Category: News
Jeannette Jara, la carta del oficialismo que busca frenar a la ultraderecha en Chile
Por NAYARA BATSCHKE
SANTIAGO (AP) — Con casi cuatro décadas de militancia en el Partido Comunista y la promesa de un gobierno “para todos”, Jeannette Jara es la carta del oficialismo para mantenerse en el poder en Chile.
Su largo historial político y estilo pragmático le abrieron las puertas para imponerse en las primarias del pasado junio como la candidata única de una alianza que aglutina a los sectores de izquierda y centroizquierda. Pero su pasado militante no ha logrado convencer del todo a un electorado que históricamente ha optado por posiciones más centristas.
Jara se medirá el próximo domingo con el ultraderechista José Antonio Kast en una segunda vuelta electoral después de que ninguno lograra la mayoría necesaria para una victoria en primera ronda.
Pese a que ganó en la primera vuelta con un 26,8% de los votos, el resultado estuvo muy por debajo del esperado, por lo que la comunista ha cambiado la estrategia para el balotaje: dejó a un lado su tono conciliatorio y apostó por una postura más combativa para enfrentar a su rival.
Oriunda de un humilde barrio de la capital chilena, Jara acumula un extenso historial en la política que incluye cargos como dirigente sindical, subsecretaria de Previsión Social y, más recientemente, ministra del Trabajo bajo la administración del saliente presidente Gabriel Boric.
Fue al frente de la cartera, a la que dejó en abril para dedicarse a la campaña presidencial, que logró notoriedad. Entre otros proyectos cosechó logros como la aprobación de la reducción de la semana laboral, la reforma del sistema privado de pensiones y el ajuste sostenido del salario mínimo.
Nacida el 23 de abril de 1974, Jara es hija de un ama de casa y un mecánico y la mayor de cinco hermanos. Su larga militancia política tuvo inicio a los 14 años cuando se sumó a las filas de las Juventudes Comunistas en los últimos años de la dictadura militar de Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).
A los 19 años se casó con un dirigente estudiantil que murió dos años después. Muchos años después volvió a casarse y fruto de la relación nació Andrés, su único hijo.
Así como otros rostros de las nuevas generaciones políticas de la izquierda de Chile, es parte de un ala más liberal y crítica del Partido Comunista, una de las formaciones más antiguas del país e histórica cuna de grandes referentes culturales como el escritor Pablo Neruda y el cantautor Víctor Jara.
Durante la carrera electoral no escondió sus convicciones ideológicas, pero trató de enfatizar su autonomía a las posturas de su formación, lo que llevó a embates públicos con la cúpula del partido, sobre todo por su reproche a Venezuela y Cuba, países que no considera democracias.
Igualmente rechazó la etiqueta de heredera de Boric o de la expresidenta Michelle Bachelet (2006-2010 y 2014-2018) y aseguró que, de ser elegida, encabezará su propio gobierno.
“No soy heredera ni de Boric ni de Bachelet. Soy heredera de un proyecto de centroizquierda”, sostuvo en un debate la semana pasada.
Una campaña que no termina de convencer
A pesar de los intentos de desmarcarse de la sombra de su partido, Jara no ha conseguido despuntar en las encuestas ni convencer a una buena porción del electorado. Todos los sondeos auguran una amplia victoria de Kast, por lo que para esta segunda vuelta la carta del oficialismo ha apostado por un tono más combativo.
Aunque insista en que su candidatura representa a todo el sector progresista de Chile, ha accedido a renunciar o congelar su militancia en el Partido Comunista en un guiño por convencer a cerca del 20% de los votantes que no se decantan por ninguno de los dos contendientes del balotaje.
Asimismo, trató de dejar en evidencia a Kast y ha intercambiado dardos cruzados con el republicano en más de una ocasión.
Jara ha calificado las propuestas de su oponente como “populistas” y criticado reiteradamente cómo Kast elude dar detalles de sus principales proyectos, como el prometido recorte millonario con el que busca reducir el tamaño del Estado o la expulsión masiva de inmigrantes indocumentados. También trató de señalar lo que considera su inacción durante los varios años en que Kast fue diputado.
“El otro candidato estuvo 16 años en el Congreso Nacional y no aprobó ninguna ley relevante para la gente”, afirmó en un vídeo publicado en sus redes sociales esta semana. ”Sólo sabe oponerse”, agregó al indicar que el ultraderechista votó en contra de la ley del divorcio, de la píldora del día después y de la protección de las mascotas.
