Featured

Trump: Iran asked me to be Supreme Leader, but I said no thanks

Trump’s “Iran asked me to be Supreme Leader” joke at an NRCC fundraiser uses a real, deadly leadership crisis in Iran to normalize assassination-as-policy and blur what’s confirmed about the war and succession.

Mar 26, 2026

Featured

‘Men need to be perp-walked’ after Epstein files release, Massie tells BBC

A GOP lawmaker says the Epstein document releases are still falling short—because redactions and withheld material may be blocking accountability and survivor-centered justice.

Mar 25, 2026

Buried.News

The stories buried under the noise

Primary focus

Trump fires Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary

A Cabinet secretary was forced out amid contracting and oversight scrutiny, signaling that executive control—not transparent accountability—can dictate leadership of the agency driving mass detention and deportation.

Mar 5, 2026

Featured

The Trump gold coin is not normal : Consider This from NPR

A federal design panel OK’d a Trump portrait for a commemorative gold coin, but the key question is whether Treasury can legally bypass long-standing limits meant to keep living politicians off U.S. money.

Mar 23, 2026

Featured

White House Confronted Over Huge Bets Made Minutes Before Trump’s Big War Move

A $580 million burst of oil-futures selling minutes before Trump’s Iran “talks” post raises a basic public-interest question: did anyone trade on advance knowledge of a market-moving national security decision?

Mar 24, 2026

U.S. Prosecutors Are Investigating Colombia President Gustavo Petro

A newly reported U.S. criminal probe into Colombia’s president is real but early—and the bigger story is how its mere existence can be used as political leverage ahead of Colombia’s May 31, 2026 election.

Judiciary

Mar 20, 2026

Sources

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/nyregion/colombia-president-petro-investigation-drugs.html

Summary

The New York Times reports that at least two U.S. attorney’s offices (Manhattan and Brooklyn) have opened early-stage criminal investigations touching Colombia President Gustavo Petro, focusing on possible contacts with traffickers and potential campaign donations. The story emphasizes political friction with President Trump and speculation about leverage, while offering limited verifiable detail because the probes are active and described only by anonymous sources. This matters because “under investigation” can reshape diplomacy and election narratives even without charges—especially weeks before Colombia votes on May 31, 2026.

Reality Check

The grounded takeaway is narrow: the Times reports two *early-stage* U.S. investigations based on anonymous sources, and there are *no reported charges* and no public evidentiary record in the article excerpt. That makes the core risk less about a proven crime today and more about how an active-but-opaque investigation can be used to pressure a foreign leader or to shape perceptions during Colombia’s May 31, 2026 election—without voters ever seeing the underlying facts.

Detail

The New York Times reports Petro is under criminal investigation by at least two U.S. federal prosecutors’ offices, citing three people with knowledge of the matter. ([nytimes.com](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/nyregion/colombia-president-petro-investigation-drugs.html)) The reported investigations are being handled by U.S. attorney’s offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn and involve prosecutors focused on international narcotics trafficking plus DEA and Homeland Security Investigations agents. ([nytimes.com](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/nyregion/colombia-president-petro-investigation-drugs.html)) According to the sources, investigators are exploring possible meetings with drug traffickers and whether Petro’s presidential campaign solicited donations from traffickers. ([nytimes.com](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/nyregion/colombia-president-petro-investigation-drugs.html)) The Times says the investigations are separate, in early stages, and may not lead to charges. ([nytimes.com](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/nyregion/colombia-president-petro-investigation-drugs.html)) The Times reports it found nothing indicating the White House initiated either investigation. ([nytimes.com](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/nyregion/colombia-president-petro-investigation-drugs.html)) Colombia’s next presidential election is scheduled for May 31, 2026, and Petro is constitutionally barred from immediately seeking a consecutive second term. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Colombian_presidential_election)) The existence of the probes has already been amplified beyond the original reporting via wire and aggregation coverage, increasing the likelihood they’ll be used as political messaging regardless of outcome. ([usnews.com](https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2026-03-20/colombias-petro-under-criminal-investigation-in-us-new-york-times-reports))

Norms Impact

Bodycam video raises questions in fatal shooting of US citizen by DHS agent

Federal agents used lethal force on a U.S. citizen while the agency delayed disclosure and defended the killing with claims the released video does not clearly substantiate.

Executive

Mar 7, 2026

⚖ Legal Exposure

Ethics Violation

Likely Unlawful

Potentially Criminal

Likely Criminal

Legal exposure is driven by potential civil-rights and truthfulness issues: bodycam footage reportedly undermines DHS’s initial “intentional ramming” narrative, raising questions about whether deadly force was objectively reasonable. The known record includes a grand jury’s decision not to charge, but the discrepancy between statements and video supports continued federal review for possible §242 and related false-statement exposure pending full evidence.