Category: News
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy offers to drop NATO bid for security guarantees but rejects US push to cede territory
BERLIN — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday voiced readiness to drop his country’s bid to join NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees, but rejected the U.S. push for ceding territory to Russia as he held talks with U.S. envoys on ending the war.
Zelenskyy sat down with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The Ukrainian leader posted pictures of the negotiating table with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sitting next to him facing the U.S. delegation.
Responding to journalists’ questions in audio clips on a WhatsApp group chat before the talks, Zelenskyy said that since the U.S. and some European nations had rejected Ukraine’s push to join NATO, Kyiv expects the West to offer a set of guarantees similar to those offered to the alliance members.
“These security guarantees are an opportunity to prevent another wave of Russian aggression,” he said. “And this is already a compromise on our part.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has cast Ukraine’s bid to join NATO as a major threat to Moscow’s security and a reason for launching the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine renounce the bid for the alliance membership as part of any prospective peace settlement.
Zelenskyy emphasized that any security assurances would need to be legally binding and supported by the U.S. Congress, adding that he expected an update from his team following a meeting between Ukrainian and U.S. military officials in Stuttgart, Germany.
The U.S. government said in a social media post on Witkoff’s account after the five-hour meeting that “a lot of progress was made.”
Washington has tried for months to navigate the demands of each side as Trump presses for a swift end to Russia’s war and grows increasingly exasperated by delays. The search for possible compromises has run into major obstacles, including control of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, which is mostly occupied by Russian forces.
Tough obstacles remain
Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the part of the Donetsk region still under its control among the key conditions for peace, a demand rejected by Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said that the U.S. had floated an idea for Ukraine to withdraw from the Donetsk and create a demilitarized free economic zone there, a proposal he rejected as unworkable.
“I do not consider this fair, because who will manage this economic zone?” he said. “If we are talking about some buffer zone along the line of contact, if we are talking about some economic zone and we believe that only a police mission should be there and troops should withdraw, then the question is very simple. If Ukrainian troops withdraw 5–10 kilometers, for example, then why do Russian troops not withdraw deeper into the occupied territories by the same distance?”
Zelenskyy described the issue as “very sensitive” and insisted on a freeze along the line of contact, saying that “today a fair possible option is we stand where we stand.”
Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov told the business daily Kommersant that Russian police and national guard would stay in parts of the Donetsk region even if they become a demilitarized zone under a prospective peace plan.
Ushakov warned that a search for compromise could take a long time, noting that the U.S. proposals that took into account Russian demands had been “worsened” by alterations proposed by Ukraine and its European allies.
Speaking to Russian state TV in remarks broadcast Sunday, Ushakov said that “the contribution of Ukrainians and Europeans to these documents is unlikely to be constructive,” warning that Moscow will “have very strong objections.”
Ushakov added that the territorial issue was actively discussed in Moscow when Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin earlier this month. “The Americans know and understand our position,” he said.
Zelenskyy said he spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday just before the talks with Trump’s envoys, thanking him on X for his support and adding that “we are coordinating closely and working together for the sake of our shared security.”
Macron vowed on X that “France is, and will remain, at Ukraine’s side to build a robust and lasting peace — one that can guarantee Ukraine’s security and sovereignty, and that of Europe, over the long term.”
Merz, who has spearheaded European efforts to support Ukraine alongside Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said Saturday that “the decades of the ‘Pax Americana’ are largely over for us in Europe and for us in Germany as well.”
He warned that Putin’s aim is “a fundamental change to the borders in Europe, the restoration of the old Soviet Union within its borders.”
“If Ukraine falls, he won’t stop,” Merz warned on Saturday during a party conference in Munich.
Putin has denied plans to restore the Soviet Union or attack any European allies.
Russia and Ukraine exchange aerial attacks
Ukraine’s air force said that Russia overnight launched ballistic missiles and 138 attack drones at Ukraine. The air force said 110 had been intercepted or downed, but missile and drone hits were recorded at six locations.
Zelenskyy said Sunday that hundreds of thousands of families were still without power in the south, east and northeast regions and work was continuing to restore electricity, heat and water to multiple regions following a large-scale attack the previous night.
The Ukrainian president said that in the past week, Russia had launched over 1,500 strike drones, nearly 900 guided aerial bombs and 46 missiles of various types at Ukraine.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 235 Ukrainian drones late Saturday and early Sunday.
In the Belgorod region, a drone injured a man and set his house ablaze in the village of Yasnye Zori, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Uryupinsk in the Volgograd region, triggering a fire, according to regional Gov. Andrei Bocharov.
