Rubio and the Return of the Monroe Doctrine

President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday tapped Florida senator Marco Rubio (R.) to lead the State Department. Rubio is, among other things, a full-spectrum opponent of China's nefarious activities, and the news of his nomination dismayed the soft-on-China crowd. He is also tough on Iran and should focus America's diplomats on promoting the nation's interests rather than exporting the culture wars. But Rubio's most distinctive foreign policy contribution is likely to be in Latin America, where he can bring the Monroe Doctrine back to the center of U.S. foreign policy.

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'I Am Worried': Dem Leaders Sound Alarm as Harris Struggles To Engage Latino Voters in Battleground Pennsylvania

Democratic officials and community leaders are “worried” that Vice President Kamala Harris is not doing enough to court Latino voters in Pennsylvania, privately warning that her prospects are slipping in the crucial battleground state.

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EXCLUSIVE: Congress Froze $1.5 Million For Foreign LGBTQ Initiatives — But Biden-Harris Admin Is Spending It Anyways

'USAID is choosing to ignore the hold and move forward'

'Gone to S—t': Poor Economy Drives Latino Men Away from Harris in Swing State Nevada

In battleground Nevada, Vice President Kamala Harris is losing support among Latino men, a historically Democratic bloc, with many citing the weak economy under the Biden-Harris administration, USA Today reported.

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Venezuela Is A Disaster Because Of Socialism, Not ‘Brutal Capitalism’

The New York Times blames 'brutal capitalism' as the root cause of the socialist regime’s economic woes and political chaos.

Border Czar Kamala Harris Embraced Socialist Honduran Leader Who's Now Endorsing Maduro's Stolen Election

The Honduran leader whom Vice President Kamala Harris embraced in an effort to stem the flow of illegal aliens on the southern border has joined Russia, China, and Cuba in backing Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro's fraudulent electoral victory.

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El Salvadoran president has advice for Trump and a spiritual insight into his triumph over MS-13



Tucker Carlson recently interviewed Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, 42, who was re-elected earlier this year with over 83% of the vote. Interested in possible lessons for the U.S., Carlson pressed Bukele about his successful transformation of the Latin American country from a blood-soaked gangland into the second-safest country in the Western Hemisphere.

While the two discussed possible replicable successes that the United States could benefit from as well as God's role in MS-13's defeat, the Salvadoran president also obliged Carlson in providing former President Donald Trump with some advice in light of the Republican's recent conviction before a Democratic judge in a Democratic enclave on charges brought by a Democratic prosecutor.

Self-congratulatory losers

"What advice would you give to another former democratically elected leader seeking office who is facing jail time?" asked Carlson.

After a pregnant pause, Carlson added, "Anyone, just if there was such a person."

"If there was a way to stop the candidacy, then he's probably in trouble," said Bukele. "But if there's no way to stop him from competing in the election, all the things that they do to him will just give him more votes."

'They're making a huge mistake.'

"That seems to be happening," Carlson replied.

"Either you stop the candidacy or you let him be," said Bukele. "But just, you know, hitting him with — you're making the greatest campaign ever."

When pressed on whether he thinks Democrats are conscious that their efforts to imprison the presumptive Republican nominee ahead of the general election might backfire, Bukele indicated that some are likely aware, but others are ostensibly preoccupied chasing after the admiration of their peers and congratulating themselves.

"They're making a huge mistake. Huge, huge mistake," added Bukele.

The Salvadoran president's suggestion that Trump might be best served leaning into Democrats' attacks so long as the attacks do not preclude him from competing in the election was far from the only insight he shared with Carlson.

To replicate a 'miracle'

Early in the interview, Carlson asked, "If you can fix El Salvador, what are the lessons for the rest of us? What did you do first?"

'Once you achieve peace, you can struggle for all the other things.'

"You cannot do anything if you do not have peace. Right. And when I say peace, I include wars, civil wars, invasion, crime," said the president. "Once you achieve peace, you can struggle for all the other things."

