International
Kamala Harris gains strength as a relief if Biden withdraws from the campaign
The vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, is gaining strength in the last hours as a possible replacement of the US president, Joe Biden, in case he resigned his re-election candidacy due to his fatal performance in the debate against former Republican President Donald Trump.
Harris has carried a low popularity throughout the term and his presidential candidacy did not sound like a realistic option until the failure of Biden last week, who appeared in the aging and disoriented debate, multiplying the voices that believe he is not fit to remain in office at the age of 81.
The vice president, 59, not only has in her favor of being Biden’s natural successor, but the voting intention polls put her ahead of other popular faces of the party and would inherit the entire structure of the campaign.
Harris tried to get out this Wednesday in the wake of rumors by participating with Biden in a call with the re-election campaign staff, thus sending a message that he unconditionally supports the president.
But according to a CNN poll published on Tuesday, Harris would have a better electoral performance against Trump than Biden, although the Republican would prevail in both cases.
In a duel between Biden and Trump, the Republican would win with 49% of the votes compared to 43% of the Democrat. In the event that the candidate was Harris, 47% say they would vote for Trump and 45% for her.
The Democratic campaign has closed ranks around Biden, whose family is encouraging him to continue in the race, but more and more people within the party are privately asking for his withdrawal.
Both The New York Times and CNN published on Wednesday that Biden would have acknowledged before a close ally that his candidacy is in danger if he does not manage to calm the waters in the coming days, an extreme denied by the White House.
Although he has secured his nomination after winning the primaries, Biden is not yet the official Democratic candidate for the November 5 elections and is waiting for the party to make it official before its national convention in August.
Analysts agree that in or for there to be a replacement for Biden, he would have to give up his nomination and, in that case, his running mate would be the favorite to replace him.
“If it were put aside, Harris would be the best alternative for Democrats not to embark on a great internal battle a few weeks before the convention,” Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at Mary Washington University, told EFE.
The current vice president would also have “the key to most of it” of the money raised by the campaign and should not start the search for funds again, according to the CNBC network on Wednesday.
Some already openly advocate for her, such as Democratic Congressman Jim Clyburn, key to Biden’s victory in the primaries in 2020, who said he would support Harris in the event of a Biden withdrawal.
The defenders of the vice president, who made history in 2021 as the first woman and the first African-American in office, claim that she is very vocal in the defense of abortion and has a hook between key sectors of the electorate such as women or African Americans.
But Harris has not had a popular step for the Vice Presidency, a position in the shadow of the president without specific functions.
He has often been seen with difficulty finding his place in the Administration, he has faced being ridiculed on social networks by some confusing speeches and has suffered sexist and racist attacks from some Republicans and conservative media.
His weaknesses, Tim Hagle, professor of Political Science at the University of Iowa, told EFE, are that “she is not as well known as Biden,” he has starred in some “shameful” public appearances and has had sounding problems with his office staff.
However, according to the CNN survey, Harris would perform better against Trump than other possible Democratic candidates such as the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, or the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer.
The next few days, in which Biden has scheduled interviews and events to revitalize his image, will be key to defining the future of the president and his candidacy.
International
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump criticized what he described as unfair fees imposed on American ships passing through the Panama Canal and threatened to demand that Washington take back control of the strategic waterway.
“Our Navy and commerce have been threatened in a very unjust and reckless way. The rates that Panama charges are ridiculous,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The president-elect also denounced the growing influence of China in the canal, a situation he called concerning as U.S. businesses depend on the waterway to transport goods between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
“This complete scam against our country will end immediately,” he stated.
The Panama Canal, completed by the United States in 1914, was handed over to Panama under the 1977 treaty signed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter. Panama took full control of the commercial passage in 1999.
“It was exclusively for Panama to manage, not China or anyone else,” Trump said. “We would never allow it to fall into the wrong hands!”
“If Panama cannot guarantee a ‘safe, efficient, and reliable’ operation of the canal, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in its entirety, without a doubt,” the Republican added.
Panamanian authorities did not immediately respond to Trump’s statements. While he will assume office on January 20, Trump has been exerting his political influence in the final days of President Joe Biden’s administration.
Five percent of global maritime trade passes through the Panama Canal, which allows vessels traveling from Asia to the U.S. East Coast to avoid the long and dangerous route around the southern tip of South America.
The countries that use the Panama Canal the most are the United States, China, Japan, and South Korea.
In October, the Panama Canal Authority reported earnings of nearly $5 billion in the last fiscal year.
International
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Russian President Vladimir Putin promised more “destruction” in Ukraine on Sunday, in response to a drone strike that hit a residential building in the city of Kazan, located in central Russia, on Saturday.
Russia accused Ukraine of launching a “massive” drone attack, which struck a luxury apartment block in Kazan, about 1,000 kilometers from the border.
Videos shared on Russian social media show drones hitting a high-rise glass building. No casualties have been reported as a result of the attack.
In his statements, Putin addressed the local leader of Tatarstan, the region where Kazan is located, during a virtual ceremony marking the opening of a road.
The attack in Kazan is the latest in a series of increasingly frequent bombings in this nearly three-year-old conflict. Ukraine has not commented on the attack.
Putin had previously threatened to strike the center of Kyiv with a hypersonic ballistic missile in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the recent Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities were retaliation for Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied missiles to target Russian territory.
International
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
At least nine people were killed on Sunday after a small aircraft crashed in a commercial area of the tourist city of Gramado, in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, authorities confirmed.
“There are nine confirmed deaths according to Civil Defense services, and there are no survivors from the plane,” said Cléber dos Santos Lima, director of the Interior Police Department of the Civil Police of the state, in a statement to AFP.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the exact number of passengers and crew aboard the aircraft, a turbo-prop Piper Cheyenne 400. However, Civil Defense had previously stated that “preliminarily, the plane was carrying ten people.”
The plane crashed on Sunday morning “into the chimney of a building, then onto the second floor of a house, and finally fell onto a furniture store,” according to a statement from the Rio Grande do Sul Public Security Secretariat.
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
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