Category: News
Justice Jackson Cites Racist ‘Black Codes’ As Precedent To Justify Gun Control In Hawaii
Justice Jackson Cites Racist ‘Black Codes’ As Precedent To Justify Gun Control In Hawaii
During oral arguments in Wolford v. Lopez, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson suggested that the post-Civil War “Black Codes” – a set of openly racist laws enacted in the Democrat-controlled South to strip newly freed Black Americans of basic rights, including the right to possess firearms – could serve as legitimate historical precedent under the Supreme Court’s Bruen test. That test evaluates modern gun laws by asking whether similar restrictions were accepted in the nation’s historical tradition. The case concerns a Hawaii law that bars licensed gun owners from carrying firearms onto privately owned property open to the public. Jackson relying on the Black Codes for constitutional guidance is hilarious, as those laws were explicitly designed to deny civil rights to Black Americans in defiance of emancipation.
The exchange unfolded as Justice Jackson pressed U.S. Principal Deputy Solicitor General Sarah Harris on why post–Civil War Black Codes should be excluded from consideration when courts examine modern-day gun control laws. Hawaii relied on a 1865 Louisiana statute as historical support for its law, a statute even Neal Katyal, the lawyer representing Hawaii, admitted was “undoubtedly a relic of a shameful portion of American history.”
“So, I guess I really don’t understand your response to Justice Gorsuch on the Black Codes,” Jackson began. She explained that, under Bruen, courts are required to look to history and tradition to assess constitutionality. “The fact that the Black Codes were, at some later point, determined themselves to be unconstitutional doesn’t seem to me to be relevant to the assessment that Bruen is asking us to make.”
Harris responded by emphasizing the fundamentally racist purpose of those laws. “Black Codes were unconstitutional from the moment of their inception because they are pretextual laws that are designed to ensure that newly freed slaves are returned to a condition of sharecropping.”
Justice Jackson, a black woman, immediately pushed back. “Okay, let me stop you there. They were not deemed unconstitutional at the time that they were enacted,” she said. “They were part of the history and tradition of the country, and when we have a test now that’s asking us to look at what people were doing back then, I don’t understand why they should be excluded.”
Harris reiterated that point. “Because they are outliers. They are, by definition, unconstitutional. They have always been unconstitutional.”
Jackson bizarrely remained unconvinced. “Found later, afterwards, not at the time,” she said, returning to the Bruen framework. “And if the test says what’s happening at the time tells us what’s constitutional for this purpose, why aren’t they in?”
Harris responded by insisting the laws should be disregarded because they were aberrations and unconstitutional from their inception.
But Jackson rejected that framing. She argued that their unconstitutionality was determined later, not contemporaneously, making it a legitimate precedent. And, according to Jackson, if the test looks to historical practice at the time of enactment, she asked, why should those laws be left out?
Harris attempted to explain how a law could be unconstitutional from inception, while still accounting for historical analysis. Jackson claimed that Harris’s position effectively dismissed history altogether. When Harris denied that implication, Jackson underscored the contradiction by noting that history either matters under Bruen or it does not.
Harris then stressed that historical inquiry remains essential, though not indiscriminate. “We should deeply care about the history,” she said, adding that Bruen requires courts to identify a genuine national tradition by excluding aberrations. She described the Black Codes as precisely that — laws enacted “for the purpose of trying to reduce newly freed slaves back to conditions of servitude,” including measures that criminalized carrying arms on private property. “Those are obvious outliers which should not count under the whole point of Bruen.”
Things I didn’t have on my bingo card today: Justice Jackson defending the racist Black Codes as precedent for what we should consider constitutional. pic.twitter.com/I9yxcMsDrf
— Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) January 20, 2026
Justice Jackson has never distinguished herself on the bench for her bright legal mind, but it was frankly remarkable to see her treating some of the most overtly racist laws in American history as potentially valid reference points for modern gun control.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/21/2026 – 20:30
Autopsia revela que la muerte de inmigrante cubano en custodia del ICE fue homicidio por asfixia
Por MICHAEL BIESECKER y RYAN J. FOLEY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Un migrante cubano recluido en confinamiento solitario en un centro de detención migratoria en Texas murió después de que fue inmovilizado por los guardias y dejó de respirar, reveló el informe de necropsia dado a conocer el miércoles, el cual determinó que la muerte fue un homicidio.
Geraldo Lunas Campos falleció el pasado 3 de enero luego de un altercado con los guardias. El Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE por sus iniciales en inglés) señaló que Lunas Campos, de 55 años y padre de cuatro hijos, intentaba quitarse la vida y que el personal de Camp East Montana trató de salvarlo.
Pero un testigo dijo a The Associated Press la semana pasada que Lunas Campos se encontraba esposado mientras era inmovilizado por al menos cinco guardias, uno de los cuales le pasó el brazo por el cuello y apretó hasta dejarlo inconsciente.
