Category: News
Policía italiana lanza gas lacrimógeno durante protestas en Juegos Olímpicos
Associated Press
MILÁN (AP) — La policía italiana lanzó gases lacrimógenos y utilizó un cañón de agua contra decenas de manifestantes que lanzaron petardos e intentaron acceder a una autopista cerca de una sede de los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno el sábado.
La breve confrontación se produjo al final de una marcha pacífica de miles de personas contra el impacto ambiental de los Juegos y la presencia de agentes de Estados Unidos en Italia.
La policía contuvo a los manifestantes violentos, que parecían intentar llegar al pabellón olímpico de hockey sobre hielo de Santagiulia, después del enfrentamiento. Para entonces, la protesta pacífica más grande, que incluía familias con niños pequeños y estudiantes, se había dispersado.
Anteriormente, un grupo de manifestantes enmascarados había lanzado bombas de humo y petardos en un puente con vista a un sitio de construcción a unos 800 metros (media milla) de la Villa Olímpica que alberga a alrededor de 1.500 atletas.
Furgonetas policiales detrás de una valla metálica temporal aseguraron el camino hacia la villa de los atletas, pero la protesta se desvió, continuando en una trayectoria hacia la sede de Santagiulia. Una fuerte presencia policial custodiaba toda la ruta.
No hubo indicios de que la protesta y el cierre de carreteras resultante interfirieran con los traslados de los atletas a sus eventos, todos en las afueras de Milán.
La manifestación coincidió con la visita del vicepresidente de Estados Unidos, JD Vance, a Milán como jefe de la delegación estadounidense que asistió a la ceremonia de apertura el viernes.
Él y su familia visitaron “La Última Cena” de Leonardo da Vinci más cerca del centro de la ciudad, lejos de la protesta, que también era contra el despliegue de agentes de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos para proporcionar seguridad a la delegación estadounidense.
Investigaciones de Seguridad Nacional de Estados Unidos, una unidad de ICE que se enfoca en delitos transfronterizos, frecuentemente envía a sus oficiales a eventos en el extranjero como los Juegos Olímpicos para ayudar con la seguridad. El brazo de ICE al frente de la represión de la inmigración en Estados Unidos se conoce como Operaciones de Ejecución y Remoción, y no hay indicios de que sus oficiales estén siendo enviados a Italia.
En la manifestación pacífica más grande, que la policía dijo que contaba con 10.000 personas, la gente llevaba recortes de cartón para representar árboles talados para construir la nueva pista de bobsleigh en Cortina. Un grupo de bailarines actuó al ritmo de tambores. La música sonaba desde un camión que lideraba la marcha, una de ellas un himno anti-ICE lleno de improperios.
“Recuperemos las ciudades y liberemos las montañas”, decía una pancarta de un grupo que se autodenomina el Comité Olímpico Insostenible. Otro grupo llamado la Asociación de Excursionistas Proletarios organizó los árboles de cartón.
“Eludieron las leyes que generalmente se necesitan para proyectos de infraestructura importantes, citando urgencia para los Juegos”, dijo el manifestante Guido Maffioli, quien expresó su preocupación de que la entidad privada que organiza los Juegos eventualmente transfiera la deuda a los contribuyentes italianos.
Carteles caseros decían “Fuera de los Juegos: Estados Genocidas, Policía Fascista y Patrocinadores Contaminantes”, el último una referencia a las empresas de combustibles fósiles que son patrocinadores de los Juegos. Una mujer llevaba un árbol artificial en su espalda decorado con el cartel: “Olimpiadas Infernales”.
La manifestación siguió a otra la semana pasada cuando cientos protestaron contra el despliegue de agentes de ICE.
Al igual que la semana pasada, los manifestantes del sábado dijeron que se oponían a la presencia de agentes de ICE, a pesar de las declaraciones oficiales de que un pequeño número de agentes de un brazo investigativo estaría presente en territorio diplomático estadounidense, y no operativos en las calles.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Piloto israelí de bobsleigh denuncia robo de equipo previo a Milán-Cortina
Por JULIA FRANKEL y TIM REYNOLDS
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italia (AP) — Un piloto de bobsleigh israelí afirma que el apartamento que él y algunos compañeros olímpicos han estado utilizando mientras finalizan su entrenamiento para los Juegos de Invierno de Milán-Cortina fue robado el sábado, llevándose pasaportes y otros artículos por valor de “miles de dólares”.
Algunos miembros del equipo aún no han llegado a Italia para los Juegos Olímpicos y no se espera que abandonen su base de entrenamiento —cuya ubicación el equipo no ha revelado— hasta la próxima semana.
AJ Edelman, un exatleta olímpico de skeleton que ahora es el conductor del equipo israelí de bobsleigh, comentó en una serie de publicaciones en redes sociales que el equipo continuó entrenando el sábado incluso después de que la policía abriera una investigación.
El Comité Olímpico de Israel no hizo comentarios inmediatos. Israel compite en bobsleigh en los Juegos Olímpicos por primera vez, clasificándose para los juegos después de que Gran Bretaña decidiera no ocupar uno de sus dos lugares asignados para Milán-Cortina. Israel estaba siguiente en la lista y aceptó la oferta de competir cuando se abrieron las últimas plazas olímpicas.
Cuando fue contactado por la AP, Edelman dijo que estaba en Italia, no en el lugar del robo. Comentó que el entrenador del equipo, Itamar Shprinz, un atleta israelí de cross-fit, estaba allí, pero no estaba claro si Shprinz realmente presenció el robo o estaba cerca cuando ocurrió.
Israel planea competir en los Juegos Olímpicos tanto en bobsleigh de dos como de cuatro personas, con Edelman conduciendo ambos trineos. Se espera que Menachem Chen lo empuje en la carrera de dos personas, con Ward Fawarseh y Omer Katz como los atletas que se unirán a él en la de cuatro personas.
El entrenamiento oficial de bobsleigh en Cortina d’Ampezzo comienza el jueves.
Edelman —quien compitió en el deporte de deslizamiento de cabeza del skeleton en los Juegos de Pyeongchang 2018— se cree que es el primer judío ortodoxo en competir en unos Juegos de Invierno. Farwaseh probablemente será el primer olímpico druso.
Su participación olímpica se produce en un momento en que la presencia de Israel en los deportes internacionales ha enfrentado boicots, prohibiciones y reacciones negativas debido al impacto humanitario de la guerra en Gaza, que ha matado a más de 71.800 palestinos, según el ministerio de salud del territorio, y ha devastado la franja.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Uber Ordered To Pay $8.5 Million In Trial Over Driver Sex Assault Claims
Uber Ordered To Pay $8.5 Million In Trial Over Driver Sex Assault Claims
A U.S. jury ordered Uber on Thursday to pay $8.5 million to a woman who said she was sexually assaulted by a driver, a verdict that could shape the course of thousands of similar lawsuits pending against the ride-hailing company.
The Uber logo is shown on the building in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 14, 2024. Mike Blake/Reuters
The case, brought by Jaylynn Dean, was the first bellwether trial among more than 3,000 claims consolidated in federal court. Bellwether trials are designed to test legal theories and help both sides assess potential settlement values. Jurors sitting in Phoenix found that the driver acted as an agent of Uber, holding the company responsible for his conduct. They awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages but declined to impose punitive damages. Dean’s attorneys had sought more than $140 million.
Dean, an Oklahoma resident, sued in 2023, one month after the alleged assault in Arizona. Her complaint argued that Uber knew of a pattern of sexual assaults by drivers but failed to take basic steps to improve rider safety—claims that have followed the company for years and drawn congressional scrutiny.
During closing arguments, Dean’s attorney Alexandra Walsh said Uber had marketed itself as a safe option for women traveling at night, particularly after drinking. “Women know it’s a dangerous world. We know about the risk of sexual assault,” Walsh told jurors. “They made us believe that this was a place that was safe from that.”
Uber has long argued it shouldn’t be held liable for criminal acts committed by drivers using its platform. The company maintains that drivers are independent contractors and that, regardless of classification, it cannot be responsible for actions outside the scope of their duties. “He had no criminal history. None,” Uber attorney Kim Bueno said of the driver during closing arguments, noting that he had completed about 10,000 trips with a near-perfect rating. “Was this foreseeable to Uber? And the answer to that has to be no.”
According to the lawsuit, Dean was intoxicated when she requested a ride from her boyfriend’s home to her hotel. The driver allegedly asked harassing questions during the trip, then stopped the car and raped her.
The trial was overseen by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, who is managing the federal cases centralized in San Francisco. Uber also faces more than 500 similar suits in California state court. In the only one of those cases to reach trial so far, a jury last September sided with the company, finding that while Uber had been negligent in its safety measures, that negligence wasn’t a substantial factor in causing the plaintiff’s harm.
The broader financial impact of Thursday’s verdict remains uncertain. Mark Giarelli, an analyst at Morningstar, said the ruling nonetheless highlights the importance of screening measures on app-based platforms. “This underscores the importance of robust background checks on convenience applications such as Uber, Lyft and DoorDash where there is interaction between customers and the supply side—drivers and delivery agents,” he said.
Uber shares fell 1.5% in after-hours trading. Shares of rival Lyft, which faces similar claims, declined 1.8%.
In a statement, an Uber spokesperson said the company would appeal, adding that the jury rejected other claims that Uber was negligent or that its safety systems were defective. “This verdict affirms that Uber acted responsibly and has invested meaningfully in rider safety,” the spokesperson said.
Sarah London, another attorney for Dean, called the decision a validation for plaintiffs across the country. The verdict, she said, “validates the thousands of survivors who have come forward at great personal risk to demand accountability against Uber for its focus on profit over passenger safety.”
Tyler Durden
Sat, 02/07/2026 – 16:55
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/uber-ordered-pay-85-million-trial-over-driver-sex-assault-claims
Biathleta italiana suspendida por dopaje pide al tribunal competir en los Juegos Olímpicos
Associated Press
MILÁN (AP) — La biatleta italiana suspendida Rebecca Passler ha solicitado al Tribunal de Arbitraje Deportivo que le permita competir en los Juegos Olímpicos de Milán-Cortina, argumentando que su prueba de dopaje positiva se debió a una contaminación y que ella no tiene la culpa.
El tribunal dijo el sábado que espera escuchar la apelación de Passler el martes.
“El Srta. Passler solicita al TAS que anule la suspensión debido a la falta de intención y negligencia y que le permita participar en los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno”, dijo el tribunal. “La solicitud argumenta que la (prueba positiva) es un caso de contaminación sin culpa de la atleta”.
El TAS no estableció un objetivo para un veredicto. El evento femenino de 15 kilómetros en la ciudad natal de Passler, Anterselva, es el miércoles y el sprint de 7.5 kilómetros es el próximo sábado.
Passler fue retirada de la competencia el lunes por la agencia antidopaje italiana después de dar positivo por letrozol en una muestra tomada mientras entrenaba el mes pasado. El medicamento puede usarse en el tratamiento del cáncer de mama y también controlar los efectos del uso de esteroides.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Israel says Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Donald Trump on Wednesday about Iran talks
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday about American talks with Iran, his office said Saturday, while Iran’s foreign minister threatened U.S. military bases in the region a day after the discussions.
“The prime minister believes that all negotiations must include limiting the ballistic missiles, and ending support for the Iranian axis,” Netanyahu’s office said in a brief statement, referring to Tehran’s support for fighter groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories. Trump and Netanyahu last met in December.
There was no immediate White House comment.
The U.S. and the Islamic Republic of Iran held indirect talks on Friday in Oman that appeared to return to the starting point on how to approach discussions over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Trump called the talks “very good” and said more were planned for early next week. Washington was represented by Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to use force to compel Iran to reach a deal on its nuclear program after sending the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships to the region amid Tehran’s crackdown on nationwide protests that killed thousands.
Gulf Arab nations fear an attack could spark a regional war, with memories fresh of the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June.
For the first time in negotiations with Iran, the U.S. on Friday brought its top military commander in the Middle East to the table. U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, head of the military’s Central Command, then visited the USS Abraham Lincoln on Saturday with Witkoff and Kushner, the command said in a statement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told journalists Friday that “nuclear talks and the resolution of the main issues must take place in a calm atmosphere, without tension and without threats.” He said that diplomats would return to their capitals, signaling that this round of negotiations was over.
On Saturday, Araghchi told the Al Jazeera satellite news network that if the U.S. attacks Iran, his country doesn’t have the ability to strike the U.S. “and therefore has to attack or retaliate against U.S. bases in the region.”
He said there is “very, very deep distrust” after what happened during the previous talks, when the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sites during last year’s Israel-Iran war.
Araghchi also said the “missile issue” and other defense matters are “in no way negotiable, neither now nor at any time in the future.”
Tehran has maintained that these talks will be only on its nuclear program.
However, Al Jazeera reported that diplomats from Egypt, Turkey and Qatar offered Iran a proposal in which Tehran would halt enrichment for three years, send its highly enriched uranium out of the country and pledge to “not initiate the use of ballistic missiles.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the talks needed to include all those issues.
Israel, a close U.S. ally, believes Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon and wants its program scrapped, though Iran has insisted that its atomic plans are for peaceful purposes. Israel also wants a halt to Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for fighter groups in the region.
Araghchi, speaking at a forum in Qatar on Saturday, accused Israel of destabilizing the region, saying that it “breaches sovereignties, it assassinates official dignitaries, it conducts terrorist operations, it expands its reach in multiple theaters.” He criticized Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and called for “comprehensive and targeted sanctions against Israel, including an immediate arms embargo.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/07/israel-netanyahu-trump-iran-talks/
Francesca Lollobrigida wins host Italy’s 1st gold of the Olympics — then hugs her son: ‘I did it for him’
MILAN — Finally an Olympic champion on the day she turned 35, Italian speedskater Francesca Lollobrigida couldn’t wait to run over to hug her 2½-year-old son, Tommaso, after winning the women’s 3,000 meters at the Milan Cortina Games on Saturday.
She was just a tad disappointed she wasn’t allowed to carry him to the top step of the podium when she went to collect her prize after clocking an Olympics-record 3 minutes, 54.28 seconds, more than two seconds ahead of runner-up Ragne Wiklund of Norway. Valerie Maltais of Canada was third.
2026 Winter Olympics: What to know about the Milan Cortina Games, including how — and who — to watch
It was important to Lollobrigida — yes, if that last name sounds familiar, it’s because her great aunt was the late actress Gina — to claim that medal, of course, particularly after a tough season in which she struggled with a virus. It also was significant to hear the on-their-feet spectators’ roars as she earned the host country’s first gold of these Olympics and Italy’s first gold in women’s speedskating at any Winter Games.
What meant the most, she said between peals of excited laughter and occasional coughs Saturday, was that she could do it with her child in the arena.
“Aside from doing this for me, I did it for him, so one day he will be proud of me,” Lollobrigida said. “Not just for being an Olympic champion, but because of the full journey we’ve lived together.”
Plus, she explained: “This was to show the people that you can be a mom and come back to be much stronger.”
Later, she described the months of dealing with an illness, which she thought might have been picked up by Tommaso at kindergarten, as giving her a “black mind” and contributing to her “crying after every race.”
“In the beginning of the season, I really wanted to give up,” Lollobrigida said. “But then the people who really believed in me said, ‘No, you really need to fight.’”
She collected two medals at Beijing four years ago: a silver in the 3,000 and a bronze in the mass start. Those were celebrated with a tattoo on her right arm, and a ring and necklace with Olympic symbols.
This time, she said afterward, she would have been satisfied with another bronze.
Francesca Lollobrigida of Italy competes in the women’s 3,000 meters speedskating race at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in Milan. (Luca Bruno/AP)
On Saturday, as one might expect, she was greeted by a big cheer during the introductions before her heat, and Lollobrigida responded with a big smile and a big wave with both arms overhead before covering her chest with her hands.
“Finally, the fans were on our side,” Italian coach Maurizio Marchetto said with a smile. “Usually, they’re supporting the Dutch,” a country in which speedskating is a passion.
Racing with Maltais, Lollobrigida trailed at the first checkpoint. But the Italian kept gaining ground and, perhaps boosted by the loud support from her countryfolk in the seats, surged on the final lap, arms swinging behind her.
“It was a competition at home (for her),” Maltais said, “and I was expecting her to do something strong.”
How fast was Lollobrigida? Her time was not only much better than anyone else on the ice Saturday, it was more than 2½ seconds faster than the Olympic mark set by Irene Schouten when she claimed the 3,000 gold at the 2022 Beijing Games.
There were four more skaters left to go after Lollobrigida was done. One was Wiklund, who saw Lollobrigida’s performance and would say later, “I thought, ‘Wow.’”
Said Lollobrigida: “Imagine my reaction when I read the time.”
As Lollobrigida waited to find out if that time would stand up, she actually didn’t want to watch much, frequently covering her eyes with her hands.
Lollobrigida is from Frascati, a hill town just outside Rome well-known for its white wine, and was participating in her fourth Olympics.
She grew up aware of the fame of Gina Lollobrigida, a star movie actress of the 1950s and ’60s. And the skater wanted to make a name for herself.
“She would really be proud of (me),” Francesca said. “She was just a diva, but I’m trying, in my little world, to be a diva in sports.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/07/francesca-lollobrigida-italy-first-gold-olympics/
Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland wins men’s downhill for 1st gold medal of Milan Cortina Olympics
BORMIO, Italy — Swiss racer Franjo von Allmen brought home the first gold medal at the Milan Cortina Games by winning the downhill Saturday. It’s his first Olympic crown in his first Olympic race.
Not long ago, it wasn’t clear if there would be anymore “firsts” for him in ski racing. As a teenager, and after the death of his father, von Allmen didn’t have the money for racing — until a crowdfunding project helped out.
Now, the 24-year-old is king of the downhill.
On a picture-perfect day in Bormio, von Allmen powered through the challenging Stelvio course in 1 minute, 51.61 seconds to keep the Olympic downhill title in the Swiss family. His time was good enough to withstand the charge of Italy’s Giovanni Franzoni, who finished .20 seconds back to claim the silver medal. Franzoni’s teammate, 36-year-old Dominik Paris, had a fast run to take bronze and knock Marco Odermatt of Switzerland off the podium.
“I had fun with the skiing today,” von Allmen said.
His skiing career was almost derailed at 17. Through crowdfunding he raised money and qualified for the national C team. He showed his vast promise by winning three silver medals, including one in downhill, at the 2022 junior worlds in Canada.
That particular time, however, was not something he wanted to revisit after the race.
“For me that chapter is closed,” he said through an interpreter. “I prefer to concentrate on what’s yet to come and what’s happening now.”
Aksel Lund Svindal, the 2018 Olympic downhill champion from Norway, considered von Allmen a favorite. Svindal was impressed with the young racer’s performance during a downhill win in Switzerland leading into the Games.
“It’s the skiing of someone that’s really in form, so I’m not surprised,” Svindal said from Cortina, where he’s coaching Lindsey Vonn. “Very good skiing, obviously.”
Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen speeds down the course during the men’s downhill at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in Bormio, Italy. Von Allmen won the event to earn the Games’ first gold medal. (Gabriele Facciotti/AP)
The Swiss skier sometimes goes under the radar of his compatriot Odermatt, who has won four straight overall World Cup titles. They’re fast friends and friendly rivals. They share course information but hold a little back too. Turns out, von Allmen had the better inside track on the demanding hill.
“It’s really (crap), to be fourth in the Olympics,” Odermatt said through an interpreter. “That’s the stupidest place that you can have.”
This has been quite a run for von Allmen, who won the downhill at the world championships in Austria last winter. He’s using the same ski technician that Swiss racer Beat Feuz relied on to win the downhill at the 2022 Beijing Games before retiring.
“It feels like a movie,” von Allmen said. “How could you imagine the Olympics better than to start with a gold medal? Amazing. It’s difficult to describe it in words.”
Home favorites
The stands were packed with flag-waving fans. Some of the biggest cheers were reserved for Italy’s Franzoni and Paris, who went back-to-back.
This is a breakout season for the 24-year-old Franzoni, who’s from Manerba del Garda, located about 124 miles south of Bormio. More specifically, it’s been a breakout 22 or so days. He won a World Cup super-G on Jan. 16 in Wengen, Switzerland, and followed that with a downhill victory in Kitzbühel, Austria, the following week.
To share a podium with Paris, well, that’s something Franzoni voiced into reality. He mentioned to Paris in December how nice being podium on the same podium would be — the veteran and the mentor. It just so happened to be in the Olympics.
“I don’t know if he’ll continue racing next year but this is the biggest stage to share,” Franzoni said. “He gives me a lot of tips during this season. He’s such a strong guy, a legend, and it’s an honor for me to be on this team.”
Paris knows this course well, having won seven World Cup races at the venue. Shortly after receiving his medal, he glanced up at the hill.
“It’s a beautiful, tough mountain,” said Paris, who hails from Val d’Ultimo.
It was Paris’ first Olympic medal in his fifth Winter Games. He now becomes a bronze medalist in addition to being the vocalist of a heavy metal band called “Rise of Voltage.”
“I’m, for sure, a better skier,” Paris cracked. “But if you listen to metal, I’m not so bad.”
The 27th racer to take the course, Kyle Negomir, found a fast line and vaulted into 10th place for the top American finish.
“My goal was to put down something where I could stand in the finish and say I didn’t have any regrets,” Negomir said.
Associated Press reporters Andrew Dampf in Cortina and James Ellingworth in Milan contributed.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/07/franjo-von-allmen-first-gold-olympics/
Newsom’s ‘Train To Nowhere’: Californians Burn Billions For Political Boondoggle
Newsom’s ‘Train To Nowhere’: Californians Burn Billions For Political Boondoggle
In the dystopian novel 1984, George Orwell wrote, “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
The true meaning of that line was never more clear than watching the truly bizarre photo op of California governor Gavin Newsom heralding the success of the greatest boondoggle in history: his high-speed train to nowhere.
Without laying a single yard of track after burning $12 billion, Newsom showed a diesel freight train on a conventional track to create the appearance of a working railroad.
I have been writing about this boondoggle for years. Newsom promised years ago that the project would be transformative. It was, but not as he promised.
Voters approved a $9.95 billion bond issue in 2008 after absurdly low estimates of the projected cost. Influential figures and companies stood to make a fortune, and the key was to secure a “buy-in” worth billions, so that it would become increasingly difficult to abandon the project as overruns and delays sent costs soaring.
Now the official estimate of future ridership has dropped by 25% , and it demands billions more to complete a project delayed by decades. Remember that this entire project was meant to create a rail line of only 171 miles. It is projected to exceed $128 billion and could ultimately cost a billion dollars per mile. There are still uncompleted environmental assessments and challenging rail lines through the mountains.
There is still no train and not a yard of track almost 20 years later.
The inspector general, Benjamin Belnap, issued a scathing report on the first phase of the still uncompleted project. That is only the stretch from Merced to Bakersfield which was supposed to be completed by 2033. Belnap wrote:
“With a smaller remaining schedule envelope and the potential for significant uncertainty and risk during subsequent phases of the project, staying within the 2033 schedule envelope is unlikely. In fact, uncertainty about some parts of the project has increased as the authority has recently made decisions that deviated from the procurement and funding strategies that were part of its plans for staying on schedule.”
Rather than deliver on the promise of high-speed rail from Los Angeles to San Francisco, the Merced-Bakersfield line would now cost $35.3 billion, exceeding the 2008 projection for a complete system.
Merced and Bakersfield have a combined population of roughly 500,000. That works out to roughly $22,000 per person, based on state ridership estimates.
However, Newsom still wants to be president even as citizens are fleeing his state in record numbers. The “train to nowhere” is a problem. Even the New York Times is writing editorials on whether Newsom will be the next mistake of the Democratic Party.
Newsom’s response is to arrange for gushing columns like Maya Singer’s embarrassing piece in Vogue:
Let’s get this out of the way: He is embarrassingly handsome, his hair seasoned with silver, at ease with his own eminence as he delivers his final State of the State address…
Newsom’s lanky frame was folded onto a sofa a bit too low-slung for him. This made him lean back—away from me. Or it could be that his body language had nothing to do with ergonomics and is a function of Newsom’s quality of being at once gregarious and aloof.”
It is the type of teenybopper heartthrob coverage that Newsom is counting on from the media. It is not the billions burned on a non-existent railway but his glorious hair and “eminence.”
However, others beyond Vogue readers may be interested in his actual record. Hence, the need to release this absurd photo op that would make a propagandist blush:
“All of the hard work behind us. Now we’re going to see the fruits of that. We’re going to start seeing precisely what you see here. Real tracks, real progress.”
It is like paying for a meal at a restaurant and the Chef charging you ten times what was on the menu, not producing the meal for hours, and then showing you a picture of a different dish as a sign of his progress.
The difference is that Newsom has taken almost two decades to deliver and cut the original dish to a fraction of its original size while increasing the price exponentially.
Californians are now captives on a train to nowhere. The state must continue to burn billions because too much is invested economically and politically. They must ride the train with Gavin Newsom to the very end.
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.”
Tyler Durden
Sat, 02/07/2026 – 16:20
Hobart moving forward on selling Ridge View Elementary
No one spoke Thursday during a Hobart School Board public hearing on the proposed sale of Ridge View Elementary, which closed in 2020 but has been leased by community groups in recent years.
The average of two appraisals on the school set the minimum bid price at $1.27 million, said board attorney William Longer. Bochnowski Appraisal Company and Vale Appraisal Group provided the two appraisals, he said.
The school, at 3333 W. Old Ridge Road, is in a residential neighborhood on the city’s west side.
The district is required to publish two notices announcing the school sale.
Superintendent Peggy Buffington said the school is no longer a viable option for the school district because of its age and difficulty in retrofitting it.
Built in 1955, the school would require an elevator and additional classrooms.
Money is the driving factor in the district, bolstering its resources with the sale.
Because of state-imposed property tax caps, tax increases for residential property owners are capped at 1% and businesses at 2%.
Buffington said the heavily residential city’s low assessed valuation and the sharing of revenue with multiple taxing units take most taxpayers to the cap, so new taxes don’t reach the schools.
Buffington said the district lost 89% of its property tax revenue to property tax caps last year.
She called the 2025 GOP property tax reform law “a second circuit breaker,” which could reduce its operating budget to nearly zero.
“The goal posts change all the time,” said Buffington on state laws. “These are not things that we have done. We’re playing by all the rules we’re supposed to but unfortunately, it’s putting us in a situation where there will be no operating revenue coming into our district at all.”
The district’s NIPSCO bill was nearly $2 million last year and Buffington expects an 18% increase. That expense comes from the operating fund.
The civil city and school city have different boundaries so the school district won’t see a tax boost from a proposed Amazon data center on 61st Avenue, if it gains final approval, because it doesn’t fall within the schools’ boundaries.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/07/hobart-moving-forward-on-selling-ridge-view-elementary/
Familias de venezolanos detenidos por activismo político exigen su liberación
Por REGINA GARCIA CANO
CARACAS (AP) — Decenas de familiares y amigos de líderes opositores, defensores de derechos humanos y otros venezolanos detenidos por sus actividades políticas protestaron el sábado frente a una notoria prisión en la capital para exigir la liberación inmediata de sus seres queridos.
La manifestación, realizada frente a la prisión de Helicoide en Caracas, se produce en medio de una creciente presión sobre el gobierno de la presidenta interina Delcy Rodríguez para liberar a todas las personas cuyas detenciones, ocurridas hace meses o años, han sido vinculadas a sus creencias políticas por sus familias y organizaciones no gubernamentales. El gobierno de Rodríguez anunció el mes pasado que liberaría a un número importante de prisioneros, pero las familias y los defensores de derechos humanos han criticado a las autoridades por la lentitud de las liberaciones.
La mandataria interina también prometió el mes pasado cerrar Helicoide, donde se ha documentado extensamente la práctica de la tortura y otras formas de abuso físico y psicológico contra los prisioneros. Dijo que la instalación, que inicialmente fue construida para ser un centro comercial, se convertiría en un centro cultural, social y deportivo para las fuerzas policiales y los barrios adyacentes.
Entre quienes se reunieron el sábado frente al centro penitenciario había varios activistas políticos excarcelados en el último mes. Se unieron a las familias y amigos en oración antes de marchar unas dos cuadras para llegar a las puertas de Helicoide, donde cantaron el himno nacional de Venezuela y corearon ”¡Libertad! ¡Libertad!”
“Nosotros, como familiares, y yo directamente en nombre de mi esposo, Freddy Superlano, siento como una burla, una falta de respeto”, afirmó Aurora Silva, cuyo esposo es un exlegislador de la oposición. Se refería al ritmo de las liberaciones desde que Jorge Rodríguez, el hermano de la mandataria y líder de la Asamblea Nacional, las anunció el 8 de enero. “Sí se han realizado excarcelaciones a cuentagotas, y yo creo que también alargando el sufrimiento de todos los familiares a las afueras de los centros de detención”.
El esposo de Silva está detenido en un centro fuera de Caracas.
La Asamblea Nacional, controlada por el partido gobernante, comenzó esta semana a debatir un proyecto de ley de amnistía que podría conducir a la liberación de cientos de prisioneros. Dicha amnistía es una demanda central de la oposición del país y de los activistas de derechos humanos, quienes hasta ahora han reaccionado solo con un optimismo cauteloso y exigiendo más información sobre el contenido de la propuesta.
Jorge Rodríguez publicó el viernes un video en Instagram donde aparece frente a un centro de detención en Caracas y diciendo que “todos” serían liberados a más tardar la próxima semana, una vez que se apruebe el proyecto de ley de amnistía.
“Entre el martes que viene y a más tardar el viernes, están todos sueltos”, dijo desde el lugar donde los seres queridos de los detenidos han pasado semanas esperando su liberación.
Delcy Rodríguez, quien asumió como presidenta interina tras la captura del entonces presidente Nicolás Maduro por el ejército de Estados Unidos, ha expresado su esperanza de que la ley ayude a “reparar las heridas que ha dejado la confrontación política” desde el ascenso al poder del fallecido Hugo Chávez, el autoproclamado líder socialista que gobernó Venezuela de 1999 a 2013.
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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.
