Por TIFFANY STANLEY y DEEPA BHARATH

WASHINGTON (AP) — Un grupo de monjes budistas llegó a Washington, D.C., a pie el martes, caminando en fila india a través de un puente sobre el río Potomac para culminar una caminata de 15 semanas desde Texas que ha cautivado al país.

Los monjes, con sus túnicas color azafrán, se han convertido en figuras destacadas en las redes sociales, junto con su perro rescatado Aloka. Después de pasar la noche del lunes en la Universidad Marymount en Arlington, Virginia, cruzaron el Puente de la Cadena hacia el Distrito de Columbia poco después de las 8 de la mañana el martes.

Caminan por la paz. Ese mensaje sencillo ha resonado en todo Estados Unidos mientras se necesita un respiro del conflicto y las divisiones políticas. Miles de personas se reunieron a lo largo de las carreteras del sur, a menudo en un clima inusualmente frío, para observar la tranquila procesión de los monjes que comenzó a finales de octubre.

Se espera que grandes multitudes los reciban durante su estancia de dos días en Washington. El Departamento de Policía Metropolitana emitió un aviso de tráfico anunciando que habría “cierres de carreteras en movimiento” a lo largo de la ruta de los monjes para garantizar la seguridad de ellos y de los espectadores.

“Mi esperanza es que, cuando esta caminata termine, las personas que conocimos continúen practicando la atención plena y encuentren la paz”, expresó Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, el líder de voz suave del grupo que ha enseñado sobre mindfulness en paradas a lo largo del camino.

Los monjes planean marcar los últimos días de su Caminata por la Paz con apariciones al aire libre en la Catedral Nacional de Washington el martes y en el Monumento a Lincoln el miércoles.

“Su largo viaje y su testimonio gentil nos invitan a todos a profundizar nuestro compromiso con la compasión y el trabajo por la paz en nuestras comunidades”, declaró la obispa episcopal de Washington, Mariann Budde, quien ayudará a organizar una recepción interreligiosa para los monjes en la catedral.

Los monjes se han sorprendido al ver que su mensaje trasciende ideologías. Millones los han seguido por internet, y multitudes los han recibido en numerosos lugares, desde una iglesia en Opelika, Alabama, hasta el ayuntamiento en Richmond, Virginia.

Mark Duykers, un ingeniero mecánico retirado que practica el mindfulness, dijo que él y su esposa conducirán 885 kilómetros (550 millas) desde Ann Arbor, Michigan, hasta Washington para ver a los monjes.

“En estos tiempos divisivos, vimos pueblos enteros en el Cinturón Bíblico salir para ver a estos monjes, sin tener idea de lo que es el budismo, pero sintiéndose elevados y conmovidos por ello”, comentó. “Eso es inspirador”.

Diecinueve monjes comenzaron el viaje de 3.700 kilómetros (2.300 millas) desde el Centro Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana en Fort Worth el 26 de octubre de 2025. Vinieron de monasterios budistas Theravada de todo el mundo, liderados por Pannakara, quien es vicepresidente del templo de Fort Worth.

Mientras estén en la capital de Estados Unidos, planean presentar una solicitud a los legisladores para declarar el Vesak, el cumpleaños de Buda, como un feriado nacional. Sin embargo, Pannakara y otros han enfatizado que ese no es el objetivo de la caminata.

Long Si Dong, portavoz del templo, dijo que la caminata no es un movimiento político ni está enfocada en la defensa o la legislación.

“Es una ofrenda espiritual, una invitación a vivir la paz a través de acciones cotidianas, pasos conscientes y corazones abiertos”, manifestó. “Creemos que cuando la paz se cultiva internamente, se extiende naturalmente hacia la sociedad”.

La caminata ha tenido sus peligros, y policías locales han proporcionado seguridad. En noviembre, a las afueras de Houston, los monjes caminaban al costado de una carretera cuando su vehículo escolta fue golpeado por un camión. Dos monjes resultaron heridos; a uno le amputaron la pierna.

Algunos de los monjes, incluido Pannakara, han caminado descalzos o en calcetines durante la mayor parte del viaje para sentir el suelo directamente y estar presentes en el momento. Cuando atravesaban nieve y frío, en ocasiones se ponían botas de invierno.

Las caminatas por la paz son una tradición apreciada en el budismo Theravada. Pannakara encontró a Aloka, un perro paria indio cuyo nombre significa “luz divina” en sánscrito, durante un viaje de 112 días por India en 2022.

Los monjes practican y enseñan la meditación Vipassana, una técnica india antigua enseñada por Buda como fundamental para alcanzar la iluminación. Se centra en la conexión mente-cuerpo, observando la respiración y las sensaciones físicas para comprender la realidad, la impermanencia y el sufrimiento.

El martes, los monjes completarán 108 días de caminata. Es un número sagrado en el budismo, el hinduismo y el jainismo. Representa la realización espiritual, el orden cósmico y la totalidad de la existencia.

El viaje de regreso de los monjes debería ser menos arduo. Después de una aparición en el Capitolio de Maryland, un autobús los llevará de regreso a Texas, donde esperan llegar al centro de Fort Worth temprano el sábado.

Desde allí, los monjes caminarán juntos nuevamente, 9,6 kilómetros (6 millas) hasta el templo donde comenzó su viaje.

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Bharath informó desde Los Ángeles.

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La cobertura de religión de The Associated Press recibe apoyo a través de la colaboración de AP con The Conversation US, con financiamiento de Lilly Endowment Inc. La AP es la única responsable de este 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.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/10/monjes-budistas-caminan-por-la-paz-de-texas-a-washington/ 

Addison Seibert recalls taking pictures with Crown Point players as they celebrated postseason titles during the years when her father, Chris, was the coach.

