AFP

While many migrants risk their lives chasing the American dream, Gabriel Zarate fled the rising cost of living in California and moved to the Mexican border city of Tijuana.

The 38-year-old Chilean American now crosses over to work in San Diego as an English teacher during the day and returns home in the evening to Mexico.

“One of the biggest reasons is the cost of living in Tijuana. It’s significantly cheaper than in California,” Zarate said.

Also, he added: “I love Mexican people and food.”

His neighbor and fellow English teacher Mike Rachfal also made the move from San Diego, where he used to pay $1,275 a month to rent a studio.

“Here it’s about half that,” the 36-year-old said.

The cheaper rents can be a sensitive subject in Mexico, where wages are much lower than in the United States and people are also facing increasing living costs.

Tijuana is one of the cities with the fastest-rising real estate prices in Mexico —  up 10.7 percent in the first quarter of 2022 from a year earlier, according to the state-owned Federal Mortgage Society.

The average price of properties bought by US citizens is around $270,000 — “three times lower than what the same property would cost in the United States,” said Ruth Sastre, president of the local realtors association.

– Construction boom –

In Tijuana, a bustling city with a reputation for gang violence, new apartment buildings are springing up with “For Sale” signs in English and prices in dollars.

With more than 1,000 murders in the city already this year, security is an important consideration, but Zarate said that “in general I feel fine in Tijuana, especially downtown or around the border.”

“It’s like any big city. There will always be places rougher or more complicated than others,” he added. 

It is a similar story just south of Tijuana in Rosarito on the Pacific coast.

Following a real estate boom that began a decade ago, up to around 12,000 people from the United States now live in the resort city, said Jesus Rincon Vargas, president of the local construction industry association.

In total around 1.6 million US citizens are estimated to live in Mexico, according to their country’s embassy, which does not keep official records.

They can stay for up to six months with a tourist visa, or apply for residency.

– ‘Friendly culture’ –

Along with the lifestyle and cost of living, the relatively relaxed immigration rules are part of the appeal for remote workers flocking to Mexico, notably the capital.

Brian McDonald, a 34-year-old software developer from the US state of Oklahoma, has spent more than a year in the Latin American country, lured by its budding technology scene.

“Mexico City seems like it’s kind of a gateway for expanding companies and I like working with start-ups,” he said.

“It’s a very friendly culture,” McDonald added.

Office-sharing company WeWork has seen a “significant influx of digital nomads” in districts of Mexico City popular with foreigners, said spokeswoman Cristina Sancen.

“Mexico City has an incomparable climate. For foreigners, it’s definitely a cheaper city. It’s also a cosmopolitan and highly developed city with start-ups and corporations,” she added.

Some foreigners working for US firms are also choosing to base themselves south of the border.

Kirsty Hall, 23, from Scotland, picked Mexico City as a remote working location while helping to set up a San Francisco-based tech start-up.

“I can walk everywhere here. I can cycle. Today I roller-skated to work. Public transport is awesome and it’s very cheap. People are very welcoming too,” Hall said.

The influx of foreigners has divided opinion among residents of the capital, some of whom see the city’s popularity as one of the reasons behind gentrification and rising rents.

“I heard there’s some prejudice towards digital nomads within Mexico City but I haven’t experienced it personally,” said Blazej Mosinski, 23, from Poland, who is doing a San Francisco internship remotely “purely for financial reasons.”

Other challenges of working remotely in Mexico include slower internet speeds than in US technology hubs and safety concerns.

“I was robbed by the police two weeks ago, just walking home,” McDonald said.

But “the rest — the good food, the cost of living — offsets all of those things,” he added.

A Beyonce hit thumped in the background as Pride parade participants marched on Saturday through the streets of Orlando, transforming the Florida city into a rainbow island in a US state more and more associated with the conservative politics of its governor.

Behind their beaming smiles and vibrant outfits, the state’s LGBT community is having a tough year.

“We’re definitely headed back in time,” said Donna Marie, a 55-year-old nurse in a rainbow hat.

“And if this continues, the next thing is going to be gay marriage,” she added, referring to the fear of a potential political threat to same-sex unions.

In March, Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, one of the most prominent conservative politicians in the United States, signed a law prohibiting the discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in elementary school classrooms.

The controversial bill — dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law by its detractors — was a major topic of discussion at the Pride parade, with signs encouraging participants to not only “say gay,” but also to “shout gay” and “yell gay” too.

