Category: News
Gobierno de EEUU lanza el sitio web TrumpRx para comprar medicamentos con descuento
Por ALI SWENSON
NUEVA YORK (AP) — El gobierno de Estados Unidos lanzó el jueves el sitio web TrumpRx en la que los pacientes podrán comprar medicamentos por receta de forma directa a un precio reducido, en un momento en que la atención médica y el costo de vida se encuentran entre las principales preocupaciones de los estadounidenses.
“Van a ahorrar una fortuna”, aseguró el presidente Donald Trump durante la presentación. “Y esto también es muy bueno para la atención médica en general”.
El sitio web alojado por el gobierno no es una plataforma para comprar medicamentos. En cambio, está configurado como un facilitador que dirige a los pacientes a la página de venta directa al consumidor de los fabricantes de medicamentos, donde pueden realizar sus compras. También pone a disposición cupones para su uso en farmacias. El sitio se cuenta actualmente con más de 40 medicamentos, incluidos fármacos para la pérdida de peso como Ozempic y Wegovy.
El sitio es parte de un esfuerzo más amplio del gobierno federal por demostrar que está abordando los desafíos de los altos costos. La asequibilidad se ha convertido en una posible vulnerabilidad política para Trump y sus aliados republicanos de cara a las elecciones legislativas de noviembre, a medida que las preocupaciones por el costo de la vivienda, alimentos, servicios públicos y otros elementos básicos de la identidad de la clase media, asedian a los estadounidenses.
Trump enfatizó que los precios reducidos fueron posibles gracias a su presión sobre las compañías farmacéuticas, asegurando que les exigió que cobraran los mismos precios que en otras naciones. Añadió que, como resultado, el costo de los medicamentos recetados aumentará en el extranjero.
“Estamos cansados de subsidiar al mundo”, expresó Trump en el evento en el campus de la Casa Blanca.
El presidente mencionó por primera vez la creación de TrumpRx en septiembre, durante un evento para anunciar el primero de sus más de 15 acuerdos con compañías farmacéuticas para reducir los precios de los medicamentos para igualar el precio más bajo ofrecido en otras naciones desarrolladas. En diciembre declaró que la página ofrecería “enormes descuentos a todos los consumidores”, aunque de momento no está claro si los precios disponibles en los sitios web de los fabricantes de medicamentos serán más bajos de los que muchos consumidores podrían obtener a través de su cobertura de seguro.
El lanzamiento del jueves se produjo después de varios retrasos por razones que el gobierno no ha compartido públicamente. El doctor Mehmet Oz, administrador de los Centros de Servicios de Medicare y Medicaid, le dijo a Trump en otoño que el sitio compartiría precios para los consumidores antes de fin de año. Un lanzamiento programado para finales de enero también tuvo que ser aplazado.
El presidente ha pasado los últimos meses tratando de destacar sus esfuerzos por reducir los precios de los medicamentos para los estadounidenses. Lo ha hecho a través de acuerdos con grandes compañías farmacéuticas,como Pfizer, Eli Lilly y Merck, las cuales han acordado reducir los precios de sus medicamentos de Medicaid a precios de “naciones más favorecidas”. Como parte de los acuerdos, muchos de los nuevos medicamentos de las compañías también se lanzarán a un costo reducido para los mercados de consumo a través de TrumpRx.
Muchos de los detalles de los acuerdos de Trump con los fabricantes siguen sin estar claros, y los precios de los medicamentos para los pacientes en Estados Unidos pueden depender de muchos factores, como la competencia que enfrenta un tratamiento y la cobertura del seguro. La mayoría de las personas tienen cobertura ofrecida por su empleados, el mercado de seguros individuales o programas gubernamentales como Medicaid y Medicare, que los protegen de gran parte de los costos.
El gobierno de Trump también ha negociado precios más bajos para varios medicamentos recetados para los afiliados de Medicare a través de un programa de negociación directa creado por una ley de 2022.
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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.
Fulton County Georgia Sues For Return Of 2020 Election Documents Seized By FBI
Fulton County Georgia Sues For Return Of 2020 Election Documents Seized By FBI
Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
Fulton County, Georgia, is suing the federal government for the return of 2020 election documents that the FBI seized in a raid last week.
A county spokesperson said on Feb. 4 that the county filed a motion in federal court in the Northern District of Georgia requesting the return of all 2020 election files that the FBI took on Jan. 28 under a search warrant.
The FBI carted away hundreds of boxes of ballots and other documents. A cover sheet for the warrant said the law enforcement agency was seeking all ballots and voter rolls, tabulator tapes from scanners used to tally votes, and electronic ballot images.
Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. said the county asked the federal court to limit the warrant to provide an opportunity for an accounting of the seized documents and to request that they remain in the state.
The warrant was executed on Jan. 28 at the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operation Center in Fairburn, Georgia, not far from Atlanta.
President Donald Trump has long argued that election improprieties in the state contributed to his loss in Georgia in the 2020 presidential election. Weeks after the vote, Trump called Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, urging him to investigate.
President Joe Biden was declared the winner of Georgia’s 16 electoral votes in the 2020 election. Biden received 2,473,633 votes, or 49.5 percent of the statewide vote, compared with Trump’s 2,461,854 votes, or 49.3 percent of the statewide vote, according to officially certified results.
In December 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed suit against the county, seeking voting records from the 2020 election.
Last month, when discussing the 2020 election, Trump said that “people will soon be prosecuted for what they did” but did not elaborate.
County officials have expressed concern over Trump’s plans for the midterm elections in November that will determine control of Congress.
Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts said “this case is not only about Fulton County. This is about elections across Georgia and across the nation.”
“The president himself and his allies, they refuse to accept the fact that they lost,” Pitts said. “And even if they had won Georgia, he would still have lost the presidency.”
Democratic lawmakers in Congress have also questioned why Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, was present during the search in Fulton County, given that she is not part of the law enforcement community.
Gabbard sent a letter to senior Democrats on the U.S. House and Senate intelligence committees on Feb. 2, saying the president asked her to attend at the search “under my broad statutory authority to coordinate, integrate, and analyze intelligence related to election security.”
Democratic officials in the state have also raised concerns about DOJ lawsuits, mostly aimed at Democratic states, that are seeking detailed voter data, including birthdates and partial Social Security numbers.
Trump said on Feb. 3 that Democrat-controlled places like Atlanta, which is largely within Fulton County, have “horrible corruption on elections, and the federal government should not allow that.”
Trump added that states were “agents of the federal government to count the votes. If they can’t count the votes legally and honestly, then somebody else should take over.”
Approached by The Epoch Times, the DOJ declined to comment on the new motion.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 02/05/2026 – 20:05
Drake Maye atribuye su éxito con los Patriots a ser el menor de 4 exitosos deportistas colegiales
Por KYLE HIGHTOWER
SANTA CLARA, California, EE.UU. (AP) — Cuando Drake Maye piensa en lo que le permitió llegar al Super Bowl apenas en su segunda campaña en la NFL, su mente viaja hacia algunas de las competencias más duras que ha enfrentado.
“Creo que cada partido de baloncesto de dos contra dos en el patio trasero probablemente me preparó para esto”, dijo el quarterback de los Patriots de Nueva Inglaterra. “Se trata de la alegría de ello, pero también la sensación que obtienes al lograr algo, ya sea vencer a mis hermanos mayores o simplemente tener la oportunidad de competir a un alto nivel”.
Sus hermanos Luke, Cole y Beau nunca se lo pusieron fácil al menor de los Maye. Eso llevó a que Drake siguiera sus pasos como deportista universitario. Luke y Beau brillaron en la cancha de baloncesto en Carolina del Norte. Cole ganó un título nacional de béisbol en Florida.
Maye ahora tendrá la oportunidad de lograr algo que ninguno de los otros ha conseguido. El domingo, liderará el ataque de los Patriots en el Super Bowl contra los Seahawks de Seattle.
Será la 12ma aparición de Nueva Inglaterra en el Super Bowl y la narrativa se ha centrado en las similitudes de este equipo y el primero que Tom Brady encabezó para que la franquicia ganara su trofeo Lombardi inicial en la temporada 2001. Pero también hay muchas diferencias.
Maye tiene un largo camino por recorrer antes de acercarse a emular el éxito de Brady. Aun así, después de los intentos fallidos iniciales de los Patriots para llenar los zapatos del futuro miembro del Salón de la Fama, Maye parece un digno sucesor.
Sí, al igual que Brady, Maye encontró su ritmo en su segunda temporada. Pero también está siguiendo su propio camino.
Brady creció en California queriendo ser Joe Montana, pero no fue seleccionado sino hasta la sexta ronda del draft. Maye fue la tercera selección general del draft, proveniente de Carolina del Norte. Vio a los Patriots vencer a sus Panthers en el primer Super Bowl que presenció en persona. Ese duelo tuvo lugar en el mismo estadio donde ahora jugará su primer Super Bowl.
Maye ha tratado de evitar la atención durante su temporada de revelación, aunque eso no le ha impedido ganarse el respeto de sus compañeros, quienes creen que su mejor fútbol está por venir.
Las habilidades de liderazgo de Maye también han sido refrescantes para quienes lo rodean.
Cuando el entrenador de los Patriots, Mike Vrabel, examinó el panorama de la NFL en busca de un nuevo equipo, una de las cosas que esperaba encontrar era un grupo con un joven mariscal de campo alrededor del cual pudiera construir.
No le tomó mucho tiempo ver algo especial en Maye.
“Creo que probablemente me di cuenta de eso antes de llegar aquí. Esa es una gran parte de la razón por la que quería estar aquí”, dijo Vrabel.
Luego tuvo la oportunidad de verlo en persona.
“Hubo jugadas en el campamento de entrenamiento y cosas que hizo”, dijo Vrabel. “Creo que lo que más destacó fue la precisión fuera del bolsillo o en movimiento, la forma en que juega la posición, tiene una naturaleza atlética en la forma en que juega la posición. Así que creo que eso es algo único”.
Maye también ha demostrado su habilidad para correr con 450 yardas y cuatro touchdowns durante la temporada regular.
Ha registrado 141 yardas por tierra y un touchdown en los playoffs, agregando una dimensión a su juego que el coordinador ofensivo Josh McDaniels ha estado más que dispuesto a incorporar en su esquema.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Artūras Karnišovas embraces change with Chicago Bulls after making 7 trades: ‘The play-in is not our goal’
TORONTO — Artūras Karnišovas is finally ready for the Chicago Bulls to take risks again.
The executive vice president of basketball operations made seven trades in six days this week, sending away eight players including longtime franchise staples Coby White, Nikola Vučević and Ayo Dosunmu. In exchange, the Bulls amassed a heap of second-round picks and a rag-tag group of mostly young players who might or might not return to the roster next season.
The result is a haphazard vision for a future that the Bulls still haven’t fully fleshed out.
“The play-in is not our goal. A championship is,” Karnišovas said in a video news conference shortly after Thursday’s 2 p.m. CT deadline. “We know where we are in the standings and we are not satisfied with being in the middle as an organization or for our fans.”
Not much has changed in Karnišovas’ messaging from the start of the season to this week. He still shies from using the word “rebuild” to describe this latest project. And he still hammers the importance of “not skipping steps” for a long-term development plan.
But after months of relative reticence to take big swings or commit to a tank job, the Bulls made a sharp heel turn this week by offloading all but one of their expiring contracts. Despite the severity of this sudden change — and reports stating the opposite throughout the season — Karnišovas said this week’s actions followed a plan set at the beginning of the season.
“We started the year with very mild expectations,” Karnišovas said. “We were talking about the growth of players. We were talking about getting better. We were talking about developing players. So it’s not surprising to us. I don’t know if I communicated it well. But it was a very unique situation — we were talking about seven or potentially eight players being free agents. In order for us to get out of the middle, those were the moves to be made.”
The Bulls acquired nine second-round picks this week, bringing their total of second-rounders to 14 over the next seven years — tied with the Detroit Pistons for third-most in the league.
This was a notable strategic shift for the Bulls front office, which previously scoffed at those picks, saying they had become devalued in recent years as the number of players declaring for the draft declined. Karnišovas shrugged off this sudden change in outlook, citing their potential use in trades.
“Second-rounders are a currency in our industry, and you cannot operate and acquire players and trade players (without them),” Karnišovas said. “We addressed it during the trade deadline and hopefully they’re going to contribute during the draft, during free agency and trying to build this team.”
In the short term, the roster is a mess. Karnišovas acknowledged as much, admitting there is still “work to do” to put together a balanced roster. The Bulls currently field seven guards in their main rotation. Nick Richards is their only healthy center on a full contract. This roster is shorter than local college teams such as DePaul and Illinois.
“I’m definitely worried about so many new players on the team and how little time we have for cohesion,” Karnišovas said. “But I trust Billy (Donovan) and his staff.”
In many ways, this is the point of this short-term roster build. The Bulls are tailor made to nosedive out of play-in tournament contention, posturing them for a much better position in the 2026 draft lottery. Six of the new players are on expiring deals, which means the Bulls can part ways with them peacefully after a 30-game sprint down the Eastern Conference standings.
Chicago Bulls made 7 deals and parted with 8 players: Recapping their NBA trade deadline moves
But this is yet another example of Karnišovas committing to a challenging concept too late. If the Bulls had committed to a stripped-down roster at any prior point — last December, last July, last February — they could have made a legitimate push for top-four draft positioning. Instead, they won 10 games too many to truly compete with the bottom-feeders of the league, leaving them to tank for marginal improvements in their lottery odds.
Hesitancy also devalued the trades for players such as White, who did not fetch a single first-round pick despite being previously valued as one of the better young guard assets in the league.
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Karnišovas ultimately said the timing was right to trade White and Dosunmu because “you don’t want to lose your free agents for nothing.” The executive was quick to ascribe their final trade returns as a reflection of the market. But it’s clear that White’s value in particular tumbled as he spent most of this season hampered by calf injuries.
So does the Bulls front office regret waiting a full year to pull the lever on a roster overhaul?
“I do not,” Karnišovas said. “I think we were at that stage as well, we continued evaluating our young guys. Right now it’s a good timing, and we addressed it.”
For now, Karnišovas must sit with uncertainty. The ultimate success of this trade deadline process relies on a hopeful future. The Bulls need to crash out hard enough in the final 30 games of the season to earn a decent lottery pick, preferably in the top five. They need to make another flurry of trades over the summer to maximize the value of their salary flexibility. And they need to prove the future is bright enough in Chicago to entice free agents to build with this roster.
All three of these objectives rely on the Bulls succeeding in areas at which they’ve failed in the past — particularly the free-agency market, which has been a weak point for decades. But for now, Karnišovas is clinging to that hope for a successful (and lucky) future.
“I don’t know what we’re going to look like in a year,” Karnišovas said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen during the draft. I don’t know what is going to happen in free agency. So I think it’s very early to say what we’re going to look like. … I think Chicago is still a desirable market for players to come. We’re just going to take one thing at a time.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/05/arturas-karnisovas-chicago-bulls-trades-change/
Epstein Death Gets Weirder: DOJ Finally Admits To ‘Orange-Colored Shape’ Moving Up Staircase
Epstein Death Gets Weirder: DOJ Finally Admits To ‘Orange-Colored Shape’ Moving Up Staircase
The death of Jeffrey Epstein has always been extremely suspect, if only for the sheer number of odd coincidences that occurred the night of August 9th, 2019.
There are three theories: One, he actually killed himself. Two, the DOJ – headed up by Bill Barr whose pedocentric-author father hired Epstein to teach at Dalton in the 70s – had him murdered while in custody. Three, Epstein was smuggled out of jail and replaced by a mask-wearing homeless dude, with skeptics pointing to different nose and ear shapes on the body vs. photos of Epstein when he was alive.
Now – despite former FBI director Dan Bongino insisting “There’s video clear as day, he’s the only person in there and the only person coming out. You can see it,” the DOJ just released new documents revealing that surveillance footage from the night of Epstein’s death captured an orange-colored shape moving up a staircase toward the isolated, locked tier where his cell was located at around 10:39 p.m. the night he died, or whatever.
The orange flash was initially reported last August, so this is the ‘official’ accounting for that.
That entry in an observation log of the video from the Metropolitan Correctional Center appears to suggest something previously unreported by authorities: “A flash of orange looks to be going up the L Tier stairs — could possibly be an inmate escorted up to that Tier.”
It also appears, according to an FBI memorandum, that reviews by investigators led to disparate conclusions by the FBI and those examining the same video from the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General. –CBS News
The orange flash is described as “possibly an inmate.”
The observation was logged by the inspector general as an officer carrying orange “linen or bedding,” noting it in their final report as “an unidentified [corrections officer],” despite the fact that the officers on duty said they didn’t replace any linens, as that was done during the previous shift.
“At approximately 10:39 p.m., an unidentified CO appeared to walk up the L Tier stairway, and then reappeared within view of the camera at 10:41 p.m.” reads the entry.
Officially, Epstein died by suicide sometime before 6:30 a.m., however nobody has been able to find the actual noose allegedly used.
Investigators asked what happened to the noose.
“I don’t recall taking the noose off. I really don’t,” he replied. “I don’t recall taking the thing from around his neck.”
Noel, who remained standing at the cell entrance, told investigators she saw Thomas lower Epstein to the floor but did not see a noose around his neck.
The noose Epstein allegedly used has never been definitively identified. According to the inspector general’s report, a noose collected at the scene was later determined not to be the ligature used in Epstein’s death.
This was one of the photos taken at the scene. Cute.
Other oddities include;
No Cellmate Assigned: Despite a July 30, 2019, directive from the Psychology Department requiring Epstein to have an “appropriate cellmate” due to suicide risk (emailed to over 70 staff), his cellmate was transferred on August 9 without a replacement. Multiple staff, including the warden and lieutenants, were aware but took no action, violating BOP policy and SHU post orders.
His former cellmate – Nicholas Tartaglione, who Epstein told his lawyers had “roughed him up,” begged a New York judge to move him to another prison after he said guards began threatening him after Epstein’s death. He also claimed that James Comey’s prosecutor daughter offered Epstein a deal to frame Donald Trump.
Tartaglione was convicted of killing a man he suspected of stealing some $250,000 in drug money, as well as his nephews and a family friend who “were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” prosecutors said, according to the New York Post.
During the month that Epstein was incarcerated before his apparent suicide, Tartaglione claimed in a pardon application that his cellmate had the opportunity to save his skin by throwing the sitting president under the bus.
“Prosecutors … told Epstein that if he said President Trump was involved with Esptein’s crimes he would walk free. in a petition to be pardoned,” according to the Post, which said it had obtained a copy of the filing.
“Epstein told me that Maurene Comey said that he didn’t have to prove anything, as long as President Trump’s people could not disprove it,” the pardon application added.
“According to Maurene Comey, the FBI were ‘her people, not his [President Trump’s].’”
Unmonitored and Unrecorded Phone Call: On August 9 (around 7 p.m.), Epstein was allowed a 20-minute call from the SHU shower area using a non-inmate system phone, authorized by the unit manager. He claimed it was to his mother (deceased since 2004), but it was actually to a personal associate discussing press, his case, and affection. The call violated BOP policy requiring monitoring, recording, and logging; the manager left midway and instructed no oversight.
Falsified Records of Inmate Counts and Rounds: SHU staff (including officers Tova Noel and Michael Thomas) falsified over 75 entries on count slips and round sheets. No inmate counts occurred after 4 p.m. on August 9, and no 30-minute rounds after approximately 10:40 p.m. Records were pre-filled or signed without performing duties, with “ghost counting” (using outdated cheat sheets) leading to errors like including transferred inmates.
No Monitoring or Tier Entries Overnight: Epstein was alone and unmonitored from ~10:40 p.m. on August 9 until discovered at ~6:30 a.m. on August 10. Staff remained at the officers’ station, with no entries to his tier (confirmed by available video). A specific sign mandating 30-minute rounds for Epstein was ignored.
Excess Linens and Safety Hazards in Cell: Epstein’s cell contained excess blankets, linens, and clothing (beyond limits of two sheets and one blanket), some ripped into nooses or clotheslines. No cell search was documented on August 9 (shower day, when searches are required), and only one SHU search was logged that day (not his cell). Mattresses and blankets were on the floor, violating housekeeping and security policies. And again, they never found the actual noose allegedly used.
Security Camera Malfunction: One of the SHU’s DVR systems failed on July 29 due to disk issues, stopping recordings (though live feeds continued). It was reported on August 8 but not repaired until after Epstein’s death, attributed to staffing shortages. Available footage showed no unauthorized entries, but the failure limited full review.
Staff Fatigue and Dozing on Duty: Officers worked excessive overtime (e.g., Thomas on a 22-24 hour shift, his third consecutive). Video showed staff idle or appearing asleep between 1-3 a.m. on August 10. Supervisors violated union agreements by assigning extended shifts, contributing to skipped duties.
Ambiguous Prior Incident (July 23): Epstein was found on the floor with an orange cloth around his neck tied to a bunkbed ladder. It was unclear if it was a suicide attempt or assault by his then-cellmate; investigations were inconclusive, with conflicting statements (Epstein initially claimed assault, later denied memory). He was placed on suicide watch but removed after 31 hours.
So yes, Epstein ‘died by apparent suicide’ inndeed.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 02/05/2026 – 19:40
Column: Artūras Karnišovas finally gave the Chicago Bulls a complete makeover. But does he have a plan?
If you went to Maxwell Street in the 1970s and bought nine used hubcaps, you probably had a decent chance of finding one that might go with your rusty, old Buick.
If you were an NBA executive at the 2026 trade deadline and acquired nine second-round draft picks, you also might have a chance of finding a player who could change your team’s appearance.
I’m not sure whether Chicago Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas is a thrifty shopper outside of his job, but he seems to have cornered the market on second-round picks, so I’m guessing he’s comfortable looking at the bargain bins in secondhand stores.
Karnišovas is taking some flak for his trade-deadline maneuvering, which was a complete reversal of form from recent deadlines, which is to say he finally did something. With so many players on expiring contracts — including starters Coby White and Nikola Vučević and key sixth man Ayo Dosunmu — Karnišovas had little choice but to hold a yard sale this week, much like Cubs President Jed Hoyer did with his summer sell-off at the 2021 MLB trade deadline.
Like Hoyer, Karnišovas knew this Bulls team was going nowhere and none of the “big” names he was shopping would re-sign, so he bit the bullet and got what he could in return. It wasn’t much, but in Chicago we tend to overvalue players we love, so maybe an aging Vooch, an injury-plagued Coby and an energetic hometown hero in Ayo weren’t really as valuable as many fans believe.
But that’s water under the bridge. So what’s the plan now, AK?
“This process takes time,” Karnišovas said Thursday, repeating the mantra of every rebuilding executive in sports history.
Of course, Karnišovas doesn’t believe in rebuilds and refused to call this one, referring to it as “a stage.” He pointed to the draft and to financial flexibility for the offseason that might entice free agents.
But what makes him think any high-caliber free agent would choose to play in Chicago after looking at the current state of the organization?
“I mean, all we can do is prepare for free agency and have our targets in play,” he said. “We have a lot of flexibility. I think Chicago is still a desirable market for players to come. We’re just going to take one thing at a time.”
OK, sure.
That means first seeing what he has with the current roster, which now includes a plethora of young guards, several of them former first-round picks who haven’t lived up to their draft-day billing. It’s Josh Giddey’s team now, and Matas Buzelis and Jalen Smith will have to step up and show some game-to-game consistency. Anfernee Simons could become a viable offensive piece, and maybe Jaden Ivey can if he stays healthy.
It’s a cross-your-fingers approach, but it’s a bold one that puts Karnišovas in the crosshairs, just as Hoyer was with Cubs fans back in ’21.
Five years after Hoyer’s sell-off, he at least can point to Pete Crow-Armstrong as a valuable asset from the summer purge, and no one lamented the loss of Kris Bryant or Javier Báez when they regressed with new teams. Time marches on.
Can we wait until 2031 to judge Karnišovas for this week’s haul? Will Simons, Rob Dillingham or Collin Sexton even be here next season?
Some wonder whether Karnišovas would have a job if he didn’t have the faith of Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and his son, Bulls President Michael Reinsdorf. Not an NBA job, but any job, including valet parker, dog walker or Streets and San worker. That’s how low AK’s poll ratings are in Chicago these days.
Aside from dealing Zach LaVine a year ago, Karnišovas studiously avoided making moves at the last three trade deadlines, only to wake up and discover the Bulls were in Play-In Land again and the value of the players he held on to was slipping away. He said Thursday he didn’t regret not trading any of the impending free agents before this season: “Right now it’s good timing, and we addressed it.”
Karnišovas completely overhauled the Bulls roster in what could be interpreted as a tank job, but really it’s too late to truly tank and get high lottery odds. Blame the now-former players for overachieving and being a .500-ish team, which is good enough for a spot in the play-in tournament. Even if the Bulls play themselves out, they won’t catch teams that tanked from the start such as the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and Indiana Pacers.
They still can attempt a belated tank job, but knowing Billy Donovan, he won’t coach to lose. It’s just not his style. So they’ll probably wind up with a first-round pick in the 10-13 range, and Karnišovas will use it on a “project” like Dalen Terry in 2022.
Terry, curiously, was sent to the New York Knicks for Guerschon Yabusele and cash considerations. Yabusele was a first-round pick in 2016 who never panned out, just like Terry, who memorably said on draft day, “There’s going to be a redraft in 10 years and it’s going to be different.”
The No. 18 pick said he kept track of every name picked ahead of him.
“I remember everybody already,” Terry said. “Trust me. I got it.”
We saw flashes of his talent in Chicago but only in brief spurts. He’s a nice kid and hopefully he finds himself in New Orleans, where the Knicks reportedly sent him Thursday in a deal for Jose Alvarado.
Meanwhile, Karnišovas said the “evaluation period” begins now, and he confirmed that the current roster will maintain the same up-tempo style under Donovan.
Karnišovas was lambasted last year for the return from the LaVine deal, but Kevin Huerter and Tre Jones turned into valuable pieces. Huerter was dealt to the Detroit Pistons in the Ivey trade, while Jones still can be an integral part of the future.
Bulls fans are rightfully upset with the departures of favorites White and Dosunmu, but they should let Simons, Ivey, Billingham and the others play before tuning out the team on Chicago Sports Network.
Still, for a fan base going through the longest spin cycle in recent memory, it’s a hard sell. Karnišovas isn’t much of a salesman, so it’s up to Donovan to talk them off the ledge.
Remember, it’s just a stage. We all go through one growing up.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/05/chicago-bulls-makeover-arturas-karnisovas/
With Super Bowl approaching, Illinois warns illegal online casinos to shut down operations
In advance of Super Bowl Sunday, the Illinois Gaming Board Thursday issued more than 60 cease-and-desist letters to illegal online gambling companies, demanding that they immediately block Illinois residents from accessing their websites and stop offering them prizes.
Operators who fail to comply may be subject to civil or criminal penalties.
The letters aim to eliminate competition for legal gambling in Illinois, which generated $2.2 billion in tax revenue for the state in fiscal year 2025.
The action comes as the legal gambling industry has been complaining that the state’s new per-wager tax on sports betting is driving gamblers to unlicensed websites.
There has been a 15% drop in the number of bets placed since Illinois instituted the tax of 25 to 50 cents per bet in the fall, state records show — but an increase in the amount of money bet, as players make fewer but bigger wagers.
Fans are expected to set records for sports wagering for the upcoming Super Bowl, but the Sports Betting Alliance, which represents the legal gambling industry, warns that bookies and betting sites are taking a bigger slice of the action.
“Illinois’ recent tax hikes are undercutting the protections of the legal market, sending players to cheaper, riskier and predatory illegal options instead,” the alliance said in a statement.
Law enforcement authorities are trying to respond to the growing online market.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul was part of a recent request by 50 state attorneys general nationwide for the U.S. Department of Justice to take action against the illegal market because of the impact on consumers.
He warned that illegal online betting is largely operated by foreign companies that sometimes refuse to pay winnings, fail to verify the age of users, and don’t pay taxes.
The Better Business Bureau also recently reported that more illegal gaming sites are scamming consumers out of their money and exposing their data to hackers. Gamblers lodged more than 10,000 complaints to the BBB from 2022 to mid-2025.
The bureau advises gamblers to beware promises of big payouts, tempting ads with no details, sweepstakes-style games, overseas business locations and payment through cryptocurrency.
The American Gaming Association estimates illegal online gaming exceeds more than $400 billion in volume annually, leading to more than $4 billion in lost tax revenue for states.
Whether the companies comply with the cease and desist orders remains to be seen. The Tennessee attorney general recently reported that all 40 sweepstakes casinos that it contacted did agree to shut down their operations there.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/05/super-bowl-illinois-warns-illegal-online-casinos/
Federal Agency Seeks To Investigate Nike For Alleged Bias Against White Employees
Federal Agency Seeks To Investigate Nike For Alleged Bias Against White Employees
Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is seeking a court order for investigating systemic race discrimination allegations against white workers by footwear and apparel corporation Nike Inc., according to a Feb. 4 statement from the agency.
The EEOC filed an action in federal court to compel Nike, headquartered in Oregon, to produce information related to allegations that the company discriminated against white workers as part of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
According to the filing made by EEOC in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, the agency is looking to enforce an administrative subpoena against Nike for failing to submit the required information, which was initially requested in 2024 by then-commissioner, and now chair, Andrea Lucas.
Lucas alleged that Nike, since at least 2020, engaged in “a pattern or practice of disparate treatment against white employees, applicants and training program participants in hiring, promotion, demotion, or separation decisions, including selection for layoffs; internship programs; and mentoring, leadership development and other career development programs.”
EEOC is the sole federal agency that investigates and litigates against companies for violating federal law prohibiting employment discrimination.
In an emailed statement to The Epoch Times, a Nike spokesperson said that this was a “surprising and unusual escalation,” adding that the company had already shared thousands of pages of information with the EEOC, and written detailed responses to inquiries, and is in the process of providing additional information.
“We are committed to fair and lawful employment practices and follow all applicable laws, including those that prohibit discrimination,” the spokesperson said.
Diversity and Inclusion at Nike
According to the diversity, equity, and inclusion page on Nike’s website, the company drives “equitable experiences for all teammates across the employee lifecycle.”
In its fiscal year 2024 “Representation by the Numbers” document published online, Nike said women made up 50.3 percent of the global corporate workforce. As for racial representation, white employees made up 57 percent, with black employees making up 9 percent, Asian 18 percent, and Hispanic 8.8 percent.
Based on Bloomberg data, from 2020 to 2021, Nike showcased the largest amount of change against hiring white workers among large U.S. companies. While the numbers of black, Hispanic, and Asian people went up across the board, Nike let go of white workers, said the analysis.
Kismet Mills is currently Nike’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. She assumed the post in 2024.
EEOC will take necessary steps to counter corporate DEI programs that seek to discriminate based on race, Lucas said.
