Category: News
Miles marchan en Marsella para denunciar violencia por drogas tras asesinato de hermano de activista
Associated Press
PARIS (AP) — Miles de personas marcharon el sábado en la ciudad portuaria del sur de Francia, Marsella, para denunciar el tráfico de drogas luego que el asesinato del hermano de un activista conmocionara al país.
Mehdi Kessaci, de 20 años, fue asesinado en Marsella la semana pasada en un crimen que, de acuerdo con las autoridades, fue ordenado por narcotraficantes para asustar o castigar a su hermano mayor, Amine, un destacado activista contra las drogas.
Se estima que 6.000 personas, muchas vestidas de blanco, se reunieron detrás de una pancarta que decía “Justicia para Mehdi”, guardando un minuto de silencio y luego levantando las manos en señal de rechazo a la violencia relacionada con las drogas. Algunos políticos de todo el espectro político se unieron a la manifestación.
Amine Kessaci, de 22 años, había convocado la marcha para denunciar el tráfico de drogas y rendir homenaje a su hermano. Reuniones similares tuvieron lugar el sábado en unas 20 ciudades más en todo el país.
A principios de esta semana, el fiscal de Marsella, Nicolas Bessone, dijo que se había abierto una investigación por “asesinato premeditado cometido por un grupo organizado”. La principal hipótesis de la pesquisa es que Mehdi Kessaci fue asesinado como forma de intimidar a su hermano, afirmó.
Bessone señaló que Mehdi “no tenía nada que ver” con el tráfico de drogas y aspiraba a convertirse en policía. Su hermano Amine era “el objetivo de amenazas y presiones intensas” y fue puesto bajo protección policial, añadió.
Amine, quien en octubre publicó un libro denunciando la violencia relacionada con el tráfico de drogas, asistió al funeral de su hermano esta semana vistiendo un chaleco antibalas y bajo fuerte protección policial.
Amine perdió a otro hermano, Brahim, en un presunto asesinato relacionado con drogas en 2020, lo que lo llevó a lanzar su asociación, Conscience, para apoyar a las familias afectadas por la violencia de las pandillas. Brahim estaba involucrado en el tráfico de drogas, dijo Amine.
Marsella tiene una larga historia como centro del tráfico de drogas y la delincuencia asociada a éste.
En 2024, las autoridades francesas registraron 367 casos de asesinato o intento de asesinato, con 341 personas heridas y 110 muertes vinculadas al narcotráfico. De los 176 individuos encarcelados por asesinato e intento de asesinato, más del 25% tenían menos de 20 años, incluidos 16 menores. En total, se incautaron 47 toneladas de cocaína en 2024, más del doble del total del año anterior.
A principios de este año, el gobierno de Francia lanzó una campaña contra el uso y tráfico de drogas para concienciar a millones de usuarios recreativos de drogas de que sus hábitos están avivando la violencia de las pandillas y la muerte.
Francia también aprobó una nueva ley antidrogas en junio, que establece una fiscalía especializada dedicada al crimen organizado, siguiendo el modelo de la fiscalía antiterrorista, entre otras medidas.
Según el ministro del Interior, Laurent Nuñez, una ofensiva gubernamental contra el crimen relacionado con el narcotráfico ayudó a disminuir el número de homicidios en Marsella de 49 en 2023 a 24 en 2024. El número de puntos de venta de drogas en la ciudad se redujo a la mitad, de 160 a 80, dijo.
El asesinato de Mehdi Kessaci muestra que los narcotraficantes han alcanzado “un nuevo nivel de violencia”, afirmó Nuñez.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Trump promete fin “de inmediato” a TPS para somalíes en Minnesota, desatando temor y dudas legales
Por JAKE OFFENHARTZ
La promesa del presidente Donald Trump de poner fin a las protecciones legales temporales para los somalíes que viven en Minnesota ha desatado una ola de temor en una comunidad inmigrante sumamente arraigada en el estado, así como dudas sobre si la Casa Blanca tiene la autoridad legal para promulgar la directiva tal como se describe.
El mandatario publicó la noche del viernes en su plataforma de redes sociales Truth Social que a los residentes somalíes de Minnesota se les retiraría “de inmediato” el Estatus de Protección Temporal (TPS por sus iniciales en inglés), una salvaguarda legal contra la deportación para inmigrantes de ciertos países.