Al mismo tiempo apostó por hacer un guiño a los electores haciendo énfasis en sus propuestas sociales, muchas germinadas en el gobierno Boric y las que promete expandir, como la reducción de los precios en la cuenta de luz y la rebaja en los gastos en educación, salud y vivienda.
También propone fortalecer las policías y el aparato estatal para combatir el crimen organizado, endurecer el acceso a las armas de fuego, reforzar las fronteras para limitar los ingresos irregulares e impulsar equipos especializados en delitos económicos a fin de rastrear el dinero ilícito que financia a las organizaciones criminales clandestinas.
En cuanto a la migración irregular, en un país donde la población extranjera representa casi el 9% de los 18,5 millones de habitantes, Jara aboga por un sistema de empadronamiento de los migrantes indocumentados y la expulsión de los que se nieguen a registrarse.
José Antonio Kast, el ultra que se perfila como favorito para la presidencia de Chile
Por NAYARA BATSCHKE
SANTIAGO (AP) — “La tercera es la vencida”, aseguró una y otra vez José Antonio Kast durante su campaña electoral.
Tras acariciar la presidencia de Chile hace cuatro años, cuando fue derrotado en el balotaje por el saliente mandatario izquierdista Gabriel Boric, Kast, uno de los principales exponentes de la extrema derecha latinoamericana, se perfila ahora como el favorito para ocupar el sillón presidencial a partir del 11 de marzo de 2026.
Kast se medirá el próximo domingo con la candidata oficialista Jeannette Jara en una segunda vuelta después de que ninguno lograra la mayoría necesaria para una victoria en primera ronda.
Abogado de 59 años y padre de nueve hijos, es el líder del Partido Republicano, cercano a la formación española VOX, y comparte visiones similares a las expresadas por el expresidente brasileño Jair Bolsonaro y los mandatarios de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, y Argentina, Javier Milei.
Así como Trump, se ganó la simpatía de casi un 60% del electorado, según apuntan sendas encuestas, gracias a sus propuestas de un “gobierno de emergencia” de tolerancia cero contra la migración y la delincuencia.
Asimismo, ha invocado el modelo de mano dura de Nayib Bukele, cuya mega cárcel en El Salvador llegó a visitar a pesar de las controversias por las denuncias de violaciones de derechos humanos en ese país.
“Todos los chilenos, si debieran votar hoy y tuvieran a Bukele en la papeleta, elegirían a Bukele”, dijo la semana pasada durante un debate televisivo.
Si hace cuatro años Kast fue duramente cuestionado por sus posiciones extremas, como el rechazo a la ley de aborto, al matrimonio igualitario o su postura complaciente con la dictadura militar, esta vez ha moderado su discurso.
Optó por no dar entrevistas y limitó su aparición en los debates. También ha evitado hablar de la llamada agenda valórica y esquivó preguntas como los derechos reproductivos o las libertades individuales —aunque sostiene que su posición “no ha cambiado”—.
En su lugar se ha centrado en el combate a la delincuencia y la migración irregular, las dos principales preocupaciones ciudadanas en un país que se vio golpeado por un aumento de la violencia urbana y donde se calcula haya unos 330.000 inmigrantes sin papeles, que muchos vinculan con el incremento de la delincuencia.
Kast promete un “gobierno de emergencia”, con medidas que incluyen la ampliación de la legítima defensa, la “presunción legal de defensa” en casos críticos e incursiones policiales y militares para recuperar zonas “bajo el dominio del narco”.
Asimismo, propone convertir a la migración irregular en un delito, impulsar las expulsiones masivas y reforzar las fronteras con la construcción de “vallas, muros y zanjas”.
Cambio de prioridades
En 2021 Kast fue el candidato más votado de la primera vuelta pero fue derrotado por Boric en unos comicios marcados por la insatisfacción popular tras las masivas protestas de dos años antes que reivindicaban reformas estructurales y la redacción de una nueva Constitución, en los disturbios más violentos desde el regreso de la democracia en 1990.
Pero cuatro años después, la sociedad chilena pasó por cambios profundos y fue testigo de fenómenos hasta entonces desconocidos —como la llegada del crimen organizado y flujos migratorios sin precedentes— por lo que los “temas de contingencia” son la nueva prioridad.
Debates sobre la democracia, el avance en los derechos de las minorías o las heridas abiertas de la dictadura de Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) quedaron relegadas a un segundo plano.
