'Dialogue will prevail': Mexico's president on Trump's return

01/13/25 11:26 AM

by Arturo ILIZALITURRI / Samir TOUNSIMexican president Claudia Sheinbaum said Sunday she expected "good" relations marked by "dialogue" with US President-elect Donald Trump when he returns to the White House in a week.In a speech to mark her first 100 days in office, Mexico's first female president stressed that her country, which is in Trump's sights over illegal migration and drug trafficking, was "free, independent and sovereign.""We coordinate, we collaborate, but we never subordinate ourselves" to other powers, the 62-year-old leftist president told thousands of supporters at a rally in Mexico City.Sheinbaum's early days in office have been dominated by a war of words with Trump.On Sunday, however, she said she was "convinced" their relations would be "good, respectful and that dialogue will prevail."Sheinbaum's mix of firmness and diplomacy in the face of the Republican's attacks have boosted her popularity.An Enkoll opinion poll showed a staggering 80 percent of Mexicans approving of her performance so far, higher than her popular predecessor and mentor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.Trump unleashed deep concern in both Mexico and Canada in November when he threatened to impose tariffs of 25 percent on all imports from both countries over their alleged failure to halt the flow of migrants and drugs into the United States.Mexico's government said that some 400,000 jobs at US companies that manufacture in Mexico could be lost if Trump enacted his threat, and warned that the tariffs would also drive up US inflation.On Sunday, Sheinbaum insisted that Mexican migrants north of the border "contribute more to the economy of the United States" than to that of Mexico, which last year received nearly $65 billion in remittances from US-based Mexicans, according to official figures.But the former Mexico City mayor has also made overtures to Trump.During telephone talks, she assured him of Mexico's efforts to prevent caravans of migrants from Central America reaching the United States across the Mexican border.Mexican authorities have also carried out record seizures of fentanyl -- the powerful opioid linked to tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the United States -- since the row began.Trump has nonetheless continued to take aim at the United States' southern neighbor, vowing to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America."Sheinbaum responded in kind this week, with a sarcastic suggestion to revive a 17th-century label for North America: "Mexican America."© Agence France-Presse

'It will never end': Dem condemns House speaker's desire for 'conditions' on CA fire aid

01/13/25 9:51 PM

Florida Democrat Rep. Jared Moskowitz called out House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-LA) assertion that he wants "conditions" put on federal aid to the blue state of California.Johnson told CNN's Manu Raju on Monday, "Obviously, there's been water resource mismanagement, forest management mistakes, all sorts of problems. And it does come down to leadership. And it appears to us that state and local leaders were derelict in their duty in many respects, so that's something that has to be factored in."Johnson added, "I think there should probably be conditions on that aid. That's my personal view, we'll see what the consensus is."Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump, have been deeply critical of Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D-CA) handling of the blazes that have reportedly killed 24 people and destroyed or damaged an estimated "12,000 houses, businesses, schools and other structures."ALSO READ: Fox News has blood on its hands as Trump twists the knifeMoskowitz warned Johnson on social media that the tit-for-tat of involving politics in allocating relief aid would have dire consequences."This is a Mistake. If you start this, it will never end. When Dems retake the House, they will condition aid to Florida and Texas. Disaster Aid must stay non partisan. I would fight democrats should they try and do this. The Speaker can find many other ways to hold people accountable."Politico reported Monday that a "group of House Republicans and President-elect Donald Trump talked about tying wildfire aid to a debt ceiling increase Sunday night, as the fires spreading across huge swaths of Los Angeles are estimated to become one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history."Johnson was not present at the Mar-a-Lago dinner where the debt ceiling increase was reportedly discussed, but he was asked about the possibility by Raju."There's some discussion about that but we'll we where it goes," Johnson answered.Watch the clip below or at this link.

'Not funny anymore': Trump backed off Canada when Trudeau suggested trading California

01/12/25 6:50 PM

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed that President-elect Donald Trump lost interest in making Canada the 51st state when he suggested trading parts of the country for Vermont or California.During a Sunday interview with MSNBC, Trudeau recalled a recent conversation with Trump."It actually sort of came up at one point, and then we started musing back and forth about this," Trudeau recalled regarding the idea of annexing Canada.ALSO READ: Trump intel advisor Devin Nunes still dismisses Russian election meddling as a 'hoax'"And when I started to suggest, well, maybe there could be a trade for Vermont or California for certain parts, he immediately decided that it was not that funny anymore, and we moved on to a different conversation," he added.Watch the video below from MSNBC or at the link.