George Santos’ New “Mission”: Freeing an Accused Fraudster Who Tried to Overturn the 2020 Election

Guo Wengui and the fabulist congressman are both facing federal fraud charges.

Game recognizes game. And the far right scene in New York City is kind of a small world. So it’s weird, but not particularly surprising, that just days before being indicted on federal fraud charges, fabulist Congressman George Santos appeared on a livestream produced by devotees of Guo Wengui—an exiled Chinese mogul who allegedly orchestrated of a massive international fraud and is also a prodigious purveyor of misinformation.

George Santos’ New “Mission”: Freeing an Accused Fraudster Who Tried to Overturn the 2020 Election

Honduras: A Coup in the Making

Saheli Chowdhury

Another coup in the making in Honduras?

The president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, created a stir when she recently called out a coup in the making against her government. On April 22, the president decried that her government is the victim of “a conspiracy in the making,” which is being plotted by the very same people who had carried out the coup against ex-President Manuel Zelaya in 2009.

Honduras: A Coup in the Making

Steve Bannon’s ex-We Build the Wall cronies got heavy sentences: Here’s why he might be worried

Two of Steve Bannon’s former associates at We Build the Wall received long sentences earlier this week. Federal prosecutors’ court filings that led to that heavy judgment revealed information that could concern the former Donald Trump strategist.

Steve Bannon’s ex-We Build the Wall cronies got heavy sentences: Here’s why he might be worried

Bannon, Guo, Yan: Where a Populist Right Idol Gets His Funding

As we roll into the 2024 political season, you can rest assured the political right will be posturing more and more against China, while rightfully calling for an end to Ukraine aid. This trend was highlighted by a long line of recent Republican congressional and senatorial candidates (Joe Kent, Blake Masters, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, J.D. Vance, Mehmet Oz, etc).

Bannon, Guo, Yan: Where a Populist Right Idol Gets His Funding (archived)

Ukraine May See New ‘Maidan’

Ukraine could be looking at another Maidan

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy’s assurances don’t assuage some veteran observers of the country either. “We have not seen significant enough efforts to address corruption — although perhaps with one important exception,” said a former senior U.S. diplomat who has considerable experience in Ukraine. “I think they really are trying to prevent diversion of any of the massive Western assistance they’re receiving. I believe they do understand the risks, if there were to be a major scandal.”

But the former diplomat said that what struck him in recent meetings with opposition politicians and civil society leaders in Kyiv was how, “on the one hand, they truly appreciate Zelenskyy’s strength as a war leader,” but are “deeply worried also about corruption and his authoritarian style.”

“In their minds, there is going to be a reckoning as soon as the war ends,” he said. “And I think that’s probably going to be true.”

IMF sets another condition for crisis-hit Pakistan to revive loan

Crisis-hit Pakistan has made various economic modifications including hikes in fuel prices, raising taxes, and others demanded by IMF to unlock the loan program.

IMF sets another condition for crisis-hit Pakistan to revive loan

Related:

Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund:

In 2018, Imran Khan became Prime Minister of Pakistan. For this, they arranged friendly loans from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and China to avoid tough IMF conditions. In 2019, when economic conditions worsened, they went to IMF for the twenty-second time for a loan of US$1 billion. IMF gave loan based on conditions such as hike in energy tariffs, removal of energy subsidy, increase in taxation, privatization of public entities and fiscal policies to the budget.

IMF bailout package — rescue or trap for Pakistan?

“The IMF’s agenda is not to strengthen global economies because if it does that, then the Fund itself will be out of business,” he said.