Category: News
Panamá queda en grupo complicado en próximo Mundial, pero promete ‘agradar’
CIUDAD DE PANAMÁ (AP) — No era quizá la zona en la que Panamá quería estar.
La selección dirigida por el técnico hispano-danés Thomas Christiansen quedó en el Grupo L de la próxima Copa del Mundo junto a la poderosa Inglaterra —a la que enfrentó en su primera experiencia mundialista en Rusia 2018— así como la Croacia del histórico Luka Modric y décima en el ranking de la FIFA, y Ghana.
“Lo complica un poco, pero seguimos con la misma ilusión de competir”, señaló Christiansen a la prensa tras el sorteo en la capital estadounidense el viernes.
Panamá, que será el único representante de Centroamérica en el Mundial entre los equipos clasificados de la CONCACAF, se debatía antes del sorteo sobre si caer en una zona con potencias para seguir ganando experiencia o con rivales posiblemente más accesibles para soñar en un inédito pase a segunda ronda.
Resulta que los canaleros se volverán a topar contra los ingleses, quienes los golearon 6-1 en Rusia en una zona de primera ronda que completaban Bélgica y Túnez. Bajo la dirección del colombiano Hernán Darío Gómez, los panameños perdieron sus tres partidos en esa fase.
“Dos europeos que podrían haber estado en el Bombo 1”, destacó Christiansen al referirse a Inglaterra y Croacia.
Dijo que si bien el resultado contra Inglaterra en Rusia fue abultado, consideró que se debería rescatar lo “positivo”. Eso fue el primer gol de Panamá en un Mundial, obra del defensor Felipe Baloy.
“Vamos a intentar revivir esa alegría del gol que se vivió como si fuera una victoria. Nosotros vamos con la misma ilusión, queremos agradar, sobre todo, conseguir puntos y porqué no soñar, sabemos que es muy complicado”, destacó el técnico europeo, quien logró clasificar a Panamá después de la eliminación a Qatar en su primer ciclo con el equipo centroamericano.
Ahora el país centroamericano quedó pendiente a las sedes donde jugará la selección, que se definirían el fin de semana.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
A timeline of the US military’s buildup near Venezuela and attacks on alleged drug boats
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has built up a fleet of warships near Venezuela, including the largest U.S. aircraft carrier, as American forces keep blowing up small boats accused of smuggling narcotics for drug cartels.
The expanded U.S. military presence, the largest in Latin America in decades, is fueling speculation about how the forces could be employed. President Donald Trump has said that land attacks are coming soon, without offering any details on location.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has insisted the real purpose of the U.S. military operations is to force him from office.
The Trump administration says the military has killed at least 87 people in 22 known strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September. Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.
As the number of strikes has grown without a declaration of war from Congress, lawmakers have questioned the legal reasoning for them.
Following reports that the very first attack involved a follow-on strike to kill two survivors, Congress has begun to investigate the campaign. Lawmakers recently called in the Navy commander who oversaw the strikes for classified briefings.
Here is a timeline of the U.S. military actions, concerns among some lawmakers and the response in Venezuela:
Jan. 20
Trump signs an executive order that paves the way for criminal organizations and drug cartels to be named “foreign terrorist organizations.” They include Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan street gang.
The U.S. intelligence community has disputed Trump’s central claim that Maduro’s administration is working with Tren de Aragua and orchestrating drug trafficking and illegal immigration into the U.S.
Feb. 20
The Trump administration formally designates eight Latin American crime organizations as foreign terrorist organizations.
The label is normally reserved for groups like al-Qaida or the Islamic State that use violence for political ends — not for profit-focused crime rings.
Aug. 19
The U.S. military deploys three guided-missile destroyers to the waters off Venezuela.
The naval force in the Caribbean grows within weeks to include three amphibious assault ships and other vessels, carrying about 6,000 sailors and Marines and a variety of aircraft.
The U.S. deploys F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in September, while a Navy submarine carrying cruise missiles operates off South America.
Sept. 2
The U.S. carries out its first strike against what Trump says was a drug-carrying vessel that departed from Venezuela and was operated by Tren de Aragua.
Trump says all 11 people on the boat were killed and posts a short video clip of a small vessel appearing to explode in flames.
Sept. 10
In a letter to the White House, Democratic senators say the Trump administration has provided “no legitimate legal justification” for the strike.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, says in a floor speech that week that the U.S. military is not “empowered to hunt down suspected criminals and kill them without trial.”
Sept. 15
The U.S. military carries out its second strike against an alleged drug boat, killing three people.
Asked what proof the U.S. has that the vessel was carrying drugs, Trump told reporters that big bags of cocaine and fentanyl were spattered all over the ocean. However, images of what Trump described were not released by the military or the White House.
Sept. 19
Trump says the U.S. military carried out its third fatal strike against an alleged drug-smuggling vessel. The president says the attack killed three people and intelligence “confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics.”
Several senators and human rights groups continue to question the legality of the strikes, describing them as a potential overreach of executive authority.
Oct. 2
Trump declares drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and says the U.S. is now in an “armed conflict” with them, according to a Trump administration memo obtained by The Associated Press.
The memo appears to represent an extraordinary assertion of presidential war powers and draws criticism from some lawmakers, including Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Oct. 3
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he ordered a fourth strike on a small boat he accuses of carrying drugs. He says four men were killed but offers no details on who they were or what group they belonged to.
Oct. 8
Senate Republicans vote down legislation that would have required the president to seek authorization from Congress before further military strikes. The vote fell mostly along party lines, 48-51.
Oct. 14
Trump announces the fifth strike against a small boat accused of carrying drugs, saying it killed six people. The president says intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics on a known drug-trafficking route.
Oct. 15
Trump confirms he has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela and says he is weighing carrying out land operations in the country.
He declines to say whether the CIA has authority to take action against Maduro.
Oct. 16
The Navy admiral who oversees military operations in the region says he will retire in December.
Adm. Alvin Holsey became leader of U.S. Southern Command only the previous November, overseeing an area that encompasses the Caribbean and waters off South America. Such postings typically last three to four years.
Oct. 16
Trump says the U.S. struck a sixth suspected drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean, killing two people and leaving two survivors who were on the semi-submersible craft.
The president later says the survivors would be sent to Ecuador and Colombia, their home countries, “for detention and prosecution.” Repatriation avoided questions about what their legal status would have been in the U.S. justice system.
