Category: News
Rescatan ileso a excursionista atrapado en arenas movedizas en el Parque Nacional Arches de Utah
Por MEAD GRUVER
Quedar atrapado en arenas movedizas es un peligro cursi de las viejas películas y programas de televisión, pero realmente le sucedió a un desafortunado excursionista en el Parque Nacional Arches de Utah.
El parque, famoso por sus decenas de arcos naturales de arenisca, recibe más de un millón de visitantes al año, y los accidentes –que van desde caídas hasta golpes de calor– son comunes.
¿Arenas movedizas? No tanto, pero han sucedido al menos un par de veces.
“La arena mojada simplemente vuelve a fluir. Es como una batalla sin fin”, dijo John Marshall, quien ayudó a una mujer atrapada en arenas movedizas hace más de una década y coordinó el más reciente rescate. Un excursionista experimentado, cuya identidad no fue revelada, atravesaba un pequeño cañón el domingo, en el segundo día de un viaje de 32 kilómetros (20 millas) cuando se hundió hasta el muslo, según Marshall.
Incapaz de liberarse, el excursionista activó una baliza satelital de emergencia. Su mensaje fue enviado al personal de emergencia del condado de Grand y Marshall recibió el reporte a las 7:15 de la mañana
“Me estaba levantando de la cama”, comentó Marshall. “Me estoy rascando la cabeza, pensando, ‘¿Escuché bien? ¿Dijeron arenas movedizas?’”.
Se puso las botas y se reunió con un equipo que partió a bordo de vehículos todoterreno, una escalera, tablas de tracción, camillas y un dron. Poco después Marshall tuvo una vista aérea de la situación.
A través de la cámara del dron vio a un guardabosques que le había lanzado una pala al hombre. Pero las arenas movedizas volvían a fluir tan pronto como el excursionista las paleaba, comentó Marshall.
El equipo de Búsqueda y Rescate del condado de Grand colocó la escalera y las tablas cerca del excursionista y lentamente liberaron su pierna. Para entonces, había estado de pie en el lodo a temperaturas por debajo del punto de congelación durante un par de horas.
Los rescatistas lo calentaron hasta que pudo ponerse de pie y, eventualmente, caminar. Luego salió caminando por su cuenta, incluso con su mochila al hombro, afirmó Marshall.
Las arenas movedizas son peligrosas, pero es un mito que la inmersión total sea el principal riesgo, dijo Marshall.
“En las arenas movedizas eres extremadamente flotante”, explicó. “La mayoría de las personas no se hundirán más allá de la cintura en las arenas movedizas”.
Marshall es más o menos una especie de experto en arenas movedizas.
En 2014, era un médico que ayudó a una mujer de 78 años después de que quedó atrapada por más de 13 horas en el mismo cañón, a sólo tres kilómetros (dos millas) de donde tuvo lugar el rescate del domingo.
El club de lectura al que pertenecía la mujer se preocupó cuando ella no asistió a su reunión. Fueron a buscarla y encontraron su coche al principio del sendero. Era junio, hacía mucho más calor que el domingo, pero no sofocante a la sombra del cañón, y la mujer se recuperó completamente después de recuperar el uso de sus piernas.
“Ambos tuvieron finales muy felices”, manifestó Marshall.
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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.
Illinois National Guard still federalized as President Trump extends order, despite troops sitting idle
SPRINGFIELD — Three hundred Illinois National Guard troops remain under Republican President Donald Trump’s control roughly a week after an initial 60-day federal activation order expired, continuing a clash over his unprecedented decision to seize authority over state soldiers who have spent almost their entire time confined to a base in northern Illinois and performing no operational missions.
Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker’s office said Wednesday that the 60-day federalization order — issued Oct. 4 in conjunction with the Trump administration’s Operation Midway Blitz deportation efforts — was earlier extended for at least another month, even though the soldiers have mostly remained at an Illinois Army National Guard training site in Marseilles and were never deployed for the White House’s stated purpose of protecting federal officers and assets.
“The Illinois National Guard was informed that the previous mobilization order for the federalized Illinois National Guard soldiers was amended and extended an additional 32 days,” a spokesperson for Pritzker’s office said in a statement, meaning the troops will remain federalized until at least roughly the end of the year. “Governor Pritzker strongly condemns the ongoing politicization of our brave servicemembers by the Trump Administration and remains unwavering in his opposition of federalizing members of the National Guard against the wishes of the Governor. The State of Illinois will continue to fight this blatant overreach to the fullest extent in the courts.”
