Maria Corina Machado is back in Venezuela. Her supporters staged demonstrations across the country after she entered via the land border from Colombia, holding rallies in the border regions before continuing on to Caracas.

“A night of Reunion in our Caracas,” she wrote on social media, accompanied by a video of her waving to supporters from the sunroof of a slow-moving vehicle.

“For the reunion of every family, for the freedom of every political prisoner, for the freedom of Venezuela,”

It was her 9th attempt to enter the country, previous efforts by air being unsuccessful. Although Machado hasn’t outright stated any accusations, it was almost certainly Washington that was behind her aborted attempts.

Her reception in the capital may have been warm, but the welcome home from US Secretary of State was considerably less so. Rubio, via his Twitter account, reiterated US demands that Machado respect ongoing US-led processes.

Machado remains the most popular politician in Venezuela, though her approval rating has slipped in recent months. Her return is likely to reverse that trend, as well as irritate her once-sponsor US President Donald Trump.

Machado left Venezuela just a month before the US invaded the country and captured then-president Nicolas Maduro.

Trump has often dismissed Machado publicly, despite her offering the US President her Nobel Peace Prize last year, and supporting his policy decisions — even detaining thousands of Venezuelans in the US and sending hundreds to be tortured at the CECOT detention center in El Salvador.

She has even echoed Trump’s false claims that the Venezuelan migration has worsened crime rates in the country, effectively demonizing her own people.

Despite that, Trump has continued to insist she doesn’t have what it takes to lead Venezuela, and the White House has made it clear they have happy with their current partner, the US-installed “interim president”, Delcy Rodriguez.

MCM’s return, although not unexpected, is a direct challenge to US wishes in the country. Some of her right-wing supporters, also fans of Trump, have had trouble squaring the circle with the fact that Trump has seemingly blocked her agenda.

There is little doubt she will advocate for elections, legislative in the short-term and presidential in the medium-term. Her public appearances have the appearance more of campaign rallies, with journalists and her party video team in tow, than a simple welcome celebration.

Her team is putting a bright face on relations with DC, however, perhaps placing their faith in staunch allies like Florida Governor Rick Scott. In a press conference attended by the BBC, her spokesman David Smolansky said, “We thank President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the US Government, Congress, and allied governments for their continued leadership and support.”

She is unlikely to face detention in Venezuela: neither the White House nor Rodriguez want the controversy, and likely public outcry, that would result from such a move.

Under US pressure, Venezuela has lightened restrictions on protests, and largely ceased arresting dissenters. Any direct move against Machado by Diosdado-led security forces is extremely unlikely, but for Machado to implement her political agenda and rule Venezuela, she will have to walk a fine line between being a firebrand for elections without incurring Washington’s wrath.

Trump has made it clear he prefers Venezuela as a US protectorate rather than a state with an elected and independent leader. He seems to believe it’s better for business.

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Lula is the projected winner in Brazilian presidential elections. With 94% of the vote counted, the progressive lead almost 3 points over his right-wing opponent, Flavio Bolsonaro.

Despite the results of the quick count, Brazil may be in for a long night — and perhaps a long few days and weeks. Elections were fraught with irregularities. Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled that polling stations stay open after long lines, non-functioning voting machines, and irregular public transportation in the capital.

Some complied. Others did not. Both campaigns denounced the dynamic as vote-tampering against their campaigns.

Lula overperformed his first-round results after an old-school massive street push in the last weeks of the campaign, largely ignoring a trend of virtual campaigning in recent LATAM elections.

There is an important caveat, however. Two organic trends from Lula supporters dominated South American social media in the lead-up to the final round: supporters posting selfies making an “L” sign with their hands was boosted by some very high profile celebrities.

But the second trend, female Lula supporters posting cleavage shots became a wave that spread well beyond the borders of Brazil, and across the sub-continent.

Even as we type these words, however, the Bolsonaro campaign is, without any doubt whatsoever, filing legal challenges. It is very unlikely they will concede and accept election results.

A long political slog is on its way to Brazil. And it’s likely to be a long night for us at PWS.

