International
Like Christmas: Trump fans delight in 2024 announcement
| By AFP | Gerard Martinez |
There was no escalator like last time, no offensive nicknames like always, and none of the awkward dancing that sometimes features, but supporters got exactly what they wanted in Florida on Tuesday: the announcement that Donald Trump was running for the White House again.
The setting was a little more sedate than the windswept Make America Great Again rallies in farmers’ fields or in cavernous aircraft hangers on the outskirts of a midwestern city.
But it was Trump all the way, with American flags, family members, advisors, and members of his private club packing the gilded ballroom of his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
Repeatedly, the former president’s often dark, frequently triumphalist speech was interrupted with chants of “Trump, Trump, Trump,” as the tycoon-turned-TV star lapped up the adoration.
And when he finally got to the moment they had all been waiting for — “I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States” — the room erupted.
One of America’s most divisive figures in recent decades reeled off what he considered his accomplishments during four chaotic years in Washington.
It was, he said a time when “Our nation was at the pinnacle of power, prosperity and prestige, towering above all rivals.”
In the 22 months since he left the White House, begrudingly handing over the keys to Joe Biden, the country has disintegrated, he said.
No one in the ballroom disagreed.
“This new administration is destroying America and everything it stands for,” Eric Pardi told AFP.
“They’re destroying our national independence, our border, our economy, and our law and order.
“That man loves this country and stands for it and that’s what a president should be, somebody who stands and defends our Constitution”.
The warm embrace of supporters like these were balm to Trump after a difficult week.
Many of his hand-picked election-denying candidates got a drubbing at the ballot box last Tuesday, and the knives are out in the Republican Party after a predicted “Red Wave” failed to materialize.
Previously reliable party figures have muttered that the former president’s obsessions with relitigating his 2020 loss were becoming a turn-off for voters.
Even Fox News seems ready to move on.
To cap it all, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis swept all before him in his crushing re-election win, and is now being spoken of as a front runner for the Republican White House nomination.
Some of those who feel that way were not even trying to be subtle about it; “You lost again Donald #DeSantis 2024,” said the trailing banner of a small plane that flew over Mar-a-Lago.
But for those on the ground, there was no doubt who should be the standard-bearer in 2024.
“He is chosen by God to fight for our country. His patriotism inspires us to support him,” said 50-year-old Stephanie Liu, an American citizen who was born in China.
“I am super excited. I feel like it’s almost Christmas morning, and Santa Claus is coming,” said a grinning Stacey Bovasso, 54.
“Donald J. Trump is our president, and we need him back.”
International
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
COVID-19 vaccines prevented an estimated 2,533,000 deaths worldwide between 2020 and 2024, according to an international study led by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy and Stanford University in the United States, published in the journal JAMA Health Forum. Researchers calculated that one death was prevented for every 5,400 doses administered.
The analysis also found that the vaccines saved 14.8 million years of life, equivalent to one year of life gained for every 900 doses given.
The study, coordinated by Professor Stefania Boccia, revealed that 82% of the lives saved were people vaccinated before becoming infected with the virus, and 57% of deaths avoided occurred during the Omicron wave. In addition, 90% of the beneficiaries were adults over 60 years old.
“This is the most comprehensive analysis to date, based on global data and fewer assumptions about the evolution of the pandemic,” explained Boccia and researcher Angelo Maria Pezzullo.
International
Trump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump criticized a federal judge’s ruling on Friday that reinstated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, stressing that the immigration program was never intended to serve as a “de facto asylum system.”
On Thursday, Judge Trina Thompson extended protections for about 7,000 Nepalese immigrants, whose TPS was set to expire on August 5. The ruling also impacts roughly 51,000 Hondurans and nearly 3,000 Nicaraguans, whose TPS protections were scheduled to end on September 8.
Immigrants covered by TPS had sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging that the program’s termination was driven by “racial animus” and stripped them of protection from deportation.
DHS Deputy Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement saying the decision to end TPS was part of a mandate to “restore the integrity” of the immigration system and return the program to its original purpose.
“TPS was never conceived as a de facto asylum system; however, that is how previous administrations have used it for decades,” McLaughlin emphasized.
She also criticized Judge Thompson, calling the ruling “another example” of judges “stirring up claims of racism to distract from the facts.”
McLaughlin added that DHS would appeal the decision and take the legal battle to higher courts.
The Trump administration has also terminated TPS protections for approximately 160,000 Ukrainians, 350,000 Venezuelans, and at least half a million Haitians, among other immigrant groups.
International
Trump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
The U.S. government under President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that it will begin construction in September on a new 8,000-square-meter ballroom at the White House.
The announcement was made by Karoline Leavitt, the administration’s press secretary, during a briefing in which she explained that the expansion responds to the need for a larger venue to host “major events.”
“Other presidents have long wished for a space capable of accommodating large gatherings within the White House complex… President Trump has committed to solving this issue,” Leavitt told reporters.
The project is estimated to cost $200 million, fully funded through donations from Trump himself and other “patriots,” according to a government statement. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and is expected to be completed before Trump’s term ends in 2028.
The Clark Construction Group, a Virginia-based company known for projects such as the Capital One Arena and L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., has been selected to lead the project.
The new ballroom will be built on the East Wing of the White House, expanding the iconic residence with a space designed for state dinners, official ceremonies, and large-scale events.
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