These days, the 5-foot-8 guard/forward is one of the primary subjects in such team photos. On Saturday, Addison Seibert and the Bulldogs, who start three sophomores and two juniors under first-year coach Brad Stangel, won their first sectional title since 2022.

“All the hard work is paying off,” Addison Seibert said. “It’s such a great experience. To be able to do it with my teammates, it’s just really cool.

“We’ve stayed together through all of it. We’re all playing for the same goal, and you can just see that on the court. When it comes down to it, we’re all just there to win.”

Chris Seibert, whose 10 seasons as coach included four straight sectional titles and the 2021 Class 4A state championship, has been savoring that win.

“I’m loving life,” he said. “I’m so happy for the kids. I’m so happy for Brad and his staff. I haven’t stopped smiling. I just could not be happier. It’s definitely a different feeling on this side of the aisle. But I’m so incredibly happy for them. A lot of these kids have been playing together since fourth, fifth grade, and to see them be able to come up and walk up that ladder and cut down those nets, it was as good as it gets.

“This is now the next generation to hopefully continue on that tradition of success in this program. For Addy to be able to grow up in this program and see all these kids and all the success and be in those pictures when we’re winning sectionals and regionals and semistates, to see her heroes, really the kids she looked up to, to get to experience that and to come full circle and get to see her and her teammates get to experience that, as a dad and as somebody who cares a lot about this program, it’s hard to put into words how much that means.”

Addison Seibert has been instrumental in that success. She averages 2.9 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists for the Bulldogs (22-4), who will play Penn (24-3), the 12th-ranked team in the state coaches poll, in the Class 4A LaPorte Regional. But Addison Seibert’s influence extends beyond statistics.

“We’re going to LaPorte on Wednesday to practice, and I might bring my daughter, and Addy said, ‘I remember going,’” Stangel said. “She’s been around this stuff. When you’re around it, you pick up on things, basketball nuances and what’s supposed to happen in order to win. She does.

“She makes a lot of winning plays. She leads our team in charges taken. She makes a lot of winning plays without having to put the ball in the basket. That is such a valuable asset for a basketball team. We’re better when she’s out there. Whether she scores 2 points or 12 points, she is constantly making an impact on the game.”

Stangel also praised Addison Seibert and sophomore guard/forward Sidney Hale for their defensive prowess.

“She’s guarded some really good players this year and done a great job,” Stangel said of Addison Seibert. “Between her and Sid, they get the two best guards. Sid’s usually guarding the ball handler, and Addy’s on the wing.

“She’s really done a good job of fighting through screens and just making sure scoring has been hard for those girls. Everything she does, she’s always in the right spot. It makes it hard for people. She’s our best screener. She knows all of our actions the best out of any of our group. She’s also a very good student — just a student. And that plays a part in it. She’s just a smart person.”

Crown Point junior forward/center Ivy Henderson highlighted Addison Seibert’s defense too.

“Addy is an incredible player on defense and is the girl we can always count on to take a charge or put her body on the line for a play,” Henderson said. “She has a strong mentality and is very physical as she is frequently put in positions to set screens on bigger players.

“Her communication on defense is amazing, and I can always trust her to be in the right position at all times.”

Stangel noticed such qualities in Addison Seibert from the outset.

“When everything’s brand new, everybody has a clean slate,” he said. “We just see what people do. So when we saw her in the summer, what stood out was the fact that when she’s on the floor, she doesn’t make many mistakes. You watch her play, she’s out there for six, seven, eight minutes, and she never makes a mistake. Nobody’s perfect, but she doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. When we were watching them in the summer, she was really, really fundamentally sound. She was sharp. She’s a really good student of the game.

“She’s a leader, and she’ll develop into a great leader for our program. She’s been great for us.”

Stangel said he had a degree of familiarity with Addison Seibert, whose sister Brynn is a seventh grader, before this season.

“I knew Addison a little bit before I got here,” Stangel said. “She was the only one I had met before just because Chris and I used to coach softball together. Brynn and my oldest are about the same age, and when we coached them, Addison was around.

“So she was the only one I really knew before I got here, and it was nice for me to look at a new group of faces and see one I’d seen a little bit before. I didn’t know her a whole lot, but at least I’d seen her before.”

Sophomore guard/forward Addison Seibert has helped Crown Point win its first sectional title since 2022. (Michael Osipoff / Post-Tribune)

Addison Seibert’s freshman season was hampered by a back injury, but she’s healthy this season and has continued to develop.

“A lot of it is confidence, building confidence between last year and this year,” she said. “That’s really helped boost me as a player.

“Obviously, coming in last year was nerve-wracking at first. These are the people we’ve looked up to all of our lives, growing up in the gym. But it was great. Everyone, especially our upperclassmen, they’re all super welcoming. As soon as you get brought in, you’re all part of the family. It doesn’t really matter how old you are, what class you’re in. We’re all in this together.”

Addison Seibert enjoyed playing for her father last season.

“It was something I always wanted to do since I was little,” she said. “So it was great to finally experience it. It was a great balance between dad at home and coach on the court. That was huge.”

Chris Seibert announced his resignation in April.

“I understand why, and we’ve been so blessed to have coach Stangel,” Addison Seibert said. “Obviously, it was sad at first, but everything happens for a reason. So just making that transition, it’s been great.

