Por CHAN HO-HIM

HONG KONG (AP) — Residentes de Hong Kong, profesionales de la construcción y hasta exfuncionarios de alto rango rechazan la idea de que el andamiaje de bambú fue la principal razón por la que las llamas se propagaron tan rápidamente en el incendio más mortífero de la ciudad en décadas, en medio de un debate sobre si debería ser reemplazado.

Las autoridades se centraron rápidamente en el andamiaje tradicional en torno de los edificios de apartamentos en el complejo Wang Fuk Court, donde el fatal incendio del 26 de noviembre se extendió de una torre a siete, matando al menos a 159 personas. Aunque gran parte de la malla verde que cubría el andamiaje se incineró, parte del andamiaje de bambú también se quemó y cayó, y las autoridades han intensificado los planes para reemplazarlo.

El andamiaje de bambú es algo común en los rascacielos de Hong Kong, aunque en China continental y en otros lugares de Asia han comenzado a usar alternativas de metal.

Un sindicato de la industria señala que Hong Kong tiene aproximadamente 3.000 trabajadores registrados para erigir andamios de bambú, una técnica de construcción que data de cientos de años.

Expertos son escépticos sobre culpar al bambú

“Soy muy cauteloso al culpar al bambú en sí antes que se publiquen los resultados completos de la investigación”, dijo Kristof Crolla, docente de la Facultad de Arquitectura en la Universidad de Hong Kong cuyo enfoque incluye la arquitectura de bambú

Como material natural, el bambú puede ser combustible, agregó Crolla. Pero “cuando se usa adecuadamente y se combina con mallas certificadas como retardantes de fuego, es comparativamente difícil de encender”.

Durante el incendio, las llamas se elevaron por el andamiaje de bambú erigido para trabajos de mantenimiento externo, así como por la malla verde que lo cubría. Pero el bambú generalmente no es “fácilmente inflamable”, resaltó Raffaella Endrizzi, una arquitecta que investiga el andamiaje de bambú y que enseña en la Universidad China de Hong Kong.

“Centrarse sólo en el bambú corre el riesgo de ocultar problemas de seguridad más sistémicos”, afirmó.

La semana pasada, cuando los bomberos combatían el incendio por segundo día, el secretario jefe de administración de la ciudad, Eric Chan, dijo a los periodistas que la resistencia al fuego del andamiaje de bambú era “inferior” a la del andamiaje de metal.

John Lee, el jefe de gobierno de la región china, dijo que los funcionarios se habían reunido con representantes de la industria de la construcción para discutir los plazos para cambiar al andamiaje de metal. El metal debería usarse por razones de seguridad cuando sea posible, indicó Chan.

La causa inicial del incendio está bajo investigación. Hasta ahora, los expertos han encontrado que parte de la malla verde que envolvía el andamiaje de bambú era de calidad inferior y que se utilizaron tableros de espuma inflamables para sellar ventanas durante las renovaciones que duraron meses. Esos fueron los principales factores que causaron que el fuego se extendiera a siete de los ocho edificios en el complejo Wang Fuk Court, dijo el secretario de Seguridad Chris Tang.

Rechazo de residentes y exfuncionarios

Una nota en chino dejada entre una montaña de ramos de flores colocados cerca del sitio del desastre destacó: “no es el andamiaje de bambú lo que debe revisarse, sino todo el sistema”. Muchos otros han publicado comentarios similares en las redes sociales.

Culpar al andamiaje de bambú es una medida “perezosa y de chivo expiatorio” que distrae de problemas más profundos, escribió Regina Ip, exsecretaria de seguridad de Hong Kong que funge como asesora de John Lee, el martes en el periódico local Ming Pao.

“Sería una gran pena decidir apresuradamente prohibir el andamiaje de bambú, que es flexible de usar, debido a este incidente”, subrayó John Tsang, exsecretario de finanzas de Hong Kong, en su página de Facebook.

“Cualquiera con sentido común sabe que el bambú no es tan fácil de quemar”, dijo.

Desafíos en reemplazar andamiaje de bambú

Aquellos que defienden el andamiaje de bambú sostienen que está especialmente adaptado al denso e irregular paisaje urbano de Hong Kong.

“Es ligero, rápido, adaptable y respaldado por generaciones de montadores de andamios expertos, cualidades que han dado forma al horizonte de la ciudad y al ritmo de construcción”, dijo Endrizzi, de la Universidad China de Hong Kong.

Los dos no pueden ser sustituidos tan fácilmente, agregó Crolla de la Universidad de Hong Kong.

Por un lado, “el andamiaje de bambú puede ser enhebrado a través de condiciones urbanas muy estrechas y fachadas irregulares de maneras que los sistemas de metal a menudo no pueden”, esplicó.

