(Even more here)

June 30, 2017

Brazil

• Mac Margolis, “Brazil Needs to Look Beyond Scandal” (Bloomberg, June 30, 2017).

With elections 16 months away and much of the political class discredited or under scrutiny, it’s hard to say who might emerge to squire the country to recovery

• Paul Kiernan, “Brazil Authorities Arrest Rio Police on Bribery Allegations” (The Wall Street Journal, June 30, 2017).

Long known for their violent tactics, Rio state police killed 383 people in first four months of 2017, 60% more than a year earlier

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador

• Andrea Barretto, “Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador Exchange Information on Attack Aircraft” (Revista Dialogo (U.S. Southern Command), June 30, 2017).

Through a memorandum of understanding, the four countries laid out a cooperation agreement regarding the deployment and maintenance of the A-29 Super Tucano aircraft

Central America Regional

• Julieta Pelcastre, “Central America Promotes Systematic Efforts of Cooperation” (Revista Dialogo (U.S. Southern Command), June 30, 2017).

The goal of the meeting was to prepare reports that will be further expanded and approved at the Ordinary Meeting of the High Council scheduled for July 11th–14th in Tegucigalpa

Colombia

• Holly K. Sonneland, “Explainer: Colombia’s 2018 Elections” (Americas Society – Council of the Americas, June 30, 2017).

While the peace processes with the guerrilla groups FARC and ELN dominate international headlines, just 5% of Colombians say those are the country’s top issues while 63% say domestic issues of unemployment, healthcare, and corruption are

El Salvador

• Judith Flores, “Congresistas de ee.uu. Piden Investigar a Vicecanciller Salvadoreno” (La Prensa (Nicaragua), June 30, 2017).

José Luis Merino, alias “Ramiro Vásquez”, es considerado el arquitecto financiero del Grupo Alba en El Salvador

Honduras

• “Por Drogas y Pandillas Militarizan Dos Colegios en la Capital de Honduras” (El Heraldo (Honduras), June 30, 2017).

El número 18 de más de un metro de altura dibujado en uno de los pizarrones es imposible de no ver, así como los 18 escritos en números romanos en distintas partes del colegio

El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras

• Franco Ordonez, “Trump Administration Targets Parents Who Paid to Smuggle Children Into U.S.” (McClatchy DC, June 30, 2017).

“The kids are basically being used as bait at this point”

Mexico

• Paris Martínez, , “Pgr No Investigo Posibles Vinculos de Mando Militar y Guerreros Unidos Tras Ataque a Normalistas” (Animal Politico (Mexico), June 30, 2017).

La PGR recibió al menos cinco denuncias anónimas en las que se identifica a José Alfredo Casarrubias Salgado, capitán segundo de Infantería del Ejército Mexicano, como parte del grupo

• Francisco Goldman, , “The Atenco Warning” (The New York Times, June 30, 2017).

In 2006, a brutal crackdown. Today, reports that spyware has been used against journalists, human right groups and lawyers in Mexico

• John Scott-Railton, Bill Marczak, Bahr Abdulrazzak, Masashi Crete-Nishihata, Ron Deibert, “Reckless Redux: Senior Mexican Legislators and Politicians Targeted With Nso Spyware” (CitizenLab, University of Toronto, June 30, 2017).

Three senior Mexican politicians were targeted with infection attempts using spyware developed by the NSO group, an Israeli “cyber warfare” company

• Kirk Siegler, “Desert Aid Camp Turning Away Migrants Following Border Patrol Raid” (Morning Edition, National Public Radio, June 30, 2017).

Aid workers say they can no longer guarantee a temporary shelter for migrants, after U.S. Border Patrol agents raided the camp and made arrests

Guatemala, Mexico

• Adam Isacson, Maureen Meyer, Hannah Smith, “Wola Report: Mexico’s Southern Border – Security, Central American Migration, and U.S. Policy” (Washington Office on Latin America, June 30, 2017).

WOLA based its report on field research in the area surrounding Tenosique, Tabasco, along Mexico’s border with Guatemala

Peru

• “Peru Entre los 5 Ejercitos Mas Poderosos de America Latina” (La Republica (Peru), June 30, 2017).

Perú destaca por tener un total de 120 mil miembros activos y 272 mil de reserva

Venezuela

• Jorge Rueda, “Fresh Charges Highlight Further Rifts in the Maduro Regime” (Associated Press, Time, June 30, 2017).

Ortega Diaz, a longtime loyalist of the socialist government who recently broke ranks with President Nicolas Maduro, said police and military officials are responsible for 23 protest deaths to date