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After an absolutely wild campaign season, Brazilians go to the polls today to decide whether progressive candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva *Lula), or right-wing Flavio Bolsonaro, son of Jair Bolsonaro.

Flavio is favored heading into the polls, but Lula has picked up momentum since the first round. A legislative victory that reformed the Brazilian work-week was followed by an explosion of street campaigns that seem to be paying dividends.

The Stakes

There is a lot at stake: in terms of security policy, US influence, the future of the Amazon rain forest, and a whether or not the largest country in South America will buck a trend of right-wing victories in the region.

We spoke with Brazil historian Benjamin Fogel about Flavio’s ties to the milicias, or the right-wing mob, as well as his security policies for Pirate Wire Radio.

Benjamin has piece out this week in Jacobin about Lula’s last-minute surge in the campaign, as well as a sense among Brazilian progressives that today’s elections are do-or-die.

The campaign

The campaign has been plagued with scandal, controversy, US meddling, and all the drama a political junkie could ever want, though at times the candidates have preferred bluster and insult to policy details.

has a debate-reaction piece that goes into some of the details of all of that, as well as how Flavio managed to create a meme that will likely haunt him for year.

Latin America Risk Report

Brazil Debate Notes - October 2026

I watched most of the Brazilian presidential debate last night, as the two candidates stalked each other around the stage and Flavio stood behind Lula every time the president spoke. Here are a few notes going into the final week of the campaign…

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6 days ago · 14 likes · James Bosworth (Boz)

Brazilian courts have been a target of US President Donald Trump for months, but evidence emerged in the last few weeks that Meta, and X were also putting their thumbs on the scale.

And while the White House hasn’t explicitly endorsed Flavio, they’ve made it very clear who Uncle Sam would prefer in office.

The stakes could not be higher. We will of course be covering the results tonight, after a power-nap until the afternoon.

Hasta muy pronto, piratas!

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Right-wing president Daniel Noboa is consolidating power for the executive branch in Ecuador by any means necessary. And he is using that power to persecute those he perceives as political enemies.

His most common excuse is the deteriorating security situation in the country. But despite draconian crackdowns, he has little if anything to show for results in reducing violence.

From banning opposition parties from participating in elections, to even sometimes outright using security forces under his command to have them arrested, Ecuador has experienced an alarming slip away from democracy since he took office.

To speak about that, this week we chatted with , an Ecuadorian political scientist who studies international relations.

We discussed how how security problems are being utilized to implement parts of Noboa’s agenda, and much more concerning, drag Ecuador further towards authoritarianism.

Listen in! And you can follow Bernardo on Twitter, Instagram, or sign up for his newsletter, .

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If the trend holds, Ecuador, already the most dangerous country in Latin America, could be on track to become the deadliest in the world.

Violence continues to rise in the country despite draconian security crackdowns of right-wing President Daniel Noboa with full backing from US military forces.

Naboa has tried to frame Ecuador’s security challenges, which have skyrocketed in recent years, as an external problem. He often blames organized crime groups in Colombia and Mexico, as well as leftist leaders in the region, for the grave security losses under his administration.

His crackdown, in addition to failing to provide results, has resulted in grave human rights abuses by police and military, including extrajudicial assassinations, sexual violence, disappearances, and false accusations.

Noboa is one of the most enthusiastic members of US President Donald Trump’s “Shield of the Americas” initiative: a coalition of right-wing governments in the Americas that also functions as a personal fan club for the US leader.

Ecuador, where security forces blew up a dairy farm earlier this year because they mistakenly thought it was a cocaine lab, has been eager to court intervention from Washington as Noboa is clearly unable to contain a situation whose roots go deep into many sectors of his own political alliances.

Despite the the billionaire banana heir’s claims, Ecuador’s problems are very much homegrown. In recent years coastal cities have become a critical transportation hub for global cocaine shipping: principally through the commercial ports.

Ecuador and Washington utilizing the military — and Uncle Sam’s CIA — to blow up fishing boats isn’t going to ever address that dynamic.

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Brazil head to polls for presidential elections

Brazilians go to the polls this Sunday for presidential elections that will determine the future of US influence not only in Brazil, but in many ways, all of South America.

