International
The big U.S. TV networks will ask for a face-to-face between Biden and Trump
The five largest television networks in the United States are preparing a joint letter to ask the US president, Joe Biden, and the virtual Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to participate in televised debates, in the face of speculation that in this electoral year they will not reach an agreement to celebrate this traditional face-to-face.
CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox News request that the presidential campaign that leads to the election in November, this year have those debates that have been part of the tradition of the United States in all electoral cycles since 1976.
“The signatory national news organizations urge the probable presidential candidates to publicly commit to participate in debates before the election,” says a draft of the request revealed by The New York Times.
The 81-year-old Democrat Biden has not discarded the idea of facing Trump again in front of the cameras and the national audience, as he did twice in 2020.
For his part, Trump, 77, who refused to participate in the debates of the Republican primaries this year, has said that he is willing to debate with Biden “at any time, anywhere.”
These debates have been losing interest for voters: the second confrontation between Trump and Biden in 2020 attracted an audience of 63 million people, 10 million less than the first, and 8.6 million less than the final debate of Trump and Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016.
In their letter, according to the draft cited by The New York Times, television networks affirm that “if there is something that Americans can agree on, in these times of polarization, it is that what is at stake in this election is exceptionally important.”
“Simply, nothing can replace the debate of the candidates face to face, before the citizenry, with their visions for the future of the nation,” the text adds.
The first of these televised debates occurred in the 1960 campaign when Republican candidate and vice president Richard Nixon, and young Democratic Senator John F., clashed. Kennedy, and it took 16 years until the confrontation of then Republican President Gerald Ford, and the Democratic Governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter.
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.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
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