En apenas dos semanas, ISIS se ha hecho con un tercio del territorio de Irak.
El gobierno de Irak parece haber perdido el control de sus fronteras occidentales después de que los militantes sunitas capturaran puestos de cruce con Siria y Jordania.
Las autoridades dicen que los rebeldes se hicieron con el poder de dos pasos fronterizos cruciales el domingo, después de haberse apoderado el sábado de Qaim, una localidad de la provincia que hace frontera con Siria.
Además, el aeropuerto de la ciudad norteña de Tal Afar, de gran importancia estratégica, también ha caído en manos rebeldes este fin de semana.
Militantes liderados por el Estado Islámico de Irak y el Levante (ISIS, por sus siglas en inglés) lograron abrir una brecha a través de Irak.
Desde la caída de Mosul a primeros de junio, ISIS ha ayudado a conseguir grandes áreas del oeste y el norte del país.
En los últimos dos días, ocuparon cuatro ciudades estratégicamente importantes en la provincia de Anbar, predominantemente sunita: Qaim, Rutba, Rawa y Anah.
Hombres armados se hicieron con los puestos fronterizos de al Waleed, en la frontera siria, y Turaibil, en la frontera jordana, una vez que las fuerzas gubernamentales se retiraron de allí.
La captura de los cruces en las fronteras puede ayudar a ISIS a transportar armas y otros equipos a diferentes campos de batalla, dicen los analistas.
Jim Muir, de la BBC, escribe desde Irbil
Después de una breve pausa y unos combates dispersos en un cinturón de unos 70 km al norte y noreste de la capital iraquí, Bagdad, los rebeldes sunitas parecen estar de nuevo en movimiento.
El centro de acción ha cambiado parcialmente a Anbar, la amplia provincia de mayoría sunita al oeste de Bagdad, una zona donde las tribus son particularmente fuertes.
La anunciada caída de otros dos puestos fronterizos, uno en la principal carretera hacia Jordania y otra hacia Siria, significa que el gobierno ha perdido el control de todas sus fronteras occidentales.
Kerry, de gira por Medio Oriente, alertó sobre el riesgo de la crisis iraquí para la región.
Un líder tribal dijo que el 90% de la provincia está en manos rebeldes.
Incluso antes de que la crisis actual comenzara, la ciudad de Faluya, apenas a 30 km del límite occidental de Bagdad ha estado en manos rebeldes desde enero, junto con la mitad de la capital de la provincia, Ramadi.
En muchos lugares, soldados y policías parecen haber abandonado sus puestos después de que los militantes les dejaran salir de forma segura, para evitar el derramamiento de sangre.
Si los informes de la captura del importante aeropuerto de la ciudad de Tal Afar se confirman, será una mala noticia para el gobierno de Bagdad, que esperaba seguir utilizando el aeropuerto como plataforma para tratar de retomar el control de la cercana ciudad de Mosul.
El funeral de un militar de alto rango a quien mataron en el combate por Qaim el viernes fue blanco de un ataque suicida con carro bomba en Ramadi. Al menos seis personas murieron mientras se congregaban para hacer el duelo por el general de brigada Majid al Fahdawi.
Marionetas de Estados Unidos
El líder supremo de Irán, el ayatolá Ali Jamenei, dijo el domingo que se opone a cualquier intervención de Estados Unidos y acusó a Washington de buscar un Irak bajo su hegemonía y gobernado por sus marionetas.
La principal disputa en Irak se da entre quienes quieren que Irak se una al ala de EE.UU: y quienes buscan un Irak independiente, dijo, sin querer hablar de sectarismo.
Estados Unidos, que retiró sus tropas de Irak en 2011, desplegará unos 300 asesores militares al país para ayudar en la lucha contra los insurgentes.
Los militantes de ISIS entregan copias del Coran en Mosul.
Análisis de Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, del servicio persa de la BBC
La administración Obama envía señales de que quiere un nuevo gobierno en Irak sin el primer ministro Nuri al Maliki antes de lanzar cualquier ataque contra ISIS, pero el líder supremo de Irán rechazó ambas ideas.
El ayatolá Jamenei se opuso fuertemente a la intervención de Estados Unidos y otros en los asuntos nacionales de Irak y dijo que Estados Unidos no está satisfecho con los resultados de las nuevas elecciones y busca un Irak bajo su hegemonía y gobernado por sus marionetas.
“La principal disputa en Irak se da entre quienes quieren que Irak se una al ala de EE.UU: y quienes buscan un Irak independiente“
Ayatolá Ali Jamenei, líder supremo de Irán
Los comentarios de Jamenei debilitan la posibilidad de una cooperación entre Irán y EE.UU. Irán siente que tiene la delantera en Irak e intentará resolver la crisis con la ayuda de la gente de Iraq, el gobierno y los clérigos chiitas.
El Secretario de Estado de EE.UU., John Kerry, en declaraciones desde El Cairo, Egipto, urgió a los líderes iraquíes a superar las motivaciones sectarias y formar un gobierno que esté unido en su determinación para cumplir con las necesidades y responder a las demandas de su pueblo.
Dijo que es un momento crítico y advirtió que la ideología de violencia y represión de ISIS es una amenaza no sólo para Irak sino para toda la región.
Líderes tribales sunitas en Anbar dicen que los militantes de ISIS sólo son una parte de los combatientes involucrados en tomar el control de la provincia – la mayor parte son gente de tribus y antiguos miembros de las fuerzas de seguridad de la era de Sadam Hussein.
Shaij Raad al Suleiman, una figura en Ramadi, considera que la razón por la que han capturado tanto territorio es que los soldados del ejército iraquí no están preparados para combatir.
La mayoría de los altos cargos y soldados entraron en razón, dejaron sus armas y vehículos y huyeron de Anbar, explicó.
Donald Trump visited one his own private golf courses in Virginia on Saturday as America continued to see fallout from a rapid surge in coronavirus cases and a day after the US president said he would stay in Washington DC to “make sure law and order is enforced” amid ongoing anti-racism protests.
The US president has been frequently criticized for the scale of his golfing habit while in office. CNN – which tallies his golfing activities – said the visit to the Trump National course in Loudon county, just outside Washington DC, was Trump’s 271st of his presidency – putting him at an average of golfing once every 4.6 days since he’s been in office. His predecessor, Barack Obama, golfed 333 rounds over the two terms of his presidency, according to NBC.
The visit comes as the number of confirmed new coronavirus cases per day in the US hit an all-time high of 40,000, according to figures released by Johns Hopkins on Friday. Many states are now seeing spikes in the virus with Texas, Florida and Arizona especially badly hit after they reopened their economies – a policy they are now pausing or reversing.
Trump has been roundly criticized for a failure to lead during the coronavirus that has seen America become by far the worst hit country in the world. Critics in particular point to his failure to wear a mask, holding campaign rallies in coronavirus hot spots and touting baseless conspiracy theories about cures, such as using bleach.
On Friday night Trump tweeted that he was cancelling a weekend trip to his Bedminster, New Jersey golf course because of the protests which have rocked the capital, including taking down statues of confederate figures.
“I was going to go to Bedminster, New Jersey, this weekend, but wanted to stay in Washington, D.C. to make sure LAW & ORDER is enforced. The arsonists, anarchists, looters, and agitators have been largely stopped,” he tweeted.
Trump’s latest visit to the golf course was not without criticism. According to a White House pool media report: “A small group of protesters at the entrance to the club held signs that included, ‘Trump Makes Me Sick’ and ‘Dump Trump’. A woman walking a small white dog nearby also gave the motorcade a middle finger salute.”
It is not yet known if Trump actually played a round of golf. But a photographer captured the president wearing a white polo shirt and a red cap, which is among his common golfing attire.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) compares Trump’s border wall to the Berlin Wall during a livestream.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez raised eyebrows after comparing President Trump’s border wall plans to the Berlin Wall separating communist Germany from the free world.
The New York Democrat made her remarks during a livestream for supporters on Friday, where she spoke out about the scrutiny she received ever since she won the election last year and dethroned top Democrat Joe Crowley.
“No matter how you feel about the wall, I think it’s a moral abomination,” Ocasio-Cortez said on the issue of the border wall that Trump has been pushing for since getting into office.
“I think it’s like the Berlin Wall. I think it’s like any other wall designed to separate human beings and block out people who are running away from the humanitarian disasters. I just think it’s wrong,” she added.
The Berlin Wall, which became the most notable border of the “Iron Curtain” during the Cold War, was built following the Soviet Union’s recommendation amid exodus of Germans living under the communist rule in East Germany following the World War II and the partition of the country.
The wall, guarded by soldiers on the East’s side, was a way to block the East Germans from fleeing communism to West Berlin and West Germany, a free and Democratic country. Multiple people were shot by the soldiers in their desperate efforts to escape East Berlin.
“Dear @AOC: Let me serve as your private professor here. The Berlin Wall was meant to keep people inside the socialist/communist utopia and stop them from fleeing to the decadent capitalist west. So as the New Millennial Lenin, you might want to refrain from using this example,” Gad Saad, an evolutionary behavioral scientist at the John Molson School of Business, tweeted.
“People who compare the US-Mexico border wall to the Berlin wall failed or slept through the easiest history classes in middle school and high school,” wrote another Twitter user.
President Trump’s proposed border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, meanwhile, has been touted as a deterrent against drug and human trafficking, in addition as a way to reduce illegal immigration numbers.
The White House is planning to move $8 billion in currently appropriated or available funds toward construction of the wall. Of that, $3 billion could be diverted with help from the national emergency declaration.
WASHINGTON — Veteran New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney was elected Wednesday lead the powerful House Oversight and Reform Committee, the first woman to hold the job in the panel’s 92-year history.
Maloney defeated Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly by a 133-86 vote in a secret ballot among the full Democratic caucus. She succeeds the late Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, who died last month.
As Oversight chief, Maloney, 73, will play a key role in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.
The committee has a broad portfolio, including oversight of the Trump administration’s handling of the census and immigration matters, as well as investigations into Trump’s business dealings and security clearances granted to White House officials.
Oversight is among the committees handling the impeachment inquiry, although the most visible one is the House Intelligence Committee, whose chairman is Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
Maloney, who lost out to Cummings as the committee’s top Democrat nearly a decade ago, is the panel’s longest-serving Democrat, having joined the committee in 1993 following her first election to Congress.
She has led the committee on an acting basis since Cummings’ Oct. 17 death and won endorsements from the next two longest-serving Democrats, Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbia’s delegate, and Rep. William Lacy Clay of Missouri. She also was endorsed by South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat and an influential member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Norton and Clay also are black caucus members.
Maloney is in her 14th term representing a district that includes much of Manhattan, including Trump Tower. She is best known for her years of advocacy for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and famously wore a New York firefighter’s jacket at the Capitol and even at the Met Gala until she could secure permanent authorization for a victims’ fund. A measure making the 9/11 fund permanent was a rare example of a bipartisan bill signed into law earlier this year.
Maloney has promised to continue the robust oversight agenda begun by Cummings after Democrats assumed the majority this year. In a letter to colleagues, she touted her work helping to remove the citizenship question from the 2020 census, promote the Equal Rights Amendment and to introduce bills to guarantee paid family leave for federal employees.
Connolly, 69, congratulated Maloney on her election, noting in a statement that Oversight “has a consequential responsibility in the next year to bring transparency and accountability to the Trump administration for the American people.’’ He said Maloney has his full support.
Maloney also serves on the House Financial Services Committee, reflecting the importance of the financial industry in her district. She agreed to give up her role leading a subcommittee on investor protection and capital markets if elected to head Oversight.
A house under foreclosure in Las Vegas displays a sign on Oct. 15, 2010, saying that it’s now bank-owned. Sen. Sherrod Brown has vowed increased scrutiny of Wall Street banks, in part after a surge in foreclosures in his hometown in Ohio over a decade ago.
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A house under foreclosure in Las Vegas displays a sign on Oct. 15, 2010, saying that it’s now bank-owned. Sen. Sherrod Brown has vowed increased scrutiny of Wall Street banks, in part after a surge in foreclosures in his hometown in Ohio over a decade ago.
Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) hasn’t forgotten the Great Recession.
In the first half of 2007, Brown recalls, there were more foreclosures in his hometown than anywhere else in the country. It was a period that led to the Global Financial Crisis: Millions of Americans lost their homes, while banks and other corporate sectors were rescued by billions of dollars in bailouts.
More than a decade later, Democrats control all three branches of government, and Brown and fellow populists like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., are in powerful perches to oversee the Big Banks.
And Brown, like many of these top Democrats, believes that too many American are still getting the short end of the stick.
“They never get bailed out,” Brown says in an interview with NPR. “They never get a second chance. They’re just not in a position in an economy like this, where Wall Street writes the rules, where they can get ahead.”
That anger has been magnified at a time when banks have seen their profits soar during the pandemic, in part, thanks to strong actions by the Federal Reserve to support markets.
And top Democrats believe they are justified in pushing for change at Big Banks.
They want to push the country’s largest financial institutions to be agents of social change. And they have specific goals, like expanding access to loans and impose fewer fees for average Americans, or more outreach to unbanked and underserved communities.
“They did very well during the pandemic,” Brown notes about the banks. “We’ve seen stratospheric compensation levels. We see stock buybacks and dividend distribution. Yet, wages throughout our economy are essentially flat.”
Sen. Sherrod Brown talks with reporters in Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., on Feb. 4. As chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Brown has pledged to increase scrutiny of major banks.
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Sen. Sherrod Brown talks with reporters in Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., on Feb. 4. As chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Brown has pledged to increase scrutiny of major banks.
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Brown is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, which also includes Warren, another Democrat with a reputation for being tough on Wall Street.
The Massachusetts senator played a key role in the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis.
“You know, most people think of congress in terms of passing legislation, and yeah, that’s part of the job,” she tells NPR. “But the other part of the job is oversight.”
That oversight was in evidence when Brown’s committee this week brought in the chief executives of the country’s top six banks for questioning as part of an annual oversight.
During that hearing, Warren asked Jamie Dimon, the chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, about overdraft fees the bank charged its customers during the pandemic, which she estimated at nearly $1.5 billion.
The heated exchange ended when Warren asked Dimon if he would volunteer to refund that money. He declined.
Warren is unapologetic about pushing banks to do more given their roles as critical institutions in society.
Bank executives, Warren says, “have a responsibility to execute on making their banks part of the solution to our economic and racial problems across this nation.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren heading to a news conference in Washington, D.C., in April 27. Warren, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, tells NPR that a key part of her job as a lawmaker will be oversight.
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren heading to a news conference in Washington, D.C., in April 27. Warren, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, tells NPR that a key part of her job as a lawmaker will be oversight.
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But Republican lawmakers disagree with that very premise. They criticize executives for comments they have made – about voting rights, in particular, and they are critical of companies making business decisions based on environmental considerations.
“That ought to be left to elected lawmakers,” says Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Penn., the ranking Republican on Brown’s Banking Committee.
Bankers aren’t naïve to the politics at play. Democrats have a small majority in the House of Representatives and a razor-thin majority in the Senate. And the midterm elections are less than two years away.
But even with a change in power in Congress, analysts warn banks are likely to face continued presure from Democrats — and society — on key aspects of their operations, from whom they lend money to where they invest.
“Banks have no choice but to address these issues, because it impacts their communities, their customers, and their employees,” says Mike Mayo, a banking analyst at Wells Fargo Securities. “You have to live in the real world, and the real world has these issues as part of the banks’ businesses.”
Rep. Maxine Waters fist bumps President Biden at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 28. Waters warns banks she will not be undermined in an interview with NPR.
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Rep. Maxine Waters fist bumps President Biden at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 28. Waters warns banks she will not be undermined in an interview with NPR.
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That message was made clear by Waters, a California lawmaker in a powerful position to influence banks as chair of the House Financial Services Committee.
“You know, what I have discovered about the banking community is that they have had a way of operating traditionally, historically, and they don’t change easily,” Waters tells NPR.
But Waters adds she will still demand changes in Wall Street.
“I think that many of them have come to understand that I can be dealt with, but I cannot be tricked. I cannot be fooled,” she says. “And I don’t accept being undermined.”
President Trump is turning the corner from the 22-month investigation into his presidential campaign by focusing on Obamacare instead.
“We’re going to be the party of great healthcare,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office this week. “And the Democrats have let you down. They really let you down. Obamacare doesn’t work. It’s too expensive. You take a look at everything with deductibles. It’s a disaster.”
This is a gigantic political miscalculation, given Republicans’ failure to repeal the bill they have been campaigning against since 2010.
This all began after a Texas federal court ruled that the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional in December 2018. On appeal in late March 2019, the Department of Justice told a federal appeals court that it is in favor of entirely striking down Obamacare.
Trump has since promised that any replacement to the Affordable Care Act will be far better than what currently exists, saying, “If the Supreme Court rules that Obamacare is out, we’ll have a plan that is far better than Obamacare.”
Already candidates running in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary have latched onto this issue. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a leading candidate in the Democratic field, criticized Trump, saying to MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, “He talked in his campaign about healthcare for everybody. And then supported legislation that would throw over 30 million people off their healthcare that they have.”
Other Democratic candidates such as Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., said it was “irresponsible” for Trump to be playing politics with peoples’ healthcare, saying, “One of the issues that keeps most Americans up at night regardless of who they vote for is healthcare.” Meanwhile, South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg was “mystified,” saying, “I don’t know how you can become the party of healthcare when you’re now making it abundantly clear that your position on healthcare is to take it away from millions of Americans.”
During an interview, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said, “I look forward to seeing what the president is proposing and what he can work out with the speaker. I am focusing on stopping the ‘Democrats’ Medicare for none’ scheme.”
And why shouldn’t Democrats hit Trump for this? It’s a political gift. This gives them an out from endorsing “Medicare for All” and allows them to refocus their attacks on Republicans for wanting to strip healthcare from millions of Americans. If that’s the fight Trump wants, it’s a fight Democrats are almost eager to have, and it could backfire horribly on the GOP.
“The District has made the decision to suspend all activities of the Uvalde CISD Police Department for a period of time. Officers currently employed will fill other roles in the district,” the district said in a statement.
Additionally, Lt. Miguel Hernandez and Ken Mueller have been placed on administrative leave, with Mueller electing to retire, according to the statement.
“The District has requested the Texas Department of Public Safety to provide additional troopers for campus and extra-curricular activities,” the district said. “We are confident that staff and student safety will not be compromised during this transition.”
The district cited unspecified “recent developments” that “uncovered additional concerns with department operations.”
One parent who had protested for days in front of the school district building, demanding the district take action, told CNN on Friday night he was ecstatic about the decision.
The moves come in the wake of a CNN report Wednesday which identified newly hired Uvalde school officer Crimson Elizondo as one of the state troopers under investigation for her actions during the response to the Robb Elementary School massacre in May.
The school district issued a statement on Thursday, following CNN’s report, announcing Elizondo’s termination.
Superintendent Hal Harrell told district staff Monday’s school board meeting will include a closed session to “discuss superintendent retirement options and transition,” according to an email obtained by CNN.
Brett Cross, who was the legal guardian of victim Uziyah Garcia, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Friday night the decision to suspend the campus officers was “our first win, you know, and I am ecstatic about it.”
Parent calls for report that hold people accountable
Cross said he wasn’t alone in the protest in front of the school district headquarters as people often came by to give their support.
They just want transparency and accountability from officials, he said.
“I’m not asking for much. We just want to see action,” Cross said, adding he hopes for a report on the details of what occurred that day. “I hope that it is unearthed and I hope that it is published because we deserve it. Our children deserve it.”
After the announcement Cross tweeted the end of his protest: “We did it! And we are going home!”
Police response to attack denounced as ‘abject failure’
Elizondo was among the first of 91 DPS officers to arrive at the school that day. She was one of 376 law enforcement personnel who responded as the shooter was left for 77 minutes, with dead, dying and traumatized victims, before he was stopped. The response to the attack has been denounced as an “abject failure” and the blame has spread widely.
The school police chief was fired and now seven DPS officers are being investigated. CNN reported exclusively that Elizondo is one of the officers under investigation. A source close to the investigation also confirmed that to CNN.
So far, the only person known to have lost their job over the response to the shooting has been school police chief Pedro “Pete” Arredondo, who was fired by the school board in August. Arredondo became the figurehead of the failed response, though he has said he did not consider himself the incident commander and has called to be reinstated.
Sources familiar with the investigation confirmed to CNN that Elizondo is one of seven officers whose conduct is being investigated by DPS, but neither their names nor their conduct during the response been made public.
Elizondo was not properly equipped and told investigators she was not comfortable entering the school without her gear, according to sources familiar with the inquiry.
She no longer works for DPS. During the summer, Elizondo was hired as an officer for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, where her role involved protecting some of the very same children who survived the Robb Elementary shooting.
Elizondo declined to speak with CNN in person, on the phone or by direct message.
Footage from police body cameras and those of other officers seen by CNN show Elizondo arriving at the outskirts of the school as one of the first officers to respond. She gets out of her official vehicle but does not retrieve any tactical body armor or her long rifle, as officers are trained to do. Elizondo walked inside the building briefly but mostly stood outside.
The school district has said it wanted to recruit 10 more officers after the attack. It did not specifically announce the hiring of Elizondo over the summer, though the names and photos of her and four other police officers, one lieutenant and one security guard are on its website, under the banner “KEEP U.C.I.S.D. SAFE.”
Harrell told a special town hall meeting in August that at least 33 DPS officers would also be deployed around the district’s eight schools.
After concerns by residents that officers who failed to stop the killing would be tasked with school security, Cross told CNN he had been assured the deployed DPS officers would not have been responders to the shooting.
“Our children have been taken from us. We will not stop fighting until we have answers and we ensure the safety of the children in our community is the top priority,” said a statement from representatives for families of district students.
At 4:35 a.m. Sunday local time in Tokyo, President Donald Trump tweet-slammed a U.S. judge’s ruling against part of his border-wall funding as “in favor of crime, drugs and human trafficking.”
“Another activist Obama appointed judge has just ruled against us on a section of the Southern Wall that is already under construction. This is a ruling against Border Security and in favor of crime, drugs and human trafficking. We are asking for an expedited appeal!” Trump wrote.
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On Friday, an injunction by Calif.-based U.S. District Court Judge Haywood Gilliam halted a $1 billion transfer from Pentagon counterdrug moneys aimed at funding parts of border-wall construction and maintenance in Texas and Arizona.
Trump’s tweet came during his four-day state visit to Japan to talk trade, North Korea and to meet with Japan’s newest emperor Naruhito.
On Saturday, Trump arrived aboard Air Force One at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo before meeting with Japanese business executives, where he talked about the strong relationship between the two countries and the future of trade relations.
“Japan has had a substantial advantage for many, many years, but that’s OK, maybe that’s why you like us so much,” Trump said, adding that in the future it will be “a little bit more fair, I think.”
Trade negotiations between the two countries have been a major factor in the U.S.-Japan relationship after Trump withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership early in his presidency. Last week, Trump delayed auto tariffs for six months while the administration pursues trade deals with Europe and Japan.
Later Sunday, Trump will meet with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Chiba, where they will attend a sumo wrestling championship, before going to dinner with Abe and his wife, Akie.
On Monday, Trump will meet with Emporer Naruhito, the first foreign leader to do so since he assumed the throne.
About a half hour later Sunday in a barrage of tweets and re-tweets, Trump thanked actor Jon Voight, who made a series of videos on Twitter declaring that Trump was the “the greatest president since Abraham Lincoln.” Trump also re-tweeted Jesse Watters, the Fox News host who is interviewing Sen. Lindsey Graham tomorrow night, in part about the South Carolina senator’s relationship with the president.
Trump also railed against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett for committing what Trump claims is a hate crime. Smollett was accused of staging an attack in Chicago where two men wearing MAGA hats yelled homophobic and racist remarks, but his case was dismissed by the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.
“In addition to great incompetence and corruption, The Smollett case in Chicago is also about a Hate Crime. Remember, “MAGA COUNTRY DID IT!” That turned out to be a total lie, had nothing to do with “MAGA COUNTRY.” Serious stuff, and not even an apology to millions of people!” Trump said.
Smollett’s case file was recently made publicly available in a recent ruling.
Thirty-four people died after a diving boat caught fire off Santa Cruz Island in California. USA TODAY
Victims in the tragic dive boat fire likely died of smoke inhalation, not burns, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said Friday.
All the passengers and one crew member had been sleeping in tight quarters beneath the deck, and all had signs of smoke inhalation. A preliminary examination shows they died before being burned.
Just four days after the Labor Day tragedy that left 34 people dead, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office also released the names of nine victims.
Authorities said Friday they had located next of kin for all 34 people who died aboard the Conception. So far they have publicly released the names of these victims who died:
Raymond Scott Chan, 59, of Los Altos
Justin Carroll Dignam, 58, of Anaheim
Daniel Garcia, 46, of Berkeley
Marybeth Guiney, 51, of Santa Monica
Yulia Krashennaya, 40, of Berkeley
Alexandra Kurtz, 25, of Santa Barbara
Caroline McLaughlin, 35, of Oakland
Ted Strom, 62, of Germantown, Tennessee
Wei Tan, 26, of Goleta
Kendra Chan, 26, of Oxnard
Angela Rose Quitasol, 28, of Stockton
Evan Michel Quitasol, 37, of Stockton
Nicole Storm Quitasol, 31, of Imperial Beach
Michael Quitasol, 62, of Stockton
Carol Diana Adamic, 60, of Santa Cruz
Andrew Fritz, 40, of Sacramento
Charles McIlvain, 44, of Santa Monica
Steven Salika, 55, of Santa Cruz
Tia Salika-Adamic, 17, of Santa Cruz
Neal Gustav Baltz, 42, of Phoenix, Arizona
Patricia Ann Beitzinger, 48, of Chandler, Arizona
Veidehi Campbell, 41, of Felton
Identifications require DNA analysis because of the fire’s intensity, Brown said. Since pathologists are convinced smoke inhalation is the primary cause of death there are no plans to conduct traditional autopsies, Brown said, but medical examiners will a final determination.
Brown told reporters the families of all 34 victims have been contacted to collect DNA samples. He said there is no criminal probe at this point, but multiple investigations are underway into different aspects of the fire.
The FBI helped with the effort across the U.S. and internationally. Brown said one relative was a mother in Japan, another was in Singapore and another flew in from India.
Salvage operations have begun on the boat that burned and sunk off Santa Cruz Island, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has joined the investigation.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said Truth Aquatics, the owner of the nearly 80-foot boat, contracted Global Diving and Salvage to conduct the salvage operation under Coast Guard oversight.
Once the vessel is raised, it will be transferred to a crane barge and escorted by law enforcement to a secure location.
Environmental concerns will be mitigated in coordination with various agencies.
Although authorities have yet to release the names of all of the boat’s passengers, many of the victims’ families and friends spoke to local news outlets and took to social media to mourn the passing of their loved ones. The victims include a teacher, biologist, nurse, high school students and more.
What happened on the Conception?
A predawn fire erupted Monday on the boat as it was filled with scuba enthusiasts on a three-day excursion. Five crew members escaped, but 34 people — 33 passengers and one crew member — are presumed dead, apparently after being trapped by the fire in the bunk area below deck.
Authorities say 33 of the bodies have been recovered. Crews are utilizing a range of equipment including remote-operated vessels and side-scan sonar to assist with efforts to find the last body.
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The Coast Guard released helicopter footage of the California boat fire that killed dozens of people. USA TODAY
Meanwhile, members from the ATF’s National Response Team, along with special agents from the agency’s Los Angeles field division were activated Thursday to join the investigation into the fire.
Experts are due to arrive Friday and soon will process the scene to determine the cause and origin of the fire, the agency said in a news release.
Special agents and other experts are joining the investigation at the request of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and will be working with the agency and the Coast Guard.
“ATF is committed to working alongside local law enforcement its national partners by bringing its resources to determine the origin and cause of this fire that resulted in the tragic loss of 34 people,” Carlos A. Canino, special agent in charge of ATF’s Los Angeles field division, said in a news release. “ATF will provide whatever is necessary to thoroughly investigate and provide answers to the victims’ families.”
When requested, the National Response Team works with other investigators to reconstruct a scene, identify the source of a blast or origin of a fire and determine the cause of an incident. In the case of bombings and arson cases, team members gather evidence to support criminal prosecutions.
The team is generally broken down into two components — a group that processes the scene and an investigative-lead element. In the course of the overall investigation, both components coordinate daily.
The National Transportation Safety Board is also conducting an investigation.
Contributing: Ventura County Star staff, Associated Press
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No sólo lo que dijo Donald Trump sobre los planes para los primeros 100 días en la Casa Blanca, sino también lo que calló, parece beneficiar a China.
No hay duda del regocijo del gobierno chino ante los planes del presidente electo de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, para sus primeros 100 días en la Casa Blanca.
En un video difundido en internet, el republicano anunció que retirará a su país del Acuerdo Transpacífico de Cooperación Económica (TTP, por sus siglas en inglés); un tratado firmado en febrero por 12 países que, juntos, representan el 40% de la economía mundial, pero que todavía no ha sido ratificado.
“(El TPP) un desastre potencial para nuestro país”, dijo Trump en el mensaje en video. “En cambio, negociaremos acuerdos comerciales bilaterales que generen empleos e industria en EE.UU. otra vez”, agregó.
Durante años, Pekín escuchó decir a la administración del demócrata Barack Obama, el antecesor de Trump, que el acuerdo era una manera de formalizar el liderazgo estadounidense en Asia.
Image copyright Getty Images
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En su mensaje, el presidente electo de EE.UU., Donald Trump, dijo que el TPP era un “desastre potencial” para su país.
China no está incluida en el trato y Obama hizo todo lo posible para recordar que eso no era casualidad.
Y es que de acuerdo con sus defensores, el TPP permite a EE.UU. – y no a países como China- escribir las reglas en el siglo XXI, algo especialmente importante en una región tan dinámica como la de Asia-Pacífico.
Pero no sólo se trataba de las reglas para el comercio. El TPP era una parte esencial del “eje estratégico” en Asia de la administración Obama.
En ese sentido, el secretario de Defensa Ash Carter dijo que, además de impulsar las exportaciones de EE.UU., el TPP fortalecería las relaciones clave de Washington en Asia y el Pacífico, remarcaría su compromiso en la región y promovería los valores estadounidenses.
“Que se apruebe el TPP es para mí tan importante como otro portaaviones”, insistió.
No es de extrañar entonces que Pekín considere el “eje estratégico” de EE.UU. en Asia en general, y el TPP en particular, un plan poco disimulado para frenar la potencia de crecimiento de China.