Blaze News previously reported that there were 51 homicides per 100,000 in 2018, the year prior to Bukele's election. Under his leadership, the homicide rate fell to 7.8, such that El Salvador witnessed fewer homicides that year (495) than were reported in Democrat-run Chicago during the same period (695). Reuters indicated that crime dropped again last year by an estimated 70%, leaving the country with a murder rate of 2.4 per every 100,000.

The former "murder capital of the world" claimed earlier this month that the rate in 2024 presently now sits at two homicides per every 100,000. While Canada long had the lowest murder rate in the Americas, its rate has alternatively climbed every year from 2018 to 2022, such that it is poised to lose the top spot to El Salvador if it has not already.

To bring about the peace he referenced in his conversation with Carlson, Bukele's administration waged war on terroristic gangs, cracked down on some civil rights, and tossed 1% of the adult population in jail, citing proven and alleged gang affiliations.

"I can tell you the official formula [for busting the gangs] and the real formula," Bukele told Carlson. "So the official formula is that we did a plan ... that was comprised of phases. So we rolled out the first phase and then the next one, then the next one. And then gangs started attacking back, so we had to roll out everything at once."

Bukele noted that the accelerated crackdown prompted by the gangs' counteroffensive ultimately worked.

"In a couple of weeks the country was transformed because the gangs were not yet arrested but they were on the run," said the president. "We basically pacified the country in a couple of weeks.

To successfully execute each phase, Bukele indicated he doubled the size of the army and equipped it to effectively combat the gangs.

While effective strategy and force of arms were apparently the official formula for success, Bukele indicated the unofficial formula was prayer.

'Victory was because we won the spiritual war.'

"It's a miracle," said Bukele. "When gangs started attacking us back, basically, they killed 87 people in three days, which for a country of 6 million people is crazy."

Bukele said that this bloodletting made clear that the defeat of 70,000 gangsters, clearly willing to inflict maximum damage on the country's 6 million citizens, was an "impossible task."

The president told Carlson that at the time, he met with his security Cabinet and said, "We are looking into an impossible mission here, so we pray."

Sure enough, everyone present — all apparently believers — apparently asked God for wisdom, for minimal civilian casualties, and for support in their battle against MS-13, which Bukele underscored is a "satanic" gang.

"Victory was because we won the spiritual war," concluded Bukele. "Because [we] didn't have competition. I mean, they were satanic. I think that made it easier."

— (@)

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The Economist beclowns itself, recommending against adoption of El Salvador's successful anti-crime policies



The Economist claims to "produce journalism of sometimes radical opinion with a reverence for facts." Judging from a recent Economist article concerning Latin America's problems with crime, it appears the London-based publication might be short on reverence.

A May 8 article entitled "How to pacify the world's most violent region" kicks off with a note on crime in Durán, Ecuador, where the murder rate last year was 148 per 100,000 residents. The article suggests that Durán is the "worst example of a scourge that has brought misery to Latin America. Despite being home to just 8% of the world's population, the region accounts for a third of its murders."

The anonymous author suggested that to remedy such nightmarish states of play, Latin American leaders might reflexively resort to "mano dura, the iron fist."

'Officials from across the region praise and seek to copy what they call the "Bukele model." They shouldnt.'

While admitting that this tough-on-crime approach has recently worked, the Economist author concluded that the crime-fighting approach that transformed El Salvador from a gang-ravaged and blood-soaked battlefield into a nation with fewer murders nationally than Chicago experiences in a year is not worth attempting.

"Officials from across the region praise and seek to copy what they call the 'Bukele model.' They shouldn't," wrote the anonymous author.

The article has been slapped with a Community Notes fact-check on X and ridiculed by Bukele himself.

The 'Bukele model'

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, 42, was re-elected president earlier this year with over 83% of the vote. His party also swept the National Assembly, securing 58 out of 60 seats.