For 22-year-old Brianna Johnson, the political environment made her appearance at Pride all the more meaningful, because, she said, “We still show who we are, and nobody can stop us from that.”

Johnson, a manager with Disney, said she has known she was a lesbian since But her religious family has been a long-time obstacle on the path to embrace her true identity.

Stopping young people from expressing themselves, as Florida’s law could, is “very harmful and hurtful,” according to Johnson.

“It hurts my heart,” she said.

– Pulse –

Not far from a stand selling signs exclaiming “I love my gay son,” 61-year-old Morgan Manry shares his own concerns.

The non-profit worker recalls how the 2016 massacre at Pulse, in which 49 people were killed in a shooting at the gay nightclub in Orlando, “brought together the city” and helped the LGBT community become more accepted around town.

Now, the current political climate is “dismantling a social understanding that took years to develop,” Manry said.

Transgender student Jason Humphrey says he is facing the indirect consequences the “Don’t Say Gay” law.

Even though the new rule is directed at younger students, 19-year-old Humphrey says his own teachers are also now reluctant to discuss his gender identity or name change.

“They were worried about getting in any trouble,” he told AFP, calling the situation “horrible.”

“We’re citizens of Florida too, come on. It’s not appropriate,” he said of the law, carrying a large python around his arm — and hurrying to clarify that the animal does not bite. 

– ‘Get out and vote’ –

Coming just weeks before decisive midterm elections, the Pride parade cannot help but take on a political tone.

Local Democratic candidates work campaign stands along the route, and US Senate candidate Val Demings marches right in the middle of the procession, rainbow flag in hand.

The campaigning helps to both differentiate candidates from DeSantis and use the social issue to motivate Democratic voters to show up to the polls.

For some Pride attendants, such as Aubrey Robinson, the strategy seems to be working. Next to a button reading “respect all pronouns,” the 43-year-old is wearing another one in support of a Democratic candidate, who, “I’ll be honest with you, I don’t know anything about him,” she said.

But campaigners told Robinson the candidate is opposed to the governor’s policies.

“Anybody that is against DeSantis and getting in there and that is for the community, I’m for,” she said.

“I think that it’s very important to get out and vote. More so than ever now.”

Jeremy Pena’s solo home run in the 18th inning on Saturday lifted the Houston Astros over Seattle for a Major League Baseball playoff sweep, while Philadelphia ousted defending champion Atlanta.

Pena’s blast after the most scoreless innings in MLB playoff history gave the Astros a 1-0 victory over the Mariners and a 3-0 sweep of their best-of-five American League division series matchup.

Houston reached the best-of-seven AL Championship Series for a sixth consecutive year and will face either the Cleveland Guardians or New York Yankees.

Cleveland rookie Oscar Gonzalez hit a two-out, two-strike single with the bases loaded in the ninth inning to drive in two deciding runs in a dramatic 6-5 victory over the visiting Yankees.

“I just wanted to put the ball in play. Thank God I got the results,” the Dominican said through a translator. “Then I was just waiting for the guys to score and celebrate.”

The Guardians swiped a 2-1 series lead with the chance to advance by winning at home on Sunday.

In the National League, Philadelphia defeated Atlanta 8-3 to win their series in four games.

J.T. Realmuto hit an inside-the-park home run while Brandon Marsh smacked a three-run homer and Bryce Harper added a solo homer for the Phillies.

Philadelphia advanced to an NL finals showdown against either the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Padres to decide a World Series berth.

“What an opportunity,” Harper said. 

“You’ve got to beat the champs to be the champs. I get chills, man. We’ve got two more. We’ve got (to win) eight more games.”

The Phillies reached the playoffs for the first time since 2011 and made the NL final for the first time since 2010. They last reached the World Series in 2009 and last won the crown in 2008.

The Braves failed in their bid to become the first MLB repeat champion since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000.

The Dodgers, who won an MLB-best 111 games this season, faced elimination in a later game at San Diego.

At Seattle, relief pitchers were masterful for hours in the first MLB playoff game to go scoreless into the 16th inning. The total of 42 strikeouts in the contest also was an MLB playoff record.

The Astros stranded 13 base runners and the Mariners left 10 on base through 17 scoreless innings.

In the 18th, Pena blasted a 3-ball, 2-strike fastball pitch off Seattle reliever Penn Murfee over the centerfield wall for the only run of the contest.