El anuncio provocó una respuesta inmediata de algunos líderes estatales y expertos en inmigración, quienes se refirieron a las amenazas de Trump como un intento sin muchos fundamentos legales para sembrar miedo y sospecha hacia la comunidad somalí de Minnesota, la más grande del país.
“No hay un mecanismo legal que le permita al presidente poner fin al estatus de protección para una comunidad o estado en particular con el que tenga problemas”, aseguró Heidi Altman, directora de políticas del National Immigrant Justice Center.
“Trump está haciendo lo que siempre hace: demagogia contra los inmigrantes sin justificación ni evidencia y usar esa demagogia en un intento por retirar importantes protecciones que salvan vidas”, agregó.
La protección para los somalíes ha sido extendida 27 veces desde 1991, después de que las autoridades estadounidenses han determinado que las condiciones en Somalia no son lo suficientemente seguras para que las personas que ya se encuentran en Estados Unidos puedan regresar a ese país.
Sin embargo, el gobierno de Trump podría tomar medidas para retirar las protecciones legales para los somalíes a nivel nacional. Pero eso afectaría sólo a una pequeña fracción de las decenas de miles de somalíes que viven en Minnesota. Según un informe elaborado para el Congreso en agosto pasado, únicamente hay 705 somalíes al amparo del TPS a nivel nacional
“Soy ciudadana, al igual que la mayoría de los somalíes en Estados Unidos”, señaló la representante por Minnesota Ilhan Omar, una demócrata de origen somalí. “Buena suerte celebrando un cambio de política que realmente no tiene mucho impacto en los somalíes a los que amas odiar”.
Aún así, grupos activistas advirtieron que la medida podría avivar el odio contra una comunidad en un momento de creciente islamofobia.
“Esto no es sólo un cambio burocrático”, dijo Jaylani Hussein, presidente del Council on American-Islamic Relations para su oficina en Minnesota. “Es un ataque político a la comunidad somalí y musulmana impulsado por una retórica islamofóbica y de odio”.
En su publicación en redes sociales, Trump afirmó, sin ofrecer evidencia, que las pandillas somalíes han atacado a los residentes de Minnesota y se refirió al estado como un “centro de actividad fraudulenta para el lavado de dinero”.
Fiscales federales han presentado cargos en las últimas semanas contra decenas de personas que forman parte de un plan de fraude de servicios sociales. Algunos de los acusados son originarios de Somalia.
El gobernador de Minnesota, el demócrata Tim Walz, ha señalado que su estado se ubica consistentemente entre los más seguros del país.
“No es de sorprender que el presidente haya elegido atacar de manera generalizada a toda una comunidad”, señaló Waltz el viernes. “Esto es lo que hace para cambiar de tema”.
Activistas comunitarios destacan que la diáspora somalí en Minnesota ha ayudado a revitalizar los corredores del centro de Minneapolis y juega un importante papel en la política del estado.
“La verdad es que la comunidad somalí es querida y está profundamente entrelazada en muchos de los vecindarios y comunidades de Minnesota”, subrayó Altman. “Desestabilizar a familias y comunidades nos deja a todos menos seguros, no más”.
Como parte de un impulso más amplio por adoptar políticas de inmigración más estrictas, la Casa Blanca ha tomado medidas para retirar varias protecciones que les habían permitido a los inmigrantes permanecer en Estados Unidos y trabajar legalmente.
Entre ellas se incluye el fin del TPS para 600.000 venezolanos y 500.000 haitianos que recibieron protecciones durante la presidencia de Joe Biden. El gobierno de Trump también ha buscado limitar las protecciones previamente extendidas a migrantes procedentes de Cuba, Siria, y otros países.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Babies who drank ByHeart formula got sick months before botulism outbreak, parents say
As health officials investigate more than 30 cases of infant botulism linked to ByHeart baby formula since August, parents who say their children were sickened with the same illness months before the current outbreak are demanding answers, too.
California public health officials confirmed late Friday that six babies in that state who consumed ByHeart formula were treated for botulism between November 2024 and June 2025, up to nine months before the outbreak that has sickened at least 31 babies in 15 states.
At the time, there was “not enough evidence to immediately suspect a common source,” the California Department of Public Health said in a statement.
Even now, “we cannot connect any pre-August 1 cases to the current outbreak,” officials said.
Parents of at least five babies said that their infants were treated for the rare and potentially deadly disease after drinking ByHeart formula in late 2024 and early 2025, according to reports shared with The Associated Press by Bill Marler, a Seattle food safety lawyer representing the families.
