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      Florida Legislature Moves to Shield DeSantis’s Travel Records

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      The NewsThe Florida Legislature passed a bill on Tuesday that would shield the travel records of Gov. Ron DeSantis and other top elected officials from public view, a significant change to the state’s vaunted sunshine laws as Mr. DeSantis explores a potential presidential campaign.Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has faced increasing scrutiny for his use of private chartered flights.Justin Ide/ReutersWhy It Matters: Who’s paying, and who else is flying?Though the law purports to shield Mr. DeSantis’s and other top officials’ travel records under the umbrella of increasing threats and operational security, it also includes a sweeping retroactive clause that would block the release of many records of trips already taken by Mr. DeSantis and other officials, as well as those taken by their families and staff members.Mr. DeSantis has been facing increasing scrutiny for his use of private chartered flights — including questions about who paid for the travel and who flew with him — especially as his presidential ambitions come into clearer focus and he travels the country more extensively.In years past, Florida’s expansive transparency laws have exposed officials’ abuses of state resources: In 2003, for example, Jim King, the president of the State Senate, was found to have used a state plane to fly home on the weekends.What’s Next: A target for other potential Republican contenders.The bill now heads to Mr. DeSantis’s desk. The governor has avoided directly commenting on the bill and has stated that he did not draft the initiative, but many Florida Republicans expect that he will sign it into law.“It’s not necessarily something that I came up with,” Mr. DeSantis said on Monday at an event in Titusville. He added that the legislation was “motivated by a security concern” and that he had been receiving a lot of threats.The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which is led by a DeSantis appointee, has also expressed support for the bill, stating in April that releasing travel details “represents a risk not only to those we protect, but also F.D.L.E. agents and citizens attending events.”Critics of the bill, however, note that adding the retroactive clause does not fit with a security justification. “How is there a security issue for travel that’s already occurred?” said Barbara Petersen, the executive director of the Florida Center for Government Accountability, after the bill first advanced out of committee in April.The proposed changes have drawn the attention of some of Mr. DeSantis’s potential Republican rivals for president.“In recent months, Governor DeSantis has used taxpayer dollars to travel around the country for his 2024 presidential campaign, including to the early voting states of Iowa and Nevada,” the campaign of Donald J. Trump said in a statement last month. “DeSantis’s gubernatorial office, however, refuses to tell reporters — and the public — how much taxpayer money has been spent to fund these travels, or how much DeSantis’s April globe-trotting will cost.” More

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      Your Wednesday Briefing: A Deep Look at Korean Comfort Women

