National
National news from McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley.
NationalMinute by Minute: Race Against Time for Survivors in Venezuela; Over 1,700 Dead
As the search for survivors continues in Venezuela, the death toll from the recent earthquakes has reached 1,719, with over 5,000 injured and approximately 70,000 reported missing. This marks the sixth day since the twin earthquakes struck the northern region of the country. Families of the victims are expressing growing despair, citing a lack of state support in rescue efforts. Rescuers and relatives are racing against time to locate survivors among the rubble. The situation remains critical as the community grapples with the aftermath of this devastating disaster.
NationalConservative Keiko Fujimori Wins the Presidency of Peru as Vote Counting Concludes
Conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori has won the Peruvian presidential runoff, defeating progressive Roberto Sánchez with 50.135% of the votes, according to the National Office of Electoral Processes. The final count showed a margin of over 49,000 votes. Fujimori, who is the daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, emphasized her commitment to restoring order in a country facing rising crime and preparing for the El Niño phenomenon. She expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue with Sánchez and other political leaders. The official proclamation of the election results will occur on July 3, with Fujimori set to take office on July 28 for a five-year term.
NationalMexican Governor Denies Being Notified of Alleged Investigation in the U.S.
The governor of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, Américo Villareal, stated on Monday that he has not received any 'official notification' from the United States regarding an alleged investigation against him, following a report by The New York Times indicating that the politician is being investigated for corruption. In a letter published by the communications coordinator for the Tamaulipas government, Gerardo Algarín, Villareal categorically denied the published information, asserting that 'there is no accusation, procedure, or official notification from any authority—either in Mexico or the U.S.—to support it.' 'A version attributed to unnamed sources is not an accredited truth,' the governor criticized. He reacted to the U.S. newspaper's report, which identified the governors of Sonora, Alfonso Durazo, and Tamaulipas as potential targets of U.S. authorities' corruption investigations. The New York Times also claims that at least a dozen governors and legislators from the ruling Movimiento Regeneración Nacional (Morena) party have offered to collaborate as informants with U.S. authorities.
NationalDEA Director Terry Cole Issues Direct Message to Mexico
DEA Director Terry Cole recently emphasized the agency's intensified focus on combating the fentanyl crisis in a video message. He described fentanyl as an unprecedented threat, highlighting the devastating impact it has had on American families and communities. Cole identified the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as the DEA's top enforcement priorities. Since the current administration began, the DEA has seized over 14,000 kilograms of fentanyl and 62 million pills, equating to approximately 478 million potentially lethal doses. Cole reaffirmed the agency's commitment to a 'fentanyl-free America' and the importance of international cooperation in tackling this crisis.
NationalLos Silos: From Architectural Landmark to Morgue After Earthquakes in Venezuela
CARACAS – Los Silos, a 35-meter tall architectural landmark, has turned into an improvised morgue in the coastal state of La Guaira, the area most affected by Wednesday's double earthquake, where Venezuelans come as a last hope to find their deceased relatives. The building, which features 4,000 square meters of space and a chromatic induction by Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez, is located within the port of La Guaira and has become a kind of watchful structure over dozens of bodies lined up on the ground of the boardwalk, where families are identifying the corpses. Most of the bodies are covered with lime, while others are placed in portable coffins exposed to the elements. There are also urns, as confirmed by EFE.
NationalWhatsApp Closes Privacy Gap: Will Allow Use of Usernames
WhatsApp users will soon have the option to use usernames instead of phone numbers, the company announced on Monday, revealing plans to address a privacy blind spot. The app indicated that it has begun allowing users to reserve unique usernames, which can be used to contact WhatsApp users when the feature launches later this year. WhatsApp, which claims to have over 3 billion users worldwide, has previously allowed anyone with a person's phone number to contact them. The app, owned by Meta Platforms, noted in a blog post that in the 'coming months,' users will have the option to be found and contacted only by their username, not by their phone number, though it did not provide specific timing. 'We have designed this as a core privacy feature,' said Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp's product vice president, to reporters. There will not be a directory of usernames in the app, and the app will not suggest usernames as users type. 'People will need to know your exact username to contact you for the first time,' Newton-Rex added.
