Category: News
Super Bowl halftime show: Bad Bunny nets 135M viewers to Kid Rock’s 6M
An estimated 135 million viewers made Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show the most-watched mid-game performance ever, while about 6 million tuned into the Turning Point USA counterpart on YouTube, according to preliminary counts.
Bad Bunny threw a joyous dance party Sunday night that started in a sugar cane field, featured Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, and included an actual wedding. The Turning Point USA show featured a lip-synching Kid Rock and was dedicated to slain right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who co-founded the organization, prefaced by an appearance by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Early figures indicated that about 135 million people tuned into Bad Bunny, CBS News reported before official numbers had been released. The “All-American Halftime Show” pulled in 6.1 million viewers on YouTube Sunday night, with viewership swelling to 19.5 million as of Monday morning. Licensing restrictions prevented the Turning Point USA show from being broadcast on X, the organization announced before its scheduled start time.
Bad Bunny performs onstage during the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show on Sunday. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
It seems even the president was watching Bad Bunny, though not fondly. Clips circulating on social media showed the official halftime show playing at President Trump’s own Mar-a-Lago Super Bowl party. Trump later panned the musical celebration of Latino culture as “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” on Truth Social.
“Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching,” Trump wrote, noting that the show would probably be lapped up by “fake news media” who “haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD.”
In the real world, as many as 60 million people speak Spanish in the U.S., where there are more Spanish speakers than in Spain.
Trump ended his rant with yet another jab at the NFL’s new kickoff rule, which he has railed against since its adoption late last year.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/09/super-bowl-bad-bunny-kid-rock/
La racha goleadora de Kylian Mbappé en Madrid genera dudas sobre si superará a Cristiano Ronaldo
Por TALES AZZONI
MADRID (AP) — La impresionante racha goleadora de Kylian Mbappé con el Real Madrid ha generado comparaciones con Cristiano Ronaldo.
Después de que Mbappé anotara su 23º gol en 22 partidos de La Liga española en la victoria del Madrid por 2-0 en Valencia el domingo, el entrenador Álvaro Arbeloa comentó que el delantero francés podría estar en camino de igualar los registros de Cristiano en el gigante español.
“Cristiano era algo extraterrestre, algo imposible de igualar y que nadie se podía acercar”, dijo Arbeloa. “A Mbappé le queda un largo camino porque Cristiano estuvo aquí muchos años pero tiene condiciones para seguir su estela y nunca sabes si lo va a poder superar. No es fácil. Pero si alguien puede, es Kylian”.
A sus 41 años, Cristiano actualmente juega en Arabia Saudí. Militó con el Madrid de 2009 a 2018, rompiendo casi todos los récords del club.
Mbappé, de 27 años, se unió al gigante español la temporada pasada y rápidamente igualó algunos de los números del astro portugués. Mbappé anotó 59 goles en 2025 para igualar el récord del club que Cristiano fijó en 2013.
En ese momento, Mbappé llamó a Cristiano su “ídolo, el mejor jugador en la historia del Real Madrid y un referente en el fútbol mundial. Es un honor para mí”.
Mbappé comenzó este año en racha y con números aún mejores: nueve goles en siete partidos. Necesitó 11 partidos para alcanzar nueve goles el año pasado. Tiene 43 goles en 35 apariciones para el club y su selección esta temporada.
“Mucha suerte (tenerle), porque ahora mismo es el mejor jugador del mundo por lo que está demostrando día tras día y partido tras partido”, dijo Arbeloa.
Arbeloa, quien asumió el mando del club este año para reemplazar a Xabi Alonso, fue un exdefensor del Madrid y fue compañero de equipo de Cristiano en el Madrid, jugando seis temporadas con él desde 2009 hasta 2016.
Cristiano dejó el club español con 451 goles en 438 apariciones competitivas.
Mbappé critica al árbitro
Las cámaras de televisión captaron a Mbappé criticando al equipo arbitral en el partido contra el Valencia, con el delantero francés aparentemente usando la palabra “bufón” para referirse a un árbitro. Mbappé parecía estar buscando una explicación por una decisión de fuera de juego, pero el árbitro no parecía querer hablar con el atacante.
