Americas

A new report has expressed alarm at what it describes as backsliding press freedoms across the Americas, with the United States seeing the steepest decline.

The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) released its latest press freedom index on Tuesday, ranking last year as the lowest point for freedom of expression since the report began in 2020.

Researchers found that the Americas have experienced a “dramatic deterioration” in unrestricted speech, according to the report.

“This is one of the worst years for journalism in the region, marked by murders, arbitrary arrests, exile, and rampant impunity in countries such as Mexico, Honduras, Ecuador, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Cuba, and Venezuela,” the report said.

It added that enhanced restrictions on free speech have occurred in countries of various ideological persuasions, whether right-wing or left-wing.

The US, however, was singled out as an area of “alarming decline”. In a ranking of 23 countries across the hemisphere, the US dropped from fourth place to 11th, indicating that journalists operate with increased restrictions.

Changes under President Donald Trump, who returned to office last year, were cited as a primary factor.

“Even though journalistic practice in the United States remains protected by the Constitution and laws, last year’s events saw the erosion of safeguards,” the report explained.

Trump, it said, had contributed to the “stigmatisation of critical journalism”. The report also pointed to developments like cuts to public media funding and the closure of Voice of America, a government-funded broadcaster, as detriments to the free press.

In total, the report tallied 170 attacks against journalists in the US last year, and it cited interactions with federal immigration agents as an area of concern.

The report also noted that Nicaragua and Venezuela continue to rank as “without freedom of expression”.

In Venezuela’s case, for instance, it cited the closure of more than 400 radio stations and the detention of 25 journalists in the wake of the controversial 2024 presidential election.

On a scale of 100, the report ranked press freedom in the country at 7.02. It remains in last place on the report’s list of 23 countries.

El Salvador also dropped in the index’s latest evaluation, now in 21st position on the press freedom list, just ahead of Nicaragua and Venezuela.

In an accompanying statement, Sergio Arauz, the president of the Association of Journalists of El Salvador (APES), denounced what he called the “escalating repression” under the government of President Nayib Bukele.

Arauz noted that 50 Salvadoran journalists had been pushed into exile in the last year amid a campaign of harassment by the government.

“There are no possibilities of practicing journalism fully without facing consequences when there is an Executive branch with virtually unlimited powers and no effective legal oversight,” said Arauz.

Since 2022, Bukele and his government have placed the country under a state of emergency that suspended key civil liberties and granted wide latitude to state security forces, in the name of addressing crime.

Tuesday’s report pointed to the state of emergency as a factor in undermining free speech, and also cited El Salvador’s new Foreign Agents Law, which gives the government the power to dissolve organisations that receive funding from abroad.

El Salvador is one of eight nations categorised in the index as “high restriction”, along with Ecuador, Bolivia, Honduras, Peru, Mexico, Haiti and Cuba.

The Dominican Republic, Chile, Canada and Brazil were ranked among the highest for protecting press freedoms.

DORAL, Fla. — President Trump said Saturday that the United States and Latin American countries are banding together to combat violent cartels as his administration looks to demonstrate it remains committed to sharpening U.S. foreign policy focus on the Western Hemisphere even while engaged in war in the Middle East.

Trump encouraged regional leaders gathered at his Miami-area golf club to take military action against drug trafficking cartels and transnational gangs that he says pose an “unacceptable threat” to the hemisphere’s national security.

“The only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our militaries,” Trump said. “We have to use our military. You have to use your military.” Citing the U.S.-led coalition that confronted the Islamic State group in the Middle East, the Republican president said that ”we must now do the same thing to eradicate the cartels at home.”

The gathering, which the White House called the “Shield of the Americas” summit, comes two months after Trump ordered an audacious U.S. military operation to invade Venezuela and capture its president, Nicolás Maduro, and whisk him and his wife to the United States to face drug conspiracy charges.

Looming even larger is Trump’s decision to launch a war on Iran with Israel a week ago, a conflict that has left hundreds dead, convulsed global markets and unsettled the broader Middle East.

Trump’s time with the Latin American leaders was limited: Afterward, he set out for Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to be on hand for the dignified transfer of the six U.S. troops killed in a drone strike on a command center in Kuwait. They were killed one day after the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran.

