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National Security Adviser John Bolton blasts three leftist Latin American governments at a Miami event; Canada announces it will admit 350,000 immigrants annually by 2021.
Latin America’s “Larry, Curly, and Moe” of socialism
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- The White House will no longer appease “dictators and despots” in Latin America, said John Bolton, the national security adviser, in an impassioned speech Thursday that welcomed new right-wing leaders and gave warning to three governments south of the border. [McClatchy DC / Franco Ordoñez]
- Referring to Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua as the “Troika of Tyranny,” Bolton called the nations’ leftist leaders the “three stooges of socialism” and said he looks forward to watching their governments fall. He also celebrated the victory of Brazilian president-elect Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right retired military officer, who he said is a “like-minded” partner of the US and President Trump. [Politico / Jesus Rodriguez]
- Bolton said the Trump administration will minimize diplomatic ties with Cuba, and urged Venezuela to release all of the country’s roughly 340 political prisoners. He also criticized Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega’s government for detaining protesters. [Vox / Alex Ward]
- Earlier Thursday, Trump signed an executive order to place new sanctions on Venezuela that aim to disrupt the South American country’s gold exports. Bolton said Venezuela’s gold trades were used to “finance illicit activities, to fill its coffers, and to support criminal groups.” [Reuters / Roberta Rampton and Steve Holland]
- Bolton made the speech in Miami — home to large numbers of immigrants from Cuba and Venezuela — just days before the crucial midterm elections that see Florida GOP candidates Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis neck and neck with their Democratic opponents in the Senate and governor races, respectively. [Vox / Stavros Agorakis and Dylan Scott]
- Trump has capitalized on voter approval by strongly advocating against illegal immigration. One of his key points during rallies for Republican candidates has been stopping the Honduran migrant caravan, which crossed Mexico and is traveling to the US border. [Vox / Dara Lind]
- In a White House speech Thursday afternoon, Trump deflected attention once again from last week’s Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and the pipe bomb threats by saying he’d build tent cities along the border to hold immigrants indefinitely. On Wednesday, he said he’ll sign another executive order to get rid of birthright citizenship for babies of unauthorized immigrants. [NYT / Michael D. Shear and Julie Hirschfeld Davis]
Canada to receive an influx of immigrants by 2021
- Canada’s minister of immigration, refugees, and citizenship, Ahmed, Hussen, announced that the country aims to admit around 350,000 immigrants annually by 2021. He added that the new immigration target will include 51,700 refugees. [National Post]
- 72 percent of the new immigrants will be brought in under the economic stream, helping fill skill shortages and building up the workforce in parts of the country without enough workers or where the population is getting older. [Vice News / Tamara Khandaker]
- Canada’s economic advisory committee had proposed an influx of 450,000 immigrants in 2016. The new figure still amounts to about 1 percent of the Canadian population. [Government of Canada]
- Critics of the reform under Prime Minister’s Justin Trudeau’s government say that the plan has no criteria for entry, will come at enormous cost to the Canadian taxpayers, and involves immigrants and refugees entering Canada illegally. [Twitter / Michelle Rempel]
Miscellaneous
- In a new cover shoot for Entertainment Weekly, Game of Thrones stars Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington reveal the first photo from the epic series’ final season, plus more behind-the-scenes details on the finale. [Twitter Moments]
- The National Toxicology Program released a study that finds “some evidence” of a link between cellphone radiation and brain cancer, in what experts call the world’s largest and costliest experiment. [NYT / William J. Broad]
- Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) put a twist on the trick-or-treating tradition by passing out not candy but copies of the US Constitution on Halloween night. [WLTX 19]
- An airport baggage handler fell asleep in the cargo hold of a plane, which then few from Kansas City, Missouri, to Chicago. (He was uninjured.) He later told police that he was intoxicated. [AP]
Verbatim
“No I am not going on tour.” [Singer-songwriter Mel B dressed up as Victoria Beckham for Halloween, taking a jab at her fellow former Spice Girl for supposedly holding up a reunion tour / People]
Watch this: Why obvious lies make great propaganda
For leaders like Trump and Putin, telling big lies isn’t about persuasion — it’s about power. [YouTube / Carlos Maza, Coleman Lowndes, and Hunter Boone]
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