​Ultra-right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, and son of convicted ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, is facing off against current progressive president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, better known as “Lula.”

​Here at PWS, we’ve reported extensively on the race’s dynamics, including the candidates’ positions on security, the environment, and submission to US will.

​After a wave of right-wing elections, and the installation of a US puppet state in Venezuela, Brazil is one of the last countries in South America that isn’t openly subservient to US interests.

​Flávio outperformed polls in the first round, and leads slightly heading into Sunday’s elections. The US has made it clear who it prefers: Bolsonaro.

Lula has had a couple big victories since the first round, however. A new report shows deforestation of the Amazon is down significantly, and new law pushed by Lula’s party cleared Congress for final approval this week.

Workers in Brazil will now be working a 5 instead of 6-day workweek for the same pay. Despite the last-minute boon for Lula, however, Flavio is still favored to win.

​It will be one of, if not the most, closely watched election in the region. This is definitely the story to watch this week in Latin America.

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Protests are growing in Argentina, and Colombia

Argentina and Colombia both have right-wing presidents who are implementing budget cuts and rollbacks to worker protections. And both governments are facing growing pushback to the pro-elite policies.

Police attacked protesters this week at public universities who were demonstrating against austerity measures in Argentina, which resulted in running skirmishes spreading across Buenos Aires.

In Colombia, student groups, activists, and indigenous communities staged a test-run for a national strike in November. Regardless of whether they are able to organize demonstrations on that level, pushback against the new right-wing President, Abelardo de la Espriella, is growing.

Both countries have a long tradition of street protests, and both have presidents who have promised crackdowns on protest movements.

These stories bear watching, especially in Colombia, where a national strike in 2022 effectively turned then-President Ivan Duque into a sitting duck, in part because of rampant police violence.

Punk Rock mouse rediscovered in Colombia

Colombian researches found a species of field mouse that hadn’t been sighted for over one-hundred years, and was presumed to be extinct.

The “tree-tailed fieldmouse” has a distinct red crest on its back that reminds of the mosh pit at a Fertil Miseria concert. Seems pretty punk rock to us. He is welcome anytime on the Good Ship Capybara here at Pirate Wire Services.

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Now he’s saying that 50% of those victims of the state will be released on parole.

Critics of his draconian security policy are calling it an admission that many of those detained are not guilty of any crimes.

Since Bukele declared a “temporary” state of emergency, security forces have arrested more than 100,000 people in arbitrary sweeps carried out by police. His CECOT “mega-prison” is one of the most notorious in the Americas. Detainees are regularly subjected to beatings, sleep and food deprivation, and denied regular medical attention.

576 people have died in custody, and Human Rights Watch and other watchdog organizations have reported conditions that amount to torture.

Many were convicted in mass trials that violated their rights to due process, the majority for terrorism related charges, a term the Salvadoran government uses to describe those who have allegedly aided gang members.

In 2022, El Salvador declared a supposedly temporary State of Exception which greatly expanded the powers of security forces and effectively abolished many civil rights in the country.

The emergency measure has now stretched into its 5th year.

The “Bukele model” has been emulated by right-wing presidents in other Latin American countries as well, though none have achieved the security gains.

Bukele, who illegally ran for a second term in El Salvador, and is almost certain to continue in office after that, is strongly supported by the United States, who provide cover for rampant human and civil rights abuses.

Its part of a larger pattern of US support for authoritarianism across the region. Sign up for Pirate Wire Services for details, context, and on-the-ground coverage in Latin America.

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But even before a single march hit the street, right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella was already consolidating control of security forces under his control, and pushing bills that experts say will effectively criminalize dissent.

With a new “anti-terrorism” bill, as well as more aggressive police doctrine, De la Espriella is tapping the military, and intelligence services, to help him tamp down on dissent preemptively.

We dig into exactly what the new measures do, as well a bit of the history of government attacks on protesters, activists, and social leaders.

May far-right supporters of the new president welcome police cracking heads. But for those of us who have covered police violence before, what looks to be coming is terrifying.

A conversation with Adrian Alselma, regular PWS contributor and editor of Colombia Reports.

