International
Judge examines Prosecutor’s request for a gag order to Trump for comments about the FBI
Judge Aileen Cannon, in charge of the case of mishandling of classified documents by former president and Republican pre-candidate Donald Trump, examined on Monday a request from prosecutors in which they ask him to be prohibited from making comments that may endanger the lives of the FBI agents who registered their property in Mar-a-Lago.
Special prosecutor Jack Smith asked Cannon, nominated by Trump in 2020, to issue a “limited gag order,” after the former governor claimed, according to the Special Prosecutor’s Office, that the agents who searched his Palm Beach house for classified documents endangered him and his family and had an order to respond violently if necessary.
The agents who carried out the search at his residence in Mar-a-Lago did so at a time when Trump and his family were outside Florida.
In a fundraising email, Trump pointed out that the FBI agents who searched his Mar-a-Lago house for documents were “simply eager to do the unthinkable,” in reference to the use of force, something that does not exceed a normal protocol in a registry.
Trump’s lawyers say that any gag order would unduly silence his defendant in the middle of a campaign in which he is the Republican pre-candidate.
It is not yet known when Cannon could pronounce on this point, after hearing the arguments that are part of a three-day hearing that began last Friday to address several of the unresolved legal issues that have accumulated in this case.
Last May, Judge Cannon indefinitely postponed the date of the trial against Trump in Florida for the mishandling of confidential documents found in her Mar-a-Lago club, in Palm Beach (Florida) after leaving the White House.
A measure that practically guarantees that the trial will not take place before the presidential elections next November, in which the president, Joe Biden, will be met.
Federal Judge Cannon analyzed last Friday a petition from Trump’s defense to dismisal the accusation of mishandling of documents with the argument that the special prosecutor who presented it, Jack Smith, was illegally appointed.
Trump’s defense team maintained that the U.S. Attorney General, Merrick Garland, lacked legal authority to appoint Smith as special prosecutor in charge of the process.
Last Thursday it became known that Cannon rejected the request of two federal judges to resign from presiding over the case, as reported that day by The New York Times newspaper.
In the same case, Trump faces charges of obstruction and deliberate retention of official documents related to U.S. Security, which can result in penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
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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