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President Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday to “disrupt” ransomware groups operating out of Russia amid another series of attacks this week.
“I made it very clear to him that the United States expects when a ransomware operation is coming from his soil, even though it’s not sponsored by the state, we expect them to act if we give them enough information to act on who that is,” Biden said.
The White House has faced mounting pressure to counter the spike in ransomware attacks following the summit with Putin last month.
Despite Biden and Putin’s agreement to work together in stopping the costly attacks, the Russia-based cybercriminal group REvil claimed responsibility for the largest attack to date, impacting as many as 1,500 companies, schools, and hospitals globally.
In addition to the attack over the Fourth of July weekend, the Republican National Convention said Tuesday that one of its technology providers, Synnex, had been hacked.
In a phone conversation between the two world leaders Friday, Biden warned Putin that the U.S. will take “any necessary action” to defend U.S. infrastructure and directed government agencies to prepare.
When questioned by reporters after the call, Biden said it made sense to attack the servers used in the recent ransomware strikes but did not elaborate on U.S. strategy in going after the perpetrators.
The president also said he believes the U.S. will “get cooperation” from Russia, but said it was not “appropriate” to comment on what he expects Putin to do.
But following their conversation Friday afternoon, the Kremlin released a readout of the meeting and claimed that “no requests have been received” from the U.S. regarding cybersecurity.
Department of Education announced an additional $55.6 million of student loan debt canceled Friday.
Biden administration has now canceled $1.5 billion of student loan debt.
The Department of Education canceled an additional $55.6 million in student loan debt for 1,800 student who were victims of a for-profit college fraud, bringing the total amount of canceled student loan debt by the Biden administration to $1.5 billion.
“Today’s announcement continues the U.S. Department of Education’s commitment to standing up for students whose colleges took advantage of them,” Miguel Cardona, the secretary of education, said in the department’s statement released Friday.
The latest loan cancellation is for students who attended Westwood College, Marinello Schools of Beauty and the Court Reporting Institute. This is the first time the department approved loan forgiveness to students who attended schools other than Corinthian Colleges, ITT Technical Institute and American Career Institute since 2017.
“Today’s action continues efforts by the Biden Administration to ensure borrower defense and other targeted loan cancellation, forgiveness, and discharge programs deliver relief to students and borrowers,” the department’s statement said.
The borrower defense is a federal regulation by the Department of Education that allows federal student loan borrowers the opportunity to seek forgiveness on their loans if they were defrauded by a college or university.
With the additional 1,800 students, the Biden administration has canceled student loans for nearly 92,000 people. The $1.5 billion of canceled loan debt is an attempt by the Biden administration to address the backlog of forgiveness claims left by the prior administration.
“The Department will continue doing its part to review and approve borrower defense claims quickly and fairly so that borrowers receive the relief that they need and deserve. We also hope these approvals serve as a warning to any institution engaging in similar conduct that this type of misrepresentation is unacceptable,” Cardona added.
Some Democrats are pushing for more and broader student loan forgiveness.
More than 60 Democrats sent a letter to Biden on June 23, urging him to extend the pause of payments and interest for federal student loans, stating that the pause provided immense relief to borrowers and families during the pandemic and would “present a significant challenge” if ended.
Democrats also previously asked Biden to commit to $50,000 in student loan forgiveness per borrower, something he said he would not do, stating that he’d prefer the money be invested in early childhood education.
Will that “be forgiven, rather than use that money to provide money for early education for young children who come from disadvantaged circumstances?” Biden said during a CNN town hall.
A cat that lived on the ninth floor of the collapsed Florida condo was miraculously found alive — and returned to his family — two weeks after the building came crashing down, according to reports Friday.
The skinny black feline, Binx, was spotted wandering near the rubble of Champlain Towers South in Surfside Thursday night and taken to the rescue group Kitty Campus, according to local outlet WSVN.
“Pets are family, and this is a miracle,” Maria Gaspari, a friend of the feline’s family told the station, adding she was overcome with joy.
“I’m shaking right now,” she said. “In the middle of this sadness, we were hoping for good news either for any survivors or any pet.”
Binx belongs the Gonzalez family, formerly of unit 904, which has since been reunited with the cat, The Miami Herald reported.
Angela Gonzalez and her daughter Deven were among the first to be pulled from the rubble and were hospitalized. Deven’s older sister Tayler Gonzalez was not home during the collapse and dad Edgar Gonzalez is still missing, the paper reported.
Binx was spotted wandering near the rubble of Champlain Towers South in Surfside Thursday night.Facebook
Binx was returned to his family after he was miraculously found alive.Facebook
It wasn’t clear how the feline managed to avert cat-astrophe — but his resilience may offer the family a glimmer of hope, Gaspari said.
“That’s actually Deven’s cat, so I’m sure she’s going to be over the moon knowing that they found her cat. I just can’t believe it. I just couldn’t believe it when we received the confirmation. This is a miracle for the whole Surfside community,” she said.
Pet owners who failed to retrieve their animals from the collapsed tower before it was demolished were suffering unimaginable heartache, their lawyer said last week.
Angela Gonzalez and her daughter Deven were among the first to be pulled from the rubble. Deven’s older sister Tayler Gonzalez was not home during the collapse and dad Edgar Gonzalez is still missing.The Washington Post via Getty Im
But the tear-jerking reunion may give other building residents a brief respite from stress and grief, Kitty Campus co-founder Gina Nicole Vlasek said in Facebook post.
“All we needed was a ray of hope in this tragedy … Today was one of the most amazing days,” Vlasek wrote. “One of the survivors came to see the cat and to determine if it was her families cat and IT WAS!”
The new guidelines mark the first time the CDC has recommended that fully vaccinated students and teachers do not need to wear masks in the classroom. The updates come amid an increasing number of Covid-19 cases linked to the more-transmissible Delta variant in states across the South, Southwest and Midwest.
Depending on the levels of community spread and vaccination rates, schools may decide to universally mandate masks, the CDC said, adding that it is up to local officials to decide the best way to reduce and contain the virus.
The CDC strongly recommended that all those eligible to receive Covid-19 vaccine should get the shot to help facilitate in-person instruction.
“Vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention strategy to end the Covid-19 pandemic. Promoting vaccination can help schools safely return to in-person learning as well as extracurricular activities and sports,” the CDC said in a statement.
The CDC stressed that its guidance is meant to supplement local public health policies, not replace them. But it is also encouraging schools to allow all students to attend class in person, even if physical distancing is not possible.
The agency pointed to studies showing that schools were not a major source of Covid-19 transmission, especially when other precautions beyond distancing were taken.
Still, the guidelines recommend that schools dropping their pandemic measures do so gradually in an effort to avoid triggering outbreaks.
“They should remove them one at a time and monitor closely (with adequate testing) for any increases in COVID-19 cases,” the CDC said.
While the nation’s top teachers’ unions backed the health agency’s latest guidance on Friday, their leaders expressed concerns about the fast-spreading Delta variant and urged schools to keep up safety measures deployed during the nation’s deadliest encounters with the disease.
“Schools should be consistently and rigorously employing all the recommended mitigation strategies, including requiring masks in all settings where there are unvaccinated individuals present, and ensuring adequate ventilation, handwashing, and cleaning,” National Education Association President Becky Pringle said in a statement, while calling for schools to use “proven Covid-19 screening testing” to isolate cases and reduce the virus’ spread.
“The guidance confirms two truths: that students learn better in the classroom, and that vaccines remain our best bet to stop the spread of this virus and get our kids and educators fully back to those classrooms for in-person learning,” American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said. “It also makes clear that masking is important in the absence of vaccination,” she said, in addition to upgraded ventilation, regular virus testing, and three feet of physical distancing.
“We share the growing concern over the delta variant, as well as the evolving science around Covid transmission in young people, all of which make it incumbent upon school districts to remain committed both to vaccinations, and to these safety protocols,” Weingarten said.
(CNN)The United States is sending officials to Haiti at the request of that country’s government in the aftermath of the assassination of the nation’s president earlier this week.
CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi, Caitlin Hu, Lionel Vital, Stefano Pozzebon, Helen Regan, Etant Dupain, Gerardo Lemos, Ivana Kottasová and Kylie Atwood contributed to this report.
President Biden on Friday urged President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to “take action to disrupt” online criminal organizations in his country and said that the United States reserves the right to respond against hackers who launch ransomware attacks from inside Russia, according to a White House readout of a telephone call between the two leaders.
“I made it very clear to him that the United States expects when a ransomware operation is coming from his soil, even though it’s not sponsored by the state, we expect him to act, and we give him enough information to act on who that is,” Mr. Biden said to reporters after signing an executive order at the White House.
Asked if Russia would face consequences for the spate of recent attacks, Mr. Biden simply replied “yes.”
The call came in the wake of a ransomware attack over the July 4 weekend in which a Russia-based group called REvil, an abbreviation of “ransomware evil,” hacked a Florida company that provides software to thousands of smaller firms. Russian hackers were also accused of breaching a contractor for the Republican National Committee last week.
KENNESAW, Ga. (AP) — Authorities on Thursday afternoon arrested a man in the killing of three men — including a Topeka resident — who were found shot to death Saturday on the golf course of a suburban Atlanta country club.
Cobb County sheriff’s deputies and U.S. marshals arrested Bryan Rhoden in Chamblee, more than 25 mile southeast of where the slain men were discovered Saturday, Cobb County Police Chief Tim Cox said during a news conference Thursday evening.
Rhoden faces three counts of murder, three counts of aggravated assault and two counts of kidnapping, Cox said. The police chief described Rhoden as the “lone shooter” in the slayings but he declined to give further details about what prompted the violence.
“We literally had detectives that have worked around the clock and some have literally slept in their offices since July 3rd trying to clear this case,” Cox said.
Police say golf pro Eugene Siller was gunned down Saturday when he went to find out why a white pickup truck had driven onto the 10th green at Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw, northwest of Atlanta.
Two other men were found dead from gunshot wounds in the bed of the pickup truck. Police identified them as 46-year-old Henry Valdez of California and 76-year-old Paul Pierson of Topeka.
Investigators believe that Siller, 46, was slain because he came upon a “crime in progress,” police have said. It doesn’t appear that he was targeted, and the other men appear to have “no relation to the location at all,” police had said in a statement. Pierson was the truck’s registered owner.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper, Pierson was listed as the director, president, treasurer and secretary of Nevada-based Eco Environmental Remediation Services Inc.
Citing public documents, the newspaper said Pierson spent much of his adult life in the area of northern California’s wine country.
Police haven’t commented on any possible motive for the killings of the two men whose bodies were found in the pickup.
It wasn’t immediately known if Rhoden has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
The New York Times getting criticized for defending ‘pornography literacy’ for first graders, ex-CNN regular Michael Avenatti getting prison time for Nike extortion, and The Lincoln Project’s co-founder saying the Capitol riot was worse than 9/11 round out today’s top media headlines
House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., refuted NBC Peacock host Mehdi Hasan after he suggested the movement to defund the police didn’t hurt Democrats in 2020 House races.
In a Thursday appearance on “The Mehdi Hasan Show,” Clyburn blasted Hasan’s suggestions as “poppycock,” declared that defunding the police was a “nonstarter,” especially among Black voters, and described the movement as “a chokehold around the Democratic Party.”
“You have been quite critical of the left of your party. The Democrats lost a net dozen House seats last November despite winning the White House. You’ve been very critical of the party’s progressive wing for ‘sloganeering,’ you say, with movements like ‘Medicare for all’ and ‘defund the police,'” Hasan said, before citing a study that he said showed swing voters paid little attention to Republican attacks on defunding the police. “So is the whole attention on defund the police really a deflection by the party leadership from your own failures? That’s what your critics on the left would say.”
“That is absolutely poppycock. I know what I’m talking about. I’m out here with the voters every day. I did a town hall last night … and I can tell you defund the police is a nonstarter, even with Black people,” Clyburn said. “If you don’t think that’s true, then look at the results of what just happened in New York City’s election. So the proof is in the pudding. I know what I’m talking about.”
