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.
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.
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.
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.
International
Mexico’s president blasts ‘Inhumane’ U.S. migration law
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated on Friday that any Mexican detained in the United States should be “immediately” returned to Mexico. Her remarks come in the wake of the opening of a new migrant detention center in Florida earlier this week.
Speaking during her daily press conference, known as La Mañanera del Pueblo, Sheinbaum emphasized that so far, no Mexican national has been held in the facility, which has already sparked controversy and has been nicknamed “the Alcatraz of the Alligators.”
She also criticized the new fiscal law signed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, passed by Congress just a day earlier. The law, which Trump dubbed the “great and beautiful tax reform,” includes significant tax cuts and sweeping reductions in public policies, reallocating billions toward national security and defense—including $170 billion to enhance border security, deportations, and the expansion of detention centers.
“We do not agree with a punitive approach to migration. Migration must be addressed through its structural causes, with cooperation for development,” Sheinbaum asserted.
The Mexican president labeled the Trump administration’s view of migrants as criminals as “inhumane,” and warned that such policies ultimately harm the U.S. economy. She pointed to the mass deportation of agricultural workers as an example of how these actions are already backfiring.
“These are hardworking people—people of good will—who contribute more to the U.S. economy than they do to Mexico’s,” Sheinbaum said, announcing that her government will strengthen support programs to ensure that affected migrants can return home safely and reintegrate into the workforce.
International
Julio César Chávez Jr. faces charges in Mexico after U.S. arrest
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Friday that the country is expecting the deportation of boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. so he can face legal proceedings in Mexico, following his arrest in the United States and confirmation by Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR) of an arrest warrant for organized crime and arms trafficking.
“This is an arrest warrant stemming from an investigation that began in 2019 and was granted by a judge in 2023 (…). We are expecting his deportation so he can serve his sentence in Mexico,” Sheinbaum stated during her daily press briefing.
The president said she was unaware of the case until speaking with Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero, who confirmed an investigation linked to organized crime. She also noted that authorities had been unable to execute the warrant earlier because Chávez Jr. had spent most of his time in the United States. “His deportation to Mexico is now being pursued,” she added.
Sheinbaum said there is no confirmed date yet for the boxer’s return to the country, as the process involves “specific protocols” that the FGR is currently handling.
Her statement follows the announcement by U.S. authorities on Thursday of Chávez Jr.’s arrest. The boxer, son of Mexican boxing legend Julio César Chávez, is accused of involvement in organized crime and arms trafficking allegedly tied to the Sinaloa Cartel.
“This Sinaloa Cartel affiliate, wanted for trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” said Tricia McLaughlin, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in an official statement.
International
Europe faces a summer of heatwaves and wildfires, Red Cross warns
The heatwave sweeping across Europe — accompanied by wildfires in countries such as Greece and Turkey — is “just the beginning” of a summer season expected to see extreme conditions lasting through September, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned.
In a statement, the IFRC stressed the urgent need for governments and communities to shift from a reactive to a preventive approach to safeguard lives.
The organization reported that wildfires in the Turkish region of Izmir, on the country’s western coast, have already claimed at least two lives and forced the evacuation of 50,000 people. Meanwhile, on the Greek island of Crete, around 5,000 residents and tourists have also had to flee due to encroaching fires.
Smaller-scale evacuations and wildfires are also being reported in other countries, including eastern Germany and North Macedonia, with Red Cross volunteers actively involved in firefighting and relief operations.
“Heatwaves and wildfires — increasingly frequent and deadly — are no longer isolated events. They are becoming the new reality for millions,” said Birgitte Bischoff, IFRC’s Regional Director for Europe.
Mexico’s president blasts ‘Inhumane’ U.S. migration law
Julio César Chávez Jr. faces charges in Mexico after U.S. arrest
Europe faces a summer of heatwaves and wildfires, Red Cross warns
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