INTERNACIONAL
Hundreds of animals flee cartel chaos, violence after wildlife refuge faced with threats
Not even wild animals are safe from Mexico’s cartel violence.
Tigers, elephants, lions and monkeys were evacuated this week from a wildlife refuge in Culiacán, Sinaloa, a city overrun by cartel gunmen.
The animals, some of which were once kept as pets by drug lords, were moved to another facility after staff faced threats and gunfire — a total collapse of law and order.
The Associated Press reports that the Ostok Sanctuary, which housed over 700 animals, was forced to pack up and flee after months of violence and intimidation from rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.
WEALTHY SUBURB ROCKED BY SUSPECTED CARTEL MURDER-FOR-HIRE SHOWS DRUG LORDS’ REACH ACROSS US: EXPERT
A lion sits in a cage waiting to be transported to Mazatlan, Sinaloa state, at the Ostok Sanctuary, on the outskirts of Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Some animals went days without food. Others began shedding fur from stress. Two big cats died.
«We’ve never seen violence this extreme,» sanctuary Director Ernesto Zazueta told the AP.
This is what happens when cartels run the show and the government steps aside.
For years, Culiacán was under firm control of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world’s most powerful drug trafficking organizations. That «order» shattered when a son of El Chapo Guzmán kidnapped a rival cartel leader and handed him over to U.S. authorities.
MEXICO OFFERS PROTECTION TO FAMED SINGER AFTER DRUG CARTEL DEATH THREATS
An elephant arrives at its new home in Mazatlan, Sinaloa state, after being transported from Ostok Sanctuary in the outskirts of Culiacan, Mexico, on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Now, the cartels are fighting each other for turf. And civilians, including children and families, are paying the price.
Security analyst David Saucedo told the AP that the two warring factions are «extorting, kidnapping and robbing» to fund their war. Roads are blocked. Shootings happen almost daily. Parents check the news each morning to see if it’s safe to send their kids to school.
When night falls, the streets go dark. Bars close. Businesses shut down. The police? Mostly absent.
The animal refuge sat near Jesús María, a stronghold of the Chapitos, a faction run by El Chapo’s sons. That made it a dangerous place to operate.
According to the UK’s Mirror, exotic animals were being caught in the crossfire. Tigers, lions, even elephants were showing signs of trauma from hearing gunfire and helicopters nearby.
A lioness is carried to a transport cage at the animal refuge Ostok Sanctuary, on the outskirts of Culiacan, Mexico, on Monday. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Some of the animals were once owned by cartel bosses. One tiger was found chained in a plaza during a shootout. Locals whisper that drug lords feed enemies to their pet lions — a disturbing rumor that reflects just how broken things are.
Staff say they received threats to burn down the sanctuary and kill the animals unless payments were made.
«There’s no safe place left in this city these days,» rescuer Diego García told the AP.
After months of pleading for help, the sanctuary got nothing from the government. Not a single authority stepped in to protect the animals or the workers.
The last straw came when one of the sanctuary’s elephants, Bireki, injured her foot. No vet in Mexico or even the U.S. was willing to travel to cartel territory to treat her.
«We asked ourselves, ‘What are we doing here?’» Zazueta told the AP. «If we don’t leave, who will treat them?»
That led to the quiet decision to evacuate: not just the elephant, but every animal on site.
Trucks with white flags were loaded with sedated tigers, lions, jaguars and elephants. Some workers whispered calmly to the animals, trying to ease their stress. The convoy rolled out of Culiacán, past masked cartel lookouts on motorbikes, and into Mazatlán.
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It took months of training and planning. But the animals made it. For now.
Sanctuary staff are praying that Mazatlán will be a true refuge. But they know cartel violence has spread like a disease. And the fear is that it could follow them.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
Nancy Pelosi says sex changes for trans kids is something she’s working for ‘at the national level’
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Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that sex changes for transgender children is something she’s working for «at the national level.»