El reporte de la Oficina del Médico Forense del condado de El Paso determinó que el cuerpo de Lunas Campos mostraba signos de lucha, como abrasiones en el pecho y las rodillas. También tenía hemorragias en el cuello. El subdirector de medicina forense, el doctor Adam Gonzalez, determinó que la causa de muerte fue asfixia por compresión de cuello y torso.
Según el informe, testigos vieron como Lunas Campos “quedó inconsciente mientras era inmovilizado físicamente por fuerzas del orden”. No detalló lo que ocurrió durante la lucha, pero mencionó evidencia de lesiones en cuello, cabeza y torso asociadas con inmovilización física. El reporte también señaló la presencia de petequia —pequeñas manchas de sangre por el rompimiento de vasos capilares, las cuales pueden asociarse a una enorme tensión o una lesión— en párpados y la piel del cuello.
El doctor Victor Weedn, un patólogo forense que revisó el informe de autopsia para la AP, afirmó que la presencia de petequia en los ojos “tiende a sustentar” la conclusión de que la causa de muerte fue por asfixia. Esas lesiones sugieren presión sobre el cuerpo y a menudo se relacionan con este tipo de fallecimientos, subrayó.
Añadió que las contusiones en el cuerpo de Lunas Campos pueden reflejar una inmovilización física y las lesiones en el cuello eran consistentes con presión de una mano o rodilla sobre el cuello.
La autopsia también reveló la presencia de medicamentos antidepresivos y antihistamínicos recetados en el organismo de la víctima, añadiendo que Lunas Campos tenía antecedentes de trastorno bipolar y ansiedad. No hizo mención alguna de un intento de suicidio.
El Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS por sus iniciales en inglés) no comentó de momento sobre el informe de autopsia.
La versión inicial del ICE sobre el fallecimiento, la cual no incluía mención de un altercado con los guardias, aseguraba que Lunas Campos se había vuelto inestable y el personal lo trasladó a un área segregada.
“Mientras estaba en segregación, el personal observó que pasaba apuros y se puso en contacto con el personal médico del lugar para recibir asistencia”, indicó la agencia en su comunicado del 9 de enero. “El personal médico respondió, inició medidas de resucitación y solicitó servicios médicos de emergencia”.
Lunas Campos fue declarado muerto después de la llegada de los paramédicos.
La portavoz del DHS, Tricia McLaughlin, dijo el jueves que Lunas Campos había intentado suicidarse y los guardias trataron de ayudarlo.
“Campos se resistió con violencia al personal de seguridad y siguió tratando de quitarse la vida”, explicó. “Durante la lucha, Campos dejó de respirar y perdió el conocimiento”.
Camp Montana East es una enorme instalación de carpas ubicada en el desierto sobre terrenos de Fort Bliss, una base del Ejército. La AP informó en agosto que sobre la construcción de la instalación de 1.200 millones de dólares, la cual se tenía previsto que se convirtiera en el complejo de detención más grande del país. El lugar es operado por un contratista privado con sede en una casa unifamiliar en Richmond, Virginia. La empresa, Acquisition Logistics LLC, no tenía experiencia previa en la gestión de un centro correccional.
De momento se desconoce si los guardias que se encontraban con Lunas Campos al momento de la disputa eran empleados del gobierno o del contratista privado.
Lunas Campos fue uno de los primeros detenidos que fue enviado a Camp Montana East. Llegó al centro en septiembre después de que fue detenido por agentes del ICE en Rochester, Nueva York, donde vivió por más de dos décadas. Fue admitido legalmente en Estados Unidos en 1996 como parte de una ola de inmigrantes cubanos que buscaban llegar a Florida en bote.
El ICE señaló que fue detenido en julio como parte de una operación de inmigración planeada, debido a que tenía condenas penales que lo hacían elegible para su deportación.
Los registros judiciales de Nueva York muestran que Lunas Campos fue condenado en 2003 por contacto sexual con una persona menor de 11 años, un delito grave por el cual fue sentenciado a un año en prisión y se le colocó en el registro estatal de delincuentes sexuales.
___
Foley informó desde Iowa City.
___
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Kyle Tucker on joining LA Dodgers on $240M deal: ‘This organization from top down is first class’
LOS ANGELES — With multiple offers in free agency, Kyle Tucker was ultimately swayed by the Los Angeles Dodgers’ championship pedigree.
“It’s a big decision, so you’ve still got to weigh out everything,” he said, “but this team and this city and the fan base makes it a little bit easier to make some decisions. That is just ultimately what we wanted to do is come here and be part of that and try to win another World Series.”
Tucker signed a four-year, $240 million contract, choosing the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers over the New York Mets and World Series runner-up Toronto Blue Jays. He can opt out after years two and three.
“For him to choose us when he had other longer term and other shorter term I think speaks to the growth and progress that we’ve made on creating a destination spot,” said Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers president of baseball operations.
Tucker gets a $64 million signing bonus, of which $54 million is payable on Feb. 15 and $10 million on Feb. 1, 2027. He gets a $1 million salary this year and $55 million in 2027, and he has $60 million player options for 2028 and 2029.
