International
Milei celebrates 100 days as president, between the controversy and his obstinacy about the course
The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, celebrates 100 days of management this Tuesday, in which he has shown obstinacy in the course to achieve fiscal balance and reduce the weight of the State to lower inflation, despite the setbacks in Congress; the fall in purchasing power and criticism for his confrontational method.
In several publications that Milei replied on his social network account X, a direct media that he appreciates a lot, he celebrated that he “avoided the hyperinflation” that was “activated” by his predecessor, the Peronist Alberto Fernández (2019-2023); he began the “sustained process of disinflation” and the decrease in country risk, today at 1,520 basis points.
In terms of security, he replied messages that say that he “ended the pickets” and “he stood against insecurity and narco-terrorism,” and as for corruption, “the amount of illegalities” that he is discovering.
Milei took advantage of this Tuesday to exhibit the unit with her vice president, Victoria Villarruel, on social networks, where they came to publish a photo hugging, after she participated in the meeting of the Cabinet of ministers in the Casa Rosada: “Those who are fighting…!!!,” the president said ironically.
The relationship between Milei and Villarruel reached a peak of tension last week due to the decision of the vice president – who also chairs the Senate – to convene a session in the Upper House where the megadecree of necessity and urgency (DNU) signed by the president in December was rejected.
The presidential spokesman, Manuel Adorni, defined the first 100 days as “a case study” and “an atypical case,” in his usual press conference at the Executive headquarters.
Adorni listed that since Milei took office on December 10, Congress rejected the DNU and a fundamental bill for the Executive, the main union center called for a general strike on January 24 and there were train and bus stops.
In addition, the Patagonian province of Chubut threatened to cut off the supply of hydrocarbons and opposition groups “fantasized” that the far-right would fall for these months.
“This was the only Government (…) that in the first days of the Government has meticulously fulfilled each of the points it had promised in the campaign,” Adorni said, because it “attacked from the outset” the fiscal deficit and clung to the balance of public accounts to “end inflation and the destruction of the currency.”
Milei is an ‘outsider’ who, with aggressive speech and disruptive forms against the “political caste,” won the elections in a second round last November, with 56% support.
“No other government so far had been encouraged to put their hand in politics’s pocket” or “exposed as much to politics” as Milei’s, Adorni said.
Fernández is one of the opposition politicians who criticized the first 100 days of Milei, by showing on his social networks that inflation rose by 71.3%, industrial production fell by 19.4%, retail sales of SMEs fell by 23% and the real salary of registered private workers fell by 27.1%, among other negative indicators.
Amnesty International Argentina warned that the “confrontation” practiced by the Government of Milei is to divert attention from those real conflicts – inflation, poverty, lack of medicines – and violate freedom of expression, and asked for “basic rules of coexistence and non-aggression, especially from the presidential investiture and its collaborators.”
Despite the severe economic adjustment that causes a loss of purchasing power, with inflation that climbed to 276.2% year-on-year last February, Milei maintains a positive image of more than 50%, according to opinion polls.
In that sense, the Government of Milei also boasts of having “changed the concept of governance” because now “it is given by the support of the people,” in a context in which its far-right party, La Libertad Avanza, only has 38 deputies, 7 senators and no provincial governor.
Adorni acknowledged that “there is still a lot to do,” remembering that seven out of ten minors are still poor in Argentina, but that “this time a new sun comes to impoverished Argentina.”
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.
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