What’s behind the rise in political violence in Mexico?
Election campaign marred by assassinations of dozens of candidates. Dozens of candidates have been killed ahead of Mexico’s general election amid surging political violence. Dozens of public servants, party members and politicians across the country have also been attacked ahead of the June 2 election, which will see almost 100 million Mexicans eligible to cast a ballot in the country’s largest vote. Outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has expanded the military and the role it plays in society. He pledged to crack down on corruption and organised crime. Have his policies improved the lives of Mexicans? And what problems will his successor inherit? Presenter: Cyril Vanier Guests: Carlos Bravo Regidor – Political analyst Maureen Meyer – Vice president of programs at the Washington Office on Latin America, an NGO Falko Ernst – Senior analyst on Mexico at the International Crisis Group Adblock test (Why?)
Biden honors late son Beau in somber Memorial Day message: ‘The hurt is still real’
President Biden on Monday invoked the memory of his late son, Beau Biden, while addressing an audience at Arlington National Cemetery for a Memorial Day ceremony. Sharing the pain of those whose family members have died in service, Biden noted this week marks nine years since he lost his son Beau, who served in Iraq and later died from brain cancer that the president attributes to his time stationed near toxic burn pits. Still, the president was careful to draw a distinction between the loss of his son and those who lost loved ones on the battlefield. “Our losses are not the same. He didn’t perish on the battlefield. He was a cancer victim from a consequence of being in the army in Iraq for a year next to a burn pit. A major of the U.S. National Army, National Guard, living and working, like too many, besides that toxic burn pit,” Biden said. The president told the audience: “As it is for so many of you, the pain of his loss is with me every day as it is with you. Still sharp. Still clear. But so is the pride I feel in this service, as if I can still hear him saying, ‘It’s my duty, dad. It’s my duty. That was the code of my son. Live by the creed. All of you live by the creed.” REPS. ILHAN OMAR, CORI BUSH MIX UP MEMORIAL DAY WITH VETERANS DAY IN SINCE-DELETED POSTS ON X A major in the Delaware Army National Guard, Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015 at the Walter Reed military hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. Reactions to Biden’s speech on X were mixed. One user described his speech as a “heart-wrenching display of empathy and understanding.” Others accused the president of making this “all about himself again.” Biden has on numerous occasions claimed that his son died on the battlefield in Iraq, including while speaking to Marines stationed in Japan, and during a 2022 speech in Colorado. Biden began the day hosting a breakfast at the White House for administration officials, military leaders, veterans, and Gold Star family members. Joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Biden placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before the ceremony began. Biden touted the VA’s achievements last year for having delivered “more benefits and processed more claims than ever in our history.” He credited the PACT Act, which grants automatic coverage for certain health conditions suffered by veterans exposed to toxic substances such as burn pits or Agent Orange. “For too long after fighting for our nation, these veterans had to fight to get the right health care, to get the benefits they had earned, not anymore,” he said.
US agency identifies 3 soldiers who went missing during their service
On Memorial Day, Americans honor those who sacrificed their lives for our country. Many of the families of those who went missing in action have not had the full opportunity to say goodbye to their loved ones. The Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency is working to change that. “It really is a fulfillment of a promise made to service members who we send off to combat and did not come home,” said Kelly McKeague, the agency’s director. AMERICAN WORLD WAR II HEROES ADOPTED IN ‘FACES OF MARGRATEN’ PROJECT BY ‘GRATEFUL’ DUTCH PEOPLE More than 2.2 million airmen served in World War II, according to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Of those, 355 were Tuskegee Airmen who served overseas. “It’s a storied unit, segregated unit that just did heroic things in World War II,” McKeague said. 2nd Lt. Fred Brewer was one of 27 Tuskegee Airmen who previously was thought to be missing in action. The 23-year-old was the second from the unit to be identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. In October 1944, Brewer had departed from Ramitelli air base in Italy alongside 57 other fighters assigned to escort bombers to Regensburg, Germany. Brewer had attempted to climb above thick cloud cover when his engine stalled. He was thought to have crashed near Moggio Udinese, Italy. The story of what happened after the crash wouldn’t begin to come together until more than 70 years later. “It happened almost serendipitously. It happened because an Italian villager took remnants of his plane back in the 1940s, built a memorial that one of our historians correlated to a set of remains that was moved from a German cemetery to an Italian cemetery, eventually to an American cemetery, where we disinterred the unknown remains of Lt. Brewer,” McKeague said. MASSACHUSETTS SAILOR KILLED AT PEARL HARBOR FINALLY GETS PROPER BURIAL AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY In December, Brewer was given a proper burial and laid to rest in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. “These are cases that weren’t able to be resolved after the wars. And so here we are with our historians, our scientists, searching, finding and then hopefully identifying,” McKeague said. The Moggese Historical Photographic Archive in Italy says a ceremony will be held for Brewer in October, near the Italian town where he died. “It’s our ability to use historical references and research scientific