A large part of what has made Bukele so beloved and popular amongst Salvadorans is his approach to crime. Bukele regards violent crime as a cancer and gangs as "metastases" in need of excision.

Blaze News previously reported that there were 51 homicides per 100,000 in 2018, the year prior to Bukele's election. Under his leadership, the homicide rate had fallen to 7.8 by 2022 such that the country saw fewer homicides that year (495) than were reported in Chicago during the same time period (695).

According to Reuters, Salvadoran security authorities observed the number of homicides drop again in 2023, this time by 70%, leaving the nation with a murder rate of 2.4 per every 100,000, bested only by Canada. America's mortality rate, by way of comparison, is 8 per 100,000.

In order to bring about this end, Bukele's administration took extreme measures, admittedly cracking down on some civil rights and throwing over 1% of the adult population into jail. The anti-crime measures have largely angered foreign leftists such as Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and liberal publications, including the Economist.

The armchair critic's model

The anonymous Economist author stated as a fact that the Bukele model "undermines justice systems and leads to authoritarianism" then concluded it "will not work elsewhere."

The author reasoned that the Bukele-style crackdown worked in El Salvador but would alternatively fail in Mexico or Ecuador because of the caliber of the gangs, which have included MS-13.

The Economist did not go so far as to suggest criminal groups in other Latin American countries are impervious to bullets. Instead, it suggested they are "much richer and better armed and can often draw on help from foreign criminal affiliates. ... Such groups are unlikely to be defeated through force alone."

Instead of throwing violent criminals in prison or the ground, the Economist recommended the legalization of cocaine production and consumption. Recognizing, however, that is unlikely to happen, the anonymous author suggested that governments spare the gangs and bosses and instead "aim to discourage their most violent members from brutal acts."

In addition to creating government incentives for murderers not to keep murdering — citing Mexico as an exemplar — the Economist recommended leaning on police action contra military action; avoid mass incarceration; and keeping kids in school.

Backlash

When shared to X, the article was swiftly tagged with a community note linking to a Reuters article that highlights the precipitous drop in crime under the Bukele model.

Bukele responded to the article, which was captioned, "Gangs are gaining ground in Latin America. This is why iron-fist policies won't beat them back," with "We just did."

In addition to sharing the article, Bukele noted in a follow up, "There was a 70% drop in 2023… However, since the approval of the Exception Regime, there has been a 86% drop, and since we entered the government in 2019, the drop has reached 95%. We project a 97% drop for 2024."

There was a 70% drop in 2023\u2026\n\nHowever, since the approval of the Exception Regime, there has been a 86% drop, and since we entered the government in 2019, the drop has reached 95%.\n\nWe project a 97% drop for 2024.\n\nReceipts: https://t.co/SMlpyQcaf6
— (@)

Max Keiser, a senior adviser to Bukele and so-called Bitcoin bull, tweeted, "Restoring human rights for 6 1/2 million Salvadorans has virtually eliminated gang violence. El Salvador is now the safest country in the hemisphere. The Economist's blatant and grotesque act of journalistic malpractice here is mind boggling."

Blaze News columnist Auron MacIntyre responded, "The main purpose of the press is to lecture you about the evils of living in a well ordered and prosperous society."

The main purpose of the press is to lecture you about the evils of living in a well ordered and prosperous society
— (@)

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US Ambassador to Brazil's Silence on Anti-Semitism Under Congressional Ire

The U.S. ambassador to Brazil's silence on a series of anti-Semitic comments by far-left Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has led to mounting concerns on Capitol Hill about the Biden administration's failure to confront a wave of anti-Semitism in Latin America.

The post US Ambassador to Brazil's Silence on Anti-Semitism Under Congressional Ire appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

El Salvadoran president praises God and dunks on haters after landslide re-election



Nayib Bukele, El Salvador's tough-on-crime president, has been re-elected with 83% of the vote, leaving his "pulverized" opposition in the dust, roughly 70 points behind. The 42-year-old populist's New Ideas party also appears to have secured 58 out of the 60 seats in the National Assembly, which will enable Bukele to maintain the controversial state of emergency that has all but ensured the elimination of gang violence in the country.

