International

The Republican Convention stages the total unity around the figure of Trump

Republicans are united, with Donald Trump as the supreme leader. This was the main message conveyed by several of his most prominent figures on the second day of the Republican Party’s National Convention, including his main rival in the primaries: Nikki Haley.

With Trump himself listening to her from the stands, the former Republican candidate for the presidency, who at the time starred in loud confrontations with Trump, assured that she was at the convention at the invitation of the former president, who asked her to offer “a message of unity.”

“He asked me to speak on behalf of the unit. It was a kind invitation and I accepted happily and I will start by leaving one thing perfectly clear: Donald Trump has my firm support,” she said after being greeted with some booing.

The former governor of South Carolina and former representative of the United States to the UN was the most prominent speaker on the second day of the Republican National Convention held this week in Milwaukee (Wisconsin).

A day after Trump made his first public appearance after the assassination attempt he suffered on Saturday in Butler (Pennsylvania), the Republican presidential candidate returned to the same forum today to listen to some of the speakers.

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Again he did not speak, since he is reserving himself for his speech of acceptance of the candidacy, which he will deliver on Thursday. Nor did his candidate for vice president, J.D. Vance, who will take the stage on Wednesday, speak.

Among today’s speakers were three of those who dared to challenge Trump and were candidates in the primaries: Haley, the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.

Haley was the last Republican pre-candidate to surrender to Trump’s superiority and, before the primaries and caucus began, she sounded like the only aspirant capable of taking away the throne, so today she was the most suitable figure to convey the image of unity that the party seeks.

The former U.S. ambassador to the UN appealed to undecided voters and assured that she is aware that there are many people who do not agree with Trump and that she herself has not been on some occasions, but that “it is not necessary to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for him.”

For his part, DeSantis offered a much more ideological speech than Haley and aimed at the party’s bases, claiming much of the conservative policies he carries out at the Florida front, with criticism of irregular migration and the left, which he accused of “indoctrinating” schools for talking about “diversity, equity and inclusion.”

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DeDantis asked for the vote for the Republican candidate because the United States needs “a commander-in-chief” active every day to lead the country and because the current president, Democrat Joe Biden, is not fit for his duties, he said.

Ramaswamy, who was also his rival in the primaries, resorted to humor: “Last year at this point I was a candidate for president and I am proud to say that I have achieved the impossible, that many of you know how to say my name,” he said before showing his strong support for Trump.

The former president is “the president who will manage to unite the country, not with words, but with deeds,” said the businessman, who also mentioned one of the most talked about issues on the day: the closure of borders. “If you want to seal the border, vote for Trump.”

With the unity shown at this convention, enhanced after the attempted assassination of the former president on Saturday, the times of division between the pro and anti-Trump, which only a few months ago starred in the headlines and the corrillos of the US Congress, are already far from behind.

Strong differences that were evident when, after the 2022 half-term elections, the Republicans won the House of Representatives and it was an odyssey to find a consensus candidate to exercise as a ‘speaker’ for the deep division between the most moderate and the MAGA, the radicals who identify with Trump’s motto Make the United States big again, for its acronym in English.

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The chosen one was Kevin McCarthy, but he needed fifteen votes to be approved and a year and a half later he became the first leader of the Lower House to be dismissed, at the request of Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, for supporting the sending of funds to Ukraine.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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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.”