El Madrid de Mbappé ha ganado siete partidos seguidos en La Liga y se encuentra a un punto del líder Barcelona después de 23 partidos. Se apresta a enfrentar al Benfica de José Mourinho en los repechajes de la Liga de Campeones.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Photos: Eyes on Italy’s 2026 Winter Olympics
United State gold medallist Breezy Johnson stands on the podium of the women’s downhill event during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Feb. 8, 2026. (Tiziana Fabi/Getty-AFP)
United States’ Lindsey Vonn crashes during an alpine ski women’s downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Feb. 8, 2026. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
United States’ Korey Dropkin delivers a stone against Italy during a curling mixed doubles session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Feb. 9, 2026. (David J. Phillip/AP)
Aerial dancers perform during the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 6, 2026. (Hassan Ammar/AP)
Madison Chock and Evan Bates, of the United States, compete in the ice dancing portion of the team figure skating competition at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Milan, Feb. 7, 2026. (Vincent Alban/The New York Times)
Individual Neutral Athlete Daria Olesik starts for a women’s luge training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Feb. 5, 2026. (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)
France’s Alban Elezi Cannaferina starts during an alpine ski men’s downhill official training at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Feb. 5, 2026, in Bormio, Italy. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
Australia’s Tess Coady reacts during the women’s snowboard big air qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Feb. 8, 2026. (Gregory Bull/AP)
Ilia Malinin of the United States competes during the figure skating men’s team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 7, 2026. (Natacha Pisarenko/AP)
Italian former skiers Deborah Compagnoni and Alberto Tomba light the cauldron at the Arco della Pace during the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 6, 2026. (Bernat Armangue/AP)
Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea of the United States react during their pair skating free skate in the figure skating team event at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Feb. 8, 2026. (Vincent Alban/The New York Times)
Canadian Kevin Drury and Germans Florian Wilmsmann and Tim Hronek soar in the men’s freestyle skiing ski cross training ahead of the Olympic games at Livigno Air Park on Feb. 03, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (Patrick Smith/Getty)
Jutta Leerdam, of the Netherlands, celebrates winning the gold medal in the women’s 1,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 9, 2026. (Luca Bruno/AP)
A performer dances during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics at San Siro stadium in Milan, Feb. 6, 2026. (Vincent Alban/The New York Times)
Alysa Liu of the United States celebrates with her team after competing in the women’s single skating short program at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 6, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty)
Stevenson Savart, of Haiti, bows as he crosses the finish line in the cross country skiing men’s 10km + 10km skiathlon at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 8, 2026. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)
Italy’s goalkeeper Gabriella Durante fails to save the puck as Japan’s Akane Shiga scores her side’s second goal during a preliminary round match of women’s ice hockey between Japan and Italy at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 9, 2026. (Hassan Ammar/AP)
Ioulia Chtchetinina and Michal Wozniak of Poland compete during the figure skating pairs team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 6, 2026. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)
Germany’s Felix Hoffmann soars during the men’s ski jumping normal hill training of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium in Predazzo, Feb. 8, 2026. (Tobias Schwarz/Getty-AFP)
Fireworks explode around the Olympic rings during the opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 6, 2026. (Ben Curtis/AP)
Kaori Sakamoto of Japan reacts to her scores after competing during the figure skating women’s team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 8, 2026. (Ashley Landis/AP)
Renars Birkentals, of Latvia, participates in a biathlon training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Feb. 7, 2026. (Mosa’ab Elshamy/AP)
Stephen Gogolev, of Canada, skates during the figure skating team event, men’s single skating short program at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Milan, Feb. 7, 2026. (Vincent Alban/The New York Times)
Athletes compete during the men’s cross country 10km + 10km skiathlon event of the Milano Olympics at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero, Feb. 8, 2026. (Tobias Schwarz/Getty-AFP)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/09/photos-eyes-on-italys-2026-winter-olympics/
Teen dies after being struck by freight train Sunday in Geneva, police say
An 18-year-old from Geneva died on Sunday after being struck by an eastbound freight train near the Western Avenue grade crossing, the Geneva Police Department said on Monday.
At around 9:51 p.m., Geneva police officers and firefighters were dispatched for a report of a train accident involving a pedestrian, a news release from the police department said.
Upon arrival, officers met with the train conductor and found the man who was hit near the Union Pacific-West railway tracks east of Western Avenue, according to the release. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The teenager was struck by the train on the northernmost track west of the Western Avenue crossing, the police department said. He is believed to have been alone at the time of the incident, and no foul play is suspected based on preliminary findings, according to the release.
