Trump Pushes To Reopen California Coast To Offshore Drilling

Tyler Durden
Sun, 11/30/2025 – 16:20

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/trump-pushes-reopen-california-coast-offshore-drilling 

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence of former investment manager David Gentile, who was convicted of defrauding investors — the latest in a series of clemency actions Trump has taken in white-collar criminal cases.

Gentile had reported to prison on Nov. 14, just days before Trump commuted his sentence, according to a White House official who requested anonymity to provide details of the clemency action. Gentile had been the CEO and co-founder of GPB Capital, which had raised $1.6 billion in capital to acquire companies in the auto, retail, health care and housing sectors.

He had been sentenced to seven years in prison after an August 2024 conviction for his role in what the Justice Department at the time described as a scheme to defraud more than 10,000 investors by misrepresenting the performance of three private equity funds.

But the White House official said GPB Capital had disclosed to investors in 2015 that their capital might go to pay dividends to other investors, which the White House said undercut claims that the company had engaged in a “Ponzi” scheme in which new investments are used to reimburse previous investors.

The government has agreed to no restitution in the criminal case, though various civil cases are handling repayments and damages to investors.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/30/trump-commutes-prison-sentence-david-gentile/ 

As development looks to move forward with a data center in Michigan City, Ashley Williams encourages her fellow residents to voice concerns with the project.

“No matter what, we will get the word out, and we’ll ensure that folks know that this is happening,” said Williams, Michigan City resident and executive director of Just Transition Northwest Indiana. “We have a very short timeline to bring people out. It’s already such a daunting time to engage people, but we are going to do the best that we can.”

On Dec. 9, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management will hold a public meeting at Michigan City High School regarding a new source construction draft air permit for Project Maize, which will be at 402 Royal Road. The meeting will start at 6 p.m. and will end at 9 p.m., or when all comments have been heard.

The permit is listed for Lavender Fields Holdings LLC, which Williams and other residents believe is a shell corporation for Google.

Before construction and operation can begin, the company must receive the permit from IDEM, according to the Environmental Law and Policy Center.

At the meeting, IDEM staff will describe the air permit and answer questions from the public. It will not include a formal presentation, and attendees will be able to ask questions, make statements and discuss air pollution concerns.

Williams asked IDEM to extend the public comment period by 60 days, reschedule the Dec. 9 meeting, and hold a public meeting and hearing during the extended 60-day comment period.

An IDEM official said in a Wednesday email to the Post-Tribune that it will not postpone the Dec. 9 meeting, and a Dec. 15 deadline for written comment remains in place.

“IDEM is obligated to complete its work to process applications within regulatory timeframes and issue permits, provided the applicant demonstrates that construction and operation of the proposed facility will meet all applicable state and federal regulations,” Natalie Rodriguez, the state agency’s external relations director, said in the email.

Others in Michigan City have also asked for an extension, Williams said.

“My understanding is that it’s sort of been crickets from IDEM,” she added. “Most of their staff, at least a good portion of them, seem to be out for the holiday, which just reaffirms our request and that this is not a good time for us in the community to have to respond to this permit, organize and ensure that enough folks are showing up and meaningfully engaging.”

The department is required to provide a review period of no less than 30 days, which has already been extended to accommodate the Dec. 9 meeting, IDEM said to Williams in an email, which was provided to the Post-Tribune.

Just Transition NWI executive director Ashley Williams (center) and Michigan City resident Eileen Mark (right) along with a union picket watch a cement truck leave the construction site on Royal Road. Just Transition NWI activists are launching an accountability campaign alongside Michigan City residents to make sure developers are held accountable for environmental and public health harms. Work continues at a Phoenix Investors construction site of a data center in Michigan City on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (John Smierciak/for the Post-Tribune)

“IDEM is blatantly choosing Big Tech over the people that they have repeatedly failed to serve,” Williams said in an email Wednesday. “They are scrooging our communities during this holiday season. Shame on IDEM.  Shame on Google, Lavender Fields Holdings LLC, and Phoenix Investors, who intend to install 70 polluting diesel generators in our community with no pollution controls. A one-day extension is egregious, and Michigan City won’t stand for this.”

