Category: News
Who is Press Taylor? Meet the Chicago Bears’ new offensive coordinator.
The Chicago Bears officially promoted Press Taylor to offensive coordinator Wednesday.
Taylor spent the 2025 season as the team’s passing game coordinator. He will assume the role left vacant after former offensive coordinator Declan Doyle left to take the same job with the Baltimore Ravens.
Taylor has prior experience as an NFL offensive coordinator and gives the Bears some continuity, given that he already was on coach Ben Johnson’s staff. Here’s what to know about the team’s newest coordinator.
How did Press Taylor get here?
Bears passing game coordinator Press Taylor, left, and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle watch the offense practice during training camp at Halas Hall on July 25, 2025, in Lake Forest. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Taylor, 38, came to Chicago after spending three seasons (2022-24) as the Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator. The Jaguars fired coach Doug Pederson after the 2024 season, leaving most of his assistants looking for new jobs.
Taylor landed with the Bears as passing game coordinator. In that role, he worked with Johnson, Doyle and the rest of the offensive staff to build a game plan for quarterback Caleb Williams and his targets.
What’s his coaching background?
An Oklahoma native, Taylor began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Tulsa from 2011-12. He worked on Chip Kelly’s staff with the Philadelphia Eagles as an offensive quality control coach from 2013-15.
The Eagles fired Kelly in 2015 and replaced him with Pederson, who kept Taylor on staff and promoted him to assistant quarterbacks coach. Taylor became the primary quarterbacks coach in 2018 and added passing game coordinator to his title in 2020.
When the Eagles fired Pederson after the 2020 season, Taylor went to work for former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who had taken the head coaching job with the Indianapolis Colts. Taylor spent one season in Indianapolis in 2021 as a senior offensive assistant before Pederson landed the head coaching job in Jacksonville and hired Taylor as his offensive coordinator.
Which quarterbacks has he worked with?
Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor walks the sideline during a game against the Colts on Oct. 6, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
When Taylor was the Eagles assistant quarterbacks coach in 2016-17, he worked primarily with Carson Wentz, who finished third in MVP voting in 2017. He also worked with Nick Foles, who led the Eagles to a Super Bowl title in the 2017 season after Wentz tore his ACL.
As the primary quarterbacks coach in Philadelphia from 2018-20, Taylor worked with Wentz, Foles and Jalen Hurts after the Eagles drafted Hurts in 2020. Taylor reconnected with Wentz during his lone season in Indianapolis, in which Wentz started all 17 games for the Colts.
As the offensive coordinator in Jacksonville, Taylor worked with 2021 No. 1 draft pick Trevor Lawrence, who went to the Pro Bowl in 2022. And Taylor already has a year of experience working with Williams in 2025.
Where did he come from?
Bengals coach Zac Taylor, left, talks to his brother, Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor, before a game Dec. 4, 2023, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Taylor is the son of Sherwood and Julie Taylor. Sherwood Taylor played safety for coach Barry Switzer at Oklahoma in the late 1970s and was a team captain for the 1979 Sooners.
They settled in Norman, Okla., and had four children — two boys and two girls. Eldest son Zac Taylor is the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. Sherwood keeps a tally of his boys’ head-to-head matchups on a trophy he keeps at home. Press currently leads 3-2-1 after the Bears’ wild 47-42 win in Cincinnati in November.
Both Taylor boys played quarterback at Norman High School. Press went on to win back-to-back junior college national championships at Butler Community College in Kansas in 2007 and 2008. He went 17-1 as a starter there. He then transferred to Marshall, where he served as a backup for two seasons.
Press Taylor and his wife, Brooklyn, have four children.
If Ben Johnson calls plays, what does the offensive coordinator do?
Presumably, Johnson will continue to call plays on game days and will remain the guiding force behind the Bears offense. But his offensive coordinator takes on a big role in helping to design the offense and teaching all of its intricate aspects to the players.
Asked what he needed in an offensive coordinator a year ago during his introductory news conference, Johnson stressed that he needed someone who was detail-oriented and could take a deep dive into how best to attack the opposing defense each week.
