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Benjamin Alvarez

@benjalvarez1.bsky.social
1.7K followers 165 following 1.5K posts

US Correspondent for DW

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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 7h
President Trump directed staff to use taxpayer money for TV ads praising him and his presidency, setting in motion a $20 million contract that used funds from the Department of Homeland Security, according to people familiar with the matter. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/02/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Directed Use of Taxpayer Money for Ads Praising His Presidency
The government-funded ads show just how much President Trump has been able to use federal money for his own aims.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
"The candidacy for Secretary-General came to an end, but the convictions that guided me throughout my life remain: democracy, justice, equal rights for all and unrestricted respect for human rights," former President Michelle Bachelet said as she returns to public life in Chile.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Chilean President Kast is facing growing criticism after bringing Chile into Trump's "Shield of the Americas" initiative. Critics say the move risks dragging the country into a polarizing US security project and the political cost is already mounting. english.elpais.com/internationa...
english.elpais.com
Kast faces internal resistance for having added Chile to Trump’s Shield of the Americas
Of the 15 adherents, including Milei’s Argentina and Bukele’s El Salvador, the South American country is the only one where the president confronts a deep political debate over the scope of the agreem...
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Impressions from yesterday's USA vs. Chile soccer friendly in St. Louis, Missouri.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The Education Department announced it has formally rescinded the Biden-era Title IX interpretation that gave sex-based discrimination protections to students on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. thehill.com/homenews/edu...
thehill.com
Education Department formally rescinds Title IX protections for LGBTQ students
The Education Department announced Monday it has formally rescinded the Biden-era Title IX interpretation that gave sex-based discrimination protections to students on the basis of sexual orientati…
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Trump's ballroom construction, the new White House helipad and the dry Reflecting Pool seen from a plane departing DCA today.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The Education Department announced it has formally rescinded the Biden-era Title IX interpretation that gave sex-based discrimination protections to students on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. thehill.com/homenews/edu...
thehill.com
Education Department formally rescinds Title IX protections for LGBTQ students
The Education Department announced Monday it has formally rescinded the Biden-era Title IX interpretation that gave sex-based discrimination protections to students on the basis of sexual orientati…
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
WSJ: OpenAI agents bombarded a United Nations website with search requests and then used a variety of aggressive techniques to access data on the system in June, according to an independent research report published Saturday. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/open...
wsj.com
OpenAI Agents Used Aggressive Techniques to Access U.N. Website
Autonomous bots hit the public data site more than 16,000 times and circumvented a filter.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
US troops are now fighting the drug war on the ground in Ecuador. Dozens of US military personnel joined Ecuadorean police in raids, marking a new level of direct involvement by Washington. www.wsj.com/world/americ...
wsj.com
U.S. Troops Are Now Fighting the Drug War on the Ground in Ecuador
Dozens of American military personnel joined Ecuadorean police in raids this week, marking a new level of direct U.S. involvement.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
🚨Surprise meeting earlier today: German Foreign Minister Wadephul met his Russian counterpart, Lavrov, at the UN in New York. It was the first meeting between Russian and German foreign ministers since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Argentina's poverty rate climbs to nearly one in three under Milei. The country's poverty rate rose to 32.3% in the first half of 2026 from 28.2% in the previous six months, official data showed on Thursday, as incomes lagged rising prices. www.france24.com/en/americas/...
france24.com
Argentina's poverty rate climbs to nearly one in three under Milei
Argentina’s poverty rate rose to 32.3% in the first half of 2026 from 28.2% in the previous six months, official data showed on Thursday, as incomes lagged rising prices. Extreme poverty climbed to 7....
