Latest news with #Velázquez
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bessent declines to say which nations are close to tariff deals with US
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wouldn't say Wednesday which nations the U.S. could strike trade deals with as soon as this week when pressed during testimony. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) pressed Bessent as he testified before the House Financial Services Committee about his recent remarks indicating the U.S. could announce trade deals with some partners as soon as this week. 'So tell us, tell the American people, tell small businesses and consumers, tell retirees specifically, which countries are you close to striking deals with?' Velázquez asked Bessent during the hearing. Bessent insisted that doing so 'would not benefit the United States' and 'that it would be detrimental to the interest of the United States for me to answer that question.' Bessent said answering the question could compromise ongoing negotiations, noting that talks 'may still be in process.' 'I'm happy to say there are negotiations going on. I'm not going to reveal the details,' he said. Velázquez then asked Bessent how long he thinks the negotiations will take before they are concluded. Bessent reiterated comments he made previously about there being '18 important trading partners' and that the administration is 'moving forward at all deliberate speed with those.' He also said he considered some of the negotiations to be 'quite advanced.' 'I believe that they will be the agreements in principle, and then we will paper them over in the coming months, but once we reach an agreement that I am sure that the other countries will live up to,' he said. Bessent also said he and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are set to meet with Chinese officials in Switzerland later this week to begin negotiations amid an ongoing trade war between both nations. 'I will be going to Switzerland, and the negotiations will begin on Saturday,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Hill
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Bessent declines to say which nations are close to tariff deals with US
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wouldn't say Wednesday which nations the U.S. could strike trade deals with as soon as this week when pressed during testimony. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) pressed Bessent as he testified before the House Financial Services Committee about his recent remarks indicating the U.S. could announce trade deals with some partners as soon as this week. 'So tell us, tell the American people, tell small businesses and consumers, tell retirees specifically, which countries are you close to striking deals with?' Velázquez asked Bessent during the hearing. Bessent insisted that doing so 'would not benefit the United States,' and 'that it would be detrimental to the interest of the United States for me to answer that question.' Bessent said answering the question could compromise ongoing negotiations, noting that talks 'may still be in process.' 'I'm happy to say there are negotiations going on. I'm not going to reveal the details,' he said. Velázquez then asked Bessent how long he thinks the negotiations will take before they are concluded. Bessent reiterated comments he made previously about there being '18 important trading partners' and that the administration is 'moving forward at all deliberate speed with those.' He also said he considered some of the negotiations to be 'quite advanced.' 'I believe that they will be the agreements in principle, and then we will paper them over in the coming months, but once we reach an agreement that I am sure that the other countries will live up to,' he said. Bessent also said he and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is set to meet with Chinese officials in Switzerland later this week to begin negotiations amid an ongoing trade war between both nations. 'I will be going to Switzerland, and the negotiations will begin on Saturday,' he said.
The Irish Sun
02-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
The sunshine spot just three hours from Dublin with 34C summer temps, €2.50 pints & €27.99 Ryanair flights
IRISH holidaymakers heading to Spain usually head to beach resorts, but its capital city also has a lot to offer tourists. Advertisement 5 During the summer, average daily temperatures reach around 34C Credit: Getty Images - Getty 5 The town is full of stunning architecture Credit: Getty Images - Getty 5 The famous Cibeles Fountain Credit: Getty Images - Getty It is renowned for its European art, including the Prado Museum's works by Goya, Velázquez and other Spanish masters. In the heart of the city you'll see the old Habsburg - the Plaza Mayor which is lined with porticos. Nearby, you can see the baroque Royal Palace and Armory, displaying historic weaponry which is perfect for history buffs. Or to relax in the park, visit the Buen Retiro Park to enjoy the scenery and liven up your Instagram. Advertisement READ MORE IN TRAVEL The city is full of famous museums, bustling nightlife and There are a range of historic sites that are definitely worth a visit. The Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen museums are world-renowned, but there are several smaller ones that offer loads to tourists too. These include the Sorolla Museum and cultural centres like the Matadero or Conde Duque, which hold innovative exhibitions, concerts and guided tours. Advertisement Most read in City Exclusive You can head to see the Royal Palace, the Plaza Mayor with 400 years of history, the Puerta del Sol or the four tallest towers in GOLDEN MILE And the city is classed as the capital of nightlife, food and fashion. If you're looking to do some shopping, the Gran Via is full of different shops to suit every taste. You can head to luxury shops on the Golden Mile, vintage stores in Fuencarral, new designer markets at the Mercado de Motores, or craft workshops and bookshops over 100 years old. Advertisement You can enjoy a range of different Some markets have been turned into eating spaces like San Miguel, which is classed as a gastronomic shrine. If you're looking for a A pint will set you back just €2.50 - ideal for enjoying a drink in the sun. Advertisement And if you're looking for a And during the 5 The city is classed as the capital of food, fashion and nightlife Credit: Getty Images - Getty Advertisement 5 The city has loads to offer tourists Credit: Getty Images - Getty