“It’s definitely different this year. But myself and everyone in the gym knows he’s still rooting for us. He’ll always be there. Whether he’s sitting on the sideline or not, he’s still there for us. We see him and talk to him during the day. It’s different with him not there during the games, but outside the games, he’s still there. When I’m in the weight room, he’ll be there.”

Indeed, Chris Seibert is the chair of Crown Point’s physical education department and is highly active in numerous school organizations.

“I’m in the weight room all day, so I see most of them,” he said. “I’m involved in a lot of different leadership clubs, a lot of different things that they’re all involved in, and I can give a little bit more time to some of those things where I’ve been doing my best to try to do it all. But being the head coach here is more than a full-time job. So I do see all of them and still get to encourage them, and they know how much I care and want them to be successful.

“As a teacher, it’s a different role. Obviously, I have no say in anything that goes on on the court, but that’s a good thing too. It’s been a different role just to support them and push them and encourage them from afar.”

Chris Seibert was emphatic in his praise of Stangel, the rest of the staff and the players.

“I cannot say enough about how great a job Brad and his staff have done of embracing the traditions that help make this program special and incorporating that, but also forging their own path and leaving their own mark,” Chris Seibert said. “This program could not be in better hands than it is with him and his staff.

“He has three of my former players on the staff as well, so that’s really cool to have that link to the past, but also having a lot of new faces in the program this year that are taking it to new heights. It’s all you can ask for as somebody who cares deeply about this program.”

Chris Seibert is in a good place, too, a little less than a year after stepping down as coach.

“It just felt like the right time,” he said. “I wanted to at least try to coach my daughter for a year. I didn’t want to regret never having the opportunity to do that. I enjoyed it, but I also found it challenging as far as you coach your kid and you want them to be perfect, you want them to go out there and not make a mistake. At times, I was harder on her than I probably should have been. Maybe my expectations weren’t as realistic as they should have been.

“Unfortunately, she was battling injuries a lot throughout the year. But overall, it was wonderful. It was wonderful to get to coach those kids. It’s something I would never, ever take back. I would never regret having the opportunity to do that. I also had some longtime coaches that were with me that were retiring. I knew what was coming. I knew we were going to be good, and the last thing I ever wanted to do was leave and not have us be good — not that it ever would be at Crown Point. But to have that nucleus of kids coming back, I knew whoever came in here was going to be set up for success, and Brad and his staff have done a tremendous job. I have never been more at peace with the decision.”

Addison Seibert is right in the middle of it.

“This year I’ve really seen her take her game to the next level and just be healthy and be free and just go out there and make winning basketball plays,” Chris Seibert said. “That’s the greatest compliment you can give someone, that they’re a winning basketball player. Things don’t always show up in the box score or in the scorebook, but coaches recognize that these are keys.

“Whenever we’ve had good teams, we’ve always had one or two kids that filled that role, and Addy does a great job of being able to do that with this group that is so talented around her. To fill that role and then be the type of teammate and leader she is, I could not be more proud of the way she handles herself in those areas.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/10/crown-point-high-school-basketball-addison-seibert-chris-seibert/ 

Por WAFAA SHURAFA y EDNA TARIGAN

DEIR AL-BALAH, Franja de Gaza (AP) — Dos palestinos en bicicletas murieron al ser alcanzados por un dron israelí el martes, informaron funcionarios del hospital, marcando las últimas muertes desde un alto al fuego en octubre que no ha acabado con los ataques mortales en la Franja de Gaza.

El Hospital Mártires de Al-Aqsa indicó que los dos hombres fueron alcanzados cerca de la línea de tregua que divide Gaza, con una mitad bajo control militar israelí. Fueron alcanzados en el este de Deir al-Balah, agregó el hospital, añadiendo que también recibió el cuerpo de una mujer que abatida por disparos israelíes en el campamento de refugiados central de Maghazi.

El ejército de Israel de momento no ha respondido a las preguntas sobre ninguno de los ataques. Anteriormente ha dicho que sus fuerzas solo responden a violaciones del alto al fuego o ataques a sus soldados.

El Ministerio de Salud de Gaza informó el martes que 586 palestinos han perecido desde el inicio de la tregua, elevando el total acumulado a 72.037 muertos desde el comienzo de la ofensiva de Israel. El ministerio, que forma parte del gobierno liderado por Hamás, mantiene registros detallados de bajas que son considerados generalmente confiables por agencias de la ONU y expertos independientes.

Los ataques israelíes han interrumpido repetidamente la tregua desde que entró en vigor el 10 de octubre. El creciente número de víctimas palestinas ha llevado a muchos en Gaza a decir que sienten que la guerra ha continuado sin cesar.

Sin embargo, partes del acuerdo delineado en el alto al fuego del año pasado están avanzando. Después de una primera semana caótica, los funcionarios dicen que más palestinos están entrando y saliendo de Gaza hacia Egipto a través del cruce reabierto de Rafah. Los planes para una fuerza internacional de mantenimiento de la paz destinada a proporcionar seguridad en Gaza también están comenzando a tomar forma.

Indonesia —el país con mayor población musulmana del mundo— anunció el martes que su ejército ha comenzado a entrenar personal para servir en Gaza, específicamente para la reconstrucción y respuesta humanitaria. El jefe de Estado mayor del ejército indonesio declaró que entre 5.000 y 8.000 elementos se están preparando para desplegarse.

Vahd Nabyl Achmad Mulachela, portavoz del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores de Indonesia, indicó que las tropas indonesias no participarán en el desarme, uno de los elementos más polémicos y no resueltos del plan de paz.