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      Also, Australia’s vape crackdown.“We were just like comfort women for the Japanese military,” said Cho Soon-ok, a survivor. “They had to take Japanese soldiers and we American G.I.s.”Jean Chung for The New York TimesSouth Korea’s brutal sex tradeThe euphemism “comfort women” typically describes South Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese during World War II. But long after Japan’s colonial rule ended, the sexual exploitation continued with Korean and American soldiers.After South Korea’s Supreme Court last year ordered the government to compensate 100 of the comfort women, the victims now aim to take their case to the U.S. Their legal strategy is unclear, as is what recourse they may find.Park Geun-ae, who was sold to a pimp in 1975, when she was 16, said she endured severe beatings and other abuse from G.I.s. “The Americans need to know what some of their soldiers did to us,” she said.In its ruling, South Korea’s Supreme Court said that the government was guilty of “justifying and encouraging” prostitution to help South Korea maintain its military alliance with the U.S. and earn American dollars. The court also blamed the government for the “systematic and violent” way it detained the women and forced them to receive treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.Numbers: In 1961, the local government of Gyeonggi Province, the populous area surrounding Seoul, estimated that the number of comfort women in its jurisdiction was 10,000 and growing and that they catered to 50,000 American troops. Many of these women worked in gijichon, or “camp towns,” built around American military bases.Recreational vapes are still widely available at retail stores across Australia.Sandra Sanders/ReutersAustralia moves to stamp out vapesAustralia’s government proposed a ban on e-cigarettes in one of its most sweeping tobacco regulatory moves in years.Nicotine vapes are supposed to be available only with a prescription in Australia. But they are sold in many convenience stores, and the government said it was particularly concerned about the growing popularity of vaping among young people.“We were promised this was a pathway out of smoking, not a pathway into smoking,” the health minister said yesterday. But, he continued, “that is what it has become.”The proposal, announced yesterday, would ban all single-use, disposable vapes, stop the imports of nonprescription vapes and restrict some flavors, colors and ingredients. It would also work to limit the nicotine in the products.A New Zealand comparison: Australia’s health minister said the country had no plans to ban smoking or to phase it out by birth year, as New Zealand did recently when it placed a lifetime prohibition on cigarette sales to everyone born after 2008.A U.S. comparison: Health regulators began a crackdown in recent years — they had not accounted for young people becoming addicted to nicotine through the fruity flavors of vapes.People lined up at a Hermès store in Shanghai.Qilai Shen for The New York TimesChina’s splurge festLuxury spending in China is bouncing back even faster than the country’s overall economy now that pandemic lockdowns have ended. Many Western brands have reaped the benefits.Before the pandemic, as much as two-thirds of the country’s luxury spending took place outside of mainland China: Wealthy Chinese shopped abroad to avoid their country’s import tariffs and taxes. But traveling outside China remains far more difficult than it was before the pandemic.The numbers:LVMH, the owner of brands like Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Company and Dior, last month posted a 17 percent increase in first-quarter revenue from a year earlier, driven in large part by the rebound in China.Retail sales of jewelry, gold and silver soared 37.4 percent in March from a year earlier.Hermès said sales in Asia (excluding Japan) were up 23 percent, “driven by a very good Chinese New Year.”THE LATEST NEWSAsia PacificThe Philippines leader, left, has reforged a strong alliance with the U.S.Doug Mills/The New York TimesPresident Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has emerged as one of the Philippines’ most transformative foreign policy presidents, our Southeast Asia bureau chief writes in an analysis.Keshub Mahindra, an Indian industrialist who was convicted in connection with the poison gas leak in Bhopal in 1984, died at 99 last month.The War in UkraineThe U.S. said at least 100,000 Russians had been killed or wounded in Ukraine in the past five months.Russia is imposing tighter restrictions in occupied parts of Ukraine, including on travel between towns, Ukrainian officials said.As attacks on journalists rise in Russia and beyond, our publisher warned of risks to democracy while speaking at an event to mark World Press Freedom Day.Around the WorldKhader Adnan was the first Palestinian prisoner to die on a hunger strike since 1992.Mohammed Abed/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesKhader Adnan, a prominent Palestinian prisoner, died after a hunger strike in an Israeli prison. Palestinian leaders and armed groups threatened retaliation.South Sudan said that the two rival generals in Sudan agreed to a seven-day truce, starting tomorrow, but there was no confirmation from the warring sides.The U.S. could run out of money to pay its bills by June 1, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said, if lawmakers do not reach a deal on debt.FIFA’s president said the Woman’s World Cup would not be televised in Europe unless broadcasters met its demands for higher fees. Culture NewsLil Nas X, bejeweled.Nina Westervelt for The New York TimesLil Nas X wore body paint and a silver thong to the Met Gala. Rihanna showed up last, and Doja Cat donned a feline facial prosthetic. Here are photos of the big event.Hollywood writers went on strike for the first time in 15 years, halting many productions.The Tony Award nominations are out. Broadway is banking on a busy summer as New York City theater continues its rebound from the pandemic.A Morning ReadFour desserts, which nod to both their creators’ Korean heritage — and French training.Clockwise from top left, Jun Michael Park for The New York Times; Joann Pai for The New York Times; Peter Flude for The New York Times; Aya Brackett for The New York TimesSome South Korean chefs, trained in the French culinary tradition, have blended the two traditions to create a distinct genre of pastry. Their work is defining a growing category of pastry art that is confined neither to South Korea nor to France.ARTS AND IDEASCan A.I. read minds?Neuroscientists from the University of Texas, Austin, have developed A.I. models that can translate people’s private thoughts — without using implants.In the scientists’ study, three participants listened to 16 hours of narrative stories while hooked up to an fMRI machine, which measures the blood flows to different parts of the brain. The scientists then used a large language model to match patterns in the brain activity to the words and phrases that the participants had heard.The model was able to turn a person’s imagined speech into actual speech. In one instance, almost every word was out of place in the decoded script, but the meaning of the passage was preserved:Original transcript: “I got up from the air mattress and pressed my face against the glass of the bedroom window expecting to see eyes staring back at me but instead only finding darkness.”Decoded from brain activity: “I just continued to walk up to the window and open the glass I stood on my toes and peered out I didn’t see anything and looked up again I saw nothing.”Essentially, the decoders were paraphrasing and capturing the gist, if not the precise language.PLAY, WATCH, EATWhat to CookDavid Malosh for The New York TimesA common Chinese American adaptation of a scallion egg wrap uses store-bought tortillas.What to Listen toThe folk musician Gordon Lightfoot has died at 84. Listen to his unlikely hit, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”What to Watch“A Small Light” tells the story of Miep Gies, who helped Anne Frank and others hide during World War II.HealthHow a gastroenterologist cares for her gut.Now Time to PlayPlay the Mini Crossword, and a clue: Try to fly (four letters).Here are the Wordle and the Spelling Bee.You can find all our puzzles here.That’s it for today’s briefing. See you next time. — AmeliaP.S. Ahead of King Charles’s coronation on Saturday, we’d love to hear from you: Is there a moment in British royal history that resonates with you? Tell us about it here.“The Daily” is on U.S. bank turmoil.Was this newsletter useful? Send us your feedback at briefing@nytimes.com. More

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      Senator Ben Cardin Won’t Seek Re-election in Maryland

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      His retirement is likely to draw a number of Democrats and Republicans to compete for the seat.Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, a long-serving Democrat, announced his retirement on Monday, clearing the way for highly competitive primaries to replace him in 2024, especially among Democrats in a deep-blue state.Maryland’s liberal-leaning voters have not sent a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 1980, and the eight-member congressional delegation includes just one member of the G.O.P.“I have run my last election and will not be on the ballot in 2024, but there is still much work to be done,” Mr. Cardin, 79, said in a statement. “During the next two years, I will continue to travel around the state, listening to Marylanders and responding to their needs.”High-profile Maryland Democrats who could be in the mix to replace Mr. Cardin include Representatives Jamie Raskin and David Trone, and Angela Alsobrooks, the executive of Prince George’s County.On the Republican side, there is already speculation about whether Larry Hogan, a popular former governor who in March said he would not run for president, will make a bid.In an interview, Mr. Cardin declined to endorse a successor, but he said he was confident Democrats would hold the seat. His election to the Senate in 2006 made him the third straight representative from Maryland’s Third Congressional District to join the chamber. The House seat is now held by John Sarbanes, a son of Paul Sarbanes, the senator who preceded Mr. Cardin.Mr. Cardin was named last month by Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, to serve on the Judiciary Committee as a temporary replacement for Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, who is on leave recovering from shingles, but Republicans have blocked the move. Without her vote, Democrats have been unable to advance stalled judicial nominations.In a video announcing his retirement that he recorded with his wife, Myrna Cardin, Mr. Cardin touched on highlights of a career that includes enacting the Magnitsky sanctions, international penalties aimed at violators of human rights, and environmental protections for Chesapeake Bay.Much of his motivation through his 58 years in elected office, Mr. Cardin said in the video, “comes back to tzedakah, part of our tradition as Jews to help those that are less fortunate.”Mr. Cardin, who was speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates before being elected to Congress, said in the interview on Monday that he hopes to focus his final two years in the Senate on helping small businesses. More

