International

A report blames the Secret Service for the security failures in the Trump attack

An internal report of the US Secret Service published this Friday concluded that the security failures committed by the elite body, in charge of monitoring presidents and top-level political figures, are responsible for the attack suffered by former President Donald Trump last July, in which he was injured in an ear.

The internal review carried out as a result of the event – one of the many investigations that are being carried out on the incident – concluded, among other things, that the agents who were watching the former governor (2017-2021) while offering a rally in Butler (Pennsylvania) did not have the technical capacity to communicate with the local police.

Nor to detect drones on the day of the rally, says the report, which also clarifies that the agents did not previously talk about how a complex of warehouses that surrounded the place should be protected.

On July 13, Trump was shot in the ear while participating in a rally. The shooter, a 20-year-old who was later shot down by Secret Service agents, managed to shoot from a roof about 140 meters from the former president, although outside the security perimeter.

The strong criticism that arose after what happened caused the resignation of the director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, who described the attack as “the most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades.”

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The scrutiny on the agency has increased in recent days after last Sunday Trump, apparently, had also been at risk of a second murder attempt while playing golf in Florida, at the hands of a man who was wandering for hours the area armed with an AK-47 rifle and equipped with a telescopic sight, without firing shots.

At a press conference today, the current acting director of the Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, said that Trump is currently receiving “the highest level of protection possible,” a security equal to that of President Joe Biden and candidate Kamala Harris.

Thus, last Sunday, at the golf course owned by Trump in West Palm Beach (Florida) “there were elements of snipers who were present” and “a complete counterattack team that was there nearby.”

The agent who saw the attacker “identified a threat, an individual with a long gun, and made quick decisions and acted quickly to mitigate it.”

“He did not shoot at the former president, he was not exposed,” he said, and the arrest was a sign that “the procedures work” and “that high level of protection is working.”

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Sunday’s event led several public figures, including President Joe Biden, to ask the Secret Service to receive more funds.

Precisely today the House of Representatives unanimously approved a two-party urgent legislation that would increase the protection of the Secret Service for the presidential candidates of both parties, Trump and Kamala Harris, as well as for their running mates for vice presidency.

The bill has only three pages and, if it becomes law, Trump and Harris would receive the same standard of Secret Security protection as President Joe Biden, something that according to Rowe is already happening.

In fact, it is not clear that the law will prosper because it has to go to the Senate, a chamber that is looking for additional funds for the Secret Service to be included in the provisional financing bill that Congress must approve before September 30 to avoid a government shutdown.

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International

Peruvian presidential candidate proposes death penalty amid crime surge

Peru is facing an unprecedented surge in crime ahead of its presidential election scheduled for April 12, with violence fueled by extortion networks and a wave of contract killings linked to organized crime.

Police data show that 2,200 homicides tied to organized crime were recorded in 2025, while extortion complaints increased by 19%, underscoring the growing security crisis in the South American nation.

Amid this backdrop, presidential candidate Álvarez has proposed reinstating the death penalty if elected, arguing that extreme measures are needed to curb the violence.

To implement the proposal, Álvarez said Peru would withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights—also known as the Pact of San José—which the country signed in 1978. The agreement prevents member states that have abolished capital punishment from reinstating it.

Currently, Peruvian law only allows the death penalty in cases of treason during wartime.

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“We have to leave the Pact of San José and apply the death penalty in Peru because those miserable criminals don’t deserve to live,” Álvarez told AFP during a campaign stop at a market in Callao, the port city neighboring Lima.

“An iron fist against those criminals,” he added, proposing to declare hitmen as military targets.

During the campaign event, Álvarez walked through stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and fish, greeting vendors while musicians played cumbia music nearby.

The 62-year-old candidate, who spent more than four decades working in television as a comedian, is a newcomer to politics and is running for president under the País para Todos party.

Polls place him fifth in voter preference with nearly 4% support in a fragmented race featuring 36 candidates.

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“I am an artist who has taken a step into politics to bring peace to my country,” Álvarez told reporters while surrounded by supporters.

International

FBI: Man who attacked Michigan synagogue died from self-inflicted gunshot

The man who died during Thursday’s attack on a synagogue in the United States suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the FBI.

FBI agent Jennifer Runyan told reporters that the suspect, identified as 41-year-old Lebanese citizen Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, shot himself at some point during the confrontation.

“At some point during the shooting, Ghazali suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” Runyan said during a press conference.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed the suspect’s identity.

Authorities said Ghazali drove a truck into the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, located in the state of Michigan, on Thursday.

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According to Michael Bouchard, sheriff of Oakland County, synagogue security personnel noticed the vehicle and confronted the suspect with gunfire.

Investigators said it would be premature to speculate about the motive for the attack, although reports indicate Ghazali recently lost relatives during Israeli strikes in Lebanon earlier this month.

“It would be irresponsible for me to speculate about his motive,” Runyan said.

Ghazali arrived in Detroit in 2011 on a spouse visa for U.S. citizens and obtained American citizenship in 2016, according to reporting by The New York Times.

He was the father of two teenagers, divorced from his wife in 2024, and had recently been working as a waiter.

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The newspaper also reported that Ghazali attended a memorial service in the nearby city of Dearborn for relatives killed in the recent conflict, alongside other grieving family members from the Lebanese town of Machghara.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said the incident is being investigated as an act of violence targeting the Jewish community.

A source from Michigan’s Lebanese-American community told CBS News that several of Ghazali’s relatives had been killed roughly ten days before the attack, leaving him deeply devastated.

International

Mexican Navy Ships Deliver Third Shipment of Humanitarian Aid to Cuba

Two logistics support vessels from the Mexican Navy — the ARM Papaloapan and the ARM Huasteco — docked again on Friday in the bay of Havana carrying a third shipment of humanitarian aid for Cuba.

The vessels had previously arrived on the Caribbean island on February 28 with a second cargo that included 1,200 tons of food, sent to help alleviate the country’s ongoing crisis, which has worsened following the U.S. oil restrictions affecting fuel supplies to the island.

Cuba’s deputy foreign minister Josefina Vidal confirmed the new shipment in a social media post.

“Two ships carrying a third shipment of aid from the Government and the people of Mexico for the Cuban people are now arriving at the port of Havana. Thank you Mexico for your solidarity with Cuba,” she wrote.

Previous aid shipments

During the second shipment, the Papaloapan transported 1,078 tons of beans and powdered milk, while the Huastecocarried 92 tons of beans and 23 tons of assorted food products collected by social organizations with support from the government of Mexico City.

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In recent months, Mexico has become the largest provider of humanitarian aid to Cuba, sending around 2,000 tons of supplies, mostly staple foods and hygiene products, in the two shipments prior to Friday’s delivery.

The first shipment alone included 814 tons of food.

Cuba praises Mexico’s support

Hours before the ships arrived, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel highlighted Mexico’s support during a televised appearance, describing the country as “a friendly and brotherly nation that has shown tremendous solidarity,”particularly praising Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Díaz-Canel also addressed reports suggesting that Mexican donations were being resold in state-run stores, dismissing them as a “disinformation campaign” promoted by right-wing groups.