Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced late Friday that the U.S. has revoked the visas of Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, several of his judicial allies, and their immediate family members in response to what he described as a “political witch hunt” targeting former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
“[President Trump] made clear that his administration will hold accountable foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States,” said Rubio, who is also serving as President Trump’s national security adviser.
“Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes’s political witch hunt against Jair Bolsonaro created a persecution and censorship complex so sweeping that it not only violates basic rights of Brazilians, but also extends beyond Brazil’s shores to target Americans,” Rubio continued.
“I have therefore ordered visa revocations for Moraes and his allies on the court, as well as their immediate family members effective immediately,” he noted further.
The secretary of state’s announcement came hours after Brazil’s highest court issued restraining orders and search warrants against former President Jair Bolsonaro, barring him from contacting foreign officials. Authorities also placed an ankle monitor on Bolsonaro and conducted a police raid on his residence, The Hill reported.
In a ruling issued Friday, Justice Alexandre de Moraes barred former President Jair Bolsonaro—who was charged last year with attempting to overturn Brazil’s 2022 election—from using social media. Moraes cited concerns that Bolsonaro might try to flee the country, a claim the former president has denied.
Just days earlier, President Trump increased pressure on Brazil by threatening to impose a 50 percent tariff on all imports from the country in response to the ongoing prosecution of Bolsonaro over election fraud allegations.
“I feel supreme humiliation,” the former leader told Reuters in a recent interview. “I am 70 years old, I was president of the republic for four years.”
Bolsonaro and several of his allies, who contend the charges are politically motivated, were indicted in February over an alleged “coup” attempt and efforts to remain in power following his 2022 election loss to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
He has also been banned from running for public office until 2030, The Hill added.
Meanwhile, Venezuela on Friday released 10 jailed U.S. citizens and permanent residents in a deal that secured the return of dozens of migrants previously deported by the United States to El Salvador under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, officials confirmed.
The three-nation agreement marks a diplomatic win for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, advances President Donald Trump’s effort to repatriate Americans imprisoned overseas, and delivers on a prisoner swap proposal initiated months ago by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, The Associated Press reported.
“Every wrongfully detained American in Venezuela is now free and back in our homeland,” Rubio said in a statement in which he thanked Bukele, a Trump ally.
Bukele said his country had handed over all the Venezuelan nationals in its custody. Maduro described Friday as “a day of blessings and good news for Venezuela.” He called it “the perfect day for Venezuela.”
At the heart of the deal are more than 250 Venezuelan migrants who were released by El Salvador after being held in its notorious mega-prison, the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).
In March, El Salvador agreed to a $6 million payment from the Trump administration to detain the migrants, most of whom had been accused of having ties to the violent Tren de Aragua street gang.
The arrangement sparked immediate backlash after Trump invoked the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to expedite their removal, leading to a high-profile legal battle that eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
The progressive celebration following the electoral victory of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has hit a major political and fiscal roadblock, with New York Governor
Mamdani, who campaigned aggressively on a platform of massive social expansion—including free transit and universal childcare—is quickly learning that the realities of state finance and the entrenched power of the moderate Democratic establishment are far stronger than his progressive mandate.
The plan to eliminate fares on all city buses, which Mamdani claimed would save riders over $2,000 annually and inject $1.3 billion into the local economy, was the defining proposal of his campaign.
Mamdani’s plan centered on a direct promise to his constituents: “We are going to eliminate the fare on every single bus line and make what are currently the slowest buses in the nation move around this city with ease.”
When pressed on how he would fund this massive overhaul, Mamdani asserted that the cost was manageable: “We will make buses free by replacing the revenue that the MTA currently gets from buses. This is revenue that’s around $700 million or so.” He quickly minimized the cost by comparing it to corporate tax breaks, claiming it was “less money than Andrew Cuomo gave to Elon Musk… in tax credits.”
Governor Hochul, however, controls the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which manages the buses and subways. Her position is one of fiscal pragmatism, directly confronting Mamdani’s ideological vision.
Hochul’s response was a decisive and immediate veto of the proposal’s viability: “I cannot set forth a plan right now that takes money out of a system that relies on the fares of the buses and the subways.”
The Governor’s stance exposes Mamdani’s plan as an unfunded mandate that threatens the financial stability of the entire transit system. The $700 million required to replace bus fare revenue is simply not a discretionary item she is willing to compromise, signaling that the state will prioritize the established financial architecture of the MTA over the progressive experiment.
The clash over the bus fares is not merely a budgetary disagreement; it is a profound power struggle between New York City’s progressive political ambition and the state’s central administrative control.
Hochul’s refusal to support the free bus plan is rooted in her need to maintain fiscal discipline and stability in a state currently facing severe tax revenue volatility. Her position asserts that while Mamdani is the Mayor-elect, he must operate within the state’s financial realities.
Fiscal Responsibility: The Governor is responsible for the overall state budget and the solvency of the MTA. Sacrificing $700 million in dedicated transit revenue without a secure, long-term replacement plan is viewed as reckless.
The ‘Doable’ Standard: As Hochul previously indicated, she judges policy by the standard of what is “doable”—a standard Mamdani’s aggressive, unfunded plan clearly fails to meet in her estimation.
Mamdani’s early confrontation with the Governor immediately sets a political ceiling on his most radical proposals. He must now either:
Find a New Funding Source:
Adjust His Ambition:
The situation forces Mamdani to reconcile his revolutionary campaign rhetoric with the bureaucratic and financial conservatism of the state machine.
The core takeaway from the bus debacle is a harsh lesson in political governance: money speaks louder than ideological mandate.
Mamdani and his supporters view the cost as minimal compared to the wealth of the rich and corporations. However, without the power to unilaterally seize or reallocate those funds—a power he lacks at the city level—his campaign promises remain just that: promises.
The immediate pushback from Governor Hochul ensures that the new Mayor-elect will spend his initial months in office not implementing his visionary platform, but fighting his own party leadership over basic budgetary compliance.
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