Lawmakers are opening the door to reviving immigration negotiations, but a renewed effort to find a deal on border security is facing long odds on Capitol Hill.
But Durbin was noncommittal about the chances that the latest round of talks will break the stalemate between Congress and the administration, which has rejected immigration deals that have emerged from the Senate.
“I can just tell you, this president has broken my heart so many times on immigration,” he told The Hill. “I start with a healthy degree of skepticism that we can do anything substantial.”
Other Democrats involved in the talks described them as “broad,” with no decision yet on the parameters for further negotiations. Lawmakers and the administration are expected to meet again after Congress’s two-week recess.
The path to getting a deal on immigration and border security is fraught with political and policy landmines, with bases in both parties likely to draw hard lines on what they could support in a potential agreement heading into the 2020 election.
Immigration talks have routinely collapsed on Capitol Hill amid deep policy divisions on crucial issues, including an unresolved fight over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a conservative push to cut legal immigration and the perennial battle over Trump’s controversial U.S.-Mexico border wall.
Trump rejected a DACA-border security deal last year that included changes to the State Department’s diversity visa lottery program and family based-immigration policies two days after he told lawmakers that he would “take the heat” by supporting a bill. A separate proposal introduced by a group of Senate centrists last year failed to break a 60-vote filibuster after Trump threatened to veto it.
“Most of the time, the immigration debate is a zero-sum game, and we never quite get there,” he said. “It always ends up breaking your heart.”
Trump is throwing another wild card into the negotiations by lashing out at Democrats even as his administration has reached out to lawmakers. He characterized them as being “treasonous” on border security hours after Mulvaney met with a group of Senate Democrats.
Ramping up the fight Friday, Trump said he is considering sending undocumented immigrants to so-called sanctuary cities, which do not comply with federal immigration law.
“Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only,” Trump wrote in a tweet.
Democrats pounced on Trump’s comments, underscoring the political gap with the White House.
“It can’t all be solved by changing personnel, some of it requires changing the law. That means we have to deal with the Democrats. They’re in the majority in the House,” McConnell said, tipping his hand to the shake-up at DHS that resulted in the department losing several senior officials in the past week.
Republican senators say they are also working to come up with a tightly focused deal that would tackle asylum.
Según el Art. 60 de la Ley Orgánica de Comunicación, los contenidos se identifican y clasifican en:
(I), informativos; (O), de opinión; (F), formativos/educativos/culturales; (E), entretenimiento; y (D), deportivos.
The tragic murder of 29 year-old Lyra McKee in Northern Ireland on Thursday evening shows the ongoing threat posed by dissident Irish Republican terrorists. Fortunately, the identity of McKee’s killer will likely be handed in to the Police.
Journalist Lyra McKee who was shot and killed when guns were fired during clashes with police Thursday night, April 18, 2019, in Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
Of course, that doesn’t diminish the misery of this moment.
McKee, a journalist, was shot and killed as she covered riots in Londonderry sparked by Police search operations in the city. Those operations were targeted at uncovering illicit weapon and explosive stocks held by the New IRA terrorist group. The police believe the New IRA (also known as the Real IRA) was responsible for McKee’s murder. The police had been the target, but the gunman fired indiscriminately in their direction, hitting McKee.
Such callousness figures. A mix of fanatics who are unable to accept the peace process, thuggish criminals, and idiotic young men who find cause in chaos, the Real IRA lacks any of the original IRA’s balancing of brutality to political guile. Instead, the group wants to rip Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom by force of arms.
But in 2019, the Real IRA’s violence is the exception to Northern Irish sentiment. And it is for that reason that the gunman will likely be turned in by his own Republican community. This is not to say that the Real IRA will surrender the gunman. But considering the close-knit Catholic communities where Real IRA operatives live and hide, it is highly likely that the rumor mill will lead to his name being delivered to the police. With more support than their often misunderstood predecessor, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, today’s Northern Ireland police force, the PSNI, retains more community cooperation. The PSNI’s struggle against the Real IRA also benefits from a well-resourced intelligence operation from Britain’s domestic intelligence service, MI5.
Still, this isn’t just about security operations. The police are greatly assisted by a political consensus that now firmly rejects terrorism. Evidencing as much, all the major Northern Irish political parties on Friday agreed a common condemnation of the terrorist attack.
“Lyra’s murder,” their statement said, “was also an attack on all the people of this community, an attack on the peace and democratic processes. It was a pointless and futile act to destroy the progress made over the last 20 years, which has the overwhelming support of people everywhere.”
Yes, the Real IRA remains an obvious threat, but its members will be held to account. Expect McKee’s killer to be caught quickly.
Media captionBercow: “We… cannot be conducting a debate as to whether adherence to the law is required.”
John Bercow has vowed “creativity” in Parliament if Boris Johnson ignores a law designed to stop a no-deal Brexit.
The Commons Speaker also said in a speech that the only possible Brexit was one backed by MPs.
A new law, passed before the suspension of Parliament, forces the PM to seek a delay until 31 January 2020, unless a deal or no-deal exit is approved by MPs by 19 October.
The PM has said he would rather be “dead in a ditch” than ask for a delay.
Responding to Mr Bercow’s comments, Tory Brexiter MP Sir Bernard Jenkin said the role of the Speaker had become “irretrievably politicised and radicalised”.
Meanwhile, Downing Street has announced Mr Johnson will travel to Luxembourg on Monday to hold talks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and the country’s prime minister Xavier Bettel.
Delivering a lecture in London, Mr Bercow said: “Not obeying the law must surely be a non-starter. Period.”
He said it would be a “terrible example to set to the rest of society”.
“The only form of Brexit which we will have, whenever that might be, will be a Brexit that the House of Commons has explicitly endorsed,” he said.
“Surely, in 2019, in modern Britain, in a parliamentary democracy, we – parliamentarians, legislators – cannot in all conscience be conducting a debate as to whether adherence to the law is or isn’t required.”
He called it “astonishing” that “anyone has even entertained the notion”.
If the government comes close to disobeying the law, Mr Bercow said that Parliament “would want to cut off such a possibility and do so forcefully”.
