International
The U.S. Supreme Court says that the Prosecutor’s Office overtooke itself by accusing the Capitol assailants
The United States Supreme Court decided this Friday that accusing the assailants of the January 6, 2021 Capitol of obstruction of justice was inappropriate and that the Department of Justice was overdone.
By six votes to three, the country’s highest court ruled that the Prosecutor’s Office went overboard by accusing hundreds of people who moted at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, of obstruction.
The decision implies that the lower courts will now apply that standard and will probably dismiss the charges against many defendants.
This ruling could also interfere in one of the judicial proceedings against former Republican President Donald Trump – that of his involvement in the assault on the Capitol and his alleged attempt to interfere in the elections – since special prosecutor Jack Smith included the obstruction of an official procedure among the four charges that weigh against him in this trial.
Although Smith, who carries out the investigation, alleges that Trump’s obstruction of the Congressional procedure is much broader than that of the assailants, it is likely that the legal team of the former president will try to take advantage of the Supreme Court’s decision.
That January 6, about 10,000 people – most of them Trump followers – marched towards the Capitol and about 800 broke into the building while Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 elections was being certified. There were five dead and about 140 officers injured.
Since then, more than 1,000 people have been arrested practically in the 50 states of the country for crimes related to the attack and more than 350 have been charged with assault or obstruction of law enforcement, according to data from the Department of Justice.
The Supreme Court decided this Friday that charges could be filed against the rioters if the prosecutors can prove that they were not only trying to enter the building by force, but also to prevent the arrival of the certificates that confirmed the results of the election.
The president of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, wrote the majority opinion, which included a liberal judge, Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Judge Amy Coney Barrett presented a dissident opinion that was joined by Judges Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
The Supreme Court’s decision outraged the US Prosecutor’s Office, headed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, who claimed to be “disappointed.”
This limits “an important federal statute that the Department has tried to use to ensure that those primarily responsible for that attack face the appropriate consequences,” Garland said.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
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Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
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