Things took a hilarious turn during one instalment of Channel 4’s Come Dine With Me as one guest pointed out a ‘stolen’ ingredient
15:02, 17 Jul 2026Updated 15:33, 17 Jul 2026
Pete handed out edible flowers to his guests
A host on Come Dine With Me was savagely called out by one of his guests, as they believed he had stolen an unexpected item for one dish.
The much-loved Channel 4 programme, which sees four or five amateur cooks from the same local area take turns hosting a three-course dinner party in their own homes, was back for the last instalment of the week.
On Friday July 17’s episode, which is a repeat that was set in Cardiff, it was the turn of chiropractor Pete to impress his guests Angharad, Claire, Charlotte and David, with his dishes which included a lemon posset and Glamorgan sausages.
While at the dinner table, Pete also provided “edible flowers” for his guests but the host was unfortunately left red-faced when he was questioned about where he sourced the flowers.
Angharad asked of her flower: “Where did you get this from then?” Pete replied: “This I cropped from near Llandaff Cathedral.” But Angharad was not convinced by Pete’s tale.
She bluntly replied: “You stole it!” Trying to justify where he got it from, stating that he retrieved the flowers from a pathway, David chipped in that he often walked his dog in that direction.
Questioning whether the flowers were clean enough to eat, Claire said: “I hope you washed those!”
This later led to Pete’s guests discovering that he failed to make his own pastries for one of his dishes. But despite calling him out, all the guests agreed that Pete’s food and hospitality was top-notch.
The Cardiff-based episode, which was first broadcast last year, caused quite a stir.
One social media user took to Facebook at the time and wrote: “I love when guests get upset that the host didn’t make their own pastry. Who makes their own pastry? Shortcrust maybe, but I think using store-bought puff & fillo pastry is totally ok!”
Another added: “Competitors do make their own puff, shortcrust pastry but not filo, it is very fiddly I think.”
At the end of the show, the guests found who was the winner of the week and received a cool £1,000 prize.
Come Dine With Me airs weekdays at 6:30pm on Channel 4
Once again, he’s putting quiz fanatics to the test but this time, it’s all around Europe.
The Chase Around The World sees six teams racing across European landmarks in a bid to win £100,000 prize.
Shaun described the spin-off as “reality television meeting with a quiz” as he admitted everyone “is pushed out of their comfort zone”.
Ahead of the series airing, The Dark Destroyer recalled one of his worst quizzing moments, as he revealed some topics he knows nothing about.
He shared: “As I always say, it takes courage to be a contestant on a quiz. Whether you get one or whether you get seven, it takes courage to put yourself forward, to sit in a chair to be thoroughly examined.”
Speaking to The Mirror and other press, Anne added: “There are times when someone, maybe just one person, gets through to the final Chase, and they set five or something, and if it’s me, the first thing I’ll say when I come out is, ‘Look, you’re the one that got through, everybody else got caught, you didn’t’.”
Recalling his own error, Shaun admitted “Every Achilles has a heel”.
He went on: “I’ve never watched The Simpsons, remember that time they asked me the colour of Marge Simpson’s hair? I said orange. The abuse I got on Twitter would make you want to quit the show.”
Shaun went on to say that like with soaps, he’d just guess an answer, and he was asked another Simpsons question where he had no choice but to do the same thing.
“They then asked me, who is the eldest Simpsons child, for £50,000?” he said.
He went on: “I know there’s three, Maggie, Lisa and Bart, and it took me six seconds to work out which one is it.”
Shaun ended up saying it was Lisa, and losing the huge sum. He added: “Questions are only easy if you know the answer, so one thing about us as quizzers is we’re brilliant quizzers, but we’re human, we make mistakes.”
Shaun, who won Mastermind in 2004 before The Chase, continued: “I use my transferable skills as a barrister, I think on my feet, I’m fearless. I’ve appeared in the Court of Appeal, I’ve done Old Bailey trials, so to answer the question in the final Chase or Mastermind grand finals is not going to phase me, but the one thing which has stood me well is my steadfast dedication to preparation because the more you prepare, the more chances you can be successful.
“And it’s not a chore… when we’re researching, it might seem like we’re going back to school. No, we’re doing it because we love it.”
The Chase Around The World airs Thursdays at 9pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticised a proposal by US President Donald Trump to impose charges on goods passing through the Strait of Hormuz, saying such a measure would amount to “piracy.”
Speaking at a public event in São Paulo state on Monday, Lula said “In the past, that would have been considered piracy.”
“The United States is an important country, and I believe it fought piracy for a long time. It cannot act like a pirate today” he added.
Lula’s comments followed Trump’s announcement that the United States would seek to impose a 20 percent tariff on goods transported through the Strait of Hormuz while reimposing a naval blockade on Iran.
According to Trump’s statement, the measure was presented as a response to Iran’s announcement that it intended to close the strategic waterway. He argued that the United States would ensure freedom of navigation through the strait and that commercial shipping benefiting from that protection should contribute to its cost.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “The Strait of Hormuz is open, and will remain open, with or without Iran. We will reimpose the blockade on Iran.”
The proposed tariff has drawn international attention because the Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes, carrying a significant share of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports. Any changes to shipping arrangements or transit costs could have broad implications for international trade and energy markets.
Dublin manager Ger Brennan has called for the GAA to introduce video technology to assist officials make key decisions following his team’s All-Ireland SFC semi-final defeat by Kerry.
Brennan felt three big decisions went against his side including Kerry’s early penalty, the Kingdom’s second goal that could have been called back for a ‘square ball’ and Ross McGarry’s fisted effort that may have gone fully over the line before Kerry cleared.
While also acknowledging his team’s poor return in front of the posts was also a contributing factor in their four-point loss, Brennan feels it’s time for the GAA to bring in a VAR/TMO system for key moments.
“I feel strongly both sets of players today, all inter-county players and in hurling as well, video assistant technology has to come into play for key decision,” Brennan said.
“There were three key decisions that didn’t go our way today and if the officials had an opportunity to have a quick look, take 30 seconds out and stop the clock, those decisions would have went in a different direction.
“Congratulations to Kerry. They were a bit more accurate. We had 10 more shots but just didn’t go over or in.
“Kerry took their opportunities and we finished around 55% shot [accuracy] rate and they were in the high 60s, so we had enough opportunities despite the decisions that didn’t go our way.”