In each season from 2027-29, $10 million is deferred. The deferred money from all years is payable in 10 equal installments each Dec. 1 from 2036-45.
He also gets a hotel suite for road series.
Tucker’s $60 million average annual value is the second-highest in baseball history, without factoring in deferred money, behind Shohei Ohtani’s $70 million in his 10-year deal with the Dodgers that runs through 2033. With the addition of Tucker’s $30 million in deferred money, the Dodgers owe $1.0945 billion in deferred compensation to 10 players from 2028-47.
“There was really nobody that moved our World Series odds for 2026 more than Kyle Tucker,” general manager Brandon Gomes said.
Tucker’s signing reignited talk of management proposing a salary cap in collective bargaining after the Dodgers added yet another star to one of the sport’s highest payrolls.
Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker lines out against the Diamondbacks on April 20, 2025, at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
“We don’t pay much attention to that because we operate within the rules and we do everything we can to put ourselves in the best position, both short term and long term, and we’re not thinking about more macro things outside of that,” Friedman said. “It is about how can we win as many games and put ourselves in the best position to win a championship in 2026 without really compromising ourselves out into the future and falling off the proverbial cliff.”
Tucker will play right field and likely bat second or third in the lineup, manager Dave Roberts said. Ohtani, who typically leads off, was working out on the Dodger Stadium field ahead of Tucker’s introductory news conference. Teoscar Hernández will move from right to left.
“This organization from top down is first class,” Tucker said. “It’ll be a lot of fun competing with these guys and competing for another hopefully three-peat here.”
Tucker slipped on a No. 23 Dodgers jersey alongside Roberts and Gomes. He wore No. 30 for most of his career with the Houston Astros and during his lone season with the Chicago Cubs last year. Roberts wears No. 30 in honor of Dodgers star Maury Wills, his mentor.
Tucker said he chose No. 23 in honor of former Astros teammate Michael Brantley, who wore the number before retiring in 2022. They won the World Series that year, although Brantley was sidelined during the postseason.
Tucker has been criticized for a perceived casual playing style. In August, Cubs fans booed him for not running out ground balls and lacking intensity. He acknowledged he may be perceived that way because of “a little bit of my demeanor.”
“I try to do my best out there regardless of how I feel or what the situation is,” he said.
The Dodgers sought out clubhouse personnel, training staff, teammates and coaches to find out about Tucker’s competitive makeup and work ethic.
“His demeanor is such that it’s not an outward exuberant personality and so I think that can be misconstrued,” Friedman said. “For us, it’s about how does he compete, how does he work? For that we got very comfortable that when he’s in the box, when he’s in the outfield, he competes as well as anybody.”
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Roberts did his own vetting of Tucker with other managers and coaches.
“There’s an inner fire that I’ve seen,” he said.
Tucker, the NL starter in right in the 2025 All-Star Game, assured the Dodgers he wants to continue to improve.
“He talked about that a lot, of how much he cares about the finer points,” Friedman said. “Anything we have that can help him get better in any regard — whether it’s on defense, on the bases, in the batter’s box — he’s like, ‘I’m all for it.’ So having a guy who has achieved what he has, but still have that kind of growth mindset, those are guys that make it easier.”
Roberts believes Tucker is a potential MVP candidate with the ability to win another Gold Glove.
“Having a lot of people around him, there’s more runs scored in there. I think he’s going to have the ability to drive in runs,” Roberts said. “He’s a five-tool player, he loves to compete, he loves to play the game, he pours into the community, he’s a smart player.”
Associated Press reporter Ronald Blum contributed.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/21/kyle-tucker-los-angeles-dodgers/
Kyle Tucker on joining LA Dodgers on $240M deal: ‘This organization from top down is first class’
LOS ANGELES — With multiple offers in free agency, Kyle Tucker was ultimately swayed by the Los Angeles Dodgers’ championship pedigree.
“It’s a big decision, so you’ve still got to weigh out everything,” he said, “but this team and this city and the fan base makes it a little bit easier to make some decisions. That is just ultimately what we wanted to do is come here and be part of that and try to win another World Series.”
Tucker signed a four-year, $240 million contract, choosing the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers over the New York Mets and World Series runner-up Toronto Blue Jays. He can opt out after years two and three.
“For him to choose us when he had other longer term and other shorter term I think speaks to the growth and progress that we’ve made on creating a destination spot,” said Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers president of baseball operations.
Tucker gets a $64 million signing bonus, of which $54 million is payable on Feb. 15 and $10 million on Feb. 1, 2027. He gets a $1 million salary this year and $55 million in 2027, and he has $60 million player options for 2028 and 2029.
In each season from 2027-29, $10 million is deferred. The deferred money from all years is payable in 10 equal installments each Dec. 1 from 2036-45.
He also gets a hotel suite for road series.
Tucker’s $60 million average annual value is the second-highest in baseball history, without factoring in deferred money, behind Shohei Ohtani’s $70 million in his 10-year deal with the Dodgers that runs through 2033. With the addition of Tucker’s $30 million in deferred money, the Dodgers owe $1.0945 billion in deferred compensation to 10 players from 2028-47.
