Category: News
Akor Adams anota doblete tardío y salva al Sevilla de su quinta derrota consecutiva
MADRID (AP) — Akor Adams anotó un doblete en la segunda mitad, el segundo gol fue mediante un penalti en el último suspiro, para darle al Sevilla un empate 2-2 en casa contra el Elche y evitar que registrara una quinta derrota consecutiva.
El Sevilla llegó al partido sin haber marcado en sus últimos cuatro encuentros, y la presión sobre el entrenador argentino Matías Almeyda estaba aumentando.
El partido rápidamente pareció escaparse cuando el Elche tomó la delantera después de 14 minutos, con Aleix Febas disparando un tiro bajo al rincón inferior para su segundo gol de la temporada.
Germán Valera hizo el 2-0 al inicio de la segunda mitad cuando remató un disparo bajo a través de un mar de piernas después de que el balón fuera despejado de un tiro de esquina.
Pero Adams devolvió a su equipo al partido a 15 minutos del final cuando mostró rápidos reflejos para empujar el balón desde cerca después de que el balón rebotara en el poste.
Recién llegado de la Copa Africana de Naciones, el internacional nigeriano aseguró el empate dos minutos en el tiempo de descuento cuando ejecutó un penalti perfecto.
El Sevilla también había estrellado dos tiros en el poste. El resultado lo deja en el puesto 14 con 21 puntos.
El Elche es octavo, uno de los cuatro clubes con 24 puntos.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
This Could Be The Big One
This Could Be The Big One
Authored by weather observer Ryan Hall,
There are winter storms, and then there are storms that come from a real pattern shift. The kind that don’t just brush one region, but impact a big chunk of the country.
This upcoming setup is starting to look like the second type.
Over the last day or so, confidence has increased that we’re heading into a legitimate winter storm window late this week into the weekend. The signal is becoming clearer across guidance, and the ingredients are lining up in a way that usually gets my attention.
The Big Picture
A strong Arctic high is pushing into the central and eastern United States. This isn’t a quick shot of cold air. It’s a deep, dense cold dome that sets up first and stays in place.
At the same time, a southern stream trough is expected to eject out of the Southwest. That system will pull moisture northward over the top of the cold air already in place at the surface.
That overrunning setup is one of the more efficient ways to produce widespread snow, sleet, and freezing rain across the South and East.
About the Analogs
You may see comparisons to past storms like January 1988 or February 2010 being mentioned. It’s important to be careful with that.
No two storms are exactly alike, and analogs aren’t about matching totals or impacts. Where they can be useful is in highlighting similar large-scale processes. In this case, things like a strong southwestern trough, deep cold air already in place, and a steady moisture feed overrunning the cold dome.
In some respects, this setup has more cold air to work with and a broader moisture source than those events did at similar lead times. That’s why it stands out.
Days 4-5: Friday Focus
By Friday, attention shifts to the Southern Plains and the Lower Mississippi Valley.
Snow and mixed precipitation look increasingly likely from the Texas Panhandle through Oklahoma, Arkansas, and into parts of the Tennessee Valley. This part of the storm will likely feature a sharp gradient between snow, sleet, and freezing rain, especially near the southern edge of the cold air.
Small shifts in track or temperature profiles could have large impacts in this region.
Days 6-7: Weekend Evolution
As we head into Saturday and Sunday, the system is expected to move east across the Southeast, with the potential to turn northeast near the coast.
Cold air is already established well north of the system, which raises confidence that much of the precipitation will fall as wintry weather. The biggest question now is how far north the heavier precipitation shield extends and how much phasing occurs between northern and southern stream energy.
That will determine whether the highest impacts remain focused on the Mid-Atlantic or expand farther north.
What I’m Watching
Strength and placement of the Arctic high
Timing and amplitude of the southern stream trough
How quickly the streams interact
Placement of the rain-snow line
Icing potential along the southern edge
These details should come into better focus over the next few days.
Bottom Line
This is shaping up to be a potentially high-impact winter storm affecting a large portion of the Southern and Eastern U.S.
It’s still too early to lock in exact totals or specific cities. But it’s early enough to say this is a system worth taking seriously.
If you live from the Southern Plains through the Tennessee Valley and into the Mid-Atlantic, this is one you should be planning around, not ignoring.
