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Election certification delays few, but a ‘test run’ for 2024

Por
Associated Press
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A man protests outside the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors auditorium prior to the board's general election canvass meeting, Nov. 28, 2022, in Phoenix. Worries that rogue county officials could undermine election results by refusing to certify them have lessened significantly in the wake of the midterms, with a lone Arizona county as the exception. Still, baseless attacks on the accuracy of the election by Republican county officials and angry members of the public already are raising concerns about for 2024, when local commissions will be asked to certify the results in a presidential race. (Photo: AP/Matt York/File)

Before November, election officials prepared for the possibility that Republicans who embraced former President Donald Trump’s lies about voter fraud would challenge the verdict of voters by refusing to certify the midterm results.

Three weeks after the end of voting, such challenges are playing out in just two states, Arizona and Pennsylvania, where Democrats won the marquee races for governor and Senate.

Legal experts predict the bids are doomed because local governmental agencies typically don’t have the option to vote against certifying the results of their elections. But experts also say the delays are a signal that the United States must brace itself for similar disruptions in the next presidential contest.

“It is one of the few places where election deniers have a lever of power,” Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, said of the local political authorities responsible for certifying election results in most states. “It’s a good test run for 2024, showing state courts they’re going to have to step in.”

For now, the certification delay in a smattering of rural counties in just two states reflects the limited ability of election conspiracy theorists to disrupt the midterms. One rural Arizona county has drawn court challenges after its refusal to certify, but a second one that was flirting with blocking certification backed off amid legal threats.

In Pennsylvania, a handful of the state’s 67 counties have delayed certification because of recounts demanded by local conspiracy theorists in scattered precincts. But in most states, certification has gone smoothly.

“Before Election Day, I thought Republicans would exploit the certification process to undermine election results,” said Marc Elias, a Democratic lawyer who has sued to compel the lone Arizona county to certify.

That there’s only one county delaying so far in that important battleground state, where Republican candidates who denied Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential race ran unsuccessfully for governor and secretary of state, is “good news, and a bit of a surprise,” Elias said.

In Wisconsin, where Trump pressured Republican lawmakers to decertify the 2020 results, the chair of the state elections commission certified the results of the midterm election during a quick meeting Wednesday without fanfare. Minnesota, where the failed Republican secretary of state candidate had cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, the state canvassing board certified this year’s results without drama on Tuesday.

The smooth outcome in most of the country is a reflection of the diminished opportunities election conspiracy theorists have to control elections after a number of their candidates were routed in statewide elections for positions overseeing voting. They’re largely left with a footprint in conservative, rural counties. Still, that’s enough to cause headaches for having the election results certified on a statewide basis, raising concerns about how rural counties might respond after the next presidential election.

The movement that embraces Trump’s lies about voting hoped it would have many more levers after November. Candidates who backed Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election ran for top posts with power over state voting — including secretary of state, which in most states is the top election position — in five of the six swing states that were key to Trump’s 2020 loss. They lost every race in each of those states.

Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs defeated Trump-backed Republican Kari Lake in the race for Arizona governor, flipping it out of the GOP category, and a Democrat also won the race to replace Hobbs. A Democrat defeated an election conspiracy theorist running for Nevada secretary of state, shifting another swing-state election office from the GOP.

On the local level, the picture is blurrier.

There are more than 10,000 local election offices in the country that follow guidelines set by secretaries of state or other agencies that their states designate as the top election authorities. That’s where conspiracy theorists won at least some new offices and still have the power to disrupt proceedings.

During the June primary in New Mexico, rural Otero County refused to certify the results of its election, preventing the state from making the winners official until the state Supreme Court ordered it to act. That set a template that election lawyers feared would be vastly replicated in the weeks after the midterms. But this time, even Otero County certified its winners without a delay. New Mexico’s canvass board certified the statewide results Wednesday.

In Michigan, where a GOP slate of election conspiracy theorists was defeated in statewide races, the Republican candidate for secretary of state, Kristina Karamo, implored the state’s bipartisan board of canvassers not to certify the election during a hearing this week. Karamo insisted there had been widespread fraud, even though she lost her race against Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson by more than 13 percentage points.

Tony Daunt, the Republican chair of the certification board, responded by blasting candidates who “feed into this nonsense” by making “claims that fire everybody up because it’s a short-term gain for them, and that’s dangerous to our system.” The board unanimously certified the election.

In Pennsylvania, the most prominent certification hiccup has come in Luzerne County, north of Philadelphia, which voted for Trump by 14 percentage points in 2020. County commissioners delayed certifying the election on Monday after one Democrat abstained from voting following an Election Day fiasco in which the election office ran out of ballots.

But the Democrat, Daniel Schramm, later told reporters he would vote to certify on Wednesday, after having time to confirm that the foul-up didn’t disenfranchise any voters. Certification is being delayed in a few other counties after local Republican committees and voters requested recounts.

In Arizona, the two Republicans on Cochise County’s three-member county commission blew past Monday’s certification deadline, saying they needed more information on the certification of vote tabulators, even though there have been no problems with voting or ballot counting in their county.

The secretary of state’s office has sued, saying that it must certify the state’s elections by Dec. 8.

“The only legal effect this has is to disenfranchise all their voters,” said David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation.

The efforts to delay certification are dangerous even if they’re doomed to fail, Becker and others said. They continue to sow discontent and distrust of voting and democracy.

David Levine, a former election official who is a fellow with the Alliance for Securing Democracy, noted that conspiracy theories about elections have reached such a fever pitch in Arizona that Bill Gates, the Republican chair of the county commission in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix. has been given additional security by the local sheriff.

“When you give legitimacy to baseless accusations about the election process, there is a concern that more of that will occur,» Levine said.

Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, certified its election results on Monday, after dozens of attendees demanded the board not do it. Some complained about printer malfunctions in the county, the state’s most populous, that led to confusion and long lines on Election Day — even though Maricopa officials said everyone had a chance to vote and that all legal ballots were counted.