In the Krasnodar region, the Ukrainian drones attacked the town of Afipsky, where an oil refinery is located. Authorities said that explosions shattered windows in residential buildings, but didn’t report any damage to the refinery.
Ciobanu reported from Warsaw, Poland.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/14/ukraine-zelenskyy-nato-bid/
Kevin Hassett says Federal Reserve can reject Trump’s views if he is chair
WASHINGTON — A leading candidate to be President Donald Trump’s choice for Federal Reserve chair said that he would present the president’s views to Fed officials for their consideration but they could reject them if they chose when making decisions on interest rates.
Kevin Hassett, in an interview Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” said he would continue to speak with Trump if he becomes the Fed chair. But when asked if Trump’s opinions on interest rates would have “equal weighting” with members of the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee, Hassett replied, “No, he would have no weight.”
“His opinion matters if it’s good, if it’s based on data,” Hassett continued. “And then if you go to the committee and you say, well, the president made this argument and that’s a really sound argument, I think, what do you think? If they reject it, then they’ll vote in a different way.”
Hassett’s comments come as Trump is reportedly in final interviews with potential replacements for the Fed’s current chair, Jerome Powell. Trump has emphasized that he expects whomever he nominates to lead the Fed will sharply lower the central bank’s key rate, which currently stands at about 3.6%. Trump has said it should be cut to 1% or lower, a view almost no economist shares. Trump’s outspokenness has raised concerns about the Fed’s independence from day-to-day politics under any chair he appoints.
Until Trump’s first election in 2016, presidents of both parties for several decades had avoided commenting publicly on Fed decisions, and usually refrained from doing so privately as well. Economists generally believe that a politically independent Fed is better at combating inflation, because it can take unpopular steps to keep prices down, such as raise interest rates.
On Friday, however, Trump said that he “certainly should have a role in talking to whoever the head of the Fed is” about rates.
“I’ve done great. I’ve made a lot of money, I’m very successful,” he said. “I think my voice should be heard.”
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Kevin Warsh, a fellow at the right-leaning Hoover Institution and former Fed governor, is Trump’s current favorite to replace Powell, whose term ends next May. But Trump has previously hinted that he would pick Hassett.
“I think the two Kevins are great,” Trump told the Journal.
Hassett, for his part, on Sunday said that “in the end, the job of the Fed is to be independent.”
“In the end, it’s a committee that votes,” he said. “And I’d be happy to talk to the president every day until both of us are dead because it’s so much fun.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/14/hassett-federal-reserve-trump/
Myles Garrett se acerca al récord de capturas con los Browns pese a lesión de cadera
Por JAY COHEN
CHICAGO (AP) — Myles Garrett se encuentra cerca de un récord de la NFL a pesar de presentar molestias.
Tuvo 1,5 capturas de quarterback el domingo en la derrota de Cleveland por 31-3 en Chicago. Lleva 21,5 en el año, solo una menos que el récord de una sola temporada con tres juegos restantes.
El jugador que cumplirá 30 años el 29 de diciembre, sintió algo en su cadera izquierda, pero minimizó la importancia del problema.
“Estuve sintiendo eso durante el resto del juego, pero como dije, voy a seguir adelante porque todavía tengo algo por lo que jugar”, expresó.
Cleveland (3-11) ha perdido tres seguidos y seis de los últimos siete en general. Se acerca al final de su segunda temporada consecutiva con récord perdedor, pero Garrett cree que es importante marcar el tono para los jugadores más jóvenes del equipo.
Registró su primera captura del día cuando derribó a Caleb Williams en tercera y gol en la yarda ocho de Cleveland con aproximadamente cinco minutos y medio restantes en la primera mitad. Eso llevó a un gol de campo fallido de 35 yardas por Cairo Santos.
Williams se convirtió en el 51er quarterback que Garrett ha capturado en su carrera de nueve años.
Garrett tiene al menos una captura en ocho juegos consecutivos, el mejor registro de su carrera. La racha incluye un récord del equipo de cinco en una derrota por 32-13 en Nueva Inglaterra el 26 de octubre.
El récord de la NFL de 22,5 es compartido por el miembro del Salón de la Fama del Fútbol Americano Profesional Michael Strahan en 2001 y TJ Watt de Pittsburgh en 2021. La NFL no comenzó a contar las capturas como una estadística oficial hasta 1982.
Tiene 124 capturas en su carrera, moviéndose al puesto 21 en la lista de la NFL detrás de Dwight Freeney con 125,5.
Garrett tuvo cuatro capturas en los primeros tres juegos de esta temporada. Luego fue dejado en blanco en las derrotas ante Detroit, Pittsburgh y Minnesota.
