Category: News
US Plans To Keep Troops In Caribbean Through 2028, Planning Docs Show
US Plans To Keep Troops In Caribbean Through 2028, Planning Docs Show
Department of War documents suggest the US military is planning to keep large numbers of troops in the Caribbean Sea for the next three years, The Intercept reported on Monday, in a further sign that a war on Venezuela is imminent. Defense Department contracting documents reviewed by The Intercept show the military has earmarked major increases in food supplies for almost all of its branches, including the US Coast Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.
The documents show the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has been contracted to supply large amounts of baked goods, including wrapped honey buns, vanilla cupcakes, sweet rolls, hamburger rolls, and flour tortillas, to US troops in the “Puerto Rico Zone” from November of this year to November 2028.
The US military has already amassed 15,000 troops in the Caribbean in recent months, including 5,000 sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, which has more than 75 attack, surveillance, and support aircraft.
US President Donald Trump has paved the way for a possible invasion of oil-rich Venezuela by accusing Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and other officials in his government of leading a drug cartel known as Cartel de los Soles.
Trump has provided no evidence of Maduro’s involvement in drug trafficking, and there is little evidence that Cartel de los Soles exists. Despite this, the US president has authorized the US Air Force to carry out more than 20 strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.
Rights groups have called the strikes, which have killed more than 80 civilians, extrajudicial executions that are illegal under US and international law. Trump has also sought to declare drug cartels as “terrorist” groups, in another step to justify future military action against Venezuela.
“The procurement’s length of time and the level of effort seemed to point to these operations continuing at the current level for several years,” said Mark Cancian, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
“That’s significant because it means that the Navy will maintain a large presence in the Caribbean that is far larger than what it has been in recent years. It further implies that the Navy will be involved in these counter-drug operations,” Cancian stated.
In addition to the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier, the US has deployed at least 13 warships, five support vessels, and a nuclear submarine to the region since August.
One DLA document lists multiple US naval vessels involved in the buildup of troops and ships as recipients, causing the quantities of food and costs listed in the contracting documents to surge.
“People will ask whether this means escalation from the strikes on smugglers into a Venezuelan campaign, whatever that eventually looks like,” said a former US military official with significant experience in military logistics, procurement, and supply chains.
Other locations in Puerto Rico named in the DLA documents include Muniz Air National Guard Base, Fort Buchanan, a US Army installation near San Juan, and Roosevelt Roads Naval Base.
U.S. Marine Presence in Venezuela May Extend to 2028
Reports suggest Washington’s long-term strategy goes beyond Maduro’s potential removal, with concerns shifting toward armed groups like ELN and FARC.#WashingtonEye pic.twitter.com/mKuVsZJGUQ
— Washington Eye (@washington_EY) December 1, 2025
Last week, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the airstrikes against alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean and the Pacific are part of an operation named “Southern Spear.”
The Department of War has reportedly presented Trump with various options for attacking Venezuela. Trump has also threatened future attacks on Venezuelan territory, authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, and stated that he has not ruled out an invasion of Venezuela by US troops.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 12/01/2025 – 22:35
Porter anota 35 puntos en la victoria de los Nets 116-103 sobre los Hornets
Associated Press
NUEVA YORK (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. anotó 35 puntos, Noah Clowney sumó 18 y los Nets de Brooklyn vencieron la noche del lunes por 116-103 a los Hornets de Charlotte.
Nic Claxton añadió 13 puntos, 11 rebotes y seis asistencias para Brooklyn, que había perdido cuatro seguidos. Los suplentes Danny Wolf y Drake Powell anotaron cada uno diez puntos.
Porter acertó siete de 11 desde la línea de tres puntos. Los Nets lograron 17 de 43 desde más allá del arco, en comparación con 12 de 32 para los Hornets.
Kon Knueppel anotó 18 puntos para Charlotte, que había ganado dos seguidos. LaMelo Ball tuvo 12 puntos y 14 asistencias, y Collin Sexton terminó con 15 puntos.
Los Hornets se acercaron a 96-93 con dos tiros libres de Liam McNeeley con 7:06 por jugar. Pero Wolf convirtió una bandeja y Porter hizo un tiro en suspensión para aumentar la ventaja de los Nets a 100-93 con 6:16 restantes.
