dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

Two prominent migrant rights defenders freed in Mexico

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Mexican judge has freed two migrant rights activists who organized caravans, said a member of their legal team and a rights group on Wednesday, a week after their arrest which their supporters said was meant to appease the Trump administration. After 13 hours of oral arguments for Cristobal Sanchez on Tuesday and an eight-hour overnight hearing for Irineo Mujica, a judge in southern Chiapas state ruled that the two veteran defenders of migrants should not be held in pre-trial custody, said lawyer Santiago Nunez, who attended the hearings.

Sanchez, 41, and Mujica, 49 were arrested within an hour of each other on June 5 and jailed as part of a Mexican crackdown that week, which coincided with talks in Washington to avert tariffs threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump. The high profile activists were held in a prison in the southern border city of Tapachula ahead of a hearing on people trafficking charges. The judge ruled they could face the charges in liberty. They face possible 24-year sentences each.

NO-SHOW BY ACCUSERS In Sanchez’s hearing, the defense team presented witnesses, a photo, video and documents to show he was at a party in Mexico City on March 29 about 10 p.m., Nunez said. That evidence contradicted four Honduran migrants who had said they handed $8,000 to Sanchez at that time in the Guatemalan border city of Tecun Uman. The legal team also presented evidence that Mujica was in the town of Chahuites, Oaxaca, on Feb. 27 at about 9 a.m., about 114 miles (185km) from Mapastepec, Chiapas, where two other Honduran migrants had accused him of taking 7000 pesos ($374) to transport them to Tijuana at that time, Nunez said. None of the six migrants who had accused Sanchez and Mujica appeared at the hearings, Nunez said. Mexico’s federal prosecutor office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mujica, working with migrant aid organization Pueblo Sin Fronteras, has for years guided annual caravans of Central American migrants, negotiating their passage, temporary shelter, food handouts and occasional transport through Mexico and sometimes to the U.S. border. The migrants traveling in large groups to avoid exploitation by cartels and corrupt government officials drew international attention in 2018 when Trump said they should be stopped before reaching the U.S.-border. Though Pueblo Sin Fronteras has helped shepherd caravans for years, several more have formed more spontaneously since 2018 in southern Mexico or in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-mexico-activists/two-prominent-migrant-rights-defenders-freed-in-mexico-idUSKCN1TD2JN?il=0

>>6736817

>They were not freed.

>

>They were released on their own recognizance.

>

>They face 24 year sentences.

Not sure what you are getting at here..

The judge ruled they could face the charges in liberty. They face possible 24-year sentences each.

What does "in liberty" mean to you?

U.S. will deploy 1,000 troops to Poland; Warsaw may call them 'Fort Trump'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to Polish President Andrzej Duda on Wednesday that he will deploy 1,000 U.S. troops to Poland, a step sought by Warsaw to deter potential aggression from Russia. Despite their strong show of unity, Trump disagreed with Duda’s attempt to force the retirement of some Polish Supreme Court judges, a decision last year that prompted protests. “No,” Trump said when asked if he supported the move.

Trump announced the troop deployment at a joint news conference with Duda in the White House Rose Garden shortly after the two leaders signed a joint declaration affirming defense cooperation and watched a U.S.-made F-35 fighter jet fly overhead. Duda, who is considering naming the U.S. installation “Fort Trump,” said the new influx of troops was needed because of Moscow’s past aggression against Poland and to help solidify his country’s ties to the West. “Russia again is showing its unkind, unfriendly imperial face,” he said. “Russia is always looking out to take our territory.” Trump said earlier the troop contingent could come from the U.S. force in Germany, which he has accused of paying too little for NATO’s common defense.

The decision by Trump represents an effort to cater to the interests of Poland, a key NATO ally, while not overly antagonizing Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom Trump would like to have friendly relations. He and Putin are to meet in Japan in two weeks. “I hope that Poland is going to have a great relationship with Russia. I hope that we’re going to have a great relationship with Russia,” said Trump. The United States already has troops in Poland as part of a 2016 agreement with the NATO military alliance in response to Moscow’s annexation of Crimea from Poland’s eastern neighbor Ukraine in 2014.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg issued a statement welcoming the deployment. “Today’s announcement is part of NATO’s measured, defensive and proportionate efforts to strengthen our deterrence and defense,” he said. Duda denied backsliding on democracy when asked about his attempt to remove the judges. He said some of them dated back to Poland’s communist past and that he wanted to remove them as part of judicial reforms. “This is a very complex issue,” he said. “Everything that we were doing was aimed at retiring those people … Let me assure you, freedom of speech is absolutely respected in Poland. Poland absolutely respects all constitutional standards.”