Ehsan Noroozinejad, un investigador senior enfocado en construcción e infraestructura en la Universidad de Western Sydney, dijo que el andamiaje de aluminio o acero no es combustible y podría durar más. Pero también es más pesado y puede llevar más tiempo montarlo y desmontarlo.

El bambú cuesta la mitad o menos que el andamiaje de metal, comentó Ho Ping-tak, presidente del Sindicato de Trabajadores de Andamios de Bambú de Hong Kong y Kowloon. Cuestionó cuán dispuestos están los residentes de edificios antiguos que necesitan renovaciones externas a pagar más.

Han surgido problemas más extensos

Cuestiones más amplias de sospecha de manipulación de licitaciones y uso de materiales de construcción de calidad inferior en otros proyectos de mantenimiento y renovación de edificios han dominado las discusiones al tiempo que la ciudad llora a las víctimas del incendio.

“Cambiar sólo los materiales (de andamiaje de bambú a metal) no abordará los problemas subyacentes relacionados con la especificación, la aplicación y la supervisión del sitio”, dijo Endrizzi.

Los cambios de política deben basarse en evidencia porque de lo contrario Hong Kong corre el riesgo de poner fin a un sistema que ha funcionado durante décadas, sin abordar los problemas regulatorios y el uso de materiales de construcción no autorizados, indicó.

Las autoridades han arrestado al menos a 15 personas como parte de una investigación sobre sospechas de corrupción y negligencia en el proyecto de renovación.

Eso ha planteado preguntas sobre la supervisión del gobierno, ya que los residentes de Wang Fuk Court plantearon preocupaciones sobre la seguridad contra incendios de los materiales de construcción, incluida la malla, un año antes.

Después del incendio, los contratistas en varias otras urbanizaciones de Hong Kong que estaban realizando trabajos de mantenimiento exterior comenzaron a retirar la malla que cubre el andamiaje. El miércoles, las autoridades ordenaron la retirada de las mallas externas de andamiaje en cientos de edificios que están siendo sometidos a renovaciones o mantenimiento importantes. Deben ser probadas antes de ser reinstaladas.

Un comité independiente investigará la causa del incendio, dijo el jefe de gobierno de Hong Kong, Lee. Prometió cambios sistémicos en la industria de la construcción para prevenir más tragedias de este tipo.

“Debemos descubrir la verdad, asegurarnos de que se haga justicia”, sostuvo.

___

El fotógrafo de The Associated Press Chan Long Hei en Hong Kong y la periodista de la AP Elaine Kurtenbach contribuyeron a este despacho.

___

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/2025/12/04/residentes-y-expertos-defienden-uso-de-andamios-de-bamb-en-hong-kong-pese-a-incendio-mortal/ 

The changing landscape of college football means the nation’s premier recruits are no longer signing with the same handful of programs.

That became particularly apparent this week when the nation’s top-ranked prospect landed in Vanderbilt of all places.

Vanderbilt parlayed the first 10-win season in school history into a recruiting coup when Nashville (Tennessee) Christian quarterback Jared Curtis decided to stay home and sign with the Commodores. Curtis is the No. 1 overall player in his class according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports.

“Being here in Nashville and seeing what Vandy has been doing this season has been amazing, and over the past few weeks, I felt more and more that I wanna be a part of that, to be close to home, to play in front of my family and friends and to be what I love to be, an underdog,” Curtis said Tuesday in an X post announcing his decision.

Curtis had been committed to Georgia up until this week. He instead is taking a chance that he can help Vanderbilt continue to thrive after star quarterback Diego Pavia’s departure.

College football signing day: A look at the classes for Notre Dame, Illinois and Northwestern

“If you’re interested in inheriting success, if you’re interested in walking into a trophy case that’s already full and a hallway full of NFL players on the walls, there are other programs where you can do that,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said Wednesday. “If you can walk these hallways and see your picture on the wall and if you can look at an empty case and (see) the trophies that will go in there, if you want to put your signature on the success, then this is the perfect place.”

Curtis’ decision wasn’t an aberration. Three of the 247Sports Composite’s top five prospects signed with home-state schools generally unaccustomed to acquiring five-star recruits.

Houston got the nation’s No. 3 recruit by signing Keisean Henderson of Legacy the School of Sport Sciences in Spring, Texas. Edge rusher Zion Elee, rated fifth overall, is going from Baltimore’s St. Frances Academy to Maryland.

That represents a sea change from just five years ago, when seven of the 247Sports Composite’s top 10 recruits signed with either Ohio State or Alabama.

“This is where college football is at now,” said Andrew Ivins, the director of scouting at 247Sports. “There has been a flattening of the curve.”

As college programs debate how to construct their rosters in an era of revenue sharing and determine how much to invest in the transfer portal, high school recruiting has become a different type of game in which blue-blood programs don’t have an exclusive hold on the nation’s top prospects.