Both in the lead-up to Bukele's landslide victory and in the days since, foreign leftists such as Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and liberal publications such as the Economist have concern-mongered about Salvadorans threatening democracy by exercising their civic right to elect Bukele to another term.

Bukele made sure to send such foreign critics a message in his victory speech Sunday night, stressing, "The Salvadoran people have spoken. And they haven't just spoken loudly and clearly; they have made the clearest statement in the history of democracies around the world."

Hours after telling reporters Sunday that El Salvador had overcome the cancer "with metastases that were the gangs" and is now set to recover and "be the person we always wanted to be," Bukele took to the presidential balcony with his wife, Gabriela, to the sound of REM's "It's the End of the World as We Know It."

After boasting about his latest accomplishment, Bukele gave a brief summary of the country's triumph over crime: "We have gone from being literally, and this is no exaggeration — it's not hyperbole — we have gone from being literally the most dangerous country in the world to being the safest country in the entire Western Hemisphere."

Blaze News previously reported that there were 51 homicides per 100,000 in 2018, the year before Bukele first entered office. The homicide rate dropped to 7.8 in 2022 under his leadership, such that El Salvador saw fewer homicides that year (495) than were reported in Chicago during the same period (695).

"We lived through 50 horrible years of wars and killing, and everything has changed," Ana Rodriguez, a 70-year-old voter, told the Economist.

The homicide rate in El Salvador last year was reportedly 2.4 per 100,000. Canada's, by way of comparison, was 2.25 in 2022, and the U.S. is pushing 8 per 100,000.

Bukele told thousands of his supporters Sunday, "[El Salvador is] the safest country in the American continent. And what did they tell us? 'You're violating human rights.' Whose human rights? The rights of the honest people? No. Perhaps we have prioritized the rights of the honest people over the criminals' rights. That is all we have done."

Rep. Omar and other Democratic lawmakers urged the U.S. State Department to lean on El Salvador ahead of its national election last week, noting in a statement, "President Bukele is amassing power and establishing authoritarian rule in El Salvador. The Members of Congress are urging the State Department to review its relationship with El Salvador and use America's diplomatic influence to defend democratic values."

"I ask these organizations, I ask the governments of these foreign nations, I ask these journalists: 'Why do you want them to kill us? Why do you want to see Salvadoran blood spilled? Why aren't you happy to see that blood doesn't run in our country as it did before?"continued the Salvadoran. "'Why should we die? Why should our children die? So that you can be happy that we are respecting your false democracy, which you don't even respect in your own country?'"

The president shared an anecdote about a conversation with a Spanish journalist who supposedly asked him why he wanted to "dismantle democracy."

"I answered: 'What democracy are you referring to? Democracy means the power of the people. Demos and kratos. That's where the word democracy comes from,'" said Bukele. "And if this is what the Salvadoran people want, then why should a Spanish journalist come and tell us what Salvadorans can and can't do? What democracy is he talking about? He's talking about the democracy that his bosses in Spain want."

Bukele suggested the alternatives were imperialism, colonialism, elitism, or plutocracy in disguise.

After telling off his foreign detractors, Bukele dismissed secularist anxieties, then praised God.

"We must give all glory to God," said Bukele, eliciting applause and cheers from the crowd. "Because what are we if not His instruments? We are all the tools of God. God chose to heal our country. ... We respect all religions; we respect atheists and agnostics. We are their friends, but let us believe in God."

Alluding to possible concerns over his religious statement, Bukele added, "Maybe the problem [of praising God] is that it sets an example. Because maybe the people in your countries who you have tried to indoctrinate into atheism will once again believe in God."

Félix Ulloa, Bukele's vice president, reportedly indicated that now that the government has "cleaned the house" of crime, the administration will make education, health, and infrasructure top priorities.

— (@)

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