In other counties, activists also spoke out against certification, though unsuccessfully. In Yavapai County, north of Phoenix, a woman who gave her name as Nancy Littlefield, wearing a hoodie patterned on the American flag, made clear that part of her objections were because she simply didn’t like the outcome of the election.

She urged Yavapai board members not to certify the vote because “I moved from California so I could be free and live my life and have my voice heard.”

Editorial Roundup: Pennsylvania

Por
Associated Press
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Philadelphia Daily News/Inquirer. November 27, 2022.

Editorial: Don’t gamble with kids? The state should heed its own advice.

Running public service announcements will not stop the social ills spurred by Pennsylvania’s reckless policy on gambling.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has a silly solution for a serious problem.

Scores of customers at local casinos continue to leave kids locked in their cars while they go inside and gamble.

So how does the gambling board plan to address this life and death issue? With public service announcements. Ads on TV, radio, and social media will contain the following message: “Don’t Gamble with Kids.” There’s even a website.

Is that the best the Gambling Control Board members — who get paid $145,000 a year to meet once or twice a month — could come up with?

Any parent or a guardian who leaves a child in a car to go gamble — sometimes for hours — likely has a serious addiction problem. Running a few ads is unlikely to change their behavior.

Even more disturbing, this is not a new problem. It has been going on for years at casinos across the country and throughout Pennsylvania. Several children have died. One woman went to prison after her 5-year-old grandson died in a hot car while she gambled in an Oklahoma casino.

In Pennsylvania, gamblers began leaving kids unattended soon after the first casino opened in 2006.

Legislation was passed to make it illegal to leave kids in cars. Gamblers can be arrested, fined, and banned from the casino. The casinos added signs and patrols in parking lots. Last year, the casino in Valley Forge installed infrared cameras to detect kids in cars after 22 incidents of children left unattended there.

None of those efforts have solved the problem. In fact, the number of children left unattended at Pennsylvania casinos jumped 60% this year compared to 2021. In all, there have been 269 recorded incidents involving 441 minors.

The knee-jerk response is to blame the adult for leaving the child alone. No doubt the adult is responsible. But the casinos and the state share some responsibility for the gambling addiction monster they created.

Led by former Gov. Ed Rendell, elected officials — encouraged by an army of lobbyists and donors — enabled Pennsylvania to become the second-largest casino market in the country after only Las Vegas. The state not only legalized the casinos, but is a willing and eager partner in this enterprise since it receives 54% of all the slots revenues.

Unlike Las Vegas, which at least built a thriving tourist and entertainment industry around its games of chance, Pennsylvania’s casinos cater mainly to local gamblers, including many who are elderly and on fixed incomes.

The gambling industry argues that only 2% to 3% of the adult population suffers from addiction. But that number is misleading, since most of the population doesn’t frequent a casino.

The real question is what percentage of casino customers have a gambling problem. Studies show 30% to 60% of slot machine revenues come from problem gamblers. In fact, many area gamblers visit casinos an average of three to four times a week.

In effect, the business model depends on addiction.

As such, the casinos and the state share some responsibility as enablers of that addiction. Casinos are not passive businesses. They aggressively market to their patrons, offering reward points, discounted meals, and coupons for free play.

Even more insidious, modern slot machines are sophisticated computers designed to addict. Once someone is hooked, there’s even a term for what comes next. It’s called “play to extinction.”

Rather than crack down on gamblers who leave kids in cars — or use pithy word play in questionable ad campaigns — the state should do more to help them, and other problem gamblers.

Kids left in cars are just one of many downsides caused by casinos. Studies show casinos lead to more crime, suicides, and bankruptcies. Other social ills from problem gambling include higher divorce rates, domestic abuse, child abuse, drug abuse, and depression.

Pennsylvania is already ranked among the top gambling addicted states. Yet, the push to add more mini casinos, online gambling, and sports betting will lead to more addiction.

Running public service announcements will not stop the social ills spurred by reckless government policy.

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 27, 2022.

Editorial: APB on fentanyl

Synthetic opioid killing thousands as addiction epidemic grows deadlier

At noon on Wednesday in a Western Pennsylvania treatment clinic, a dozen people, mostly in their 30s and 40s, wait to get a prescription for Suboxone, an effective treatment medication for opioid addiction. On the wall of the waiting room are warnings about counterfeit pills and drugs laced with fentanyl, a super-potent and lethal synthetic opioid and painkiller.

Waiting to get called into the doctor’s office, a woman talks about an acquaintance who sold several OxyContin tablets to a friend, who then died of an overdose three days later. Tracing the calls on the victim’s cell phone, the police were preparing to arrest the seller, who will likely face homicide-related charges and years in prison.

“He didn’t even know fentanyl was in the pills,” she said.

Cheap and 50 times more potent than heroin, fentanyl has flooded the local street market for opioids, making a more than two-decade epidemic of opioid addiction even more deadly. Fentanyl is added to pills, heroin, cocaine and other drugs to boost the highs experienced by users, and the profits of the distributors and dealers. It significantly elevates the risk of a fatal overdose.

In Allegheny County, roughly 85% of all overdose deaths involve fentanyl — most of it exported from Mexico, India or China. In most cases, users didn’t know what they bought; in many cases, casual sellers and low-level dealers may not know, either.

So far this year, U.S. drug enforcement agents seized 20 million counterfeit pills, but that didn’t stop the epidemic of addiction and death.

“It’s so dangerous out here,” Jerome Maynor, an outreach worker for Central Outreach Resource and Referral in Pittsburgh, told an editor in October. “Fentanyl is everywhere.”

Addiction and death

Since 1999, nearly 1 million Americans have died of a drug overdose. The epidemic of opioid addiction started in the 1990s, as more people, addicted to prescription painkillers such as OxyContin, switched to heroin as a cheaper and more potent alternative.

In the last several years, overdose deaths have spiked and now amount to more than 100,000 a year, most of them due to opioids, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fentanyl and its chemical derivatives, such as carfentanil, are fueling fatalities in Western Pennsylvania and the rest of the nation.

In 2021, Allegheny County reported 719 overdose deaths, up 46% from 492 in 2018. In Pennsylvania, 5,343 people — including a record 1,276 in Philadelphia — died of an overdose last year.

