Category: News
Trump escribe textos partidistas sobre sus predecesores en el “Paseo de la Fama Presidencial”
Por MATT BROWN y BILL BARROW
WASHINGTON (AP) — Meses después de que el presidente Donald Trump transformó un pasillo del Ala Oeste en lo que llama el Paseo de la Fama Presidencial, el mandatario ahora ha añadido placas con textos partidistas y subjetivos a la exhibición, marcando aún más sus huellas en la decoración de la Casa Blanca y siguiendo con su intento por moldear la narrativa de la historia a su gusto.
Desde referencias a “Sleepy Joe” Biden hasta retratar al ícono republicano Ronald Reagan como un admirador del joven Trump, las placas incluyen un lenguaje rimbombante de estilo trumpiano.
Se trata del más reciente intento del republicano por dar forma a la Casa Blanca a su semejanza, un esfuerzo que ha ido desde la decoración del Despacho Oval hasta la demolición del Ala Este para la construcción de un enorme salón de fiestas.
Una placa introductoria informa a los visitantes que el Paseo de la Fama Presidencial fue “concebido, construido y dedicado por el presidente Donald J. Trump como un tributo a los presidentes pasados, buenos, malos y un tanto mediocres”.
La placa de Biden repite afirmaciones falsas de que el 46º presidente, un demócrata, asumió el cargo “como resultado de la elección más corrupta de la historia” cuando, de hecho, derrotó a Trump en 2020 tanto en el voto popular como en el Colegio Electoral. Biden también es descrito como “por mucho, el peor presidente en la historia de Estados Unidos”.
Otro demócrata, Barack Obama, el primer presidente de raza negra en la historia de la nación y el primer predecesor presidencial de Trump, aparece como “una de las figuras políticas más divisivas en la historia de Estados Unidos”.
La placa en el retrato del expresidente George W. Bush parece aprobar la creación del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional por parte del republicano, pero denuncia que “inició guerras en Afganistán e Irak, ninguna de las cuales debió haber ocurrido”.
La secretaria de prensa de la Casa Blanca, Karoline Leavitt, declaró que los textos son “descripciones elocuentemente escritas de cada presidente” y que “el propio presidente escribió directamente muchos de ellos”.
Biden no hizo comentarios sobre su placa. Los asistentes de Obama y muchos otros exmandatarios no respondieron de momento a correos electrónicos en busca de comentarios.
Trump transformó en septiembre la columnata que se extiende desde el Ala Oeste hasta la residencia de la Casa Blanca, colocando retratos con marco dorado de todos los expresidentes, con excepción de Biden. Trump, en cambio, eligió la foto de un “autopen”, una burla a la edad de Biden y sus afirmaciones de que Biden no estaba a la altura del cargo.
La exhibición se extiende por el muro de la columnata, entre la residencia de la Casa Blanca y la entrada habitual del presidente al Despacho Oval, lo que significa que Trump puede llevar a cualquiera de sus invitados preferidos, incluidos dignatarios extranjeros, en un recorrido por la exhibición con su interpretación de sus predecesores.
La placa introductoria también presume que la adición de Trump permanecerá intacta una vez que deje la presidencia: “El Paseo de la Fama Presidencial vivirá por mucho tiempo como testamento y tributo a la grandeza de Estados Unidos”.
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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.
Chicago Bears receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III sit out practice Wednesday
The Chicago Bears returned to the practice field Wednesday at Halas Hall but were without two of their top receivers in Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III. For the second day in a row, neither participated in practice, per the team’s official injury report.
Tuesday’s injury report was an estimate because the team didn’t hold a full practice. On Wednesday, however, the Bears were back to work and the receiving unit was short-staffed.
Odunze reportedly has been dealing with a stress fracture in his foot for several weeks. He played in every game this season before missing the Week 14 matchup in Green Bay. Then last week he attempted to return against the Cleveland Browns but reaggravated his injury in pregame warmups, causing him to miss his second consecutive game.
Bears coach Ben Johnson said this week that “all options are on the table” with Odunze and his foot injury. That could mean the Bears err on the side of caution with only three games remaining in the regular season.
For now, it means Odunze is not practicing.
