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The OAS did not approve the resolution that demanded that the Venezuelan authorities publish the electoral records

by Zurellys Villegas

The Organization of American States (OAS) rejected by vote the resolution on the elections in Venezuela held last Sunday, in which it sought to urge the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE) to publish the electoral records “immediately.”

During the extraordinary meeting held this Wednesday, the Permanent Council did not achieve the necessary support to approve the draft resolution entitled “On the elections in Venezuela on July 28, 2024” that demanded that “a comprehensive verification of the results be carried out in the presence of independent observation organizations to guarantee the transparency, credibility and legitimacy of the electoral results.”

Likewise, the resolution highlighted “the importance of protecting and preserving all the equipment used in the electoral process, including the printed records and results, in order to safeguard the entire chain of custody of the voting process.”

Finally, and after a long debate lasting more than five hours behind closed doors, the vote concluded with 17 votes in favor, 11 abstentions, five absences and zero votes against, where several countries openly accused Maduro of perpetuating electoral fraud, by declaring him the winner without first presenting the electoral records for scrutiny and on top of many anomalies.

The United States, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Suriname voted in favor of the resolution.

The 11 abstentions were in the hands of Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Grenada, Honduras, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia.

In addition to Mexico, among the absentees were Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, as well as Venezuela, absent from the organization since 2019 when President Maduro assured that the OAS had become a “space of imperial domination.”

Mexico did not participate in the extraordinary meeting of the OAS on Venezuela

Earlier, the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, announced that his country will not participate in the meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) to address the results of the electoral process in Venezuela.

“We are not going to participate because we do not agree with the biased attitude of the OAS,” he said during his daily morning press conference when reporting that the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Alicia Bárcena, would not be at the meeting.

“Why are we going to a meeting like this? That is not serious, it is not responsible, it does not help to find a peaceful, democratic solution to a conflict in a Latin American country or any country in the world,” said López Obrador.

Likewise, the Mexican president reiterated his criticism against the “interference” in Venezuela. “Enough of that, enough of the interventionism, Venezuela’s problems have stagnated, they have not found a solution because there is too much interference, they are getting involved from abroad,” he said.

“There is a lot of interference and in the case of the media, not only in Mexico but around the world, there is a need for more professionalism, more objectivity, more balance, because they lean too much to one side or the other and it is not just the conventional media or the agencies, now social networks are taken over as well, so there is a need to democratize the media,” continued the Mexican president during his speech on Wednesday morning.

After the Carter Center, which participated as an observer in the Venezuelan elections, published that the process “did not conform to international parameters and standards of electoral integrity and cannot be considered democratic,” López Obrador emphasized his support for waiting for the final result of the vote count by the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE).

“In the case of Venezuela, what we want is for there to be evidence, for the minutes to be shown, for there to be transparency and, something that is very important, which has to do with all Venezuelan brothers, that there is no violence, that the electoral authorities be called upon to give all the results and that we wait,” said AMLO.

In his meeting with the media, the Mexican leader was also asked if there was a similarity between the claim of the Venezuelan opposition María Corina Machado and its presidential candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, and the one made in the Mexican vote in 2006, when he denounced fraud in the process that gave the victory to Felipe Calderón.

Ignoring that the opposition has already uploaded the evidence to the internet where everyone can see the minutes that show his victory, he said: “I have no elements, there is no evidence in the case of Venezuela, we did have a lot of evidence; to begin with, it was officially said that (Felipe) Calderón and the PAN had obtained an advantage of 0.5 percent, I think of 200 thousand votes, 240 thousand… so we asked that the votes be counted and they refused,” responded the Mexican president to such questioning.

The Carter Center released its report on the Venezuelan elections

The Carter Center, one of the main organizations that participated in the observation of the presidential elections that were held last Sunday in Venezuela, published a statement on Tuesday night in which it affirms that it could not verify or corroborate the authenticity of the results published by the Venezuelan electoral authority (CNE) that declared Nicolás Maduro the winner for a new presidential term.

In the text, the organization said that the presidential election in the South American country “did not conform to international parameters and standards of electoral integrity and cannot be considered democratic.”