“If that demands additional procedural creativity in order to come to pass, it is a racing certainty that this will happen, and that neither the limitations of the existing rule book nor the ticking of the clock will stop it doing so,” he added.
Image copyright PA Media
Image caption
Boris Johnson has said he would rather ‘die in a ditch’ than seek a further Brexit delay
The new law could force a Brexit delay beyond the current 31 October deadline by requiring the prime minister to request an extension to the UK’s EU membership.
This would be done by making him write to EU leaders to prolong talks under Article 50 – the part of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty which sets out what happens when a country decides that it wants to leave the EU.
The law forcing the PM to seek a delay unless MPs vote for a deal or no deal received royal assent on Monday, the final day that MPs sat in this session.
Parliament was suspended – or prorogued – in the early hours of Tuesday and is not scheduled to return until 14 October.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said the government would abide by the law, but would “test to the limit” what it requires of ministers.
Mr Bercow said: “One should no more refuse to request an extension of Article 50 because of what one might regard as the noble end of departing from the EU as soon as possible, than one could possibly excuse robbing a bank on the basis that the cash stolen would be donated to a charitable cause immediately afterwards.”
Sir Bernard, who chairs the constitutional affairs select committee in Parliament, said the Commons should “adapt itself” to a new role for the Speaker.
He accused Mr Bercow of launching a “personal attack” on the prime minister, insisting this would have been “unthinkable 10 or 15 years ago”.
The current position allows the occupant “unregulated and untrammelled power”, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“It’s a kind of majoritarian dictatorship position,” he added.
Another Leave-voting Conservative MP, Michael Fabricant, said Mr Bercow had brought the office of Speaker into disrepute:
On Thursday, Mr Johnson insisted the UK “will be ready” to leave the EU by the current deadline without an agreement “if we have to”.
In response to the publication of the government’s Yellowhammer document, an assessment of a reasonable worst-case scenario in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Mr Johnson reiterated it was “the worst-case scenario”.
“In reality we will certainly be ready for a no-deal Brexit if we have to do it and I stress again that’s not where we intend to end up,” Mr Johnson said.
Mr Bercow has announced he will stand down as Commons Speaker and MP at the next election or on 31 October, whichever comes first.
The House of Commons has confirmed an election to choose his successor will take place on Monday 4 November.
Media captionJohn Bercow’s most memorable moments as Speaker of the House
‘No reason to be optimistic’
The Speaker’s warning came as the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator told political leaders in the European Parliament on Thursday that he could not say whether contacts with the UK government would result in a deal by mid-October.
Michel Barnier, in a speech to MEPs, suggested that negotiating a new withdrawal agreement remained uncertain despite discussions between Mr Johnson’s team and the EU.
“I cannot tell you objectively whether contacts with the government of Mr Johnson will be able to reach an agreement by mid-October,” he said.
“While we have previously reached an agreement, as far as we can speak, we have no reason to be optimistic.”
He added: “We will see in the coming weeks if the British are able to make concrete proposals in writing that are legally operational.”
Media captionBoris Johnson on Brexit, privacy and his character
Boris Johnson has admitted he would need EU co-operation to avoid a hard Irish border or crippling tariffs on trade in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, the favourite to be the next PM said: “It’s not just up to us.”
But he said he did “not believe for a moment” the UK would leave without a deal, although he was willing to do so.
Asked about a row he’d had with his partner, he said it was “simply unfair” to involve “loved ones” in the debate.
Reports of the argument on Friday with his girlfriend, Carrie Symonds, dominated headlines over the weekend after the police were called to their address in London.
Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd told Radio 4’s Today programme she found Mr Johnson’s decision to ignore live TV debates “very odd” and urged him “to reconsider”.
Following days of criticism that he has been avoiding media scrutiny, Mr Johnson has given a number of other interviews, including with LBC and Talk Radio.
He told Talk Radio’s political editor Ross Kempsell he would “not rest” until the UK had left the EU, insisting Brexit would happen on 31 October “come what may… do or die”.
In his interview with BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Johnson said the existing deal negotiated by Theresa May “is dead”.
He insisted it was possible to broker a new deal with the EU before the end of October because the political landscape had changed in the UK and on the continent.
“I think actually that politics has changed so much since 29 March,” he said, referring to the original Brexit deadline.
“I think on both sides of the Channel there’s a really different understanding of what is needed.”
At the moment, the UK is due to leave the EU on 31 October after the PM’s Brexit deal was rejected three times by Parliament, and the EU has previously said the withdrawal agreement reached with the UK cannot be reopened.
Mr Johnson said he would be able to persuade Brussels to resolve the Irish border issue – a key sticking point – despite repeated warnings from EU leaders that that was impossible.
He said there were “abundant, abundant technical fixes” that could be made to avoid border checks.
When challenged that these did not exist yet, Mr Johnson replied: “Well, they do actually, you have in very large measure they do, you have trusted trader schemes, all sorts of schemes that you could put into place.”
But, he admitted, there was “no single magic bullet” to solve the issue.
A plan full of ifs and buts
Mr Johnson’s really controversial gamble is to say he could do a new trade deal with EU leaders before the end of October.
And he says he would be able to do that before resolving the most controversial conundrum – how you fix the dilemma over the Irish border.
He clearly believes he has the political skill to pull that off. He and his supporters would say that is a plan.
But it is a plan that is full of ifs and buts – either heroic or foolhardy assumptions to imagine that EU leaders and Parliament would be ready to back his vision – and back it by Halloween – on an extremely tight deadline.
The political pressure is on, not just to get it done quickly, but done in a way that does not harm our relations with the rest of the world and the livelihoods of people living in this country.
In terms of the controversies over his personal life, it is absolutely clear even now – when he is on the threshold of No 10 – that Boris Johnson thinks there are questions he simply does not have to answer.
And for a politician about whose character many people have their doubts, that is going to follow him around unless and until he is willing to give more.
Mr Johnson said if he was elected he would start new talks as soon as he reached Downing Street to discuss a free trade agreement.
He also said he hoped the EU would be willing to grant a period of time where the status quo was maintained for a deal to be finalised after Brexit.