The ITV show was back with another jam-packed show on Friday (July 10), as presenters Dermot O’Leary and Angela Scanlon took the reins in the studio. Meanwhile, Alison was in Birmingham for the countdown to the Invictus Games.
Founded by Prince Harry, the Invictus Games is a global sporting competition that began in 2014 for military personnel and veterans who have been wounded, injured, or become ill during their service. The name Invictus, which means “unconquered” in Latin, reflects the resilience, determination, and strength of participants.
Trying her best to interview the founder, presenter Alison was thrown into a race. But she did manage to steal a hug from him wheh he spotted her and she referred to him as “babes” leaving viewers very unimpressed with one labelling it “a car crash”.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, in their droves, fans of the ITV show shared their thoughts. One viewer said: “I’m just waiting for her to call him ‘Babes’. She didn’t disappoint.”
Another fumed: “Alison, what on God’s Earth are you doing? Absolutely embarrassing behaviour! Are you 6 years old?!” A third viewer chimed in and wrote: “What a car crash and a bloody noise.”
A fourth added: “Hammond….just an embarrassment.” While another agreed, saying: “This is embarrassing.”
However, some viewers loved Alison’s approach, with one writing: “Howling at Alison. You go girl.” Another added: “Harry always has some spare time for Alison.”
Prince Harry’s appearance on This Morning came as rival daytime show Morning Live announced on Friday that it is now taking a break for the summer.
At the beginning of the live BBC broadcast, host Gethin Jones revealed that Morning Live would be taking a break and wouldn’t return for some time throughout the summer months.
It’s not yet known when Morning Live will be back on air, but from next week, the slot will be filled by fresh episodes of Animal Park, which will air straight after BBC Breakfast from 9.30am until 10.15am.
The documentary programme is also scheduled to air from the following Monday (July 20) as well.
Kate Humble and Ben Fogle will mark 25 years of Animal Park next week, looking back at unforgettable animal tales and their lasting bond.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (C) arrives in Ulaanbaatar on a three-day state visit to Mongolia on Thursday. Photo by Yonhap
South Korea seeks phased denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as it also seeks to normalize ties with North Korea, President Lee Jae Myung has said ahead of his state visit to Mongolia, which he called a “trusted partner” in such efforts.
In an interview with Mongolia’s state-run Montsame news agency released Thursday, the South Korean president highlighted Mongolia’s potential role in bridging the divided Koreas.
“I hope that Mongolia … will contribute even more to peace and stability, not only on the Korean Peninsula but across Northeast Asia as a whole.” the president said. “I believe that the power to create peace comes not from military force, but from mutual trust and dialogue.”
“Mongolia has maintained balanced relations not only with China and Russia, but with other key countries of the region … I believe this diplomatic capacity of Mongolia is more important now than at any time before,” he added.
Mongolia has traditionally maintained a close relationship with North Korea, having established diplomatic ties with Pyongyang only after the then Soviet Union. Lee arrived here earlier in the day, becoming the first South Korean president in 15 years to pay a state visit to Mongolia.
“Our government seeks to end the era of hostility and confrontation between South and North Korea, and to build a new era of peaceful coexistence and shared growth on the Korean Peninsula,” Lee said in the interview.
“To realize this vision, we plan to comprehensively pursue the expansion and normalization of inter-Korean relations, along with a phased approach to denuclearization.”
Lee emphasized the “significant role” Mongolia can play based on “the trust it has accumulated in the region.”
He also expressed his hope to elevate South Korea-Mongolia relations to a forward-looking “strategic partnership” that will usher in a “new golden era” of bilateral cooperation.
The South Korean president was scheduled to hold a summit with his Mongolian counterpart, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, later in the day, followed by a joint business forum aimed at exploring opportunities for bilateral cooperation.
“Through this visit, I hope to elevate Mongolia-Korea relations to a future-oriented ‘strategic partnership,’ and I hope this will be a step toward opening a ‘New Golden Era’ of Mongolia-Korea relations together,” Lee was quoted as saying.
“I believe the Golden Era of Mongolia-Korea relations that our two countries will build together will open a new chapter filled with pride for the peoples of both nations,” he added.
Lee cited trade, supply chains, healthcare and food security as challenges the two countries need to tackle together, expressing hope that his ongoing visit could produce tangible results on those pressing issues.
The South Korean president, in particular, described critical minerals as “strategic assets” that underpin industry, technology and national security, adding that “building safe and reliable supply chains has become a vital challenge for every country.”
“From this perspective, Mongolia, with its abundant mineral wealth and development potential, and Korea, with its strengths in mining exploration, technological development and industrial innovation, can become vital supply chain partners for each other,” he said.
Seoul also aims to boost the number of visitors between the two countries to 500,000 per year by 2030, when the countries will mark the 40th anniversary of establishing their diplomatic ties, the president noted.
Copyright (c) Yonhap News Agency prohibits its content from being redistributed or reprinted without consent, and forbids the content from being learned and used by artificial intelligence systems.
North Korea on Thursday condemned growing military cooperation between South Korea and Japan. In this June 28 photo, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-Back inspect honor guards at the Defense Ministry in Seoul. File Pool Photo by Kim Hong-ji/EPA
July 9 (UPI) — North Korea on Thursday condemned expanding military cooperation between South Korea and Japan as a “foolish act courting self-destruction.”
The criticism came in a commentary by Kang Chol Su, section chief at North Korea’s Institute of Enemy State Studies, carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
“The military nexus between Japan, a war criminal state dashing toward a military giant, and the ROK has recently got more undisguised, further endangering the security situation in the Korean peninsula,” Kang said, using the official acronym for South Korea.
He cited examples including a South Korean air force squadron refueling at a Japanese military base earlier this year, as well as a joint search-and-rescue drill held last month and recent defense ministerial talks between Seoul and Tokyo.
According to Kang, the deepening security ties are aimed at concluding a military logistics agreement that would facilitate the exchange of supplies and services between the two militaries, potentially including ammunition.
“What should not be overlooked is that the security cooperation between Japan and the ROK is directed to concluding the ‘logistic support agreement’ which provides each other with munitions including ammunition in contingency,” Kang said.
Japan has long sought such an agreement with South Korea, but Seoul has proceeded cautiously because of domestic sensitivities stemming from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea has repeatedly criticized the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a hawkish conservative who took office in February, over efforts to strengthen Japan’s military and expand its regional security role.