Wolf y Clowney conectaron desde larga distancia para poner el marcador en 112-98 con 2:36 por jugar.
El juego estaba empatado a 59 al medio tiempo. Porter anotó 17 puntos en la primera mitad, y Knueppel tuvo 12 al descanso.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Heat iguala récord de franquicia con 24 triples y vence 140-123 a Clippers
MIAMI (AP) — Norman Powell anotó 30 puntos contra su antiguo equipo, Bam Adebayo logró 27 unidades y 14 rebotes en 32 minutos y el Heat de Miami venció 140-123 a los tambaleantes Clippers de Los Ángeles 140-123 el lunes por la noche.
Tyler Herro y Andrew Wiggins anotaron cada uno 22 tantos para el Heat, que iba perdiendo por dos al inicio del segundo cuarto antes de conseguir una racha de 30-2. Miami también encestó 24 triples, igualando un récord de la franquicia logrado en dos ocasiones anteriores.
Miami tuvo una racha de 12-0 en los primeros 2:02 del tercer cuarto, todos con triples, dos de ellos por conducto de Adebayo. Eso convirtió una ventaja de 20 puntos al medio tiempo en una diferencia de 32 y el resultado no volvió a estar en duda.
Kawhi Leonard anotó 36 e Ivica Zubac terminó con 16 unidades y 13 rebotes para los Clippers. Comenzaron la temporada 3-2 y han tenido un récord de 2-14 desde entonces, cayendo a 5-16 — el peor inicio de 21 juegos para la franquicia desde un comienzo de 4-17 en la temporada 2010-11.
James Harden anotó 11 puntos para los Clippers en 20 minutos, y no jugó en los últimos 22:34. Los Clippers fueron superados por 39 puntos cuando él estaba en la cancha.
Powell tuvo 11 unidades en la racha de 30-2, en la que Miami lanzó nueve de 12 mientras que los Clippers fallaron todos sus 11 tiros. Dos triples consecutivos de Powell finalizaron la seguidilla.
Los Clippers hicieron las cosas un poco interesantes en el cuarto período, con Leonard anotando 19 puntos y acercando a su equipo a 12 con dos minutos restantes. Pero Miami anotó los siguientes nueve — una jugada de tres puntos de Herro, luego triples de Powell y Wiggins para asegurar el juego.
Fue la quinta vez que Miami alcanzó la marca de 140 puntos esta temporada, después de lograrlo un total de ocho veces en las primeras 37 temporadas de la franquicia.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Denny Hamlin breaks down in tears as the 1st witness testifying in NASCAR antitrust trial
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The landmark federal antitrust trial against NASCAR opened Monday with three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin breaking down in tears minutes into his testimony as the first witness in a case that could upend the venerable stock car series.
Hamlin’s 23XI Racing, which he co-owns with Michael Jordan, and Front Row Motorsports claim the series is a monopolistic bully that leaves its teams no option but to comply with rules and financing they don’t agree with.
As Jordan watched from the gallery, Hamlin began to cry and had to stop and compose himself when asked how he got into racing. He disclosed to The Associated Press last month that his father is dying, and he said on the stand he was emotional because his dad “is not in great health.”
“We got to when I was about 20 and a decision had to be made: I could keep racing or go out and work for my dad’s trailer business,” Hamlin testified, adding that he later was thinking about what retirement looked like and found a team going out of business.
He needed a partner and turned to Jordan, with whom he had developed a friendship when the Basketball Hall of Famer owned the Charlotte Hornets and Hamlin was a season ticket holder.
“If I can’t be successful with Michael as a partner, I knew this was never going to work,” he said.
The references to his early days in auto racing and the sacrifices his family made were intended to show how difficult it is for both team owners and drivers to make it at the top level of the sport. He said he never would have been able to start 23XI in 2021 had he not partnered with Jordan.
Because of Jordan’s presence with the team, Hamlin testified, 23XI has turned a profit in all but one of its five seasons of operation. His attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, said in his opening statement that fast-food restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins never has turned a profit since starting his Front Row team in 2004, a team that won the Daytona 500 in 2021.
