International

Biden admits that he had “a bad night” in the debate and that he “shook the up”

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, acknowledged on Thursday in a radio interview that he “hit a shit” during the presidential debate against former President Donald Trump, but promised to continue in the electoral race.

In a conversation with radio host Earl Ingram, which is broadcast on a radio in the key state of Wisconsin, the president assured that he “made a mistake” a week ago during the debate.

“I had a bad night. The fact is that I screwed up,” the president said.

“I was wrong (…) but I learned from my father that when you fall, you get up and we are going to win these elections; we are going to defeat Donald Trump just like we did in 2020,” he added.

After the meeting with the Republican on the national network, where at times Biden could not follow the thread of the conversation or his words were not understood, the president has faced increasing pressure to abandon his candidacy.

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Both political analysts, as well as the media, Democratic donors and two members of Congress have publicly asked Biden to leave the nomination.

Two surveys conducted after last week’s debate and published on Wednesday also showed that Trump’s advantages in key states have increased since that television meeting.

A Wall Street Journal poll concluded that Trump could win with 48% of the vote against Biden, who would stay with 42%. Meanwhile, a poll by The New York Times showed that Trump’s advantage over Biden had expanded three points after the debate, so that he would now win with 49% versus 43%.

In Thursday’s interview, Biden spoke directly to the voters of the key state, in particular the African-American community, whose vote strengthened the Democrat’s victory in 2020.

“I didn’t have a good debate, but that was only 90 minutes; look at everything I’ve done in 3 and a half years,” Biden stressed and listed a series of “accomplyss” of his Government, including economic measures.

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The president criticized Trump for saying during the debate that migrants are taking jobs from the black population of the United States.

“What he’s doing is embarrassing, talking about ‘afro’ jobs as if the only thing black people can do is manual work; that’s what he’s doing and that’s how he sees it,” Biden said in the interview.

Wisconsin, in the north of the country, is considered a “hinge” state, that is, victory is not guaranteed for either party. In 2020, Biden had a narrow victory in the region with a margin of only 0.63% against Trump.

The average of polls in that state keep Biden and Trump technically tied, but the margin in favor of the Republican has been slightly widened after last week’s debate.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”

International

Mexico security chief meets DEA director in Washington to boost anti-drug cooperation

Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, met in Washington with the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Terrance Cole, to discuss cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal arms flows.

The Mexican official said Monday on social media that he attended the meeting in representation of the Mexican government’s Security Cabinet.

“In Washington, D.C., I represented the Security Cabinet to hold talks with DEA Director Terrance Cole on the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation to combat drug trafficking, curb the flow of weapons into our country, and reduce violence in Mexico through significant arrests,” García Harfuch wrote.

He added that, following instructions from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the government will continue strengthening international cooperation on security matters.

For his part, Cole said the meeting focused on cross-border collaboration to tackle drug trafficking and to build safer communities on both sides of the border.

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The meeting comes as Mexico and the United States begin a new round of dialogue on economic and security issues.

Earlier Monday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will look for the “best moment” to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, adding that maintaining a good relationship with Washington is a priority for her administration.

International

Venezuela’s foreign minister accuses UN rights chief of “immoral bias”

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil criticized the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, accusing him of having an “immoral bias” and acting as an “echo chamber for falsehoods” regarding the situation in Venezuela.

Gil’s remarks came after Türk stated that his office had not received an official list from Venezuelan authorities detailing the release of political prisoners, nor authorization to carry out visits related to the issue.

“The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights insists on a narrative biased against our country, repeating unfounded accusations while deliberately omitting the impact of unilateral coercive measures on the rights of the Venezuelan people,” Gil said in a message posted on his Telegram channel.

Without directly addressing the question of prisoner releases, the Venezuelan foreign minister also accused Türk of aligning with what he described as the “agenda of extremism in Venezuela.”

Gil added that, despite serious human rights violations occurring in other parts of the world, the UN official has chosen to maintain what he described as an “immoral bias” against Venezuela.

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The criticism is part of a broader dispute between the Venezuelan government and the UN human rights office over reports and investigations concerning the human rights situation in the country.