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WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives on Monday adopted a package of internal rules that give right-wing hardliners more leverage over the chamber's newly elected Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy. All 212 Democrats voted against the rules package, saying it was full of concessions to the right-wing of the Republican Party. The legislation includes key concessions that hardliners sought and McCarthy agreed to in his quest for the speaker's gavel. Democrats denounced the legislation as a rules package for “MAGA extremists” that would favor wealthy corporations over workers, undermine congressional ethics standards and lead to further restrictions on abortion services. Republicans have a narrow majority of 222-212 in the House, after winning fewer seats than expected in November's midterm elections.

☆ Peru mourns growing protester death toll, as govt seeks confidence vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hours later, Jorge Angulo, head of the operational command of the national police, confirmed the death of one policeman who was in the vehicle. Castillo is serving 18 months of pre-trial detention while being investigated for "rebellion" after trying to close Congress, a charge he denies. Images from local media showed looting of businesses in Puno on Monday night and the region's Juliaca airport remained closed on Tuesday. Likewise, airport operations in the Andean region of Ayacucho remained suspended as a security measure. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has announced it will visit Peru this week from Wednesday to Friday to assess the situation.

☆ Peru's mining south, rocked by violence, braces for 'endless battle'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The anger in the Andean south looks likely to harden, protest leaders told Reuters, a major risk to firms in the world's no. "This is an endless battle," said Edgar Chura, leader of the Puno Defense Front protest group before the Monday clashes, a view shared by other protest leaders who spoke with Reuters. Protest leaders, meanwhile, say that a government proposal to bring elections forward to April 2024 is not enough. Jose Luis Chapa, a protest leader and workers union official in Arequipa, said new elections must be held this year if the government wanted dialogue. "The agreement is not to talk with anyone from government, least of all Dina Boluarte," the mining region protest leader said, adding protests would be "staggered" around the south.

☆ U.S. House to vote on rules that will constrain McCarthy's power
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on Monday on the rules that will govern it for the next two years, in a first test of newly elected Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy's ability to wrangle his caucus. The legislation includes several changes that will limit McCarthy's power, including allowing a single lawmaker to call for his removal at any time and changes meant to sharply limit spending, concessions that McCarthy agreed to win support from right-wing hardliners for his leadership bid. Republicans have a narrow majority of 222-212 in the House, after winning fewer than expected seats in November's midterm elections. This has amplified the hardliners power, and raised questions about how the divided Congress, where President Joe Biden's Democrats still control the Senate, will function. Democrats are expected to vote against the package.

Led by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Mexican officials set out the U.S.-Mexico bilateral agenda after Biden's arrival in Mexico City on Sunday evening for a North American leaders' summit. "Integration needs to be strengthened," Lopez Obrador told a news conference, saying he expected to reach "good agreements" with Biden. Lopez Obrador is hosting Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau between Monday and Wednesday for the first summit between the three since late 2021. DOMESTIC POLITICSLopez Obrador has also alarmed the United States with a plan to prohibit imports of genetically-modified corn. "To create a North American corridor to outcompete China, the United States, Canada and Mexico need to be on the same economic page," he added.

JOSH BRECHEEN - FLIPPEDThe Oklahoman freshman went for McCarthy on Friday afternoon, saying a deal "will allow conservatives to rein in out-of-control spending." ANDREW CLYDE - FLIPPEDClyde of Georgia is a member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, which is driving opposition to McCarthy. He moved to support McCarthy on Friday. ANDY BIGGS - OPPOSEDThe Arizona lawyer ran against McCarthy in the first round of voting for speaker. MATT ROSENDALE - OPPOSEDThe lone congressman from Montana has remained opposed to McCarthy, voting repeatedly for fellow Republican Kevin Hern instead.

☆ At least 29 killed during Mexico capture of El Chapo's son
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mexican security forces on Thursday captured Guzman, a son of jailed kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Members of the Sinaloa Cartel and their associates went on a rampage, fighting security forces, setting vehicles on fire and blocking roads across the Pacific coastal state. Ovidio Guzman, 32, was arrested in the early hours of Thursday, prompting a shootout with gang members, Sandoval said. Guzman was then extracted by helicopter from the house where he was caught and flown to Mexico City, the minister added. Ovidio's latest capture comes before a North American leaders' summit in Mexico City next week, which U.S. President Joe Biden will attend.

☆ Canada's Trudeau urges Alberta to contribute to carbon-capture incentives
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"We've seen for a while Alberta hesitating around investing in anything related to climate change. But CCUS is one of those tangible things," Trudeau told Reuters in an interview. The Canadian oil and gas industry wants a level playing field as Ottawa targets net zero emissions by 2050, the same goal set by U.S. President Joe Biden. "One of the challenges is there is a political class in Alberta that has decided that anything to do with climate change is going to be bad for them or for Alberta," Trudeau said. In the interview, Trudeau also took aim at his main rival, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, for casting Canada as "broken".

Mexican security forces captured Guzman, the 32-year-old son of jailed kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, in the early hours of Thursday morning, prompting hours of unrest and shootouts with gang members, the minister said. THE EXTRADITION QUESTIONThe United States has sought Guzman's extradition for years. Guzman, known by the nickname "The Mouse," has been charged in the United States with conspiracy to traffic cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States. Surging flows of the synthetic opioid fentanyl into the United States, where it has fueled record overdose deaths, have heightened pressure to capture Guzman. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration considers the Sinaloa Cartel, along with one other gang, to be responsible for most of the fentanyl inside the United Sates.

☆ Analysis: Capture of El Chapo's son gilds Mexican president's patchy record on crime
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Dave Graham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The arrest of Ovidio Guzman, son of captured kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, was a timely reversal of fortune for Lopez Obrador. However, the arrest, one of just a handful of major scalps Lopez Obrador has claimed, is unlikely to herald a major sea change in the battle on organized crime unless the government is more aggressive about going after gangs, analysts said. Lopez Obrador took office in 2018 vowing to get a grip on gang violence. And while Lopez Obrador is popular, his record on combating crime has consistently been viewed critically by voters. GOODWILLLopez Obrador's attitude to the Sinaloa Cartel has stirred up misgivings, particularly when he decided to greet El Chapo's mother on a trip to Sinaloa in 2020.

☆ Exclusive: Canada seeks progress in dispute over Mexican energy policies at summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OTTAWA, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Canada and the United States are going to argue at a North American leaders' summit next week that resolving a dispute over measures that favor Mexican energy companies would help draw more foreign investment to Mexico, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday. Asked if he hoped to make progress at the summit in Mexico City, Trudeau said: "Absolutely". The United States and Canada entered into dispute settlement talks last year with Mexico under a North American trade deal, known as the USMCA, charging that Mexican energy policies were discriminatory and undermine international firms. Trudeau will arrive in Mexico City on Monday for a three-day visit, which will include bilateral meetings with both Biden and Lopez Obrador. The United States and Canada are challenging amendments to Mexican legislation that prioritize distribution of CFE-generated power over cleaner sources of energy provided by private-sector suppliers, such as wind and solar.

☆ Biden to lay out new Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti migrant policy in border speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Biden will also use his speech to press Republicans to stop blocking his immigration reform proposals and border measures and for Congress to provide the necessary resources. Under the plan announced on Thursday, Mexico will accept up to 30,000 expelled migrants per month from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela, according to a White House fact sheet. In November, U.S. border officials encountered 82,000 migrants from those nations at the border with Mexico, according to U.S. government data. Reuters reported last week that the Biden administration planned to implement the new restrictions. Reporting by Steve Holland, Ted Hesson, Doina Chiacu and Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

MEXICO CITY, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Mexican drug cartel leader Ovidio Guzman, a son of incarcerated kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, has been arrested by Mexican authorities, five officials familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday. The United States had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Ovidio. Local government urged people to stay indoors and said schools and administrative offices were closed due to the violence. "We ask the citizens of Culiacan not to leave home due to the blockades that have occurred in different parts of the city," Culiacan Mayor Juan de Dios Gamez wrote on Twitter. Joaquin Guzman, 65, was convicted in New York in 2019 of trafficking billions of dollars of drugs to the United States and conspiring to murder enemies.

[1/6] Burning vehicles are seen blocking a road after drug lord Ovidio Guzman's capture, in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico January 5, 2023. Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval told a news conference that security forces had captured the 32-year-old senior member of the Sinaloa Cartel. Ovidio, a fugitive since the previous arrest attempt, was now being held in the capital Mexico City, Sandoval said. The city's airport was caught up in the violence, with Mexican airline Aeromexico (AEROMEX.MX) saying one of its planes had been hit by gunfire ahead of a scheduled flight to Mexico City. "It's very important the government bear in mind that the weakening of the Sinaloa Cartel may also bring about an even greater expansion, a greater presence of the Jalisco Cartel."

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - About 20 hardline Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have voted against California Republican Kevin McCarthy in his bid to become the next Speaker of the House in successive rounds of voting this week. That has stopped the House from starting their work and exposed the sharp rifts that have developed within the Republican party. Here are some of McCarthy's most prominent opponents:SCOTT PERRYPerry is the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, the furthest right ideological grouping in the House and the home of almost all McCarthy opponents. Boebert is one of the top fundraisers among House Republicans and brought in more than $7 million for her reelection bid, to eke out one of the closest wins of the November midterms. Like others who voted against McCarthy, he was a prominent opponent of measures designed to stop the spread of COVID-19.

☆ Explainer: Why Ovidio Guzman is one of Mexico's most wanted men
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Brendan O'Boyle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Raquel CunhaMEXICO CITY, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Mexican security forces on Thursday arrested cartel leader Ovidio Guzman, son of incarcerated kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the country's defense minister said. Guzman's detention in Culiacan, the capital of the northwestern state of Sinaloa, the heartland of Mexico's drug trade, follows his short-lived detention in 2019. Guzman, known by nickname "The Mouse," became a high-level leader in the Sinaloa Cartel after his father's arrest in 2016 and extradition in 2017. WHAT DOES GUZMAN'S ARREST MEAN FOR THE GOVERNMENT? Guzman's arrest Thursday could signal the government is willing and able to stand up to them.

☆ Analysis: Democrats' downgrade of Iowa's role is a blow to Corn Belt, biofuels
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Iowa's political importance created a cottage industry out of educating and supporting candidates on issues that corn farmers and ethanol manufacturers care about. "Forward looking, to get Democratic candidates exposed to farm issues and get these issues in front of them is going to be extremely challenging. “It’s a blow to the industry, in terms of educating and informing the Democratic candidates,” Link said. Link noted that many of the Democratic candidates vying for the nomination were often already serving as elected leaders in Washington or would later become vice presidents or cabinet secretaries. The Iowa caucuses helped developed empathy for rural issues that could later be tapped for legislative success.

WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden will award the Presidential Citizens Medal to 12 people on Friday during a ceremony at the White House to mark two years since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, a White House official said. The award, one of the country's highest civilian honors, will be given to law enforcement officers, election workers and state and local officials, the official said. The White House plans to highlight distinctions between what Biden calls "extremists" in the opposition party and other Republicans in the months ahead. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died in the days following the attack on the Capitol, will receive a posthumous medal, according to the White House official. Washington's chief medical examiner ruled that Sicknick died of natural causes following multiple strokes after the attack on the Capitol.

☆ Factbox: If not McCarthy then who? Other possible candidates for U.S. House speaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] U.S. House Republican Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) makes his way through the U.S. Capitol on the first day of the new Congress in Washington, U.S., January 3, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Here are six potential candidates to become speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives if Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy fails to win the post due to a rebellion by hardliners in his party. 2 House Republican is a supporter of McCarthy who could get support from moderates in the caucus, while also appealing to hardline conservatives. REPRESENTATIVE JIM JORDANThe Ohio congressman is leader of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of the most hardline House conservatives. Jordan has repeatedly supported McCarthy in speaker votes, but all 20 holdouts voted for him on Tuesday.

Bolsonaro, a far-right nationalist, left Brazil for Florida on Friday after losing to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brazil's most fraught vote in a generation. Bolsonaro's U.S. trip insulates him from any immediate legal jeopardy in Brazil, where he is under investigation in at least four criminal probes. Under Brazil's constitution, a sitting president can only be arrested if he is convicted by the Supreme Court. From September, Lula will be able to install his own prosecutor general, who has the power to charge Bolsonaro if his cases remain with the Supreme Court. Bolsonaro also faces 12 requests for investigation at the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) for baseless claims Brazil's electoral system is liable to fraud, as well as alleged abuses of power for granting economic benefits to win votes.

☆ Factbox: Six highlights from testimony released by the Jan. 6 committee
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Since the release of its report last week, the committee has released testimony transcripts highlighting other developments in Trump's White House, before and after the riot. "The president floated the idea and Cipollone said no," McEntee told the committee, referring to Pat Cipollone, former White House counsel. He said something to the effect of, God, no," Hutchinson told the committee, referring to the memo. Originals of all White House documents must be kept for the archives, but copies can be burned. She suspected her former lawyer of leaking her testimony to the press, and telling other Trump-adjacent figures about what she told the committee.

Anne Donnelly, the district attorney for Nassau County, said the allegations that have surfaced in recent days regarding Santos were serious. "The numerous fabrications and inconsistencies associated with Congressman-Elect Santos are nothing short of stunning," Donnelly, a Republican, said in a statement. But reporting by the New York Times and other media outlets in recent weeks called into question almost every element of Santos' life story. Among other claims, Santos said he had degrees from New York University and Baruch College, despite neither institution having any record of him attending. In recent days, Santos has apologized for "embellishing" his resume, while defending aspects of the way he had represented himself.

☆ Factbox: Four highlights from testimony released by the Jan. 6 committee
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Since the release of its report last week, the committee has made public transcripts of testimony from various witnesses. BLANKET PARDONSTrump wanted to issue blanket pardons for everyone who participated in the riot, according to testimony from John McEntee, former head of personnel at the White House. "The President floated the idea and Cipollone said no," McEntee told the committee, referring to Pat Cipollone, former White House counsel. Originals of all White House documents must be kept for the archives, but copies can be burned. She suspected her former lawyer of leaking her testimony to the press, and telling other Trump-adjacent figures about what she told the committee.

☆ Another militia member in Michigan governor kidnapping plot faces sentencing
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 28 (Reuters) - Another right-wing militia member convicted in the plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer faces several years in prison when he is sentenced on Wednesday in a U.S. District Court. Barry Croft Jr., 47, a member of the far-right Three Percenters militia group, was convicted in August by a federal court jury in Grand Rapids, Michigan, of plotting to abduct the Democratic governor. Croft and Fox were among 13 men arrested in October 2020 in the kidnapping conspiracy. Prosecutors had accused the two of conspiring to trigger "a second American Revolution" by kidnapping Whitmer. Whitmer, co-chairman of Joe Biden's presidential election campaign that year, had clashed publicly with then-President Donald Trump over her COVID-19 policies.

☆ Brazil's top court bans guns from capital ahead of Lula inauguration
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Brazil's Supreme Court on Wednesday banned registered gun-owners from carrying firearms in the federal district until after the inauguration of President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in reaction to recent episodes of political violence. Justice Alexandre de Moraes temporarily suspended licenses that permit hunters, marksmen and collectors to carry guns, firearms and ammunition in the region where the capital city of Brasilia is located. The measure will be in place from Wednesday evening to Jan. 2, the day after Lula's inauguration, according to Moraes' decision, which was reviewed by Reuters. On Dec. 12, the day Lula's victory was certified, some of the camp dwellers attacked the federal police headquarters in Brasilia. Incoming Justice Minister Flavio Dino cheered the ruling, saying the move would ensure greater security at the inauguration.

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