We’ll keep refining the details as the data comes in. If the signal weakens, we’ll say that. But right now, this setup has the look of a storm that could end up being memorable.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/19/2026 – 18:00
Condenan a 40 años de prisión a exjefe paramilitar colombiano Salvatore Mancuso
Associated Press
BOGOTÁ (AP) — Un tribunal colombiano condenó a 40 años de prisión al exjefe paramilitar Salvatore Mancuso por crímenes cometidos contra comunidades indígenas del norte del país entre 2002 y 2006, con la alternativa de que su pena sea reducida a ocho años en caso de que acate compromisos de verdad y reparación, informó el lunes la fiscalía.
La nueva sentencia condenatoria llega luego de que Mancuso recuperase su libertad en el 2024, tras purgar más de 15 años de prisión en Estados Unidos por delitos de narcotráfico y algunos meses de prisión en Colombia por delitos asociados al conflicto armado interno, luego de que fuera deportado.
Mancuso ha sido acusado de miles de delitos, la mayoría cometidos cuando comandaba las extintas Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), como desplazamientos, homicidios, crímenes de guerra y de violencia de género. Sin embargo, en Colombia ha sido cobijado por la “Ley de Justicia y Paz”, creada en 2005 para cumplir con un acuerdo de paz entre el gobierno y los paramilitares comandados por Mancuso.
La nueva condena fue proferida por un tribunal de Justicia y Paz al concluir que paramilitares a su mando perpetraron “homicidios, desapariciones forzadas, desplazamientos forzados, casos de violencia basada en género y otras conductas ilícitas entre 2002 y 2006” contra indígenas Wayúu y otras comunidades que habitan en La Guajira.
Según la fiscalía, la condena condiciona la pena que finalmente recibirá a que Mancuso siga el “compromiso de atender las obligaciones” que tiene con la justicia especial para exparamilitares. Tras ser deportado de Estados Unidos, el exparamilitar alegó en su defensa que ya cumplió más de los ocho años de prisión pactados cuando negociaron la paz con el Estado en las cárceles colombianas y estadounidenses.
“Deberá reconocer públicamente su responsabilidad, arrepentimiento y compromiso de no volver a incurrir en la comisión de conductas punibles”, indicó la sentencia.
Actualmente, Mancuso cumple el rol de “gestor de paz”, una figura que permite que acompañe acercamientos de paz con grupos armados ilegales, incluyendo los de herencia paramilitar como el Clan del Golfo, el mayor cártel activo del país.
La designación como gestor fue realizada directamente por el presidente Gustavo Petro, primero de tendencia izquierdista en Colombia, quien adelanta una política llamada “paz total” que pretende acuerdos negociados con armados.
Petro cuestionó el lunes la voluntad de paz del Clan del Golfo al denunciar que están obstaculizando la entrega de tierras que los paramilitares quitaron a los campesinos. “Si así vamos, indudablemente el proceso está dañado”, indicó el mandatario en la red social X.
Gol de chilena de Kostoulas al final salva un punto para Brighton en empate 1-1 con Bournemouth
BRIGHTON, Inglaterra (AP) — El adolescente Charalampos Kostoulas salió del banco y anotó de chilena en el tiempo de descuento para darle el lunes a Brighton el empate 1-1 contra Bournemouth en la Liga Premier.
El internacional griego de 18 años recibió un pase de Jan Paul van Hecke, levantó el balón con el pecho y luego ejecutó una perfecta tijera desde unos 10 metros de distancia.
Brighton estiró a cinco partidos su racha sin perder y quedó en el 12º lugar en la Liga Premier League, tres puntos y tres posiciones por encima de sus rivales de la costa sur.
El equipo de Fabian Hürzeler comenzó bien pero perdió ímpetu. Bournemouth se adelantó con un polémico gol de penal a los 32 minutos.
Se consideró que el portero local Bart Verbruggen había cometido una falta sobre Amine Adli en el área y, tras una revisión de video, Marcus Tavernier convirtió el penal.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Legisladores opositores piden “libertad plena” para excarcelados en Venezuela
CARACAS (AP) — Un grupo de legisladores opositores, entre ellos el excandidato presidencial Henrique Capriles, pidió el lunes “libertad plena” para los detenidos por razones políticas que fueron liberados en semanas recientes en Venezuela y exhortó a las autoridades del país sudamericano a seguir con las excarcelaciones.