Kessler said a NASCAR-commissioned study found that 75% of teams lost money in 2024 and added that over a three-year period almost $400 million was paid to the France Family Trust. He said a 2023 evaluation by Goldman Sachs found NASCAR to be worth $5 billion. NASCAR is currently run by Jim France, son of founder Bill France Sr.
“What the evidence is going to show is Mr. France ran this for the benefit of his family at the expense of the teams and sport,” Kessler said.
At the heart of the lawsuit is NASCAR’s revenue-sharing model, which 23XI and Front Row argue is unfair to race teams that often operate at a loss. Hamlin testified it cost $20 million simply to bring a single car to the track over a 38-race season, not including overhead expenses such as driver salary and business operations.
“So why would these people do this if you are just going to lose money because NASCAR isn’t giving you a fair deal?” Kessler asked. “Because you love stock car racing, and there’s nowhere else to do it.”
The charter agreements signed for this year that triggered the lawsuit guarantee the teams $12.5 million in annual revenue per chartered car. NASCAR argues the guaranteed payouts are an increase from $9 million from the previous agreement, but Hamlin noted that 11 of the first 19 chartered teams are no longer in business.
All three charters 23XI purchased came from teams that ceased operations, and Hamlin said 23XI paid $4.7 million for its first charter, $13.5 million for its second and $28 million for its third, acquired late last year. He acknowledged purchasing the third charter was a risk because of the pending litigation — and the price concerned him — but it was required if 23XI intends to build itself into a top team.
The charter system guarantees a car a spot in the field each race week as well as a percentage of the purse and gives team owners an asset to sell should they want to get out of the business.
NASCAR attorneys argued that the charter system has created $1.5 billion in equity for the 36 chartered teams. Prior to the charter system, teams raced “open,” with no guarantee they would make the field or earn a payout.
“The France family built NASCAR from nothing. They are an American success story,” Johnny Stephenson said in the opening statement for NASCAR. Stephenson is a colleague of Christopher Yates, who had previously handled most of the courtroom arguments for the defendants.
“They’ve done it through hard work over 75 years. That’s the kind of effort that doesn’t deserve a lawsuit. That’s the kind of effort that deserves admiration.”
The case has churned through hearings and arguments for more than a year despite calls from other NASCAR teams to settle. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell even helped mediate a failed two-day summit in October.
A NASCAR victory could put 23XI, Front Row and their six combined cars out of business. Their charters — now being held by NASCAR — likely would be sold. The last charter went for $45 million, and NASCAR has indicated there is interest from potential buyers, including private equity firms.
A win for the teams could lead to monetary damages and the potential demolition of NASCAR as it is run today. The judge has the power to unravel a monopoly, and nothing is off the table, from ordering a sale of NASCAR to the dismantling of the charter system.
Jordan’s presence factors into the trial
Jordan’s presence in the courtroom gallery near Hamlin was a factor: Among those dismissed from serving on the jury was a man who said he can’t be impartial because “I like Mike” and another who said he had Michael Jordan posters on his walls growing up.
A juror said they were a North Carolina fan but noted the football team at Jordan’s alma mater is not “doing too well right now,” to which Jordan shook his head and laughed.
NASCAR executives in the courtroom included Chairman Jim France and vice chair Lesa France Kennedy, two scions of the family that founded NASCAR in 1948 and still owns it.
Hamlin will resume testimony Tuesday morning. NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps, 23XI minority owner Curtis Polk, France Kennedy and other top executives had to leave the courtroom after opening arguments because they are all potential witnesses.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/01/denny-hamlin-nascar-antitrust-trial/
McCollum y Middleton lideran a Wizards a victoria 129-126 sobre Milwaukee
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — CJ McCollum anotó 28 puntos, incluyendo un triple con 14.4 segundos restantes que ayudó a los Wizards de Washington a superar el lunes por la noche 129-126 a los Bucks de Milwaukee.
Los Wizards (3-16) han ganado dos de tres después de una racha de 14 derrotas consecutivas, y Milwaukee solo logró dividir en dos juegos contra Washington y Brooklyn, dos de los peores equipos de la NBA.
Estaba empatado a 115 después de que el ex destacado de los Bucks, Khris Middleton, anotara un triple para Washington.
