Estela de Carlotto, head of the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, confirmed the news on Monday by reading a press release at their headquarters, the Casa de la Identidad (House of Identity). Hugs, emotion-filled voices and smiles were present around the room where members of the Abuelas organization, the human rights secretariat, human rights activists and the press awaited the major announcement.

“His sister Adriana always searched for him, always. Raised by her grandparents, always a weaver, she built a network that shelters her, and today she also embraces her brother in a long-awaited reunion,” the press release said.

“For us, this is a blessing to carry on despite the circumstances. Grandmothers announce with great happiness the return of another grandson,” the organization added in the release. “We confirm once again that our grandchildren are among us, and thanks to the constant struggle of 47 years, they will continue to appear.”

According to the information provided by the Abuelas, the parents of the newly identified grandson were originally from Bahía Blanca, a coastal city in Buenos Aires province, but moved to Cutral-Có, Neuquén, fleeing political persecution. They were kidnapped in December 1976, and taken to “La Escuelita” in Neuquén, where they endured torture. They were later transferred to a detention center with the same name but in Bahía Blanca. Raúl was last seen there in January 1977, but Graciela stayed there until after giving birth in April.

The military dictatorship named some of their detention and torture centres "The Little School".

Adriana Metz Romero joined the Abuelas in their search from a young age, knowing she had a stolen brother somewhere. Today, she is part of the organization’s directive commission. “It’s my turn to be on this side [of the desk],” she said, visibly emotional, during the press conference. “Although I’ve always been in the search, I never imagined this would be like this.”

Adriana confirmed that she spoke on the phone with her brother, who also spoke with Adriana’s son, his nephew. They haven’t met in person yet, but she said he is currently living in Buenos Aires, while she lives in the coastal city Mar del Plata.

Asked by the Herald about her brother’s identity and how the process of identification began, Adriana said that they contacted him to let him know that there were chances of him being the child of dictatorship victims.

“With the information the National Identity Commission (CONADI) gave him, he was asked if he agreed to provide a DNA sample to carry out tests at the National Genetic Database, and he did,” Adriana said. Although her family had been searching for the Metz-Romero baby for decades, CONADI — which is dedicated to investigating cases of child appropriation during the dictatorship — received an anonymous tip that allowed them to more consistently work on a theory that the baby was appropriated. After the investigation concluded in April, they contacted the man and he agreed to provide a blood sample.

“I never lost hope, but I sometimes got scared that maybe he didn’t live to 5 years, or 30. I was going to keep looking for him anyway. But he is 48 now,” Adriana said. In the time he awaited for the results, the grandson checked out the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo website to look at the family groups, and “some pieces of information led him to believe that his family was ours,” Adriana said. “He saw that and imagined it would be positive, but didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to cause false expectations.”

After the press conference, De Carlotto, Adriana and several other robbed grandchildren who had got their identities back changed the number hanging at the Abuelas headquarters that marks how many grandchildren they have found so far, in a frenzy of people chanting, hollering and overall celebrating the new achievement. After speaking with the press, they shared a toast.

Adriana told the Herald that she is not picturing how her relationship with her brother will be like, but confirmed that they will meet in person. “I don’t know how or when, but we will meet, not very far from now.” “I am happy, thinking about all the work that is to come after the identification of my brother, like telling each of the Metz-Romero family that Graciela and Raúl’s son is on this side of the truth,” Adriana said.

The search in her family began as soon as they learned Graciela and Raúl had been kidnapped, filing habeas corpus to demand they appear. They were looking not only for the couple, for also for the baby that was still growing in her womb. Adriana said that her brother’s reaction to learning his true identity was “relaxed” and that their first conversation was “very easy going.”

As part of her search process, in 2009 Adriana opened a blog called “Poncho de Lana” (Wool Poncho) in which she wrote letters to her brother every April 17, his birthday, and told him who she was, how she was searching for him and how much she awaited to find him. Adriana is not sure if he read them, although he told her he saw her blog when he looked up the family name. “Adriana participated in each institutional activity, with the certainty that she would only find her brother by searching for them all. And at the end, there’s a reward,” the press release read.

Senator Schumer called for an investigation into whether staffing shortages at NWS stations contributed to the tragedy. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected criticism that the Trump administration’s recent staffing cuts to the National Weather Service (NWS) contributed to the deadly floods in Texas.

“This was an act of God. It is not the administration’s fault that the flood hit when it did,” Leavitt said, noting that the NWS “did its job” by sending “early and consistent warnings.” “Unfortunately, in the wake of this once-in-a-generation natural disaster, we have seen many falsehoods pushed by Democrats such as Senator Chuck Schumer and some members of the media,” Leavitt said. “Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie, and it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning,” she added.

On Monday, Schumer, the Senate Democratic Leader, called for an investigation into whether “staffing shortages at key local NWS stations contributed to the catastrophic loss of life and property during the deadly flooding.” Over 500 workers were reportedly cut by the Trump administration or left on their own, leaving NWS short-staffed. According to its website, six of 27 positions are listed as vacant at the NWS office for Austin/San Antonio, which covers the region that includes hard-hit Kerr County, including a key manager responsible for issuing warnings and coordinating with local emergency management officials. On Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott updated the death toll from last weekend’s flooding. So far, authorities have reported 170 people missing and 110 dead.

"Dear Mr. President: I met and dealt with former President Jair Bolsonaro, and I respected him very much, as I do most other leaders of countries. The way Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a leader who was highly respected around the world during his time in office, including by the United States, is an international disgrace. This trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt that must end IMMEDIATELY!

