Authored by Rex Widerstrom via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The volume of businesses struggling to pay their debts in Australia is on track to exceed the heights set during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to two reports on the nation’s economic health.

Australian dollar coins and banknotes in Melbourne, Australia on April 4, 2024. AAP Image/Joel Carrett

Up to 13 percent of working-age Australians and 47 percent of secondary school students want to work for themselves or start a business, but that’s not translating into a pipeline of new enterprises, according to the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia (CEDA).

“Our analysis shows the proportion of business owners in the workforce has declined steadily over the past two decades and fell to a record low last year. The decline has been sharpest for owner-managers with employees and less steep for solo owner-operators. It is evident across all age groups, including younger workers,” said CEDA Chief Executive Melinda Cilento.

While the total rate of business formation has grown moderately over the past decade, it has been almost entirely driven by growth in sole traders.

In contrast, entry rates for businesses that employ staff declined steadily through the 2000s and has since been relatively flat.

This trend has coincided with the rise in second jobs, “side hustles,” and digital-platform work.

“Starting a side hustle or taking on gig work can be a flexible way to get started and gain some hands-on experience,” Cilento said. ”But the evidence suggests most of these activities are intended only to top-up household income, and not to build the next generation of employing firms.

“If we want a more productive, competitive, and resilient economy, we need to make it easier for people to turn a good idea into a growing enterprise.”

To help achieve that, CEDA wants the federal government to use next month’s federal Budget to introduce further cuts to “red tape” and to review existing business support programmes.

This entails eliminating redundant or out-of-date regulatory obstacles, streamlining the application process for grants and other support programmes, and expanding access to financing and insurance.

The government should also promote business advice and training more effectively, and remove anti-competitive obstacles that hinder the entry and expansion of new businesses, CEDA says.

Auditors Sound Warning

Meanwhile, 2025 was a record year for “going concern” notices for businesses unable to pay their debts with in the next 12 months, according to Chartered Accountants.

The group was concerned about the viability of 28 percent of Australian-listed companies outside the mining sector, up from 20 percent in 2021.

That compares to 15 percent in New Zealand and approximately 8 percent in comparable high‑income countries internationally.

Among Australian miners, the figure increased to nearly half, up from 32 percent in 2021.

“This level of uncertainty exceeds that seen at the height of the COVID disruptions and reflects the cumulative impact of global trade uncertainty, market volatility, higher interest rates, and persistent inflationary pressures on business viability,” said Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ).

Its report, “Insights into 2025 auditor reports: A focus on going concern,” was conducted in partnership with the Universities of Melbourne and Queensland, and took place before the current Middle East conflict and its resulting energy price shock.

“Auditors are now flagging greater uncertainty than during the pandemic itself, which shows how sustained economic pressures around liquidity, refinancing, and future profitability can be just as challenging for businesses as an acute shock,” said Amir Ghandar.

While mining is under particular pressure, the conditions are also affecting other capital-intensive industries such as information technology and health care.

via Middle East Eye

The pro-Israel advocacy group J Street is now calling for an end to “direct” US military support to Israel, per a new policy document published this week. The group had previously backed Washington’s continued provision of defensive weapons systems, such as the replenishment of Israel’s Iron Dome, at no cost to Israelis. 

Now, it says the US “should continue to sell” short-range air and ballistic missile defense capabilities to Israel, but Israel should use its own money to pay for them. 

Source: Times of Israel

“Israel faces real security challenges that require a significant defense investment. With a per capita GDP comparable to leading US allies such as the United Kingdom, France and Japan, as well as an annual defense budget of over $45 billion, it has the financial means to address these challenges,” J Street said. 

“It does not require almost $4 billion per year in US financial subsidies to purchase weapons,” it added. “Continuing this assistance is both unnecessary and politically counterproductive, creating avoidable tensions in US domestic politics and in the bilateral relationship.”

The way the current military aid package operates is that the US provides Israel with American taxpayer funds, and those funds are put into US weapons companies to acquire equipment. 

On its website, J Street says that it “organizes pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans to promote US policies that embody our deeply held Jewish and democratic values and that help secure the State of Israel as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people”. 