Kevin Porter Jr. anotó 30 puntos para Milwaukee en su segundo juego de regreso tras una cirugía de rodilla. Este fue solo el tercer juego de toda la temporada para Porter, quien lidió con un esguince de tobillo y luego una rotura de menisco en su rodilla derecha. Anotó 13 puntos contra Brooklyn el sábado.
Milwaukee lideraba 81-65 en el tercer cuarto antes de que Washington se recuperara para empatar antes de que terminara el cuarto.
Antetokounmpo anotó 26 puntos pero solo encestó seis de 11 desde la línea de tiros libres.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Cunningham brilla al final y los Pistons vencen 99-98 a los Hawks
DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham anotó ocho de sus 18 puntos en los últimos 3:21, y los Pistons de Detroit se recuperaron para vencer 99-98 a los Hawks de Atlanta el lunes por la noche.
Atlanta tuvo una oportunidad de ganar con 0,1 segundos restantes, pero Jalen Johnson no pudo convertir un tip-in cuando el tiempo expiró.
Jalen Duren tuvo 21 unidades y 11 rebotes para los Pistons, quienes ganaron por decimoquinta vez en 17 juegos. Caris LeVert agregó 14 tantos e hizo dos jugadas defensivas clave al final.
Johnson tuvo 29 puntos y 13 rebotes para Atlanta, que había ganado cuatro de cinco. Nickeil Alexander-Walker agregó 26 tantos y Onyeka Okongwu anotó 20.
Ningún equipo lideró por más de cinco hasta que LeVert lo hizo 74-68 con la última canasta del tercer cuarto.
Detroit creó posesiones con una presión implacable en el rebote —tuvo más rebotes ofensivos de Atlanta defensivos durante gran parte del juego— pero los devolvió con 22 pérdidas de balón en los primeros tres cuartos.
El triple de Alexander-Walker empató el marcador a 82 con 7:06 por jugar, pero el tiro corto de Cunningham puso a los Pistons arriba 91-89 con 3:21 por jugar. LeVert forzó pérdidas de balón en las siguientes dos posesiones de Atlanta. Convirtió la primera en una bandeja, y Cunningham encestó dos tiros libres en la segunda.
Eso puso el juego 95-89, pero Cunningham falló un triple, y Johnson y Alexander-Walker encestaron triples consecutivos para empatarlo con 1:12 por jugar.
El tiro de Cunningham lo hizo 97-95, y Alexander-Walker falló en el otro extremo. Cunningham luego convirtió una bandeja invertida en tráfico con 17 segundos por jugar.
Alexander-Walker encestó otro triple para dejarlo 99-98 con 1,2 segundos restantes. Daniss Jenkins falló dos tiros libres, y los Hawks pidieron un tiempo muerto con 0,1 segundos restantes.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Why Banning Hate Speech Is Evil
Why Banning Hate Speech Is Evil
We often hear demands to ban so-called “hate speech.”
Negative remarks about various groups, including women, black people, homosexuals, Jews, Muslims, can it is alleged, have a negative effect on members of the group who hear or see the speech. It encourages people to hate them and cements negative stereotypes about them in people’s minds. In addition, hearing or seeing “hate speech” offends the members of the group. Free speech may have some value, but whatever value it has it outweighed by the evil of “hate speech.” Almost any group can claim to be victimized by “hate speech,” except for white heterosexual males and Christians, but “hate speech” applies primarily to members of so-called “protected classes.”
From a libertarian standpoint, the question of banning so-called “hate speech” is a no-brainer.
Banning any kind of speech, whether it is good or bad, is incompatible with a free society.
As the great Murray Rothbard has taught us, all rights are property rights. Everyone can set the rules for speech on his own property, and no one has the right to control what anyone says on someone else’s property. This includes speech which counts as “offensive.” Of course, we don’t live in a libertarian society, but we should come as close as we can in practice to it. This means following the strictest possible interpretation of the First Amendment.
“Congress shall make no law. . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.”
“No law” means “no law” and that includes laws against so-called “hate speech.”
Some states have “hate speech” laws on the books.
New York is considering a law, already passed in California that requires social media companies to report “hate speech.”
