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Trump ally used ICE to deport mother of his child during custody battle: NY Times
Former modeling agent and longtime ally to President Donald Trump, Paolo Zampolli asked a top ICE official for help "to settle a personal score" and have the mother of his child deported during a custody battle, according to The New York Times. Zampolli, a now presidential special envoy, introduced Trump to the president's now wife Melania. He found out that his Brazilian ex-girlfriend, Amanda Ungaro, had arrested on charges of fraud at her work and in custody at a Miami jail — and last year talked to a top official at ICE, David Venturella, to see if she could be placed in ICE detention, citing that she was in the country illegally, The Times reported. The two had been going through a custody battle over their teenage son and "now he saw an opportunity" to try and get him back, Friday's report stated.A source familiar with Zampolli's communications and records acquired by The Times revealed that Ungaro was picked up from a Miami jail by ICE agents before she could make bail and later deported. Although this could have happened without her ex-boyfriend's involvement, it raises questions about how members of the Trump administration have used the federal government during Trump's second term to pursue personal vendettas. Zampolli denied to The Times that he sought special favors or that he had requested federal officials take Ungaro into custody. The Department of Homeland Security told The Times that Ungaro was detained and deported over an expired visa after being charged with fraud. “Any suggestion that she was arrested and removed for political reasons or favors is FALSE,” the DHS statement said.Zampolli has often bragged about his loyalty to the Trumps, and has known the president for more than 30 years. He even recruited Melania, a former model, from Slovenia. Zampolli also had ties to the late financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. "In the city’s modeling scene, Mr. Zampolli also intersected with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who would later be accused of sexually abusing hundreds of girls and young women," according to The Times. "The men once discussed buying a modeling agency together, and Mr. Zampolli’s name appears several times in the millions of Epstein documents recently released by the Justice Department. "In one 2011 email, Mr. Epstein warned an Emirati businessman: 'Be careful, zampoli is trouble. Lots.' He added, 'He sells stories to the press.'"Zampolli has denied having a close friendship with Epstein. He added that his name was not included as frequently as other people, such as professors, celebrities or monarchs. “At least I was included, because if you’re not on the list, you’re a loser, right?” Zampolli told The Times.
DOJ moves to prosecute president of Colombia — a vocal Trump critic
The Justice Department has launched an investigation into Colombian President Gustavo Petro, purportedly over his alleged ties to drug traffickers, The New York Times reported on Friday. The U.S. attorney's offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn are investigating Petro, an adversary of President Donald Trump, and have included agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, three sources told The Times. The prosecutors leading the investigation have previously worked on international narcotics trafficking cases. Investigators were in the early stages of examining whether Petro had met with drug traffickers and if he had received campaign donations from them, according to the anonymous sources who said they could not disclose the information surrounding the active investigations.It's unclear if the separate investigations will result in criminal charges. "There was nothing to indicate that the White House had a role in initiating either investigation," The Times reported.Trump could attempt to influence Colombia's presidential elections this May, although Petro, who is the country's first left-wing leader, is limited to serving one term. "But Mr. Trump, who has frequently wielded criminal inquiries as a cudgel against his rivals and enemies, has harshly criticized Mr. Petro, calling him a 'sick man,'" according to The Times. "And he could use the investigations as leverage in seeking more cooperation from Colombia, which is both the world’s top producer of cocaine and one of America’s most crucial allies in cracking down on narco-terrorism in the region."
Weather tracker: Unseasonal storms hit parts of Pakistan and India
Karachi particularly badly affected with 18 people killed, more than 50mm of rain and winds gusting up to 60mphUnseasonally wet weather struck southern Pakistan and north-west India on Wednesday, as heavy rain rolled in from the west, accompanied by thunderstorms, hail, and strong winds.Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, was particularly badly affected, locally recording more than 50mm of rain with winds gusting up to 60mph. Walls, buildings, and a pedestrian bridge collapsed, with flooding and power outages across the city. At least 18 people were killed and several more injured, many by structural collapses, with other deaths attributed to a fallen tree and a lightning strike. Continue reading...
Madagascar’s military ruler decrees that ministers must pass lie detector tests
Michael Randrianirina, who sacked PM and cabinet without explanation, claims measure is to root out corruptionMadagascar’s military president has said new ministers will have to pass lie detector tests to root out corrupt candidates, after he dismissed the prime minister and cabinet without explanation earlier this month.Michael Randrianirina came to power in a coup in October after weeks of youth-led protests under the banner “Gen Z Madagascar”. However, young people were quickly disenchanted by his choice of government officials, which they saw as being part of the old, corrupt elite. Continue reading...