Political tide turns

J Street’s shift follows a distinct change in attitudes towards Israel among the American public after what has been widely labeled genocide in Gaza, where over 72,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s war on the enclave broke out in October 2023. 

But perhaps more importantly for the group, whose support base is made up of Democrats, the party’s future is changing course. Progressive New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is widely believed to be seeking higher office, announced earlier this month that she would no longer vote for any US military support to Israel, despite having previously backed the provision of defensive weapons, much to the disappointment of many of her supporters. 

It is notable, however, that her statement followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s surprise declaration earlier this year that Israel will not seek to renew its military aid package with the US in 2028. “I want to taper off the military aid within the next 10 years,” all the way down to zero, Netanyahu told The Economist in January. 

J Street’s new position demands that any future US arms sales that Israel pays for out-of-pocket “be fully consistent with American law”, which echoed Ocasio-Cortez’s statement.

US law prohibits security assistance to any country whose government engages in a consistent pattern of gross human rights violations or blocks or restricts the transport or delivery of US-backed humanitarian aid.

This moment demands a reset. J Street is calling for the U.S. to end unconditional financial military subsidies to Israel and to move towards a relationship where we treat Israel like any other ally.

J Street supports:
– Phasing out taxpayer-funded military aid by 2028, when the…

— J Street (@jstreetdotorg) April 13, 2026

“US arms sales to Israel should be further conditioned to incentivize alignment with American interests and laws – as has been the case with other allies and partners – when their behavior is inconsistent with US interests,” J Street said. At the same time, the group acknowledges that Washington and Israel generally share the same interests anyway. “The US also benefits meaningfully from the relationship. Intelligence sharing has been critical in campaigns such as the fight against ISIS, while joint operations such as Israel’s 2006 strike on Syria’s secret nuclear facility have advanced shared security goals.”

It added that because “approximately 500,000 American citizens live in Israel”, selling it weapons should continue to be a US national security priority. 

via Middle East Eye

The pro-Israel advocacy group J Street is now calling for an end to “direct” US military support to Israel, per a new policy document published this week. The group had previously backed Washington’s continued provision of defensive weapons systems, such as the replenishment of Israel’s Iron Dome, at no cost to Israelis. 

Now, it says the US “should continue to sell” short-range air and ballistic missile defense capabilities to Israel, but Israel should use its own money to pay for them. 

Source: Times of Israel

“Israel faces real security challenges that require a significant defense investment. With a per capita GDP comparable to leading US allies such as the United Kingdom, France and Japan, as well as an annual defense budget of over $45 billion, it has the financial means to address these challenges,” J Street said. 

“It does not require almost $4 billion per year in US financial subsidies to purchase weapons,” it added. “Continuing this assistance is both unnecessary and politically counterproductive, creating avoidable tensions in US domestic politics and in the bilateral relationship.”

The way the current military aid package operates is that the US provides Israel with American taxpayer funds, and those funds are put into US weapons companies to acquire equipment. 

On its website, J Street says that it “organizes pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans to promote US policies that embody our deeply held Jewish and democratic values and that help secure the State of Israel as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people”. 

Political tide turns

J Street’s shift follows a distinct change in attitudes towards Israel among the American public after what has been widely labeled genocide in Gaza, where over 72,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s war on the enclave broke out in October 2023. 

But perhaps more importantly for the group, whose support base is made up of Democrats, the party’s future is changing course. Progressive New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is widely believed to be seeking higher office, announced earlier this month that she would no longer vote for any US military support to Israel, despite having previously backed the provision of defensive weapons, much to the disappointment of many of her supporters. 

It is notable, however, that her statement followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s surprise declaration earlier this year that Israel will not seek to renew its military aid package with the US in 2028. “I want to taper off the military aid within the next 10 years,” all the way down to zero, Netanyahu told The Economist in January. 

J Street’s new position demands that any future US arms sales that Israel pays for out-of-pocket “be fully consistent with American law”, which echoed Ocasio-Cortez’s statement.

US law prohibits security assistance to any country whose government engages in a consistent pattern of gross human rights violations or blocks or restricts the transport or delivery of US-backed humanitarian aid.

