Category: News
First Brown University Shooting, Then MIT Professor Murder, Police Investigate Possible Link
First Brown University Shooting, Then MIT Professor Murder, Police Investigate Possible Link
Authorities on Thursday continued the search for the killer of a world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor and fusion energy physicist who was shot and killed inside his home near Boston earlier this week – a suspicious attack that occurred just days after the deadly shooting at Brown University.
MIT professor and fusion energy physicist Nuno F. Gomes Loureiro, 47, was pronounced dead at a local area hospital on Tuesday after being shot multiple times at his Brookline home on Monday night. The Norfolk district attorney’s office and local authorities said they had launched a homicide investigation.
“It’s not hyperbole to say MIT is where you go to find solutions to humanity’s biggest problems,” Loureiro recently said when he was named the new head of MIT’s Plasma Science Lab. “Fusion energy will change the course of human history.”
The murder of Loureiro occurred two days after the Brown University shooting, which took place fewer than 50 miles away.
Local media WPRI Rhode Island reports that investigators are now searching for a possible link between the two shootings.
Senior law enforcement sources say federal, state, and local authorities have uncovered evidence suggesting the two incidents may be connected, marking a major shift in the investigation. This contrasts with earlier statements from the FBI’s Boston field office, which said there appeared to be no connection.
At Brown, the gunman killed Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov. Cook served as vice president of the Ivy League school’s College Republicans. In both cases, the shooting suspects remain at large.
“Nuno was not only a brilliant scientist, he was a brilliant person,” Dennis Whyte, a fellow MIT professor, wrote in an obituary posted by the university.
Whyte noted, “He shone a bright light as a mentor, friend, teacher, colleague and leader and was universally admired for his articulate, compassionate manner. His loss is immeasurable to our community at the PSFC, NSE and MIT, and around the entire fusion and plasma research world.”
By midweek, Israeli news publication The Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli officials were examining intelligence suggesting a possible Iranian connection to Loureiro’s shooting death. The outlet cautioned that the assessment has not been verified and is not supported at this stage by official findings from U.S. investigative authorities.
Separately, The Times of Israel published a blog post by journalist Rafael Baptista, who wrote:
Imagine having unlimited energy. Cheap, clean energy. What would that do to entrenched interests and powerful monopolies? Think of the hole it would blow in the fossil fuel industry. And national security? If I were a Putin or a Khamenei, I wouldn’t be happy about a technological leap coming from his research. Even Israeli authorities haven’t ruled out Iranian involvement. A breakthrough like this would leave such regimes permanently behind. It would redraw the balance of global power.
The strange shooting deaths occurred just days apart and less than an hour away from each other at two of America’s leading Ivy League schools.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 12/18/2025 – 15:40
New Lenox business owners say cars returned after forfeiture are damaged
Greta Keranen, a New Lenox business owner, said she and her husband, Jeff Regnier, have used her dad’s truck for nearly three years to pick up their two children from school, make the commute to work and even to get to the Will County courthouse, where the couple has faced Illinois forfeiture law head on.
Keranen and Regnier, of Kee Construction and Kee Firearms, were charged with fraud and money laundering by the Will County state’s attorney’s office in 2023. As a part of investigations, their two Ford Broncos were seized by the state, along with investment accounts estimated to be worth $5.5 million at the time. When the couple bought two replacement cars, those two cars were seized as a part of investigations.
Will County Judge Brian Barrett ordered the state to return two of the cars and the investment accounts. The Will County sheriff’s office returned the two cars, along with some of the investment funds, Dec. 12, after an Illinois Appellate Court denied the state’s attempt to appeal Barrett’s order.
But Keranen and Regnier said when they picked up the cars, there were damages such as dents and wasp nests. They said they had to get the cars towed.
Regnier also said the state still owes them about $2 million for their investment accounts. He said the state wrote them a check for $4.4 million as payment for the investment accounts, but their financial adviser estimated the accounts would be worth $6.5 million in December.