'Profound idiot': Nicolle Wallace struggles to process Trump's shock joke to Japanese PM
MS NOW host Nicolle Wallace had a frank reaction on Thursday after President Donald Trump made a jaw-dropping comment that shocked people inside the Oval Office during a White House meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.Wallace was visibly stunned after discussing Trump's attempted joke that clearly left the room uncomfortable when a reporter asked why Trump hadn't warned his allies that the U.S.-Israeli military strikes were coming. "One thing, you don't want to signal too much when we go in," Trump said. "We went in very hard and we didn't tell anyone about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?"Wallace watched the video playback and commented on Trump, asking her panel to share their thoughts. "I struggle every minute of every day with platforming him, one, I should do it all day because it shows what a profound idiot he is," Wallace said. "But but two, we were on other sides. This is a question about why didn't you read in your allies? And he says, we didn't know what our adversary was going to do. I mean, David Frum, what do you even, how's your brain doing?"Frum, a Canadian-American commentator and former speechwriter, described why Trump's words shocked the Japanese leader and dignitaries visiting America. "So first, there's probably no society on earth where good manners count for more than Japan, a country that has been — and we're talking about 80 years since the end of World War II, that has been a staunch and loyal ally of the United States for 80 years, where the warmth of person to person ties," Frum said. "But the one big cultural difference has always been the emphasis on decorum and decency and respect in Japanese culture, whereas American culture can be a little more boisterous. For the president of the United States to insult them, and you can watch it, sort of figuring out 'No one is amused by what I just said. Maybe if I say it again, it'll get more amusing the second time. And what if I say right, right, right. And give them a little jab in the ribs? Maybe it'll be funny then.'"Frum described why it was so surprising — and why it left them silent. "And it's just horrifying. One more thing that needs to be pointed out in this analogy that he's drawing between the United States and Japan, who's doing the sneak attack?" Frum added. "Oh, yeah. He's comparing the United States to the Japanese sneak attack. He wanted to do a Pearl Harbor on Greenland. Now he wants to do a Pearl Harbor on Iran. He is comparing himself to the people whom Americans normally condemn, and then elbowing the Japanese that they don't think the whole thing is terribly amusing."
One magic number would likely tip US into recession: Wall Street economists
Economists cautioned whether surging oil prices and soaring tariffs amid the ongoing Iran war could tip the United States into recession and what signs could point to an economic downslide, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The Journal polled 50 economists between March 16-18 from different sectors, including Wall Street banks and small consulting firms and universities, for a survey about what they expect the economic fallout might look like amid the military conflict in the Middle East. Experts did identify one important metric that could show potential signs of economic difficulty. "Economists put the probability of a recession in the next 12 months at 32%, up modestly from 27% in January," The Journal reported. "Asked how high crude oil would need to climb to tip the recession probability above 50%, economists gave a range of responses: from $90 a barrel to $200, with an average of $138. Asked how long oil prices would need to be at an elevated level, they said from four weeks to 55 weeks, with an average duration of 14 weeks. U.S. oil futures closed at $96.32 a barrel Wednesday, compared with a February average of about $65."Robert Fry of Robert Fry Economics predicted that the probability of an economic downturn was at 40 percent, explaining that "$125 oil for eight weeks is his make-or-break point.""My forecast is contingent on the assumption that the Strait of Hormuz will be fully open to tanker traffic by mid-April," Fry said. "If it isn’t, oil prices will go much higher, and I will put a recession in my forecast."
Fed-up Democrat unloads on waffling Trump officials: 'Why do you guys even have a job?'