Oct. 17
The U.S. military attacks a seventh vessel that Hegseth says was carrying “substantial amounts of narcotics” and associated with a Colombian rebel group, the National Liberation Army, or ELN. Three people are killed.
Oct. 20
Rep. Adam Smith, top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, calls for a hearing on the boat strikes.
“Never before in my over 20 years on the committee can I recall seeing a combatant commander leave their post this early and amid such turmoil,” Smith said in a statement of Holsey’s impending departure. “I have also never seen such a staggering lack of transparency on behalf of an Administration and the Department to meaningfully inform Congress on the use of lethal military force.”
Oct. 21
Hegseth says the U.S. military launched its eighth strike against an alleged drug-carrying vessel, killing two people in the eastern Pacific.
The attack marks an expansion of the military’s targeting area to the waters off South America where much of the cocaine from the world’s largest producers is smuggled.
Oct. 22
Hegseth announces the ninth strike, another in the eastern Pacific, saying three men are killed.
Oct. 24
Hegseth orders the U.S. military’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the region in a significant escalation of military firepower.
Oct. 24
Hegseth says the military conducted the 10th strike on a suspected drug-running boat, leaving six people dead. He says the vessel was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang.
Oct. 27
Hegseth says three more strikes were carried out in the eastern Pacific, killing 14 people and leaving one survivor.
Hegseth says Mexican authorities “assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue” of the sole survivor, who is presumed dead after Mexico suspended its search after four days.
Oct. 29
Hegseth says the U.S. military carried out another strike on a boat he said was carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific, killing all four people aboard in the 14th attack.
Oct. 29
Sen. Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, says the Trump administration briefed Republicans — but not Democrats — on the boat strikes.
The Senate at the time was facing a potential vote on a war powers resolution that would prohibit strikes in or near Venezuela without congressional approval.
Oct. 31
U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk calls for an investigation into the strikes, in what appeared to be the first such condemnation of its kind from a United Nations organization.
Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for Türk’s office, relayed his message at a briefing: “The U.S. must halt such attacks and take all measures necessary to prevent the extrajudicial killing of people aboard these boats.”
Nov. 1
Hegseth posts another video as he announces the 15th known strike, saying the vessel in the Caribbean was operated by a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. He does not name the group and says three people were killed.
Nov. 4
In the 16th known strike, Hegseth posts on social media that two people were killed aboard a vessel in the eastern Pacific.
The same day, the Ford aircraft carrier leaves the Mediterranean Sea on its way to the Caribbean.
Nov. 6
Hegseth announces the 17th known strike, which killed three people.
Nov. 6
Senate Republicans vote to reject legislation that would have limited Trump’s ability to order an attack on Venezuelan soil without congressional authorization.
Lawmakers from both parties had demanded more information on the strikes, but Republicans appeared more willing to give Trump leeway to continue his buildup of naval forces.
Nov. 9
The U.S. military strikes two vessels in the eastern Pacific, killing six people, according to an announcement from Hegseth the following day.
Nov. 10
The 20th known strike on a boat accused of transporting drugs kills four people in the Caribbean, according to a social media post from the U.S. military’s Southern Command.
Nov. 11
Venezuela’s government launches what it says is a “massive” mobilization of troops and volunteers for two days of exercises prompted by the U.S. military buildup.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López asserts that Venezuela’s military is “stronger than ever in its unity, morale and equipment.”
Nov. 15
Three people are killed after the U.S. military conducts its 21st strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific, according to a post from Southern Command a day later.
Nov. 16
The Ford arrives in the Caribbean, a major moment in the Trump administration’s show of force.
The aircraft carrier’s arrival brings the total number of troops in the region to around 12,000 on nearly a dozen Navy ships in what Hegseth has dubbed “Operation Southern Spear.”
Nov. 16
Trump says the U.S. “may be having some discussions ” with Maduro and that “Venezuela would like to talk,” without offering details.
“I’ll talk to anybody,” Trump said. “We’ll see what happens.”
Dec. 4
Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley appears for closed-door classified briefings at the Capitol as lawmakers begin investigating the strikes. The investigation began following reports that Bradley ordered a follow-on attack that killed the survivors of the first strike on Sept. 2 to comply with Hegesth’s demands.
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton later tells reporters that “Bradley was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all.”
Meanwhile, Democrats say they found the video of the entire attack disturbing.
Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, says the survivors were “basically two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat, drifting in the water — until the missiles come and kill them.”
Dec. 4
Four people are killed in the 22nd strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific, according to a post from Southern Command.
Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/timeline-us-militarys-venezuela-alleged-drug-boats/
SpaceX Trademark Filing Signals “Starlink Mobile” May Soon Take Aim At AT&T, Verizon
SpaceX Trademark Filing Signals “Starlink Mobile” May Soon Take Aim At AT&T, Verizon
SpaceX has taken one step toward becoming a direct competitor to AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Its Starlink subsidiary quietly filed to register the “Starlink Mobile” trademark on Oct. 16, signaling plans to enter the wireless carrier business.
For context, Elon Musk spoke at the All-In Summit in early September and made it clear he wants to morph Starlink into a global mobile wireless carrier that leverages both satellites and ground-based spectrum.
All-In’s Chamath Palihapitiya asked Musk: “Elon, is your vision that instead of having an AT&T account and then roaming when you’re in the UK or India, we could have one direct deal with Starlink that works all over the world? Maybe not today, but eventually — is that the end goal?”
Musk responded: “Yes.”
2/ $ASTS: Key excerpts from the interview Starlink’s true intention of competing against MNOs comes out:
Chamath: “Elon is your vision for this that instead of you know having an AT&T account and then roaming when you’re in the UK or in India, we could have one direct deal with… pic.twitter.com/fkGuXHd3iF
— Anp🅰️nman (@spacanpanman) September 10, 2025
On Oct. 16, Starlink filed to trademark “Starlink Mobile.” One X user spotted the application in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) records:
Starlink’s USPTO filing describes the service as: “Satellite communication and transmission services; transmission of data, voice, image and video via satellite; collecting and transmitting real-time data and images obtained via satellites; telecommunications services, namely, cellular personal communication services.”
Already…
Starlink Direct to Cell operates the largest satellite-to-mobile constellation in the world, delivering data, voice, video and messaging to mobile dead zones across 5 continents.