According to the Environmental Law and Policy Center, the site would have 66 diesel-fired critical emergency generators “that would have no control device to limit emissions and would exhaust outdoors.” It would also have “insignificant activities,” which include two diesel-fired site entrance emergency generators, two diesel-fired fire pump emergency generators, and 70 belly tanks with a “maximum storage capacity of 5,373 gallons to store fuel with no control devices.”

The Environmental Law and Policy Center also said the permit would allow the operator to emit about 245 tons of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide per year.

The operator also agreed to an annual cap on pollution with the emergency generators, but that would allow them to avoid more rigorous reporting.

“It really depends on how accurate they’re reporting,” Williams said. “Tracking and reporting how many hours the generator will run without proper reporting to IDEM and monitoring, the limit is unenforceable.”

Williams also believes the permit does a poor job at explaining federal air pollution standards that apply to generators, which have no limit on how long they can run during a declared emergency.

“They’re simply listing the regulation numbers, which is not enough for the public, company or regulators to clearly understand the rules,” Williams said. “It creates confusion, non-compliance and further gaps.”

Williams is concerned that the development will continue to bring pollution to Michigan City, and she believes the permit must do a better job at limiting the amount released once the data center is in operation.

“We believe this is just the beginning,” Williams said. “This is just phase one. We think they’re going to back through the door and say, ‘Oh no, we want two times, three times, five times more generators.’ … We need to ensure that we are slamming that door closed and say, ‘No, that is not happening anymore.’”

Phoenix Investors, owner of 402 Royal Road, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The end user for the data center has yet to be announced, but Williams and other residents suspect it will be Google.

In September, the Michigan City Common Council passed four resolutions that would allow the construction of a more than $800 million data center at 402 Royal Road, according to Post-Tribune archives.

In July, Michigan City Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch said in a statement that her administration and council members entered into non-disclosure agreements to review the concept in a confidential executive session, and no formal agreement was reached at the time.

Resolutions provided multiple tax abatements, designated the area as an economic revitalization area and approved a taxpayer agreement for Project Maize, also known as the data center development.

According to Local 150, Project Maize has received $42 million in tax incentives through the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, and the lead contractors have hired workers from Wisconsin, Ohio and Alabama, which the union opposes. Local politicians have also expressed concerns that the project has hired out-of-state workers instead of union and local workers.

Kelley Smith, an administrator for the Michigan City Mayor’s Office, previously told the Post-Tribune that Project Maize is a private project and the city isn’t involved with the construction. Smith said Nelson Deuitch is supportive of the local workforce, and other unions are working at the site, including Local 210 plumbers, Local 1485 carpenters and Local 531 electricians, according to Post-Tribune archives.

“Neither the mayor nor any other city official can decide who gets hired to work at Project Maize,” Smith previously said. “The city does not have the authority to tell any private developer building a private project that they must fire their current workers and give those jobs to local people.”

Williams and other members of JTNWI have expressed concerns with labor and the environmental impacts of Project Maize for months. JTNWI started an accountability campaign after IDEM, on Oct. 9, cited Phoenix Investors with a violation letter at the data center site, according to Post-Tribune archives.

According to the violation, IDEM found trichloroethylene, or TCE, at the site, which the National Cancer Institute defines as a “volatile, colorless liquid organic chemical” that can be found in the air, water and soil, and has been linked to cancer, kidney disease, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and cardiac defects.

“Good-faith development helps communities work together,” Williams previously told the Post-Tribune. “Bad-faith development has neighbors looking over their shoulders. … Phoenix has demonstrated that it is not a good neighbor and must continue to be held accountable for its actions and those of the project’s suspected end user, Google.”

mwilkins@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/30/idem-to-host-public-meeting-for-project-maize-air-permit/ 

Is Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Investigation Turning Into A Rolling Coup?

