International

The economic data that defined Mexico’s second presidential debate

The second official debate of Mexico’s presidential candidates focused on economic issues, so promises about salary and employment, as well as macroeconomic and public finance figures dominated the exchanges.

These are the main data that marked the meeting of the three presidential candidates, the ruling party Claudia Sheinbaum, and the opponents Xóchitl Gálvez and Jorge Álvarez Máynez:

Álvarez Máynez, of the opposition Movimiento Ciudadano (MC), promised to raise the minimum wage to 10,000 pesos per month (about 583 dollars), above the current 7,467 pesos (435.4 dollars), while Sheinbaum asserted that it will rise to an equivalent of 2.5 basic baskets.

“(There are) better salaries. Remember that they did not increase wages for 36 years in the country and for the first time (under the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador) they increased by 110%. We are going to take salaries to 2.5 basic baskets,” said the former head of Government of Mexico City (2018-2023).

Sheinbaum promised to build 100 new industrial parks to take advantage of the phenomenon of chain relocation or ‘nearshoring’.

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“We are going to develop another 10 welfare poles throughout the country to take advantage of the relocation that is taking place at the moment. Among other things, we are going to make 100 industrial parks linked to regional vocations, with education and development for well-being,” he said.

Gálvez denounced that the growth of per capita debt is equivalent to 54% during López Obrador’s six-year term (2018-2024).

“Yes, they got the country into debt. Today, every Mexican owes 128,000 pesos (7,463.5 dollars). (That is) 45,000 pesos ($2,623.9) more than when they arrived. That’s why I tell them that (Sheinbaum) tells lies. That’s why she is the candidate of lies,” said the candidate of the Alliance Fuerza y Corazón por México.

The opposition candidate promised that “everyone who earns less than 15,000 pesos ($874.6) a month will not pay taxes,” which “benefits 20 million Mexicans.”

The candidate of Fuerza y Corazón por México assured that the López Obrador Administration has granted Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) a tax support of 2 billion pesos (116,618 million dollars), which is equivalent to building 8 million homes and giving 50,000 pesos ($2,915.5 dollars) to each of those people.

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“Pemex is a robbed,” he said.

The ruling party candidate cited that the Government of López Obrador brought 5.1 million people out of poverty, based on the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval).

“For the first time since 1982 we are below 40% of the poor population, and at the same time inequality decreased,” Sheinbaum said. But Gálvez argued that there are still 47 million people in poverty.

Sheinbaum accused his main rival, Gálvez, of representing the “neoliberalism” of his parties, National Action (PAN), the Institutional Revolutionary (PRI) and the Democratic Revolution (PRD).

“At the time of (Felipe) Calderón (president from 2006 to 2012, the inequality between rich and poor of the PAN), reached 35 times. With the transformation, inequality has decreased to 17 times, that is, it is a different model, before it was supported by those at the top, now it supports those at the bottom,” he argued.

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Álvarez Máynez stressed that Movimiento Ciudadano supports the reduction of the working day from 48 hours to 40 hours per week, in addition to accusing the parties of Gálvez and Sheinbaum of not supporting the proposal in Congress.

“She (Sheinbaum) is a candidate of the party that today has a majority in Congress. With your votes we could approve the decent workday with two days of rest a week, we could approve that this country has a universal minimum income,” he said.

International

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s Purse Stolen in D.C. Restaurant Heist

The purse of Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, was stolen on Sunday night at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., Fox News Digital confirmed through several agency sources.

The handbag, taken by a white male wearing a mask, reportedly contained $3,000 in cash along with personal documents, including her passport, keys, driver’s license, and DHS badge, according to an agency spokesperson.

“Her entire family was in town, including her children and grandchildren. She was celebrating her retirement by treating them to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts,” the spokesperson added.

Crime continues to be a significant issue in the U.S. capital, particularly theft. However, violent crime reached its lowest level in 30 years last year, according to the Office of the Attorney General at the time.

International

Pope Francis: The Quiet Architect Behind the U.S.-Cuba Thaw

When then-U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro announced the reestablishment of diplomatic relations in December 2014—after decades of hostility—there was a third figure present in both speeches: Pope Francis.

This thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations—later reversed by Donald Trump—was the result of behind-the-scenes negotiations personally encouraged by Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88, just over a year after becoming head of the Catholic Church.

Upon learning the news of the breakthrough, the pontiff humbly stated, “This was made possible thanks to the ambassadors and to diplomacy,” which he called “a noble, very noble job.”

In 2015, months after the announcement, Raúl Castro visited the Vatican and met with the pope. Over time, Castro developed a fondness for Francis that he never had for his predecessors, Benedict XVI and John Paul II. “If the Pope continues talking like this, sooner or later I’ll start praying again and return to the Catholic Church—and I’m not joking,” said the younger Castro, who, like his brother Fidel (1926–2016), had been educated by Jesuits—the same order to which Pope Francis belonged.

Pope Francis visited Cuba later that year. Just days before his arrival, the Cuban government announced the pardon of 3,522 common prisoners as an act of clemency.

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While in Havana, the pope met with Fidel Castro, who gave him a first edition of the book Fidel and Religion by Brazilian friar and liberation theologian Frei Betto.

Criticism from the Opposition

Francis’s diplomatic approach also drew criticism from parts of the Cuban opposition. In a 2022 interview with Univision, the pope revealed he had “a human relationship” with Raúl Castro.

International

Dominican Republic Declares Three Days of Mourning for Pope Francis

Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader has declared three days of national mourning starting Tuesday following the death of Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88 in his residence at the Casa Santa Marta.

In an official decree, Abinader highlighted the pope’s legacy “as a global leader who promoted significant reforms within the Catholic Church and was known for his humility, openness to dialogue, and commitment to peace among nations.”

During the mourning period, the national flag will be flown at half-staff at military facilities and public buildings.

According to a statement from the Office of the Presidency, although Pope Francis never visited the Dominican Republic during his papacy, he maintained a close relationship with the country. He expressed solidarity and empathy during difficult times, including offering prayers for the victims of the recent tragedy at a Santo Domingo nightclub on April 8, which claimed 232 lives and left more than 180 injured.