International

Trump selects Ohio Sen. JD Vance, 39, as his vice presidential nominee

Former US President Donald Trump (2017-2021) chose Ohio Senator JD Vance as his vice presidential candidate on Monday , a 39-year-old who, in addition to being a politician, is also a businessman and writer.

After several weeks of uncertainty, Trump announced his choice on the Truth Social network during the first day of the Republican Convention, which began on Monday in Milwaukee, in the key state of Wisconsin, where Trump’s candidacy for the White House is also being formalized today.

The former Republican president said that after “long deliberation and reflection, and considering the tremendous talents of many others,” he has decided that Vance is “the most appropriate person to assume the role.”

During the campaign, he said, he will focus strongly on the people for whom he fought so brilliantly, the American workers and farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota and far beyond.”

As vice president, he added, he will “continue to fight” for the Constitution, support the troops and do everything he can to help “make America great again.”

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Trump recalled to Truth Social that Vance served in the Marine Corps, graduated from Ohio State University in two years, Summa Cum Laude, and also from Yale Law School, where he was editor of The Yale Law Journal and president of the Yale Law Veterans Association.

JD’s book “Hillbilly Elegy” “became a huge bestseller” and a movie, the former president said, adding that “he has had a very successful business career in technology and finance.”

His name was on the shortlist of Florida Senator Marco Rubio, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin.

In the last few hours, even former US ambassador to the UN and former governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley, the latest to throw in the towel in the primary process against Trump, and even Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent presidential candidate, had begun to be named.

Earlier on Monday, it was leaked that both Rubio and Burgum had been notified that they would not be chosen, thus putting the spotlight on Vance, whose announcement was greeted with applause at the convention as soon as it was made public.

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US President Joe Biden’s campaign on Monday lashed out at Senator JD Vance, Donald Trump’s choice as his running mate, saying he would bow to the former president, unlike Mike Pence during the assault on the Capitol in 2021.

“Donald Trump chose JD Vance as his running mate because Vance will do what Mike Pence failed to do on January 6th: bend to the side of Trump’s extreme agenda, even if it means breaking the law and regardless of whether it harms the American people,” Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement.

Biden’s campaign was alluding to how Pence, who served as Trump’s vice president during his time in the White House from 2017 to 2021, refused to participate in efforts to try to reverse the results of the 2020 election, in which Trump lost to Biden and alleged without evidence that there was fraud.

In its statement, the Biden campaign portrayed Vance, a senator from Ohio, as an extremist and a mere extension of Trump’s policy positions.

Regarding the 2020 election, Vance has previously said that he would not have immediately certified the results had he been vice president. He has also said that Trump had “a very legitimate grievance” regarding the election.

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Vance has also set conditions for accepting the results of the November election, in line with Trump’s statements, who during his June 27 debate against Biden avoided committing to recognizing the outcome of the upcoming election.

As Biden’s campaign notes in its statement, Vance expressed support for a national ban on abortion at 15 weeks when he ran for office in 2022, but later softened that stance when he saw Ohio voters back an amendment to protect reproductive rights in 2023.

The campaign has announced that in the months leading up to the elections, its strategy will be based on showing the “great contrast” between the two visions that will face each other at the polls in November.

“The Biden-Harris ticket is all about uniting the country, creating opportunities for all, and driving down costs; and the Trump-Vance ticket is all about uniting the country, creating opportunities for all, and driving down costs; and the Trump-Vance ticket is all about uniting the country, creating opportunities for all, and driving down costs for all,” O’Malley Dillon said.

Just minutes after Trump announced JD Vance as his running mate, the Biden campaign launched a fundraising offensive on social media and emails to supporters.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”

International

Mexico security chief meets DEA director in Washington to boost anti-drug cooperation

Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, met in Washington with the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Terrance Cole, to discuss cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal arms flows.

The Mexican official said Monday on social media that he attended the meeting in representation of the Mexican government’s Security Cabinet.

“In Washington, D.C., I represented the Security Cabinet to hold talks with DEA Director Terrance Cole on the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation to combat drug trafficking, curb the flow of weapons into our country, and reduce violence in Mexico through significant arrests,” García Harfuch wrote.

He added that, following instructions from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the government will continue strengthening international cooperation on security matters.

For his part, Cole said the meeting focused on cross-border collaboration to tackle drug trafficking and to build safer communities on both sides of the border.

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The meeting comes as Mexico and the United States begin a new round of dialogue on economic and security issues.

Earlier Monday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will look for the “best moment” to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, adding that maintaining a good relationship with Washington is a priority for her administration.

International

Venezuela’s foreign minister accuses UN rights chief of “immoral bias”

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil criticized the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, accusing him of having an “immoral bias” and acting as an “echo chamber for falsehoods” regarding the situation in Venezuela.

Gil’s remarks came after Türk stated that his office had not received an official list from Venezuelan authorities detailing the release of political prisoners, nor authorization to carry out visits related to the issue.

“The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights insists on a narrative biased against our country, repeating unfounded accusations while deliberately omitting the impact of unilateral coercive measures on the rights of the Venezuelan people,” Gil said in a message posted on his Telegram channel.

Without directly addressing the question of prisoner releases, the Venezuelan foreign minister also accused Türk of aligning with what he described as the “agenda of extremism in Venezuela.”

Gil added that, despite serious human rights violations occurring in other parts of the world, the UN official has chosen to maintain what he described as an “immoral bias” against Venezuela.

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The criticism is part of a broader dispute between the Venezuelan government and the UN human rights office over reports and investigations concerning the human rights situation in the country.