Category: News
Germany’s Mittelstand Succession Crisis: Who Will Take the Reins?
Germany’s Mittelstand Succession Crisis: Who Will Take the Reins?
Submitted by Thomas Kolbe
Germany faces a massive wave of business transfers. The decline in entrepreneurship and self-employment has multiple causes; blaming the young generation’s supposed obsession with work-life balance belongs more to the realm of fables.
When a productive and market-successful company exits the competition, productive capital is lost irretrievably. Jobs vanish, supply chains collapse, and established customer relationships dissolve. Often, foreign competitors step in to occupy the freed market niches. Value creation is lost for the domestic economy.
KfW Panel Shows the Numbers
A recent survey by the KfW Mittelstand Panel shows that Germany confronts exactly this fundamental problem. A demographically driven succession crisis is emerging: over 57% of Mittelstand business owners are now over 55. According to KfW, around 1.1 million business transfers or closures will occur by 2029 due to age. The survey of 13,000 firms also shows that about one in four companies at risk is considering a full shutdown because no suitable successor or buyer is available to fill the vacancy.
Mathematically, the situation is stark: in coming years, roughly 114,000 business closures are expected annually, while only about 109,000 orderly successions occur. The net balance is negative. New business formation would be required to close the gap—an endeavor naturally difficult in Germany. The succession problem spans all sectors and company sizes, from small craft shops or bakeries to classic industrial Mittelstand companies. The pool of potential business transferors grows due to demographics, while the pool of successors continues to shrink—a classic demographic gap.
The Ifo Institute paints an equally sobering picture: around 42% of family businesses cannot find an internal successor. Young people increasingly avoid taking over existing companies, preferring well-paid employment with social security and avoiding the substantial risks tied to entrepreneurship.
A New Reality
What drives the growing succession problem in Germany? Just a few years ago, aging society and rising closures could be cited alongside productivity trends and a shrinking domestic market as natural reasons for a contraction in the economy’s supply side.
Today, however, Germany’s population has grown by several million in a few years due to migration policies. With shrinking economic output, Germans are increasingly trapped in a spiral of scarcity. Alongside eroding productivity and industrial decline, massive redistribution programs benefiting those who have never contributed productively push the country’s productive class into economic tight spots.
And honestly: who wants to take entrepreneurial responsibility in such an anti-business climate? A country where leading officials, from Lars Klingbeil to Bärbel Bas, even the Chancellor, openly attack entrepreneurs depending on the day’s mood—while a compliant press gives them carte blanche for all manner of rhetorical nonsense.
It begs the question: how has self-employment, once a cornerstone for innovation, family traditions, risk capital, and breaking stagnant markets, decayed so profoundly?
In principle, anyone pursuing a serious entrepreneurial vision pays little attention to political chatter or bureaucratic whim—but in Germany, beyond demographics and a lack of successors, politically engineered realities make takeovers and sales extraordinarily difficult.
Structural Obstacles
Inheritance law, nearing another reform, targets the substance of Mittelstand firms—more than a mere deterrent. In many cases, succession becomes economically unviable. Complex, multi-heir transfers are costly, liquidity-straining, and bureaucratically labyrinthine. Potential inheritors or buyers face an entire economic crisis environment, alongside internal cultural shocks in companies tied closely to their founders.
Succession processes often end in frustration because tax, inheritance, and corporate law link transfers to complex conditions, deadlines, and exceptions monitored for years. Restructuring, investment, or personnel decisions can jeopardize tax benefits and trigger retroactive liabilities. The economy shrinks, fiscal pressures rise annually—most recently via CO₂ levies and commercial tax hikes to cover municipal deficits. No recovery is in sight. Germany is only at the beginning of deindustrialization and structural collapse.
The Green Deal looms—a future-destroying program for the next generation, who will one day see “Fridays for Future” protests and climate activists as symptoms of a severe societal illness no one restrained.
Cultural Retreat
Zooming out, the social and cultural climate reveals another key issue: society has largely abandoned family traditions. The collapse of reproduction rates reflects even in entrepreneur families. Passing a business to children and integrating them early into operations is increasingly the exception.