In February, North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun described Japan as a “war criminal nation” and warned that Tokyo’s expanding military partnerships amounted to the formation of a “de facto military alliance” with NATO members and regional countries.
Last week, Pyongyang condemned the Resolute Dragon exercise between Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Marines as a rehearsal for war, accusing Tokyo of using the drills to strengthen its offensive military capabilities.
Kang said Japan’s growing security collaboration with South Korea and the United States was part of a broader effort to build a “triangular cooperation system” around North Korea’s nuclear issue, which he claimed was intended to militarily contain neighboring countries.
“The reality goes to prove once again that the DPRK’s continuous development of nuclear force and thorough exercise of its position as a nuclear weapons state are the only way to actively cope with the acute and unpredictably changing international situation,” Kang said, using the official acronym for North Korea.
The commentary followed a trilateral meeting Tuesday among the top diplomats of the United States, South Korea and Japan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where they reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
French soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé took to social media Monday to respond to racist remarks a Paraguayan senator made following her country’s 1-0 loss to France in a World Cup knockout round game over the weekend.
Mbappé called Celeste Amarilla, a 61-year-old senator from Paraguay’s Liberal Radical Party, “a despicable woman and unworthy” of her position.
And he was just getting started.
“You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honor throughout the competition,” Mbappé wrote on X. “Through your recklessness and your brazen racism, the entire world has already forgotten the journey and the historic effort that your players accomplished during this World Cup, making way for an incompetent woman who gives the worst possible image of her country.
“I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world.”
The 27-year-old French captain scored the only goal of Saturday’s round of 16 game on a penalty kick in the 70th minute. Mbappé is tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Norway’s Erling Haaland with a tournament-high seven goals. He also has 19 overall World Cup goals, one behind Messi for the all-time record.
Amarilla apparently wasn’t impressed, taking to both Instagram and X to make comments about Mbappé ‘s cultural background, appearance, education and more. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Times.
The Paraguayan government said in a statement Monday that it “deplores and rejects” the senator’s remarks.
“These statements are contrary to the values and principles that inspire peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity, which our country promotes,” it said, adding that Amarilla’s words “in no way represent the position of the Government of the Republic of Paraguay or of the Paraguayan people.”
The French Football Federation said in a statement that Amarilla’s comments were racist, as well as “utterly despicable and unacceptable” and “criminal and reprehensible.”
“These remarks are abhorrent, unworthy, and all the more unacceptable given that they come from a political figure. In the face of racism, we will not remain silent,” France’s sports minister Marina Ferrari wrote on X. “By targeting Kylian Mbappé, the senator is attacking everything our captain embodies and everything our country stands for: liberty, equality, and fraternity.”
France plays Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinals Thursday in Foxborough, Mass.
July 3 (UPI) — The Justice Department on Friday called on states to investigate whether businesses and individuals are artificially inflating gas prices amid complaints from President Donald Trump that costs are too high.
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. along with Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson sent a letter to state attorneys general asking them to join federal investigators in probing potentially illegal practices.
“Recent volatility in crude oil prices does not suspend either the antitrust laws or state consumer protection laws, and it does not authorize companies to manipulate retail prices or collude with their competitors,” the letter read.
“We also encourage State Attorneys General to use all tools available under your state laws to investigate and prosecute any misconduct causing unjustified prices increases — particularly conduct that violates state antitrust and consumer protection statutes.”
Gas prices have been on the rise since late February when the United States and Israel began attacks on Iran. Tehran, in return, largely shut down the Strait of Hormuz to traffic, crippling the the transport of oil through the waterway. About one-fifth of the world’s gas supplies pass through the strait.
An agreement between the United States and Iran reopened the strait, but Trump took to Truth Social on June 23 to complain that gas prices had not dropped fast enough.
“The big Oil Companies are not dropping their price at the pump commensurate with the sharply lower prices they are paying for Oil,” he wrote. “Those prices are dropping like a rock! In other words, customers are being ‘gouged.’
“I have instructed the DOJ to immediately start looking into this. Gasoline prices better start going down a lot faster than what I’m seeing!”
AAA reported Friday that the current national average gas price was $3.82 per gallon for regular gasoline, down from $4.26 a month prior. One year ago, it was $3.16 per gallon.
Back and forth over defence spending comes as NATO leaders set to meet in Ankara next week.
Published On 3 Jul 20263 Jul 2026
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has defended his country’s NATO defence spending, shortly after US President Donald Trump re-upped his criticism of alliance members.
The statement on Friday came as NATO leaders were set to meet next week in Ankara. Trump has decried defence spending by members of the bloc throughout his political career, calling the balance of spending “ridiculous” and “one-sided” in his latest Truth Social posts on the issue earlier this week.
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In one post, Trump said Germany’s spending was “MUCH LOWER” between 2014 and 2025 than the US or other NATO allies, which he again called “Ridiculous!”
When asked about the comment, Merz said Germany would double its defence budget within four years.
“This is the greatest effort we have ever made to strengthen our defence capabilities. In this respect, we have no reason to shy away from anyone,” Merz said.
“We will state this, with all due modesty, and we are doing so as the European Union’s largest member state, bearing a responsibility within Europe,” he said.
US and European ties have been strained throughout Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021 and his current term, which began in January 2025.
However, while largely dismissive of the president during his first four years in office, several European leaders have sought a more amenable approach to the president this time around.
At the behest of the US, NATO leaders agreed to spend 3.5 percent of their countries’ GDP on core defence items, such as weapons and troops, by 2035, an increase of the previous goal set by the bloc of 2 percent of its GDP.
However, relations have since frayed over several issues, including Trump’s pledges to take control of the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland. Denmark is a member of NATO.
The US-Israeli war in Iran has also proven to be a major wedge, with Trump launching the conflict without consulting European allies who have dealt with the fallout of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump had repeatedly condemned European allies for not joining the war effort.
Merz, meanwhile, roiled the president by saying in April the US had been “humiliated” by Iran. Trump, in turn, said the US would withdraw 5,000 troops currently stationed in Germany.
Speaking on Friday, Merz said Germany was ahead of schedule to reach its NATO commitments.
“We will reach the 3.5 percent benchmark set in The Hague as early as 2029,” he told reporters, “well ahead of the agreed deadline”.
On Sunday, Mexico will take on England at Mexico City’s famed Estadio Azteca for a round of 16 World Cup match in one of the most hotly anticipated contests of the tournament so far.
