Costa Rica looks to El Salvador in announcing new prison and tough-on-crime reforms
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves took another step in his shift toward a tough-on-crime stance, announcing plans to build a new prison in the Central American nation modeled on the maximum security gang prison in El Salvador.
With the announcement Friday during a visit to the Reforma prison, Chaves was channeling El Salvador President Nayib Bukele who he recognized last year with Costa Rica's highest diplomatic honor for his decimation of that country's gangs.
In addition to building a new prison, Chaves said the small shops selling things inside existing prisons would be shut down. Permission for conjugal visits would be restricted and authorities would tighten the ability of families to bring food to inmates.
The restrictions were aimed at stopping drugs being brought into prisons and other illicit activities.
Costa Rica continues to struggle with historically high homicide numbers.
In 2023, Costa Rica set a homicide record with 907, down somewhat in 2024 to 880. So far this year, the country is on nearly the same homicide pace as last year, according to government data.
Chaves spoke Friday of an 'alliance' with El Salvador and said he was working to line up financing for the new prison.
Bukele built his massive new prison to hold alleged gang members among the 85,000 people arrested under his state of emergency for three years as his administration crushed the country's powerful street gangs.
That prison has received even more attention since the U.S. government shipped more than 200 Venezuelans it accused of gang ties in March. El Salvador's prisons have been criticized as legal black holes where a lack of due process makes it difficult for people to get out.
Bukele had visited the same Costa Rican prison last year with Chaves.
Relatives of inmates saw the measures as harsh and have protested.
'They don't have privileges, they're rights, they took away their right to see their childen, the right to have a visit and to eat food from home,' said Katherine López, the wife of an inmate.
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Politico
18 minutes ago
- Politico
Suspect still being sought in shooting of 2 Minnesota state lawmakers
BROOKLYN PARK, Minnesota— A massive search was stretching into its second day for a man who authorities say posed as a police officer and fatally shot a Democratic state lawmaker in her suburban Minneapolis home, an act Gov. Tim Walz called 'a politically motivated assassination.' Authorities said the suspect also shot and wounded a second lawmaker and was trying to flee the area. Former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday. Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were injured at their Champlin address, about 9 miles away. Authorities identified the suspect as 57-year-old Vance Boelter, and the FBI issued a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction. They shared a photo taken Saturday of Boelter wearing a tan cowboy hat and asked the public to report sightings. Hundreds of law enforcement officers fanned out in the search for the suspect. Authorities had not given any details on a possible motive as of Saturday night. Boelter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development board as Hoffman, records show, though it was not clear if or how well they knew each other. The attacks prompted warnings to other state elected officials and the cancellation of planned 'No Kings' demonstrations against President Donald Trump, though some went ahead anyway. Authorities said the suspect had 'No Kings' flyers in his car and writings mentioning the names of the victims as well as other lawmakers and officials, though they could not say if he had any other specific targets. A Minnesota official told AP the suspect's writings also contained information targeting prominent lawmakers who have been outspoken in favor of abortion rights. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing. Law enforcement agents recovered several AK-style firearms from the suspect's vehicle, and he was believed to still be armed with a pistol, a person familiar with the matter told AP. The person could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity. The shootings happened at a time when political leaders nationwide have been attacked, harassed and intimidated amid deep political divisions. 'We must all, in Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence,' said Walz, a Democrat. He also ordered flags to fly at half-staff in Hortman's honor. 'Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!' President Donald Trump said in a statement. Police responded to reports of gunfire at the Hoffmans' home shortly after 2 a.m., Champlin police said, and found the couple with multiple gunshot wounds. After seeing who the victims were, police sent officers to proactively check on Hortman's home. There they encountered what appeared to be a police vehicle and a man dressed as an officer at the door, leaving the house. 'When officers confronted him, the individual immediately fired upon the officers who exchanged gunfire, and the suspect retreated back into the home' and escaped on foot, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said. Multiple bullet holes could be seen in the front door of Hoffman's home. John and Yvette Hoffman each underwent surgery, according to Walz. Hortman, 55, had been the top Democratic leader in the state House since 2017. She led Democrats in a three-week walkout at the beginning of this year's session in a power struggle with Republicans. Under a power sharing agreement, she turned the gavel over to Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth and assumed the title speaker emerita. Hortman used her position as speaker in 2023 to champion expanded protections for abortion rights, including legislation to solidify Minnesota's status as a refuge for patients from restrictive states who travel to