Those grim statistics would have been even worse, if not for Narcan, a life-saving drug that can reverse the effects of an overdose, and certain harm reduction strategies in major cities, such as fentanyl test strips.

Reducing harm

Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill this month that legalized fentanyl test strips statewide for personal use, a welcome step that should curb fatal overdoses. (Such strips were already decriminalized in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.)

To avoid overdoses, people can test drugs for fentanyl. Up to now, test strips were classified as illegal drug paraphernalia. They are especially important for rural areas in Western Pennsylvania, which have less access to health care.

Unhappily, another important harm reduction bill, legalizing syringe exchange services statewide, died in committee. It should be reintroduced and passed during the next legislative session. Currently, a handful of exchanges, which restrict the spread of bloodborne diseases such as HIV and hepatitis, operate in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Addiction is a public health problem; harm reduction strategies help people stay alive long enough to get treatment and a second chance.

The Pennsylvania Auditor’s General’s Office estimates the opioid epidemic costs the state roughly $25 billion a year in fatalities, health care, addiction treatment, criminal justice and lost productivity. Nearly 300,000 people in Pennsylvania are addicted to drugs.

It’s time to issue an APB on opioid addiction.

It’s no accident that the Pennsylvania legislators working the hardest on addiction are people who have lost relatives to opioid overdoses.

Rep. Jim Struzzi, R.-Indiana, had pushed for three years to legalize drug testing materials. His brother died of an overdose in 2014. The sponsor of the syringe exchange bill, Rep. Sarah Innamorato (D., Allegheny), lost her father to complications of opioid addiction in 2009.

We thank them for their life-saving work. How many more people have to die before every elected official in Pennsylvania acts with equal urgency?

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Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. November 28, 2022.

Editorial: More work needed on mental health capacity to stand trial

Sometimes doing the right thing doesn’t fix the problem.

In September, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court looked at the case of a mentally ill man convicted of a crime who was charged with another crime while in state prison. A judge found the man’s profound mental illness meant that, under a 1976 law, he was incompetent to understand what had happened and why it was wrong. He couldn’t participate in his defense and therefore couldn’t stand trial.

The law acknowledges that people without the mental capacity to stand trial should not stand trial. However, as cases over the 46 years since have proved, the law has gaps. Rather than finding a solution to the problem, the law allows for many — if not most — defendants with mental illness to exist in limbo between the courts and mandated treatment.

The September ruling gives courts permission to cut to the chase, dismissing charges against a defendant who might never be able to participate in his or her defense. This isn’t a short-term mental health issue caused by drugs or one that can be cured by them. It isn’t about a mild injury or a shock to the system. This would be about wounds or illness that cannot be healed, only managed.

So that latest ruling tries to fix a hole in an old law. That’s what the courts can do. It is a tourniquet for the problem — first aid in an emergency.

Now, the Legislature and Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro need to work on finding the cure. Namely, there needs to be real treatment and more treatment.

Like drug rehabilitation, too often the only mental health treatment some people get is while they are incarcerated or otherwise court-mandated. Beds for residential treatment are not available the way they should be. Basic therapy is at a premium, with long waiting lists and high hurdles.

In Harrison, the Allegheny Valley Hospital mental health facility has just shifted to providing care only for geriatric patients. That’s good for older people in the Alle-Kiski Valley but not for younger adults in need.

These are issues that government needs to address from a legislative and executive perspective. Not only do people in the court system need treatment, but people also need treatment to keep them out of the court system.

The Supreme Court did what it could. More is needed to solve the problem.

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Scranton Times-Tribune. November 28, 2022.

Editorial: Reserve impeachment for misconduct

State legislative Republicans remain committed to a dangerous political stunt that not only threatens to disenfranchise Philadelphians but jeopardizes future state governance.

State House Republicans have voted to impeach Democratic Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, their bogeyman of the moment. Their articles of impeachment accuse Krasner of “misconduct in office,” to comport with the language of the state impeachment statute, but the particulars of those articles make clear that Krasner has not engaged in misconduct.

Rather, Krasner — who was reelected by Philadelphians in November 2021 with more than 70% of the vote — has implemented policies with which the mostly suburban and rural House Republican caucus disagrees. Republican sponsors of the impeachment claim Krasner inappropriately has used his prosecutorial discretion and, as a result, has failed to diminish gun crime in the city.

That is farcical as a matter of politics because the Republican legislative majorities, far more so than Krasner, are responsible for gun violence because they steadfastly have refused to allow Philadelphia to act against gun trafficking.

And it is thin gruel for impeachment. Prosecutorial policy is not misconduct. And Philadelphia voters already have passed their judgment on Krasner’s performance. Contrast those flimsy grounds with those that were used in the most recent impeachment procedure. In 1994, the Legislature impeached and convicted Supreme Court Justice Rolf Larsen for his role in a conspiracy to illegally obtain prescription drugs. That is misconduct.

Beyond the practical absurdity of Republican lawmakers from the hinterlands attempting to dictate Philadelphians’ choice of district attorney, the impeachment is a dangerous precedent.

Impeaching a local official for his policy preferences inherently is undemocratic. Worse, it opens the door to making impeachment proceedings a standard tactic by lawmakers eager to score political points with their bases. It won’t be long before you won’t be able to keep track of your impeachments without your scorecard.

Since conviction by the Senate requires 33 votes and there are 29 Republican senators, it is not likely. But it also is not the point of the exercise. It’s a political dog and pony show meant to demonize the legislative majority’s opposition and, as such, an affront to fair governance in a representative democracy.

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Wilkes-Barre Citizens’ Voice. November 27, 2022.

Editorial: Pass emergency rule for roads, environment

Due to the irresponsible, shameful and predictable conduct of the state House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, Pennsylvania could lose up to $800 million in federal highway money.

Under the federal Clean Air Act, Pennsylvania has until Dec. 16 to implement a regulation to reduce emissions of “volatile organic compounds,” chemical air pollutants, from gas wells, processing equipment and pipelines. The regulation would have the added benefit of reducing methane emissions, a major driver of atmospheric warming, because the same technology used to capture volatile organic compounds also captures methane.