He called this “an implementation period”, but accepted this was not the same as the implementation period in the current draft treaty agreed with the EU.
Mr Johnson committed to passing new laws as soon as possible in order to guarantee the rights of EU citizens living in the UK.
The former foreign secretary also suggested EU leaders might change their attitude to renegotiation because they had Brexit Party MEPs they did not want in their Parliament, and wanted to get the £39bn that had been promised as part of the so-called divorce bill.
He also said MPs could be more willing to back a revised deal because they realised both main parties would face “real danger of extinction” if Brexit were to be stalled.
‘Good reason’
Mr Johnson refused again to give more detail of what happened at his home in the early hours of Friday.
He has faced three days of questions over his private life after the row with his partner Carrie Symonds.
“I do not talk about stuff involving my family, my loved ones,” he said.
“And there’s a very good reason for that. That is that, if you do, you drag them into things that really is… not fair on them.”
Instead of his private life, he said the public actually want to know “what is going on with this guy”?
“Does he, when it comes to trust, when it comes to character, all those things, does he deliver what he says he’s going to deliver?”
Despite widespread criticisms from his fellow Conservatives that he cannot be trusted, Mr Johnson said anyone questioning his character was “talking absolute nonsense”.
He also refused to respond to accusations from leadership rival Jeremy Hunt that he was being a “coward” for avoiding more head-to-head TV debates, promising that if elected he would “govern from the centre right” because the centre “is where you win”.
Ms Rudd, who is supporting Mr Hunt, said Mr Johnson was making a mistake by shying away from the debates and said he needed to “go further” in explaining his Brexit plan.
“This is an incredibly difficult situation and Boris needs to explain how he will deal with both sides of the Conservative Party that have concerns and try and break the impasse with the European Union.
“Enthusiasm and optimism is not sufficient.”
Responding to claims that a dozen Tory MPs would be prepared to bring down a government heading to a no-deal Brexit, she said: “I think that’s about right. I think it’s slightly less than that, but it’s certainly more than two.”
The Covington Catholic High School students were criticized for their manic response to the Native drummer, Nathan Phillips, who was participating in the Indigenous Peoples March. One student, Nick Sandmann, stood inches from Phillips with a wide smirk.
“No one wants deja vu. And the big fear is that it will be just that,” said one Democratic strategist who has worked on recent presidential campaigns but is uncommitted to a candidate in this cycle.
Biden, like Clinton in 2016, is seen as the safe candidate by a number of strategists, and the most likely to appeal to general election swing voters.
The former vice president “is going to be cast as the third iteration of an institutional-establishment candidate,” said Basil Smikle, a former aide to Clinton who also served as the executive director of the New York State Democratic Party.
Sanders and his supporters then and now argue Democrats would make a mistake by going safe and establishment over the candidate with grassroots energy.
“It’s so clear that Biden is our worst foot forward against Trump and he would ironically cede the outsider mantle to a corrupt incumbent president,” said Adam Green, the co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.
Some Clinton supporters still carry grudges over the 2016 Sanders campaign, arguing he took too long to endorse her candidacy. Worries that 2020 could provide a rerun of that theme are becoming audible.
Democratic strategist Michael Starr Hopkins wrote of the parallels in an opinion piece for The Hill last week.
“[Biden’s] supporters argue that his experience, combined with his appeal to both Democrats and Republicans, make him the safe choice in a general election,” he wrote.
“If all this sounds eerily familiar, it should. In many ways, his candidacy is a continuation of the campaign Hillary Clinton ran in 2016.”
To be sure, there are important differences between Biden and Clinton.
Clinton, a divisive figure in politics, was dogged throughout her campaign by the controversy surrounding her use of a private email server for official communication while serving as secretary of State.
Clinton ended up dealing with Russian interference with her campaign, including the theft of emails from the Democratic National Committee that were selectively leaked out.
She also was seeking to break the last glass ceiling in American politics, and it is impossible to know how many voters decided against voting for her because of her gender.
Democratic strategist Brad Bannon pointed out that while Biden doesn’t have a controversy like Clinton’s emails, he does have to contend with the storyline about his son Hunter Biden’s work for Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian natural gas company.
Trump has pounced on the issue, asking Ukraine to investigate his role on the board of the company as well as Joe Biden’s connection.
“To counter those attacks, the former vice president needs to be aboveboard about his own personal finances and go on the offensive about the shady financing of the shaky Trump financial empire which includes the president and his children,” Bannon said. “Biden will be able to give as good as he gets when it comes to wayward children.”
Biden and his allies and surrogates say there are clear differences between this year’s race and 2016.
During the town hall, Biden said one of the reasonsClinton lost was because of sexism. He called the attacks against her “unfair” but added “that’s not going to happen with me.”
A spokesman for Biden dismissed any parallels between the two candidates, refusing to engage on the subject on the record.
“These are my Star Wars rankings: The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, A New Hope, and Rogue One. Those are all of the movies in the franchise of which I’m aware,” the spokesman, Andrew Bates, wrote in an email.
An ally of Biden’s said the former vice president can still fire up a crowd and is a stronger campaigner than Clinton.
“He has instincts about connecting with activists that didn’t come naturally to Hillary. She was much more cautious. If there’s a Clinton he’s more often compared to it’s Bill not Hillary,” the ally said.
The Biden supporter also said motivation among Democrats to end Trump’s presidency makes for a different situation.
“Democrats will do anything to get rid of Trump,” the ally said. “In 2018, we saw that in record turnout everywhere. Everything Trump is doing only turbocharges that base for Democrats.”
“Ele tinha sido promovido para o plantel principal, mas o ‘scouting’ [do Manchester United] já estava atento e decidiram levá-lo para lá à experiência. Neste momento o negócio está 90% feito e ele poderá ter um excelente contrato pela frente. Em breve, será divulgada a duração do contrato, mas é uma aposta futura no United”, revelou a fonte.
Bruno Amorim, que cumpriu recentemente 19 anos, fez toda a sua formação no emblema de Oliveira de Azeméis, pelo qual jogou sete vezes pela equipa principal, dando agora o ‘salto’ para a cidade de Manchester, onde fará parte do plantel sub-23 dos ‘red devils’.