“It’s going to be critical for me to find somebody that can organize and structure and set the table, particularly early in the week,” Johnson said then. “I have been around a number of guys that have called plays in the past, and I’ve seen the potential pitfalls that could arise as you’re approaching the entire football team and you can’t get to watching as much tape early in the week as you possibly could.
“The offensive coordinator position is going to have to be somebody that not only I trust but will be extremely detail-oriented, organized and structured to set the table and also be willing to work late nights.”
Moving forward, that will be Taylor’s job. Taylor did call plays for much of his time as the coordinator in Jacksonville, so he should have a good idea of what will make Johnson’s job easier on game days.
When Doyle was the coordinator, he watched the games from the coaches box. With Johnson on the sideline, he’ll probably want his offensive coordinator to continue being his eyes in the sky, although the Bears have plenty of time to figure out such logistics.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/18/chicago-bears-press-taylor-new-offensive-coordinator/
Diócesis católica de Nueva Jersey acuerda pagar $180 millones por abusos sexuales del clero
Por MIKE CATALINI
TRENTON, Nueva Jersey, EE.UU. (AP) — Una diócesis católica de Nueva Jersey llegó esta semana a un acuerdo por 180 millones de dólares para resolver denuncias de abuso sexual por parte del clero, una cifra que supera con creces los convenios de algunas diócesis grandes, pero que, aun así, queda empequeñecida frente a otros arreglos de gran magnitud.
El obispo Joseph Williams, de la Diócesis de Camden, que abarca el sur de Nueva Jersey y sus suburbios de Filadelfia, anunció el acuerdo el martes en una carta.
“Para los sobrevivientes del sur de Nueva Jersey, este día llega con mucho retraso y representa un hito en su camino hacia el restablecimiento de la justicia y la sanación y el reconocimiento que desde hace mucho tiempo han buscado y merecen”, señaló Williams.
El miércoles se envió un mensaje a un grupo de sobrevivientes de abusos en busca de comentarios.
Greg Gianforcaro, uno de los abogados que representa a las víctimas que demandan a la diócesis, atribuyó el logro del acuerdo a la perseverancia de los sobrevivientes.
“Ha sido una batalla extremadamente larga y ardua”, señaló el abogado en una entrevista telefónica.
Se trata del acuerdo más reciente en un escándalo que se desató hace más de dos décadas, cuando en Boston salió a la luz la magnitud de los abusos y el esfuerzo de la Iglesia por ocultarlos. El acuerdo de Nueva Jersey supera los convenios de aproximadamente 80 millones de dólares en Boston y Filadelfia, aunque los arreglos en California fueron mucho más altos. En 2024, la Arquidiócesis de Los Ángeles acordó un pago de 880 millones de dólares.
El acuerdo de Camden llega a menos de un año de que la diócesis retirara su objeción a la investigación de un jurado investigador del estado de Nueva Jersey sobre décadas de presuntos abusos sexuales de menores por parte de religiosos. Desde entonces, la Corte Suprema estatal dictaminó que la investigación del estado podía seguir adelante.
La diócesis de Camden, al igual que otras en todo el país, se declaró en quiebra en medio de una avalancha de demandas después de que se flexibilizara el plazo de prescripción.
En 2022, la diócesis acordó pagar 87,5 millones de dólares para resolver denuncias de abuso sexual por parte del clero presentadas por unos 300 denunciantes, uno de los mayores acuerdos en efectivo relacionados con la Iglesia católica en Estados Unidos. Según los abogados de las víctimas, el anuncio del acuerdo más reciente incluye esos fondos.
La diócesis de Camden abarca seis condados del sur de Nueva Jersey fuera de Filadelfia. El acuerdo aún debe ser aprobado por un tribunal de quiebra.
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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.
Gary Black Film Fest celebrates 15th year with Friday and Saturday screenings
Indiana state Rep. Vernon Smith, founder and board president of the African American Achievers, believes Black History Month in February is just one of the many reasons to applaud the accomplishments of Gary native-turned-Hollywood film star William L. Johnson.
February marks the 15th anniversary since Smith and the African American Achievers Youth Corps, Inc. first partnered with other local groups to sponsor the film festival dedicated to Johnson and hosted by the actor, who attended Wirt High School before graduating from Emerson Visual and Performing Arts High School.
