AMLO and Joe. The presidents of Mexico and the United States are slated to meet on July 12 in Washington. After Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s no-show at the recent Summit of the Americas, it will be a chance to keep working on issues like trade, migration, security, and energy. AS/COA’s Carin Zissis explains what to expect from the bilateral rendezvous. 
 

Scoring for human rights. Enes Kanter Freedom, the Turkish ex-NBA player, is an outspoken activist for democracy and human rights. He sat down with AS/COA’s Eric Farnsworth at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington to talk about his efforts to challenge authoritarianism abroad.
 

The green wave. The end of Roe v. Wade curtailed U.S. abortion rights, but while the United States goes one way, three of Latin America’s four most populous countries have gone the other. Read our explainer to see how abortion laws have shifted in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, and other countries over the past decade.

What’s coming up in Latin America? 

• August 5: Deadline for political parties in Brazil to formally select candidates for October’s election
• August 7: Inauguration of Colombian President Gustavo Petro
• August 16: Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves marks 100 days in office

THEY SAID WHAT?

• Argentina names new finance minister amid a mounting inflation crisis. (The Wall Street Journal)

• Mexico misses an opportunity from the U.S-China decoupling. (Financial Times)
• Four of President Guillermo Lasso’s cabinet ministers resign in wake of nationwide protests. (Al Jazeera)

• The battle over a Zede in Roatán: Honduran islanders and investors in a semi-autonomous development zone face off. (The Guardian)

• One year later: A look at the power vacuum left by the assassination of Haiti's president. (Reuters)

Amount loaned by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) to Nicaragua for highway maintenance. The Bank, which counts Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua as its members, has become a source of financing for countries “on frosty terms with the United States,” reports El Faro. CABEI has invested $1.6 billion in Nicaraguan health, poverty, and climate change projects.
 

Cost of a proposed CABEI loan for El Salvador, which would help the country avoid default amid President Nayib Bukele's Bitcoin gamble. 

Amount loaned by CABEI to El Salvador from May to December of 2021.