Bessent Reveals 10% Of US Budget Lost To Fraud, Signaling Musk Has Unfinished DOGE Business

Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/13/2026 – 12:05

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/bessent-reveals-10-us-budget-lost-fraud-signaling-musk-has-unfinished-doge-business 

Plans for an outdoor sports stadium at Larkin High School in Elgin moved forward Monday night with the District U-46 School Board tentatively signing off on $14 million in contracts for the project.

Pending final board approval on Jan. 26, contractors are expected to start construction on Feb. 9 with the goal of having it substantially finished by Sept. 4 in time for fall sports, which includes football, boys soccer and girls flag football.

Larkin, built in 1962 at 1475 Larkin Ave., has a track and practice fields but is the only one of the five U-46 high schools to not have an outdoor sports facility on its campus. The school’s football team initially played home games at Drake Field off Hastings Street and later moved to Elgin High School’s Memorial Field.

Wood Dale-based George Sollitt Construction Co. is to be awarded a $10.8 million contract to do the bulk of the work, which includes installation of a synthetic turf field with running track, home and visitor grandstands, press box, locker rooms, concession stand with restrooms, and a picnic shelter, according to district documents.

Georgia-based FieldTurf USA Inc. will be paid a little more than $1 million for the synthetic field turf and a running track, which will be sourced through a cooperative purchasing program, according to documents. Florida-based GT Grandstands, based in Florida, will receive $2.03 million for bleachers that will seat 2,314 people — 1,556 on the home side and 758 for visitors — and a press box.

Sheila Downs, U-46 assistant superintendent of operations, told the board that there are longer lead times right now for turf and grandstands.

“As we are bringing this to the board in January, we feel we are in a good position to have both the turf and the grandstands in time for the completion of the stadium project,” Downs said. “If there are any delays that would impact our plan, we would definitely relay that information.”

Documents state that while the project was originally estimated to cost about $12 million, the price tag is now closer to $15 million, according to consulting architectural firm Arcon.

The increase is attributed to additional requirements imposed by the city of Elgin in October during the planning and zoning review process, the document states.

Those include an upgrade to ornamental fencing along McLean Boulevard instead of the chain link fencing originally planned; construction of a brick building for locker rooms, a concession stand and restrooms rather than concrete blocks; and installation of additional landscaping sod along both sides of McLean Boulevard adjacent to the new fencing.

Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/13/larkin-sports-stadium-elgin-contracts-football/ 

‘Dilbert’ Creator Scott Adams Dies After Prostate Cancer Battle

Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/13/2026 – 11:45

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/dilbert-creator-scott-adams-dies-after-prostate-cancer-battle 

More than a year after Chicago police found Caitlin Tracey dead at the bottom of a stairwell in her luxury high-rise condo in South Loop, Tracey’s estranged husband was set to make his first appearance Tuesday morning in Cook County court to face murder charges.

Adam Beckerink, 47, faces two felony counts of murder for allegedly throwing Tracey, 36, over a railing on the 24th floor of the high-rise stairwell where building managers and police later found her dead, with her foot severed.

He was charged a year later, after a Cook County judge had already sent him to Michigan regarding a different domestic violence case that also stemmed from his on-again, off-again relationship with Tracey.

Tracey’s death drew headlines when, in November 2025, her parents successfully won custody of her remains after arguing in court both in Michigan and Cook County that Beckerink had a history of abusing her.

According to court records, Tracey had begun dating Beckerink, a tax attorney at a prominent law firm, in October 2022. Beckerink had a unit in the same downtown high-rise in Chicago that Tracey had lived in with her ex-husband prior to the divorce.

Tracey had filed for a court order of protection against Beckerink in 2023, accusing him of slapping her, punching her and choking her during two incidents in 2023, and throughout their relationship. She later moved to vacate the order after her parents said Beckerink threatened to sue her for defamation.

After the couple broke up, Tracey said in the order of protection petition, he continued to harass her, calling, texting or emailing some 20 times a day to see her, and calling her horrible names. The pair were married in the spring of 2024, but soon separated.