Amy Mazziotti, 43, of Burbank, California, said her then-5-month-old son, Hank, fell ill and was treated for botulism in March, weeks after he began drinking bottles filled with ByHeart formula.
Katie Connolly, 37, of Lafayette, California, said her daughter, M.C., then 8 months old, was hospitalized in April and treated for botulism after being fed ByHeart formula in hopes of helping the baby sleep.
For months, neither mother had any idea where the infections could have originated. Such illnesses in babies typically are caused by spores spread in the environment or by contaminated honey.
Then ByHeart recalled all of its products nationwide on Nov. 11 in connection with growing cases of infant botulism.
As soon as she heard it was ByHeart, Mazziotti said she thought: “This cannot be a coincidence.”
ByHeart officials this week confirmed that laboratory tests of previously unopened formula found that some samples were contaminated with the type of bacteria that leads to infant botulism.
Marler said at least three other cases that predate the outbreak involved babies who drank ByHeart and were treated for botulism, according to their families. One consumed ByHeart formula in December 2024. The other two were sickened later in the spring, he said.
An official with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said federal investigators were aware of reports of earlier illnesses but that efforts are focused now on understanding the unusual surge of dozens of infections documented since Aug. 1.
“That doesn’t mean that they’re not necessarily part of this,” said Dr. Jennifer Cope, a CDC scientist leading the probe. “It’s just that right now, we’re focusing on this large increase.”
Because so much time has passed and because parents of babies who got sick earlier may not have recorded lot numbers of product or kept empty cans of formula, “it will make it harder to definitively link them” to the outbreak, Cope said.
Connolly said it feels like her daughter has been forgotten.
“What I want to know is why did the cases beginning in August flag an investigation, but the cases that began in March did not?” Connolly said.
Cope and other health officials said the strong signal connecting ByHeart to infant botulism cases only became apparent in recent weeks.
Before this outbreak, no powdered infant formula in the U.S. had tested positive for the type of bacteria that leads to botulism, California health officials said. The number of cases also were within an expected range. A test of a can of open formula fed to a sick baby in the spring did not detect the bacterium.
Then, beginning in August and through October, more cases were identified on the East Coast involving a type of toxin rarely detected in the region, officials said. More cases were seen in very young infants and more cases involved ByHeart formula, which accounts for less than 1 percent of infant formula sold in the U.S.
Earlier this month, after a sample from a can of ByHeart formula fed to a sick infant tested positive for the germ that leads to illness, officials notified the CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the public.
Less than 200 cases of infant botulism are reported in the U.S. each year. The disease is caused when babies ingest spores that germinate in the gut and produce a toxin. The bacterium that leads to illness is ubiquitous in the environment, including soil and water, so the source is often unknown.
Officials at the California Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program track reports of botulism and the distribution of the only treatment for the illness, an IV medication called BabyBIG.
Outside food safety experts said the CDC should count earlier cases as part of the outbreak if babies consumed ByHeart formula and were treated for botulism.
“Absolutely, yes, they should be included,” said Frank Yiannas, former deputy commissioner for food policy and response at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Why wouldn’t they be included?”
Sandra Eskin, chief executive of STOP Foodborne Illness, an advocacy group, agreed.
“This outbreak is traumatic for parents,” she said. “They may have fed their newborns and infants a product they assumed was safe. And now they’re dealing with hospitalization and serious illness of their babies.”
Connolly and Mazziotti said their babies are improving, though they still have some lingering effects. Botulism causes symptoms that include constipation, poor feeding, head and limb weakness and other problems.
After months of uncertainty about the potential cause of the infection, Connolly said she “became completely obsessed” with the link to ByHeart formula. Now, she just wants answers.
“We deserve to know the data that can help us understand how our babies got sick,” she said.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/22/babies-byheart-formula-sick-before-botulism/
Partido de la Juventus suspendido por cánticos racistas de aficionados de la Fiorentina
FLORENCIA, Italia (AP) — El partido de la Juventus contra la Fiorentina fue brevemente detenido el sábado después de que se registraron cánticos racistas y discriminatorios prolongados por parte de los aficionados locales.
Ya se había hecho un anuncio a los 11 minutos para que los aficionados dejaran de dirigir cánticos al exdelantero de la Fiorentina, Dusan Vlahovic, quien es serbio.
Los insultos se volvieron aún más vociferantes cuando inicialmente se le otorgó un penal a la Juventus a los 14 minutos después de que Pablo Mari pareciera derribar a Vlahovic, pero la decisión fue revocada tras revisar el video.