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The episode is merely the latest in a wave of violence committed by an agency that regularly cloaks the identities of its officers in paramilitary-style baklavas, or in plain clothes with no identifying characteristics as law-enforcement.

ICE is now the most well-funded law enforcement organization on the planet. Its yearly budget exceeds the military spending of roughly 180 nations. That’s out of a total of 195 globally.

And the agency, just one appendage of the US Department of Homeland Security, is a mere snapshot of the increasing power of the US police and surveillance state overall, which has grown increasingly both militarized and intrusive in recent years.

And they operate a lot like the mob.

Official data from the Department of Homeland Security reports 50 individual shooting incidents involving DHS, ICE, and CBP agents At least 11 people have been killed and 25 or more injured.

At least 59 people have died in ICE custody since the start of the second Trump administration, according to ICE statistics. That tally doesn’t include deaths of those recently released from ICE custody. In June the agency announced it was ending its policy of reporting those deaths to the public.

Dozens of women claim they have been sexually assaulted in DHS custody.

But DHS isn’t just going after migrants. According to Pro Publica, over 500 Americans have been handcuffed, held at gunpoint or held against their will by DHS personnel in Trump’s second term.

They have also murdered two native-born US citizens.

DHS is already using their public megaphone to demonize Mr Belgar. This follows a pattern by DHS in which they make a series of false claims almost always disproven by follow-up reporting.

Protesters in New York surrounded the hospital where Belgar was being treated when ICE arrived to detain him. A Trump-appointed migration judge has already ordered his deportation, following another DHS patter: much like how the mob operates, if there is no witness, there will be no legal prosecution.

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President Abelardo de la Espriella’s government is presenting Colombia’s Congress with a comprehensive “counterterrorism statute” that would give authorities enhanced powers to fight designated terrorist organizations.

Critics, however, claim the bill would not only criminalize some forms of dissent but also “wage a crusade against the political opposition, social movements, and social protest.”

A 116-page draft bill would facilitate a military approach to combating illegal armed groups and organized crime groups, for example through air strikes, and create a National Registry of Terrorist Organizations and Actors, which would make it easier to freeze the assets of suspected terrorists and their financiers.

Further, the presence of any group or individual designated a “terrorist group” by the presidency at a protest would result in terrorism charges against protest organizers. As would any violence against police officers, or “rhetoric encouraging violence” against police officers.

Right-wing governments in Colombia have often falsely claimed that protests in the country are organized by left-wing rebel groups that the state designates as terrorist organizations.

Last but not least, the bill creates a presidential Terrorism Commissioner and a special prison regime for leaders of designated terrorist organizations.

The bill coincides with a presidential decree that would allow police to enter public universities during public protests. After a series of massacres inside campuses during student strikes, Colombia’s Constitution granted autonomy to universities, a law which police have long interpreted as a prohibition on crackdowns within their grounds.

Curious timing

De la Espriella didn’t get much of a honeymoon period after he took power in August after a razor-thin election victory. Accusations of a bungled response to earthquakes in the country were followed quickly by the takeover of an entire region on the northern coast by criminal armed group, ACSN.

His “iron fist” security policies have also inspired pushback and accusations of killing civilians. De la Espriella’s approval rating has been steadily trending downward since he assumed office.

Some union and student groups are already calling for a national strike in November. Many activists are interpreting the “counterterrorism” law as an attack on their right to dissent.

Police killed more than 60 people during Colombia’s national strike in 2021. The new law would grant broad powers to security forces to both prosecute and combat protesters that police did not possess at the time.

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With a right-wing majority among lawmakers, approval is likely

Although not formally part of De la Espriella’s coalition, right-wing parties hold a majority in both the Senate and Congress. Centro Democrático, the party of former President Álvaro Uribe, has already expressed strong support for the proposed bill.

​Opposition lawmakers, however, have promised stiff resistance. Ivan Cepeda, leader of the opposition coalition, and the Senator who narrowly lost Presidential elections to De la Espriella earlier this year has claimed that the new bill would essentially “form a dictatorial regime.”

“The true objectives of this statute are to wage a crusade against the political opposition, social movements, and social protest, “ said Cepeda in a video response to the proposal.