Beckerink was a tax attorney with Duane Morris LLP but was terminated after Tracey’s death became public. Tracey worked in human resources for a tech firm and had built a home in New Buffalo, Michigan, where the earlier domestic violence case had taken place.

In an obituary for Tracey, her family described Caitlin as “a force of nature — vibrant, bold, and always ready to make you laugh until your sides hurt” with a “sassy attitude, infectious energy, and unapologetic joy for life.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/13/chicago-man-charged-with-throwing-ex-wife-caitlin-tracey-down-loop-high-rise-to-be-held-pending-murder-trial/ 

Por TALES AZZONI

MADRID (AP) — Álvaro Arbeloa no intentará ser el nuevo José Mourinho en el Real Madrid.

El ex jugador del club habló públicamente por primera vez como su nuevo técnico el martes, sosteniendo que tiene mucho de Mourinho en él, pero que quiere inculcar su propio estilo al asumir su primer gran trabajo en un banquillo.

Arbeloa, quien venía desempeñándose como entrenador del filial Real Madrid Castilla, asumió las riendas en reemplazo de Xabi Alonso tras un tumultuoso período de ocho meses al mando.

Arbeloa jugó para Mourinho en el Madrid a principios de la década de 2010 y admitió que ha sido fuertemente influenciado por el entrenador portugués.

“Sabía que surgiría esta pregunta”, dijo Arbeloa en su primera conferencia de prensa como entrenador del primer equipo del Madrid. “Fue un privilegio y un honor ser entrenado por él. Tengo una gran relación con él. Influyó mucho en mí y lo llevo dentro.

“Voy a ser Álvaro Arbeloa. Es verdad que no tengo miedo al fracaso, no lo he tenido nunca, pero estoy seguro de que si quisiera ser él fracasaría estrepitosamente”, añadió.

Arbeloa dijo que no había hablado con Mourinho desde su nombramiento. Había dicho en el pasado que intentaba ser como Mourinho tanto como fuera posible, siempre siendo directo y sin miedo a mostrar un carácter fuerte.

Arbeloa expresó que quiere que el enfoque esté en los jugadores.

“Al final lo importante son ellos, que se puedan expresar, disfrutar en el campo y que sean felices”, manifestó. “Llevar este escudo es lo mejor que te puede pasar en la vida y es un privilegio enorme para todos. No me preocupa otra cosa que tener la ambición y la ilusión por ganar todos los títulos porque es lo que marca este escudo”.

En lo que llamó “un día especial”, Arbeloa también habló sobre su amistad con Alonso, antiguo compañero de equipo en el Madrid, Liverpool y la selección de España. También destacó que tenía la suerte de contar con Vinícius Júnior en el equipo.

Alonso y Vinícius tuvieron un enfrentamiento público, con el delantero brasileño quejándose a menudo después de ser sustituido por el exentrenador.

“Es una suerte contar con él porque es uno de los futbolistas más desequilibrantes del mundo y querido por la afición”, dijo Arbeloa. “Quiero ver a Vinícius sonriendo, disfrutando, bailando”.

Arbeloa manifestó que no estaba preocupado por tener que gestionar egos en un equipo que incluye a Kylian Mbappé y Jude Bellingham.

“No es algo que me preocupe mucho”, expresó. “Tenemos una plantilla con grandes futbolistas y son todos muy buenos chicos, no hay nadie más interesado en ganas títulos que los jugadores”.

Arbeloa dijo que habló con su “amigo” Alonso el lunes.

“Él me ha deseado lo mejor y al revés sería igual. Tenemos una relación de amistad que está por encima de todas las cosas. Ayer hablamos un buen rato y me deseó lo mejor”, señaló. “Yo también a él porque es un grandísimo entrenador y estoy seguro de que le va a ir muy bien en el futuro. Vamos a estar juntos siempre, como lo hemos estado todos estos años”.

Arbeloa ha estado con el Madrid durante 20 años y se considera cercano al presidente del club, Florentino Pérez. Al ser preguntado si podría estar en un rol interino, Arbeloa dijo que permanecerá en el trabajo mientras el Madrid quiera que se quede.

