“Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Thursday vetoed a bill that could reduce the 27-year prison sentence of his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro for the far-right leader’s failed 2023 coup attempt. Lula, who had already pledged to block the proposal, announced the decision during a ceremony at the presidential palace in capital Brasilia. It came on the third anniversary of the riots led by Bolsonaro’s supporters that destroyed government buildings and helped build the case against the former president. The Senate passed the bill in December. Brazil’s Congress could override Lula’s veto, but analysts say that could be a risky move for lawmakers ahead of next October’s general elections. The 80-year-old leftist president is currently a frontrunner in a likely battle with Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, one of the former president’s sons.” (01/08/25)
“Global defense stocks rallied on Thursday, extending gains after U.S. President Donald Trump called for a $1.5 trillion defense [sic] budget in 2027. ‘After the long and difficult negotiations with Senators, Congressmen, Secretaries, and other Political Representatives, I have determined that, for the Good of our Country, especially in these very troubled and dangerous times, our Military Budget for the year 2027 should not be $1 Trillion Dollars, rather $1.5 Trillion Dollars,’ he wrote in a TruthSocial post late Wednesday. ‘This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to, and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe.’ Northrop Grumman gained 6.8% in premarket trade on Thursday, Lockheed Martin was last seen 6.7% higher, RTX advanced 5.4%, and Kratos Defense was up 6.6%.” (01/08/26)
“Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received millions of pounds from an oligarch using funds from a firm implicated in criminal corruption, a BBC investigation has found. Kazakh billionaire Timur Kulibayev has told the BBC through his lawyers that he used a loan from a company called Enviro Pacific Investments to help him buy Andrew’s former mansion. Prosecutors in Italy concluded that the firm had received cash from a bribery scheme in 2007. Weeks after the last of these payments was made, the oligarch bought Sunninghill Park in Berkshire from the then prince for £15m — with the help of funds from Enviro Pacific.” (01/08/25)
“Farmers drove about a hundred tractors into Paris on Thursday morning to protest the European Union intention to move forward with a free trade deal with five South American nations, the French Interior Ministry said. French farmers for years has denounced the trade deal with the Mercosur nations of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay, arguing that the deal would hurt French farmers’ livelihoods. Thursday’s protest was staged by the Rural Coordination union to put further pressure on France’s government, which has opposed the deal.” (01/08/26)
“Venezuela will release ‘a significant number’ of Venezuelan and foreigners imprisoned in the country, the head of Venezuela’s national assembly said Thursday. Jorge Rodríguez, brother of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, did not specify who they would be releasing or how many people would be released. Despite mass detentions following the tumultuous 2024 election, Venezuela’s government maintains it doesn’t keep political prisoners. The U.S. government and the country’s opposition have demanded the release of opposition figures and critics. ‘Consider this gesture by the Bolivarian government, which is broadly intended to seek peace,’ Rodríguez said in an announcement publicized over TV.” (01/08/25)
“President Trump on Wednesday announced plans to withdraw the U.S. from dozens of global organizations, including the United Nations climate change agencies. It’s among the biggest and most extreme steps this administration has taken to retreat from the global stage and pull back foreign spending. Legal experts immediately questioned whether Trump’s move is legal, though the existence of laws haven’t stopped other moves of his. … Trump’s memoranda to executive departments and agencies said that after consulting with his Cabinet, he ‘determined that it is contrary to the interests of the United States to remain a member of, participate in, or otherwise provide support to’ the organizations.” (01/07/26)
“A US immigration [thug] has shot dead a 37-year-old woman in the city of Minneapolis, sparking protests overnight. Federal officials said the woman, Renee Nicole Good, had tried to run over immigration [thugs] with her car but the city mayor said the [thug] who shot her had acted recklessly. Videos of the incident show ICE [thugs] approaching a car which is in the middle of the street. As it attempts to drive off, one of them points his gun at the driver and at least two shots are heard. … Following the fatal shooting, the city’s Democratic mayor, Jacob Frey, used an expletive to urge the ICE [thugs] to leave the city.” (01/08/26)
“The United States says it has [stolen] two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil exports in ‘back-to-back’ operations in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean. US [pirates] boarded the Russian-flagged Marinera after a pursuit lasting almost two weeks and as it travelled through the waters between Iceland and Scotland. The British Navy gave logistical support by air and sea. A second tanker — the M/T Sophia — was accused by the US of ‘conducting illicit activities’ and boarded in the Caribbean.” (01/07/26)
“Bitcoin fell under $90,000 on Thursday as the early-January crypto rebound cooled, even as the broader risk backdrop stayed supportive with a rally in global government bonds and growing bets on Federal Reserve rate cuts. Bitcoin was down about 2% over 24 hours but still up more than 3% over the past week, while ether slipped around 3% on the day and remained roughly 6% higher over seven days, according to CoinGecko data.” (01/08/26)
“A House Oversight panel on Wednesday approved subpoenas for Les Wexner and others in connection with the Epstein investigation. Les Wexner, billionaire founder of The Limited (now Bath & Body Works, Inc.) and longtime friend of Jeffrey Epstein, will be subpoenaed along with Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, the executors of the Epstein estate, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, announced. … Wexner was named in a heavily redacted email sent from someone at the FBI’s New York office in 2019, with the subject line ‘Co-conspirators.’ The email was released as part of the DOJ’s document dump following the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.” (01/07/26)