El árbitro estaba a punto de reiniciar el partido, pero en su lugar tuvo que decirle al capitán de la Fiorentina, Gianluca Mancini, que pidiera a los aficionados que dejaran de cantar.
Es el tercer año consecutivo que hay cánticos racistas hacia Vlahovic, quien dejó la Fiorentina de manera conflictiva en enero de 2022.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Fuerza Aérea holandesa dispara contra drones que sobrevolaban base militar en Volkel
Associated Press
ÁMSTERDAM (AP) — El ejército holandés abrió fuego contra drones sobre la Base Aérea de Volkel, en el este del país, pero no se recuperaron restos, informó el sábado el Ministerio de Defensa.
El personal de seguridad de la base reportó la presencia de los drones entre las 7:00 de la tarde y las 9:00 de la noche del viernes, lo que llevó a la fuerza aérea a disparar armas desde tierra para derribarlos, según un comunicado del ministerio.
“Los drones abandonaron el área y no fueron recuperados”, decía el comunicado.
En las últimas semanas, se han reportado una serie de incidentes que involucran vuelos de drones no identificados cerca de sitios militares en los Países Bajos y en la vecina Bélgica.
Tanto el ejército holandés como la policía civil investigan el incidente, según el Ministerio de Defensa, que dijo desconocer por el momento por qué los drones volaban sobre y alrededor de la base aérea. No se proporcionaron más detalles, citando razones de seguridad.
La Base Aérea de Volkel es utilizada por la Real Fuerza Aérea de los Países Bajos.
En los Países Bajos, el uso de drones cerca de todos los aeropuertos está prohibido por razones de seguridad de vuelo, además de otras razones de seguridad en torno a las instalaciones militares, según el comunicado.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
What is Trump’s 28-point plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine?
BERLIN — President Vladimir Putin of Russia said a 28-point plan that President Donald Trump is pressuring Ukraine to accept could “serve as a foundation for a final peace agreement.”
It would also be a big victory for the Russian leader, placing limits on Western power, forcing Ukraine to cede territory it hasn’t lost on the battlefield, restricting the size of its military and ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, whom Trump has given until Thursday to accept the plan, warned that his country faced “one of the most difficult moments in its history.”
What is in the plan?
It is a U.S.-backed peace proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine that would have Ukraine capitulate on most of Putin’s demands.
There are almost no concessions from Moscow in exchange. The plan does drop an earlier, far-fetched demand by Putin and his negotiators that Ukraine withdraw troops from the entire four regions that Russia “annexed” in 2022. Kyiv still controls large sections of three of them.
The plan was formed at the end of October by Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy.
“We feel the Russian position is really being heard,” Dmitriev told Axios this past week.
What would Russia get?
The plan would achieve most of Putin’s goals. Under the proposal, Ukraine would emerge as a severely weakened neutral state with vague security guarantees from its Western allies and significant limits on its ability to defend itself.
The Donetsk and Luhansk regions, along with Crimea, would be recognized as de facto Russian. Ukraine would withdraw from the part of Donetsk that it controls, leaving a demilitarized buffer zone recognized as Russia. Russia would keep the parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions it occupies.
Putin would also achieve limits on Western power. The plan would rule out the deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine and all further expansion of that military alliance.
The strength of Ukraine’s military would be capped. All parties would receive amnesty for actions during the war.
Moscow would also receive gradual relief from sanctions and be reintegrated into global trade at a time when its economy is at its weakest point since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Moscow would be invited to rejoin the Group of 8 major industrialized nations and, ultimately, sign U.S. economic cooperation agreements.
What would Ukraine get?
Ukraine would gain little other than a halt to the war.
The plan would give Kyiv vague security guarantees. If Russia were to invade again, the plan calls for an unspecified decisive and coordinated military response, and the reinstatement of sanctions against Russia.
Ukraine is allowed to seek membership in the European Union under the plan. Also in the plan: investing $100 billion of frozen Russian assets in a U.S.-led effort to rebuild Ukraine, matched by an equal sum from Europe.
Russia would withdraw from the small amount of territory it holds in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.
Ukraine could also get political instability. The plan demands elections be held within 100 days, potentially ushering out Zelenskyy, a long-standing goal of Putin’s.
What has Russia said?
At a meeting with his security council Friday, Putin said he had received the text of the plan.
“However, it is not being discussed in detail with us,” the Russian leader said. He said this was probably because Washington had yet to secure agreements from Ukraine and its European backers.