This is symptomatic of a deeper problem: belief in economic futures has eroded. Prosperity was once a promise for achievement; today it is often merely a state-managed allocation problem—via subsidies or a welfare apparatus consuming about a third of GDP. Society appears frozen. State institutions and parties shield themselves from criticism by framing entrepreneurs as greedy.
Current discourse demonstrates that conservative values, generational thinking, and meritocratic consensus are essential for national economic advancement. Change will occur when society realizes that wealth cannot be printed or centrally planned; it requires individuals willing to invest creativity, diligence, and courage into innovative products and services demanded by free markets.
In short: the turning point comes when Germany sheds the rotten patina of state control and recommits to bourgeois values of freedom, family, and economic ascent. That is the pivot.
* * *
About the author: Thomas Kolbe is a Gerrman is a graduate economist. For over 25 years, he has worked as a journalist and media producer for clients from various industries and business associations. As a publicist, he focuses on economic processes and observes geopolitical events from the perspective of the capital markets. His publications follow a philosophy that focuses on the individual and their right to self-determination.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/13/2026 – 02:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/germanys-mittelstand-succession-crisis-who-will-take-reins
Crece la tensión en Minnesota con choques reiterados entre manifestantes y agentes federales
Por REBECCA SANTANA, MARK VANCLEAVE y STEVE KARNOWSKI
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Había un ambiente tenso en Minnesota el martes, después de varios días de manifestaciones contra agentes de inmigración. Las autoridades federales utilizaron gas lacrimógeno el lunes para dispersar a multitudes de activistas que hacían sonar silbatos, y líderes estatales y locales presentaron una demanda para combatir la campaña de redadas migratorias que llevó al tiroteo letal de una mujer de Minneapolis.
Las confrontaciones entre agentes federales y manifestantes se extendieron a lo largo del día y en varias ciudades el lunes. Los agentes emplearon gas lacrimógeno en Minneapolis cuando una multitud rodeó a agentes de inmigración que interrogaban a un hombre, mientras que al noroeste, en St. Cloud, cientos de personas protestaron frente a una calle de negocios dirigidos por somalíes después de que llegaran agentes del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE, por sus siglas en inglés).
Más tarde esa noche, estallaron confrontaciones entre manifestantes y agentes que custodiaban el edificio federal que se utilizaba como base para la campaña de redadas en las Ciudades Gemelas, como se conoce a las urbes vecinas de Minneapolis y Saint Paul.
El Departamento de Seguridad Nacional se comprometió a enviar más de 2.000 agentes de inmigración a Minnesota, en lo que el ICE ha descrito como su mayor despliegue hasta la fecha, y el estado, junto con Minneapolis y St. Paul, demandaron al gobierno de Trump el lunes para intentar detener o limitar el incremento.
La demanda presentada dice que el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional está violando la Primera Enmienda y otras protecciones constitucionales. Acusa al gobierno republicano de Trump de violar los derechos de libertad de expresión al enfocarse en un estado progresista que favorece a los demócratas y da la bienvenida a los inmigrantes.
“Esto es, en esencia, una invasión federal de las Ciudades Gemelas en Minnesota, y debe detenerse”, afirmó el fiscal general del estado, Keith Ellison, en una conferencia de prensa.
Seguridad Nacional dice que ha realizado más de 2.000 arrestos en el estado desde diciembre.
En los días desde que un agente del ICE matara a Renee Good al dispararla en la cabeza cuando estaba al volante de su camioneta se han producido docenas de protestas o vigilias en todo Estados Unidos para homenajear a la mujer de 37 años, madre de tres hijos, y criticar apasionadamente las tácticas del gobierno de Trump.
En respuesta a la demanda del lunes, la portavoz de Seguridad Nacional, Tricia McLaughlin, acusó a las autoridades de Minnesota de ignorar la seguridad pública.