NationalDOJ Sues Massachusetts and Rhode Island Over Undocumented Student Tuition Laws
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed lawsuits against Massachusetts and Rhode Island, contesting state laws that allow undocumented students to receive in-state tuition and financial aid. The DOJ argues these laws unfairly discriminate against U.S. citizens who do not receive the same benefits, potentially encouraging illegal immigration. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward emphasized that the DOJ aims to uphold federal law by ensuring that benefits are not granted to undocumented individuals over American citizens. This action is part of a broader initiative, with 12 lawsuits filed against similar state laws nationwide.
NationalUS deported more than 100 Venezuelans just before the earthquakes; many remain missing
MIAMI (AP) — More than 100 recently deported individuals from the United States were held in a hotel when earthquakes struck Venezuela, triggering a desperate race to find survivors and bodies buried under the rubble, according to survivors. A deportation flight from Miami arrived in Caracas hours before Wednesday's quakes. On board were 146 Venezuelans, including 19 women and seven children, according to ICE Flight Monitor, an initiative by Human Rights First that tracks deportation flights. Lisbeth Portillo, 58, recounted that she managed to escape from the rubble of the hotel along with about 20 other deportees, who walked the streets in search of help. Upon exiting the remains of the building in La Guaira, one of the areas hardest hit by the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes on Wednesday, they saw people running, some naked and others barefoot. 'We walked about five kilometers, and I cried and cried… there was no communication,' Portillo said in a phone interview from her home in Maracaibo, Venezuela.
NationalI Will Do What Needs to Be Done: María Corina Machado on Her Trip to Venezuela
Opposition leader María Corina Machado sent a message to Venezuelans about her intention to return to Venezuela. 'I will do what needs to be done.' With these words, Machado assured that she will return to the country and claimed that the closure of airspace aimed to prevent her entry from Panama, where she is currently located. 'The regime wants to block my return to Venezuela and that of thousands of compatriots who want to help,' she stated. She also asserted, 'Just as it has blocked the travel of international rescue teams stranded at airports, it intends to block the work of journalists seeking the truth.'
National"I Will Do What Needs to Be Done": María Corina Machado on Her Trip to Venezuela
Opposition leader María Corina Machado sent a message to Venezuelans about her intention to return to Venezuela. "I will do what needs to be done." With these words, Machado assured that she will return to the country and claimed that the closure of airspace aimed to prevent her entry from Panama, where she stated she is currently located. "The regime wants to block my return to Venezuela and that of thousands of compatriots who want to go help," she asserted. She also stated, "Just as it has blocked the travel of international rescue teams stranded at airports, it intends to block the work of journalists seeking the truth."
NationalCompensation After Arrest for Protesting with Star Wars Theme
The District of Columbia has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a resident who accused police officers of illegally detaining him for following an Ohio National Guard patrol while playing the Darth Vader theme from 'Star Wars' on his cellphone, according to a document released on Monday. The plaintiff, Sam O'Hara, sued the district, four Metropolitan Police Department officers, and a member of the Ohio Guard for what he described as his act of protest against the federal deployment of law enforcement forces by President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. A court filing submitted on Thursday revealed the settlement, but did not specify any monetary conditions. The amount is included in a copy of the settlement agreement provided to The Associated Press by D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb's office. The $50,000 settlement includes attorney fees and costs. O'Hara is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of the District of Columbia. In an email sent on Friday, an ACLU spokesperson described the financial terms of the settlement as 'a significant amount' that O'Hara 'is satisfied with,' but indicated they would not disclose the dollar figure to protect his privacy.
NationalBipartisan Senate Coalition Introduces Bill to Shield U.S. Shrimpers
U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), John Kennedy (R-La.), and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) have introduced the Save Our Shrimpers Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at protecting American shrimpers. The legislation prohibits the use of U.S. taxpayer dollars by international financial institutions to support foreign shrimp farming and processing. Senators emphasized the need to safeguard American jobs and ensure fair competition against foreign imports. The bill has garnered support from various shrimping associations, highlighting the detrimental impact of foreign shrimp flooding U.S. markets. A companion bill has already passed in the House of Representatives.
National"We lost everything": the testimony of those who survived the earthquake
Caracas, June 29 (EFE).- Five days have passed since the double earthquake measuring 7.2 and 7.5 that struck northern Venezuela, and survivors feel they have nothing left to live for in the coastal state of La Guaira, the hardest hit by the tragedy. "There’s nothing left, there’s nothing for us down there, a city that is uninhabitable, where there is no water, no electricity, no buildings, no supermarket, no hospital, nothing," said Francis Martín, who managed to escape alive from the building where he lived in the La Llanada area, along with his mother, who suffered some injuries while running. Now, both are staying at the hotel where his mother works, and he stated that they have been "very accommodating" regarding their situation. Martín believed that the building where he lived could be salvaged, but he added, "it’s useless to have a building in a city where there is nothing."