The true deadline is not Dec. 16 but Nov. 30, Wednesday, the end of the legislative session. If the state does not implement the regulation by then, it would have to be introduced in the next session of the Legislature, which would guarantee that the state could not implement by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Dec. 16 deadline for cutting off federal highway money.

The state rule has been under consideration by the Legislature for more than a year. The state Department of Environmental Protection originally wanted to apply a single rule to all gas operations statewide. But due to objections by some lawmakers, the DEP broke it into two parts — one covering modern deep drilling and fracking as practiced across the Marcellus and Utica shale fields, and another covering shallow, conventional wells.

But in a fitting swan song for retiring Republican state Rep. Daryl Metcalf of Butler County, long a lap dog for the gas industry, the “environmental” committee that he heads, with scant notice on Nov. 14, disapproved the final rule.

That triggered a 14-day waiting period for beginning the process to finalize the rule — Monday, two days before the close of the legislative session.

The pollution reduction is required by federal law. The DEP regulation has been approved by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission.

Wednesday, the state Environmental Quality Board has scheduled a meeting to consider passing the regulation as an emergency rule. It’s an unprecedented step, but a fair answer to unprecedented obstruction.

The board should adopt the regulation to improve the state’s air quality while ensuring its continuing access to hundreds of millions of dollars in badly needed highway funds.

La jefa de Comando Sur y el titular dominicano de Defensa abordan cooperación

Por
EFE
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La jefa del Comando Sur de Estados Unidos, general Laura Jane Richardson, en una fotografía de archivo. (Foto: EFE/José Jácome)

Santo Domingo, República Dominicana.- La jefa del Comando Sur de Estados Unidos, general Laura Jane Richardson, y el ministro de Defensa dominicano, teniente general Carlos Luciano Díaz Morfa, conversaron este martes en Santo Domingo sobre la cooperación entre ambos países.

En un comunicado, la cartera de Defensa de República Dominicana calificó de «excelentes» las relaciones de colaboración existentes.

Tras ser recibida con honores militares en la sede ministerial, Richardson y Díaz y sus respectivas delegaciones intercambiaron impresiones que, según la nota, reafirman «los lazos de cooperación y amistad» entre República Dominicana y Estados Unidos.

Esta visita, la primera que realiza la general Richardson desde su designación, tiene el objetivo establecer contacto para dar seguimiento y fortalecer los temas relacionados con las operaciones conjuntas que desarrollan ambos países en el campo de seguridad regional, cooperación bilateral y las capacitaciones para militares de las Fuerzas Armadas dominicanas.

La jefa del Comando Sur de EE.UU. se encuentra en República Dominicana con ocasión de la misión humanitaria que el buque estadounidense USNS Comfort lleva a cabo desde hoy hasta el 5 de diciembre para ofrecer atención sanitaria gratuita a personas de escasos recursos.

La visita de la general Richardson se produce en un momento marcado por el veto estadounidense a una azucarera local, Central Romana, por supuesto uso de mano de obra forzosa, lo que la empresa niega.

El pasado viernes, el Gobierno dominicano anunció que se involucraba en el asunto y que acompañaría a Central Romana en sus gestiones a fin de que Estados Unidos revoque el veto.

Así es el Inter Miami, ¿el próximo hogar de Leo Messi?

Por
EFE
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El delantero de la selección argentina Leo Messi , en una fotografía de archivo. (Foto: EFE/Juan Ignacio Roncoroni)

Miami, EE. UU.– Pese a que la MLS haya concluido hace casi un mes, el Inter Miami sigue en el centro de los focos por la magnitud de su proyecto deportivo y por las informaciones cada vez más insistentes sobre el posible fichaje de Leo Messi, quien se encontraría con una institución que está dando sus primeros pasos con mucha solidez.

El club de David Beckham y los hermanos Jorge y José Más quiere dar un golpe en la mesa con el fichaje de Messi y en la ciudad se sueña con la llegada de la estrella del París Saint Germain, que, según una información publicada el sábado por el ‘Times’, estaría cerca de un acuerdo a partir de junio de 2023.

Si bien otros clubes como Atlanta United o LAFC han sido exitosos en sus primeros años, Inter Miami comenzó a otro ritmo respecto a las vitrinas. Pero muestra ya unas bases a nivel de infraestructura y afición, que invitan a creer en el proyecto.

CARAS CONOCIDAS EN EL CLUB

Messi tendría muchas novedades, pero no las descubrirá en solitario, su llegada contaría con un anfitrión de lujo como Sergio Busquets, que según algunos medios ya está comprometido con el club a partir del verano de 2023.

Otro nombre que suena con fuerza es el del uruguayo Luis Suárez, que podría ser pieza fundamental por la sintonía de ambos y sus familias.

También Gonzalo Higuaín, que manifestó que vivirá en Miami, puede asistirle sobre cómo es el día a día en una de las franquicias más jóvenes y atractivas de la MLS. En tan solo dos temporadas, ‘El Pipita’ ha dejado mucha huella en la institución.

El proyecto deportivo sigue creciendo tras una primera temporada que generó muchas dudas con el uruguayo Diego Alonso al frente y Blaise Matuidi como jugador franquicia.

La apuesta, que aún se mantiene, por Phil Neville en el banquillo como hombre de confianza de David Beckham ilusiona. Con él llegó Gonzalo Higuaín, referente y ejemplo de compromiso, ambos lideraron al equipo dos temporadas, la última clasificando para ‘playoffs’ por primera vez.

MIAMI PEDÍA FÚTBOL DE ÉLITE

Para comprender qué es el Inter Miami hay que remontarse décadas atrás, con la demanda de un equipo de fútbol profesional de élite para una ciudad con gran influencia latina y pasión por este deporte.

La afición quedó huérfana cuando desapareció Miami Fusion FC, que compitió entre 1998 y 2001 en la MLS con el colombiano Carlos Valderrama como figura.

