International
The director of the United States Secret Service resigns after criticism of the attack on Trump
The until now director of the U.S. Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned on Tuesday after the criticism raised by the security errors of the rally in Butler (Pennsylvania) in which former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) suffered an assassination attempt.
The NBC network announced, citing three sources familiar with the issue, that the resignation has occurred after several calls by legislators to resign.
Just yesterday Cheatle appeared on a committee of the House of Representatives and stated that the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump was the “biggest operational failure” of the agency “in decades.”
Cheatle assumed “full responsibility” for the “security” lap of his agency and assured that he cooperates with the ongoing investigations into the attack.
The Republican opposition had asked for the resignation of Cheatle, at the head of the agency in charge of Trump’s security.
Trump was shot in the ear while participating in a rally in Butler (Pennsylvania). The shooter had climbed a roof about 140 meters from the former president, although outside the security perimeter.
Witnesses had warned two minutes before the shots of the suspicious presence of the aggressor, a 20-year-old boy whose reasons are still unknown and who was killed by Secret Service agents.
During the hearing, Republicans protested Cheatle’s refusal to answer most of his questions, alleging that there are several ongoing investigations with which the Secret Service is collaborating to clarify what failed in the operation.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), on which the Secret Service depends, announced on Sunday the start by order of the president, Joe Biden, of an independent investigation into what happened with members of the two parties that must be completed within 45 days.
The investigation will be formed, among others, by Janet Napolitano, former Secretary of Homeland Security with Barack Obama (2009-2017); or Frances Townsend, former National Security Adseser to George W. Bush (2001-2009).
International
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.
The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.
Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.
Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.
The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.
More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.
The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.
Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.
Central America
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.
In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”
Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.
“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.
The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.
International
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
Several U.S. strikes targeted areas near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to Iranian state media citing local authorities, as hostilities between the United States and Iran intensified.
Officials in Iran’s Hormozgan Province said the island of Qeshm was struck multiple times by what they described as U.S. missiles during the evening. The reports were carried by the Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim.
Iranian state television also reported that the Bandar Abbas region, located on the Iranian coast overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of what authorities described as an “enemy U.S. air attack.”
According to local officials quoted by state television, no casualties have been reported following the strikes.
The reported attacks come amid renewed military tensions between Washington and Tehran, although U.S. authorities had not immediately commented on the reported operations.
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
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