“Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado took to the country’s streets on Sunday to demand her safe return and presidential elections that could lead to a democratic transition in Venezuela. The government has been widely accused of stealing elections, jailing dissidents and stifling freedom of speech. In Caracas, hundreds of activists in sky blue shirts — the color of Machado’s Vente Venezuela party — rode motorcycles and drove through the city’s main avenues, honking their horns and waving Venezuelan flags. Similar demonstrations were held in state capitals including Valencia, Maracaibo and Merida. … Machado has been living in exile for the past nine months, and has had her plans to return to Venezuela spoiled multiple times. Opposition activists have accused Venezuela’s government of blocking her return, a claim denied by Venezuelan authorities.” (09/27/26)
“President Donald Trump has asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether he would like to buy U.S. weapons, David Perdue, the U.S. ambassador to China, said in a television interview Sunday. ‘President Trump continues to say, ‘Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world,’’ Perdue said on ‘Fox News Sunday’ while discussing the state visit by Xi to Washington last week. ‘He actually asked President Xi would he like to buy some at one point.’ Perdue did not give further details and did not reveal Xi’s reply. … When asked for comment, the White House said through a U.S. official that the United States had no plans to sell arms to China. The State Department said in a statement that ‘U.S. law prohibits arms sales to China, and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China.'” (09/27/26)
“Serbia’s populist president, Aleksandar Vučić, has resigned to pursue an attempt to become prime minister in an early parliamentary election that will test his firm rule in the Balkan country after nearly two years of protests. Vučić’s second presidential term would otherwise end in May next year. He is banned by the constitution from seeking a third term and said he was resigning to lead his rightwing Serbian Progressive party (SNS) in the 25 October ballot. The governing populists face a major challenge from a youth-backed movement that led protests triggered by a train station canopy collapse in November 2024 that killed 16 people in the northern city of Novi Sad.” (09/27/26)
“The CEO of a mid-Michigan credit union is no longer employed by the financial institution after posting an AI-generated photo of herself and family members wearing Lake America sweatshirts. Saginaw-based Family First Credit Union said in a Sept. 23 statement that CEO Jane Smith is no longer an employee of the credit union, ‘effective immediately.’ It noted that Jason Acosta, its chief operations officer, is now serving as the institution’s interim CEO. ‘We sincerely apologize for the concern, disappointment and pain this situation has caused our members and community,’ Family First Credit Union said in a Facebook post on Sept. 24.” [editor’s note: Anyone feeling concern, disappointment, or pain over a social media post with an AI-generated “Lake America” t-shirt has big mental or emotional problems; those problems shouldn’t have been made into her employment problem – TLK] (09/26/26)
“Hundreds of thousands of people packed Paris'[s] iconic Champs-Élysées Avenue for Pope Leo XIV’s big outdoor Mass on Saturday, a sign of the Catholic Church’s enduring appeal in the once staunchly Catholic but officially secular country. The Vatican estimated that 800,000 people came out for the Mass — more than the 600,000 who had registered in advance. The stunning turnout testified to the church’s enduring influence in France, despite sharp declines in churchgoing in recent decades and secularizing trends that have emptied churches around Europe.” (09/26/26)
“Misael Ramos, an Austin City Council candidate running to represent District 1 in East Austin, was released from the Travis County Jail on Saturday evening after state troopers arrested him earlier in the day. … Jeffrey Clemmons, Ramos'[s] campaign manager, said two of Ramos’ neighbors saw him being detained by several state troopers, including officers in unmarked vehicles, while Ramos was walking his dog around 8:50 a.m. Saturday. Clemmons said the officers never showed Ramos a warrant for his arrest. … Travis County Sheriff’s Office records show that Ramos was booked into Travis County Central Booking at 9:31 a.m. Saturday on a charge of participating in a riot, a Class B misdemeanor.” [editor’s note: The “riot” was a protest over the ICE gang’s attempted murder of a DoorDash driver – TLK] (09/26/26)
“Protesters outraged by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman spent the night camped in Madrid’s historic Puerta del Sol plaza, where more people — including multigenerational families — joined them Sunday for a second day of demonstrations over Spain’s housing crisis. Tens of thousands of people marched in Madrid on Saturday to protest the eviction of María del Carmen Abascal from an apartment in the upscale Retiro neighborhood which had been her home for decades. Protesters are demanding protective measures for tenants, anti-fraud rules and a ban on evictions without alternative housing.” (09/27/26)
“The White House on Friday evening announced plans to claw back $810 million in congressionally appropriated funding, prompting criticism from lawmakers. A year ago, President Donald Trump’s administration blocked $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid through a pocket rescission, marking the first time in roughly 50 years that the president has attempted to use that authority. The controversial budget maneuver occurs when a president submits a request to Congress to block funding so close to the end of the fiscal year that the funds can expire before Congress receives the full 45-day consideration period under the law. … The rescissions would block $567 million appropriated for Health and Human Services programs for refugees, asylees and other non-citizens and $28 million for HHS research. Additional cuts target the Department of Education’s special programs for immigrant students, among other programs.” (09/26/26)
“The robotic spacecraft that failed to rescue an aging NASA telescope plunged back to Earth on Friday less than three months after launching on the bold mission. Katalyst Space Technologies announced the demise of its three-armed spacecraft named Link. It reentered the atmosphere overnight, bringing the $30 million, NASA-sponsored salvage effort of the Swift Observatory to a close. Swift is expected to follow in early November as its orbit steadily sinks.” (09/25/26)
“At least 27 people were killed in two separate shootings in South Africa on Saturday night and early Sunday morning, adding to the toll of mass shootings in a country struggling to control violent crime. The shootings, which like other attacks in recent years came at bars or taverns, occurred near the country’s two most populous cities, Johannesburg and Cape Town, in township communities that face socioeconomic challenges. … South Africa has one of the world’s highest murder rates.” [editor’s note: And some of the world’s most restrictive victim disarmament (“gun control”) laws. How’s that working out for them? – TLK] (09/27/26)