Sobre o encaixe financeiro da Oliveirense, António José Leite afirmou que “esses detalhes ainda não estão definidos”, mas que o clube “receberá sempre os direitos de formação”.
“[O clube] Receberá direitos de formação, porque ele foi sempre formado aqui, embora em termos monetários possa não receber mais do que isso, porque poderá haver outras moedas de troca. Esses detalhes ainda não estão definidos. Mas os direitos de formação e futuras vendas do jogador são ganhos garantidos”, explicou.
Mexico’s state-owned oil company said a fire caused by a rupture in an undersea gas pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico is over, but videos showing efforts to put out what appears to be an underwater caldron of fire live on.
The “fire in the sea” was put out at 10:45 a.m. following a gas leak about 500 feet from a drilling platform, Pemex tweeted. No injuries were reported and the company said it took about 5 hours to bring the incident under control.
The company said it used boats to pump water over the underwater blaze, although nitrogen was also used to control the fire, Reuters reports, citing a Pemex incident report.
Mexican publications and journalists reporting on the incident shared videos showing a harrowing scene: A orange glow below the boiling surface of the ocean — and boats spraying streams of water, in an apparent attempt to put out the fire. One of the most popular videos quickly racked up more than 10 million views on Twitter.
“Never in your life forget the time humans caught the ocean on fire and then tried to put it out by spraying water on it,” tweeted podcaster Dave Anthony.
On Friday night, social media was awash with reaction to the videos, ranging from confusion to concern:
El viento anda de visita en la isla de Margarita. Es su costumbre en marzo. Un niño intenta armar un papagayos con una bolsa de plástico rota, un hilo rojo y varillas de bambú. Es lunes. No está en el colegio. Su padre prepara un jugo de papelón con limón para los pocos clientes que ese día buscan una dosis de gastronomía criolla en “El Rincón de las Empanadas” en Pampatar. El niño está concentrado en la faena. Muerde su lengua mientras su chola izquierda, rasgada y vieja, se balancea al son de su pie. Su padre lo azuza a moverse de sitio. El niño sale disparado con su precario papagayo y trata de convencer al viento. Al fondo, la madre ofrece empanadas reposadas o hirvientes, con carne mechada o molida, la Ricky Martin o la de cazón. Es lunes y hay un niño fuera de la escuela y uno se llena de preguntas que nadie responde.
***
Cualquier pretexto sirve para viajar a Margarita. Allí, los males que nos aquejan parecen menores. Quizás es efecto de los aires yodados del Caribe. Con los pies en la arena, las noticias sobre un rocambolesco golpe de estado se las lleva la resaca. La crisis-país no combina con palmeras. El hastío de las cadenas presidenciales parece no alcanzarte. Es una sensación fugaz. Un espejismo. Solo eso.
***
A la isla llegan las tribulaciones de tierra firme. Pero Margarita sabe generar sus propios titulares. Los pescadores de Juan Griego hablan de la inseguridad del mar. No se refieren a corrientes traicioneras. Cuentan de gente que los asalta en alta mar y les roba los motores de sus lanchas. Esas que usan para pescar. Para ganarse la vida. Los llaman piratas. Malandros de agua salada. Si hablas con un vendedor de ostras te contará de la devastación ocurrida en Playa El Agua: “Eso ahora es un peladero de chivo”. En los primeros días de febrero, efectivamente, el gobierno llegó con maquinaria de demolición, unos cuantos guardias nacionales y no dejó un solo establecimiento en pie. “A ese gente no le dejaron ni recoger sus peroles”, te cuentan. Ese restaurant donde usted alguna vez pasó el día y fue atendido a la orilla de la playa, bajo un toldo y sobre unas tumbonas, ya no existe. Muchos de esos locales tenían más de 15 años de existencia. Pero llegaron las palas mecánicas, las armas largas y el grito tronante de un militar. Mucha gente se agolpó para defender las instalaciones. En una de ellas, el militar a mando se llevó al dueño del local a un rincón: “Si hay un herido, te imputamos como a Leopoldo López y vas preso”. Así de directo. El hombre no tuvo más remedio que decirle a su gente que nada malo iba a pasar. Se fueron. Y comenzaron a caer los pedazos de pared, las vigas, el techo, los desvelos, los sacrificios, los ahorros de una vida. Todo en aras de un supuesto plan turístico de alto calibre. Quienes han visto la maqueta quedan boquiabiertos. Quienes conocen la realidad confiesan que ya no hay dinero y que todo corre el riesgo de quedarse en escombros. Algunos hablan de desastre social y ecocidio. Otros dicen que lo que allí ocurrirá será la envidia de las islas vecinas. Cuentan de un proyecto que convertirá a Playa El Agua en otra Miami Beach. Y uno no puede menos que recordar a la revolución –luego del deslave de 1998- prometiendo convertir al litoral central en un Cancún caribeño. “Estamos de acuerdo con el plan de reordenamiento de este sector, pero el gobierno nos excluyó dejándonos en la indigencia y el abandono”, comenta uno de los afectados. La realidad y la ensoñación se sumergen en el mar revuelto de la incertidumbre. Lo único cierto es que hoy más de 2.500 personas se quedaron en la calle y que ya nada es como antes. En facebook hay un video que muestra cómo una grúa con su pala dentada y furiosa derrumba una palmera. ¿También las palmeras? ¿En serio?
***
Pero también hay buenas noticias en el mar oriental del país. En Porlamar acaba de nacer la primera Feria Internacional del Libro del Caribe (FILCAR). Como toda primera vez, al principio hubo susto y vacilación por parte de editores, patrocinantes y de los propios escritores. Trasladar a Margarita grandes lotes de libros y personas pasa por la zozobra de los pasajes, los fletes y la inflación. Aquí toda escasez se convierte en abundancia de problemas. Pero, a contravía de los pronósticos, la feria nació con excelente salud. Durante seis días, en una isla marcada por las tribulaciones económicas, algo tan pequeño y poderoso como el libro se convirtió en una buena noticia.