In part due to Brazil's insidious attacks on free elections and fundamental violation of Americans' freedom of speech (as demonstrated recently by Brazil's Supreme Court issuing hundreds of SECRET and ILLEGAL censorship orders to U.S. social media platforms, threatening them with million-dollar fines and expulsion from the Brazilian social media market), as of August 1, 2025, we will charge Brazil a 50% tariff on any and all Brazilian exports shipped to the United States, separate from all existing sectoral tariffs. Goods transshipped to try to avoid this 50% tariff will be subject to this higher tariff. In addition, we have had years to discuss our trade relationship with Brazil and have concluded that we need to move away from the long and very unfair trade relationship generated by Brazil's tariffs and tariff and non-tariff barriers. Our relationship, unfortunately, has been far from reciprocal.

Please understand that the 50% is much less than would be necessary for us to have a level playing field in our trade with your country. And it is necessary to have this in order to correct the serious injustices of the current system. As you know, there will be no tariff if Brazil, or companies within your country, decide to build or manufacture products within the United States and, in fact, we will do everything possible to approve it quickly, professionally and routinely - in other words, in a matter of weeks. If for any reason you decide to increase your tariffs, whatever amount you choose, it will be added to the 50% we charge. Please understand that these tariffs are necessary to correct Brazil's many years of tariffs and tariff and non-tariff barriers, which have caused these unsustainable trade deficits against the United States. This deficit is a major threat to our economy and, indeed, to our national security!

In addition, due to Brazil's continued attacks on the digital business activities of U.S. companies, as well as other unfair trade practices, I am instructing U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to immediately initiate a Section 301 investigation of Brazil. If you wish to open your previously closed trade markets to the United States and eliminate your tariffs, non-tariff policies and trade barriers, we may be able to consider an adjustment to this letter. These tariffs can be modified, up or down, depending on the relationship with your country. You will never be disappointed by the United States of America. Thank you very much for your attention to this matter! With best wishes, I am, Yours faithfully, DONALD J. TRUMP"

President Donald Trump late Thursday threatened a 35% tariff on goods imported from Canada, a dramatic escalation in an on-again, off-again trade war with America’s northern neighbor and one of its most important trading partners. And, in a separate NBC News interview, he suggested blanket tariffs on other US trading partners will jump, as well.

The Thursday actions are the latest examples of a whipsaw policy that’s left investors, trading partners, businesses and everyday Americans alike scrambling to make plans even as the economic ground shifts not just from week to week but in some cases from hour to hour. It wasn’t immediately clear if the new tariffs would apply to all Canadian goods or if Trump’s threat applied only to the limited number of goods on which the United States currently levies tariffs.

Trump’s announcement of higher tariffs on Canada comes amid a flurry of letters Trump has sent to world leaders over the past week informing them what rates their goods will be tariffed at come August 1, absent any trade deals. Trump has sent nearly two dozen such letters. But Canada is by far the largest trading partner with the United States to receive a letter from Trump this week.

NBC News also reported Thursday that Trump told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker that the remaining US trading partners that have not yet received trade letters or reached framework agreements will be charged a blanket tariff rate. The United States currently imposes a 10% tariff on nearly all foreign goods coming into the country, but Trump on Thursday said he might double that.

“We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay, whether it’s 20% or 15%. We’ll work that out now,” Trump said, according to NBC News. Canada is the top buyer of US exported goods, importing $349 billion worth last year, according to Department of Commerce data. Tariffing Canadian goods could, therefore, backfire if additional retaliatory tariffs are put in place on American goods. (Trump threatened to respond to any such tariffs by raising rates on Canadian goods.)

Meanwhile, Canada shipped $413 billion worth of goods to the US last year, the third-highest source of foreign goods.

Back and forth tariffs

But Canada has been the subject of Trump’s scorn since before he took office. In November 2024, just a few weeks after the election, Trump pledged 25% tariffs on all products from Canada and Mexico on his first day in office “until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!”

A day before those tariffs were set to go into effect in February, Trump paused them for 30 days. They went into effect March 6, but Trump exempted goods that were compliant with the US-Mexico-Canada agreement that he negotiated and signed during his first term in office. That significantly blunted the impact of the tariffs on Canada and Mexico.

On March 7, Trump threatened new tariffs on Canadian lumber and dairy products. “Canada has been ripping us off for years on lumber and on dairy products,” Trump said in an Oval Office address that day, citing Canada’s roughly 250% tariff on US dairy exports to the country. Trump said America would match those tariffs dollar-for-dollar. But the tariffs were never implemented.

Last month Trump – once again – threatened to hike taxes on Canadian goods over a retroactive digital services tax that was set to take effect, which would have fallen heavily on American tech companies that did business in Canada. In the 11th hour, Canada indefinitely postponed the tax in an effort to continue trade talks and avoid higher tariffs.

And, throughout, he has often waxed poetic about his desire to see Canada become the 51st state – a proposition Canada has vehemently, and repeatedly, rejected.

The sectoral tariffs Trump imposed include 50% taxes across all imported steel and aluminum and 25% tariffs on most cars and car parts – some of Canada’s main exports to the US. The tariffs have been charged on Canadian shipments that do not comply with the USMCA, a previous trade agreement.

In response to those auto tariffs, Canada levied a 25% tariff on US-made vehicles that aren’t compliant with USMCA. Canada also retaliated against Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs by rolling out a tariffs on billions of dollars worth of US goods, including whiskey, sporting gear and household appliances.

In Thursday’s letter, Trump mentioned the fentanyl issue, one of his original reasons for tariffing America’s northern neighbor. However, it’s unclear the extent to which Canada is responsible for enabling the drug to reach America.

“If Canada works with me to stop the flow of Fentanyl, we will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter. These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country,” Trump said in the letter. He also claimed Canada has non-tariff barriers that are contributing to the trade deficit the US runs with it.

“You will never be disappointed with The United States of America,” Trump added, a line which he’s included in all his letters to heads of state this week.