technologies to hopefully put a name and a face to a set of remains and return them to their family,” McKeague said. Last Memorial Day, a funeral was held for Korean Medal of Honor recipient Army Cpl. Luther Story after the agency identified his remains. In late 1950, at just 19 years old, Story gave his life defending against enemy soldiers so that his comrades could escape. “During the withdrawal the company was attacked by such superior numbers that it was forced to deploy in a rice field,” Story’s Medal of Honor inscription reads. “Realizing that his wounds would hamper his comrades, he refused to retire to the next position but remained to cover the company’s withdrawal. When last seen he was firing every weapon available and fighting off another hostile assault.” Story was just 16 years old when he enlisted in the Army; he convinced his mother to forge his paperwork. “At 19, he does that valor, that heroic action, thereby allowing his unit to escape to safety,” McKeague said. Story was born in Georgia to sharecroppers who worked at various farms in the middle part of the state. One of the farms they worked at belonged to former President Carter’s father. AMERICAN WORLD WAR II HEROES ADOPTED IN ‘FACES OF MARGRATEN’ PROJECT BY ‘GRATEFUL’ DUTCH PEOPLE Carter had started hospice care when Story was identified in April 2023 and was told Story would be returning to the U.S. “When he was told that Luther Story was coming home. He just got the biggest smile and said, ‘I remember that young man,’” McKeague said. Active wars make it difficult to immediately identify those killed in action. As conflicts wind down, investigators must work through environmental factors and foreign governments. “Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are very challenging. The acidic soil degrades remains, almost destroys them, and oftentimes our teams are only finding teeth,” McKeague said. AMERICAN WORLD WAR II HEROES ADOPTED IN ‘FACES OF MARGRATEN’ PROJECT BY ‘GRATEFUL’ DUTCH PEOPLE Air Force Col. Ernest De Soto, 37, flew an F-4D Phantom II during the Vietnam War. “He was born from San Francisco. He was a phenomenal athlete, had a partial scholarship to Stanford. His parents could not afford Stanford, so he enlisted in the Air Force,” McKeague said. “[He] qualifies to go to pilot training, becomes a fighter pilot, finds himself in Vietnam.” He was last seen in 1969. His plane went missing as he was returning from a canceled strike mission near Quang Nam Province. The lead aircraft in his unit noticed De Soto was not in sight and immediately began an aerial search without success. Teams were unable to search the ground because of the ongoing fighting. In 1995, a Joint Field Activity team located the crash site in the Giang District. Investigations at the site continued until 2020. After a recovery mission and further DNA testing, De Soto was finally accounted for in March 2023. “In the case of Col. De Soto, we just had to keep sending teams back to either investigate the site, excavate the site,” McKeague said. “Especially with these aircraft losses oftentimes coming off of radar, no one knows the last known location. And so really it’s almost rolling the dice in some cases.” There are still 72,000 soldiers missing from World War II, 7,500 from Korea and 1,500 from Vietnam. Of those 81,000, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency believes 38,000 will be recoverable. “Every single one has a unique story to it,” McKeague said. “Whether it’s Lt. Brewer, whether it’s Cpl. Story, or in the case of Col. De Soto.”
Trump makes endorsement in race to unseat top Democratic senator
Former President Donald Trump weighed in with his important endorsement in the crowded Virginia Republican Senate race, giving the nod to retired Navy Capt. Hung Cao. “A Combat Veteran and Highly Decorated Special Operations Officer, Hung Cao will be a tireless fighter to stop inflation, grow our Economy, secure our Border, strong support our incredible Military/Vets, and defend our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump said on own social media platform, Truth Social, on Sunday. “Hung Cao has my Complete and Total Endorsement.” Cao is one of five Republicans vying to take out incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., in Virginia, a solidly Democratic state that elected Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2021. TRUMP MAKES MAJOR ENDORSEMENT IN CRUCIAL SENATE RACE IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE The Navy veteran’s most formidable opposition in the race is likely Club for Growth Vice President of Government Affairs Scott Parkinson, according to a report from the Washington Post, which noted the former adviser to Florida Gov. and former Trump primary rival Ron DeSantis has raised the second most money among GOP contenders so far. Rounding out the field of Republicans is attorney and author Jonathan Emord, lawyer Chuck Smith and business owner Eddie Garcia. Cao, who in 2022 ran an unsuccessful campaign in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, has far outpaced his rivals in fundraising so far, bringing over $2 million, more than double the $841,000 raised by Parkinson. FIRST ON FOX: MCCORMICK SHOWCASES MAJOR FUNDRAISING HAUL IN KEY SENATE SHOWDOWN Despite Cao’s impressive fundraising haul, the Republican challenger stands far behind the incumbent Kaine, who has raised $13 million since 2019. Kaine is also running unopposed in the Democratic primary. Complicating matters for Cao are significant political headwinds, with the Cook Political Report rating the seat a “Solid D,” signaling strength for the former Hillary Clinton running mate. Virginia was also won handily by President Biden, who beat Trump by 10 points in the 2020 presidential race in Virginia. Cao, who came to the United States as a Vietnamese refugee at the age of four, said he is “honored” to receive the support of the former president as he looks to fend off his GOP rivals. “I’m honored to receive an endorsement from the 45th and 47th President of the United States Donald Trump!” Cao said in a statement on X. Virginia is set to hold its Republican Senate primary on June 18.