With Trump to turn 73 on Friday, Duda wished Trump a happy birthday at an evening White House reception whose audience included Polish-Americans. Some in the crowd launched into a happy birthday song in Polish. “This first term of your presidency will be the introduction to your second term,” Duda told Trump.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-poland/u-s-will-deploy-1000-troops-to-poland-warsaw-may-call-them-fort-trump-idUSKCN1TD27O?il=0

Mexican business leaders to sign investment pact with president

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican business leaders will sign a pact with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Thursday to foster investment, Mexico’s top business association said, potentially heralding an improvement in sometimes tense relations between the two sides. The Business Coordinating Council (CCE) said in a statement the accord to promote “investment and inclusive development” would be inked in Mexico City in the presence of cabinet ministers and business leaders.

Lopez Obrador, a leftist who has shunned foreign and private investment in some sectors, caused fury among influential business figures by cancelling a partially-built new $13 billion airport for Mexico City a few weeks before he took office in December. The scrapping of the airport led to major losses on Mexican financial markets, and some of the president’s other priorities, including a new publicly-financed oil refinery, have been viewed with skepticism by many in the business community.

The economy has struggled, contracting by 0.2% quarter-on-quarter during the first three months of 2019, and the central bank has expressed concern about sluggish investment in Mexico. The CCE gave no more details, but a senior Mexican business source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the accord was the product of more than two months work by bosses aimed at lifting business activity in Latin America’s no. 2 economy. A spokesman for the Mexican presidency described the investment pact as proof that domestic and international investors had confidence both in the economy, and the government’s development and infrastructure plans.

The pact touched on projects ranging from energy, infrastructure, healthcare and other areas, and had been lent extra urgency by threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to hit Mexico with punitive trade tariffs, the business source said. The accord aimed to give employers in Mexico the chance to turn their attention to realizing projects that have not been clouded by politics to date during Lopez Obrador’s term, the source added. The source also expressed hope the pact could usher in a more collaborative spirit between the Mexican president and business leaders.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-politics-investment/mexican-business-leaders-to-sign-investment-pact-with-president-idUSKCN1TD2TO?il=0

>>6736932

I believe you are adding context where there is none, There is NO mention of bail in addition it would have been stated, since it wasn't we can't infer that any bail had been imposed.

Puerto Rico oversight board reaches deal over retiree pensions

SAN JUAN (Reuters) - Puerto Rico’s federally created financial oversight board said on Wednesday it reached a deal to restructure more than $50 billion in unfunded pension liabilities that includes cuts for some of the bankrupt U.S. commonwealth’s retired government workers. The tentative agreement with a federal court-appointed committee representing more than 167,000 retirees, which the government opposes, helps pave the way for a plan to restructure Puerto Rico’s core government debt.

Puerto Rico has been in U.S. District Court since 2017 in order to address about $120 billion of debt and pension obligations. The board called the deal “an integral part” of the upcoming plan of adjustment, which a spokesman said could be finished by the end of this month. “Today we reach another milestone that will enable Puerto Rico to emerge from bankruptcy and make it easier for businesses to invest, for our economy to grow, and for the people of Puerto Rico to prosper,” Jose Carrión, oversight board chairman, said in a statement.

Under the deal, there would be no pension reductions for 61% of the retirees or more than 102,000 people, while cuts to monthly pensions totaling more than $1,200 would be capped at 8.5%, according to the retirees committee. After running out of money, Puerto Rico has been funding its retirement systems on a pay-go basis. The agreement calls for the creation of a potentially multibillion-dollar pension reserve to help fund pension payments in later years when Puerto Rico is projected to have operating deficits. “After almost two years of legal actions, mediation sessions and negotiations we reached an agreement with the (oversight board) that will significantly limit pension cuts and provide other substantial protections,” Miguel Fabre, a former judge who chairs the retirees committee, said in a statement.

Christian Sobrino Vega, executive director of Puerto Rico’s Financial Advisory & Fiscal Agency Authority, said the deal goes against the government’s public policy of no cuts to pensions. “Our position is, and will continue to be, zero cuts to pensions and we have the legal and fiscal mechanisms to do so,” he said in a statement. Meanwhile, the board and other island creditors are contesting the validity of billions of dollars of Puerto Rico bonds they contend were sold in violation of a debt limit in the commonwealth’s constitution. Restructurings have been finalized for the island’s sales tax-backed debt and for its Government Development Bank.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-puertorico/puerto-rico-oversight-board-reaches-deal-over-retiree-pensions-idUSKCN1TD2RZ?il=0

House panel approves permanent Sept. 11 victims' compensation

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional committee on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation to extend the fund compensating first responders to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center for the next 70 years, a move that would avoid steep benefit reductions over a lack of money. The House Judiciary Committee acted one day after television personality and comedian Jon Stewart castigated lawmakers at a hearing for their slow response to helping New York City firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel who rushed to the scene of the attacks that left two of Manhattan’s most well-known skyscrapers in rubble.

The fund also helps construction workers and victims of the attack. “Your indifference costs these men and women their most valuable commodity - time,” Stewart said to a hearing room packed with lawmakers and first-responders, including those now suffering from cancer, respiratory problems and other serious health issues as a result of inhaling contaminated air nearly 18 years ago. Before Wednesday’s vote, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, whose constituents live in New York City, said that despite federal officials’ statements that the air was safe in the aftermath of the attack, “more than 95,000 responders and survivors are sick.”