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      Paraguay Voters Elect Conservative Economist as President

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      The election of Santiago Peña keeps the right-wing Colorado Party in control of Paraguay, which it has run for all but five of the past 76 years.POZO COLORADO, Paraguay — Paraguayans elected Santiago Peña, a 44-year-old conservative economist, as their new president on Sunday, keeping the South American nation in the control of the right-wing Colorado Party that has run the country for all but five of the past 76 years.The result means that Paraguay, a landlocked nation of seven million people, has resisted the leftward shift across Latin America in recent years. Instead, Paraguayans delivered victory to a right-wing candidate who made vague promises to add jobs, lower energy prices and clear drug addicts from the street.Mr. Peña had 43 percent of the vote with 99 percent of the ballots counted, defeating two challengers who split the opposition vote.His election could complicate Paraguay’s relationship with the United States, a close ally.Mr. Peña is a political protégé of a former Paraguayan president, Horacio Cartes, who is one of its richest men and the president of the Colorado Party. In January, the American Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Mr. Cartes over accusations that he had doled out millions of dollars in bribes to pave his way to power and that he had built ties to the Islamist militant group Hezbollah.In his victory speech Sunday night, Mr. Peña stood next to Mr. Cartes, hugged him and thanked him first. “Your contribution, president, can only be paid with the currency of respect, of appreciation and approval,” Mr. Peña said. “Thank you for this Colorado victory.”Mr. Peña’s victory shows that his party has retained a firm grip on Paraguayan society decades after the fall of the dictatorship of Gen. Alfredo Stroessner, a Colorado Party regime that ruled from 1954 to 1989.The Colorado Party’s powerful political machine was on display on Election Day, with a dense network of political operators fanned out across the country. They monitored voting stations, bused Indigenous people to the polls and pressed voters to elect Mr. Peña.A polling station at a school in Remansito on Sunday.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga for The New York TimesThat organization appeared to make up for the difficult sales pitch Mr. Peña had to make to voters. During the campaign, he presented himself as a fresh face — despite being Paraguay’s former finance minister and a prominent figure in the nation’s dominant political party, which was founded in 1887.Mr. Peña also tried to distance himself from Paraguay’s current leader, President Mario Abdo Benítez, who is also from the Colorado Party. Mr. Benítez, who cannot run again because of term limits, is one of Latin America’s most unpopular leaders because of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to opinion surveys.But Mr. Peña’s trickiest challenge was his close ties to Mr. Cartes. The U.S. government has accused Mr. Cartes of “a concerted pattern of corruption,” alleging that he paid up to $50,000 a month to lawmakers while president and that he conducted some of his illicit business at events held by Hezbollah.Mr. Cartes has denied the accusations, dismissing them as politically motivated. He declined requests for an interview.One political opponent, Efraín Alegre, who finished second on Sunday with 27 percent, seized on the allegations during the campaign, calling Mr. Cartes the “Paraguayan Pablo Escobar” and saying that Mr. Peña was Mr. Cartes’s “secretary.”Mr. Peña said in an interview on Friday that he believed Mr. Cartes was innocent and that he could not understand how the United States could have gotten it so wrong.“I think this is going to be one of the great mysteries, along with: Could it be that man reached the moon? Or who assassinated President Kennedy?” he said. “Those unsolved mysteries that we can never know.”On Sunday night, as he stood next to his mentor, Mr. Peña led his victory party in a chant of “Beloved Horacio, the people are with you.”President-elect Peña and Colorado Party leader Horacio Cartes with supporters.Maria Magdalena ArrellagaMr. Peña’s ties to Mr. Cartes were on the minds of some voters.“He’s a good leader, but if he wins, it won’t be him that governs, sadly,” said Mariano Ovelar, 39, who waits tables and plays the keyboard in a truck-stop restaurant in Paraguay’s rural north.Mr. Peña, a former International Monetary Fund economist in Washington, largely focused his campaign on the economy, promising to create 500,000 jobs, offer free kindergarten, decrease fuel and energy prices, and get more police officers on the street.His only explanation for how he would pay for those promises was to expand the economy by eliminating red tape and keeping taxes among the lowest in the world. “Paraguayans understand that we can be the most developed nation in the world,” Mr. Peña said.Paraguay is one of South America’s poorest nations. A quarter of its population lives in poverty, schools are rated among the worst in the region and hospitals are short on basic medicines.Mr. Peña attributed Paraguay’s underdevelopment to its crushing defeat in a war against its neighbors that ended in 1870 and wiped out most of its male population. “The conflict made us miss the train of development,” he said.Colorado Party supporters celebrating after Sunday’s election.Maria Magdalena ArrellagaHis answer to those problems is to streamline the government and make Paraguay more welcoming to businesses.Mr. Peña appears to be aiming to appease the United States, most notably by pledging to keep Paraguay among the club of 13 countries — mostly small island nations — that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan rather than China. Paraguay and Taiwan sealed ties in 1957, when both were led by dictators, and Taiwan has since paid for Paraguay’s modernist congressional building and donated its presidential jet.But as a result, Paraguay’s farmers face obstacles in exporting soybeans and beef to China. Mr. Peña said in an interview that close economic ties with Taiwan would leave Paraguay in a better long-term position than building its economy around selling commodities to China.Cristaldo Tabares, 65, a builder who lives in a riverside suburb of the capital, Asunción, said he voted for Mr. Peña on Sunday, but reluctantly. “I like Efraín more than Peña,” he said, referring to the No. 2 finisher.Mr. Tabares wanted to cast his ballot for Mr. Alegre because he represented change, he said, “but I couldn’t.” That was because the Colorado Party had employed him as a polling station official and he felt he should vote for his employer.Asked what he thought of Paraguay’s potential future under Mr. Peña, he shrugged and laughed: “Nobody knows what’s going to happen.”A campaign ad for Colorado Party candidates in downtown Asunción.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga for The New York Times More