At Cleveland, the Guardians took a 2-0 lead on a run-scoring single by Josh Naylor in the first and another by Steven Kwan in the second.

Aaron Judge and Oswaldo Cabrera each blasted two-run homers to put New York ahead 4-2. Will Brennan answered with a run-scoring single in the sixth but Harrison Bader’s solo homer in the seventh made it 5-3 Yankees.

Cleveland answered in the ninth on consecutive singles by Myles Straw, Kwan, Amed Rosario and Jose Ramirez to pull the hosts within 5-4 and load the bases, setting the stage for Gonzalez’s heroics.

– Inside-the-park mark –

At Philadelphia, Realmuto became the first catcher to hit an MLB playoff inside-the-park homer and only the 18th player in all to manage the feat. It was the first such homer in the playoffs since 2017.

Marsh gave the Phillies the lead by hitting a three-run homer in the second inning off Braves pitcher Charlie Morton, making his first playoff start since suffering a broken right leg last October.

Morton, who left the game after a batted ball struck his right elbow in the second inning, was replaced by Collin McHugh, who surrendered Realmuto’s inside-the-park homer in the third.

The ball went over Atlanta’s Michael Harris and bounced off the centerfield wall, rolling away from Harris. 

By the time he retrieved the ball and threw it to the infield, Realmuto was racing home in a 15.4-second circuit of the bases to give Philadelphia a 4-1 lead. The Braves never got nearer than two runs again.

US President Joe Biden on Saturday said the latest testimony and video evidence presented by lawmakers probing the deadly 2021 attack on the Capitol — including footage of House leaders asking for help — was “devastating.” 

Biden, who was speaking during an impromptu ice cream stop in Oregon, where he was campaigning for Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Tina Kotek, called the case presented by January 6 committee members “fairly overwhelming.”

“I think the testimony and the video are actually devastating. And I’ve been going out of my way not to comment and see what happens. But it’s — I think it’s been devastating,” Biden told reporters. 

“But any more I say about it, you — justified — are going to ask me if I’m trying to influence the attorney general. I’m not. I’ve not spoken with him at all.” 

On Thursday, the House panel into the January 6 riot — comprised of seven Democrats and two Republicans — revealed new video of Congressional leaders desperately calling for help as the melee unfolded.

In what was expected to be the final hearing of the committee before crucial midterm elections in November, the lawmakers aired the previously unreleased footage of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others in a secure location.

The committee also voted to subpoena former president Donald Trump to testify on his role in the violence.

The vote came as a spectacular coda to an already stunning hearing in which the committee offered fresh evidence that Trump had planned to declare victory in the 2020 election — regardless of the outcome.

Trump had a “premeditated plan” formulated months before the vote to claim he had won on election night, whatever the vote tally showed, panel member Zoe Lofgren told the hearing, citing evidence gathered by the committee. 

While many migrants risk their lives chasing the American dream, Gabriel Zarate fled the rising cost of living in California and moved to the Mexican border city of Tijuana.

The 38-year-old Chilean American now crosses over to work in San Diego as an English teacher during the day and returns home in the evening to Mexico.

“One of the biggest reasons is the cost of living in Tijuana. It’s significantly cheaper than in California,” Zarate said.

Also, he added: “I love Mexican people and food.”

His neighbor and fellow English teacher Mike Rachfal also made the move from San Diego, where he used to pay $1,275 a month to rent a studio.

“Here it’s about half that,” the 36-year-old said.

The cheaper rents can be a sensitive subject in Mexico, where wages are much lower than in the United States and people are also facing increasing living costs.

Tijuana is one of the cities with the fastest-rising real estate prices in Mexico —  up 10.7 percent in the first quarter of 2022 from a year earlier, according to the state-owned Federal Mortgage Society.

The average price of properties bought by US citizens is around $270,000 — “three times lower than what the same property would cost in the United States,” said Ruth Sastre, president of the local realtors association.

– Construction boom –

In Tijuana, a bustling city with a reputation for gang violence, new apartment buildings are springing up with “For Sale” signs in English and prices in dollars.

With more than 1,000 murders in the city already this year, security is an important consideration, but Zarate said that “in general I feel fine in Tijuana, especially downtown or around the border.”

“It’s like any big city. There will always be places rougher or more complicated than others,” he added. 

It is a similar story just south of Tijuana in Rosarito on the Pacific coast.