Earlier in the day, Pelosi toured the San Francisco VA Medical Center to review health-system upgrades, research initiatives and—according to a press release from her staff—the threat that House Republicans might slash core veterans’ services.
While speaking with reporters, she was asked how her office was responding to pauses to «gender-affirming care» in California.
«That is something I’m working for at the national level, and we are hoping we can have gender-affirming care for our trans kids,» Pelosi said. «It’s a sad thing for us… I don’t know what effect we can have nationally with what we have going on in the White House and in Congress.»
DEMOCRATIC STATES SUE TRUMP ADMIN OVER ENDING SEX CHANGE SURGERIES FOR MINORS
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi told a reporter on Aug. 7, 2025, that she was working at the national level to get sex changes for transgender children. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
She called the situation «really sad, adding that a transgender-pride flag—five horizontal stripes of light blue, pink and white—hangs outside her office. Pelosi also said several colleagues display the same flag.
She acknowledged that many Republicans on Capitol Hill oppose medical transition for transgender youth.
Still, she is not alone in her stance on sex changes for kids.
CHILDREN’S NATIONAL HOSPITAL IN DC TO END GENDER TRANSITION MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS
FILE – Protesters for and against sex changes for transgender minors demonstrate outside the Supreme Court on Dec. 4, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
Earlier this month, over a dozen officials from Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from blocking access to sex change procedures and treatments for people under the age of 19.
The complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, argues that the Trump administration wants to impose a nationwide ban on sex change procedures by threatening providers with «baseless criminal charges» and investigations.
The lawsuit names President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department as defendants. It challenges Trump’s Jan. 28 executive order barring government support for sex change operations and treatments and two memos by Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate.
Pelosi’s office told Fox News Digital the Democrat was referring to this lawsuit when she spoke about supporting sex changes for children.
TRUMP’S JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TARGETS DOCTORS, CLINICS WHO PROVIDE SEX CHANGE PROCEDURES TO MINORS
A protester waves a transgender pride flag outside of the U.S. Supreme Court Building on June 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Bondi’s memo directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate and prosecute those who offer sex-change treatments to minors. Shumate’s memo directs prosecutors to prioritize investigations against doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies that perform such procedures.
In July, Kaiser Permanente announced that it would pause sex change surgeries for patients under 19 beginning Aug. 29 in response to the Trump administration’s efforts on the matter. The same month, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles shuttered its Center for Trans Youth Health and Development, one of the nation’s largest clinics for transgender young people.
The Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., also announced that it will no longer provide gender transition-related medical interventions.
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Many states have laws restricting or banning sex change surgeries for children. The states named in the lawsuit – California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin. – allow such procedures.
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
nancy pelosi,legislation,washington dc,republicans
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Israel’s Security Cabinet early Friday approved a plan to occupy Gaza City, marking an escalation in Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas.
The announcement comes after an all-night meeting of the security cabinet, following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that Israel planned to retake control over the entire territory and eventually hand it off to friendly Arab forces opposed to Hamas.
Israel’s Security Cabinet early Friday approved a plan to occupy Gaza City, marking an escalation in the nearly two-year war between Israel and Hamas. (Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Israel has bombarded Gaza City repeatedly since Oct. 7, 2023 in addition to carrying out numerous raids. Today, it is one of the few areas of Gaza that hasn’t been turned into an Israeli buffer zone or placed under evacuation orders.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
israel,middle east,world,conflicts
INTERNACIONAL
Fuertes críticas y abucheos al presidente Arce y su vice en el Congreso en el acto por el Bicentenario en Bolivia
A poco más de una semana para las elecciones nacionales con dos candidatos de derecha como favoritos, los legisladores bolivianos abuchearon al vicepresidente y criticaron a los gritos la política económica del presidente Luis Arce, quien en los actos por el Bicentenario hizo un discurso de autoelogio y sin autocríticas en medio de una crisis nacional que paraliza a Bolivia.