“There was really nobody that moved our World Series odds for 2026 more than Kyle Tucker,” general manager Brandon Gomes said.
Tucker’s signing reignited talk of management proposing a salary cap in collective bargaining after the Dodgers added yet another star to one of the sport’s highest payrolls.
Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker lines out against the Diamondbacks on April 20, 2025, at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
“We don’t pay much attention to that because we operate within the rules and we do everything we can to put ourselves in the best position, both short term and long term, and we’re not thinking about more macro things outside of that,” Friedman said. “It is about how can we win as many games and put ourselves in the best position to win a championship in 2026 without really compromising ourselves out into the future and falling off the proverbial cliff.”
Tucker will play right field and likely bat second or third in the lineup, manager Dave Roberts said. Ohtani, who typically leads off, was working out on the Dodger Stadium field ahead of Tucker’s introductory news conference. Teoscar Hernández will move from right to left.
“This organization from top down is first class,” Tucker said. “It’ll be a lot of fun competing with these guys and competing for another hopefully three-peat here.”
Tucker slipped on a No. 23 Dodgers jersey alongside Roberts and Gomes. He wore No. 30 for most of his career with the Houston Astros and during his lone season with the Chicago Cubs last year. Roberts wears No. 30 in honor of Dodgers star Maury Wills, his mentor.
Tucker said he chose No. 23 in honor of former Astros teammate Michael Brantley, who wore the number before retiring in 2022. They won the World Series that year, although Brantley was sidelined during the postseason.
Tucker has been criticized for a perceived casual playing style. In August, Cubs fans booed him for not running out ground balls and lacking intensity. He acknowledged he may be perceived that way because of “a little bit of my demeanor.”
“I try to do my best out there regardless of how I feel or what the situation is,” he said.
The Dodgers sought out clubhouse personnel, training staff, teammates and coaches to find out about Tucker’s competitive makeup and work ethic.
“His demeanor is such that it’s not an outward exuberant personality and so I think that can be misconstrued,” Friedman said. “For us, it’s about how does he compete, how does he work? For that we got very comfortable that when he’s in the box, when he’s in the outfield, he competes as well as anybody.”
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Buster Posey takes center stage among the newcomers for next year’s Hall of Fame ballot
Why Chicago White Sox finally moved on from Luis Robert Jr. — and what’s next: ‘We plan on being very active’
Center fielders Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltrán are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
Roberts did his own vetting of Tucker with other managers and coaches.
“There’s an inner fire that I’ve seen,” he said.
Tucker, the NL starter in right in the 2025 All-Star Game, assured the Dodgers he wants to continue to improve.
“He talked about that a lot, of how much he cares about the finer points,” Friedman said. “Anything we have that can help him get better in any regard — whether it’s on defense, on the bases, in the batter’s box — he’s like, ‘I’m all for it.’ So having a guy who has achieved what he has, but still have that kind of growth mindset, those are guys that make it easier.”
Roberts believes Tucker is a potential MVP candidate with the ability to win another Gold Glove.
“Having a lot of people around him, there’s more runs scored in there. I think he’s going to have the ability to drive in runs,” Roberts said. “He’s a five-tool player, he loves to compete, he loves to play the game, he pours into the community, he’s a smart player.”
Associated Press reporter Ronald Blum contributed.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/21/kyle-tucker-los-angeles-dodgers/
Kyle Tucker se une a Dodgers con un contrato de 240 millones para buscar el tricampeonato
Por BETH HARRIS
LOS ÁNGELES (AP) — Con múltiples ofertas en la agencia libre, Kyle Tucker finalmente se dejó influenciar por la condición de campeones de los Dodgers de Los Ángeles.
“Es una gran decisión, así que todavía tienes que sopesar todo”, afirmó. “Pero este equipo, esta ciudad y la base de fanáticos hacen que sea un poco más fácil tomar algunas decisiones. Eso es, en última instancia, lo que queríamos hacer: venir aquí, ser parte de eso e intentar ganar otra Serie Mundial”.
Tucker firmó un contrato de 240 millones de dólares por cuatro años, eligiendo a los Dodgers, dos veces campeones defensores de la Serie Mundial, sobre los Mets de Nueva York y los Azulejos de Toronto, subcampeones de la Serie Mundial.
Puede rescindir el convenio después del segundo y tercer año.
“Obviamente, empezamos más bajo”, bromeó Andrew Friedman, presidente de operaciones de béisbol de los Dodgers. “No significa que tenga que estar dos, tres, cuatro años aquí. Podría ser más tiempo que eso. Que él nos elija cuando tenía otras opciones a más largo plazo y otras a más corto plazo, creo que habla del crecimiento y progreso que hemos hecho para crear un lugar de destino”.
El valor promedio anual de 60 millones de dólares de Tucker es el segundo más alto en la historia del béisbol, sin contar el dinero diferido, detrás de los 70 millones de Shohei Ohtani en su contrato de diez años con los Dodgers que se extiende hasta 2033.