Trump called the American deaths a “very sad situation” and praised the fallen troops as “great heroes.”

With the summit, Trump aimed to turn attention to the Western Hemisphere, at least for a moment. He has pledged to reassert U.S. dominance in the region and counter what he sees as years of Chinese economic encroachment in America’s backyard.

Trump also said the U.S. will turn its attention to Cuba after the war with Iran and suggested his administration would cut a deal with Havana, underscoring Washington’s increasingly aggressive stance against the island’s communist leadership. “Great change will soon be coming to Cuba,” he said, adding that “they’re very much at the end of the line.”

Cuban officials have said on several occasions that they were open to dialogue with the U.S. as long as it was based on respect for Cuban sovereignty, but they have never confirmed that such talks were taking place.

Who was there

The leaders of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago joined the U.S. president at Trump National Doral Miami, a golf resort where he is set to host the Group of 20 summit later this year.

The idea for a summit of like-minded conservatives from across the hemisphere emerged from the ashes of what was to be the 10th edition of the Summit of the Americas, which was scrapped during the U.S. military buildup off the coast of Venezuela last year.

Host Dominican Republic, pressured by the White House, had barred Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela from attending the regional gathering. But after leftist leaders in Colombia and Mexico threatened to pull out in protest — and with no commitment from Trump to attend — the Dominican President Luis Abinader decided at the last minute to postpone the event, citing “deep differences” in the region.

The Shield of the Americas moniker was meant to speak to Trump’s vision for an “America First” foreign policy toward the region that leverages U.S. military and intelligence assets unseen across the area since the end of the Cold War.

To that end, Ecuador and the United States conducted military operations this week against organized crime groups in the South American country. Ecuadorean and U.S. security forces attacked a refuge belonging to the Colombian armed group Comandos de la Frontera in the Ecuadorean Amazon on Friday, authorities reported.

This joint fight against drug traffickers “is only the beginning,” said Ecuador’s president, Daniel Noboa.

Notably missing at the summit were the region’s two dominant powers — Brazil and Mexico — as well as Colombia, long the linchpin of U.S. anti-narcotics strategy in the region.

Trump grumbled that Mexico is the “epicenter of cartel violence” with drug kingpins “orchestrating much of the bloodshed and chaos in this hemisphere.”

“The cartels are running Mexico,” Trump said. ”We can’t have that. Too close to us. Too close to you.”

The challenge from China

Trump made no mention of his administration’s position that countering Chinese influence in the hemisphere is a top priority for his second term.

His national security strategy promotes a “Trump corollary” to the 19th century Monroe Doctrine, which had sought to ban European incursions in the Americas, by targeting Chinese infrastructure projects, military cooperation and investment in the region’s resource industries.

The first demonstration of the more muscular approach was Trump’s strong-arming of Panama to withdraw from China’s Belt and Road Initiative and review long-term port contracts held by a Hong Kong-based company amid U.S. threats to seize the Panama Canal.

More recently, the U.S. capture of Maduro and Trump’s pledge to “run” Venezuela threaten to disrupt oil shipments to China — the biggest buyer of Venezuelan crude before the raid — and bring into Washington’s orbit one of Beijing’s closest allies in the region. Trump is scheduled to travel to Beijing later this month to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

For many countries, China’s trade-focused diplomacy fills a critical financial void in a region with major development challenges that include poverty reduction and infrastructure bottlenecks. In contrast, Trump has been slashing foreign assistance to the region while rewarding countries lined up behind his crackdown on immigration — a policy widely unpopular across the hemisphere.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the leaders for a working lunch after Trump left for the event in Delaware. The lunch gave Kristi Noem, whom Trump fired as Homeland Security secretary on Thursday, the chance to make her debut in her new role as a special envoy for the newly formed Shield of the Americas.

“We want our hemisphere to be safer, to be more sovereign, and to be more prosperous,” Noem told the leaders.

Madhani, Goodman and Richer write for the Associated Press. Madhani and Goodman reported from Doral and Durkin Richer from Washington. AP writer Gabriela Molina in Quito, Ecuador, contributed to this report.

