Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds

• 🇨🇴 Mexican rescue brigade denied entry to Colombia: Sheinbaum clarified that, contrary to what she said Wednesday, the Mexican Army’s rescue brigade has not actually traveled to Colombia to assist the earthquake response, as the new government of President de la Espriella requested a certification it does not have. It remains ready to deploy.
• 📦 Aid still flowing: Despite the rescue brigade holdup, Mexico is sending 58.5 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Colombia via Air Force flights this week.
• 📰 Sheinbaum rejects PAN’s “right of reply” bill: Asked about opposition legislation seeking airtime to respond to statements made at the mañanera, Sheinbaum said the conference is “the people’s space” and that political parties should create their own spaces.
• 📱 SIM card registration deadline looms: Saturday, Aug. 15 is the deadline for prepaid phone numbers ending in 0 to be linked to a verified identity. Sheinbaum said linking SIM cards to identities will help authorities investigate phone-based extortion.

Why today’s mañanera matters 

At her Thursday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum revealed that the government of Colombia had not approved the entry of Mexican military personnel to assist the response to the earthquake on Monday that toppled buildings in various cities and towns in the South American country.

Reuters reported on Thursday morning that the death toll from the quake had risen to 265, according to the latest figures released by President Abelardo de la Espriella. “Authorities also reported 3,494 injured and 496 missing, as emergency teams continue searching for survivors in the rubble,” the news agency wrote.

Had the earthquake occurred during the presidency of Gustavo Petro, whose four-year term ended last week, rescue personnel from the Mexican military would likely have entered Colombia without any problem. Sheinbaum and Petro developed a close working relationship and are of the same political persuasion. In contrast, the new Colombian president was recently described by France 24 as a “far-right Trump fan.”

Also of note at today’s mañanera was Sheinbaum’s response to a “right of reply” bill presented by the National Action Party (PAN).

El Heraldo de México reported on Wednesday that the bill aims to “regulate” Sheinbaum’s mañaneras via the issuance of a new law called the Social Communication Law for the Federal Executive Power. The draft law, El Heraldo reported, seeks to “guarantee the right of reply” for citizens who are “slandered” during the president’s weekday press conferences.

Mexican military personnel denied entry to Colombia 

At the start of her press conference, Sheinbaum noted that she said on Wednesday that a brigade of Mexican Army rescuers had traveled to Colombia to assist the response to the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck the South American country on Monday.

She clarified that the brigade had not in fact traveled to Colombia.

“They asked for certification,” Sheinbaum said, referring to the government of Colombia, led since last Friday by President de la Espriella.

She said that the Mexican Army rescue brigade “is certified” but the Colombian government is asking for “another certification.”

“… To clarify, the rescue brigade of the National Defense Ministry was not approved by the government of Colombia. It is ready to leave at any time,” Sheinbaum said.

She reiterated that Mexico is sending humanitarian aid to Colombia. Sheinbaum said on Wednesday that the Mexican Air Force would deliver a total of 58.5 tonnes of Mexican aid, including food, medicine and other essential goods, to the South American country this week.

Sheinbaum: Political parties ‘should create their own information space’

A reporter asked the president about the “right of reply” bill put forward by the PAN, Mexico’s main opposition party.

“What they argue in their bill is [that they should] have the same space, with the same dissemination as the mañanera,” the reporter said.

“… They want their right of reply [to statements made at the mañanera] in a space with the same ratings. Will the president’s office be open to this?” she asked.

Sheinbaum responded that “everyone has their own space.”

“This is a space for the people,” she said.

“It’s the mañanera of the people. It’s a space where the government of Mexico exercises the responsibility to inform the people,” Sheinbaum said.

“If people watch us it’s because they like the mañanera,” she said. “If they didn’t like it, they wouldn’t watch us.”

Sheinbaum noted that the mañanera — transmitted every weekday from 7:30 a.m. — is one of the most watched live programs on social media.

“This has to do with the way in which we inform … [and] that the people are attentive,” she said.

“A political party can do it as well. They have their right to do so, but each in their own space,” Sheinbaum said.

“… This is the space for the mañanera of the people. If the PAN, the PRI or even Morena wants to have their own space, they should create their own information space,” she said.

“If they don’t have [good] ratings, well, what are we going to do?”

The first deadline to register pre-paid cell phones is this Saturday

A reporter asked the president whether cell phone lines would be cut off this Saturday, as Aug. 15 is the deadline for people with pre-paid numbers ending in 0 to link their personal identity to their number. Pre-paid cell phone users can do so by completing a registration process with their telephone companies.

The reporter said that some 8 million people haven’t yet registered their pre-paid cell phones.

Sheinbaum said that anyone whose telephone service is cut can “recover their line simply by registering.”

“Why was this done? … One of the problems we have in some entities of the republic is extortion. … A lot of these threats are made by telephone,” she said.

Sheinbaum said that having pre-paid phones linked to people’s identity will assist authorities in their investigations into telephone extortion.

“… We’re one of the few countries in the world, maybe the only one, where a SIM card is not linked to a person. So what is being asked? That when you buy a SIM card … you provide your identity in order to take care of each other,” she said.