International

Abel Martínez, an experienced Dominican politician who seeks the return to power of the LDP

Abel Martínez arrives in the presidential elections of the Dominican Republic on May 19 after a valued administration as mayor of the city that saw him grow, Santiago (second in the country), from 2016 to 2024, and with the view to the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) returning to power.

At 52 years old and with a long political career behind him after obtaining his law degree, Martínez has this goal for the LDP, a formation that ruled the country first from 1996 to 2000 and later between 2004 and 2020, when he lost the general elections in the midst of an internal division and serious accusations of corruption.

Although the LDP remains the second Dominican political force, Martínez’s candidacy is, according to the polls, in a distant third place, behind that of the current president of the country Luis Abinader, of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), who heads the polls on voting intention, and former President Leonel Fernández, of the People’s Force.

This lawyer, educator and politician has 25 years of experience. He began in 1999 with the position of prosecutor of Santiago and continued as a deputy for 14 years.

Martínez, the youngest of fifteen siblings, continued his promotion to all sectors of the politics of the Dominican Republic and, in 2010, began to hold the Presidency of the Chamber of Deputies, becoming the youngest of the holders of any Parliament on the continent at that time.

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He stood out for his role in legislative decisions such as the approval of laws that contribute to the strengthening of transparency in public administration and democracy, the Arms Control Law or the Civil Code.

In 2016, considered one of the most important politicians in his province, he accepted the position of mayor in Santiago. A city declared in a health and environmental emergency that during the eight years of his term (he was re-elected in 2020) has significantly improved its conditions.

In fact, in statements to EFE, he said that his eight years as a manager of the municipality turned Santiago, “which was a stray city” into “a model of municipal management.”

The experience and “those positive results” in 24 years of public service have led Martínez to aspire to the Presidency, “and more in the situation that is in the Dominican Republic, that he needs a manager, that he needs results, who needs action, but, above all, that he needs a concrete plan that is carried out, not beautiful words,” he added.

To achieve the transition from mayor to president of the Republic, Martínez elaborated a series of proposals with the objective of the LDP to regovern the country as it already did before its defeat in the hands of the PRM in 2020.

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The creation of three security rings to provide an immediate response to crime, the ‘Patria Segura’ program to control the border area with Haiti; the ‘Seed Capital’ plan, which would consist of giving incentives of 300,000 Dominican pesos to high school graduates for their university studies (about $5,000) or the ‘Zero Debt’ initiative, to eliminate loans to banking institutions, are some of his proposals.

International

Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty to Killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Luigi Mangione admitted Friday to fatally shooting Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance group in the United States, during an appearance before a federal judge.

The case shocked the U.S. business community and dates back to December 2024, when Mangione opened fire on Thompson, 50, on a Manhattan street. Prosecutors have described the attack as being motivated by Mangione’s opposition to the U.S. health insurance system.

“On the morning of December 4, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Mangione said as he pleaded guilty to a federal stalking charge related to his pursuit of the executive.

Mangione, 28, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, and prosecutors have indicated that they will seek a life sentence.

In addition to the federal charges related to stalking Thompson, Mangione also faces a murder case brought by the state of New York.

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Following his guilty plea in federal court, Mangione’s defense asked a state court to dismiss the state charges, arguing that prosecuting him again for the same conduct would violate protections against double jeopardy.

“We have just filed our motion in state court to explain why the charges should be dismissed under New York’s protections against double jeopardy,” Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said Friday.

Both the federal and state cases could result in a life sentence. Two other federal charges that initially carried the possibility of the death penalty were dismissed by a judge earlier this year.

International

ICE Plan to Equip Agents With Electric Shock Gloves Raises Abuse Concerns

Plans to equip U.S. immigration agents with gloves capable of delivering electric shocks are raising concerns over potential abuses by a law enforcement agency that critics accuse of using excessive force and providing inadequate training to its personnel.

The plan involves the potential purchase of electric-shock gloves for agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency primarily responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost criticized the proposal on X, arguing that the agency has already faced accusations of excessive force during immigration enforcement operations.

“As if assaulting and shooting people in the streets wasn’t enough,” Frost wrote. He also criticized the reported $20 million potential expenditure on the devices and called for greater restrictions on ICE.

The agency has faced growing scrutiny following a series of deadly shootings during immigration enforcement operations. Among the incidents were the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January who were participating in protests against the agency.

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Critics have focused on the tactics used by ICE agents when detaining immigrants, as well as allegations that training standards for newly recruited personnel have been lowered.

According to a procurement plan first reported by the Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, could spend between $10 million and $20 million on the devices.

The gloves are described by the agency as tools intended for “distraction and de-escalation,” rather than lethal weapons. The system, known as GLOVE, stands for “Generated Low-Output Voltage Emitter.”

The device is manufactured by Compliant Technologies, a Kentucky-based company that describes its products as advanced non-lethal tools designed to protect and assist law enforcement and other personnel.

The proposal comes amid an intensifying national debate over ICE’s enforcement methods and the use of force during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

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International

Three U.S. Executions Set for Same Day as Trump Pushes to Expand Death Penalty

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 U.S. states, while three others —California, Oregon and Pennsylvania— currently have moratoriums in place.

The United States is set to carry out three executions on the same day, a rare occurrence that has not happened since 2010, according to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.

President Donald Trump has sought to expand the use of capital punishment for what he describes as “the most heinous crimes.” In April, the Department of Justice proposed expanding execution methods to include firing squads, lethal gas and electrocution.

Tennessee is scheduled to execute Anthony Darrell Dugard Hines, 66, on Thursday. He was sentenced to death for the 1985 murder of a woman, according to local media.

In Oklahoma, Carlos Cuesta-Rodríguez, 70, is scheduled to be executed for a 2003 murder.

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Meanwhile, Alabama plans to execute Jeremy Williams, 42, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl.

The United States carried out 47 executions in 2025, the highest number since 2009, when 52 executions were recorded.

Florida conducted the largest number of executions last year, with 19, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas, with five each.

Of the executions carried out in 2025, 39 were conducted by lethal injection. Three were carried out by firing squad and five through nitrogen hypoxia, a method that involves forcing nitrogen gas into a face mask, depriving the prisoner of oxygen.

The United Nations has condemned nitrogen gas as a cruel and inhumane method of capital punishment.