Tuvo 13 sacks en un lapso de cuatro juegos del 26 de octubre al 23 de noviembre. La racha ardiente comenzó con su actuación contra los Patriots e incluyó cuatro capturas contra Baltimore y tres contra Las Vegas.
___
Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Cassandre Prosper and Malaya Cowles lead No. 19 Notre Dame to a 78-65 win over James Madison
HARRISONBURG, Va. — Cassandre Prosper scored 24 points, Malaya Cowles added a season-high 17 and No. 19 Notre Dame defeated James Madison 78-65 on Sunday.
Prosper hit 11 of 16 shots and added six rebounds and three assists. Cowles had five steals and four rebounds. Hannah Hidalgo added 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals.
The Irish (8-2) buried four 3-pointers and built a 25-12 lead through the first quarter, and they were up by double digits until 7½ minutes left in the fourth. Their biggest lead of the first half was 36-18 midway through the second quarter, and they led 40-26 at halftime.
Notre Dame was up 56-36 with 3½ minutes left in the third before James Madison rallied. The Dukes’ 7-1 run to open the fourth got them within 61-52. Cowles made a layup and Vanessa DeJesus drained a 3-pointer to restore a 14-point advantage, and Notre Dame led by at least 12 for the remainder.
Ashanti Barnes scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for James Madison (8-4). Zakiya Stephenson scored 11 points and Peyton McDaniel 10.
James Madison has a solid history against ACC teams, now owning a 52-68 record against current conference members. The Dukes beat Virginia Tech and Boston College earlier this season.
Up next
Notre Dame: Plays host to Bellarmine next Sunday.
James Madison: Visits Coastal Carolina on Wednesday.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/14/notre-dame-james-madison-womens-basketball/
Santa Vs The Grinch, Diets, & QE
Santa Vs The Grinch, Diets, & QE
By Peter Tchir of Academy Securities
Santa vs The Grinch, Diets, & qe
The week ended with a bang.
At Academy’s Holiday Party, the Marines pulled out all the stops to win the annual “service song” contest (they actually brought out instruments, with Dakota leading the charge on the trumpet).
We rolled (like the Army’s rolling along song), straight into Bloomberg TV Friday morning, where Academy was the guest host for the entire 6am hour. Had some interesting guests on the Geopolitical/European side, a bond portfolio PM, and an analyst who covers Disney (I abstained from asking him a question as I just didn’t think I could contribute usefully to the Disney-OpenAI deal discussion).
Santa vs The Grinch
Post-FOMC, markets rallied making it appear like the Santa rally was well underway. We will be circling back on a couple of things mentioned in our Quick Take on the FOMC. Starting with the final line from that report – the Oracle earnings call could be market moving.
Oracle struggled the next day, but markets fought back from their lows, with some serious “rotation” occurring. But more “questionable” news from the chip and data center/AI space weighed on markets again on Friday, this time, without a late-day stick save.
We use the word “questionable” because on the one hand, we heard phrases like:
Slight miss, overall solid, decent guidance, new clients added, backlogs, etc.
All phrases that you would not normally associate with individual stocks down double digits or even the Nasdaq 100 down 2%. Clearly expectations are high and valuations still require very strong numbers/guidance for bullishness on data centers/AI to remain intact.
Since November 20th, we’ve seen the Nasdaq 100 lag (still up, but lagging) while the Russell 2000 has been the star of the show.
We pick that date because that was the day we started to see the Fed hawks capitulate – the Santa Rally Recipe.
We argued that breaking the 100-Day Moving Average (DMA) made the Fed “see the light” and turn noticeably dovish (the probability of a rate cut jumped from the 30s to 90s in a matter of days).
We are trading right around the 50-DMA right now on the Nasdaq 100. It could still act as resistance, which we should see Sunday night/Monday morning. But if it breaks through there, the 100-DMA is clearly in play. What is concerning is that it was quite clear to many that the Fed played a crucial role in defending the 100-DMA. Will they do it again if we get there? Possibly, but how? The next meeting is quite far off, by market standards.
We will be watching some of these technical levels closely as it seems that not only is the “free money” gone, but the hurdle to creating further market cap gains has ratcheted higher. We define “free” money as things like announcing $X in spending on AI/data centers and being rewarded with a market cap increase far in excess of $X.
So far, the Grinch hasn’t caught up to the people in Weeville (Russell 2000), but it seems impossible to believe that further weakness here won’t bring down all the markets:
The stocks just make up such a large portion of the big indices, and it will be difficult for even the Russell 2000, with little actual overlap, to fight the trend. The outperformance can continue, but would likely all be negative.