“The fact that the electoral authority has not announced results broken down by polling station constitutes a serious violation of electoral principles,” said the organization that recognized the civic participation of the Venezuelan people, describing it as “massive, peaceful and civic.

“It has violated numerous precepts of the national legislation itself,” reads the text.

Regarding this statement, President Nicolás Maduro said that it was already written before they arrived in the country. “Everyone who came from the Carter Center to Venezuela brought the report already written, we have had it for a month, we have the Carter Center report already written, what they lacked was spice, which they added now, because they have denatured themselves, it is no longer Jimmy Carter who runs it, it only bears his name, unfortunately,” said the Venezuelan president this Wednesday in a press conference.

Maduro then stated that those who run this organization work for the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The official leader also said that they have wanted to turn the elections into a “world event.” “How many statements did you put out when Donald Trump denounced fraud in the elections where President (Joe) Biden was named president?” the Venezuelan president asked, referring to when former President Donald Trump questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Finally, Maduro said he is ready to hand over “100% of the electoral records” and said that opposition leaders who denounce fraud “should be behind bars.”

With information from Reuters / AP / AFP / RT.

How Medi-Cal is helping California’s growing older and disabled adults

For the over six million Californians aged 65 and over, and the over seven and a half million with a disability, getting the care they need has not always been easy

by Selen Ozturk

For the over six million Californians aged 65 and over, and the over seven and a half million with a disability, getting the care they need has not always been easy.

To help these Californians live healthier lives in their own communities, Medi-Cal — California’s version of Medicaid — has new programs including integration with Medicare; elimination of asset limits restricting eligibility; enhanced care management; and expanded community services like housing aid and healthy meals.

At a Wednesday, July 10 Ethnic Media Services briefing, Department of Health Care Services officials and community health care providers explained what new programs are available to older and disabled Californians, how they’re implemented on the ground and how these programs are changing lives.

An overview

Nearly 6 million Californians, or 15 percent of the state’s population, were aged 65 and older as of 2021 according to the U.S. Census — a number projected to grow to over 8.7 million, or 20 percent of the state, by 2030.

The CDC reports that over 7.6 million Californians have a disability.

Dana Durham, DHCS Managed Care Quality and Monitoring Division chief], said Medi-Cal is helping older and disabled Californians through Community Supports and Enhanced Care Management (ECM), programs that “meet social drivers of health” — like housing, healthy food, language access, and preventative health care — “in people’s communities so they can stay in the least restrictive setting possible.”

Community Supports include medically tailored meals, transportation to and from appointments, in-home care, home accessibility modifications, long-term care transition assistance, mental health care, substance abuse disorder treatment and housing aid.

“Historically, the healthcare system has been difficult to navigate,” particularly isolating seniors and people with disabilities, Durham continued.

With ECM, introduced in January 2022, high-risk members or those with complex needs — for example, overlapping issues of dementia, mental health, and daily living — are assigned a lead care manager to help them navigate the system and access Medi-Cal services. These care leads can travel to meet the member if need be; for instance, the patient is homeless, disabled or isolated.

For Californians eligible for both Medi-Cal and Medicare, the federal insurance program for seniors and some younger people with disabilities, there are also now dual Medi-Medi Plans in 12 counties that cover copays and services across b​oth programs, said Anastasia Dodson, DHCS deputy director of the Office of Medicare Innovation and Integration.

In 2026, Medi-Medi will be available statewide.

Currently, of the 6.6 million Californians on Medicare, 1.6 million are also on Medi-Cal.

Dodson added that in January 2024, Medi-Cal eliminated asset limits, meaning that bank accounts, property or a second car won’t affect eligibility; now, only income and household size count.

Community perspectives

Since this expansion of Medi-Cal began in 2022, “We went from three counties to nine statewide where we provide ECM and connection to community supports like doctors, caregivers, meals, transportation, residential care away from nursing homes, home accessibility modifications, housing navigation and rent aid,” said Jenna LaPlante, senior director of care management programs at the Institute on Aging, which serves about 1,000 Medi-Cal members.