The 15th annual Black Film Festival launches Friday, Feb 20, and is condensed this year from three days to two days of movie screenings and workshops at the Glen Theatre, 20 West Ridge Road in Gary. The 2026 festival includes genres of comedy, crime, drama, romance and thrillers, each with a specific Black-infused theme.
“To make it to a 15-year milestone year for this festival is a reason for all of us to be proud, and especially a chance to welcome home Bill Johnson as the inspiration for not just this festival but also for so many young people inspired by the arts,” Smith said.
The festival begins Friday and continues through Saturday with more than a dozen film selections, both full features and short subjects. The festival launches with a 6:30 p.m. reception Friday. Tickets are sold in advance for $20 and are available for $25 at the door. Saturday tickets sell for $15 in advance and $20 at the door.
Advance tickets are available by calling 219-887-2046; at Eventbrite.com; or by visiting filmfreeway.com/BillJohnsonBlackFilmFestival.
After the reception, the festival opens with a multi-screening of short films including “Unclaimed Seat,” “A Lovely Family,” “Threads of Forgiveness,” “Becoming Sidney” and “The Before and Angeleno.” The Friday feature film highlight is “Where is Your Faith?”, a 90-minute new film produced by and starring Bill Johnson, as a pastor questioning his faith as he tries to save an established woman parishioner contemplating ending her life after her faith is shaken by recent events.
On Saturday, the festival begins at 7 p.m. and opens with a series of short pieces including “King’s Betrayal,” “Frame of Evidence,” “The UNBecoming,” “High Road,” “A Night With No Gun” and “SOCRATES.” The feature film for the Saturday showcase is “Absence of Heart,” written by Andre T. Hillard and starring actor Johnson, detailing a husband’s office affair and how a young wife and mother opts to cope while dismissing treatment for her life-threatening illness in hopes of mending her splintered family.
“This is the first time in the past few years I’ve had some of my own completed films be included in the festival to be screened,” said Johnson, speaking by phone from his home in Los Angeles Tuesday.
“With technology and AI, so much has changed in this industry for filmmaking and screenwriting, to acting and voiceover careers. This is just one of the topics for our festival discussions and question-and-answer segments.”
Sponsors for the festival include Brother’s Keeper; Red Roses-Red Hatters Chapter; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority-Gamma Psi Omega Chapter and Sigma Phi Omega Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Omega Psi Phi-AKK Chapter; Froebel Alumni Park Committee; Gary Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority; Froebel Alumni Park Committee; Nat’l Hook Up of Black Women; and African American Achievers Youth Corp., Inc.
“I’m so blessed to be able to come back each year for this festival and for the many supportive friends and groups who make this event happen,” Johnson said.
“This isn’t an easy industry, but it’s so important to promote imagination and creativity for our young audiences and new generations.”
Philip Potempa is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU celebra reunión sobre Gaza antes de Junta de Paz de Trump
Por FARNOUSH AMIRI y EDITH M. LEDERER
NACIONES UNIDAS (AP) — El Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU tiene previsto celebrar una reunión el miércoles sobre el acuerdo de alto al fuego en Gaza y los esfuerzos de Israel por ampliar el control en Cisjordania, antes de que líderes mundiales viajen a Washington para debatir el futuro de los territorios palestinos en el primer encuentro de la Junta de Paz del presidente Donald Trump.
La sesión de la ONU en Nueva York iba a realizarse el jueves, pero se adelantó después de que Trump anunciara la reunión de la junta para esa misma fecha y quedara claro que complicaría los planes de viaje de los diplomáticos que planeaban asistir a ambas. Es una señal sobre el posible conflicto entre el órgano más poderoso de las Naciones Unidas y la nueva iniciativa de Trump, cuyas ambiciones más amplias de mediar en conflictos globales han generado inquietud en algunos países ante la posibilidad de que intente rivalizar con el Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU.
Al ser consultado sobre lo que espera ver de las reuniones consecutivas de esta semana, el embajador palestino ante la ONU, Riyad Mansour, declaró a los periodistas: “Esperamos que la comunidad internacional detenga a Israel y ponga fin a su esfuerzo ilegal de anexión, ya sea en Washington o en Nueva York”.
