International

Who will be Trump’s vice presidential candidate? He will announce it today

The Republican National Convention kicks off on Monday with the question of who will be chosen here as Donald Trump’s vice president, a role that has taken on greater relevance after the attempted assassination of the former president has reminded that this running mate could one day be forced to govern the country.

According to Fox News, Trump will make his decision, which he has kept secret and limited to three names, this Monday.

Saturday’s assassination attempt, in which the former president was wounded and one of his supporters killed, adds to the calculations the need for the chosen one to be capable of governing and not just represent a help in attracting votes and being a loyal “number two.”

The quality of loyalty has until now been essential for Trump, who believes that Mike Pence, who was his vice president between 2017 and 2021, betrayed him by refusing to block the transition of power after Joe Biden’s electoral victory.

One of the front-runners for the post is Ohio Sen. JD Vance, 39, who won his Senate seat in 2021 thanks to key support from Trump, whom he had criticized in years past.

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A law graduate from Yale University and a Navy veteran, he rose to fame in 2016 thanks to the publication of his memoirs ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ about his childhood in a poor family and has become a young figurehead of the American right.

Trump recently denied a rumor that Vance was disqualified from the race for wearing a beard, as the former president does not like facial hair. “He looks good,” he said of him in an interview.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio’s dream of reaching the White House, after his failed attempt in 2016, could become a reality if he is chosen by Trump as his running mate.

But this son of Cuban immigrants faces a legal obstacle: the 12th Amendment of the Constitution prohibits presidential and vice presidential candidates on the same ticket from living in the same state, as is the case in Florida in the case of Trump (Palm Beach) and Rubio (Miami).

If the residency issue is resolved and Trump chooses him, the 53-year-old senator would become the first Hispanic on a U.S. presidential ticket.

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On the plus side, ‘Little Marco’, as Trump called him before they became allies, is helped not only by his fluency in Spanish, but also by his role as a key point of reference for Cuban, Venezuelan and Nicaraguan exiles.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, 67, was little known nationally until he entered the Republican primary. He withdrew his candidacy to endorse Trump and has gradually become a stronger vice presidential contender.

Burgum is a billionaire businessman who began his career with a small software company that was eventually acquired by Microsoft for more than $1 billion.

On the downside, Trump has expressed suspicions about the governor’s strong support for abortion restrictions in North Dakota, an issue that the New York magnate fears will come back to haunt him in the November elections.

Tim Scott is the only black senator in the Republican Party. The grandson of a cotton worker in the American Deep South, he is often held up as an example of the American dream and initially ran for the presidential nomination himself.

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The 58-year-old South Carolina representative, a staunch believer, never managed to get above 4 percent of the vote in the primary process and eventually gave up his aspirations, saying voters had made it clear to him that now was not the time.

Since then, his support for Trump has been clear. In January, he interrupted a speech by the former president to tell him that he loved him: “That’s why he’s a great politician,” he replied, and that if he were to elect him, Scott could be an ally in bringing the African-American community closer to his base.

International

Mexico and Guatemala Agree on Five-Point Binational Plan for 2027

Mexico and Guatemala agreed Tuesday on a 2027 Binational Plan built around five areas of cooperation, along with a schedule of meetings and initiatives aimed at making progress by the end of 2026 on security, border infrastructure, human mobility, development and technical and social cooperation.

The agreement was announced by the foreign ministers of both countries following a meeting in Mexico City.

Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said the plan will establish the “direction and priorities” of bilateral relations for next year. His Guatemalan counterpart, Carlos Ramiro Martínez, said the meeting allowed both governments to make decisions, schedule activities and revitalize bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

Security and border infrastructure

In the area of security, the two governments have nearly completed negotiations on a new memorandum of understanding for the Mexico-Guatemala High-Level Security Group (Ganseg), which was reactivated in 2025.

The countries expect to sign the agreement in the coming months to strengthen coordination and their ability to respond to shared security threats.

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Regarding their nearly 1,000-kilometer shared border, Mexico and Guatemala agreed to advance infrastructure improvements at border crossings and continue work on a joint cargo clearance program between Ciudad Hidalgo and Tecún Umán, two border areas separated by the Suchiate River.

The measures are intended to facilitate bilateral trade while making cross-border exchanges safer and more efficient.

The two governments will also continue defining a route toward a railway connection between their countries through Line K of Mexico’s Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT), with the aim of strengthening economic and community ties.

Migration and development

On human mobility, Mexico and Guatemala will maintain coordination to ensure safe, orderly and dignified returns, while strengthening protection for people in transit.

The bilateral agenda also includes a second phase of the Sembrando Vida program in Guatemala, which is expected to benefit 10,000 people across 15 departments.

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Both countries will also advance initiatives under Juntos para el Bienestar, as well as six technical, scientific and energy cooperation projects approved by the Joint Commission.

The agreements seek to strengthen bilateral ties and establish concrete priorities for cooperation between Mexico and Guatemala during 2027.

International

France to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats Over Alleged Attack on French Officials

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced Tuesday, August 18, 2026, that France will expel two Iranian diplomats in response to what Paris described as an attack on two French representatives in Iran last month.

“Two French diplomats were scandalously and deliberately assaulted on July 19. I had announced that this intolerable act would have consequences. It has now happened. Two Iranian diplomats in France will be expelled in the coming days,” Barrot said in a message posted on X.

The two Iranian diplomats have been declared persona non grata and will be required to leave France within the coming days, according to the French foreign minister.

About a month ago, Barrot said that two members of the French diplomatic staff had been detained by Iranian security forces for several hours. One of them was also subjected to harassment, he said.

The French government described the incident as an “extremely serious act of intimidation” that violated diplomatic immunity.

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The two French embassy staff members were working on programs supporting Iranian civil society, particularly initiatives involving artists and researchers.

Iran has denied France’s allegations regarding the incident. The diplomatic dispute comes amid already strained relations between Paris and Tehran.

International

Heat wave puts more than 70 million Americans under alerts as temperatures near 46°C

36 deaths reported due to heat wave in Nuevo Leon, Mexico

More than 70 million people remained under heat alerts Monday as an intense heat wave continued across the southern United States, particularly Florida and states along the Mexican border, where temperatures and heat indexes could reach as high as 46 degrees Celsius, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Several cities recorded or tied temperature records over the weekend and into Monday, including Miami and Fort Lauderdale in Florida; Laredo, Borger and Austin’s airport in Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina; and Memphis, Tennessee.

The NWS warned that the heat wave will continue affecting the southern and southeastern United States, with maximum temperatures expected to remain near 38°C to 40°C for several days. The heat index, which combines temperature and humidity to estimate how hot conditions feel, could reach 46°C.

The extreme heat is also spreading into the Southwest, where temperatures began rising again between Monday and Tuesday. Forecast highs in the region range from about 38°C to 43°C.

Heat alerts remain in effect across Nevada, Arizona and California, including areas in southern Arizona and California near the Mexican border, as authorities warn of the risks posed by prolonged extreme temperatures.

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The NWS urged residents to limit outdoor activity, stay hydrated, ensure access to air conditioning or cooling centers, and check on vulnerable friends, neighbors and family members.

The United States is experiencing a summer marked by above-average temperatures and repeated heat waves. One of the most intense episodes occurred during the July 4 weekend, when extreme heat was blamed for roughly 30 deaths.

July was the hottest month ever recorded in the United States since measurements began, with the average temperature across the contiguous country approaching 25°C, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The combination of extreme heat and drought conditions has also fueled wildfires. Nearly 3 million hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, making it the largest area affected by wildfires in a decade.