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Desde el día de la inauguración, el número de visitantes fue la primera sorpresa. El pregonero elegido fue Francisco Suniaga, un escritor que ha sabido ejercer con lustre su origen insular. Suniaga dejó claro que hoy la isla es menos isla que hace 40 años, y enfatizó que, a pesar de tanta calamidad nacional, el nacimiento de la feria era “la representación fáctica de la isla del futuro”. Ese país que siempre podemos ser. Antonio López Ortega, epicentro de esta iniciativa junto con Pedro Augusto Beauperthuy, rector de la Universidad de Margarita (UNIMAR), supo contextualizar el milagro: “Más allá de la fiesta o la celebración, no podríamos ocultar que el libro, y en general toda la industria gráfica en Venezuela, vive momentos apremiantes. Los signos de depresión se han agravado, sin que haya mediado ninguna respuesta. Es suficientemente notoria la escasez de papel periódico, la imposibilidad de importar libros, la ausencia de preferencias, bonificaciones o tratamientos especiales. No hay papel para imprimir, ni tintas, ni repuestos para las imprentas, ni planchas. Y, sin embargo, al menos tres ferias hechas con mucho esfuerzo –la FILU de Mérida, la FILUC de Valencia y el Festival de la Lectura de Plaza Altamira en Caracas– cumplieron sus propósitos en 2014 y se mantienen vivas pese a dificultades de todo orden. Se me dirá que no deja de ser una extrañeza organizar ferias en estos tiempos tan adversos, pero eso habla también de la necesidad de mantener el espacio edificante de la lectura contra todos los maleficios y condenas que lo rodean”. Es así. El libro y su poder, a pesar de la mediocridad que nos circunda. El libro como isla. Y nosotros, sus provechosos náufragos.
***
Desde la terraza del hotel contemplo una vista de 360 grados de Porlamar. Un amigo me señala distintas edificaciones paralizadas. Un horizonte de elefantes blancos. Y siempre el mismo latiguillo que restalla en la mente: “Margarita podría ser tanto”.
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Me topo en la feria con Eduardo Liendo, quien acaba de publicar su novela Contigo en la distancia, un viaje a la nostalgia en autobús. –¿Cómo estás, Eduardo? –Apartando lo malo, bien. Una respuesta digna de estos tiempos. Metros más allá está otra gran novelista, Ana Teresa Torres. Diómedes Cordero aparece con la cabeza llena de relámpagos blancos. Una de nuestras mejores poetas, Yolanda Pantin, revisa algunos stands. El programa de la Feria es versátil, ambicioso. Sergio Dahbar dicta un taller de periodismo. Sumito Estévez presenta un nuevo libro de cocina. Roland Carreño su libro de modales. Lugar Común vende unas estupendas rarezas. Menena Cottin se rodea de niños. El Nacional bautiza sus libros. Milagros Socorro deja establecido su poder histriónico en una charla. Más allá, vemos llegar a Rafael Cadenas. Faltaron editoriales, autores, novedades, sí, pero todo lo que ocurrió fue importante, necesario.
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No dejó de suceder lo típico: el académico insigne que se queda dormido en las charlas; el que confunde el nombre de los escritores; el que levanta la mano y hace una pregunta de diez minutos; la muchacha que te entrega su manuscrito llena de pudor; el que solo está interesado en saber a qué hora es el brindis. Pero sobre todo hay abundancia de esa raza, tan esquiva a veces, tan urgente siempre: lectores.
***
Algo peculiar ocurrió en muchos de los foros: la política asomó su rostro. Si se trataba de un tributo a Zapata, era ineludible hablar sobre el agravio que Chávez le infligió. Si la tertulia iba sobre libros y música, alguien invocaba un saludo a los presos políticos. Si se hablaba con Luis Chataing del libro escrito por Laura Helena Castillo sobre su documental “Fuera del Aire”, era inevitable debatir sobre censura y libertad de expresión. En los pasillos, unos estudiantes relataban la Operación Morrocoy implementada por el CNE en La Asunción el último día de inscripción de los nuevos votantes. Más allá, otros jóvenes buscaban firmas para respaldar el polémico documento de la transición. En mitad de un saludo, nos llegaba la noticia de las hilarantes medidas de Nicolás Maduro contra USA o el cierre de los teatros donde se presentarían Laureano Márquez y Emilio Lovera (el clásico miedo de los regímenes al humor). Hoy cualquier evento literario, gastronómico, o meramente social, cualquier conversación sobre semáforos, quesillos o bromelias, tiene un desenlace agotador por recurrente: la política nacional. Estamos seriamente intoxicados. Por eso la urgencia de fabricar buenas noticias apelando al país sano, activo y creador que subsiste bajo el pantano de las corruptelas, la ineptitud y el autoritarismo. La Feria del Libro ocurrida en Margarita es una buena, gran, luminosa noticia.
***
El mismo día que regreso de la isla, la prensa de Porlamar reseña el cierre de 159 comercios por problemas económicos. Las malas noticias no dan tregua. Pero el viento insiste.
Cerca del mar revuelto, un niño lee la primera página de un libro que su padre adquirió en la feria. Un libro que será su papagayo personal. Su país posible.
GUADALAJARA, JALISCO (24/JUN/2015).- Revisa lo más importante del 24 de junio en México en este resumen de noticias publicadas a través de los sitios web de los medios que conforman los Periódicos Asociados en Red.
Dos de los cuatro adultos mayores que fueron hospitalizados tras el incendio en el asilo del Valle de Mexicali fueron dados de alta alrededor de las 11:00 horas.
El Presidente Enrique Peña Nieto recibió esta tarde en Los Pinos al gobernador electo de Baja California Sur, el panista Carlos Mendoza Davis.
Migración en México, en etapa de cambios: Segob y SRE
Los secretarios de Gobernación, Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong, y de Relaciones Exteriores, José Antonio Meade Kuribreña, sostuvieron un encuentro con integrantes de la Conferencia del Episcopado Mexicano (CEM) para abordar el tema de la migración en México.
Esta mañana, autoridades de Hidalgo informaron que la Semarnat realizó la clausura de la tienda +KOTA, en Pachuca, esto a causa de las denuncias por maltrato animal por parte de dos de sus empleados.