Poco o nada se ha hablado de las controversias en torno del pasado nazi de Kast, quien vio su popularidad desplomarse en los anteriores comicios por su postura complaciente con el legado del régimen de Pinochet —que dejó 40.000 víctimas entre asesinados, detenidos y desaparecidos— y las alegaciones de que su padre había sido nazi.
Pese a su intento por desmentir esas afirmaciones —al sostener que “fue enrolado obligatoriamente”—, una investigación conducida por The Associated Press reveló que su padre, Michael Kast, se había afiliado a los 18 años al partido de Adolf Hitler en una Alemania donde, si bien el servicio militar era obligatorio, la afiliación al partido nazi era voluntaria.
Influyente clan político con lazos con la dictadura
Nacido y criado en Santiago, Kast es hijo de una pareja de alemanes que llegó a Chile en la década de 1950 tras la derrota de Alemania en la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
La pareja pronto prosperaría en los negocios y se consolidaría como un importante actor en la transformación ideológica de la derecha chilena a partir de los años setenta.
Siendo el menor de 10 hermanos, Kast confía en seguir con el legado de su influyente clan político. Es hermano del economista Miguel Kast Rist, ya fallecido y quien fue, entre otros cargos, ministro del Trabajo (1980-1982) y presidente del Banco Central (1982) de Pinochet.
Asimismo, es tío del senador Felipe Kast, del exdiputado Pablo Kast y de la exconcejala Bárbara Kast Sommerhoff.
Su trayectoria política comenzó en 1984 cuando ingresó a la Escuela de Derecho de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
En 1996 ingresó formalmente a la Unión Demócrata Independiente (UDI), un partido de derecha fundado por el abogado Jaime Guzmán, aliado del gobierno militar y mentor de un joven Kast que apenas empezaba su andadura política.
Ese mismo año fue elegido concejal por un periodo de cuatro años y, posteriormente, ejerció como diputado por la UDI por tres mandatos consecutivos entre 2002 y 2014.
Fue en 2017, tras su renuncia al partido un año antes, que Kast se lanzó por primera vez a la carrera presidencial y cosechó menos de 8% de los votos como candidato independiente.
A partir de entonces ganó terreno y desde 2019 se consolidó como una de las figuras políticas más influyentes del país tras fundar, ese mismo año, el Partido Republicano, que agrupa a veteranos militantes derechistas e independientes.
An “Existential Crisis” To Close 2025
An “Existential Crisis” To Close 2025
By Michael Every of Rabobank
The Fed delivered what was expected – a 25bps rate cut to 3.75% and a deep public split over whether it should cut further because the labor market is weakening or keep policy tight because inflation is too high. The Fed will also buy $40bn of T-Bills just after stopping QT, but this is not to be seen as QE, nor as having any impact on monetary policy – and QE was a neutral “asset swap”, not a balance sheet expansion that juiced asset prices. See here for the take of our US Strategist Philip Marey, who concludes that as Trump takes a firmer grip of the Fed ahead, rates are likely to fall more than some expect.
The ECB’s Lagarde spoke of “Europe’s existential crisis” and didn’t think the level of ECB rates could do anything about it. She underlined estimates that internal trade barriers due to national regulations on top of the EU’s own amount to an effective tariff of 110% on services and 60% on goods traded between member states. “Everybody wants to sugarcoat, gold-plate and do just a bit more,” yet on reforms, “There will be pushback from multiple corners… from people who say: ‘We’re very happy in our corner of Europe, leave us alone.’” (As ‘Teresa Ribera is ‘not interested in competition,’ complains jilted Brussels bubble’ – but that didn’t stop the EU from just raiding China’s Temu over a foreign subsidy allegation.) Lagarde underlined the need for a transformative capital markets union and joint Eurobonds for defence funding, seeing this as opportunity.
The BoC left rates on hold at 2.25% and seems to think it’s done, yet admitted it‘s difficult to “assess the underlying momentum of the economy,” given US tariffs’ impact over time. See here for more from Molly Schwartz.
The RBA, hawkish on Tuesday, prompting market chatter of rate hikes in 2026, will look at the jobs numbers today (-21.3K vs +20K expected) and perhaps rethink. But what of asset prices as the AFR notes, ‘Why this mum bought her 11-year-old son a townhouse.’ Only one? Tsk!
Today, BoE Governor Bailey will testify to Parliament’s Covid Inquiry. Will we see questions about the Bank’s response, e.g., why didn’t it use macroprudential measures on mortgage lending at the same time as deep rate cuts and massive QE? There are key lessons to be learned for when the next, inevitable ‘nobody saw it coming’ crisis hits – will central banks have a clearer idea of what they are *for* by then?
