International
A report blames the Secret Service for the security failures in the Trump attack
An internal report of the US Secret Service published this Friday concluded that the security failures committed by the elite body, in charge of monitoring presidents and top-level political figures, are responsible for the attack suffered by former President Donald Trump last July, in which he was injured in an ear.
The internal review carried out as a result of the event – one of the many investigations that are being carried out on the incident – concluded, among other things, that the agents who were watching the former governor (2017-2021) while offering a rally in Butler (Pennsylvania) did not have the technical capacity to communicate with the local police.
Nor to detect drones on the day of the rally, says the report, which also clarifies that the agents did not previously talk about how a complex of warehouses that surrounded the place should be protected.
On July 13, Trump was shot in the ear while participating in a rally. The shooter, a 20-year-old who was later shot down by Secret Service agents, managed to shoot from a roof about 140 meters from the former president, although outside the security perimeter.
The strong criticism that arose after what happened caused the resignation of the director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, who described the attack as “the most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades.”
The scrutiny on the agency has increased in recent days after last Sunday Trump, apparently, had also been at risk of a second murder attempt while playing golf in Florida, at the hands of a man who was wandering for hours the area armed with an AK-47 rifle and equipped with a telescopic sight, without firing shots.
At a press conference today, the current acting director of the Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, said that Trump is currently receiving “the highest level of protection possible,” a security equal to that of President Joe Biden and candidate Kamala Harris.
Thus, last Sunday, at the golf course owned by Trump in West Palm Beach (Florida) “there were elements of snipers who were present” and “a complete counterattack team that was there nearby.”
The agent who saw the attacker “identified a threat, an individual with a long gun, and made quick decisions and acted quickly to mitigate it.”
“He did not shoot at the former president, he was not exposed,” he said, and the arrest was a sign that “the procedures work” and “that high level of protection is working.”
Sunday’s event led several public figures, including President Joe Biden, to ask the Secret Service to receive more funds.
Precisely today the House of Representatives unanimously approved a two-party urgent legislation that would increase the protection of the Secret Service for the presidential candidates of both parties, Trump and Kamala Harris, as well as for their running mates for vice presidency.
The bill has only three pages and, if it becomes law, Trump and Harris would receive the same standard of Secret Security protection as President Joe Biden, something that according to Rowe is already happening.
In fact, it is not clear that the law will prosper because it has to go to the Senate, a chamber that is looking for additional funds for the Secret Service to be included in the provisional financing bill that Congress must approve before September 30 to avoid a government shutdown.
International
OAS Election Mission to Monitor Claims of Political Interference by Colombia’s President
The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) has pledged to follow up on allegations regarding the alleged involvement of Colombian President Gustavo Petro in political campaigning ahead of Sunday’s presidential election.
The announcement was made by presidential candidate Claudia López after a meeting with the head of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission, former Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernández.
According to a statement released by López’s campaign, the OAS mission listened to the concerns raised by the candidate and committed to monitoring the complaints she has submitted to both national and international organizations.
The mission also reiterated its commitment to overseeing the electoral process to help ensure that the will of Colombian voters is respected throughout the election.
“We have turned to international forums and technical observation missions to warn that Colombian democracy cannot be left at the mercy of fear or undue pressure,” López, the former mayor of Bogotá, said following the meeting.
López has repeatedly expressed concerns about what she describes as political interference in the electoral process and has called on national and international institutions to closely monitor the conduct of the campaign.
The OAS observation mission is one of several international bodies deployed to Colombia to monitor the presidential election, which is taking place amid heightened political tensions and intense competition among candidates from across the ideological spectrum.
The election is expected to be closely watched both domestically and internationally as Colombians choose whether to continue with the country’s first left-wing administration or shift toward a new political direction.
International
Colombia Votes in Pivotal Election as Left Seeks to Retain Power
Colombians headed to the polls on Sunday in a crucial presidential election that will determine whether the country continues under its first left-wing government in modern history or shifts back toward the political right.
The election campaign has been marked by deep political divisions, with armed violence and economic concerns emerging as the dominant issues for voters.
A total of 11 candidates remain in the race following the withdrawal of three presidential tickets. The central question is which candidate will advance to a likely runoff election alongside ruling-party senator Iván Cepeda, who has led opinion polls for months with his platform of “democratic revolution” but is not expected to secure enough votes to win outright in the first round.
On the right, Senator Paloma Valencia of the Democratic Center party, the political movement founded by former President Álvaro Uribe, has lost momentum as support has grown for far-right attorney Abelardo de la Espriella. Known as “The Tiger,” De la Espriella has campaigned on a tough-on-crime agenda targeting criminal organizations and guerrilla groups, drawing comparisons to the security policies of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
Political analyst Sandra Borda, a professor at the University of the Andes, argues that Colombia is experiencing not simply greater polarization but a broader political landscape.
“The 2016 peace agreement with the FARC opened significant space for the left. Inevitably, it also created opportunities for the right,” Borda told CNN. The political scientist, who ran for the Senate in 2022 with the New Liberalism movement, believes the current election presents a more challenging environment for the left than four years ago.
According to Borda, left-wing candidates can no longer campaign solely as agents of change who have never had the opportunity to govern or who remained untouched by traditional politics.
“They can no longer make that argument. They have already governed and are no longer immune from criticism associated with political power,” she said.
The election is being closely watched across Latin America as voters weigh the record of the outgoing administration against promises of change from candidates across the political spectrum.
International
ICE agent arrested in Texas over shooting of Venezuelan migrant in Minnesota
U.S. authorities arrested an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Friday in Texas after he was accused of shooting a Venezuelan migrant in Minnesota earlier this year and later providing false information about the incident.
The suspect, identified as Christian Castro, faces four counts of second-degree assault, along with an additional charge related to filing a false official report. He was taken into custody after investigators from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension located him, according to a statement from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
The case stems from a January operation carried out by ICE during which Castro shot Julio César Sosa, a Venezuelan migrant, in the leg. Prosecutors allege that the agent later submitted a misleading account of the incident, claiming that Sosa and another migrant had attacked officers with a shovel and a broomstick.
However, investigators say that video evidence and further findings contradicted that version of events, leading to the dismissal of charges initially brought against the migrants by federal prosecutors.
ICE’s acting director, Todd Lyons, acknowledged in February that agents involved in the incident had given “false sworn testimony” about what occurred.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty described Friday’s arrest as a “critical step forward” in the judicial process and reaffirmed that the investigation remains ongoing.
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