International
Trump begins his first day in power with a mass in Washington Cathedral
US President Donald Trump began his first day in power on Tuesday with an interreligious service in the National Cathedral of Washington, an event that marks the closing of the acts of his inauguration, and later he will meet with leaders of Congress and make a “big announcement” on infrastructure.
Trump attended the ceremony with the first lady, Melania Trump. From the front row, both listened in silence and with a solemn gesture to the prayers, the melodies of the organ and the songs, including a ‘Hail Mary’. Next to him were the vice president, JD Vance and his wife, Usha.
This type of service has been a tradition since 1993, when the new president attends a prayer ceremony the morning after his inauguration.
Less than two weeks ago, Trump was in that same cathedral for the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter (1977-1981), where he was seen talking animatedly with Barack Obama (2009-2017). At that event, Trump sat in the second row, while the first was reserved for the then president, Joe Biden.
In addition to religious service, Trump plans to meet this Tuesday afternoon at the White House with important Republican legislators, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, and the leader of the majority in the Senate, John Thune, to discuss his legislative agenda.
Later, around 16.30 local time (21.30 GMT), he will make statements at the White House and make a “great announcement about infrastructure,” according to his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, in an interview with Fox News.
At 27 years old, Leavitt has become the youngest spokesperson in the history of the White House. Before her, Ron Ziegler held that record, assuming office at the age of 29 during the presidency of Richard Nixon (1969-1974).
Leavitt explained to the Fox network that there will be no press conference today, since Trump himself will appear before the journalists.
During the Biden Administration (2021-2025), press conferences were held almost daily, as were in the Obama (2009-2017) and George W. governments. Bush (2001-2009).
However, Trump, who has maintained a tense relationship with the press and has described the media as “enemies of the people” and “fake news”, ordered to drastically reduce the frequency of these appearances in his first term (2017-2021).
As a result, the press conferences became sporadic, depending on the acting press secretary, and a record of more than 300 days without appearances was set between March 2019 and January 2020.
It remains to be seen if in this new stage he will choose to maintain that strategy or if the spokesmen will have more frequent contact with the media.
Internacionales
Jalisco’s grim discovery: drug cartel mass grave found in construction site
A mass grave was discovered in a residential area under construction in the municipality of Zapopan, part of the metropolitan area of Guadalajara, the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco.
“After analyzing the recovered remains, they correspond to 34 individuals,” said a state official during a press conference. Jalisco has one of the highest numbers of missing persons in Mexico, largely due to the activity of drug cartels.
As of May 31, official data shows that Jalisco has recorded 15,683 missing persons, according to the state prosecutor’s office. Authorities attribute most of these cases to criminal organizations, which often bury or cremate their victims clandestinely.
“The construction company notified us at the end of February after discovering some remains,” explained the official, González, adding that excavation efforts have been ongoing since then.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) operates in the region and was designated as a foreign terrorist organization earlier this year by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Washington has accused CJNG and the Sinaloa cartel of being the main sources of fentanyl trafficking, a synthetic opioid responsible for tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the U.S.
Mexico has accumulated more than 127,000 missing persons, most of them since 2006, when the federal government launched a heavily criticized military-led anti-drug offensive.
International
U.S. targets families of sanctioned drug traffickers with new Visa restrictions
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday a new visa restriction policy targeting the family members and close associates of individuals sanctioned for drug trafficking, as part of efforts to combat the spread of fentanyl.
Overdoses from this synthetic opioid remain the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 44. According to official sources, more than 220 overdose deaths are reported daily in 2024, and over 40% of Americans know someone who has died from opioid-related causes.
“Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy (…) which will apply to close family members and personal or business associates of individuals sanctioned for drug trafficking,” Rubio said in a statement.
International
White House claims challenged as most ICE arrests in LA involve non-criminals
Nearly seven out of ten people arrested during immigration raids in Los Angeles from June 1 to June 10 had no criminal record, contradicting White House claims that the raids targeted “criminals,” according to an analysis published Wednesday by the Los Angeles Times.
Around 722 individuals were detained in the Los Angeles metropolitan area during the first ten days of June, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) initiated the raids, according to data obtained by the Deportation Data Project of the University of California Berkeley School of Law.
The Los Angeles Times analysis found that 69% of those arrested during this period had no criminal record, and 58% had never been charged with any crime.
These figures contradict the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which said in a statement Tuesday that since June 6, ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched an operation “to remove the worst criminal illegal aliens.”
DHS Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin warned that the arrests are part of President Donald Trump’s promise to secure the border by deporting criminals, including drug traffickers in Los Angeles, without providing further details.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass criticized last week in a CNN interview that although the White House said it would target violent criminals, the raids had focused on workers.
“This wasn’t a drug den, it was a Home Depot,” Bass said, questioning the locations where raids were conducted.
Activists have also denounced the raids for targeting vulnerable workers who are easy to detain.
The Los Angeles Times analysis found that the average age of those arrested was 38, mostly men. Nearly 48% were Mexican, 16% Guatemalan, and 8% Salvadoran.
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Jalisco’s grim discovery: drug cartel mass grave found in construction site
U.S. targets families of sanctioned drug traffickers with new Visa restrictions
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