“It’s more than we’ve ever served, and we’re in talks with health plans to expand more,” she continued. “Hiring bilingual, bicultural staff from the communities we serve has been key to reaching communities who weren’t historically engaging with our services.”

“For example, we hired a Vietnamese-speaking care manager who went to community centers in San Jose and Santa Clara counties where there’s a large population. We got a huge influx, and could hire more VIetnamese-speaking staff, which increased referrals even more,” LaPlante explained. “We’re now doing the same thing in Merced County, posting jobs for Spanish-speaking staff.”

“This recent expansion to use Medicaid dollars for social determinants of health, like first month’s rent and a security deposit, is incredibly novel. I don’t see it anywhere else,” she added. “Each state can apply to waive how they use federal dollars for more than just medical services. Some do and some don’t … but here in California, we’re at the forefront.”

With older and disabled Californians, health risks often overlap across many areas of life, not just physical health concerns — for instance, if “they’re homeless with no income, no food, and they need a wheelchair,” said Carrie Madden, program director of Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Central and South LA (ADRC), a social service counseling and referral organization.

“What’s really been helpful is being able to coordinate and refer them to services that address these different areas,” she continued. “We have no wrong door. People who call us will get some kind of referral … and we follow up to make sure they get the services they need to live out of nursing homes and treatment facilities, back in the community they came from … With the Medi-Cal change now, we’re seeing individuals get this help much faster.”

ADRC is partnered with Communities Actively Living Independent and Free (CALIF), one of 28 independent living centers in California.

Keith Miller, executive director of CALIF, said “Recently we entered a contract with an insurance provider to provide these new Medi-Cal programs like housing navigation or retention, assistive technology and ongoing case management,” particularly for people frequently entering emergency rooms.”

At CALIF, where “51 percent of our staff are people with disabilities,” this transformation of Medi-Cal crucially helped “keep our clients out of institutions and nursing homes,” he added.

Lilly Sanchez, case manager at CALIF, shared the story of how this transformation changed the life of one high-risk client who was often in the ER and about to enter a nursing home before he was referred to CALIF, which helped him enroll in Medi-Cal and stay in his community over the course of three months.

“When he came to us, he didn’t have in-home support, no California ID, couldn’t transport himself to and from the services he needed,” she explained. “We were able to do the paperwork for him and coordinate our social services with medical care through the insurance plan.”

“Because of that coordination of care, he is currently housed, he has in-home support, he has food nurtures him to stop needing the emergency room as much as he was before,” Sanchez continued.

“This speaks to how important it is not only to have medical care available but to coordinate it with all the other social services people need to be healthy,” she added. “Medi-Cal is making that coordination possible.”

Newsom Issues Executive Order to Remove All Homeless Encampments in California

by CF

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Thursday to direct state agencies on how to remove homeless encampments, a month after a Supreme Court ruling allowing cities to enforce bans on sleeping outside in public spaces.

Newsom’s order is aimed at the thousands of tents and makeshift shelters across the state that line freeways, clutter shopping center parking lots and fill city parks. The order makes clear that the decision to remove the encampments remains in local hands.

The order comes after a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this summer allowing cities to enforce bans on sleeping outside in public spaces.

The case was the most significant on the issue to come before the high court in decades and comes as cities across the country have wrestled with the politically complicated issue of how to deal with a rising number of people without a permanent place to live and public frustration over related health and safety issues.

“There are simply no more excuses. It’s time for everyone to do their part,” Newsom said in a statement.

While Newsom cannot order local authorities to act, his administration can apply pressure by withholding money for counties and cities.

California is home to roughly one-third of the nation’s population of homeless people, a problem that has dogged Newsom since he took office. Newsom touted that his administration has spent roughly $24 billion aimed at cleaning up streets and housing people but acknowledged the stubbornness of the issue.

Newsom’s administration has also come under fire recently after a state audit found that the state didn’t consistently track whether the huge outlay of public money actually improved the situation.

Newsom has worked hard to address the issue. He threw all of his political weight behind a ballot measure earlier this year to allow the state to borrow nearly $6.4 billion to build 4,350 housing units, which passed with a razor-thin margin.