El presidente de Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, dijo a la Asamblea General de la ONU en octubre que su país planeaba contribuir con tropas, incluso cuando no estaban claros los detalles sobre el papel y mandato de la fuerza. El compromiso se produjo mientras Prabowo buscaba estrechar lazos con el presidente estadounidense Donald Trump.

Israel y Hamás siguen divididos sobre el cronograma y el alcance de la retirada de Israel y la desmilitarización del enclave después de casi dos décadas de gobierno de Hamás.

La Fuerza Internacional de Estabilización temporal delineada el año pasado en el plan de paz de 20 puntos de Trump —entre los componentes clave de ese esfuerzo— se concibe como una fase posterior del plan.

La guerra comenzó cuando milicianos liderados por Hamás irrumpieron en el sur de Israel y mataron a alrededor de 1.200 personas, en su mayoría civiles, el 7 de octubre de 2023. Los 251 rehenes tomados en el ataque fueron devueltos a Israel en varios acuerdos de alto el fuego, y los restos del policía israelí Ran Gvili —el último cuerpo en Gaza— fueron encontrados y devueltos en enero, allanando el camino para el avance del acuerdo. La guerra ha provocado protestas en todo el mundo y ha traído acusaciones de genocidio que Israel niega.

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Tarigan reportó desde Yakarta, Indonesia. Samy Magdy y Sam Metz contribuyeron desde El Cairo y Ramala, Cisjordania.

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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/10/dron-israel-mata-a-dos-palestinos-que-iban-en-bicicletas-en-gaza/ 

Por JAMES ELLINGWORTH

MILÁN (AP) — Hay que tocarlas con cuidado.

Ese fue el mensaje de la medallista de oro Breezy Johnson en los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno de Milán-Cortina después de que ella y otros atletas descubrieran que sus medallas se rompieron en cuestión de horas.

Los organizadores olímpicos están investigando con “máxima atención” a raíz que una serie de medallas se hayan desprendido de sus cintas durante las celebraciones del fin de semana de apertura de los Juegos.

“No salten con ellas. Yo estaba saltando de emoción y se rompió”, afirmó la medallista de oro en esquí de descenso femenino Johnson tras su victoria el domingo. “Estoy segura de que alguien lo arreglará. No está completamente rota, pero un poco rota”.

Johnson no tuvo que esperar mucho para un reemplazo. Para cuando llegó a la salida para el evento combinado por equipos el martes, ya le habían dado una nueva, aunque aún necesita ser grabada.

Cuando se le preguntó si podía quedarse con la rota, Johnson lo negó meneando la cabeza.

“No te dejan tener varias de esas cosas”, dijo riendo.

Imágenes de televisión transmitidas en Alemania capturaron el momento en que el biatleta Justus Strelow se dio cuenta de que el bronce del relevo mixto que había ganado el domingo se había caído de la cinta alrededor de su cuello y había chocado contra el suelo mientras bailaba al ritmo de una canción con sus compañeros de equipo.

Sus compañeros alemanes aplaudieron mientras Strelow intentaba sin éxito volver a colocar la medalla antes de darse cuenta de que una pieza más pequeña, aparentemente el broche, se había roto y aún estaba en el suelo.

La patinadora artística estadounidense Alysa Liu publicó un clip en las redes sociales de su medalla de oro en el evento por equipos, desprendida de su cinta oficial.

“Mi medalla no necesita la cinta”, escribió Liu temprano el lunes.

Andrea Francisi, el director de operaciones de los juegos del comité organizador de Milán-Cortina, dijo que estaban trabajando en una solución.

“Somos conscientes de la situación, hemos visto las imágenes. Obviamente estamos tratando de entender en detalle si hay un problema”, manifestó Francisi el lunes.

“Pero obviamente estamos prestando la máxima atención a este asunto, ya que la medalla es el sueño de los atletas, por lo que queremos que obviamente en el momento en que se les entrega todo sea absolutamente perfecto, porque realmente consideramos que es el momento más importante. Así que estamos trabajando en ello”, agregó.

No es la primera vez que la calidad de las medallas olímpicas ha generado problemas.

Después de los Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 2024 en París, algunas medallas tuvieron que ser reemplazadas después de que los atletas se quejaran de que comenzaban a empañarse o corroerse, dándoles un aspecto moteado comparado con la piel de cocodrilo.

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La escritora de deportes de AP Daniella Matar en Milán y Andrew Dampf en Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italia, contribuyeron a este despacho.

Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/10/cuidado-medallas-olmpicas-se-rompen-durante-celebraciones/ 

Macron Reopens Direct Channel With Putin As He Moves To Counter Trump

Tyler Durden
Tue, 02/10/2026 – 09:20

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/macron-reopens-direct-channel-putin-he-moves-counter-trump 

WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders say a proposal from the White House is “incomplete and insufficient” as they are demanding new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and threatening a shutdown of the Homeland Security Department.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement late Monday that a White House counterproposal to the list of demands they transmitted over the weekend “included neither details nor legislative text” and does not address “the concerns Americans have about ICE’s lawless conduct.” The White House proposal was not released publicly.

The Democrats’ statement comes as time is running short, with another partial government shutdown threatening to begin Saturday. Among the Democrats’ demands are a requirement for judicial warrants, better identification of DHS officers, new use-of-force standards and a stop to racial profiling. They say such changes are necessary after two protesters were fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis last month.

Earlier Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had expressed optimism about the rare negotiations between Democrats and the White House, saying there was “forward progress.”

Thune said it was a good sign that the two sides were trading papers, and “hopefully they can find some common ground here.”

But coming to an agreement on the charged issue of immigration enforcement will be difficult, especially as rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties were skeptical about finding common ground.