Se espera que asistan, entre otros, los ministros de Exteriores del Reino Unido, Israel, Jordania, Egipto e Indonesia a la reunión mensual sobre Oriente Medio de los 15 miembros del consejo, después de que muchos países árabes e islámicos solicitaran la semana pasada que se abordaran Gaza y el controvertido proyecto israelí de asentamientos en Cisjordania antes de que algunos de ellos viajen a Washington.
La junta que presidirá Trump fue concebida originalmente como un pequeño grupo de líderes mundiales encargado de supervisar su plan de 20 puntos para el futuro de Gaza. Pero la ambiciosa nueva visión de que la junta actúe como mediadora de conflictos en todo el mundo ha sembrado escepticismo entre aliados importantes.
Aunque más de 20 países han aceptado hasta ahora una invitación para integrarse a la junta, socios cercanos como Francia, Alemania y otros, han optado por no sumarse y han renovado su respaldo a la ONU, que también atraviesa importantes reformas y recortes de financiación.
Mike Waltz, embajador de Estados Unidos ante la ONU, desestimó las preocupaciones sobre la Junta de Paz y dijo al presentador conservador de radio Hugh Hewitt, en una entrevista el lunes, que los países más relevantes, incluidos Qatar y Egipto —que están en contacto con la dirigencia de Hamás—, han aceptado la invitación.
“Todos esos países están en la Junta de Paz, cantando la misma melodía que Estados Unidos”, afirmó.
El Consejo de Seguridad se reunirá un día después de que casi todos sus 15 miembros —salvo Estados Unidos— y decenas de otros diplomáticos se unieran al embajador palestino Mansour mientras leía una declaración en nombre de 80 países y varias organizaciones que condenaba las más recientes acciones de Israel en Cisjordania, exigía una reversión inmediata y subrayaba una “fuerte oposición a cualquier forma de anexión”.
Israel, cuya misión ante la ONU no respondió a solicitudes de comentarios, está poniendo en marcha un controvertido proceso de regulación de tierras que profundizará su control en la Cisjordania ocupada. El ministro israelí de Energía, Eli Cohen, señaló que equivale a una “soberanía de facto” que bloqueará el establecimiento de un Estado palestino.
Palestinos indignados, países árabes y grupos de derechos humanos han calificado las medidas como una anexión ilegal del territorio, hogar de aproximadamente 3,4 millones de palestinos que lo reclaman para un futuro Estado.
La reunión de la ONU además está prevista a profundizar en el acuerdo mediado por Estados Unidos que entró en vigor el 10 de octubre, tras más de dos años de guerra entre Israel y Hamás. El Reino Unido, que actualmente ostenta la presidencia del consejo, indicó que la reunión incluirá informes de la jefa de asuntos políticos de la ONU, Rosemary DiCarlo, y de representantes de la sociedad civil israelí y palestina por primera vez desde los ataques del 7 de octubre.
Algunos aspectos del acuerdo han avanzado, entre ellos la liberación por parte de Hamás de todos los rehenes que mantenía y el aumento de la ayuda humanitaria que ingresa a Gaza, aunque la ONU afirma que el nivel es insuficiente. Se ha designado un nuevo comité tecnocrático para administrar los asuntos cotidianos de Gaza.
Pero los pasos más difíciles aún están por delante, incluida la implementación de una fuerza internacional de seguridad, el desarme de Hamás y la reconstrucción de Gaza.
Trump dijo esta semana que los miembros de la Junta de Paz han prometido 5.000 millones de dólares para la reconstrucción de Gaza y que comprometerán a miles de efectivos para fuerzas internacionales de estabilización y policiales en el territorio. No dio detalles. El ejército de Indonesia afirma unos 8.000 de sus soldados estarán listos para finales de junio para un posible despliegue en Gaza.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Big Tech Turns To Uranium As Data Center Power Demand Soars
Big Tech Turns To Uranium As Data Center Power Demand Soars
Big Tech is considering supporting new uranium mining projects as companies need additional reliable power capacity for their huge data center expansion, according to the top executive of Canadian uranium miner NexGen Energy.