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Former Chilean Presidents Bachelet and Boric issue a statement expressing concern over Chile's decision to join Trump's "Shield of the Americas." They warn against subordinating national sovereignty to external priorities, and urge President Kast to reconsider the membership.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Despite the ICC arrest warrant, Greece, Italy and France today allowed Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's flight to cross their airspace on the way to New York for the UN General Assembly, flight tracking shows.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Putin has been invited to the G20 in Miami. "We think it's an opportunity for him to engage not just with Trump, but with other world leaders," Secretary Rubio said today.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Prince Harry on online safety, the dangers of social media, and youth mental health at the Clinton Global Initiative 2026 Annual Meeting in New York City.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Venezuela's Delcy Rodríguez held a pull-aside with President Trump on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York. She called the encounter "historic," and said they discussed energy, mining and security cooperation. Rubio, Bessent, Wiles and Miller joined the US side.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
President Trump's UN Day, via WH: 9:55: Remarks UN General Assembly
10:40: Denmark-Greenland trilateral
11:45: UK PM
12:30: Japan PM
13:15: Ukraine President
14:15: Shield of the Americas event
14:45: Gulf Cooperation Council
19:15: UNGA Leaders' Reception
19:40: Venezuela's acting president
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Michelle Bachelet's bid to become UN Secretary-General is now officially over. "In line with General Assembly Resolution 79/327, the candidature of Ms. Bachelet Jeria is therefore considered withdrawn," the presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council tell members.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
A Venezuelan man shot by an ICE officer in Austin, Texas, is now at a detention center for the agency after he was released from a hospital with a bullet still lodged in his back, according to his attorney's spokesperson. apnews.com/article/aust...
apnews.com
Man shot by ICE officer is detained in Texas with a bullet still in his back, attorney says
The attorney for a Venezuelan man shot by a federal immigration officer in Texas says he is being held at a detention center after being released from a hospital with a bullet still in his back.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The Washington Post announced it will not publish photographs of today's presidential events until after midnight. This move is part of a collective newsroom blackout and boycott organized alongside photojournalists from other outlets in solidarity against recent White House actions.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Major TV networks — ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC — agreed to suspend their pooled coverage of President Trump after the White House blocked CNN from its duties. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/21/b...
nytimes.com
Networks Suspend Pool Coverage of Trump After White House Bans CNN
The move was an escalation of President Trump’s showdown with the White House press corps after he moved to bar journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The German far-right AfD party is set to win most votes in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, according to initial projections.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Following Michelle Bachelet's withdrawal from the race for UN Secretary-General, the Chilean government — which had earlier withdrawn its support — issued a deliberately cold, distant, and purely procedural statement that avoids any praise and simply "takes note" of her decision.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Today: Rollout of the first German Air Force F-35A Lightning II in Fort Worth, Texas.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Secretary Rubio congratulates the people of Chile on today's National Day. "Now, under the strong leadership of President Kast, we are working together more closely than ever to combat the scourge of transnational crime and unchecked illegal immigration," he adds.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Rep. María Elvira Salazar on Nov. 6, 2024: "The Lord Almighty has shown compassion on the United States. Big things are coming for our country under his leadership! Relatedly, Hispanics have seen the benefits of voting Republican. This is just the beginning!"
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
A UN fact-finding mission found "reasonable grounds" to believe the US committed war crimes in two Feb. 28 strikes in Iran that killed at least 178 civilians, including around 120 children in Minab. www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
ohchr.org
Iran: Civilians trapped between extreme State repression and violations arising from devastating conflict with US, Israel, UN Fact-Finding Mission finds
GENEVA – Civilians in Iran are caught between gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity committed by their own Government and the nation’s deadly conflict with the United States and Is...
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"McConnell would never be allowed to drive a car, babysit young children, or file his own taxes. Why, then, should a cognitively incapacitated 82-year-old retain one of the most important positions of power within the national government?" www.publicnotice.co/p/retire-in-...
publicnotice.co
Retire in peace
McConnell is the latest example of an incapacitated politician refusing to let go.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Today marks 53 years since the murder of Chilean singer-songwriter Víctor Jara. Detained just days after the 1973 military coup, Jara was systematically tortured and executed by the Pinochet regime inside Santiago's Chile Stadium.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The US has once again denied Palestinian President Abbas a visa to attend next week's UN General Assembly in New York, AFP reports.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
President Trump said he would cancel a $257 million renovation of the Kennedy Center if his name wasn't added to the building. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/a...
nytimes.com
Kennedy Center Closes Its Doors Despite a Judge’s Order
The announcement came after President Trump said he would cancel a $257 million renovation of the venue if his name is not returned to the building.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Far-right Chilean President Kast says he does not rule out pardons for those convicted of crimes against humanity during the Pinochet dictatorship, with more than 100 requests under case-by-case review.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ www.dw.com/es/kast-valo...