This moment demands a reset. J Street is calling for the U.S. to end unconditional financial military subsidies to Israel and to move towards a relationship where we treat Israel like any other ally.

J Street supports:
– Phasing out taxpayer-funded military aid by 2028, when the…

— J Street (@jstreetdotorg) April 13, 2026

“US arms sales to Israel should be further conditioned to incentivize alignment with American interests and laws – as has been the case with other allies and partners – when their behavior is inconsistent with US interests,” J Street said. At the same time, the group acknowledges that Washington and Israel generally share the same interests anyway. “The US also benefits meaningfully from the relationship. Intelligence sharing has been critical in campaigns such as the fight against ISIS, while joint operations such as Israel’s 2006 strike on Syria’s secret nuclear facility have advanced shared security goals.”

It added that because “approximately 500,000 American citizens live in Israel”, selling it weapons should continue to be a US national security priority. 

The race for bipedal humanoid robot intelligence has certainly been in the news, with robots receiving “AI brains” that have already brought them onto factory floors and will likely become more visible in the public world in the coming years (see UBS). 

But there is another race that Chinese robot maker Unitree is simultaneously part of, and that is actual speed.

In recent days, Unitree posted a video on X titled “Unitree Breaks the World Record Again,” indicating that one of its humanoid robots now has the “physique of an ordinary person, running at a world champion’s speed.”

Unitree said the robot completed a sprint at 10 meters per second, or 22.4 mph. For context, the fastest human sprint speed ever recorded was Usain Bolt’s 27.8 mph during his 100-meter world record run at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.

10m/s!! Unitree Breaks the World Record Again😊
With the physique of an ordinary person, running at a world champion’s speed!
Leg length: 0.4+0.4=0.8m, body weight: approx. 62kg!
H1: “Give me one more chance, give the world one more honor!” pic.twitter.com/Fk4Zo9zKit

— Unitree (@UnitreeRobotics) April 11, 2026

Related:

Will Chinese Robot Maker Unitree’s Shanghai IPO Spark A Humanoid-Investing Bubble

Combine intelligence with speed, and the world is certainly racing toward the rise of robots that could one day chase down a human or even appear on the battlefield.

That’s likely already happened. 

The race for bipedal humanoid robot intelligence has certainly been in the news, with robots receiving “AI brains” that have already brought them onto factory floors and will likely become more visible in the public world in the coming years (see UBS). 

But there is another race that Chinese robot maker Unitree is simultaneously part of, and that is actual speed.

In recent days, Unitree posted a video on X titled “Unitree Breaks the World Record Again,” indicating that one of its humanoid robots now has the “physique of an ordinary person, running at a world champion’s speed.”

Unitree said the robot completed a sprint at 10 meters per second, or 22.4 mph. For context, the fastest human sprint speed ever recorded was Usain Bolt’s 27.8 mph during his 100-meter world record run at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.

10m/s!! Unitree Breaks the World Record Again😊
With the physique of an ordinary person, running at a world champion’s speed!
Leg length: 0.4+0.4=0.8m, body weight: approx. 62kg!
H1: “Give me one more chance, give the world one more honor!” pic.twitter.com/Fk4Zo9zKit

— Unitree (@UnitreeRobotics) April 11, 2026

Related:

Will Chinese Robot Maker Unitree’s Shanghai IPO Spark A Humanoid-Investing Bubble

Combine intelligence with speed, and the world is certainly racing toward the rise of robots that could one day chase down a human or even appear on the battlefield.

That’s likely already happened. 

Authored by Dylan Morgan via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Two Alphabet-owned companies, Waymo and Waze, announced on April 9 that they will team up to detect potholes and share that information with local government agencies to help get them filled more efficiently.

A self-driving Waymo vehicle awaits passengers in Los Angeles on July 1, 2025. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

“Waymo is already making roads safer where we operate,“ said Arielle Fleisher, the company’s policy development and research manager, in a statement. ”We want to build on the safety benefits of our service by partnering with organizations and city officials to help improve the infrastructure we all depend on.”

Waymo, which started out as a Google self-driving car project in 2009 and spun out into its own company under Alphabet in 2016, said the pothole program was inspired from feedback it gathered from city officials over the years and is intended to fill reporting gaps.