He also said the state moved the account funds from Fidelity to the Will County Cooperative Assistance Team, according to an email submitted as evidence in court documents.
Assistant State’s Attorney Laura Byrne said Thursday her office does not have any information on the damage or the allegations being made and that if there are issues, the attorneys will handle accordingly.
The return of the last two cars was debated in a Will County court Wednesday, and the case is scheduled to resume Jan. 6 and 7.
Assistant State’s Attorney Dant Foulk called a witness Wednesday from Town Center bank, aiming to show the couples’ deposits in 2022 did not indicate they made $400,000 a month. The state claims Kee Construction did not make this income but that Regnier stated they did on forms used to buy two Ford Broncos in 2023.
Defense attorney Frank Andreano argued the bank statements were not relevant because the case concerned a loan the business owners made with Ally Bank in 2023.
Barrett expressed frustration in how long the case was taking, and said he hopes to wrap it up by Jan. 7.
While Keranen and Regnier have had some legal successes — being cleared of certain fraud charges in November and winning the forfeiture case that resulted in the return of two cars — they said their nearly three years in court have been eye-opening.
They said they have observed dozens of other forfeiture cases, which has exposed them to what they see as serious problems with Illinois forfeiture law.
“It’s all bigger than us, as much as it’s impacting us,” Keranen said. “The more I went to civil forfeiture court, my eyes opened that they’re not using it for its intended purpose, and I think that’s what the judges see. This is not what forfeiture is meant for; it is meant for blatant crime.”
The Illinois Money Laundering Act, which was used to take Keranen and Regnier’s property in 2023, allows the state to seize property linked to financial crimes, primarily through civil forfeiture, without convictions.
Under Illinois law, 65% of forfeiture proceeds go to the arresting agency, which in this case is either Will County sheriff or U.S. Secret Service, 12.5% goes to the state’s attorney, 12.5% to the state appellate prosecutor and 10% to Illinois State Police.
Keranen said it was hard to lose her car in 2023, which was how she got to work, and said she’s seen forfeiture affect other people in similar ways, such as a 19-year-old in court Wednesday, who said she needed her seized car to get to school.
Regnier and Keranen’s lawyer on the forfeiture case, Andreano, said Wednesday he specializes in forfeiture law and has seen people give up on their efforts to regain their property due to the time, legal jargon and the money it takes to fight back.
He called Illinois forfeiture law “policing and prosecuting” for profit because having funds from forfeited property go to the state appellate prosecutor gives them incentive for the use of forfeiture.
Keranen and Regnier filed a federal lawsuit in January 2025 claiming Will County authorities and the U.S. Secret Service targeted them and others with “frivolous” civil forfeiture cases, which is still pending.
The New Lenox couple still face another round of charges, including money laundering and filing a fraudulent Illinois sales and use tax return, first filed in 2023. These charges are scheduled for trial on March 2.
awright@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/new-lenox-kee-firearms-cars-damaged/
Los Dodgers, campeones de la Serie Mundial recibirán 484.748 de participación
NUEVA YORK (AP) — La participación de las ganancias que recibieron los Dodgers, campeones de la Serie Mundial, totalizó en 484.748, un aumento respecto a la cantidad que los jugadores de Los Ángeles se llevaron en 2024, pero aún por debajo de la cifra del ganador en 2022 y 2023.
La oficina del comisionado informó el jueves que el total del fondo de postemporada de casi 128,2 millones fue ligeramente inferior al récord de 129,1 millones en 2024. La cantidad anual del fondo se ve afectada por los boletos vendidos de los estadios.
Los jugadores de Los Ángeles votaron 82 participaciones completas y 12,5 participaciones parciales para un equivalente de 94,4 participaciones completas, además de 340.000 en premios en efectivo al dividir un fondo de 46,1 millones de dólares.
Houston recibió una participación completa récord de 516.347 en 2022, cuando los campeones Astros, dividieron su fondo en 59 participaciones completas, 14,14 participaciones parciales y 940.000 en premios en efectivo. Una participación completa en los campeones de 2023, los Rangers de Texas valía 506.263, y la participación completa de los Dodgers en 2024 fue de 477.441.
Los equivalentes de participación completa han aumentado en los últimos años. San Francisco tuvo 56,65 cuando ganó el título en 2014.
Todos los jugadores y managers elegibles para la Serie Mundial que estuvieron con el equipo o en la lista de lesionados desde el primero de junio o después obtienen una participación completa. Aquellos que no estuvieron con el equipo el primero de junio o después son elegibles para obtener una participación completa o un porcentaje de participación según lo votado por los jugadores de ese equipo junto con dos entrenadores atléticos certificados y un entrenador de fuerza y acondicionamiento.
Los coaches de entrenamiento de primavera, los scouts y el equipo de mantenimiento del campo son elegibles para premios en efectivo pero no para participaciones.
Ejecutivos como gerentes generales, asistentes de gerentes generales, directores de operaciones de béisbol, médicos del equipo y agentes de seguridad residentes no son elegibles para ninguna parte del fondo.
La participación completa para los campeones de la Liga Americana, los Azulejos de Toronto, fue de 354.118, justo por debajo de los 354.572 del año pasado para Yankees de Nueva York cuando perdieron ante los Dodgers en la Serie Mundial. Toronto tuvo 70 participaciones completas, 15.44 participaciones parciales y $508,500 en premios en efectivo.
___
Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Gobernador de Tennessee indulta a al astro country Jelly Roll
Por JONATHAN MATTISE
NASHVILLE, Tennessee, EE.UU. (AP) — El gobernador de Tennessee indultó el jueves al astro de la música country Jelly Roll por su pasado criminal en el estado, reconociendo el largo camino de redención del nativo de Nashville desde las drogas y la prisión a través de la introspección, la composición de canciones y la defensa de segundas oportunidades.
El rapero convertido en cantante, cuyo nombre verdadero es Jason Deford, ha hablado durante años sobre su búsqueda de redención ante diversos públicos, desde personas que cumplien condenas en centros correccionales hasta multitudes en conciertos e incluso en testimonios ante el Congreso.
El gobernador republicano Bill Lee emitió su perdón después de que amigos y líderes cívicos del músico nominado al Grammy se unieran en una muestra de apoyo.
Las condenas de Jelly Roll incluyen robos y delitos relacionados con drogas. Ha dicho que un indulto le facilitaría viajar internacionalmente para giras de conciertos y realizar trabajo misionero cristiano sin requerir trámites engorrosos.
Fue una de las 33 personas que recibieron indultos el jueves de parte de Lee, quien durante años ha emitido decisiones de clemencia alrededor de la temporada navideña. Lee dijo que la solicitud de Jelly Roll pasó por la misma revisión exhaustiva de varios meses que otros solicitantes. La junta de libertad condicional del estado dio una recomendación unánime no vinculante para el perdón de Jelly Roll en abril.
“Su historia es notable, y es una historia redentora y poderosa, que es lo que buscas y esperas”, dijo Lee a los periodistas, agregando que espera conocer a Jelly Roll por primera vez pronto.
A diferencia de los recientes indultos federales de alto perfil, que eximen a las personas de la prisión, un indulto en Tennessee sirve como una declaración de perdón para alguien que ya ha cumplido una sentencia de prisión y ha sido liberado. Los perdones ofrecen un camino para restaurar ciertos derechos civiles, como el derecho al voto, aunque hay algunas limitaciones bajo la ley estatal, y el gobernador puede especificar los términos.
Jelly Roll irrumpió en la música country con el álbum de 2023 “Whitsitt Chapel” y canciones que mezclan otros géneros como “Need a Favor”. Ha ganado múltiples premios CMT, un premio CMA y también ha recibido siete nominaciones al Grammy a lo largo de su carrera, tres de ellas recientemente.
Gran parte de su trabajo se ha asociado con superar la adversidad, como la canción “Winning Streak” que cuenta la historia del primer día sobrio de alguien. O la directa y al grano, “I Am Not Okay”.
“Cuando comencé a hacer esto, solo estaba contando la historia de mi yo roto”, dijo a The Associated Press en una entrevista reciente. “Para cuando lo terminé, me di cuenta de que mi historia era la historia de muchos. Así que ahora ya no estoy contando mi historia. Estoy sacándola directamente de los recovecos de las personas cuya historia nunca ha sido contada”.
Al presentar su caso ante la junta de libertad condicional, Jelly Roll dijo que se enamoró por primera vez de la composición de canciones mientras estaba preso, afirmando que comenzó como un proyecto terapéutico que “terminaría cambiando mi vida de maneras que nunca soñé posibles”.
Más allá de sus espectáculos con entradas agotadas, ha llevado su testimonio al Senado de Estados Unidos, donde testificó sobre los peligros del fentanilo, describiendo a su yo más joven traficante de drogas como “el hombre sin educación en la cocina jugando a ser químico con drogas sobre las que no sabía absolutamente nada”.
“Yo era parte del problema”, dijo a los legisladores en ese momento. “Ahora estoy aquí de pie como un hombre que quiere ser parte de la solución”.
Las condenas más serias de Jelly Roll incluyen un robo a los 17 años y cargos de drogas a los 23. En el primer caso, una conocida mujer ayudó a Jelly Roll y a dos cómplices armados a robar 350 dólares a personas en una casa en 2002. Debido a que las víctimas conocían a la mujer y Jelly Roll fueron arrestados de inmediato. Jelly Roll no estaba armado y fue sentenciado a un año de prisión más libertad condicional.
En otro roce con la ley, en 2008, la policía encontró marihuana y crack en su coche, lo que llevó a ocho años de supervisión ordenada por el tribunal.
Amigos y líderes cívicos respaldaron la solicitud de perdón, citando la transformación de Jelly Roll.
El sheriff del condado de Davidson, Daron Hall, quien dirige la cárcel de Nashville, escribió que Jelly Roll tuvo un despertar en una de las cárceles que él gestionaba. El director general y presidente de Live Nation Entertainment, Michael Rapino, citó las donaciones de Jelly Roll de sus actuaciones a organizaciones benéficas para jóvenes en riesgo.
La junta de libertad condicional comenzó a considerar la solicitud de perdón de Jelly Roll en octubre de 2024, lo que marca el plazo de cinco años del estado para la elegibilidad después de que su sentencia expiró. El prominente abogado de Nashville, David Raybin, representa a Jelly Roll en el caso para su indulto.
La oficina de Lee dijo que el jueves no se perdonó a nadie que tuviera una condena por homicidio o relacionada con delitos sexuales, ni por ningún delito cometido como adulto contra un menor.
___
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Waukegan D60 to become anchor solar farm tenant; Annual savings of $195K projected
Solar-powered electricity is receiving a boost in Waukegan with the Yeoman Creek Solar Farm clearing a final hurdle to providing reduced electric bills and the pending installation of solar panels on the roof of the Lake County Courthouse & Administration Building.
Ryan Libby, the director of subscriber acquisition for PowerMarket, which is registering subscribers for the farm, said the addition of Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 as the farm’s anchor tenant makes it possible to start serving customers.
“You have to be 50% subscribed before you can go live,” Libby said. “With 40% from the school district, it’s ready to go live. Subscribers should start seeing credits on their bill in February or March.”
The District 60 Board of Education unanimously approved a Subscription Agreement with PowerMarket to become the anchor tenant for the solar farm on Tuesday at the Education Service Center in Waukegan, potentially saving approximately $195,000 annually.