“It parallels the NFL,” Ivins said. “Some schools aren’t going to want to tie up 20% of their budget in a quarterback. They’re going to want to use it elsewhere. Everyone’s trying to figure out how to use their money. For programs that haven’t had a ton of success, it’s easy to rally around a program-changing talent and make that investment in hopes of breaking through.”

The No. 1 spot in the 247Sports Composite’s team rankings will go to either Southern California or Oregon, making this the first time since 2008 that honor has gone to a school from outside the Southeastern Conference. It could come down to the decision of wide receiver Chris Henry (No. 10 in the 247Sports Composite), who had verbally committed to Ohio State but didn’t sign Wednesday and was still considering both Oregon and USC.

USC and Oregon were followed in order by Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and Miami as of late Wednesday night.

Oregon landed six top-50 recruits in offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho (No. 16), tight end Kendre Harrison (No. 18), wide receiver Jalen Lott (No. 22), edge rusher Anthony Jones (No. 26), safety Jett Washington (No. 36) and safety Davon Benjamin (No. 47).

Notre Dame continued its recent pattern of signing sons of former NFL players by adding wide receivers Kadon Finley and Devin Fitzgerald, and linebacker Thomas Davis Jr. Fitzgerald is the son of 11-time Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Finley’s dad is former Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley and Davis’ father is three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Thomas Davis.

Here’s a brief look at each Power Four conference.

SEC

A name worth knowing is defensive lineman Lamar Brown (No. 2 in the 247Sports Composite). He’s committed to LSU but didn’t sign Wednesday as new Tigers coach Lane Kiffin fills out his staff.

Tennessee landed two of the nation’s top 11 prospects in quarterback Faizon Brandon (No. 7) and Tristen Keys (No. 11). Texas added quarterback Dia Bell (No. 9).

Big Ten

Michigan signed two top-10 recruits in edge rusher Carter Meadows (No. 6) and running back Savion Hiter (No. 8). Henry’s potential wavering on his Ohio State commitment came after South Florida announced it was hiring Buckeyes offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Brian Hartline as its head coach.

A ‘motivated’ Pat Fitzgerald returns to coaching at Michigan State: ‘You always learn and evolve’

Penn State’s prolonged coaching search after the firing of James Franklin decimated its class. The Nittany Lions signed just two players Wednesday.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Consider it one more wrinkle in a bizarre year for this conference. The two teams facing off Saturday in the ACC championship game — Duke and Virginia — had the league’s two lowest-rated signing classes as of Wednesday afternoon.

Miami, Florida State and North Carolina all ranked ahead of Clemson, which had been the ACC’s heavyweight on the field and on the recruiting trail for much of the last decade.

Big 12

Texas Tech spent the offseason signing elite transfers that have the Red Raiders on the verge of a College Football Playoff appearance. It turns out Texas Tech can sign top recruits as well.

The Red Raiders had the Big 12’s best signing class and added two top-15 prospects in offensive tackle Felix Ojo (No. 13) and edge rusher LaDamion Guyton (No. 15).

AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker contributed to this report.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/04/college-football-signing-day-top-prospects/ 

Sam Altman Quietly Tried To Buy A Rocket Startup To Compete With Musk’s SpaceX

Tyler Durden
Thu, 12/04/2025 – 09:25

https://www.zerohedge.com/ai/sam-altman-quietly-tried-buy-rocket-startup-compete-musks-spacex 

Por ERIC TUCKER y ALANNA DURKIN RICHER

WASHINGTON (AP) — El FBI realizó un arresto el jueves en su investigación de casi cinco años sobre quién colocó bombas de tubo en Washington en la víspera de los disturbios del 6 de enero de 2021 en el Capitolio de Estados Unidos, informó a The Associated Press un agente de las fuerzas del orden.

El arresto constituye la primera vez que los investigadores identifican a un sospechoso en un acto que, durante mucho tiempo, ha desconcertado a las fuerzas del orden, ha generado una multitud de teorías de conspiración y se ha mantenido como un misterio perdurable a la sombra del oscuro capítulo de la historia estadounidense que fue el violento asedio al Capitolio.

El agente que describió el arresto no estaba autorizado para hablar públicamente de un caso que aún no se ha hecho público y declaró bajo condición de anonimato. El arresto tuvo lugar la mañana del jueves, y el sospechoso es un varón, dijo el agente. Hasta el momento, no se dispone de más detalles, como los cargos que podría enfrentar el individuo.

Las bombas de tubo fueron colocadas la noche del 5 de enero de 2021, cerca de las oficinas de los comités nacionales Demócrata y Republicano en el Distrito de Columbia. Nadie resultó herido antes de que las bombas fueran desactivadas, pero el FBI ha dicho que ambos dispositivos podrían haber sido letales.

En los años transcurridos desde entonces, los investigadores han buscado la ayuda del público para identificar a un sujeto cuya imagen quedó grabada por las cámaras de vigilancia, aun mientras luchaban por hallar respuestas a preguntas básicas, como el género y el motivo de la persona, y si el acto tenía una conexión clara con los disturbios en el Capitolio ocurridos un día después, cuando los partidarios del presidente Donald Trump tomaron por asalto el edificio en un intento de detener la certificación de la derrota electoral de 2020 del republicano ante el demócrata Joe Biden.

En busca de un avance, el FBI publicó en enero pasado información adicional sobre la investigación, incluido el cálculo de que el sospechoso medía alrededor de 1,70 metros, así como un video previamente no divulgado del individuo colocando una de las bombas.

Durante años, la agencia había luchado por identificar a un sospechoso, a pesar de cientos de pistas, una revisión de decenas de miles de archivos de video y un importante número de entrevistas.

En ausencia de pruebas más contundentes, los legisladores republicanos y los medios de comunicación de derecha promovieron teorías de conspiración sobre las bombas de tubo. Los republicanos de la Cámara también criticaron las fallas de seguridad, cuestionando cómo las fuerzas del orden no detectaron las bombas durante 17 horas. Dan Bongino, el actual subdirector del FBI, planteó la posibilidad el año pasado, antes de ser elegido para su puesto, de que el acto fuera un “trabajo interno” que requirió un “encubrimiento masivo”.

Pero desde su llegada al FBI en marzo, ha buscado dar resultados a una base inquieta de la extrema derecha, prometiendo que la investigación de las bombas de tubo sería una prioridad principal y defendiendo el trabajo de la agencia.

“Incorporamos nuevo personal para revisar el caso, trajimos oficiales de policía y detectives que trabajan como TFO (agentes de fuerzas especiales, por sus siglas en inglés) para revisar el trabajo del FBI, realizamos múltiples revisiones internas, llevamos a cabo innumerables reuniones en persona y mediante sistemas seguros de videoconferencia con miembros del equipo de investigación, aumentamos drásticamente los recursos de investigación e incrementamos la recompensa pública por información en el caso para utilizar pistas de colaboración colectiva”, escribió el mes pasado en un extenso mensaje en X.

___

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/2025/12/04/fbi-arresta-a-sospechoso-de-colocar-bombas-en-dc-antes-del-asalto-al-capitolio-dice-fuente-de-ap/ 

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon knew there were survivors after a September attack on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea and the U.S. military still carried out a follow-up strike, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The rationale for the second strike was that it was needed to sink the vessel, according to the people familiar with the matter who spoke Wednesday on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss it publicly. The Trump administration says all 11 people aboard were killed.

What remains unclear was who ordered the strikes and whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was involved, one of the people said. The details are becoming crucial as lawmakers have launched investigations and are seeking to determine whether the U.S. acted lawfully during its military operations.

The questions are expected to emerge Thursday during a classified congressional briefing with the commander that the Trump administration says ordered the second strike, Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley.

The Pentagon did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment about the reported new details about the Sept. 2 attack.

Hegseth is under growing scrutiny over the department’s strikes on alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean, and in particular the follow-on strike that reportedly killed survivors. Some legal experts and lawmakers say that strike would have violated peacetime laws and those governing armed conflict.

Hegseth has defended the second strike as emerging in the “fog of war,” saying during a Cabinet meeting this week at the White House that he didn’t see any survivors but also “didn’t stick around” for the rest of the mission.

The defense secretary has also said that Bradley, as the admiral in charge, “made the right call” in ordering the second hit, which he “had complete authority to do.”

President Donald Trump was asked Wednesday whether he would release the video of the follow-on strike, as leading Democratic lawmakers have demanded. He replied: “I don’t know what they have, but whatever they have we’d certainly release. No problem,” he told reporters.

The Trump administration has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels, even though Congress has not approved any authorization for the use of military force in the region.

A strike later in September has led to the family of a Colombian man filing a formal challenge to the premier human rights watchdog in the Americas, arguing that his death was an extrajudicial killing. The petition from the family of Alejandro Carranza says the military bombed his fishing boat on Sept. 15 in violation of human rights conventions.

The follow-on strike on Sept. 2 was on the first vessel hit in what the Trump administration calls a counterdrug campaign that has grown to over 20 known strikes and more than 80 dead.

The information about the follow-on strike was not presented to lawmakers during a classified briefing in September, in the days after the incident. It was disclosed later, one of the people said, and the explanation provided by the department has been broadly unsatisfactory to various members of the national security committees in Congress.

In a rare flex of bipartisan oversight, the Armed Services committees in both the House and Senate swiftly announced investigations into the strikes as lawmakers of both parties raise questions.

Bradley is scheduled to appear Thursday in a classified briefing with the panels’ two Republican chairmen and two ranking Democratic members.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/04/pentagon-boat-attack/ 

WASHINGTON — Fifty-two-year-old Dinam Bigny sank into debt and had to get a roommate this year, in part because of health insurance premiums that cost him nearly $900 per month.

Next year, those monthly fees will rise by $200 — a significant enough increase that the program manager in Aldie, Virginia, has resigned himself to finding cheaper coverage.

“I won’t be able to pay it, because I really drained out any savings that I have right now,” he said. “Emergency fund is still draining out — that’s the scary part.”

Bigny is among the many Americans dependent on Affordable Care Act marketplace health insurance plans who are already struggling with the high cost of health care, according to a new survey from the health care research nonprofit KFF.

Most of the more than 1,300 enrollees surveyed in early November say they anticipate that their health costs will be impacted next year if Congress doesn’t extend expiring COVID-era tax credits that help more than 90% of enrollees pay for health insurance premiums, per KFF. The possibility of an extension looks increasingly unlikely.

The enhanced premium tax credits set to expire at the end of this year have been at the center of recent tensions in Congress, with Democrats calling for a straight extension and several Republican lawmakers vehemently opposed to the idea. Their inability to agree on a path forward fueled a record 43-day government shutdown earlier this fall.

President Donald Trump and some Republicans in Congress have circulated proposals in recent weeks to offer a short-term extension or reform the Affordable Care Act, but no plan has emerged as a clear winner. Meanwhile, the window for Americans to shop for next year’s plans is well underway with less than a month to go until the subsidies expire.

KFF’s poll reveals that marketplace enrollees — most of whom say they would be directly impacted by the subsidies expiring — overwhelmingly support an extension. The survey found this group is more likely to blame Trump and Republicans in Congress than Democrats if the tax credits are left to expire.

Enrollees already find it challenging to afford health expenses

The expiration of the tax credits — which a separate KFF analysis found will more than double monthly payments for the average subsidized enrollee — comes as Americans are already overwhelmed by high health expenses, the poll shows.

About 6 in 10 Affordable Care Act enrollees find it “somewhat” or “very” difficult to afford out-of-pocket costs for medical care, such as deductibles and copays. That exceeds the roughly half of enrollees who find it challenging to afford health insurance premiums. Most also say they could not afford a $300 per year increase in their health insurance costs without significantly disrupting their household finances.

Cynthia Cox, a vice president of KFF who leads the organization’s ACA research, said the population of Americans on Affordable Care Act health insurance includes some high-earning entrepreneurs and small business owners, but the bulk of enrollees are lower-income and therefore vulnerable to even small increases in health costs.

“These are often going to be people who are living paycheck to paycheck, who have volatile or unpredictable incomes as well,” she said. “Increases that many of them are facing are going to be some sort of financial hardship for them.”

Most enrollees see cost increases on the horizon

Slightly more than half of Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollees believe their health insurance costs will increase “a lot more than usual” next year, according to the poll. About another 4 in 10 anticipate increases that will be “a little more than usual” or “about the same as usual.”

Larry Griffin, a 56-year-old investment banker and financial adviser in Paso Robles, California, already pays $920 a month for his gold-level health plan through the state’s insurance marketplace. He says that price will go up to about $1,400 a month next year — alongside jumps in copays and his annual out-of-pocket maximum.

He’s concerned the increases will affect his ability to save money for his upcoming retirement, but with the recent amputation of his left leg below the knee, as well as other health issues, he said he can’t risk going off health insurance or downgrading his plan.

Griffin is among the roughly three-quarters of marketplace enrollees who say health insurance is “very important” for their ability to access the health care they need.

“I’m not going to say that I can’t manage it, I can, but it’s just another one of those things,” he said. “Here’s, you know, knock number 5,000 against me after all of the other things I’ve had to deal with.”

Patricia Roberts, 52, a full-time caregiver for her daughter in Auburn, Alabama, expects her monthly health insurance premiums to rise from around $800 a month to $1,100 a month next year — costs she can manage. But her friends across the border in Georgia are staring down doubling monthly fees next year.

“I don’t know how people are going to live, with it already being a struggle just to pay for food and all the other things,” Roberts said.

Support for an extension stretches across political parties

The poll shows allowing the enhanced tax credits to expire would be overwhelmingly unpopular with current marketplace enrollees.

Support for continuing the tax credits extends across party lines. Nearly all Democrats and about 8 in 10 independents who are enrolled in marketplace plans say the credits should be extended, as do about 7 in 10 Republicans. Support is similarly high among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who support the MAGA movement, and those who don’t.

Yvette Laugier, 56, a Republican in Chicago, said while her income is too high to qualify her for the enhanced premium tax credits, she supports extending them temporarily with additional fraud protections to give lower-income enrollees more time to consider their options.

