International
Biden holds intensive talks with Democrats on saving his agenda
AFP
President Joe Biden held intensive talks with competing factions of his Democratic party Tuesday in an attempt to save his agenda in Congress before time runs out.
After weeks of stalemate between the leftist and more conservative wings of the party over the cost and scope of his plans to expand the social safety net, Biden is ramping up the pace.
“Today he is spending virtually, literally every minute of his day meeting with members of Congress and I think that’s a reflection of how urgent he feels,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.
“Our effort is on continuing to make progress,” she said. “We’re getting close to the final stages here. We’re working to getting agreement.”
Biden met with two key Democratic senators — Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema — whose opposition to the $3.5 trillion price tag on his social spending bill amounts to a veto, given that Democrats need unanimity to get anything through the evenly split Senate.
He was also meeting with groups of left-leaning and moderate Democratic lawmakers in two separate meetings. On Wednesday, he will give a speech to promote his plans in Scranton, the blue collar Pennsylvania city where he spent part of his childhood.
Manchin has said he will only agree to $1.5 trillion for the social spending bill, which Biden says would address fundamental inequalities through expansion of free education and child care.
Worried about the fate of that bill, a powerful leftist faction in the House of Representatives has responded by blocking passage of a separate $1.2 trillion bill for improving US infrastructure that most Democrats and also a significant number of Republicans want to see passed.
While the two sides are publicly still at loggerheads, threatening to leave the bulk of Biden’s domestic agenda in ruins, Psaki was optimistic.
“Our goal is to make progress and based on the morning meetings and our expectation of the afternoon meetings, we expect they will do exactly that,” she said.
“We’ve had months to consider, debate, litigate,” she said. “It will come time soon to move forward and deliver for the American people.”
International
Costa Rica hails appointment of Japan’s first female Prime Minister, Takaichi Sanae
The Government of Costa Rica on Tuesday congratulated Japan on the appointment of Takaichi Sanae as the country’s first female prime minister and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening bilateral relations in multiple areas.
“The Government of Costa Rica extends its warmest congratulations to the Government and people of Japan on the election of Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae. Costa Rica celebrates this decision, made by the Japanese Parliament, which for the first time places a woman in such a high office,” the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry said in an official statement.
Costa Rica also reiterated its “strong commitment to further strengthening the traditional bonds of friendship and cooperation between both nations,” and to promoting joint initiatives “based on mutual respect, multilateralism, and shared democratic values.”
The statement also conveyed Costa Rica’s “best wishes for success” to Prime Minister Takaichi and expressed its “hopes for the well-being and prosperity of the Japanese people.”
Takaichi officially became Japan’s first female head of government on Tuesday after winning a parliamentary vote to succeed Shigeru Ishiba, who resigned in September following poor electoral results during his little more than a year in office.
International
Colombian court overturns ex-president Uribe’s conviction for witness tampering
Colombia’s judiciary overturned on Tuesday a conviction against former President Álvaro Uribe for witness tamperingin a case linked to his alleged ties with anti-guerrilla paramilitary groups.
The 73-year-old right-wing leader had become in August the first Colombian ex-president to be criminally convictedand sentenced to 12 years of house arrest for bribery and procedural fraud, following a first-instance ruling that his defense immediately appealed.
However, a judge from the Bogotá Superior Court annulled the conviction, ruling that there was insufficient evidenceto incriminate Uribe. The court also deemed the wiretaps used as evidence illegal and pointed to methodological flaws in the original ruling.
Leftist Senator Iván Cepeda, who filed the complaint against Uribe, announced he will file an appeal in cassation before the Supreme Court of Justice. Speaking at a press conference, Cepeda said he received the decision with “calm and respect,” though he disagreed with it.
After a six-hour reading of the verdict, the hearing concluded with Uribe attending virtually.
Uribe, who governed from 2002 to 2010, spent about 20 days under house arrest before being released on a previous court decision—the same court that has now overturned his conviction.
International
Venezuela accuses U.S. of using anti-drug operations as pretext to target Maduro
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino criticized on Tuesday what he described as the greater lethality of U.S. anti-drug operations in the Caribbean compared to those in the Pacific, where most drug trafficking routes are concentrated.
Venezuela maintains that the real goal of the U.S. military deployment in the region is to oust President Nicolás Maduro, rather than to combat drug trafficking as claimed by the White House.
Since September, the United States has reported seven attacks in the Caribbean against vessels allegedly linked to Venezuelan drug trafficking. President Donald Trump himself has shared videos of airstrikes on speedboats, with at least 32 people killed in these operations.
“The interdictions carried out in the Pacific do not receive the same treatment as those here in the Caribbean Sea,” Padrino said during a state television broadcast. “What is the real purpose behind this U.S. air and naval deployment in the Caribbean? Is it really about drug trafficking?” he asked.
Venezuelan authorities argue that only 5% of the drugs produced in Colombia leave through Venezuelan territorytoward the Caribbean, claiming that most shipments travel through the Pacific on their way to the United States.
The government also reports an increase in domestic anti-drug operations, showcased by state media, involving the destruction of clandestine airstrips and laboratories, and the seizure of boats, vehicles, and weapons, as well as the shooting down of aircraft allegedly used by traffickers.
On Tuesday, Padrino presented a report on several of these operations alongside the military commanders who led them.
Costa Rica hails appointment of Japan’s first female Prime Minister, Takaichi Sanae
Colombian court overturns ex-president Uribe’s conviction for witness tampering
Venezuela accuses U.S. of using anti-drug operations as pretext to target Maduro
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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