The order comes as Republicans have stepped up their criticisms of California and its homelessness crisis as Vice President Kamala Harris — a former California district attorney, attorney general and senator — launches her presidential campaign. Harris entered the race over the weekend after President Joe Biden’s announced that he would not seek reelection. Newsom himself has presidential ambitions.

Under Newsom’s direction, state agencies — including state parks and department of transportation — would be required to prioritize clearing encampments that pose safety risks, such as those camping along waterways. Officials should give advance notice to vacate, connect homeless people to local services and help store their belongings for at least 60 days. Local cities and counties are urged to adopt similar protocols.

Invasive fruit fly quarantine lifted in Contra Costa County

Residents Can Prevent Future Introductions of Invasive Species by Avoiding Transport of Fruits and Vegetables

CDFA Noticias

SACRAMENTO — July 11, 2024 — Thanks to the cooperation and diligence of Contra Costa County residents and local agricultural officials, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), working in coordination with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Contra Costa County Agricultural Commissioner, has declared an end to the Oriental fruit fly quarantine following the eradication of the invasive pest.

The declaration comes nearly 10 months after officials first detected populations of the Oriental fruit fly in the area and established a quarantine encompassing parts of the cities of Brentwood and Oakley, as well as surrounding areas in parts of Antioch, Bethel Island and Discovery Bay.

“We’re pleased to report this is the third Oriental fruit fly quarantine lifted in California this year,” said Victoria Hornbaker, director of CDFA’s Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division. “These recent successes prove that through the cooperation of residents across the state and our partners, eradication of invasive species is possible.”

During the quarantine, crops that are hosts for the Oriental fruit fly — which include more than 300 varieties, such as citrus and other fruits, nuts, vegetables and berries — were not allowed to be moved from the properties where they were grown. Commercial crops were required to meet stringent treatment or processing standards before being harvested or moved.

While several fruit fly quarantines have now been lifted in California, three additional quarantines remain and still threaten the state’s natural environment, agriculture and economy.

As temperatures rise and vacationers ramp-up their travel plans, agriculture officials urge residents to refrain from bringing back potentially infested produce from their trips. When at home, residents are encouraged to stay vigilant for signs of invasive pests. To help prevent any future introductions of invasive species, residents should follow these guidelines:

•    Cooperate with agricultural officials and allow them access to your garden to place traps, inspect plants, conduct necessary treatments or remove potentially infested produce.
•    Determine if your property is located within an active quarantine area by visiting CAFruitFly.com.
•    Buy fruit trees and vegetable plants from licensed California nurseries. Purchasing agricultural goods from uncertified sources can spread invasive pests. Source your plants locally and responsibly. To find a licensed nursery near you, visit CDFA’s Directory of Licensed Nurseries.
•    Inspect your garden for signs of invasive fruit flies or maggots and report any findings to CDFA at 1-800-491-1899 or your local county agricultural commissioner’s office.
•    When entering the United States from another country, avoid bringing agricultural products — including fruits or vegetables. Help us protect our agricultural and natural resources and California’s unique biodiversity from invasive fruit flies — please Don’t Pack a Pest (www.dontpackapest.com) when traveling or mailing/receiving packages.

To learn more about invasive species and how to protect the county’s fruits and vegetables, visit CaFruitFly.com or contracosta.ca.gov.

Wild blueberries found to improve cardiovascular health and cognitive performance in older adults

by Evangelyn Rodríguez

05/21/2024 – Blueberries are currently in season, perfect timing for you to consider adding this superfruit to your daily diet.

According to a randomized controlled trial involving older adults, consuming 178 grams (around 75 to 80 pieces) of fresh wild blueberries every day can help you maintain healthy heart and brain functions.

Wild blueberries vs ordinary blueberries

While both are nutritious and rich in antioxidants, wild blueberries differ significantly in many aspects from cultivated blueberries. For one, wild blueberries are typically flash-frozen after being harvested and sorted. This ensures that the fruits retain their freshness, taste and vast nutrient content for longer periods.

