International
Biden refutes Trump’s speech “trapped at home” and with “desire to return to the campaign”
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, refuted the speech given on Thursday night by his electoral opponent Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention (CNR) and regretted being “trapped at home with covid” while a spokesman reiterated his “desire to return to the campaign.”
Biden, apparently ignoring the pressures of the Democratic Party to reconsider his aspirations to repeat a mandate, wrote in his X account: “I’m stuck at home with covid, so I had the particular bad luck of seeing Donald Trump’s speech in the CNR. What the hell was he talking about?”
A thread followed in which he responded to the statements of the Republican candidate, in some cases with more sly than political content, such as “Donald, Hannibal Lecter is not real,” and repeatedly pointing out “his 2025 project,” a program developed by ultra-conservative groups from which Trump has tried to distance himself.
The Democratic candidate cited Trump’s presidency (2017-2021) to warn that, contrary to what he said on Thursday, he will make cuts to Social Security and Medicare, raise middle-class taxes, worsen debt and inflation or put immigrants “in mass detention camps.”
Shortly before those messages, his campaign spokesman, Kevin Munoz, sent an email to the media entitled “a week, two very different visions,” in which he lashed out at the “anonymous sources” that have leaked doubts in the Democratic Party about Biden’s ability to win the elections these days.
After highlighting the campaign events of the Biden-Harris binomial and its support gathered this week, Munoz pointed out that next week both have “more than twenty press events” and reiterated: “As we have said before, President Biden is eager to return to the campaign as soon as he can.”
Biden is isolated in his home in Delaware after last Wednesday he tested positive for COVID-19 with mild symptoms and has experienced a “significant” improvement, according to his doctor.
On the date, thirteen Democratic legislators expressed their dissatisfaction with Biden’s candidacy, one more sign that the patience of a large part of the party is running out to “pass the baton,” as they ask him, after losing the support of several Democratic leaders, important donors and with the polls against.
With these thirteen democrats, the number of members of Congress who ask for Biden’s withdrawal rises to 38, which constitutes more than 14% of the members of the party bench in both chambers. Of the 38 who are the protagonists of the revolt, 34 are representatives of the Lower House and 4 are senators.
International
OAS Election Mission to Monitor Claims of Political Interference by Colombia’s President
The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) has pledged to follow up on allegations regarding the alleged involvement of Colombian President Gustavo Petro in political campaigning ahead of Sunday’s presidential election.
The announcement was made by presidential candidate Claudia López after a meeting with the head of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission, former Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernández.
According to a statement released by López’s campaign, the OAS mission listened to the concerns raised by the candidate and committed to monitoring the complaints she has submitted to both national and international organizations.
The mission also reiterated its commitment to overseeing the electoral process to help ensure that the will of Colombian voters is respected throughout the election.
“We have turned to international forums and technical observation missions to warn that Colombian democracy cannot be left at the mercy of fear or undue pressure,” López, the former mayor of Bogotá, said following the meeting.
López has repeatedly expressed concerns about what she describes as political interference in the electoral process and has called on national and international institutions to closely monitor the conduct of the campaign.
The OAS observation mission is one of several international bodies deployed to Colombia to monitor the presidential election, which is taking place amid heightened political tensions and intense competition among candidates from across the ideological spectrum.
The election is expected to be closely watched both domestically and internationally as Colombians choose whether to continue with the country’s first left-wing administration or shift toward a new political direction.
International
Colombia Votes in Pivotal Election as Left Seeks to Retain Power
Colombians headed to the polls on Sunday in a crucial presidential election that will determine whether the country continues under its first left-wing government in modern history or shifts back toward the political right.
The election campaign has been marked by deep political divisions, with armed violence and economic concerns emerging as the dominant issues for voters.
A total of 11 candidates remain in the race following the withdrawal of three presidential tickets. The central question is which candidate will advance to a likely runoff election alongside ruling-party senator Iván Cepeda, who has led opinion polls for months with his platform of “democratic revolution” but is not expected to secure enough votes to win outright in the first round.
On the right, Senator Paloma Valencia of the Democratic Center party, the political movement founded by former President Álvaro Uribe, has lost momentum as support has grown for far-right attorney Abelardo de la Espriella. Known as “The Tiger,” De la Espriella has campaigned on a tough-on-crime agenda targeting criminal organizations and guerrilla groups, drawing comparisons to the security policies of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
Political analyst Sandra Borda, a professor at the University of the Andes, argues that Colombia is experiencing not simply greater polarization but a broader political landscape.
“The 2016 peace agreement with the FARC opened significant space for the left. Inevitably, it also created opportunities for the right,” Borda told CNN. The political scientist, who ran for the Senate in 2022 with the New Liberalism movement, believes the current election presents a more challenging environment for the left than four years ago.
According to Borda, left-wing candidates can no longer campaign solely as agents of change who have never had the opportunity to govern or who remained untouched by traditional politics.
“They can no longer make that argument. They have already governed and are no longer immune from criticism associated with political power,” she said.
The election is being closely watched across Latin America as voters weigh the record of the outgoing administration against promises of change from candidates across the political spectrum.
International
ICE agent arrested in Texas over shooting of Venezuelan migrant in Minnesota
U.S. authorities arrested an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Friday in Texas after he was accused of shooting a Venezuelan migrant in Minnesota earlier this year and later providing false information about the incident.
The suspect, identified as Christian Castro, faces four counts of second-degree assault, along with an additional charge related to filing a false official report. He was taken into custody after investigators from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension located him, according to a statement from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
The case stems from a January operation carried out by ICE during which Castro shot Julio César Sosa, a Venezuelan migrant, in the leg. Prosecutors allege that the agent later submitted a misleading account of the incident, claiming that Sosa and another migrant had attacked officers with a shovel and a broomstick.
However, investigators say that video evidence and further findings contradicted that version of events, leading to the dismissal of charges initially brought against the migrants by federal prosecutors.
ICE’s acting director, Todd Lyons, acknowledged in February that agents involved in the incident had given “false sworn testimony” about what occurred.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty described Friday’s arrest as a “critical step forward” in the judicial process and reaffirmed that the investigation remains ongoing.
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