Justamente este fin de semana la agencia oficial de noticas china Xinhua describió el acuerdo como el “brazo económico de la estrategia geopolítica de la administración Obama para garantizar el dominio de Washington en la región”.
Image copyright Getty Images
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El ahora presidente saliente de EE.UU., Barack Obama, pasó años convenciendo a sus aliados en Asia de que firmaran en TPP.
Pero Trump ganó las elecciones del 8 de noviembre en parte por el resurgimiento de la hostilidad de los votantes hacia los acuerdos comerciales y la globalización.
Así que aquellos que votaron por él verán el anuncio de la retirada de EE.UU. del TPP como una promesa de campaña cumplida. Eso es democracia.
Pero una nación también hace promesas internacionales.
El tratado que Trump está dejando de lado es el mismo que su predecesor firmó y convenció a sus aliados que firmaran.
Ahora Pekín animará a los gobiernos asiáticos a comparar la fiabilidad de las promesas chinas y la de las estadounidenses.
Estados Unidos es un poder en Asia cuando quiere, pero China es el poder que permanece, dirá Pekín.
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El TPP nació tras décadas de negociaciones.
Tal como el primer ministro de Singapur, Lee Hsien Loong, advirtió sin rodeos durante una visita oficial a Washington en agosto, el TPP puso “la reputación de EE.UU. en juego” ante sus socios en la región.
“Cada uno de ellos ha tenido que superar alguna objeción en casa y pagar un coste político para poder firmar este acuerdo”, dijo Lee.
“Así que, si al final la novia no llega al altar, creo que la gente se sentirá muy dolida”.
“La hora de las asociaciones sólidas”
Pero ahora los diplomáticos estadounidenses no lo van a poder tener todo en Asia.
Y es que, después de haber asegurado que apoyar el TPP era impulsar el liderazgo de EE.UU. en la región, la conclusión obvia es que al dejar el acuerdo de lado se está minando ese posible liderazgo.
Así que ahora, ante esa percepción de vacío de liderazgo, China está lista para ocuparlo.
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“Ya es hora de asociaciones sólidas, soluciones con las que todos salgan ganando e iniciativas estratégicas”, dijo el presidente chino Xi Jinping les dijo a los líderes congregados en la reunión anual del Foro de Cooperación Económica Asia-Pacífico (APEC, por sus siglas en inglés), este fin de semana en Lima.
De hecho, durante la reunión anual del Foro de Cooperación Económica Asia-Pacífico (APEC, por sus siglas en inglés), celebrado el fin de semana pasado en Lima, el presidente chino Xi Jinping les dijo a los líderes congregados que “ya es hora de asociaciones sólidas, soluciones con las que todos salgan ganando e iniciativas estratégicas”.
China, por lo tanto, no se cerrará al mundo, sino que se abrirá más.
Los funcionarios que viajaban con Xi no perdieron el tiempo y volvieron a poner sobre la mesa acuerdos comerciales menos ambiciosos que incluyen a Pekín: la Asociación Económica Integral Regional (RCEP en inglés) y el Área de Libre Comercio de Asia y el Pacífico” (FTAAP).
Todos esos movimientos forman el contexto de “Un cinturón, un camino”, un ambicioso y multimillonario plan con el que China pretende expandir sus inversiones, exportaciones e influencia a lo largo y ancho de Asia.
Y con ese objetivo ha propuesto la creación de instituciones financieras como el Banco Asiático de Inversión en Infraestructura (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank o AIIB).
Así, en el juego de suma cero -cuando la ganancia o pérdida de un participante se equilibra con exactitud con las pérdidas o ganancias de los otros participantes- del poder en Asia, la retirada de EE.UU. del TPP beneficia al interés estratégico de China.
Y no lo hace sólo por la pérdida de un acuerdo comercial respaldado por Estados Unidos, ni porque éste ha perdido un pilar de su eje estratégico en Asia.
El anuncio de la retirada del TPP no hace más que aumentar la incertidumbre ante las intenciones de EE.UU. bajo la administración de Trump.
¿Sigue EE.UU. teniendo intención de defender un sistema basado en reglas justas e inclusivas?
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El anuncio sobre el TPP no hace más que aumentar la incertidumbre hacia las intenciones de Trump como presidente de EE.UU.
¿O el “poner a Estados Unidos primero” de Trump significa reemplazar el compromiso por un internacionalismo cooperativo por una interpretación más cerrada del interés nacional de EE.UU., basada en la competencia?
Si la decisión para con el TPP tiene que ver con la segunda opción, los aliados de EE.UU. en Asia esperarán ahora los pronunciamientos de Trump sobre seguridad con un malestar aún mayor.
En pocas palabras, ¿se puede todavía confiar en que EE.UU. vendrá al rescate de sus aliados en Asia si estos son intimidados o amenazados por China?
Sea cual sea la respuesta, el simple hecho de que los aliados de EE.UU. ya empezaron a hacer preguntas al respecto es una buena noticia para China.
Además, puede que las ganancias de China tengan que ver más aún con lo que Trump calla que con lo que dice.
Y es que, cuando anunció sus planes para los primeros 100 días en la Casa Blanca, el presidente electo no hizo mención a otras promesas de campaña, como la de catalogar a China como “manipulador de divisas” y como castigo establecer tarifas especiales a los productos chinos.