Waymos are covered with cameras and sensors. The company said it will use its feedback systems to detect potholes and share that information through Waze’s platform, which users will be able to verify.

Waze, a GPS navigation app that lets drivers alert others with live updates, was acquired by Alphabet-subsidiary Google in 2013 for around $1.1 billion.

“This pilot program with Waymo adds another source of data to that effort, giving cities a clearer picture of road conditions through our Waze for Cities platform. It’s a great example of how working together helps our community and makes our roads better for everyone,” Waze Strategic Partner Manager Andrew Stober said.

Waze and Waymo will launch the pilot program in five areas—the San Francisco Bay Area, where the two companies are headquartered in Mountain View, as well as the Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta metro areas.

“We appreciate the collaboration with Waymo and Waze as we explore how technology can help identify issues like potholes faster so we can respond more efficiently,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement. “We’re always looking for innovative ways to deliver better services for residents.”

Waymo said it has already identified around 500 potholes in these locations and will work to expand the program to more cities it serves.

Alongside these five locations, Waymo also operates in Dallas, Houston, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, and San Antonio.

The Nashville location is the newest addition, as Waymo started allowing users in Nashville on a rolling basis on April 7. The company also announced in February that it will expand to Charlotte, Chicago, and Sacramento, where it has released its fleet to begin gathering data on Sacramento’s streets.

The Four Seasons Private Residences in Harbor East, situated in crime-ridden Baltimore City and serving as a flagship luxury development project tied to the Inner Harbor’s waterfront revitalization, was originally envisioned as an ultra-luxury tower designed to attract the rich and powerful. The premise for building the tower, which opened in 2017, was very simple: build it, and they will come.

The Paterakis family, one of the most prominent business and real estate families in the Baltimore metro area, best known for their baking empire and for transforming part of the city’s waterfront over the decades, backed the Four Seasons Private Residences project, with one-bedroom condos hitting the market in 2017 for $1 million.

Yet the saying “build it, and they will come” didn’t play out here, as the latest report from local outlet Baltimore Banner says a third of the 62 condos “have never sold,” and the current listing price now “starts in the $500,000s.”

Three investors told the local outlet that “the true price is even lower” for these one-bedroom units. That would suggest a 50% collapse in value over just nine years since the 2017 debut.

The outlet continued:

The trio scooped up 11 units at the Four Seasons last year. Now they’re suing Harbor East Parcel D-Residential LLC in Baltimore Circuit Court, accusing the seller of artificially inflating the sale price listed in public records. Harbor East Parcel-D Residential is the limited liability company used by the Paterakis family and other investors to own and sell the condos. George Philippou, a son-in-law of Paterakis Sr., signs deeds and other property records on behalf of the company.

David J. Shuster, an attorney for the limited liability company, said in a statement that the claims in the lawsuit are without merit and declined to comment further, citing the ongoing litigation. The Four Seasons, a Toronto-based company that operates resorts, hotels and condos around the world, did not respond to a request for comment.

Paterakis’ bad bet on the ultra-luxury tower in Harbor East appears to be following a similar pattern to other high-profile redevelopment projects around the Inner Harbor, including Under Armor CEO Kevin Plank’s Baltimore Peninsula project, which has struggled.

Let’s not forget that the actual Inner Harbor is virtually a ghost town:

Downtown Baltimore is witnessing a troubling trend as businesses continue to close, leaving employees without jobs and residents without essential services.

The latest casualty is the Sheraton Hotel, a key fixture of the Inner Harbor, which has left 69 employees jobless.… pic.twitter.com/PagIL8uW9J

— FOX Baltimore (@FOXBaltimore) January 17, 2026

At a broader level, the common denominator behind these redevelopment failures is impossible to ignore: Baltimore’s population has collapsed to a 100-year low in a relatively short period, eroding demand for urban revival projects. Much of that decline can be linked to a city and state controlled by unhinged Democratic Party kings and queens, pushing far-left policies that have only backfired into a California-style exodus of residents.

Baltimore’s failure is a direct result of the one-party rule of Democratic queens and kings who appear to have done nothing but economically sabotage the state.