Putin said Russia would be content to continue taking Ukrainian cities by force, “perhaps not as quickly as we would prefer, but inevitably.”
But he said that Moscow was also ready for negotiations, which would require “substantive and meaningful discussion of all aspects of the proposed plan.”
What was Ukraine’s response?
Zelenskyy said Friday in an address to the Ukrainian people that the time had potentially come to choose between losing their dignity or U.S. support.
The Ukrainian leader vowed to propose alternatives to the plan in a “constructive search for solutions.” He said he would not give Russia any reason to say that Ukraine wasn’t ready for diplomacy or didn’t want peace.
He said Ukraine was facing a choice between the difficult 28 points and an extraordinarily hard winter.
What are the incentives for peace?
The situation on the battlefield is increasingly perilous for the Ukrainians, who have been losing territory in the east. It is unclear how long Ukraine can hold out against an enemy with a vast domestic weapons industry and a population that is nearly four times larger.
Russia is facing its own economic pressures, owing in part to new U.S. sanctions on Russian oil producers that have further reduced hydrocarbon income and strained the wartime budget.
The plan involves large concessions by the United States and its Western allies that the Biden administration would not have abided.
Putin may seek to secure those wins, realizing that the winds could change in Washington.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/22/trumps-plan-russia-ukraine-war/
Gobierno venezolano rechaza ejercicios militares conjuntos de Trinidad y Tobago y EEUU
Associated Press
CARACAS (AP) — El ministro de Defensa venezolano Vladimir Padrino rechazó el sábado las maniobras y ejercicios militares que realiza Estados Unidos en la cercana Trinidad y Tobago, país al que acusó de “prestar su territorio” para amenazar a Venezuela.
“Rechazamos contundentemente maniobras, ejercicios y despliegues en nuestra área cercana de interés en Venezuela, basta ya de mentiras, de injurias”, dijo Padrino durante un evento público de homenaje a músicos venezolanos.
Las autoridades de Trinidad y Tobago anunciaron días atrás la ejecución por segunda ocasión de ejercicios militares conjuntos con Estados Unidos, en medio de las operaciones que Washington mantiene en el Caribe y que según el presidente Donald Trump buscan combatir al narcotráfico en la región.
El ministro de Defensa venezolano aseveró que “las aguas que apenas nos distancian de un pueblo hermano como Trinidad y Tobago… esas aguas no se mueven ahorita por su marea natural sino se mueven porque hay presencia de destructores, presencia de buques anfibios, moviendo esas aguas de manera contra natura”.
Según Padrino los ejercicios militares son “completamente deliberados para amenazar a Venezuela, y cuando amenazan a Venezuela están amenazando a todo el continente”.
“Maniobras inocentes, eso no existe”, puntualizó Padrino al tiempo de señalar que “triste es que el gobierno de Trinidad y Tobago preste su territorio, degrade su territorio, su soberanía para que se posen ahí instrumentos para la muerte la destrucción masiva de los pueblos como son buques de guerra, aviones”.
Las fuerzas militares de Estados Unidos han llevado a cabo desde septiembre una serie de ataques contra embarcaciones sospechosas de traficar drogas en aguas internacionales del Caribe y el océano Pacífico, incluidas varios botes que, afirman, partieron de Venezuela. Al menos 80 personas han muerto.
En tanto, el canciller venezolano Yván Gil difundió en su canal de Telegram misivas que dijo fueron enviadas por los presidentes de Rusia, Vladímir Putin, y de China, Xi Jinping, en la víspera del cumpleaños del presidente Nicolás Maduro, expresando su respaldo a Venezuela y rechazando todo tipo de injerencia externa.
“China rechaza categóricamente las injerencias de las fuerzas externas en los asuntos internos de Venezuela bajo cualquier pretexto”, dijo un comunicado, atribuido a Xi.
En tanto, la carta de Putin señala que Rusia continuará la “asociación estratégica entre Moscú y Caracas” y expresó su confianza que Venezuela “superará con dignidad todas las pruebas y defenderá sus intereses legítimos en estos tiempos turbulentos”.
Pese a las persistentes tensiones, Trump no descartó entablar un diálogo con Maduro, pero al mismo tiempo su gobierno ha señalado que se apresta a designar como organización terrorista a un cártel que afirma es encabezado por Maduro y otros altos funcionarios del gobierno venezolano.