Biden visits daughter-in-law’s home ahead of her expected testimony in Hunter Biden trial
President Biden paid a visit to his daughter-in-law’s home Sunday night, days before the ninth anniversary of the death of his son Beau Biden, who was her husband. The president’s brief visit to Hallie Biden’s home also comes before she is expected to testify as a witness in Hunter Biden’s gun crime trial next month. The first son is charged with making false statements on a federal form when purchasing a firearm in 2018. A source with knowledge of the Oct. 23, 2018, police report told Fox News that it indicated that Hallie, who was in a relationship with Hunter at the time, threw a gun owned by Hunter Biden in a dumpster behind a market near a school. She is likely to be required to testify in the upcoming trial. HUNTER BIDEN PRETRIAL HEARING ON GUN CHARGES SET FOR FRIDAY IN DELAWARE A reporter for NBC News faced heavy criticism for pointing out her connection to the trial on social media. Biden allies argued there was nothing inappropriate about the visit. The court in Hunter Biden’s case met for its final hearing before jury selection begins on June 3. Fox News has previously reported that prosecutors planned to use portions of his book and laptop, including photos, to convince a jury that the first son is guilty of making false statements on a federal form when he purchased a revolver in 2018, while actively using narcotics. Biden has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Judge Maryellen Noreika said Special Counsel David Weiss must show Hunter Biden was addicted to drugs, but not necessarily using drugs the day he purchased the gun. In court documents, Hunter Biden’s defense attorneys asked the court to block certain salacious details of his life from being shown to the jury to avoid “significant risk of unfair prejudice.” IRS WHISTLEBLOWER SHAPLEY SAID HE ‘COULD NO LONGER PURSUE’ HUNTER BIDEN SUGAR BROTHER KEVIN MORRIS DUE TO CIA In what is called a “motion in limine,” Hunter Biden asked the court “to exclude reference to the child support proceedings in Arkansas and reference to his discharge from the Navy.” This is in reference to the child he fathered out-of-wedlock with ex-stripper Lunden Roberts, whose daughter is President Biden’s grandchild. Acknowledging that some of the evidence prosecutors wish to bring forward may be relevant to the case, including purported drug purchases, ATM withdrawals and the purchase of the revolver, Hunter Biden’s lawyers said other details like references to money allegedly spent on “adult entertainment, online chat rooms, or escort services are not relevant to the charges.” Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report
Haryana heatwave: Schools reschedule summer vacations, know dates, details here
All state-wide educational institutions are impacted by this decision, which also requires school closures during this time. To guarantee that students’ learning continues, teachers are to assign holiday homework to students by May 27.
Meet Dalveer Bhandari, Indian judge at ICJ, who supported order against Israel
Justice Dalveer Bhandari has been a member of ICJ since April 2012.