The 18-year-old’s family members are still being notified, and the police department indicated that it will not be releasing his name at this time.
The stopped train blocked the Western Avenue crossing for several hours, the news release noted. The police and fire departments were assisted on the scene by the Metra Police Department, Geneva Emergency Management Agency and Kane County Office of Emergency Management.
The incident remains under investigation by the Geneva Police Department and the Kane County Coroner’s Office, the release stated.
The Inevitable Reversal: When Speculative Narratives Don’t Hold
The Inevitable Reversal: When Speculative Narratives Don’t Hold
Authored by Lance Roberts via RealInvestmentAdvice.com,
For nearly two years, markets were driven by the same speculative narrative that “this time is different.” Bitcoin, precious metals, and AI-linked equities rose not only because of robust fundamentals, but also because investors clung to powerful narratives about inflation, disruption, and monetary collapse. Those speculative narratives are not only seductive but also contribute to investment behaviors that obscure reality.
Bitcoin was cast as “digital gold,” a hedge against a largely false tale of a weakening dollar and fiscal instability. Gold and silver were likewise falsely elevated as defensive stores of value in a monetary regime supposedly at risk of losing purchasing power. AI stocks became shorthand for a new productivity supercycle where profits would follow indefinitely rising valuations. These speculative narratives are fine and drive bull markets in the near term. As John Maynard Keynes once quipped: “Markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent,” and those narratives are potent as they frame expectations and justify positions.
However, these speculative narratives have little to do with economic or fundamental realities that will ultimately drive outcomes. In markets, stories don’t replace valuation. As I noted previously, when “valuation metrics are excessive… it is a better measure of investor psychology than fundamentals.” That means price becomes more about sentiment than business results, and we see that in the relationship between consumer sentiment about stock prices over the next 12 months and valuations.
“This broad wave of bullish behavior isn’t isolated to sentiment surveys. Positioning data, equity fund inflows, and trading behavior confirm the lack of bears in the market. Markets are rising not because of strong earnings or economic acceleration, but because of optimism about future prices. In this environment, price momentum drives buying, not fundamentals. We see that in the overlay of consumer sentiment about higher prices versus valuations. Simply, investors are willing to overpay on expectations that things will continue to improve.”
This shift from fundamentals to “belief-based investing” creates a market lubricated by emotion, especially in risk assets with no tangible earnings or cash flow drivers. In AI equities, some names traded on lofty price-to-sales ratios divorced from earnings prospects. In crypto, price discovery was often based on sentiment momentum rather than adoption metrics or utility. Even the spike in gold and silver prices did not reflect changes in industrial demand or monetary policy fundamentals, but the false narrative of a coming “currency collapse.”
These speculative narratives are classic hallmarks of a mania: the story, not the data, becomes the primary driver of price.
Leverage: The Hidden Engine of Mania
Of course, it is not just faulty speculative narratives that move markets. The narratives only motivate investor behavior, but for that behavior to have an impact, investors must have the capital to invest. Notably, as the narratives take hold, investors put their capital to work. However, as the narratives gain momentum, leverage accelerates those behaviors into extremes. As we noted recently:
“However, this surge in allocations has also been accompanied by a massive expansion in leverage. Currently, margin debt as a percentage of real DPI has been reported at around 6.23 %, the highest on record. This ratio also suggests that for every $100 of real DPI, roughly $6 of margin debt is outstanding, a substantial amount. But that number doesn’t include the additional leverage taken on by investors through speculative option trading and 2x and 3x leveraged ETFs, which are also being bought on margin.”
However, it is crucial to remember that “margin debt is not a technical indicator… it represents the amount of speculation in the market.” When speculative narratives take hold, margin buying gives investors more purchasing power, driving prices higher, amplifying gains, and leading to further leverage. Unfortunately, the eventual and inevitable unwind also works in reverse, amplifying losses when prices decline.
But leverage did not stop at margin balances. Investors embraced:
Ultra‑short dated options strategies that carry outsized leverage.
Leveraged ETFs offering 2x or 3x exposure to narrow segments of the market.
Futures and crypto margin accounts that magnified directional bets.