The ongoing federalization — the first in Illinois history over a governor’s objections — also drew heightened scrutiny after a federal judge in California on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to return control of that state’s National Guard to California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. The judge ruled that the White House overstepped its authority in extending a deployment in Los Angeles, a finding that could affect National Guard units in other states, such as Illinois, that the federal government has commandeered. The Trump administration is expected to appeal the judge’s decision.
Pritzker has repeatedly denounced the president’s move as an abuse of power and unnecessary, noting the Illinois troops have neither patrolled streets nor guarded federal buildings and pointing out that Trump said he originally intended to send guard troops into Chicago to curtail crime. In addition, many agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol assigned to the Chicago region specifically as part of Operation Midway Blitz have left the area.
In a statement, U.S. Northern Command, which oversees the National Guard deployment, said the soldiers “are conducting planning and training but not engaging in Federal Protection Mission operational activities.” A Defense Department spokesperson noted that federal personnel and property in the Chicago region could still require protection.
But David Harris, a former adjutant general who oversaw the Illinois National Guard from 1999 to 2003, said he doesn’t see the troops doing anything productive under federal control.
“One of the key things about any military operation is you have a mission to perform, whatever it is. The commander knows what the mission is and will do his or her best to achieve the mission. What is the mission of these soldiers at this point? What are they doing?” asked Harris, who is now the director of the Illinois Department of Revenue. “It really is in my mind unconscionable that they are still on federal duty.”
“They’re planning and preparing for what?” Harris also said. “If there’s any danger out there to federal facilities in Illinois, why aren’t they guarding those federal facilities now?”
It remains unclear how many of the 300 Illinois National Guard members are the same as those who were called up in early October, as National Guard activations “allow commanders to maximize the number of volunteers” under federal orders, according to Northern Command’s website.
“This also helps commanders balance leave and passes over the upcoming holiday season, while ensuring there are enough troops to fulfil mission requirements,” the website said.
In addition to federalizing 300 Illinois National Guard troops in October, Trump’s Department of Defense deployed 200 members of the Texas National Guard that month to Illinois to, according to a memo issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and obtained by the Tribune, shield ICE and Border Patrol agents and protect federal facilities and “locations where violent demonstrations” were taking place as protests raged in the Chicago area in response to Midway Blitz.
The Texas National Guard troops departed Illinois last month, ending their 41-day deployment in which soldiers spent less than 24 hours on the streets as part of Midway Blitz. Most of the time, the Texas troops lived at a U.S. Army Reserve training center in southwest suburban Elwood.
Members of the Texas National Guard arrive on Oct. 7, 2025, at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
With his opposition to troops from another state being deployed to Illinois, Pritzker didn’t allow the Texas Guard members to stay at a state-owned facility. But he did allow the Illinois National Guard members to use the state-owned National Guard site in Marseilles, which is about 75 miles southwest of Chicago, because it allowed them to stay “close to home” and provided them access to “appropriate facilities,” including functioning showers, internet access and a small United Service Organization center for recreational activities, Pritzker’s office has said.
The troops from Illinois and Texas were kept off the streets due to the ongoing legal dispute between the Trump administration and the state of Illinois, which filed a lawsuit days after Trump’s October federalization. Although Illinois won some lower-court rulings, the case is now before the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court.
The lack of meaningful activity by the troops mirrors conditions in California, where about 100 federalized National Guard members in Los Angeles have largely been confined to base or limited building-security roles, according to The Associated Press. That prompted California to seek a preliminary injunction, which U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer granted Wednesday, though he delayed the order to allow the Trump administration to appeal. Breyer rejected arguments that the court had no power to review the deployment extensions, saying the administration appeared to want “a blank” check free of constitutional limits.
In June, Trump called up about 4,000 California National Guard members, without Newsom’s approval, to aid in immigration enforcement. Back then, there had been clashes between immigration enforcement officers and protesters, including during one demonstration where protesters threw rocks at federal vehicles, according to AP. But officials in California say those conditions have since changed.
The deployments have also fueled questions about cost.
In addition to sending National Guard troops to Los Angeles and Chicago, Trump also claimed he needed to federalize guard troops in Washington, D.C., Portland, Oregon, and Memphis, Tennessee, to assist with immigration raids, crack down on protests or assist in deterring crime. Two National Guard members from West Virginia who were deployed to Washington, D.C., were shot last month, one fatally, by an Afghan national.
Members of the California National Guard and U.S. Marines guard a federal building on June 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Damian Dovarganes/AP)
A study by the progressive-leaning Institute for Policy Studies estimated that National Guard operations in all five locales have cost roughly $473 million, including for personnel who never deployed beyond bases. The tally includes an estimated $12.8 million for the Chicago region spent for Illinois and Texas National Guard member deployments — roughly $4.66 million of it for the Texas Guard activation from Oct. 10 through Nov. 15, the study showed.
