International
Biden’s campaign: the verdict against Trump shows that “no one is above the law”
The campaign team of US President Joe Biden considered on Thursday that the verdict of a New York jury against former Republican president Donald Trump (2017-2021) shows that “no one is above the law.”
“Today in New York we saw that no one is above the law,” the campaign’s Director of Communications, Michael Tyler, said in a statement.
Biden’s team assured that Trump, his future electoral rival in the November elections, had “erroneously believed” that he would not face consequences for “violating the law for his personal benefit,” but today reality showed that this is not the case.
Biden himself said, after the ruling, that there is only one way to keep former president Donald Trump (2017-2021) out of the White House, and that is to go to the polls on November 5.
“There is only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the polls,” he said in a message through the social network X, in which he asked for donations for his campaign, and which he published an hour after the guilty verdict against the former president was known.
Biden’s campaign said that Thursday’s verdict does not alter the fact that U.S. citizenship faces an important decision at the polls in November and stressed that the “only way” to prevent Trump from returning to the White House is through voting.
“Convicted criminal or not, Trump will be the Republican candidate for the presidency,” the campaign stressed.
In this regard, Biden’s team took the opportunity to emphasize that Trump represents an unprecedented “threat” to American democracy and assured that another four years of his in the White House would mean “chaos” with the former president depriving students of their freedoms and encouraging “political violence.”
The president has not spoken directly about the verdict against Trump, leaving the political response to his campaign team.
The White House did speak briefly. In a statement, a spokesman for the legal team of the Presidency limited himself to saying: “We respect the rule of law and we do not have any additional comments.”
Biden was this Thursday at his residence in the beach town of Rehoboth, in the state of Delaware, and did not have any public event.
This Thursday marks the anniversary of the death in 2015 of Beau Biden, one of the president’s children, who died at the age of 46 from a brain tumor. On every anniversary, the Democratic leader usually mourns and has no public events.
Biden has tried to keep his distance from the judicial cases that Trump faces with the aim of showing respect for the judicial system and making it clear that the Department of Justice acts independently, unlike what the former president claims.
In fact, Trump assured the press that it is a: “rigged and shameful trial” and “orchestrated by the Biden Administration to harm or harm a political opponent.”
Trump was found guilty of the 34 charges for having falsified some commercial records after having irregularly paid the porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign to keep silent about the adventure they allegedly had.
International
Five Bodies Found in Ecuador as Police Probe Suspected Gang Turf War
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating the deaths of five people whose bodies were found inside a rural home, in what police believe may be linked to a territorial dispute between organized criminal groups.
The victims, aged between 21 and 30, were discovered Tuesday in the town of La Troncal, in the Andean province of Cañar. Police reported that two of the bodies were bound with wire, while a burned-out vehicle was found outside the residence.
Investigators said graffiti on the walls of the house included messages such as “Lobos territory” and “Lobos active,” suggesting a possible connection to the criminal organization known as Los Lobos.
Police believe the killings were likely the result of a conflict over territorial control between rival gangs.
The discovery came on the same day authorities arrested a former mayor in the neighboring province of Azuay. Officials identified him as the alleged main financial backer of Los Lobos, one of Ecuador’s most powerful criminal organizations.
Ecuador has experienced an unprecedented surge in violence in recent years, driven by criminal groups involved in drug trafficking, illegal mining, kidnapping, and extortion.
According to Insight Crime, the country recorded 51 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025—equivalent to roughly one killing every hour—making it one of the most violent countries in Latin America.
International
Georgia Teen Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Deadly School Shooting
A Georgia teenager who killed four people in a 2024 school shooting was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to the attack.
Colt Gray, now 16, admitted to opening fire at Apalachee High School in Winder, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) northeast of Atlanta. He was 14 years old at the time of the shooting.
The attack claimed the lives of two students and two teachers, while nine other people were injured. Despite being a minor when the shooting occurred, Gray was prosecuted as an adult.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Nicholas Trimm acknowledged the failures of the teenager’s family but said they did not excuse his actions.
“Your parents failed you. Your family failed you. But that does not absolve you,” the judge said.
Trimm also rejected any suggestion that the shooting was motivated by bullying or personal grievances.
“You were not bullied at Apalachee. This was not driven by hate. You didn’t know anyone at that school. It was simply the desire to commit a notorious act,” he told Gray.
The case also led to the prosecution of the shooter’s father, Colin Gray, who was convicted in March of voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter. The case marked one of the first instances in which a parent was held criminally responsible for a mass shooting carried out by their child.
Prosecutors said Colin Gray had given his son an AR-15-style rifle as a Christmas gift in 2023, despite being aware that the teenager had previously threatened to carry out a school shooting.
Authorities said the same rifle was used in the attack less than a year later. Months before the shooting, FBI investigators had alerted local law enforcement after receiving reports of online messages linked to the Gray family’s internet address that referenced plans for a school massacre.
The case reflects growing legal scrutiny in the United States over the responsibility of parents whose children commit acts of gun violence.
In a similar case, the parents of a Michigan teenager who killed four people at his high school in 2021 were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2024 and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 to 15 years.
According to U.S. health authorities, firearms have been the leading cause of death among children and teenagers in the United States for several years.
International
Portuguese Authorities Seize 2.6 Tons of Cocaine Worth More Than $550 Million in Drug Bust
Italian financial police reported Monday that Portuguese authorities intercepted a speedboat carrying more than 2.6 tons of cocaine, with an estimated street value exceeding $550 million.
Four people — two Spanish nationals, one Albanian citizen, and a man from Gibraltar — were arrested in connection with the operation, according to Italian authorities.
The vessel was intercepted off the coast of Lisbon by Portugal’s maritime police following an investigation led by Italian authorities.
Italian financial police estimated that the seized shipment had a street value of approximately 500 million euros ($570 million), making it one of the largest drug seizures reported in the region in recent years.
Portuguese authorities said the interception took place on Thursday, about 90 kilometers (50 nautical miles) southwest of Cape Espichel, during an operation targeting international drug trafficking routes.
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