The industry makes up such a huge part of the economic story including spending and the wealth effect (more than jobs but there are jobs too). It is difficult to see how markets can do well (though rate cut expectations, which I think are too low, will increase with more cuts coming sooner than is currently being priced in).
More “technical” than usual, but since we “survived” the Fed and the Santa rally seemed back in play, positioning (which goes hand in hand with technicals) may be offsides again coming into a period of low levels of true liquidity.
Which Brings Us to Diets
I cannot remember the last time there was this much chatter about single name CDS, with Oracle’s CDS leading the way. Not only did we end the TV interview on Friday talking about that, but we also spent some time on Friday helping Barron’s understand CDS, in relation to big tech and data centers.
We mentioned Debt Diets a few weeks ago, and want to highlight it again. It was our “Theme for 2019.” At the time, many corporations were seeing their stocks come under pressure, largely due to strains in the credit market for their names. It is “easy” for corporate leadership to ignore the debt markets when their stock price is doing really well. You can probably even give credit markets only a cursory glance if your stock is facing some pressure, but credit is just a side story. But when credit becomes a main part of the story – it is difficult to ignore. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It might sound bad, but it doesn’t have to be.
When Credit Leads the Way
This chart, for me, explains why a “debt diet” may be on the way (and yes, we will explain what we mean by that, and why it isn’t necessarily bad, and follows our end of “free” money narrative).
It is possible that I’m “grasping” at straws, but from the middle of September to the middle of October, the credit market and stock market were not “beating the same drum.” Yes, the stock market faced some selling pressure, but it also had a solid rebound. The credit market basically widened every day during that period.
Now they are back to moving in the same direction and it seems almost impossible to ignore the performance of the credit market when making a decision on the stock market.
Which brings us to the Debt Diet.
Companies can alter their spending plans.
Probably unnecessary here, but for the space as a whole, it might be a good time for CEOs and CFOs to explain their spending plans more clearly. To, not necessarily, pay “homage” to creditors, but make sure creditors understand their concerns are being taken into account.
Clarity, especially as to what might make them cautious on building more (maybe some rough alignment of building with profits and positive cash flow in mind, versus an almost “build it and they will come” mentality).
Companies do not need to be “afraid” of creditors, but a clearer recognition of their importance to your future might be in order.
A lot can be done without changing the plans today. I see a lot of ways that clarification and some identification of issues or trends that might change spending plans could go a long way towards improving spreads and leaving the market hungry for more issuance in 2026 and beyond!
Debt Diets are Manageable – An AI Diet Might Not Be
So far, this seems more like a “debt diet” type of situation in the data center space. The news that has come out doesn’t seem to have changed the overall narrative (backlogs, new clients, etc. all seem to argue this is more about a change in valuations than a meaningful change in trend for the industry).
However, I am nervous that we could see an AI Diet developing:
How much are companies budgeting for AI spend next year? The following year? Just like the industry itself had “free” money for a period of time, it was impossible for any corporation in America to do anything but spend more on AI. As companies have now been using AI for 2 years or more, are they all seeing the benefits they thought they paid for? Certainly, some are and they are probably rejoicing in their spending. But everyone? Especially in an economy, where away from certain industries (our little i-shaped view of the economy), we are seeing little growth. For now, I think the spending from corporate America continues, but it will be possibly “abated” as opposed to unabated.
Chips and China. The admin is comfortable selling a greater variety of chips to a greater variety of nations (China being the most important, though I’d argue that the Middle East isn’t far behind in importance). The question is whether China wants chips in the quantity that would fuel real revenue growth? Or is China willing to forego some quality today, in an effort to continue to bootstrap their own chip industry and make them more competitive with the top chips being designed/produced by U.S. companies and TSMC? I think this is more about constraining the upside rather than creating downside risk to spending on U.S. chips, but I have this nagging concern that “we” may be underestimating the resources and skills that China is devoting to this.
Electricity. If there is one thing our Macro, Structured Products, and Sustainable Finance teams agree on – it is the importance of electricity in today’s economy and the risk that we cannot generate electrons quickly and efficiently enough to satisfy the needs of industry going forward. This “molecules to electrons” has been a theme of ours for quite some time and fits perfectly into our ProSec™ (Production for Security) framework. If you were starting to think, wonder, or even hope that we could go an entire T-Report without mentioning ProSec™, we had to disappoint you.
If you have not read Stav Gaon’s work on data centers, I highly recommend you do. You can find his work under the Securitized Products Research & Strategy tab on Academy’s website. You can scroll and pick through his various pieces on data centers.