All these instruments enabled investors, particularly vastly inexperienced and unwitting retail traders, to assume exposures far beyond what cash capital would normally permit. The result was, and is always, an increasingly unstable structure in which valuations rose not because of business performance, but because leverage and sentiment chased headlines higher.
Unfortunately, in the end, fundamental and economic realities take hold, and speculative narratives fail to hold.
The Inevitable Reversal: When Narratives Don’t Hold
There is an old saying that “Markets don’t die of old age—they die of excess.” That statement doesn’t only apply to the stock market; it applies to every market, asset class, and investment. For example, over the last few years, there has been a mad rush by high-net-worth investors to enter private credit markets. As the assets under management for these funds rose, the managers increasingly invested in weaker deals, pushed credit risk limits, and overlooked fundamentals. As we warned last year, the redemptions of private credit are now accelerating as concerns over stability and illiquidity rise.
What triggered the reversal last week was not some dramatic policy shift, economic upheaval, or credit-related event, but a gradual shift in conditions that exposed the overextension. Softening economic signals, slowing earnings growth in tech sectors, and fading headline narratives removed the justification for trend extrapolation.
As we often discuss with our readers, when speculation is the driver, these reversals are a feature, not a bug, of the system.
What we saw last week started in Bitcoin, spread to precious metals, and then jumped into the equities market. As prices fall, margin calls force deleveraging, requiring liquidations to cover positions. Crucially, margin calls force the liquidation of positions regardless of investors’ desire to hold. That’s why downturns in highly leveraged markets tend to be sharp and fast.
“When lenders fear they may not recoup their credit lines, they force the borrower to sell assets to cover the debt … margin calls generally happen simultaneously, as falling asset prices impact all lenders at once.”
This sequence flips the entire narrative-driven rally. What was once perceived as a hedge or growth trend becomes a crowded trade that unwinds in chaos. Prices can and often do detach from valuation pressures as forced selling begets further selling.
The investor lesson is that speculative behavior always rewards the buyer on the way up, but punishes brutally on the way down.
The Real Lessons for Investors—Especially Younger Ones
What happened should wake up investors, but especially younger ones who have known only bull markets or narrative-driven rallies.
Narratives are not strategies.
Leverage is not risk management.
Volatility is not optional.
Valuation matters. Yes, markets move on liquidity and leverage in the short term, but in the long term, prices must align with earnings, cash flows, and economic reality. Investing based on stories of doom, disruption, or currency collapse, without a grounding in fundamentals, eventually leads to capital destruction.
Speculation disguised as investing is a losing proposition. Excessive trading, especially in leveraged instruments, turns portfolio management into a directional bet rather than a systematic allocation. When speculative bets in the markets via options, leveraged assets, and margin surge, that is a warning, not a reassurance.
For younger investors watching this unfold, there are several enduring principles:
Don’t confuse confidence with experience. High conviction during a rally is a natural byproduct. But that conviction often precedes drawdowns, particularly when leverage and risk tolerance are high.
Diversification is real only when exposures are uncorrelated. Owning Bitcoin, gold, and AI stocks doesn’t diversify if they all behave like leveraged growth bets driven by the same sentiment.
Manage risk first. Heavy allocation to speculative positions without defensive hedges is not investing—it’s gambling.
Leverage amplifies outcomes in both directions. You may win big for a time, but the downside can be catastrophic.
Accept corrections as necessary. Pullbacks purify excesses and restore market health. Markets that seem like they will never correct often suffer the worst crashes later, think dot‑com and housing bubbles.
The lure of quick gains is powerful. However, real wealth accumulates through disciplined risk management, valuation awareness, and systematic portfolio construction. If you are a younger investor, market speculation is a powerful drug when you are successful. However, if you can limit your urges and transition from short‑term performance chasing to a long‑term mindset that prioritizes capital preservation, your ability to accumulate and maintain vast wealth expands.
This isn’t bearishness for its own sake. It’s an empirical recognition that markets are cyclical and leverage is structural.
The most successful investors are those who prepare for both runs and reversals, not just the runs. Therefore, the next time you scoff at those not “chasing the latest speculative fad,” maybe ask yourself, “Why aren’t they chasing it?”