New York Times
16-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Congresswoman and Allies Endorse 3 Mayoral Candidates to Stop Cuomo
Representative Nydia Velázquez and six other Democrats from Brooklyn will endorse a slate of three candidates in the New York City mayor's race on Wednesday, hoping to stop former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's momentum. Ms. Velázquez, a progressive power broker who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens, and her fellow Democrats will collectively back Adrienne Adams, the City Council speaker; Brad Lander, the city comptroller; and Zohran Mamdani, a state lawmaker from Queens. Ms. Velázquez said in an interview that the city had been in chaos under Mayor Eric Adams and that New Yorkers deserved a leader with a 'steady hand.' She said that Mr. Cuomo was leading in polls because people knew his name, but that voters deserved better choices who would stand up for working-class people. 'Brad and Adrienne and Zohran are all in this race for the right reasons,' she said. 'They have integrity, decency and the desire to work with everyone to put the best interests of New Yorkers first.' The endorsement shows how Democrats who oppose Mr. Cuomo are trying to coalesce around a few candidates in a crowded field ahead of the June 24 primary. Ms. Velázquez will announce the endorsement with a group of allies from Brooklyn: Antonio Reynoso, the Brooklyn borough president; state lawmakers Julia Salazar and Emily Gallagher; and City Council members Jennifer Gutiérrez, Sandy Nurse and Lincoln Restler. Another key progressive leader from New York, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has not yet made an endorsement. During the 2021 mayoral race, Ms. Velázquez and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez backed Maya Wiley, a civil rights lawyer and former MSNBC commentator. Ms. Velázquez said that she had discussed the race with Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and believed that she shared her concerns and was weighing who has the best chance of winning. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has been holding anti-Trump rallies across the country and said recently that she opposed Mr. Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 following a series of sexual harassment allegations that he denies. A poll by Siena College on Tuesday found that Mr. Cuomo was leading the field with 34 percent of votes. Mr. Mamdani, who has momentum on the left and has been a strong fund-raiser, was in second place with 16 percent. Ms. Adams and Mr. Lander — and Scott Stringer, a former city comptroller — trailed them with 6 percent each. Roughly 20 percent of voters were undecided. The poll showed how the candidates would fare under the city's relatively new ranked-choice voting system, in which voters can list up to five candidates on their ballot in order of preference. It found that Mr. Cuomo would defeat Mr. Mamdani in the ninth and final round with 64 percent compared with Mr. Mamdani's 36 percent. Voters do not necessarily vote along clear ideological lines, and campaigns are trying to strategize how to use the system to their advantage. The Siena poll showed some supporters of Mr. Lander and Ms. Adams ranking Mr. Cuomo ahead of Mr. Mamdani on their ballots — a dynamic that Mr. Cuomo's opponents are trying to change. The left-leaning Working Families Party has urged voters to leave Mr. Cuomo off their ballot entirely, as has a coalition known as 'D.R.E.A.M.' — which recently shifted its branding from 'Don't Rank Eric or Andrew for Mayor' to 'Don't Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor.' The Working Families Party endorsed Ms. Adams, Mr. Lander and Mr. Mamdani, along with Zellnor Myrie, a state lawmaker from Brooklyn. The group led by Ms. Velázquez is not explicitly encouraging voters to leave Mr. Cuomo off their ballots, but each elected official could release preferred rankings and advice about whether to rank Mr. Cuomo. Some Democrats who oppose Mr. Cuomo want to see his challengers cross-endorse each other, following the example of Andrew Yang, a candidate who endorsed a competitor, Kathryn Garcia, in the 2021 race. Others are hoping to rally behind a single candidate: Mr. Mamdani, who has focused on an affordability message. Bill Neidhardt, a former aide to Mayor Bill de Blasio who worked on the campaign of Mayor Brandon Johnson in Chicago, threw his support behind Mr. Mamdani. 'The message from this poll to all anti-Cuomo Democrats: Consolidate or die,' he wrote on social media. 'The polling. The matching funds. The grass-roots energy. It all says Zohran is the pick.' Mr. Adams, a Democrat who has record low approval ratings and is not related to the City Council speaker, decided against running in the Democratic primary and will run as an independent in the general election in November. Mr. Reynoso, who succeeded Mr. Adams as Brooklyn borough president, said the group settled on three candidates instead of five — the number of spots on the ballot — to focus their energy and resources on three campaigns that can win. 'I think everyone knows that the winning strategy is they work together and their bases work together and we'll see one rise up and the others help get them to a winning number,' he said.