But days before anything goes down on the pitch, Mexico and England fans have already started bickering with each other online — from cheeky jabs to heated debates about which country does beans on toast better.
Joining in on the soccer smack talk are two of the biggest rock stars from the countries — Liam Gallagher of Oasis fame and Maná frontman Fher Olvera.
The “Wonderwall” singer’s prediction was so audacious that Olvera took it upon himself to publicly respond with an Instagram video Wednesday evening.
“The singer of Oasis said that Mexico will lose to England 5-0,” Olvera said in Spanish with a giant grin on his face while draped in a Mexican flag. “No way! Check yourself dude! 5 to 0? Calm down! We’ll see you Sunday to see how it goes, dude. Don’t play with me.”
By Thursday morning Gallagher amended his prediction for the match.
“[L]et me just clear someting up I was obv kidding when I said England will beat Mexico 5-0,” the English rocker wrote in an X post. “I reckon it’ll be more like 3-0 to England.”
Maná already made its mark on this year’s World Cup when it played its 1992 hit “Oye Mi Amor” at the tournament’s opening ceremony in Mexico City ahead of the Mexico-South Africa match on June 11.
Sunday’s contest between England and Mexico also marks the first time the English side will play at Estadio Azteca since the 1986 World Cup when they lost to eventual-champions Argentina in a quarterfinal game infamous for Diego Maradona‘s “Hand of God” goal.
The last time Mexico and England squared off in a World Cup setting was during the 1966 World Cup in England where the Three Lions beat El Tri 2-0 in a group stage match at Wembley Stadium.
Worst Neighbor Ever is now available to stream on Netflix
Worst Neighbor Ever is available to stream on Netflix(Image: Netflix)
The chilling calls to emergency services after a huge insurance scam explosion have been revealed in a brutal true crime documentary series.
This week, Netflix dropped anthology series Worst Neighbor Ever, which follows on from Worst Ex Ever and Worst Roommate Ever.
This time, it explores real life neighbour disputes that take a fatal turn. Plunging viewers into a series of events including intimidation and violence, it uses real life bodycam footage and CCTV to highlight what occurred.
As well as hearing heartbreaking accounts from victims, the true crime series also stands out with its use of animated re-enactments to tell the stories.
An official synopsis reads: “You think you know your neighbors? Think again. This new series features firsthand accounts of violence, intimidation, and harassment that are more shocking than ever.
“Through compelling testimonials, startling body cam footage, and animated reenactments, Worst Neighbor Ever proves the people next door aren’t just a nuisance – they’re lethal.”
The second episode plunges viewers back to 2012 when a huge explosion wreaked devastation on one tight knit community in Indiana. On November 10, 2012, Monserrate ‘Moncy’ Shirley’s home exploded, leaving two people in the vicinity dead and many others injured, destroying dozens of homes.
But when investigators find the real cause, lives were changed forever. The episode hears from the neighbours who were at home that evening as well as revealing what Moncy was really like, as well as her new boyfriend at the time Mark Leonard.
Following the huge explosion, one neighbour can be heard saying: “At first, we thought we were being bombed. Our whole house lifted up off the foundation.”
Another said: “It was like one of those mortar fireworks going off right next to your house.”
Showing chilling video footage of the explosion and the flames, the documentary also showcased some of the heartbreaking calls made to the emergency services.
In one phone call, a neighbour said: “Something literally just exploded”, as another asked: “What just happened?” A third said: “We had a large boom, I don’t know if it was a bomb, a gun went off or what.”
Detailing the aftermath, one resident said: “The flames were just massive. The street looked like it had snowed, but this bright light of fire is in the distance.”
A call between emergency services continued: “We’ve had an explosion at a house, we’re going to need medics, IFD, it’s going to be a major incident control.”
The episode explores how Moncy, her boyfriend Mark and his brother had plotted to start a fire that would result in an insurance payout, however, their plan resulted in a huge explosion that wreaked devastation for years afterwards.
June 29 (UPI) — As Speaker of the House Mike Johnson prepared to send a bipartisan, landmark housing affordability bill to President Donald Trump‘s desk on Monday, the president told reporters that he remains undecided on whether to sign it.
“When I look at the (housing) bill, it’s a bill,” Trump said to reporters Monday, The Hill reported. “When I look at the SAVE America Act, it’s about saving America.”
The housing bill is “a yawn,” the president said. “To me, compared to the SAVE America Act, everything is a big yawn.”
The housing bill’s provisions include measures that encourage renovating older homes, encourage communities to build more housing through funding and grant programs, cut some red-tape issues around building housing and effectively ban private equity from buying up single-family homes.
When canceling the original signing of the bill, Trump said he wouldn’t sign it until Congress passed the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to prove their citizenship before they register to vote
Critics say the controversial act could disenfranchise millions of Americans, and Republicans have said that they don’t have the votes to pass it.
Trump acknowledged this Monday, The Hill reported, saying the SAVE America Act is “probably not going to happen because we have four Republican senators, maybe five, that just won’t vote for it. It’s crazy.”
The president said that the housing bill’s bipartisan backing was part of his issue with it.
“It’s very bipartisan — that means the Democrats like it,”he said. “They’re getting things that I wouldn’t necessarily agree to.”
Speaker Johnson, a Republican, said Sunday that he believed Trump would sign the housing bill after it was sent to him, “because we’re delivering for the people, and that’s what he wants to do.”
If Trump does not sign the bill, it could still go into effect. The U.S. Constitution stipulates that a bill will become law automatically if a president does not take action for 10 days, as long as Congress is in session.
Trump could also veto the bill. If that happens, Congress has the power to override the veto by passing the act by a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate.
Deaths of immigrants held in US detention centres have surged during Donald Trump’s second term.
Published On 26 Jun 202626 Jun 2026
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has called for an independent investigation into the severe uptick in deaths in migrant detention centres during President Donald Trump’s second term in office.
In a statement on Friday, Turk expressed concern over the lack of transparency over those deaths, at least 19 of which have occurred so far this year, according to US government statistics.
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“Those responsible for violations of the law must be held to account, and the rights of the victims’ families to truth, justice and reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence must be upheld,” the UN rights chief said.
Deaths in immigrant detention centres have surged during Trump’s second term in office, a by-product of what rights groups and immigration lawyers have depicted as systematic neglect, inhumane conditions and abuses.