Distintas dependencias que integran el comité de emergencias del Ayuntamiento de Guadalajara implementaron el operativo para apoyar a las familias que fueron afectadas por la gran cantidad de agua que cayó durante la noche de este martes, principalmente en la zona sur de la ciudad, siendo las colonias más afectadas El Deán, Ferrocarril y la Unidad Habitacional Mariano Otero.
Con 65 mil millones de dólares en intercambios comerciales y más de 140 mil millones de inversión europea en el país, México es la segunda nación en América con mayor relación comercial con Europa.
Al afirmar que no renunciará al cargo, el presidente municipal electo de Cuernavaca, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, informó que iniciará con una gira para dar gracias a los ciudadanos por haber confiado en él en la pasada jornada electoral.
Rodrigo Medina encabezó la cuarta reunión del Consejo Nuevo León para la Planeación Estratégica donde cada comisión enumeró las áreas de oportunidad en las que se podrá trabajar en el mediano y largo plazo.
OAXACA
Por encima de los violentos, ganó la paz en Oaxaca: Rosario Robles
”En Oaxaca son más los que anhelan paz, que violencia”, expresó la titular de la Secretaría de Desarrollo Social (Sedesol), Rosario Robles Berlanga, al afirmar que ello, quedó demostrado en las elecciones del pasado 7 de junio en que los oaxaqueños salieron a votar, ”logrando una gesta democrática”.
Una persona fue ejecutada de múltiples balazos y su acompañante fue privado de la libertad, luego de que fueran interceptados por un grupo armado, en hechos ocurridos en un sector comercial muy concurrido.
El ‘Baile Viejo’ encontró a su pareja durante el festejo de la fundación de Villahermosa, pues durante la celebración del 451 aniversario de la capital tabasqueña, cientos asistieron a la misa de acción de gracias realizada en la Catedral del Señor de Tabasco y disfrutaron de la danza, bailando y aplaudiendo a los participantes, quienes son originarios de Tamulté de las Sabanas.
En el Infonavit Chivería, cuatro menores de edad fueron rescatados anoche de su domicilio donde permanecían encerrados sin la supervisión de un adulto.
La Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente (Profepa) rescató a 20 ejemplares de vida silvestre abandonados en jaulas de traslado y provisionales, sin alimento ni agua, presuntamente propiedad de un circo instalado en un predio de la Comisaría de Xmatkuil, municipio de Mérida, Yucatán.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the White House must agree to spend more money on coronavirus aid during a phone call slated for Thursday afternoon, if talks aimed at a deal on new legislation are to move forward.
Pelosi was to talk about coronavirus relief with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows by phone at 2:30 p.m. EDT (1830 GMT), the first chance in weeks to revive stalled COVID-19 aid negotiations.
But Congress’s top Democrat told reporters it will be a short conversation unless Meadows says the Trump administration is willing to agree to a higher aid figure than the $1 trillion initially proposed by the White House and Senate Republicans.
“Are you willing to meet in the middle? If so, we can have a conversation. If not, I’ve returned your call,” Pelosi said at a news conference.
“We’re not budging. Understand this. They have to move,” she added. “They’re just going to have to come up with more money.”
Meadows and Pelosi are two of the four negotiators who were involved in talks on legislation to help Americans and businesses suffering from a coronavirus pandemic that has now killed nearly 180,000 people. The others are Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.
The talks broke down on Aug. 7, with the sides far apart on major issues including the size of unemployment benefits for tens of millions of people made jobless by the pandemic, aid for state and local governments and funding for schools and food support programs.
The Democratic-controlled House in May passed a $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill but Pelosi offered to reduce that sum by $1 trillion. The White House rejected the offer.
The Pelosi-Meadows phone call comes hours before President Donald Trump was due to accept his party’s nomination Thursday evening.
Some Democrats have said they did not expect the White House to resume negotiations in earnest until after this week’s Republican National Convention.
On Wednesday, Meadows said in an interview with Politico that he was not optimistic negotiations would resume soon.
U.S. airlines have warned that massive layoffs will be coming without further aid during the pandemic.
They are hoping a fresh stimulus bill will extend for six months $25 billion in payroll aid that expires on Sept. 30 under legislation approved earlier this year.
The head of the union representing American Airlines’ pilots, who are facing 1,600 furloughs, sent a letter to Trump on Wednesday urging action to extend the package and prevent tens of thousands of layoffs on Oct 1.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey and David Morgan in Washington; additional reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Chicago; Editing by Scott Malone, Chizu Nomiyama and David Gregorio)
Virginia Thomas, a conservative activist married to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, repeatedly pressed White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to pursue unrelenting efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in urgent text exchanges in the critical weeks following the vote, according to copies of the messages obtained by CBS News chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa and Bob Woodward of The Washington Post.
Those messages — part of 29 total messages obtained — reveal an extraordinary pipeline between Virginia Thomas, who goes by Ginni, and then-President Donald Trump’s top aide during a period when Trump and his allies were vowing to go to the Supreme Court in an effort to subvert the election results.
The messages, which do not directly reference Justice Thomas or the Supreme Court, show for the first time how Ginni Thomas used her access to Trump’s inner circle to encourage and seek to guide the president’s strategy to overturn the election results — and how receptive and grateful Meadows said he was to receive her advice. Among Thomas’ stated goals in the messages was for lawyer Sidney Powell, who promoted incendiary and unsupported claims about the election, to become “the lead and the face” of Trump’s legal team.
The messages were among the 2,320 text messages that Meadows provided the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The existence of messages between Thomas and Meadows — 21 sent by her; eight by him — have not previously been reported and were reviewed by CBS News and The Post. They were then confirmed by five people who have seen the committee’s documents.
To read The Washington Post article, co-written by CBS News’ Robert Costa and The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward, click here.
