Third Column
@ThirdColumn

Independent news covering geopolitics, economics and conflicts.

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Joined July 2025
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has launched a 45-day immigration enforcement operation across California targeting both the “worst of the worst” and “noncriminal illegal immigrants,” according to the Washington Examiner.
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Source: washingtonexaminer.com/polic…

ICE to hit California hard before midterm elections: Sources

ICE leadership has told officers to arrest all illegal immigrants they encounter, regardless of whether an individual has a criminal history.

washingtonexaminer.com
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The Pentagon has directed U.S. Central Command to finalize preparations for potentially resuming major combat operations against Iran, according to U.S. officials. Trump has not made a final decision or set a date, but strikes could take place before the November midterm elections.
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Source: axios.com/2026/10/07/trump-u…

Military ordered to be ready for possible Iran strikes as Trump weighs timing

The possibility of active war before the election rises.

axios.com
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Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are expected to face new U.S. charges over the alleged torture of Americans held in Venezuelan government custody in recent years.
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Source: edition.cnn.com/2026/10/07/p…

Exclusive: Nicolás Maduro and his wife expected to face new charges over alleged torture of...

Prosecutors in New York are expected to bring new charges against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores over the alleged torture of Americans who were held in Venezue...

edition.cnn.com
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France has summoned Iran’s ambassador over what it described as a disinformation campaign concerning nationwide high-school protests, while rejecting Tehran’s decision to summon the French ambassador on Oct. 6 as baseless.
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Source: france24.com/en/france/20261…

Live: France suspends stun grenade use in school protests after 15-year-old loses hand

The French government has suspended the police use of stun grenades against protesting high school students, the interior minister announced Wednesday, after a teenager had his hand blown off up to...

france24.com
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Hezbollah has received $200 million from Iran to help Lebanese people displaced by this year’s war with Israel, marking the first significant aid from the group to its supporters during the conflict, according to two people with direct knowledge of the transfer.
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Source: reuters.com/world/middle-eas…

EXCLUSIVE: Lebanon's Hezbollah gets $200 million from Iran to help displaced, sources say

Hezbollah has received $200 million from Iran to help Lebanese displaced by this year’s war with ​Israel, two people with direct knowledge of the transfer said, in what would be the first significant...

reuters.com
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will soon block routes through the Strait of Hormuz that it considers “illegal,” according to an IRGC adviser cited by Iranian state media. The routes near Oman’s coast have reportedly been used by commercial vessels transporting oil under U.S. military escort.
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Source: straitstimes.com/world/middl…

Iran says illegal Strait of Hormuz routes to close

Iran says it will soon block illegal transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz amid tensions over oil exports and shipping flows. Read more at straitstimes.com.

straitstimes.com
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Diesel stocks pledged by France and Germany under last week’s G7 agreement will largely come from reserves already committed in March, with Germany planning no new release and France considering up to 2 million additional barrels without making a firm pledge.
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Source: politico.eu/article/france-a…

France and Germany say diesel promise to Trump won’t require new stock release

The comments suggest Europe’s commitment to release fuel wasn’t as generous as it sounded.

politico.eu
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France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot: We see it again these days with the events in our high schools. Pro-Russian accounts see in them the end of our democracy. Pro-Israeli accounts see the consequences of the recognition of Palestine. Pro-Iranian accounts go so far as to compare these mobilizations to the Woman Life Freedom movement. In short they all seek to impose their reading of events on our public debate and to tell what is happening here in our place in our language.
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U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has consolidated power at the department while facing clashes with staff and unusually high turnover, as key economic goals remain unmet, according to a new report.
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Source: wsj.com/politics/policy/bess…

Inside Bessent’s Treasury: Tension, Turnover and Unmet Economic Goals

Ahead of midterms that could turn on high prices and borrowing costs, the secretary dresses down officials.

wsj.com
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Former CIA officer David J. Rush, 49, has pleaded guilty to defrauding the U.S. government of approximately $194 million through fabricated government programs and contracts. He also admitted disclosing information about a clandestine U.S. intelligence source to a foreign official.
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Source: justice.gov/opa/pr/former-fe…

Former Federal Employee Pleads Guilty to Defrauding the Federal

David J. Rush, 49, of Ashburn, Virginia, pleaded guilty today to executing a scheme to defraud the federal government relating to the misuse of his government position, resulting in a loss of...

justice.gov
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The United States has formally requested additional information from Russia regarding the reported death of a laboratory worker linked to a plague research institute in Siberia, a State Department spokesperson said.
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Source: washingtonpost.com/national-…

U.S. raises pressure on Russia for information on plague death

The State Department is pushing Moscow for details about the potential leak of pneumonic plague in Siberia.

washingtonpost.com
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