This is the “Stop Hiding Hate Act” and has been passed by the State’s Assembly. Here is an account of the measure from Vince Chang, who favors it:
“Under pressure from the ADL [Anti-Defamation League] and other groups, internet platforms have voluntarily adopted measures to regulate hate speech. The ADL described some of the measures that have been taken: Facebook prohibited Holocaust denial content, hired a vice president of civil rights, changed parts of its advertising platform to prohibit various forms of discrimination; expanded policies against content that undermined the legitimacy of the election; and built a team to study and eliminate bias in artificial intelligence. Due to pressure from ADL and other civil rights organizations, Twitter banned linked content, URL links to content outside the platform that promotes violence and hateful conduct. Reddit added its first global hate policy, providing for the removal of subreddits and users that “promote hate based on identity or vulnerability.”
We can see how such laws have a chilling effect on speech if we look at bans on so-called “hate speech” in foreign countries where they are already in operation.
I want to focus especially on the Scottish Hate Speech Act.
Let’s first look at an official summary of the Scottish act, from the Scottish parliament site:
“Hate crime is the phrase used to describe behaviour which is both criminal and based on prejudice.
There are already laws in place to protect certain groups from hate crime.
This Bill aims to do three things. It updates these existing laws and pulls most of these laws into one Bill. It also adds to the groups currently specifically protected by hate crime laws.
Criminal courts can generally take into account any prejudice when sentencing a person. Also, people are protected from hate crime through specific laws that apply.
People are currently protected by specific laws on the basis of:
disability
race (and related characteristics)
religion
sexual orientation
transgender identity
This Bill adds age to that list and allows sex to be added at a later date.
The Bill creates a new crime of stirring up hatred against any of the protected groups covered by the Bill.”
The bill was enacted in 2021 and came into force on April 1, 2024.
The supporters of this Act want to create a community that is united in supporting “diversity.”
Do you see the contradiction? If you oppose what these people call “diversity,” then you are not part of the united community. In other words, only those who accept what we say are free and have rights. As George Orwell said in 1984, “Freedom is Slavery.”
Let’s look at what they say in their own words:
“Scotland’s diversity is its strength; and all communities are valued and their contribution welcomed. Hate crime and prejudice threaten community cohesion and have a corrosive impact on Scotland’s communities as well as broader society. Hate crime and prejudice is never acceptable and the Scottish Government is committed to tackling it. This legislation provides an essential element of the Scottish Government’s ambitious programme of work to tackle hate crime and build community cohesion. Anyone who has experienced or witnessed a hate crime is encouraged to report it to the police or to one of the third-party reporting centres that are in place across Scotland. A cohesive society is one with a common vision and a sense of belonging for all communities; a society in which the diversity of people’s backgrounds, beliefs and circumstances are appreciated and valued, and similar life opportunities are available to all. It is through this lens that the Scottish Government has considered the recommendations from Lord Bracadale’s ‘Independent Review of Hate Crime Legislation in Scotland’ in order to inform the modernisation and reform of hate crime legislation in Scotland.”
One of the most aggressive groups in trying to silence others for has speech consists of so-called” trans” people.
If you don’t agree with them that you can become a man or woman just by “identifying” yourself as one, you can be prosecuted. This is the “democratic community” in action.
The prosecutions are by no means confined to religious and political conservatives. Leftwing “gender critical” feminists, who think that a woman is a woman, have been prosecuted. Jonathan Turley tells us what happened to one of them in 2021:
“There is a free speech fight brewing in Scotland where a prominent feminist, Marion Millar, 50, has been charged with the crime of “malicious communication” due to tweets criticizing gender self-identification. We have previously discussed how feminists are being accused of hate speech and discrimination in these debates. Indeed, Millar is accused of being a “terf” (a trans-exclusionary radical feminist) by critics due to her opposition to allowing males to declare themselves to be females. She could now face two years in jail.
What is particularly concerning in this case is that Millar was not told which of her tweets were deemed “malicious.” Millar has thousands of tweets and was told that the charge is based on tweets between 2019 and 2020. She was simply ordered to the police station and told that social workers would be sent to care for her young twin boys, who are autistic. After she emerged from the station, she quoted the novelist Salman Rushdie: “Nobody has the right to not be offended. That right doesn’t exist in any declaration I have ever read.”