“Most of the articles in this draft are devoted to provisions that seriously undermine civil liberties, human rights, and the right to protest — not to illegal armed groups,” he said.

The broad legal definition of the word terrorism would allow the government to prosecute protest organizers on terrorism charges if any clashes occur between protesters and police.

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Broadening the definition of “terrorism”

The antiterrorism statute seeks to change Colombia’s criminal law and define terrorism as any individual or collective conduct that produces “fear, panic or terror, creating risks, threats or the use of violence.”

A technical body of the National Security Council (NSC) will advise the council on the inclusion of organizations or individuals that ought to be included in its public National Registry of Terrorist Organizations and Actors.

In the case of riots, “the penalty shall be increased by up to double when the riot is directed against law enforcement units conducting operations; or is carried out in conjunction with listed terrorist organizations.”

The bill also allows Colombian authorities to investigate and prosecute terrorism, terrorism financing, or providing material support for terrorist organizations abroad.

The NSC will report directly to the Presidency, which will appoint its director and staff. The body would significantly expand the powers of the executive branch in the country.

This article contains additional reporting from Colombia Reports, re-published here with permission.

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Right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro outperformed polls to emerge as the winner of the first round of presidential elections in no small part because of his focus on security in Brazil.

Although his campaign has been short on details, he has promised a crackdown on armed groups in the country as well as the construction of “mega prisons”, and stricter sentences for violent crime. It’s a pattern that has emerged among right-wing candidates in general in Latin America in recent years.

But despite Flavio’s claims that the left has encouraged criminality, violent crime is down dramatically in Brazil. Moreover, Flavio’s past makes him an unlikely choice to really become a “law and order” head of state.

The candidate has been closely linked the country’s milicias, paramilitary-esque mafias, in Rio de Janeiro, and mafia structures with ties to corrupt politicians.

During his time as senator, Rio’s mafia even called him “our man in the senate.”

To explain that further, as well the context of organized crime in Brazil more broadly, we spoke with Brazilian historian Benjamin Fogel, who is the deputy director of the Alameda Institute, as well a journalist who covers Brazil regularly.

What do Brazil’s criminal structures look like in comparison to other countries in LATAM, and how Flavio it into that dynamic?

Tune in to this week’s episode of Pirate Wire Services to find out!

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Right-wing Flávio Bolsonaro outperformed polls in the first-round of Brazilian elections against his progressive opponent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, better known as Lula. Flavio heads into the second-round runoff the clear and resounding favorite.

With 97% of the vote counted, Flavio (47.4%) led Lula (44.8%) by almost 3 points.

The election is widely being regarded as bellwether in South America, not only because of a series of right-wing victories in the region, but Lula was one of the last leaders in Latin America not openly subservient to the interests of the United States.

Flavio has promised closer ties with Washington D.C, and to favor western companies in the country’s considerable mining sector, which includes rare–earth mineral deposits critical to arms and electronics manufacturing.

Rare-earth minerals have increasingly become a US strategic priority in recent years.

For many Brazilians, however, worries about US influence go well beyond the mining sector. The administration of US President Donald Trump is carrying out increasingly aggressive military actions across the region, including bombings, assassinations, and even invading Venezuela in January to capture then-president Nicolas Maduro.

The US has made it clear that they prefer Flavio in office. In addition to diplomatic and economic attacks on the country, and Brazil’s judiciary, Washington has sanctioned Brazilian officials, endorsed right-wing candidates in down-ballot races, and even announced $100 million in funding for organizations opposed to Brazil’s Supreme Court.

The court became a target for both the Brazilian far-right and Washington after the conviction of Flavio’s father, the now-disgraced Jair Bolsonaro, for an attempted coup after he lost the presidential election to Lula in 2022.

Lula’s campaign has warned that a Flavio victory would result in Brazil effectively becoming a U.S “protectorate,”an accusation that is difficult to dispute.

Right wing parties also swept national elections, and are now the largest coalitions in both the Senate and National Assembly.

The race will go to a second and final round in three weeks.

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​The elder Bolsonaro remains under house arrest for an attempted coup after falsely claiming the last round of presidential elections were fraudulent.