Burden led the Bears with six catches for 84 yards Sunday against the Cleveland Browns before exiting with an ankle injury. The rookie second-round draft pick has steadily seen more playing time as the season progressed.
Johnson described Burden’s ankle injury as “day to day,” but the rookie has yet to practice this week. The Bears will practice again Thursday and will release one final injury report ahead of Saturday’s rematch with the Packers.
In other injury news, Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds has been back at practice this week after the team on Monday designated him for return from injured reserve. Edmunds has missed four games with a groin injury. He was a limited participant in practice Wednesday.
The Bears just worked linebacker T.J. Edwards back into the lineup. Edwards played a full workload of snaps Sunday against the Browns. Getting both Edwards and Edmunds back on the field at the same time would be huge as the Bears head down the home stretch. Edmunds is tied for sixth in the NFL with four interceptions.
Additionally, Bears linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga (hamstring) did not participate Wednesday. Tight end Cole Kmet (ankle/knee) and running back D’Andre Swift (groin) were limited participants. Swift had not been listed on the injury report Tuesday.
Quarterback Tyson Bagent (illness), defensive tackle Andrew Billings (illness) and running back Travis Homer (ankle) were full participants.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/17/chicago-bears-rome-odunze-luther-burden/
Consumo de drogas entre adolescentes de EEUU sigue bajo pero sube levemente uso de heroína y cocaína
Por MIKE STOBBE
NUEVA YORK (AP) — El uso de alcohol, nicotina y marihuana entre adolescentes se mantiene en niveles históricamente bajos, según los resultados de una encuesta nacional publicados el miércoles.
Sin embargo, los jóvenes consumen muchas bebidas energéticas. Y hay aumentos leves, pero preocupantes, en el uso de heroína y cocaína.
Pero en general, los hallazgos indican que los adolescentes están bebiendo, fumando y usando sustancias a tasas mucho más bajas que en el pasado.
Dos tercios de los estudiantes de 12º grado este año dijeron que no habían consumido alcohol, marihuana, cigarrillos o cigarrillos electrónicos en los últimos 30 días. Hace 30 años, antes de la aparición de los cigarrillos electrónicos, la cifra era más cercana a un tercio.
Entre los estudiantes de 10º grado, el 82% dijo que no había usado ninguna de esas sustancias recientemente. Entre los estudiantes de octavo grado, el 91% no usó ninguna de ellas. Ambos son récords para esas edades en la encuesta anual.
Los hallazgos también parecen reflejar otras encuestas que muestran continuas disminuciones en la actividad sexual adolescente, lo que los expertos dicen que se debe al menos en parte a que los adolescentes se conectan a través de teléfonos inteligentes y redes sociales en lugar de en persona.
“Las conexiones en línea no crean las mismas oportunidades para experimentar con el sexo, el alcohol o la marihuana como el tiempo cara a cara sin supervisión”, declaró Laura Lindberg, profesora de la Universidad de Rutgers que investiga el comportamiento sexual adolescente.
Douglas Smith, investigador de la Universidad de Illinois, señaló que las generaciones anteriores parecían más propensas a “ir al bosque y beber, o ir a una fiesta donde no había padres” para socializar.
“Ahora los adolescentes pueden estar en comunicación constante con sus amigos y pueden vivir una vida con sus amigos en el espacio virtual, sin usar sustancias”, agregó Smith.
Los nuevos resultados provienen de la encuesta Monitoring the Future, financiada por el gobierno federal y dirigida por la Universidad de Michigan. La encuesta anual ha estado operando desde 1975 y durante mucho tiempo se ha considerado una fuente principal de datos nacionales sobre el abuso de sustancias entre adolescentes.
Los hallazgos de este año se basan en las respuestas de aproximadamente 24.000 estudiantes de los grados 8, 10 y 12 en escuelas de todo el país. Se llevó a cabo de febrero a junio de este año.
El uso de drogas entre adolescentes ha estado disminuyendo gradualmente durante décadas y cayó drásticamente al comienzo de la pandemia de COVID-19, cuando los estudiantes no podrían asistir a las escuelas y tenían que evitar fiestas u otras reuniones.
Los expertos esperaban al menos un pequeño repunte a medida que se relajaban las restricciones de la pandemia, pero eso no ha sucedido.