Ulises Humala dijo que confianza en la inocencia de Ollanta Humala, quien según él no debe oponerse a las investigaciones. | Fuente: Foto: Presidencia / Audio: RPP
Para Ulises Humala, su hermano Ollanta puede ser muchas cosas, pero no un asesino. El hermano del expresidente, con quien tiene un relación distante desde hace años, habló con RPP Noticias sobre la aparición de nuevos testigos en el caso Madre Mía, que involucra al líder nacionalista. “Si yo fuera él, exigiría que se levante la cosa juzgada y se vuelva a investigar”.
“Yo puedo tener todas las diferencias políticas con él, pero no creo que sea un criminal. Puede ser un traidor, un desleal, poco cercano a la familia, pero no es un asesino. Creo que acá hubo muchas idas y venidas para creer lo que dicen los testigos”, dijo Ulises Humala en La Rotativa del Aire. El excandidato presidencial (2006) también dijo que le parece rara la aparición de nuevos testigos, a partir de lo cual la Fiscalía decidió abrir este viernes una nueva investigación del caso Madre Mía.
Pedido a su hermano. Pese a las diferencias políticas que los han mantenido alejados desde hace más de 10 años (fueron candidatos rivales en el 2006), Ulises Humala le aconsejó a su hermano que deje que se investigue el caso, que fue cerrado en el 2009. “Si yo fuera Ollanta, exigiría que se levante la cosa juzgada y se vuelva a investigar. Yo no me protegería detrás de la cosa juzgada. Creo que él quisiera que lo investigan, pero están ahí los abogados”.
“Hay dos niveles para analizar. El nivel formal a nivel de los abogados, si se puede levantar o no la cosa juzgada, si se puede aplicar lesa humanidad, si la Fiscalía debió guardar estos audios, si Ollanta fue chuponeado o no. Y también está el tema de fondo, si hubo violación o no de los Derechos Humanos. La sociedad tiene derecho a saber lo que pasó”. Pese a esto, dijo que si se abre este caso también deberían abrirse otros como el de El Frontón en el gobierno aprista (1986).
Nuevas investigaciones. La aparición de dos nuevos testigos de los presuntos asesinatos cometidos en esa localidad de la región San Martín. Este caso, que había sido archivado en el 2009, involucra al expresidente Ollanta Humala, quien estuvo destacado en la zona como oficial del Ejército en la época de los presuntos crímenes y es señalado por testigos como el ‘Capitán Carlos’.
Según informes difundidos en el programa #BetoASaber, las víctimas habrían sido torturadas y arrojadas al río por orden de los mandos militares que, luego de que fueran acusadas de terrorismo. La Fiscalía informó que la aparición de los nuevos testigos es elemento suficiente para iniciar una nueva investigación y determinar a los responsables.
Ulises es el mayor de los hermanos Humala. | Fuente: Perú 21
Ollanta Humala cuando era un oficial del Ejército en la selva peruana. Participó en la lucha del Estado contra el terrorismo. | Fuente: utero.pe
Nada garantiza la eternidad en Hollywood. La mala elección de un protagónico, algún escándalo indeseado, perder la simpatía del público o, en el más digno de los casos, el retiro voluntario pueden ser las razones por las cuales le perdemos el rastro a algún actor o actriz en la pantalla. En esta nota, repasamos las carreras de importantes nombres que no lograron, o no pudieron lograr, permanecer en el firmamento hollywoodense.
1. Gene Hackman
Iniciamos la lista con el ejemplo de un actor que si bien no deja de extrañarse, eligió el retiro voluntario a pesar de tener una carrera que no presentaba señales de fatiga. Gene Hackman , protagonista de clásicos indiscutidos como Contacto en Francia, Los imperdonables o La conversación, decidió a los 74 años retirarse y por ese motivo es que desde Bienvenido a Mooseport (estrenada en 2004) nunca más volvió a participar de ningún proyecto. A lo largo de sus más de cuatro décadas de oficio, Hackman paseó por cuanto género pudo y dio cátedra en todos ellos, dándose el lujo de protagonizar en la recta final de su carrera una de sus mejores películas: Los excéntricos Tenenbaums.
2. Leelee Sobieski
En la lista de importantes promesas que parecían estar a un paso de adueñarse de Hollywood, pero que terminaron inexplicablemente alejadas de las grandes luces está Leelee Sobieski. Comenzó en televisión y, en 1998, logró su primer protagónico en cine con La hija de un soldado nunca llora, la lacrimógena (pero efectiva) película de James Ivory. A partir de allí, la actriz de quince años comenzó una seguidilla de trabajos que la llevaron a protagonizar una miniserie sobre Juana de Arco y a conseguir un pequeño papel en Ojos bien cerrados, opus final de Stanley Kubrick. Pero desde ese momento y luego de un fallido melodrama adolescente que coprotagonizó junto a Chris Klein (otro que bien podría estar en esta lista), las cosas comenzaron a estancarse para ella y ningún proyecto logró capitalizar su innegable talento.
A lo largo de la primera década del siglo, la actriz participó de varias series y películas, pero siempre en roles secundarios, hasta que en 2009 fue madre y a partir de allí comenzó a dedicarse full time a su bebé. En la actualidad, a pesar de algunos trabajos, Leelee se dedica a sus dos hijos y en una entrevista confesó que ya no le interesa formar parte de Hollywood.
3. Eddie Murphy
Como muchos grandes comediantes que hicieron carrera en Hollywood, Eddie Murphy dio sus primeros pasos en Saturday Night Live. Desde 1980 hasta 1984, el actor participó de ese programa y no tardó en ganar protagonismo como uno de los mejores exponentes de la comedia norteamericana y de allí al cine solo hubo un paso. En la segunda mitad de los ochenta y a principios de los noventa, Murphy fue sinónimo de humor y se convirtió en uno de los actores afroamericanos más convocantes. Se hizo un lugar en Hollywood y allí protagonizó éxitos como Un detective suelto en Hollywood, 48 horas, Un príncipe en Nueva York y De mendigo a millonario, todos films que si bien no tiene la misma calidad, indudablemente fueron grandes tanques en la taquilla mundial. Pero en los noventa, el actor cometió errores imperdonables como pretender reversionar a Jerry Lewis en una remake de El profesor chiflado (¡inconcebible!), sin mencionar otros fracasos relativos como Doctor Dolittle.