Among those who think Congress should extend the credits, about 4 in 10 say Trump would deserve “most of the blame” if they were allowed to expire and roughly one-third say that about Republicans in Congress. Democrats in Congress are much less likely to receive blame: only 23% of enrollees say they would deserve the bulk of responsibility.

Bigny, in Virginia, said the blame should be split between both Democrats and Republicans. But he has hope they can come to a compromise and potentially a temporary extension in the coming weeks.

“They should just sit and really look for what’s best for American people overall,” he said.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/04/affordable-care-act-premiums/ 

NEW YORK — A high-stakes hearing in the New York murder case against Luigi Mangione continues Thursday, a year to the day after prosecutors say he gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to both state and federal charges. Before any trials get scheduled, his lawyers are trying to preclude the eventual jurors from hearing about his alleged statements to law enforcement officers and items — including a gun and a notebook — allegedly seized from his backpack.

The evidence is key to prosecutors’ case. They have said that the 9 mm handgun matches the firearm used in the killing, that writings in the notebook laid out Mangione’s disdain for health insurers and ideas about killing a CEO at an investor conference, and that he gave Pennsylvania police the same fake name that the alleged gunman used at a New York hostel days before the shooting.

Thompson, 50, was shot from behind as he walked to an investor conference on Dec. 4, 2024. He became UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in 2021 and had worked within parent UnitedHealth Group Inc. for 20 years.

The hearing, which started Monday and could extend to next week, applies only to the state case. But it is giving the public an extensive preview of some testimony, video, 911 audio and other records relevant to both cases.

It’s not immediately clear what witnesses or evidence are expected Thursday.

Tuesday’s court session displayed police body-camera video of officers confronting Mangione at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and concluding — to their amazement — that he was the much-publicized suspect in Thompson’s killing five days earlier.

They interacted with Mangione for roughly 20 minutes before telling him he had the right to remain silent. The officers asked his name, whether he’d been in New York recently and other questions, including: “Why are you nervous?”

Officers tried to play it cool and buy time by intimating that they were simply responding to a loitering complaint and chatting about his steak sandwich. Still, they patted Mangione down and pushed his backpack away from him. About 15 minutes in, they warned him that he was being investigated and would be arrested if he repeated what they’d determined was a fake name.

After he gave his real one, he was read his rights, handcuffed, frisked again and ultimately arrested on a forgery charge related to his fake ID.

The video also provided glimpses of officers searching his backpack, a matter that will likely be explored further as the hearing goes on.

Mangione’s lawyers argue that his statements shouldn’t be allowed as trial evidence because officers started questioning him before reading his rights. The defense contends the backpack items should be excluded because police didn’t get a warrant before searching his bag.

Manhattan prosecutors haven’t yet detailed their arguments for allowing the disputed evidence. Federal prosecutors have maintained that police were justified in searching the backpack to ensure there was nothing dangerous inside and that Mangione’s statements to officers were voluntary and made before he was under arrest.

Many criminal cases see disputes over evidence and the complicated legal standards governing police searches and interactions with potential suspects.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/04/luigi-mangione-unitedhealthcare-2/ 

Russian President Vladimir Putin says some proposals in a U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine are unacceptable to the Kremlin, indicating in comments published Thursday that any deal is still some ways off.

U.S. President Donald Trump has set in motion the most intense diplomatic push to stop the fighting since Russia launched the full-scale invasion of its neighbor nearly four years ago. But the effort has once again run into demands that are hard to reconcile, especially over whether Ukraine must give up land to Russia and how it can be kept safe from any future aggression by Moscow.

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner, are set to meet with Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, later Thursday in Miami for further talks, according to a senior Trump administration official who wasn’t authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Putin said his five-hour talks Tuesday in the Kremlin with Witkoff and Kushner were “necessary” and “useful,” but also “difficult work,” and some proposals were unacceptable.

Putin spoke to the India Today TV channel before he landed Thursday in New Delhi for a state visit. Ahead of the broadcast of the full interview, Russian state news agencies Tass and RIA Novosti quoted some of his remarks in it.

Tass quoted Putin as saying that in Tuesday’s talks, the sides “had to go through each point” of the U.S. peace proposal, “which is why it took so long.”

“This was a necessary conversation, a very concrete one,” he said, with provisions that Moscow was ready to discuss, while others “we can’t agree to.”

Trump said Wednesday that Witkoff and Kushner came away from their marathon session confident that he wants to find an end to the war. “Their impression was very strongly that he’d like to make a deal,” he added.

Putin refused to elaborate on what Russia could accept or reject, and none of the other officials involved offered details of the talks.

“I think it is premature. Because it could simply disrupt the working regime” of the peace effort, Tass quoted Putin as saying.

European leaders, left on the sidelines by Washington as U.S. officials engage directly with Moscow and Kyiv, have accused Putin of feigning interest in Trump’s peace drive.