Republicans have balked at the Democrats’ requests and some have demands of their own, including the addition of legislation that would require proof of citizenship before Americans register to vote and restrictions on cities that they say do not do enough to crack down on illegal immigration.

And many Democrats who are furious about Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s aggressive crackdown have said they won’t vote for another penny of Homeland Security funding until enforcement is radically scaled back.

“Dramatic changes are needed at the Department of Homeland Security before a DHS funding bill moves forward,” Jeffries said earlier Monday. “Period. Full stop.”

Trump deals with Democrats

Congress is trying to renegotiate the DHS spending bill after Trump agreed to a Democratic request that it be separated out from a larger spending measure that became law last week. That package extended Homeland Security funding at current levels only through Feb. 13, creating a brief window for action as the two parties discuss new restrictions on ICE and other federal officers.

Democrats made the demands for new restrictions on ICE and other federal law enforcement after ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, and some Republicans suggested that new restrictions were necessary. Renee Good was shot by ICE agents on Jan. 7.

While he agreed to separate the funding, Trump has not publicly responded to the Democrats’ specific demands.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said late last week that the Trump administration is willing to discuss some items on the Democrats’ list, but “others don’t seem like they are grounded in any common sense, and they are nonstarters for this administration.”

Democratic demands

Schumer and Jeffries have said they want immigration officers to remove their masks, to show identification and to better coordinate with local authorities. They have also demanded a stricter use-of-force policy for the federal officers, legal safeguards at detention centers and a prohibition on tracking protesters with body-worn cameras.

Among other demands, Democrats say Congress should end indiscriminate arrests, “improve warrant procedures and standards,” ensure the law is clear that officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant and require that before a person can be detained, it’s verified that the person is not a U.S. citizen.

Republicans have said they support the requirement for DHS officers to have body-worn cameras — language that was in the original DHS bill — but have balked at many of the other Democratic asks.

“Taking the masks off ICE officers and agents, the reason we can’t do that is that it would subject them to great harm, their families at great risk because people are doxing them and targeting them,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Monday. “We’ve got to talk about things that are reasonable and achievable.”

Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty said on “Fox News Sunday” that Democrats are ”trying to motivate a radical left base.”

“The left has gone completely overboard, and they’re threatening the safety and security of our agents so they cannot do their job,” Hagerty said.

Consequences of a shutdown

In addition to ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the homeland security bill includes funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration. If DHS shuts down, Thune said last week, “there’s a very good chance we could see more travel problems” similar to the 43-day government closure last year.

Lawmakers in both parties have suggested they could separate out funding for ICE and Border Patrol and pass the rest of it by Friday. But Thune has been cool to that idea, saying instead that Congress should pass another short-term extension for all of DHS while they negotiate the possible new restrictions.

“If there’s additional time that’s needed, then hopefully Democrats would be amenable to another extension,” Thune said.

Many Democrats are unlikely to vote for another extension. But Republicans could potentially win enough votes in both chambers from Democrats if they feel hopeful about negotiations.

“The ball is in the Republicans’ court,” Jeffries said Monday.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/10/democrats-white-house-ice/ 

LOS ANGELES — Comparing social media platforms to casinos and addictive drugs, lawyer Mark Lanier delivered opening statements Monday in a landmark trial in Los Angeles that seeks to hold Instagram owner Meta and Google’s YouTube responsible for harms to children who use their products.

Instagram’s parent company Meta and Google’s YouTube face claims that their platforms addict children through deliberate design choices that keep kids glued to their screens. TikTok and Snap, which were originally named in the lawsuit, settled for undisclosed sums.

Jurors got their first glimpse into what will be a lengthy trial characterized by dueling narratives from the plaintiffs and the two remaining defendants.

Meta lawyer Paul Schmidt spoke of the disagreement within the scientific community over social media addiction, with some researchers believing it doesn’t exist, or that addiction is not the most appropriate way to describe heavy social media use.

Lawyers representing YouTube will begin their opening statement on Tuesday.

‘Addicting the brains of children’

Lanier, the plaintiff’s lawyer, delivered lively first remarks where he said the case will be as “easy as ABC” — which stands for “addicting the brains of children.” He said Meta and Google, “two of the richest corporations in history,” have “engineered addiction in children’s brains.”

He presented jurors with a slew of internal emails, documents and studies conducted by Meta and YouTube, as well as YouTube’s parent company, Google. He emphasized the findings of a study Meta conducted called “Project Myst” in which they surveyed 1,000 teens and their parents about their social media use. The two major findings, Lanier said, were that Meta knew children who experienced “adverse events” like trauma and stress were particularly vulnerable for addiction; and that parental supervision and controls made little impact.

He also highlighted internal Google documents that likened some company products to a casino, and internal communication between Meta employees in which one person said Instagram is “like a drug” and they are “basically pushers.”

At the core of the Los Angeles case is a 20-year-old identified only by the initials “KGM,” whose case could determine how thousands of other, similar lawsuits against social media companies will play out. She and two other plaintiffs have been selected for bellwether trials — essentially test cases for both sides to see how their arguments play out before a jury.

Plaintiff grew up using YouTube, Instagram

KGM made a brief appearance after a break during Lanier’s statement and she will return to testify later in the trial. Lanier spent time describing KGM’s childhood, focusing particularly on what her personality was like before she began using social media. She started using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9, Lanier said. Before she graduated elementary school, she had posted 284 videos on YouTube.

The outcome of the trial could have profound effects on the companies’ businesses and how they will handle children using their platforms.