“Todavía faltan muchos” esperando ser liberados, pero contrario a los que ya están en las calles, las libertades de estos y las nuevas liberaciones “tienen que ser plenas”, dijo Capriles en una rueda de prensa, acompañado por los también diputados Antonio Ecarri, Stalin González, Luis Emilio Rondón y Tomás Guanipa.
Luego del audaz ataque militar estadounidense en la madrugada del 3 de enero, el gobierno de la presidenta encargada Delcy Rodríguez anunció la liberación de venezolanos y extranjeros como un gesto para consolidar la paz y la convivencia en el país. Durante la operación militar estadounidense Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026) fue sacado del poder y capturado junto a la entonces primera dama Cilia Flores.
Capriles afirmó que todavía los legisladores no han tenido a su disposición la lista de los excarcelados.
El proceso de excarcelación enfrenta críticas de familiares y organizaciones civiles que alegan falta de celeridad e información.
Según la organización civil Foro Penal, que monitorea la situación de los presos en Venezuela, hasta el domingo en la noche 143 personas habían sido excarceladas, de las más de 800 que se encontraban detenidos en la última semana de diciembre. Las liberaciones han continuado a cuentagotas, aseguró.
“Las liberaciones tienen que seguir, porque la única manera de poder construir la paz, de la que tanto nos dicen… es que no haya persecución, es que haya libertad”, agregó.
El 14 de enero, la presidenta encargada negó que el gobierno haya incumplido el anuncio realizado por su hermano y presidente de la Asamblea Nacional, Jorge Rodríguez. El miércoles pasado, indicó que “podemos decir que ya van, ya suman, 406 liberaciones previstas en estos días”. Acotó que continuarán las liberaciones.
Las autoridades niegan que existan “presos políticos” y acusan a los detenidos de conspirar para desestabilizar al gobierno.
Las autoridades no han dado a conocer el nombre ni el número de presos que tienen pensado liberar, lo que ha dejado a grupos defensores de los derechos humanos en busca de pistas e información, provocando una angustiosa espera de sus familiares, muchos de ellos a las puertas de las cárceles.
‘Unassuming star’: Steve Stone and Jim Kaat reflect on former Chicago White Sox teammate Wilbur Wood
Steve Stone referred to his former Chicago White Sox teammate Wilbur Wood as an “unassuming star.”
“He was one of those guys, just hand him the baseball, he kept on pitching,” Stone said during a conference call on Monday.
Stone and fellow pitcher Jim Kaat reflected on their time with Wood, who died Saturday at 84. Wood spent 17 years in the major leagues, including his final 12 seasons with the White Sox.
Wood utilized the knuckleball to become a dependable force. The left-hander made at least 42 starts in each season from 1971-75. He was a 20-game winner each season from 1971-74.
“It was amazing the years that he had,” said Kaat, a Hall of Famer who pitched for the Sox from portions of the 1973 season through 1975. “He went to the post every three or four days.
“(The workload) fit in well with Wilbur because it kept him sharp. Some days he’d pitch with two days’ rest.”
Wood led the majors in innings pitched in 1972 (376 2/3) and 1973 (359 1/3). He threw 300-plus innings four years in a row (1971-74).
Kaat added with a chuckle, “He probably could have pitched every day, other than his legs would give out a little bit.”
Stone and Wood were teammates in 1973 and again in 1977-78.
“Wilbur used to say to me that he had the best curveball on the team,” Stone said. “And I’d say, ‘Well, why don’t you throw it?’ He’d say, ‘No thanks, I’ll stick with the knuckleball.’ What I learned was, whatever you had as your best pitch, especially if you had one that was fairly close to unhittable when it was executed successfully, go with that pitch.
“A lot of people can throw the knuckleball, they just can’t get it over the plate consistently. Wilbur could do that. Wilbur could throw complete games. He could throw forever. A very valuable man to have on a team.”
Wood earned All-Star honors in 1971, 1972 and 1974.
“As Wilbur began to have success, the influence he had on the guys playing behind him is they knew they would probably get some action because Wilbur was not a strikeout pitcher like a Nolan Ryan,” Kaat said. “He was just a very dependable guy that the White Sox could look forward to going out there every three or four days and giving them six to seven innings.
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“Those years he had from a durability standpoint are just incredible.”