Since first activating service earlier this year, more than 8M people and counting have relied on… pic.twitter.com/wGC9qpKFNi
— Starlink (@Starlink) November 4, 2025
Back at the All-In Summit, David Friedberg asked Musk: “Could you buy some carriers to acquire more spectrum? Maybe buy Verizon?”
Musk replied: “Not out of the question. I suppose that may happen.”
Tyler Durden
Fri, 12/05/2025 – 18:00
Irán jugará al menos un partido de la Copa Mundial en suelo estadounidense
Por GRAHAM DUNBAR
GINEBRA (AP) — Irán disputará al menos uno de sus partidos del Mundial en Estados Unidos, aunque los rivales geopolíticos no se enfrentarán tras el sorteo realizado.
El equipo iraní, del país que fue objeto de ataques aéreos en junio por parte de Estados Unidos y cuyos ciudadanos están sujetos a una prohibición de viaje impuesta por la administración del presidente Donald Trump, comenzará su campaña en el torneo contra Nueva Zelanda en Seattle o Inglewood, California, el 15 de junio.
Los dos siguientes partidos de Irán contra Bélgica y Egipto podrían jugarse al otro lado de la frontera canadiense en Vancouver o en Inglewood y Seattle. La FIFA confirmará el sábado el calendario detallado de los partidos.
Estados Unidos quedó en el mismo grupo que Australia, Paraguay y el último rival que saldrá del playoff europeo en marzo.
La participación de Irán en el torneo, coorganizado por Estados Unidos, Canadá y México, ya ha presentado desafíos diplomáticos.
La semana pasada, Irán dijo que boicotearía el sorteo después de que le negaran visas de viaje a varios funcionarios, incluido el presidente de la federación de fútbol Mehdi Taj y el secretario general Hedayat Momebeni. Posteriormente, la federación modificó su postura diciendo que el entrenador de Irán, Amir Ghalenoei, asistiría al evento en el Kennedy Center en Washington.
No estaba claro de inmediato si Ghalenoei estuvo presente en el sorteo del viernes.
Seguridad y visas
Irán es uno de los 12 países sujetos a una prohibición de viaje ordenada por la administración de Trump el cinco de junio. El veto también incluye a Haití, que también se clasificó para el torneo.
El gobierno estadounidense prometió exenciones para los equipos y el personal de apoyo que viajan para la Copa del Mundo, pero no para los aficionados.
La administración de Trump calificó a Irán como un “patrocinador estatal del terrorismo” y prohibió la entrada de visitantes, excepto para aquellos que ya tienen Visas o venían con visas especiales emitidas para minorías que enfrentan persecución.
En junio, Trump ordenó un bombardeo en Irán con las llamadas bombas “rompe búnkeres” y misiles de crucero dirigidos a plantas subterráneas de enriquecimiento de uranio. En pocos días, declaró un alto el fuego en la guerra de 12 días entre Irán e Israel, aliado de Estados Unidos.
Potencia del fútbol asiático
Irán es una potencia en el fútbol y se encuentra clasificada en el número 20 del mundo por la FIFA, sólo superada por Japón entre las selecciones asiáticas.
El equipo Melli, como se conoce popularmente a la escuadra, se está preparando para disputar su séptima Copa del Mundo. Su jugador más conocido es el delantero Mehdi Taremi, quien ha jugado para el Inter de Milán, Porto y ahora Olympiakos.
Las relaciones diplomáticas más problemáticas de Irán entre sus futuros oponentes de la Copa del Mundo son con Egipto.
Los países rompieron lazos diplomáticos en 1979 después de que Egipto firmara un tratado de paz con Israel y la tensión continuó hasta hace poco.
En septiembre del 2022, el gobierno de Nueva Zelanda condenó la muerte de Mahsa Amini, de 22 años, bajo custodia de la policía de moralidad del país.
Irán en la última Copa del Mundo
La muerte de Amini solo unas semanas antes de la última Copa del Mundo en Qatar, llevó la política interna a los estadios en los que jugó Irán.
El equipo se negó a cantar el himno nacional de Irán antes de su partido inaugural en Doha contra Inglaterra, y hubo enfrentamientos entre aficionados y simpatizantes del gobierno en su segundo partido contra Gales.
Muchos aficionados mostraron el lema “Mujer, Vida, Libertad” para protestar contra el gobierno antes de que la campaña de Irán en la Copa del Mundo terminara con una derrota 1-0 ante Estados Unidos.
___
Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
El sorteo del Mundial no podría haber sido mejor para EEUU y México
Por JAMES ROBSON
Para el anfitrión Estados Unidos, el sorteo del Mundial 2026 salió a pedir de boca.
El coanfitrión debería esperar quedarse en su propia fiesta al menos hasta la nueva ronda de dieciseisavos de final después de quedar en un grupo junto a Paraguay, Australia y el ganador de un playoff europeo entre Turquía, Eslovaquia, Kosovo y Rumania en el sorteo del viernes, al que asistió el presidente Donald Trump en Washington.
Mauricio Pochettino, el técnico argentino de Estados Unidos, no dará nada por sentado, pero con ninguna de esas naciones clasificadas entre las 20 mejores por la FIFA, sería una gran decepción si su equipo no supera como uno los dos mejores del Grupo D o mediante la tabla de salvación de quedar entre uno de los mejores terceros clasificados.
Otro coanfitrión, México, también esperará avanzar desde un grupo con Sudáfrica, Corea del Sur y uno de Dinamarca, Macedonia del Norte, República Checa o Irlanda.
“Son buenos equipos, pero nosotros tenemos una oportunidad, jugamos en casa y con nuestra gente”, manifestó Javier Aguirre, el seleccionador del Tri.
El grupo de Canadá, el tercer coanfitrión, podría parecer significativamente más difícil si el cuatro veces campeón mundial Italia se clasifica tras sortear el repechaje europeo. Canadá, que nunca ha cosechado un punto en la Copa del Mundo, también se enfrentará a Qatar y Suiza.
Un Mundial ampliado crea un sorteo benigno
La suerte relativamente benigna para los coanfitriones parecen ser una consecuencia de una Copa del Mundo ampliada a 48 equipos, en lugar de 32.
Con tantos equipos y un sorteo con cabezas de serie, era natural que las naciones más grandes se mantuvieran separadas en la fase inicial.
No salió un obvio “grupo de la muerte”.
Francia fue sorteada con Senegal, Noruega y uno de Bolivia, Surinam o Irak.
Inglaterra, cuarta en el ranking de la FIFA, tiene como rivales a Croacia (10), Ghana y Panamá.
La fase de grupos puede deparar sorpresas, pero es difícil presagiar emboscados para las potencias.
El campeón defensor Argentina se las verá contra Argelia, Austria y Jordania, mientras que el campeón europeo España chocará con Cabo Verde, Arabia Saudí y Uruguay.
El entrenador de España, Luis de La Fuente, sin embargo, insistió en que el peligro estaba por todas partes, enfatizando en la importancia de ganar el grupo.
De La Fuente mencionó que se encontró con su contraparte argentino Lionel Scaloni y hablaron sobre lo que podría pasar en la fase de eliminación directa.
“Es importante por lo que pueda suceder después”, señaló el seleccionador español. “Ahora me he cruzado con Scaloni y nos hemos dicho que, si alguno de los dos tropieza, podríamos cruzarnos (en dieciseisavos de final). Lo que tenemos que hacer nosotros es lo que podemos controlar”.
Partidos destacados
Marruecos dio la nota en el último Mundial al convertirse en el primer equipo africano en alcanzar las semifinales. Y tiene la oportunidad de dar un nuevo zarpazo en su primer partido el próximo año contra la poderosa Brasil.
El entrenador de Marruecos, Walid Regragui, dijo que será “uno de los mejores partidos” del torneo.
“Queremos intentar ganar el grupo o al menos pasar a la siguiente fase”, dijo a TV Globo. “Desde la Copa del Mundo de 2022 todos quieren vencernos”.
Inglaterra contra Croacia será una repetición de una semifinal de 2018. Croacia ganó en esa ocasión y fue semifinalista nuevamente en 2022. Inglaterra es uno de los favoritos al título el próximo año después de dos finales consecutivas de la Eurocopa.
Se repetirá una de las mayores batacazos de los mundiales cuandi Francia se enfrente a Senegal. El equipo africano sorprendió 1-0 al entonces campeón defensor Francia en 2002.
“Sabemos que este es un grupo muy difícil, no podemos descansar”, dijo Didier Deschamps, el técnico de Les Bleus.
Grandes pruebas para los más débiles
La pequeña Curazao y Cabo Verde compartirán el escenario con titanes del fútbol internacional.
Curazao es la nación más pequeña por población que se ha clasificado a un Mundial y jugará contra el cuatro veces campeón Alemania. Cabo Verde es el tercer país más pequeño en clasificarse y enfrentará a España.
Escocia, en su primera Copa del Mundo desde 1998, enfrenta una oposición familiar en Brasil. Las naciones se han enfrentado en cuatro ocasiones anteriores en la Copa del Mundo: 1974, 1982, 1990 y 1998, y Escocia no ganó ninguno de ellos.
Los escoceses también fueron agrupados con Marruecos en 1998 y se encontrarán nuevamente.
Haití completa el Grupo C.
Messi y Ronaldo podrían enfrentarse cara a cara
Lionel Messi y Cristiano Ronaldo podrúan establecer un nuevo récord de apariciones en seis mundiales.
Si Argentina y Portugal ganan sus respectivos grupos, el momento más temprano en que los dos cracks podrían encontrarse sería en los cuartos de final en Kansas City.
Messi terminó su larga espera para alzar la Copa del Mundo cuando llevó a Argentina a la gloria en 2022.
Cristiano todavía espera por conquistar el único gran trofeo que se le resiste y esta es seguramente su última oportunidad, dado que tendrá 41 años cuando comience el torneo.
___
Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Redistricting bill passes Indiana House; its future unclear in Senate
The Indiana House passed new Congressional maps Friday and sent them to the Senate, where the bill’s future is unclear since Senate leadership has stated multiple times since October it doesn’t have the votes.
House Bill 1032, which addresses mid-census redistricting and gives Republicans an advantage in all nine congressional districts, passed 57-41, with 12 Republicans joining all Democrats present in voting against the bill. State Rep. Tim Yocum, R-Clinton, voted against the bill in the House Elections and Apportionment Committee and on the House floor.
State Reps. Michael Aylesworth, R-Hebron; Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point; Hal Slager, R-Schererville, and Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso all voted in favor of mid-census redistricting.
State Reps. Mike Andrade, D-Munster; Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago; Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary, Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond; Chuck Moseley, D-Portage; Randy Novak, D-Michigan City; and Vernon Smith, D-Gary voted against mid-census redistricting.
During final reading of the bill, no Republican House member addressed the bill besides State Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn, who authored the bill, and House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers.
States across the country are conducting mid-census redistricting, Huston said, which means Indiana should address the issue as well.
“This is the place we are right now. This is our time to act,” Huston said. “This is a challenging issue, one none of us took lightly. Not one of us didn’t have long, thoughtful, meaningful conversations about it.”
While it’s likely that state Republicans have talked about mid-census redistricting privately, Jackson said she found it “troubling” that none of the Republican House members have addressed the issue from the House floor.
“You may have said it at home, in your closet, in your basement, in the backroom where only you have heard it, but you have not said it here,” Jackson said. “You just come in here and you look solemn like you lost your best friend.”
While a risk, Slager said he voted in favor of mid-census redistricting because constituents in his area supported it.
“I still think it’s a risky gambit, but I still had reason to believe this is how my district wanted me to vote,” Slager said.
The risk, Slager said, is that the maps will be used in a midterm election without Trump on the ticket.
“I think we’ll be lucky to still come out 7-2. But who knows, we’ll find out,” Slager said.
It’s also likely that the bill will die in the Senate because it’s been reported that the Senate doesn’t have the votes, Slager said.
“It’s entirely possible that the Senate not pass this and that’s the end of it,” Slager said.
Aylesworth said he supported the bill because of Huston’s comments about other states taking up mid-census redistricting.
“I think it all made good sense,” Aylesworth said. “I was undecided until today.”
Aylesworth said he heard from Republican constituents who supported the bill and Democratic constituents who were against the bill.
While he didn’t want to speculate about the Senate, Aylesworth said he hopes the chamber passes the bill.
“Hopefully, they don’t endorse any changes to the map we approved,” Aylesworth said.
House Bill 1032 would allow the legislature to amend congressional districts “at a time other than the first regular session of the general assembly convening immediately following the United States decennial census.”
The bill also establishes new Congressional districts, and states that any challenges to the new maps will be heard by the state’s Supreme Court, thus preventing county judges from blocking the new maps.
The bill states that the current Congressional Districts won’t expire before Nov. 3, 2026.
In committee Tuesday, Smaltz said Indiana is taking up mid-census redistricting because of that action across the country, including Texas, California, Virginia and Missouri. The constitution allows for Congressional Districts to be drawn with political consideration in mind, he said.
The map was drawn by the National Republican Redistricting Trust using data from the last three presidential elections and the last two Indiana U.S. Senator, Secretary of State and Attorney General elections, Smaltz said.
“These maps were drawn for political purposes and advantage,” Smaltz said.
While Republicans have stated the maps are for political advantage, Hatcher said the map is discriminatory because it only impacts the minority-majority areas of Indiana.
“They echo a broader pattern, one where certain communities are expected to contribute economically, culturally, civically, yet remain limited in the power that they are allowed to hold,” Hatcher said.
Drawing districts in Indiana has consequences as “it’s a measure of whose voices are valued, whose are managed,” Hatcher said.
In a statement, Hatcher said Northwest Indiana “knows something about lines.”
“We know about lines that separate, exclude, and contain. We know about lines as tools of power, not justice. This isn’t new for our community,” Hatcher said.
For three and a half hours, Democratic House members urged Republicans to vote against the bill, stating that Republicans hold the majority of Congress and the White House, Hoosiers don’t support mid-census redistricting and the precedent the bill sets.
“The precedent this sets moving forward is that redrawing our congressional maps is simply a free for all. Whoever is in power can do whatever they want to make sure they stay in power. This will cause irreparable harm to public trust in the ability of our government to act out of anything but self-interest,” Jackson said in a statement.
The proposed map will dilute and disenfranchise minority voters throughout the state, Harris said.
“There is nothing positive I can say about this map proposal or how House Republicans have conducted themselves this week,” Harris said in a statement. “They have put politics ahead of Hoosiers, and there is no forgiving that.”
The map splits Northwest Indiana between two districts, Andrade said. U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, who serves in the current First District, has represented the region well, Andrade said.
“(Mrvan) continues to stand up for us despite being unwanted in our state by Republicans in Indianapolis who know nothing about The Region,” Andrade said in a statement. “These maps undermine the voice of the people and denounce a community that has contributed enormously to our state.”
Attorney General Todd Rokita said in a statement that Hoosiers “deserve to have their say on the issues of the day” but their voices are “drowned out” by redistricting efforts in Democratic-led states.
Rokita said his office is prepared to address any potential lawsuits against the new map, particularly in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling Thursday that Texas can use its newly passed map that gives the state five more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“This specific map is legally solid. If any group or individual is silly enough to sue, we will defeat their attack in court. As the United States Supreme Court emphasized once again last night, redistricting for political reasons is constitutional,” Rokita said.
Indiana Democratic Party Chair Karen Tallian said in a statement the Republican supermajority in the House “took itself to a new low by passing clearly gerrymandered maps that seek to silence and ignore the wishes of their own constituents.”
Multiple polls have found that Hoosiers don’t support mid-census redistricting.
“No Hoosier could possibly think these maps keep communities together. They split Indianapolis in four pieces, split up the Region, and divide communities that are linked together, like the steelmaking communities of Lake and Porter counties,” Tallian said.
House Democrats offered 15 amendments, all of which failed, during second reading on Thursday. The amendments offered protection for minority voters, different approaches to redistricting, and addressed fiscal implications of the bill.
A few hours before gaveling in Monday, the House released its proposed map that splits the current First District into two districts, and the Seventh District, currently held by U.S. Rep. André Carson, D-Indianapolis, into four districts.
President Donald Trump and his administration has asked Republican-led states to undertake mid-census redistricting to maintain the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Redistricting typically occurs every 10 years after the release of census data. The Indiana constitution dictates that the legislature should take up redistricting every 10 years after census data is released.
In response to Trump’s request, Texas conducted mid-census redistricting to give Republicans five more seats, to which California responded with voter-approved mid-census redistricting to create five more seats.
In August, Vice President J.D. Vance met with state Republicans to discuss redistricting in Indiana. Ultimately, after more meetings and discussions with federal officials, Gov. Mike Braun called for a special session to address redistricting.
Both chambers of the Indiana legislature agreed to meet Dec. 1 to discuss redistricting. Ahead of Organization Day, Nov. 18, Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, announced the Senate does not have the votes to pass new maps and canceled the Senate’s December session.
The Senate has been a hurdle for mid-census redistricting as Bray has stated multiple times since October that his chamber doesn’t have the votes to pass new maps. Instead, Bray said Senate Republicans believe a better option would be to support a strong Republican candidate in the First District in the upcoming midterm elections.
After swatting calls against several Senate Republicans, including Senators Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, and Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, Bray said the Senate will reconvene Dec. 8 to review and vote on redistricting legislation passed by the House.
Senator Mike Gaskill, R-Pendleton, chairman of the Senate Committee on Elections and Senate sponsor of the bill, said in a statement Friday that Indiana’s representation in Congress “has been watered down” by redistricting efforts in Democratic-led states.
“I am committed to advocating for this bill that will more fairly represent Hoosiers at the federal level,” Gaskill said. “I vow to foster a civil debate as we review this bill in the Senate.”
Senate Democratic Leader Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, said in a statement Friday that House Bill 1032 “is about silencing Hoosiers and diminishing representation.”
“This bill tears apart communities, strips voters of representation they voted for and hands control to national figures who are more interested in cementing absolute power rather than solving any problems,” Yoder said.
While opposition to mid-census redistricting has been strong in the Senate, it will be interesting to watch what happens when the Senators have to cast a vote, Indiana University Indianapolis professor of political science Aaron Dusso.
The Senators will face immense pressure as the Trump administration and national Republicans watch the process unfold, Dusso said. Trump has threatened to primary any Senator who votes against the bill, Dusso said.
But, the Senate’s decision boils down to defending a Republican advantage map of seven Republican seats to two Democratic seats in the U.S. House or supporting a map that gives Republicans an advantage in all nine districts, Dusso said.
“Let’s not put them up on a pedestal that this is the fight for democracy. Ultimately, it’s a choice between ‘we’re guaranteed a lot’ and ‘do we want to risk even more to gain everything,’” Dusso said. “The pragmatic side of the Republican Party is saying, ‘well, we’ve got a ton, and we don’t really even have to work to get that ton, so let’s just stay there.’”
akukulka@post-trib.com
The War On Pete Hegseth
The War On Pete Hegseth
Authored by ‘Cynical Publius’ via American Greatness,
I have had enough. I can no longer sit still while the Deep State does its very best to smear Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and have him removed from his post via lies, rumors, propaganda, and innuendo. It feels exactly like version 2.0 of the “Trump/Russia Collusion” disinformation campaign, and it needs to be called out for what it is.
Enough.
I am here to defend the best Secretary of War/Defense since Caspar Weinberger.
What we have seen in the last few weeks is clearly an orchestrated, carefully constructed character assassination campaign against Hegseth.
The campaign began in the early days of November when the leaders of the Sedition 6 introduced legislation known as the “No Troops in Our Streets Act,” legislation clearly designed to undermine the roles of President Trump and Secretary Hegseth in the military chain of command. Then, of course, on November 18, the Sedition 6—led by Senators Mark Kelly and Elisa Slotkin—launched their infamous video calling (via innuendo and plausible deniability) for military members to disobey lawful orders they disagree with politically by pretending such lawful orders are “unlawful.” For the next eight days, the Deep State went into a full media onslaught that seemed designed to foment a military mutiny against Trump and Hegseth. Suddenly, these wannabe seditionists were forced to hit the brakes on their information operation, as on November 26 two West Virginia National Guard soldiers patrolling the streets of Washington, D.C., in support of anti-crime operations were shot by an Afghan civilian with former ties to the CIA, and America saw an easy connection between that attack and the calls to undermine Trump, Hegseth, and the anti-crime mission.
But the Deep State never rests and was quick to shift gears and change the subject away from their own perfidy. On November 28, the Washington Post published its anonymously sourced hit piece on Hegseth, alleging that he personally directed war crimes, and in a matter of minutes, the entire Democrat hierarchy and its minions in the national media ran with Nancy Pelosi’s beloved “wrap-up smear” in a transparent effort to remove Hegseth.
We now know, of course, it was all a lie. The Democrats and the national media want you to believe that two “fishermen” survived a first strike on their drug-laden speedboat and were then floating in the water helplessly like Rose and Jack at the end of “Titanic,” and we gunned them down as helpless victims and in violation of the Geneva Conventions. In reality, the two narco-terrorists were back on board their partially damaged boat, seeking to conduct damage control and recover their WMD cargo. The narco-terrorists and their lethal cargo were lawful targets under all U.S. laws and all treaties to which the U.S. is a party. No war crimes were involved—just an effective and entirely lawful military strike on narco-terrorists who kill thousands of Americans annually. The Washington Post lied, as is its wont in any matter involving the Trump Administration.
But the damage was done, and too many Americans are still clinging to the lies. In fact, it was an opinion piece I saw today by the desiccated remains of George Will, published in that same Washington Post and uncritically repeating all of that tabloid’s original lies, that pushed me over the edge and caused me to rise to the defense of Pete Hegseth with this article.
As a veteran of the same wars Hegseth fought in and as a retired Army colonel who also fought the Beltway wars of the Pentagon, I take the attacks on Hegseth personally, as he is trying to fix all of the ills that I saw so clearly in my time in service. My sincere belief is that at this time in American history, Pete Hegseth is the perfect person to serve as Secretary of War.
I’ll explain why.
America’s military spent 20+ years engaged in a GWOT battle that, after its first few years, became a predominantly political, economic, diplomatic, and law enforcement mission where the military was not the right tool in the DIME-FIL (DIME-FIL = The “elements of national power” under U.S. military doctrine, or diplomatic, informational, military, economic, financial, intelligence, and law enforcement) toolbox. “Nation building,” ridiculously restrictive, JAG-inspired rules of engagement, social justice experimentation, Military Transition Teams and Security Force Assistance Brigades, and the bastardization of combat arms units away from their mission-essential tasks all created a U.S. military that was risk averse to a crippling degree, lacked adequate training and equipment readiness levels for high-intensity conflict, had broken morale and poor retention/recruiting, and was more concerned about DEI than closing with and destroying the enemy.
The military that Donald Trump inherited from Joe Biden in January of this year was a broken shell of the military that entered the GWOT in 2001. It had lost its focus on lethality, valued skin color and genitalia more than warfighting competency, and was not even able to fully recognize its own missions in a world rife with peer competitors bent on high-intensity global or regional domination, such as China and Russia. Yes, low-intensity conflict was still on the menu in places like Yemen, Syria, and the battles against narco-terrorists, but a military trained for high-intensity conflict can adjust to low-intensity conflict quickly, but it does not work so well the other way around.
As Donald Trump took office, what America needed was a Secretary of War who was intimately familiar with these failures—somebody who had fought those GWOT battles and understood our failings deep in his or her soul. Such a person could not be one of the Perfumed Princes who engineered and would repeat our failures. Instead, it needed to be someone with muddy boots who had experienced the mess we had become at a deeply personal, tactical level.
Moreover, it needed to be someone who understood information operations and the climate of global, instantaneous messaging that is our new day-to-day.
This person did not need to have a comprehensive understanding of military procurement and the military/industrial complex that accompanies Beltway jockeying with Congress and defense contractors—those skills are widely available and could easily be obtained by hiring effective subordinates with the shared vision of a military that needed to be once again focused on lethality.
What might such a person have looked like?
Well, he or she would need to have the following qualifications:
A military career that involved killing the enemy up close and personal in the most efficient manner possible. An infantryman, if possible. A Combat Infantryman Badge would be double plus good.
Muddy boots experience leading troops in direct combat in Iraq and/or Afghanistan.
Deep experience in leading one of the failed coalition training missions in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Someone who shared the dark personal struggles of every veteran who had come home from our endless wars.
A final military rank that meant he or she was never a Perfumed Prince and was never polluted by the Beltway mind virus that seems to infect every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, or Guardian who ever pins on a star.
Deep experience in information operations, such as being a best-selling author on military affairs or being a military expert on a major news network.