But the story here takes a twist because there is a movement inside the business community, especially among Sinclair Executive Chairman David Smith, to combat the far-left crazies who run the city and state through information warfare. Democrats have freaked out that Smith bought the largest paper in the state, The Baltimore Sun, as the left-wing regime has failed to counter the narratives, while left-wing Gov. Wes Moore’s polling data implodes.

Alex Soros & Gov. Moore. 

Here’s a novel idea for the business community that has watched its state and city implode under a far-left regime: it’s time to go on the offensive and ensure common-sense politicians are elected in future elections, rather than left-wing activists who have no problem abusing taxpayers and looting state coffers for progressive projects, such as this:

Maryland Delegate Kathy Szeliga (R) EMBARESSES Democrats who want to force “appropriately sized tampons” into men’s bathrooms.

Szeliga: “I’ve never heard of such a thing… what do you consider appropriate???”pic.twitter.com/jjasHIMtRE https://t.co/gsjXEzXVre

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 24, 2026

Meanwhile, just an hour south: “D.C. Economy “Under Strain,” Faces Biggest Spending Cuts Since Great Recession.” 

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

The Pentagon has come under fire for failing to meet a congressional deadline to release dozens of military videos showing unidentified aerial phenomena, sparking fresh claims of a bureaucratic stall on one of the most sensitive national security issues in decades.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., had pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to deliver 46 specific clips by April 14. Whistleblowers had told her task force that the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) already possessed the records. Yet as the deadline passed with no delivery, critics pointed to a pattern of delay that has long fueled public distrust.

The requested material includes spherical objects maneuvering erratically over Afghanistan, cigar-shaped craft, Tic Tac-style encounters, transmedium vehicles moving between air and water, and multiple formations captured near U.S. military assets, submarines, and sensitive airspace.

🚨Lawmaker asks Hegseth to release UAP videos citing national security concerns

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna. R-Fla., is asking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to hand over dozens of military “unidentified aerial phenomena” videos by April 14. NBC News’ Gadi Schwartz reports. Today is… pic.twitter.com/pQ0yQDCljR

— Skywatch Signal (@UAPWatchers) April 14, 2026

On April 15, with the deadline missed, the War Department moved to address the growing pressure. A U.S. official told Liberation Times that AARO is now actively working with the White House and other agencies to prepare previously unseen UAP records for public release.

“The Department of War’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) is working in close coordination with the White House and across federal agencies to consolidate existing UAP records collections and facilitate the expeditious release of never-before-seen UAP information,” the official stated.

The official added that “Since the office was established, AARO has made progress to make UAP information available and transfer those records to the National Archives in accordance with federal law. We welcome the president’s initiative to supercharge these efforts and make more UAP information available to the public as soon as possible.”

?War Department Says White House Coordinating Release of UFO Material

Ina recent article by @ChrisUKSharp a U.S. War Department official told Liberation Times that the Pentagons dedicated UFO office is working with the White House and federal agencies to prepare the release of… pic.twitter.com/QTlZgMZvKL

— Skywatch Signal (@UAPWatchers) April 15, 2026

The statement comes following mounting outrage over the missed deadline, with Luna herself noting the Pentagon’s initial silence.

https://t.co/cJ39OUywOD ??

— Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) April 14, 2026

This episode fits a broader pattern of incremental movement on UAP transparency. Just days ago, Rep. Tim Burchett indicated that names, dates, people, and locations tied to the phenomenon are set to emerge in upcoming briefings.

Earlier this year the U.S. government quietly registered the domain aliens.gov, adding fuel to speculation that formal acknowledgment of non-human intelligence is being prepared at the highest levels.

And in January an insider warned the Bank of England to ready itself for imminent alien disclosure, suggesting the topic has moved well beyond fringe discussion and into institutional planning.

President Trump directed the process of identifying and releasing government files on UAP, UFOs, and extraterrestrial matters back in February. Yet the slow pace continues to frustrate lawmakers and the public alike.

Luna’s task force has emphasized the national security angle, arguing that unexplained objects operating in restricted airspace warrant full scrutiny rather than continued secrecy. The videos in question were reportedly captured by fighter jets, drones, surveillance aircraft, and naval assets across multiple theaters.

