International
Biden says goodbye to the Americans: it’s time to “pass the baton” to save the country
US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he is “passing the baton” to a new generation to unite the United States and “save” democracy, in what were his first public statements since he ended his re-election campaign for the November elections.
From the Oval Office of the White House, Biden gave a speech of about 11 minutes, which was broadcast live by the country’s main television networks, and in which his goal was twofold: to explain the decision to end his re-election campaign and begin to define his legacy.
“I have decided that the best way to move forward is to pass the baton to a new generation. This is the best way to unite our nation,” Biden said, sitting at the desk of the Oval Office, so that several photographs could be seen behind him, including one of his son Beau, who died of cancer in 2015.
Biden has only given four speeches to the nation like tonight’s throughout his term, two of them have been in recent days.
Biden framed his decision not to be re-election in the need to “defend democracy” in the face of the rise of authoritarianism, an idea that dominated his electoral campaign and also guided his decision to run in the 2020 elections, in which he defeated former President Donad Trump (2017-2021).
Biden did not mention Trump by name at any time, but it was clear in his speech that he was referring to the possibility of him returning to power.
“I deeply respect this position, but I love my country more. It has been the honor of my life to serve as your president. But, I think that defending democracy is more important than any title,” he emphasized.
Trump, for his part, responded just a few minutes after the speech ended. In a message on his social network Truth Social, he considered that “The speech of the corrupt Joe Biden from the Oval Office was barely understood and was soooo bad!”
Trump’s name, however, was not the only one that Biden omitted. Nor did he refer to the pressures of recent weeks from dozens of members of Congress and personalities of his party to end his presidential campaign after a nefarious performance in the debate against Trump on June 27.
However, in a serene tone, Biden reviewed the achievements of his almost four years of presidency and considered that he deserved a second four-year term in this historic speech with the flavor of a farewell.
“I believe that my record as president, my leadership in the world and my vision for the future of the United States, everything would justify a second term, but nothing can get in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition,” he said.
When he ended his electoral campaign on Sunday, Biden asked for the vote for the vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, who in just two days was able to secure the necessary support to be the party’s candidate, in addition to beating a fundraising record.
In the speech, Biden described Harris as an “experienced”, “hard” and “capable” policy. Harris herself followed the president’s speech live from Houston (Texas), where she plans to give a speech tomorrow, Thursday.
Inside the Oval Office, the president was accompanied by several members of his family, including the first lady, Jill Biden, and his son Hunter, who in recent weeks has been one of his father’s greatest supporters and tonight watched him attentively as he read the speech of a teleprompter.
Once Biden finished the speech, Biden’s relatives and advisors who were in the Oval Office burst into applause and the few journalists inside had to leave in a hurry.
Without the presence of the press, Biden went out to the White House Rosaleda to talk to the employees of the presidential team that had gathered to see his speech. While serving ice cream, he stressed the importance of Harris being elected in November, a source present told CNN.
Biden’s speech had a historic character, since never before had a presidential candidate withdrawn from the race so close to the elections.
The closest precedent dates back to March 1968, when President Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969) announced that he would not be eligible for re-election, but he did so at the beginning of the party’s primaries.
In contrast, Biden made this decision with the primaries already concluded and just three months after the elections.
International
Meta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication
U.S. tech giant Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, said that Russia is seeking to ban the messaging app because it “challenges government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication.”
Russian authorities have encouraged citizens to switch to state-backed applications, and in August they already blocked WhatsApp’s calling feature.
On Friday, the communications regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the platform was being used to “organize and carry out terrorist acts in the country, recruit perpetrators, and facilitate fraud and other crimes.”
“If the messaging service does not comply with Russian law, it will be completely blocked,” the regulator warned.
WhatsApp remains one of Russia’s most widely used messaging services, alongside Telegram.
Moscow is pressuring both platforms to grant authorities access to user data upon request for investigations into fraud and activities the government labels as “terrorist.”
Human rights advocates fear the demand could be used to target critics of the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin, or the war in Ukraine.
International
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, has called for increased pressure on the U.S. Congress to advance comprehensive immigration reform and criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, arguing that they “do nothing to help.”
“We need to apply more pressure on Congress so lawmakers can make the necessary changes. It is also important for the Administration to listen to our voice. We do not want to be anyone’s enemy—we are Americans,” Wenski said in an interview with EFE.
The religious leader, who heads one of the dioceses with the largest Latino and Haitian populations in the United States, issued a call to defend the rights of migrants. He also emphasized that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has maintained a strong and public stance in favor of migrants for decades.
International
Trump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his diplomatic team will resume meetings with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in an effort to pressure both sides to accept the peace plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
As part of this new round of talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will hold discussions with Ukrainian representatives to narrow differences on the remaining points of the agreement.
Trump also confirmed his intention to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with Putin, though he emphasized that such meetings will only take place “when the agreement is fully finalized or in its final stage.”
The president claimed that his administration has made “tremendous progress” toward resolving the conflict and reiterated that the war “never would have started” if he had been in the White House at the onset of the crisis.
The U.S.-backed peace plan consists of 28 points and has been revised following feedback from both sides. According to Trump, only “a few points of disagreement” remain under active discussion.
One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the suggestion that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its armed forces. Kyiv is working closely with Washington to soften these clauses in search of an arrangement that does not compromise its sovereignty or security.
With this diplomatic push, Trump aims to solidify his role as the main mediator in the conflict and steer the war toward a political resolution after years of devastation, humanitarian crisis, and rising global geopolitical tensions.
Meta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication
Trump Pardons Former Honduran President Hernández and Warns of Aid Cuts Ahead of Election
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
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
-
International4 days agoTrump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
-
International4 days agoBolsonaro misses appeal deadline, faces imminent prison order by Brazil’s Supreme Court
-
International4 days agoMan pleads not guilty in Liverpool parade incident that injured more than 130
-
Central America3 days agoPanama reinforces security with new helicopters and Super Tucano Aircraft purchases
-
International4 days agoMacron to announce new voluntary military service amid rising security concerns in Europe
-
Central America3 days ago
Trump urges hondurans to back conservative candidate Nasry Asfura in november elections
-
Central America15 hours agoTrump Pardons Former Honduran President Hernández and Warns of Aid Cuts Ahead of Election
-
International3 days agoArchbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
-
Central America3 days agoWashington calls for oversight as Honduras faces allegations of electoral interference
-
International15 hours agoMeta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication