00:13Massive early voting is underway in the United States ahead of the November 3rd midterm elections
00:19acting as a major referendum on President Donald Trump's second term.
00:27The United Nations Association in Haiti has condemned reported Salvadoran military operations
00:33in civilian areas demanding an immediate end to unilateral strikes and an international
00:38investigation into war crimes. Italian trade unions have launched a nationwide general strike
00:51across more than 50 cities to protest over the rising cost of living and soaring military expenditures.
01:04Hello and welcome to From the South. I'm Alejandra Garcia from Telesur Studios in Caracas, Venezuela.
01:09We'll begin with the news, so stay with us.
01:26Massive early voting is underway in the United States ahead of the November 3rd midterm elections acting as a major
01:33referendum on President Donald Trump's second term.
01:36High turnout across mail-in and in-person voting channels reflects institutional reforms implemented after the COVID-19 pandemic
01:44with 47 states and Washington DC permitting early voting without justification.
01:50Voters will decide the composition of all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 Senate seats and 36 governorships
02:01as national polls show President Trump facing low approval ratings between 30 and 38%.
02:08Electoral analysts highlight that decentralized voting schedules and widespread economic concerns over inflation are driving heightened voter engagement across key
02:22competitive districts.
02:34Also healthcare affordability has reemerged as a central background in US politics as expiring subsidies and rising premiums push basic
02:43medical care out of reach for millions of working families.
02:46Support for a universal single payer system has surged to a record high of 66%.
02:53For an analysis of the debate, our correspondent Dan Albright has more details.
03:00Thanks.
03:01Yeah, the US healthcare system relies heavily on a neoliberal model.
03:04Access to care is largely tied to one's employer, private insurance and the ability to pay.
03:10In 2010, the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare expanded coverage significantly.
03:15But at that time, when Democrats controlled the presidency and Congress, they essentially mandated private insurers as middlemen between patients
03:24and doctors.
03:25A public option passed the House, but was dropped from the final law.
03:30Now even those gains are being weakened.
03:33Republicans allowed enhanced Obamacare subsidies to expire, while Trump signed new restrictions on eligibility and enrollment.
03:41For people buying insurance through Obamacare, average premium payments are up 58% this year, while average deductibles have risen
03:50more than $1,000 to nearly $3,800.
03:54So having insurance still doesn't guarantee affordable healthcare.
03:58That helps explain why Medicare for All has been a prominent platform item on Democratic campaigns this election season.
04:07A September KFF poll found 66% of US adults now support a single-payer government health plan.
04:14The highest level KFF has ever recorded.
04:17Dan Albright, Telesor, Boston. Back to you.
04:25And now we are going to start on topic because today we'll be speaking with Jill Clark Gollum, who holds
04:30a Master from the Monterrey Institute of International Studies in Translation and Interpretation,
04:37and also a Bachelor of Degree from Tulane University in Latin American Studies and also Spanish.
04:43Hello, Jill. Welcome to From the South.
04:50Seems like we are having some technical difficulties. I think we don't have it, do we?
04:57We are going to go in contact with Jill in upcoming moments.
05:02Now we are going to other topics because on Thursday, Mexican authorities arrested Axel Cardenas, identified as the second in
05:11command of the Golfo Cartel,
05:13during a military operation carried out in the border city of Matamoros in the state of Tamaulipas.
05:19The arrest of the alleged drug leader, who is linked to crimes including murder, kidnapping and cross-border drug trafficking,
05:26triggered an immediate violent reaction,
05:30with road blockades and burn-out vehicles that paralyze the main avenues of the town buried in Bronzeville, Texas.
05:37In the face of the chaos and widespread fear among the population, the state government of Mexico suspended school classes,
05:45while Major Alberto Granados urged residents to take shelter in their homes, while police forces bring the security situation under
05:52control.
06:04And now we have a short break coming up, but first remember you can join us on TikTok at Telesuri
06:09English,
06:09where you'll find news in different formats, news updates and much more.
06:15We'll be right back, so stay with us.
06:39Welcome back to From the South.
06:41The United Nations Association in Haiti has condemned reported Salvadoran military operations
06:46in civilian areas, demanding an immediate end to unilateral strikes and an international investigation into war crimes.
06:54In an open letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres,
06:59UNA, Haiti and Diaspora civil society groups denounced heavy aerial bombardments, gunship raids and artillery assaults
07:07launched by Salvadoran forces in Croix de Boquets, Canaan and Plain du Coul de Sac.
07:13The military campaign, authorized by President Egypt Bukele following the kidnapping of four aviation technicians,
07:20has caused widespread civilian casualties and forced family displacement.
07:26Human rights advocates warn that unilateral military interventions violate Haitian state sovereignty and international humanitarian law,
07:34urging the UN Security Council to halt offensive operations and include community leaders, youth and diaspora representatives,
07:41and direct diplomatic negotiations.
07:53Civil society organizations presented serious allegations to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
07:59regarding systematic torture and a toll of 454 deaths in El Salvador's prisons,
08:05under the state of emergency implemented by President Bukele.
08:09During the hearing in Washington, legal representatives presented testimony and evidence regarding alleged cruel treatment,
08:17further noting that a significant portion of the deceased had no ties to criminal organizations
08:24and that official autopsies might be concealing evidence of trauma.
08:29In response to international scrutiny and after previously announcing a review of cases involving gang members,
08:38that puts to the national prison population at more than 120,000 inmates.
08:45El Salvador's government defended the official statistics on its security policy and the management of the prison system.
09:19United Nations experts have denounced an ongoing
09:21of the U.S. in the Gaza Strip following the near-total destruction of educational institutions and heritage sites by
09:28Israeli forces.
09:29Figures presented to the UN indicate that 98% of schools and all 13 universities across the territory have been
09:39destroyed,
09:40stripping thousands of Palestinian students of access to education.
09:43Independent rapporteurs warned that the systemic targeting of historical archives, libraries and cultural landmarks aims to erase the collective memory
09:53and cultural identity of the Palestinian people.
09:57The UN body also condemned the targeted killings of journalists and media workers,
10:02calling for immediate global protection of educational systems, press freedoms and cultural heritage in occupied territories.
10:19And Israeli military forces have carried out forced homes evacuations in Northern Gaza as a prelude to targeted air and
10:27artillery strikes.
10:28Families across the Northern Gaza Strip were forcibly driven from their residences under threat of imminent bombardment,
10:35escalating a severe structural and humanitarian crisis across the enclave.
10:39The forced displacements occur as high-ranking Israeli military officials push to resume large-scale military operations throughout the territory.
10:48Health authorities report that the total death toll from the ongoing military aggression since October 2023 has reached nearly 75
10:56,000 Palestinians,
10:57further intensifying global combination of siege tactics, ethnic cleansing and systematic civilian displacement.
11:23In other information, Italian trade unions have launched a nationwide general strike across more than 50 cities to protest at
11:31the rising cost of living and soaring military expenditures.
11:34Organised by the union, the National Day of Action saw massive rallies in Rome, Milan, Florence and Naples demanding higher
11:45wages,
11:46increased funding for public services and an immediate reduction in defence spending.
11:50The general strike impacted public administration, health care and education while union leaders rejected order mandates issued by Transport Minister
12:00Matteo Salvini aimed at postponing transport stoppages.
12:04Demonstrators reaffirmed as well their opposition to Australian measures and military spending hikes,
12:10urging structural and economic reforms to protect workers purchasing power amidst rising inflation across the continent.
12:28In other topics, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro SƔnchez has pledged that state authorities are working tirelessly to identify 69 victims
12:36following a devastating high-speed train collision in central Spain.
12:40Speaking from an emergency coordination centre in Toledo, the Spanish leader addressed growing anguish among families awaiting official identification reports
12:51after two high-speed trains collided near Urda in Castilla-La Mancha.
12:56The emergency services and forensic teams continue searching through mangled courages using heavy machinery with regional authorities warning that the
13:05death toll may rise further as DNA sample continues.
13:11The tragedy represents Spain's second fatal high-speed rail disaster, this year prompting government pledges for a thorough investigation into
13:25signal system failures and traffic decisions.
13:38All branches of the state and all public servants are working tirelessly to provide the families of the victims with
13:45as much reliable information as possible, as soon as possible.
13:56The victims and their families are not only Spanish, indeed, as many as 27 different nationalities are counted among those
14:05who are believed to have lost their lives in this real tragedy.
14:09As you know, we are of course in contact and coordinating with all the consulates of the countries whose nationals
14:15have been affected by this accident so that they can obtain, as quickly as possible, the most detailed information possible
14:22concerning their citizens.
14:28And the third Russia-Africa summit finished on Wednesday in Moscow with a final declaration deepening strategic cooperation on a
14:362027-2029 action plan.
14:38The summit concluded at the Kremlin as President Putin framed the partnership as a pillar of a multipolar world free
14:45from neo-colonial practices.
14:46In this sense, the plenary session approved the final declaration, a specific agreement on AI and an action plan that
14:54will covern the 2027-2029 period presenting the A7 platform as a sovereign alternative to Western banking.
15:03These documents set out the agreed roadmap for expanding cooperation between Moscow and African states while advancing what both sides
15:12describe as a fairer international system.
15:41Thank you very much.
16:33And with this information, we have come to the end of this news brief.
16:36Remember, you can find this and many other stories on our website at TelesurEnglish.net.
16:41Also join us on social media.
16:43We are on Facebook, X, Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok as well.
16:48For TelesurEnglish, I'm Alejandra GarcĆa.