“It’s coming. You’ve seen it with automakers. These tech companies, they’re under an obligation to ensure the hundreds of billions that they are investing in the data centres are going to be powered,” NexGen Energy’s CEO Leigh Curyer said at a Melbourne Mining Club luncheon on Wednesday, as carried by Reuters.
As OilPrice reports, NexGen Energy, which is developing Canada’s largest uranium project, Rook I in Saskatchewan, has held early talks with technology companies over potential financing from data center developers, Curyer said.
The uranium developer has also discussed long-term uranium supply with data center firms.
Yet, potential funding or supply deals will not involve any changes to the control of NexGen Energy, the chief executive told Reuters.
Global electricity demand increased by 3% annually in 2025, following growth of 4.4% in 2024, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its recent Electricity 2026 report.
Between 2026 and 2030, the annual average growth rate would be 3.6%, driven by higher consumption from industry, electric vehicles (EVs), air conditioning, and data centers, according to the agency.
Artificial intelligence, data centers, and advanced manufacturing support the return to growth in power demand in advanced economies, the IEA said.
U.S. electricity demand rose by 2.1% in 2025 and is expected to grow by nearly 2% annually through 2030. The rapid expansion of data centers will drive half of the increase, the agency noted.
The U.S. is backing nuclear power generation to help meet rising electricity demand.
Nuclear energy will be one of the winners of the U.S. AI and data center boom, as Microsoft and other hyperscalers have been looking to purchase zero-carbon electricity to power up their data centers, which are consuming growing amounts of electricity.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 02/18/2026 – 11:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/big-tech-turns-uranium-data-center-power-demand-soars
Apple Races To Build Smart Glasses To Take On Meta AI Ray-Bans
Apple Races To Build Smart Glasses To Take On Meta AI Ray-Bans
Apple learned the hard way that a $3,500 Apple Vision Pro is well out of reach for the average consumer, while the sub-$500 Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses sit in the sweet spot and have been in hot demand.
Vision Pro
Vs.
Meta smart glasses
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, citing people familiar with Apple’s product roadmap, reports that the company is accelerating work on three new wearables: smart glasses, a pendant-style device, and AirPods with expanded AI features, all centered around the Siri assistant.
However, Bloomberg reported last week that the latest upgraded version of Siri has encountered development headwinds, potentially delaying the release of several highly anticipated features.
Gurman’s report on new Apple smart glasses to take on Meta’s glasses follows a recent Omdia note saying Apple’s AR glasses are likely coming in 2028, while Meta could launch its version months earlier, likely in 2027.
We’ve long tracked the flop of Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro and have consistently argued that Meta’s more affordable smart glasses are the clear winner. More recently, we flagged the key supplier behind the Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses (see the note here).
Tyler Durden
Wed, 02/18/2026 – 11:05
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/apple-races-build-ai-smart-glasses-take-metas-ray-bans
Gobierno de Trump apela orden de restaurar exhibición sobre esclavitud
Por MARYCLAIRE DALE
FILADELFIA (AP) — El gobierno de Trump apelará la orden de una jueza federal de restablecer una exhibición en Filadelfia sobre las nueve personas esclavizadas por George Washington en su antigua casa en Independence Mall.
El Departamento de Justicia insiste en que solo el gobierno puede decidir qué historias se cuentan en las propiedades del Servicio de Parques Nacionales. Trabajadores del servicio de parques retiraron abruptamente el mes pasado las exhibiciones del sitio de Filadelfia, lo que llevó a la ciudad y a otros partidarios de la muestra a presentar una demanda.
La jueza Cynthia M. Rufe concedió una orden judicial el lunes que ordena restituir los materiales mientras avanza la demanda y le prohíbe al gobierno federal crear nuevas interpretaciones de la historia del sitio. El gobierno presentó el martes un aviso de apelación ante el Tribunal de Apelaciones del 3er Circuito, también con sede en Filadelfia.
Rufe, designada por el presidente republicano George W. Bush, comparó al gobierno del presidente Donald Trump con el régimen totalitario de la novela distópica “1984”, que tergiversaba los registros históricos para alinearlos con su narrativa.