Review: ‘A Night of Mellon Collie’ at Lyric Opera reveals itself as a very Billy Corgan operatic concert
There was no shortage of curiosity and surprise on Friday for the world premiere of Billy Corgan’s “A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness” at Lyric Opera. Having been kept for months a tight-lipped secret about what the concert would constitute, the adaptation of the Smashing Pumpkins’ grandiose 1995 double album in operatic form validated the core strengths of its compositions — and reinforced Corgan’s unofficial status as the biggest romantic of his generation.
Rather than presenting the acclaimed record as a character-based narrative akin to a traditional opera, the roughly 90-minute program (plus an intermission) wisely focused on the music’s greatest assets. Namely, the sweeping melodies, majestic architecture, baroque accents and quirky flourishes that distinguish it from the work of the band’s peers. More frequently than not, the elements warranted the elevated treatment provided by the world-class Lyric ensemble.
Songs piqued curiosities with new structures devised by Corgan and arranger-conductor James Lowe. They took on refreshed context due to the sonic overhaul and savvy choices to deviate from the record’s original running order and forgo any attempt to stuff all 28 tracks into the show. Because of and despite its flaws, “A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness” is at heart an ode to undying possibility and hope — and a sincere love letter to Chicago.
The decision to reimagine the Smashing Pumpkins’ guitar-driven magnum opus for the opera house has generated considerable buzz. All seven performances of the run are nearly sold out. Part of the excitement stems from the fact that “A Night of Mellon Collie” represents a creative progression to the conventions that some listeners, rightly or not, associate with the Italian art form. Importantly, the project also offers a chance for the institution to reach audiences that normally don’t step through its doors.
The 30th anniversary of the album and connection to Corgan, a Chicago native and Highland Park resident, compound the significance. A longtime Lyric audience member, he started mulling ideas after seeing the company’s rendition of Mozart’s “Requiem” in March 2024. Discussions ensued, and soon after, the Smashing Pumpkins leader began collaborating with Lowe.
Though translating a record that is neither a concept album nor rock opera for the Lyric’s stage might strike some as odd, “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” lends itself to the transition more intrinsically than most any other so-called alt-rock effort. Brimming with wide-lens expansiveness and boundary-defying ambition, it signaled what for Corgan remains a personal trademark: A desire to think and go big, to risk indulgence no matter the prevailing trend or critical consequence.
Those characteristics help shape and characterize “A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness,” the main difference being that Corgan — usually the central figure in everything he does — largely remains unseen. Though he performs for five songs, he ceded the spotlight to Lowe, the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus and four guest vocalists.
Billy Corgan performs with the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus in “A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness” at Lyric Opera of Chicago. (Cory Weaver)
In a break from the norm, the Lyric Orchestra sat on the stage and the Chorus struck an imposing presence behind them on risers. Soprano Sydney Mancasola, mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams, tenor Dominick Valdés Chenes and baritone Edward Parks joined Corgan on the rotating lead singing roles. Singers entered and exited from the wings and any physical acting was kept to a minimum, given the lack of a plot. All five vocalists appeared together only during the “Tonight, Tonight” finale.
Costumes — designed by Chloe Mendel Corgan (Corgan’s wife) and her father, fashion veteran Gilles Mendel — paid tribute to black-tie tradition while embracing a hint of whimsy. The elegant tailcoats, suits and gowns fit the setting and never drew attention away from the music.
The main visual flair arrived via a delightful mix of illustrations and animations projected on a backdrop screen. Mirroring and expanding upon the antique aesthetics of the album artwork, they incorporated steampunk, Victorian, Art Deco and gothic imagery, with Chicago at the center of it all.
Coming across as a combination of “The Wizard of Oz,” the 1933 Century of Progress World’s Fair and the real downtown Chicago, the graphic visions of the city blended fantasy and reality. Landscapes frequently evoked vintage travel posters and resembled stained-glass panels that captured the awe of urban buildings and innovation.
Landmarks like the Board of Trade, Willis Tower, Tribune Tower, Merchandise Mart, Navy Pier and Marina City Towers shared real estate with the “L,” the lake and skyline. Zeppelins and steam-powered airships zoomed above. Clouds and distant universes framed the horizon. Visuals went hand-in-glove not with the words but with the pace and mood of the arrangements. When the latter turned dark, despondent or threatening, the imagery followed. Storms and waves erupted; large buildings multiplied, acting as walls and traps. The daytime scenery of Act 1 concluded with a sunset and Act 2 was set at night.