Tras esto, hubo varios intentos por recuperar el fútbol profesional en el área con equipos como los Strikers del brasileño Ronaldo Nazario, o el todavía vigente Miami FC.

Ninguno lo consiguió, compitieron en divisiones menores como la NASL y la USL. No fue hasta 2018 cuando la MLS aprobó la creación de esta nueva franquicia en Miami, entregando la responsabilidad al proyecto liderado por David Beckham en copropiedad junto a los hermanos Jorge y José Más.

EL TANDEM BECKHAM-MÁS

Los hermanos Más son empresarios de la construcción, interesados en invertir en proyectos deportivos, y se volcaron con Inter Miami. Previamente intentaron adquirir los Miami Marlins de la MLB, y recientemente han comprado el Real Zaragoza.

Tanto Beckham como los Más ya han ganado ‘su principal partido’. Han peleado durante años por conseguir que el estadio de Inter Miami estuviera lo más cerca posible del centro de la ciudad, requisito indispensable de la liga. Tras juicios y negociaciones con la ciudad, ya es un hecho que el equipo construirá su nuevo hogar junto al aeropuerto internacional.

El Freedom Park contará con capacidad para 25.000 espectadores, y será inaugurado en 2025. Desde la institución se sueña con un Leo Messi vistiendo de rosa en la temporada inaugural.

Hasta entonces, se jugaría en Fort Lauderdale, al norte de Miami. El DRV PNK Stadium, para 18.000 espectadores, quedará después como estadio del segundo equipo.

Cada partido como local del Inter Miami es una fiesta en la grada, miles de aficionados con batucada, cánticos, colorido.

GRANDES NOMBRES Y CANTERA

El objetivo es ser uno de los referentes en Estados Unidos, y en su declaración de intenciones se refleja que buscarán grandes nombres. El perfil de Leo Messi encajaría por su dimensión y lo que representa como futbolista y como latino.

Inter Miami sueña con convertirle en su jugador franquicia y el futbolista mejor pagado de Norteamérica.

Pero no todo es fichar a ganadores de Balones de Oro, Inter Miami ya cuenta con un equipo de desarrollo que compite en la MLS Next Pro, así como con una academia con equipos desde los doce años, que entrenan en las instalaciones principales de Fort Lauderdale.

Nacho García.

Meteorológico emite alerta de tornados para vasta región del sureste de EEUU

Por
EFE
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(Foto: EFE/LARRY W. SMITH/Archivo)

Washington, EE. UU.- Una vasta región del sureste de Estados Unidos, donde viven unos 40 millones de personas, está hoy bajo advertencia de tornados y granizadas, indicó el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (NWS).

«Eventos meteorológicos graves y mayores junto con tormentas se esperan hoy en la región sur del país. Es probable que haya tornados con granizadas y vientos dañinos en el sur del Valle del Misisipi, especialmente desde el noreste de Luisiana al centro de Misisipi», señaló la agencia federal.

«Algunos de estos tornados serán fuertes e intensos esta tarde y durante la noche», añadió la agencia.

La meteoróloga Domenica Davis, del Weather Channel, señaló que estas tormentas ocurrirán al final de la tarde y podrían causar inundaciones desde Shreveport en el oeste de Misisipi hasta Birmingham en Alabama y Knoxville en Tenesí.

En algunos sitios, según el Weather Channel, las granizadas podrían arrojar trozos de hielo de casi seis centímetros de diámetro.

Chad Entremont, meteorólogo del NWS, dijo que se esperan tormentas fuertes en el centro de Misisipi con vientos de hasta 95 kilómetros (60 millas) por hora.

«Actualmente, hay un riesgo de moderado a alto de tornados en el área de Jackson (Misisipi)», añadió. «Podemos esperar granizo del tamaño de pelotas de golf con probabilidades de lluvia e inundaciones».

Las condiciones meteorológicas graves, según el Weather Channel, continuarán durante la noche desde las costas de Luisiana, Misisipi y Alabama en el Golfo de México, hasta el sur de Ohio.

Las autoridades han recomendado a la población que se asegure de tener varios medios para recibir información, incluidos teléfonos celulares y aplicaciones que les tengan al tanto de los reportes de la Administración Nacional Oceanográfica y Atmosférica (NOAA).

Las condiciones propicias para las tormentas más fuertes disminuirán el miércoles, indicaron los meteorólogos, que de todos modos advirtieron que podrían ocurrir tornados y vendavales aislados desde la costa de Golfo a Georgia y el oeste de Carolina del Sur.

Qatar: migrantes muertos en Mundial están «entre 400 y 500»

Por
Associated Press
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Un grupo de trabajadores avanza hacia el estadio Lusail en Qatar, el viernes 20 de diciembre de 2019 (Foto: AP/Hassan Ammar/Archivo)

Doha, Catar.— Un alto funcionario qatarí involucrado en la organización de la Copa del Mundo del país situó por primera vez la cifra de migrantes muertos en los preparativos del torneo en «entre 400 y 500”, un dato drásticamente superior a cualquiera ofrecido antes por Doha.

El comentario de Hassan al-Thawadi, secretario general del Comité Supremo para la Organización y el Legado de Qatar, pareció surgir de improviso durante una entrevista con el periodista británico Piers Morgan.

Además, amenaza con renovar las críticas de los grupos de derechos humanos al costo de la celebración del primer Mundial en Oriente Medio entre la mano de obra migrante que ha construido los estadios, las líneas de metro y las nuevas infraestructuras necesarias para el torneo, valoradas en más de 200.000 millones de dólares.

En la entrevista, de la cual Morgan ha publicado fragmentos en internet, el periodista le pregunta a al-Thawadi: “¿Cuál cree que es el total honesto y realista de trabajadores migrantes que murieron como resultado del trabajo que están haciendo para el Mundial en total?»

“La estimación es de unos 400, entre 400 y 500”, respondió al-Thawadi. “No tengo la cifra exacta. Es algo que hemos discutido».

Pero esa cifra no se había hecho pública oficialmente antes. Los reportes del Comité Supremo que van desde 2014 a finales de 2021 solo incluyen el número de trabajadores fallecidos en la construcción y remodelación de los estadios que ahora están albergando los partidos.