“Como si el Ministerio de la Verdad de ‘1984’ de George Orwell existiera ahora, con su lema ‘La ignorancia es la fuerza’, a este tribunal se le pide determinar si el gobierno federal tiene el poder que afirma tener — el de tergiversar y desmantelar verdades históricas porque tiene dominio sobre los hechos históricos”, escribió Rufe. “No lo tiene”.
Se espera que millones de personas visiten Filadelfia, cuna de la nación, este año por el 250º aniversario de la fundación del país en 1776.
El sitio histórico está entre varios en los que el gobierno ha retirado cualquier contenido que mencione a personas esclavizadas, personas LGBTQ+ o tribus autóctonas.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Chicago Bears make Press Taylor’s promotion to offensive coordinator official and announce other additions
Press Taylor’s promotion to offensive coordinator is the biggest shift on Ben Johnson’s coaching staff after the Chicago Bears won the division and came within one play of reaching the NFC Championship Game.
The team announced Wednesday morning that Taylor has officially been elevated from passing game coordinator to replace Declan Doyle, who departed for the Baltimore Ravens and an offensive coordinator job that offers him a chance to call plays.
Taylor, 38, spent three seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars before joining Johnson’s staff.
Who does what in the Chicago Bears organization? Here’s a breakdown.
As expected, former Bears assistant coach Eric Studesville was named running backs coach. The 58-year-old joined the Bears as a quality control assistant in 1997 on Dave Wannstedt’s staff and spent four seasons with the team working with wide receivers and special teams. The Madison, Wis., native left for the New York Giants as a running backs coach and was with the Miami Dolphins the last nine seasons, overlapping there for two years with Johnson.
The Bears also announced Boston College offensive coordinator Will Lawing will be an offensive analyst. Lawing and Johnson were teammates at North Carolina, and Lawing has previously worked in the NFL with the Houston Texans and New England Patriots.
Isaiah Ford was hired as an offensive quality control assistant. A former wide receiver who was drafted in the seventh round by the Miami Dolphins in 2017 out of Virginia Tech. He played in 32 career games for the Dolphins and spent training camp in 2023 with the Bears before being placed on injured reserve.
The team did not name a passing game coordinator and it’s certainly possible at this point that the staff proceeds without one this season.
With Johnson overseeing the offense and calling the plays — and Taylor’s expertise in the passing game — it’s not necessarily a spot they would have to fill. With assistant head coach/wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El, quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett and even Lawing, the staff won’t be short on assistants to fulfill all tasks and provide ideas.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/18/chicago-bears-press-taylor-coaching-staff/
Wells Fargo Sees ‘YOLO’ Trade Driving $150B Into Bitcoin & Risk Assets
Wells Fargo Sees ‘YOLO’ Trade Driving $150B Into Bitcoin & Risk Assets
Authored by Zoltan Vardai via CoinTelegraph.com,
US tax filers may see bigger refunds in 2026 compared with previous years, a development one Wall Street strategist said may boost risk appetite for digital assets and tech stocks preferred among retail investors.
In a note cited by CNBC, Wells Fargo analyst Ohsung Kwon said the coming refund wave may help bring back the so-called “YOLO” trade, with as much as $150 billion potentially flowing into equities and Bitcoin by the end of March. Kwon said the extra cash could be most visible among higher-income consumers.
“Speculation picks up with bigger savings…we expect YOLO to return,” wrote Wells Fargo analyst Ohsung Kwon in a Sunday note seen by news outlet CNBC.
“Additional savings from tax returns, especially for the high-income consumer will flow back into equities, in our view,” he added.
Kwon said some of that liquidity could move into Bitcoin and into stocks popular with retail traders, including Robinhood and Boeing.
Cointelegraph contacted Wells Fargo for details on the assumptions behind the $150 billion estimate and how much of that total the bank expects could go to digital assets, but had not received a response by publication time.
Bitcoin demand depends on sentiment
While some of the taxpayer funds may flow into Bitcoin and digital assets, it’s important to consider the higher inflation and consumer spending compared to the period during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nicolai Sondergaard, research analyst at crypto intelligence platform Nansen, told Cointelegraph:
“If sentiment starts to come around and retail sees positive upwards momentum in crypto assets, I see that as increasing the likelihood of funds flowing in this direction.”