Los resultados de 2025 no muestran aumentos en el uso de alcohol, marihuana, cigarrillos o vaporizadores de nicotina entre adolescentes en ninguno de los tres niveles de grado. En 2024, los investigadores habían notado un aumento en el uso de bolsas de nicotina, pero eso también se mantuvo estable este año, encontró la encuesta.
Las bebidas energéticas son tan populares como siempre, con un consumo diario reportado por el 23% de los estudiantes de 12º grado, el 20% de los de 10º grado y el 18% de los de octavo grado.
La encuesta también encontró un aumento notable en el uso de heroína.
El uso por parte de los estudiantes de 12º grado en los últimos 12 meses aumentó al 0,9% en 2025, desde el 0,2% del año anterior. El uso por parte de los estudiantes de 10º grado alcanzó el 0,5%, frente al 0,1%. Y el uso por parte de los estudiantes de octavo grado también aumentó al 0,5%, desde el 0,2%.
El uso de cocaína se mantuvo estable para los estudiantes de 10º grado, pero aumentó para los de octavo grado, al 0,6%, y para los de 12º grado, al 1,4%.
El uso de heroína y cocaína entre adolescentes está “muy por debajo de lo que era hace décadas”, pero los aumentos merecen un seguimiento cercano, indicó Richard Miech, líder del equipo de la encuesta en la Universidad de Michigan.
Hay otros posibles factores para la disminución general en el uso de sustancias entre adolescentes: esfuerzos para frenar el vapeo juvenil, impuestos sobre algunas sustancias y el hecho de que los adolescentes tienen menos probabilidades de conducir que en el pasado.
“Las vidas de los adolescentes son complicadas, y estos cambios no tienen una sola explicación”, dijo Lindberg en un correo electrónico.
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The Associated Press recibe apoyo para sus coberturas de salud y ciencia de parte del Departamento de Educación Científica del Instituto Médico Howard Hughes y la Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. La AP es la única responsable del contenido.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
DOD Flirting With Aviation Disaster: 2nd Near-Collision With USAF Tanker Off Venezuela
DOD Flirting With Aviation Disaster: 2nd Near-Collision With USAF Tanker Off Venezuela
Just one day after almost killing everyone aboard a passenger jet, the US Air Force narrowly dodged another near-disaster off the coast of Venezuela — this time with a business jet. For many, the two frightening incidents intensify a perception that the administration’s militarism against Venezuela is as reckless as it is unwarranted and unconstitutional.
For those who missed our reporting on the first near-disaster, on Saturday, a JetBlue Airbus A320 heading to New York’s JFK Airport from the Caribbean island of Curaçao was forced to take evasive action when the pilots suddenly found themselves staring down an approaching USAF refueling tanker at the same altitude and only two or three miles away.
“It was an air-to-air refueler from the United States Air Force…We had to stop our climb and actually descend to avoid hitting them,” the JetBlue pilot told air traffic controllers. “They don’t have their transponder turned on. It’s outrageous.” (A transponder is a device that helps make aircraft appear on the radars of controllers and other aircraft.) The controller replied, “I don’t have anything on my scope.” Here’s a reconstruction of that incident, overlaying radar and audio:
Now comes news that, on Saturday, the passengers and pilots on a Dassault Falcon 900EX business jet heading to Miami from Aruba had their own brush with death via an Air Force tanker. In this case, an air traffic controller alerted the Falcon pilot and directed him to a new course: “Turn right heading 020. An unidentified traffic, 12 o’clock, closing 10 miles, level not known.”
After spotting the aircraft, the rattled Falcon pilot informed the controller. “We just got that traffic. I don’t know how we didn’t get an RA for that,” he said, referring to a Resolution Advisory, a command generated by an on-board Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS). “They were really close — and you turned us into them.” The controller explained that the unidentified craft “keep[s] turning irregular.”
Trying to gather as much information as possible about the unidentified craft, the controller asked the Falcon pilot if he could discern its altitude or type. “Somewhere around 26 [thousand feet]. We were climbing right into him.. It was big, maybe like a triple-7, [767], something like that. It was a wide-body.” It’s not clear how CNN confirmed it was an Air Force tanker, but Russ Niles at AvBrief.com similarly concluded that it appeared to be a KC-46 tanker. While there’s no indication of how many were aboard the Falcon 900EX, it’s typically configured to carry 10 to 14 passengers.
In November, the Federal Aviation Administration warned US carriers about potential dangers from “heightened military activity” at “all altitudes” in and around Venezuela. “Threats could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight, the arrival and departure phases of flight, and/or airports and aircraft on the ground,” the FAA said in a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM). In response, several airlines cancelled flights in and out of Venezuela.
Seeking to rein in the administration’s widening military activity around Venezuela, resolutions are advancing in both the House and Senate that would bar the Pentagon from engaging in hostilities there without congressional approval. The House version, may be voted on as early as Thursday, counts Republicans Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Don Bacon among its cosponsors. Republican Rand Paul helped introduce a similar measure in the Senate, saying, “The American people do not want to be dragged into endless war with Venezuela without public debate or a vote. We ought to defend what the Constitution demands: deliberation before war.”
At the urging of long-hawkish Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump has ordered many aggressive moves in and around Venezuela:
Attacking boats purported to be carrying illicit drugs, killing at least 95 people. Compounding the controversy over using the military to summarily execute alleged drug offenders who likely weren’t even heading to the United States, at least one of the strikes included subsequent fire on survivors clinging to the wreckage.
Ordering a “total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela. That order on Tuesday came after last week’s interception and seizure of a tanker near the country’s coast, which prompted supertankers bound for Venezuela to make U-turns.
Repeatedly threatening land warfare, recently telling reporters that, following on the boat attacks, “very soon we’re going to start doing it on land too.”
Flying B-52 bombers near the coastline and F-18 fighters deep inside the Gulf of Venezuela.
Reportedly authorizing covert operations to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro, seemingly betraying his campaign promises to be a “peace president” and to resist the Deep State’s long-running obsession with regime change.
Blockading Venezuela and changing its government was never even mentioned by Trump 2024. Trump instead vowed no regime-change wars.
But the Cuban community in which Rubio was raised long craved using the US to take over Venezuela and then Cuba. And it makes Trump feel tough. https://t.co/kAeHi98Enj
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 17, 2025
Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/17/2025 – 15:20
Afternoon Briefing: Chicago’s Jewish community mourns Australia beach attack
Good afternoon, Chicago.
The 300 Illinois National Guard troops under Republican President Donald Trump’s control since early October — despite Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker’s objections — will remain federalized until mid-April, even though the Guard members have carried out no significant operational missions and have spent most of their time stationed at a northern Illinois base.
A spokesperson for the Pritzker administration and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth each told the Tribune that the Trump administration plans to keep the Illinois National Guard members federalized until April 15, and a Pentagon official said the troops would remain under federal control until that month. They were deployed to support the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement personnel participating in the Republican president’s deportation efforts in the Chicago area.
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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A singer performs during a menorah-lighting ceremony hosted by the Chabad Center for Jewish Life of the Loop and Gold Coast in Chicago’s Daley Plaza on Dec. 16, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
At menorah-lighting, Chicago’s Jewish community mourns Australia beach attack
Two days after an antisemitic assault killed 15 people at one of Australia’s most popular beaches, people packed into a corner of Daley Plaza to watch the public lighting of a towering menorah on the third night of Hanukkah. Read more here.
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The high-traffic retail location at 830 N. Michigan Ave. will feature a Chase branch at street level and a J.P. Morgan Financial Center on the second floor, a new concept being rolled out in select markets to serve affluent clients whose net worth exceeds $1 million. Read more here.
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Bulls guard Coby White brings the ball upcourt against the Hornets on Dec. 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Is it time for the Chicago Bulls to move Coby White? Is there still a market for Nikola Vučević?
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Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz, drummer Gustavo Cortiñas at the Jazz Showcase on Nov. 18, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
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President Donald Trump speaks during a Mexican Border Defense Medal presentation in the Oval Office of the White House, Dec. 15, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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President Donald Trump intends to preview his agenda for next year and beyond in a live speech from the White House tonight. His remarks are coming at a crucial time as he tries to rebuild his steadily eroding popularity. Read more here.
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Safonov ataja cuatro penales y PSG vence a Flamengo para alzar la Copa Intercontinental
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Matvei Safonov atajó cuatro remates consecutivos en la tanda de penales para que el Paris Saint-Germain sometiera el miércoles al Flamengo de Brasil en la final de la Copa Intercontinental y atrapar su sexto trofeo de 2025.
El arquero ruso fue lanzado al aire por sus compañeros después de su gesta en la tanda de penales que el PSG ganó 2-1 tras un empate 1-1 al cabo de la prórroga.
La consagración en Qatar completó 12 meses llenos de trofeos para el equipo francés dirigido por Luis Enrique. Ya habían conseguido el Trophée des Champions, la liga francesa, la Copa de Francia, la Liga de Campeones y la Supercopa de la UEFA, también por penales contra Tottenham en agosto.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia puso en ventaja al PSG a los 38 minutos antes de que Marquinhos cometió un penal que fue convertido por Jorginho a los 62 para el Mengão, que buscaba ganar un segundo título de la Copa Intercontinental después de 1981.
Flamengo conquistó los títulos de la Copa Libertadores y el campeonato brasileño en las últimas semanas.
Fue el primer título global para el PSG.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Netanyahu aprueba importante acuerdo de exportación de gas natural a Egipto
Por JULIA FRANKEL
JERUSALÉN (AP) — El primer ministro israelí, Benjamin Netanyahu, informó el miércoles que aprobó un acuerdo de exportación de gas natural a Egipto por valor de 35.000 millones de dólares, el mayor pacto de gas en la historia de Israel. El acuerdo también podría ayudar a reparar las relaciones entre los dos países que se tensaron por la guerra en Gaza.
El gas será entregado a Egipto durante los próximos 15 años por la gigante energética estadounidense Chevron, un propietario clave del campo de gas frente a la costa de Israel en el mar Mediterráneo. Se espera que la mitad de los ingresos vayan a las arcas del Estado de Israel.
En una declaración videograbada, Netanyahu expresó que el acuerdo “fortalece enormemente la posición de Israel como una potencia energética regional y contribuye a la estabilidad en nuestra región”.
Egipto, que limita tanto con Israel como con Gaza, ha sido un mediador clave entre Israel y el grupo armado palestino Hamás, en el período previo al alto el fuego mediado por Estados Unidos que se acordó en octubre. El Cairo también ha criticado la ofensiva israelí que ha matado a miles de palestinos y causado destrucción generalizada en Gaza.
Egipto no confirmó de momento el anuncio de Netanyahu.
El ministro israelí de Energía, Eli Cohen, un aliado de Netanyahu, había retrasado el acuerdo con Egipto alegando que los términos no eran favorables para Israel. Sus demoras llevaron al secretario de Energía de Estados Unidos, Chris Wright, a cancelar un viaje a Israel en octubre.
Sin embargo, Cohen estuvo junto a Netanyahu durante el anuncio del miércoles por la noche y manifestó que apoyaba los términos finales del acuerdo.
Israel descubrió importantes campos de gas natural frente a su costa mediterránea a principios de la década de 2000 y comenzó a exportar gas, primero a Jordania y luego a Egipto, hace casi una década.
Por otra parte, los legisladores alemanes aprobaron ampliar un acuerdo de defensa para el sofisticado sistema de defensa antimisiles israelí Arrow 3, informó el miércoles el Ministerio de Defensa de Israel.
La expansión eleva el valor del acuerdo de 3.500 millones de dólares a 6.500 millones, convirtiéndolo en el mayor pacto de exportación de defensa israelí de la historia, según el ministerio. Alemania decidió comprar el Arrow 3 a Israel mientras busca fortalecer sus defensas aéreas contra Rusia.
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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.
Border Patrol Cmdr. Bovino praises local police assistance in enforcement, argues with Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss
Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and dozens of federal immigration agents spent hours Wednesday driving around Chicago and the suburbs, appearing to make minimal arrests but facing continued pushback from enraged community members.
Bovino spoke with a Tribune photographer at a Home Depot in Evanston around noon. He said he’s “taking criminals off the street” and that “luckily we’re, for the first time, receiving some assistance from both Chicago PD and Evanston Police Department.”
“I think probably they’re learning a little bit from Louisiana how an orderly safe enforcement action works, and this what we’re after, is an orderly safe enforcement action,” Bovino said.