It might just save you from heartache.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 02/09/2026 – 14:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/inevitable-reversal-when-speculative-narratives-dont-hold
Air Canada suspende vuelos a Cuba por escasez de combustible
TORONTO (AP) — Air Canada ha suspendido su servicio a Cuba debido a la escasez de combustible de aviación en la isla.
La aerolínea más grande de Canadá anunció el lunes que tomó la decisión después de que el gobierno cubano anunciara que no habría combustible de aviación disponible en los aeropuertos cubanos a partir del martes.
Cuba ha estado enfrentando una crisis energética cada vez peor en medio del bloqueo petrolero estadounidense.
El turismo canadiense es vital para la economía de Cuba. Global Affairs Canada, una oficina gubernamental, ha señalado que Canadá es la segunda mayor fuente de inversión directa en la isla, particularmente en los sectores de minería y turismo, que nunca se han recuperado completamente de la caída provocada por la pandemia.
Air Canada indicó que en los próximos días enviará vuelos vacíos hacia el sur para recoger a aproximadamente 3.000 clientes y llevarlos de regreso a casa.
Air Transat y West Jet/Sunwing afirman que tienen la intención de continuar con los vuelos según lo planeado a pesar del anuncio sobre el combustible.
Air Canada dice que la suspensión de vuelos comienza el lunes.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
After a century in business, Schaefer Greenhouses in Montgomery looks to keep on growing
Schaefer Greenhouses in Montgomery is marking its 100th year in business this year.
According to data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau, only 12% of existing companies are more than 25 years old and just a small amount are still around after 100 years.
The iconic business at 120 S. Lake St. in Montgomery is turning the page with new ownership and a vision for the future that Billy Murdoch, vice president of operations at Schaefer Greenhouses, can’t wait to see.
“We’ve done our research since taking over the business in March of 2025, and one of things we know is that consumers today are looking for an experience,” Murdoch said recently. “As we see needs change in the retail side of business, we have the chance to offer an experience that’s unique.”
Murdoch said that a couple of decades ago, Schaefer’s owned a liquor license “and would sell bottles of wine with their floral arrangements going out the door.”
Under his team’s leadership, an expanded floral department with fresh flowers delivered daily has been added and there are plans to bring back serving liquor.
“We talked to a lot of our customers, and at our facility, there are some things we’re working on,” Murdoch said. “We’re putting up a bar for people to be able to grab a drink, a glass of wine and browse the greenhouse. We have a beautiful events space which has been underutilized throughout the years. We’re also putting in a cafe where we’ll have chocolate-covered strawberries and pretzels, candies and gourmet popcorn, stuff like that.”
Those plans and more, Murdoch insists, will provide the extra shopping experience customers are looking for.
“It’s something that nobody else has, something else for our customers to be able to come here when it’s five degrees outside to an indoor area with 250,000 square feet under glass of retail shopping space and grab a glass of wine and look at all the beautiful foliage and blooming plants here,” he said. “We have a unique opportunity to do something with our space.
“Especially post-COVID, the consumer wants to have that type of special something, and to offer that world-class customer experience is really important, especially as we hit 100 years,” he said.
A number of Schaefer family members have remained and serve on Murdoch’s team.
Jane Storm of Plano, a fourth-generation member of the Schaefer family who continues to work as a manager at the facility, said she has been in the business for 47 years and felt that while she needed to be part of the family legacy, she enjoys gardening and operating a greenhouse.
“This has lasted 100 years due to hard work and I feel that’s what it is and keeping quality product in the store. I think that’s what people come here for, the quality,” she said. “People can buy things at other places, but we’ve got things for everybody. We’ve got the garden center and the gift shop and the greenhouses and the interior plants division, the wholesales division. All of those things combined I think have people coming here versus some of the places that have just a greenhouse.”
Storm’s cousin Mike Schaefer of Aurora likewise has stayed on at the business, noting that he has “50 years of working here.”
“I see myself coming in as an advisor and help with the growing part of it,” he said. “I got into this many years ago, and I’m still here. It’s my life. It’s hard to walk away. I had to come down and see what was going on. I trust him (Murdoch). I like what they are doing. They’ve got a good plan.”
Storm acknowledges that all families have their issues but, in the end, the Schaefer family seems to have kept everyone basically rowing in the same direction throughout its 10 decades in business.
“We’ve always respected each other as far as opinions and things like that and the communication has been good because you don’t always agree,” she said. “I’m excited about the new ownership. I think they have listened to the fact we’ve been around a long time and have a good customer connection and I think they are willing to listen to that.”