Tyler Durden
Sun, 11/30/2025 – 15:10

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ukraines-anti-corruption-investigation-turning-rolling-coup 

“Zootopia 2” had a roaring, record-setting opening at the box office.

The animal city sequel from the Walt Disney Company brought in $96 million in North America over the weekend, earned $156 million over the five-day Thanksgiving frame, and scored a staggering $556 million globally since its Wednesday opening, according to studio estimates Sunday.

That made it the highest international opening ever for an animated movie, the fourth highest global debut of any kind, and the top international opener of 2025.

“Wicked: For Good” stayed aloft in its second weekend for Universal Pictures, earning another $62.8 million domestically over the weekend for a North American total of $270.4 million. The second half of the “Wicked” saga has brought in $393 million internationally.

The pair of sequels combined to make the Thanksgiving weekend a glimmering exception to an otherwise dark year at movie theaters.

“Zootopia 2” arrives almost a decade after the original, a hit that outpaced expectations and had a March domestic opening of $75 million.

Like the first, it features the duo of bunny cop Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and small-time hustler fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman).

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

1. “Zootopia 2,” $96.8 million.

2. “Wicked: For Good,” $62.8 million.

3. “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” $7 million.

4. “Predator: Badlands,” $4.8 million.

5. “The Running Man,” $3.7 million.

6. “Eternity,” $3.2 million.

7. “Rental Family,” $2.1 million.

8. “Hamnet,” $880,000.

9. “Sisu: Road to Revenge,” $810,000.

10. “Nuremberg,” $749,325.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/30/zootopia-2-box-office/ 

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers from both parties said Sunday they support congressional reviews of U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, citing a published report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for all crew members to be killed as part of a Sept. 2 attack.

The lawmakers said they did not know whether last week’s Washington Post report was true, and some Republicans were skeptical, but they said attacking survivors of an initial missile strike poses serious legal concerns.

“This rises to the level of a war crime if it’s true,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.

Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, when asked about a follow-up strike aimed at people no long able to fight, said Congress does not have information that happened. He noted that leaders of the Armed Services Committee in both the House and Senate have opened investigations.

“Obviously, if that occurred, that would be very serious and I agree that that would be an illegal act,” Turner said.

Turner said there are concerns in Congress about the attacks on vessels that the Trump administration says are transporting drugs, but the allegations regarding the Sept. 2 attack “is completely outside anything that has been discussed with Congress and there is an ongoing investigation.”

The comments from lawmakers during news show appearance come as the administration escalates a campaign to combat drug trafficking into the U.S. On Saturday, Republican President Donald Trump said the airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela should be considered as “closed in its entirety,” an assertion that raised more questions about the U.S. pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Maduro’s government accused Trump of making a ”colonial threat” and seeking to undermine the South American country’s sovereignty.

After the Post’s report, Hegseth said Friday on X that “fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.”

“Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict—and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command,” Hegseth wrote.

Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and its top Democrat, Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, said in a joint statement late Friday that the committee “will be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances.”

That was followed Saturday with the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, and ranking Democratic member, Washington Rep. Adam Smith, issuing a joint statement saying the panel was committed to “providing rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense’s military operations in the Caribbean.”

“We take seriously the reports of follow-on strikes on boats alleged to be ferrying narcotics in the SOUTHCOM region and are taking bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question,” Rogers and Smith said, referring to U.S. Southern Command.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., asked about the Sept. 2 attack, said Hegseth deserves a chance to present his side.

“We should get to the truth. I don’t think he would be foolish enough to make this decision to say, kill everybody, kill the survivors because that’s a clear violation of the law of war,” Bacon said. “So, I’m very suspicious that he would’ve done something like that because it would go against common sense.”

