International
Candidates in Mexico face the last debate without mobilizing the undecided and between insults
The candidates for the Presidency of the opposition in Mexico, Xóchitl Gálvez and Jorge Álvarez Máynez, will have in the third and last presidential debate on Sunday their last chance to shorten the distance with the ruling party, Claudia Sheinbaum, who has led all the polls from the beginning.
This is portrayed by the specialists consulted this Saturday by EFE, Palmira Tapia and Miguel Tovar, who agree to mention, a day before the last confrontation, the bulk of people undecided about who to vote, a figure that, according to the Poligrama survey at the end of April, reaches 6.9%.
“There may be more discussion sessions and the compass still does not move is because something important in terms of information and how it is presented is still not forceful,” the political scientist acknowledges.
In addition, he points out that some polling houses are not treating the situation “neither professionally nor as a democratic exercise.”
In his opinion, some companies “redined” the representation of the undecided in their polls, in a context of urgency on the part of the candidacies to “have data very quickly and at hand.”
The analyst warns that, at this point, “it is difficult to think” that there are “very expectant” layers of population for knowing the proposals of the candidacies: “A good part of these undecided are people who, in plain, are not going to vote.”
Therefore, and since “not being a competitive choice” due to the wide distance in the polls between the two main candidates, he considers that the parties will not be dedicated to mobilizing these people.
Tapia predicts a Gálvez, standard-bearer of the coalition between the National Action Party (PAN), the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Democratic Revolution (PRD), “even more combative”, because the strategy “worked” in the previous debate and “misplaced” Sheinbaum.
“The second debate was more interesting than the first because we saw more contrast of ideas, but also more personal disqualifications, which this is something that attracts the media,” he says.
He believes that this last confrontation, which will be held at the Tlatelolco University Cultural Center, “will be more of this type,” since it is the “last chance” of the opponent to win votes, an opinion that Tovar shares.
Although it clarifies: “Hardly, we will see a different sphin from the one we have seen with ‘you have no heart.’”
The political scientist speculates about the possibility that the applicant of the also opposition Movimiento Ciudadano (MC), Jorge Álvarez Máynez, will depose Gálvez in the second position on June 2.
“The novelty we have is that (…) it seems that it is being attractive to younger people,” he says.
For this last debate, he could combine “some blows” towards his opponents with the image of “candidate of proposals.”
In this sense, Tovar calls it a “meme of politics,” for his song “Presidente Máynez” and “the occurrences” that he has offered in the campaign, and predicts him “a filling profile.”
Despite the climate of apparent tranquility, Tapia recalls that the topics that the debate will address, such as violence and organized crime, are of high tension.
“It is so important that Gálvez has tried to take the issue of security as a flag for his campaign,” he says, and recalls the proposal for a mega-prison that the candidate launched at the start of the electoral race.
“On the side of Sheinbaum, it seems to me that she also has a challenge before her: to defend the position of the president (Andrés Manuel López Obrador) in this matter, (…) but also honoring what she did in Mexico City as Head of Government,” he analyzes.
And, in the lectern of Máynez, he predicts some “very progressive” proposals in this area, since he has positioned himself “against the alleged militarization” of Mexico.
For Tovar, one of the few “more or less different” things left by the triad of debates is MC’s ability to articulate communication campaigns.
“The gentlemen and ladies of MC are great for marketing, to make these yingles so sticky,” he smiles.
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.
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
Trump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
Costa Rica faces historic vote on lifting presidential immunity for Rodrigo Chaves
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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