Lanier said the companies’ lawyers will “try to blame the little girl and her parents for the trap they built,” referencing the plaintiff. She was a minor when she said she became addicted to social media, which she claims had a detrimental impact on her mental health.

Lanier said that despite the public position of Meta and YouTube being that they work to protect children, their internal documents show an entirely different position, with explicit references to young children being listed as their target audiences.

The attorney also drew comparisons between the social media companies and tobacco firms, citing internal communication between Meta employees who were concerned about the company’s lack of proactive action about the potential harm their platforms can have on children and teens.

“For a teenager, social validation is survival,” Lanier said. The defendants “engineered a feature that caters to a minor’s craving for social validation,” he added, speaking about “like” buttons and similar features.

Meta pushes back

In his opening statement representing Meta, Schmidt said the core question in the case is whether the platforms were a substantial factor in KGM’s mental health struggles. He spent much of his time going through the plaintiff’s health records, emphasizing that she had experienced many difficult circumstances in her childhood, including emotional abuse, body image issues and bullying.

Schmidt presented a clip from a video deposition from one of KGM‘s mental health providers, Dr. Thomas Suberman, who said social media was “not the through-line of what I recall being her main issues,” adding that her struggles seemed to largely stem from interpersonal conflicts and relationships. He painted a picture — with KGM’s own text messages and testimony pointing to a volatile home life — of a particularly troubled relationship with her mother.

Schmidt acknowledged that many mental health professionals do believe social media addiction can exist, but said three of KGM’s providers — all of whom believe in the form of addiction — have never diagnosed her with it, or treated her for it.

Schmidt emphasized to the jurors that the case is not about whether social media is a good thing or whether teens spend too much time on their phones or whether the jurors like or dislike Meta, but whether social media was a substantial factor in KGM’s mental health struggles.

A reckoning for social media and youth harms

A slew of trials beginning this year seek to hold social media companies responsible for harming children’s mental well-being. Executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, are expected to testify at the Los Angeles trial, which will last six to eight weeks. Experts have drawn similarities to the Big Tobacco trials that led to a 1998 settlement requiring cigarette companies to pay billions in health care costs and restrict marketing targeting minors.

A separate trial in New Mexico, meanwhile, also kicked off with opening statements on Monday. In that trial, Meta is accused of failing to protect young users from sexual exploitation, following an undercover online investigation. Attorney General Raúl Torrez in late 2023 sued Meta and Zuckerberg, who was later dropped from the suit.

A federal bellwether trial beginning in June in Oakland, California, will be the first to represent school districts that have sued social media platforms over harms to children.

In addition, more than 40 state attorneys general have filed lawsuits against Meta, claiming it is harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms. The majority of cases filed their lawsuits in federal court, but some sued in their respective states.

TikTok also faces similar lawsuits in more than a dozen states.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/10/social-media-addicting-children-trial/ 

TUCSON, Ariz. — “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie pleaded for the public’s help at “an hour of desperation” in the search for her missing mother as the family’s latest attempts to reach the abductors failed to yield any proof she is alive or communication with the culprits.

Guthrie and her family have posted several videos to Instagram in recent days in which they pleaded for the return of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie and offered to pay a ransom for her safe return. Her latest message Monday evening struck a different tone as she talked about entering “another week of this nightmare” and was more focused on helping investigators gather clues into the disappearance than earlier posts.

The FBI said Monday that it isn’t aware of ongoing communication between Guthrie’s family and any suspected kidnappers more than a week after Nancy Guthrie went missing. The FBI has also not identified any suspects or persons of interest in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, Connor Hagan, a spokesperson for the FBI, said in a statement. The agency is operating a 24-hour command post equipped with investigative teams and crisis management experts while asking for help from the public.

The family continues to believe Nancy Guthrie is out there and hearing everyone’s prayers, Savannah Guthrie said in the video released Monday.

“She was taken and we don’t know where, and we need your help,” Guthrie said in the video posted on Instagram, urging people nationwide to be on the lookout “no matter where you are, even if you’re far from Tucson, if you see anything, if you hear anything.”

The mysterious disappearance and search has riveted the country — from President Donald Trump, who spoke with Savannah Guthrie last week, to the online sleuths who’ve flooded social media with tips, theories and rumors.

The FBI is asking for the public’s help on digital billboards up in several major cities in Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico. The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information.

Multiple news outlets received alleged ransom letters during the past week. At least one letter made monetary demands and set deadlines for receiving the money. The first passed last Thursday and a second one passed Monday evening.

Law enforcement officials declined to affirm that the letters were credible but said all tips were being investigated seriously. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Monday that law enforcement tip lines have received thousands of calls.

Authorities say they have growing concerns about Nancy Guthrie’s health because she needs daily medication. She is said to have a pacemaker and has dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.

In a video Saturday, Savannah Guthrie said the family was prepared to pay for her mother’s return. “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”

Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will from her home just outside Tucson. She was last seen there Jan. 31 and reported missing the next day after not attending church. DNA tests showed blood on Nancy Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, and her doorbell camera was disconnected in the early hours of Sunday morning, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said.

Outside the home Monday, neighbors strolled by on their morning jogs and walks, while a county sheriff’s deputy remained stationed out front.

Law enforcement’s work at Guthrie homes will continue Tuesday “as part of the ongoing investigative process, including the expansion of the search and follow-up on new leads,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Monday.

Detectives and agents carried out follow-up work in the neighborhood and other locations over the weekend as part of the investigation, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Sunday.