“Realmente no había nadie que moviera nuestras probabilidades de la Serie Mundial para 2026 más que Kyle Tucker”, dijo el gerente general Brandon Gomes.
La firma de Tucker reavivó las conversaciones sobre la propuesta de la gerencia de un tope salarial en el contrato colectivo después de que los Dodgers añadieron otra estrella a una de las nóminas más altas del deporte.
“No prestamos mucha atención a eso porque operamos dentro de las reglas y hacemos todo lo posible para ponernos en la mejor posición, tanto a corto como a largo plazo, y no estamos pensando en cosas más macro fuera de eso”, expresó Friedman. “Se trata de cómo podemos ganar la mayor cantidad de juegos y ponernos en la mejor posición para ganar un campeonato en 2026 sin realmente comprometernos en el futuro y caer por el proverbial precipicio”.
Tucker jugará en el jardín derecho y probablemente bateará segundo o tercero en la alineación, dijo el manager Dave Roberts. Ohtani, quien típicamente encabeza la alineación, estaba entrenando en el campo del Dodger Stadium antes de la conferencia de prensa de presentación de Tucker. El dominicano Teoscar Hernández se moverá de la derecha a la izquierda.
“Esta organización de arriba a abajo es de primera clase”, comentó Tucker. “Será muy divertido competir con estos muchachos y competir por otro tricampeonato aquí con suerte”.
Tucker se puso una camiseta de los Dodgers con el número 23 junto a Roberts y Gomes. Usó el número 30 durante la mayor parte de su carrera con los Astros de Houston y durante su única temporada con los Cachorros de Chicago el año pasado. Roberts lleva el número 30 en honor a la estrella de los Dodgers Maury Wills, su mentor.
Tucker dijo que eligió el 23 en honor a su ex compañero de equipo en los Astros, Michael Brantley, quien usó ese número antes de retirarse en 2022. Ganaron la Serie Mundial ese año, aunque Brantley estuvo fuera durante la postemporada.
___
Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
New Jersey Governor Orders State To Accelerate Solar, Storage And Virtual Power Plants
New Jersey Governor Orders State To Accelerate Solar, Storage And Virtual Power Plants
By Robert Walton of Utility Dive
On her first day in office Tuesday, New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed executive orders seeking to freeze electricity cost increases, issue ratepayer relief in the form of bill credits, and increase distributed energy resources, including utility-scale solar and battery storage.
One order directed the state’s Board of Public Utilities to ensure bill credits by July 1 and to “consider pursuing a pause, abeyance, or modification of the schedule governing any proceedings in which electric distribution utilities seek approvals for rate increases or cost recoveries.” It also ordered the board to publish a study within 180 days of how to “modernize” the traditional electric utility business model, including opportunities to make utility revenue models “less dependent on capital spending.”
Another order focused on growing the state’s electricity supply and increasing efficiency. It directed regulators to initiate solicitations for solar and transmission-scale battery storage and to begin development of a virtual power plant program to be administered by electric distribution utilities and third-party suppliers in the state.
Sherrill, who made affordability and rising energy prices a focus of her campaign, said in her inaugural speech that the orders “will deliver relief to consumers and stop rate hikes.”
“This will also create the conditions to massively expand New Jersey’s power generation, because more power in-state will help lower costs,” she said.
Electric rates were a key issue in the governor’s race, particularly after bills spiked as much as 20% last year. Another increase is slated to go into effect this summer. The increases are a result of higher capacity prices in PJM’s recent auctions, which are held several years in advance and reflect both current and projected power demand.
Residential bill credits will rely on the same or similar funding sources used in August 2025 to provide credits, according to Sherrill’s first executive order. Last year, the BPU said all 3.9 million New Jersey residential ratepayers of Public Service Electric and Gas, Atlantic City Electric, Jersey Central Power and Light, and Rockland Electric would receive $100 in direct bill assistance.
PSE&G emailed a statement responding to Sherrill’s orders, saying “steps must be taken to safeguard long-term energy reliability and cost effectiveness for residents as New Jersey relies on imported electricity for more than 40% of its power.”
“We are confident that open dialogue and information sharing will lead to workable solutions,” the utility said.
Grid advocates hailed the governor’s focus on developing new sources of energy.
“These executive orders are tackling peak demand, unlocking customer-sited resources, and speeding deployment of solar and storage,” Katie Mettle, New Jersey state lead at Advanced Energy United, said in a statement.
According to the second executive order, the BPU has 45 days to initiate a solicitation “for qualifying solar facilities or solar facilities in combination with storage” under the state’s Competitive Solar Incentive program. Within the same timeframe, the BPU must also open 3 GW of capacity for registration under New Jersey’s Community Solar Energy Program, “endeavoring to expedite the registration process by any necessary and appropriate means.”
Regulators must also accelerate the development of grid-scale storage through the Garden State Energy Storage Program by holding a solicitation within 45 days, launching Phase 2 of the program within 90 days, and “thereafter establishing a specific tranche of capacity for electric distribution utilities to develop to support interconnection of distributed energy resources and grid stability.”
