International

Kamala Harris, the woman who could make history

Kamala Harris could make history as the first African-American woman and the first person of South Asian origin to reach the White House. He does so without hardly alluding to his gender or race and with the promise of opening a “new chapter” in the politics of the United States.

The career of Harris, 60 years old, has been marked by the first times: she was the first black district attorney and the first woman to serve as attorney general in California; the first Indian-American to reach the Senate and, when Joe Biden elected her, the first woman in the Vice Presidency.

However, he has preferred not to emphasize the historical nature of his possible arrival at the White House, in contrast to Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016.

In her biography, ‘The Truths We Hold’, she explains that she prefers to describe herself simply as “an American” and claims to feel comfortable with her identity as a mixed-race woman, despite Trump’s attacks, who has questioned whether she is African-American enough.

Harris is proud of her African-American and Indian heritage. Its name, which some Republicans pretend not to know how to pronounce to attack it, means “lotus flower”, a plant that emerges to the surface only when its roots are well anchored.

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Born on October 20, 1964 in Oakland (California), she is the eldest daughter of Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher from India, and Donald Harris, a Jamaican economist, who divorced when she was seven years old.

His mother, who died in 2009, was a central figure in his life and the person he went to at a decisive moment for his future.

The path to politics

During her adolescence, her best friend from high school confessed to having been a victim of sexual abuse by her stepfather. Harris did not hesitate to call his mother so that his friend could move in with them.

That’s when she found her vocation and decided to dedicate herself to protecting victims of any crime, which pushed her to become a district attorney in San Francisco (2004-2011) and then a California attorney general (2011-2017).

In 2016 he won a seat in the Senate and quickly stood out for his incisive questions to members of the Trump Administration (2017-2021), as well as two judges nominated by him for the Supreme Court, including Brett Kavanaugh, accused of sexual abuse.

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In 2020 he launched to compete for the Democratic presidential nomination, but had difficulty defining his proposals. Biden ended up being the party’s candidate and elected her for the Vice Presidency.

Harris, married since 2014 to lawyer Douglas Emhoff, could barely shine in the White House. Biden commissioned him to tackle the “root causes” of migration in Central America, a cursed issue in US politics that has been unresolved for decades.

As part of that work, he traveled to Guatemala, where he starred in one of his most controversial moments by telling migrants who are trying to enter the United States: “Don’t come.”

Kamala Harris, to the election campaign

After a swee of criticism for the apparent lack of empathy, Harris withdrest from the public light. It came out again when the Supreme Court annulled the right to abortion at the federal level in June 2022, channeling the indignation of millions of women.

Thus, when Biden ended his electoral career in July of this year, Harris quickly built his candidacy around the concept of freedom: freedom for women to decide on their bodies and for every American to aspire to a better life.

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To the rhythm of Beyoncé’s song ‘Freedom’, she has traveled the country shouting “we are not going to back down” and proclaiming that the US must decide at the polls if it wants a country of “chaos” and “hate” like the one established by Trump or one of “freedom” and “hope.”

His promise has been to unite the nation after years of tension and for this he has resorted to patriotic symbols, filling his rallies with US flags and adding support from republican figures such as former congressman Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney (2001-2009).

Harris, who worked at a McDonald’s as a child, has positioned herself as the middle class candidate with the desire to reduce housing, food and drug prices.

It remains to be seen if the United States has heard its message and if that determination to change the course of the country convinces enough voters to make history.

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International

Federal immigration agents kill man in Minneapolis, sparking protests and outrage

Federal immigration agents shot and killed a 37-year-old Minneapolis man during an operation on Saturday, authorities confirmed, sparking new protests and deepening outrage over federal immigration enforcement in the city.

The victim, identified as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, was a U.S. citizen and intensive care nurse who worked at a Veterans Affairs hospital and was widely respected in his community, according to colleagues and news reports.

Officials said the shooting occurred during a targeted immigration raid in south Minneapolis. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described the incident as an act of self-defense by agents who believed the man posed a threat.

However, videos reviewed by multiple outlets and eyewitnesses show Pretti holding a phone and not displaying a weapon before being pepper-sprayed, tackled by agents and then shot multiple times, raising serious questions about the official account.

The killing comes amid a broader federal immigration enforcement operation in the city and follows another controversial shooting in early January in which Renée Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by an ICE agent, leading to widespread protests and criticism of federal tactics.

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International

Delcy Rodríguez seeks political agreements after Maduro’s ouster

Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, on Saturday called for “reaching agreements” with the opposition to achieve “peace” in the country, which the United States says it now controls following the military operation that removed President Nicolás Maduro from power.

Rodríguez, who previously served as Maduro’s vice president, assumed interim leadership after the leftist leader was captured on January 3 during a military incursion that left nearly 100 people dead.

In her first public statements since taking office, Rodríguez signaled a shift in the strained relationship between Caracas and Washington, while also committing to the release of a “significant number” of political prisoners.

“There can be no political or partisan differences when it comes to the peace of Venezuela,” Rodríguez said during an address in the coastal state of La Guaira, broadcast on state television VTV.

“From our differences, we must speak to one another with respect. From our differences, we must meet and reach agreements,” she added.

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The day before, Rodríguez instructed the head of Parliament — her brother Jorge Rodríguez — to convene talks with various political sectors in the country aimed at achieving “concrete and immediate results.”

International

Bogotá and Quito Seek Dialogue After Tariffs and Power Cut Escalate Tensions

Bogotá and Quito will hold an emergency bilateral summit next week amid recent developments that have strained relations between the two countries.

Tensions escalated this week after Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa unexpectedly announced a 30% tariff on Colombian imports. Colombia responded with a reciprocal measure, imposing the same tariff on around 20 Ecuadorian products and suspending electricity exports to Ecuador.

Aware that electricity imports are critical to easing Ecuador’s recent energy crises, Quito further imposed a 30% tariff on the transportation of Colombian oil through its territory.

However, recent statements from the Ecuadorian government suggest that dialogue between the two sides has intensified in recent hours. Ecuador’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabriela Sommerfeld, confirmed that active conversations are under way.

In Colombia, segments of the business sector have welcomed the prospect of negotiations. The National Business Council (Consejo Gremial Nacional, CGN), for instance, urged both governments to restore commercial relations, warning that the dispute “puts jobs and regional economic stability at risk.”