Following a real estate boom that began a decade ago, up to around 12,000 people from the United States now live in the resort city, said Jesus Rincon Vargas, president of the local construction industry association.

In total around 1.6 million US citizens are estimated to live in Mexico, according to their country’s embassy, which does not keep official records.

They can stay for up to six months with a tourist visa, or apply for residency.

– ‘Friendly culture’ –

Along with the lifestyle and cost of living, the relatively relaxed immigration rules are part of the appeal for remote workers flocking to Mexico, notably the capital.

Brian McDonald, a 34-year-old software developer from the US state of Oklahoma, has spent more than a year in the Latin American country, lured by its budding technology scene.

“Mexico City seems like it’s kind of a gateway for expanding companies and I like working with start-ups,” he said.

“It’s a very friendly culture,” McDonald added.

Office-sharing company WeWork has seen a “significant influx of digital nomads” in districts of Mexico City popular with foreigners, said spokeswoman Cristina Sancen.

“Mexico City has an incomparable climate. For foreigners, it’s definitely a cheaper city. It’s also a cosmopolitan and highly developed city with start-ups and corporations,” she added.

Some foreigners working for US firms are also choosing to base themselves south of the border.

Kirsty Hall, 23, from Scotland, picked Mexico City as a remote working location while helping to set up a San Francisco-based tech start-up.

“I can walk everywhere here. I can cycle. Today I roller-skated to work. Public transport is awesome and it’s very cheap. People are very welcoming too,” Hall said.

The influx of foreigners has divided opinion among residents of the capital, some of whom see the city’s popularity as one of the reasons behind gentrification and rising rents.

“I heard there’s some prejudice towards digital nomads within Mexico City but I haven’t experienced it personally,” said Blazej Mosinski, 23, from Poland, who is doing a San Francisco internship remotely “purely for financial reasons.”

Other challenges of working remotely in Mexico include slower internet speeds than in US technology hubs and safety concerns.

“I was robbed by the police two weeks ago, just walking home,” McDonald said.

But “the rest — the good food, the cost of living — offsets all of those things,” he added.

Elon Musk said Saturday that his company SpaceX will continue to pay for Starlink satellite internet in war-torn Ukraine, one day after the tech mogul suggested he could not keep funding the project.

Starlink, a constellation of more than 3,000 small satellites in low Earth orbit, has been vital to Ukraine’s communications as it battles Russia.

But Musk has found himself embroiled of late in public spats with Ukrainian leaders who were angered by his controversial proposals for de-escalating the conflict, which included acknowledging Russian sovereignty over Crimea.

“The hell with it,” Musk, the world’s richest man, wrote on Twitter.

“Even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free.”

In a series of tweets Friday, Musk had detailed the logistics of the operation and said it was costing SpaceX nearly $20 million per month, and suggested the company could not fund it indefinitely.

Meanwhile, the US military confirmed it was communicating with the billionaire’s company about funding for the key network.

“SpaceX is not asking to recoup past expenses, but also cannot fund the existing system indefinitely *and* send several thousand more terminals that have data usage up to 100X greater than typical households,” he said Friday. 

“This is unreasonable.”

– Pentagon funding on cards? –

SpaceX has donated some 25,000 ground terminals to Ukraine, according to an updated figure given by Musk last week.

He says the operation has already cost SpaceX $80 million, and that total is projected to exceed $100 million by the end of the year.

Musk also appeared to confirm a report by CNN saying he had written to the Pentagon warning that his financial contributions would come to an end, and that the military would need to foot the bill.

According to CNN, SpaceX figures shared with the Pentagon show about 85 percent of the first 20,000 terminals in Ukraine were paid at least in part by countries such as the United States, Poland, or other entities, which also paid for about 30 percent of internet connectivity.

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said Friday the Pentagon is in contact with Musk about the funding issue, saying it had “received correspondence from SpaceX about the funding of… their satellite communications product in Ukraine.”

Musk has recently been in a spat with Ukrainian officials including President Volodymyr Zelensky after suggesting a peace deal that involved re-running controversial referendums in Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine — an idea welcomed by Moscow.

A senior Ukrainian presidential aide, Mykhaylo Podolyak, acknowledged the importance of Starlink in a tweet on Friday.

“Like it or not, @elonmusk helped us survive the most critical moments of war,” Podolyak wrote, adding that Ukraine “will find a solution to keep #Starlink working.”