Unlike ordinary blueberries, wild blueberries are gathered at the peak of their ripeness, which is why they need to be consumed immediately or otherwise frozen to maintain their freshness.

Cultivated blueberries, on the other hand, are picked before they are ripe, so they can survive months-long transportation without going bad. Organic growers choose to sell cultivated blueberries fresh instead of frozen. In fact, nearly half of all cultivated blueberries grown in farms are sold as fresh blueberries.

In case you are wondering, wild blueberries naturally grow on a desolate plain known as the Barrens of Maine. There, lowbush (wild) blueberries are the predominant shrub. While many blueberry barrens in the state remain untouched, some barrens in Downeast Maine are now actively managed by independent, family-owned growers.

Wild blueberries have a sweet, mildly tart taste and come in a variety of colors, such as pink, dark blue and light or dark purple. They are also said to have one of the highest concentrations of antioxidant polyphenols among plant-based foods.

Naturally low in sugar, wild lowbush blueberries contain 30 percent less sugar than cultivated highbush blueberries and boast a low glycemic index score of 53. Wild blueberries are also a rich source of manganese, an important mineral for blood sugar control. These qualities make wild blueberries an excellent fruit to snack on for people who need to watch their sugar intake.

Wild blueberries also contain 72 percent more fiber than cultivated blueberries because they have a higher skin-to-pulp ratio. Fiber-rich foods are good for the heart as they can help lower blood cholesterol. Fiber consumption also supports healthy digestion and regular bowel movements and even helps regulate blood sugar.

Wild blueberries for healthy heart and brain functions

Upgrading your diet with the addition of wild blueberries can do wonders for your body, especially since it can improve nutrition. And if that’s not enough to convince you, a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that eating wild blueberries every day can help lower your blood pressure and enhance your brain function.

The aim of the study was to determine if the vascular and cognitive benefits associated with wild blueberries are linked to improved blood flow to the brain and blood vessel function. The researchers recruited 61 healthy adults aged 65 to 80 years and randomly gave them either a placebo or 26 grams (g) of freeze-dried wild blueberry powder containing approximately 302 milligrams (mg) of anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins are water-soluble plant pigments (polyphenols) that give many vegetables and fruits, including wild blueberries, their signature red, purple or blue color. Wild blueberries contain high amounts of anthocyanins, which have been shown to have antioxidant, anticancer, anti-diabetes, anti-obesity, neuroprotective and cardioprotective properties.

Blueberries are a potent superfood that offers many health benefits. Incorporate wild blueberries into your diet by adding them to nutritious smoothies, plain yogurt and salads; using them to make healthy desserts; making simple blueberry ice cubes; and sprinkling them on top of your favorite oatmeal or morning cereal. Food.news.

Josimar and his “Salsa Perucha” arrive in San Francisco

Group Puro Bandido

by Magdy Zara

As part of his 2024 tour, which includes several cities in the United States, Josimar and his band Yambu will soon perform in San Francisco.

Screenshot

Yosimar is a singer and composer, born in Lima, Peru, who showed singing abilities from a very young age.

Known as the king of “Salsa Perucha”, Yosimar and his Yambu, will present live all of his greatest hits, (with the same coin, the best of all, the adventurer, because a man does not cry, among others).

Josimar will be performing this Friday, July 26, at Roccapulco 3140 Mission Street; From 5pm. The entrance fee is $40

Latin Rock concert on the pier

What Latin rock lovers have been waiting for so much is finally coming true, and it is a concert that will feature the participation of 8 rock bands, who will play on two different stages.

Ozomatli - Wikipedia
Ozomatli

This will be the first edition of Latin Rock On The Dock, in which there will be food trucks, a full bar, and water stations for refillable bottles.

The attending bands will be: Ozamatli, Joe Bataan, Puro Bandido, Thee Sinseers, Dakila, The Band, Fuego Sagrado en Agosto and Los Cochinos.

This is a wonderful opportunity to be captivated by some of the most talented and passionate musicians on the Latin rock scene, who have put together a spectacular show.

The setting chosen for this show is California’s Vallejo, home of the former naval shipyard and now a picturesque waterside concert destination, located at 850 Nimitz Avenue, and will take place on July 27 starting at 2 p.m. Ticket prices range from $95 – $250.

