International
Biden seeks to put abortion battle at center of midterms
AFP | Sebastian Smith
US President Joe Biden vowed Tuesday to make a law enshrining nationwide abortion rights his top priority if Democrats win their uphill battle for Congress in looming midterm elections.
Biden’s speech marked a newly intensified push by the White House to lift the party ahead of November 8, when Democrats hope to defy historical trends by retaining their razor-thin control of Congress.
Midterm votes typically see the party in the White House punished, and this year the Democrats face discontent over inflation, an unpopular president, and fierce cultural wars around schools, gender issues and abortion.
In abortion, however, Biden sees a potential game-changer, with anger seething over the Supreme Court’s shock decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the ruling from half a century ago that enshrined access to abortions nationwide.
“Women all across the country, starting in my house, lost a fundamental right,” Biden said in a speech in Washington.
Citing the “chaos and the heartache” for women seeking to terminate pregnancies, Biden said that in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling abortion bans had now been put in place by Republicans in 16 states, home to 26.5 million women.
And he cast the election as setting the stage for a momentous fight next year in the new Congress.
If Republicans win, any attempt to pass a national abortion ban will be stopped at his desk, Biden said. “I’ll veto it.”
If Democrats hold on, the priority would be a national abortion rights law, effectively overturning the Supreme Court ruling.
“The first bill I’ll send to Congress will be to codify Roe v. Wade,” Biden said, calling this a “promise.”
“I’ll sign it in January, 50 years after Roe was first decided the law of the land.”
The White House would not say how Biden envisions details of the law and whether he would support any kind of restrictions on abortion.
“It should be something that is decided between a woman and her doctor, her family — not politicians,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Passion yes, but votes?
There’s no questioning the passion swirling around abortion on the political stage.
Roe v. Wade made the procedure legal everywhere, while the Supreme Court decision handed power fully back to individual state governments, prompting Republican leaderships across the country to swiftly move to impose restrictions or bans, in line with years of “right to life” campaigning.
The issue is potent, but there’s no guarantee it will move the needle in three weeks.
Democratic officials, including Biden, have repeatedly suggested the possibility of an electoral uprising led by women.
“The court and extreme Republicans who have spent decades trying to overturn Roe are about to find out,” Biden said. “They ain’t seen nothing yet.”
He referred to a surprisingly strong rejection by Kansas voters in August of a plan to strip abortion rights from the state’s constitution.
“Come this November we’re going to see what happens all over America,” Biden said.
Polls consistently show that a majority of Americans believe abortion should be allowed. While most also think there should be some restrictions, only 13 percent, according to Gallup, support full bans.
The bad news for Democrats, however, is that polls show abortion is far down the list of concerns motivating most voters in the turmoil of post-pandemic US life.
A New York Times/Siena poll out this week showed that of likely voters, 26 percent named the economy as the top issue and 18 percent listed inflation, which is running at the highest rates in four decades.
Abortion scored a lowly five percent of likely voters.
Worryingly for Democrats, the poll also found a stunning shift from women independent voters.
In September, this group backed Democrats over Republicans by 14 points. The latest poll shows them backing Republicans by 18 points.
-
US Education Secretary Miguel Cardona (R) looks on as US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the student debt relief portal beta test, in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House, in Washington, DC, on October 17, 2022. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
International
Trump replaces Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday the departure of Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, one of the key architects of the administration’s policy of deporting undocumented immigrants.
Noem, who has been assigned a new role as a “special envoy” to Latin America, will be replaced starting March 31 by Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, the president said in a message posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
According to media reports, Trump made the decision after Noem’s recent hearings in Congress, during which she faced tough questions regarding the awarding of a major public contract.
International
Young Woman Will Represent Mexico at 2026 World Cup Opener, Says President Sheinbaum
Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, announced Thursday that the young Mexican woman who proves to have the best ball control skills will receive her personal ticket to the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City.
The left-wing leader had previously said she would not attend the tournament’s opening game on June 11 in the Mexican capital and instead planned to give away the ticket number 00001, reserved for her by FIFA.