Meanwhile, as so often reiterated here, the backdrop against which all central banks pretend to know what they’re doing is getting increasingly unpredictable.
In geoeconomics, Mexico imposed 50% tariffs on China and other Asian economies –exactly the Trump Plan we predicted: next, Canada(?) Against that backdrop, the USTR said he seeks a “constructive” reset on trade with China, which launched a satellite super factory to rival Starlink and added domestic AI chips to its official procurement list for the first time. However, Ford suppliers received China’s new streamlined rare-earth licenses – but German automakers were notably excluded so far. Indonesia is resisting US trade demands on critical minerals and energy it sees risking its relations with China and Russia. On the other hand, India reportedly offered the US its ‘best-ever’ deal, as D.C. pushes farm access in trade negotiations, as the US Soybean association president meanwhile stated that Trump’s farm aid plan for them is “A band-aid on an open wound.” The UK’s PM also told Parliament that a return to the EU customs union would “unravel” new UK trade deals: yes, some things are zero sum. Trade can be one of them.
In geopolitics, US Representative Massie has introduced a bill to pull America out of NATO, which speaks to the times if not its likelihood of passage. It’s nonetheless noted that Trump’s recent verbal attacks on Europe will force it to speed up post-America defence plans, with belated recognition that the era of America’s “security guarantee” for Europe is over. It seems Europe will have to pay much more than it has budgeted for the military by 2035, and a lot sooner. That’s as a report suggested a parallel US National Security Strategy to split up the EU and establish a new global “C5” of the US, China, Russia, India, and Japan, leaving Europe out of the power loop.
Germany’s Chancellor Merz nonetheless underlined he still wants the US as partner, and if Trump “can’t make sense of this institution or the structure of the EU,” the US can still cooperate with member states, and “Germany is, of course, first and foremost one of them.” Divide et impera.
Regardless, the EU is pressing harder for the passage of its €210bn Ukraine loan scheme, which Lagarde says is now the “closest” to being legal so far – is that something compliance officers like hearing? She added the new version should reassure investors it “does not amount to confiscation” – but as this money is clearly not going to be given back to Russia, it’s unclear how. Indeed, Belgium is demanding an extra cash buffer as wergild against expected Russian retaliation against it and Euroclear. And that’s presuming retaliation stays in that dimension – the FT reports on fears of a wider Russian campaign of sabotage to infrastructure and businesses ahead, which potentially comes with its own cost in terms of lower growth and higher inflation.
Muddying the waters for the EU in terms of its desire to adhere to global institutions, the International Court of Justice granted Russia’s counterclaim in a genocide case vs Kyiv. The potential implication, according to some, is that any warfare can be genocide if civilians are involved. Elsewhere, the US threatened to sanction the International Criminal Court unless it promises not to prosecute President Trump.
In Latin America, the US seized an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela after smuggling Nobel peace prize laureate Machado out of the country: she called for democracies to “fight for freedom,” which may not be metaphorical. In Brazil, a bill that could reduce ex-President Bolsonaro’s prison time has advanced in Congress. In Bolivia, leftist ex-president Arce was just arrested for corruption a month after leaving office. And China pledged foreign aid to the region with no “political conditions” – it seems the Western Hemisphere may be ideologically, if not physically, contested.
In the Indo-Pacific, China says it seeks a “fair and just maritime order” in the South China Sea, which it claims; the ongoing Japan-China spat is seen as having no off-ramp; a Telegraph report claims China’s hypersonic missiles would destroy the US Navy in a fight over Taiwan – as the US Navy Secretary called for a “wartime footing” in US weapons production; and Thailand-Cambodia border fighting rages on as Trump signals he might try to intervene.
In the Middle East, there are reports of a build-up of US military jets heading towards the Middle East, as others say Iran has started mass production of ballistic missiles again. Trump will also delay unveiling his Gaza Board of Peace members until 2026, and it’s reported that the US is weighing hitting the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNWRA with terrorism-related sanctions.
If you think that’s too much information to fit into a Global Daily, try writing it(!) Moreover, consider this is just one day, in one week, in one month, in what has been a non-stop year for wild news headlines. 2026 doesn’t look like it’s going to get any easier. Quite the opposite, in fact.
You might not see it all as an existential crisis, just a ‘volatile trading backdrop’, but trying to keep up with just that part for readers can certainly prompt one for those who try!