Investigators on Saturday were inside daughter Annie Guthrie’s home, about 4 miles (6 kilometers) from Nancy Guthrie’s house. On Sunday, an investigator was seen using a pole to search an underground tank behind Nancy Guthrie’s home.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/10/savannah-guthrie-missing-mother/ 

LONDON — Keir Starmer fights another day.

After indirect fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files sparked a dramatic day of crisis that threatened to topple him, the U.K. prime minister was saved by a pugnacious fightback and hesitation among his rivals inside the governing Labour Party about the consequences of a leadership coup.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said Tuesday that Labour lawmakers had “looked over the precipice … and they didn’t like what they saw.”

“And they thought the right thing was to unite behind Keir,” Miliband told the BBC.

He might have added: For now.

Mandelson blowback

Starmer’s authority over his center-left party has been battered by aftershocks from the publication of files related to Epstein — a man he never met and whose sexual misconduct hasn’t implicated him.

But it was Starmer’s decision to appoint veteran Labour politician Peter Mandelson, a friend of Epstein, as U.K. ambassador to Washington in 2024 that has led many to question the leader’s judgment and call for his resignation.

Starmer has apologized, saying Mandelson had lied about the extent of his ties to the convicted sex offender. And he vowed to fight for his job.

“Every fight I have ever been in, I’ve won,” Starmer told Labour lawmakers during a rally-the-troops meeting on Monday evening.

Starmer’s risky decision to appoint Mandelson – who brought extensive contacts and trade expertise but a history of questionable ethical judgment – backfired when emails were published in September showing that Mandelson had maintained a friendship with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses involving a minor.

Starmer fired Mandelson, but a new trove of Epstein files released last month by the U.S. government contained more revelations. Mandelson is now facing a police investigation for potential misconduct in public office over documents suggesting that he passed sensitive government information to Epstein. He’s not accused of any sexual offenses.

Simmering discontent

The Mandelson scandal may be the final straw that finishes Starmer’s premiership. But it follows discontent that has built since he led Labour to a landslide election victory 19 months ago.

Some of Starmer’s problems stem from a turbulent world and a gloomy economic backdrop. He has won praise for rallying international support for Ukraine and persuading U.S. President Donald Trump to sign a trade deal easing tariffs on U.K. goods. But at home, he has struggled to bring down inflation, boost economic growth and ease the cost of living.

Despite a huge parliamentary majority that should allow the government easily to implement its plans, Starmer has been forced to make multiple U-turns on contentious policies including welfare cuts and mandatory digital ID cards.

Starmer has been through two chiefs of staff, four directors of communications and multiple lower-level staff changes in Downing Street. The prime minister’s powerful chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned Sunday over the decision to appoint Mandelson. Communications director Tim Allan left the next day.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar then held a news conference on Monday and called for Starmer to resign. If other senior party figures had followed, the pressure would have been impossible for Starmer to resist.

But none did. Instead, Starmer’s Cabinet and parliamentary colleagues posted apparently choreographed messages of support. They included former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Health Secretary Wes Streeting, considered the two most likely challengers for the top job.

Then, came the party meeting where Starmer impressed many with his sense of resolve. Lawmakers in the room said that the mood, initially skeptical, became supportive.

“It was clear he was up for the fight,” said Chris Curtis, one of more than 200 Labour lawmakers elected in the 2024 Starmer landslide.

Temporary reprieve

Starmer appears to have more political lives than Larry the cat, who has outlasted five prime ministers during 15 years as “chief mouser” in Downing Street.

But his respite is likely to be temporary. Many Labour lawmakers remain worried about their reelection chances if the party’s dire opinion poll ratings don’t improve.

Some female party members feel particularly disappointed by Mandelson’s appointment. The Labour leader of Wales, First Minister Eluned Morgan, called revelations about Mandelson “deeply troubling, not least because, once again, the voices of women and girls were ignored.

“That failure must be acknowledged and confronted honestly,” she said, while offering support for Starmer.

Labour faces potential electoral setbacks at a Feb. 26 special election in what was once a party stronghold in northwest England, and in May’s elections for legislatures in Scotland and Wales and local councils in England.

And rivals are still plotting. The Guardian reported that an “Angela for leader” website backing Rayner briefly went live last month by accident. Streeting, whose genial relationship with Mandelson is now a weakness, released messages he’d exchanged with Mandelson before and after the ambassadorial appointment, seemingly in an attempt to show the men weren’t close friends.

The exchanges include implicit criticism of Starmer, with Streeting writing that the government had “No growth strategy at all.”

Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, said that Starmer had “bought himself some time” and challengers were “keeping their powder dry” for the moment.

“It’s very difficult to image after the shellacking that the party will presumably face in May, him continuing to lead the party much beyond this summer,” Bale said.

Though in British politics, nothing is impossible.

“There are problems with the other candidates,” Bale said. “It’s never an ideal situation for any party to be choosing a prime minister in midterm, and it may be that the Labour Party decides, better the devil you know. I suspect that Keir Starmer will go, but who knows?”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/10/keir-starmer-epstein/ 

Por DORANY PINEDA y SETH BORENSTEIN

La falta de nieve y el calor sin precedentes está afectando a la mayor parte del oeste de Estados Unidos, agotando los suministros de agua, agravando el riesgo de incendios forestales y perjudicando el turismo y la recreación invernal.

Los científicos dicen que la cobertura de nieve y la profundidad de la nieve están en los niveles más bajos que han visto en décadas, mientras que al menos 67 estaciones meteorológicas del oeste han registrado su período diciembre-febrero más cálido. La cobertura de nieve normal en esta época del año debería ser de aproximadamente 1,1 millones de kilómetros cuadrados (460.000 millas cuadradas), aproximadamente del tamaño de California, Utah, Idaho y Montana, pero este año es solo del tamaño de California, alrededor de 401.448 kilómetros cuadrados (155.000 millas cuadradas), según el Centro Nacional de Datos de Nieve y Hielo.