NationalLawsuits: Lawyer Promised 'Miracles' to Immigrants but Emptied Their Bank Accounts
A lawyer in Washington state promised 'miracles' to tens of thousands of immigrants seeking legal status in the United States. Instead, Alexandra Lozano fabricated stories of domestic violence and human trafficking to apply for humanitarian visas without her clients' knowledge, according to several lawsuits and a legal ethics investigation. They claim she exploited the desperation of immigrants to drain their bank accounts while leaving them at risk of deportation. Lozano is accused of hiring workers without the proper legal credentials and building an assembly-line system to process applications hastily, even copying clients' signatures on documents they never saw. 'I put my family's trust in her,' said 30-year-old Gabriel Martínez García. After paying $30,000, he stated that Lozano deceived his family and caused his mother to face deportation proceedings despite her marriage to a naturalized U.S. citizen. 'We believed in her, and she let us down.'
National"If you are alive, give a sign": the strategy behind a rescue in Venezuela
A video shared by the U.S. State Department showcases the evaluation and planning phase undertaken by rescue teams to increase the chances of a successful extraction. The footage captures the arrival of the U.S. delegation in Venezuela and the moment the rescue operation begins. Before intervening, rescuers assess the structure, take notes, and outline a plan to safely reach the trapped individual. "If you are alive, give a sign," shouts one of the rescuers. Then, a team member explains step by step how they will carry out the extraction and how they will immediately hydrate the survivor.
NationalSupreme Court Expands Trump's Power to Dismiss Heads of Independent Agencies
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court significantly expanded presidential power on Monday by supporting President Donald Trump's authority to dismiss heads of independent federal agencies, with one major exception: the Federal Reserve. The justices allowed Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to remain in her position while she contests the Republican president's decision to remove her over allegations of mortgage fraud, which she has denied. However, outside the nation's central bank — responsible for setting interest rates — the Court determined that presidents have broad authority to dismiss heads of federal agencies, despite federal laws requiring cause for such firings and a 91-year-old judicial precedent that limited executive power. With the six conservative justices in the majority, the Supreme Court overturned its unanimous decision in the Humphrey’s Executor case, which restricted the circumstances under which a president could remove members of federal agency boards, partly to ensure that their decisions were free from political influence.
NationalIran says it did not request a meeting with the U.S. after Trump claimed so on social media
Iranian negotiator Kazem Gharibabadi denied claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump that Iran requested a meeting, which Trump stated would take place in Doha, Qatar. Tensions have escalated in the Persian Gulf following recent attacks, complicating negotiations aimed at ending the ongoing conflict. Despite a preliminary agreement earlier this month to reduce Iran's enriched uranium reserves and lift some sanctions, Gharibabadi emphasized that no formal talks were scheduled. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that Qatar would release $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets, a move aimed at reassuring the Iranian public amidst the ongoing crisis.
NationalSupreme Court Allows States to Count Mail-In Ballots Received After Election Day
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that states can count mail-in ballots received after Election Day, as long as they are postmarked by or on that day. In a 6-3 decision, the Court upheld Mississippi's law, which the Republican National Committee challenged, stating it does not conflict with federal election laws. This ruling is seen as a setback for President Trump, who has often criticized mail-in voting. The decision allows similar laws in 13 other states to remain in effect ahead of the November elections, where voters will determine control of Congress. Mississippi's law permits counting ballots up to five days post-Election Day if mailed beforehand.
NationalLive Updates: Search Efforts Continue After Earthquakes; Death Toll Reaches 4,450
Rescue efforts continue in northern Venezuela following devastating earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 that struck the region on Wednesday. The death toll has risen to 4,450, with 3,150 injured and at least 68,900 people reported missing. Major cities like La Guaria and Caracas have experienced significant destruction, with entire buildings collapsing. Local and international rescuers from countries including Mexico, the United States, and Spain are collaborating in the search and rescue operations. Authorities remain focused on finding survivors as more international rescue teams and humanitarian aid arrive.