Jürgen Klopp, mencionado por algunos como un objetivo del Madrid para el verano, dijo al canal austriaco Servus TV, propiedad de Red Bull, el lunes por la noche que la salida de Alonso “no tiene absolutamente nada que ver conmigo” y que está “en el lugar correcto” con su trabajo de supervisión en los clubes de Red Bull.

Arbeloa asume el cargo con el Madrid en el segundo lugar de La Liga española, a cuatro puntos del líder Barcelona, tras llegar a la mitad de la temporada. El club se encuentra séptimo en la fase de liga de la Liga de Campeones.

El próximo partido del equipo será el miércoles en Albacete en los octavos de final de la Copa del Rey.

Despedida de Alonso

Alonso hizo sus primeros comentarios públicos el martes, diciendo que deseaba que las cosas hubieran sido diferentes. No mencionó a Pérez en su mensaje de despedida en Instagram.

“Concluye esta etapa profesional, y no ha salido como nos hubiera gustado”, publicó Alonso en Instagram. “Entrenar al Real Madrid ha sido un honor y una responsabilidad. Agradezco al club, a los jugadores y sobre todo a la afición y al madridismo su confianza y apoyo. Me voy con respeto, gratitud y el orgullo de haberlo hecho lo mejor posible”.

El Madrid dijo que Alonso se fue por mutuo acuerdo. La salida se produjo un día después de que el Madrid perdiera 3-2 ante el Barcelona en la final de la Supercopa de España en Arabia Saudí.

Alonso llegó en mayo pasado con grandes expectativas como reemplazo de Carlo Ancelotti y la presión aumentó a medida que el equipo padeció por cuajar un buen juego bajo su mando. Informes generalizados en los medios decían que había perdido el control del vestuario.

La mayoría de los jugadores publicaron mensajes agradeciendo a Alonso y deseándole suerte. Vinícius no fue uno de los que despidió públicamente al entrenador de inmediato.

Alonso estuvo al mando del Madrid en 34 partidos en todas las competiciones, con 24 victorias, seis derrotas y y cuatro empates.

___

Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/13/arbeloa-afirma-que-no-intentar-ser-el-nuevo-mourinho-en-el-real-madrid/ 

Por REGINA GARCIA CANO y MEGAN JANETSKY

GUANARE, Venezuela (AP) — La libertad llegó demasiado tarde para Edilson Torres.

El expolicía iba a ser enterrado el martes en su humilde pueblo rural tras su muerte en una prisión venezolana, donde estuvo incomunicado desde su detención en noviembre por lo que su familia dijo eran acusaciones con motivaciones políticas. Horas antes de la ceremonia, sus hijos, vecinos, policías, amigos y decenas de personas se reunieron para rendirle homenaje.

Torres, de 51 años, murió de un ataque al corazón el sábado, justo cuando su familia esperaba la prometida liberación de prisioneros por parte del gobierno tras la captura en Estados Unidos del entonces presidente Nicolás Maduro. Su muerte se produce mientras decenas de familias como la suya —que antes dudaban en acercarse a grupos de defensa— ahora se presentan para registrar a sus seres queridos como “prisioneros políticos”.

Alfredo Romero, director de la organización Foro Penal, una organización no gubernamental que rastrea y aboga por los prisioneros venezolanos, declaró que el grupo ha recibido muchos mensajes desde la semana pasada de parte de familias.

Romero, dijo que las familias antes no denunciaban por miedo pero ahora lo están haciendo porque, de alguna manera, sienten que existe esta posibilidad de que sus familias sean liberadas y lo ven como una esperanza o una oportunidad.

El jefe de la Asamblea Nacional de Venezuela anunció la semana pasada que un número significativo de venezolanos y extranjeros encarcelados en el país serían liberados como un gesto para buscar la paz.

Romero explicó que de las aproximadamente 300 familias que se acercaron, alrededor de 100 casos hasta ahora han sido confirmados como políticamente motivados. La mayoría de los reportados en los últimos días, dijo, trabajaron alguna vez para el ejército de Venezuela.

Hasta la mañana del martes, Foro Penal había confirmado la liberación de 55 prisioneros. Aunque el gobierno informó una cifra más alta de 116, no los identificó, lo que hace imposible determinar si los liberados estaban tras las rejas por razones políticas u otras.

