could do it now, if the money is from profits," Pakman said.Asked for his midterm message, Trump said Republicans are "running against communist lunatic socialists.""That's completely demented," Pakman said. "This is pathetic and insane, and it should just be made into a campaign ad."