Lula’s campaign has also accused the US of interfering in elections, citing a White House endorsement of the younger Bolsonaro as well as a host of other right-wing candidates in the national elections.

The Guardian this week published a story reporting that the administration of US President Donald Trump plans to award $1m to right-wing civil groups opposing the Brazilian Supreme Court.

The US attempted to interfere with the conviction of the elder Bolsonaro, describing his conviction as “lawfare”, and accusing the country’s Supreme Court of a “political witch hunt.”

The US briefly imposed 50% on all Brazilian goods, and sanctioned members of the Brazilian court

​In recent weeks, the US has threatened economic retaliation if Lula’s party wins elections.

​Lula’s campaign has also accused US-owned social media companies of throttling their voices, with Facebook and X refusing to run election ads for the liberal candidate.

Flavio Bolsonaro has visited the White House, and advocated for increased US pressure on his own country in an attempt to free his father from house arrest, and overturn a ban on his social media use.

Flavio has promised closer ties with the US, and preference for Western companies in the countries considerable mining sector, including rare-earth minerals, which are a critical component for weapons manufacturing and the private tech sector.

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In the United States, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE, is now the most well-funded law enforcement organization on the planet. Its yearly budget exceeds the military spending of roughly 180 nations. That’s out of a total of 195 globally.

And the agency, just one appendage of the US Department of Homeland Security, is a mere snapshot of the increasing power of the US police and surveillance state overall, which has grown increasingly both militarized and intrusive in recent years.

The United States is engaged in a massive anti-migration witch hunt, one which extends far beyond its own borders.

To speak to that, this week we are chatting with , a Senior Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, and border researcher, who argues that when nation-states adopt border militarization, that has inherent contagion effects.

That is, rather than simply staying at the border, the militarization of border security tends to spread militarization elsewhere. This contagion occurs both within and outside a nation’s borders.

Nathan writes the Substack

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Brazil goes to elections with Bolsonaro and Lula in a statistical tie

Brazil’s goes to the polls on Sunday for the first round of a high-stakes presidential election between incumbent left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party.

Flávio is picking up the political movement of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, was barred from running and placed under house arrest for an attempted coup.

Flávio is echoing a common refrain in recent LATAM election: aggressive security tactics, mass incarceration, lowering the minimum age of criminals than can be tried as adults, and privatizations of nationally owned entities.

In many ways, it also a referendum on whether Brazil will be subservient to US interests. We wrote about that in detail for this week’s PWS feature story. You can read that below!

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After Delcy’s glamour-tour at the United Nations, Venezuelans protest for elections

Interim President Delcy Rodriguez met with a host of world leaders, including US President Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly in New York City last week.

The two leaders had nothing but positive words for one another. In comments to the press, Rodriguez assured that Venezuela will hold elections “soon.” She did not specify a date, nor clarify whether those elections would be local, national, or presidential.

While Rodriguez shook hands at photo ops in the US, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado revealed to Spanish media that she has attempted to re-enter Venezuela seven times since leaving the country last year.

During all of her attempts, she was turned away before she reached Venezuelan airspace. She did blame the US for the aborted attempts, but it is clear who is responsible.

Machado has been sidelined by the Trump administration, and her popularity has slipped at home, though she still remains the most popular political figure in Venezuela.

Her supporters staged rallies on Friday demanding elections and her return.

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Uncle Sam is making a love nest in Ecuador

US military personnel, aircraft, trainers, drones, and engineers are flooding into Ecuador to support the “iron fist” policies of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa.

Noboa has stationed most of them at the Taura airforce base, where US officials have effective control. Foreign military bases are prohibited by the Ecuadorian Constitution.

Naboa has justified the move, however, under laws that allow temporary cooperation with foreign militaries. We broke it down as part of our new video explainers this week.

The story is important because Ecuador is increasingly becoming the test-case for US actions in Latin America.

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Brazil goes to the ballot boxes for the first round of presidential elections this week on Sunday, October 4. The two front-runners are Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula), from the Workers’ Party (PT), and Flávio Bolsonaro (Liberal Party, PL), son of disgraced ex-president Jair Bolsonaro.