Wood finished with a 164-156 record and a 3.24 ERA in 651 career outings (297 starts) for the Boston Red Sox (1961-64), Pittsburgh Pirates (1964-65) and White Sox (1967-78).
“Wilbur showed just what a great weapon (the knuckleball) could be and how you could probably get an extra pitcher on your staff if you carried a guy who could pitch as many innings and as many starts and do all the things that Wilbur could do,” Stone said. “But then again, if everybody could do it, then everybody would be doing it because nobody could hit that pitch. And yet they can’t, so Wilbur made it into an art form.”
Stone said Wood was a “terrific teammate.” Kaat agreed, saying Wood was a “wonderful” teammate.
“A lot of people say you are one way when you come in the game and if you achieve any stardom, all of a sudden, you start to assume that the ‘life revolves around me’ syndrome that happens to some professional athletes,” Stone said. “Wilbur was the antithesis of that guy. He was a plain old guy who came in and had the ability to throw a knuckleball. He obviously got to where he was allowed to throw a knuckleball in the major leagues by throwing regular pitches along the way.
“He suddenly realized he had just adequate stuff, but the knuckleball made him special.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/19/chicago-white-sox-wilbur-wood-steve-stone-jim-kaat/
Martin Luther King event in Tinley Park honors late Park Forest Officer Tim Jones
A man who is being called a “super hero” won one of the most prestigious awards in Martin Luther King’s name.
Tim Jones, the Park Forest police officer who was shot in the line of duty in 2016 and died in December, was awarded the MLK Lifetime Achievement Award at the fifth Chicago Southland MLK Jr. Luncheon Monday at the Odyssey Golf Foundation in Tinley Park. The event was put on by the Victory Community Coalition.
More than 300 guests heard speeches, listened to uplifting music from the Southland College Prep Chorale and New Birth Chorale Ensemble and applauded and stood for a few award winners who continue the work and spirit of King.
Jones suffered bullet wounds to his head and his neck during an exchange of gunfire and survived after undergoing numerous surgeries before leaving a rehab facility more than a year after the shooting.
Park Forest Mayor Joseph Woods accepted the award for Jones, who is also known as “Tim Strong.”
“On behalf of the extended Tim Jones family, I proudly accept this esteemed recognition in his honor on this Martin Luther King Day,” Woods said. “Between mourning his death and celebrating his life … we know that Tim will forever remain in the hearts and minds of Park Forest residents and citizens throughout this land.”
Woods said Jones was a “super hero” who is being celebrated and “did not lose his life, he gave it to the entire community.”
“He was a real hero who fought with courage and with real super powers,” he said. “Yes, he’s a super hero because he defied that most basic human instinct — to run from danger. Instead, he ran to it.
“This fallen officer has risen to his commitment and his oath to serve and protect. This is the defining day that propels us to remember those who shall never be forgotten.”
Five others were awarded honors for their service to the community.
Southland College Prep Chorale members sing Monday during the Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon at the Odyssey Golf Foundation in Tinley Park. (Jeff Vorva/for the Daily Southtown)
The Bishop Arthur M. Brazier Award went to his son, Byron, who is the senior pastor of the Apostolic Church of God.
Alvin Bibbs, the founder and CEO of Justice Journey Alliance, and Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon won for being strong activists.
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Ieshia Gray won for her work at the Sauk Village Restorative Justice Community Court.
And Trayce Hutsona, the principal at Indiana Elementary School in Park Forest, won for her work in education.
Principal Tracye Hutsona of Indiana Elementary School in Park Forest gives a speech Monday after being given the education award at the MLK Luncheon in Tinley Park. (Jeff Vorva/for the Daily Southtown)
Plenty of dignitaries were present or spoke, including U.S. Reps. Raja Krishamoorthi and Robin Kelly, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, and state Sens. Karina Villa and Michael Hastings.
Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton made an unannounced appearance and praised the work of King and the event.
“This is love, justice and service in action,” Stratton said.
She said there is a parallel to when King stepped up to serve and the time people are living in now.
“We are at a crossroads in history,” she said. “Progress has come because ordinary people chose courage over comfort.”
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton addresses the crowd Monday at the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration luncheon at the Odyssey Golf Foundation Monday in Tinley Park. (Jeff Vorva/for the Daily Southtown)
Stratton said her father, Henry Wiggins, who died in November, marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965, one of the marches King participated in.
