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.”
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.
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.
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.
International
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
International
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating two explosions that occurred early Wednesday, one on a road in the southern part of the country and another under a bridge in Guayas province. These incidents follow the car bomb explosion in the coastal city of Guayaquil, also in Guayas, which occurred the day before and left one person dead and 30 injured.
Press reports indicate that one person was injured and several vehicles were damaged in the explosion on the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road in the south.
“Besides yesterday’s explosion in Guayaquil, we have received reports of explosives placed on bridges along the Guayaquil-Machala and Machala-Cuenca routes to disrupt traffic,” said Roberto Luque, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT).
On his X social media account, Luque reported that authorities have been deployed to the sites to assess the damage and determine the current condition of the structures.
“What they haven’t achieved with their call for a strike, some are trying to achieve through terrorism,” he stated, referring to the 24 days of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) against rising diesel prices and other demands.
The protests, called at a national level, have Imbabura province as their epicenter. Roadblocks have also been reported in the northern part of Pichincha province, whose capital is Quito, while activities in the rest of the country continue normally.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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