San José will be the headquarters of the great Mariachi Festival

Mariachi Sol de México, Mariachi Azteca, among others, are part of the list of groups for the third edition of the Mariachi Festival in La Plaza, to be held in San José.

This festival is being organized by the School of Arts and Culture (SOAC) and embraces local talent by featuring Bay Area legends Mariachi Azteca along with other local mariachi groups on its stage.

The FDM goes beyond a simple mariachi concert; It is an enrichment for the community, as it also offers a variety of offerings, ranging from tasty food stalls, to refreshing beer options and local craft vendors.

Edgar Ochoa, Director of Community Engagement, mentioned that “We are very proud of the caliber of our event and its ability to highlight talents both local and far away. At the Plaza, every seat is good and we look forward to welcoming guests of all ages to enjoy the beauty of mariachi music.”

The FDM will take place next Saturday, July 27, starting at 6 p.m., at the School of Arts and Culture in the Plaza de la Herencia Mexicana, located at 1700 Alum Rock Ave San José, the price of Tickets range from $25 to $60.

70 years after her death, Frida Khalo continues to inspire world culture

by Zurellys Villegas

On July 13, 1954, the flame of one of the most emblematic and relevant artists in Mexico and the world went out: Frida Khalo. 70 years after her physical death, her cultural and artistic legacy continues to resonate strongly and inspire new generations as she is positioned as an icon of global culture.

Fiestas Fridas celebrated Frida Kahlo’s celestial passing on Saturday, July 13 with the documentary, “The Life and Death of Frida Kahlo,” at the La Plazita community building in Oakland, California.

Despite being an artist deeply rooted in her Mexican culture, Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo Calderón also left an indelible mark on American culture. In 1930, the Mexican artist arrived in San Francisco with her husband Diego Rivera, who had been commissioned to do some murals in the city.

In 1931, still in San Francisco, the outstanding artist feels inspired to paint one of her greatest works: The Portrait of Luther Burbank. This work depicts Burbank, the scientist and horticulturist renowned for growing unusual hybrids of fruits and vegetables, such as the duality of life and death, one of Khalo’s recurring themes.

Burbank dies in 1926 and is buried under a tree at his home in California, so many analysts and experts claim that the representation of the man rooted to a decomposing corpse underground comes directly from Khalo’s Mexican origin. In Mexican culture, some believe that when human beings die they move to plants and animals.

The Portrait of Luther Burbank, painted in 1931 in San Francisco, can now be seen in the Dolores Olmedo Museum in Mexico and represents themes of duality typical of the work of the Mexican cultural icon.

The great Mexican artist also visited New York, Philadelphia and Detroit. In one brief instance, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera visited Philadelphia to attend the premiere of the symphonic ballet “Horse Power,” a collaboration with Mexican composer Carlos Chávez, for which Rivera designed the sets and costumes.

In 1932, the author of ‘What Water Gave Me’ moved to the city of Detroit with Diego Rivera. There, the elephant and the dove, as her friends and acquaintances called them, remained until 1933.

For the first time, Frida exhibited individually in New York in 1938. The Julien Levy gallery in that city was the setting for her to sell several of her works and receive very good reviews in the media.

This exhibition served as a precedent for the artist to exhibit her works at the Pierre Colle gallery in Paris. In 1939, Frida crossed the Atlantic for the only time to expand her artistic horizon, reaching important galleries and museums that recorded her history in art.

Her only exhibition in Mexico would come a few years later. In 1953, the photographer Lola Álvarez Bravo organized the exhibition to which the painter attended the opening carried on a stretcher due to her delicate state of health.

Frida Khalo marries Diego Rivera for the second time in San Francisco

After several infidelities, Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera finally divorced, but their separation would only last a year because in 1940 they decided to marry again in the city of San Francisco, California. At the end of that year they remarried and then returned to Mexico until the illness “locked” the painter in her Blue House, located in Coyoacán, until just a few days after her 47th birthday.