Kaine and Turner appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” and Bacon was on ABC’s “This Week.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/30/lawmakers-congressional-reviews-trumps-military-strikes-boats/ 

Gooey leaves on the rails have caused the South Shore Line’s on-time performance to plummet in November, leaving railroad officials scrambling for additional ways to address the problem.

Assistant Chief Transportation Officer Sara Krga said the railroad is doing better than last year, 88 wheels damaged by slipping last November compared to 28 so far this month.

“Last year at this time, we really struggled through the leaf season,” President and General Manager Michael Noland said.

Krga walked the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District board through ways the railroad is trying to lessen the impact.

“It’s a really a phenomenon that’s primarily, not exclusively, limited to our single-level cars,” Noland said.

Bilevel cars are heavier and are not affected as much as single-level cars, Krga said. Single-level trains are running at 65 mph vs. 79 mph for the bilevel cars, slowing to 45 mph for flag stops so the trains can stop in time if there’s a rider waiting.

When a wheel slips and slides, it develops a flat spot. When that happens, federal rules require the train speed to be limited to 10 mph, Noland said, so another train has to be brought in to finish the route while the train with the damaged wheel limps back to the shop to be repaired.

The railroad is getting better at recovery times, Noland said, but wants to get even better.

“We took a lot of information from last year and really tried to get ahead of it this year,” Krga said, including a lot of ride-alongs with the engineers.”

This year, the railroad purchased a brush affixed to the front of a train to scrub off leaf and oil residue.

The South Shore Line’s counterpart in Boston has a special schedule for leaf season, which is something that might be done here next year, Noland said. “We’re not unique in running into leaf spots.”

Another possibility is to drop a ton of money into a laser train to burn off the leaf residue on the rails. Or the railroad could use a high-powered water sprayer on the front of the train, effectively power-washing the rails.

Among the comments Noland has received is, “You guys have been running for 108 years, why are you just seeing this now?” It’s because of the Double Track NWI project allowing more trains to run and on a tighter schedule. “We’re running to the full capacity of the RR, and this is one of the byproducts we’ve identified,” Noland said.

Although on-time performance has plummeted this month, ridership and ticket numbers are improving over last year, Director of Strategic Planning and Grants Kelly Wenger said.

“Overall, I think, we’re looking very good, very strong,” she said.

Fares increased on July 1 for the first time in years. Despite the increase, ticket sales are up 19.2% over last year, Wenger said.

Revenue is up 30.5%, she said, with digital sales accounting for nearly 93% of total sales.

Ridership is up 16.5% over 2024, including a 20.9% increase on weekends.

“It’s a really nice increase, this year over last year. It’s a really strong recovery year for us,” Wenger said.

One statistic she’s tracking is the number of bikes on trains in winter months. So far this year, 9,118 riders have taken bikes on trains compared to 6,338 in all of 2024. Last winter, 302 hardy souls took bikes on the train in February.

Getting bikes on trains is easier now, with two slots for bikes on every car so people can get on and off faster, Wenger said.

Noland took time to express pride in the South Shore Line’s planned start of the Monon Corridor – formerly known as the West Lake Corridor – route in March.

New starts usually start slow and build up service as demand increases, but this one is different. “We have always said that WL starts out with five trips in the morning and five trips coming back,” Noland said.

In addition, the railroad is adding a two-car shuttle train to take riders from Munster/Dyer to Hammond so riders can board trains along the traditional route, now called the Lakeshore Corridor, Noland said.

The railroad will have full off-peak and weekend service on the Monon Corridor route, too, he said.

A schedule for the Monon Corridor route has been posted on the South Shore Line website so riders can make plans for child care and whatever other adjustments they need to ride the new service when the trains begin operating.

“We’re excited to get this piece of info out to the public,” Noland said.

Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/30/leaves-continue-to-plague-south-shore-line-with-gooey-residue/ 

Por REGINA GARCÍA CANO

CARACAS (AP) — Las frases en inglés alguna vez molestaron tanto al presidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro que instó a la audiencia de su mensaje anual a la nación a eliminar gradualmente palabras como “skatepark” (parque de patinaje y BMX) y “fashion” (moda).

Pero mientras la Casa Blanca reflexiona ahora sobre si el ejército estadounidense debería atacar a Venezuela, Maduro adopta el inglés, canta “Imagine”, de John Lennon, aboga por la paz, y baila al ritmo de un remix de su último eslogan en inglés: “No War, Yes Peace” (No guerra, sí paz”).

Si bien su cambio de postura es visto como una señal de desesperación por los partidarios de la oposición política en Venezuela, cuyos líderes han reiterado a quienes los apoyan en Washington que la amenaza de una acción militar quebrará el círculo íntimo de Maduro, meses de presión aún no han producido deserciones ni una transición de gobierno.

Lealtad vs. castigo

Detrás de esta habilidad para mantenerse en el poder se esconde un sistema que castiga severamente a los aliados desleales y permite que ministros, jueces, líderes militares y otros funcionarios leales se enriquezcan.

“Hay una habilidad que tiene la Revolución Bolivariana que es la capacidad de cohesión contra la presión”, dijo Ronal Rodríguez, investigador del Observatorio de Venezuela de la Universidad del Rosario, de Colombia, al referirse al movimiento político conocido como “chavismo” que Maduro heredó del fallecido presidente Hugo Chávez. “Cuando la presión viene del exterior, se logran cohesionar, se logran defender, se logran proteger”.

Lo que sustenta el principio de lealtad o castigo son redes de corrupción —avaladas por Chávez y Maduro— que otorgan a los leales la libertad de enriquecerse. Esta política ha frustrado intentos previos de derrocar a Maduro y le ha ayudado a él y a sus allegados cercanos a eludir sanciones económicas, obtener indultos presidenciales estadounidenses y proclamar la victoria en unas elecciones que perdieron rotundamente.

Rodríguez explicó que la prisión y la tortura pueden formar parte del castigo, que suele ser más severo para quienes son acusados ​​de delitos y tienen afiliación militar. Esta estrategia ha sido crucial para que Maduro mantenga el control del ejército, al que permite traficar drogas, petróleo, fauna silvestre y una gran variedad de bienes a cambio de cuarteles a prueba de golpes.

“Ha sido una herramienta muy efectiva porque el chavismo siempre ha podido prescindir de aquellos actores que en algún momento tratan de levantarse, y a todos los actores (les) ha podido sacar dinámicas de corrupción”, agregó Rodríguez.

Ejército apoya a Maduro

La oposición política venezolana —liderada por María Corina Machado, Premio Nobel de la Paz— contaba con el apoyo del ejército para derrocar a Maduro tras la evidencia creíble de su derrota en las elecciones presidenciales de 2024. No obstante, el ministro de Defensa, Vladimir Padrino López, y otros líderes militares apoyaron a Maduro, tal como lo hicieron en 2019 durante una revuelta en los cuarteles protagonizada por un grupo de soldados que juraron lealtad a Juan Guaidó, el líder opositor reconocido en ese momento por el primer gobierno de Donald Trump como el presidente legítimo de Venezuela.

Desde que regresó al cargo, Trump ha incrementado la presión sobre Maduro y sus aliados, e incluso ha duplicado a 50 millones de dólares la recompensa por información que conduzca a su arresto por cargos de narcotráfico. Una acusación formal de 2020 imputó a Maduro de liderar el Cártel de los Soles, al que el Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos designó el lunes como organización terrorista extranjera.

Maduro niega las acusaciones.

El sábado, Trump dijo que el espacio aéreo “sobre y alrededor” del país sudamericano debería considerarse “cerrado en su totalidad”. El gobierno de Maduro respondió al acusar a Trump de realizar una “amenaza colonial”, y movilizó a sus partidarios en torno a lo que llamó un atentado contra la soberanía nacional.

