El empresario hotelero italiano Giuseppe Cipriani, radicado en Punta del Este, ha estado en los últimos días en el centro de la atención luego de que el proceso de adopción de uno de sus hijos comenzara a ser investigado. El caso se reabrió la semana pasada, cuando se difundió el caso que se convirtió en un escándalo que destapó una adopción opaca en Uruguay.

Nicole Minetti, de 41 años, fue condenada en Italia a tres años y once meses de prisión acusada de favorecer la prostitución y el desvíos de fondos públicos como consejera en Lombardía. Sin embargo, esta mujer –una figura central del ecosistema de poder de Silvio Berlusconi– fue indultada por el presidente Sergio Mattarella, que alegó razones humanitarias.

Las “razones humanitarias” que terminaron derivando en su indulto fue que Minetti debía cuidar de un hijo adoptivo menor de edad con “graves patologías” que requería tratamientos costosos en el extranjero.

El caso motivó una investigación sobre cómo le fue otorgada la adopción a Minetti y Cipriani y el empresario italiano decidió hablar esta semana, con el diario de su país Corriere Della Sera.

El empresario contó que este caso ha “destrozado” a su pareja, a quien definió como una “madre fantástica”, y negó las noticias que se han difundido en Italia sobre él. Dijo que es “todo” falso: “Empezando por la adopción, que ellos llaman ilegal. Tardamos casi cuatro años en seguir el procedimiento: jueces, trabajadores sociales, psicólogos… Uruguay no es un país bananero; es un lugar serio donde las cosas se hacen con seriedad. Y el dinero es inútil; de hecho, es un país socialistas; ciertas cosas no se pueden comprar”.

Cipriani señaló que volvería a adoptar un niño. Y, de hecho, informó que es una posibilidad. “Nicole y yo estamos pensando en adoptar otro niño, también aquí en Uruguay. Todavía no hemos finalizado los trámites. Esperemos que las cosas se calmen”, dijo.

El magnate italiano –que remodela el histórico hotel San Rafael en Punta del Este– señaló que la difusión de su caso significa una “bajeza” y dijo que es “insostenible” lo que se ha publicado.

“Es una locura: se ignora la privacidad de un niño, la privacidad familiar… Creo que tendremos que sacar conclusiones y tomar medidas una vez que las cosas se calmen. Buscaremos una indemnización. Informar de las noticias está bien, pero aquí estamos gritando al viento sobre cosas que no existen”, aseguró.

Al ser consultado sobre lo exhaustivas que eran las investigaciones periodísticas, Cipriani dijo que “bastaba con mirar” los documentos presentados en Uruguay para saber que la adopción se trataba “simplemente de un acto de amor”. “De un acto de amor surgió algo que no tiene absolutamente ningún sentido”, señaló.

El caso trata de un menor nacido a fines de 2017, en un entorno de extrema pobreza. Su madre es María de los Ángeles González Colinet, una mujer que ahora está desaparecida y es buscada por la Policía como persona ausente. En 2018, la justicia uruguaya lo confió al Instituto del Niño y Adolescente del Uruguay (INAU) con el mandato de intentar el revínculo con su familia biológica. Fue en ese momento cuando Minetti y Cipriani aparecieron en la vida del menor.

Cipriani defendió que su pareja no tenía que ir a prisión. “Ella debía supervisar personalmente a su hijo: si le hubieran concedido la libertad condicional, no habría podido viajar al extranjero ni estar con él. Creo que fue algo fantástico: un acto de amor del presidente Mattarella, quien comprendió la situación a la perfección y, por ello, concedió el indulto”.

Cipriani contó que su hijo tiene que viajar cada seis meses a Boston para revisiones, algo que se mantendrá hasta que cumpla 18 años.

An ally of Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is receiving blowback for painting Ed Gallrein, Massie’s challenger, as a veteran potentially abusing disability benefits.

«Ed Gallrein has received government benefits for claiming to be 100% physically disabled, while also claiming to do demanding full-time farm work on his family’s operation,» Andrew Cooperrider, a radio and podcast host, said in a post to Facebook.

«This raises serious questions about consistency, transparency and accountability,» he continued.

The post drew criticisms from experts in the veterans’ community for what they called a mischaracterization of the Veterans Affairs (VA) disability rating system. It also highlights the sensitivity of a race that pits a Trump-endorsed candidate against one of the president’s most frequent critics.

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«I think it’s disgraceful that any type of campaign would try to use a VA disability rating against somebody,» Mark Lucas, founder and president of Veteran Action, an advocacy group, said of Cooperrider’s post.

«Just because a veteran has a disability, it does not mean that they can’t work,» Lucas added.

Gallrein, a former longtime Navy SEAL and fifth-generation Kentucky farmer, has positioned himself as a pro-Trump candidate looking to unseat the biggest thorn in the side of the GOP. He contends that Massie’s decision to vote against Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, his push to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act and constant criticisms of overseas conflicts in Iran and Venezuela all go against the grain of the party.

Gallrein received Trump’s endorsement earlier this year.

Tim Murtaugh, an advisor to his campaign, blasted Cooperrider’s Facebook post, calling the criticism an «offensive attack.»

«This is a ridiculous and offensive attack on a veteran, a potentially illegal invasion of privacy and it proves Massie and his allies truly have no shame and no honor,» Murtaugh said.

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Ed Gallrein launched a congressional campaign to challenge Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky after President Donald Trump endorsed him. The announcement took place in the Oval Office at the White House in March. (Fox News)

Prior to his political aspirations, Gallrein served as a member of SEAL Team Six, deploying to conflict zones in Panama and the Persian Gulf among others, before returning to work on his family’s farm, according to his online biography.