El vicepresidente de Bolivia, David Choquehuanca, desató una nueva polémica en medio del clima electoral rumbo a los comicios del 17 de agosto, tras afirmar en su mensaje por los 200 años de la fundación política del país que en el Altiplano “persiste el caudillismo”, lo que alimenta el autoritarismo de los líderes partidarios y el fanatismo de sus seguidores.
“¡Ya se van, ya se van!”, le gritaron en su réplica a Choquehuanca desde los palcos en medio de su discurso en el que también habló de manipulación electoral.
Las elecciones se presentan muy desfavorables para el oficialismo ya que ninguno de los tres candidatos cercanos a sus filas figuran con posibilidades de pasar a la segunda vuelta. Al contrario, el empresario de derecha Samuel Doria Median lidera todos los sondeos (entre 20 y 22% de votos) seguido de cerca por el ex presidente conservador, Jorge Tuto Quiroga. Los otros postulantes se hallan muy lejos por debajo del 10%.
Durante la sesión de honor de la Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional en la Casa de la Libertad de Sucre, Choquehuanca —que concluirá su mandato el 8 de noviembre junto al presidente s Arce— sostuvo que el Estado Plurinacional representa un sistema nuevo de autogobierno, pero reconoció que aún enfrenta serias limitaciones en un escenario político complejo y polarizado.
“Estamos en un escenario preelectoral donde se fabrican encuestas y se manipulan datos de la realidad, mientras el pueblo queda fracturado sin haber elegido”, denunció. Choquehuanca insistió en que el país necesita unidad, acuerdos y comprensión de los errores. “Para unos, la solución será seguir peleando; otros elegirán la fuga ante promesas incumplidas”, reflexionó, en lo que varios analistas interpretan como una crítica velada a las fracturas internas del Movimiento Al Socialismo (MAS), partido al que pertenece y que está en el poder desde hace 20 años.
El discurso de Choquehuanca se suma a la controversia generada por la intervención del presidente Arce, quien también fue cuestionado por evitar la autocrítica y centrarse solo en la defensa del llamado “proceso de cambio” y sus 20 años de reformas, como la nacionalización de los hidrocarburos o la industrialización con sustitución de importaciones. Sin embargo, para los economistas Gonzalo Chávez y Armando Ortuño, el mandatario desaprovechó una ocasión histórica para hablarle al país con visión de futuro, reconocer la crisis y llamar a la unidad nacional.
“Fue un discurso para la autocomplacencia. Un narcisismo macroeconómico que no abordó lo más grave: filas por pan, gasolina, dólares y empleos. No fue el discurso de los 200 años, fue el de los 20 años del populismo”, opinó Chávez durante un análisis televisivo posterior al mensaje.
Ambos economistas cuestionaron duramente la falta de autocrítica del presidente y su insistencia en atribuir los problemas económicos a factores externos. “El presidente vive en una burbuja ideológica. No reconoce el colapso del sector hidrocarburos, la caída en educación, ni el déficit fiscal crónico. Bolivia dejó de ser una potencia gasífera y ahora importa energía. Esa realidad quedó ausente”, añadió el economista paceño.
Por su parte, Ortuño lamentó la ausencia de un mensaje que inspire unidad y rescate los logros colectivos del país en dos siglos de historia. “Era una oportunidad para mirar al país como un proyecto común, hablar de nuestras potencialidades, no solo de las fracturas. No se trataba de defender un modelo, sino de construir un relato que incluya a todos”, reflexionó.
Ambos coincidieron en que, frente a una economía con serios desequilibrios fiscales, cambiarios y de abastecimiento, el presidente optó por minimizar los problemas. “Dijo que la escasez de combustibles es coyuntural, cuando en realidad refleja problemas estructurales acumulados. El próximo gobierno, sea cual sea, tendrá que enfrentarlos”, advirtió Ortuño.
Finalmente, los dos economistas lamentaron que en un momento simbólico como los 200 años de la independencia, el mensaje presidencial haya priorizado una visión polarizante de la historia construida sobre confrontaciones y no sobre acuerdos.
Bolivia,Luis Arce
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