Tyler Durden
Thu, 12/11/2025 – 10:25
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/existential-crisis-least-some
Roban 600 artefactos del Imperio Británico en un museo
LONDRES (AP) — Más de 600 artefactos relacionados con la historia del Imperio Británico y la Mancomunidad han sido robados de la colección del Museo de Bristol, informó la policía el jueves al publicar imágenes de cuatro sospechosos.
La fuerza policial de Avon y Somerset indicó que los objetos con “significativo valor cultural” fueron sustraídos de un edificio de almacenamiento en las primeras horas del 25 de septiembre.
La fuerza expresó su deseo de hablar con cuatro hombres en relación con el robo y solicitó información al público.
No estaba claro por qué se hacía el llamado más de dos meses después del crimen.
“El robo de muchos artículos que tienen un valor cultural significativo es una pérdida importante para la ciudad”, declaró el detective Dan Burgan.
“Estos artículos, muchos de los cuales fueron donaciones, forman parte de una colección que ofrece una visión de una parte compleja de la historia británica, y esperamos que los miembros del público puedan ayudarnos a llevar a los responsables ante la justicia”.
La ciudad portuaria de Bristol, a 195 kilómetros (120 millas) al suroeste de Londres, desempeñó un papel importante en el comercio transatlántico de esclavos. Los barcos con base en la ciudad transportaron al menos a medio millón de africanos a la esclavitud antes de que Gran Bretaña prohibiera el comercio de esclavos en 1807. Muchos habitantes de Bristol del siglo XVIII ayudaron a financiar el comercio y compartieron las ganancias, que también construyeron elegantes casas y edificios georgianos que aún salpican la ciudad.
Fue el centro de atención y debate internacional en 2020, cuando manifestantes contra el racismo derribaron una estatua del comerciante de esclavos del siglo XVII Edward Colston de su pedestal en la ciudad y la arrojaron al río Avon.
La estatua vandalizada fue posteriormente recuperada y puesta en exhibición en un museo.
___________________________________
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/roban-600-artefactos-del-imperio-britnico-en-un-museo/
Former soccer player Daniel Odhiambo becomes a basketball star at Vernon Hills. ‘I didn’t think I’d be here.’
Vernon Hills’ Daniel Odhiambo is part of a family that lives and breathes soccer.
But the 6-foot-5 Odhiambo is making his mark in basketball. A former soccer standout, he has become one of the best forwards in Lake County.
“I really, really love it now,” he said. “I enjoy coming to practice every day, being with my teammates, even outside the basketball court. I love all of it.”
Odhiambo, who is averaging 17.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in his third varsity season for the Cougars (6-1), expects to play basketball in college.
“I didn’t think I’d be here,” he said. “Not a lot of people have this opportunity, so I’m going to take it.”
Born in Milwaukee, Odhiambo moved to Kenya when he was 7 years old and then came back to the United States just before he started high school. All that time, soccer was his favorite sport.
“Soccer was a really big thing (in Kenya),” Odhiambo said. “People didn’t really play basketball. Everywhere you went, people were just playing soccer, so I kept playing soccer.”
Vernon Hills’ Daniel Odhiambo, top, reaches over Niles West’s Devin Macapinlac, left, and Eldin Becovic for a rebound during a Central Suburban North game in Skokie on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Talia Sprague / News-Sun)
Odhiambo recalls playing soccer with his friends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Basketball only entered his consciousness during trips to visit his grandmother in Milwaukee. She took him to Bucks games, where he got to see Giannis Antetokounmpo play.
“I really liked watching him,” Odhiambo said. “I mean, he’s a freak, right?”
Odhiambo joined the Vernon Hills boys soccer team as a freshman, and word of his athleticism spread like wildfire.
“Our soccer coach, Mike McCaulou, had been bragging about him,” Vernon Hills boys basketball coach Matt McCarty said. “He kept saying, ‘There’s a really good athlete on the soccer team.’
“So I investigated a little bit to see if he played basketball, and sure enough, he did.”
Odhiambo technically knew how to play basketball, but it wasn’t pretty.
“I wasn’t very good,” he said. “I was really athletic, but I wasn’t coordinated at all. I was like a baby gazelle.”
Odhiambo joined the freshman B team and instantly emerged as a wrecking ball. At 6-2, he could dunk and block shots like volleyball spikes.
“I really like blocking people,” he said. “That was like the first thing I really started to like, since I could just block everybody.”
But Odhiambo still wasn’t sure about the sport.
“At the start, I didn’t really know how I felt about it,” he said. “I viewed practice as a punishment, as something I had to do.”