Schaefer Greenhouses in Montgomery is celebrating its 100th year in business this year. (David Sharos/For The Beacon-News)
Mike Schaefer adds, “We’re still here as a family business and all loved what we’ve been doing.”
“As the generations have gone by, we loved what we did and we have a passion for it and it’s in our blood. The different seasons you transition and with the continual changes, it’s not boring,” he said. “It’s not the same, and you learn something new every day. All these years, I’m still learning. Being a part of the fabric of a community for a century – it makes me feel good.”
Murdoch said the longevity of the business is special.
“Schaefer’s has been here 100 years at 120 S. Lake St., so it’s really a cool feat. They have put in over the past 100 years great perseverance and the work into their business,” he said. “Through floods, fire, hail, they’ve stood tall, and every time they got knocked down, they’ve always stood back up and it’s always better than the time before.
“I think the most important thing you’ll see over the next 100 years are these new trials, new varieties,” Murdoch added. “This spring, there will be over 100 new varieties of annuals that we’ve never grown before. We’re participating in new trials, newer plants and they are so beautiful, and being able to offer something not available anywhere else, something unique to us, is amazing.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
Ghislaine Maxwell declined to answer questions from a House committee, citing 5th Amendment rights
WASHINGTON — Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, declined to answer questions from House lawmakers in a deposition Monday, but indicated that if President Donald Trump ended her prison sentence, she was willing to testify that neither he nor former President Bill Clinton had done anything wrong in their relationships with Epstein.
The House Oversight Committee had wanted Maxwell to answer questions during a video call to the federal prison camp in Texas where she’s serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, but she invoked her Fifth Amendment rights to avoid answering questions that would be self-incriminating. She’s come under new scrutiny as lawmakers try to investigate how Epstein, a well-connected financier, was able to sexually abuse underage girls for years.
Amid a reckoning over Epstein’s abuse that has spilled into nations around the globe, lawmakers are searching for anyone who was connected to Epstein and may have facilitated his abuse. So far, the revelations have shown how both Trump and Clinton spent time with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, but they have not been credibly accused of wrongdoing.
During the closed-door deposition Monday, an attorney for Maxwell told lawmakers that if Trump granted her clemency, she would be willing to testify that neither Trump nor Clinton were culpable for wrongdoing in their relationships with Epstein, according to both Democratic and Republican lawmakers who exited the closed-door meeting.
Democrats said that was a brazen effort by Maxwell to have Trump end her prison sentence.
“It’s very clear she’s campaigning for clemency,” said Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat.
Another Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, described Maxwell’s demeanor during the short video call as “robotic” and “unrepentant.”
Trump has not ruled out granting Maxwell clemency, but Republican pushback to that notion quickly rose after Maxwell made the appeal.
“NO CLEMENCY. You comply or face punishment,” Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, wrote on social media. “You deserve JUSTICE for what you did you monster.”
Maxwell has been seeking to have her conviction overturned, arguing that she was wrongfully convicted. The Supreme Court rejected her appeal last year, but in December she requested that a federal judge in New York consider what her attorneys describe as “substantial new evidence” that her trial was spoiled by constitutional violations.
Maxwell’s attorney cited that petition as he told lawmakers she would invoke her Fifth Amendment rights.
The Republican chair of the committee, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, told reporters that it was “very disappointing” that Maxwell declined to participate in the deposition.
Family members of the late Virginia Giuffre, one of the most outspoken victims of Epstein, also released a letter to Maxwell making it clear they did not consider her “a bystander” to Epstein’s abuse.
“You were a central, deliberate actor in a system built to find children, isolate them, groom them, and deliver them to abuse,” Sky and Amanda Roberts wrote in the letter addressed to Maxwell.
Maxwell was moved from a federal prison in Florida to a low-security prison camp in Texas last summer after she participated in two-days of interviews with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Comer had also subpoenaed her at the time, but her attorneys have consistently told the committee that she wouldn’t answer questions. However, Comer came under pressure to hold the deposition as he pressed for the committee to enforce subpoenas on Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. After Comer threatened them with contempt of Congress charges, they both agreed to sit for depositions later this month.