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      Paraguay elige como presidente a Santiago Peña, economista del Partido Colorado

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      El triunfo del exministro de Hacienda mantiene a Paraguay bajo el dominio del partido que ha gobernado la nación durante todos menos cinco de los últimos 76 años.POZO COLORADO, Paraguay — Los paraguayos eligieron este domingo a Santiago Peña, un economista conservador de 44 años, como su nuevo presidente, manteniendo así a la nación sudamericana bajo el control del Partido Colorado, de derecha, el cual ha gobernado el país durante todos menos cinco de los últimos 76 años.Este resultado se traduce en que Paraguay, un país sin salida al mar con siete millones de habitantes, ha resistido el viraje hacia la izquierda que ha experimentado América Latina en los últimos años. En cambio, los paraguayos le han otorgado la victoria a un candidato de derecha que realizó promesas vagas sobre crear nuevos empleos, reducir los precios de combustible y energía y sacar a los drogadictos de las calles.Peña obtuvo el 43 por ciento de los votos, con el 99 por ciento de los votos contados, con lo que superó a dos contendientes que dividieron el voto de la oposición.Su elección podría hacer que la relación entre Paraguay y Estados Unidos, un aliado cercano, se haga más compleja.Peña es un protegido político del expresidente paraguayo Horacio Cartes, uno de los hombres más ricos del país y líder del Partido Colorado. En enero, el Departamento del Tesoro de Estados Unidos impuso sanciones a Cartes al acusarlo de dar millones de dólares en sobornos para asegurar su llegada al poder y por establecer vínculos con Hezbolá, el grupo militante islamista.En su discurso de victoria el domingo por la noche, Peña estuvo junto a Cartes, lo abrazó y le agradeció. “Su aporte, presidente, no se paga sino con la moneda del respeto, del aprecio y la valoración”, dijo Peña. “Gracias por esta victoria colorada”.La victoria de Peña muestra que su partido ha mantenido un control firme de la sociedad paraguaya décadas después de la caída de la dictadura del general Alfredo Stroessner, un régimen del Partido Colorado que gobernó al país de 1954 a 1989.La poderosa maquinaria política del Partido Colorado se reveló el día de las elecciones, con una densa red de operadores políticos repartidos por todo Paraguay. Supervisaron las mesas de votación, trasladaron a personas de comunidades indígenas a las urnas e impulsaron a los electores para votar por Peña.Un centro de votación en una escuela en Remansito el domingo.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga para The New York TimesEsa organización, al parecer, compensó el complicado discurso que Peña tuvo que ofrecerle a los votantes. Durante la campaña, Peña se presentó como un rostro nuevo, a pesar de ser exministro de Hacienda de Paraguay y una figura destacada del partido político dominante, el cual fue fundado en 1887.Peña también intentó distanciarse del presidente actual de Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez, quien también pertenece al Partido Colorado. Benítez, quien no pudo volver a postularse debido a los límites del mandato, es uno de los líderes más impopulares de América Latina debido a su manejo de la pandemia de coronavirus, según algunas encuestas de opinión.Pero el desafío más complicado de Peña fue su estrecho vínculo con Cartes. El gobierno de Estados Unidos acusó a Cartes de tener “un patrón coordinado de corrupción”, y alegó que le pagó hasta 50.000 dólares al mes a los legisladores durante su presidencia y que realizó algunos de sus negocios ilícitos en eventos organizados por Hezbolá.Cartes ha negado las acusaciones, de las cuales ha dicho que tienen motivaciones políticas. El expresidente rechazó las solicitudes de entrevista.Un opositor político, Efraín Alegre, quien terminó en el segundo lugar en las elecciones del domingo con un 27 por ciento de los votos, aprovechó las acusaciones durante la campaña y calificó a Cartes como el “Pablo Escobar paraguayo”, además de afirmar que Peña era el “secretario” de Cartes.Peña dijo en una entrevista el viernes que creía que Cartes era inocente y que no podía entender cómo Estados Unidos pudo haberse equivocado tanto.“Creo que este va a ser uno de los grandes misterios junto con: ¿será que el hombre llegó a la Luna? O ¿quién asesinó al presidente Kennedy? Son los misterios sin resolver que nunca podremos saber”.El domingo por la noche, de pie junto a su mentor, Peña lideró en su celebración de la victoria un canto de “Horacio, querido, el pueblo está contigo”.Horacio Cartes, expresidente de Paraguay y uno de los hombres más ricos del país, junto a Peña en un acto de campaña.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga para The New York TimesLos vínculos de Peña con Cartes estuvieron en la mente de algunos votantes.“Tiene buen liderazgo pero si gana no va a ser él quien gobierna, lastimosamente”, dijo Mariano Ovelar, de 39 años, quien atiende mesas y toca el teclado en un restaurante en una parada de camiones en el norte rural de Paraguay.Peña, execonomista del Fondo Monetario Internacional en Washington, centró su campaña en gran medida en la economía. Prometió crear 500.000 puestos de trabajo, ofrecer jardín de infancia gratuito, bajar los precios del combustible y energía y desplegar más oficiales de policía en las calles.Su única explicación sobre cómo iba a financiar estas promesas fue que iba a extender la economía a través de la eliminación de las trabas burocráticas y manteniendo los impuestos entre los más bajos del mundo. “Los paraguayos comprenden que podemos ser la nación más desarrollada del mundo”, dijo Peña.Paraguay es una de las naciones más pobres de Sudamérica. Una cuarta parte de su población vive en pobreza, sus escuelas se encuentran entre las peores de la región y los hospitales carecen de medicamentos básicos.Peña atribuyó el subdesarrollo de Paraguay a su aplastante derrota en una guerra contra sus vecinos que terminó en 1870 y que acabó con la mayor parte de su población masculina. Es “un conflicto” que “hizo que perdamos el tren del desarrollo”, aseguró.Simpatizantes de Peña celebran en la sede del Partido Colorado, en Asunción.Agustin Marcarian/ReutersSu respuesta para esos problemas es hacer más eficiente al gobierno y hacer que Paraguay sea más atractivo para las empresas.Peña parece tener como objetivo apaciguar a Estados Unidos, sobre todo al comprometerse a mantener a Paraguay entre el club de 13 países —en su mayoría pequeñas naciones insulares— que mantienen relaciones diplomáticas con Taiwán en lugar de con China. Paraguay y Taiwán sellaron lazos en 1957, cuando ambas naciones estaban gobernadas por dictadores. Desde entonces, Taiwán financió el edificio modernista del Congreso de Paraguay y donó su avión presidencial.Pero debido a esto, los agricultores paraguayos enfrentan obstáculos para exportar granos de soya y carne a China. Peña dijo en una entrevista que los estrechos lazos económicos con Taiwán dejarían a Paraguay en una mejor posición a largo plazo que construir su economía en torno a la venta de productos básicos a China.Cristaldo Tabares, un constructor de 65 años que vive en un suburbio ribereño de la capital, Asunción, dijo que votó por Peña el domingo, pero con reservas. “A mí me gusta Efraín más que Peña”, dijo, refiriéndose al candidato que llegó de segundo en la contienda.Tabares quería darle su voto a Alegre porque representaba el cambio, dijo, “pero no podía”. ¿La razón? El Partido Colorado lo había contratado como funcionario de una mesa electoral y sintió que debía votar por su empleador.Cuando se le preguntó qué pensaba del posible futuro de Paraguay bajo el liderazgo de Peña, Tabares se encogió de hombros y se rio: “Nadie sabe lo que va a pasar después”.Un anuncio de campaña de candidatos del Partido Colorado en el centro de Asunción.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga para The New York TimesJack Nicas es el jefe de la corresponsalía en Brasil, que abarca Brasil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay y Uruguay. Anteriormente reportó sobre tecnología desde San Francisco y, antes de integrarse al Times en 2018, trabajó siete años en The Wall Street Journal. @jacknicas • Facebook More

