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Highlights of this morning’s presidential press conference include: AMLO charged that those who are on strike against the Judicial Reform seek to defend their interests and privileges; during the Zero Impunity report, Deputy Minister of Security Luis Rodríguez Bucio denounced two judges who issued irregular rulings against the Judicial Reform; Minister of Security and Citizen Protection Rosa Icela Rodríguez reported that as of August 31, the number of victims of intentional homicide decreased 19%, compared to December 2018; while presenting a report on the security situation in Guanajuato, Rodríguez charged that the high rates of violence and homicides in the state are related to the application of the neoliberal model applied in 33 years of PAN governments and its alliance with the extreme right-wing El Yunque.

Highlights of this morning’s presidential press conference include: AMLO criticized the judges who promoted legal actions against the judicial reform, which encroaches on the faculties of the legislative branch of government and violates the Constitution; President Lopez Obrador responded to critics of the judicial reform who say that not just anyone can be a judge. “Is it more complex to be a judge than the President of the Republic?” he asked. The President stressed that if judges and justices are elected by popular vote, then they will know that they are representatives of the people and that they owe their position to the people, not to vested interest groups; the President reiterated that relations with the US and Canadian governments are not broken and called on them not express their opinion on the judicial reform. He said that no foreign country should intervene in matters that only correspond to Mexicans. To allow that would mean accepting that they can violate the country’s Constitution; following the presentation of his sixth and final State of the Nation Report, President López Obrador emphasized that he can retire peacefully, because millions of Mexicans have participated in the transformation process and poverty has been reduced.

Contents: A Love Letter to Books — on Paper! — Meizhu Lui, for the editorial team Voices: De Chile, Mole y Pozole: Stories from Oaxaca […]

Highlights of this morning’s presidential press conference include: following the Federal Electoral Tribunal’s decision to validated Morena and its allied parties’ majority in the Chamber of Deputies, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador emphasized that the will of the population, expressed in the June 2 election, is being fulfilled; the President reiterated that on Sunday, September 1, he will deliver his final State of the Nation address in Mexico City's Zócalo square. He invited the public to participate in this event, which will begin at 11 am; during López Obrador's administration, four irrigation districts were established to benefit agricultural production on 120,000 hectares of land; tonight is the premiere of the Mayan Train documentary by Epigmenio Ibarra at 9:00 p.m. on President López Obrador's official social networks.

This column by Carlos Fernández-Vega originally appeared in Spanish in La Jornada on August 28 2024. With the classic proconsul air of gringo ambassadors, Ken […]

Highlights of this morning’s presidential press conference include: AMLO once again criticized Supreme Court Chief Justice Norma Piña and the national president of the PAN, Marko Cortés, for attempting to violate the independence of the Federal Electoral Tribunal (TEPJF) by trying to influence the allocation of proportional representation seats in Congress, through an appeal filed before the country’s highest court; the President clarified that the relationship with the U.S. and Canadian governments continues. However, he said that relations with the embassies of those countries have been put on hold due to their interference in matters that only concern Mexicans; it is not true that spending on education decreased during López Obrador's administration. In 2024, the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) budget increased 35.1% with respect to 2018 and 5.5% with regard to 2023; a false narrative is making the rounds about an “economic catastrophe” that could result from Morena and its allied parties receiving a 2/3 majority in the Chamber of Deputies and from the approval of the Judicial Reform. The peso continues to be the second most appreciated currency against the dollar; Mexico's credit rating is stable; Mexico's international reserves are at an all-time high of US$22.7 billion; and Mexico is the 12th largest economy in the world.

Highlights of this morning’s presidential press conference include: AMLO denounced Supreme Court Chief Justice Norma Piña’s decision to accept two cases that she should have rejected for being inadmissible. The cases involve two tax debts for more than 35 billion pesos (US$1.78 billion). One of the cases was assigned to a justice who has a history defending wealthy individuals; the President charged that that, without having the authority to do so, the Supreme Court (SCJN) accepted an appeal by the PAN against the allocation of proportional representation seats to Morena and allied parties in the Chamber of Deputies, with which the block will have a 2/3 majority. The Federal Electoral Tribunal (TEPJF) has the final say in electoral matters, not the SCJN, the President noted; President López Obrador said that the warnings issued by rating agencies claiming that the Judicial Reform would bring negative consequences for the national economy should not be taken seriously; AMLO said that the relationship with the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, is good, but is on pause, following the diplomats statements against the Judicial Reform. “They have to learn to respect Mexico's sovereignty,” he said