International
Trump and Harris fight the final battle for decisive states, two days before the elections
The Republican candidate for the presidency, former President Donald Trump (2017-2021), and his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, continued to fight a marathon battle for a handful of decisive ‘hinge’ states, two days before the presidential elections, with polls that present a very tight scenario.
Trump focused on sowing doubts about the voting system in some key states, something that could lead, as in 2020, to a new questioning of the results, while Harris said that in the coming days “they will put us to the test.”
This close pulse means that both political rivals have turned these final days in the seven ‘bisagra’ states: Pennsylvania, the one with the most electoral votes (19); North Carolina (16), Georgia (16), Michigan (15), Arizona (11), Wisconsin (10) and Nevada (6).
Trump: he shouldn’t have left the White House
Trump’s marathon of rallies began in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, territory of the religious, pacifist and traditionalist group of the Amish, to ask for the vote in a community that does not usually participate in elections, but that the Republican hopes will go to the polls and thus obtain the necessary margin to win this key state.
At his rally in Lititz, Trump also reiterated his doubts, so far unfounded, that the electoral process is not being fraudulent, and assured that there will be problems about the legitimacy of the electoral results if the ballot is not known on Tuesday night.
The Republican candidate said he should not “have left” the White House after losing the 2020 elections, a defeat that he never recognized.
He also criticized the media and their “fake news,” as well as the voting system in the United States, complaining that in some parts of the country you do not have to show an identification document before voting and the time it takes to count the votes.
“The world laughs at our electoral system,” the tycoon noted in his campaign act in the most crucial state of these presidential elections next Tuesday.
Harris: the next few days they will put us to the test
For his part, Harris traveled to Michigan, where he warned that in two days the fate of the nation will be decided, and expressed his conviction that the country is ready to “turn the page” and “write the next chapter of our history.”
In an African-American church in Detroit, Harris, who already voted by mail, said that “the road ahead will not be easy” in the coming days and that “we will be put to the test,” but that the nation “is ready to bend the arc of history towards justice.”
For his part, former President Barack Obama stopped in Milwakee (Wisconsin) to ask the Latin, black, Jewish and Arab minorities to vote, and questioned them: “Why think that the answer is to vote for a person who has a long history of despising and ignoring their communities?”, in reference to Trump.
The average of surveys collected by FiveThirtyEight show technical ties and within the margin of error between Trump and Harris, so the victory could be determined by very narrow margins or require counts.
The former president had this Sunday, according to that electoral portal, an advantage within the margins of error in North Carolina (1%) and Georgia (1%), while Harris has a slight advantage in Michigan (1%) and Wisconsin (1%). In Pennsylvania and Nevada, they are tied. In Arizona, Trump’s advantage today is 2.5%.
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
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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