There are believed to be six tweets that were cited in the complaint, including pictures of the green, white and purple suffragette ribbons tied around trees to support Millar’s cause. The accuser reportedly said that the ribbons looked like nooses and were therefore threats. How ridiculous can you get?
Fortunately, this particular story has a happy ending, at least relatively so. As The Guardian reports, “Scottish prosecutors have discontinued the case against a woman charged with posting allegedly homophobic and transphobic content online. On Thursday morning, the Crown Office confirmed it had dropped proceedings against Marion Millar, a vocal opponent of the Scottish government’s plans for transgender law reform, before a scheduled hearing next Monday and subject to a review with the alleged victims. Millar, an accountant from Airdrie, had yet to plead, but her defence team, which included SNP MP Joanna Cherry QC, was planning to challenge the prosecution on human rights grounds.”
The next person might not be so “lucky.”
Let’s do everything we can to oppose the bigots who want to censor us and force us to adopt their insane opinions!
Tyler Durden
Mon, 12/01/2025 – 21:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/why-banning-hate-speech-evil
Federal review finds 44% of US trucking schools don’t comply with government rules
Nearly 44% of the 16,000 truck driving schools in the U.S. may be forced to close if they lose their students after a review by the federal Transportation Department found they may not be complying with government requirements.
The Transportation Department said Monday that it plans to revoke the certification of nearly 3,000 schools unless they can comply with training requirements in the next 30 days. The targeted schools must notify students that their certification is in jeopardy. Another 4,500 schools are being warned they may face similar action.
Schools that lose certification will no longer be able to issue the certificates showing a driver completed training that are required to get a license, so students are likely to abandon those schools.
Separately, the Department of Homeland Security is auditing trucking firms in California owned by immigrants to verify the status of their drivers and whether they are qualified to hold a commercial driver’s license.
This crackdown on trucking schools and companies is the latest step in the government’s effort to ensure that truck drivers are qualified and eligible to hold a commercial license. This began after a truck driver that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says was not authorized to be in the U.S. made an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people.
The action reins in “illegal and reckless practices that let poorly trained drivers get behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses,” Duffy said.
Duffy has threatened to pull federal funding from California and Pennsylvania over the issue, and he proposed significant new restrictions on which immigrants can get a commercial driver’s license but a court put those new rules on hold. On Monday, he threatened to withhold $30.4 million from Minnesota if that state doesn’t address shortcomings in its commercial driver’s license program and revoke any licenses that never should have been issued either because they were valid beyond a driver’s work permit or because the state never verified a driver’s immigration status. So far, every state Duffy has threatened has been a Democratic state, but he has said the department is auditing a number of other states, including Texas and South Dakota.
A spokeswoman for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said “We take safety on our roads seriously and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety has already worked to ensure we are in compliance with federal law.”
Trucking schools fail to meet standards
It’s not clear how action against these trucking schools could affect the existing shortage of drivers, but the executive director of the largest association of trucking schools, Andrew Poliakoff, said many of the schools being decertified were questionable “CDL mills” that would advertise being able to train drivers in just a few days.
In established training schools, students normally spend at least a month and get lessons both behind the wheel and in the classroom.
He said those schools were really just “fleecing people out of money” without teaching them the skills they need to get hired or pass the test.
“Trucking is an outstanding career. And the people who are not familiar with the industry might see someone charging $1,000 in $2,000 for a long weekend or quick training. And they may think that that’s desirable, but that’s really not,” said Poliakoff, who leads the Commercial Vehicle Training Association that includes 100 schools with 400 locations nationwide.
The Transportation Department said the 3,000 schools it is taking action against failed to meet training standards and didn’t maintain accurate and complete records. The schools are also accused of falsifying or manipulating training data.
Some of them were inactive before this action.
Yogi Sanwal, the owner, said his company closed its truck driving school in 2022. It did so after it made some changes to comply with federal accreditation requirements, which then triggered a county government demand for upgrades like replacing sand and gravel with asphalt. The company didn’t have the $150,000 it would have needed to do that at the time so it closed the school. It had trained about 500 truckers in the four to five years the school was open, Sanwal said.
Trucking industry groups have praised the effort to tighten up licensing standards and ensure that drivers can meet basic English proficiency requirements the Trump administration began enforcing this summer. But groups that represent immigrant truck drivers say they believe many qualified drivers and companies are being targeted simply because of their citizenship status.