“I talk to people everyday, and defund the police is a chokehold around the Democratic Party,” he added. “If you’re going to categorize left and right, I’m on the left of my party. Nobody can call me anything but a progressive. I’ve been one all of my life … so come on!”
Hasan again questioned whether messaging on defunding the police actually hurt Democrats in the election, claiming that no House candidates in 2020 or Democratic mayoral candidates in New York City actually ran on defunding the police. Several far-left members of Congress do, however, support defunding and even dismantling municipal police departments, such as Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
“I’m not sure why you seem to think it’s such a big problem for your party,” he said.
“Ask Jaimie Harrison, who was running for the United States Senate here in South Carolina. Just ask him. Ask Abigail Spanberger up in Virginia why I said it. I said it because it’s real. It’s a real problem … This kind of sloganeering does no good,” Clyburn said, referencing former Democratic Senate candidate Jaimie Harrison’s loss in the South Carolina Senate election, as well as Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s, D-Va., narrow win in Virginia’s 7th congressional district.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its public health guidance for schools Friday, saying fully vaccinated teachers and students don’t need to wear masks inside school buildings.
The CDC’s new guidance comes about two months after federal health officials permitted the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine for kids ages 12 to 15, allowing middle and high school students to get the shots ahead of the fall school semester.
Teachers and students who are not vaccinated should still continue to wear masks indoors, the U.S. agency said, adding the practice is especially important when inside and in crowded settings, when social distancing cannot be maintained.
The agency also said it still recommends that students remain at least 3 feet apart in classrooms, combined with indoor mask wearing by people who are not fully vaccinated, to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus.
“When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 3 feet, such as when schools cannot fully re-open while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as indoor masking,” the CDC wrote in its guidance.
The CDC’s guidance is only a recommendation, leaving it up to states and local school districts on whether to lift their masking rules for certain people. It will likely have no impact on students under 12, who are currently ineligible to get a Covid vaccine in the U.S.
Covid prevention strategies remain critical to protect people from the virus, especially in areas of moderate-to-high community transmission levels, the agency said.
The updated guidance comes as several states across the U.S. have largely done away with their mask requirements, social distancing and other pandemic-related restrictions because the Covid vaccines have helped drive down the number of new infections and deaths.
In mid-May, the CDC said fully vaccinated people didn’t need to wear masks in most settings, whether indoors or outdoors. They are still expected to wear masks on public transportation, the agency said, such as on airplanes, buses and trains. The federal government’s mask mandate on public transportation is scheduled to expire on Sept. 13 unless the CDC extends it once again.
The guidance may be controversial as scientists and other health experts say indoor mask mandates may make a return this fall, particularly in low vaccinated states, as the highly transmissible delta variant spreads across the U.S.
Already the dominant variant in the U.S., delta will hit the states with the lowest vaccination rates the hardest — unless those states and businesses reintroduce mask rules, capacity limits and other public health measures that they’ve largely rolled back in recent months, experts say.
“I could foresee that in certain parts of the country, there could be a reintroduction of indoor mask mandates, distancing and occupancy limits” in the coming months, said Lawrence Gostin, director of the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law.
Some places, such as Los Angeles County, California, are recommending that “everyone, regardless of vaccination status,” wear masks indoors in public places as a precautionary measure.
In Mississippi, where less than a third of the state’s eligible population is fully vaccinated, officials last week recommended that all residents continue to wear masks indoors as delta becomes the dominant variant in the state.
In Detroit’s public schools, everyone will be required to wear a mask unless everyone in the classroom has been vaccinated. Philadelphia will require all public school students and staff to wear masks inside buildings, even if they have been vaccinated. Masks won’t be mandated in Houston schools.
Two Haitian-Americans with ties to South Florida — including one who previously worked as a bodyguard at the Canadian Embassy in Haiti — are among the 28 alleged assassins of President Jovenel Moïse, officials announced Thursday.
James Solages, 35, and Vincent Joseph, 55, allegedly took part in the brazen attack on the Haitian leader, who was reportedly shot a dozen times at his Port-au-Prince home on Wednesday, officials said. His wife, Martine, was critically wounded.
The two men were paraded along with 15 other suspects, all Colombian nationals, in front of journalists during a press conference late Thursday. In all, the hit squad comprised 28 gunmen, including 26 Colombians, officials said.
Haitian-American citizens James Solages (left) and Joseph Vincent(second from left) are suspects in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.ESN/AFP via Getty Images; Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Despite the Haitian authorities’ display of the American suspects, who sat near two tables filled with firearms, machetes, bulletproof vests and cellphones, their alleged involvement in the deadly plot was shrouded in mystery.
Suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse are moved to be displayed to the press in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.AP/Joseph Odely
It was unclear why the Haitian government believes they were involved, how long they had been in the country, how and when they got there, or even what their motive was, the Miami Herald reported.
US officials said they are aware of the accusations against American citizens, but could not comment about the allegations due to privacy concerns, according to the newspaper.
It was confirmed late Thursday that Solages had once worked for a company that contracted to provide security for the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince, the Herald reported.
James Solages, 35 of Tamarac, Florida, does not have a criminal record, according to a report.Facebook
“We are aware of allegations implicating an individual who was briefly employed as a reserve bodyguard by a security company hired by Global Affairs Canada in 2010,” a government official told the paper on condition of anonymity because of the volatile situation in Haiti.
Solages, who lived in Tamarac, a Florida city in the Fort Lauderdale area, does not have a criminal record, according to the Herald, which cited divorce proceedings in the US but no other legal matters.
His aunt, Victorie Dorisme, told the paper that she learned about the allegations against him from Haitian TV — and is puzzled about how the South Florida maintenance worker became a suspected international assassin.
“I’ve never heard of him in any trouble like this,” Dorisme told the Herald, adding that Solages had his mail forwarded to her address while changing homes because of his divorce.
She said he divided his time between his job as a building maintenance worker and running a small charity.
Solages described himself on his charity website as a “certified diplomatic agent” and former bodyguard for the Canadian Embassy in Haiti — but that website appears to have stopped working, the paper reported, adding that calls and emails to the charity were not returned.
James Solages and Joseph Vincent are among 28 people suspected in the assassination of Jovenel Moïse.Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
In a statement, Canada’s foreign relations department did not refer to Solages by name but said one of the men detained in the assassination had been “briefly employed as a reserve bodyguard” at its embassy by a private contractor.
Solages’ Facebook page, now taken down, said he attended Fort Lauderdale High School, according to the news outlet.
Between 2015 and 2018, he went on to study at Atlantic Technical College in Coconut Creek and later Florida Career College, where he said he earned an associate degree in information technology, the Herald said, citing his social media page.
US officials are aware of the accusations against American citizens James Solages (left) and Joseph Vincent (second from left) but could not comment on the situation.AP/Joseph OdelynA suspect is under police custody for allegedly participating in the assassination plot against Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in Port-au-Prince.EPA/Jean Marc Herve Abelard
Solages — who said he is originally from the port town of Jacmel on Haiti’s southern coast — had a Florida-registered business called FWA SA A JACMEL AVAN INC, which he described on LinkedIn as an economic empowerment charity, according to the paper.
He also has a business — EJS Maintenance & Repair LLC — with two other Haitian men, who also are affiliated with the charity, the Herald said, citing Florida corporate records. His LinkedIn page also describes him as the CEO of the remodeling company.
“Experienced building engineer specialize in infrastructure, Equipment, HAVC, Painting with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital & health care industry,” he wrote on his LinkedIn page.
Suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse are shown to the media, along with the weapons and equipment they allegedly used in the attack.AP/Joseph Odelyn
“Skilled in Customer Service, Strategic Planning, budgeting, Team Building, Leadership, Public Speaking, and Training,” he added.
He listed Spanish, English, French and Haitian Creole as languages he speaks. His Facebook page recently showed him wearing a business suit, and he posted some images of armored vehicles, the paper reported.
The LinkedIn page now lists him as a plant operations manager in Lantana, about 40 miles north of Fort Lauderdale, for a company called Senior Lifestyle, which runs senior communities nationwide.
Police officers guard a group of suspects who allegedly participated in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.EPA/Jean Marc Herve Abelard
In Lantana, it operates the Carlisle Palm Beach, which describes itself as “an upscale resort-style senior living option.” Workers there declined to tell the Herald whether Solages is employed there.
Meanwhile, virtually nothing is known about Joseph, who Haitian authorities said lives in or at one time lived in Miami.
Two Haitian-Americans with ties to South Florida — including one who previously worked as a bodyguard at the Canadian Embassy in Haiti — are among the 28 alleged assassins of President Jovenel Moïse, officials announced Thursday.
James Solages, 35, and Vincent Joseph, 55, allegedly took part in the brazen attack on the Haitian leader, who was reportedly shot a dozen times at his Port-au-Prince home on Wednesday, officials said. His wife, Martine, was critically wounded.
The two men were paraded along with 15 other suspects, all Colombian nationals, in front of journalists during a press conference late Thursday. In all, the hit squad comprised 28 gunmen, including 26 Colombians, officials said.
Haitian-American citizens James Solages (left) and Joseph Vincent(second from left) are suspects in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.ESN/AFP via Getty Images; Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Despite the Haitian authorities’ display of the American suspects, who sat near two tables filled with firearms, machetes, bulletproof vests and cellphones, their alleged involvement in the deadly plot was shrouded in mystery.
Suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse are moved to be displayed to the press in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.AP/Joseph Odely
It was unclear why the Haitian government believes they were involved, how long they had been in the country, how and when they got there, or even what their motive was, the Miami Herald reported.
US officials said they are aware of the accusations against American citizens, but could not comment about the allegations due to privacy concerns, according to the newspaper.
It was confirmed late Thursday that Solages had once worked for a company that contracted to provide security for the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince, the Herald reported.
James Solages, 35 of Tamarac, Florida, does not have a criminal record, according to a report.Facebook
“We are aware of allegations implicating an individual who was briefly employed as a reserve bodyguard by a security company hired by Global Affairs Canada in 2010,” a government official told the paper on condition of anonymity because of the volatile situation in Haiti.
Solages, who lived in Tamarac, a Florida city in the Fort Lauderdale area, does not have a criminal record, according to the Herald, which cited divorce proceedings in the US but no other legal matters.
His aunt, Victorie Dorisme, told the paper that she learned about the allegations against him from Haitian TV — and is puzzled about how the South Florida maintenance worker became a suspected international assassin.
“I’ve never heard of him in any trouble like this,” Dorisme told the Herald, adding that Solages had his mail forwarded to her address while changing homes because of his divorce.
She said he divided his time between his job as a building maintenance worker and running a small charity.
Solages described himself on his charity website as a “certified diplomatic agent” and former bodyguard for the Canadian Embassy in Haiti — but that website appears to have stopped working, the paper reported, adding that calls and emails to the charity were not returned.
James Solages and Joseph Vincent are among 28 people suspected in the assassination of Jovenel Moïse.Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
In a statement, Canada’s foreign relations department did not refer to Solages by name but said one of the men detained in the assassination had been “briefly employed as a reserve bodyguard” at its embassy by a private contractor.
Solages’ Facebook page, now taken down, said he attended Fort Lauderdale High School, according to the news outlet.
Between 2015 and 2018, he went on to study at Atlantic Technical College in Coconut Creek and later Florida Career College, where he said he earned an associate degree in information technology, the Herald said, citing his social media page.
US officials are aware of the accusations against American citizens James Solages (left) and Joseph Vincent (second from left) but could not comment on the situation.AP/Joseph OdelynA suspect is under police custody for allegedly participating in the assassination plot against Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in Port-au-Prince.EPA/Jean Marc Herve Abelard
Solages — who said he is originally from the port town of Jacmel on Haiti’s southern coast — had a Florida-registered business called FWA SA A JACMEL AVAN INC, which he described on LinkedIn as an economic empowerment charity, according to the paper.
He also has a business — EJS Maintenance & Repair LLC — with two other Haitian men, who also are affiliated with the charity, the Herald said, citing Florida corporate records. His LinkedIn page also describes him as the CEO of the remodeling company.
“Experienced building engineer specialize in infrastructure, Equipment, HAVC, Painting with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital & health care industry,” he wrote on his LinkedIn page.
Suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse are shown to the media, along with the weapons and equipment they allegedly used in the attack.AP/Joseph Odelyn
“Skilled in Customer Service, Strategic Planning, budgeting, Team Building, Leadership, Public Speaking, and Training,” he added.
He listed Spanish, English, French and Haitian Creole as languages he speaks. His Facebook page recently showed him wearing a business suit, and he posted some images of armored vehicles, the paper reported.
The LinkedIn page now lists him as a plant operations manager in Lantana, about 40 miles north of Fort Lauderdale, for a company called Senior Lifestyle, which runs senior communities nationwide.
Police officers guard a group of suspects who allegedly participated in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.EPA/Jean Marc Herve Abelard
In Lantana, it operates the Carlisle Palm Beach, which describes itself as “an upscale resort-style senior living option.” Workers there declined to tell the Herald whether Solages is employed there.
Meanwhile, virtually nothing is known about Joseph, who Haitian authorities said lives in or at one time lived in Miami.
President Biden said the withdrawal from Afghanistan of U.S troops after 20 years of war will conclude on August 31, ahead of the September 11 deadline he announced in mid-April.
“We are ending the nation’s longest war,” the president said in remarks at the White House Thursday.
At the time he announced the September deadline, about 3,500 troops remained. Earlier this week, the Pentagon said that the withdrawal was 90% complete. It proceeded quickly for a reason.
“Our military commanders advised me that once I made the decision to end the war, we needed to move swiftly to conduct the main elements of the drawdown, and in this context, speed is safety,” the president said. A different approach “would have certainly come with an increased risk of safety to our personnel,” and he noted that so far, no U.S. military personnel have been lost in the process.
U.S. forces last week exited Bagram Airfield, the largest American base in the country. The turnover of Bagram to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces completed the U.S. transfer of all seven bases to Afghanistan, in effect, finishing the logistical part of the withdrawal.
Although the president made August 31 the formal deadline for U.S. troops to be out of Afghanistan, the withdrawal is for all intents and purposes complete, with the transfer of control of Bagram. The commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, General Scott Miller, will soon be leaving the remaining forces in the charge of a two-star general.
The military supports the president’s decision, even if top military advisers may not initially have concluded that the U.S. should withdraw. But Mr. Biden heard what they had to say, met with them at least half a dozen times, and showed he was reading the briefing books. Ultimately both agreed that the U.S. could not stay in Afghanistan forever — there are greater threats facing the nation than al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
“The United States cannot afford to remain tethered to policies creating a response to a world as it was 20 years ago,” Mr. Biden said. “We need to meet the threats where they are today.”
The president has said the U.S. will continue to have a diplomatic presence in the country. To maintain an embassy in Kabul, several hundred troops will remain for protection, and more could support the security of Kabul International Airport.
As U.S. troops have been withdrawing, the Taliban has been steadily seizing more territory. In the past two months, it has taken control of more than 80 of the 407 districts in Afghanistan, according to the Long War Journal, which closely tracks the conflict. In the past week alone, the Taliban has taken 10% of the country, currently controlling 195 districts.
But Mr. Biden maintained Thursday that it is not inevitable the Taliban will take control of the country, noting that Afghan forces heavily outnumber the Taliban, by about 300,000 to 75,000.
“The Afghan government and leadership has to come together. They clearly have the capacity to sustain the government in place,” the president said. “The question is will they generate the kind of cohesion to do it? It’s not a question of whether they have the capacity — they have capacity. They have the forces. They have the equipment. The question is will they do it?”
Mr. Biden insisted that “first of all, the mission hasn’t failed,” but he also pointed out that “no nation has ever unified Afghanistan,” that “empires have gone there and not done it.”
Along with the withdrawal of troops, the U.S. is still working on airlifting over 60,000 Afghans — 18,000 interpreters and their families —out of the country to protect them from Taliban reprisals. Mr. Biden promised that the Afghans who have risked so much to help the U.S. “are not going to be left behind.”
He announced that starting this month, the administration will begin relocation flights to third countries outside of Afghanistan for the applicants and their families who would like to leave.
“There is a home for you in the United States if you so choose and we will stand with you as you stood with us,” Mr. Biden said.
When asked what would the U.S. would do if Kabul fell, Mr. Biden said the U.S. would make a determination based on the danger to the U.S.
Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said Thursday that the U.S. remains committed to helping the air force of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently approved the delivery of two refurbished UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters this month with 35 more to come as well as purchasing three more A-29 aircraft.
“It’s not like we’re clapping hands and walking away,” Kirby said.
The heaviest rain will fall to the west of the track which includes most areas west of I-95. There could be as much as 2-to-4 inches of rainfall in parts of our area through midday Friday. Flash flooding is possible across all of southern New England particularly in the 6-to-10 hours of Elsa’s closest pass on Friday morning.
WINDS:
The strongest winds will be to the east of Elsa’s track which is likely to include the immediate coastline of the South Shore and certainly Cape Cod and the Islands.
(WBZ-TV)
In this zone, there is a threat for tree and power line damage and numerous power outages. Wind gusts 35-to-55 mph are likely to the east of I-95 in Mass. Farther southeast over extreme southeastern Mass. and the Cape/Islands, winds could gust 55-to-70 mph out of the south-southeast.
COASTAL WATERS:
While we don’t expect much storm surge or coastal flooding with Elsa’s passage, the seas will be very angry with swells 10-to-20 feet just offshore, particularly on our south facing beaches along the South Coast. Dangerous rip currents and marine conditions will exist for most of the day Friday.
TIMELINE:
Expect the brunt of the rain and wind from Elsa between 7 a.m.-2 p.m. on Friday.
For about a 6-to-8 hour period we will be in and out of torrential downpours, receiving as much as 2-to-4 inches of rainfall in just a short period of time. Expect some street and flash flooding Friday morning with some roads becoming flooded and nearly impassable.
(WBZ-TV graphic)
The strongest winds (in extreme eastern Mass., Cape, Islands) will occur between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday as Elsa’s center rides up and over our area. Again, south-southeast gusts as high as 55 mph are likely across this entire area with the potential for a few up to 70 mph on the Outer Cape and Islands.
With tropical systems passing near or overhead, there is always an enhanced risk of severe weather, perhaps even an isolated tornado. This is something else we will be closely watching on Friday.
The rainfall will quickly shut off during the afternoon from south to north and nearly the entire rain structure will be up in Maine after 1-to-2 p.m. and quickly racing northward toward Canada. The winds will remain gusty along the coast for a few additional hours, through about 4-to-5 p.m. before easing.
We will get rapid clearing Friday evening and other than a few stray showers, we have a fairly nice weekend ahead with temperatures near or slightly above 80 degrees. Just what the doctor ordered after a very busy, wet week of weather.
SURFSIDE, Fla. — When the coronavirus ravaged Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis defiantly bucked mask mandates. He later cracked down on protesters advocating racial justice, blasted President Joe Biden on immigration, jumped into the fight over transgender athletes and signed sweeping legislation to toughen voting rules.
But after a deadly building collapse, the Republican governor is largely hitting pause on the culture wars.
In the two weeks since a 12-story condo tower in this coastal community suddenly crumbled, killing at least 64 people, DeSantis has stood somberly with local officials, including Democrats, as they assessed the damage. He nodded in agreement when Biden visited and hailed their joint appearance as a sign that those with opposing political views can work together in a crisis. And he even skipped a rally in Sarasota headlined by former President Donald Trump, whose early endorsement was crucial in helping DeSantis win the governor’s race in 2018.
Since that victory, DeSantis has often taken his cues from Trump. But as he prepares for a reelection bid next year that could propel him into a presidential campaign, the tragedy in Surfside is exposing voters to a different side of the governor. He’s still the conservative populist who rarely parts with Trump. But unlike the former president, DeSantis is showing that he can tone down some of his most extreme partisan rhetoric during a disaster.
“The governor has been decisive. He’s been constant. He’s been collaborative,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Danielle Levine Cava, a Democrat who has sparred with DeSantis in the past, said in an interview. “Hats off to the governor for how he has supported us in this crisis.”
Charles Burkett, the nonpartisan mayor of Surfside, called the level of cooperation “astounding, even surprising.”
Of course, DeSantis isn’t ushering in a new era of bipartisanship or a Republican return to reality-based rhetoric. The governor has dodged direct questions on whether Biden’s victory in last year’s election was fair. A day after the collapse, DeSantis promoted an unusual plan to deploy officers from Florida to the southern border, a move Democrats dismiss as political theater.
Still, DeSantis’ actions present a sharp contrast with Trump. The former president often threatened to withhold aid to Democratic officials who criticized him, including Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and Andrew Cuomo of New York. At other times, he appeared insensitive or clumsy in his response to people’s suffering. During a visit to hurricane damaged Puerto Rico, for instance, Trump tossed rolls of paper towels into a crowd of residents.
Mac Stipanovich, a former Republican campaign strategist, said DeSantis is “less frightening than Trump” to some voters even as he steadily courts the former president’s base.
DeSantis “has a finely tuned sense of what is the best red meat, on any given day, to throw to the MAGA base and he does it with some skill and no shame,” Stipanovich said. “Soon as we’re beyond the window of this tragedy, everybody will be at each other’s throats once again.”
Indeed, the debate could swiftly move to how the state and local governments manage aging infrastructure. Officials in Miami-Dade County are moving forward with a 30-day audit of buildings that are more than 40 years old. DeSantis has questioned the necessity of a statewide review of older buildings.
While effective responses to catastrophes can help burnish a governor’s political reputation, the boost can sometimes prove fleeting. Former Govs. Jeb Bush of Florida and Chris Christie of New Jersey were widely praised for their response to devastating storms. But Trump, who never held political office before running for president, defeated both men for the 2016 Republican nomination.
DeSantis’ handling of the tragedy appears to have caught some Democrats off guard, leaving them with no unified response.
Rep. Charlie Crist, a Democrat hoping to challenge DeSantis next year, didn’t respond to requests for comment on the governor’s response to the collapse. Nikki Fried, Florida’s Democratic agriculture commissioner who has also announced a bid for governor, praised local officials, Biden and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But she knocked DeSantis for wading into the politically charged immigration debate by sending Florida law enforcement to the border with Mexico.
“Although the Florida Division of Emergency Management has been working around the clock to support search and rescue efforts, it was unfortunate that Governor DeSantis diverted first responders to the southern border during this incredibly difficult time for the Miami community and our entire state,” she said.
Rep. Val Demings, a Democrat challenging GOP Sen. Marco Rubio, said she was “glad to see productive partnership between local, state, and federal officials as we work to save lives.”
“In times of crisis,” she said, “we need to set partisanship aside and do what’s right for our communities.”
DeSantis is gaining national attention at a critical juncture for Republicans. While Trump decides whether to run again in 2024, those with presidential ambitions are making aggressive moves to position themselves as his heir should he opt against a campaign.
For now, Trump remains happy to be aligned with DeSantis. But several people in touch with the former president and his team said he has paid close attention as DeSantis has wooed donors at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in South Florida and gained traction in some conservative circles. If DeSantis’ popularity rises and he threatens Trump’s status as the undisputed leader of the party, many Republicans privately expect Trump to turn on the governor.
Friction between the two spilled into the public for the first time last week when Trump rebuffed DeSantis’ entreaties to postpone the rally in Sarasota. Trump, who opened his remarks with a moment of silence for the victims in Surfside and their families, told the conservative network Newsmax that he and DeSantis had “mutually agreed” that the governor should skip the rally.
Trump has sought to keep the upper hand in the relationship, bringing up his early endorsement in several recent interviews. He has also said he would consider DeSantis as a potential running mate if he chose to run again for president.
For his part, DeSantis has said he is focused more on winning reelection next year than the 2024 contest. He is one of the few leading Republicans who has not yet visited Iowa, home to the leadoff presidential caucuses and a state dominated by conservative evangelicals who can sway the GOP’s direction.
DeSantis has instead spent part of his summer traveling to political fundraisers in states including Pennsylvania and California. Tony Krvaric, who helped arrange an event on DeSantis’ behalf in San Diego, said the excitement surrounding the governor was “sky high” and his response to the collapse has further helped his reputation.
“He’s handled it professionally and with empathy,” Krvaric said.
———
Sloan reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.
The head of the American Federation of Teachers(AFT) Randi Weingarten makes over half a million dollars per year in her job – more than nine times the average teachers salary in the U.S.
In 2019, Weingarten received a salary of $489,844 along with $74,392 in other compensation, bringing her total haul for the year to $564,236, according to the AFT’s Internal Revenue Service Form 990 for that year, the most recent year available.
The median salary for public high school teachers was $62,870, as of May 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). For preschool, elementary, middle, secondary, and special education teachers, the median salary was $58,550, according to the BLS.
The AFT did not respond to Fox News’ request for comment on whether Weingarten’s high salary is justified by her work.
Weingarten came under fire on Wednesday when she claimed that Republicans were “bullying” teachers out of teaching “honest history” about race while speaking during a livestream event headlined by controversial author Ibram X. Kendi.
“There are legislators, mostly from the Republican party, who are currently bullying teachers and trying to stop us from teaching kids honest history,” Weingarten said, referring to Republican opposition to critical race theory in schools.
“Look, maybe they are just trying to raise the temperature on race relations because of the next election,” she continued.
Teachers’ unions across the country have come under fire over the past year for repeatedly throwing up obstacles to reopening schools for in-person learning during the coronavirus pandemic.
Weingarten has recently rebranded herself as a staunch proponent of reopening schools.
Fox News’ Jon Michael Raasch contributed reporting
A heavily armed commando unit that assassinated Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moïse, was composed of 26 Colombians and two Haitian Americans, authorities have said, as the hunt goes on for the masterminds of the killing.
Moïse, 53, was fatally shot early on Wednesday at his home by what officials said was a group of foreign, trained killers, pitching the poorest country in the Americas deeper into turmoil amid political divisions, hunger and widespread gang violence.
Authorities tracked the suspected assassins on Wednesday to a house near the scene of the crime in Petionville, a northern, hillside suburb of the capital, Port-au-Prince. A firefight lasted late into the night and authorities detained a number of suspects on Thursday.
Police chief Charles Leon paraded 17 men before journalists at a news conference late on Thursday, showing a number of Colombian passports plus assault rifles, machetes, walkie-talkies and materials including bolt cutters and hammers.
“Foreigners came to our country to kill the president,” Charles said. “There were 26 Colombians, identified by their passports, and two Haitian Americans as well.”
He said 15 Colombians were captured, as well as two Haitian Americans. Three of the assailants were killed and eight remained on the run, Charles said.
Police in Haiti displayed passports, weapons, tools and other items to the media along with the men suspected of assassinating president Jovenel Moïse. Photograph: Reuters
Eleven of the suspects were arrested after breaking into the embassy of Taiwan in Port-au-Prince, which sits near the residence where Moïse was killed, a statement from Taiwan’s ministry of foreign affairs said.
Early on Thursday morning embassy security discovered the “group of armed suspects”, described as “mercenaries” in the ministry’s statement, and notified the Haitian government. Taiwan agreed “without hesitation” to allow Haitian police access, a spokeswoman said.
“The Haitian police launched an operation at about 4pm … and successfully arrested 11 suspected armed criminals. The process was smooth and the suspects did not resist.” The spokeswoman did not provide the nationalities of the arrested men.
The embassy had been closed on Wednesday as a safety measure in response to the assassination and staff had been working from home.
Colombia’s defence minister, Diego Molano, said in a statement that preliminary information indicated that Colombians involved in the attack were retired members of the country’s military. He said Bogotá would cooperate in the investigation.
Haiti’s minister of elections and interparty relations, Mathias Pierre, identified the Haitian-American suspects as James Solages, 35, and Joseph Vincent, 55.
A state department spokesperson could not confirm if any US citizens were among those detained, but US authorities were in regular contact with Haitian officials, including investigative authorities, to discuss how the US could provide assistance.
Officials in the mostly French- and Creole-speaking Caribbean nation had said on Wednesday the assassins appeared to have spoken in English and Spanish.
“It was a full, well-equipped commando, with more than six cars and a lot of equipment,” Pierre said.
Officials have not yet given a motive for the killing.
Moïse, a 53-year-old former banana exporter who took office in 2017, was murdered at his family home in the hills above Port-au-Prince about 1am local time on Wednesday. The first lady, Martine Moïse, was also wounded and later evacuated to Miami, where she is reportedly in a stable condition.
Children look for metal pieces in cars burnt by locals after a firefight between police and the suspected assassins of president Moïse. Photograph: Reuters
According to new details that have emerged in local reports, the attackers tied up staff, and one of Moïse’s three children survived by hiding in her brother’s bedroom.
Moïse was shot at least a dozen times and died at the scene, according to Carl Henry Destin, a judicial official, who said the president’s office and bedroom were ransacked.
“We found him lying on his back, with blue trousers, a white blood-stained shirt, his mouth open, the left eye gouged out,” Destin told Haiti’s main newspaper, Le Nouvelliste.
As details of the audacious raid emerged, Haiti was enveloped by profound political uncertainty and the streets of the capital emptied as many residents chose to stay at home. “I really don’t know what to say … the insecurity is too much,” said Darline Garnier, a 23-year-old university student from Pétionville, near where the president was killed.
“It’s a humiliation for our nation,” said Luckner Meronvil, a 46-year-old taxi driver, tears welling in his eyes as he spoke.
Theories about who was behind the killing ran wild in Haiti and in the neighbouring Dominican Republic, which shares the same island. Amid claims that some of those involved in the attack had spoken Spanish, the Dominican paper Diario Libre reported that investigators there were examining the possibility that some of the assassins may have used the country to access or flee Haiti.
And in the febrile atmosphere, competing – and so far unverified – theories have continued to emerge, one suggesting that a hit squad of Colombians and Venezuelans contracted to powerful figures in Haiti involved in drug trafficking and other criminality had ordered the killing, or that the killing involved individuals linked to Moïse’s own security staff.
Many people in Haiti had wanted Moïse to resign. Since taking over in 2017 he had faced calls to leave office and mass protests, first over corruption allegations and his management of the economy and then over his increasing grip on power.