The Trump administration has sought to rapidly expand the network of immigrant detention centres, some operated by private contractors, as it seeks to carry out the mass deportation of immigrants in the US.
Trump stated in a social media post on Friday that his administration has the “Highest Average Daily Arrest Rate by ICE and CBP, including Total Detention, with Final Orders of Removal, than any other president, by far!”
The reported death of a Georgian man, Mamuka Artmeladze, in a detention facility in Louisiana on June 4 increased the number of fatalities so far this year to 19, compared to 33 last year and 11 in 2024.
“The mortality rate of deaths in ICE custody is at its highest level in over a decade and has more than doubled since Trump’s second term began,” the watchdog group Human Rights Watch wrote in a report on detention deaths earlier this month. “The rate is nearly four times that of the Biden administration and more than two and a half times as high as that of the first Trump administration.”
That report said the 52 people who have died in detention during Trump’s second term ranged in age from 19 to 75 and came from 20 different nationalities.
Turk wrote on Friday that there have been “concerning allegations regarding the use of force” at such facilities and that five of the deaths recorded in 2026 were classified as suicides.
He also expressed concern over the reported use of solitary confinement, which is associated with a heightened risk of suicide and considered a form of torture by the UN after a period of 15 days.
“All these factors exacerbate vulnerability and raise serious concerns as to whether some of these deaths in ICE custody could have been prevented,” he said.
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young delivers a keynote speech during the Korean Peninsula Symposium 2026 in Seoul on Friday. Photo by Yonhap
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young called Friday for shifting away from an approach that sticks to denuclearization as the sole solution to the North Korean nuclear issue, saying such a precondition has been one of the reasons for stalled diplomacy with Pyongyang.
Chung made the remarks in a keynote speech at a forum, co-hosted by Yonhap News Agency, pointing out that the lack of progress in nuclear diplomacy has only helped the North bolster its nuclear and weapons capabilities for the past three decades.
“As the past 30 years have shown, whenever peace talks were halted by the denuclearization hurdle, North Korea used that time to further advance its nuclear capabilities,” Chung said at the Korean Peninsula Symposium.
“We must move away from the old notion that a peace regime can only be discussed after the North Korean nuclear issue is resolved … We need to pursue a phased and pragmatic solution. It is time for a paradigm shift,” he said.
Recalling major breakthroughs in nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang in the past, Chung stressed the path toward peace opened up when relevant countries, including South Korea and the United States, sought to actively engage Pyongyang for dialogue.
Chung went on to highlight the need for a phased approach — halting and scaling down the North’s nuclear program before denuclearizing — as a solution to the nuclear issue.
“A step-by-step process toward peaceful coexistence and denuclearization should proceed in three stages — freeze, reduction and denuclearization,” he said. “China, too, has expressed support for this pragmatic approach.”
Chung said this phased approach must begin with dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea.
“As agreed in the 2018 Singapore summit between North Korea and the U.S., both sides should immediately resume talks to end mutual hostility and establish a new relationship,” he said.
“The resumption of U.S.-North Korea dialogue will serve as a powerful catalyst for opening four-party talks among the U.S., China and the two Koreas, who are the key stakeholders in achieving lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Chung added.
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Veteran broadcast journalist Katie Couric has leveled sharp criticism at CBS’ “60 Minutes,” detailing a culture of systemic sexism and marginalization she says she experienced during her tenure at the prestigious newsmagazine.
On this week’s episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Couric, 69, described incidents during her time at “60 Minutes” when her story ideas were reassigned to her male counterparts. She described the circumstances as “really tough situations.”
The Emmy-winning journalist said she suspected early on that Jeff Fager, the “60 Minutes” executive producer at the time, didn’t take a liking to her.
“I think maybe because he wasn’t really consulted about bringing me over,” said Couric. “I was sort of seen as somebody from a different network coming in and sort of muddying the waters. I hadn’t come up in the CBS system. So I don’t know, he just didn’t like me.”
Couric started her run at the newsmagazine as a correspondent and as an anchor at CBS News in 2006, after spending 15 years co-hosting NBC’s “Today” show. Her role at CBS made her the first female solo anchor of a national weeknight news broadcast. She stayed with the network for five years before taking on a new role as special correspondent for ABC News.
Fager remained at “60 Minutes” from 2004 to 2018. He also served as the chairman of CBS News. He was eventually fired for allegedly sending a “harsh” message to a CBS reporter. At the time, he was also facing accusations of ignoring inappropriate behavior at “60 Minutes.” He previously denied the claims. CBS could not be reached for comment.
Trouble first came to a head when Couric pitched a profile of the rising pop star Lady Gaga. Fager had initially turned down the idea until he decided to pursue the story a year later, as Gaga had gained more notoriety.
Couric said she had proposed a fresh angle on Gaga’s Catholic school upbringing, but when she arrived for the interview, she discovered her name had been replaced with Anderson Cooper’s. His interview with Gaga aired in February 2011.
“It made me crazy,” Couric said.
A similar situation occurred once again when Couric was set to interview then–Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The confusion began when the State Department reached out to Couric, wondering why fellow correspondent Scott Pelley’s team was inquiring about Clinton.
“So I go to Jeff Fager, and I say, ‘I thought you wanted me to do Hillary. You told me explicitly that you wanted to assign that story to me,’” Couric said. “And he said, ‘Yeah, we decided to change things up.’”
Couric said she was frustrated with Fager, for repeatedly going “behind [her] back.”
“Like, without even the decency to call me and say, ‘Guess what? We decided to reassign the story, and this is why,’” she said. “Talk about getting gaslit. I mean to me, that is the definition of it.”
Couric isn’t the only former “60 Minutes” to call out sexism at the newsmagazine. Meredith Vieira, who worked as a correspondent in the late 1980s and early 1990s, said in 2018, that she’d experienced sexism at CBS.
In the last few months, “60 Minutes” has undergone a massive upheaval. Under CBS News editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, several correspondents, including Scott Pelley, and the program’s top producers were fired. Anderson Cooper also recently resigned from his post at the newsmagazine. With the upcoming season slated to begin in September, the program is currently under pressure to replenish its ranks.
“When Calls the Heart” co-stars Erin Krakow and Ben Rosenbaum celebrated one year of marriage by publicly introducing the latest member of their growing family.