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      Elecciones en Paraguay: esto es lo que hay que saber

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      El país sudamericano elige a su presidente entre un candidato del arraigado partido oficialista y dos contendientes de oposición, una figura anticorrupción y un alborotador de ultraderecha.Paraguay, el país sin salida al mar de 7 millones de habitantes en el centro de Sudamérica, elige presidente el domingo. La votación pondrá a prueba la fuerza del viraje latinoamericano a la izquierda de los últimos años.En la región, los contendientes de oposición han ganado 16 elecciones presidenciales organizadas libremente y seis de los siete países más grandes de la región han elegido líderes izquierdistas desde 2018.Ahora está por verse si la tendencia se sostiene en Paraguay, acaso el país más conservador a ultranza de Sudamérica, que enfrenta una pobreza profunda, una economía inestable y una corrupción muy arraigada.El conservador Partido Colorado busca mantener su control del país, que ha gobernado en los últimos 76 años excepto cinco, incluidas cuatro décadas de dictadura militar.El centro de Asunción. Paraguay ha estado lidiando con la pobreza, una economía en crisis y una corrupción profundamente arraigada.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga para The New York TimesPero, ahora, ese dominio parece estar en riesgo. El presidente en funciones del Colorado, Mario Abdo Benítez, no puede volver a postularse debido a los límites al mandato y las encuestas muestran que es uno de los líderes más impopulares de América Latino debido a su manejo de la pandemia. Por el Partido Colorado contiende un exministro de Hacienda de Paraguay.En enero, el gobierno de EE. UU. impuso sanciones económicas al líder del Partido Colorado, el expresidente Horacio Cartes, al acusarlo de llegar al poder con sobornos. Las sanciones han puesto en jaque la financiación del partido.Algunas encuestas recientes han mostrado que el candidato favorito de oposición —un conservador que se ubica a la izquierda del candidato del Partido Colorado— cuenta con una ventaja estrecha.Las elecciones, en las que se disputan cargos legislativos, regionales y locales, han despertado debates por las relaciones diplomáticas con China y Taiwán, motivado promesas de un penal construido especialmente para políticos corruptos y presenciado el impulso de último momento de un candidato de ultraderecha que ha prometido disolver el Congreso e instaurar un gobierno militar.Las urnas abren el domingo de las 7 a. m. a las 4 p. m., y se espera que los resultados se den a conocer a unas horas del cierre de las mesas de votación. Se requiere que un candidato consiga la mayoría simple para adjudicarse la elección.Esto es lo que hay que saber.¿Quiénes son los candidatos?El candidato del Colorado, Santiago Peña, de 44 años, es un exministro de Hacienda de Paraguay, otrora economista del Fondo Monetario Internacional en Washington y protegido de Cartes, el expresidente sancionado.Si bien el Partido Colorado a menudo se ha hecho de apoyo por sus políticas socialmente conservadoras, Peña se ha presentado como la nueva generación del partido, una más enfocada en la economía. Ha prometido crear 500.000 empleados, ofrecer jardín de infancia gratuito, bajar los precios de combustible y energía y poner más oficiales de policía en las calles.Santiago Peña, el candidato presidencial por el Partido Colorado, se ha presentado como la nueva generación del partido conservador, una más enfocada en la economía.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga para The New York TimesEn una entrevista dijo que financiaría esas promesas al ampliar la economía, y por ende los ingresos fiscales, al eliminar las trabas burocráticas.El principal candidato de la oposición, Efraín Alegre, de 60 años, es un abogado conservador y excongresista que lidera una amplia coalición de partidos políticos, que abarca desde la extrema izquierda a la derecha religiosa, que se han unido para desbancar a los colorados. El domingo será su tercer intento de llegar al cargo más alto del país. En 2018 se quedó a solo 96.000 votos —4 por ciento del total— de alcanzar la presidencia.Hijo de un conductor de ómnibus y una catequista del campo paraguayo, Alegre ha buscado presentarse como un hombre común y corriente y ha prometido renunciar a la residencia presidencial de ser electo.Ha sustentado su campaña en la promesa de erradicar a la “mafia” que, asegura, controló Paraguay. También ha prometido desterrar a los políticos corruptos a una nueva prisión en una región árida y remota en el norte del país y financiar medicamentos gratuitos con la recuperación del dinero malversado por los colorados que afirma, asciende a 2000 millones de dólares cada año.El principal candidato de la oposición, Efraín Alegre, ha construido su campaña en la promesa de erradicar la corrupción en el país.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga para The New York Times“No pasa solamente por hacer el cambio, pasa por recuperar lo robado y devolverlo al pueblo”, dijo en una entrevista el viernes.Si bien Peña y Alegre han liderado en las encuestas, en los sondeos recientes ha ganado impulso Paraguayo Cubas, de 61 años, excéntrico agitador anticorrupción.Cubas es un exsenador de ultraderecha que fue expulsado del Congreso luego de forcejear con otros legisladores y patear una patrulla de la policía. Antes había llegado a los titulares porque golpeó con su cinturón a un juez y luego defecó en su despacho. Ha llevado a cabo su campaña principalmente en las redes sociales, tildando al Congreso de una “cueva de ladrones” e insinuando que gobernaría como dictador.Los analistas dudan de que Cubas tenga forma de llegar a la presidencia. Más bien, dijeron, podría quitarle votos a Alegre y darle la victoria al Partido Colorado.