“El trabajo del presidente Trump es proteger al pueblo estadounidense y hacer cumplir la ley, sin importar quién sea su alcalde, gobernador o fiscal general del estado”, dijo McLaughlin.
El gobierno de Trump ha defendido repetidamente al agente de inmigración que disparó a Good, diciendo que ella y su vehículo representaban una amenaza. Pero esa explicación ha sido ampliamente criticada por el gobernador de Minnesota, Tim Walz, el alcalde de Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, y otros, basándose en videos de la confrontación.
El gobierno también enfrenta una nueva demanda por una campaña similar de redadas migratorias en Illinois. Más de 4.300 personas fueron arrestadas el año pasado en la “Operación Midway Blitz” mientras agentes enmascarados barrían el área de Chicago. La demanda de la ciudad y el estado dice que la campaña tuvo un efecto paralizante, haciendo que los residentes tuvieran miedo de salir de casa.
La demanda busca restricciones en ciertas tácticas, entre otros remedios. McLaughlin la calificó de “infundada”.
Mientras tanto, en Portland, Oregon, las autoridades federales presentaron cargos contra un ciudadano venezolano que fue una de las dos personas baleadas allí por la Patrulla Fronteriza de Estados Unidos el jueves. El Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos dijo que el hombre usó su camioneta para golpear un vehículo de la Patrulla Fronteriza y escapar de la escena con una mujer.
Los dos fueron disparados y finalmente arrestados. Sus heridas no eran potencialmente mortales. El FBI dijo que no había video del incidente, a diferencia del tiroteo de Good.
___
Los reporteros de Associated Press Ed White en Detroit, Sarah Raza en Sioux Falls, Dakota del Sur, y Sophia Tareen en Chicago contribuyeron a este despacho.
___
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Small in stature, Reese Dumpit comes up big as St. Charles East snaps 15-game losing streak. ‘It feels great.’
Whew, did they need this.
Reese Dumpit understood the situation for St. Charles East. With the ball in his hands and the game clock winding down, the senior point guard wanted to make sure he didn’t let it slip away.
This mission? Accomplished.
“It feels great,” Dumpit said. “I love my teammates and coach for having trust in me to control the game at the end. It helped me finish that game.”
The Saints traveled Monday night to Bartlett looking to snap a 15-game losing streak. Getting a team-high 24 points from the 5-foot-6 Dumpit, St. Charles East held off the Hawks 73-59.
In the final 95 seconds of the nonconference game with a nine-point lead, the Saints (2-16) gave Dumpit the ball and he took care of it, making six straight free throws.
St. Charles East’s Reese Dumpit (3) puts up a shot as Bartlett’s Joey Cwik (2) defends during a nonconference game in Bartlett on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (James C. Svehla / The Beacon-News)
He made 1 of 2 on a fourth trip to the line, while senior forward Gavin Belli converted a layin with 10.8 seconds left that sealed a decision over Bartlett (5-14) that was a long time coming.
The Saints’ first win this season came in their second game, 50-43 over Schaumburg.
“Give Reese a lot of credit for finishing up,” St. Charles East coach Rob Klemm said. “He made his free throws, and the way Joey Cwik was scoring the ball for them, we needed those free throws to make sure we got that win.
“Cwik was playing really good basketball, so to keep him at a distance, making those free throws was huge down the stretch.”
St. Charles East’s Reese Dumpit (3) follows through on a shot against Bartlett during a nonconference game in Bartlett on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (James C. Svehla / The Beacon-News)
How good was Cwik?
Bartlett’s creative 6-1 senior guard erupted for 36 points to win the personal head-to-head showdown he and Dumpit had going.
“Joey’s a great player and I knew he would get his buckets, no matter what,” Dumpit said. “I tried not to let that get me down and stay up on the offensive side, stay good mentally for my team.”
He did just that — his 24 points being a career high.
St. Charles East’s Reese Dumpit (3) and Bartlett’s Joey Cwik (2) battle for the ball during a nonconference game in Bartlett on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (James C. Svehla / The Beacon-News)
“I know the whole team is happy about it,” Dumpit said. “We’ve had our struggles, but we’ve had no doubt that we were gonna overcome these obstacles.