Comer has been haggling with the Clintons over whether that testimony should be held in a public hearing, but Comer reiterated Monday that he would insist on holding closed-door depositions and later releasing transcripts and video.
Meanwhile, several lawmakers also planned on Monday to look through unredacted versions of the files on Epstein that the Department of Justice has released to comply with a law passed by Congress last year.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/09/ghislaine-maxwell/
La patinadora estadounidense Amber Glenn enfrenta críticas por política y derechos de autor
Por DAVE SKRETTA
MILÁN (AP) — El mismo día que Amber Glenn ganó el oro olímpico como parte del evento por equipos y se alejó de las redes sociales debido a la reacción negativa por sus comentarios sobre política y la comunidad LGBTQ+, la patinadora artística estadounidense terminó con otro dolor de cabeza.
El artista canadiense Seb McKinnon, que produce música bajo el nombre de CLANN, acudió a las redes sociales el domingo por la noche para objetar el uso de su canción “The Return”, que Glenn utilizó en su programa libre, y que ha estado usando durante los últimos dos años sin problema.
“Así que acabo de enterarme de que una patinadora olímpica usó una de mis canciones sin permiso para su rutina. Se transmitió por todo el mundo… ¿qué? ¿Es eso una práctica habitual en los Juegos Olímpicos?” publicó McKinnon en X, poco después de que terminara la competencia por equipos.
Los patinadores artísticos están obligados a obtener permiso para la música que utilizan, pero ese proceso no es nada sencillo.
A veces, el sello discográfico o el productor musical posee los derechos de autor, otras veces el propio artista, y a menudo hay múltiples partes involucradas. Los patinadores a veces juntan diferentes cortes de música también. Añade a esto empresas de terceros como ClicknClear que intentan facilitar el proceso de obtención de permisos, y todo el tema de los derechos de autor se vuelve confuso y matizado.
Según McKinnon, “el acuerdo que tengo con mi sello es que solo yo puedo dar el visto bueno para licenciar mi música”.
McKinnon dijo más tarde que investigaría la situación, pero felicitó a Glenn: “¿Y además ganó oro??? Felicitaciones enormes”, publicó.
Glenn no estuvo disponible para comentar sobre el problema de la música el lunes. Planeaba tomarse el día libre de entrenamiento y luego salir de Milán para practicar en otro lugar antes del individual femenino, que comienza el 17 de febrero con el programa corto.
Los mensajes dejados por The Associated Press a la Federación de Patinaje Artístico de Estados Unidos sobre el problema de derechos de autor de Glenn no fueron respondidos.
El problema no es la primera controversia que involucra a Glenn en los Juegos de Milán-Cortina.
La activista por los derechos LGBTQ+ dijo que recibió amenazas en las redes sociales después de decir durante una conferencia de prensa previa a los Juegos Olímpicos que la comunidad queer está pasando por un “momento difícil” en medio del clima político bajo el presidente Donald Trump.
“Me decepcionó porque nunca había tenido tanta gente deseándome daño antes, solo por ser yo y hablar sobre ser decente: derechos humanos y decencia”, dijo Glenn el domingo por la noche, luciendo un pin LGBTQ+ en su chaqueta del equipo durante la ceremonia de medallas por equipos”.
Los derechos de autor nunca solían ser un problema en el patinaje artístico porque la Unión Internacional de Patinaje prohibía cualquier música con voces, y la mayoría de la música clásica se considera de dominio público. Pero cuando esas reglas se relajaron en 2014 y comenzó a usarse música moderna, los artistas pronto exigieron recibir compensación por su trabajo.
Todo llegó a un punto crítico en los Juegos Olímpicos de Beijing 2022, cuando uno de los artistas independientes que hizo una versión de “House of the Rising Sun” objetó su uso por parte de los patinadores estadounidenses Alexa Knierim y Brandon Frazier. La demanda resultante llevó a la ISU a intervenir e intentar desarrollar sistemas que ayudarían a los patinadores a evitar reclamaciones por infracción de derechos de autor.
“Nunca ha sido un problema y de repente lo es, y no entiendo por qué”, dijo Glenn a la AP antes de los Juegos de Invierno. “Entiendo que hubo un gran revuelo en los últimos Juegos Olímpicos porque algún artista —lo siento, decidieron ser (groseros). ¿No podían simplemente apreciar a este equipo olímpico compitiendo?”.