​The elder Bolsonaro remains under house arrest for an attempted coup after falsely claiming the last round of presidential elections were fraudulent.

​But that conviction is far from a permanent setback, especially if his son Flávio becomes the most powerful man in the country. Washington, D.C., has made its preference known explicitly. They want the Bolsonaro oligarchy at the reins.

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​The victory of a Trump-friendly ally in the largest country in South America would consolidate US control of the region after a wave of right-wing populist victories in Latin America, and the installation of a US-puppet regime in Venezuela.

​The candidates are in a statistical tie. Lula, who is 80 years old, is seeking his fourth presidential term. His campaign has accused the US of election interference and warned that a victory by Flavio would effectively turn Brazil into a “US protectorate,” subservient to Washington.

​In recent weeks, the US has imposed tariffs on Brazil, applied diplomatic pressure on Brazil’s judiciary, and loudly endorsed the younger Bolsonaro.

​Lula’s campaign has also accused US-owned social media companies of throttling their voices, with Facebook and X refusing to run election ads for the liberal candidate.

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​A group of lawmakers from Lula’s Workers’ Party sent an official letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday, accusing the US of “acting as an agent of interference and destabilisation — using diplomatic, economic and political pressure in ways that risk weakening the country’s democratic institutions, undermining confidence in Brazil’s electoral process, and inflicting further damage on our relationship with a strategic US ally and trading partner”.

​Flavio’s campaign promises to tighten relations with the US and to prioritize Western companies in the country’s rare-earth minerals mining sector, a crucial strategic point for arms manufacturers and tech companies in the US.

​But divesting from China may be much more difficult than making campaign promises. Brazil’s economy is deeply tied to the country, as the elder Bolsonaro found out the hard way. (America’s Quarterly has a great piece on exactly why.)

​Flavio would certainly be part of ongoing US efforts to control security policy in the region, however, joining Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Venezuela, and Peru, in a pro-US coalition that is increasingly bowing to the desires of US President Donald Trump.

​Both candidates staged street rallies to mark the official end of the campaign. Brazil will hold the second-round runoff on October 25, 2026, if no candidate wins more than 50% in the first round (which, based on polling, looks extremely unlikely.)

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Noboa is doubling down on US cooperation in security operations, Even as his policy fails to deliver results. Ecuador is on track to experience its 2nd highest homicide rate in recorded history.

Despite this, Noboa is effectively asking for a US military base on Ecuadorian soil. This violates Ecuador’s constitution.

Nonethless, he has all but handed operational control over to US operators at the Taura Airforce base in Guayas province, about 45 minutes from the coastal city of Guayaquil.

In late 2025, voters overwhelmingly rejected Noboa’s attempts to pass a Constitutional referendum that would have overturned a ban on US military bases in the country.

But Noboa isn’t letting that stop him. US Marines, aircraft, and trainers have been arriving to the base in recent weeks, even establishing perimeter controls, and re-designing the compound.

On September 8, Ecuadorian Commander Gen. Mauricio Salazar Machuca sent an official letter to the Joint Command, demanding that the base remain under Ecuadorian control. Noboa had him removed from office two days later.

Meanwhile, US military presence in the country has only expanded, despite the fact that journalists and human rights groups have identified cases of extrajudicial killings, torture, and sexual abuses as part of security crackdowns.

US-assisted strikes have also killed at least two dozen civilians, including fishermen on boats in the Pacific Ocean. Joint operations also destroyed a dairy farm near the Colombian border in March. US officials falsely claimed the site was a drug-processing compound.

US actions in the country also almost certainly violate the Leahy Law, which prohibits the US Department of Defense to provide assistance to countries that commit human rights violations.

But the law isn’t stopping Trump either.

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Colombia's new ultra-right wing President, Abelardo de la Espriella, has said he is going to put all of Colombia’s armed groups in body-bags, but he is already suffering considerable setbacks.

Both history and current dynamics suggest that there is no purely military solution to ongoing conflict in the country, and a hostile shut-down of an entire city, and indeed region this week illustrates exactly why.

Many of the groups being targeted have decades of experience resisting the same military operations that De la Espriella is employing, including under his predecesor, Gustavo Petro.

