International

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump rush the last few hours courting the decisive Latin vote of Pennsylvania

The Democratic candidate for the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris, and her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, visited this Monday two Latin-majority cities in the decisive state of Pennsylvania, in search of the Hispanic vote that can decant tomorrow’s elections.

The same-day visit of Harris in Allentown and Trump in Reading, two neighboring municipalities, comes after the controversy over the racist joke of a comedian at a Republican rally in New York who described Puerto Rico as a “garbage island.”

“The United States is ready for a new beginning and is ready for a new path to follow in which we see our fellow citizens not as an enemy but as a neighbor,” said the vice president during her rally.

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris seek the Latin vote

Harris was accompanied by the Puerto Rican-born rapper Fat Joe, who criticized Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric and recalled the controversy that the Republican unleashed during his first term when he went to Puerto Rico to throw handkerchiefs at the victims of Hurricane Maria in 2017.

“I’m talking to some undecided Puerto Ricans, especially in Pennsylvania. What else do (the Republicans) have to do to show them who they are?” Fat Joe said.

20250701_dengue_728x90

20250715_donacion_sangre_central_728x90

20250701_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250701_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

For his part, after passing through North Carolina, Trump gave an electoral rally in Reading, with a half-full capacity, where he reiterated that if he wins tomorrow he will launch “the largest deportation of criminals in the entire history of the United States.”

The New York tycoon was preceded by Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who addressed the public in Spanish. “I didn’t understand a damn word of what I was saying. But it’s great,” Trump said about his partner.

Key state

The 19 electoral votes provided by Pennsylvania, the largest of the seven hinge states, are the jewel in the crown of Tuesday’s elections, in which the polls draw such a tight scenario that making predictions is impossible.

This state of the country’s former industrial belt traditionally voted Democratic until Trump turned it around in 2016 and, four years later, Joe Biden won the Republican by a narrow margin of 80,000 votes.

All eyes are on the Hispanic vote since Pennsylvania has doubled in two decades the Latino population to 620,000 registered to vote. More than half of the population of Allentown and Reading is Latino, mostly Puerto Rican, followed by Dominicans.

20250701_dengue_728x90

20250715_donacion_sangre_central_728x90

20250701_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250701_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

Controversy over joke against Puerto Rico

Although Trump has not apologized for the joke of comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at his New York rally, a few days later he visited Allentown and promised: “I will bring the best future to Puerto Ricans and Hispanics.”

The controversy grew even more when Biden responded to the joke by describing Trump’s followers as “trash,” words that the White House qualified and from which Kamala Harris discacated herself.

The Democratic candidate will close her campaign tonight with a big concert in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), accompanied by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, while Trump will put an end to the campaign from Gran Rapids, in the also decisive state of Michigan.

International

Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore

Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.

Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.

In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.

Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.

“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.

20250701_dengue_728x90

20250715_donacion_sangre_central_728x90

20250701_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250701_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.

International

Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking

Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.

Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.

The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.

“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.

International

Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing

Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.

During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.

“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.

He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.

A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.

20250701_dengue_728x90

20250715_donacion_sangre_central_728x90

20250701_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250701_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.