Esos datos contemplaban un total de 40 muertos. De ellos, 37 eran lo que los qataríes describen como incidentes no laborales, como ataques cardíacos, y tres fueron accidentes laborales. Un reporte también recoge por separado una muerte por coronavirus durante la pandemia.

Al-Thawadi hizo referencia a esas cifras al hablar sobre las obras solo en estadios durante la entrevista, justo antes de ofrecer la estimación de “entre 400 y 500” para toda la infraestructura del torneo.

En un comunicado más tarde, el Comité Supremo dijo que al-Thawadi hizo referencia a las “estadísticas nacionales para el periodo entre 2014 y 2020 para todos los decesos laborales (414) en todo el país, que cubren todos los sectores y nacionalidades”.

Desde que la FIFA le concedió el torneo a Qatar en 2010, el país ha tomado algunas medidas para reformar su legislación laboral. Esto incluye eliminar el llamado sistema de contratación kafala, que ataba a los trabajadores a sus empleadores, que tenían poder de decisión sobre si podían dejar sus puestos o incluso el país.

Qatar ha adaptado también un salario mínimo mensual de 1.000 riyales qataríes (275 dólares) para trabajadores y exige suplementos para alimentación y alojamiento para los empleados que no reciben esos beneficios directamente. También ha actualizado sus normas de seguridad para evitar muertes.

“Una muerte es ya una muerte de más. Así de sencillo”, apuntó al-Thawadi en la entrevista.

Los activistas han instado al gobierno qatarí a hacer más, especialmente para garantizar que los trabajadores reciben sus salarios a tiempo y están protegidos de los empleadores abusivos.

La afirmación de Al-Thawadi renueva también las dudas sobre la veracidad de los reportes, tanto gubernamentales como privados, sobre trabajadores muertos y heridos en todos los estados del Golfo Pérsico, cuyos rascacielos han sido levantados por migrantes de naciones asiáticas como India, Pakistán y Sri Lanka.

“Este es solo el último ejemplo de la inexcusable falta de transparencia de Qatar acerca de la muerte de trabajadores”, indicó Nicholas McGeehan, de Fairsquare, un grupo con sede en Londres que defiende a trabajadores migrantes en Oriente Medio. “Necesitamos datos e investigaciones, no cifras vagas anunciadas en entrevistas con medios».

“La FIFA y Qatar siguen teniendo muchas preguntas que responder, sobre todo dónde, cuándo y cómo murieron estos hombres y si sus familias recibieron indemnizaciones», agregó.

Mustafa Qadri, director ejecutivo de Equidem Research, una consultora laboral que ha publicado reportes acerca de la mortalidad de los migrantes que trabajan en construcción, se mostró sorprendido por las palabras d Al-Thawadi.

“Que ahora diga que son cientos, es sorprendente», dijo a The Associated Press. “No tienen idea de lo que está ocurriendo».

Iran-US World Cup clash rife with political tension

Por
Associated Press
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Mike Moscrop, left, from Orange County, Calif., poses with Amir Sieidoust, an Iranian supporter living in Holland outside the Gerlain Stadium in Lyon, June 21, 1998, before the start of the USA vs Iran World Cup soccer match. Iran defeated the U.S. 2-1 for its first World Cup win, eliminating them after just two games. A rematch between the U.S. and Iran will be played, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. (Photo: AP/Jerome Delay)

Doha, Catar. — The last World Cup clash between the United States and Iran 24 years ago is considered one of the most politically charged matches in soccer history.

This time, the political overtones are just as strong and relations perhaps even more fraught as the U.S. and Iran face off once again on Tuesday in Qatar.

Iran’s nationwide protests, its expanding nuclear program and regional and international attacks linked back to Tehran have pushed the match beyond the stadium and into geopolitics.

No matter the outcome, tensions are likely only to worsen in the coming months.

When relations soured between the U.S. and Iran depends on who you ask. Iranians point to the 1953 CIA-backed coup that cemented Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi’s power. Americans remember the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover and 444-day hostage crisis during the Iranian Revolution.

In soccer, however, the timeline is much simpler as this will be only the second time Iran and the U.S. have played each other in the World Cup.

The last time was at the 1998 tournament in France — a totally different time in the Islamic Republic. Iran won 2-1 in Lyon, a low point for the U.S. men’s team as Iranians celebrated in Tehran.

At the time, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the Iranian team, saying “the strong and arrogant opponent felt the bitter taste of defeat.»

But off the pitch, Iran’s then-president, Mohammad Khatami, sought to improve ties to the West and the wider world. Inside Iran, Khatami pushed so-called “reformist» policies, seeking to liberalize aspects of its theocracy while maintaining its structure with a supreme leader at the top.

U.S. President Bill Clinton and his administration hoped Khatami’s election could be part of a thaw.

The two teams posed for a joint photograph, and the Iranian players handed white flowers to their American opponents. The U.S. gave the Iranians U.S. Soccer Federation pennants. They even exchanged jerseys, though the Iranians didn’t put them on. They later played a friendly in Pasadena, California, as well.

Fast-forward 24 years later, and relations are perhaps more tense than they’ve ever been.

Iran is now governed entirely by hard-liners after the election of President Ebrahim Raisi, a protege of Khamenei, who took part in the 1988 mass execution of thousands of political prisoners at the end of the Iran-Iraq war.

Following the collapse of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, sparked by President Donald Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the accord, Tehran is now enriching uranium to 60% purity — a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels. Non-proliferation experts warn the Islamic Republic already has enough uranium to build at least one nuclear bomb.

A shadow war of drone strikes, targeted killings and sabotage has been shaking the wider Middle East for years amid the deal’s collapse. Meanwhile, Russia pounds civilian areas and power infrastructure in Ukraine with Iranian-made drones.

For two months, Iran has been convulsed by the mass protests that followed the Sept. 16 death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been earlier detained by the country’s morality police. The protests have seen at least 451 people killed since they started, as well as over 18,000 arrested, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, an advocacy group following the demonstrations.