Krakow, 41, and Rosenbaum, 39, revealed via People on Tuesday that they welcomed a baby girl — their first child together — in April. In a joint Instagram post with the outlet, the Hallmark co-stars shared tender photos from an intimate shoot of themselves cuddling their baby girl and posing with their dog, Willoughby. The couple did not dish additional details about their child’s birth.
“Our daughter has been the greatest gift, and we are loving getting to know her better with each passing day,” Krakow and Rosenbaum told People via email.
Krakow and Rosenbaum have starred in the hit Hallmark period drama since its premiere in 2014. “When Calls the Heart” is set in the early 20th century and follows Krakow’s schoolteacher Elizabeth Thatcher as she makes a life for herself in Hope Valley, a small town in western Canada. Rosenbaum stars as Hope Valley resident Mike Hickam.
The new parents first generated dating rumors in 2023 when Krakow revealed she and Rosenbaum had become dog parents. Months later, Rosenbaum confirmed their romance in a Valentine’s Day post. The pair tied the knot last June and revealed in November that they were expecting.
Vanessa Feltz has addressed some of her struggles in the early 2000s and argued that while people were very excited by the introduction of reality TV, vetting is now too ‘sketchy’
Vanessa Feltz has described reality TV as ‘sordid’(Image: CHANNEL 5)
Vanessa Feltz has called for an end to “sordid” reality TV shows which she said gave her some of her lowest moments in her career.
The broadcaster, 64, shared her thoughts on how the format has changed over the past two decades, while reflecting on some incidents involving reality stars. According to Vanessa, vetting processes on some shows were “sketchy at best.”
In an article for You, the journalist said reality shows often recruit “individuals desperate for exposure” from social media – with women often asked whether they are looking for love, and men asked whether they are hoping to have some fun. Describing the reality genre as “sordid,” Vanessa said things have significantly changed since the early 2000s.
At the time, the idea of having “real people, doing real things, in real time” on TV seemed “revolutionary”, she argued, as demonstrated by the success of Big Brother. “We wanted ‘ordinary’ people scratching their armpits, pairing socks, quarrelling, vying, lying, picking their toenails and getting their rocks off,” Vanessa, who famously broke down and told Big Brother to “f*** off” during the first-ever Celebrity Big Brother in 2001, wrote.
Back then, mental health wasn’t given the same importance it has now, Vanessa said, meaning that many people – including herself – didn’t realise that reality TV posed any risk to participants. But she wrote: “When I said I’d had enough and please could I pack my case and go – we weren’t being paid, we were doing it free for Comic Relief – Big Brother replied: ‘If you leave, Vanessa, you’ll be the most hated woman in Britain.'”
She said that after being evicted, she “shook uncontrollably” and was “disorientated, trembling” until she was able to reunite with her daughters, which made her “remember how it felt to be myself.” She said: “A quarter of a century later people still ask, what the beep happened? I tell them, when you are on a reality TV show it isn’t a game.
Opening up on her experience of filming Celebrity Fit Club in 2004, Vanessa said she was “so scared” of letting her team down that she “stopped all food and water on Friday mornings” and after the weigh-in on Saturday afternoon, contestants “were all shaky and faint with hunger.”
She said that after drinking a glass of water and eating a couple of Ryvita crackers, they would go back on the scales and find they had already gained back the weight presenter Dale Winton had announced they had lost. “It was hell,” Vanessa reflected.
Giving the example of reality star Sinitta, who appeared on her Channel 5 show Vanessa on June 1 and said she needed therapy after I’m A Celebrity…South Africa due to the amount of trolling she faced, the broadcaster said reality TV is capably of leaving people damaged.
Vanessa’s reflection comes after her Channel 5 daytime chat show was cancelled only a year after its debut. According to reports, the presenter was blindsided and left furious by the news. The chat show sees Vanessa talk to guests and people at home who had called in to share their experiences of whichever topic was on the agenda.
But this week, a 5 spokesperson confirmed to the Mirror that the show would be coming off air, saying: “Due to afternoon scheduling changes, ‘Vanessa’ will be rested from July 17th. We thank Vanessa and her team at ITN for 18 months of warm, witty, wise and searingly honest shows. Vanessa remains a valued member of the 5 family and we are discussing future projects together.”
Following the cancellation, a source told the Mail that Vanessa was blindsided when she was told that the show had been axed. They said: “Vanessa was brought into a meeting after her show came off air this week. She had no idea what the meeting was about and certainly didn’t expect to be told it was not being renewed. She feels so blindsided but also let down by bosses.”
The cancellation is thought to be linked to low ratings for the programme, as well as an inability to get the scam callers under control. The source said that producers “tried their best to crack down” on the pranks, but it couldn’t be done.
“Officer, abeg! I go tell you everything. Na my friend na him deceive me. E de Sapele, I go carry you go the place. I no know anything concern. Officer!”
These were the last words of 28-year-old Oghenemine Ogidi before he was shot at close range by Usman Nuhu, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), on April 26, 2026, in Effurun, Delta State, South South Nigeria. Oghenemine died instantly from the gunshot.
A disturbing video had captured him speaking Nigerian Pidgin while begging for mercy from the police officer with his hands and legs tied. He was said to have visited the Effurun Main Park along the Warri-Sapele Expressway to collect a waybill for a friend. However, transport union workers intercepted the parcel, which allegedly contained a Beretta pistol and ammunition. The transport workers informed the Uvwie Area Police Command.
At the park, the police, led by ASP Usman, a former member of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), arrived in a 2010 Toyota Sienna with other officers, supposedly to intervene and arrest the suspect, who had already been restrained by the transport unionists. The police whisked him away from the scene and took him to the front of the Ekpan Police Station in the state, where Usman allegedly shot him three times, while the other officers watched.
The horrific incident triggered a cascade of criticism against the police on the internet, with many condemning the extrajudicial operations of ASP Usman and other officers in the country. Before his death, Oghenemine was an up-and-coming musical artist and the second child in the family to have been killed by the police. The mother of the slain artist said his elder brother was also killed in 2022 by a high-handed police officer.
Human rights defenders and lawyers have condemned the incident, stressing that it betrayed Nigeria’s judicial system. Abba Hikima, a human rights lawyer, told HumAngle that it is unjust for a police officer to execute the most severe form of criminal justice without a fair trial or proper judicial process in any case. He emphasised the need for swift justice for the victim.