Pritzker’s office has not been able to shed any light on costs but said the use of the Marseilles site and other associated costs, such as meals and lodging, “are either directly paid by the federal government or 100 percent federally reimbursed.”
Citing figures from the Army, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s office has said the expected costs for federalizing all 500 National Guard soldiers in Illinois for a full two months was $19.4 million, which works out to $323,333 per day. Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts also released a report on Department of Defense costs and estimated the Illinois deployment cost $12 million.
Durbin, the state’s senior Democrat from Springfield, said the deployments produced “just not the results to justify the money spent.”
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Hoffman Estates and a retired Army lieutenant colonel, is set to question Defense Department officials Thursday at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
“Across the United States, Donald Trump has illegally deployed our nation’s servicemembers into American cities under unclear and false pretexts and despite the costs to our military and civil rights,” she said in a statement, calling for transparency and accountability. “The American people and our troops deserve answers.”
Respaldado por sus jugadores, Xabi Alonso confía en que el Madrid superará mal momento
Por TALEZ AZZONI
MADRID (AP) — Xabi Alonso agradeció a sus jugadores por su actitud pese a otra derrota y se dijo optimista en que el Real Madrid superaría su mala racha pronto.
El Madrid cayó 2-1 ante el Manchester City en la Liga de Campeones el miércoles, y se quedó apenas con dos victorias en sus últimos ocho partidos en las distintas competiciones.
“El equipo no ha perdido la cara al partido en ningún momento. No tengo nada que reprochar”, dijo el entrenador. “Los resultados no son buenos, somos críticos, autoexigentes, pero tenemos que seguir trabajando. Pasará, porque todo pasa”.
El resultado aumentó las críticas contra Alonso y provocó algunos silbidos por parte del público en el estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
“No es algo nuevo”, dijo el estratega sobre las muestras de rechazo del público. “Ha habido otros momentos en los que ha apoyado, hemos sentido esa energía. Lo podemos entender y lo tenemos que aceptar, porque aquí la exigencia es absoluta”.
Los medios españoles han dado cuenta de supuestas discrepancias entre Alonso y parte del equipo, pero los jugadores rápidamente salieron a apoyarlo tras la derrota.
El portero Thibaut Courtois y el defensor Raúl Asencio estuvieron entre los que dijeron que el equipo estaba unido y que todos apoyaban a Alonso. Rodrygo abrazó al técnico en la línea de banda después de anotar y admitió que fue para mostrar que los jugadores están con el entrenador.
Alonso señaló que tampoco es nuevo para un entrenador tener que lidiar con críticas en un gigante como el Madrid.
“Toca convivir con esta situación. Cuando eres entrenador del Real Madrid tienes que estar preparado para enfrentarlo, con entereza y autocrítica”, reconoció. “Pero sabemos que las cosas pueden cambiar. A pesar del resultado he visto cosas positivas. Estamos ahí”. El próximo partido del Madrid es contra el Alavés el domingo en La Liga española, donde el conjunto merengue está a cuatro puntos del líder Barcelona después de 16 fechas.
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Fútbol AP: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
La NFL busca un grupo de árbitros suplentes y quiere asignar playoffs según el desempeño
Por ROB MAADDI
La NFL busca crear un grupo de árbitros suplentes y quiere que las asignaciones de partidos de postemporada se basen en el desempeño en lugar de la antigüedad.
Troy Vincent, ejecutivo de la liga, dijo que había enfatizado en estos puntos ante los propietarios el miércoles, en una reunión virtual.
La liga y la Asociación de Árbitros de la NFL han estado negociando un nuevo acuerdo colectivo desde el verano de 2024. El que rige actualmente expira el 31 de mayo de 2026.
Hasta ahora, las discusiones con el sindicato de árbirtos no han tenido éxito, según un memorando que fue enviado a los equipos y obtenido por The Associated Press.
“Nos esforzamos por la excelencia en todos los aspectos de este deporte, incluido el arbitraje. A lo largo del proceso de negociación colectiva, la NFL se ha mantenido enfocada en implementar cambios en el acuerdo (y de otro modo ejercer nuestros derechos) de maneras que mejoren el rendimiento de los árbitros de juego, aumenten la responsabilidad y aseguren que los que tengan un mejor rendimiento estén arbitrando nuestros partidos más importantes. Nuestra prioridad es tener a los mejores árbitros en el campo, un modelo basado en el desempeño”, comentó Vincent.
La liga pretende que la compensación esté vinculada al rendimiento para que sólo los árbitros de alto desempeño durante la temporada regular compartan el fondo de bonificación de fin de año.
La liga también busca mayor flexibilidad para asegurar que los mejores árbitros estén en el campo durante la postemporada. El actual contrato colectivo de trabajo incluye la antigüedad como un factor en la asignación de postemporada. Vincent dijo que el sindicato quiere mantener ese criterio como un factor.
No se pudo contactar de inmediato al sindicato para que comentara sobre las propuestas de la liga.
La capacitación y el desarrollo son otra área destacada por la NFL.
“Los programas de capacitación y desarrollo obligatorios son esenciales para los árbitros de bajo rendimiento y en período de prueba. El sindicato está resistiéndose a nuestros esfuerzos para dar a estos árbitros acceso a más repeticiones de práctica”, indicó Vincent.
Actualmente, la NFL no tiene comunicación con los árbitros de juego durante el período de aproximadamente tres meses que transcurre entre el Super Bowl y el 15 de mayo.
“Creemos que acortar ese período muerto y aumentar el acceso a todos los árbitros de juego para discusiones de reglas, revisión de video, mecánicas y reuniones apropiadas de operaciones de fútbol y comités mejorará el juego y el rendimiento de los oficiales”, expresó Vincent.
La liga también busca extender el período de prueba durante el cual se evalúa a los nuevos árbitros a fin de ganar flexibilidad para remover a aquéllos que tengan bajo rendimiento. La última propuesta del sindicato pedía la eliminación del período de prueba por completo, según el memorando.
“Continuaremos abogando por cambios en nuestro acuerdo colectivo que mejoren la capacitación, recompensen el rendimiento y aumenten la responsabilidad. Estas medidas y la continua incorporación de tecnología, incluido el uso ampliado de la asistencia de repetición, mejorarán aún más la arbitraje”, se lee en el memorando.
La NFL está explorando la posibilidad de agregar varias jugadas más a la asistencia de repetición instantánea en 2026, incluyendo bloqueos de crackback, bloqueos bajos/clip, bloqueos a ciegas, el lanzar el balón de forma intencional al suelo, determinar la posición de un receptor en el campo y formación ilegal en patadas de salida para determinar si los pies están en el suelo cuando se toca el balón.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
The Hyperventilating Over The DOE Restructuring Is Ongoing
The Hyperventilating Over The DOE Restructuring Is Ongoing
Authored by Larry Sand via American Greatness,
In the latest wave of fearmongering surrounding President Trump’s efforts to overhaul the U.S. Department of Education, a coalition of states that sued to stop mass layoffs at the department in March is now challenging recent decisions to transfer many of the DOE’s core functions to the U.S. Department of Labor and other federal agencies.
The attorneys general from 20 blue states and the District of Columbia, along with several teachers’ unions, argue in an amended complaint filed on Nov. 25 that federal laws require the U.S. Department of Education to implement its own programs. The lawsuits focus on the fact that the department signed seven agreements with four other federal agencies, allowing those agencies to handle the day-to-day management of key grant programs. Under these arrangements, the Labor Department now heads up most K-12 grant programs, distributing over $20 billion annually to schools.
The National Education Association issued a ridiculous statement alleging that the moves are “illegal, cruel, and shameful.” NEA president Becky Pringle bizarrely declared, “Not only do they want to starve and steal from our students—they want to rob them of their futures. Nothing is more important than the success of our students, and America’s educators and parents will not be silent as Trump and Linda McMahon turn their backs on our students, families, and communities to pay for billionaire tax cuts.”
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten also claims that the move is not legal. “There are lots of things about the Department of Education that are in statute,” she declares, referring to funds that the department distributes to low-income families, students with disabilities, English as a Second Language learners, and work-study programs.
Let’s take a deep breath, step back, and look at the facts.
While the federal government has spent money on education and developed education policies since the 19th century, the DOE didn’t become a standalone agency until 1980, when it split off from the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Its creation came about when, as a sop to the National Education Association, Jimmy Carter established it while running for reelection. Clearly, it was politically motivated, and in response, the NEA subsequently issued its first-ever endorsement in a presidential contest.
As Jay Greene, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, points out, most of the programs that the DOE now administers were created before the department was established. He writes that it is “just a bureaucratic restructuring. It doesn’t get rid of programs; it doesn’t cut funding; it doesn’t close any schools. It’s just a change in the administration, not a change in the programs and services and funding delivered to America’s schools.”
Neal McCluskey, director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom, further explains that under the restructuring, states may get money back, but with strings attached.
Additionally, President Trump says his goal is to transfer the department’s primary responsibilities—such as Pell Grants, Title I funding, and resources for students with disabilities—to other parts of the federal government.
There is little reason to believe that moving various programs to different agencies will have any impact on schools whatsoever. Running the same programs under a different department is unlikely to affect students.
“If that’s all they’re doing, they’re not going to save any money, they’re not going to change any policy,” says Shep Melnick, a political scientist at Boston College.
Melnick is correct. Essentially, what the feds are trying to do at this time is tantamount to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
What the left and the teachers’ unions truly fear is that the restructuring will eventually result in the federal government completely withdrawing all educational control.
The reasons for shutting it down are numerous.
First, spending is more efficient when it is closer to the source. Jim Blew, assistant secretary of education during the first Trump administration and co-founder of the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies, correctly notes, “This ‘local control’ message is often met by naysayers with the concern that some local districts may do worse without federal ‘guardrails’—as if every school and district needs the same guardrails or that maintaining them comes with no cost. Perhaps some local districts will use their freedom to create worse outcomes (although that would be hard to do when roughly a third of our nation’s 4th and 8th graders already cannot demonstrate even basic, grade-level reading or math skills), but I find it more likely that we will see committed, innovative educators improve student outcomes when freed to use federal funding as they think best.”
Perhaps no one fully comprehends the DOE’s uselessness and waste more than former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. She contends that it shuffles money around, imposes unnecessary requirements and political agendas through its grants, and then shirks responsibility for evaluating whether any of what it does actually adds value. “Here’s how it works: Congress appropriates funding for education; last year, it totaled nearly $80 billion. The department’s bureaucrats take in those billions, add strings and red tape, peel off a percentage to pay for themselves, and then send it down to state education agencies.”
In summary, the DOE is ineffective, incompetent, unnecessary, and costly, and does nothing to support education. Its creation was a mistake, and it should be abolished. There is no strong policy reason or constitutional basis for the federal government to be involved in K-12 education. Ultimately, America’s schools would be better off without it.
But big-government leftists and teachers’ unions rely on centralized authority. It’s easier for them to influence a single federal agency where they already hold sway than to compete for control across 50 states and thousands of local districts. And, sadly, they will get their way, as 60 U.S. Senators would have to authorize the abolition of the DOE, which will not happen.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/10/2025 – 19:50
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/hyperventilating-over-doe-restructuring-ongoing
Decenas de miles de personas protestan en Bulgaria contra la corrupción del gobierno
Por VESELIN TOSHKOV
SOFÍA, Bulgaria (AP) — Decenas de miles de personas se sumaron el miércoles a las protestas masivas más recientes en toda Bulgaria, acusando al gobierno de corrupción generalizada y poniendo de relieve las divisiones políticas cuando sólo faltan unas semanas para que el país ingrese a la eurozona.
Las manifestaciones se llevaron a cabo después de las protestas de la semana pasada, las cuales surgieron tras anunciar el gobierno planes presupuestarios para incrementar los impuestos, las contribuciones a la seguridad social y el gasto público. Posteriormente, el gobierno retiró el controvertido plan presupuestario de 2026.
Desde entonces, los manifestantes han ampliado sus exigencias para incluir exhortaciones a la dimisión del gobierno del primer ministro Rosen Zhelyazkov, de centroderecha.
En la capital, Sofía, los inconformes se reunieron en una plaza central donde se encuentran los edificios del Parlamento, el gobierno y la presidencia. Coreando “dimisión” y “mafia”, pidieron la renuncia del gabinete de Zhelyazkov, integrado por una coalición minoritaria.
Estudiantes de las universidades de Sofía se sumaron a las protestas, que según los organizadores superaron en número a las manifestaciones de la semana pasada, las cuales atrajeron a más de 50.000 personas. Estimaciones de los medios de comunicación con base en imágenes de drones situaron el número de inconformes en más de 100.000.
En el centro de las frustraciones de los manifestantes está el papel del político y oligarca búlgaro Delyan Peevski, quien ha sido sancionado por Estados Unidos y el Reino Unido, y cuyo partido MRF Nuevo Comienzo respalda al gobierno. Los opositores han acusado a Peevski de ayudar a moldear la política gubernamental para que esté en línea con intereses oligárquicos.
No se reportaron hechos de violencia, y las protestas concluyeron pacíficamente.
En otro suceso el miércoles, la coalición opositora Continuamos el Cambio – Bulgaria Democrática pidió un voto de censura contra el gobierno. La votación —la sexta petición de este tipo por parte de la oposición— se llevará a cabo el jueves.
El presidente búlgaro Rumen Radev escribió en Facebook que las manifestaciones del miércoles fueron de hecho un voto de “censura al gabinete”.
Radev, un opositor al gobierno que proviene de la izquierda política, instó a los legisladores a escuchar al pueblo y a “elegir entre la dignidad del voto libre y la vergüenza de la dependencia” cuando voten el jueves.
Bulgaria está a punto de convertirse en el 21º integrante de la eurozona, la unión monetaria del euro que es un proyecto clave de la Unión Europea, destinado a profundizar los lazos entre las naciones miembros. El país balcánico de 6,4 millones de habitantes hará el cambio de su moneda nacional, el lev, al euro el 1 de enero.
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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.
Watch: Third Russian Oil Tanker Hit By Sea Drone In Black Sea
Watch: Third Russian Oil Tanker Hit By Sea Drone In Black Sea
Ukraine has carried out another drone attack on a Russia-linked so-called ‘shadow fleet’ tanker in the Black Sea on Wednesday, which marks a third such attack in less than two weeks, and which seeks to disrupt Moscow’s maritime oil trade.
Local reports have identified the Comoros Islands-flagged Dashan as being struck while sailing en route to the Russian port terminal of Novorossiysk. The Ukrainians were quick to release drone-perspective video confirming the attack, and the vessel appeared to be unladen at the time.
The some $30 million tanker “sustained critical damage and was completely put out of action – powerful explosions can be clearly seen in video footage shown by the sources,” according to Ukrainian media.
Ukraine’s SBU security service says its Sea Baby naval drones today struck another Russian “shadow fleet” tanker in the Black Sea.
Video from an SBU source purports to show the oil tanker “Dashan” being hit by the attack drone and explosions in the stern area. “The vessel,… pic.twitter.com/mtfBqYe1gQ
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) December 10, 2025
The Dashan was under US-led sanctions, as well as sanctions by the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Switzerland.
When the tanker Kairo was hit late last month it was towed to Bulgaria, but it was also deemed a complete loss.
Reuters has recently noted that “War insurance costs for ships sailing to the Black Sea have spiked again, with insurers reviewing policies daily as the conflict in Ukraine spills into sea lanes, five shipping and insurance sources said on Thursday.”
Moscow is outraged at recent attacks on tankers transporting Russian oil. Also on Wednesday, a cargo vessel carrying grain from Crimea was detained by Ukrainian authorities at Odessa port:
Ukrainian security officials have detained a cargo vessel in the port of Odesa that authorities say is part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said Wednesday.
The ship, whose name was not disclosed, arrived under the flag of an African country to load a shipment of steel pipes. The captain and 16 crew members holding passports from unspecified Middle Eastern countries were on board at the time of the seizure.
According to the SBU, the vessel illegally transported nearly 7,000 tons of Russian grain from annexed Crimea to North Africa in January 2021.
The SBU claims it found evidence of “illegal operations in ports on temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory” after a search of the ship.
Apparently Ukrainian authorities intend to seize the ship’s cargo altogether, and transfer them Ukraine’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA), a government entity which deals with property linked to corruption or other crimes. So naturally, Moscow is not going to look kindly on fresh offers to mutually stop attacks on energy infrastructure.
President Putin has warned he’s ready to step up military attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in retaliation for these brazen attack on Black Sea shipping.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/10/2025 – 19:25
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/watch-third-russian-oil-tanker-hit-sea-drone-black-sea
What the Federal Reserve rate cut means for you
NEW YORK — The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point Wednesday for the third time since September, bringing its key rate to about 3.6%, the lowest in nearly three years. Before September, it had gone nine months without a cut.
The benchmark rate is the rate at which banks borrow and lend to one another, and the Fed has two goals when it sets the rate: one, to manage prices for goods and services, and two, to encourage full employment. The benchmark rate also affects the interest rates consumers pay to borrow money via credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, and other financial products.
Typically, the Fed might increase the rate to try to bring down inflation and decrease it to encourage faster economic growth, including by boosting hiring. The challenge now is that inflation remains higher than the Fed’s 2% target but the job market has cooled. The government shutdown had also prevented the timely collection and release of some data the Fed relies on to monitor the health of the economy.
Here’s what to know:
Interest on savings accounts will continue to decline
For savers, falling interest rates will continue to erode attractive yields currently on offer with certificates of deposit (CDs) and high-yield savings accounts.
Three of the big five banks (Ally, American Express, and Synchrony) cut their savings account rates since the last Fed rate cut in October, according to Ken Tumin, founder of DepositAccounts.com. The top rates for high yield savings accounts right now remain around 4.35% to 4.6%.
Those are still better than the trends of recent years, and a good option for consumers who want to earn a return on money they may want to access in the near-term. A high yield savings account generally has a much higher annual percentage yield than a traditional savings account. The national average for traditional savings accounts is currently 0.61%, according to Bankrate.
A cut will impact mortgages gradually
For prospective homebuyers, the market has already priced in the rate cut, meaning mortgage rates continue to hover around the lowest levels in more than a year.
Mortgage rates are also influenced by bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.
“While there’s no guarantee that the Fed’s move will push mortgage rates lower, there’s reason to be optimistic that homebuyers could see rates below 6.00% in the next year, even if only briefly,” according to Matt Schulz, chief consumer finance analyst at LendingTree. “That would likely spur more Americans to refinance their current high-rate mortgages and possibly even to consider shopping for a new home.”
Credit card rate relief could be slow
Interest rates for credit cards are currently at an average of 19.80%, down from a record-high 20.79% set in August 2024, but still historically high. The Fed’s rate cut may be slow to be felt by anyone carrying a large amount of credit card debt. That said, any reduction is positive news.
“The reductions could mean hundreds of dollars in savings for debtors,” according to LendingTree’s Schulz.
While the decrease is incremental, improved affordability could also help stabilize delinquency trends, according to Michele Raneri, vice president of U.S. research at credit reporting bureau TransUnion.
“Lower borrowing costs can begin to ease household budgets, providing relief from inflationary pressures and reducing financial stress,” she said.
Still, the best thing for anyone carrying a large credit card balance is to prioritize paying down high-interest-rate debt, and to seek to transfer any amounts possible to lower APR cards or negotiate directly with credit card companies for accommodation.
Raneri added that the current economic environment continues to be defined by “persistent affordability challenges.”
Auto loans are not expected to decline soon
Americans have faced steeper auto loan rates over the last three years after the Fed raised its benchmark interest rate starting in early 2022. Those are not expected to decline anytime soon. While a cut will contribute to eventual relief, it might be slow in arriving, analysts say.
And more borrowers are falling behind on car payments, a sign of economic distress. In October, 6.65% of subprime borrowers were at least 60 days late on their payments, according to Fitch Ratings, the highest delinquency rate on record, since record-keeping began in the early 1990s. The costs of both new and used vehicles remain high, according to Bankrate, which may be in part due to a shortage of used cars.
Generally speaking, an auto loan annual percentage rate can run from about 4% to 30%, depending on the borrower’s credit score. Bankrate’s most recent weekly survey found that average auto loan interest rates are currently at 7.05% on a 60-month new car loan.
The cut signals the Fed cares about the labor market
If you’re a job-seeker right now, the Fed rate cut is good news, since cheaper borrowing for businesses could help them invest in additional employees to grow their business.
“Overall, we’ve seen a slowing demand for workers with employers not hiring the way they did a couple of years ago,” said Cory Stahle, senior economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab. “By lowering the interest rate, you make it a little more financially reasonable for employers to hire additional people. Especially in some areas – like startups, where companies lean pretty heavily on borrowed money – that’s the hope here.”
Stahle acknowledged that it could take time for the rate cuts to filter down to employers and then to workers, but he said the signal of the reduction is also important.
“Beyond the size of the cut, it tells employers and job-seekers something about the Federal Reserve’s priorities and focus. That they’re concerned about the labor market and willing to step in and support the labor market. It’s an assurance of the reserve’s priorities.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/10/what-the-federal-reserve-rate-cut-means-for-you/
Parent of Kentucky State University student charged in shooting that killed fellow student
A parent of a Kentucky State University student has been charged with murder in an on campus shooting that killed one student and critically injured another.
Jacob Lee Bard was at the school’s campus in Frankfort on Tuesday and fired shots at the victims at a residence hall, police said in a statement.
Investigators said the shooting was isolated, but they have not publicly shared details of the circumstances or a possible motive. The shooting killed 19-year-old De’Jon Fox of Indianapolis. A second student who was shot remains in critical condition, but his name has not been released, police said.
Bard, 48, was booked into jail on murder and first-degree assault charges. Police said Bard is from Evansville, Indiana, which is about 150 miles west of Frankfort.
Bard is being represented by a public defender at the Franklin County Department of Public Advocacy, which declined to talk about his case Wednesday.
University police officers were near the scene of the altercation that ended with the shooting and immediately arrested Bard, police said.
Investigators have watched video taken by others at the scene and surveillance footage.
Asked by reporters about alleged videos showing a fight involving Bard’s sons preceded the shooting or whether Bard might have come to campus to talk to administrators about his sons’ safety, Frankfort Assistant Police Chief Scott Tracy refused to say what may have led to the shooting.
“It’s really too early in the investigation right now to really give any details that led up to it. A lot of it would be speculation,” Tracy said Wednesday.
The shooting happened at Whitney M. Young Jr. Hall. It was the second shooting in four months near the student residence.
Someone fired multiple shots from a vehicle on Aug. 17, striking two people that the university said weren’t students. Frankfort police said one victim was treated for minor injuries and a second sustained serious injuries. The dorm and at least one vehicle were damaged by gunfire.
University President Koffi C. Akakpo said the school brought in more police officers after the first shooting and will evaluate whether more needs to be done to keep students safe once the investigation into the latest shooting is complete,
“The campus is a safe place,” Akakpo said at the news conference.
Kentucky State is a public historically Black university with about 2,200 students. Lawmakers authorized the school’s creation in 1886.
The school sits about 2 miles east of the Capitol building in Frankfort.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/10/kentucky-state-university-shooting-2/
“Tarjeta dorada” de Trump ofrece estatus legal a extranjeros a partir de 1 millón de dólares
Por WILL WEISSERT
WASHINGTON (AP) — El presidente Donald Trump anunció el miércoles que su tan prometida “tarjeta dorada” estaba oficialmente a la venta, la cual ofrecerá estatus legal y un eventual camino hacia la ciudadanía estadounidense para individuos que paguen 1 millón de dólares y para corporaciones que desembolsen el doble por cada empleado nacido en el extranjero.
Un sitio web que acepta solicitudes se puso en marcha mientras Trump revelaba el inicio del programa rodeado de líderes empresariales en el Salón Roosevelt de la Casa Blanca. Está destinado a reemplazar las visas EB-5, que el Congreso creó en 1990 para generar inversión extranjera y que estaban disponibles para personas que invirtieran alrededor de 1 millón de dólares en una empresa que empleara al menos a diez personas.
Trump ve la nueva versión como una forma para que Estados Unidos atraiga y retenga talento de alto nivel, todo mientras genera ingresos para las arcas federales. Estuvo promoviendo la tarjeta dorada durante meses y en una ocasión sugirió que cada una costaría 5 millones de dólares.
El presidente dijo que todos los fondos recaudados como parte del programa “irán al gobierno federal” y predijo que miles de millones fluirán a una cuenta administrada por el Departamento del Tesoro “donde podemos hacer cosas positivas para el país”.
El nuevo programa es en la práctica una green card, la cual que ofrece residencia legal permanente con la posibilidad de obtener la ciudadanía.
“Básicamente, es una green card pero mucho mejor”, dijo Trump. “Mucho más poderosa, un camino mucho más fuerte”.
El presidente no mencionó requisitos para la creación de empleo para las corporaciones solicitantes ni límites generales en el programa, que existen bajo el programa actual EB-5. En cambio, dijo que había escuchado quejas de líderes empresariales que no habían podido reclutar a graduados destacados de universidades estadounidenses porque eran de otros países y no tenían permiso para quedarse.
“No puedes contratar a personas de las mejores universidades porque no sabes si puedes mantener a la persona”, dijo Trump.
El mandatario republicano ha construido su carrera política alrededor de endurecer la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México y defender políticas de inmigración estrictas. Desde el inicio de su segunda administración, ha lanzado campañas de deportación masiva y redadas migratorias que han tenido como objetivo ciudades como Los Ángeles y Charlotte.
Pero también ha recibido críticas de voces líderes de su movimiento “MAGA” (Make America Great Again/Devolver la Grandeza a Estados Unidos) por decir que los inmigrantes calificados deberían ser permitidos en Estados Unidos, algo que el programa de la tarjeta dorada podría facilitar.
El secretario de Comercio, Howard Lutnick, dijo que el programa incluirá 15.000 dólares para la verificación de solicitantes y que el proceso minucioso utilizado para examinar antecedentes “asegurará que estas personas califiquen absolutamente para estar en Estados Unidos”. Las empresas podrán recibir múltiples tarjetas, pero estarán limitadas a un individuo por tarjeta, agregó.
Lutnick también dijo que los actuales titulares de green cards ganan menos dinero que el estadounidense promedio, y que Trump quería cambiar eso.
“Así que, mismas visas, pero ahora llenas de las mejores personas”, señaló Lutnick.
Las visas para inversores son comunes en todo el mundo y hay decenas de países que las ofrecen a individuos adinerados, incluidos el Reino Unido, España, Grecia, Malta, Australia, Canadá e Italia.
Trump dijo que el programa significa que Estados Unidos está “recibiendo a alguien grandioso que viene a nuestro país porque creemos que estas serán algunas personas tremendas” y destacó a los mejores graduados de universidades estadounidenses de China, India y Francia como algunos de los que posiblemente recibirán tarjetas doradas.
“Las empresas van a estar muy felices”, dijo.
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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.