And, within 180 days, the BPU must begin development of a virtual power plant program that aims “to drive down peak demand by aggregating behind-the-meter distributed energy resources.”
“Virtual power plants are a proven, cost-effective way to lower peak demand, improve reliability, and put downward pressure on energy bills,” AEU’s Mettle said.
Allison McLeod, interim executive director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, said the group was “particularly encouraged” by the actions aimed at solar and battery storage development.
“These are two of the fastest, most affordable tools we have to bring energy online and stabilize our grid,” McLeod said in a statement. “While taking some pragmatic steps to lower emissions and increase efficiencies in the near term with our existing fleet, New Jersey is continuing to lay the groundwork for a truly clean energy future.”
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/21/2026 – 20:05
Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel leans on his Chicago experience as he pitches school reform in Washington
WASHINGTON — As he explores a potential White House bid, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel told a Washington crowd Wednesday the changes he oversaw in the city’s school system could be a model for the rest of the country, despite the significant blowback they caused.
Emanuel, a Democrat who left City Hall after two terms in 2019 and later served as President Joe Biden’s ambassador to Japan, said everyday Americans he spoke with in places like Iowa and Mississippi were eager to hear about his ideas to improve their schools.
He blamed both national parties for losing focus on public schools, saying Republicans are too eager to adopt vouchers for private schools while Democrats have lost their appetite for holding teachers and administrators accountable for student performance.
“The answer isn’t: vouchers over here, no standards over there,” he said. “Don’t abandon public schools and don’t abandon accountability.”
Emanuel spoke at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, emphasizing the need to stress phonics in early childhood education, to better prepare high school students for life after graduation and to expand ways for students to participate in their communities, whether through the arts, academics or their jobs.
Many of his ideas, which he has been touting in stump speeches and in national media interviews and op-eds, are rooted in his experience overseeing Chicago Public Schools, which was under direct mayoral control during his eight years in office.
He pointed to his efforts to offer universal pre-K, make kindergarten full day, lengthen school days and the school year, bring back recess, offer free summer tutoring and free community college admission to students with grades averaging at least a B.
But, of course, schools were a frequent flash point during Emanuel’s mayoral tenure. In 2012, the Chicago Teachers Union went on strike for the first time in 25 years, a seven-day stoppage that emboldened labor unions nationwide. Then in 2013, the Chicago Board of Education announced it would close 49 elementary schools and one high school program, most of them on the South and West sides, leaving a disproportionate impact on Black communities.
On Wednesday, Emanuel chafed at the idea that those experiences would dampen enthusiasm for his future educational plans.
“Come walk the streets with me in Chicago,” Emanuel said. “See how things are going and how they think about the past versus the present.”
“On the 50 schools, my life would have been easier if I had never touched that. Totally easier! I wouldn’t have had teachers (holding signs) outside my kids’ classroom,” he said. “My life would have been easier. But those kids in schools that people were fleeing, that were failing year in and year out, their lives were going to be miserable.”
And he said that improving Chicago Public Schools’ finances helped him in Springfield, where Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed off on favorable legislation for the school system.
“I ran so I could fix this public school system. And after I did that, the state gave the city of Chicago what no mayor had ever gotten in all seven of my predecessors’ requests: equal funding for the first time ever,” Emanuel said. “And our reading scores, our math scores, our graduation rates and our community college attendance all went up.”
“Was it easy? You find me a day where you do a big thing and everybody sings ‘Kumbaya,’” he added. “It was hard. It was harder leaving those kids in failure and walking away. So if you’re looking for someone to husband political capital, I’m not your guy.”
Emanuel also noted that the end of mayoral control over the Chicago schools came after he left office, following a longer CTU strike while Lori Lightfoot was mayor. Mayor Brandon Johnson, who succeeded Lightfoot, is a former CTU organizer. Illinois lawmakers in 2024 changed the selection process for Chicago Board of Education members from mayoral appointments to direct election. Half the board was elected in 2024, and the remaining seats will be on the ballot later this year.
Emanuel said the test of a good public official is to compare how things are when an official walks into office with how they are when they leave. In his case, he said Chicago schools were the “single worst public school system in America” when he came into office in 2011, but by the time he left, a Stanford education professor found they were the “single best of the top 100.”
When asked how he would compare American and Japanese school systems, Emanuel said the most striking differences were outside the classroom. He said that Japan’s family structure provided students with the support they needed to excel in their studies. In American society, that structure would most likely have to come from mentorships and other outside activities, he said.
“You want to know what’s beautiful, makes you want to cry with joy? Watching a 5-year-old walk eight blocks to school all alone,” the former ambassador added. “What I would have done as the mayor of Chicago to give a child back their childhood, thinking of their studies, not their safety … That to me is sublimely beautiful.”
Emanuel also reiterated his support for keeping kids under 16 completely off of social media, as Australia has done. He said the federal government needs to come to the aid of parents who want to keep their kids off of mobile devices, likening social media companies to the tobacco industry.