“No he visto un invierno como este antes”, afirmó el director del centro, Mark Serreze, quien ha estado en Colorado casi 40 años. “Este patrón en el que estamos es increíblemente persistente”.

El manto de nieve, medido por la cantidad de agua atrapada en su interior, en Oregon no solo es el más bajo registrado, sino que es un 30% más bajo que el récord anterior, apuntó Jason Gerlich, coordinador del sistema de alerta temprana de sequía regional para la Administración Nacional Oceánica y Atmosférica.

Gran parte de Estados Unidos al este de las Montañas Rocosas está cubierto de nieve y soportando más de dos semanas de frío anormal, pero en West Jordan, Utah, un suburbio de Salt Lake City, Trevor Stephens fue a la tienda la semana pasada en pantalones cortos de gimnasio y una camiseta.

“En este momento no hay nieve en el suelo”, expresó en una entrevista en video, mirando por su ventana y lamentando la falta de oportunidades para practicar snowboard. “Definitivamente preferiría tener carreteras heladas y nieve que lo que está sucediendo aquí ahora mismo”.

Preocupaciones sobre el suministro de agua e incendios forestales

Las estaciones de esquí ya estaban agobiadas durante una temporada difícil, pero la falta de nieve ha agravado las preocupaciones sobre los efectos más amplios.

Oregon, Colorado y Utah han reportado su manto de nieve más bajo a nivel estatal desde principios de la década de 1980, hasta donde llegan los registros.

Un enero seco ha significado que la mayoría de los estados han recibido la mitad de su precipitación promedio o incluso menos. Junto con días soleados y temperaturas más altas de lo normal, eso ha significado poca acumulación de nieve en un mes que históricamente recibe mucha nieve en el noroeste del Pacífico y las Montañas Rocosas del Norte. Debido a las fuertes lluvias en diciembre, California está en mejor forma que los otros estados, dicen científicos.

Hasta el lunes, habían pasado 327 días desde que el Aeropuerto Internacional de Salt Lake City recibió 2,5 centímetros (una pulgada) de nieve, lo que lo convierte en el período más largo desde 1890-91, según el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional.

La falta de nieve en Colorado y Utah ha afectado particularmente a la Cuenca del Río Colorado Superior, notó Gerlich.

Si cae mucha nieve en la montaña, eso se derrite lentamente a medida que el invierno se calienta hacia la primavera, lo que proporciona un flujo constante de agua a arroyos y ríos. Eso ayuda a garantizar que haya suficiente agua más adelante para la agricultura, las ciudades, los sistemas eléctricos hidroeléctricos y más.

Pero la falta de nieve o un deshielo demasiado rápido significa que menos agua repondrá ríos como el Colorado más adelante en la temporada.

“Este es un problema bastante grande para la cuenca del Colorado”, indicó Daniel Swain del Instituto de Recursos Hídricos de la Universidad de California.

Los expertos señalan que la falta de nieve también podría provocar un inicio prematuro de la temporada de incendios forestales. La nieve que desaparece antes de lo normal deja el suelo expuesto a un clima más cálido en la primavera y el verano, y seca los suelos y la vegetación más rápido, apuntó Daniel McEvoy, investigador del Centro Climático Regional del Oeste.

Demasiado cálido para nevar

Aunque ha estado seco, la falta de nieve se debe principalmente a lo cálido que ha estado el oeste, lo cual está conectado al cambio climático por la quema de carbón, petróleo y gas natural, según científicos. Desde el 1 de diciembre, se han roto o igualado más de 8.500 récords diarios de temperatura alta en el oeste, según datos de la NOAA.

Gran parte de la precipitación que normalmente caería como nieve y permanecería en las montañas durante meses está cayendo como lluvia, que se escurre más rápido, sostuvieron Swain y otros científicos. Es un problema sobre el que los científicos han advertido con el cambio climático.

Quedarse sin nieve ocurre de vez en cuando, pero es el calor lo que ha sido tan extremo, lo cual es más fácil de vincular al cambio climático, aseguró Russ Schumacher, profesor de ciencias atmosféricas en la Universidad Estatal de Colorado y climatólogo estatal de Colorado.

“Fue tan cálido, especialmente en diciembre, que la nieve solo caía en las partes más altas de las montañas”, dijo McEvoy. “Y luego pasamos a enero y se volvió realmente seco casi en todas partes durante las últimas tres a cuatro semanas y se mantuvo cálido”.

Se espera un clima más húmedo y fresco

Los meteorólogos esperan un clima más húmedo y fresco en todo el oeste esta semana con algo de nieve, por lo que este podría ser el pico de la sequía. Pero aún será más cálido de lo habitual en muchas áreas, y los científicos no son optimistas de que la nieve sea suficiente.

“No creo que haya forma de que volvamos al promedio o algo cercano a eso”, aseveró Schumacher. “Pero al menos podemos reducir esos déficits un poco si se vuelve más activo”.

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The Associated Press recibe apoyo de la Walton Family Foundation para la cobertura de políticas ambientales y sobre agua. La AP es la única responsable de todo el contenido. Encuentra los estándares de la AP para trabajar con organizaciones filantrópicas, una lista de las fundaciones y las áreas de cobertura que financian en AP.org.

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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/10/falta-de-nieve-en-oeste-de-eeuu-genera-preocupacin-por-escasez-de-agua-e-incendios/