¿Por qué tiene tanto peso un expresidente?Cartes, de 66 años, dejó la presidencia en 2018, pero sigue siendo posiblemente el hombre más poderoso de Paraguay. Además de liderar el Partido Colorado, tiene intereses en fábricas cigarreras, bancos, farmacias, canales de televisión, periódicos y un club de fútbol.En enero, el Departamento del Tesoro de EE. UU. prohibió que él y sus empresas participen en el sistema financiero estadounidense, al asegurar que cuenta con vínculos al grupo militante islamista libanés Hezbolá y ha repartido millones de dólares para asegurarse el control del gobierno. Cartes ha negado las acusaciones.Horacio Cartes, expresidente de Paraguay y líder del Partido Colorado, con Peña en un acto de campaña en Asunción.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga para The New York TimesLas sanciones económicas han dificultado que el Partido Colorado recaude fondos y plantean un dilema político para Peña.En una entrevista, Peña dijo que las acusaciones eran “responsabilidad personal” de Cartes y que no lo reflejaban a él o a su partido. “Soy mi propia persona”, dijo. Esta semana ambos aparecieron juntos en un escenario.Alegre se ha apalancado de las acusaciones contra Cartes, llamándolo el “Pablo Escobar paraguayo”.¿Qué otros temas se discuten?La delincuencia: Paraguay, que ha sido refugio histórico de narcotraficantes, ha sido remecido por una serie de asesinatos de alto perfil. En uno de los casos, un fiscal federal que investigaba a los carteles de la droga fue asesinado a tiros por sicarios a bordo de un jet ski mientras estaba de luna de miel en una playa colombiana con su esposa embarazada.La economía: Paraguay fue una de las naciones más golpeadas por la pandemia en América Latina y su economía se contrajo el año pasado. Una cuarta parte de la población vive en pobreza, muchas carreteras están sin pavimentar y en los hospitales escasean medicamentos básicos. Las tasas de impuestos son de las más bajas de la región.Familias a orillas del río Paraguay en Asunción. Una cuarta parte de la población vive en la pobreza.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga para The New York TimesTaiwán: Paraguay forma parte de un club que se reduce rápidamente conformado por 13 países, en su mayoría naciones insulares, que aún mantienen relaciones diplomáticas con Taiwán en lugar de con China. La amistad entre Paraguay y Taiwán —firmada por sus dictadores en 1957— sigue sólida. Taiwán financió el recinto congresal modernista de Paraguay y brindó su avión presidencial. Pero debido a esto los agricultores paraguayos enfrentan obstáculos al exportar granos de soya y carne. Alegre ha dicho que reevaluará la relación, lo que inquietaría a las autoridades en Washington. Peña ha prometido mantener el statu quo.La presa: Quienquiera que lleve la banda presidencial el 15 de agosto deberá encargarse de una negociación fundamental a causa de Itaipú, una presa hidroeléctrica colosal que se comparte con Brasil. Según lo previsto en un tratado de 1973, Paraguay vende la energía que le sobra a la presa a Brasil a precios mínimos. Pero el tratado prescribe en agosto, y abre la puerta a un acuerdo que podría ser transformacional para el país más pobre.¿Cómo va la contienda?Las encuestas muestran una contienda ajustada entre Peña y Alegre y cada uno va a la cabeza en algunos sondeos. (Históricamente, las encuestadoras paraguayas han sido imprecisas. En 2018, los sondeos sobreestimaron por mucho el apoyo del candidato del Colorado).AtlasIntel, una encuestadora brasileña dijo que según un sondeo reciente en línea entre 2320 paraguayos, Alegre lideraba con 34 por ciento, Peña contaba con 33 por ciento y Cubas 23 por ciento. El margen de error era de 2 puntos porcentuales. La mayor sorpresa del sondeo fue el nivel de sorpresa para Cubas.Un acto de campaña de Alegre en Capiatá. Según una reciente encuesta en línea, Alegre tiene una ligera ventaja.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga para The New York TimesEn entrevistas realizadas el viernes en Asunción, la capital, los paraguayos expresaron frustración con la corrupción y el rumbo del país, pero no había acuerdo en quién era la persona adecuada para cambiar la situación.Juana Salinas, de 74 años, esperaba un bus afuera de un mercado, con un bastón negro y una bolsa de basura llena de recipientes de comida en venta. Dijo que apoyaba a Peña porque siempre había votado por el Colorado, al igual que sus padres, ya fallecidos. “Siempre, porque no voy a deshonrar a mi padre y a mi madre”, dijo. “Mi padre es Colorado, mi madre es Colorado”.En el mercado, Cynthia Acosta, de 29, estaba embolsando granos de maíz seco que los clientes suelen usar para hacer chipa guasú, el pan de elote paraguayo. Dijo que planeaba votar por Alegre otra vez porque le gustaban sus planes de creación de empleo juvenil.“Hay muchas cosas que deben cambiar”, dijo. “No es una tarea fácil para ninguno”.Cynthia Acosta dijo que pensaba votar por Alegre una vez más, porque le gustaban sus planes para crear empleos para los jóvenes.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga para The New York Times More

