MOTHER JONES DAILY: Meet Paolo Zampolli, the Man at the Center of Trump’s Biggest Scandals, Meet the Moms Fighting Toxic Air Pollution (You Could Be Next), The fight against warehouse detention has come to Congress, A judge ordered her return after a wrongful deportation. Now comes the hard part., Florida’s notorious Alligator Alcatraz can remain open, court rules, The US military is 3D-printing warheads, Geek tragedy 23APR26

 

                                          GEEK OLIGARCHY TRAGEDY

Support our nonprofit journalism April 23, 2026 At first, I thought he was a Sopranos kind of guy: standing up against anti-Italian discrimination. He told the Financial Times that he'd floated to Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino that Iran (which qualified) should be replaced by Italy (which did not qualify) at this summer’s World Cup. “I’m an Italian native and it would be a dream,” the man said. Then I learned that Trump had named him in December 2020 to the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees—and that he serves as the White House's "Special Representative for Global Partnerships" (a role that definitely entails lobbying for one’s country of birth). But digging into it more, I found some horrifying things: According to the New York Times, he asked ICE to detain and deport his ex-girlfriend (she was indeed ultimately deported) and maintained business connections with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. He’s the epitome of the grifters and abusers ever-present in Trump’s orbit, a man as opportunistic as they come. Here’s the story of Paolo Zampolli. —Alex Nguyen Advertisement Meet Paolo Zampolli, the Man at the Center of Trump’s Biggest Scandals From the World Cup to Jeffrey Epstein and ICE deportations, the man who says he introduced Donald and Melania stays busy. BY ALEX NGUYEN SPONSORED POST Meet the Moms Fighting Toxic Air Pollution (You Could Be Next) Community leaders expose plastic industry myths—and the danger lurking next door. THIS CONTENT WAS PAID FOR AND SPONSORED BY MOMS CLEAN AIR FORCE. The fight against warehouse detention has come to Congress BY SOPHIE HURWITZ A judge ordered her return after a wrongful deportation. Now comes the hard part. BY ISABELA DIAS Florida’s notorious Alligator Alcatraz can remain open, court rules BY LAURA C. MOREL The US military is 3D-printing warheads BY SOPHIE HURWITZ Advertisement Geek tragedy Look upon their works and despair. BY TIM MURPHY MOTHER JONES MEMBERSHIP UPDATE You make this work possible. Honest, investigative reporting. Independent from influence or agenda. Freely accessible to every reader. That’s what we’re all about. But that news isn’t free to produce. Last week, during our Spring Membership Drive, readers stepped up. We reached our goal to fund the investigations that our team is hard at work on. But if you missed the drive, we still hope that you’ll give! As a reader-funded newsroom, our need for support continues throughout the year. Your donation today makes just as much of an impact. Make a gift of any amount. Give Today Did you enjoy this newsletter? Share it on Facebook and Bluesky. Your source for journalism that doesn't shrink back. Fifty years and counting. Keep us growing with a gift of any amount. Donate Subscribe For advertising opportunities see our online media kit. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today. www.MotherJones.com PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755