“Bad actors who exploit loopholes in our regulatory systems are putting everyone at risk. This is unacceptable,” said Paul J. Enos, CEO of the Nevada Trucking Association. “We are focused on solutions and resolute on seeing them implemented.”
Todd Spencer, President of the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, said the industry has long warned about the potential for problems if trucking schools are allowed to certify themselves.
“When training standards are weak, or in some instances totally non-existent, drivers are unprepared, and everyone on the road pays the price,” Spencer said.
Immigrant drivers say they are being unfairly targeted
Truck drivers of the Sikh faith have been caught in the crossfire and faced harassment because the drivers in the Florida crash and another deadly crash in California this fall were both Sikhs. The North American Punjabi Truckers Association estimates that the Sikh workforce makes up about 40% of truck driving on the West Coast and about 20% nationwide. Advocacy groups estimate about 150,000 Sikh truck drivers work in the U.S.
The Department of Homeland Security didn’t respond immediately to questions about the effort to verify the immigration status of truck drivers, but the UNITED SIKHS advocacy group said they have heard directly from Punjabi company owners about these aggressive audits of immigration records.
“Sikh and immigrant truckers with spotless records are being treated like suspects while they keep America’s freight moving,” the UNITED SIKHS group said. “When federal agencies frame lawful, licensed drivers as risks, it doesn’t improve safety — it fuels xenophobia, harassment, and even violence on the road. Any policy built on fear instead of facts endangers families, civil rights, and the national supply chain.”
California moved to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses after federal officials raised concerns that they had been issued improperly to immigrants or allowed to remain valid long after a driver’s work permit expired.
Sorpresiva derrota de Rams ante Panthers no genera preocupación, asegura el coach Sean McVay
Por GREG BEACHAM
LOS ÁNGELES (AP) — Aunque la permanencia de los Rams de Los Ángeles en la cima de la clasificación de la NFC terminó rápidamente con su derrota más sorprendente de la temporada hasta ahora, el head coach Sean McVay dice que no vio nada que cambiara su perspectiva optimista para el resto de la temporada.
Las principales áreas en las que los Rams (9-3) tuvieron problemas en su derrota bajo la lluvia por 31-28 ante los Panthers de Carolina el domingo no habían sido grandes áreas de preocupación para el equipo de McVay antes de este juego, y él no cree que los problemas persistan.
Descubrirá si tiene razón a partir del próximo fin de semana, cuando los Rams comiencen una serie de tres juegos en tres ciudades durante 12 días con sus esperanzas de playoffs en juego.
“Creo que lo mejor es que nuestros jugadores y entrenadores están más conectados. Hay una propiedad, hay una responsabilidad y hay una seguridad para reconocer dónde podemos mejorar y avanzar, y eso comienza con nosotros como entrenadores”, afirmó McVay el lunes, repitiendo su perspectiva optimista en Charlotte.
Dos áreas de lucha se destacaron como los factores clave en la victoria sorpresiva de los Panthers: la incapacidad de la defensiva de Los Ángeles para detener el constante ataque terrestre de Carolina, y las tres pérdidas de balón de Matthew Stafford.
Solo Derrick Henry y los Ravens acumularon más yardas por tierra contra la defensiva de los Rams esta temporada que las 164 yardas terrestres de los Panthers. Carolina corrió el balón 37 veces antes de tres jugadas de rodilla, y esa efectividad constante contribuyó a la capacidad de los Panthers para convertir siete terceras oportunidades.
Los Rams están en el medio del grupo de la NFL en defensiva contra la carrera, pero un equipo que ha ganado nueve juegos y no había estado en desventaja desde la semana seis probablemente enfrentará más pases de oponentes en desventaja.
Poona Ford, el tackle defensivo de los Rams especializado en detener la carrera, participó solo en 19 jugadas en Carolina debido a una lesión en la pantorrilla, lo que obligó a los jóvenes Tyler Davis y Ty Hamilton a jugar más de lo normal.
“Solo algunas yardas filtradas, y fue un esfuerzo colectivo”, comentó McVay, señalando la escasez de carreras explosivas por parte de Carolina. “Simplemente no fue el nivel de ejecución al que estamos acostumbrados. … Hicieron algunas jugadas en esos momentos críticos”.