Those are the qualifications that were needed to turn America’s military around and restore it to once again being the premier warfighting force in world history. We did not need more of the same. We did not need a former Raytheon board member. We did not need a former congressman who cared more about politics than winning wars. We did not need yet another retired general who was an architect of our useless, endless wars. What we needed was someone who truly understood the errors of the GWOT, understood that the mission of the U.S. military is to close with and destroy the enemy in the most violent and expeditious manner possible, and who had the chops in the 24/7 modern information environment to wage information warfare just as effectively as his opponents.
One American and one American only had those qualifications: Pete Hegseth, and that man is doing everything I could have ever hoped for to restore the pride and skill we have lost. His focus on lethality and warfighting skill is the one and only antidote to the intentional failures that have scarred veterans like Hegseth and me over the past 24 years.
Please realize this: Hegseth is a threat to anyone who prefers the Obama/Biden vision of an impotent social justice military. He is a threat to anyone who thinks R2P (R2P = “Responsibility to Protect,” i.e., a leftist, globalist doctrine popularized under the Obama Administration that says the U.S. military has a core mission of protecting foreign populations against the deprivations of their own or neighboring governments or warlords. Although legitimate in some instances, it prioritizes the national interests and lives of foreigners over the national interests of the USA and the lives of American servicemen and servicewomen) is a core competency of the American military. He is a threat to anyone who thinks enriching the military/industrial complex is more important than winning wars. Basically, he is a threat to anyone who sees the military as a politicized force and not an effective warfighting endeavor. In other words, Hegseth is a threat to the Beltway defense establishment that has exchanged failure for dollars since the days of Robert McNamara.
Which is why it is so very, very important that the same defense establishment (elected, unelected, and media) smear him in every way imaginable and at every opportunity. When you see and hear the abject lies of the Sedition 6 and their ilk, and when you see and hear wholly fabricated, libelous stories like the “Kill Them All” Hoax, realize why this is happening. These fake news stories are designed to attack and defeat an existential threat to the leftist vision of a social justice American military that exists to enrich defense industry campaign contributors.
Like Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth is an existential threat to the leftist evils that nearly defeated America and the Constitution via Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
It takes a strong man to withstand the onslaught of the Deep State, with all of its lies, libel, and propaganda. Donald Trump is one man who withstood that fire of infamous defamation. Pete Hegseth is another.
We all owe Pete Hegseth our gratitude for the personal cost he is enduring in the name of freedom. He could be sitting at home enjoying his writings and his Fox News appearances. Instead, he is enduring the cowardly slings and arrows of powerful liars as he strives to fix the ills that have long beset our nation’s military.
The disgusting disinformation campaign against Hegseth needs to be challenged vigorously, and I encourage all of you readers to help lead the counterattack.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ZeroHedge.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 12/05/2025 – 17:40
México apunta a una actuación histórica apoyado en la localía
Por CARLOS RODRÍGUEZ
CIUDAD DE MÉXICO (AP) — México tuvo un mal desempeño en el último Mundial de Qatar y últimamente no ha rendido bien, pero algunos jugadores y el técnico Javier Aguirre creen que tener la ventaja de jugar en casa contra rivales a los que ya han derrotado antes podría llevarles a una actuación histórica en la edición de 2026.
Los mexicanos jugarán contra Sudáfrica en el partido inaugural del torneo el 11 de junio en el estadio Azteca. También se enfrentarán a Corea del Sur el 18 de junio en Guadalajara. Su tercer rival saldrá de la repesca europea entre Dinamarca, Macedonia del Norte, República Checa e Irlanda, volviendo a la Ciudad de México para jugar el 24 de junio.
“Nos enfrentamos a Corea, y no es un equipo fácil; hacen su trabajo, son disciplinados y organizados. Sudáfrica tampoco lo es; son buenos equipos, pero nosotros tenemos una oportunidad, jugamos en casa y con nuestra gente”, dijo Aguirre.
México jugó contra Corea del Sur dos veces en la historia de los mundiales, venciéndolos en la primera ronda de Francia 1998 y luego en Rusia 2018.
Ambos equipos empataron 2-2 en un partido amistoso el pasado septiembre.
“Es básicamente un equipo europeo, todos menos su portero están en Europa y tienen un entrenador (Hong Myung-bo) capaz al que conozco”, dijo Aguirre. “Son fuertes físicamente y eso los hace un rival muy complicado”.
México ha jugado contra Sudáfrica una vez en la historia de la Copa del Mundo, en el partido inaugural del Mundial 2010, un empate 1-1 que también se jugó el 11 de junio.
“No va a haber rival fácil, pero pudo ser peor. Yo creo que es un buen grupo, del que se pueden sacar muchas cosas positivas y vamos partido a partido porque lo que queremos es ganar y quedar primeros”, dijo el delantero Raúl Jiménez.
En el Mundial 2010, la selección mexicana de aquel entonces era dirigida por Aguirre, quien ahora está al mando por tercera vez. El técnico de 67 años también dirigió al Tri en Corea-Japón 2002.
“Sudáfrica es un rival que conocemos bien, pero esta la incertidumbre de saber quién será el tercer rival, que podría ser uno de los mas fuertes del grupo”, dijo Aguirre. “Son rivales que no tienen anda que ver el uno con, el otro pondré a trabajar a los analistas en los cuatro rivales para ver posibles rivales que se parezcan”.
Aguirre, quien fue miembro de la selección nacional en 1986, cree que el calor y la altitud de la Ciudad de México también podrían ayudarlos en su búsqueda de empatar las mejores actuaciones del país en una Copa del Mundo, los cuartos de final en 1970 y 1986.
“Recuerdo el Mundial del 86 en el partido ante Alemania hacía mucho calor, va a ser un tema exigente para los rivales nosotros nos prepararemos en casa”, dijo Aguirre. “Los jugadores que tenemos fuera de México esperemos tenerlos pronto para que se adapten”.
Los dueños de los 18 equipos de la primera división acordaron terminar anticipadamente el torneo Clausura que inicia en enero para darle a Aguirre la posibilidad de trabajar con los jugadores 45 días antes del inicio del torneo.
Eso podría ser una ventaja para los locales porque la Ciudad de México se encuentra a una altura de 2.240 metros (7.350 pies) sobre el nivel del mar, la más alta de todas las otras ciudades anfitrionas en la Copa del Mundo de 2026.
“Se siente uno con responsabilidad por ser de los anfitriones y abrir este gran evento”, dijo el capitán y mediocampista Edson Álvarez. “Nos agarramos de esos extras que da la gente, y abrir el evento con Sudáfrica ayuda y podemos hacer grandes cosas”.