Emelyn Torres lloró después de que el ataúd, cubierto con la bandera de Venezuela, llegara a su casa para el velorio. A pocos metros, su abuela casi se desmayó mientras decenas de personas se agolpaban en la sala para rendirle homenaje.

Horas antes, mientras una minivan transportaba el cuerpo de su hermano 430 kilómetros (267 millas) desde la capital, Caracas, hasta Guanare, Torres se enteró de que otros hombres vinculados al grupo de WhatsApp que llevó al arresto de su hermano acababan de ser liberados de prisión. Ella lloró. Él no vivió lo suficiente para caminar libre.

Entre los que han sido liberados están: la abogada de derechos humanos Rocío San Miguel, quien se trasladó inmediatamente a España; Biagio Pilieri, un líder opositor que formaba parte de la campaña presidencial de 2024 de la ganadora del Premio Nobel de la Paz María Corina Machado; y Enrique Márquez, exautoridad electoral y candidato presidencial.

El empresario italiano Marco Burlò, quien fue liberado de prisión el lunes, dijo a los periodistas fuera de un aeropuerto internacional en Roma el martes que estuvo aislado durante toda su detención, la cual caracterizó como un secuestro puro.

Marco indicó que no puede decir que fue abusado físicamente, pero estuvo sin poder hablar con sus hijos, sin derecho a defensa, sin poder hablar con el abogado y que estaba completamente aislado.

___________________________________

Janetsky reportó desde Ciudad de México.

___________________________________

Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/13/cientos-de-venezolanos-registran-a-familiares-como-presos-polticos/ 

An amendment to Senate appropriations legislation filed Monday by U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth would reverse proposed federal funding cuts to the Chicago Harbor Lock, the mechanism through which boats travel to sail between Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. 

President Donald Trump proposed a funding cut of more than 90% for the Harbor Lock in his fiscal year 2026 budget request. 

The Tribune reported last fall that the Army Corps of Engineers, which runs the lock, had requested $3.85 million for its operation and maintenance this year. But Trump’s proposed budget allocated less than $300,000 to the lock, which is one of the nation’s busiest. 

Funding for the harbor goes through the congressional appropriations process, and is part of the energy and water appropriations bill. 

Harbor Lock funding can get bumped up above the president’s budget proposal as part of the appropriations process. So far, that hasn’t happened. 

Last week, the U.S. House passed an appropriations “minibus” package that combined three different appropriations bills, including the energy and water bill. Congresspeople approved the spending package in a bipartisan vote of 397-28, and it now moves on to the Senate. In the version of the bill from the House, funding for the Harbor Lock was still less than $300,000. 

The amendment would provide $16.6 million in funding for the harbor, Durbin’s office said.

Durbin staff said the $16.6 million would match funding levels for the harbor from fiscal year 2024 and would provide funding beyond operations needs. Durbin’s office also said it was not uncommon for lawmakers to request funding at higher levels than what the Army Corps had requested if the status of funding for future years was uncertain.

Last fall, the Army Corps said it would be able to cover costs at the lock this year by using leftover operating funds from 2025 and reallocating some funds it had planned to use for electrical rehabilitation work. 

“While not ideal, USACE will have sufficient resources to cover the FY26 shortfall,” the Army Corps said at the time. 

However, the Army Corps said, the proposed cut “creates risks in future years” because “subsequent budgetary limits are based on an escalated five-year average of prior funding levels.” 

“Nestled along the city’s shoreline, the Chicago Harbor Lock is one of the busiest locks in the country as it safely shuttles through both commercial and recreational boats,” Durbin said in a statement. “A lock this large, one that our city depends on, should have access to the critical resources it needs to safely and efficiently run its operations.”

It’s not clear if the amendment, which would need approval by both the House and Senate, will succeed. Republicans hold majorities in both chambers and lawmakers are looking at a Jan. 30 deadline to fund the government to prevent a partial shutdown.

Durbin, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, was one of eight members of the chamber to controversially cross party lines and vote to end the government shutdown last fall. A Springfield Democrat, he is retiring in January 2027.

In a statement, Duckworth, also a Democrat, said the Harbor Lock “is essential for controlling flooding, managing municipal water supplies, moving goods to market and keeping our supply chains resilient not just for the region but for the nation.”

“We can’t fully reap these benefits if the Trump Administration continues to recklessly cut millions from Illinois’s infrastructure,” she said.

The Army Corps did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Harbor Lock, located just south of Navy Pier, functions like a water elevator, allowing vessels to travel between the difference in elevations between the river and the lake. 

The lock made headlines in September when U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents docked their vessels near it after they conducted a Chicago River cruise whilst armed with rifles. 

Durbin and Duckworth wrote a scathing letter to the Department of Homeland Security after that Border Patrol outing, writing that “the use of the Chicago Harbor and its infrastructure as a staging ground for armed Federal operations undermines public trust and risks politicizing Federal assets and agencies.” 

While the Trump administration has repeatedly used the threat to withhold federal funding as a political cudgel against Democratically-led cities and states, including in Chicago, insiders told the Tribune last year it was not clear whether or not proposed cuts to the Harbor specifically were politically motivated. 

A representative for the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, which represents Army Corps workers, said at the time that while the Trump administration’s motivations for cutting Harbor funding were not clear, “it’s impossible for us not to see the pattern” in how the administration has repeatedly targeted cuts for projects in blue cities and states.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/13/chicago-harbor-lock-funding-dick-durbin/ 

Former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore has joined her former colleagues in federal prison nearly three years after they were convicted in a scheme to bribe then-House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Pramaggiore, 67, reported Monday to a minimum-security prison camp in Marianna, Florida, about an hour’s drive west of Tallahassee, where she will serve her 2-year sentence, records show. A release date has not yet been calculated, but federal prisoners typically have to serve 85% of their time.

Pramaggiore’s report date was delayed several times, most recently due to hip surgery, court records show. She also fought to remain free pending appeal of her conviction, but was denied by both the trial judge and the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

Oral arguments in Pramaggiore’s appeal are expected to be set in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the Tribune reported last month that Pramaggiore has been paying a high-powered Washington lobbying firm to explore clemency options with the Trump White House. She also has a pending clemency filing before the Office of the Pardon Attorney, which vets requests for the Department of Justice.

In a statement Tuesday, Mark Herr, a spokesman for Pramaggiore, said “Every day she spends in federal prison is another day Justice has been denied.”

A onetime rising star in Chicago’s corporate world, Pramaggiore and three colleagues were convicted in May 2023 in an elaborate scheme to funnel more than $1.3 million and other perks to Madigan’s associates in exchange for help with the utility’s ambitious legislative agenda.

U.S. District Judge Manish Shah later tossed the convictions on underlying bribery counts due to a ruling by the Supreme Court in an unrelated case, but kept intact the main conspiracy count as well as guilty verdicts for falsifying ComEd’s books and records, which were charged under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

All of the so-called “ComEd Four” are now behind bars in separate prisons around the country, including: ComEd lobbyist and Madigan confidante Michael McClain, who was sentenced to 2 years; ex-ComEd internal lobbyist John Hooker, sentenced to a year and a half; and Jay Doherty, a consultant for the utility and former head of the City Club of Chicago, who received a 1-year term.

Madigan, 83, was convicted separately at trial last year and sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison. He’s serving his time in a low-security facility in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, and is not due for release until 2032, though he could be placed on home confinement sooner due to his age.

In handing down his sentence to Pramaggiore last year, Shah acknowledged her transformative leadership at ComEd and her history of charitable works, but said the evidence at trial showed she also participated in a nearly decade-long scheme that undermined the public’s trust in government.

“This was secretive sophisticated criminal corruption of important public policy,” Shah said. “When it came to Mr. Madigan … you didn’t think to change the culture of corruption. Instead you were all in.”

Shah also found that she had lied repeatedly during her testimony at trial, particularly in denying knowledge of the connection of ComEd’s no-work subcontractors to the powerful Democratic speaker and telling the jury she made no effort to cover it up.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/13/ex-comed-ceo-convicted-in-scheme-to-bribe-madigan-joins-onetime-colleagues-in-federal-prison/