“Simplemente se siente como una búsqueda de dinero por parte de diferentes compañías, y es realmente molesto que no puedan simplemente apreciar que su música ha inspirado algo creativo”, sostuvo.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Gun Rights Group Slams California Ghost Gun Lawsuit For “Criminalizing Law-Abiding Citizens”
Gun Rights Group Slams California Ghost Gun Lawsuit For “Criminalizing Law-Abiding Citizens”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit against two out-of-state companies and more than 100 individuals, accusing them of distributing computer code that lets people 3D-print their own firearms – a case critics say pits the right to bear arms and free speech against Sacramento’s latest gun-control crusade.
In a San Francisco Superior Court filing on Feb. 6, Bonta and San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu allege Florida-based Gatalog Foundation Inc. and CTRLPew LLC unlawfully distributed digital blueprints and computer code used to manufacture hundreds of “ghost guns” and banned accessories like Glock switches and illegal high-capacity magazines.
The complaint claims defendants made available over 150 designs for weapons and components that can be 3D printed at home – including frames, receivers, and suppressors – without serial numbers or background checks. California law already bars unlicensed firearm manufacture, background check-skipping schemes, and, more recently, distributing the code that makes it all possible.
According to the complaint, California laws “specifically prohibit 3D printing firearms and prohibited firearm accessories without a license to manufacture firearms, and since 2023, has also prohibited the distribution of computer code for printing them to those without a license.”
“Dangerous Untraceables,” Says Bonta
Bonta claims that people making their own guns constitutes a “public safety crisis,” as law enforcement seizures of ghost guns in the state skyrocketed from 26 in 2015 to an average of 11,000 per year since 2021. Prosecutors argue ghost guns bypass serials, background checks and traditional gun-safety measures, making them a magnet for people prohibited from possessing guns.
“These defendants’ conduct enables unlicensed people who are too young or too dangerous to pass firearm background checks to illegally print deadly weapons without a background check and without a trace,” Bonta said in the press release.
But gun-rights advocates argue there’s more to the story.
“The Second Amendment protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms – and that right does not disappear because California dislikes how a firearm is made,” Gun Owners of America Senior VP Erich Pratt told ZeroHedge. “For generations, Americans have lawfully built firearms for personal use. This lawsuit doesn’t target criminals; it targets constitutionally protected conduct and even speech itself. You don’t defend public safety by gutting the Second Amendment and criminalizing law-abiding citizens. Criminals will continue to ignore the law, as they always have.”:
Hobbyists or Criminal Enablers?
Among the named defendants is gun-rights attorney Matthew Larosiere – long a voice for hobbyists who argue it’s been legal for Americans to build firearms for personal use so long as they obey federal law. Critics of the lawsuit, including analysts in the gun-rights community, say this latest action blurs the line between hobby and crime and could chill lawful expression and innovation.
Indeed, the complaint’s own exhibits show some files are labeled with names like FGC-9 – shorthand for “F** Gun Control”* – and include detailed step-by-step instructions with shopping lists and recommended printer settings that make it easy even for beginners to produce frames compatible with common commercial parts.
To opponents, the lawsuit isn’t just about public safety – it’s about free speech and the right to arms. The digital codes at issue are arguably analogous to protected technical speech, and their suppression raises alarms in a state already notorious for some of the strictest gun laws in the nation.
A Patchwork of Law Meets Cutting-Edge Tech
California has been tightening its grip on ghost guns for years, adding prohibitions on 3D-printed firearms and the distribution of associated digital files only in the past few election cycles. At the federal level, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld regulations on ghost guns in 2025, underscoring the legal complexity around homemade weapons.
Elsewhere, courts have diverged. In Minnesota, for example, a state Supreme Court ruled that older firearms lacking serial numbers aren’t automatically criminal — a nod to common-sense recoil against overbroad interpretation of serialization laws.
What’s Next?
California is seeking an injunction to halt distribution of the files and other relief. Gatalog and CTRLPew didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment, but gun-rights groups are already lining up to challenge this on constitutional grounds.
Whether you see DIY firearm blueprints as a dangerous loophole or a legitimate exercise of liberty, one thing is clear: this lawsuit marks a high-stakes test of how far states can go in regulating code, guns, and the rights of citizens in the digital age.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 02/09/2026 – 13:40