“I think a big part of that is the togetherness in that locker room and how connected we are, how much of a family we are.”
Dumpit didn’t have to do it alone.
As he has much of the season, 6-7 sophomore center Liam Barrett came off the bench midway through the first quarter with the Saints holding a 14-9 lead after rallying from an early 7-4 deficit.
Barrett went to work, scoring on four straight possessions from inside to close the first quarter with an 8-3 run that gave St. Charles East a 22-12 lead entering the second quarter.
“Liam just came back this year,” Klemm said. “It’s his first season playing basketball since seventh grade. He’s coming on. He’s improved by leaps and bounds.
“He’s a hard-working kid who puts in a ton of work and has great energy. I was happy to see him take some steps today.”
Dumpit certainly noticed.
“I love it for the kid,” he said. “We love taking him under our wing, love seeing him develop. Nothing bad for that kid. He gave us a lift.”
St. Charles East’s Reese Dumpit (3) talks things over with his teammates against Bartlett during a nonconference game in Bartlett on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (James C. Svehla / The Beacon-News)
It was a 13-point margin at halftime, but nip and tuck the rest of the way.
Cooper Jensen, a 6-3 senior forward, helped Dumpit hold the line, dropping in 10 points and coming up one rebound short of a double-double with nine rebounds.
“We’ve been talking to Cooper about really learning to attack, to really be aggressive,” Klemm said. “He really did that.”
Small in stature doesn’t equate with Dumpit’s contributions, however, according to Klemm.
“He understands his limitations and uses them to become an advantage,” Klemm said. “He’s got incredible quickness and has a great in-the-lane and shot-fake-under move.”
His 3-pointer is lethal as well.
“That was a big win for us,” Klemm said. “We just had to break the streak.”
Leonard anota 35, Harden sube al 9no lugar en puntos de la NBA y Clippers ganan 117-109 a Hornets
INGLEWOOD, California, EE.UU. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard anotó 35 puntos y James Harden sumó 32 para colocarse en el noveno lugar en la lista de máximos anotadores de la NBA, y los Clippers de Los Ángeles vencieron 117-109 a los Hornets de Charlotte el lunes por la noche para su cuarta victoria en cinco juegos.
Jordan Miller agregó 14 unidades e Ivica Zubac tuvo nueve puntos y 11 rebotes para los Clippers.
LaMelo Ball anotó 25 y consiguió nueve rebotes para liderar a los Hornets en su tercera derrota en cuatro juegos. Kon Knueppel anotó 18 tantos, Moussa Diabaté tuvo 13 puntos y 15 rebotes, Brandon Miller también anotó 13 y Miles Bridges 11.
Harden, quien comenzó la noche a 14 puntos de los 28.596 de Shaquille O’Neal para el noveno lugar, anotó 13 en la primera mitad y luego avanzó con un triple al inicio del tercer cuarto.
Después de que un triple de Tre Mann le dio a Charlotte una ventaja de 100-99 con 7:18 restantes en el cuarto período, Harden anotó ocho puntos durante una racha de 15-1 que le dio a Los Ángeles una ventaja de 13 puntos 4:02 minutos después.
Los Hornets respondieron con seis puntos consecutivos para acercarse a 114-107 con 1:22 por jugar, pero eso fue lo más cerca que llegaron.
Leonard anotó 20 puntos con cinco triples en el tercer cuarto para los Clippers. Harden hizo dos tiros libres y una bandeja, y Leonard encestó un triple para una ventaja de 73-64. Ball anotó siete consecutivos mientras Charlotte se acercaba a uno con 2:21 restantes en el cuarto y tomó la delantera dos veces antes de que una bandeja de Miller justo antes del final del cuarto le diera a Los Ángeles una ventaja de 86-84 al entrar al cuarto.
___
Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Asking Eric: What is the kindest way to end friendships?
Dear Eric: What is the kindest way to end friendships?