Presuntas embarcaciones con drogas bombardeadas

A principios de septiembre, el ejército estadounidense comenzó a bombardear embarcaciones que el gobierno de Trump ha acusado de transportar drogas en el mar Caribe y el océano Pacífico Oriental, y ha matado a más de 80 personas en los ataques.

Muchos, incluido el propio Maduro, ven las acciones militares estadounidenses como un intento de acabar con el control del chavismo sobre el poder. La oposición no hizo más que acrecentar esta percepción al renovar su promesa de destituir a Maduro.

Dos semanas después del primer ataque marítimo, la lealtad del chavismo se puso a prueba directamente cuando el piloto de Maduro rechazó los intentos de Estados Unidos de unirse a un complot para capturar al presidente venezolano y entregarlo bajo custodia para que enfrentara los cargos.

“Los venezolanos estamos hechos de otra ksa”, escribió Villegas, miembro de la guardia de honor presidencial de élite, a un oficial estadounidense retirado que intentaba reclutarlo. “Y lo que menos somos es traidores”.

El martes, simpatizantes del partido gobernante marcharon en Caracas para demostrar lo que describieron como el “espíritu antiimperialista” del chavismo. La marcha culminó con una ceremonia en la que Maduro alzó una espada enjoyada que perteneció a Simón Bolívar, héroe sudamericano de guerras de independencia de varios países, y guio a los asistentes, incluidos ministros del Gabinete, a jurar defender la paz y la libertad en nombre de Dios.

Susan Shirk, profesora investigadora de la Universidad de California en San Diego, dijo que los líderes autoritarios tienen un “fetichismo por la unidad” y prefieren las demostraciones públicas de lealtad para evitar divisiones entre los líderes y la agitación social. Explicó que la división puede llevar a la gente a creer que el riesgo de protestar ha disminuido.

“Tenemos que permanecer unidos”

El secretario de Defensa de Estados Unidos, Pete Hegseth, ha declarado que la designación del Cártel de los Soles ofrece a Trump opciones adicionales para lidiar con Maduro. Hegseth no ha proporcionado detalles sobre esas opciones, pero funcionarios del gobierno han señalado que les cuesta ver una situación en la que Maduro permanezca en el poder como un desenlace aceptable.

David Smilde, profesor de la Universidad de Tulane, quien ha estudiado a Venezuela durante más de tres décadas, explicó que sólo quienes no comprenden el chavismo pensarán que una demostración de fuerza provocará un cambio de gobierno.

“Este es exactamente el tipo de cosas que los une”, agregó Smilde sobre el despliegue de las fuerzas militares estadounidenses. “También hablan de la recompensa de 50 millones de dólares, pero, ¿Qué militar en su sano juicio confiaría en el gobierno estadounidense? Y, en términos más generales, si toda la premisa de la operación es que las fuerzas armadas venezolanas son un cártel de la droga, ¿Qué motivación podrían tener para volverse contra Maduro y participar en un cambio de régimen?”.

La presidencia de Maduro, en su totalidad, ha estado marcada por una crisis política, social y económica que ha sumido a millones en la pobreza y ha empujado a más de 7,7 millones de personas a migrar. La crisis también ha provocado un desplome del apoyo al partido gobernante en todo el país.

Como la lealtad mantiene intacto a su círculo íntimo a pesar de la creciente presión estadounidense, Maduro también ha buscado mantener su reducida base mediante prácticas establecidas desde hace mucho tiempo que incluyen el organizar marchas en la capital.

Zenaida Quintero, portera escolar, ha visto el país desmoronarse bajo el mandato de Maduro, con vívidos recuerdos de la grave escasez de alimentos que experimentaron los venezolanos a finales de la década de 2010. No obstante, su apoyo a Maduro no ha flaqueado, y su compromiso se resume en un hecho: fue elegido personalmente por Chávez para liderar la Revolución Bolivariana.