While AARO’s latest statement signals forward momentum and coordination at the White House level, skeptics note that similar promises have been made before without full delivery. The public, long accustomed to partial disclosures and redacted reports, is watching closely to see whether this round produces genuine transparency or another round of managed narrative.

The stakes extend beyond curiosity. If these objects represent advanced technology—human or otherwise—the public has a right to know what their governments have documented in their name. Continued foot-dragging only deepens suspicion that elements within the bureaucracy prefer control over candor.

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Authored by Charis Summers via The Epoch Times,

Alexandre Ramagem, a former chief of the Brazilian intelligence agency and a close ally of former President Jair Bolsonaro, has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Orlando, Florida.

Ramagem was chief of the ABIN intelligence agency from 2019 until 2022, when he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, representing Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party.

In September 2025, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in an attempted coup in 2023 by Bolsonaro supporters. His congressional seat was later declared vacant. Brazilian authorities said Ramagem fled the South American nation before he would have started serving his sentence.

Brazil’s federal police said in an April 13 statement that a “fugitive of the country’s justice was arrested” in Orlando, but did not mention Ramagem by name. Police said the unnamed fugitive was recently sentenced by the country’s top court for the same three counts as Ramagem’s conviction.

“The arrest stemmed from international police cooperation between the Federal Police and U.S. law enforcement authorities,” Brazilian authorities said. “The prisoner is considered a fugitive from Brazilian justice after conviction for the crimes of armed criminal organization, coup d’état and attempted violent abolition of the rule of law.”

The Epoch Times reached out to ICE and Immigrex, a visa consultation service and law firm representing Ramagem, for comment, but did not receive a response by publication time.

Bolsonaro was convicted and sentenced to 27 years in jail in September 2025.

‘Traffic Infraction’

Ramagem appeared as “in custody” in ICE’s online detainee database on April 13. The Epoch Times was unable to verify the reason for Ramagem’s arrest, or whether it was related to Brazil’s request to extradite him.

In an April 13 post on X, Paulo Figueiredo, ​a Bolsonaro ally who lives in Florida, said Ramagem was ‌detained after a “minor traffic infraction” in Orlando, and then referred to ICE.

“Ramagem’s status is LEGAL: he has a pending asylum application, filed some time ago and still under review, which allows him to remain lawfully in the United States until a final decision is made in the case,” Figueiredo said.

Brazilian senator and presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro in Grapevine, Texas, at the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 28, 2026. The Epoch Times

Bolsonaro’s son, Flávio, who is also a Brazilian senator, said in an April 13 post on X that Ramagem “has a pending asylum application, is well supported legally, and there is an expectation that he will be released soon.”

Brazil is due to hold presidential elections in October 2026, with the winner taking office in January 2027.

The trials of Bolsonaro and Ramagem stemmed from the aftermath of the 2022 Brazilian presidential election, which included attacks on government buildings by Bolsonaro’s supporters.

Bolsonaro and his aides denied any involvement and said that they were the target of political persecution under the administration of his former competitor, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, or Lula.

During Bolsonaro’s trial, U.S. President Donald Trump referred to it as a “witch hunt” and said Bolsonaro was not guilty of anything, except having fought for the people.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (2nd L) greets supporters next to his wife Michelle Bolsonaro during a rally in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Feb. 25, 2024. Nelson Almeida/AFP via Getty Images

Bolsonaro started his prison sentence in November but was released to house arrest last month after suffering a bout of pneumonia.

In an April 13 post on X, Jorge Seif Júnior, who sits in the Brazilian federal senate, said Ramagem’s detention is “another case of political persecution in Brazil.”

“Today I formally submitted to the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia Official Letter No. 013/2026, presenting the relevant arguments regarding the detention, by ICE, of Brazilian Federal Police officer and Congressman Alexandre Ramagem,” he wrote. “This is yet another case of political persecution in Brazil, as seen with Jair Bolsonaro and Eduardo Bolsonaro. In light of this, I advocate for the granting of political asylum. ”

Lula, on April 14, called ‌on Ramagem to return to Brazil to serve his sentence.

“I believe Ramagem will come back to Brazil, he ​has to come ​back to serve his sentence,” Lula ‌said ⁠in an interview with local media.