International
Biden hits road to push his struggling spending plans
AFP
President Joe Biden left Tuesday for a swing district in Michigan to try to bridge the divide in his Democratic party over an ambitious social spending and infrastructure program stuck in Congress.
Unable to get his feuding party to agree in Washington, Biden was traveling to Howell, Michigan, where he will give a speech at a union training center.
The venue, in a toss-up district won by Donald Trump during the 2020 presidential election, was chosen to demonstrate Biden’s attempt to appeal to the center.
He is expected to meet with congressional Representative Elissa Slotkin, one of the moderate Democrats baulking at the size and speed of the spending bills under debate.
Before leaving Washington, Biden held a virtual meeting with a group of other moderates. On Monday he did the same with a group representing the more leftist wing of the party.
The White House said that Monday’s meeting was “constructive” and that they “discussed their shared commitment to seizing this moment to make investing in families the heart of our economic growth and competitiveness strategy.”
Democrats control Congress but with such a narrow majority that a handful of members can instantly derail the president’s initiatives. For Biden, time is running out to pass big legislation before the focus turns to next year’s midterm congressional elections, where most analysts expect to see Republicans regain control of at least one house of Congress.
At stake is a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package and a much bigger plan to rebuild the tattered social support system and fight climate change. The initial figure under discussion for that bill was $3.5 trillion, but with moderates making clear they will not go that far, Biden is pushing for something in the range of $2 trillion.
The internal party wrangling comes at the same time as a row with congressional Republicans over lifting the permitted national debt limit, risking the first-ever US default.
International
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.
Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.
In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.
Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.
“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.
He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.
International
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking
Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.
Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.
The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.
“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.
International
Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing
Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.
“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.
He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.
A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.
Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.
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