French President Emmanuel Macron met in Beijing with China’s leader Xi Jinping, seeking to involve him in pressuring Russia toward a ceasefire. Xi, whose country has provided strong diplomatic support for Putin, did not say respond to France’s call, but said that “China supports all efforts that work towards peace.”

Russian barrages of civilian areas of Ukraine continued overnight into Thursday. A missile struck Kryvyi Rih on Wednesday night, wounding six people, including a 3-year-old girl, according to city administration head Oleksandr Vilkul.

The attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown damaged more than 40 residential buildings, a school and domestic gas pipes, Vilkul said.

A 6-year-old girl died in the southern city of Kherson after Russian artillery shelling wounded her the previous day, regional military administration chief Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram.

The Kherson Thermal Power Plant, which provides heat for over 40,000 residents, shut down Thursday after Russia pounded it with drones and artillery for several days, he said.

Authorities planned emergency meetings to find alternate sources of heating, he said. Until then, tents were erected across the city where residents could warm up and charge electronic devices.

Russia also struck Odesa with drones, wounding six people, while civilian and energy infrastructure was damaged, said Oleh Kiper, head of the regional military administration.

Overall, Russia fired two ballistic missiles and 138 drones at Ukraine overnight, officials said.

Meanwhile, in the Russia-occupied part of the Kherson region, two men were killed by a Ukrainian drone strike on their vehicle Thursday, Moscow-installed regional leader Vladimir Saldo said. A 68-year-old woman was also wounded in the attack, he said.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/04/putin-proposal-russia-ukraine/ 

Illinois State Police responded to a single-vehicle rollover crash late Wednesday night on I-290 at southbound I-355 in Itasca where three people were killed, officials said.

Around 11:40 p.m., a vehicle was traveling westbound on I-290 when it lost control and struck a bridge support column, according to preliminary information from state police.

All three occupants in the vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene.

All westbound lanes of I-290 were shut down but reopened shortly before 4:15 a.m., police said.

The victims have yet to be identified.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/04/deadly-rollover-crash-i-290-itasca/ 

Por STEPHEN GROVES y LISA MASCARO

WASHINGTON (AP) — El almirante de la Marina que supuestamente dio órdenes para que el Ejército de Estados Unidos disparara contra los sobrevivientes de un ataque a un presunto barco de drogas en aguas internacionales tendrá el jueves una sesión informativa clasificada con los legisladores encargados de supervisar la seguridad nacional.

La información del almirante Frank “Mitch” Bradley, quien ahora es el jefe del Comando de Operaciones Especiales de Estados Unidos, llega en un momento potencialmente crucial en la investigación legislativa en curso sobre cómo el secretario de Defensa, Pete Hegseth, manejó la operación militar en aguas internacionales cerca de Venezuela. Hay crecientes preguntas sobre si el ataque pudo haber violado la ley.

Los legisladores buscan un informe completo de los ataques después de que The Washington Post informó que Bradley ordenó el 2 de septiembre atacar a dos sobrevivientes para cumplir con la directiva de Hegseth de “matar a todos”. Expertos legales dicen que el ataque constituye un crimen si los sobrevivientes fueron el objetivo, y los legisladores de ambos lados del pasillo exigen rendición de cuentas.

Bradley hablará con un puñado de líderes del Congreso, incluidos los republicanos y los demócratas de mayor rango en las comisiones de Servicios Armados de la Cámara de Representantes y el Senado, y por separado con el presidente republicano y el vicepresidente demócrata de la Comisión de Inteligencia del Senado.

“Este es un asunto increíblemente serio. Se trata de la seguridad de nuestras tropas. Este es un incidente que podría exponer a los miembros de nuestras fuerzas armadas a consecuencias legales”, afirmó el líder demócrata del Senado, Chuck Schumer, de Nueva York, en un discurso en el pleno el miércoles. “Y aun así, el público estadounidense y el Congreso aún no están escuchando los hechos básicos”.

Mientras Bradley se presenta para responder preguntas en un entorno clasificado, los legisladores buscarán respuestas a preguntas clave: ¿Qué órdenes dio Hegseth respecto de las operaciones? ¿Y cuál fue el razonamiento para el segundo ataque?

Los legisladores demócratas también exigen que la administración del presidente Donald Trump publique el video completo del ataque del 2 de septiembre, así como los registros escritos de las órdenes y cualquier directiva de Hegseth. Aunque los republicanos, que controlan las comisiones de seguridad nacional, no han solicitado públicamente esos documentos, han prometido una revisión exhaustiva.

“La investigación se llevará a cabo de manera meticulosa”, dijo el senador Roger Wicker de Mississippi, presidente de la Comisión de Servicios Armados del Senado. “Descubriremos la verdad de los hechos”.

La presión aumenta sobre Hegseth

El presidente Trump ha respaldado a Hegseth y defendido su manejo del ataque, pero la presión sobre el secretario de Defensa está aumentando.