A very frustrated Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) lashed out at three of Donald Trump’s Cabinet officials on Thursday afternoon after they professed to only pass on intel data to the president and allow him to draw his own conclusions. During a very contentious five-minutes of questioning, Gomez repeatedly had to shout over Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and reclaim his time as she droned on about the president being the ultimate authority on how to interpret foreign intelligence. On Wednesday, Gabbard said at a Senate hearing, “It is not the intelligence community’s responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat.”Asked on Thursday by Gomez if she stood by her assertion that astounded observers, she bluntly stated “yes,” which led him to turn to CIA Director John Ratcliffe and ask if he agreed with his Cabinet colleague.“The president is the Commander-in-Chief and gets to make a decision about what's an imminent threat —,” Ratcliffe began, before Gomez talked over him and the two refused to stop. Gomez got the upper hand and exclaimed, ”Why is that if the President can determine and ignore what you're doing, why do you guys even have a job? Why do you even advise them? So you're saying tomorrow the President of the United States can say China is an imminent threat and then he can take his own — no matter what the intelligence says, he can take his own action. That's what you're basically saying.” - YouTube youtu.be
Oval Office stunned as Trump fires Pearl Harbor comment at Japanese PM
President Donald Trump made a shocking comment that left people in the Oval Office visibly uncomfortable on Thursday during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. A reporter asked Trump why he didn't tell U.S. allies, including European and Asian countries, such as Japan, that he was planning joint military strikes with Israel on Iran. Trump's response shocked the room — and left some people nervously laughing. "One thing, you don't want to signal too much when we go in," Trump said. "We went in very hard and we didn't tell anyone about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?" Trump: "Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?" pic.twitter.com/O5t0EWoOkw— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 19, 2026
Trump tells reporter he won't give him war plans — seconds after giving him war plans
President Donald Trump insisted that he wouldn't share war plans with a reporter just a second after sharing them with the man.During a White House event on Thursday, a reporter asked Trump about his intentions for the war in Iran."Mr. President, do you intend to lift sanctions on Iranian oil, and do you intend to potentially put U.S. troops or more troops in the region?" the correspondent wondered."No, I'm not putting troops anywhere," Trump snapped. "If I were, I certainly wouldn't tell you. But I'm not putting troops. And we will do whatever is necessary to keep the price as well."Trump continued by bragging about the stock market despite its recent setbacks."Everything was going great. The economy was great. Oil prices were very low," the president insisted. "We had great everything. And I saw what was happening in Iran, and I said, I hate to make this excursion, but we're going to have to do it.""And I actually thought the numbers would be worse," he added. "I thought that it would go up more than it did. But we're doing this excursion. And when it's completed, we're going to have a much safer world."
Stephen Miller's war boast dies a quick death: 'Does he really believe we're buying that?'
Stephen Miller’s Wednesday Night Fox News appearance boast on how well the Iran war was on the receiving end of a great deal of both mockery and fact-checking moments after a clip was posted on social media.Appearing with Fox News personality Laura Ingraham, the high-ranking Trump advisor insisted, “The United States has achieved its objectives even faster than anybody thought possible,” before adding, “President Trump was aware of and has calculated through every permutation and every degree of strategy ... by far the most overwhelming victory based on the objectives.”Critics were quick to point out that one of the “permutations” that Trump did not anticipate was Israel making matters worse, which the president complained about hours after Miller’s appearance, as well as the oil stranglehold Iran has imposed at the Strait of Hormuz.That led former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) to quip on X, “He’s a genius of course.”“’Every permutation’ hahah,” contributed former White House correspondent John Harwood.Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) called out Trump officials routinely lying to Fox News viewers, saying, “Trump officials routinely disrespect and look down on Fox viewers and Fox hosts. Trump officials routinely and blatantly lie to Fox viewers and Fox hosts,” and included a video of Trump admitting he was “shocked” at Iran’s retaliatory response. Critic Mary Jane Wallace asked, “Does he really believe we are buying that?”Campaign for New York Health Executive Director Melanie D'Arrigo pointed out, “Anyone who has ever heard Trump speak knows this is an absolute lie.”“lol yeah and im sure he war gamed the part where his own party starts backing away,” wrote the account Sugnal Observer.
Woman has sentence quashed by Tanzania court after over a decade on death row
Lemi Limbu, who has severe intellectual disabilities, remains in prison and will now face retrial for the murder of her daughterA woman with severe intellectual disabilities in Tanzania has had her conviction and death sentence quashed after spending more than a decade in prison awaiting execution.Lemi Limbu, now in her early 30s, was convicted of the murder of her daughter in 2015. On 4 March, a court in Shinyanga, northern Tanzania, declared she can appeal. She will face a retrial, but a date has yet to be set. Continue reading...
‘Waiting for days’: India feels impact of gas supply chain disruption amid Iran conflict
People struggle to cook and businesses bear brunt as closure of strait of Hormuz slows imports of liquefied petroleum gasFor four days, Maya Rani, 36, has been arriving each morning at a gas distributor’s office in Delhi, her six-month-old daughter in her lap, waiting for hours. And each day she returns home empty-handed, told that a cooking gas cylinder may not be available for at least another week. Around her, the queue keeps growing, people clutching forms and documents, hoping to secure a cylinder.The flame in her kitchen began to fade last week and her husband, as he always does, took their 5kg cylinder to a local refiller. This time, there was nothing. The only option left was to apply for a government-subsidised supply, a process that has meant repeated visits, long waits and no certainty. Continue reading...