the state to seek abortions — and to protect providers who serve them. Walz called her a 'formidable public servant, a fixture and a giant in Minnesota.' Hortman and her husband had two adult children. The initial autopsy reports from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office gave their cause of death as 'multiple gunshot wounds.' The reports said Melissa Hortman died at the scene while her husband was pronounced dead at the hospital. Hoffman, 60, was first elected in 2012 and was chair of the Senate Human Services Committee, which oversees one of the biggest parts of the state budget. He and his wife have one daughter. Boelter was appointed to the workforce development board in 2016 and then reappointed in 2019 to a four-year term that expired in 2023, state records show. Corporate records show Boelter's wife filed to create a company called Praetorian Guard Security Services LLC with the same Green Isle mailing address listed for the couple. Boelter's wife is listed as president and CEO and he is listed as director of security patrols on the company's website. The website says the company provides armed security for property and events and features a photo of an SUV painted in a two-tone black and silver pattern similar to a police vehicle. Another photo shows a man in black tactical gear with a military-style helmet and a ballistic vest. An online resume says Boelter is a security contractor who has worked in the Middle East and Africa, in addition to past managerial roles at companies in Minnesota. Around 6 a.m., Boelter texted friends to say he had 'made some choices,' the Minnesota Star Tribune reported. In the messages, read to reporters by David Carlson, Boelter did not specify what he had done but said: 'I'm going to be gone for a while. May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn't gone this way. … I'm sorry for all the trouble this has caused.' Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, a Republican from Cold Spring, called the attack 'evil' and said she was 'heartbroken beyond words' by the killings. The shootings are the latest in a series of attacks against lawmakers across parties. In April a suspect set fire to the home of Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, forcing him and his family to flee during the Jewish holiday of Passover. The suspect said he planned to beat Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he found him, according to court documents. In July 2024, Trump was grazed on the ear by one of a hail of bullets that killed a Trump supporter. Two months later a man with a rifle was discovered near the president's Florida golf course and arrested. Other incidents include a 2022 hammer attack on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in their San Francisco home and a 2020 plot by anti-government extremists to kidnap Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and start a civil war. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he asked Capitol Police to 'immediately increase security' for Minnesota Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. He also asked Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, to hold a briefing on member security.
Hamilton Spectator
33 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
The GOP's big bill would bring changes to Medicaid for millions
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Josh Hawley has been clear about his red line as the Senate takes up the GOP's One Big Beautiful Bill Act : no Medicaid cuts. But what, exactly, would be a cut? Hawley and other Republicans acknowledge that the main cost-saving provision in the bill – new work requirements on able-bodied adults who receive health care through the Medicaid program — would cause millions of people to lose their coverage. All told, estimates are 10.9 million fewer people would have health coverage under the bill's proposed changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. That includes some 8 million fewer in the Medicaid program, including 5.2 million dropping off because of the new eligibility requirements. 'I know that will reduce the number of people on Medicaid,' Hawley told a small scrum of reporters in the hallways at the Capitol. 'But I'm for that because I want people who are able bodied but not working to work.' Hawley and other Republicans are walking a politically fine line on how to reduce federal spending on Medicaid while also promising to protect a program that serves some 80 million Americans and is popular with the public. As the party pushes ahead on President Donald Trump' s priority package, Republicans insist they are not cutting the vital safety net program but simply rooting out what they call waste, fraud and abuse. Whether that argument lands with voters could go a long way toward determining whether Trump's bill ultimately ends up boosting — or dragging down — Republicans as they campaign for reelection next year. Republicans say that it's wrong to call the reductions in health care coverage 'cuts.' Instead, they've characterized the changes as rules that would purge people who are taking advantage of the system and protect it for the most vulnerable who need it most. What's in the bill House Republicans wrote the bill with instructions to find $880 billion in cuts from programs under the purview of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has a sprawling jurisdiction that includes Medicaid. In the version of the bill that the House passed on a party-line vote last month, the overall cuts ended up exceeding that number. The Kaiser Family Foundation projects that the bill will result in a $793 billion reduction in spending on Medicaid. Additionally, the House Ways & Means Committee, which handles federal tax policy, imposed a freeze on a health care provider tax that many states impose. Critics say the tax improperly boosts federal Medicaid payments to the states, but supporters like Hawley say it's important funding for rural hospitals. 