Hegseth ha dicho que las secuelas de un ataque inicial al barco se dieron en medio de la “confusión de guerra”. También ha dicho que “no se quedó” para el segundo ataque, pero afirmó que Bradley “tomó la decisión correcta” y “tenía completa autoridad” para hacerlo.

También se espera que el jueves el inspector general del Departamento de Defensa publique un informe parcialmente redactado sobre el uso de la aplicación de mensajería Signal por parte de Hegseth en marzo para compartir información sobre un ataque militar contra rebeldes hutíes en Yemen.

El informe encontró que Hegseth puso en riesgo al personal de Estados Unidos y su misión al usar Signal, según dos personas al tanto de los hallazgos. Sin embargo, el Pentágono ha presentado el informe como una exoneración de Hegseth.

¿Quién es el almirante Bradley?

En el momento del ataque, Bradley era el comandante del Comando Conjunto de Operaciones Especiales, supervisando operaciones coordinadas entre las unidades de operaciones especiales de élite del ejército desde Fort Bragg en Carolina del Norte. Aproximadamente un mes después del ataque, fue ascendido a comandante del Comando de Operaciones Especiales de Estados Unidos.

Su carrera militar, que abarca más de tres décadas, se dedicó principalmente a servir en los SEAL de la Marina de élite y a comandar operaciones conjuntas. Fue uno de los primeros oficiales de fuerzas especiales en desplegarse en Afganistán después de los ataques del 11 de septiembre. Su última promoción a almirante fue aprobada por voto unánime en el Senado a principios de este año, y los senadores demócratas y republicanos elogiaron su historial.

“Espero que Bradley diga la verdad y arroje algo de luz sobre lo que realmente sucedió”, dijo el senador de Virginia Mark Warner, el demócrata de mayor rango en la Comisión de Inteligencia del Senado, agregando que tenía “gran respeto por su historial”.

El senador Thom Tillis, un republicano de Carolina del Norte, describió a Bradley como uno de aquellos que son “sólidos como una roca” y “las personas más extraordinarias que han servido en el ejército”.

Pero legisladores como Tillis también han dejado claro que esperan un ajuste de cuentas si se descubre que los sobrevivientes fueron el objetivo. “Cualquiera en la cadena de mando que fue responsable de ello, que tuvo conocimiento de ello, debe rendir cuentas”, expresó.

¿Qué más buscan los legisladores?

El alcance de la investigación no está claro, pero hay otra documentación del ataque que podría aclarar lo que sucedió. Obtener esa información, sin embargo, dependerá en gran medida de la acción de los legisladores republicanos, una perspectiva potencialmente dolorosa para ellos si los pone en desacuerdo con el presidente.

El senador Jack Reed, el demócrata de mayor rango en la Comisión de Servicios Armados, dijo que él y Wicker han solicitado formalmente las órdenes ejecutivas que autorizan las operaciones y los videos completos de los ataques. También están buscando la inteligencia que identificó a los barcos como objetivos legítimos, las reglas de enfrentamiento para los ataques y cualquier criterio utilizado para determinar quién era un combatiente y quién era un civil.

Los oficiales militares estaban conscientes de que había sobrevivientes en el agua después del ataque inicial, pero llevaron a cabo el ataque de seguimiento bajo la justificación de que necesitaban hundir el barco, según dos personas familiarizadas con el asunto que hablaron bajo condición de anonimato. Lo que sigue sin estar claro, y lo que los legisladores esperan aclarar en su sesión informativa con Bradley, es quién ordenó los ataques y si Hegseth estuvo involucrado, dijo una de las personas.

Los legisladores republicanos cercanos a Trump han buscado defender a Hegseth esta semana, respaldando la campaña militar contra los cárteles de drogas que el presidente considera “narcoterroristas”.

“No veo nada malo en lo que ocurrió”, dijo el senador Markwayne Mullin, un republicano de Oklahoma, mientras argumentaba que la administración Trump tenía justificado al usar poderes de guerra contra los cárteles de drogas.

Más de 80 personas han muerto en la serie de ataques que comenzaron en septiembre. Y para los críticos de la campaña como el senador Richard Blumenthal, demócrata de Connecticut, las preguntas urgentes sobre la legalidad de matar a los sobrevivientes son una consecuencia natural de una acción militar que siempre estuvo en un terreno legal inestable. Dijo que estaba claro que Hegseth es responsable, incluso si no ordenó explícitamente un segundo ataque.

“Puede que no haya estado en la sala, pero estaba al tanto”, dijo Blumenthal. “Y fue su orden la que fue instrumental y previsiblemente resultó en la muerte de estos sobrevivientes”.

_______

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/2025/12/04/legisladores-escucharn-a-almirante-de-la-marina-de-eeuu-sobre-ataque-a-embarcacin/