Who to replace Democrat Nancy Pelosi? The new Republican majority in Congress still fails to find a leader. Six times in a row, Kevin McCarthy has not obtained the necessary votes due to the opposition of twenty elected Trumpists who accuse him of being too moderate. Can another candidate emerge? ” No names are seriously considered yet. “, but names are circulating, assures Politico. These names could become public if Kevin McCarthy steps down. ” Ambitious reps who harbor their own hammer dreams know that making a move now would be seen as a stab at McCarthy and earn him the alienation of his allies. “, comments the American media.
These two days of stalemate could also be indicative of Donald Trump’s loss of influence. He supported the candidacy of Kevin McCarthy, “ but his party responded with a collective shrug », launches the washington post. However, these ” twenty Republicans who voted against (…) were almost all diehard Trump loyalists “. For everyday life, it’s a ” another sign of the former president’s waning influence “.
” For the first time in recent memoryquips the newspaperthe former president found himself relegated to the periphery of a humiliating Republican implosion “. For former Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, ” Trump no longer instills fear in his party “. ” What could be the punishment? says Marc Short. ” What leverage does he have over them at this point? ” None.
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“Part of the government ceases to function”
The crisis must in any case find an urgent solution. A Chamber without a President is ” part of the government that ceases to function “, advances the New York Times. House officials cannot be sworn in without him and are therefore still not officially members of Congress. In an emergency, no response possible. ” They cannot obtain confidential information, much less hold hearings or pass laws. And at some point they might even struggle to get paid “, summarizes the daily.
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“Cyclone bomb” in California
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom declares a state of emergency. ” Dangerous storm hits northern and central California “, Explain Opinion. ” These torrential rains and violent winds “, summarizes the Los Angeles Times, caused the death of a child on Wednesday and deprived tens of thousands of people of electricity. The authorities are particularly worried about landslides that could occur in the coming days, because this deluge affects areas burned by fires last summer.
Colombia: what becomes of total peace?
How to analyze this reversal of the Colombian government? On Wednesday, he finally suspended his ceasefire with the National Liberation Army (ELN), due to the refusal of this guerrilla to participate in the six-month bilateral truce, announced by the president on December 31. There ” total peace with armed groups is the key point of Gustavo Petro’s program. Is she in danger? This ceasefire will be put back on the negotiating table with the ELN, tempers The Spectator in One. However, this reversal is a “ big mistake for an analyst quoted by El País, in Cali. According to him, ” President Petro and his team will arrive in a weak position during these talks in Mexico.
Another political scientist believes, in the same newspaper, that the damage is done. Because this error takes credibility away from the process “. While according to him the experience of the peace agreement with the FARC “, in 2016, ” proves that the support of society is essential “. Especially since the ELN is not the only armed group to have been surprised by the president’s announcement of a ceasefire. If we are to believe El Colombianothe Gulf Clan – at least several of its figures, at liberty or in prison – were also unaware.
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Reduction in homicides in El Salvador
Finally, El Salvador records the lowest homicide rate in its history: 495 homicides in 2022 against 1,147 the previous year, announces the attorney general of the Central American country. A drop of 79%, note Counterpoint. But at what cost ? asks the press. President Bukele says he launched a war against gangs, thanks to a state of emergency imposed almost a year ago, in March 2022.
Since, ” 61 300 gang members arrested in nine months of emergency regime “, according to the head of public security, quoted by Diario Co Latino. With a lot of errors, underlines the newspaper in One. This same official acknowledges that “ 3,300 people were arrested for lying “in the wrong place at the wrong time”but after being investigated, they were released “. Counterpoint also notes that ” 4 071 complaints were sent to the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights” for ” alleged human rights violations “. 75% of them concerned alleged arbitrary detentions “.
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