The crowd near the police station where the armed men accused of involvement in the assassination of president Jovenel Moise were detained in Port au Prince, Haiti. Photograph: Valerie Baeriswyl/AFP/Getty Images
On Thursday Haitians woke up to a country without a head of state, with a parliament long suspended, two rival interim prime ministers – one of whom was due to be sworn in during the coming days – and a constitutional legal vacuum after the death from coronavirus of the head of its supreme court.
That has generated confusion about who is the legitimate leader of the country of 11 million people – Joseph, who has assumed power for now, or Ariel Henry, who was appointed as prime minister by Moïse just before his death and was due to be sworn in this week.
“All the cards are up in the air,” Fatton said of the apparent struggle between Henry and Joseph.
Ryan Berg, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said: “I can picture a scenario under which there are issues regarding to whom the armed forces and national police are loyal, in the case there are rival claims to being placeholder president of the country.”
Pierre, the elections minister, said on Thursday night that a presidential vote as well as a constitutional referendum that had been slated for 26 September before the assassination of Moise would go ahead as planned.
“It [the vote] was not for Jovenel Moise as president – it was a requirement to get a more stable country, a more stable political system, so I think we will continue with that,” Pierre said. He added that preparations had long been under way and millions of dollars disbursed to carry out the votes.
MIAMI – Haitian officers in Port-au-Prince reported Thursday that they have arrested several suspects in connection with President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination Wednesday at his home. Four died during a shootout. There are still suspects on the run.
Two of the suspects are Haitian-American men with apparent connections to South Florida. James Solages, of Fort Lauderdale, was among the suspects and he was detained on Wednesday in Port-au-Prince, according to Haitian authorities.
ABC’s Aicha El Hammar confirmed with Haiti’s Minister of Election Matthias Pierre that a US citizen of Haitian descent- identified as James Solages-is a suspect in President Jovenel Moise’s assassination and was detained Wednesday. (Copyright 2020 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.)
Mathias Pierre, Haiti’s minister of elections, told ABC News that two of the suspects were Haitian-American men and one of them is Solages, who is a U.S. Citizen of Haitian descent. His role is unclear.
The account of a Facebook user identified as Solages from Fort Lauderdale was suspended. The Linkedin account of a user matching the description alleged having close-quarters combat training. Florida records show a James Solages had expired security officer and firearm licenses.
The Miami Herald reported the other Haitian-American suspect is Joseph Vincent, of Miami.
Suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise sit on the floor after being detained, at the General Direction of the police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. A Haitian judge involved in the murder investigation said that President Moise was shot a dozen times and that his office and bedroom were ransacked. (AP Photo/Jean Marc Herv Ablard) (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Léon Charles, director of Haiti’s National Police, described the suspects as mercenaries during the official announcements on national radio and television.
“We have the physical authors, now we are looking for the intellectual authors,” Charles said
Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph reopened the airport and he appeared to have the support of the Armed Forces of Haiti and the National Police. Before the assassination, Moïse named Ariel Henry, a neurosurgeon, prime minister.
A police truck takes two detainees to the police station of Petion Ville in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. According to Police Chief Leon Charles, the two detained are suspects in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Mose. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn) (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Bocchit Edmond, the Haitian ambassador to the U.S., told The Associated Press the killers were well-trained foreign mercenaries who pretended to be U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration special agents.
First Lady Martine Moïse, who was injured when Moïse, 53, was killed, was at Jackson Memorial Hospital Thursday in Miami-Dade County. She arrived at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport Wednesday evening. Notre Dame d’Haiti Catholic Church parishioners prayed for her for the second day in Miami’s Little Haiti.
“The United States offers condolences to the people of Haiti, and we stand ready to assist as we continue to work for a safe and secure Haiti,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Wednesday.
U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jean Monestime both said Thursday in Miami that Haiti needs help from the U.S. She met with reporters at the Little Haiti Cultural Center and said she is “fully committed” to working with the Biden administration to help Haitians.
Officials in South Florida want U.S. to get more involved in Haiti
“America and the international community must provide that security,” Wilson said.”It’s not just a president who was assassinated. It was who assassinated him and why.”
In downtown Miami, Miami-Dade County commissioners held a moment of silence in memory of Moïse. Monestime, the first Haitian-American commissioner, asked for prayers for Haiti. He is a long-time member of the Eden Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Miami’s Little River neighborhood.
Monestime also warned that the current escalation of political unrest in Haiti comes with an ongoing “surge in kidnappings, rapes, and killings, as rival gangs battle each other and the police for control of the streets.”
People look into the window of a police car carrying the bodies of two people killed in a shooting with police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. According to Police Chief Leon Charles, the two dead are suspects in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Mose. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn) (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Moïse won the November 2016 presidential election and he was sworn in February 2017. In recent months, there were Haitians in South Florida who feared for his life. There were fiery protests. Moïse had been ruling by decree.
The presidential and legislative elections in Haiti are on Sept. 26. Before his murder, Moïse pushed for a constitutional referendum to help strengthen the presidency.
Related stories
An ambulance carrying the body of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise drives past a mural featuring him near the leaders residence where he was killed by gunmen in the early morning in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, July 7, 2021. Claude Joseph, the interim prime minister, confirmed the killing and said the police and military were in control of security in Haiti. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn) (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Coverage on July 7
A member of security forces cordons off access to the residence of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, July 7, 2021. Gunmen assassinated Moise and wounded his wife in their home early Wednesday. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn) (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
A bystander points to a vehicle, perforated with bullets holes, parked outside the residence of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, July 7, 2021. Gunmen assassinated Moise and wounded his wife in their home early Wednesday. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn) (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
People protest against the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Mose near the police station of Petion Ville in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Officials pledged to find all those responsible for the pre-dawn raid on Moses home early Wednesday in which the president was shot to death and his wife, Martine, critically wounded. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn) (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Police walk among protesters during a protest against the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Mose near the police station of Petion Ville in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Officials pledged to find all those responsible for the pre-dawn raid on Moses home early Wednesday in which the president was shot to death and his wife, Martine, critically wounded. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn) (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
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