Probablemente McVay no tenga que hacer nada para corregir los errores de Stafford, quien no había lanzado una intercepción en sus ocho juegos anteriores durante una temporada sólida.
La primera intercepción en la zona de anotación vino de un balón desviado, mientras que la segunda —un pick-six— fue simplemente una mala decisión tomada rápidamente por un quarterback que ha sido estelar en situaciones difíciles durante toda la temporada. El balón suelto de Stafford en la última serie de los Rams fue el resultado de perder de vista la presión en un bolsillo colapsado.
Sin esos errores, los Rams habrían estado en posición de ganar, cree McVay, y los primeros tres meses de su equipo fueron demasiado sólidos como para entrar en pánico en la recta final hacia los playoffs.
Lo que funciona
Davante Adams sigue siendo una máquina de touchdowns, atrapando dos pases más de anotación para aumentar su total a 14, el mejor de la NFL, empatado como el segundo más alto en una temporada en sus 12 años de carrera. Stafford y Adams han desarrollado una química fácil en situaciones de corto yardaje que ha hecho que Adams sea frecuentemente imparable.
Lo que necesita ayuda
Los Rams permitieron dos pases de touchdown de Bryce Young en cuartas oportunidades. Aunque Emmanuel Forbes estaba en cobertura en ambos, el esquinero no es el único responsable de la incapacidad de la defensa para detener jugadas grandes, incluyendo un tercer pase de TD de Young en el que Chuba Hubbard podría haber sido tacleado varias veces. McVay atribuye todo a una mala ejecución.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Oregon’s Far-Left Governor Threatens Lawfare Against ICE Agents
Oregon’s Far-Left Governor Threatens Lawfare Against ICE Agents
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek (D) has put her state – one of the most progressive in the United States – on a collision course with the Trump administration, threatening to investigate Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel and, if necessary, bring state criminal charges against ICE agents for enforcing federal immigration laws.
In a video statement shared to Instagram this week, Kotek accused federal agents of using excessive force and “reckless” tactics that she claimed endanger bystanders and local police. The Oregon governor vowed to monitor ICE operations and treat federal officers the same as any private citizen who violates state law.
“I believe as you do, in the rule of law and keeping our community safe,” Kotek said. “We also believe in being a welcoming place, where our immigrant and refugee community help our state thrive. The ongoing violent actions of the federal Department of Homeland Security are unacceptable – going after Oregonians, and stoking fear in the name of ‘immigration enforcement.’”
“If a federal officer breaks Oregon law,” she said, “they will be held accountable—just like anyone else,” she added.
Kotek’s opposition to federal authorities bringing law and order to Oregon is nothing new.
During the 2020 Portland unrest, Oregon governor criticized federal agents deployed to protect the federal courthouse, arguing that their presence inflamed rather than calmed the situation and that local authorities should have primary control over street-level order.
For those who view secure borders and consistent enforcement of immigration law as essential to national sovereignty and public order, Kotek’s posture looks like another instance of a progressive state placing ideological commitments above constitutional obligations. The Oregon governor defenders will no doubt frame it as a courageous stand for civil rights and community safety.
Either way, Oregon has now openly declared its willingness to treat federal immigration agents as potential state criminals. If the Kotek administration acts on that threat, the resulting clash will force a federal court—and perhaps the Supreme Court—to remind the states, once again, where the ultimate authority over America’s borders resides.
Kotek is hardly alone among Democratic governors in issuing such threats. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) has gone further, openly suggesting that Trump-administration officials could eventually face prosecution in his state.
“The tables will turn one day,” Pritzker told FOX 32 Chicago last month.
These people should recognize that maybe they’re not gonna get prosecuted today, although we’re looking at doing that, but they may get prosecuted after the Trump administration because the statute of limitations would not have run out.
Pritzker also said he had held discussions with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul (D) and other attorneys regarding a potential criminal investigation into DHS officials and ICE agents.
“We’re talking to the state’s attorneys and Attorney General to see how they can go at this because what we want to make sure is that they follow the law,” Pritzker said.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 12/01/2025 – 21:20
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/oregons-far-left-governor-threatens-lawfare-against-ice-agents