Although Bovino did not say what kind of assistance police had given them, Chicago’s self-declared “sanctuary city” status and the Illinois TRUST Act both generally prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from assisting federal agents with immigration enforcement. The Chicago Police Department said in a statement that they did not assist federal authorities with immigration enforcement and that they had been responding to a call from a federal agent who said another vehicle was “attempting to ram them.” The Evanston Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Minutes later, Bovino started arguing with Evanston mayor and congressional candidate Daniel Biss at the store’s parking lot about whether the agents had a warrant to conduct arrests. Bystanders continued yelling and blowing whistles as agents loaded a man in a black hoodie into their vans.
Roughly 100 people surrounded the convoy near a PetSmart, chanting “shame” and demanding agents provide their identities. Residents also blew whistles and hurled insults at the officers at a gas station earlier in the day.
“You are not authorized to remove our residents without any warrant,” Biss said.
“I am. They’re not residents. They’re illegal aliens, that’s not a resident,” Bovino replied. “Don’t use that type of language, Mr. Mayor, that’s the wrong language.”
Biss said he didn’t personally see Evanston police blocking residents from protesting the agents. He said police don’t help or facilitate the agents’ actions, rather that they “keep the peace.”
“I think it’s important in these volatile environments to have actual law enforcement who are interested in public safety, like EPD, as opposed to the ICE and CBP folks,” Biss told the Tribune. “It’s a tragedy that they’re keeping people safe from our federal government.”
To the Tribune, Bovino called the crowd of protestors a “mob.” He said he’s here for the “taxpayer Ma and Pa America” for a “legal, ethical and moral mission.”
Wednesday marks the second day in a row that masked federal immigration agents combed the city and suburbs for a return of force. A federal source told the Tribune that at least 100 agents, Bovino included, were active in the Chicago area for its latest wave of enforcement activity, which comes about a month after the Border Patrol chief and scores of agents left town.
Although the Department of Homeland Security has declined to comment on any specific operations, it appeared Bovino’s latest stint in Chicago won’t last as long as his first. Several local federal law enforcement sources told the Tribune that the latest surge of Border Patrol agents are expected to be in Chicago for only a few days. Other immigration sources said the deployment would be for a week or two. DHS said in an emailed statement only that operations are “ongoing.”
As winter approached, many agents left for crackdowns in other cities, including Charlotte, North Carolina and New Orleans.
During the two-month Operation Midway Blitz, which began the first weekend of September, DHS has said it arrested more than 4,300 but has not offered more detailed figures on the backgrounds of detainees. More detailed data of many of the arrests, both obtained by the Tribune and as part of a federal lawsuit, indicate that most detainees do not have significant criminal records.
Before the convoy made it to Evanston on Wednesday, Chicago Police officers cut off a man who was following the Border Patrol and live-streaming their whereabouts, preventing the patroller from continuing his pursuit of the federal agents at the northern end of Lake Shore Drive, a video shows.
The man, Omar Luna, was narrating as he followed a convoy of vehicles which included Bovino. As the group approached the end of Lake Shore Drive on Hollywood Avenue in Edgewater, Luna announced, “The police is coming.”
“They’re going to want to chase us off,” he said in Spanish. Luna, a U.S. citizen originally born in Mexico, lives on the South Side and became a citizen about a decade ago, he said.
At least three Chicago police vehicles pulled up ahead of Luna’s vehicle to apparently prevent him from following. “The police are working with them,” Luna said.
In an interview, Luna told the Tribune that the Chicago cop who pulled him over said Border Patrol called police to accuse him of attempting to ram them, an allegation he denied.
“We follow them to alert people,” Luna said. “I have never injured them or tried to crash into them.”
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, right, speaks with Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino during an immigration enforcement action in a Home Depot parking lot in Evanston on Dec. 17, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
CPD said in a statement that a federal agent called in to say another vehicle was “attempting to ram them.” The department said officers located and stopped the vehicles to obtain further information. After speaking with Luna, police said he was able to leave.
“A preliminary review of this incident shows CPD only responded to the call they received regarding potential criminal action,” the statement said. “An internal review to ensure responding officers were in compliance with department policy continues.”
Luna said he started following Border Patrol in Bedford Park, and stayed with them through Cicero, the Stevenson expressway and ultimately Lake Shore Drive, where he was stopped by city cops.
The officer also told Luna he can’t drive with a phone in his hand, according to Luna, who said okay, give me a ticket for that. The officer did not give him a ticket but rather gave him an investigation receipt.
He was critical of the police response and noted they don’t intervene to help residents who are harmed by federal agents.
“If citizens call the police, they won’t defend us,” Luna said. “How many citizens have been arrested and detained? Who defends us as US citizens?”
Much of Bovino’s operation appears made for television moments. Agents made several arrests, including at a supermarket parking lot and tamale stand. They also spent much of their time goading angry residents and protesters who confronted them in city streets and in car caravans.
Bovino told a group of reporters and angry neighbors on a street corner that “we never left.” He ignored a man who asked him for a “rational conversation.”
“All right guys. Merry Christmas if I don’t see you again,” Bovino said, as he walked away from the crowd. Later, at a gas station in Forest Park, he said “We love Chica-ho-ho-ho” as bystanders blared their horns and shouted insults, a video on social media showed.
Unlike in the fall, Bovino isn’t currently under any federal court monitoring, as both a consent decree governing “warrantless” immigration arrests and an injunction limiting the use of force against protesters and the media have been stayed pending further litigation.
Chicago Tribune’s reporter Jason Meisner, Laura Rodriguez Presa and Sam Charles contributed.
Chicago White Sox complete major-league coaching staff, including adding a college teammate of Shane Smith
The Chicago White Sox added an assistant pitching coach as part of their revamped major-league staff.
Bobby Hearn, formally with the Minnesota Twins organization, will fill that role — one of five hirings the Sox announced Wednesday.
José Leger is the new first-base/outfield coach while Chris Denorfia joins as the major-league field coordinator, Bennett Markinson as a bullpen catcher and Tony Medina as a major-league assistant on second-year manager Will Venable’s staff.
Hearn, 29, and Sox All-Star pitcher Shane Smith were teammates at Wake Forest. He was an assistant pitching coordinator for the Twins in 2025 and served as a complex pitching coordinator for the organization in 2024. Hearn spent 2023 at Davidson College, working as a pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for pitching.
His coaching career began in the Twins organization as a Florida Complex League pitching coach from 2021-22. He joined Class A Cedar Rapids for the second half of the 2022 season and had a position on the Glendale Desert Dogs coaching staff in the 2022 Arizona Fall League.
Denorfia, 45, and Venable were teammates with the San Diego Padres from 2010-14. Denorfia played 10 seasons in the major leagues, slashing .272/.330/.392 with 103 doubles, 41 home runs, 196 RBIs and 289 runs in 808 games with the Cincinnati Reds (2005-06), Oakland Athletics (2007-08), Padres (2010-14), Seattle Mariners (2014) and Chicago Cubs (2015).
He spent the last five seasons in the Colorado Rockies organization, with whom he was the outfield and baserunning coordinator from 2024-25 after managing Double-A Hartford from 2021-23. He was in line to manage Hartford in 2020 before the cancellation of the minor-league season because of the pandemic.
Denorfia spent 2018 as a special assistant to the president/general manager with the Cubs and joined their major-league staff in 2019 as the quality assurance coach.
Leger, 43, comes to the Sox after eight seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He was the assistant field and baserunning coordinator in 2025, Double-A Springfield manager from 2021-24 and Latin American field and academy development coordinator at the Dominican complex from 2018-20.
Before his time with the Cardinals, Leger managed at three levels in the New York Mets organization from 2010-17. He currently is managing Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican Winter League.
Medina, 32, spent the last four seasons with the Schaumburg Boomers. He was the hitting coach in 2022 and the baseball analytics coordinator from 2023-25.
Markinson, who turns 23 on Dec. 30, played at Northwestern from 2022-25. He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as a undrafted free agent but did not appear in a game before announcing his retirement in November.
Wednesday’s additions come after the Sox announced Zach Bove as the new pitching coach on Nov. 4 and Derek Shomon as the hitting coach on Nov. 7.
Bench coach Walker McKinven, third base/infield coach Justin Jirschele, assistant hitting coach Joel McKeithan, bullpen coach Matt Wise and bullpen catcher Luis Sierra return for 2026.