As Odhiambo’s freshman season progressed, he became more comfortable. His progress was on full display the following summer, when McCarty realized that Odhiambo had outgrown the lower levels.
“We had a tournament at Barrington, and Daniel was completely dominating,” McCarty said. “He’s got great hands. He can catch and score around the basket — and, of course, he can block shots and protect the rim.
“That was something that we just didn’t have across the board. No one else in the program could do those things. So it was a no-brainer to get him up to varsity.”
Last season, Odhiambo anchored the post for the Cougars, at one point blocking eight shots against Niles West to set the program’s single-game record. He has dazzled teammates.
“His athletic ability shows for itself,” Vernon Hills senior guard Jeremy Zamost said. “He gets tons of blocks, tons of rebounds, and he can dunk the ball.
“But after a loss, he’s the first one to tell us to just worry about the next game and flush our loss. That shows a lot of character from him. He is helping keep the team accountable.”
But Odhiambo knows his game still has room to evolve, particularly his jump shot.
“He’s working on it,” McCarty said.
That’s an understatement. Odhiambo goes to Vernon Hills’ gym at 6:00 a.m. multiple times per week to put up 500-plus shots with McCarty.
“I put him through the wringer,” McCarty said. “He leaves dripping and sweating.”
Each shot — and each bead of sweat — will help push Odhiambo to the next level. He has offers from Division II and Division III programs.
“He’s a great young man, and I know some college will be really thankful to get him,” McCarty said. “He always brings a big smile to my face. He’s got a great demeanor. I’ve never once had an attitude issue with Daniel. He just comes to practice with a smile, and when it’s time to buckle down, he buckles down.”
Sam Brief is a freelance reporter.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/basketball-vernon-hills-daniel-odhiambo/
TIME Person Of The Year Are The Architects Of AI
TIME Person Of The Year Are The Architects Of AI
TIME magazine has picked the ‘Architects of AI’ as their person of the year for 2025, when the potential for AI “roared into view” with no turning back.
“For delivering the age of thinking machines, for wowing and worrying humanity, for transforming the present and transcending the possible, the Architects of AI are TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year,” the magazine announced.
2025 was the year when artificial intelligence’s full potential roared into view, and when it became clear that there will be no turning back.
For delivering the age of thinking machines, for wowing and worrying humanity, for transforming the present and transcending the… pic.twitter.com/mEIKRiZfLo
— TIME (@TIME) December 11, 2025
Whether you use it or not, AI has dominated headlines all year. On one hand, AI has proven useful in an increasing number of applications. On the other, it’s potentially rotting our brains. What’s hilarious is that less than 6 months ago, TIME published a piece titled “ChatGPT May Be Eroding Critical Thinking Skills, According to a New MIT Study.”
In it, MIT researchers found that “the usage of LLMs could actually harm learning, especially for younger users.”
“What really motivated me to put it out now before waiting for a full peer review is that I am afraid in 6-8 months, there will be some policymaker who decides, ‘let’s do GPT kindergarten.’ I think that would be absolutely bad and detrimental,” said the paper’s main author Nataliya Kosmyna.
Then there’s ‘vibe coding‘ – where ‘programmers’ simply ask an AI to write code for them instead of programming it manually, and of course, you can’t scroll Facebook now (why would you?) without running into mountains of ‘AI slop‘ – which spans everything from fake scientific journals to brain-rotting videos seemingly designed to pull western society’s average IQ into double-digits.
McDonald’s has unveiled its own AI-generated Christmas ad that somehow looks even worse than Coca-Cola’s.
Terrible AI visuals? Check. Horrible messaging? Check. A like-to-dislike ratio that says it all? Oh, you better believe that’s a check:https://t.co/XQHnVLoG5T pic.twitter.com/Vestu3uNJS
— 80 LEVEL (@80Level) December 8, 2025
In 2023, Elon Musk called AI one of humanity’s “biggest threats,” which is why he says he set off to create a “politically neutral” and “maximally truth-seeking” chatbot (Grok) with the aim of minimal bias.
Maximally truth-seeking is absolutely essential to ensuring a good AI future for humanity https://t.co/6QnWy3v1AB
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2025
“AI is more dangerous than, say, mismanaged aircraft design or production maintenance or bad car production, in the sense that it is, it has the potential — however small one may regard that probability, but it is non-trivial – it has the potential of civilization destruction,” Musk told Tucker Carlson. “A regulatory agency needs to start with a group that initially seeks insight into AI, then solicits opinion from industry, and then has proposed rule-making.”