“It’s an addiction,” he said. “Our kids don’t have the moral foundation to handle that addiction. Either you’re going to stand up for parents, or you’re going to let Facebook raise kids.”
In Washington, Emanuel is well-known as a political strategist. He was a fundraiser for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, chief of staff to President Barack Obama, and as a U.S. House member, the architect of the Democrats’ 2006 effort to retake the chamber from Republicans during President George W. Bush’s second term.
On Wednesday, he advised Democrats in this year’s midterms to embrace the “change” theme that was central to both Bill Clinton’s and Obama’s messaging.
Emanuel said he agreed with Democratic leaders’ emphasis on “affordability,” but suggested it should be tied to a broader focus. The party should push to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour, which hasn’t been increased since 2009, as a contrast to billionaires accruing more rights. With electric bills rising due to demand from tech companies, he suggested Democrats propose a “ratepayers bill of rights.”
Emanuel said Democrats should also strengthen ethics laws to fight corruption among public officials.
Perhaps his most ambitious proposal — one that could require a constitutional amendment — was to impose a mandatory retirement age of 75 for all branches of government, including people serving as president, in the Cabinet, in Congress or as a judge.
“That screams change,” Emanuel said. The Democrats’ agenda can’t be disparate policies about grocery prices or other affordability concerns, he said. “It has to be under the rubric of: ‘We’re going to change Washington, and we’re going to focus on our priorities, not theirs.’ That’s what the Democrats have to talk about.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/21/rahm-emanuel-chicago-experience-school-reform/
Second Biggest Australian Pension Fund Trimming US Dollar Exposure
Second Biggest Australian Pension Fund Trimming US Dollar Exposure
It’s not just the Danes who are virtue signaling their adherence to a dying globalist world order by loudly liquidating their tiny allocation of US Treasuries, which as Scott Bessent correctly pointed out they were already selling anyway and amount to a rounding error in terms of total US holdings…
When U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was asked how concerned he is about European investors pulling out of treasuries, Bessent said at a press conference at the World Economic Forum: “Denmark’s investment in U.S. Treasury bonds, like Denmark itself, is irrelevant.”… pic.twitter.com/CP7ULKtzps
— CNBC (@CNBC) January 21, 2026
… overnight Australia’s second-biggest pension fund also said it is reducing its exposure to the US dollar through currency hedging as falling interest rates and ongoing global volatility have investors around the world reassessing their U.S. allocations.
Andrew Fisher, Australian Retirement Trust’s (ART) general manager of total portfolio management and resilience, told Reuters that the prospect of US rate cuts while some other major economies were expected to lift rates would weaken the dollar this year. Financial markets have already priced in 50 basis points worth of interest rate by the Fed in 2026, whereas rates are expected to rise in Japan and Australia and remain steady in Europe.
ART has A$353 billion ($237.39 billion) of funds under management and is the second-largest fund in Australia’s A$4.5 trillion pension system, known as superannuation.
Fisher said while ART was not reducing its U.S stock holdings, it was increasing its currency hedging position to reduce exposure to a forecast weakening greenback.
“The U.S. dollar seems to be the one place where I think the U.S. administration is going to get what it wants, which is a weaker dollar,” Fisher told Reuters in an interview on Monday.
“They made it clear they want the dollar to weaken. It’s hurting US competitiveness, and I think they’re going to succeed.”
Previously, almost all pension fund investors in U.S. equities would have very little currency hedging because the dollar was expected to rise on negative shocks.
A low-hedging strategy would insulate a fund because if the value of its U.S. stocks fell, it would be cushioned by the dollar also going down. ART holds about A$53 billion of U.S. stocks, according to the fund’s figures.
“We’re not going to change our allocation to U.S. equities, we’re just going hedge more of the U.S. equities and unhedge more of the other equities,” Fisher said.
“Our Japanese exposure might be fully unhedged and our U.S. exposure might be much more hedged than it has been in the past to try and get that balance right,” he said.
While the dollar traded near a six-week high last week, the currency has eased this week against the safe-haven yen and Swiss franc after US President Donald Trump threatened additional tariffs on goods imported from European nations that oppose his planned takeover of Greenland.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/21/2026 – 19:40
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/second-biggest-australian-pension-fund-trimming-us-dollar-exposure
Salah vuelve al once inicial y el Liverpool de Slot gana de nuevo en la Liga de Campeones
MARSELLA, Francia (AP) — Mohamed Salah fue reinsertado en la alineación titular del Liverpool. El equipo de Arne Slot ganó con facilidad nuevamente en la Liga de Campeones, 3-0 en Marsella el miércoles.
Fue algo así como un regreso a la normalidad para los campeones ingleses en una temporada extrañamente irregular en medio de la agitación con su superestrella egipcia, quien fue clave para su título europeo de 2019.
Liverpool extendió su racha invicta a 13 cotejos en el primer partido que Salah comenzó en ese tiempo, y en la primera oportunidad después de que regresó de la Copa Africana de Naciones.
