International

Trump and Harris fight the final battle for decisive states, two days before the elections

The Republican candidate for the presidency, former President Donald Trump (2017-2021), and his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, continued to fight a marathon battle for a handful of decisive ‘hinge’ states, two days before the presidential elections, with polls that present a very tight scenario.

Trump focused on sowing doubts about the voting system in some key states, something that could lead, as in 2020, to a new questioning of the results, while Harris said that in the coming days “they will put us to the test.”

This close pulse means that both political rivals have turned these final days in the seven ‘bisagra’ states: Pennsylvania, the one with the most electoral votes (19); North Carolina (16), Georgia (16), Michigan (15), Arizona (11), Wisconsin (10) and Nevada (6).

Trump: he shouldn’t have left the White House

Trump’s marathon of rallies began in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, territory of the religious, pacifist and traditionalist group of the Amish, to ask for the vote in a community that does not usually participate in elections, but that the Republican hopes will go to the polls and thus obtain the necessary margin to win this key state.

At his rally in Lititz, Trump also reiterated his doubts, so far unfounded, that the electoral process is not being fraudulent, and assured that there will be problems about the legitimacy of the electoral results if the ballot is not known on Tuesday night.

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The Republican candidate said he should not “have left” the White House after losing the 2020 elections, a defeat that he never recognized.

He also criticized the media and their “fake news,” as well as the voting system in the United States, complaining that in some parts of the country you do not have to show an identification document before voting and the time it takes to count the votes.

“The world laughs at our electoral system,” the tycoon noted in his campaign act in the most crucial state of these presidential elections next Tuesday.

Harris: the next few days they will put us to the test

For his part, Harris traveled to Michigan, where he warned that in two days the fate of the nation will be decided, and expressed his conviction that the country is ready to “turn the page” and “write the next chapter of our history.”

In an African-American church in Detroit, Harris, who already voted by mail, said that “the road ahead will not be easy” in the coming days and that “we will be put to the test,” but that the nation “is ready to bend the arc of history towards justice.”

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For his part, former President Barack Obama stopped in Milwakee (Wisconsin) to ask the Latin, black, Jewish and Arab minorities to vote, and questioned them: “Why think that the answer is to vote for a person who has a long history of despising and ignoring their communities?”, in reference to Trump.

The average of surveys collected by FiveThirtyEight show technical ties and within the margin of error between Trump and Harris, so the victory could be determined by very narrow margins or require counts.

The former president had this Sunday, according to that electoral portal, an advantage within the margins of error in North Carolina (1%) and Georgia (1%), while Harris has a slight advantage in Michigan (1%) and Wisconsin (1%). In Pennsylvania and Nevada, they are tied. In Arizona, Trump’s advantage today is 2.5%.

International

Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on Middle East Crisis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned the “military escalation in the Middle East” following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, just hours before an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

“I call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation,” Guterres said in a statement.

The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Saturday at 21:00 GMT (4:00 p.m. in New York) to address “the situation in the Middle East,” the United Nations announced.

The meeting, during which Guterres will deliver remarks, was convened at the request of France, Bahrain, Colombia, Russia and China, according to a diplomatic source.

International

Trump Floats “Friendly Takeover” of Cuba Amid Rising Tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration is considering what he described as a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, as Washington continues to increase pressure on the island’s communist government.

“The Cuban government is talking to us and they have very serious problems, as you know. They have no money, they have nothing at this moment, but they are talking to us and maybe we will see a friendly takeover of Cuba,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to Texas.

Earlier in the week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuba needed a “radical change,” shortly after Washington eased restrictions on oil exports to the island for what officials described as “humanitarian reasons,” amid a deep economic crisis.

The United States has imposed an energy blockade on Cuba since January, citing what it calls an “extraordinary threat” posed by the communist-run island, located roughly 150 kilometers (90 miles) off the coast of Florida, to U.S. national security.

International

Argentina’s Senate Reviews Milei-Backed Labor Overhaul

Argentina’s Senate on Friday began reviewing the Labor Modernization Law promoted by the administration of President Javier Milei, a proposal that would significantly reshape labor rules across the country.

The upper chamber opened its final discussion of the contentious initiative, which revises the method used to calculate severance payments — lowering the amounts owed in dismissal cases — and introduces an “hour bank” mechanism that allows overtime to be offset with paid leave rather than extra wages.

The legislation also broadens the classification of essential services, a change that would place new limits on the right to strike in designated sectors.

The bill was initially approved by the Senate on February 11 and then moved to the Chamber of Deputies, where lawmakers passed it with amendments. It has now returned to the Senate for definitive approval.

Outside the Congress building in Buenos Aires, workers, trade unions and left-wing organizations staged demonstrations beginning at midday. The gathering later thinned out amid reports of disturbances and a strong police presence. Security forces had secured the area surrounding the legislature since early morning hours.

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Union leaders contend that the reform weakens labor protections, while many business representatives back the measure but stress that sustainable formal employment will require economic expansion, improved credit conditions, greater investment and a more dynamic domestic market.