Find out more, as well as what is currently going on in a region where “iron hand” strategies may be fomenting conflict rather than making security gains, on this week’s episode of Pirate Wire Radio.

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Armed gunmen on motorcycles fired at multiple businesses that opened their doors on Tuesday, defying the orders of the non-state armed group.

Also called the Pachenko, the group controls ports in Santa Marta, as well as parts of the Panamerican highway in the department of Magdalena, where Santa Marta is located.

The group passed out pamphlets saying the violent shutdown is in response to the deaths of Jose Luis Perez, a.k.a. “Cholo,” and six other ACSN fighters, who were killed during an offensive on Monday.

“We’re going to send them all to hell in body bags,” said Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella after the operation, in a video of himself walking among the bodies of those killed.

Learn more on today’s Daily Wire video update!

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Bolivia’s New Furry Friend

A new species of feline was discovered in the cloud forests of Bolivia last week, when DNA testing on one small cat that a resident described as “a weird house cat” when he dropped it in an animal shelter last year.

Scientists have dubbed the new species Leopardus tilcayo, also somewhat commonly called a Tigrillo by locals. The discovery inspired adoration and memes around the world, and a crowdfunding site maintained by the shelter had already raised more than $100,000 as of Sunday evening.

The news couldn't be more welcome in Bolivia, which is confronting simultaneous energy and economic crises. The embattled government of Rodrigo Paz just accepted a $1.9 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) meant to stall rising inflation and a spiraling national deficit.

The Paz administration cut diesel subsidies Friday in a move that is highly likely to inspire roadblocks by transportation unions and campesino organizations.

Even the overpowering cuteness of our newest jungle kitty friend is unlikely to improve prospects for an embattled government.

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Haiti extradites Colombians accused of murdering president to the US

Eighteen suspects, principally Colombian citizens, who were arrested in the July 2021 killing of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse are being extradited to the US, US officials announced Sunday evening.

The move by US officials marks the next step in a drawn out process that has yet to hold a trial for suspects who have been jailed in Haiti for 5 years.

The suspects will face justice in Florida, according to a public statement by Jason Reding Quiñones, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

The US has also indicted 11 other suspects.

Several of the Colombians pled guilty during a preliminary trial, though they have since stated that they were beaten, denied food, threatened with execution, and forced to sign statements in a language they did not understand.

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Delcy takes Manhattan, and will attend a UN Assembly

U.S. President Donald Trump will meet this Tuesday Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the White House announced on Friday.

The visit will be the first in-person meeting between the two leaders, who have shared words of support and warmth in recent months.

This will also be the first meeting between a U.S. president and a Venezuelan leader in more than 11 years, since the brief meeting between Barack Obama and Nicolás Maduro during the 2015 Summit of the Americas, held in Panama.

Also this week, the US is set to take custody of over $400 million in Venezuelan gold, which was seized in the United Kingdom in 2019, when the country supported the bid of Juan Guaidó as interim president.

US officials have claimed the gold will be used to fund reconstruction in Venezuela after dual earthquakes devastated the country earlier this year.

The Other Big Headlines in LATAM

• Millions in Cuba were left without power on Friday as the country was plunged into yet another major blackout. It is at least the sixth partial or total blackout to hit Cuba this year, where ageing electricity infrastructure and chronic fuel shortages have been placed under further strain by a US blockade on oil shipments to the communist-run nation.

• Laura Sarabia, Colombia’s former Foreign Minister, ex-chief of staff, and former ambassador to the UK under Petro, who resigned from all of those positions after scandals, has been charged for abuse of power for her role in “Nannygate”, in which she demanded police detain and interrogate her nanny after a large briefcase of cash went missing in her apartment.

• Former Venezuelan Minister Alex Saab pled guilty to laundering $195 million for the Maduro government in US courts as part of a plea deal with US prosecutors. Saab was extradited to the US by the Rodriguez government in conjunction with the FBI.

• An ICE agent shot Venezuelan citizen Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, in Austin on Sunday. His attorney said he was doing a DoorDash delivery when the shooting happened, and the man subsequently called his wife from inside the vehicle before being shot by migration officials. He was released from the hospital into federal custody.

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