I think the Debt Diet is real and not necessarily bad. I don’t think the AI Diet is real, but since it is very bad if it occurs, it seemed worth at least highlighting that risk in our “diet” framework.
qe
Is the $40 billion of Federal Reserve purchases QE or a non-event? Or somewhere in between?
It “depends.” Clearly the Fed had to address some issues within the front end of the yield curve. SOFR, as a secured rate, should not be more expensive than unsecured rates. That is embarrassing, and has some small economic consequences. This is NOTHING like elevated LIBOR. When we have problems on interbank lending or even in the commercial paper markets, we can worry. This is much more of an issue with regulations, regulatory capital, and return on capital. The rules have been created in such a way, that it isn’t particularly economic (or even feasible) for the banking industry to price and trade SOFR at levels where “it should trade.” So, to the extent these purchases are “temporary” and designed to get us through year end and “clean things up” (and then they can be reduced or eliminated), it isn’t really QE or even qe. Bitcoin does as good of a job as any asset class at “sniffing” out balance sheet expansion and it has been moderately happy, but not giddy, since the announcement was made.
If the Treasury decides to take advantage of this by reducing issuance of longer-dated bonds, to sell more T-Bills to the Fed, and does this month after month, it starts to look a lot more like QE.
For now, I’ll be in the “qe” camp and that this is more of a “fix,” than in the full-on QE camp, but I’m not sure why Treasury wouldn’t try to make this work a lot more like QE than maybe even Powell intended?
I continue to believe that “we ain’t seen nothing yet” in terms of how the admin and Treasury will work with the Fed to achieve 3% or lower on the front end and a 3-handle (under 4%) on 10s.
At 4.18% on 10s and 2s vs 10s at 66 (the highest since February 2022), I’m tempted to be buying 10s and putting on flatteners. But, it is probably a bit early, as the market doesn’t feel that healthy, and I think that we need Japanese yields to really stabilize and Europe to make it clear on whether they are going to spend aggressively, or seize Russia’s frozen reserves, or let the 5% defense spending fizzle, before we can get too comfortable on U.S. rates.
It does seem ”curious” that Goolsbee went from dissenting on Wednesday (wanted no cut) to highlighting that he thinks there will be more cuts next year than others! I wonder what sort of “bollocking” he got from the admin between the FOMC meeting and his speaking opportunity?
Bottom Line
I am not sure how we got to the “bottom line” without mentioning Tuesday’s jobs data. The release date is highly unusual and I certainly don’t understand how the government shutdown will affect the report. Since it is delayed, the response rate could be higher, but maybe much of the preliminary work wasn’t done?
The consensus is for 50k jobs to be created. I’d be leaning towards the under. I do think a weak jobs report would help bonds. I agree with Goolsbee that the Fed will cut sooner and more aggressively than is priced in, but it won’t help the long end much (just yet) and won’t help stocks – as the “slowdown” story (despite the Fed raising GDP expectations for next year) will weigh on stocks.
One thing I can tell you with certainty is that despite all this talk of diets, and probably because of the holidays and travel, I’m very reluctant and even a bit scared to step on a scale.
Have a great week, but expect more chop and volatility coming into year end and the start of next year, which should be a gangbuster one for debt issuance, and may well make credit markets interesting to focus on again! I’ve almost missed the fact that in the past year, where everything in credit seemed so dull (until the latter half when the financing needs started to hit home), we also saw the first signs of unexpected problems in private credit.
With all that is going on in the world, and U.S. service members at risk, it was fun to sit back and watch a great Army-Navy football game
Tyler Durden
Sun, 12/14/2025 – 18:25
Doble-doble de Bagley ayuda a Wizards a romper racha negativa con victoria 108-89 sobre Pacers
INDIANÁPOLIS (AP) — Marvin Bagley III esableció una marca personal en la temporada con 23 puntos, además de que capturó 13 rebotes, y CJ McCollum anotó 18 unidades el domingo mientras los Wizards de Washington vencieron 108-89 a los Pacers de Indiana para su primera victoria como visitantes en casi dos meses.
Fue el segundo doble-doble de la temporada para Bagley. Justin Champagnie añadió 13 tantos y 14 tableros para Washington.
Los Wizards rompieron una racha de cuatro derrotas consecutivas y mejoraron a 2-11 como visitantes esta temporada, con su única otra victoria fuera de casa el 24 de octubre en Dallas.
Y lo hicieron con defensa. Los Pacers, con una plantilla reducida, terminaron con su segundo peor porcentaje de tiros de la temporada (36.9%) y su tercer peor registro desde la línea de tres puntos (25.6%).
