UNDER RESERVE: Democrats score against Trump

Democrats score against Trump

The US Soccer Foundation has organized for four years an annual match between Democrat and Republican congresspeople. We were explained that this is an initiative to raise funds and bring money for the practice of football to schools of scarce resources. This year, the Democrat team had a special guest as goalkeeper: Mexico's former ambassador to Washington, Arturo Sarukhán. With the performance of the Mexican goalie and the American players, the democrats thrashed the republicans, the political party of President Donald Trump, 5-2. Former United States national team member and star Cobi Jones, rival of the Mexican national squad, also joined the republicans. But not even he was able to get them back into the match.

Joint-ruling and security laws stuck

With the intention that the statute of joint-ruling that is being discussed in the Chamber of Deputies will lead to the consensus of all political forces in the Congress, the president of the Constitutional Points Commission, Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) member, Guadalupe Acosta Naranjo, decided to cancel the meeting scheduled for today in the legislative venue. The idea, we are told, was that the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) did not surprise them with the statute of Internal Security Law that is on the side of the Governance Commission, headed by Paloma Guillén. This was an act of political strategy, because the group headed by PRI's César Camacho does not go along with the joint-ruling statute that the PAN and the PRD support and that would be voted by majority. The fact is that now everything is stuck.

Anti-corruption tsar aspirant raises eyebrows

In the process of selecting the technical secretary of the National Anti-Corruption System, more than one raised their eyebrows with the name of one of the candidates: Max Kaiser Aranda. We are told that Mr. Max was for several years in the Secretary of Public Affairs, during National Action Party (PAN) administrations, and was the head and deputy secretary of the Government Audit unit. What is most striking, we are told, is that one of the biggest corruption scandals of his boss Felipe Calderón's years passed right before his eyes: the excessive expenses of the Stele of Light and Celebrations of the Bicentenary of the Independence; in 2016, he was reprimanded, according to file A / 071/2014. And now they wonder if the aspirant could also ignore important cases. Although, according to the former functionary, the scolding was because he did not upload the statistics to the Ministry of Public Affairs' (SFP) website, and that the Stele of Light was under the observation of the Specialized Unit in Public Works, not his office. But the candidate raises serious doubts.

Stop it already

In a never-before-seen effort to raise the voice against violence against Mexican journalists, thirty national communication groups, including newspapers, digital media, broadcasting and television, and a dozen international organizations and printed media, publish today in their information platforms a display to denounce the "murderous offensive" that journalists in Mexico have suffered, to protest about impunity, corruption and criminality that  put the journalistic activity at risk. It is a call, product of a horizontal exercise, where the unity of the media and journalists is sought in the face of threats and violence. Congratulations to the media!

***Photo: Democrat congresspeople after playing the republicans (COURTESY)

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