In the past, I have prided myself on being a good, loyal friend and therefore have friendships that last a very long time, some spanning decades now. However, through therapy, I have become more in tune with how I feel when I’m around people.
I have a few friends with whom I consistently leave our interactions feeling drained and anxious. The primary reason I leave feeling bad is that these friends will often speak poorly of other people, so I am always wondering what they’re saying about me behind my back.
But more than that, I realize I also just don’t have strong “friendship chemistry” with them, despite knowing them for a long time.
All of this contrasts with other long-term friendships I have where I eagerly anticipate our get togethers and we spend the whole time either laughing or having meaningful conversations. I leave those interactions feeling seen and rejuvenated. My time is more limited these days and I really want to spend my energy on my family and relationships that bring joy (and no judgment).
More plainly, I just don’t want to continue these other friendships right now.
My issue is that I feel horribly guilty about this. These friends continue to reach out to invite me to events, dinners, one-on-one get togethers.
I’ve scaled back saying yes to the point where I can tell they’re a little confused, possibly hurt. Eric, these are people who I’ve been through a lot of significant life events with – weddings, breakups, deaths in the family, births of our children. They’re not bad people and I feel like I’m not doing right by them to just continue quietly slipping away. But what could I say that wouldn’t just make this situation more hurtful?
– End of Friendship
Dear Friendship: The hard truth is that a friendship breakup is likely to hurt no matter what. You can make it gentle or severe, but regardless your friends will have to mourn the relationship that was and process their feelings over what they had hoped to be. It’s not your responsibility to do that work for them.
However, treating this relationship transition with kindness, directness and respect is your responsibility. To that end, continuing to scale back without explanation is only going to prolong and perhaps exacerbate the hurt.
It may seem counterintuitive but saying something direct and definitive might be the kindest option because your friends won’t have lingering questions or get stuck filling in the blanks.
When you talk to them, express your gratitude for the friendship you’ve had and acknowledge the truth that you’re in a different place in life. People grow apart. We can often find our ways back to each other, but sometimes we need to just acknowledge the distance.
Dear Eric: I recently learned that my sibling placed a security camera at my parent’s home in a location where we often gather. This now means that every conversation is recorded. Sometimes those conversations involve parental care and finances. And sometimes, this gathering spot is a location where guests go to take phone calls or even to decompress and chat with people one-on-one.
Does the host have the obligation to disclose the location of these cameras? Should they be turned off during gatherings? I am not comfortable being recorded during private and personal conversations.
– Not Secure with Security
Dear Security: Depending on where you are, recording a conversation without the consent of all parties is illegal. In some states, it’s a felony. So, you and your sibling research the local laws and should take them into account as they figure out the best way to keep your parents safe.
Talk to your sibling about your concerns and questions. Where does this footage go? Is it stored locally or does it go to a cloud server maintained by a company? Who has access to it? Is it deleted at regular intervals? And, more importantly, is there a way to turn it off when people are gathering. That seems the easiest and most sensible option. If we’re talking about a sunroom, for instance, I can see the logic in monitoring it for intruders when no one is in it. But, like any other security system, it should be able to be programmed with a timer or manually turned on when folks go to bed or leave the house.
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Getting more information about how the system works will empower you, as a trusted family member, to help him and everyone else, wisely navigate it. And, for guests who aren’t part of the inner circle but might still want to avoid their conversations being recorded, you can also put up a sign to remind them that there is a security camera in use.
(Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/13/asking-eric-what-is-the-kindest-way-to-end-friendships/
Monk anota siete triples y 26 puntos en victoria de Kings 124-112 sobre Lakers
SACRAMENTO (AP) — Malik Monk encestó siete triples y anotó 26 puntos para ayudar a los Kings de Sacramento a sorprender 124-112 a los Lakers de Los Ángeles el lunes por la noche.
DeMar DeRozan sumó 32 unidades y seis asistencias para los Kings (10-30), quienes ganaron su segundo partido consecutivo después de una racha de siete derrotas. Russell Westbrook, quien jugó 78 partidos para los Lakers en 2023, añadió 22 tantos y siete asistencias.
Fue la primera victoria en casa de los Kings contra los Lakers desde el 13 de marzo de 2024.
Luka Doncic lideró a los Lakers con 42 puntos, siete rebotes y ocho asistencias. Fue el séptimo partido de la temporada con 40 puntos para el máximo anotador de la NBA.
LeBron James aportó 22 unidades al embocar ocho de 17 tiros, aunque falló los cinco intentos de tres puntos.
DeAndre Ayton anotó 13 puntos para alcanzar los 7.000 en su carrera. Jaxson Hayes añadió 12 unidades para los Lakers (23-11), quienes han perdido dos seguidos después de ganar tres consecutivos.
Los Ángeles tomó la delantera temprano, pero no pudo contener a un equipo de Sacramento energizado que no estuvo en desventaja durante los últimos 38 minutos. Sacramento venció a Los Ángeles por primera vez en tres partidos esta temporada.
Los Kings remontaron desde ocho puntos abajo en el primer cuarto para liderar 57-41 al final del segundo después del quinto triple de Monk en el juego.
James y Doncic mantuvieron a los Lakers cerca, combinándose para 38 de los 54 puntos de Los Ángeles en la primera mitad.
Los Kings comenzaron el tercer cuarto con una racha de 19-6 y abrieron una ventaja de 20 en camino a la victoria contundente.
___
Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Los iraníes logran hacer llamadas al extranjero mientras continúa el corte de internet por protestas
Por JON GAMBRELL
DUBÁI, Emiratos Árabes Unidos (AP) — Los celulares en Irán pudieron realizar llamadas al extranjero el martes, después de una campaña de represión de las protestas a nivel nacional en la que se bloquearon el acceso a internet y las llamadas internacionales.
Varias personas en Teherán pudieron llamar a The Associated Press y hablar con un periodista allí. La oficina de AP en Dubái, Emiratos Árabes Unidos, no pudo devolver las llamadas a esos números.
Los iraníes dijeron que los mensajes de texto no parecían funcionar aún, y testigos afirmaron que la conexión a internet seguía desconectada del mundo exterior.
Irán cortó el acceso a internet y las llamadas el jueves a medida que las protestas se intensificaban.
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, ha dicho que Irán quiere negociar con Washington después de su amenaza de atacar a la República Islámica por una represión de los manifestantes que, según activistas, ha dejado al menos 646 muertos.
El ministro iraní de Exteriores, Abbas Araghchi, dijo en una entrevista transmitida el lunes por la noche en Al Jazeera, una cadena de noticias satelital financiada por Qatar, que continuaba comunicándose con el enviado estadounidense Steve Witkoff.
La comunicación “continuó antes y después de las protestas y aún continúa”, dijo Araghchi . Sin embargo, “las ideas y amenazas propuestas por Washington contra nuestro país son incompatibles”.
La secretaria de prensa de la Casa Blanca, Karoline Leavitt, dijo que las declaraciones públicas de Irán divergen de los mensajes privados que el gobierno ha recibido de Teherán en los últimos días.
“Creo que el presidente tiene interés en explorar esos mensajes”, dijo Leavitt. “Sin embargo, dicho esto, el presidente ha demostrado que no tiene miedo de usar opciones militares si y cuando lo considere necesario, y nadie sabe eso mejor que Irán”.
Mientras tanto, manifestantes progubernamentales inundaron las calles el lunes en apoyo a la teocracia, una demostración de fuerza después de días de protestas que desafiaron directamente el gobierno del líder supremo de 86 años, el ayatolá Alí Jamenei. La televisión estatal iraní transmitió cánticos de la multitud, que parecía contar con decenas de miles, que gritaban “¡Muerte a Estados Unidos!” y “¡Muerte a Israel!”
