Sunday, 25 October 2026

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela after nearly 10 months in exile, following the US-backed capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Her return comes amid demands from opposition figures for new democratic elections and signals a potential shift in opposition dynamics.

Former President Barack Obama campaigned in Ohio and Michigan, attacking Trump's 'cruelty and corruption' and highlighting the Iran war as a central issue. Obama sought to mobilize Democratic voters ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, focusing on cost-of-living concerns and threats to democratic values.

Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the Justice Department's lawsuit seeking to block Alaska's Senate election results certification if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses. Democrats challenged the lawsuit as an unconstitutional attempt to overturn an election based on fraud allegations.

Trump appeared at a Michigan rally where he launched Islamophobic attacks on Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, claiming he should have to pass through a metal detector to enter the Senate. Rapper Nicki Minaj also performed at the rally, while Trump made crude comments about her appearance.

Trump hinted at possible renewed military strikes against Iran 'as soon as Sunday' or an imminent major deal with Tehran. Pentagon officials reportedly have drawn up strike plans for consideration. The threats come amid the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran and mounting European concerns about renewed escalation.

Surveillance video contradicted ICE's account of an incident in Woodland, California, where a man was struck by a federal immigration agent's SUV. ICE claimed the man jumped on the hood; video evidence showed he was hit by the vehicle, raising questions about the agency's truthfulness in enforcement operations.

Economic pressures and cost-of-living concerns are putting traditionally Republican Midwestern states like Michigan, Ohio, and Iowa in play for Democrats in the midterm elections. High costs and Trump's tariff policies are driving voter dissatisfaction in former GOP strongholds.

A federal appeals court expressed skepticism at a Trump administration bid to immediately segregate 20,000 California mail-in ballots allegedly sent to noncitizens. The court questioned whether it had jurisdiction and seemed unlikely to grant the request in a rare weekend hearing.

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection in a runoff against far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, marking a setback for Trump's influence in Latin America. Lula, a vocal Trump critic, will serve a fourth presidential term with focus on trade, security and democratic values.

A 60 Minutes investigation revealed that the Trump administration has forcibly deported asylum seekers to third countries including Ghana and Mali, in violation of US court orders ruling those nations unsafe. One deportee from Texas was sent to Mali despite a judge's explicit ban on such deportations.

A ProPublica investigation found that the small Texas city of Ingram enrolled its police department in ICE's 287(g) deportation program, leading to mass deportations that tore the community apart. Within a year, officers handed over approximately 10% of the town's population to immigration authorities.