International
Biden believes that Florida voters will vote in favor of protecting access to abortion
U.S. President Democrat Joe Biden defended women’s reproductive rights in Florida and expressed his confidence that voters in this state will vote in favor of protecting access to abortion in a referendum next November.
During a speech he gave to some 200 guests at an event at Hillsborough Community College, in Tampa, Biden alluded to a new state law that will enter into force on May 1 and that will prohibit abortion from the sixth week of pregnancy, when, he said, many women still do not know that they are in pregnancy.
“This extreme law will affect 4 million Florida women,” lamented the president, who added that access to the termination of pregnancy should not depend on the state in which a person lives.
“It’s about women’s rights,” she said, which should be protected at the federal level. To then warn that a new mandate from Donald Trump will bring with it a national ban on abortion.
With the restrictions of Florida, where a ban is in force from the fifteenth week, there are 21 states, or one in three women, who are under some kind of restriction on access to abortion, as Biden’s campaign team highlighted on Monday.
“It is not inevitable, we can stop it when they vote,” said the Democrat, who in the elections next November aspires to re-election.
He warned that a new mandate of Trump (2017-2021), the virtual Republican candidate, carries the risk of a ban on this practice of national scope. He added that if he maintains power, he will veto any initiative sent to him by Congress in this regard.
Biden insisted on the cases of women who are forced to travel “thousands of miles” in order to have access to “basic care.” Or doctors threatened with their prosecution if they go against state anti-abortion laws. As is the case in Arizona, where a law of 1864 was re-established that does not allow abortion in almost any circumstances.
In June 2022, the Conservative-majority Supreme Court of the United States ended the federal protections established by the Roe vs. Wade case and that prevented states from legislating on the matter, from which a cascading effect was generated in conservative states.
Since then, abortion has become a protagonist of the current electoral campaign, in which Democrats hope to attract voters to the polls of key states such as Florida, where voters will have to decide whether to approve a constitutional amendment that protects access to this practice.
In Florida, the inclusion of a referendum on the voting card issued in the state Supreme Court, after the campaign against the state governor, Republican and former presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, and prosecutor Ashley Moody, with a result in favor of the civil organizations promoting the amendment.
Florida media have echoed different polls about this referendum. Which reflect that the percentages of undecided about the question are not scarce, and that it could explain the presence of the president in this southern state.
After the event, held on the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough Community College, the president was part of a more informal event with Nikki Fried, the head of the Florida Democratic Party, and 50 other people, in which he said that Florida is still “at stake” in the November elections.
“These are basic and old-fashioned choices,” where the key is to get people to go out to vote, he said.
In the last electoral cycles, Republicans have won in Florida, a state that was considered “hinge” or ambivalent.
International
Trump floats Vance-Rubio potential Republican ticket for 2028 election
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubiocould potentially form a Republican presidential ticket for the 2028 elections.
Speaking during a dinner with law enforcement officials as part of National Police Week, Trump publicly praised both officials and said they could make “an ideal team” for the next presidential race.
“Who likes JD Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio?” Trump asked attendees before adding that the pair “sound like a good combination.”
The president highlighted his vice president’s performance in office, stating that their current partnership has been highly effective. “JD is perfect, that has been a perfect formula,” Trump told reporters later.
He further suggested that a Vance-Rubio pairing could represent a strong presidential and vice-presidential ticket, although he stopped short of offering any formal endorsement.
“I think it sounds like a presidential candidate and a vice-presidential candidate,” he said, while clarifying that his remarks should not be interpreted as an official backing of any future campaign.
So far, neither Vance nor Rubio has publicly confirmed any intention to run in the 2028 presidential election.
Rubio previously sought the Republican nomination in 2016 but withdrew after losing the primary race to Trump. Later, in a December 2025 interview with Vanity Fair, he said he would be among the first to support Vance if he decided to run for the White House.
Vance, meanwhile, has recently dismissed speculation of any political rivalry with Rubio amid growing discussion about potential future GOP leadership.
International
Russia Accuses Ukraine of Violating Victory Day Truce
Russia accused Ukraine on Saturday of violating a Victory Day truce that was reportedly agreed with mediation from the United States, claiming that Ukrainian forces carried out attacks on Russian territory as well as on the annexed Crimean peninsula.
Despite the declared ceasefire, the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement that Ukrainian forces attacked Russian military positions using attack drones and artillery.
According to the ministry, Ukrainian forces made twelve attempts to advance toward Russian-held positions across several sectors of the front line.
It also alleged that Ukrainian strikes targeted civilian infrastructure in Crimea, several border regions, the Caucasus, and other areas including Moscow and Perm in the Ural region.
The Defense Ministry estimated around 8,900 violations of the ceasefire in total, including more than 7,000 drone attacks and over 1,000 strikes involving tanks, artillery, multiple rocket launch systems, and mortars since the truce came into effect at midnight.
Russia said its forces responded “symmetrically” to what it described as violations by Ukrainian troops.
Earlier, the Kremlin denied claims that Ukraine attempted to sabotage a military parade in Red Square marking the 81st anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
“No attempts were made. Everything went well,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told local media.
International
Trump Says U.S.-Iran Talks Progressing, Signals Possible Deal on Strait of Hormuz
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Washington is holding “very good” talks with Iran and stated that there is a strong possibility of reaching an agreement to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“We’ve had very good conversations over the last 44 hours, and it’s very possible that we’ll reach an agreement,” Trump said during an event held in the Oval Office at the White House.
The president’s remarks came just hours after he announced a temporary suspension of the military operation aimed at escorting vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf due to Iran’s blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Trump explained that the pause in operations is intended to facilitate diplomatic negotiations between both sides and prevent further military escalation in the region.
“We’re in good shape, and right now things are going well. Now we have to achieve what we need to achieve. If we don’t, we’ll have to go much further,” the Republican president warned.
In a post published on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump reiterated that if Iran accepts Washington’s proposed conditions, military operations and the naval blockade affecting the Islamic republic would come to an end.
However, he also issued a new warning to the Iranian government, stating that the United States would respond with attacks “of greater intensity” if Tehran rejects the agreement promoted by the White House.
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Trump floats Vance-Rubio potential Republican ticket for 2028 election
Russia Accuses Ukraine of Violating Victory Day Truce
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