International
Kamala Harris gains strength as a relief if Biden withdraws from the campaign
The vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, is gaining strength in the last hours as a possible replacement of the US president, Joe Biden, in case he resigned his re-election candidacy due to his fatal performance in the debate against former Republican President Donald Trump.
Harris has carried a low popularity throughout the term and his presidential candidacy did not sound like a realistic option until the failure of Biden last week, who appeared in the aging and disoriented debate, multiplying the voices that believe he is not fit to remain in office at the age of 81.
The vice president, 59, not only has in her favor of being Biden’s natural successor, but the voting intention polls put her ahead of other popular faces of the party and would inherit the entire structure of the campaign.
Harris tried to get out this Wednesday in the wake of rumors by participating with Biden in a call with the re-election campaign staff, thus sending a message that he unconditionally supports the president.
But according to a CNN poll published on Tuesday, Harris would have a better electoral performance against Trump than Biden, although the Republican would prevail in both cases.
In a duel between Biden and Trump, the Republican would win with 49% of the votes compared to 43% of the Democrat. In the event that the candidate was Harris, 47% say they would vote for Trump and 45% for her.
The Democratic campaign has closed ranks around Biden, whose family is encouraging him to continue in the race, but more and more people within the party are privately asking for his withdrawal.
Both The New York Times and CNN published on Wednesday that Biden would have acknowledged before a close ally that his candidacy is in danger if he does not manage to calm the waters in the coming days, an extreme denied by the White House.
Although he has secured his nomination after winning the primaries, Biden is not yet the official Democratic candidate for the November 5 elections and is waiting for the party to make it official before its national convention in August.
Analysts agree that in or for there to be a replacement for Biden, he would have to give up his nomination and, in that case, his running mate would be the favorite to replace him.
“If it were put aside, Harris would be the best alternative for Democrats not to embark on a great internal battle a few weeks before the convention,” Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at Mary Washington University, told EFE.
The current vice president would also have “the key to most of it” of the money raised by the campaign and should not start the search for funds again, according to the CNBC network on Wednesday.
Some already openly advocate for her, such as Democratic Congressman Jim Clyburn, key to Biden’s victory in the primaries in 2020, who said he would support Harris in the event of a Biden withdrawal.
The defenders of the vice president, who made history in 2021 as the first woman and the first African-American in office, claim that she is very vocal in the defense of abortion and has a hook between key sectors of the electorate such as women or African Americans.
But Harris has not had a popular step for the Vice Presidency, a position in the shadow of the president without specific functions.
He has often been seen with difficulty finding his place in the Administration, he has faced being ridiculed on social networks by some confusing speeches and has suffered sexist and racist attacks from some Republicans and conservative media.
His weaknesses, Tim Hagle, professor of Political Science at the University of Iowa, told EFE, are that “she is not as well known as Biden,” he has starred in some “shameful” public appearances and has had sounding problems with his office staff.
However, according to the CNN survey, Harris would perform better against Trump than other possible Democratic candidates such as the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, or the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer.
The next few days, in which Biden has scheduled interviews and events to revitalize his image, will be key to defining the future of the president and his candidacy.
International
Pope Francis meets former Gaza hostages
Pope Francis met on Thursday at the Vatican with 16 Israelis who had been held hostage in Gaza for months by the Islamist group Hamas, according to the official Vatican news website.
The group consisted of ten women, four men, and two children, as reported by the same source. Several of the former hostages showed the Argentine pontiff banners or photos of their loved ones who remain in captivity.
Francis had previously met with the families of hostages in April this year and November 2023, but this was the first time he had met with individuals who had personally endured captivity.
Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began, the pope has repeatedly called for the immediate release of Israeli hostages, while also condemning the suffering of the Palestinian population.
The war erupted on October 7, 2023, when Islamist militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,206 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 251, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures that include hostages who died in captivity.
Of the kidnapped, 97 are still being held in Gaza, but the Israeli military estimates that 34 of them have died.
The military offensive launched by Israel in response has killed at least 43,736 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly civilians, according to data from the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-governed territory.
International
Israeli airstrikes on Damascus kill 15 and injure 16, including women and children
Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on residential buildings in the Syrian capital, Damascus, and its surroundings on Thursday, resulting in at least 15 deaths and 16 injuries, according to Syria’s Ministry of Defense and state television.
The ministry stated that around 3:20 p.m. local time (12:20 GMT), the Israeli military launched an aerial attack from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights, targeting several residential buildings in the Mazzeh neighborhood in western Damascus and the Qudsaya suburb to the northwest of the capital.
The airstrikes “resulted in the death of 15 people and injuries to 16 others, including women and children,” based on initial estimates, in addition to significant damage to private property and civilian buildings, the ministry added.
Meanwhile, state television reported Israeli airstrikes on three buildings in Mazzeh and another on a building in an educational complex located in a residential area of Qudsaya.
Following the strikes, loud explosions were heard throughout the city, and thick plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the targeted locations. Ambulances and emergency services rushed to the scene to attend to the victims.
International
Drug trafficker dies after boat collision with Guardia Civil Vessel in Sanlúca
Three people were on the boat that collided with a Guardia Civil vessel around midnight at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, near the Andalusian city of Cádiz, a spokesperson for the Civil Guard reported.
Two officers sustained “contusions,” the spokesperson explained.
The drug traffickers managed to bring the boat to shore, where one of them was “abandoned” severely injured. The other two fled.
The Civil Guard officers attempted to resuscitate the victim before transporting him to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, but he ultimately died early in the morning.
The other two suspects took advantage of the officers’ absence while they were taking the victim and returned to set their boat on fire.
The collision occurred very close to the site of another accident on September 1, where a drug trafficker died following a Guardia Civil pursuit.
The suspects’ boat traveled “400 meters” before crashing head-on and “at full speed” into the riverbank, where a hundred bundles of hashish were found.
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