——
Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/mxico-apunta-a-una-actuacin-histrica-apoyado-en-la-locala/
Some tenants without heat in embattled Autumn Ridge Apartments in Park Forest
Tenants of a Park Forest apartment complex who last summer struggled through a heat wave without working air conditioning say they now lack heat.
“There’s so much — it’s never ending,” Jose Munoz said.
Munoz and his girlfriend, Abby Houck, say they and their infant daughter have been staying with friends and family members since Wednesday, when melting snow leaked through their building’s roof and into their sixth-floor apartment. The unit has been without heat since last spring, when they moved into Autumn Ridge, the couple says.
Autumn Ridge tenants have spoken out about consistent building issues for months, and property owners owe Park Forest more than $200,000 in fines for code violations dating back to June, village spokesperson Joshua Vinson said Friday.
Vinson said as of Friday, two units remained without heat, and property owners offered those tenants $2,500 to move out of the apartment complex.
Houck said she and Munoz declined the payment, saying the $2,500 is not enough for them to find a new place to live, especially so quickly. Due to the flooding from the roof, the couple has had to turn off electricity in most rooms to avoid a power surge or electrical fire.
A building at the Autumn Ridge Apartments complex in Park Forest June 23, 2025. (Mike Nolan/Daily Southtown)
“Even now, with driving back and forth so much, all of our food that we had just bought is sitting on our porch in a cooler to stay frozen,” Houck said. A GoFundMe page started by Houck’s and Munoz’s coworkers to secure a safe living environment for the family has so far raised more than $2,500.
Vinson said the village continues to monitor the conditions at Autumn Ridge and respond to tenant complaints with inspections.
“Since June, we’ve been able to work with the property management company to get air conditioners restored, fire alarms replaced, elevators repaired and even the boilers repaired or replaced,” Vinson said. “The village is proactively trying to make the current owners do what they need to do to the benefit of their tenants.”
Park Forest Trustee Randall White said he is working with state Sen. Patrick Joyce to raise money for the affected tenants and seek support from the Illinois attorney general’s office. White, who is also a pastor, said he dropped off several heating units donated at the beginning of winter, and during the summer heat wave donated water and air conditioning units.
“It’s a nightmare dealing with this facility,” White said. “It’s just a never-ending story. I think as a village we have to make some real decisions to whether or not we’re going to move forward with them being business owners in our community.”
White asked those who want to help Autumn Ridge community members reach out to him at 708-300-5048.
Munoz and Houck expressed frustrations the village has not yet taken steps to shut down the apartment complex.
“I wouldn’t wish living there on anybody,” Munoz said. “I don’t understand why they won’t condemn the place.”
Vinson said village officials have spoken privately about “what that would look like,” but they don’t want to displace residents.
“Where would these people go?” Vinson asked. “It’s not like the village owns any apartment complex … If you say, OK, we’ll put them in a hotel — for how long?”
Meanwhile, Munoz and Houck said they are weighing legal action against the property owners and hope to avoid sleeping in their car, away from the dangerous living conditions of the apartment. Houck’s birthday is on Saturday, and Munoz said he hopes to “make it feel as normal as I can for her.”
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/tenants-without-heat-autumn-ridge-park-forest/
The Social Security Administration plans to cut field office visits by 50%. Here’s what it means for you.
WASHINGTON — The Social Security Administration is hoping to cut visits to its field offices in half next year, a move that advocates for the agency fear signals more closures are coming.
Field offices have long been community-based branches that serve as the public face of the SSA, which provide in-person help for people applying for retirement and disability benefits, getting Social Security cards and other important services.
A November internal field office operating plan shared with The Associated Press outlines a proposed target of 50% fewer field office visitors in fiscal year 2026 compared to fiscal year 2025, or no more than 15 million field office visits by members of the public. Agency field offices saw more than 31.6 million field office visits from SSA recipients from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025, according to the agency document.
A Social Security spokesperson who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the administration’s plans for the agency said field offices will remain a front-line service to the roughly 75 million Americans who receive monthly payments. However, the spokesperson noted, more Americans are choosing to manage their benefits online or over the phone.
Nextgov/FCW first reported on the agency’s plan to reduce field office foot traffic.
At least 7,000 SSA workers have been laid off from the agency this year as the Trump administration has proposed a number of plans to streamline services at the SSA.
In March, after outcry from lawmakers and the public, SSA leadership partially backtracked on a plan that would require all new and existing beneficiaries who are unable to use the agency’s online portal to travel to a Social Security field office to verify their identity.
Jessica LaPointe, a union leader for 30,000 Social Security workers through The American Federation of Government Employees, or AFGE, said field offices are part of the quality of life agenda within communities, especially for “people who don’t have the resources to purchase technology to navigate the online world and they should be able to walk into an office to get help.”
She said the SSA wants “to allow AI and the internet to replace a well-trained, well-vetted workforce.”
Several field offices in rural areas of the U.S. have already closed this year because of a lack of staffing.
The Social Security website lists several office closures as well as offices that are only able to assist by phone until further notice.
Chris Delaney, a Social Security claims specialist and president of AFGE Local 3343 in Hudson, says he cannot imagine how SSA can have a goal of cutting foot traffic when his office is seeing an increase in foot traffic and a growing aging population reliant on SSA income. The Hudson office sees roughly 30 to 60 visitors per day who have questions about their benefits.
“A lot of people can’t get past the ID verification on login.gov, and just because they have a cellphone doesn’t mean they’re capable of creating an online account,” Delaney said. “Having people in the office when they need it is important.”
The 2026 operating plan also calls for all requested appointments to be scheduled within 30 days, instead of the current rate of 78.3% of all appointments scheduled within 30 days.
Social Security is one of the nation’s largest and most popular social programs. A January poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that two-thirds of U.S. adults think the country is spending too little on Social Security.
The agency has faced several lawsuits over the Trump administration’s plans to overhaul the agency.
In October, Democracy Forward, a legal group challenging the Trump administration’s policies, filed a lawsuit to compel SSA to release public records about service disruptions and policy changes.
“After executing the largest staffing cuts in the 90-year history of Social Security, they’re trying to deal with a problem they created without any meaningful discussion,” LaPointe said. “What they’re doing is void of public input.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/social-security-administration-cut-field-office-visits/