Dominick Valdés Chenes, Zoie Reams, Billy Corgan, Edward Parks and Sydney Mancasola perform with the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus in “A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness” at Lyric Opera of Chicago. (Cory Weaver)
Likely owing to the English deliveries, the Lyric bypassed its customary surtitles, which may have left those unfamiliar with Corgan’s texts guessing at meanings. All the better to home in on the tunefulness and colors. Some of the opera’s stumbling blocks occurred when lyrics gained too prominent a foothold.
Sung in serious fashion and in a low register by the Lyric Chorus, the opening lines of a sophisticated reconstitution of “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” sounded out of step with the vitriolic sentiments. “By Starlight,” which crossed into lounge territory, and a classically dramatic “Jellybelly,” similarly felt ill-suited.
Not every Smashing Pumpkins fan, let alone opera buff, will gravitate to “A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness.” Yet the interior depth and warm beauty of most of the arrangements, and the consideration behind the sequencing and audiovisual pairings, make it a unique hybrid that explodes the epic scope, soft mysteries and bittersweet ingredients of Corgan’s original material. He beamed with pride.
Indeed, when he first stepped on stage to sing “Thirty-Three,” Corgan attempted to maintain a serious poker face. Upon looking out at the crowd, he couldn’t prevent a smile from forming at the corner of his mouth. There he stood, the famously ego-strong star, star-struck by the new enterprise, recognizing his opera had become a reality.
Whether “A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness” will fly outside Chicago remains questionable. For now, the Lyric, the city and one of its hometown heroes stake claim to an unusual cultural asset.
Bob Gendron is a freelance critic.
Act 1
“Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness”
“Tonight, Tonight” (partial)
“Jellybelly”
“Galapagos”
“Thirty-Three”
“Tonight, Tonight” (reprise)
“Beautiful”
“Muzzle”
“Lily (My One and Only)”
“Stumbeline”
“Thru the Eyes of Ruby”
Act 2
“In the Arms of Sleep”
“1979”
“By Starlight”
“Bullet with Butterfly Wings”
“To Forgive”
“Cupid de Locke”
“Porcelina of the Vast Oceans”
“Tonight, Tonight” (full)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/22/review-mellon-collie-lyric/
Vance Blasts Critics Of Trump’s Ukraine Peace Plan As “Living In A Fantasy Land”
Vance Blasts Critics Of Trump’s Ukraine Peace Plan As “Living In A Fantasy Land”
As expected, President Trump’s 28-point peace plan has quickly seen plenty of pushback in Europe, given it is the first ever such US proposal to focus on Ukraine giving up land. Specifically Crimea, and most of Luhansk and Donetsk would be placed under “de facto” Russian control.
While Moscow would be made to direct $100 billion in frozen assets to Ukrainian reconstruction, sanctions on Russia would be dropped and it would be welcomed back into the global economy. But hawks want to see Russia ‘punished’ and are pressing to give Ukraine military support for as long as it takes to push Russian forces out of the east.
Vice President J.D. Vance is calling on these hawks to come back to reality. In a social media post he began by outlining that the plan contains the following elements for a successful peace agreement: “1) Stop the killing while preserving Ukrainian sovereignty. 2) Be acceptable to both Russia and Ukraine. 3) Maximize the chances the war doesn’t restart.”
“Every criticism of the peace framework the administration is working on either misunderstands the framework or misstates some critical reality on the ground,” he continued on X.
He then called out fanatical anti-Russia hawks for living in fantasy land…
“There is a fantasy that if we just give more money, more weapons, or more sanctions, victory is at hand,” the vice president continued. “Peace won’t be made by failed diplomats or politicians living in a fantasy land. It might be made by smart people living in the real world.”
The sharp rebuke to some European leaders as well as critics in the United States came just ahead of expected talks in Geneva on Sunday.
Axios is reporting the talks to be held on Sunday, with the Europeans and Ukrainians will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and will include White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.
“I would like to get to PEACE… We’re trying to get it ended. One way or the other, we have to get it ended,” says @POTUS on his Russia-Ukraine peace proposal.
If Zelensky rejects the plan, “then he can continue to fight his little heart out.” pic.twitter.com/h4DJ4yfZHy
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 22, 2025
Driscoll was in Kiev as the first to sit down with President Zelensky and pitch it. Zelensky’s response was to describe a heavy situation where Ukraine may have to either keep its dignity or risk losing an important ally. The US is calling for a deadline to sign the deal of next Thursday, or Thanksgiving Day in the United States.