“If someone is found culpable or liable for the allegations against him and a judgment of a death sentence is passed, even the court has to hand that out to the executors of the judgment, which is a department of its own; even the judge cannot do that. It is the sheriffs of the court and the executors that execute the judgment of the court,” Abba said, noting that Usman’s job was to arrest, investigate, and charge the suspect in court so that justice could be administered accordingly.
Oghenemine’s murder forms a part of the troubling pattern of extrajudicial killings that have plagued Nigeria for decades, eroding public trust in law enforcement and fuelling cycles of protest and repression.
A disturbing pattern
Many civilian lives have been lost to police extrajudicial killings, ill-treatment, and abuse of power. Oghenemine only fell victim to a policing system enmeshed in impunity and brutality. Far worse cases have occurred in the past, and disturbing incidents of police officers unleashing cruelty against civilians continue to disrupt Nigeria’s civic spaces.
In 2005, for instance, six young traders were killed by some police officers during a supposed anti-robbery patrol. The traders were said to be returning from a nightclub in Abuja, North Central Nigeria. One of them, Augustina, had allegedly rejected the advances of a senior police officer, Danjuma Ibrahim, leading to a bitter confrontation. The angry Danjuma then told officers at a nearby police checkpoint that armed robbers were approaching. When the group arrived in their car, the police blocked them and opened fire. Four died instantly, while two survivors were taken away and left to die. The police had reportedly planted weapons on their bodies to frame them as criminals.
The killings sparked outrage across Nigeria, with widespread condemnation of police brutality and impunity. Then-President Olusegun Obasanjo ordered a panel of inquiry, which confirmed that the victims were innocent traders and not armed robbers. Findings from the panel revealed the deliberate framing of the victims and exposed the systemic abuse of power within the police force. The case became emblematic of the dangers of unchecked authority and the lack of accountability in Nigeria’s law enforcement system.
Image of ‘Apo six’ killed by police in 2005. Photo: Family members.
It took more than 11 years for justice to be partially served. In 2017, two of the six policemen involved, Ezekiel Acheneje and Baba Emmanuel, were sentenced to death for their roles in the killings, while others were discharged.
The Apo Six case remains a relevant example of extrajudicial killings in Nigeria, projecting a system that harbours police misconduct and the long struggle for justice faced by victims’ families. Between 2020 and 2023 alone, 848 Nigerians were victims of extrajudicial killings, according to Global Rights’ Mass Atrocities Tracker.
During the #EndBadGovernance protests in 2024, several protesters were killed in Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, and Kaduna, with experts raising concerns over growing police brutality. In Oghenemine’s case, however, the Nigerian Police Force seems to have moved swiftly to dismiss the officers involved and hand them over for prosecution.
“The Force does not shield officers who violate the law. No rank, no position, and no circumstance will be permitted to place any officer above accountability,” DCP Anthony Placid, the Police spokesperson, said in a statement at the time.
On June 1, a High Court in Delta State ordered the detention of five police officers over the alleged killing. The officers – ASP Usman Nuhu, ASP Onoloko Dauroupamo, ASP Okoh Kelechi, Inspector Goodluck Kingsley, and Inspector Omonigho Ahweyevu – were arraigned before Justice Marshal Onome Umukoro under Suit No. THC/ASB/CR/M/66C/2026. The court directed that they be remanded at the Ogwashi‑Uku Correctional Centre pending legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and adjourned the matter until June 15, 2026, for further proceedings.
On the scheduled hearing date, Harrison Gwamnishu, a human rights activist who has closely followed the case and was present at the High Court in Asaba, revealed that the DPP had filed the necessary information before the court. He noted that the matter is now awaiting legal advice before proceedings can continue.
The court document. Photo: Harrison Gwamnishu.
“The burial date has not yet been fixed, pending the conclusion of the trial,” he noted.
The activist emphasised that the murder of Oghenemine symbolises Nigeria’s ongoing challenges with police reform, noting that this incident shows the critical need for reform, accountability, and the protection of human rights. He added that moving forward, the Nigerian police should begin to use body cameras, as they will help reduce the incidents of extrajudicial killings of suspects who are supposed to be charged in court in the country.
“Even though Nigeria stands at a crossroads, I believe that justice will be served, and the judge has ordered that some of the hearings be delivered online to avoid technicalities, even right from the correctional centre. When there is accountability, justice is possible,” the activist said.
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Nigeria’s policing system has long been associated with excessive use of force. SARS, for example, was established in 1992 as a branch of the police under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and was designed to find a lasting solution to violent crimes, specifically armed robbery, kidnapping, and carjacking across the country. However, it became notorious for torture, extortion, and unlawful killings.
Despite repeated promises of reform, the culture of impunity persisted. Amnesty International, a global human rights organisation, described the promises of Nigerian leaders to reform the police as “ineffective”. In its 2016 investigation, the organisation painted a damning portrait of SARS, exposing how the unit had strayed far from its original mission of tackling violent crime. SARS officers were accused of turning torture and extortion into a profitable enterprise, routinely brutalising detainees to extract confessions or money.
The report documented harrowing abuses, including beatings, shootings, starvation, and mock executions. Detainees were held in notorious centres such as the “Abattoir” in Abuja, where overcrowding and inhumane conditions compounded the suffering. Despite clear evidence, officers implicated in torture were rarely suspended or prosecuted; instead, they were transferred to other stations, perpetuating a cycle of impunity.
Beyond violent crimes, SARS extended its reach into civil disputes and business disagreements, exploiting its power to intimidate and extort. Victims reported theft of property, raiding of homes, and confiscation of valuables, with families describing how officers stole cars, emptied bank accounts, and looted homes during arrests.
The #EndSARS protests of October 2020 were a watershed moment in Nigeria’s struggle against police brutality. Sparked by years of abuses by SARS officers, the protests drew thousands of young Nigerians into the streets, demanding an end to extrajudicial killings, torture, and extortion. The movement culminated in the Lekki Toll Gate massacre, where security forces opened fire on peaceful demonstrators, killing and injuring dozens. According to Amnesty International, the government’s denial and lack of accountability deepened public mistrust.
“These shootings clearly amount to extrajudicial executions. There must be an immediate investigation, and suspected perpetrators must be held accountable through fair trials. Authorities must ensure access to justice and effective remedies for the victims and their families,” Osai Ojigho, former country director for Amnesty International in Nigeria, said.