Embracing its own solar energy effort, the Lake County Board approved a project Dec. 9 to install solar panels on the roof of the building which connects the courthouse to the administration tower in downtown Waukegan, to supply 7.5% of the energy used there.
Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart said Tuesday that work on the installation of the panels will begin in the first half of next year as part of the county’s commitment to clean, renewable energy and a better environment.
“Our belief in clean energy is a commitment to clean air and the quality of life in Lake County,” Hart said.
As the anchor tenant, the district will receive 40% of the savings generated by the farm. Libby said it will amount to approximately $195,000 annually, but the number can vary depending on whether there is more or less sunshine over a specific period of time.
“It’s the equivalent of 7,764,000 miles driven or 13,113 trees planted and fully grown,” Libby said, referring to the environmental benefit generated by the farm. “It’s 3.5 million pounds of coal not being burned.”
LeBaron Moten, District 60’s deputy superintendent for operational supports and programs, said there is no specific designation for the use of the money saved. It may help with the needs of facilities, curriculum materials or a variety of other academic needs. There is a non-dollar value.
“It’s an opportunity for our students to be educated in the importance it has to the environment,” Moten said. “There is an educational component as they learn the value of clean energy over the years.”
Though Libby said all subscribers, including the school district, will start seeing credits on their Commonwealth Edison bill in February or March, so far 306 of 1,000 individual subscriptions are filled. There is room for 694 more Waukegan residents to take advantage of the opportunity. It is designed for low- and moderate-income families or individuals.
If applicants live in a U.S. Census Tract — 68% of Waukegan residents do — where the majority of residents are considered low- to moderate-income, Libby said they merely need to provide a copy of a recent ComEd bill. The other 32% must show they are in the low- or moderate-income category.
To qualify, Libby said an individual must earn less than $67,150 annually, a couple can earn up to $76,750 and a family of four qualifies if total earnings are less than $95,900. Individuals can apply online or by phone. The application process is bilingual, in English and Spanish.
Not only will the solar farm provide economic and environmental benefits to community members, but it will finally bring productive use to land that was once a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) superfund site.
Nick Alatzakis, District 60’s communications director, said in the mid-1950s, the district purchased the 45-acre parcel roughly bounded by Lewis, Sunset, Western and Glen Flora avenues, for a high school.
Moten said soil samples showed the land was unsuited for the building. Alatzakis said it eventually became a landfill, pollutants were dumped and the EPA said it was unusable. Moten said a solar farm became a possibility around 2011.
With the solar farm about to pay dividends to the school district and up to 1,000 households, the county will be starting its solar project to reduce its carbon footprint in Waukegan. Hart said there will be 417 panels on the roof of the building. The cost is just over $758,000. Completion is anticipated late next year.
“This is part of our commitment to have fully sustainable energy in our buildings by 2040,” Hart said.
Lake County Finance and Administrative Committee Chair Paul Frank said the project provides both an economic and environmental benefit. There will be a reduction in energy costs, enabling the project to eventually pay for itself and then create savings.
“It will improve our carbon footprint and energy efficiency,” Frank said.
Lake County also has solar installations at its Libertyville campus, including the Central Permit.
Facility and the Regional Operations and Communications Facility.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/waukegan-district-60-solar-farm/
Afternoon Briefing: Pope names Joliet bishop as new archbishop of New York
Good afternoon, Chicago.
Pope Leo XIV made his most important U.S. appointment to date today, naming a fellow south suburbanite as the next archbishop of New York to lead one of the biggest U.S. archdioceses as it navigates relations with the Trump administration and its immigration crackdown. Ronald Hicks, the bishop of Joliet, will replace the retiring Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a prominent conservative figure in the U.S. Catholic hierarchy.
During a news conference in New York this morning, Hicks noted he grew up in South Holland, which is right next to Dolton in the south suburbs.
“South Holland and Dolton might not mean anything to you, but Dolton is where our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, grew up and is from, and our houses are literally 14 blocks away from each other,” Hicks said.
Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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Neal Nuber of South Beloit watches the chemical fire at the Chemtool, Inc., factory in Rockton, Illinois, from the J. Norman Jensen Forest Preserve in South Beloit, Illinois, on June 14, 2021. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois among states with most cuts to environmental agencies, report shows
In the past 15 years, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has faced major budget cuts and a 21% decline in staffing, according to a recent report from the Environmental Integrity Project. Read more here.
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“Trans,” “Pride” and “Love” are spelled out on the ground during a family field day hosted by advocacy group Trans Up Front at Madison Meadows Park on Oct. 12, 2025, in Lombard. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
New Trump administration proposals could further reduce gender-affirming care for minors in Illinois
In a move that could further reduce gender-affirming care for minors in Illinois, the federal government is proposing rules that would strip Medicare and Medicaid funding from hospitals that provide such services. Read more here.
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Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis warms up for a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the United Center in Chicago on Dec. 17, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Column: Matas Buzelis has another quiet night in the Chicago Bulls’ loud victory over Cleveland
It started out with a bang when the Chicago Bulls won their first five games for the first time since 1996-97. But the season has since turned into a bust, and now the question of who will still be around after February’s trade deadline is being debated ad nauseam. Read more here.
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Chicagoan of the Year in Dance is Erin Kilmurray, a choreographer and dancer and the creative force behind the popular “Fly Honey Show,” on Dec. 8, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Chicagoan of the Year in Dance: Dancemaker Erin Kilmurray looks for what’s next after ‘Fly Honey’
For the first time in 15 years, Erin Kilmurray’s schedule doesn’t include “The Fly Honey Show.” The boundary-breaking, genre-defying, queer-affirming and femme-forward burlesque show won’t return in 2026. Read more here.
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President Donald Trump speaks during an address to the nation from the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House, Dec. 17, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
Takeaways from President Donald Trump’s address to the nation
President Donald Trump gave an 18-minute speech intended to defend his accomplishments in the first year, and argue that the “Golden Age” he promised in his presidential campaign last year was building steam. Read more here.
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Chicago Bears rule out WRs Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III for Saturday’s game vs. Green Bay Packers
The likelihood the Chicago Bears would be missing two of their top receivers Saturday against the Green Bay Packers became a reality Thursday.
Rome Odunze (foot) and Luther Burden III (ankle) were nonparticipants for a third straight day in Thursday’s final practice report and were ruled out for Saturday’s game at Soldier Field.
It’s the third straight game the Bears will be without Odunze, their leading receiver. Burden previously missed the Week 9 game in Cincinnati while in concussion protocol.
Coach Ben Johnson hinted that depth and special teams players likely will receive more playing time.
Return specialist Devin Duvernay played 10 snaps at wide receiver Sunday against the Cleveland Browns and had a 4-yard catch wiped out when the Bears accepted a Browns penalty.
Former training camp standout Jahdae Walker has been active for six games this season and has played only seven snaps on offense, including two during the first meeting with the Packers two weeks ago at Lambeau Field.
Maurice Alexander and JP Richardson have spent the entire season on the practice squad.
“I’ve been really pleased with that room,” Johnson said. “We’ve got some young guys in there that we were really impressed with throughout training camp that ended up on being on the practice squad.
“If called upon, I think they’ve done a great job soaking the offense in over the course of the season so far and being involved. … They’re in a great spot and I feel that way about all the guys that are either on the practice squad or have been primarily special teams players to this point.”
Meanwhile, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (groin) was upgraded to a full participant in Thursday’s practice, a sign he may be activated from injured reserve before Saturday’s game. The Bears listed Edmunds as questionable.
The injury report hadn’t come out before Johnson spoke to the media Thursday, but he said: “If we can get Tremaine back, it’s a huge bonus. He was playing tremendous football before the injury.”
Despite missing four games, Edmunds ranks first on the team in tackles (89), tied for second in passes defensed (nine) and third in interceptions (four).
“He’s a huge asset in coverage,” Johnson said. “Just because of how long he is, it’s hard to get the ball around him when we’re playing zones.”
Running back D’Andre Swift popped up on Wednesday’s report as limited with a groin injury, and he remained limited Thursday. He was listed as questionable, as was tight end Cole Kmet (ankle/knee) despite being upgraded to full participation.
Reserve linebacker and special teams mainstay Amen Ogbongbemiga was ruled out with a hamstring injury, and defensive end Joe Tyron-Shoyinka (personal) is questionable.
Full participants included backup quarterback Tyson Bagent (illness), defensive tackle Andrew Billings (illness) and running back/special teamer Travis Homer (ankle), all of whom carry no injury designation for Saturday’s game.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/chicago-bears-rome-odunze-luther-burden-out/
House Kills Bill On Blocking War With Venezuela
House Kills Bill On Blocking War With Venezuela
Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com
The House on Wednesday voted down a War Powers Resolution meant to block President Trump from launching a war with Venezuela without congressional authorization, as required by the Constitution.
The bill failed in a vote of 211-213, with nine representatives not voting. Just three Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the bill: Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA), and Don Bacon (NE). One Democrat, Henry Cuellar (TX), voted against the legislation.
The legislation would have directed the president to remove “United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.”
Before the Venezuela bill, another War Powers Resolution aimed at stopping President Trump’s bombing campaign against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific Ocean also failed. That bill failed in a vote of 210-216, with two Republicans (Massie and Bacon) voting in favor and two Democrats (Ceullar and Vicente Gonzalez (TX) voting against.
The votes came a day after President Trump declared a “complete and total blockade” on “sanctioned” tankers going into and leaving Venezuela, an action that’s widely considered an act of war under international law. President Trump and his top officials have also been clear that their goal is regime change.
“Do we want a miniature Afghanistan in the Western Hemisphere?” Massie, a co-sponsor of the bill, asked on the House floor before the vote.
“If that cost is acceptable to this Congress, then we should vote on it as a voice of the people and in accordance with our Constitution,” Massie continued.
Massie: Previous presidents told us to go to war over WMDs that did not exist. Now it’s the same playbook. Except we’re told that drugs are the WMDs. If it were about drugs, we’d bomb Mexico or China or Colombia. And the president would not have pardoned Juan Orlando Hernandez.… pic.twitter.com/5h296rYnPJ
— Acyn (@Acyn) December 17, 2025
“And yet today, here we aren’t even voting on whether to declare war or authorize the use of military force. All we’re voting on is a War Powers Resolution that strengthens the fabric of our Republic by reasserting the plain and simple language in the Constitution that Congress must decide questions of war.”
Several polls in recent months have found that the idea of the US going to war with Venezuela is extremely unpopular among Americans.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 12/18/2025 – 15:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/house-kills-bill-blocking-war-venezuela
Naperville News Digest: Budget includes money for Naperville’s Springbrook Prairie; World Mediation Day event being held Sunday at library
Budget includes money for Naperville’s Springbrook Prairie
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Board has approved a 2026 budget of $151 million, which includes habitat restoration work at the Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve in Naperville.
The budget represents a 5% increase over this year’s amended budget of $143.7 million, district officials said in a news release.
Included in the budget is $69.6 million to support capital projects designed to enhance facilities, improve infrastructure and restore natural areas, the release said.
In addition to habitat restoration work at Springbrook Prairie, other restoration work will take place at Egermann Woods and Hickory Grove in Lisle and Fischer Woods in Bensenville.
The budget provides for construction of the new Grounds and Natural Resources Management and Maintenance Campus in West Chicago, course improvements for Maple Meadows Golf Preserve in Wood Dale and interior restoration work at Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook.
The board is also planning trail, parking lot and roadway improvements throughout the district and to acquire land for open space.
The budget process began in the spring.
World Mediation Day event being held Sunday at library
Naperville residents are invited to take part in a United Nations-recognized World Mediation Day at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, at the Nichols Library, 200 W. Jefferson Ave.
Seating for the event begins at 1:30 p.m., organizers said. It’s free, open to all and requires no prior mediation experience.
Participants will join others from around the world in a live mediation session led by humanitarian and peace ambassador Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, streamed from New York City, organizers said.
Dec. 21 has been designated as World Mediation Day, a global initiative that highlights mediation as a tool for stress relief, emotional resilience and peace, organizers said.
Will County Health Department offering COVID-19 vaccine
The new 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine is available at Will County Health Department Immunization Clinics and the Will County Community Health Center.
Vaccinations are available for anyone six months old and older at the main office at 501 Ella Ave., Joliet; the eastern branch office, 5601 W. Monee-Manhattan Road, Monee; and the northern branch office, 323 Quadrangle Drive, Bolingbrook.
To make an appointment at any of the locations, call 815-740-8143.
The Will County Community Health Center, 1106 Neal Ave., Joliet, is also offering the COVID-19 vaccine for ages six months and older, county officials said. To make an appointment, call 815-727-8670.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/naperville-meditation-springbrook-dupage-covid-shots/
Apocalyptic Environmentalism Collides With Data Center Boom, Fuels Sky-High Mid-Atlantic Power Prices
Apocalyptic Environmentalism Collides With Data Center Boom, Fuels Sky-High Mid-Atlantic Power Prices
A combination of “apocalyptic environmentalism” and an explosion in data center power demand has left power markets in the Mid-Atlantic heavily strained, triggering a surge in power bills that is roiling working-poor families, middle-income households, and mom-and-pop businesses.
Democratic kings, operating under one-party rule in crisis-ridden Maryland, spent the week pushing ahead with a slavery reparations study instead of tackling the power bill crisis that is inflicting tremendous financial pain on working poor households across the central part of the state.
Maryland’s “apocalyptic environmentalism” – something we warned about 17 months ago – has helped create a fragile power grid that consumes roughly 40% more electricity than it generates, leaving consumers exposed to soaring power costs amid the rise of data centers being hooked up to the grid.
Left-wing lawmakers in Annapolis, fixated on a green globalist framework, ignored basic reliability planning for years. Utilities such as Exelon are now attempting to correct the power crisis by building new power plants, something that should’ve happened years ago. But the effort comes too late to close the power supply gap and to prevent skyrocketing regional power prices.
The latest power capacity auction run by PJM Interconnection, which operates the 13-state grid serving nearly one-fifth of Americans, particularly across the Mid-Atlantic, shows how sharply power generation capacity prices have exploded in recent years. Payments to generators active on the grid have surged to about $333.44 per megawatt day, up from a sub-$50 level in 2023.
Much of America’s data center power demand is coming from the Mid-Atlantic region, specifically from Data Center Alley in Northern Virginia and parts of Maryland.
“The amount of pressure on PJM is enormous,” Daniel Palken, director of infrastructure for energy and permitting at philanthropy Arnold Ventures, told Bloomberg.
Fixing Maryland’s power grid could have been done years ago and under the Biden-Harris admin, but Mid-Atlantic Democrats instead focused on implementing a globalist agenda centered on woke politics, illegal aliens, and green policies that stripped the grid of stable fossil fuel generation.
Now, Democrats in Maryland have spent this week more focused on slavery reparations than on power bills. This is what happens when far-left activists take control: their intent is not to fix problems but to advance ideology, regardless of the economic damage.
We’ve outlined the competing narratives at play from both political parties.
Let’s not forget the power bill crisis is mainly happening in Democrat-run states…
And as we’ve noted, Nvidia-backed startup Starcloud has entered the picture that will use SpaceX’s Starship rocket to blast data centers into low-Earth orbit to “bypass Earth-Based constriants.”
Tyler Durden
Thu, 12/18/2025 – 14:40