It’s unclear what kind of injuries led the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to give Gallrein the 100% disability rating.

Darin Selnick, former VA Affairs advisor for the White House Domestic Policy Council and a senior advisor for Veteran Action, explained that a disability rating is a multi-factor assessment of injuries sustained in service-related activity that then serves as a basis for federal assistance.

He stressed that veterans have little say in the rating they ultimately receive.

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Signage is displayed outside the Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in Washington, D.C. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg)

«When you file for the claim, the VA has an independent medical examiner that looks at your medical records. They do additional medical examinations to confirm what’s in the medical records. That report goes to the ratings examiner,» Selnick said.

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«VA then says, okay, based on this rating, you then get X amount of compensation per month for the service-connected injuries that happened to you.»

Cooperrider did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

It’s primary day in Republican-dominated Indiana, where President Donald Trump’s immense sway over the GOP is on the line, as his endorsements in key races will be tested.

In neighboring Ohio, another right-leaning state, some of Tuesday’s top primaries will tee up crucial general election showdowns in November’s midterm elections, when Republicans will be defending their slim Senate and razor-thin House majorities.

Two congressional incumbents in Indiana — Republican Rep. Jim Baird and Democratic Rep. Andre Carson — face serious primary challenges.

And in Ohio, Republicans will pick from a crowded primary field in the race to face off with vulnerable Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur.

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Indiana

Five months ago, Republicans in the GOP-dominated Indiana state Senate withstood immense pressure from Trump and his allies and voted down congressional redistricting, which would have given solidly red Indiana two more right-leaning U.S. House seats ahead of the midterms.

Fast-forward to today, and eight of those state senators are facing GOP primary challenges. Seeking retribution, the president endorsed challengers to seven of the eight Republican lawmakers who voted against the redistricting bill.

The president’s allies have shelled out more than $6 million to try to oust the state senators, according to the national ad tracking firm AdImpact. Among those in the political fight on behalf of the president are two national groups: Turning Point USA’s political wing and the Club for Growth. Also leading the charge are Hoosier Leadership for America and American Leadership PAC, which are aligned with GOP Sen. Jim Banks, a top Senate ally of the president. Groups allied with Republican Gov. Mike Braun are also part of the full court press.

The intra-party battle is seen not just as a test of fealty to Trump but rather a fight between MAGA forces and more traditional conservatives for the future of the GOP.

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President Donald Trump vowed in December 2025 to «take out» the Republican leader of the Indiana Senate after opposition to a congressional map he supported. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

«We’ve got to change those old-style Republicans, put in people who will fight, fight against the Democrat gerrymandering,» Club for Growth President David McIntosh told Fox News Digital.

McIntosh, a former congressman from Indiana, said, «I want to see my state do the right thing.»

But the besieged incumbents have significantly outraised their challengers, and have also been boosted by the Indiana Senate GOP caucus.

In an interesting side note, one of the races pits Trump versus his former Vice President Mike Pence.

Trump is backing challenger Tracey Powell, who is trying to take out state Sen. Jim Buck, who’s backed by Pence, a former Indiana governor and congressman.

A pro-Trump source involved in the Indiana showdowns told Fox News Digital that a victory would be considered winning half the seats, and anything beyond that would be a major win.

In western Indiana’s 4th Congressional District, the Trump-backed Baird is being challenged by state Rep. Craig Haggard. And in Indiana’s 7th Congressional District, Carson is facing three primary challenges, including Georgie Hornedo, a veteran of former President Barack Obama’s administration.

Ohio

Vivek Ramaswamy grabbed national attention when he ran for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination before dropping out and becoming a top Trump surrogate.

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Vivek Ramaswamy, seen speaking at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025 in Phoenix on Dec. 19, 2025, is running for Ohio governor. (Jon Cherry/AP)

Now, the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and business leader is all but certain to capture the Republican gubernatorial nomination in his home state of Ohio.

Ramaswamy, who is backed by Trump, will face off in November against Dr. Amy Acton, a doctor and researcher who served as director of the state Department of Health from 2019 to 2020. Acton is unopposed in the Democratic primary.

The winner will succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Mike DeWine.

It’s a similar story in Ohio’s Senate primary, where appointed Republican Sen. Jon Husted, a former lieutenant governor, is unopposed in the GOP primary.

Former longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is expected to cruise to his party’s nomination.

The winner will serve the final two years of the term of Vice President JD Vance, who stepped down from the Senate after the Trump-Vance ticket won the 2024 presidential election.

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Sen. Jon Husted and former Sen. Sherrod Brown will face off in a highly anticipated Senate race in Ohio in November. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images ; Justin Merriman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Once a top general election battleground state, Ohio has shifted to the right over the past decade, with Trump carrying the state by 11 points in the 2024 election. But this year’s races for the Senate and governor are expected to be very competitive. And the Senate race is one of a handful across the country that may determine if the GOP holds the majority or if the Democrats flip the chamber.

In northwest Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, the 79-year-old Kaptur, who is already the longest serving woman in U.S. House history, is running for a 23rd two-year term.

But Kaptur, who barely won re-election in 2024, is now running in a district that’s even redder than it was two years ago, thanks to Republican-steered mid-decade redistricting.

Top non-partisan political handicappers The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball give the GOP a slight edge in the general election showdown.

The packed field of GOP contenders fighting to take on Kaptur in November include former state Rep. Derek Merrin, who lost to the congresswoman by a razor-thin margin two years ago, former state Rep. Josh Williams, Air Force veteran Alea Nadeem, and former ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan.

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Republicans will also choose a nominee in the Cincinnati-based 1st District, where Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman is running for re-election.

Democrats will nominate a candidate in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District, south and west of Columbus, where they hope to take out Republican Rep. Mike Carey in November.