At the World Cup in Qatar, Iran’s 2-0 win against Wales provided a brief moment of good news for hard-liners. After the match, riot police in Tehran waved Iranian flags in the street, something that angered demonstrators. Khamenei himself acknowledged the win “stirred joy in the country.”

However, the supreme leader warned that “when the World Cup is taking place, all eyes are on it. The opponent typically takes advantage of this lax moment to act.”

As the demonstrations intensified, Iran has alleged without providing evidence that its enemies abroad, including the U.S., are fomenting the unrest. At a World Cup where organizers hoped to divorce politics from the pitch, those tensions have bled out around the stadiums with pro- and anti-government demonstrators shouting at each other.

Ahead of Tuesday’s match at Al Thumama Stadium, Iran has released a propaganda video with young children singing, including girls in white hijabs, in front of a small field. Waving flags and set against a blasting synthesizer beat, the children sing: “We back you on the bleachers, all with one voice Iran, Iran.»

“We are waiting for a goal, our heart second by second is beating for our Iran,” they add.

Such a win could prove to be a further boost to hard-liners. Already, they’ve reacted angrily to a protest by the U.S. Soccer Federation that saw them briefly erase the emblem of the Islamic Republic from Iran’s flag in social media posts.

It’s unclear whether any Iranian or U.S. government officials will be on hand for the match. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken already attended the U.S. match against Wales at the start of the tournament.

But opponents of Iran’s government are on hand in Qatar with their own message. Among them is former U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus, who flew in Monday afternoon for the Iran match. Ortagus served in the Trump administration and was one of the faces of its so-called “maximum pressure” campaign.

“It’s one of those pivotal moments when geopolitics and sports collides,” Ortagus told The Associated Press. “You’re seeing the Iran team do what they can to stand up for the protesters and the people peacefully demonstrating.»

Pennsylvania county deadlocks on certifying election results

Por
Associated Press
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HARRISBURG, Pa. — Officials in a northeastern Pennsylvania county where paper shortages caused Election Day ballot problems deadlocked Monday on whether to report official vote tallies to the state, effectively preventing their certification of the results.

Two Democratic members of the Luzerne County Board of Elections and Voter Registration voted to certify, both Republicans voted “no” and the fifth member, Democrat Daniel Schramm, abstained.

Schramm said in a phone interview several hours later that after the meeting he received assurances that few if any voters were unable to cast ballots and that all provisional ballots had been counted. He said he planned to vote in favor of certifying the results at a board meeting set for Wednesday.

“I wanted to research to see exactly how many people were just not allowed to vote. I couldn’t find any,” Schramm said.

He said elections officials contacted 125 judges of elections from the county’s 187 precincts “and they reported nobody being turned away.”

A judge extended voting in Luzerne by two hours, to 10 p.m., during the Nov. 8 election after the supplies ran short at some polling places.

Monday is the deadline for counties to certify general election results to the state. In a statement, the Department of State said it was contacting Luzerne officials “to inquire about the board’s decision and their intended next steps.»

During public comment before the vote on Monday, people attending the elections board meeting in Wilkes-Barre called the election “rife with disenfranchisement,» requested the election be redone and called on county election officials to resign.

Alyssa Fusaro, a Republican Luzerne election board member, said she could not vouch that the election had been conducted freely and fairly.

Fusaro said voters were turned away from the polls, machines jammed and ran out of paper and normal privacy safeguards for voters were not in place.

The board’s lawyer, Paula Radick, said failure to certify could bring litigation against the county from the state or from candidates.

Luzerne District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce, a Republican who at the election board’s request is investigating why paper ran out at polling places, said in a text Monday that “the investigation is progressing as expected.”

Luzerne County in northeastern Pennsylvania is an area that has been trending Republicans in recent years. Democratic Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro narrowly won Luzerne, while Democratic U.S. Sen.-elect John Fetterman lost the county by some 10,000 votes.

In Pittsburgh, Allegheny County’s Board of Elections voted Monday to certify the election results at 1,311 polling places but did not vote to certify results from 12 polling places where recount petitions have been filed.

A statement from county government said its lawyer was seeking to have those challenges dismissed in the coming days because the people who sought the recounts failed to also post $50 bonds for each ballot box to be recounted.

The Department of State says only “legally valid and properly filed” recount petitions can prompt a county to withhold certification for the office targeted by the recount effort.

“We will review what Allegheny submits to the department and then decide next steps,” the Department of State said in an emailed statement.

After three counties refused to record mail-in votes from the May primary, holding up state certification of the overall results, a judge ordered that they be counted.

EEUU incluye la violencia sexual en zonas de conflicto como motivo de sanción

Por
EFE
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El presidente estadounidense, Joe Biden. (Foto: EFE/MICHAEL REYNOLDS/Archivo)

Washington, EE. UU.– El presidente estadounidense, Joe Biden, firma este lunes un memorando que intensifica la rendición de cuentas en los casos de violencia sexual en zonas de conflicto e insta a que esas agresiones justifiquen la emisión de sanciones contra sus autores.

Su orden promueve que se utilicen sanciones y otro tipo de restricciones y herramientas para impulsar esa rendición de cuentas y que se dé a la violencia sexual en zonas de conflicto la misma consideración que a otros abusos de los derechos humanos a la hora de emitirlas.

Una fuente oficial de la Administración estadounidense indicó en una conferencia de prensa telefónica que es la primera vez que se insta al Departamento de Estado, al del Tesoro y a otras agencias federales a que contemplen esos actos de violencia sexual como motivo merecedor de sanciones.

Aunque los distintos organismos pueden sancionar actualmente a responsables de graves abusos de los derechos humanos, esas disposiciones se usan muy poco y ese vacío se considera «particularmente preocupante» en un momento en que las agresiones sexuales contra mujeres y niñas en zonas de conflicto «proliferan a nivel global».

«No hay nada más que ver lo que está pasando en Ucrania para ver lo importante que puede ser este memorando presidencial», se sostuvo desde la Administración estadounidense.