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      Paraguay Picks a New President: What You Need to Know

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      The South American nation is deciding between a candidate from the entrenched conservative party and two opposition candidates —an anti-corruption crusader and a far-right firebrand.Paraguay, the landlocked nation of 7 million people in the center of South America, picks a new president on Sunday. The vote will test the strength of Latin America’s leftward shift in recent years.Opposition challengers have won the last 16 freely held presidential elections in Latin America, and six of the region’s seven largest countries have elected leftist leaders since 2018.Now it will be seen whether that trend can hold with Paraguay, perhaps South America’s most staunchly conservative nation, as it grapples with deep poverty, a sputtering economy and deeply rooted corruption.The conservative Colorado Party is seeking to retain its grip on the country, which it has controlled for all but five of the past 76 years, including four decades of military dictatorship.Downtown Asunción. Paraguay has been grappling with deep poverty, a sputtering economy and deeply rooted corruption.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga for The New York TimesBut that dominance now appears in jeopardy. The Colorado incumbent, President Mario Abdo Benítez, cannot run again because of term limits — and surveys show he is one of Latin America’s most unpopular leaders because of his handling of the pandemic. Representing the Colorado Party at the polls will be Paraguay’s former finance minister.In January, the U.S. government placed financial sanctions on the Colorado Party’s leader, the former president Horacio Cartes, accusing him of bribing his way to power. The sanctions have complicated the party’s financing.Some recent polls have shown that the leading opposition candidate — a conservative who is still to the left of the Colorado Party’s contender — holds a narrow lead.The election, which also covers congressional, regional and local seats, has featured debate over diplomatic relations with China and Taiwan, promises of a prison built specifically for corrupt politicians and late momentum for a far-right candidate who has pledged to dissolve Congress and enact military rule.Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, with results expected within hours of polls closing. Candidates need a simple majority to be elected.Here’s what you need to know.Who are the candidates?The Colorado candidate, Santiago Peña, 44, is Paraguay’s former finance minister, a former International Monetary Fund economist in Washington and the protégé of Mr. Cartes, the sanctioned ex-president.While the Colorado Party has often built its support on socially conservative policies, Mr. Peña has pitched himself as the party’s new generation, one more focused on the economy. He has promised to create 500,000 jobs, offer free kindergarten, decrease fuel and energy prices, and get more police officers on the street.Santiago Peña, the presidential candidate for the conservative Colorado Party, has pitched himself as the party’s new generation, one more focused on the economy.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga for The New York TimesIn an interview, he has said he would pay for those promises by expanding the economy, and thus tax revenue, by eliminating red tape.The leading opposition candidate, Efraín Alegre, 60, is a conservative lawyer and former congressman who leads a broad coalition of dozens of political parties, from the far left to the religious right, that have joined together to oust the Colorados. Sunday is his third try for the nation’s highest office. In 2018, he came within just 96,000 votes — or 4 percent of the total — from the presidency.The son of a bus driver and a preacher from rural Paraguay, Mr. Alegre has sought to present himself as an Everyman, promising to eschew the presidential residence if elected.He has built his campaign on a pledge to root out the “mafia” that he said controlled Paraguay. He also has promised to banish corrupt politicians to a new prison in an arid, remote region in the north and to pay for free medication by recouping what he said was $2 billion embezzled by the Colorados each year.The leading opposition candidate, Efraín Alegre, has built his campaign on a pledge to root out corruption in the country.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga for The New York Times“It’s not only about bringing change, it’s about recovering what was stolen and returning it to the people,” he said in an interview on Friday.While Mr. Peña and Mr. Alegre have led the polls, Paraguayo Cubas, 61, an eccentric anti-corruption firebrand, has gained momentum in recent surveys.Mr. Cubas is a far-right former senator who was expelled from Congress after physically grappling with other lawmakers and kicking a police car. He had previously attracted headlines for whipping a judge with his belt and then defecating in the judge’s office. He has run his campaign mainly on social media, branding Congress as a “cave of bandits” and suggesting he would rule as a dictator.Analysts are skeptical that Mr. Cubas has a path to the presidency. Instead, they said, he could take votes from Mr. Alegre and hand the Colorado Party victory.Why is a former president such an important figure?Mr. Cartes, 66, left the presidency in 2018 but is still perhaps Paraguay’s most powerful man. In addition to running the Colorado Party, he has financial interests in cigarette factories, banks, pharmacies, TV channels, newspapers and a soccer club.In January, the U.S. Treasury Department barred him and his companies from the U.S. financial system, claiming he had ties to the Lebanese Islamist militant group Hezbollah and had doled out millions of dollars to cement his control over government. Mr. Cartes has denied the allegations.Horacio Cartes, the former president of Paraguay and leader of the Colorado party, with Mr. Peña at a campaign event in Asunción.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga for The New York TimesThe financial sanctions made it more difficult for the Colorado Party to raise money and posed a political dilemma for Mr. Peña.In an interview, Mr. Peña said the allegations were Mr. Cartes’s “personal responsibility” and not reflective of the party or him. “I’m my own person,” he said. The two men still appeared onstage together this week.Mr. Alegre has seized on the allegations against Mr. Cartes, calling him the “Paraguayan Pablo Escobar.”What are the other issues?Crime: Paraguay, which has long been a haven for drug traffickers, has been shaken by a string of high-profile murders. In one case, a federal prosecutor investigating drug cartels was shot dead by jet-ski-riding assassins while on his honeymoon, next to his pregnant wife on a Colombian beach.The economy: Paraguay was one of the Latin American nations most devastated by the pandemic, and its economy shrank last year. A quarter of the population lives in poverty, many roads are still unpaved, and hospitals are short on basic medicines. Tax rates are among the lowest in the region.Families along the Paraguay River in Asunción. A quarter of the population lives in poverty.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga for The New York TimesTaiwan: Paraguay is part of a fast-shrinking club of 13 countries, mostly small island nations, that maintain relations with Taiwan rather than China. The Paraguay-Taiwan friendship — inked by their dictators in 1957 — remains strong. Taiwan paid for Paraguay’s modernist congressional building and provided its presidential jet. But Paraguay’s farmers face obstacles in exporting soybeans and beef to China as a result. Mr. Alegre has said he will re-examine the relationship, which would upset U.S. officials. Mr. Peña has pledged to keep the status quo.The dam: Whoever dons the presidential sash on Aug. 15 will also have to handle a pivotal negotiation over Itaipú, a colossal hydroelectric dam shared with Brazil. Per a 1973 treaty, Paraguay sells its spare energy from the dam to Brazil at rock-bottom prices. But the treaty elapses in August, opening the door to a transformational deal for the poorer country.What is the state of the race?Polls show a neck-and-neck race between Mr. Peña and Mr. Alegre, with each candidate leading some surveys. (Paraguayan pollsters have historically been inaccurate. In 2018, polls wildly overestimated the support for the Colorado candidate.)AtlasIntel, a Brazilian pollster, said that according to a recent online poll of 2,320 Paraguayans, Mr. Alegre led with 34 percent, Mr. Peña had 33 percent and Mr. Cubas had 23 percent. The margin of error was 2 percentage points. The poll’s biggest surprise was the level of support for Mr. Cubas.Supporters of Mr. Alegre at a campaign event in Capiatá. According to a recent online poll, Mr. Alegre has a slim lead.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga for The New York TimesIn interviews in the capital, Asunción, on Friday, Paraguayans said they were frustrated with corruption and the direction of the country, but they differed about who was the right person to change it.Juana Salinas, 74, was waiting for the bus outside a market, with a black cane and a trash bag full of food containers for sale. She said she supported Mr. Peña because she had always voted Colorado, like her deceased parents. “Always, because I’m not going to dishonor my father and mother,” she said. “My father is Colorado, my mother is Colorado.”Inside the market, Cynthia Acosta, 29, was bagging dried corn kernels that customers typically use to make chipa guasú, or Paraguayan cornbread. She said she planned to vote for Mr. Alegre once again, because she liked his plans to create jobs for young people.“There are a lot of things that need to change,” she said. “It’s not an easy job for anyone.”Cynthia Acosta said she planned to vote for Mr. Alegre once again, because she liked his plans to create jobs for young people.Maria Magdalena Arrellaga for The New York Times More