Bennedict Mathurin anotó 15 puntos para liderar a Indiana, que ha perdido dos seguidos y cuatro de seis. Jay Huff anotó 13 puntos e Isaiah Jackson añadió 11 puntos y 12 rebotes mientras la ofensiva de Indiana parecía completamente desincronizada.
El resultado: la espera de seis meses del entrenador Rick Carlisle para celebrar su victoria número 1.000 se pospondrá una vez más. Necesita una victoria para convertirse en el undécimo entrenador en lograr este hito y el primero desde Doc Rivers en noviembre de 2021 cuando dirigía a los 76ers de Filadelfia.
Washington cerró la primera mitad con una racha de 13-4 para tomar una ventaja de 58-47. Los Wizards ampliaron la diferencia a 66-51 al inicio del tercer cuarto. Indy redujo el déficit a 66-58, pero vio a los Wizards responder con siete seguidos, y los Pacers nunca se acercaron de nuevo.
Gobernadora de Puerto Rico firma ley que, según críticos, restringirá acceso a información pública
Por DÁNICA COTO
SAN JUAN (AP) — La gobernadora de Puerto Rico, Jenniffer González, firmó el domingo un polémico proyecto de ley que, según los críticos, es un golpe a la democracia y dificultará el acceso a la información pública en un territorio de Estados Unidos conocido desde hace tiempo por su falta de transparencia gubernamental.
González afirmó que el proyecto de ley enmienda una ley existente para proporcionar reglas más definidas, evitar confusiones y reducir lo que ella describió como “una cantidad considerable de pleitos”. También señaló que establece sanciones por incumplimiento.
Más de una docena de organizaciones periodísticas y grupos de derechos civiles han rechazado el proyecto de ley, señalando que sólo se celebró un día de audiencias públicas con poca antelación.
“Es inconcebible que los líderes de Puerto Rico se esfuercen por perjudicar el acceso a la información de sus constituyentes y degraden la calidad de la libertad de prensa en la isla”, afirmó Clayton Weimers, director ejecutivo de Reporteros Sin Fronteras en América del Norte.
Con la nueva ley, las agencias gubernamentales ahora tienen 20 días hábiles en lugar de 10 para entregar documentos con menos de 300 páginas o que fueron creados hace menos de tres años.
Las agencias también tienen ahora hasta un mes para liberar documentos de más de 300 páginas o de más de tres años de antigüedad, con una extensión de 20 días permitida.
“Al convertir esta medida en ley, a pesar del rechazo amplio, la gobernadora deja claro que su interés no es la transparencia gubernamental. (La ley) no es conveniente para nadie, excepto para cualquier funcionario público que persiga dificultar o impedir que el público, la gente, reciba la información que tiene derecho a ver”, destacó la Unión Americana de Libertades Civiles (ACLU, por sus siglas en inglés) de Puerto Rico.
A principios de este mes, una coalición de organizaciones periodísticas y grupos de la sociedad civil envió una carta a la gobernadora pidiéndole que vetara el proyecto de ley.
La carta señaló que el proyecto de ley no sólo duplica el tiempo que las agencias gubernamentales tienen para liberar la información solicitada, sino que también permite al gobierno clasificar información como confidencial sin revisión judicial y eliminar las protecciones de privacidad personal para quienes solicitan la información.
El proyecto de ley elimina además la obligación previa del gobierno bajo la ley de 2019 de proporcionar información en el formato solicitado, dificultando el análisis de datos, y también permitirá al gobierno negar solicitudes válidas porque la información está dispersa en varios documentos o agencias, según la carta.
Obtener información pública en Puerto Rico ha sido durante mucho tiempo difícil, a menudo obligando a las organizaciones de medios locales que podían permitírselo a acudir a los tribunales a pesar de que el gobierno aprobó una ley en 2019 para permitir el acceso a la información pública en poder de las agencias estatales.
La ley de 2019 establecía que en Puerto Rico, “la ciudadanía y los medios de prensa cuando solicitan información pública están sujetos a procesos discrecionales en los tribunales que son costosos y pueden tardar meses. A pesar de que el derecho está en la Constitución, al no existir un mecanismo procesal para ejercerlo, la violación del mismo ocurre en muchas ocasiones”.
La ley de 2019 también afirmaba que “han sido muchos los gobiernos que han prometido transparencia pero nunca se han obligado a ello. Esto es uno de los factores que han contribuido al deterioro de la confianza del pueblo hacia su gobierno, pues el mismo se ha convertido en una estructura compleja, burocrática y poco transparente en sus decisiones”.