According to TIME, “It was hard to read or watch anything without being confronted with news about the rapid advancement of a technology and the people driving it. Those stories unleashed a million debates about how disruptive AI would be for our lives. No business leader could talk about the future without invoking the impact of this technological revolution. No parent or teacher could ignore how their teenager or student was using it.”
“Every industry needs it, every company uses it, and every nation needs to build it,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told the outlet. “This is the single most impactful technology of our time.“
Indeed.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 12/11/2025 – 10:05
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/time-person-year-are-architects-ai
EEUU amenaza con cortar ayuda a Sudán del Sur por su trato a grupos humanitarios
Por DENG MACHOL
YUBA, Sudán del Sur (AP) — Estados Unidos advirtió el jueves que podría reducir la ayuda exterior a Sudán del Sur, acusando al gobierno de imponer tarifas exorbitantes a los grupos humanitarios y de obstruir sus operaciones.
En un comunicado contundente, emitido por la Oficina de Asuntos Africanos del Departamento de Estado, Estados Unidos afirmó que estas acciones eran “violaciones de las obligaciones internacionales de Sudán del Sur” y amenazó con revisar la asistencia exterior a Sudán del Sur y potencialmente realizar “reducciones significativas”.
Estados Unidos es uno de los mayores donantes de ayuda exterior para Sudán del Sur, donde décadas de conflicto y la falta de un gobierno estable han afectado la prestación de servicios básicos como nutrición, educación y atención médica.
Más del 70% de los 11 millones de habitantes del país depende de la asistencia humanitaria para alimentos, atención médica y otras necesidades básicas, según la ONU.
Estados Unidos manifestó que la crisis humanitaria en Sudán del Sur es “impulsada por una mala gobernanza, la incapacidad de gastar los ingresos públicos en beneficio del pueblo, la inseguridad creada por los líderes sursudaneses y la búsqueda de rentas depredadoras dirigidas contra la ayuda humanitaria”.
El gobierno de Sudán del Sur aún no ha reaccionado a estas acusaciones.
Estados Unidos indicó que ha proporcionado más de 9.500 millones de dólares en asistencia al pueblo de Sudán del Sur desde su independencia en 2011, y que los ingresos petroleros recaudados por el gobierno sursudanés ascienden a aproximadamente 25.000 millones de dólares, sin embargo, no se han proporcionado servicios públicos significativos utilizando esos ingresos.
Estados Unidos instó a Sudán del Sur a “dejar de obstruir las operaciones humanitarias y actuar como socios genuinos” asegurando que los fondos públicos se gasten de manera transparente en salarios, servicios básicos y programas que apoyen a las comunidades vulnerables.
Estados Unidos y Sudán del Sur comparten una relación bilateral compleja, y en abril de este año, Estados Unidos suspendió la emisión de nuevas visas a ciudadanos sursudaneses tras una disputa diplomática por un incidente de deportación.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
WBEZ back to local programming Thursday morning after 16-hour power outage
WBEZ-FM 91.5 was back on the air live and local Thursday morning after nearly a day without power forced the station to vacate its Navy Pier studios and run network programming.
ComEd replaced a damaged transformer and restored electricity to the studios at 1:46 a.m., allowing the station to return to normal programming in time for morning drive after a 16-hour disruption.
The outage occurred around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday during the “In the Loop” program with Sasha-Ann Simons. The station was briefly able to continue broadcasting its local programming on a backup power system, but the outage also knocked off the heat, forcing the on-air staff to vacate as the temperatures in the studios began to drop.
At about 10 a.m., WBEZ switched to a network feed from the BBC, unable to air the regularly scheduled “Say More” show with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith.
“We kept things on until we realized we had to leave the studios,” WBEZ spokesperson Victor Lim told the Tribune. “We had to leave the office for safety concerns.”
WBEZ, the highly rated NPR station, offers a mix of local and network programming throughout the day. It normally airs NPR syndicated shows such as “Fresh Air,” “Here and Now” and “All Things Considered” in the afternoon, but with regular local news inserts.
The station successfully switched from BBC to its scheduled NPR programming Wednesday afternoon, but without local news as the power outage and deep freeze continued at the studios, Lim said.
WBEZ sent an email to listeners about the “disruption” and power outage, thanking them for staying with the station during the temporary switch to network programming.
By 5 p.m. – more than seven hours into the outage – ComEd had brought a new transformer to the site at Navy Pier and was working to install it, a spokesperson for the utility told the Tribune. ComEd said it was looking to have power restored for WBEZ by Wednesday night.