Bill and Hillary Clinton to host exclusive Biden dinner fundraiser
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will host an exclusive fundraising dinner for President Biden in Virginia next month. The June 18 event is being hosted by former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, and will come just days after another fundraiser in Los Angeles that will feature President Barack Obama in addition to Biden and Clinton. That event is being hosted by actor George Clooney. The multi-president fundraising strategy has proven successful in the past, with Biden outraising former President Trump in the 2024 cycle, according to Open Secrets. A similar program in New York raked in $26 million in a single night in New York. Biden is facing pressure to maintain that lead, however, as Trump’s campaign received $76 million in donations in April, compared to the Biden campaign’s $51 million. THE BLUE STATES TRUMP AIMS TO FLIP RED IN HIS 2024 REMATCH WITH BIDEN The fundraising totals were a switch from March, when Biden and the DNC brought in roughly $90 million compared to $65.6 million for Trump and the RNC. Biden is still beating Trump when it comes to cash on hand, with his campaign and related committees sitting on $192 million. WARNING SIGNS FOR TRUMP AND BIDEN AS THEY CAREEN TOWARDS FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE Biden had regularly been outpacing Trump in monthly fundraising, but Trump’s April haul was boosted by a record-setting $50.5 million that the former president’s campaign raked in at a single event early in the month with top dollar GOP donors at the Palm Beach, Florida, home of billionaire investor John Paulson. The Biden campaign has spotlighted its small dollar donations, saying “a majority of April’s raise came from grassroots donors, and one million more supporters were added to our email list in the month alone.” NEW REVELATIONS IN FLORIDA DOCUMENTS TRIAL PUT TRUMP ON OFFENSE AGAINST ‘DERANGED’ SPECIAL COUNSEL They also took aim at Trump, arguing that his campaign “has focused nearly entirely on courting billionaire donors, maxing out early in the cycle instead of building a durable grassroots fundraising program.” In their announcement earlier this month, Trump campaign senior advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles pointed to their grassroots fundraising prowess, saying that “with half of funds raised coming from small dollar donors, it is clear that our base is energized.” And they pledged that “we are raising the resources necessary to deliver a victory in November.”
Potential Trump running mate Tom Cotton took hard look at 2024 run, but being a father came first
Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas is in the Trump running mate spotlight. The Army veteran, who served in combat in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars before becoming a rising star in Republican Party politics, has been viewed as a potential running mate since he endorsed the former president in early January, two weeks ahead of the Iowa caucuses. But a report last week that Cotton may be moving up on Trump’s list for the GOP’s vice presidential nominee sparked a slew of stories in recent days about the senator. Rarely mentioned was that Cotton seriously mulled a 2024 White House run of his own before deciding against it in late 2022. NEW CONTENDER ON TRUMP’S LIST OF POTENTIAL RUNNING MATES? Cotton, who won re-election by a landslide in the 2020 Senate election in red-state Arkansas, spent plenty of time in 2021 and 2022 on the campaign trail on behalf of fellow Republicans running in the midterm elections. And those trips brought the senator multiple times to Iowa and New Hampshire, which for a half century have led off the GOP’s presidential nominating calendar. The senator also bolstered his fundraising and political operation, and expanded his national profile with a book on military history. WATCH WHAT SEN. TOM COTTON HAS TO SAY ABOUT SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ALITO FLAG CONTROVERSY But days before the 2022 midterms, Cotton announced he wouldn’t run for the White House in 2024. And in his first interview after announcing his decision, the senator emphasized why he didn’t run. “Family was really the only consideration,” he told Fox News Digital. The now-47-year-old senator and his wife Anna are the parents of two young boys. “My boys are age 7 and 5. They’re old enough to know that dad’s gone and be sad about it, but not old enough to understand the purpose and why it all matters and why the sacrifice is worth it,” Cotton said at the time. “I am pretty sure Republican voters can find another nominee, but I know that my sons can’t find another dad for the next two years.” The senator added that “over the next two years my 7-year-old will learn to hit the fastball and my 5-year-old will learn to read, and I want to be there to teach them both.” 2024 WILDCARD: COULD TRUMP CRIMINAL TRIAL VERDICT ROCK THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION? But Cotton left the door wide open to a future White House run, emphasizing, “this is a decision only about this 2024 race and this time for my family. We’ll make a decision about future races in the future, especially as my boys get older and understand more about why I do the work I do and what it means for them and for our country.” And he also said at the time that he’d consider serving in a GOP administration. “Under the right circumstances, if a Republican president asked me to consider such a job, I’d of course consider it any time a president asks one to serve the nation,” Cotton said. Fast-forward nearly two years and Cotton told Fox News’ Brett Baier last week that he and Trump have had a few conversations “about what it’s going to take to win this election in November, to elect President Trump to another term in the White House and elect a Republican Congress so we can begin to repair the damage that Joe Biden’s presidency has inflicted on this country.” But the senator said that neither Trump nor his campaign had reached out to him regarding serving as running mate. “I suspect only Donald Trump knows who’s really on his short list,” Cotton added in his interview on Fox News’ “Special Report.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Weather update: IMD predicts monsoon to hit Kerala in 5 days, severe heat wave in Delhi till this date; check
The southwest monsoon, as predicted by IMD, is likely to hit Kerala on May 31, a day before the normal date of June 1. Kerala is currently witnessing pre-monsoon rains.