During her morning press conference, Sheinbaum explained that women between 16 and 25 years old can participate by submitting a video through an official platform.
“What do they have to do? Keep the ball in the air for one minute,” she said, referring to the soccer juggling challenge that will determine the winner.
Among the judges selecting the winner will be Mexican striker Charlyn Corral, the world’s top female scorer who set a ball-control record in 2005, and professional referee Katia Itzel García.
Sheinbaum also revealed that she plans to watch the opening match during a large public gathering with giant screens in the Zócalo, located in the historic center near the presidential palace.
“Very few people will be able to attend the opening. So I will watch it here with the people, and a young woman will represent me and the people of Mexico,” the president said.
Sheinbaum has previously commented on the high cost of World Cup tickets, as well as the difficulty of obtaining them in a metropolitan area with more than 20 million inhabitants.
In the 2026 tournament, jointly hosted by United States, Mexico, and Canada, Mexico will stage 13 matches in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey.
The opening match will take place at the legendary Estadio Azteca, which previously hosted World Cup opening ceremonies in 1970 and 1986, occasions when the presidents in attendance were famously booed by the crowd.
International
Claudia Sheinbaum: Operation Against ‘El Mencho’ Was Based on Pending Arrest Warrants
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday rejected claims that the military operation that resulted in the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was carried out under pressure from the United States government.
Sheinbaum explained that the deployment of federal forces was aimed at executing outstanding arrest warrants against Oseguera Cervantes, who was considered one of the most wanted criminals in both Mexico and the United States.
“That was not the objective (to ease pressure from the United States). It is very important, and I want to repeat it. This individual had an arrest warrant, or several,” Sheinbaum said, referring to the operation conducted on February 22.
According to the president, the initial goal was to capture Oseguera Cervantes, but military forces responded after coming under attack during the intervention.
“The operation was to detain him. The problem is that they were attacked — the Secretariat of National Defense — and they responded at that moment,” she said.
The president insisted that the action was not carried out in response to external demands, although she acknowledged intelligence cooperation with the United States.
“It was not done in any way because of pressure from the United States, not at all. Of course, there was intelligence information from the United States that was used specifically,” she concluded.
Trump replaces Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin
Young Woman Will Represent Mexico at 2026 World Cup Opener, Says President Sheinbaum
Claudia Sheinbaum: Operation Against ‘El Mencho’ Was Based on Pending Arrest Warrants
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
-
International3 days agoWhite House Says Spain Agrees to Cooperate with U.S. Military After Trump Threatens Trade Embargo
-
International5 days agoBrazil’s Supreme Court Rejects Bolsonaro’s Bid for House Arrest
-
International4 days agoSpain’s Prime Minister to Address Nation Amid Trump’s Trade Threats
-
International5 days agoAnti-ICE Billboard Campaign Targets Immigration Spending in 31 U.S. Cities
-
International3 days ago
Spain Denies Any Agreement to Cooperate with U.S. Military in Iran Operations
-
International4 days agoNew York Announces First 2,000 Seats in Universal 2-K Program
-
International5 days agoTrump Warns of ‘Major Wave’ of Attacks as Iran Conflict Escalates
-
Central America3 days agoNicaragua Held Responsible for Harassment of Opposition Prosecutor and His Family
-
International5 days agoMexico Calls for Immediate Probe After National Dies in ICE Custody
-
Central America4 days agoGuatemala’s Attorney General Fails in Bid for Top Court Seat Amid Corruption Allegations
-
International4 days agoWarner Bros. Developing First ‘Game of Thrones’ Movie With ‘Andor’ Writer
-
Central America5 days agoPanama Canal Monitoring Trade as Middle East Conflict Disrupts Shipping
-
International5 days agoBolivia Orders Three Investigations Into Deadly Military Plane Crash
-
International3 days agoClaudia Sheinbaum: Operation Against ‘El Mencho’ Was Based on Pending Arrest Warrants
-
International1 day agoYoung Woman Will Represent Mexico at 2026 World Cup Opener, Says President Sheinbaum
-
International1 day agoTrump replaces Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin