Good morning, Chicago.

With bated breath and a sense of cautious optimism, Bears fans braved the biting cold to descend on Chicago sports bars yesterday and see their team take on the Green Bay Packers — a game that would end in a loss of the NFC North division lead for the Bears but still leave them in a strong playoff position during a surprising first winning season since 2018.

Even after the Packers scored their second touchdown of the afternoon in the second quarter, Bears fan Rachelle Catayong wasn’t too worried. She sat at the bar at Murphy’s Bleachers in Wrigleyville, its walls covered in baseball memorabilia, ornaments and Christmas lights.

“The fourth quarter is the only quarter that matters,” she said.

Catayong’s cousin, Chicago native Mario Catayong, remembers watching the ’85 Bears win Super Bowl XX. He’s unsure whether he’ll see it happen again this season — but there is reason for hope.

“I feel more optimistic than most years,” he laughed.

Read the full story from the Tribune’s Adriana Pérez and sign up for our Bears Insider newsletter.

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: why Chicago is having the “quickest start to winter” since 1978, what a Tribune review of immigration agents’ policing tactics showed and 10 thoughts on the Bears’ Week 14 loss to the Packers.

Today’s eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History

Grant Inglis, 12, gets covered in snow while shaking off Christmas trees, Dec. 7, 2025, at Centennial Park in Park Ridge. The Wilderness Scouts and Princesses run the lot annually to sell trees for charity. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Five inches of snow blankets Chicago area with quickest start to winter since 1978, weather officials say

Chicago picked up its snow shovels again yesterday morning after the city was blanketed with up to 5 inches of snow in what a meteorologist at the National Weather Service called the “quickest start to winter” since 1978.

How our 2025-26 seasonal snowfall compares with previous years

A federal agent points his gun sideways during an immigration enforcement action in the Little Village neighborhood on Nov. 8, 2025. Longtime urban police leaders questioned that tactic and many others used by immigration agents during Operation Midway Blitz. The policing leaders said the agents routinely behaved in ways that — beyond potentially being unconstitutional — unnecessarily endangered suspects, protesters, innocent bystanders and the agents themselves. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

From shooting to Slim Jims, immigration agents’ poor tactics made for needless safety risks, experts say

Operation Midway Blitz flooded Chicago with federal immigration agents, fueled frequent protests and — to policing experts — offered something else. The operation showed how not to police.

A Tribune review of the feds’ policing tactics follows a scathing, 233-page opinion by U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis that called out many of the federal agents’ tactics from a constitutional perspective. And the subsequent release of footage from agents’ body cameras late last month not only contradicted claims they made in use-of-force reports but chronicled some of the chaos on the streets.

Cook County Board of Review Commissioner George Cardenas talks with media following a news conference in Chicago on Dec. 4, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Political veteran George Cardenas fighting to stay on March primary ballot

George Cardenas has been a fixture in Southwest Side politics for decades, a consummate insider who followed five Chicago City Council election wins with another victory that took him to the obscure but powerful Cook County Board of Review.

But now he finds himself in a fight befitting a novice.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg, left, speaks with Jackson County State’s Attorney Marsha Cascio-Hale during a July 29, 2025, event for Krishnamoorthi’s Democratic primary campaign for U.S. Senate at the Carbondale home of former Illinois Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon, center. (Brian Sapp/WSIU)

Illinois’ US Senate primary race shows candidates still must court shrinking downstate Democratic base

An endorsement by a former one-term lieutenant governor who has been out of office for a decade ordinarily wouldn’t hold much significance in a primary campaign for U.S. Senate.

But an endorsement from Sheila Simon might be a slight exception. Not because of the ex-lieutenant governor‘s individual political influence, but because, even as the Democratic voter base in downstate Illinois is ever-shrinking, her support highlights that statewide candidates must still spend considerable time and energy wooing party members far from deep-blue Cook County.

A “lost” sign for cat Mozzes sits among other documents at Portage resident Samantha Radakovich’s home on April 30, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)

‘Have you seen me?’: Chesterton’s Humane Society of the Dunes’ methods bring questions, few answers

The meeting video, like most from municipal meetings, is not of the highest quality –  a fact that is compounded by the setting.

The speakers addressing the advisory board for Indianapolis Animal Care Services are wearing masks in the waning days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting room appears to be cinderblock and the sound of dogs barking in nearby kennels reverberates, sometimes drowning out the speakers.

About 35 minutes into the advisory board’s meeting on Dec. 21, 2023, Ren Hall steps up to the microphone. In the video, she provides her statement to the board. When she’s done, she gives them each a 45-page packet of information she says she has collected on Humane Society of the Dunes, a Chesterton-based rescue that has come under fire in recent years.

The White Eagle banquet hall in Niles is permanently closed. Gabi Vargas, a sales representative who started working there as a teen, reminisces there on Nov. 24, 2025. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

White Eagle in Niles closes after decades as a hub for Polish community and political powerhouses

The phone at the White Eagle in Niles keeps ringing, with longtime customers asking for one last pierogi or a final bowl of its famed mushroom barley soup.

An older woman cried when she learned it wouldn’t be possible, recalled office manager Diane Palazzo of Victoria Venues, the current owner. The banquet hall had quietly closed its doors several weeks ago.

Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) intercepts a pass intended for Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet (85) in the fourth quarter on the Bears’ 4th-and-one at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Dec. 7, 2025, before the Chicago Bears play the Green Bay Packers. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Bears drop from No. 1 seed to No. 7 after loss to Green Bay Packers: Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts on Week 14

As many creative ways as the Bears have used to pull out games in the final minute this season, parity that defines the NFL was bound to catch up to them sooner or later.

That moment happened to be with 22 seconds remaining at Lambeau Field when Keisean Nixon, who wasn’t even supposed to be covering tight end Cole Kmet, recognized a bust in the Green Bay Packers defense and made a play to secure a 28-21 victory, ending a five-game winning streak for the Bears (9-4).

Week 14 recap: Caleb Williams’ 4th-down INT seals Bears loss as Green Bay Packers take over 1st place
Caleb Williams and the Bears’ 2nd-half turnaround was too little, too late: ‘We need to start faster’

Hazel McNally smiles while on trial in October 1922, accused of murdering her twin babies, according to her husband, Frank McNally. Hazel McNally insisted there were no real children, only dolls she pretended were her newborns. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)

Twins or dolls? The ‘Sawdust Babies’ murder trial of 1922 spread confusion in Hammond.

For three days in 1922, Hammond hosted a murder trial that captivated and confused the nation. Autoworker Frank McNally had accused his wife of killing their children — Laurene Hazel McNally and her twin brother, Lauren Frank McNally — and disposing of their bodies.

Sweet potato latkes from Ema. (Jeff Marini)

Hanukkah 2025: 21 Chicago-area restaurants offering holiday specials, including latkes and sufganiyot

Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, runs Dec. 14-22 this year, chasing away the winter chill with nightly candle lighting and hearty meals with an emphasis on fried food. Restaurants and bakeries throughout the Chicago area are making celebrating easier by serving up traditional holiday fare such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (fried jelly doughnuts) for dine-in or as part of to-go packages for gatherings at home.
Aba’s holiday meal kit includes short rib. (Samantha Brauer)

Christmas 2025: 34 Chicago-area restaurants offering holiday specials

Restaurants throughout Chicago make it easy to celebrate Christmas, whether you’re looking for a traditional dinner with prime rib and buche de noel or decadent brunches where you can pile your plate with king crab legs and sweets. There are takeout options if you prefer to gather everyone at home, but don’t want to do the cooking and Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes for some Italian flavor.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/08/daywatch-bears-fans-celebrate-winning-season-despite-loss-to-packers/ 

GREEN BAY — As many creative ways as the Chicago Bears have used to pull out games in the final minute this season, parity that defines the NFL was bound to catch up to them sooner or later.

That moment happened to be with 22 seconds remaining Sunday night at Lambeau Field when Keisean Nixon, who wasn’t even supposed to be covering tight end Cole Kmet, recognized a bust in the Green Bay Packers defense and made a play to secure a 28-21 victory, ending a five-game winning streak for the Bears (9-4) and sending them — just like that — from the top of the NFC standings to seventh place.

That’s how topsy-turvy the conference race is with four weeks remaining. The good news for the Bears is they will have an opportunity to trade places with the Packers in fewer than two weeks when they come to Soldier Field on Saturday, Dec. 20.

But first, 10 thoughts on a game that got really interesting in the second half.

1. It looked too good to be true, right?

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) catches his footing as Packers defensive end Micah Parsons defends in the fourth quarter against the Packers at Lambeau Field on Dec. 7, 2025, in Green Bay. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

The Packers had taken the lead with 3:32 remaining, leaving the Bears with all sorts of time, all three timeouts and another moment for quarterback Caleb Williams to shine with the game on the line.

Game-winning drives in the fourth quarter at Cincinnati and against Washington, Minnesota, the New York Giants and Las Vegas — all feats Williams pulled off earlier in the season — would be small potatoes to engineering a big comeback at Green Bay in a game the Bears trailed 14-3 at halftime.

The running backs found a spark after a slow start, especially in a 17-play, 83-yard drive that had tied the game up midway through the fourth quarter. The Packers (9-3-1) had left the Bears entirely too much time.

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Williams connected with Luther Burden for 27 yards and Devin Duvernay for 24 yards in the first three plays of the series. Just like that, the ball was to the Packers’ 23-yard line at the two-minute warning. The Bears could pull within one on a touchdown, go for two and head home a winner. They’d scored on a two-point play previously when center Drew Dalman helped will Kyle Monangai across the goal line.

Monangai ran for 6 yards, then 3, setting up third-and-1 from the 14. That’s when defensive end Kingsley Enagbare stacked up the running back for no gain.

Coach Ben Johnson used his first timeout. The Bears came out in 12 personnel — D’Andre Swift at running back with wide receivers DJ Moore and Olamide Zacchheaus and tight ends Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland. Once they got to the line, Green Bay used a timeout.

The Bears stuck with the same play, and it was the same concept that had produced the game-sealing touchdown to Kmet on Black Friday at Philadelphia. Williams, who’d been bootlegging out of the pocket all night, faked a handoff to Swift and rolled out left.

There’s a lot of movement and eye candy in an effort to sell the run fake. It’s a different way to get to three levels. Kmet runs the corner over the top. There were two flat routes underneath. Swift had the first one and then DJ Moore, who came in motion through the backfield, was sort of a secondary checkdown.

No one covered Kmet, who was running a corner route. It was busted coverage by the Packers, who sent three defenders after Swift in the flat.

“We had a lot of options there,” Johnson said. “Don’t know exactly who is going to pop necessarily but between the options that we have and then Caleb using his legs, was hopeful we could find a way to get a yard there.”

Williams sort of waited, allowing Nixon time to close, and then put air under the throw as if to give the 6-foot-6 Kmet a chance to outplay the 5-10 Nixon for the ball. The throw never made it that far. It was an easy interception for Nixon.

“I think he can take (the first down running) but I don’t know what he saw,” Kmet said. “I’m just running my route. It’s unfortunate. It sucks.”

Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon intercepts a pass intended for Bears tight end Cole Kmet on fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

If Williams had been decisive in choosing to run for the marker, he might have had a chance. There would have been a collision but he probably had a shot at moving the chains. Moore pops open later in the play if he’s able to put a little zip on the ball. But really Kmet is open from the jump before Nixon, who was originally covering Moore, recovered.

“I’ll say he was saving my butt on that play,” safety Evan Williams said. “I was praying someone was behind me to make a play on the corner and, sure enough, Jesus himself, No. 25, came out of the blue.”

Said Nixon: “We were in man-to-man there. My guy (Moore) went behind the backfield so I was a free player. I saw someone open so I just ran to them. (Kmet) was open for a minute.”

Some Packers admitted they were surprised the Bears didn’t try to run again after Monangai was stuffed on third down. Not safety Xavier McKinney.

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“They were doing that pretty much the whole game,” McKinney said. “They were running and they were play-action booting us. And we had to honor the run. They got what they wanted. It was a good play call. I’m not going to lie. (Kmet) was open. It was a good play call so you can’t really be mad at it. We just made a better play.”

It will be interesting to hear what Williams and Johnson have to say later in the week after they’ve reviewed everything. Time had become a factor. Johnson is an aggressive play caller.

“We had about two or three guys either stacking Swift or right there with Swift,” Williams said. “I rolled out and saw Cole and I tried to give him a big boy ball, try and let him go up for it because I ended up seeing (Nixon) start to sprint. So, I tried to slow them up and kind of give him a chance.

“In those moments, it’s you know, a got-to-have-it moment. And they had a guy (Enagbare) trailing me, so, didn’t feel like I could go get it myself. Just got to give Cole a better shot at it. I think next time, just extend him a little bit more and kind of lead him. But in those moments, you want to put the ball in play and trust your guy or try to have your guy go make a play and just got to give him a better ball.”

The design of the play worked. It created an uncovered target and confusion for the Packers. It’s not an easy throw rolling away like that but Williams has the arm talent to make that throw, just as he did at Philadelphia.

He didn’t close this one out like he would have wanted but he made a handful of nifty throws on the move with the Bears doing everything they could to keep him clean and out of the reach of defensive end Micah Parsons.

This throw, on this play, wasn’t in reach for Kmet.

2. The ballgame doesn’t come down to a fourth-down throw into the end zone in the final minute if the Bears don’t get beat by so many explosive plays.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) winds up to throw downfield in the third quarter against the Bears at Lambeau Field on Dec. 7, 2025, in Green Bay. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

The defense did a pretty nice job handling running back Josh Jacobs, with the exception of a pitch play on third-and-2 from the Bears’ 28-yard line midway through the fourth quarter. Jacobs somehow split defensive linemen Montez Sweat and Gervon Dexter Sr. and eluded linebacker D’Marco Jackson. It should not have happened, and as I explain in a little bit, the defense has been very good at tackling all season.

It was the shot plays in the passing game that hurt the Bears. Jordan Love completed 17 of 25 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns were explosive plays — 23- and 41-yarders to Christian Watson and a deep 45-yard pass to Bo Melton.

The defense has done a pretty good job for a while now at limiting explosive plays by the opponents. The Bears handled Jalen Hurts and his playmakers a week prior. They couldn’t here, for a variety of reasons.

Love broke a scoreless tie in the second quarter when he connected with Watson for a 23-yard touchdown on third-and-10. The Bears rushed seven defenders and they didn’t get home. One of the defensive linemen — I can’t tell which one in the replays available — fell down. You can’t have that. The Bears should have a free runner at Love. Instead, they’ve only got six, the Packers can pick six up and that left free safety Kevin Byard in a non-win spot. He’s looking to drive downhill on a target, knowing the defense is sending seven and the ball will have to come out. He’s in position to drive top down on a receiver and make a stop and force the Packers to kick a field goal.

Instead, Love is able to hang in the pocket and wait for Watson. Byard had no chance.

Melton scored on a 45-yard pass right before halftime. This time, the Bears rushed only three, dropping a lineman off. Green Bay had second-and-10 at the Bears 45-yard line and with 45 seconds remaining in the half, it appeared the Bears were trying to keep everything in front of them.

That’s what makes Melton’s ability to take the top off the defense irritating here for a couple of reasons, one being you don’t want Melton to be the guy to beat you. I’m guessing here, but it looked like inverted Cover Two, which the Bears have been running. Jaquan Brisker is the safety on the field side of the ball. Byard rolls down and becomes the middle hole defender, similar to the middle linebacker. The backside corner — Jaylon Johnson — becomes the other deep half player. The Packers ran a double post. A medium crosser held Johnson so he didn’t get depth on his half, leaving that area vacated. Once Melton crossed the face of Brisker, he was off to the races. Brisker cannot make that play on the far side.

Packers cornerback Bo Melton tosses the ball after making a touchdown reception in the second quarter against the Bears at Lambeau Field on Dec. 7, 2025, in Green Bay. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

“When I broke and I seen (Love) wind up, I’m like, ‘Oh (expletive). Damn,’” Melton said. “I knew he was going to put the ball on the money regardless. I felt (Brisker) running, I was just like, ‘Get there. Get there.’”

The Bears wanted to force Love to take something short on this play and felt like they were protected over the top and they were not.

Watson’s 41-yard touchdown came on third-and-3 in the third quarter. It looked like a pressure by the Bears.

“He sees man coverage and he checks to that play and that’s a hell of a job by him,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said.

Dennis Allen has won more than his fair share of strategic battles this season. He’s had a knack for dialing up the right calls at the right time. Sometimes it’s execution. It’s impossible to account for a rusher losing his feet. Sometimes, the other sideline has the right call at the right time.

3. Probably a good chance the Bears cannot count on Kyler Gordon again this season.

Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon signs autographs for fans before facing the Commanders on Oct. 13, 2025, at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

That’s a problem too, one that was exacerbated when the Packers found some opportunities to take advantage of C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the fill-in the team had to go out and get because Gordon has missed so much time.

Here’s the Gordon timeline as best as I can reconstruct it before he suffered a groin injury prior to Sunday’s game and was ruled out.

Aug. 7: Left practice with what, to the best of my knowledge, was a hamstring injury that wasn’t considered overly serious. By late August and the first week of September, he was practicing.
Sept. 7: A late addition to the injury report with a hamstring injury. Missed the season opener the next day.
Sept. 26: Was limited in practice as the team worked to slowly ramp him back up before the Week 4 game and then the bye.
Oct. 13: Played 39 snaps at Washington.
Oct. 19: Played 42 snaps against New Orleans.
Oct. 23: Appeared on the injury report with groin/calf injuries.
Oct. 25: Placed on injured reserve.
Nov. 19: Gordon’s return to window practice was opened.
Nov. 27: Restored to the 53-man roster.
Nov. 28: Played at Philadelphia.

Gordon got hurt in warmups after the team turned in a list of inactives, so there was no adjusting. There is no contingency plan when he’s dressed for the game and has a uniform. Usually, teams know by Thursday if a guy will not be available, and coaches can change the game plan and do some stuff.

Sure, Dennis Allen had backups and guys ready, but they were counting on Gordon and this has turned into a nightmare of a season for him. He’s been on the field for 117 snaps after the organization made him the highest-paid slot cornerback in the league. When I talked to Gordon last week after the game in Philadelphia, he was adamant that he’d worked diligently in the offseason, harder than in previous years but not to the point his body was worn down.

It’s hard to see the Bears counting on him now. Maybe this is minor, but he’s had a three-pack of soft-tissue injuries that he simply cannot shake. I’d bet top dollar there’s a meeting at the end of the season and involved will be Gordon, strength staff members, athletic trainers, GM Ryan Poles, probably at least secondary coach Al Harris and maybe others. They have to map out a plan for Gordon in the offseason.

In the meantime, we saw why some folks I chatted with when the Bears added Gardner-Johnson were skeptical he’d be a hit as a nickel cornerback. The guy has made some plays to this point. And he’s definitely brought some energy to the room. He’s been a physical presence around the line of scrimmage.

But Gardner-Johnson was shaken at the line of scrimmage immediately on the Christian Watson 41-yard touchdown.

“We gotta get home and trust each other and just make a play on the back end that needs to be made,” said Gardner-Johnson, who was credited with a team-high 10 tackles and snared an interception in the first quarter.

Chicago Bears safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (35) tackles Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave (88) in the first quarter at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

The Bears weren’t going to get home as fast as the ball was out of Love’s hand on that play. It was a similar situation when he was trailing Jayden Reed on a deep crosser that went for 18 yards.

If a wide receiver is able to generate separation from Gardner-Johnson off the line of scrimmage, he really struggles to get back in phase with them. He’s not fast enough. If he’s going to play nickel — and it would be surprising if Gordon is available soon — he’s got to win on the release and get hands on people so he can disrupt the timing of the route and latch on to them. When he’s not able to do that, well, that’s not his game. He’s more of a dime disruptor.

No opponents really were able to expose Gardner-Johnson until the Packers, but you bet they’ll have some stuff drawn up for the rematch.

4. Caleb Williams was a little tongue-in-cheek on Tuesday when he said looking at passing statistics like completion percentage and it’s “whooptie doo.”

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) winds up to throw in the first quarter against the Packers at Lambeau Field on Dec. 7, 2025, in Green Bay. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

There’s no reason to be flippant about an area of his game that needs substantial improvement, although the quarterback was making the valid point that it’s quite a layered discussion. For Williams to become a legitimate franchise quarterback, he’s going to have to make real gains.

On Sunday, Williams completed 19 of 35 passes for 186 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. His completion percentage is now at 57.8% and this marked the sixth consecutive game he’s been below 60%. A streak like this is unusual in today’s NFL. Williams is just the fourth quarterback since the beginning of the 2014 season to start six or more consecutive games and not have at least one with a 60% completion percentage.

Josh Allen: 2018 (8-game stretch)
Jacoby Brissett: 2017 (6-game stretch)
Cam Newton: 2016 (7-game stretch)

Ben Johnson set 70% as a benchmark for Williams to aim for at the start of the training camp, as the coach is holding everyone to high standards. Entering Week 14, New England’s Drake Maye (71.5%) was the only quarterback above that threshold and generally only three or four reach the mark during a season.

I’m not saying hold Williams to a 70% standard for this season. I think Johnson realized that was setting a really high bar. He understood mastery of the offense and comfort would take time. But the inaccuracies — look at the first third-down throw that sailed way over the head of an open DJ Moore — are making things harder on the offense as a whole.

I had an interesting conversation with a longtime league observer the other day and he made a really interesting point. His opinion was that quarterbacks with the best chance to go from being inaccurate — Williams entered the week last among the 33 qualifiers at 58.1% — to very accurate are better athletes.

His theory is that it is easier for highly skilled, quick-twitch athletes to make mechanical adjustments, starting with their feet, than less athletic pure pocket passers who have been throwing the ball the same way since the start of their college or even high school careers. He went on to cite Josh Allen, the poster boy for a wild passer who became highly accurate, and Lamar Jackson, who was a 57% passer in three seasons at Louisville. There were concerns about Jackson’s accuracy transitioning to the NFL and he’s completed 64.9% of his passes in eight seasons in the NFL, finishing below 50% only once during his rookie season in 2018.

Stats show troubling trend in Caleb Williams’ accuracy, but Ben Johnson says to ‘throw those out the window’

“I’d agree with that,” Bears passing game coordinator Press Taylor said. “And I think you look at the guys like a Caleb or a Josh Allen, that have big arms. A lot of times they can get away with being late on things because they’re just ripping the ball in there. Yeah, that works but we want to be on time.

“There is a certain timing to every play and you can make life so much easier. Like you watch Patrick Mahomes or Matthew Stafford, they have all the arm strength in the world. But you don’t see it until they desperately need it now because the understanding is so great.”

There’s a lot of work for Williams to do. According to NextGenStats, not only is Williams the lowest-ranked passer in the league in terms of completion percentage, he also has the lowest rate of tight window throws (defined as less than 1 yard of separation) in the NFL at 10.6%. In other words, Williams has been inaccurate generally throwing into more open windows.

Another thing that stands out is the numbers for Rome Odunze, who sat out the game with a foot stress fracture. Odunze is far and away the team’s leader with 90 targets but has only 44 receptions (48.9%). He was one of three wide receivers entering Week 14 with 60 or more targets and a reception rate below 50%. The other two were Tennessee Titans rookie Eric Ayomanor (64 targets, 29 receptions, 45.9%) and the Cleveland Browns’ Jerry Jeudy (80 targets, 35 receptions, 43.8%). Ayomanor is playing with rookie quarterback Cam Ward and Jeudy has played with Joe Flacco and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.

“Odunze is the No. 1 receiver so he’s the primary read more times than not and the throws are late too often,” said a pro scout who has watched the Bears extensively this season.

The Bears’ hope hinges on natural growth in 2026 when Williams is in his second year in Johnson’s system and when he can refine mastery of a playbook and concepts he doesn’t have to learn for the first time.

Bears coach Ben Johnson talks with quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze before a preseason game against the Dolphins at Soldier Field on Aug. 10, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

“Part of it is your ability to process, your ability to understand what’s being asked of you, understanding the timing of the footwork, the route depth,” Taylor said. “You would just expect it (to improve) from year 1 to Year 2 and things like that, game 1 to game 13.

“The processing happens so much faster and now I can get through things and I am not rushing a throw because my feet are late or the depth was quicker than I thought or whatever that may be. I think that’s definitely a part of it. Your overall understanding of the offense is going to improve the level of execution and the completion percentage as we go.”

It all begins with Williams’ footwork and then the timing of his progressions. Initially, quarterbacks can be too slow when they are starting out in a new offense. Williams has said there have been instances where he’s actually too quick going from his primary read to secondary options and he actually needs to slow everything down to be within the structure of the offense.

The whole offense is tied in together, beginning with the protection, Williams’ mechanics and then how detailed the players are in their routes.

“Obviously, I miss a pass and it looks a certain way to everybody, and everybody doesn’t know all the details,” Williams said. “So, you go into that and you look at the stats and you look at all these percentages and ‘whooptie doo.’ Then we come back here and we actually look at the film and, ‘Was I in the right spot? Was my drop right?’ You always look at yourself first, and then you go and look at the other guys and were they at the right spot? Were they at the right spot at the right time? You try and tie those things together.

“That’s the fun part about playing this position. That’s the fun part about a long season is you have these ups and downs. You also have these moments where you may not be hitting on all cylinders and then you have these moments where it feels like you can’t miss. We’re trying to get to the point where we feel like we can’t miss. We’ve got a bunch of young guys, including myself, that are out there trying to make plays. It’s a lot of film. It’s a lot of talking. It’s a lot of open communication that we’ve been having and have to keep having to get to the point where we’re hitting on all cylinders at the right time.”

5. I’m not sure anyone loved the quirk in the schedule when it was released — with the Bears playing the Packers twice in 14 days — but it sure adds an element of theater to the playoff chase.

Packers fans hold signs referring to former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’s comments about the Bears in the third quarter at Lambeau Field on Dec. 7, 2025, in Green Bay. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

The Bears love the chance for another shot at the Packers in short order but it was clear Ben Johnson was setting priorities for his players as soon as the game ended.

“Our guys do a good job of taking our lumps from this,” he said. “We will learn from it. We will make our corrections and we will move on. We will get right back to work. We have a process that we believe in and the work that we put in throughout the week is so important to giving us a chance on game day. They know that. They believe that and that is really what we will do when we come back in.

“(Monday) we will come in and we’ll clean up the tape and then Wednesday we are right back at it. We have another good opponent coming in, in Cleveland. I don’t care what their record says (3-10). They have a damn good defense so that is kind of the stretch that we are in here this back half of the season. It is good defense after good defense after good defense and so we are going to have to step up to the plate and respond the right way.”

There are some quick reasons for optimism for a rematch. The Bears wound up wearing down Green Bay with the running game. It took a while to get cranked up, but D’Andre Swift (13 carries, 63 yards) and Kyle Monangai (14 carries, 57 yards) were beating on the Packers front there in the second half.

Chicago Bears’ NFC lead was short-lived. Now they need more wins — ‘probably at least 2’ — to make playoffs.

“We started to come alive for sure,” right guard Jonah Jackson said. “It was a little flat to start. They were a little more intense in the first quarter. I felt like we came alive when we needed to.”

The Bears did a decent job handling Josh Jacobs, but the pass rush was a non-factor and the Packers look more explosive than they have in a while with Jayden Reed and Christian Watson now in the mix.

“We beat ourselves today,” cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson said. “Simple. We beat ourselves today on defense. I can’t speak for offense but we beat ourselves today, missed tackles, gotta play better technique-wise on the back end and continue to get better.”

It could be the teams will be in the same position they were entering this game. The Bears host the Browns while the Packers have a monster road trip to Denver where they play the 11-2 Broncos. If the Bears win this coming week and Green Bay loses, the scenario would be identical entering the Week 16 game at Soldier Field — the Bears would be a half-game up on the Packers.

“I do think there is some aura that comes with playing here and competing here,” Johnson said. “I love it for our guys. This is what the football gods made football to be. Cold weather in December like this and Green Bay, Chicago, I think it is outstanding. I think it’s awesome to have this rivalry alive and well right now and we get another chance at it here in two weeks.”

It should be cold for that one, too. No question.

6. Ben Johnson had an interesting mandate for his team back in April, one that appears to be paying dividends.

Bears coach Ben Johnson stands on the sidelines in the first quarter against the Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Dec. 7, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

You have to learn how to practice without pads on.

Players involved in the sport for their entire lives know how to practice in shells. It was Johnson’s way of explaining that to reach the level of execution the staff is demanding, the team would need to find another level.

On Tuesday, as players filed in from the practice field, they handed in their shoulder pads to be stored on a large vertical rack outside the locker room. It’s a routine they will go through only once more — at least during the regular season.

The collective bargaining agreement limits the number of practices in pads a team can hold during the regular season, and it has been a balancing act for Johnson, who believes in the need to practice in pads to best prepare his team for games.

Teams are capped at 14 practices in pads during the regular season with a maximum of one per week. Additionally, 11 must be used in the first 11 weeks. That leaves three for a team to spread out over the remainder of the season.

Tuesday marked the 13th practice in pads for the Bears, and while it might seem like a minor point, don’t underestimate the impact it has had on the explosion of the league’s second-ranked running game as well as on the team’s good tackling.

Generally, players loathe the idea of practices in pads during December.

“Most teams at this time of the year don’t put the pads on,” safety Kevin Byard III said. “I had years in Tennessee where we stopped putting the pads on maybe Week 6 or Week 7.”

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Even players not on the injury report are beat up and need time in the training room. Each one faces an uphill climb just to be in shape to move fast on Wednesdays after a Sunday game. A winning record and improvements across the board provide examples for why.

“It’s a good way to get run fits,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “I get why (the limit) is in place to protect players. When done right, it’s nice to have it once a week. That being said, I’ve been part of scenarios where it’s not handled correctly and you’re going and going.

“Ben has a good feel for it: ‘Hey, we’ve got runs up that maybe we haven’t had in previous weeks and we need to get the fits.’ The only way you really get that is with pads, in my opinion. It kind of sucks in that regard a little bit. But I also understand why it’s in place.”

Said tight end Durham Smythe: “Now that I am a little bit older, it feels nice to not have to practice in pads. When I was younger, I was like, ‘I can do this all day.’ I do get it. You need them and you need to split them up a little bit so you can use them like we did (Tuesday).”

The point Johnson made in the spring was that good teams he has been involved with have been good at maximizing practices without pads and that players got more out of the experience than simply going through the motions.

“There’s kind of an art to it,” Smythe, 30, said. “It’s really about hand placement and the fundamentals without big collisions. Honestly, it’s hard to learn that skill. But when you do, it’s almost like nothing is different. When you’re in shells, it’s like full contact but without full contact.”

Said right guard Jonah Jackson: “It’s a whole different feel with pads than without them. Getting run fits and things like that, they’re kind of necessary. You get the fit and then you don’t take them to the ground.

“You harp on your fundamentals and techniques. In the trenches, without pads, you kind of try to do the same thing, but it’s hard. Last week we didn’t have pads on and we kind of had ourselves a day (rushing for 281 yards in Philadelphia).”

Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet (85) blocks Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine (24) for quarterback Caleb Williams (18) in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Coaches have felt like fundamentals slip a little if they go more than two weeks without a practice in pads, so it will be interesting to see which week in the remaining four Johnson chooses for the final practice in pads. It’s unlikely the team will use its final one this week, and the Week 16 rematch with the Packers is on a short week. The sweet spot could be before the Week 17 trip to San Francisco.

The messaging has been consistent from the start.

“That’s part of something you try to establish way back in April,” passing game coordinator Press Taylor said. “I remember Ben also saying, ‘We’ve got to be a great walk-through team because that’s how you win in the playoffs.’ You’re walking through when you have short weeks and you have all this stuff that comes up late in the year.

“If you’re not a good walk-through team, you’re wasting a lot of valuable practice time at the end of the year. That’s just something we’ve tried to harp on from way back when for how important these things are.”

In the playoffs, teams can conduct one practice in full pads each week if they choose. It’s a good bet Johnson would elect to do so if the situation arises.

“This is what gives us our edge here,” Jackson said. “I definitely feel more physical here than I have anywhere else.”

7. Another area in which the experience of padded practices probably shows up is in the team’s tackling.

Chicago Bears safety Kevin Byard III (31) tackles Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Entering this week, the Bears were second in the league in missed tackles with only 73 — two more than the Detroit Lions — according to Pro Football Focus. It’s a subjective statistic, no question, and Pro Football Reference has the Bears tied for sixth with 63 missed tackles.

However you look at it, they’ve been fundamentally sound.

“I would definitely say that we do a lot of tackle drills,” safety Kevin Byard III said. “Even from OTAs to now. The first day of the week on Wednesdays, we do a tackle circuit to start practice off. Even just with the safeties, we do an open-field tackle drill, so we definitely drill a lot.

“Then at that point, it’s about going out there and making a play.”

As Byard was explaining what has made the Bears good — and they were solid in 2024, when Pro Football Reference ranked them 12th — reserve safety Jonathan Owens chimed in from the next locker.

“We went live in camp,” Owens said as Byard made an affirmative nod.

“I was just about to say, in training camp we did a lot of tackling,” Byard said. “Credit all the tackling we did live during training camp to basically being a really good tackling team. It’s guys rallying to the ball. There have been some missed tackles, but at the end of the day, the way we practice — we just had pads on on Tuesday — it’s like muscle memory.”

It’s definitely a skill that needs to be practiced, and one reason the Bears have been able to continue to get in heavy work during the middle of the week is they have stayed pretty healthy on both sides of the line. Start losing a handful of linemen to injuries and it quickly becomes a lot more difficult to grind on a Wednesday in full pads.

8. It would be special if the Bears-Packers rivalry could bring years of high-stakes games because, well, those have been hard to come by.

Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai (25) runs the ball in the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Let’s not declare it quite there yet, but it sure looks like it’s headed that direction. Some of the subplots are great, too, with Micah Parsons in Green Bay. He seemed to spend the entire game chasing after Caleb Williams.

“I definitely think we had their attention, their respect,” Parsons said. “I mean, you go watch any of their games, they never played a football game like that. I mean a run game, of course, but I mean, max-protection.

“I expected more of a dropback game, but no dropback. A lot of boots, a lot of sifts, just really trying to get the ball out of his hands as much as possible. So, I think we earned a lot of respect. But we’ve just got to adjust for the next time we see them, understanding how they’re going to play us.”

It was eye-opening how much the Bears worked to get Williams out of the pocket, particularly on bootlegs. He hit a couple of big throws on straight play-action dropbacks. But by in large, he was on the move. Kingsley Enagbare had the only sack for Green Bay. The Packers did have six QB hits, with Parsons credited with two.

“I just let him know, you’re not going around me,” Parsons said of a message he delivered early in the game to Williams. “And I held to that the whole game. He did not beat me to that, not one time. I kind of hold that with passion. If you’re going to run the boot, run it the other way.

“That’s part of the hunt. Eventually, I’m going to get him. I came close a couple times. It was like playing free-for-all football, when you’re young again.”

Jordan Love said the game meant a lot to everyone in Green Bay on account of Ben Johnson pointing out his record as a play caller against Matt LaFleur when he was hired back in January. That’s just one small subplot in something that appears to be growing.

The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers have played 211 times in the past 100 years. Here’s how the rivalry has unfolded.

“It meant a lot to everybody, but obviously we’ve all known the comments that were out there, so it is what it is,” Love said. “This is a game that means a lot to everybody. It’s an NFC North matchup, obviously the Bears were No. 1 seed, so it’s a huge game, and like I said, we’ll see these guys in a couple weeks here again.”

Love said he found himself watching Caleb Williams on the massive video boards at Lambeau Field during the game. It’s the kind of thing he doesn’t want to miss.

“But I’ve watched Caleb all season, throughout some of the film, and he does some really cool stuff on the field,” Love said. “I think he’s a really good player, and obviously I think just his playmaking ability to be able to get out of some of those, there’s some times where you think he’s bottled up and about to be sacked and he’s able to get out and extend these plays. He’s a really good player and I think he’s going to keep getting better.

“It’ll be a good matchup going forward.”

9. As special teams coordinators and kickers explore creative new means within the dynamic kickoff rules, there’s been an interesting discovery: Effective “dirty ball” kickoffs can make field goals more challenging.

Bears’ Cairo Santos kicks a 41-yard field goal in the third quarter against the Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Richard Hightower mentioned the issue recently because of the different leg swings involved. Dirty balls — when a low kickoff is directed toward the front of the landing zone near the 20-yard line — can be highly effective at pinning the opposition in its own end. There’s risk involved because if the kick doesn’t reach the 20 or hits the ground and then skids out of bounds, the opponent takes over on its own 40-yard line.

When done properly, it’s a difficult kick to field, especially if the returner has to cover some ground. Two weeks ago, Cairo Santos had a dirty ball against Pittsburgh that pinned the Steelers on their own 5-yard line. Later, he kicked a low line drive that bounced through the end zone for a touchback to the 20.

Santos invested time in practice working on hitting knuckleball kickoffs and other balls that — by design — are poorly contacted by his right foot.

“When we did a lot of that and then had a field goal period, I had to get ready for it,” Santos said. “My first couple field goals, it would be where I kind of had to get it out of my system to start striking the ball like a normal field goal again.

“We found the right time in practice to do (the kickoffs) and then kind of get in a field goal rhythm. I feel I am much better at this time, kind of managing the different kinds of kicks. You definitely have to get it out of your system and in the game, you don’t really have the time.”

Chicago Bears’ Week 16 matchup with Green Bay Packers scheduled for prime-time kickoff

Santos can go to the kicking net on the sideline and try to recalibrate his technique for field goals and extra points after a dirty ball kickoff.

“But you don’t see the ball flight to know if you’ve actually got it out of your system,” he said. “You kind of feel good feedback on your foot using the net, but the ball can be curving and stuff and you wouldn’t know it. There’s a learning curve in managing those two types of kicks because to hit a good dirty ball, you’re mishitting the sweet spot of the ball.”

Mishit the sweet spot on a field goal and it’s going to be hard to make the kick. Santos likened a dirty ball to a golfer intentionally trying to blade a shot in order to escape the rough.

“It’s kind of like that,” he said. “You’re hitting it higher than the sweet spot to make it do a certain type of rotation. Same thing with the dirty ball.”

What we saw in the game was the reverse order of things. Santos made a 33-yard field goal with 1:14 remaining in the second quarter to draw the Bears within 14-3. He went with a low kick on the ensuing kickoff and it was short of the landing zone, setting the Packers up on their own 40-yard line.

Another special teams coordinator said he also believes there’s a big enough difference in the two kicks that it leads him to be strategic when he calls for a dirty ball or something like that on a kickoff.

10. Ben Johnson said the team got through the game in good shape physically.

Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards (53) tackles Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field on Dec. 7, 2025, in Green Bay. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Linebacker T.J. Edwards played for the first time since Nov. 2 at Cincinnati. It’s worth noting that linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (groin) must miss at least one more game on injured reserve. That means the soonest he could return would be the Week 16 rematch with the Packers.

10a. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson still wasn’t a full go but he’s getting stronger — and the Bears are playing it safe with him. Nick McCloud got more work on the outside (probably because Kyler Gordon was out) and was credited with two pass breakups.

10b. Good decision by Ben Johnson to challenge the long pass to Packers tight end Luke Musgrave. That move wiped out a 34-yard gain that looked — at first glance anyway — like a good catch. The feeling you get is the Bears have a smoother communication process for just about everything this season and that’s reflected in a successful, almost spur-of-the-moment decision like this.

10c. Former Packers coach Mike McCarthy called Saturday night. I’d reached out to him about Bears defensive backs coach Al Harris, who he coached in Green Bay. McCarthy was bummed the story had already run but was adamant he wanted to speak about Harris, who was also a secondary coach on McCarthy’s staff in Dallas.

McCarthy went on to say Harris would pay practice squad wide receivers cash out of his own pocket on occasion in Green Bay to encourage them to bring their best against him on the practice field. That’s how competitive Harris was. No, it’s not legal for players to pay other players. I’ve heard of high-paid veterans throwing small Christmas bonuses to practice squad players on rare occasions but never something like this.

Such a great anecdote. I made a late addition to the story, which you can read here if you missed it.

10d. Big-time win Saturday for coach Brock Spack and the Illinois State Redbirds. They went on the road and scored 15 points in the final three minutes to stun top-seeded North Dakota State 29-28. The Bison were a heavy favorite to win the FCS national playoffs. Instead, the Redbirds advance to the quarterfinals.

10e. Congratulations to former Bears tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, who was selected to the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame. Manumaleuna, who capped a 10-year NFL career with the Bears in 2010, was a dominant blocking tight end. He had a game-winning touchdown catch from Jay Cutler in a 24-20 win at Detroit in Week 13 of the 2010 season. Former Bears Olin Kreutz and Manti Te’o serve on the selection committee.

10f. The Fox crew of Kevin Kugler and Daryl “Moose” Johnston will call Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field.

10g. The Bears opened as a seven-point favorite over the Browns at Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/08/chicago-bears-10-thoughts-brad-biggs-packers-week-14/ 

The Stages Of A Color Revolution… And Where America Is Right Now

Tyler Durden
Mon, 12/08/2025 – 07:20

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/stages-color-revolution-and-where-america-right-now 

Por LORNE COOK

BRUSELAS (AP) — Un alto funcionario de la Unión Europea dijo el lunes a Estados Unidos que no interfiera en los asuntos de Europa y afirmó que solo los ciudadanos europeos pueden decidir qué partidos deben gobernarlos.

Las declaraciones del presidente del Consejo Europeo, António Costa, respondían a la nueva estrategia de seguridad nacional del gobierno de Trump, que se publicó el viernes y describe a los aliados europeos como débiles mientras ofrece un apoyo tácito a partidos políticos de extrema derecha.

Es “bueno” que la estrategia describa a los países europeos como un aliado, señaló Costa, pero “los aliados no amenazan con interferir en las elecciones políticas internas de sus aliados”.

“No podemos aceptar la amenaza de interferencia en la vida política europea. Estados Unidos no puede reemplazar a los ciudadanos europeos en la elección de cuáles son los partidos buenos o malos”, expresó en París en declaraciones ante el Instituto Jacques Delors, un grupo de expertos.

La estrategia criticó la política europea de libertad de expresión y migración. Los aliados de Estados Unidos en Europa enfrentan la “perspectiva de un borrado civilizacional”, decía el documento, planteando dudas sobre su fiabilidad a largo plazo como socios estadounidenses.

Pero Costa, quien preside las cumbres de los 27 líderes nacionales de la UE, dijo que la “historia nos ha enseñado que no se puede tener libertad de expresión sin libertad de información”.

El ex primer ministro portugués también advirtió que “nunca habrá libertad de expresión si la libertad de información de los ciudadanos se sacrifica por los objetivos de los oligarcas tecnológicos en Estados Unidos”.

La estrategia de seguridad es la primera que elabora la Casa Blanca desde que el presidente Donald Trump regresó al cargo en enero. Rompe de forma drástica con el rumbo establecido por el gobierno demócrata del presidente Joe Biden, que buscó revitalizar las alianzas de Estados Unidos.

El documento se conoce mientras Estados Unidos busca poner fin a la guerra de casi cuatro años de Rusia en Ucrania, un objetivo que la estrategia de seguridad nacional dice que es de interés vital para Estados Unidos.

Pero el texto deja claro que Estados Unidos quiere mejorar su relación con Rusia después de años de que Moscú fuera tratado como un paria global y poner fin a la guerra es un interés central de Estados Unidos para “restablecer la estabilidad estratégica con Rusia”.

El portavoz del Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, ha dicho que el documento “corresponde absolutamente a nuestra visión”. A lo largo de la guerra, Rusia ha trabajado para crear una brecha entre los aliados de la OTAN, particularmente entre Estados Unidos y los principales patrocinadores de Ucrania en Europa.

“Si leemos detenidamente la parte sobre Ucrania, podemos entender por qué Moscú comparte esta visión”, dijo Costa. “El objetivo en esta estrategia no es una paz justa y duradera. Es sólo (sobre) el fin de las hostilidades y la estabilidad de las relaciones con Rusia”.

“Todos quieren relaciones estables con Rusia”, agregó, pero “no podemos tener relaciones estables con Rusia cuando Rusia sigue siendo una amenaza para nuestra seguridad”.

Altos funcionarios de la UE y oficiales de inteligencia han advertido que Rusia podría estar en posición de lanzar un ataque en otro lugar de Europa en un plazo de tres a cinco años si derrota a Ucrania.

___

Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/08/un-alto-funcionario-de-la-ue-advierte-a-eeuu-que-no-interfiera-en-los-asuntos-europeos/ 

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Sunday hosted the Kennedy Center Honors and praised Sylvester Stallone, Kiss, Gloria Gaynor, Michael Crawford and George Strait, the slate of honorees he helped choose, as being “legendary in so many ways.”

“Billions and billions of people have watched them over the years,” Trump, the first president to command the stage, said to open the show.

The Republican president said the artists, recognized with tribute performances during the show, are “among the greatest artists and actors, performers, musicians, singers, songwriters ever to walk the face of the Earth.”

Since returning to office in January, Trump has made the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which is named after a Democratic predecessor, a touchstone in a broader attack against what he has lambasted as “woke” anti-American culture.

Trump said Saturday that he was hosting “at the request of a certain television network.” He predicted the broadcast scheduled for Dec. 23 on CBS and Paramount+, would have its best ratings ever.

Before Trump, presidents watched the show alongside the honorees. Trump skipped the honors altogether during his first term.

Asked how he got ready for the gig, Trump said as he moved along the red carpet with his wife, first lady Melania Trump, that he “didn’t really prepare very much.”

“I have a good memory, so I can remember things, which is very fortunate,” the president said. “But just, I wanted to just be myself. You have to be yourself.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, one of several Cabinet secretaries attending the ceremony, said his boss “is so relaxed in front of these cameras, as you know, and so funny, I can’t wait for tonight.” Lutnick arrived with his wife, a member of the Kennedy Center’s board.

Trump appeared on stage three times to open and close the show, and after intermission. He also talked up each artist in prerecorded videos that played before their tributes.

Trump was both gracious and critical in the comments he delivered from the stage, lavishing the honorees with effusive praise but at times showing a mean streak. After returning from intermission, he said he’d toured some of the construction projects he has launched to renovate the performing arts center. And he said it was a “fantastic” night.

“Well, we’re really having a good time tonight,” Trump said. “So many people I know in this audience. Some good. Some bad. Some I truly love and respect. Some I just hate.”

Since 1978, the honors have recognized stars for their influence on American culture and the arts. Members of this year’s class are pop-culture standouts, including Stallone for his “Rocky” and “Rambo” movies, Gaynor for her “I Will Survive” feminist anthem and Kiss for its flashy, cartoonish makeup and onstage displays of smoke and pyrotechnics.

Strait is a leader in the world of country music and Crawford, a Tony Award-winning actor, is best known for starring in “Phantom of the Opera,” the longest-running show in Broadway history.

Trump said persistence is a trait shared by the honorees, several of whom had humble beginnings.

“Some of them have had legendary setbacks, setbacks that you have to read in the papers because of their level of fame,” he said from the stage. “But in the words of Rocky Balboa, they showed us that you keep moving forward, just keep moving forward.”

He said many of the politicians, celebrities and others in the audience shared the trait, too.

“I know so many of you are persistent,” Trump said in his opening. “Many of you are miserable, horrible people. You are persistent. You never give up. Sometimes I wish you’d give up, but you don’t.”

The ceremony was expected to be emotional for the members of Kiss. The band’s original lead guitarist, Ace Frehley, died in October after he was injured during a fall. During the tribute to Kiss, a lone red guitar that emitted smoke was placed on stage in remembrance of Frehley, who was known for having a smoke bomb in his instrument.

The program closed with a rousing performance by Cheap Trick of Kiss’ “Rock and Roll All Nite” that brought the audience to its feet.

Stallone said receiving the honor was like being in the “eye of a hurricane.”

“This is an amazing event,” he said on the red carpet. “But you’re caught up in the middle of it. It’s hard to take it in until the next day. ..: but I’m incredibly humbled by it.”

Crawford also said it was “humbling, especially at the end of a career.”

Gaynor said it “feels like a dream” to be honored. “To be recognized in this way is the pinnacle,” she said after arriving.

Mike Farris, an award-winning gospel singer who performed for Gaynor, called her a dear friend. “She truly did survive,” Farris said. “What an iconic song.”

Trump has taken over the Kennedy Center

Trump upended decades of bipartisan support for the center by ousting its leadership and stacking the board of trustees with Republican supporters, who elected him chair. He has criticized the center’s programming and the building’s appearance — and has said, perhaps jokingly, that he would rename it as the “Trump Kennedy Center.” He secured more than $250 million from Congress for renovations of the building.

Asked Sunday night about a possible renaming, Trump said it would be up to the board. Still, he joked at one point about the “Trump Kennedy Center.”

Presidents of each political party have at times found themselves face to face with artists of opposing political views. Republican Ronald Reagan was there for honoree Arthur Miller, a playwright who championed liberal causes. Democrat Bill Clinton, who had signed an assault weapons ban into law, marked the honors for Charlton Heston, an actor and gun rights advocate.

During Trump’s first term, multiple honorees were openly critical of the president. In 2017, Trump’s first year in office, honors recipient and film producer Norman Lear threatened to boycott his own ceremony if Trump attended. Trump stayed away during that entire term.

Trump has said he was deeply involved in choosing the 2025 honorees and turned down some recommendations because they were “too woke.” He said Sunday that about 50 names were whittled down to five. While Stallone is one of Trump’s Hollywood ”special ambassadors” and has likened Trump to George Washington, the political views of Sunday’s other guests are less clear.

Honorees’ views about Trump

Strait and Gaynor have said little about their politics, although Federal Election Commission records show that Gaynor has given money to Republican organizations in recent years.

Simmons spoke favorably of Trump when Trump ran for president in 2016. But in 2022, Simmons told Spin magazine that Trump was “out for himself” and criticized Trump for encouraging conspiracy theories and public expressions of racism.

Fellow Kiss member Paul Stanley denounced Trump’s effort to overturn his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden, and said Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, were “terrorists.” But after Trump won in 2024, Stanley urged unity.

“If your candidate lost, it’s time to learn from it, accept it and try to understand why,” Stanley wrote on X. “If your candidate won, it’s time to understand that those who don’t share your views also believe they are right and love this country as much as you do.”

Italie reported from New York.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/08/trump-kennedy-center-honors/ 

Dozens of Glenview residents urged elected officials recently to ban federal agencies—particularly U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE—from using village-owned properties for enforcement activity.

But Village President Michael Jenny questioned this request, asking if such an action is under the local government’s purview.

“Is it our role to pass an ordinance we know is not enforceable, largely for symbolic purposes?” he asked. “I don’t know.”

The residents addressed the Glenview Village Board for more than an hour on Nov. 18, one week after an email signed by nine residents was sent to elected officials. The email contained two requests:  Follow neighboring communities like Wilmette, Skokie and Evanston by prohibiting federal agencies from conducting enforcement operations on municipal properties, and provide clear information to Glenview residents about their rights and what action they can take if they observe ICE activity in their neighborhood and believe their safety is at risk.

The village is collaborating with the Glenview Public Library to share information with the public on their rights, Jenny said. As for an ordinance restricting federal activity, it remains unclear if discussion will take place at a future board meeting.

“It is something we will continue to follow and we will continue to consider in terms of what else we can do to inform the public and make you feel a little bit safer in your day to day activities—even if that ultimately turns out, though, that we have a disagreement on the role of village government,” Jenny told residents. “It doesn’t mean we don’t care.”

He noted that the village does not receive any notice if federal agents are conducting operations in the community and that Glenview police follow the Illinois Trust Act, which prohibits them from aiding or interfering with immigration enforcement.

Trustee Tim Doron said communicating with residents is “absolutely imperative,” but added that he was “not sold” on the idea of an ordinance prohibiting certain federal activities because, due to lack of enforceability, it would be only a “feel good ordinance.”

Trustee Gina DeBoni said she was looking forward to more consideration of the requests made.

“I do believe the safety and welfare of our community are part of our core mission and our core services,” she said.

Cathy Wilson, a member of Indivisible Glenview, a local activist organization, and one of the signers of the email to the board, said nearly every resident who spoke before the elected officials addressed the issue of ICE agents “from a safety perspective.”

“The Village Board always says that their mission is to provide core services to our community; we believe that safety falls under the definition of core services,” Wilson told Pioneer Press.

“Glenview had not taken any action related to ICE activity within the village, nor sought to educate our community.  Our email was designed to encourage the village to step up and address the impact of ICE activity as our neighbors had done.”

Following the meeting, Wilson acknowledged that she does not expect the village to take action to ban agents from village property, and she and other residents are considering “several actions” as their next steps.

Reports of masked agents detaining individuals—sometimes violently—without warrants and in public places around the Chicago area permeated the last three months during raids the Trump administration dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz.”

While the Department of Homeland Security said the operation would be targeting criminals and violent offenders, just 16 people of  the 614 arrested and identified by the government had criminal histories that presented a “high public safety risk.” The other 598 people on the list had no criminal history listed.

Federal Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and agents deployed as part of Operation Midwest Blitz left the Chicago area in November, but some activity is continuing.

Some of the Glenview residents who addressed the Village Board used terms like “kidnapping,” “invasion” and “terrifying” to describe recent actions taken by ICE agents.

Wilson asked how Glenview police will protect residents if a “raid” occurs in the community and if police will respond to 911 calls about worrisome ICE activity. Other residents expressed concerns about immigrant workers in the community.

“I think it’s very dangerous what’s happening,” said resident Peter Belsha. “I think there’s very aggressive and disruptive actions taking place.”

Resident Ann Yoshida said she was “stunned” by the village’s silence amid reports of individuals around Chicago being taken by agents without due process.

“I have no illusion that local governments can fix this horrendous situation,” she said. “But I do expect that in a community that purports to care about all of its residents there would be some acknowledgment that there are many people living and working in Glenview who are hurting, who are fearful about going to work, about sending their children to school and about trusting that their local government and police department are looking out for them.”

Resident Beth Allen added: “As a person of Jewish faith, there’s a nagging thought that in these times, right here in our safe village where many people of different backgrounds and faith reside, someone could be deemed undesirable. … Can we stand by while people are disappeared in our community? Where is the due process?”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/08/glenview-board-lukewarm-to-requests-to-ban-ice/ 

Jennifer Wright, the president and CEO of Hilltop Neighborhood House, and Amy Osburn, the nonprofit’s vice president and director, can talk almost endlessly about the horrors they witnessed across the street, at 465 College Ave. in Valparaiso.

The smell of drugs being smoked wafted from the home and drug paraphernalia was in the yard, not far from where Hilltop’s childcare participants played outside. People passed out, sometimes undressed, on the property. Constant police calls to the property forced the childcare center to go on lockout, and the coroner’s van pulled up time and again.

The kids in the childcare, Wright said, “couldn’t read, thankfully.”

Now they have a new vision for the former eyesore, a green space to develop and expand with Hilltop’s ever-growing and changing programs to meet the needs of the community.

“For years, this had been a big dream of ours that we didn’t think was possible,” said Osburn, whose two children attended Hilltop. She recalled a resident of the house across the street yelling at parents, including her, as they dropped their children off.

Hilltop Neighborhood House director Amy Osburn, right, and president and CEO and president Jennifer Wright stand in front of a recently acquired property across the street from their office in Valparaiso, Indiana, Wednesday, December 3, 2025. Plans are to demolish the building and use the land to expand services. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)

“It just made it an unsafe and sadly unwelcome environment,” she said.

The dream became a reality after local philanthropist Jacki Stutzman visited Hilltop with author Stephanie Jones, there to read her book about first responders, accompanied by members of the Valparaiso Police Department and one of its K-9s.

Wright took Stutzman on a tour of Hilltop, including its mission kitchen, which serves hot meals, and its food pantry, both nearby on Union Street, part of its expanding services to support the community’s needs.

Wright pointed out the house across the street from Hilltop, which is at 460 College Ave. After the tour, Stutzman said she sat in her car and thought she’d love to be able to do something for Hilltop.

Stutzman has supported many causes in the community, including the construction of the Porter County Animal Shelter and K-9s for the Valparaiso Police and Porter County Sheriff’s Department, among other entities. She said her late sister, Nancy Meyer, was a supporter of Hilltop, so it hadn’t been on her radar.

But the house was for sale and she knew the listing agent, so she had a meeting with Wright and others from Hilltop about purchasing the house for the nonprofit.

A rainbow-painted fence stands next to a building recently purchased by Hilltop Neighborhood House in Valparaiso, Indiana, Thursday, December 4, 2025. Plans are to demolish the building and use the land to expand services. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)

“That’s how it came about, almost by accident,” Stutzman said. “It’s kind of in a sense tying back to my sister, and it just seemed so right.”

Wright said Stutzman called her about her offer to buy the house in August, a couple of days after her tour.

“My jaw hit the ground,” Wright said. “We don’t get calls like that at Hilltop.”

Trees on the dilapidated property are already being torn down with the help of the city, which is also assisting with other aspects of demolition after asbestos testing and abatement, Wright and Osburn said.

The lot will help Hilltop double the size of its children’s community garden, Wright said, and provide an on-site location for summer camp, which Hilltop has been providing through Valpo Parks at Rogers-Lakewood Park on the city’s north side.

The house should be demolished and the land cleared by sometime in January.

“It will be grass by spring with a fence around it,” Wright said, adding the property will someday include a pavilion to provide free lunches during the summer, which is now offered at ValPlayso.

The property across the street from Hilltop is the third blighted property the nonprofit has acquired in recent years; the other two are the locations of the food pantry and the mission kitchen.

In January, Hilltop will bring on a social worker through a grant from the city of Valparaiso to handle substance abuse and prevention, as well as suicide prevention. As an addition to the mission kitchen, Hilltop will add a hunger hub, offering ready-to-eat meals around the clock through a cooler on the porch of the mission kitchen. The infrastructure is already in place for that to happen.

“The challenge has just organically changed,” Wright said, adding that generational poverty and even the closing of Valparaiso University’s law school several years ago, which saw student apartments vacated and turned into low-income rentals, have an ongoing impact on the community Hilltop serves.

City of Valparaiso certified arborist Tyler Smithson, right, and operator Ryan Wilson remove a line from a large section of tree trunk being cleared outside a building on College Avenue recently purchased by Hilltop Neighborhood House in Valparaiso, Indiana, Thursday, December 4, 2025. Plans are to demolish the building and use the land to expand services. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)

Hilltop House has seen a 25% increase in the demand for its services this year, Wright said. However, during the SNAP crisis, when the government shutdown brought the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to a halt, the agency had about a 40% increase in new clients who had never come to the pantry before.

“The majority of our clients do not have cars and walk to the pantry or take the bus,” she said. “Right now, we’re feeding about 1,800 a month. The addition of the mission kitchen has definitely helped us bring more meals, hot meals to clients, and that’s about another 100 a week.”

Hilltop, Wright said, celebrated its 30th anniversary on Oct. 25. It started with childcare for low-income families and affordable healthcare in a clinic that evolved into HealthLinc. Wright became executive director at Hilltop in 2011, after two years as the director of the United Way’s Success by 6 program.

By the time Wright was at Hilltop, the nonprofit offered childcare and a small afterschool program, as well as a small food pantry in the building’s basement. Since then, its services have grown exponentially and also include a mobile food pantry and a bookmobile, in addition to the mission kitchen and food pantry.

Hilltop Neighborhood House president and CEO Jennifer Wright in her office in Valparaiso, Indiana, Wednesday, December 3, 2025. Hilltop Neighborhood House recently acquired an adjacent property, a vacant home, and will be further expanding its services. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)

“We have more clients than we’ve ever had,” said Osburn, who started at the agency the year before Wright did.

State funding cuts for childcare and the possibility that people receiving health insurance from the Affordable Care Act could lose their subsidies will only increase the need.

“It’s just a snowball effect,” Osburn said.

The cuts to childcare funding are of particular concern, Wright said, because childcare can sometimes cost more than rent.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” she said. “I don’t think it’s going to change until it affects the change makers.”

Regardless, with its growing services and a new property to expand them even more, Wright is confident Hilltop House can continue to meet the community’s needs.

“We’re ready when it happens,” she said.

alavalley@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/08/hilltop-neighborhood-house-expand-to-meet-need/ 

Trump-Brokered Ceasefire Falters As Thailand Launches F-16 Airstrikes On Cambodia

Tyler Durden
Mon, 12/08/2025 – 06:55

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/thailand-launches-f-16-airstrikes-cambodia-trump-brokered-ceasefire-falters 

Hedge Fund CIO: “Trump’s NSS Report Reads Like A Cold War Playbook. Deploy Capital Accordingly”

Tyler Durden
Mon, 12/08/2025 – 06:30

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/hedge-fund-cio-trumps-nss-report-reads-cold-war-playbook-deploy-capital-accordingly 

Por MEGAN JANETSKY y JULIA FRANKEL

JERUSALÉN (AP) — La policía israelí entró por la fuerza en el complejo de la agencia de las Naciones Unidas para los refugiados palestinos en Jerusalén Oriental la madrugada del lunes, intensificando una campaña contra una organización a la que se ha prohibido operar en territorio israelí.

La Agencia de Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados de Palestina en Oriente Próximo, o UNRWA, dijo en un comunicado que “un número considerable” de fuerzas israelíes, incluyendo policías en motocicletas, camiones y montacargas, ingresaron al recinto en el barrio palestino de Sheikh Jarrah y cortaron las comunicaciones del complejo.

“La entrada no autorizada y forzosa por parte de las fuerzas de seguridad israelíes es una violación inaceptable de los privilegios e inmunidades de la UNRWA como agencia de la ONU”, afirmó la agencia.

Fotos tomadas por un fotógrafo de Associated Press mostraban autos de policía en la calle y una bandera israelí colocada en el tejado del complejo. Fotos proporcionadas por el personal de la UNRWA muestran a un grupo de policías israelíes dentro del recinto.

La policía dijo en un comunicado que había entrado para un “procedimiento de cobro de deudas” encabezado por el gobierno municipal de Jerusalén, que no respondió de inmediato a una solicitud de comentarios.

Israel libra una larga campaña contra la UNRWA

La redada forma parte de la campaña de Israel contra la agencia, que proporciona ayuda y servicios a unos 2,5 millones de refugiados palestinos en Gaza, la ocupada Cisjordania y Jerusalén Este, así como a tres millones más de refugiados en Siria, Jordania y Líbano.

La agencia fue establecida para ayudar a los aproximadamente 700.000 palestinos que huyeron o fueron expulsados de lo que ahora es Israel durante la guerra de 1948 en torno a la creación de Israel. Los partidarios de la UNRWA dicen que Israel espera borrar el problema de los refugiados palestinos desmantelando la agencia. Israel dice que los refugiados deberían ser reasentados permanentemente fuera de sus fronteras.

Durante más de un año de la guerra entre Israel y Hamás que comenzó el 7 de octubre de 2023, la UNRWA fue el principal sustento para la población de Gaza, que dependía en gran medida de la ayuda debido a la crisis humanitaria desatada por el intenso bombardeo israelí y las restricciones a la entrada de mercancías.

A lo largo de la guerra, Israel ha acusado a la agencia de estar infiltrada por Hamás, acusaciones que la ONU ha negado. Después de meses de crecientes ataques del primer ministro, Benjamin Netanyahu, y sus aliados de extrema derecha, Israel prohibió formalmente en enero que la agencia opere en su territorio.

Estados Unidos, anteriormente el mayor donante de la UNRWA, suspendió su financiación a la agencia a principios de 2024.

La UNRWA recibe asistencia de otras agencias

Desde entonces, la UNRWA ha tenido problemas para continuar su trabajo en Gaza, con otras agencias de la ONU, incluyendo el PMA y UNICEF, interviniendo para ayudar a compensar un vacío que la UNRWA dice es imposible de llenar.

“Si sacas a la UNRWA, ¿qué otra agencia puede llenar ese vacío?” dijo Tamara Alrifai, directora de relaciones externas y comunicaciones de la UNRWA, en un aparte del Foro de Doha el sábado.

La agencia ha sido excluida de las conversaciones lideradas por Estados Unidos sobre la Fase 2 del alto el fuego, añadió.

La UNRWA cerró su complejo en Jerusalén en mayo después de que manifestantes de ultraderecha, incluyendo al menos un miembro del Parlamento israelí, invadieran su puerta a la vista de la policía. La extrema derecha de Israel ha presionado para convertir el complejo en un asentamiento y el ministro de Vivienda del país dijo el año pasado que había dado instrucciones al ministerio para “examinar cómo devolver el área al estado de Israel y utilizarla para vivienda”.

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Josef Federman en Doha, Qatar, contribuyó a este despacho.

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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.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/08/la-agencia-de-onu-para-palestinos-dice-que-la-polica-israel-allan-su-complejo-en-jerusaln/