Now What?

Hi Global Recap readers,

Today's newsletter is noticeably shorter in terms of the number of stories. For that reason, I've decided to explore each one in greater depth than usual, while still aiming to balance brevity with substance.

I also came across today's second story, about a mass protest in Ireland following the alleged rape of a 10‑year‑old Irish girl by an asylum seeker, purely by accident. What struck me most (perhaps you felt the same) was not just the story itself, but how little coverage it seemed to receive. 👇🏼

🇷🇺🇺🇸 RUSSIA & UNITED STATES
Trump Rejects
Putin Summit

Trump just called a Ukraine peace summit with Vladimir Putin a waste of time, scrapping plans for a Budapest meeting and promising to unveil his new approach within two days.

• Demand: Moscow still insists Ukraine hand over the entire Donbas region, a condition Secretary of State Marco Rubio said makes any deal impossible.

• Shift: Trump had floated sending Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv but reversed course last week after a call with Putin, telling President Zelenskyy that Ukraine would not get them.

• Signal: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed that Russia’s maximalist stance has not changed, insisting on a long-term peace agreement rather than a short-term ceasefire.

🇮🇪 IRELAND
Dublin Protest
Turns Violent

Irish police condemned actions they labeled as "thuggery" after a crowd of up to 2,000 people attacked officers outside a Dublin hotel housing asylum seekers, torching a police van and hurling fireworks. But this is much larger than just some people attacking a hotel.

• Trigger: The unrest followed the charging of a 26-year-old asylum seeker in connection with the alleged rape of a 10-year-old Irish girl near the Citywest facility in southwest Dublin.

• Clashes: Protesters threw bricks, bottles, and traffic cones at officers, forcing police in riot gear and on horseback to push the crowd back.

• Arrests: Six people were detained as Garda Síochána (the national police of Ireland) reported "sustained violence" against its officers.

• Condemnation: Justice and migration minister Jim O’Callaghan warned against weaponizing crime to fuel division, while Taoiseach Micheál Martin denounced the "violent disorder" and "vile abuse" directed at police.

• Pattern: Anti-immigrant protests have grown across Ireland and the UK in recent years, often tied to claims that migrants worsen housing shortages and crime.

💭 Thoughts

What was surprising about this incident was how hard it was to find solid reporting on the violence and alleged rape. Where coverage did exist, outlets rightly condemned the violence but often portrayed the alleged rapist as a near-victim himself.

Violence is never justified. 

• Yet the media’s silence, and its dismissal of public anger as mere "far-right hysteria", is undeniably deepening extreme displays of sentiment.

• When people feel ignored, they turn to extremes.

• Many have warned for years that this cycle would worsen if legitimate concerns kept being denigrated as merely "fringe," "far-right," and "fascist." As 2026 approaches, the risk of further escalation is clear.

What do you think?

🇲🇽 MEXICO
Rubio Warns Mexico

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly warned his Mexican counterpart that a US-led military campaign against Venezuela is about to escalate.

• Messenger: Rubio, a senior Republican with long-standing influence on Latin America policy, delivered the warning directly during a private conversation.

• Recipient: Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, was told that Washington intends to intensify operations targeting Nicolás Maduro’s government.

• Implication: The message suggests that Mexico, which has positioned itself as a mediator in regional disputes, could be forced to recalibrate its stance.

• Timing: The warning comes as Trump reportedly prepared to approve a covert CIA operation against Maduro and refused to say whether assassination was on the table.

🇰🇵 NORTH KOREA
North Korea
Goes Ballistic

North Korea just fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast, a week before world leaders land in Seoul for the APEC summit.

• Timing: The launch happened early Wednesday, only days before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hosts US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

• Details: South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff tracked several projectiles launched from near Pyongyang, each flying about 350 km (217.5 miles) before landing inland.

• Response: Seoul’s presidential office called an emergency security meeting, while Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed no direct threat to Japanese territory.

• History: This is Pyongyang’s first ballistic missile launch since May 8, when it fired multiple short-range missiles from its east coast.

• Pattern: North Korea has steadily upgraded its arsenal over the past decade, test-launching long-range missiles capable of reaching the US mainland and parading its newest intercontinental missile earlier this month.