AMERICA’S first bullet train which will slash travel time between Los Angeles and San Francisco has been revealed.

The highly anticipated rail project will make the trip just two hours and 40 minutes – compared to nearly six hours by car.

Once completed, the bullet train scheme will provide speedy trips between the Bay Area and the Los Angeles region.

It will also connect the communities in between — Gilroy, Merced, Fresno, Bakersfield, Palmdale, and others — to the state’s largest job centers and innovation hub, said the California High Speed Rail Authority on February 28.

Many have been awaiting the project to be completed, as the past decade of construction has been focused on an initial segment in Central Valley.

There are five planned stations in the Central Valley: Bakersfield, Fresno, Merced, Madera and Kings/Tulare.

Newly-released renderings show the stations will feature plenty of modern twists, with spacious canopies and open concourses.

The stations’ architectural designs are set to incorporate natural materials like stone and wood.

If plans go according to schedule, the area could open as soon as 2032.

The Central Valley’s initial operating segment is expected to transition from civil construction to laying out tracks and installing systems later this year.

But there has yet to be a confirmed project opened date for the route between San Francisco and Los Angeles due to delays in planning and funding.

The overall projected cost for Phase 1 delivery, between San Francisco and Los Angeles/Anaheim, dropped by $1.7 billion.

The High-Speed Rail Authority has just released its Draft 2026 Business Plan for public review and comment.

“The authority has entered a new era of construction: laying track across the Central Valley and electrifying the corridor,” the plan said.

“With the southern railhead in Kern County ready ahead of schedule, deliveries of steel, concrete ties, and ballast material can begin, and work can commence.

“The authority has set construction milestones for the 119-mile Central Valley segment and developed a procurement schedule to keep the project on pace for completion of the Merced – Bakersfield early operating segment in 2032.”

The project has created thousands of jobs, with rail bosses partnering with California colleges and universities to build a skilled local workforce, it added.

President Donald Trump has previously slammed the project as a “train to nowhere.”

“The Railroad we were promised still does not exist, and never will,” Trump warned on Truth Social last July.

“This project was Severely Overpriced, Overregulated, and NEVER DELIVERED.”

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom wants lawmakers to reauthorize the state’s cap-and-trade program through 2045.

He also wants to ensure that high-speed rail receives $1 billion a year from it.

Last December, California dropped a lawsuit officials filed against the Trump administration over the federal government’s withdrawing of $4 billion for the project.

The U.S. Transportation Department slashed funds for the bullet train.

Gov. Newsom slammed the federal government’s decision as “a political stunt to punish California.”

The U.S. military has employed new Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) short-range ballistic missiles as part of ongoing operations against Iran. This looks to be the first combat use of the PrSM, which only began entering service roughly two years ago. The operational debut of the new missiles showcases the significantly greater range they offer compared to their predecessors, the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), and much expanded target areas that American units can now hold at risk as a result.

Overnight, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released a video montage of still pictures documenting the “first 24 hours of Operation Epic Fury.” This is the nickname American authorities have given to their component of ongoing U.S.-Israeli operations targeting Iran. Included in that montage, seen in the social media post below, is an image clearly showing the launch of a PrSM from a wheeled M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher.

Defense and security columnist Colby Badhwar looks to have been the first to spot the PrSM image in the CENTCOM montage. The new missile is distinctly different, especially when it comes to the shape and configuration of its tail fins, from ATACMS.

There is also a picture of an M142 loaded with what looks to be a two-cell ammunition ‘pod,’ which is also in line with PrSM. The M142, as well as the tracked M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), fires munitions from pods with standardized dimensions. ATACMS pods only contain a single missile. M142 and M270 launcher vehicles can also fire 227mm artillery rockets, including guided variants, all of which come in six-round pods.

Yesterday, CENTCOM also released a montage of video clips showing HIMARS launchers firing short-range ballistic missiles. That footage – which came along with the caption “The Iranian regime was warned. CENTCOM is now delivering swift and decisive action as directed.” – may also show at least one PrSM launch, as well as ATACMS being fired.