Frida’s works came from Mexico and her artistic work revolutionized culture, not only through her painting, but also with her foray into politics at an early age, her sexual freedom, even the accident and illnesses that marked her life. and history.

Today, 70 years after her death, Frida Kahlo’s name is found everywhere. It is impossible not to include her art in the list of the most important and recognized painters of all time.

With reports from fridakahlo.org, kahlo.org

Feds fine bank $20 million for illegal car insurance practices

by Suzanne Potter

Fifth Third Bank just agreed to pay a $20 million fine to settle charges it forced car buyers to purchase unnecessary insurance and created fake accounts in customers’ names.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said the bank required customers with car loans to buy insurance, even if they already had coverage or got their own within 30 days.

Rosemary Shahan, president of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, said some customers then could not afford the payments.

“There were about 1,000 consumers who had their cars repossessed,” Shahan recounted. “Most people rely on their car to get to and from work, and get their kids to school, and get to medical appointments. So that is really devastating when they lose their car.”

In a statement, Fifth Third Bank said it shut down the protection insurance program in 2019 and is taking action to set things right. The money from the fine will go to a fund to reimburse 35,000 customers who were harmed. The court order also bans the company from setting employee sales goals incentivizing fraudulently opening accounts.

Shahan pointed out car dealers sometimes make verbal promises differing from the written contract or fail to even print out the financing paperwork. She wants people to know they cannot be required to buy insurance if they already have coverage.

“The best way to avoid all these scams is join a credit union, get your own financing, and deal with a reputable bank,” Shahan recommended. “Don’t let the dealer get financing for you.”

In 2015, Fifth Third Bank was ordered to pay more than $21 million in fines for discriminatory auto loan pricing and for illegal credit card practices.

Disclosure: Californians for Safety and Justice contributes to our fund for reporting on Criminal Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here: https://www.publicnewsservice.org/dn1.php

López Obrador says stricter gun control ‘urgently needed’ in U.S.

President López Obrador also revealed in his remarks Tuesday a lesser-known detail of his longstanding warm relationship with Trump: when AMLO contracted COVID, he says Trump called him and sent him a packet of medicine, which AMLO said was a kindness he appreciated. -- (Cuartoscuro)

by the El Reportero‘s wire services

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Tuesday that gun control is urgently needed in the United States, and suggested that U.S. President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump should both pledge to impose greater regulations on the sale of firearms.

His remarks on U.S. gun control policies at his morning press conference came in response to a question about the assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday and the 20-year-old shooter’s ease of access to guns.

“I believe that controlling the sale of guns in the United States would help a lot,” López Obrador said. “It’s something that needs to be done urgently.”

López Obrador also said that if “the two candidates” for the United States presidency were to sign “a commitment to regulate the sale of guns” should they win a second term, it “would be a well-regarded act by Americans.”

“It would be an act of good faith in the quest for unity and peace, a first step,” he said.

AMLO added that “other causes” of gun violence in the U.S. have to be addressed as well “because this is a social crisis.”

“It has to be combatted, they have to get to the bottom of it, they have to return to the morals of the founders of that great nation. I believe that … [those morals] have been lost, and there is social decay,” he said.

López Obrador said that about 50,000 guns have been seized by authorities in Mexico since he took office in late 2018, and highlighted that “approximately 75%” of them were smuggled into the country from the United States.

extremely rare in Mexico, targeted killings occur regularly, including in bars, and overall homicide numbers are significantly higher than in the U.S.

Political violence is also a major problem in Mexico.

The majority of homicides in Mexico are committed with firearms illegally brought into Mexico from the United States, a crime the Mexican government wants its U.S. counterpart to do more to combat.

In addition to advocating stricter gun control in the United States, López Obrador on Tuesday once again expressed relief that Trump wasn’t killed when a gunman shot at him as he spoke at a rally on Saturday evening.

“We feel good that nothing happened to former president Trump,” he said before acknowledging the “friendship” he and his government have with the 78-year-old Republican currently vying to return to the White House for a second term.

“I won’t forget that when I got COVID on one occasion he called me and sent me a packet of medicine. … I was already being treated, so I turned it over to the nutrition institute,” he said, referring to the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition.

