“Hungary’s Parliament voted Monday to pass a constitutional amendment aimed at removing President Tamás Sulyok, part of an effort by the country’s new leadership to dismantle the autocratic political system of former prime minister Viktor Orbán. After winning in a landslide election in April, Prime Minister Péter Magyar and his pro-European, center-right Tisza party hold a two-thirds majority in Parliament, allowing them to make constitutional changes and roll back many of the policies Orbán implemented during his 16 years in power. The constitutional amendment, which had the stated purpose of ‘restoring rule-of-law democracy,’ passed with 139 votes for and six against. Tisza lawmakers held a standing ovation after the vote, while lawmakers from Orbán’s far-right Fidesz party boycotted the parliamentary session.” (07/13/26)
“South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Monday appointed Darline Graham Nordone, the sister of Sen. Lindsey Graham, to serve the remainder of the late Republican senator’s term, which ends in early January. … Graham Nordone will finish her brother’s six-year term, which ends Jan. 3. The senator died Saturday at the age of 71 of what was preliminarily diagnosed as a rupture of his aorta due to a hardening of his arteries, his office said Sunday. … It’s unclear if Graham Nordone would want to run for her brother’s seat. Graham had been seeking a fifth term in the Senate in this year’s midterm elections after defeating a wealthy GOP challenger in his state’s Republican primary last month.” (07/13/26)
“Previously withheld evidence regarding the [murders] of Renée Good and Alex Pretti is now in the hands of Minnesota prosecutors, helping the state gain clarity on the [murders] that occurred earlier this year during protests against a federal immigration crackdown. ‘Through the cooperation of our federal partners, we have obtained hard drives of previously withheld evidence in the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, and the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis,’ the Hennepin county attorney, Mary Moriarty, said in a video statement posted on social media. The newly obtained evidence includes Good’s car, statements, police body-camera video and other evidence that federal officials had previously withheld in the [murders].” (07/13/26)
“Guinea-Bissau opposition leader and former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira was moved back to prison last Friday following a decision by the West African country’s military court, his family told Reuters. The junta that seized power in Guinea-Bissau in a coup last year released Pereira, the leader of the revolutionary PAIGC party, in February in an apparent attempt to appease the West African regional bloc ECOWAS. He had remained under house arrest on suspicion of economic crimes. … Pereira was previously detained on November 26 when a group of army officers seized power before the planned announcement of presidential election results.” (07/13/26)
“Federal regulators on Monday directed banks and credit unions to more closely scrutinize the loans they make to immigrants who are in the country illegally [sic], as part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown. In new guidance, regulators said that undocumented immigrants may present an ‘elevated credit risk’ and warned banks to account for the risk that they may lose their job or be deported as they underwrite new loans. Financial institutions, the guidance says, should take into account that a customer’s status as an unauthorized immigrant may pose a risk to their ability to repay credit cards, mortgages, auto loans or other loans.” (07/13/26)
“Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro has barred President-elect Abelardo De la Espriella from holding his inauguration at a military base, triggering an unprecedented institutional dispute that has clouded the transfer of power and underscored the country’s deep political polarization. Citing his authority as commander-in-chief of the armed forces until Aug. 7, the leftist president blocked De la Espriella’s plan to take the oath of office before military personnel. The incoming government had sought to use the ceremony to signal a sharp break with the outgoing administration’s security policies.” (07/13/26)
“A group of 12 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit on Monday challenging Paramount Skydance’s
proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The lawsuit seeking to block the merger for antitrust concerns was brought by a group including California Attorney General Rob Bonta. CNBC’s David Faber reported earlier that the lawsuit was expected to come on Monday. Representatives for Paramount and Bonta didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. The deal would combine two storied film studios — Paramount and Warner Bros. — as well as streaming platforms Paramount+ and HBO Max.” (07/13/26)
“The U.S. Department of Justice and the Pentagon have created a joint task force to identify and prosecute what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information to news media. ‘I have delegated tasking authority to the War Department’s [sic] Office of General Counsel, empowering OGC to request and receive all information, records, and support across the department concerning media leak investigations,’ Hegseth said in a video posted to X.” [editor’s note: The War Department doesn’t have an Office of General Counsel because the War Department doesn’t exist – TLK] (07/13/26)
“Vusimusi ‘Cat’ Matlala, a key figure in a ongoing police corruption inquiry in South Africa, has withdrawn from a controversial plea deal, serving a blow to prosecutors. The business tycoon pulled out of the agreement after a South African court recommended a higher jail sentence – 12 years instead of the agreed eight. Matlala was accused of bribing top police officials to win a 360m rand ($22m; £16.5m) tender for his health company Medicare24 in 2024. He pleaded guilty last month, as part of a deal that could have seen Matlala giving key evidence against senior officials. Though disappointed by Matlala’s U-turn, the state still believes it has a ‘strong and winnable case’, Kaizer Kganyago, a spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) told journalists on Monday.” (07/13/26)
“India’s consumer price inflation rose to 4.38% in June, up from 3.93% in May as the U.S.-Iran war and a weak monsoon raised food and fuel prices, adding to cost pressures. The headline inflation number was above economists’ expectations for a 4.30% rise, according to a Reuters poll. … Last month, India’s central bank kept interest rates unchanged but said it expects inflation to rise and growth to temper in the financial year ending March 2027.” (07/13/26)