Salah parecía un poco fuera de ritmo respecto de sus compañeros, no anotó y falló horriblemente con una clara oportunidad de tiro a los 83 minutos.
Aun así, Liverpool ya tenía el control desde el ingenioso tiro libre de Dominik Szoboszlai en el tiempo de descuento de la primera mitad. Jeremie Frimpong forzó un autogol del portero del Marsella, Gerónimo Rulli, a los 72 minutos, con un pase dirigido a Salah en el área. Cody Gakpo añadió un tercero en el tiempo de descuento.
Salah tuvo un mes turbulento en Liverpool —antes de ir a la Copa Africana de Naciones en Marruecos. La situación llevó a muchos fanáticos a preguntarse si la destacada estancia de nueve temporadas del jugador de 33 años en Anfield había terminado.
Slot había insinuado el martes que pondría a Salah directamente de nuevo en el equipo.
“Veamos la alineación mañana si todavía piensas que hay un problema”, anticipó.
Claramente había habido un problema después de que Slot dejó a Salah fuera tras una derrota en casa por 4-1 contra el PSV Eindhoven el 26 de noviembre, que culminó una sorprendente serie de derrotas.
Salah había dicho en diciembre que se sentía “echado a los leones” y que lo estaban convirtiendo en un chivo expiatorio —una explosión post-partido en Leeds después de pasar en el banco todo el duelo que su equipo empató 3-3.
Slot no tuvo más remedio que dejar a Salah en casa cuando Liverpool visitó al Inter de Milán el 9 de diciembre para un complicado juego que se ganó 1-0 con un penal tardío de Szoboszlai.
Salah ahora está de vuelta en el lado derecho del ataque del Liverpool con poca especulación de que podría irse. Quedan 11 días antes de que cierre la ventana de transferencias en la liga saudí, que parecía el destino más probable.
La victoria en Marsella elevó a Liverpool al cuarto lugar en la clasificación de la Liga de Campeones de 36 equipos, antes de la última fecha de duelos, el próximo miércoles.
Liverpool recibirá a Qarabag a continuación y parece estar listo para un lugar entre los ocho primeros para avanzar directamente a los octavos de final en marzo.
_____
Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Waste Of The Day: Texas Southern Univ. Spending, Inventory In Shambles
Waste Of The Day: Texas Southern Univ. Spending, Inventory In Shambles
Authored by Jeremy Portnoy via RealClearInvestigations,
Topline: Texas Southern University has no idea where most of its inventory is located, ignored safeguards meant to prevent overspending, and reported inaccurate information to the Texas Comptroller, according to a state audit released Dec. 31.
Key facts: University policy requires inventory to be physically counted every year, but a count has not happened since 2019, according to the audit.
Auditors randomly selected 60 pieces of property owned by TSU, and university employees were unable to locate 50 of them.
Every piece of property must have a “custodian” responsible for its care. Half of the university’s property either had no custodian or had a custodian who no longer worked for TSU.
The university’s purchasing system was equally disastrous. Employees need signed approval before making purchases to ensure the school does not spend more than its budget allows. But auditors reviewed 60 random purchases and found that not a single one had approval.
Purchases over $25,000 must include a written contract, but 77% of a random sample of purchases had no contract. When contracts did exist, they could often only be located after “extensive research,” and 97% of them had incorrect information.
The school’s reported expenses were “significantly inflated” because school employees recorded many purchases twice in the university’s accounting software.
The university’s financial statements from 2023 and 2024 were completed months after the state deadline and contained “significant errors,” including misstating how much the school spent paying back bond debt.
In a written response, TSU President J.W. Crawford III agreed with all of the audit’s findings.
Background: TSU is one of the nation’s largest public, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCUs. It received $111 million in state funding and $130 million in federal grants and contracts in fiscal year 2025.
TSU had not been audited since 2006, according to Crawford.
Both the auditors and Crawford blamed some of the issues on staffing vacancies in warehouses and the Information Technology department.
Financial records support that claim. Payroll data obtained by Open the Books and university financial statements both show the school’s payroll expense decreased between 2019 and 2024 — a rarity for any college or public entity. The nearby University of Texas at Austin, for example, increased its payroll by more than $500 million in the same timeframe.
Open the Books has not yet obtained Crawford’s salary. His predecessor, Lesia Crumpton-Young, made up to $434,000 in a single year.
Search all federal, state and local salaries and vendor spending with the world’s largest government spending database at OpenTheBooks.com.
Critical quote: “The results of the State Auditor’s report released today on Texas Southern University are beyond disturbing,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a statement. “The Governor, Speaker, and I have already taken action by putting a stop to any spending on any contracts other than ongoing university expenses to keep the school open.
“It is my hope, for the sake of the students at the university, that TSU can continue. However, to do so, dramatic and permanent changes must occur immediately to comply with state standards.”
Patrick also directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to investigate any potential criminal wrongdoing at TSU.
Summary: Any entity receiving hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer funding should be able to track how the money is being spent.
The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/21/2026 – 19:15
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/waste-day-texas-southern-univ-spending-inventory-shambles
