International
Republicans kill Biden drive to end ‘dark money’ in US elections
AFP
US President Joe Biden’s push for an end to secretive political spending by the super-rich died in the Senate on Thursday as Republicans voted unanimously against curtailing so-called “dark money” in elections.
Democrats have spent years complaining that tycoons are handing over fortunes to influence politicians through loosely-regulated donations that are impossible to trace, heightening the threat of corruption.
But the DISCLOSE Act — a bill proposing to make donations to political organizations more transparent — managed to garner only 49 of the 60 votes required to bring it the Senate floor, after a Republican blockade.
“Today, Senate Republicans stood in lockstep with their megadonors and secretive special interests to protect the most corrupting force in American politics — dark money,” said Democratic senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who spearheaded the proposed reform.
Dark money political spending went from under $5 million in 2006 to more than $1 billion in 2020, according to Whitehouse, who vowed to fight on.
The bill would have required so-called “super PACs” — independent political action committees that are allowed to raise unlimited sums but cannot contribute directly to campaigns — and other dark money groups to report anyone contributing $10,000 or more.
Biden had banked political capital on the reform, delivering a televised address from the White House on Tuesday in which he said the issue was a matter of “public trust.”
“Dark money erodes public trust. We need to protect public trust and I’m determined to do that,” the 79-year-old Democrat said.
The president noted a recent $1.6 billion donation by a Chicago industrialist to the ultra-conservative Marble Freedom Trust, the largest single contribution to a political nonprofit ever disclosed, that only came to light thanks to the US media.
“The DISCLOSE Act would shine a light on special interest spending to neutralize its toxic effect, giving Americans’ voices a chance to be heard,” Whitehouse added.
“Republicans heeded the wishes of dark money donors today, but the fight to pass this bill isn’t over.”
The New York Times reported in January however that Democratic-allied donors had matched or possibly even surpassed Republicans in dark money spending in the 2020 election.
The daily said 15 of the most politically active non-profit organizations aligned with Democrats had handed over more than $1.5 billion in 2020 — compared to around $900 million spent by a comparable sample on the Republican side.
International
Uribe requests freedom amid appeal of historic bribery conviction
Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe on Monday requested that the Supreme Court restore his freedom while he appeals the historic 12-year house arrest sentence he received for bribery and procedural fraud.
Uribe, the most prominent figure of Colombia’s right wing, was convicted last week by a lower court for attempting to bribe paramilitary members into denying his ties to the violent anti-guerrilla squads.
Since Friday, the 73-year-old has been under house arrest at his residence in Rionegro, about 30 km from Medellín. The judge justified the measure by citing a risk of flight.
However, Uribe’s defense team rejected that argument and formally petitioned the court to immediately lift the detention order, claiming it lacks legal basis.
Uribe, a dominant force in Colombian politics for decades, is now the first former president in the country’s history to be convicted and placed under arrest, found guilty of witness tampering and obstruction of justice to prevent links to paramilitary groups.
He has repeatedly denounced the trial as politically motivated, blaming pressure from the leftist government currently in power.
His political party, Centro Democrático, has called for nationwide protests on August 7 in support of Uribe, who remains popular for his hardline stance against guerrilla groups.
Uribe has until August 13 to submit his written appeal. The case will then move to the Bogotá High Court, which has until October 16 to uphold, overturn, or dismiss the sentence. If the deadline passes without a decision, the case will be archived.
International
U.S. Embassy staff restricted as gunfire erupts near compound in Port-au-Prince
The poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean is currently engulfed in a deep political crisis and a wave of violence driven by armed groups — a situation that an international security mission led by Kenya is attempting to stabilize.
Due to the worsening security conditions, the U.S. government has suspended all official movements of embassy personnel outside the compound in Port-au-Prince, the U.S. State Department announced Monday in a security alert posted on social media platform X.
“There are intense gunfights in the Tabarre neighborhood, near the U.S. Embassy,” the alert reads, urging the public to avoid the area.
Tabarre is a municipality located near Port-au-Prince International Airport, northeast of the Haitian capital.
According to a July report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, at least 3,141 people were killed in Haitibetween January 1 and June 30 of this year.
International
Israel says 136 food aid boxes airdropped into Gaza by six nations
The Israeli military announced on Sunday that 136 boxes of food aid were airdropped into Gaza by the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Germany, and Belgium.
“In recent hours, six countries conducted air drops of 136 aid packages containing food for residents in the southern and northern Gaza Strip,” read the statement, which added that the operation was coordinated by COGAT, the Israeli defense body overseeing civil affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Israeli military emphasized that they will “continue working to improve the humanitarian response alongside the international community” and reiterated their stance to “refute false allegations of deliberate famine in Gaza.”
The announcement comes as UN agencies warn Gaza faces an imminent risk of famine. More than one in three residents go days without eating, and other nutrition indicators have dropped to their worst levels since the conflict began.
The agencies also noted the difficulty of “collecting reliable data in current conditions, as Gaza’s health systems —already devastated by nearly three years of conflict— are collapsing.”
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry reported on Sunday that hospitals in the enclave recorded six deaths from hunger and malnutrition on Saturday, all of them adults.
Uribe requests freedom amid appeal of historic bribery conviction
U.S. Embassy staff restricted as gunfire erupts near compound in Port-au-Prince
Israel says 136 food aid boxes airdropped into Gaza by six nations
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Uribe requests freedom amid appeal of historic bribery conviction