As already noted, PrSM offers a major boost in range over ATACMS. The baseline PrSM variant, also known as Increment 1, has demonstrated its ability to hit targets at least around 310 miles (500 kilometers) away. The U.S. Army, the service in charge of the PrSM program, has a stated goal to eventually stretch that out to around 400 miles (650 kilometers), if that has not already been achieved. The service is also working toward an even longer-range version able to fly out to at least 620 miles (1,000 kilometers), if not further.

The longest ranged variants of ATACMS can hit targets out to around 186 miles (300 kilometers).

Where PrSMs or ATACMS have been fired from during strikes on Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury is unclear. Regardless, PrSM offering roughly twice as much reach would substantially increase the total breadth of targets that could be held at risk from any location in the region.

In turn, this would allow U.S. forces to hit more targets where the unique benefits offered by ballistic missiles could be advantageous. Ballistic missiles, in general, fly at relatively high speeds, especially as they come down in the terminal phase of flight. This makes them especially well-suited for employment against time-sensitive targets, like Iranian missile launchers and air defense assets, which have been a focal point of strikes in the conflict so far, in general. Using short-range ballistic missiles to help neutralize air defense nodes, shore radar sites, and similar assets would have made particular sense in the opening stages of the conflict to help clear the way for follow-on strikes.

High speed also creates additional challenges for enemy air defenses attempting to engage them compared to other kinds of missiles, including some subsonic air-breathing cruise missiles. How fast ballistic missiles are going when they impact inherently enables ballistic missiles to burrow deeper into hardened targets, which are commonplace in Iran, as well.

Demonstrating PrSM in real combat against Iran could also send signals to other American opponents. The importance of PrSM’s extended reach is often discussed in the context of a potential high-end fight in the Pacific against China, where launch points, at least on land, are much more limited. An anti-ship version of PrSM, also referred to as Increment 2, which features an additional seeker and is capable of hitting moving targets, is also now under development. Another version of PrSM is also in the works that could dispense payloads consisting of kamikaze drones or small precision-guided bombs, as you can read more about here.

We still have more to learn about how PrSM (as well as ATACMS) is being employed as part of Operation Epic Fury. Whatever the case, America’s newest ballistic missile is now a combat-proven weapon, and its use against Iran puts a spotlight on the immense value its greater range, in particular, brings to the table.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

Caracas, February 17, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuela’s Navegantes del Magallanes claimed the 2026 Serie de las Américas baseball tournament after defeating Colombia’s Caimanes de Barranquilla 10–9 on Friday, February 13, at the Estadio Monumental Simón Bolívar in Caracas.

The Colombian squad stunned fans with a commanding 5–0 lead in the opening inning and maintained a five-run advantage for much of the game. However, Magallanes engineered a dramatic comeback that will become one of Venezuela’s most celebrated baseball victories, scoring seven unanswered runs in the eighth inning to overturn the deficit.

The Venezuelan team, representing the host nation for the tournament held from February 5 to 13 in Caracas and La Guaira, stumbled in its opening match against Panama before rallying and stringing together consecutive wins. This included a decisive 9–1 semifinal victory over Cuba to book a place in the final.

The 2026 Serie de las Américas—the second edition of this regional international baseball competition organized by continental baseball league associations—brought together national teams from Cuba and Curaçao, and the winter league champions from Venezuela, Panama, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Argentina. The tournament featured a round-robin phase followed by semifinals and a championship game.

Navegantes del Magallanes secured its place in the tournament after winning the Venezuelan league in early February. 

Venezuela’s participation in the Serie de las Américas became possible after the country opted out of the February 1–7 Serie del Caribe, following decisions by that event’s organizers to relocate the tournament amid claims of “political conflicts” linked to the January 3 US military strikes and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Venezuelan professional league initially suspended its Round Robin phase following the attacks, though play resumed on January 7 and continued through the Serie de las Américas.

On Saturday, the champion Magallanes were welcomed at Miraflores Palace by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who praised the team’s achievement. 

“When they achieved victory, I felt the joy of seeing a country rise up and demonstrate its winning spirit. The most important jersey we Venezuelans wear is that of Venezuela; you wore it and showed that there is no adversity we cannot overcome,” Rodríguez said.

The Venezuelan leader also formally expressed Venezuela’s desire to once again host the regional tournament in 2027.