International
U.S. has 474 mass shootings so far in 2023
August 28|
The Gun Violence Archive portal recorded a total of 474 mass shootings in the United States (US) over the course of 2023, which set a record for this type of incident.
According to the portal, a non-profit database, in the first 239 days of the current year 2023, there were 28,296 gun deaths in the United States, the highest number in recent history in that country.
Among the shooting victims were 198 children under the age of 11 and 2,734 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17.
Local media recently asserted that “this year’s relentless bloodshed in the United States has resulted in the grimmest of national milestones, the highest six-month spree of killings on record since at least 2006.”
The alarming numbers have prompted officials themselves to acknowledge the gravity of the situation.
“The United States has had more mass shootings than days in 2023,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said April 21 during a meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Joe Biden’s administration has failed to reverse this trend. In March the president signed an executive order to restrict the sale of guns to people with mental problems, mental health problems or a history of domestic violence, but the various projects to regulate their acquisition have not had support in the U.S. Congress, due to the rejection of the Republicans.
This uncontrolled flow of weapons is not only limited to the U.S., as it already affects neighboring countries, such as Mexico, and is directly related to the increase in violence in the Latin American country.
Mexican Foreign Ministry lawyer Celorio Alcántara, in statements to the press, estimated that at least 500,000 weapons enter Mexico each year and that between 70 and 90 percent of this number come from the United States.
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.
International
Three salvadorans in Florida sentenced in $146 million construction tax fraud scheme
Three Salvadoran residents living in Orlando, Florida, were sentenced for conspiracy to commit tax fraud and wire fraud involving a scheme exceeding $146 million in the construction industry, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. The sentence was handed down by federal judge Timothy J. Corrigan on Tuesday, July 29.
Eduardo Aníbal Escobar (45) was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison, Carlos Alberto Rodríguez (36) to 3 years and 4 months, and Adelmy Tejada (57) to 18 months in prison, followed by 6 months of house arrest. All three pled guilty on April 3, 2025.
In addition to the prison terms, the court ordered restitution payments totaling $36,957,616 to the IRS for unpaid payroll taxes, and $397,895 to two insurers for workers’ compensation claims related to the scheme.
Escobar and Rodríguez are permanent legal residents originally from El Salvador, while Tejada is a naturalized U.S. citizen of Salvadoran origin.
International
Kremlin hails preparedness after Kamchatka quakes leave no casualties
The Kremlin expressed relief that the earthquakes that struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula today —the first being the strongest since 1952— resulted in no casualties, and emphasized that the region is well prepared to face such natural disasters.
“Thank God, there were no victims,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov during his daily press briefing.
The presidential representative stated that “all alert systems were activated in time, and evacuations were organized for residents in areas requiring it in response to tsunami threats.”
“Overall, the seismic resilience of the buildings proved effective (…) Therefore, we can say that the technological preparedness demonstrated a high level,” Peskov added.
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