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      South Carolina Democrats Elect First Black Woman to Run State Party

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      The NewsSouth Carolina Democrats elected Christale Spain, the former executive director of the state Democratic Party, as state party chair at their convention on Saturday. She ran with the backing of the party’s top brass, including Representative James E. Clyburn, and will be the first Black woman to lead the state party.Christale Spain, who was elected Saturday as chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, was backed by the party establishment.Sean Rayford for The New York TimesWhy It Matters: Clyburn and Old Guard Still RuleA longtime organizer in Palmetto State politics, Ms. Spain was widely considered the front-runner in the race, a usually sleepy contest that saw more candidates run than it has in more than 25 years. Her biggest competitor, Brandon Upson, the state Black caucus chair, painted her as an establishment candidate whose connections to the old guard would stymie the party’s progress in an all-important election year.Democrats who supported Mr. Upson were seeking to overhaul a state party they felt had long been dominated by Mr. Clyburn — who helped President Biden win the state primary in 2020 — ahead of South Carolina’s debut as the party’s first presidential primary state in 2024 and in the wake of a down cycle in the 2022 midterm elections.Still, it was Ms. Spain’s connections, paired with her campaign strategy — characterized by social media blasts and regular visits to county party meetings and cattle calls — that ultimately delivered her the victory. She won with the support of nearly 700 of the party’s roughly 1,000 state delegates in a standing vote. Before delegates for Mr. Upson could stand up to vote for him, he conceded to Ms. Spain in a short speech calling for party unity.What’s Next: Primary Prep and Party RepairAs the next chair, Ms. Spain will be responsible for preparing the state party for its moment in prime time: voting first in the 2024 Democratic presidential primary election. She will also have to rebuild a party in turmoil. Democrats lost several safe State House and Senate seats and had low voter turnout during the 2022 midterms, a year that was otherwise considered positive for the party nationally. Ms. Spain’s leadership will offer Palmetto State Democrats a chance to make up those losses and get ready for the national stage.In a news conference after her victory, Ms. Spain offered a message to the South Carolina voters waiting for more meaningful change from the Democratic Party.“Wait no longer,” she said, vowing to focus on year-round voter engagement efforts. “We know who our voters are. We’re going back after them and we’re going to turn them out, plus more.” More