Otros clamaban, “¡Muerte a los enemigos de Dios!” El fiscal general de Irán ha advertido que cualquiera que participe en protestas será considerado un “enemigo de Dios”, un cargo que conlleva la pena de muerte.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Connor Bedard hit with illness, is a late scratch in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers
Everyone — besides a healing Frank Nazar — participated in the Chicago Blackhawks’ Monday morning skate. Louis Crevier, Ilya Mikheyev, Arvid Söderblom and Spencer Knight all got their normal reps in.
Knight got his start on Monday after having to miss Friday’s game due to an illness that ran wild among the Hawks. The team won on Saturday in Nashville despite the circumstances behind Drew Commesso’s 37-save shutout.
Finally, Hawks coach Jeff Blashill got his healthy team back. It was perfectly timed, given the arrival of Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.
The bug then bit again right before puck drop. Connor Bedard was ruled out just minutes before the 7:30 p.m. start time.
The home team was forced to go another game without their star center. They only had about 30 minutes to prepare without the forward, and it definitely showed.
The Hawks (19-20-7) fell to the Oilers 4-1 on Monday. They’re now 5-7-1 in games without Bedard this season.
Spencer Knight of the Chicago Blackhawks looks on during the first period against the Edmonton Oilers at the United Center on Jan. 12, 2026. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
“No excuse for it, that’s disappointing,” team captain Nick Foligno said. “They got to their game better than we did, and then we were just off (on) everything, passes, shots and simple plays that we’ve made.”
It was a tough break for the center, who just returned from a shoulder injury on Friday against the Washington Capitals. He has two assists in Saturday’s 3-0 win at the Predators, increasing his season point total to 46 on the year.
As a result, the Hawks were dominated in their defensive zone and unable to get McDavid and company past the blue line. Edmonton had 35 shots in the game.
“You got to win puck battles (and) puck races to have any chance, and we didn’t do that early,” Blashill said. “You’re going to have zero identity when you don’t do that.”
Bedard’s absence may have thrown things off, but the Hawks won’t use that as the reason for the loss. They won their previous four without Bedard, so they know they can function without him.
“Obviously would prefer Connor in the lineup, we prefer Frank (Nazar) in the lineup, we prefer any of our great players in the lineup,” Foligno said. “The reality is when you don’t have them, you come together.
“Today, we allowed them to get to their game right away. We didn’t make them hard on them.”
Things weren’t pretty from the get-go for the Hawks. Edmonton did whatever they wanted in the Hawks’ defensive zone, but Knight (31 saves) was able to keep his team in the game.
The Hawks only put up five shots on goal in the first period. The second period was better with 12 shots, but Edmonton goaltender Connor Ingram (29 saves) kept the Hawks scoreless for a while.
“Spencer (Knight) kept us in it through that stretch, I thought the last five of the first and the rest of the game were not bad, and then we were really good in the third,” Blashill said. “Unfortunately, game isn’t 40 minutes long, it’s 60.”
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The Oilers were able to get past Knight with a ricochet from left winger Zach Hyman at 14:41 in the first period. Defenseman Evan Bouchard sent a soft shot that hit Knight’s skates and then into the net six ticks into the second period.
McDavid had two secondary assists on the night. It’s his 19th straight game with at least one point, scoring 44 points in that span.
Tyler Bertuzzi scored his 24th goal of the season at 14:46 in the third. Despite being outplayed all game, the Hawks were in a position for a miracle win.
“He’s a monster around the net,” defenseman Wyatt Kaiser said. “Any loose puck battles, he’s winning it (when) it’s bouncing to him.”
Added Blashill: “He’s a winning hockey player (that) does a lot of little things right. He’s playing great hockey because he’s really doing it at both ends of the ice.”
The Hawks emptied their net at the end of the third period, and any hope for a Hawks comeback win was dashed. Bouchard (19:07) and Leon Draisaitl (19:15) scored goals within eight seconds of each other.
Teuvo Teräväinen exited the game in the first period due to an “upper-body” injury. He’ll be evaluated on Tuesday.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/12/chicago-blackhawks-connor-bedard-illness/
Los celulares en Irán empiezan a poder hacer llamadas internacionales tras corte de internet por protestas
Associated Press
DUBÁI, Emiratos Árabes Unidos (AP) — Los celulares en Irán empiezan a poder hacer llamadas internacionales tras corte de internet por protestas.
El Pentágono adopta el chatbot Grok AI de Musk, envuelto en críticas globales
Por KONSTANTIN TOROPIN y DAVID KLEPPER
WASHINGTON (AP) — El secretario de Defensa de Estados Unidos, Pete Hegseth, afirmó el lunes que el chatbot de inteligencia artificial de Elon Musk, Grok, se sumará al servicio de IA generativa de Google para operar dentro de la red del Pentágono, como parte de un esfuerzo más amplio para alimentar con la mayor cantidad posible de datos militares a la tecnología en desarrollo.
“Muy pronto tendremos los modelos de IA líderes en el mundo en todas las redes clasificadas y no clasificadas de nuestro departamento”, dijo Hegseth en un discurso en el recinto de la empresa de vuelos espaciales de Musk, SpaceX, en el sur de Texas.
El anuncio se produce pocos días después de que Grok, que está integrado en X, la red social propiedad de Musk, generara indignación y escrutinio global por crear imágenes falsas muy sexualizadas de personas sin su consentimiento.
Malasia e Indonesia han bloqueado Grok, mientras que el organismo independiente de seguridad en línea del Reino Unido anunció una investigación el lunes. Grok ha limitado la generación y edición de imágenes a usuarios de pago.
Hegseth dijo que Grok estará operativo dentro del Departamento de Defensa a finales de este mes y anunció que haría “todos los datos apropiados” de los sistemas de tecnologías de la información del ejército disponibles para la “explotación de IA”. También mencionó que los datos de las bases de datos de inteligencia se alimentarían en los sistemas de IA.
El esfuerzo agresivo de Hegseth para adoptar la tecnología en desarrollo contrasta con la política del gobierno de Biden, que, aunque instaba las agencias federales a desarrollar políticas y usos para la IA, también se mostró cauta ante el mal uso. Los funcionarios dijeron que se necesitaban reglas para garantizar que la tecnología, que podría ser utilizada para vigilancia masiva, ciberataques o incluso dispositivos autónomos letales, se usara de manera responsable.
El gobierno de Biden promulgó un protocolo a finales de 2024 que ordenaba a las agencias de seguridad nacional expandir su uso de los sistemas de IA más avanzados, pero prohibía ciertos usos, como aplicaciones que violarían derechos civiles protegidos constitucionalmente o cualquier sistema que automatizara el despliegue de armas nucleares. No está claro si esas prohibiciones siguen vigentes en el gobierno de Trump.
Durante su discurso, Hegseth habló de la necesidad de agilizar y acelerar las innovaciones tecnológicas dentro del ejército, diciendo que “necesitamos que la innovación provenga de cualquier lugar y evolucione con rapidez y propósito”.
Señaló que el Pentágono posee “datos operativos probados en combate de dos décadas de operaciones militares y de inteligencia”.
“La IA es tan buena como los datos que recibe, y nos aseguraremos de que estén disponibles”, afirmó Hegseth.
El secretario de Defensa dijo que quiere que los sistemas de IA dentro del Pentágono sean responsables, aunque continuó diciendo que descartaba cualquier modelo de IA “que no te permita librar guerras”.
Hegseth expresó que su visión para los sistemas de IA militares significa que operen “sin restricciones ideológicas que limiten las aplicaciones militares legales”, antes de agregar que la “IA del Pentágono no será woke”, un término empleado por algunos conservadores para medidas que consideran demasiado progresistas.
Musk desarrolló y presentó Grok como una alternativa a lo que llamó interacciones de “IA woke” de chatbots rivales como Gemini de Google o ChatGPT de OpenAI. En julio, Grok también causó controversia después de que pareciera hacer comentarios antisemitas que elogiaban a Adolf Hitler y compartiera varias publicaciones antisemitas.
El Pentágono no respondió de inmediato a las preguntas sobre los problemas con Grok.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
