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
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
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