But while most Latinos had something nice to say about Democrats, not all are happy with the party.

By Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech @ TheHill.com, Sept. 30

Story at a glance

• A new survey from the Pew Research Center found that most adult Latinos in the United States think that the Democratic Party cares about Latinos and works hard to get their votes.  

• The survey also found that a substantial number of respondents don’t think there is a huge difference between either party.

• Researchers noted that while the political party affiliation of Latino votes has shifted over the past few years, adult Latinos registered to vote in the United States still tend to lean Democrat  

By Ana Vanessa Herrero & Matt Viser @ WashingtonPost.com, October 1, 2022

CARACAS, Venezuela — The Venezuelan government freed seven Americans detained in the country, including five oil executives, in exchange for two family members of President Nicolás Maduro jailed in the United States on drug convictions since 2015.

The swap, the largest arranged by President Biden’s administration, came after months of secret talks. The president approved the exchange a few weeks ago, according to senior administration officials, but it took time to work through the mechanics, which unfolded Saturday when planes left from the United States and from Venezuela carrying the prisoners to an unnamed third country where the swap took place.

The exchange underscored efforts by the Biden administration since the February invasion of Ukraine by Russia to improve the tattered relationship with Venezuela as an alternative source of oil. In March, U.S. and Venezuelan officials discussed the possibility of easing sanctions on oil exports from Venezuela [....]

Prior piece ending 29 Sept - http://dagblog.com/comment/320771#comment-320771

By Jason Horowitz from Rome @ NYTimes.com, Sept. 24

With the hard-right candidate Giorgia Meloni ahead before Sunday’s election, Italy could get its first leader whose party traces its roots to the wreckage of Fascism

By Michael Schnell @ TheHill.com, Sept. 22

[....] The House approved the bill, titled the Invest to Protect Act, in a 360-64 vote. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) sponsored the measure.

All nine Democrats who voted against the bill are members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus: Reps. Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Cori Bush (Mo.), Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), Mark Pocan (Wis.), Andy Levin (Ill.), Maxine Waters (Calif.) and Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.).

A total of 153 Republicans supported the bill, while 55 voted “no.” House Republican leadership did not whip against any of the four policing and public safety measured brought to the floor on Thursday.

The measure seeks to award federal grants to law enforcement agencies with fewer than 125 officersv which could go towards purchasing body cameras, offering de-escalation training and bolstering recruitment and retention, among other uses.

Bush, a freshman lawmaker, signaled her opposition to the Gottheimer bill Thursday morning: Her spokesperson released a statement outlining the congresswoman’s concerns over a lack of “accountability measures” in the legislation.

That opposition, along with concerns from other members of the progressive “Squad,” put passage of the bill and other policing and public safety measures in jeopardy and delayed debate by roughly three hours. Bush, Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib and Bowman voted against the rule to begin debate on the package of law enforcement bills, and Pressley voted “present.” [....]

Leonard Glenn Francis, who is known as Fat Leonard, was taken into custody by Interpol as he was trying to board a flight from Venezuela to Russia.

By Remy Tumin @ NYTimes.com, Sept. 22

A wealthy Malaysian contractor who orchestrated one of the longest-running bribery scandals in the history of the United States Navy has been captured in Venezuela, two weeks after he cut off his ankle monitor and escaped home arrest in San Diego, an Interpol official said Wednesday.

The contractor, Leonard Glenn Francis, who is known as Fat Leonard, was captured by Interpol agents while trying to board a flight to Russia, Carlos Gárate Rondón, the director of Interpol in Venezuela, said on Instagram late Wednesday. Mr. Rondón said Mr. Francis, 57, had entered the country from Mexico with a stopover in Cuba. He was detained at the Simon Bolivar International Airport outside Caracas, the country’s capital.

Omar Castillo, a supervisory deputy U.S. marshal, confirmed the arrest on Thursday. Mr. Francis was captured after the Marshals Service put out a red notice, [.....]