A US official has told Axios, “We’re continuing to work with the Ukrainians to make this the best deal for them. We can’t speak to … their position, but the deal has — and always has been — a collaboration between the U.S., Ukrainians and the Russians.”
Zelensky himself spoke truth back March 2022: “There are those in the West who don’t mind a long war because it would mean exhausting Russia, even if this means the demise of Ukraine & comes at the cost of Ukrainian lives.”
Everyone shrieking that the new US peace plan betrays Ukraine has in fact betrayed Ukraine by exploiting its divisions, backing a coup, sabotaging reasonable diplomatic opportunities, and using it to bleed Russia.
Zelensky said it best back in March 2022:
“There are those in… pic.twitter.com/Kg03X7fdAK
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) November 21, 2025
And another anonymous source said, “The talks in Geneva show how much the Trump administration is engaging with all parties on the peace plan for Ukraine and the doubters claiming otherwise are flat out wrong.”
President Trump appears ready to ‘cut off’ intelligence-sharing and weapons for Ukraine, saying Saturday that “Zelensky can keep fighting his heart out if he rejects the plan.”
Meanwhile EU leaders preparing for a fight with the Trump White House over Ukraine’s future path…
America’s major democratic allies — UK, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, Poland, Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Spain — push back on the Vance-Dmitriev plan’s most problematic points, say the draft “is a basis which will require additional work,” and reaffirm support for… pic.twitter.com/oqwNBnPkvZ
— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) November 22, 2025
Trump’s message to Europe, and the skeptics and critics of the plan on Saturday: “I would like to get to peace… We’re trying to get it ended. One way or the other, we have to get it ended,” he said from the White House lawn.
Tyler Durden
Sat, 11/22/2025 – 13:25
Comisión: Texas A&M se equivocó al despedir a profesora por lección sobre identidad de género
Por THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Una comisión de Texas A&M determinó que la universidad se equivocó al despedir a una profesora a principios de este año tras una polémica sobre un video en el aula que mostraba a un estudiante objetando una lección de literatura infantil sobre identidad de género.
La comisión interna dictaminó que la universidad no siguió los procedimientos adecuados y no demostró que hubiera una causa justificada para despedir a Melissa McCoul, quien era profesora titular en el Departamento de Inglés con más de una década de experiencia docente. Legisladores republicanos, incluyendo el gobernador Greg Abbott, habían pedido su despido tras ver el video.
La comisión votó unánimemente a principios de esta semana que “el despido sumario de la doctora McCoul no estaba justificado”. La universidad señaló en un comunicado que el presidente interino de la universidad, Tommy Williams, ha recibido la recomendación no vinculante de la comisión y tomará una decisión en los próximos días o semanas después de revisarla.
La abogada de McCoul, Amanda Reichek, dijo que todo apunta a que esta disputa terminará en los tribunales porque al parecer la universidad planea seguir oponiéndose y el presidente interino de la escuela enfrenta la misma presión política.
“La doctora McCoul afirma que las razones endebles ofrecidas por A&M para su despido son un pretexto para la verdadera motivación de la Universidad: el cumplimiento de las exigencias del gobernador Abbott”, dijo Reichek en un comunicado.
El video sacudió el campus y generó fuertes críticas al presidente de la universidad, Mark Welsh, quien luego renunció sin ofrecer una razón ni abordar el video.
Welsh había dicho que McCoul fue despedida tras enterarse de que seguía enseñando contenido en un curso de literatura infantil “que no se alineaba con ninguna expectativa razonable del currículo estándar para el curso”. También dijo que el contenido del curso no coincidía con las descripciones del programa académico. Pero la abogada de la docente rechazó sus declaraciones y dijo que a McCoul nunca se le instruyó que cambiara el contenido de su curso de ninguna manera.
A principios de este mes, los regidores de Texas A&M decidieron que los profesores ahora necesitan recibir la aprobación del presidente de la escuela para discutir algunos temas de raza y género. La nueva política establece que ningún curso académico “abogará por ideologías de raza o género, o temas relacionados con la orientación sexual o la identidad de género” a menos que sea aprobado previamente por un presidente del campus.
Varias universidades de todo el país y sus presidentes, incluyendo Harvard y Columbia, han sido objeto de escrutinio por parte de críticos conservadores y del gobierno del presidente Donald Trump sobre prácticas de diversidad, equidad e inclusión y sus respuestas a las protestas en sus campus.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