The bill, which next goes to the full House for debate, would extend the victims’ compensation fund to 2090, putting it on the same terms as a health program for World Trade Center victims. It also would reverse any benefit cuts due to insufficient funds. Also on Wednesday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York pleaded for fast passage in that chamber.

On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was asked by a reporter whether he would advance the legislation. “I hadn’t looked at that lately. I’ll have to. We’ve always dealt with that in a compassionate way and I assume we will again,” McConnell said. In the past, some lawmakers have complained about the cost of helping 9-11 victims at a time of severe U.S. budget deficits. “It’s shameful. There’s no other word for it. Shameful, that our brave first responders have had to suffer the indignity of delay after delay after delay,” Schumer said in a speech to the Senate.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-sept11/house-panel-approves-permanent-sept-11-victims-compensation-idUSKCN1TD2TA?il=0

Minnesota's largest paper reprimands Ilhan Omar over tax irregularities

Minnesota's largest newspaper attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar on Wednesday over irregularities in her tax returns. "It’s not too much to expect that a lawmaker would check with a tax attorney on a rather complicated marital status before filing. And when questions arise, it’s a violation to use campaign funds to clear up those personal issues, as Omar apparently did," the Star Tribune editorial board wrote Tuesday in a piece titled "Ilhan Omar's credibility takes another hit." "If this pattern continues, further investigation may be necessary. Omar could have avoided nearly every infraction by taking simple measures in advance to determine whether her actions would pass legal muster." "Omar’s political rise has been marred by a series of unforced errors, including intemperate remarks and tweets earlier this year that were widely perceived as anti-Semitic. Every month seems to bring a fresh problem," the editorial board said before concluding, "Omar has a special obligation to be worthy of the trust so many have placed in her, including many still-new Americans who expect better."

The board's reprimand comes after the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board released a report Thursday that showed the Minnesota Democrat had multiple campaign finance violations and may have broken federal tax law. The report noted that Omar had filed taxes jointly with her current husband Ahmed Hirsi in 2014 and 2015 even though the two were not legally married until 2018. The freshman congresswoman was fined $500 by the board and forced to pay back $3,469 from her personal funds back to her campaign.

"I'm glad this process is complete and that the Campaign Finance Board has come to a resolution on this matter. We have been collaborative in this process and are glad the report showed that none of the money was used for personal use, as was initially alleged,” Omar said in regards to her alleged campaign finance violations. She claimed in a separate statement that there was no wrongdoing in her tax filings

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/congress/minnesotas-largest-paper-reprimands-ilhan-omar-over-tax-irregularities

Ilhan Omar's credibility takes another hit

http://www.startribune.com/ilhan-omar-s-credibility-takes-another-hit/511152612/?refresh=true

Investigators: Ilhan Omar used campaign cash for 'purposes not permitted by statute'

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/ilhan-omar-fined-by-state-for-unlawful-use-of-campaign-funds

Ilhan Omar may have broken federal tax law, according to new campaign finance report

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/ilhan-omar-may-have-broken-federal-tax-law-according-to-new-campaign-finance-report

>>6737169

Those were my thoughts as well, I wasn't buying Stewart's showboat yesterday, appeared as though he was going for an academy award.

>>6736924

Agreed, these people define the word Divide!

>>6737172

No sauce, but it is my belief that this money ends up in various NGO's and then is distributed from there to other NGO's all the while funding the individuals involved in cabal operations, everyone gets a piece of the pie, world wide, which is why you see so many of these operatives around the world. They have to keep the operations moving.

'I think I'd take it': Trump expresses willingness to take opposition research from foreign governments

President Trump said Wednesday that he would not necessarily call the FBI if offered opposition research from foreign governments. "I've seen a lot of things over my life, I don't think in my whole life I've ever called the FBI," Trump told ABC's George Stephanopoulos in an interview.

Regarding whether he would contact the FBI in the event a foreign government offered him intelligence on a political opponent, Trump said, "You don't call the FBI. You throw somebody out of your office." "Give me a break, life doesn't work that way," Trump continued.

Stephanopoulos followed up by asking whether a political candidate should accept foreign opposition research or call the FBI. "I think maybe you do both," Trump said. "I think you might want to listen. There's nothing wrong with listening. If somebody called from a country, Norway, 'we have information on your opponent.' Oh, I think I would want to hear it."

"It's not an interference," Trump said, when Stephanopoulos characterized it as such. "They have information, I think I'd take it." "If I thought there was something wrong, I'd go, maybe, to the FBI," Trump added. Trump also blasted the media for what he said was speculation that his son Donald Trump Jr. would go to prison.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/i-think-i-would-take-it-trump-expresses-willingness-to-take-opposition-research-from-foreign-governments