Quintero, de 60 años, indicó que Maduro, como Chávez, no abandonará a quienes los apoyan.

“Yo le tengo confianza”, dijo Quintero sobre Maduro. “Tenemos que mantenernos unidos. Nosotros tenemos que defendernos”.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/30/presidente-venezolano-maduro-parece-desesperado-pero-su-estrategia-es-difcil-de-descifrar/ 

Trump Rejects Maduro Request For Amnesty In Newly Disclosed Phone Call

Tyler Durden
Sun, 11/30/2025 – 14:35

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-rejects-maduro-request-amnesty-newly-disclosed-phone-call 

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Leo XIV doubled down Sunday on the Holy See’s insistence on a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying in his first airborne news conference that it was the “only solution” that could guarantee justice for both sides.

Leo made the comments as he flew from Istanbul to Beirut for the second and final leg of his maiden voyage as pope. Though Leo has been fielding journalists’ questions at informal gatherings at his country house, the brief encounter marked his first news conference as pope and followed the tradition of his predecessors of using his foreign trips to engage with the media.

Because of the short flight, the news conference was limited to two questions from Turkish journalists. When Leo returns to Rome on Tuesday, the encounter will presumably be longer.

The American pope was asked about his private talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan upon his arrival in Ankara and whether they discussed the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.

Leo confirmed they had, and said that Turkey had an “important role to play” in both conflicts, noting that Erdogan’s government had already helped facilitate low-level negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to end the war.

“Unfortunately we still haven’t seen a solution. But today there are new, concrete proposals for peace.” He said that the Holy See hopes that Erdogan would pursue his dialogue with Ukraine, Russia and the United States to help reach a ceasefire and end the nearly four-year war.

On Gaza, he repeated the Holy See’s longstanding position supporting a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. The creation of a Palestinian state in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza has long been seen internationally as the only way to resolve the conflict.

The Holy See had recognized a Palestinian state in 2015, but the push for a two-state solution received new impetus this year during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Several more countries formally recognized a Palestinian state during the U.N. General Assembly.

“We know that in this moment, Israel doesn’t accept this solution, but we see it as the only one that can offer a solution to the conflict that they are living in,” he said. “We are also friends with Israel and we try with both sides to be a mediating voice that can help bring them closer to a solution with justice for all.”

There was no immediate response from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has long asserted that creating a Palestinian state would reward Hamas and eventually lead to an even larger Hamas-run state on Israel’s borders.

Earlier this month, Netanyahu said that Israel’s opposition to a Palestinian state has “not changed one bit” and isn’t threatened by external or internal pressure.

“I do not need affirmations, tweets or lectures from anyone,” he said.

Leo had avoided any direct mention of the Gaza conflict while in Turkey. And in his brief remarks to journalists summarizing his trip so far, he omitted any reference to his visit to Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, his most visible engagement with Turkey’s Muslim majority.

Rather, Leo focused on the main reason for coming to the region: to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of an important A.D. 325 gathering of bishops from across the Roman Empire in present day Iznik, Turkey. There, the bishops agreed on a common creed, or profession of faith.

The Nicaean Creed is still recited today by millions of Christians around the world and, despite schisms and other divisions, is a rare point of agreement among Catholic, Orthodox and most Protestant believers.

Leo participated in a commemoration of the Council of Nicaea in Iznik and otherwise spent his time in Istanbul meeting with various Orthodox patriarchs. During a joint meeting Saturday, he proposed that they come together in an important way in 2033 in Jerusalem, to commemorate the 2,000th anniversary of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, as a new visible sign of their unity.

“Obviously is an event that all Christians want to celebrate,” he said. “We have years to prepare,” he added, but said the various patriarchs welcomed the proposal.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/30/pope-leo-xiv-2-state-solution-israeli-palestinian-conflict/