MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s leading presidential candidate repeatedly touted the social programs of outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and walked a fine line between supporting the national oil company and promising a clean energy transition in the second debate Sunday night ahead of the June 2 election.
Former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum of the president’s Morena party continues to hold a healthy lead over Xóchitl Gálvez of a coalition of opposition of parties and Jorge Álvarez Máynez of the small Citizen Movement party.
López Obrador significantly raised Mexico’s minimum wage and increased spending on social programs, most of which are popular direct cash transfer programs. Sheinbaum has benefitted from her mentor’s popularity throughout the campaign and promised to continue his programs.
She called the model of government that he started and she has committed to continuing “humanist, an honest model, protector of our patrimony, with better salaries, with better pensions, without raising taxes.”
Even Gálvez, Sheinbaum’s most serious competitor, stressed that she, too, would maintain the popular, but costly programs if elected. The former senator and tech entrepreneur reminded voters that she knew poverty growing up and was able advance in part because of a scholarship.
“I am a woman who comes from below, who knows poverty and knows how poverty hurts and the time that it steals from you,” Gálvez said.
Álvarez Máynez, a former congressman, promoted his own initiatives to reduce Mexicans’ work week from six to five days, provide paternity leave and increase vacation. He said that despite the social spending of the current administration, young children receive a fraction of what they should because “they don’t vote.”
On the environment and climate change, Sheinbaum, a climate scientist, pointed to her efforts as mayor, such as putting solar panels on the rooftops of Mexico City’s sprawling wholesale market and adding more electric buses and bike lanes.
As president, she said, she would work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help Mexico adapt to climate change. But she also defended López Obrador’s construction of a huge new oil refinery that she said would help Mexico reduce its gasoline imports. She warned that Gálvez would try to privatize the deeply indebted state oil company, known as Pemex.
Gálvez said the private sector would be critical in Mexico’s clean energy transition. She added that Mexico was losing foreign investment opportunities because foreign companies require access to clean electricity produced with renewables. She promised to make Pemex an efficient company, something successive administrations from various parties have failed to do.
Álvarez Máynez said that Mexico remains overly dependent on fossil fuels and that the country’s future is in wind and solar power. He promised to put solar panels on all schools and health centers.
Gálvez once again was the aggressor in the debate, trying repeatedly to paint Sheinbaum as untrustworthy. This time she took to holding up a variety of placards while Sheinbaum spoke calling her a liar. Sheinbaum, in turn, took to calling Gálvez “the corrupt one.”
All three candidates said major changes are needed to address Mexico’s fresh water supply, hit hard in much of the country by a prolonged drought. Their plans combined the need for reusing water, the majority of which goes to irrigation, and improving water system infrastructure.
FILE - Rep. Jorge Álvarez Máynez greets supporters after he was nominated by the Citizen's Movement party to run for president in the upcoming general elections, Jan. 10, 2024, in Mexico City. Mexico's second presidential debate on Sunday, April 28, a little more than a month before the elections, measured the economic, employment and poverty proposals of the ruling Claudia Sheinbaum and opponents Xóchitl Gálvez and Maynez. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)
FILE - This combination of two file photos shows Xochitl Galvez, left, arriving to register her name as a presidential candidate on July 4, 2023, in Mexico City, and Claudia Sheinbaum, right, at an event that presented her as her party's presidential nominee on Sept. 6, 2023, in Mexico City. The two women, considered the frontrunners in Mexico's presidential election, discussed social spending and climate change in the race's second debate Sunday, April 28, 2024, which also included Jorge Álvarez Máynez. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark learned some tough lessons from her first two WNBA tests.
She's struggled with fouls, expectations and, like most rookies, making a smooth transition from college ball to the pro level. And, here, there's no grading curve, as Clark found out Thursday night.
Two-time league MVP Breanna Stewart ruined Clark's regular season home debut by scoring 31 points to lead the New York Liberty to a 102-66 win in front of a sellout crowd of 17,247.
“I think this is how you want everything to be, you want a sellout crowd like this,” Stewart said. “It gives you a little bit of a playoff atmosphere feel because usually in the playoffs, the games are sold out. We might be changing our terminology if we're just going to continue to set the precedent of sellouts home or away."
Clark's presence has changed everything about the women's sport — except the wins and losses for Indiana, which hasn't made the playoffs since 2016 is now 0-2 in the Clark era.
This game was Indianapolis' most anticipated rookie debut since Peyton Manning with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts in 1998, but things didn't go according to plan and.
She picked up three fouls in the first half and a fourth early in the third quarter. When Clark went to bench early in the second quarter, she took out her frustrations on a towel and at one point after a Fever miscue she flipped the ball over her head to the ref.
Clark finished with nine points, seven rebounds and six assists and showed some progress by finishing with three turnovers — none after the first quarter — and a dramatic improvement over the 10 she had in Tuesday night's season opener. Clark also was 2 of 8 from the field and just 1 of 7 on 3-pointers.
“I have great perspective of on everything and I think the same is true of my college career,” she said before the game. "There were some moments that were absolutely amazing and there were some moments where I was not happy with how I played and how I performed and how my team performed. But that’s just life. That’s just basketball.”
Clark did not speak with reporters after the game though she did two lengthy interview sessions earlier Thursday.
Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones each scored 14 for New York, which has won eight straight over Indiana. Jones also had 10 rebounds.
Aliyah Boston had a game-high 12 points and seven rebounds, and the Fever came away looking to do more to help Clark.
“People are playing her aggressively and we can do a better job of trying to help her get some space and get free,” Indiana forward Katie Lou Samuelson said. “We want her to keep fighting. We want to keep figuring out the best way to work with her and, like I said, I think we can continue to help her.”
The Liberty didn't just make life difficult for Clark, they made things tough for Indiana.
Stewart helped New York seize control by taking a 25-16 lead after one quarter. And when the Fever cut the deficit to 32-27 midway through the second quarter, Stewart answered with four straight points to spur a 12-0 run that gave the Liberty a 44-27 cushion late in the first half.
Indiana finally responded by closing the third quarter with 12 straight points, the first seven coming courtesy of Clark, to make it 67-56 after three.
But the defending Eastern Conference champs opened the fourth quarter on a 12-0 spurt and cruised to their second straight victory.
Indianapolis is quickly becoming a favorite destination for Clark's former teammates and coaches. Ex-Hawkeyes guard Gabbie Marshall showed up and posed for a photo with her longtime friend following Clark's first home preseason game last week.
On Thursday, the entourage included former coach, Lisa Bluder, who announced her retirement Monday, and new Hawkeyes coach, Jan Jensen — Bluder's longtime assistant.
The Fever and Liberty head back to New York on Saturday for a rematch.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark warms up before a WNBA basketball game against the New York Liberty, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Fans watch Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark warm up for the team's WNBA basketball game against the New York Liberty, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
A person watches Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark warm up for the team's basketball game against the New York Liberty, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Fans watch Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark warm up for the team's WNBA basketball game against the New York Liberty, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
