International
Latin America reacts to the resignation of Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy
The resignation from Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy has generated reactions in Latin America in different political sectors, from the left with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, as well as on the right with allies of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to be its president. And although my intention has been to seek re-election, I think the best thing for my party and for the country is that I retire and concentrate solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the rest of my term,” Biden, 81, said through a letter to the nation.
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, said on Sunday that his US counterpart, Joe Biden, “has made the most sensible and correct decision” by leaving the race for re-election in the North American country.
“He has made the most sensible and correct decision, prioritized his family, his health, and realized that, at that age and with weakened health, he could not take the reins of his country and even less a presidential candidacy. It was a responsible attitude, President Biden,” Maduro said during an event held in the state of Barinas (west).
However, in his announcement, the US president does not mention his family or his health, and as an explanation of his decision he affirms the best thing for his country is that he retire and “focus only on fulfilling” his “duties as president during the rest” of the mandate.
Maduro also said he met his American counterpart, with whose Government he has maintained a “permanent dialogue” that, he said, is still active, with “dialogue commissions,” although he did not offer more details about the talks between the two countries, without diplomatic relations since 2019.
“I’m just telling you, President Biden, be calm with your conscience, because you made a wise and correct decision, and from Venezuela I, president of the republic, wish you health and long life, President Biden,” added the Chavista leader.
The Government of Panama said on Sunday that it “respects” the decision of US President Joe Biden to renounce the race for re-election in the elections on November 5, in which he was going to face former President Donald Trump.
“It is a personal decision of President Biden thinking about his country, his people and the Democratic Party. It’s time to respect her. We, as an allied country of the United States, are prepared to work with the administration that will be elected in November. We do not have any concern about what will happen in the next (US) elections,” said Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha, after being asked by journalists at a sporting event.
After a few hard weeks with growing criticism for the suitability of his candidacy, US President Joe Biden decided to abandon the race for re-election “for the interest” of the Democratic Party and his country, and offered his support to the vice president, Kamala Harris, who confirmed her intention to “get and win” the candidacy for the November 5 elections.
A few minutes later, Harris herself accepted responsibility and stated that she intends to “get and win” the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Presidency, although in the first hours of this historic Biden decision only a few voices offered explicit support.
Some ministers of the Government of the Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, praised on Sunday the decision of the President of the United States, Joe Biden, to give up his candidacy for the November elections.
“Politics is not personalism, but service in favor of ideas and values. Biden shows a huge demonstration of political greatness by understanding that Democrats need something new to face the extremist conservatism that threatens the world,” said the head of Planning, Simone Tebet, on her social networks.
Tebet, one of those in charge of tracing the economic strategy of the Brazilian Executive, also asked the Democrats to “have the same altruism and wisdom” as Biden when choosing his replacement “to face extremism,” that everything points to Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Minister of Agrarian Development, Paulo Teixeira, said, also on his social networks, that Biden’s resignation to continue in the presidential race is “a great decision to defeat the American extreme right,” which embodies, in his opinion, the former governor and Republican candidate Donald Trump.
For his part, the Minister of Transport, José Renan Filho, indicated that it is “a gesture of greatness” of the US president, who has been forced to withdraw from his candidacy after the strong pressure of the heavyweights of his party because of his state of health.
The Brazilian minister said that Biden has shown “no attachment” to the presidential candidacy “at a critical moment” and praised his management as U.S. president on issues such as employment, environmental protection and his country’s economic growth.
“This new fact will turn the election upside down,” he said.
Lula, for the moment, has not yet spoken publicly.
Allies of former far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro took advantage of the decision of the US president, Joe Biden, to resign from re-election, to criticize this Sunday the Brazilian head of state, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the progressive forces.
“Biden is out! When is the ‘Brazilian Biden’ going to leave?” exclaimed, in apparent allusion to Lula, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, one of the sons of former President Jair Bolsonaro and, like his father, aligned with the Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Senator Ciro Nogueira, a next ally of Bolsonaro and who was minister of the Presidency during his term (2019-2022), interpreted the news as “a victory of those who were gagged by a narrative that Trump was the absolute evil and Biden, the indisputable good.”
“Biden’s resignation (re-election) is an alert: they can lie once, twice, three times, but no one can prevent the truth from coming to light. It is the victory of the truth over the false and manipulative narratives of the left,” he said.
He also insinuated that former President Trump is a “political persecuted” for the various criminal cases he faces in the U.S. Justice.
“Biden leaves the campaign and enters the limbo of those who abused democracy on his behalf. A big day!” he concluded.
For her part, federal deputy Carla Zambelli, a relevant figure of the Brazilian far right, pointed out that Biden’s withdrawal from re-election has caused “the American left” to enter a state of “total despair.”
Jair Bolsonaro has not yet spoken publicly, nor has the current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, so far.
International
Trump signs order to end federal funding for NPR and PBS
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to halt federal funding for two public media outlets, PBS television and NPR radio, accusing them of being biased.
NPR and PBS are partially funded by American taxpayers but rely heavily on private donations.
Trump has long maintained a hostile relationship with most media outlets, which he has referred to as the “enemy of the people.”
An exception is the conservative Fox News channel, some of whose hosts have played important roles in the administration of the Republican magnate.
“National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) receive taxpayer funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB),” Trump said.
“Therefore, I direct the CPB board and all executive departments and agencies to cease federal funding for NPR and PBS,” he added.
The Republican leader argued that “neither of these entities provides a fair, accurate, or impartial portrayal of current events to the taxpayer citizens.”
At the end of March, Donald Trump called on Congress to end public funding for these two “horrible and completely biased networks.”
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
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