International

Judge examines Prosecutor’s request for a gag order to Trump for comments about the FBI

Judge Aileen Cannon, in charge of the case of mishandling of classified documents by former president and Republican pre-candidate Donald Trump, examined on Monday a request from prosecutors in which they ask him to be prohibited from making comments that may endanger the lives of the FBI agents who registered their property in Mar-a-Lago.

Special prosecutor Jack Smith asked Cannon, nominated by Trump in 2020, to issue a “limited gag order,” after the former governor claimed, according to the Special Prosecutor’s Office, that the agents who searched his Palm Beach house for classified documents endangered him and his family and had an order to respond violently if necessary.

The agents who carried out the search at his residence in Mar-a-Lago did so at a time when Trump and his family were outside Florida.

In a fundraising email, Trump pointed out that the FBI agents who searched his Mar-a-Lago house for documents were “simply eager to do the unthinkable,” in reference to the use of force, something that does not exceed a normal protocol in a registry.

Trump’s lawyers say that any gag order would unduly silence his defendant in the middle of a campaign in which he is the Republican pre-candidate.

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It is not yet known when Cannon could pronounce on this point, after hearing the arguments that are part of a three-day hearing that began last Friday to address several of the unresolved legal issues that have accumulated in this case.

Last May, Judge Cannon indefinitely postponed the date of the trial against Trump in Florida for the mishandling of confidential documents found in her Mar-a-Lago club, in Palm Beach (Florida) after leaving the White House.

A measure that practically guarantees that the trial will not take place before the presidential elections next November, in which the president, Joe Biden, will be met.

Federal Judge Cannon analyzed last Friday a petition from Trump’s defense to dismisal the accusation of mishandling of documents with the argument that the special prosecutor who presented it, Jack Smith, was illegally appointed.

Trump’s defense team maintained that the U.S. Attorney General, Merrick Garland, lacked legal authority to appoint Smith as special prosecutor in charge of the process.

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Last Thursday it became known that Cannon rejected the request of two federal judges to resign from presiding over the case, as reported that day by The New York Times newspaper.

In the same case, Trump faces charges of obstruction and deliberate retention of official documents related to U.S. Security, which can result in penalties of up to 20 years in prison.

Central America

Nicaragua revokes legal status of 10 more NGOs, bringing total to over 5,600

The Nicaraguan government canceled the legal status of 10 more non-profit organizations on Friday (March 28, 2025), including the Swiss Foundation for Development Cooperation, bringing the total number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) shut down since December 2018 to over 5,600.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the Swiss Foundation for Development Cooperation, which had been registered since March 9, 2002, was found to be in non-compliance for failing to report its financial status for 2024 and for having an expired board of directors.

Among the 10 NGOs whose legal status was revoked were religious organizations, educational groups, consumer associations, and aquaculture organizations, all dissolved “voluntarily” or closed under similar reasons.

As of today, more than 5,600 NGOs have been dismantled following the popular protests that erupted in April 2018 in Nicaragua. In most cases, the assets of these organizations have been ordered to be transferred to the state.

International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

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“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.