La llegada de Shrek, saga para la que trabajó prestándole su voz a Burro, le permitió recuperar algo del prestigio perdido, pero la posterior sucesión de fracasos como Pluto Nash o Norbit le quitaron las ganas de seguir apostando al cine. En la actualidad, el actor se encuentra semiretirado dedicándose buena parte de su tiempo a sus nueve hijos. En el horizonte -y para miedo de muchos-, Eddie prometió una cuarta parte de Un detective suelto en Hollywood…¿tendrá revancha el comediante o esta película será el tropiezo final de su carrera?
4. Alicia Silverstone
La de Alicia Silverstone parecía una carrera de ensueño. Con apenas 16 años, en 1993, hizo su entrada triunfal al mundo del espectáculo por una puerta inesperada: el video de Aerosmith de la canción “Cryin”. Inmediatamente, se convirtió en un referente estético e ícono de los noventa y de esa forma continuó colaborando con la banda [participó de los videos de “Amazing” y “Crazy”] y siguió ganando popularidad. No pasó demasiado tiempo hasta que los productores de Hollywood pusieron los ojos en esta joven que prometía cautivar en la pantalla grande y así fue. Luego de algunos títulos menores, Alicia recibió la oportunidad de protagonizar Ni idea, un clásico de los noventa y un retrato generacional perfecto que aún hoy mantiene una vigencia notable. En ese momento, todo parecía indicar que su carrera meteórica no solo la ubicaba como la nueva Molly Ringwald, sino que incluso también parecía ir camino a convertirse en una versión menos inocente de Meg Ryan, pero lamentablemente un paso en falso derribó esas aspiraciones.
En 1997, Silverstone se puso en la piel de Batichica para Batman & Robin, película que no solo fue un fracaso sino que sepultó al cine de superhéroes durante un buen puñado de años. Los comentarios sobre la figura de Alicia eran agresivos y su desempeño en el personaje (al igual que el realizado por todo el elenco) era de una desprolijidad enorme. Todo eso sumado a las pésimas críticas que recibió el film, la dejó asociada a uno de los grandes fracasos del año. A partir de allí, la carrera de la actriz fue desapareciendo de la pantalla grande (a pesar de algunas películas relativamente efectivas como Buscando a Eva, junto al también semiborrado del mapa Brendan Fraser).
En los últimos años, trabajó un poco para la tele y se convirtió en su especialidad -a la fuerza- prestar su voz a distintos personajes animados. Casualmente la actriz Liv Tyler, que inició su carrera junto a Alicia gracias a los videos de Aerosmith, pelea también por un regreso con gloria en el cine mientras se dedica a la pantala chica.
5. Bridget Fonda
Hace exactamente 17 años que Bridget Fonda no aparece en ninguna ficción. Ni en televisión, ni directo al DVD ni cine, nada de nada. Casi de la noche a la mañana, ella dijo “basta”, abandonó todo y se dedicó a vivir plena y totalmente alejada de las cámaras. Con menos de treinta años, aunque con casi cincuenta trabajos en su haber, esta promisoria actriz fue un verdadero ícono en los noventa y su trabajo en Mujer soltera busca la convirtió en un símbolo de la época. En esa década, Fonda se dio el lujo de trabajar para directores tan disímiles como Sam Raimi, Bernardo Bertolucci y Paul Schrader, sin mencionar su pequeño papel en El padrino III, de Francis Ford Coppola. Cuando en 1997 estrenó Jackie Brown, cuarto film de Quentin Tarantino, ella estaba en pleno proceso de perder presencia en cine. A pesar de eso, ese año rechazó el protagónico en la serie Ally McBeal, elección que indudablemente le hubiera inyectado una dosis de popularidad a su carrera.
En los años posteriores sus trabajos se volvieron cada vez más espaciados y para 2001 ya era una habitué de las películas para televisión. Lamentablemente, en 2002 tuvo un accidente automovilístico del que salió seriamente lastimada. Un mes después se casó con Danny Elfman, compositor emblemático de Hollywood y responsable de la súper famosa melodía de Los Simpson, entre otros trabajo. Fue luego de su casamiento que la actriz formalizó su decisión de retirarse y mientras su padre Peter Fonda y su tía Jane Fonda siguen en el negocio, Bridget se dedica exclusivamente a su familia.
Theodore Johnson, a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice who studies race and electoral politics, said black skepticism in government stretches back decades, citing Booker T. Washington and his early 19th century argument for black self-help, rather than a focus on systemic discrimination. Black voters are often described as “moderates,” but Mr. Johnson said the voting choices are more nuanced than straightforward ideological choices.
Racism “contributes to black people’s lack of support for mass federal programs,” Mr. Johnson said. “There’s a sense that, if you prefer federal programs, that can be an admission that you can’t make it without white people or government.”
In “Medicare for all,” free college and other signature progressive proposals, like the cancellation of student loan debt or housing equality, candidates are asking black voters to trust that government can correct the same systemic inequalities that government helped create. But there is often no plan to undo the cynicism that decades of governmental failure have created among older black voters in particular.
“No matter who is in office, the government has not been our best friend,” said Samuel Crisp, 73. He is part of the Piedmont Progressive Farmers Group, which focuses on egg production, and attended the Warren campaign event in Virginia.
“They all have programs that work against us,” he added. “And they don’t seem to understand that.”
There is some precedent for selling older black voters on the promise for structural change. In 2004, the populist campaign of Senator John Edwards of North Carolina won the South Carolina Democratic primary contest. The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988 succeeded in bringing a message of systemic upheaval to black voters — winning 11 contests in 1988, including in Virginia and South Carolina. In an interview, Mr. Jackson urged the current crop of left-wing candidates like Mr. Sanders and Ms. Warren to get better at working to relate to and understand black communities.
“I earned the trust of the people. I worked with them on the ground. I wasn’t just an election candidate. I served with them,” Mr. Jackson said. “I was at their restaurants. I played football. I stayed in their homes.”
Mr. Jackson acknowledged that forming those connections is a different challenge for white candidates, who could risk appearing “pretentious and not genuine,” but he said he believed there were authentic and effective approaches.
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