El Salvador's National Assembly repealed part of a law that criminalized the publication of gang messages. The decree passed by lawmakers yesterday states that the government’s security crackdown against gangs has been a success, and lifts the prohibition on radio, television, written or digital media from reproducing and transmitting messages or communications originating or allegedly originating from said criminal groups. (El Diario de Hoy)
Critics of the gag law, passed during the ongoing state of exception that suspends civil liberties as part of the gang crackdown, argued it unjustly targeted journalists, who often source stories based on images showing graphic violence, including messages left by alleged gang members, or even interviews, graffiti and audios shared on social media, reports Reuters.
No arrests were ever made under the law, notes Reuters, though journalists said it was a clear attempt at media censorship and had a chilling effect.
More El Salvador
A new investigation by El Faro uncovered a series of payments from the presidential slush fund under former President Salvador Sánchez Cerén to companies administered by members of the Bukele family. A company administered by two of President Nayib Bukele’s brothers received from an unreported presidential ‘black budget,’ or partida secreta, for just over $118 thousand. “This fact mocks Bukele’s campaign pledge to eliminate the secret budget, a cloak used since at least the early 90s — not exclusively illicitly, but oftentimes to finance corruption, buy off media outlets, or favor presidential allies.”
Honduras
Honduran ruling party lawmakers elected an interim attorney general yesterday — using their majority on a constitutional commission despite having a minority in the Congress — a move opposition lawmakers say is an unconstitutional power grab by Castro administration allies, reports Reuters.
Cuba
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel spoke with The Nation on the future of Cuban socialism, the US blockade, and the economic difficulties facing the island nation.
Regional
The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) formally aims to support “balanced” development in the region, but an investigation by OCCRP and its partners “found the bank has funded projects that led to environmental destruction, and others where funds were diverted for corrupt practices or used to fund the pet projects of dictators.”
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen wants Latin America to trade more with the United States, though her “friendshoring” strategy has so far has failed to disrupt China’s dominance in global manufacturing, reports the Associated Press.
A U.S. DEA agent leaked sensitive case information Alex Saab as part of a scheme to sell government secrets to defense lawyers seeking to attract deep-pocketed clients, a revelation in a U.S. court that could complicate the Justice Department’s already-fraught prosecution of Saab, an ally of Venezuela’s Maduro government, reports the Associated Press.
Migration
A migrant caravan heading through Mexico towards the United States has 7,000 participants, most from Central and South America. (BBC)
Colombia
Colombia’s so-called “Junk Food Law” — new taxes on a series of ultra-processed foods — which came into force yesterday — is one of the region’s most ambitious public health measures, reports El País.
Hundreds of Colombian veterans have joined Ukraine’s military — driven by financial opportunity rather than moral conviction. Colombia has long exported fighters, and the economic pressures are pushing more retired veterans to seek contracts abroad, reports the New York Times.
Uruguay
Uruguay's foreign minister resigned abruptly yesterday, “after the release of recordings in which he allegedly seeks to cover up information involving Sebastian Marset, an accused cocaine trafficker and subject of an international manhunt,” reports AFP.
Brazil
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he will deploy the armed forces to “boost security at some of the country’s most important airports, ports and international borders as part of a renewed effort to tackle organized crime,” reports the Associated Press.
Soy farming has been linked to a rise in child cancer deaths in Brazil, one of the world’s top users of pesticides for protecting crops from disease and pests, reports Reuters.
A new trend in Brazil involves mobile dance crews dressed as children’s characters that ride around on neon big rigs to perform choreographed dances at stoplights and traffic slowdowns — New York Times.
Critter Corner
The American Ornithological Society, which is the organization responsible for standardizing English bird names across the Americas, has committed to replacing all bird names derived from people so as not to honor figures with racist pasts. (New York Times)