Welcome to today’s daily update for Friday, October 30, 2026. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Breakdown
Nayib Bukele, the President of El Salvador, is taking his war on gangs to Haiti.
Bukele is largely considered a far-right leader, but his approval ratings are some of the highest in the world. El Salvador has long suffered through systemic government corruption on both sides, with left-wing and right-wing leaders skimming off the top and securing what citizens describe as sobresueldos, or “secret bonuses.” Several governments would even make deals with local gangs, paying them to lower crime rates in crucial areas ahead of elections to help them garner a win.
However, in 2019, Bukele was elected as president, making himself the face of anti-corruption and anti-gang movements across the nation. Some organizations have labeled him as authoritarian and have cited the serious democratic backsliding that has taken place under his leadership, with tens of thousands of alleged criminals being imprisoned without the right to a lawyer or a formal trial.
Nevertheless, Bukele’s war on gangs has made incredible progress in a nation that was once rampant with drug cartels and violence. He avoids any kind of left-wing or right-wing extremism and has instead focused on public safety, which has skyrocketed during his seven years in power. Between 85% and 94% of local citizens say they approve of Bukele as a leader, illustrating the impact that his actions have had on local communities.
Now, Bukele is taking this war abroad, possibly aiming to wipe out gang violence in a nation that has been taken over by it. Haiti occupies the western third of the island of Hispaniola, sharing the landmass with the Dominican Republic.
In 2021, President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated by gangs, who subsequently took over the nation and filled the remaining power vacuum. Since then, gangs have killed tens of thousands of people and now occupy the majority of the country.
Port-au-Prince, the capital city, is also divided among gangs, and many airlines have been banned from landing in the city. According to the United Nations, more than 5,700 Haitians were killed in the first nine months of 2026 by gang violence and abuse. Millions of others have been displaced, with many fleeing to the northern part of the country for refuge from the gang-controlled Port-au-Prince and the southern coast.
Earlier this month, four Salvadoran aviation technicians were working with UN forces in Haiti when they were reportedly kidnapped by local gangs, leading to the response from Bukele.
Therefore, Bukele’s latest attempt to fight back against gangs is actually a mission to rescue the technicians, but it could likely transform into a united anti-gang movement within months. More than 2,000 Salvadoran troops will join remaining Haitian police as they battle gangs for control, aiming to rescue the technicians from the custody of these gangs.
Some have raised questions over why the technicians were in Haiti in the first place and what role the Salvadoran troops are playing in this fight, but Bukele has not revealed much about the operation. The UN is also urging local forces to take care to avoid injuring citizens or aid workers, who have been frequently caught in the crossfire between gangs and police forces.
Haiti is also set to hold their first elections since 2016 – the presidency has not been taken over since Moïse’s assassination – next year, with the general elections taking place on July 18 and the second round on October 4.
The Global Snapshot
Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed the loss of his party’s majority on election fraud, similar to Trump’s stance after losing the 2020 presidential election in the United States. After days of speculation and counting, the final results of the Israeli election confirmed that Netanyahu’s coalition won 53 seats, the opposition coalition won 48, and a third coalition of Arab-led parties managed to take home another 19 seats. Netanyahu alleged that the election was “stolen” by the Arab parties after receiving foreign assistance – if his opposition is able to form a coalition with the Arabs, it could give them the majority they need to defeat him. If a coalition is not formed, the nation would likely need to repeat elections to resolve the stalemate, and Israeli laws state that Netanyahu and his party would maintain power during this time.
The Trump administration is increasing pressure on California, using the Justice Department to issue a host of subpoenas to election officials across the state. Trump has consistently asserted that there are massive numbers of illegal immigrants that continue to vote in local elections across the US, despite various fact-checks that have questioned this line of thinking. As part of an attempt to push that narrative forward, the administration is pulling dozens of California election officials into court to prove that “aliens” are illegitimately voting. On Wednesday, a federal judge blocked Trump’s efforts to cut over 20,000 Californian votes under suspicion that they can be attributed to noncitizens.
Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): There are more than 125 species of mushrooms that glow in the dark.
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Being fake is so common now that being real is seen as offensive. (Chris Ruden)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Grotesque (adj, groh-TESK) - Grotesque describes something that is very strange or ugly in a way that is not normal or natural. It can also describe something that is extremely different from what is expected or usual.
In a Sentence: She opted for a scary Halloween costume, complete with a grotesque monster mask.
Image: World Bank / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
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