Defense Ministry: Bombed

Hi Global Recap readers,

Picture this: 

1. You’ve just ousted a dictator and taken charge of the country. You made it.

2. Then, out of nowhere, your entire Defense Ministry (which is near your presidential palace) gets floored.

3. And this happens just days after a foreign official publicly called for your assassination, accusing you of slaughtering a minority group.

That’s exactly what just happened to Syria’s President al-Sharaa. What's your next move? 👇️ 

🌐 WORLD
Fast Scroll News

🇮🇱 Israel Bombs Damascus. Israeli airstrikes slammed Syria’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday, killing at least three and injuring 34, as Israel says it’s backing Syria’s Druze minority in clashes with government forces.

• Syria’s army started pulling out of Suwayda after a shaky ceasefire deal, but fighting and chaos are still raging, with at least 169 dead in days.

• Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu urged Druze citizens not to cross into Syria, while foreign ministers from Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia slammed the strikes as “unhinged” and “sabotage.

🇺🇸 Trump Dumps Epstein Crowd. Trump just torched his own MAGA backers for chasing “bullshit” about Jeffrey Epstein's client list, calling them “weaklings” and saying he doesn’t want their support anymore.

• He’s blaming Democrats and “stupid Republicans” for stirring up the drama, even as GOP names like Marjorie Taylor Greene keep pressing for full disclosure.

• Trump says the Justice Department already gave “credible information” and shrugs off Epstein as old news, but his hardline fans aren’t buying it and the rift is getting ugly.

• Trump’s public pivot is leaving his base split and maybe Elon Musk's new America Party can find its home in the cracks?

🇺🇦 Russia Pounds Zelenskyy's Hometown. Russia sent 400 drones and a missile slamming into four Ukrainian regions overnight, with Zelensky’s hometown Kryvyi Rih taking “the most massive attack” since the war began.

• There were fires, blackouts, and at least 15 wounded.

• Ukraine shot down most drones (at least 345), but Vinnytsia and Kharkiv still got hit hard.

• Meanwhile, Ukrainian lawmakers rushed to approve $9.6 million additional defense spending.

🇸🇿 Trump Ships Out Convicts. Trump’s team just dumped five foreign nationals with serious criminal records in tiny Eswatini, Africa, without warning local diplomats or even telling the embassy.

• The Eswatini government says they’ll send these guys (originally from Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam, and Yemen) back home, but the US called them “so uniquely barbaric” their own countries supposedly won’t take them.

• Eswatini only found out about the deportees from social media, and now the UN is scrambling to sort out what happens next.

• This is the first time the US has used a new rule to send people to random third countries with barely any notice, and nobody knows where it’ll end.

🇬🇪 GEORGIA
Georgia Inches
Toward Autocracy

After an alleged rigged elections last October, Georgia’s ruling party Georgian Dream is jailing opponents, installing Chinese surveillance tech, and cozying up to Iran and Russia.

From Poster Child to Pariah

Remember when Georgia was the West’s democratic darling? That ship has sailed.

• A decade ago, Georgia was praised for fighting corruption and growing civil society.

• In 2005, President George W. Bush even got a street named after him in Tbilisi.

• Today, the ruling Georgian Dream party, founded by Russian-made billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, has a grip on every branch of government, and the country’s democracy is fading fast.

China, Iran, and a Closed Port

Now, Georgia has walked away from its Western ties and cozied up to authoritarian allies instead.

• China: Last year, the government scrapped a deal with a consortium from Georgia, the US, and Europe to build the Anaklia deep-sea port on the Black Sea and handed the project over to Chinese companies (including some facing US sanctions).

• Iran: Georgia’s new Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, showed up at both the funeral of Iranian President Raisi and the inauguration of his successor, President Pezeshkian.

  • Iranian officials now court Georgia with oil and shady business links to Iran’s defense ministry.

The Surveillance State Rises

Meanwhile, civil liberties are shrinking behind surveillance, arrests, and crackdowns.

• Reports say Chinese-made facial recognition cameras are being installed across Tbilisi to track protestors.

  • Amnesty International reports that those accused of dissent could face fines of up to $2,000.

  • 60 political prisoners have been reportedly jailed.

• Transparency International cites torture and violent arrests.

Rigged Elections and New Laws

Last October’s elections were the last straw for many.

• Observers say the vote wasn’t free or fair, leading to the opposition boycotting parliament.

• Nonetheless, Georgian Dream pushed through sweeping laws modeled on Russia’s playbook.

• EU called the vote a “clear turning point” toward authoritarianism.

• However, some opposition leaders still see hope—calling the upcoming municipal elections in October as “the last democratic battleground to halt Georgia's slide into authoritarianism."

The Megobari Act Push

With Georgia spiraling, US Congress is scrambling for damage control.

• Bipartisan US lawmakers introduced the Megobari Act to support democracy and sanction bad actors.

• It targets officials involved in election fraud and political repression.

• Sponsors say it aims to combat growing influence from Russia, China, and Iran.

What Georgians Actually Want

Despite the government’s pivot, the people want EU democracy.

• The constitution still mandates EU and NATO integration, but efforts were suspended in late 2024.

• This is why protesters are still waving the EU and US flags, demanding new elections.

• However, the Georgian Dream party claims that protests against them are organized by “Western-funded NGOs.”

• Some in Georgia hope Trump and the US Megobari Act could change the game, but whether President Trump would actually step up to defend Georgia’s democracy is anyone’s guess. After all, he is fighting many wars of his own domestically.