dw.com
Kast valora indultar a condenados por crímenes de dictadura
El mandatario de Chile no descarta el perdón para quienes cometieron delitos lesa humanidad en la era de Augusto Pinochet.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
President Trump nominated the wife of "God Bless the USA" singer Lee Greenwood to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Trump nominates wife of 'God Bless the USA' singer Lee Greenwood to serve as US ambassador
President Donald Trump has nominated the wife of “God Bless the USA” singer Lee Greenwood to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
A visit to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
A federal ⁠judge ⁠blocked President Trump's ⁠administration from implementing a new rule that would limit ​how ⁠long foreign students and journalists can remain in the U.S. ‌without applying for ⁠extensions. www.reuters.com/world/us-jud...
reuters.com
US judge blocks Trump limits on duration of visas for foreign students, journalists
A federal judge on ​Monday blocked U.S. ‌President Donald Trump's administration from implementing ​a new rule ​that would limit how ⁠long foreign ​students and journalists can ​remain in the U.S. wit...
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
President Trump asserts that a "STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT" is the sole AI safeguard needed, while claiming US leadership over China and criticizing Anthropic's Dario Amodei. "WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!," he adds.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev footed the bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars of wedding expenses at Donald Trump Jr.’s lavish wedding, including renting out a private island and paying for the fireworks show, ProPublica reports. www.propublica.org/article/dona...
propublica.org
Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Bankrolled by Putin-Linked Russian Oligarch
The oligarch, Umar Kremlev, spent hundreds of thousands on expenses like renting out a private island. He appears to have met Trump Jr. only recently, but he attended the intimate wedding with a large...
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Reposted by Benjamin Alvarez
Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
“The United States will no longer limit the planet-warming pollution that power plants pump into the air while burning coal and gas” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/c...
nytimes.com
E.P.A. Will Erase Limits on Climate Pollution From Power Plants (Gift Article)
Generation of electricity is the second largest source of carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases in the United States.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
President Trump appeared to dismiss calls from top artificial intelligence leaders to slow down development of AI models, saying that the U.S. needed to maintain its competitive edge over China. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Trump resists AI slowdown as the political tide turns
Democrats are increasingly attacking the administration’s hands-off approach to artificial intelligence regulation as midterms approach.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The US today marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. We met one man determined to preserve the memory of that fateful day for future generations. amp.dw.com/en/25-years-...
amp.dw.com
25 years later: Keeping the memory of 9/11 alive
The US marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. DW met one man determined to preserve the memory of that fateful day for future generations.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Chile marks the 53rd anniversary of the 1973 military coup — the first time since democracy's return in 1990 with no official government ceremony. President Kast, who as a student campaigned for dictator Pinochet to stay in power, visited a shipyard in southern Chile instead.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
La portada de El Mercurio hoy: Kast, empanadas, riesgos de la IA, promesa de Trump y el aniversario de los ataques en EE.UU.... de todo, menos el aniversario del golpe de Estado de 1973 en Chile. El silencio también es editorial.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A 53 años del golpe de Estado en Chile. Un pueblo sin memoria es un pueblo sin futuro.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
At the RNC midterm convention in Dallas, President Trump announced that if Republicans keep the House and Senate in November, "I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000."
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
US Ambassador to Chile Brandon Judd claimed US intelligence showed Chile's 2019 social unrest came from left-wing organizations. Summoned by Foreign Minister Pérez, he later clarified the analysis drew from Chilean open sources.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
One of the concourses heading into the Dallas arena hosting the Republican Convention billed as a "Trump-a-Palooza".
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
President Trump on the German far-right AfD's victory in Saxony-Anhalt:
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Iceland has summoned the US ambassador after President Trump posted a map on social media that showed Iceland and several other countries covered by the US flag.
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Germany asks the International Court of Justice to throw out the Israel arms-export case as Nicaragua accuses Germany of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention. www.haaretz.com/world-news/e...
haaretz.com
Germany asks International Court of Justice to throw out Israel arms export case
Nicaragua accused Germany of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention because it supplies arms to Israel. Berlin temporarily halted weapons exports to ‌Israel in 2025, but they have since resumed. Nicar...
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Benjamin Alvarez @benjalvarez1.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
The German far-right AfD party secured 44% of the vote in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, according to the first exit poll.
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