'What we're doing here is an important and, frankly, heroic thing to preserve the program so that it doesn't become insolvent,' Speaker Mike Johnson said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, meanwhile, has denounced the bill as an 'assault on the healthcare of the American people' and warned years of progress in reducing the number of uninsured people is at risk. Who would lose health coverage The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the GOP's proposed changes to federal health programs would result in 10.9 million fewer people having health care coverage. Nearly 8 million fewer people would be enrolled in Medicaid by 2034 under the legislation, the CBO found, including 5.2 million people who would lose coverage due to the proposed work requirements. It said 1.4 million immigrants without legal status would lose coverage in state programs. The new Medicaid requirements would apply to nondisabled adults under age 65 who are not caretakers or parents, with some exceptions. The bill passed by the U.S. House stipulates that those eligible would need to work, take classes, or record community service for 80 hours per month. The Kaiser Family Foundation notes that more than 90% of people enrolled in Medicaid already meet those criteria. The legislation also penalizes states that fund health insurance for immigrants who have not confirmed their immigration status, and the CBO expects that those states will stop funding Medicaid for those immigrants altogether. Why Republicans want Medicaid changes Republicans have cited what they call the out-of-control spending in federal programs to explain their rationale for the changes proposed in the legislation. 'What we are trying to do in the One Big Beautiful Bill is ensuring that limited resources are protected for pregnant women, for children, for seniors, for individuals with disabilities,' said Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., in a speech on the House floor. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso argued that Medicaid recipients who are not working spend their time watching television and playing video games rather than looking for employment. Republicans also criticize the CBO itself, the congressional scorekeeper, questioning whether its projections are accurate. The CBO score for decades has been providing non-partisan analysis of legislation and budgetary matters. Its staff is prohibited from making political contributions and is currently led by a former economic adviser for the George W. Bush administration. What polling shows While Republicans argue that their signature legislation delivers on Trump's 2024 campaign promises, health care isn't one of the president's strongest issues with Americans. Most U.S. adults, 56%, disapproved of how Trump was handling health care policy in CNN polling from March . And according to AP VoteCast , about 6 in 10 voters in the November election said they wanted the government 'more involved' in ensuring that Americans have health care coverage. Only about 2 in 10 wanted the government less involved in this, and about 2 in 10 said its involvement was about right. Half of American adults said they expected the Trump administration's policies to increase their family's health care costs, according to a May poll from KFF , and about 6 in 10 believed those policies would weaken Medicaid. If the federal government significantly reduced Medicaid spending, about 7 in 10 adults said they worried it would negatively impact nursing homes, hospitals, and other health care providers in their community. For Hawley, the 'bottom lines' are omitting provisions that could cause rural hospitals to close and hardworking citizens to lose their benefits. He and other Republicans are especially concerned about the freeze on the providers' tax in the House's legislation that they warn could hurt rural hospitals. 'Medicaid benefits for people who are working or who are otherwise qualified,' Hawley said. 'I do not want to see them cut.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Bukele, emboldened by Trump, is arresting prominent critics
Police officers grabbed the shackled woman by each arm, leading her to the judge who would order her imprisonment. 'You won't silence me!' shouted Ruth López, a Bible in her hands, journalists crowding around her. 'What I want is a public trial! The people deserve to know!' The arrest of López, a prominent lawyer in El Salvador who helped uncover alleged government corruption, has become emblematic of the increasing authoritarianism of President Nayib Bukele. A judge on June 4 ordered López jailed pretrial for at least six months on charges of illegal enrichment, accusations her lawyers say are baseless. Days later, a second lawyer critical of Bukele, Enrique Anaya, was detained and accused of money laundering. Now the lawyers are being held in the same police station, not knowing when — or if — they will be freed. The arrests are part of an escalating crackdown by Bukele on the last bastion of dissent in a country where he already controls all state institutions, analysts and activists say. López's arrest and a new law targeting nongovernmental organizations have accelerated an exodus of civil society: In recent weeks, dozens of academics, lawyers, researchers, human rights defenders and journalists have fled the country. Their departures resemble the flights of critics from autocratic regimes in Nicaragua and Venezuela, but with a key difference. This time, the United States isn't condemning the repression — it's deepening ties with its author. The Trump administration, which is paying Bukele's government to imprison migrants deported from the United States, is praising his leadership and holding him up as a model for the region. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau traveled to El Salvador this week as part of his first foreign trip, the purpose of which was to 'further strengthen diplomatic ties and cooperation.' A State Department spokesperson said the U.S. is 'aware of the recent arrests of these Salvadoran nationals." 