Hace varios años, un periódico local hizo hábito de publicar sus solicitudes de información pública y cuánto tiempo había pasado sin recibir una respuesta de las agencias estatales.
El Senado de Puerto Rico aprobó el proyecto de ley a mediados de octubre con 18 votos a favor y nueve en contra, sin que se celebraran audiencias públicas. La Cámara de Representantes lo aprobó en noviembre después de sólo un día de audiencias, con 29 votos a favor y 24 en contra.
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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.
10 years ago a Chicago firefighter died in the line of duty. His children have chosen careers following in his footsteps.
Bells rang out on the South Side in honor of Chicago firefighter and paramedic Daniel Capuano, who died in the line of duty 10 years ago Sunday.
At the Engine 72 fire station in Avalon Park, dozens of fire department members and Capuano’s close family and friends stood together, red-cheeked and sipping coffee, catching up with old friends. Outside, firefighter trucks, one with a plastic Santa Claus atop it, flashed their lights. A prayer was followed by loving words from family and colleagues who knew him.
Capuano died after falling into an open elevator shaft while battling a fire in a vacant South Side warehouse on Dec. 14, 2015. The 43-year-old was the father of three and a 15-year member of the Chicago Fire Department at the time of his death.
Known for his sense of humor, Capuano’s daughter Amanda Capuano believes that had her dad been there with them, he would’ve lifted their spirits.
“I think he would definitely have cracked a joke to lighten up the mood because that’s just kind of who he was,” said Amanda, 26. “He definitely would be so honored to see everyone gathered here for him.”
Amanda was 16 when her father died. She grew up aspiring to be a high school history teacher, but after her father’s death, she chose the nursing route. Today, she is an emergency room nurse at a suburban hospital.
“I felt so angry the first few years after it happened, and then one day I decided, I can do better than this,” Amanda said. “I can be better than this, and I’m gonna make sure this never happens to anybody else.”
She graduated from nursing school at Loyola University Chicago in 2022 and attended Mother McAuley High School in Mount Greenwood. She remembers her father driving for hours to make it to her cheerleading championships.
In 2015, Amanda wrote a letter that was read by her father’s coworkers at his funeral. “Back in 8th grade, during the blizzard, he took the train down to see me compete at state,” she wrote. “I forgot my coat in the hallway and my dad made me wrap towels around my shoulders so I didn’t freeze.”
At Sunday’s service, she stood next to her brother Andrew, 24, who this summer started working as a Chicago firefighter like their dad.
“I’d like to think we all learned from him and followed in his footsteps in a way,” Amanda said.
Capuano’s widow Julie Capuano said seeing everyone at the memorial service for her late husband — from firemen to hockey kids he used to coach — made her heart feel “warm.”
Julie was 22 when she married Cupuano. Soon after, they moved in together and had three children: Amanda, Andrew and Nick. It was right before Christmas when she learned her husband had died.
“I’m broken inside by losing you Dan. I’m just not sure what I’m going to do. I will miss your hands and face, your funny sense of humor, your loving touch, your kisses and our conversations together,” said Julie in her letter that was read at the funeral.
The building, located in the 9200 block of South Baltimore Avenue, was called “an immediate and ongoing threat of irreparable harm” to the public. City Building Department officials said the building’s owners did not have proper permits and the removal of the elevator was unauthorized, the Tribune reported in 2015. Capuano’s family filed a lawsuit against the building’s owners.
Retired firefighter captain and battalion chief Jake Jakubec was with Capuano that day, he said. He pulled up to a smoke-filled warehouse at around 10:00 a.m. There were bricks lying around on the second floor as though for construction and he noticed nothing protecting the elevator shaft.
Then he remembers hearing “mayday, mayday!” A fireman had fallen through the floor; it was Capuano.
“It affected me for 18 months. I wasn’t right,” said Jakubec, who is now retired after working with the fire department for over 40 years. “I prayed a lot, came to the site, we put a cross up over here, so it was very emotional for me,” he said.
A tall wooden cross stands today in the place where Capuano is believed to have fallen to his death. It reads: “Daniel Capuano, Never Forget.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/14/fallen-chicago-firefighter-daniel-capuano/
Bills remontan desventaja de 21 puntos y vencen 35-31 a Patriots, siguen en la lucha por la AFC Este
Por KYLE HIGHTOWER
FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts, EE.UU. (AP) — Josh Allen lanzó tres pases de anotación y James Cook corrió para dos touchdowns y atrapó otro mientras los Bills de Buffalo remontaron un déficit de 21-0 para vencer a 35-31 a Nueva Inglaterra el domingo, evitando que los Patriots aseguraran el título de la División Este de la Conferencia Americana.