“He believed that change was possible with good people who refused to be silent,” Stratton said. “When he was asked why he marched, he simply said ‘I didn’t like how people were being treated.’
“That sounds familiar doesn’t it? This is our moment to choose courage over comfort and to choose faith over fear.”
Pastor Andrew Singleton of the Victory Apostolic Church thanked the hundreds for making the trek during weather with single-degree temperatures.
“I woke up this morning laughing,” Singleton said. “I was laughing to myself because it was 8 degrees. Even I don’t want to come. It’s cooold.”
Then he said it hit him that King’s birthday is celebrated in January and Black History Month events occur in February and it’s a good test of resolve.
“Those people who make it through this type of weather have perseverance,” Singleton said. “That’s what we want. It is cold times for the poor and the oppressed.
“We the church and we, the leaders of the land and the conscience of this country, must stand up for what is right and know that God has given us strength to make it through.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/19/martin-luther-king-tim-jones-honor/
Nico Paz anota dos goles pese a fallar un penal y Como vence 3-0 a Lazio en la Serie A
ROMA (AP) — El volante argentino Nico Paz facturó un doblete pero falló un penal y su Como venció cómodamente el lunes 3-0 a la Lazio en la Serie A, la tercera victoria consecutiva como visitante por el mismo marcador para el equipo dirigido por Cesc Fábregas.
La victoria también dejó a Como a solo dos puntos de la Juventus, ocupante del quinto lugar. La Lazio quedó en el noveno puesto con apenas una victoria en sus últimos seis partidos.
Martin Baturina anotó el primer gol a los dos minutos, aunque el mediocampista croata tuvo suerte de que su disparo se desviara antes de entrar en la red.
Paz brilló en el mediocampo con la elegancia que le valió el premio al Jugador Revelación del Mes de la Serie A en agosto y septiembre, y duplicó la ventaja de Como al promediar la primera parte con un zurdazo desde corta distancia.
El internacional argentino nacido en España vio su penal detenido a los 35 minutos, pero todas formas añadió un segundo gol cuatro minutos después del descanso.
Un exquisito taconazo de Baturina dejó el balón servido para que Paz rematase con precisión desde el borde del área.
Verona sigue en el fondo
Hellas Verona sigue anclado en el fondo de la liga tras un empate 0-0 en Cremonese a primera hora del lunes.
Giovane estuvo cerca de romper el empate para los visitantes, pero el empate extendió a seis partidos la racha sin victorias de Verona.
Verona está empatado con Pisa en 14 puntos y sigue en el último lugar por diferencia de goles. Ambos clubes están a tres puntos de Lecce y Fiorentina.
El punto elevó alCremonese tres lugares para ubicarse como 12do en la tabla.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
‘We choose to gather’: Valparaiso University celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day with song
With the sunlit blues, greens, and yellows of the multi-story stained glass windows of the Chapel of the Resurrection behind him, singer Wilfred Akanbi launched the Valparaiso University community into an emotional celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day with his performance of “Glory” on Monday morning.
The performance gave chills to rival the bitter single-digit temperatures that didn’t stop the community from filling the chapel as it has done on this day for over 30 years.
“Instead of taking this day off and reflecting on the cause in isolation, we choose to gather,” said Ryan Blevins, dean of students.
He told those gathered that this year’s celebration took its theme from a speech King gave in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1957 when he said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Blevins then gave the floor to VU’s 20th president, Rev. Brian Konkol, who told the audience, “We pause because there is power in the pause.”
Konkol spoke of the Lutheran tradition of freedom and said “neighbor” is not a noun, but a verb. He called on people to surround themselves not just with those who look and think like themselves.
Marissa Harris then treated the audience to another musical selection, “Rise Up,” in a secondary theme of musical performance that wove through the program. “I’ll rise up in spite of the anger and I’ll do it a thousand times again,” she sang. “The silence isn’t quiet.”
State Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary, accepts the 2026 Community Drum Major Instinct award from Dean of Students Ryan Blevins following her speech at the Valparaiso University MLK Day convocation program at the Chapel of the Resurrection on campus in Valparaiso, Indiana, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. Kim Boone-Johnson, director of counseling at VU and longtime friend of Hatcher, is at left. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)
Three readings excerpted from works by King, Bryan Stevenson, and John Lewis were performed by VU students, followed by a long, rousing rendition of “We Shall Overcome” performed by the VU CommUNITY Choir with accompaniment by the CommUNITY Choir Band. The singers, from young to old, exuberant to timid, started off the song with clapping and soon the audience was joining in.
Lisa Jennings was presented with the 2026 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award for her significant contributions of empathy, justice, and service. VU Gospel Choir Director Shantée Lewis sang “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” before keynote speaker, VU alumna, and Indiana House Representative for the 3rd District, Ragen Hatcher was introduced.
Her father Richard G. Hatcher was the first black mayor of a major American city, elected in 1967. Ragen Hatcher said the last time she was at the front of the chapel was when her late father, a law professor at VU Law School, hooded her upon her graduation. Like their father, Hatcher and her two sisters became lawyers.
She served as director of the Federal Tax Clinic her last two years at VU and said, “returning home is very personal.” Hatcher said King’s question of “What are you doing for others?” still demands an answer nearly 70 years later.
State Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary, speaks with President Rev. Brian Konkol during the Valparaiso University MLK Day convocation program at the Chapel of the Resurrection on campus in Valparaiso, Indiana, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)
“He knew that moral advancement is not inevitable,” she said, citing a slew of issues from assaults on civil rights to the erosion of diversity, equity, and inclusion, to the othering of immigrants. “Rights once secured are not permanently guaranteed.”
Hatcher said being a good neighbor is one of the most demanding, ethical commitments we can make. She cited her experience in the “super-minority” in the Statehouse as a personal example, “because rights are safeguarded only when good people choose to stand in the rooms where decisions are being made.”
She offered encouragement in the fact that her father served as campaign manager for Jesse Jackson’s two runs for the White House in 1984 and ‘88. He may not have won, but “20 years later, we welcomed the presidency of Barack Obama . . . Progress often begins long before it is recognized.”
She told the audience voting rights are under threat, educators are targeted for telling the truth, and immigrants are treated as threats instead of neighbors.
“These conditions are not accidental,” she said, and called on people to vote, teach, lead and listen, and “turn darkness into light by telling the truth.”
Delsue Minfield, 73, claps during the Valparaiso University MLK Day convocation program at the Chapel of the Resurrection on campus in Valparaiso, Indiana, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. Minfied, of Valparaiso, said her grandmother took part in the Bloody Sunday march in Selma, Alabama that ultimately spurred the passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)
Then she was honored with the 2026 Community Drum Major Instinct Award for “the human desire to be out front to lead.”
The program seemed to have the desired effect on the newest members of the campus community. “I really liked the musical selections that they did,” said freshman mechanical engineering major Mason de Bie, “especially the first one.”
“I really enjoyed it,” said freshman chemistry major Cooper Scroggin. “It made me feel inspired I could do something. It calmed me in a nice way.”
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Newsom Strains To Flip Script On California’s Failures
Newsom Strains To Flip Script On California’s Failures
Authored by Susan Crabtree via American Greatness,
It’s an odd predicament for a leading Democratic presidential contender.
Gavin Newsom’s biggest strength—political spin and performance come almost second nature to him—could also be his biggest liability as he strains to remake the tarnished image of the state he has governed for the last seven years.
Newsom, with his smooth-talking, rapid-fire responses and his attempt to out-Trump Trump on social media aggression, is everything Kamala Harris wasn’t in 2024. But neither Californian can easily shake the biggest millstone dragging down their White House ambitions. Their failed progressive policies have sullied the Golden State’s image, driving up prices, homelessness, and mismanagement. The failures have not only driven citizens away but are also likely to turn off voters in swing battleground districts as well.
California’s failures weren’t Harris’ biggest weakness in 2024—her word salads were. But the Golden State’s downward spiral was a close second.
As wildfire victims held vigils and prayer circles on the anniversary of the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires, Newsom on Thursday attempted to flip the script on California’s role as a GOP punchline.
In his final State of the State address after years of releasing videotaped remarks, Newsom cast Trump’s control of Washington as a “carnival of chaos” amid the Democratic furor over an ICE agent shooting and killing a woman in Minnesota. He then positioned California as a “beacon” of fairness and resistance to Trump’s heavy-handed rule.
