“A murder warrant was issued Oct. 19 in Florida for former Cuban leader Raul Castro in connection with two humanitarian planes shot down 30 years ago. The warrant, signed by Chief Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, charges Castro with one-count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Castro, then Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and First Vice President of Cuba, was a final decision-maker in the chain of command that authorized the shootdown, according to the affidavit. Two planes, operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue, were shot down by the Cuban Air Force in [allegedly] international waters Feb. 25, 1996. Four people were killed.” (10/19/26)
“United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is calling for a national wealth tax and inheritance taxes approaching 100% for certain estates, arguing that growing wealth inequality poses a threat to American society. Kirby made the remarks when asked about declining public trust in corporate executives during an interview with The New York Times. ‘Wealth inequality has become a danger to our society, and we need to address that,’ Kirby told the outlet in an interview published Sunday. The airline executive argued that a wealth tax would need to be implemented nationwide rather than at the state level to prevent wealthy Americans from relocating to avoid paying it.” [editor’s note: Nothing is stopping you from giving your own money away, troll – SAT] (10/19/26)
“A Serbian prosecutor investigating alleged corruption surrounding a Trump real estate project in Belgrade was targeted with Israeli-made Pegasus spyware after speaking out about political interference and abuses of power, according to research made public Monday. Rade Bajić, a member of Serbia’s Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime, is reported to be the latest target identified in a growing spyware scandal that has engulfed the country’s political opposition, civil society and institutions. … The spyware revelation comes amid mounting controversy over plans to redevelop the former Yugoslav military headquarters in Belgrade into a luxury Trump Tower skyscraper. The project, associated with Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, has faced allegations of political interference and irregularities surrounding the removal of the site’s protected heritage status.” (10/19/26)
“A former Rwandan army sergeant major, who became an outspoken critic of President Paul Kagame, has been found beheaded in neighbouring Uganda. Robert Kabera, 50, fled Rwanda after being accused of sexual assault, which he denied. He sought asylum in neighbouring Uganda, citing political persecution. Ugandan police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke on Monday said that Kabera’s head had still not been recovered. His body was discovered by local residents on the outskirts of Kampala over the weekend. The Rwandan government has not publicly commented on the killing. Several critics of Kagame have been killed, both in Rwanda and abroad. His widow, Jeanne d’Arc Rwigema Uwizeye, told BBC Great Lakes in a written message that she now feared for her family’s safety. ‘It is scary. I feel crazy, the children and I don’t have security,’ she said.” (10/19/26)
“Texas state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for governor, announced a lawsuit Monday against Gov. Greg Abbott over emails between his office and Republican ally Elon Musk. Hinojosa — who is challenging Abbott in a tight contest — said at a news conference that she filed the suit to obtain redacted documents that ‘Abbott refused to release,’ claiming they were being withheld because they are ‘intimate and embarrassing.’ A spokesperson for Abbott called the lawsuit ‘baseless’ and ‘nothing more than an act of desperation.'” (10/19/26)
“A car hit an Australian federal independent lawmaker on Monday, critically injuring her in an apparently deliberate attack, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. The driver was arrested. Helen Haines, 65, was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV outside her electoral district office midafternoon in the city of Wangaratta in Victoria state, police said. Albanese said the national counterterrorism team, incorporating police and intelligence agencies, was investigating. … Haines, who was first elected to the Parliament in 2019, was taken to a hospital with critical injuries, police said.” (10/19/26)
“President Donald Trump on Monday directed the government to bolster federal research into women’s health, a move pushed by his wife, first lady Melania Trump. The order creates a new women’s health division at the National Institutes of Health and a White House task force to focus on the issue. That panel was set to hold its first meeting Monday after the Trumps held a Rose Garden signing ceremony. Meanwhile, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander adults have become more disillusioned with Trump and Republicans as the Nov. 3 midterm elections approach, according to a new AP-NORC/AAPI Data poll, giving Democrats a substantial edge on major issues like the economy and health care.” (10/19/26)
“China’s economic growth accelerated to 4.5% in the third quarter from a year earlier, as robust foreign demand for the country’s technological goods largely offset drags from a deepening property slump and sluggish consumer demand. Third-quarter growth beat Reuters-polled economists’ expectation of a 4.4% expansion, and was also higher than the three-year low of 4.3% in the second quarter.” (10/19/26)
“Barack Obama has said congresswoman Ilhan Omar is under federal criminal investigation simply because she’s an outspoken critic of the President Donald Trump. ‘The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president,’ the former US president wrote on X, calling the probe ‘so appalling’. The White House defended the inquiry, saying the justice department was ‘focused on restoring law and order’. Last week, homeland security agents searched the Minnesota Democrat’s Washington DC home as part of an investigation into her immigration status. Born in Somalia, Omar moved to the US with her family as a child. US media outlets have reported that the probe is tied to her American citizenship and whether she lied about her age when she arrived in the US in 1995.” (10/19/26)
“Elon Musk said Monday he’d give one of his shares in SpaceX to every ‘kid’ in America next year. … Per the Census Bureau, there are just over 72 million people under 18 in the U.S. If each got one SpaceX share, at Friday’s closing price of $146.03, that’d be a market value of a little over $10.5 billion. …Musk’s announcement comes one day after Anthropic said it was setting up a new public benefit fund with 5% of the company’s equity, an entity potentially worth $100 billion or more. Musk responded to Anthropic’s news by saying ‘I recommend giving the shares directly to the public,’ later adding ‘This is what I will be doing.'” (10/19/26)