The death of Oghenemine highlights the same issues that triggered the EndSARS protests: unchecked police violence, lack of accountability, and the erosion of public trust. However, extrajudicial killings are not confined to SARS alone. Regular police units, military detachments, and other security agencies have been implicated in unlawful killings during routine patrols, protests, and even minor disputes.
For instance, in April 2026, Abdulsamad Jamiu, a youth corps member, was shot in Abuja by Guards Brigade personnel. A similar incident occurred elsewhere on January 1, when Timothy Daniel, a 13-year-old boy, was killed by a soldier in Akwa Ibom. In May 2025, Japhet Njoku, a security guard, died in police detention at Tiger Base, Imo State, after severe beatings. Experts say this systemic problem reflects weak accountability structures, inadequate training, and a justice system that rarely prosecutes officers for abuses.
“If the lives of human beings can be taken by security personnel, whether or not they have been found guilty of any crime or not and no matter how harsh that crime is, someday somewhere, somebody may be framed for a similar offence, and his life will also be taken unjustifiably,” human rights lawyer Abba warned.
European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas is accused of comparing Israel to South African apartheid. File Photo by Thomas Traasdahl/EPA
June 18 (UPI) — Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced Thursday that he is cutting all contact with Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, after she compared Israel to South Africa under apartheid.
The two had a public argument on X. Sa’ar said Kallas “has for some time now been acting obsessively and with blatant unfairness toward the State of Israel,” and pointed to a report that she made the apartheid comment in May.
Sa’ar accused Kallas of directing a “blood libel” at Israel and said he would “sever all contact with Ms. Kallas” until she took back what she said.
Kallas has not confirmed or denied the comments but tried to defuse the spat on Thursday.
“Dialogue is the foundation of diplomacy, especially when differences arise. The EU is always committed to a constructive relationship with Israel,” Kallas said on X.
“To bring peace to the Middle East, the Two-State Solution remains the only viable path. The EU has condemned the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank that make it increasingly difficult to get to that goal. That is the EU position,” she said.
“With all due respect, even in your remarks here you refrain from denying or condemning what has been attributed to you and published publicly,” Sa’ar said. “If you did indeed make these vile and defamatory statements, stand behind them. If you did not make them, deny it. Until this matter is cleared up, my decision will remain unchanged.”
EU leaders are in Brussels for a European Council summit, and divisions over Israel are likely to be discussed. Some countries want to sanction Israel, while others vow to block stronger actions against it, Politico reported.
Troops in landing craft approach Omaha Beach on D-Day in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. D-Day was the largest seaborne invasion in history and turned the tide of World War II. Photo by UPI | License Photo
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has warned that the United States should not interfere in his country’s upcoming presidential race, which is being held in October.
Wednesday’s remarks came after both Lula and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, attended the Group of 7 (G7) conference in Evian-les-Bains, France.
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During a news conference, Lula said Trump was entitled to continue his relationship with the Bolsonaro family, whose patriarch, Jair Bolsonaro, led Brazil as president from 2019 to 2023.
“As far as I’m concerned, he can continue liking Bolsonaro, the father, the son, the grandson,” Lula said. “There is no problem with that. It’s his problem. There’s no accounting for taste.”
But Lula then proceeded to establish a firm red line: no interference in Brazil’s elections.
“Now, don’t meddle in the Brazilian elections, because the Brazilian elections are a Brazilian problem, just as American elections are their business, not mine,” Lula continued.
“All I want is the same respect for Brazil that I have for the United States. That’s it.”
US President Donald Trump arrives on June 17 to a G7 meeting where India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, right, are already seated [AFP]
A race between Lula and Bolsonaro
Lula is currently a leading contender ahead of October’s race. If the left-wing incumbent wins, it will be his fourth term as president of Brazil. He previously served from 2003 to 2011, before being re-elected to a non-consecutive third term in 2022.
But Lula’s top election rival is a member of the Bolsonaro family: Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, Jair’s eldest son. Flavio is running as the candidate for Brazil’s far-right Liberal Party.
Since returning to office for a second term, Trump has been accused of seeking to sway Latin American elections in favour of right-wing candidates.
But in Brazil, questions have swirled as to whether Trump’s actions have already amounted to illegal intervention in the country’s judicial system.
Trump has made little secret of his support for the Bolsonaro family. Last year, after Jair Bolsonaro was charged with seeking to overturn his electoral defeat in 2022, Trump issued a public letter calling the trial a “witch hunt”.
“The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his Term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace,” Trump wrote. “This Trial should not be taking place.”
He proceeded to impose tariffs on certain Brazilian goods and sanctions on members of Brazil’s justice system, including Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
In September, Jair Bolsonaro was nevertheless sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting an alleged coup and seeking to subvert Brazil’s democracy.
World leaders, including Lula (third from left) and Trump (second from right), pose for a group photo at the G7 summit, on June 16 [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]
Trump calls Brazil ‘rough’
But the legal fallout has continued for the Bolsonaro family. After Jair’s third son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, lobbied the Trump administration on his father’s behalf, he was accused of orchestrating US interference in Brazil’s justice system.
Just this week, he was sentenced to four years in prison, after Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled his actions amounted to coercion. Eduardo has denied the charges and called the case a conflict of interest for Brazil’s courts.
Speaking at the G7 summit, Trump tried to address Eduardo’s sentence, though he appeared to mix the younger brother up with his older sibling, Flavio, the presidential candidate.
“ I hear they arrested somebody that’s running for office today,” Trump said. “ I heard that they arrested the Bolsonaro junior, who was doing well in the polls.”
Trump also suggested that Brazil had become “dangerous” for right-wing political views, an idea he has expressed before.
“It’s become a little rough country, right? Politically. A little dangerous, politically,” Trump said at one point.
At another, he appeared to compare the US election system to Brazil’s. “ They play pretty tough, but nobody plays tougher than the United States. Look, our elections are totally rigged. We have rigged elections,” he said.
But at Lula’s news conference, which was held separately, the Brazilian president dismissed concerns about the country’s electronic voting machines.
He called paper ballots a technology “of the last century” and offered to show Trump — a critic of electronic vote tabulation — how the machines work.
Reflecting on Trump’s assessment of Brazil, Lula also questioned the US president’s familiarity with the South American nation.
“I think he doesn’t know Brazil very well,” Lula said. “If he knows Brazil only through his relationship with the Bolsonaro family, then he doesn’t really know Brazil.”