'The United States assesses that El Salvador will continue its strong commitment to investigate and prosecute cases involving embezzlement and other crimes against the people of El Salvador,' the spokesperson said. Bukele, credited with dismantling the country's gangs and dramatically reducing violence in what was once one of the most dangerous nations in Latin America, is widely popular at home and throughout the region. But the self-styled 'world's coolest dictator' has pacified El Salvador in part by detaining more than 85,000 people, often without due process, access to a lawyer or a proper trial — while tightening his grip on the country's Legislative Assembly and courts. Bukele has long been accused of human rights violations. But the recent arrests and threats, Noah Bullock said, are sending a more explicit, brazen message: 'You dissent and you will be punished.' 'It feels like overnight, El Salvador became an even more repressive regime,' said Bullock, executive director of Cristosal, a human rights organization where López works. 'A person who likes to make jokes about being a dictator is now embracing it.' Bukele says he's unbothered by critics. 'I don't care if they call me a dictator,' he told Salvadoran lawmakers this month. 'I'd rather be called a dictator than see Salvadorans killed in the streets.' But with each week, the threats have intensified. Last month, a group of journalists from El Salvador's premier investigative news source fled the country after getting word of possible arrest warrants against them. When journalists from that outlet, El Faro, prepared to reenter the country this week, according to the El Salvador press association, they learned police officers were planning to arrest them at the airport. When hundreds of people gathered outside Bukele's house last month to protest an eviction order, he arrested a human rights advocate and evangelical pastor who had aided them. He later accused nongovernmental organizations of 'manipulating' protesters and proposed a 'foreign agents' bill to tax foreign contributions to NGOs at 30 percent. The Salvadoran legislature, controlled by Bukele, approved it. The European Union condemned the new law, saying it 'risks restricting civil society actors' access to funding, which is essential for their functioning and vital to any healthy democracy.' The bloc also expressed concern over the recent detentions of human rights defenders: 'The shrinking space for civil society risks undermining development and could negatively impact cooperation.' Bukele responded with insults: 'El Salvador regrets that a bloc which is aging, overregulated, energy-dependent, tech-lagging, and led by unelected bureaucrats still insists on lecturing the rest of the world.' Many of the researchers and human rights defenders who now feel targeted have previously worked closely with the United States, and some worked on projects that received U.S. aid that is now cut off. Some of those who have fled the country advocated for detainees in the country's expanding prison system, including the Venezuelans deported by the Trump administration to the megaprison known as CECOT. Others documented alleged corruption or human rights violations, and shared their findings at times with U.S. government agencies. As director of Legal Humanitarian Aid, which advocates for people detained arbitrarily in El Salvador, human rights lawyer Ingrid Escobar is accustomed to being surveilled by the Bukele government. Last week, she learned she was on a list of possible targets for imminent arrest. She had scheduled an urgent surgery in El Salvador for this week. But days before, she took her children, 11 and 9, and fled the country. If she did not, she feared, she might be detained and denied the medical treatment she needed. 'If I stayed in El Salvador,' she said, 'I could have died.' Under previous U.S. administrations, one lawyer said, the U.S. Embassy would have been seen as an important partner in advocating for the release of López. 'In El Salvador,' the lawyer said, 'we're alone.' She spoke on the condition of anonymity out of concern for her family's safety. López was detained at her home late at night on May 18, summoned outside by police officers who claimed they needed to tell her about a report of a car accident. Instead, they arrested her and accused her of embezzlement. That charge was later changed to illegal enrichment. The attorney general's office said the charges stemmed from her work with a magistrate and former electoral official, Eugenio Chicas, who was arrested in February on charges of illicit enrichment. Bullock said López's role in that work didn't involve managing money. Her lawyer and Cristosal have said her arrest was retaliation for her work exposing government corruption. López helped file criminal complaints against officials with the attorney general's office. In one, she alleged that money intended to support families during the covid-19 pandemic was sent to gang leaders. In another, she alleged corruption in the country's prison system. Because of this work, Cristosal fears she will be in danger if she is transferred to a jail under the custody of the prison system director she denounced. On the day of López's hearing before a judge, Anaya, a constitutional lawyer, defended López and criticized the police who pushed her as she made her way through the crowd. 'They do it to prevent Ruth from speaking to the press, cowards!' he wrote on X. 'I will see the dictator and all his lackeys burn in hell.' The following day, Bukele targeted those who he said 'spent the entire day publicly threatening anyone who supports or works for the government.' Some of those critics, he said on X, had 'clear ties to criminals.' 'The days of impunity are over,' he threatened. 'Don't say you weren't warned.' Anaya was arrested less than two days later. He was placed in a cell next to López's.
