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Oct 2, 2026 - World

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

Oct 2, 2026 - World

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...

Oct 2, 2026 - World

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."

Oct 2, 2026 - World

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.

Oct 2, 2026 - World

Up to 300mm of rain could fall in places, while extreme downpours bring landslides and deaths in NepalTorrential rain and potentially damaging flooding are forecast in eastern Spain over the coming days, as cold upper air moves over the warm, humid surface air of the Mediterranean Sea, fuelling violent, slow-moving thunderstorms near Spain’s east coast. The weather pattern, known as a Dana, occurs most often in autumn.Models show more than 100mm of rain could fall across the region on Friday, with 200-300mm possible in some areas. Cities including Valencia and Castelló de la Plana, are most at risk. Valencia has experienced several damaging floods in recent years. Catalonia has now put three towns under lockdown and Valencia has shut schools for nearly half a million children. Continue reading...