International
A report blames the Secret Service for the security failures in the Trump attack
An internal report of the US Secret Service published this Friday concluded that the security failures committed by the elite body, in charge of monitoring presidents and top-level political figures, are responsible for the attack suffered by former President Donald Trump last July, in which he was injured in an ear.
The internal review carried out as a result of the event – one of the many investigations that are being carried out on the incident – concluded, among other things, that the agents who were watching the former governor (2017-2021) while offering a rally in Butler (Pennsylvania) did not have the technical capacity to communicate with the local police.
Nor to detect drones on the day of the rally, says the report, which also clarifies that the agents did not previously talk about how a complex of warehouses that surrounded the place should be protected.
On July 13, Trump was shot in the ear while participating in a rally. The shooter, a 20-year-old who was later shot down by Secret Service agents, managed to shoot from a roof about 140 meters from the former president, although outside the security perimeter.
The strong criticism that arose after what happened caused the resignation of the director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, who described the attack as “the most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades.”
The scrutiny on the agency has increased in recent days after last Sunday Trump, apparently, had also been at risk of a second murder attempt while playing golf in Florida, at the hands of a man who was wandering for hours the area armed with an AK-47 rifle and equipped with a telescopic sight, without firing shots.
At a press conference today, the current acting director of the Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, said that Trump is currently receiving “the highest level of protection possible,” a security equal to that of President Joe Biden and candidate Kamala Harris.
Thus, last Sunday, at the golf course owned by Trump in West Palm Beach (Florida) “there were elements of snipers who were present” and “a complete counterattack team that was there nearby.”
The agent who saw the attacker “identified a threat, an individual with a long gun, and made quick decisions and acted quickly to mitigate it.”
“He did not shoot at the former president, he was not exposed,” he said, and the arrest was a sign that “the procedures work” and “that high level of protection is working.”
Sunday’s event led several public figures, including President Joe Biden, to ask the Secret Service to receive more funds.
Precisely today the House of Representatives unanimously approved a two-party urgent legislation that would increase the protection of the Secret Service for the presidential candidates of both parties, Trump and Kamala Harris, as well as for their running mates for vice presidency.
The bill has only three pages and, if it becomes law, Trump and Harris would receive the same standard of Secret Security protection as President Joe Biden, something that according to Rowe is already happening.
In fact, it is not clear that the law will prosper because it has to go to the Senate, a chamber that is looking for additional funds for the Secret Service to be included in the provisional financing bill that Congress must approve before September 30 to avoid a government shutdown.
International
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
International
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating two explosions that occurred early Wednesday, one on a road in the southern part of the country and another under a bridge in Guayas province. These incidents follow the car bomb explosion in the coastal city of Guayaquil, also in Guayas, which occurred the day before and left one person dead and 30 injured.
Press reports indicate that one person was injured and several vehicles were damaged in the explosion on the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road in the south.
“Besides yesterday’s explosion in Guayaquil, we have received reports of explosives placed on bridges along the Guayaquil-Machala and Machala-Cuenca routes to disrupt traffic,” said Roberto Luque, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT).
On his X social media account, Luque reported that authorities have been deployed to the sites to assess the damage and determine the current condition of the structures.
“What they haven’t achieved with their call for a strike, some are trying to achieve through terrorism,” he stated, referring to the 24 days of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) against rising diesel prices and other demands.
The protests, called at a national level, have Imbabura province as their epicenter. Roadblocks have also been reported in the northern part of Pichincha province, whose capital is Quito, while activities in the rest of the country continue normally.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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