Allen completó 19 de 28 para 193 yardas. Cook corrió 22 veces para 107 yardas para los Bills (10-4), quienes evitaron ser barridos por un oponente de división por primera vez desde 2019. Buffalo alcanzó diez victorias por séptima temporada consecutiva.
Los Bills superaron un déficit de doble dígito por tercera vez este año después de haber remontado previamente contra Baltimore (con 15 puntos abajo en el cuarto cuarto) y Cincinnati (con diez puntos abajo).
Los Patriots (11-3) perdieron su primer juego de división de la temporada y su racha de diez victorias seguidas terminó. No han ganado la AFC Este desde 2019, pero aún tienen ventaja sobre los Bills de un juego, con tres por disputar.
Drake Maye tuvo un par de carreras de touchdown, y TreVeyon Henderson corrió para anotaciones de 52 y 65 yardas. Henderson terminó con 14 acarreos para 148 yardas.
Con un marcador de 35-31 y 2:43 por jugar, los Patriots enfrentaron un cuarto y cinco en su propia yarda 22. Maye fue sacado de la bolsa de protección y un pase suyo fue desviado por Joey Bosa.
Los Bills agotaron el reloj desde allí.
Con una ligera nevada cayendo, la temperatura al inicio del partido era de 0 grados Celsius. Las condiciones no frenaron a una ofensiva de los Patriots que anotó en cuatro de sus primeras cinco posesiones para tomar una ventaja de 24-7 al medio tiempo.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Mbappé anota en su regreso tras lesión y Madrid vence a Alavés, impulsando a Alonso
Por TALES AZZONI
MADRID (AP) — Kylian Mbappé regresó de una lesión y anotó el domingo para liderar la victoria 2-1 del Real Madrid sobre el Alavés en La Liga, aliviando así parte de la presión sobre el entrenador Xabi Alonso.
Rodrygo también anotó para que el Madrid se acercara a cuatro puntos del líder Barcelona, que el sábado venció 2-0 al Osasuna.
El Madrid solo había ganado dos de sus últimos ocho partidos en todas las competiciones y venía de una derrota en casa por 2-1 ante el Manchester City en la Liga de Campeones, lo que provocó abucheos de los aficionados en el Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
Mbappé, quien se perdió el partido del Madrid contra el City el miércoles debido a una lesión menor, llegó a 26 goles en todas las competiciones con el Madrid esta temporada tras una buena carrera por la banda izquierda y superando a un defensor antes de disparar al ángulo superior desde justo dentro del área a los 24 minutos.
El Alavés igualó con un tanto de contragolpe de Carlos Vicente al 68, pero Rodrygo adelantó nuevamente a los visitantes desde corta distancia tras una carrera y asistencia de Vinícius Júnior.
Fue el segundo gol de la temporada para Rodrygo. Había anotado para el Madrid contra el City para poner fin a una sequía goleadora de nueve meses con el club.
Vinícius Júnior abrazó a Alonso tras el gol en una rara muestra de apoyo público del brasileño hacia el exjugador del Madrid que está en su primera temporada como entrenador del club. El gesto se produjo después de que informes de los medios dijeran que el entrenador había perdido el vestuario.
El Alavés, que se mantuvo en el 12do lugar, venía de una victoria contra la Sociedad.
Entrenador del Oviedo despedido
El Oviedo, penúltimo en la liga española, despidió al entrenador Luis Carrión tras una derrota por 4-0 en Sevilla.
El resultado extendió la racha sin victorias del Oviedo a diez partidos en todas las competiciones. No ha ganado desde una victoria por 2-1 ante Valencia en la liga española en septiembre.
Carrión deja al Oviedo con diez puntos en 16 partidos.
El Sevilla subió al noveno lugar con 20 unidades.
Victoria en casa del Celta
El Celta de Vigo ganó su primer partido en casa en La Liga esta temporada al vencer 2-0 al Athletic Bilbao, que ocupa el séptimo lugar.
El resultado movió al club de Vigo al octavo lugar, un punto detrás del Athletic.
Nico Williams falló un penalti tardío para el Athletic.
Levante-Villarreal pospuesto
El partido entre Levante y Villarreal originalmente programado para el domingo fue pospuesto debido a fuertes lluvias en la región de Valencia. La liga dijo que tomó la decisión tras las recomendaciones de seguridad hechas por las autoridades locales en medio de una alerta meteorológica emitida en la región.
El Villarreal está en tercer lugar y ha ganado seis seguidos en la liga. El Levante es el colero y ha perdido cinco partidos consecutivos de liga.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