El silencio sobre este tema y un funeral para el TPP: grandes noticias para China.
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En las noticias más leídas del día, Ivanka Trump, colgó en redes sociales una fotografía de ella sentada detrás del escritorio presidencial mientras su padre y el primer ministro canadiense Justin Trudeau están de pie a ambos lados, hecho que fue indigno para muchos ciudadanos en el mundo. Delta y Aeroméxico ignoran el posible muro de Trump y siguen en planes de hacer negocios.
1. Le llueven críticas a Ivanka por su foto en la Oficina Oval
La hija del presidente de Estados Unidos Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, subió a sus redes sociales una foto de sí misma sentada detrás del escritorio en la Oficina Oval mientras su padre y el primer ministro canadiense Justin Trudeau están de pie a ambos lados.
La hija del presidente colocó la foto en Twitter, Instagram y Facebook con la leyenda: “Una gran discusión con dos líderes mundiales sobre la importancia de que las mujeres tengan un lugar en la mesa”.
Los partidarios de Trump la elogiaron en las redes sociales, pero otros la criticaron, aseverando que ella no había hecho nada para merecer esa posición.
Ivanka Trump se sentó al lado de Trudeau durante una reunión con mujeres ejecutivas en la Casa Blanca el lunes.
Le llueven críticas a Ivanka por su foto en la Oficina Oval. Ver nota.
2. San Valentín o el día del amor
Manuel Ajenjo en su columna el Privilegio de Opinar, escribió sobre el día de San Valentín y su significado. Tocó el tema de todos aquellos días que tomamos para celebrar a alguien o a algo, tales como el Día de la Madre, el del Padre, el del Maestro y el del Niño, que en cierto punto se piensa que más que para conmemoración fueron inventados por los comerciantes.
Es el día del amor, que se celebra hoy 14 de febrero, el único que tiene un origen muy antiguo y que, pese a lo que pudiera pensarse, no fue inventado por la Cámara de la Industria del Chocolate, ni por la Agrupación de Floristas, ni por la Sociedad de Fabricantes de Monos de Peluche, mucho menos por la Asociación de Dueños de Moteles de la Calzada de Tlalpan AC. Si quieres saber cuál es ese origen, entra a la nota completa.
3. Delta aterriza en México a pesar de Donald Trump
A Delta Air Lines y Aeroméxico no les importa mucho el eventual muro de Donald Trump y mantienen su interés de hacer negocio. La segunda aerolínea estadounidense inició la oferta pública de adquisición de hasta 32% de Aeroméxico y con ello ampliar su participación accionaria hasta 49% que está en manos del grupo de control y en la Bolsa Mexicana de Valores. La operación está valuada en 12,089 millones de pesos o su equivalente de 575 millones de dólares, aproximadamente.
El efecto fue inmediato y el mercado reaccionó positivamente a la noticia, haciendo que las acciones de Aeroméxico tuvieran una fuerte negociación en la sesión de este lunes y alcanzaron un máximo histórico.
Delta aterriza en México a pesar de Donald Trump. Ver nota.
4. Asesinan al hermanastro de Kim Jong-Un en Malasia
Según la agencia surcoreana Yonhap el hermanastro del dirigente norcoreano Kim Jong-Un fue asesinado en Malasia.
Al parecer Kim Jong-Nam, de 45 años, fue envenenado mediante agujas por dos mujeres no identificadas en el aeropuerto internacional Kuala Lumpur, según la cadena de televisión surcoreana TV Chosun.
Asesinan al hermanastro de Kim Jong-Un en Malasia. Ver nota.
Desde agosto de 2014, la frontera cierra todas las noches.
La frontera entre Colombia y Venezuela fue cerrada durante unas horas este martes por disturbios entre autoridades venezolanas y contrabandistas.
Los enfrentamientos en el puente Simón Bolívar, que comunica la ciudad colombiana de Cúcuta con San Antonio del Táchira en Venezuela, se produjeron después de la muerte de un colombiano dedicado al paso de productos por la frontera, según medios colombianos.
La policía de Cúcuta confirmó a medios locales la muerte de Yesid Plata Anagarita, de 31 años.
Medios venezolanos aseguran que autoridades de ese país intentaban arrestar al supuesto contrabandista.
El cierre de la frontera producto de los enfrentamientos duró aproximadamente ocho horas.
“Se restableció el paso tanto de vehículos, como de peatones y todo ha vuelto a la normalidad”, le dijo a la agencia AP el secretario de gobierno del estado fronterizo de Norte de Santander en Colombia, Julio César Silva.
En los disturbios, se reportaron disparos de ambos lados de la frontera, donde decenas de personas quemaron llantas y la policía venezolana lanzó gases lacrimógenos para contener la protesta.
Cientos y en ocasiones miles de personas pasan al día por el puente Simón Bolívar.
Algunas personas se dedican al paso de productos entre ambos países a través de vías alternativas al puente ya que debido al diferencial cambiario en la actualidad, el contrabando es un negocio altamente rentable.
La exportación de productos básicos en Venezuela, cuyo precio es regulado, es ilegal y sancionada con hasta cinco años de cárcel.
El gobierno venezolano implementó el cierre nocturno de la frontera hace 11 meses.
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