Gavin Newsom Singles Out CZ, Ross Ulbricht, Arthur Hayes As Trump’s “Criminal Cronies”
Gavin Newsom Singles Out CZ, Ross Ulbricht, Arthur Hayes As Trump’s “Criminal Cronies”
Authored by Vismaya V via Decrypt.co,
California Governor Gavin Newsom has launched a website tracking what he calls President Donald Trump’s “criminal cronies,” a list that includes Trump himself alongside convicted drug lords, January 6 insurrectionists, and several prominent crypto figures who have received presidential pardons.
The tracker, unveiled Tuesday, spotlights Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht, and BitMEX co-founders Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, Gregory Dwyer, and Samuel Reed, among the recipients of Trump’s pardons.
CRIMINAL IN CHIEF: DONALD TRUMP
34 felony convictions. Cozying up to convicted sex traffickers. Cashing in on crypto grifts. Inviting foreign influence into American politics.
This is the standard Trump sets.
See more at: https://t.co/B05K1ZIqBW pic.twitter.com/cfDAEacmib
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) December 16, 2025
“Governor Newsom is driving crime down—and Donald Trump is pardoning drug lords and driving criminals into government,” Newsom’s office said in a statement announcing the website, alongside new data showing violent crime declining across California’s major cities.
The crypto-heavy pardon list comes amid mounting Democratic concerns about Trump’s crypto dealings and potential conflicts of interest, entangling U.S. governance with private crypto interests.
Newsom supports “responsible crypto and blockchain innovation while prioritizing consumer protection, not fraud,” according to his office, positioning California as a counterweight to what Democrats characterize as Trump’s alleged corruption.
The launch came the same week that Decrypt asked President Trump whether he would consider pardoning Samourai Wallet developer Keonne Rodriguez.
“I’ll look at it,” the president said, leaving open the possibility of further crypto-related pardons.
CZ’s “full and unconditional” pardon
Changpeng Zhao’s “full and unconditional pardon” came after pleading guilty to money laundering charges for allowing illicit funds, including money flowing to “terrorists, cybercriminals, and child abusers,” through Binance’s platform, said Newsom.
Newsom’s site notes that Binance “was an important supporter of the Trump family’s own business,” World Liberty Financial, and mocks Trump’s claim that he doesn’t know Zhao, joking, “Maybe Sneaky Pete used the autopen while Trump slept?”
Last week, World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin became part of Binance’s core infrastructure, with Binance denying any connection between Zhao’s pardon and the expanded integration of USD1, calling such suggestions “false and defamatory.”
Silk Road and BitMEX
Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, the now-shuttered dark web marketplace that facilitated over $214 million in illegal drug sales (often via Bitcoin), received a pardon for his 2015 conviction on narcotics and money-laundering conspiracy charges.
The BitMEX co-founders all received pardons in March after pleading guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act. Trump also pardoned HDR Global Trading Limited, the corporation that owns the cryptocurrency exchange.
Decrypt has contacted the White House, CZ and Arthur Hayes for additional comment.
Democrats vs. Trump
Newsom’s site highlights what it calls Trump’s “crypto corruption,” claiming that the president’s family has “raked in at least $800 million dollars in crypto” since the start of 2025. The site also alleges that Trump’s SEC suspended an investigation into Tron founder Justin Sun “just weeks after Sun invested $75 million into Trump’s crypto company World Liberty Financial,” as well as accusing the president of “cashing in” on his TRUMP meme coin by offering tours of the White House to investors.
This isn’t the first time that Newsom has shone a spotlight on Trump’s crypto activities; in September, the California Governor said on the “Pivot” podcast he would release his own meme coin called “Trump Corruption Coin,” mocking the president’s TRUMP meme coin.
His website joins a widening chorus of Democratic criticism aimed at Trump’s connections with crypto projects.
Senator Elizabeth Warren’s letter this week to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Attorney General Pam Bondi highlighted decentralized exchange PancakeSwap’s role in facilitating trading of USD1, and its reported use by North Korean backers to launder stolen crypto funds.
Meanwhile, House Democrats recently labeled the Trump White House “the world’s most corrupt crypto startup operation,” citing reports that the family earned more than $800 million in crypto ventures this year.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/17/2025 – 15:00