Sus datos recuerdan que por cada denuncia de violación en una zona en conflicto Naciones Unidas calcula que hay entre 10 y 20 casos que no se registran.

El memorando deja claro que Estados Unidos no acepta que esas agresiones sean un «coste inevitable» de un conflicto armado y subraya que para evitarlo quiere ayudar a las víctimas «a través de todas las medidas disponibles, ya sean legales, diplomáticas o financieras».

Su decisión se dio a conocer con motivo de la celebración en Londres este lunes y martes de la conferencia internacional para prevenir la violencia sexual en zonas de conflicto y en un momento en que, según Washington, esta persiste con impunidad en distintas partes del mundo.

Estados Unidos se muestra igualmente dispuesto a construir una coalición de naciones y organizaciones que compartan los mismos principios «como parte de una respuesta holística que incluye fomentar la salud, el bienestar y la curación de los supervivientes, ampliar el acceso a la justicia y mejorar la prestación de apoyo psicosocial y otros servicios vitales».

La Administración de Biden recordó que en la 77 sesión de la Asamblea General de la ONU, en septiembre, el país sumó 400.000 dólares a su contribución anual de 1,75 millones a la Oficina de la Representante Especial del secretario general sobre la Violencia Sexual en los Conflictos.

La Oficina de Democracia, Derechos Humanos y Trabajo del Departamento estadounidense de Estado ha movilizado ya más de 4,5 millones en proyectos para apoyar los esfuerzos de la sociedad civil a la hora de investigar y documentar esos casos de violencia y en los próximos dos años invertirá otros 5,5 millones aproximadamente.

En 2023 invertirá además seis millones en fondos adicionales para la iniciativa Voces contra la Violencia, dedicada a garantizar que las víctimas de la violencia de genero, incluidas aquellas que la han sufrido en conflictos, tienen acceso a la justicia y a protección.

14 years later, NATO is set to renew its vow to Ukraine

Por
Associated Press
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Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko talks with US President George W.Bush, at the NATO Summit conference in Bucharest, Thursday April 3, 2008. NATO returns on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022 to the scene of one of its most controversial decisions and where it intends to repeat its vow that Ukraine, now suffering through the tenth month of a war against Russia, will be able to join the world's biggest military alliance one day.( Photo: AP/Vadim Ghirda/File)

Bucarest, Rumania. — NATO returns on Tuesday to the scene of one of its most controversial decisions, intent on repeating its vow that Ukraine — now suffering through the 10th month of a war against Russia — will join the world’s biggest military alliance one day.

NATO foreign ministers will gather for two days at the Palace of the Parliament in the Romanian capital Bucharest. It was there in April 2008 that U.S. President George W. Bush persuaded his allies to open NATO’s door to Ukraine and Georgia, over vehement Russian objections.

“NATO welcomes Ukraine’s and Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations for membership in NATO. We agreed today that these countries will become members of NATO,” the leaders said in a statement. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was at the summit, described this as “a direct threat” to Russia’s security.

About four months later, Russian forces invaded Georgia.

Some experts describe the decision in Bucharest as a massive error that left Russia feeling cornered by a seemingly ever-expanding NATO. NATO counters that it doesn’t pressgang countries into joining, and that some requested membership to seek protection from Russia — as Finland and Sweden are doing now.

More than 14 years on, NATO will pledge this week to support Ukraine long-term as it defends itself against Russian aerial, missile and ground attacks — many of which have struck power grids and other civilian infrastructure, depriving millions of people of electricity and heating.

In a press conference Monday in Bucharest after a meeting with Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg highlighted the importance of investing in defense «as we face our greatest security crisis in a generation.”

“We cannot let Putin win,» he said. «This would show authoritarian leaders around the world that they can achieve their goals by using military force — and make the world a more dangerous place for all of us. It is in our own security interests to support Ukraine.”

Stoltenberg noted Russia’s recent bombardment of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, saying Putin “is trying to use winter as a weapon of war against Ukraine” and that «we need to be prepared for more attacks.»

North Macedonia and Montenegro have joined the U.S.-led alliance in recent years. With this, Stoltenberg said last week before travelling to Bucharest, “we have demonstrated that NATO’s door is open and that it is for NATO allies and aspirant countries to decide on membership. This is also the message to Ukraine.”

This gathering in Bucharest is likely to see NATO make fresh pledges of non-lethal support to Ukraine: fuel, electricity generators, medical supplies, winter equipment and drone jamming devices.

Individual allies are also likely to announce fresh supplies of military equipment for Ukraine — chiefly the air defense systems that Kyiv so desperately seeks to protect its skies. NATO as an organization will not offer such supplies, to avoid being dragged into a wider war with nuclear-armed Russia.

But the ministers, along with their Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, will also look further afield.

“Over the longer term we will help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era equipment to modern NATO standards, doctrine and training,” Stoltenberg said last week. This will not only improve Ukraine’s armed forces and help them to better integrate, it will also meet some of the conditions for membership.

That said, Ukraine will not join NATO anytime soon. With the Crimean Peninsula annexed, and Russian troops and pro-Moscow separatists holding parts of the south and east, it’s not clear what Ukraine’s borders would even look like.

Many of the 30 allies believe the focus now must be uniquely on defeating Russia.

“What we have seen in the last months is that President Putin made a big strategic mistake,” Stoltenberg said. “He underestimated the strength of the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian armed forces, and the Ukrainian political leadership.»

But even as economic pressure — high electricity and gas prices, plus inflation, all exacerbated by the war — mounts on many allies, Stoltenberg would not press Ukraine to enter into peace talks, and indeed NATO and European diplomats say that Putin does not appear willing to come to the table.

“The war will end at some stage at the negotiating table,” Stoltenberg said Monday. “But the outcome of those negotiations are totally dependent on the situation on the battlefield,» adding «it would be a tragedy for (the) Ukrainian people if President Putin wins.”

The foreign ministers of Bosnia, Georgia and Moldova — three partners that NATO says are under increasing Russian pressure — will also be in Bucharest. Stoltenberg said NATO would “take further steps to help them protect their independence, and strengthen their ability to defend themselves.

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