International

Harris distances himself from Biden for having called Trump’s followers “trash”

The Democratic candidate for the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris, dismated herself this Wednesday from the controversy unleashed by US President Joe Biden by calling the supporters of the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, “trash” for the racist joke about Puerto Ricans.

“I totally disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” the vice president told the press from the Andrews air base, on the outskirts of the capital.

Although Harris pointed out that Biden has already “clarified his comments,” the Democratic candidate repudiated any speech that divides society and reiterated the message of national unity she expressed on Tuesday night in a massive electoral rally in front of the White House.

“In the work I do I try to represent all people, whether they support me or not, and as president of the United States I will be the president of all Americans, whether they voted for me or not,” she said.

Controversy after controversy

Biden made the controversial comment on Tuesday night during an interview with CNN in which he defended Puerto Rico after a comedian described it as a “floating island of garbage” during Trump’s big electoral rally at Madison Square Garden in New York.

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“Well, let me tell you something. (…) The only garbage I see floating around are his followers. His demonization is excessive and anti-American. It is totally contrary to everything we have done,” said the president, who in July resigned from running for re-election and passed the baton to Harris.

Biden’s words provoked rejection by both Trump and Republican Party politicians.

“He really doesn’t know what he said. It’s something terrible, terrible, but he really doesn’t know,” Trump replied at a rally in Allentown, a Latin-majority town in Pennsylvania.

Biden assures that he was not referring to Trump’s followers

The president rectified his comments on social networks, claiming that he was referring to the “hateful rhetoric” of comedian Tony Hinchcliffe in New York.

“I said it was garbage, the only word I find to describe it,” the president wrote. “The comments at that rally do not really reflect what we are as a country,” he added.

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Likewise, the White House modified the transcript of the interview to point out that the president actually called Hinchcliffe’s words “trash” and not Trump’s followers.

International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.

International

Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition

he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.

Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”

International

Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may

The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.

The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”

The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”

Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.

The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.