“He was no longer president, but he demonstrated that kindness,” López Obrador said.

The Assassination Attempt of Donald J. Trump

EDITOR’S NOTE:

The content of this article does not represent the views of El Reportero or its staff, it is the opinion of the author.

Paul Craig Roberts

by Paul Craig Roberts

Some say that it is too early to know what explains Trump’s near assassination. However, a good case can be made that we already know all we will ever know. The passage of time simply allows official narratives to be constructed, and they are used to muddy the waters.

I support the calls for an official investigation, but government investigations are always coverups. Think the Warren Commission Report, the 9/11 Commission Report, the NISH Report. If there is an investigation, nothing will come of it, and if by chance it does the presstitutes won’t report it.

We have all the information we need to form an opinion. Earlier I wrote that we have three choices of explanation for which there is evidence. But two of the explanations merge into one. The withholding by the foreign-born director of the Department of Homeland Security of adequate Secret Service resources from the Trump campaign can be merged into the incompetence explanation. So we have two choices, both supported by evidence or circumstantial evidence: Secret Service incompetence and a pose of incompetence to coverup an organized assassination.

The most certain fact we have is that despite the protective presence of the Secret Service and local police, Donald Trump was nearly killed, one person was killed, and two were seriously injured.

None of the shooting was prevented by the Secret Service and local police, who went into action only after Trump was down and presumably dead.

So what we have is the total failure of the Secret Service. What can explain such total failure? Some say the sacrifice of professional competence to diversity and inclusion. And there is evidence for this. The Biden regime is yet to make a single appointment based on merit and ability. All appointments have been made on a race, gender, and sexual preference basis. Secret Service professionals have complained of these non-professional appointments and pointed out that the competence of the agency has been compromised by “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

The reason aside, whether incompetence or complicity, clearly the Secret Service director failed. She failed to protect Trump, and if it was an official assassination, she failed to eliminate the target. So, will she resign? Of course not. She will be promoted to some higher office exactly as all were who failed to prevent the 9/11 attack on the US.

Let’s look at some of the indications that incompetence is a cover for a plot to assassinate Trump. The first thing that struck me was the unprotected roof tops of the buildings. As a former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury from the days when the Secret Service reported to Treasury Assistant Secretaries, this struck me as inconceivable.

I also found it inconceivable that a person carrying a rifle could appear in a protected area and climb upon a building with a clear shot at an allegedly protected person and not be accosted.

Initially, we were told that the buildings had, somehow, escaped the protected zone. But later we learned, for what it is worth, that the building with the assassin on top was occupied by police or Secret Service forces. How is it possible that the assassin was not seen and apprehended?

We do know that the Secret Service was complicit in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, thus depriving America of an educated and aware leadership. https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2024/07/17/the-cias-assassination-plots/

We do know from the civil case the Martin Luther King family won that the official account of Martin Luther King’s assassination is a cover up of what seems to have been a FBI operation.

So many books have been written by insiders documenting the CIA’s assassination of foreign leaders who took a different line from the line that Washington insisted on imposing that we have hard evidence that Washington uses brute force to enforce Washington’s agenda.

With the Disunited States–the blue and the red–more divided than the division caused by the North’s determination to impose a tariff regime at the expense of the South, Trump’s notion that he can achieve unity is a fantasy.

There is no possibility of unity. Good and evil cannot be unified.

Trump’s responsibility, assuming a second and a third assassination attempt does not succeed, is to root out the evil in Democrat hands, in liberal-left hands, in intellectual hands, that has turned the United States of America into a Sodom and Gomorrah Tower of Babel.

Trump cannot raise his fist and say “fight, fight, fight,” and then compromise with his and our enemies to unite Americans with evil.

The one thing that keeps me from being convinced that the attempted assassination was a deep state plot to rid themselves of Trump is the absence of a pre-prepared narrative to be repeated endlessly by the presstitutes. However, the official narrative might have been prepared to cover a successful assassination, not a failed one. Therefore, there is no ready narrative. It will be interesting to see what narrative the ruling elites construct.

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