The Guardian
09-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Protest planned after Florida student deported following traffic stop
A campus protest is planned at the University of Florida on Wednesday in support of a Colombian student deported by the Trump administration following his arrest for alleged traffic violations. The family of Felipe Zapata Velázquez, 27, said on Tuesday he was 'undergoing a physical and emotional recovery process' in his home country after police arrested him in Gainesville on 28 March for offenses including having an expired tag and suspended driver's license, then turned him over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice). The agency has come under scrutiny in recent days for taking an aggressive approach to foreign nationals studying in the US, with dozens of international students reporting the abrupt cancellations of their visas, some reportedly for speeding tickets or other minor non-criminal infractions. In one of the most prominent cases, Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia University graduate who led pro-Palestinian demonstrations at its New York campus last summer, remains in Ice detention in Louisiana and awaiting deportation following his arrest more than one month ago. The Florida Democratic congressman Maxwell Frost accused authorities of 'kidnapping' Velázquez, who held an F-1 student visa and was a third-year undergraduate majoring in food and resource economics at UF. 'Felipe Zapata Velázquez is just the latest victim of Trump's disgusting campaign against immigrants,' Frost said in a statement issued while the student was in federal custody in Miami. 'What should have been a routine traffic stop resulted in a nightmare as Felipe is now forced to live in the hell on Earth that is the Krome detention center. 'Donald Trump and Ice are running a government-funded kidnapping program. Showing up in unmarked vans, with plain clothes officers, they are kidnapping people off the streets and jailing them inside of detention centers without due process and with little cause.' Ice did not respond to reporters' requests for comment. Dimitris Liveris, of the UF chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of America, which is organizing Wednesday's campus protest, told NBC Miami: 'Right now, we're seeing waves and waves of fear throughout the student body because people don't know what's going to get them placed in an Ice prison.' NBC obtained a statement from Velázquez's mother, Claudia, in Colombia, who said her son chose to sign papers for his own deportation rather than remaining in detention while a legal fight played out. 'Felipe is undergoing a physical and emotional recovery process, and we are prioritizing his wellbeing and overall health,' she said. 'I sincerely appreciate the interest, solidarity, and support that many have expressed regarding my son's situation. When his situation is fully clarified, and if he deems it appropriate, Felipe will personally address any additional requests or communications.' Velázquez was reportedly stopped by police in Gainesville on the evening of 28 March and cited for having an illegal license plate or attached mobile home sticker, driving with a license suspended or revoked with knowledge, and having an expired tag, per NBC. Footage from an officer's bodycam captured him stating: 'I'm an international student. I just came from Colombia.' His mother said he was in the process of renewing his student visa when he was arrested. He was transferred into the custody of Ice, who took him first to a holding facility in Jacksonville, then to the Miami detention center. In February, Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, touted a new law ordering the state's 67 sheriff's offices, and municipal police departments, to collaborate with Ice and act as federal immigration agents with the authority to detain undocumented immigrants. Yvonne Hayes Hinson, a Democratic state senator who represents Gainesville, condemned Velázquez's arrest. 'It's saddening to see a UF student detained by Ice for driving with an expired license and registration tag,' she said. 'To be detained for such an offense is outlandish and quite alarming. Though the department of state can revoke non-immigrant visas, including F-1 visas, for arrests for certain offenses, such as driving under the influence, did registration and an expired license fall under the scope of arrest and detainment? 'Immigrants are under attack now more than ever. We must speak up and not allow this to continue without voicing outrage.'
