Press Review of the Americas

Headlines: Sentencing in connection with the assault on the Capitol

Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers militia, was convicted of "sedition" for his role in storming the Capitol. © AP News

Text by: Stefanie Schüler Follow

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Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right Oath Keepers militia, was sentenced to 18 years in prison. He was convicted of seditious conspiracy," USA Today reports. The newspaper recalls that this "charge is extremely rare and that it dates from the time of the civil war". More militia members will be sentenced in the coming days, Politico warns

Towards an agreement to raise the US debt ceiling

Predictably, the Biden administration and Republican elected officials now appear to be moving toward a compromise to raise the debt ceiling and avoid default. According to several newspapers, including the New York Times, the agreement "would raise the debt ceiling for two years, which is what the White House is demanding. In return, the Republicans would obtain a limit on federal spending except for those allocated to the military and veterans." Joe Biden asked congressional lawmakers to be "ready to vote as soon as the final agreement is reached."

Ecuador: Early general elections on 20 August 2023

In Ecuador, after conservative President Guillermo Lasso's decision last week to dissolve the unicameral parliament where the left has a majority and put its own mandate at stake, the National Electoral Council has announced a date: August 20 and the election campaign is already tense.

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How to hold party primaries in less than a week? " asks El Comercio, who fears that the very short time before the early elections will further reinforce the fragmentation of a political class already unable to build alliances.

For its part, El Universobelieves that the limited duration of this express electoral campaign "does not matter". Because, "in Ecuador, voters tend to vote for a strong man capable of capturing the media spotlight by formulating a program that holds in three points maximum, not for ideas of funds," says the editorialist. The daily is hardly optimistic: "This will not solve our inability to find political compromises to achieve a stable majority. We are a country without visions, and these early elections will not change that."

A point of view that does not share the editorialist of La Hora. For the newspaper, the outgoing president has not said his last word. Guillermo Lasso hammered this Thursday that he did not cling to his post. "My recent decisions have shown that I am really ready to give up power, especially when it comes to protecting democracy in Ecuador," the Ecuadorian head of state said. "For the moment, Guillermo Lasso has not announced if he is a candidate," says La Hora. "But during the many crises he has faced, the president has been far more resilient than his opponents had assumed."

Cuba bans all independent media

The Cuban Parliament yesterday passed a law banning all independent media. The Cuban president, quoted by the official Granma organ, explained that this new law was necessary to prevent "subversion". Miguel Díaz-Canel has called the independent media "mercenaries" whose legitimacy will not be recognized by his government. As a reminder, journalists in these media outlets critical of the government are constantly under pressure. Many had to go into exile abroad.

Caricom launches mediation attempt to end Haiti crisis

The information is on the front page of Le Nouvelliste this morning. The regional organization mandated three former prime ministers of the Bahamas, Saint Lucia and Jamaica to send invitations to members of the Haitian government, leaders of several opposition parties, as well as leading civil society and business organizations for a June 11-13 meeting.

This meeting is to be held in Jamaica and the invitation contains, according to information from Le Nouvelliste, a kind of "roadmap" that should guide the discussions. This agenda includes "the necessary measures of interim governance", the conditions for the holding of general elections, "which will of course include the issue of security" and finally "fundamental reforms" that should be put in place "to ensure that the current crisis does not recur. ». The daily contacted several Haitian personalities who had received this invitation. None has yet firmly confirmed its participation in this meeting.

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  • Press review
  • United States
  • Joe Biden
  • Ecuador
  • Cuba
  • Haiti