Addressing the California legislature, which had just observed a moment of silence for the slain Minnesota woman, Renee Nicole Good, Newsom repeatedly pointed to Trump as a power-hungry threat to democracy who abused his power to call in the National Guard to quell unrest over ICE arrests and raids.
“The president believes that might makes right, that the courts are simply speed bumps, not stops. That democracy is a nuisance to be circumvented. Secret police, businesses being raided, windows smashed, citizens detained, citizens shot, masked men snatching people in broad daylight, people disappearing,” Newsom charged.
“None of this is normal,” he added.
After throwing out the red meat for the Democratic base, Newsom then set out to normalize California’s dizzying array of failures under his watch.
“The state is providing a different narrative—an operational model, a policy blueprint for others to follow,” he told state lawmakers.
Newsom’s defiant defense of his state as a shining example for others to emulate may come as a shock for those who haven’t been watching his reinvention as a social media agitator and leader of the national redistricting battle.
But Newsom’s attempt to go on offense on his biggest weakness—his policy failures—was his most audacious and sweeping thus far.
After mimicking Trump’s belligerent social media style, Newsom stole another Trump play, labeling the state’s critics as suffering from “California Derangement Syndrome,” a revision of the “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” which MAGA deploys to brush off condemnation.
“The declinists,” the pundits and conservative critics, simply don’t know the updated facts, Newsom asserted, arguing that they are working to “tear down, to try to attack all of our progress.”
Early data for 2025, he said, indicate a 9% decline in homelessness, the first drop after an explosion of unsheltered people in California. He failed to mention that from 2019 to 2024, under his watch, homelessness rose to 188,000, a net increase of 37,000, or 24%, even though the state spent roughly $24 billion trying to curb it.
“So, our investments paid off,” he claimed without an explanation.
Newsom acknowledged that the decline was “not good enough,” and more work needs to be done as long as big homeless encampments still exist in major cities around the state. He failed to mention the high number of homelessness deaths across the state that could be contributing to the 9% decline, as well as the danger of allowing any encampments to remain.
Just hours after the speech, a fire at a homeless camp in a Los Angeles suburb broke out, the second in the last two weeks.
Newsom also claimed credit for “double-digit decreases in crime” across California, without acknowledging that those figures are still higher than pre-pandemic levels in some areas and that property crime continues to plague major cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles.
While touting minor California successes, he often followed up by acknowledging that there is still “work to do” when it comes to bringing down housing costs, overall “affordability,” lowering crime rates, and improving fire insurance coverage.
Though he noted that he had debated whether or not to mention high-speed rail, another frequent target for fiscal conservative attacks, he hailed the $13.8 billion spent so far and progress on projects in the state’s agricultural Central Valley as one of the “great economic investments” in the region. Those lines, he said, “will make commute times shorter and make life more affordable.” He failed to mention that the project was launched in 2008, and more than 17 years later, no trains are running.
Newsom even touted California’s status as having the highest taxes of any state in the country, stressing that Democrats in the state had designed the most “progressive” system in the country, which he argued is far fairer for middle-class and low-wage earners.
“So, the question to all of you—who are the high-tax states? Just consider Texas. Just consider Florida, the two most regressive tax states in America,” Newsom said. “They’re hammering their low-income earners. They’re hammering them more than their wealthiest. Who are the high-tax states? California stands for fairness.”
California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin, responding to the address, cast Newsom as not only out of touch but also deranged.
“Governor Newsom told Californians that homelessness is down, crime is at record lows, schools are improving, and Los Angeles is recovering after the Palisades fires,” she said.
“Governor Newsom painted a picture of a California that exists in his imagination.”
Rep. Kevin Kiley, a Republican representing parts of Sacramento in Congress, assailed the address as pure gaslighting.
“For once, Newsom is right,” he said.
“California has led the nation during his tenure in homelessness, unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, gas prices, electricity costs, debt, and outmigration. That is the true state of our state.”
Kiley also provided a preview of the conservative line of attack that could haunt the governor leading into the 2028 presidential race.
“California, also, of course, leads the nation in fraud … Minnesota’s fraud scandals have just ended Tim Walz’s political career,” Kiley said.
“California’s should likewise end Gavin Newsom’s.”
Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/19/2026 – 17:10
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/newsom-strains-flip-script-californias-failures