Conversely, retail investors may opt for other assets with “higher momentum and social stickiness,” if digital asset sentiment doesn’t improve in the near term, he said.
The larger tax returns are due to the passage of US President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which included numerous favorable provisions for 2025 tax filings.
Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law on July 4, 2025, saying it would cut as much as $1.6 trillion in federal spending.
Smart money bets on crypto market downside as whales quietly accumulate
Meanwhile, the whales, or large investors, continue their quiet spot accumulation of the leading cryptocurrencies, while the most profitable traders by returns, tracked as “smart money,” are betting on more crypto market downside.
Smart money trader positions through the Hyperliquid exchange, top tokens. Source: Nansen
Smart money traders were net short on Bitcoin for a cumulative $107 million, along with most of the leading cryptocurrencies excluding Avalanche, according to crypto intelligence platform Nansen.
Still, whales acquired over $41.9 million worth of spot Ether tokens across 22 wallets during the past week, marking a 1.7-fold increase in the spot purchases of this cohort.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 02/18/2026 – 10:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/wells-fargo-sees-yolo-trade-driving-150b-bitcoin-risk-assets
Organismo regulador de EEUU evaluará la nueva vacuna de Moderna contra la influenza
Por LAURAN NEERGAARD
WASHINGTON (AP) — La Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos de Estados Unidos (FDA, por sus siglas en inglés) considerará, después de todo, si aprueba la nueva vacuna contra la influenza de Moderna, lo que resolverá una disputa que había bloqueado la solicitud de la empresa para el medicamento, el primero de su tipo.
La empresa farmacéutica anunció el cambio el miércoles, aproximadamente una semana después de revelar que el jefe de vacunas de la FDA se negaba a revisar la nueva inmunización, elaborada con la tecnología de ARNm ganadora del Premio Nobel.
La disputa se centró en un ensayo clínico con 40.000 personas en el que se concluyó que la nueva vacuna de Moderna era más eficaz en adultos de 50 años o más que una de las inmunizaciones estándar contra la influenza que se usan hoy. En la inusual carta de “negativa de presentación” de la FDA, el director de vacunas, el doctor Vinay Prasad, criticó el ensayo por no haber incluido otra marca recomendada específicamente para las personas de 65 años o más.
Moderna objetó públicamente. Señaló que, si bien la FDA había recomendado ese enfoque, finalmente estuvo de acuerdo con el diseño del estudio, y que la empresa compartió datos adicionales de comparación de un ensayo separado que utilizó una vacuna de dosis alta para personas mayores. La FDA tampoco identificó ninguna preocupación de seguridad.
Aun así, Moderna indicó el miércoles que, como parte de una concertación, busca la aprobación completa para el uso de la vacuna en adultos de 50 a 64 años y una aprobación acelerada para quienes tienen 65 años o más, con un estudio adicional una vez que la vacuna esté en el mercado. Tras el anuncio, las acciones de Moderna Inc. subieron más de un 5% en las operaciones matutinas.
La FDA apunta a tomar una decisión sobre la solicitud para el 5 de agosto, y Moderna dijo que esperaba poner la vacuna a disposición del público en los siguientes meses. También ha solicitado la aprobación de la vacuna en Europa, Canadá y Australia.
La disputa pública, sumamente inusual, fue la señal más reciente del mayor escrutinio de la FDA sobre las vacunas en el mandato del secretario de Salud, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., en particular las que utilizan tecnología de ARNm, que él ha criticado antes y después de convertirse en el principal funcionario de salud del país.
En el último año, funcionarios de la FDA que trabajan bajo las órdenes de Kennedy han dado marcha atrás a recomendaciones sobre las vacunas contra el COVID-19, han añadido advertencias adicionales a las dos principales vacunas contra ese padecimiento —que están hechas con tecnología de ARNm— y han retirado de un panel asesor de la FDA a críticos del enfoque del gobierno.
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El Departamento de Salud y Ciencia de The Associated Press recibe apoyo del Departamento de Educación Científica del Instituto Médico Howard Hughes y de la Fundación Robert Wood Johnson. La AP es la única responsable de todo el contenido.
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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.