It took a little longer than that, with the outage lasting 16 hours before power was finally restored.
WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times are co-owned by Chicago Public Media, after the radio station and newspaper merged under the nonprofit organization in January 2022.
rchannick@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/wbez-power-outage-back-on-air/
Disney Invests $1 Billion In OpenAI, Strikes Landmark Deal To Bring Beloved Characters To Sora
Disney Invests $1 Billion In OpenAI, Strikes Landmark Deal To Bring Beloved Characters To Sora
Disney and OpenAI have resolved their prior video-generation rights dispute by entering into a three-year licensing and technology partnership that makes Disney the first major content partner for Sora, OpenAI’s generative video platform.
“As part of this new, three-year licensing agreement, Sora will be able to generate short, user-prompted social videos that can be viewed and shared by fans, drawing from a set of more than 200 animated, masked and creature characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars, including costumes, props, vehicles, and iconic environments,” Disney wrote in a press release.
As part of the agreement, Disney will invest $1 billion in OpenAI and receive warrants for additional equity.
Disney will feature a curated selection of fan-generated Sora videos on Disney+, and both companies will collaborate to develop innovative AI products and enhance experiences across Disney’s platforms.
In addition to enhancing the user experience with AI, Disney will adopt OpenAI tools for employees and use OpenAI APIs to build new internal and consumer-facing applications. So does that mean a restructuring of coders at the studio is just ahead?
“Technological innovation has continually shaped the evolution of entertainment, bringing with it new ways to create and share great stories with the world,” Disney CEO Robert Iger wrote in a press release.
Iger continued, “The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence marks an important moment for our industry, and through this collaboration with OpenAI we will thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works.”
He noted, “Bringing together Disney’s iconic stories and characters with OpenAI’s groundbreaking technology puts imagination and creativity directly into the hands of Disney fans in ways we’ve never seen before, giving them richer and more personal ways to connect with the Disney characters and stories they love.”
So the OpenAI / $dis deal is a licensing deal where $dis invests $1bn?
I imagine they are going to collect more than $1bn in licensing fees
The game continues pic.twitter.com/a2zbKX6pu4
— Sterling Capital (@jay_21_) December 11, 2025
Disney shares are up 2% in early trading. Year-to-date, the stock is down 2% and has been trading sideways since its peak in early 2021.
The resolution follows Disney and other major studios raising serious concerns about the unlicensed use of their characters in early Sora-generated videos. Disney has found a solution. Will other studios follow?
Tyler Durden
Thu, 12/11/2025 – 09:50
Naperville News Digest: KidsMatter, park district join forces on Community Job Fair; U.S. Rep. Bill Foster to hold virtual town hall on Dec. 17
KidsMatter, park district join forces on Community Job Fair
KidsMatter and the Naperville Park District will host the annual Community Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, at the Fort Hill Activity Center, 20 Fort Hill Drive.
Participants can learn about career opportunities, take part in mock interviews, work on their resumes and learn about financial literacy. Dozens of companies will be on site, organizers said.
This year, there will be new panel discussions in the morning featuring industry experts, organizers said.
No registration is necessary to attend the free fair.
For more information, go to www.kidsmatter2us.org/events/community-job-fair.
Naperville Park District Pennies for Pies campaign collected enough money to provide 130 pies for Loaves and Fishes’ Thanksgiving dinners. (Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock)
Pennies for Pies drive raises enough to buy 130 pies
Naperville Park District collected more than $1,045 through its annual Pennies for Pies drive, enough to purchase 130 pumpkin pies for Loaves & Fishes Community Services’ Thanksgiving meals.
The charitable endeavor, which collects spare change and other monetary donations at various park district facilities, was conducted throughout November. Money came from preschool students, park district employees and Naperville residents, a district news release said.
Pies were purchased for the holiday meals provided by the Naperville-based food pantry. Remaining donations were allocated to the park district’s Fee Assistance Program, which funds recreation opportunities for Naperville residents in need, the release said.
U.S. Rep. Bill Foster to hold virtual town hall on Dec. 17
U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, will host a virtual town hall meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17, via Zoom.
Anyone who wants to attend should register at foster.house.gov/townhall to receive a meeting link.
Foster will be answering questions and will be joined by Nikki McKinney, the policy director for Democracy Forward, a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy and public education and regulatory engagement.
To submit questions, call Foster’s office at 630-585-7672.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/naperville-kidsmatter-park-job-foster-town-hall/