“Title VII’s prohibition of race-based employment discrimination is colorblind and requires the EEOC to protect employees of all races from unlawful employment practices. Thanks to President Trump’s commitment to enforcing our nation’s civil rights laws, the EEOC has renewed its focus on evenhanded enforcement of Title VII,” said Lucas, who was hired by President Donald Trump to head the EEOC in November.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, and sex.
The Trump administration has shown a steadfast opposition to DEI policies, with the president issuing executive orders against the implementation of such policies during his initial days in office.
DEI policies violate civil-rights laws, while undermining national unity, as “they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system,” said Trump’s Jan. 31 executive order.
In 2024, nonprofit law firm America First Legal filed a federal civil rights complaint with EEOC against Nike alleging racial and sex discrimination in violation of Title VII.
The firm said in a statement at the time that Nike appeared to be using numerical quotas for hiring, training, and promotion. The company aims to have 50 percent of women in the global corporate workforce and 45 percent in leadership positions by 2025, said America First Legal.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 02/05/2026 – 19:15
Oficina del Censo de EEUU planea usar formulario con una pregunta sobre ciudadanía en censo de 2030
Por MIKE SCHNEIDER
ORLANDO, Florida, EE.UU. (AP) — La Oficina del Censo de Estados Unidos planea usar un formulario de encuesta con una pregunta sobre ciudadanía como parte de su prueba práctica del censo de 2030, lo que genera interrogantes acerca de si el gobierno del presidente Donald Trump podría intentar realizar ese cambio significativo, el cual no logró efectuar en su primer mandato.
La prueba de campo que se está llevando a cabo en Huntsville, Alabama, y Spartanburg, Carolina del Sur, está utilizando preguntas de la Encuesta sobre la Comunidad Estadounidense (ACS, por sus siglas en inglés), el sondeo integral de la vida estadounidense, en lugar de preguntas de formularios censales recientes.
Entre las preguntas de la ACS se encuentra la siguiente: “¿Es esta persona ciudadana de Estados Unidos?”. Se supone que en el censo no se pregunta si se es ciudadano o no, y no se ha hecho en 75 años.
En agosto pasado, Trump le pidió al Departamento de Comercio que la Oficina del Censo comenzara a trabajar en un nuevo censo que excluiría del conteo de la población a los inmigrantes que están en Estados Unidos ilegalmente.
La 14ª Enmienda de la Constitución dice que “el número total de personas en cada estado” debe contarse para determinar los números utilizados en la distribución de escaños en el Congreso y los votos del Colegio Electoral entre los estados. La Oficina del Censo ha interpretado que eso se refiere a cualquier persona que viva en Estados Unidos, independientemente de su estatus legal.
La oficina no respondió el jueves a las solicitudes de comentarios sobre por qué se estaban utilizando las preguntas de la ACS para la prueba de 2026.
Terri Ann Lowenthal, una ex asistente del Congreso que asesora sobre temas del censo, indicó que las preguntas de la ACS nunca se han utilizado antes para una prueba de campo del censo. Dijo que la prueba de 2026 —que se redujo de seis ubicaciones a dos— se ha convertido en “una sombra de lo que la Oficina del Censo propuso y debería hacer para asegurar un Censo del 2030 con precisión”.
“Este cambio radical respecto de una prueba de campo real es alarmante y merece la atención inmediata del Congreso, en mi opinión”, expresó Lowenthal.
La prueba de campo le da a la agencia estadística la oportunidad de aprender cómo contar mejor a las poblaciones que fueron subestimadas durante el último censo en 2020, y mejorar los métodos que se utilizarán en 2030. Entre los nuevos métodos que se están probando está el uso de trabajadores del Servicio Postal de Estados Unidos para realizar tareas que anteriormente hacían los trabajadores del censo.
Originalmente, la prueba debía llevarse a cabo en seis lugares, pero esta semana el gobierno de Trump anunció que había eliminado cuatro de ellos: Colorado Springs, Colorado; el oeste de Carolina del Norte, el oeste de Texas y tierras tribales en Arizona.
Mark Mather, vicepresidente asociado del Population Reference Bureau —un grupo de investigación apartidista—, dijo que no podía especular sobre las motivaciones políticas detrás de la decisión de usar las preguntas de la ACS, pero señaló que la preocupación más fundamental era metodológica.
“El formulario de la ACS no proporcionaría una prueba válida de las operaciones del censo de 2030”, señaló. “Es algo completamente diferente”.
En su primer mandato, Trump intentó sin éxito agregar una pregunta sobre ciudadanía al formulario del censo de 2020. También firmó órdenes que habrían excluido a las personas que están en Estados Unidos ilegalmente de las cifras de distribución, y ordenó la recopilación de datos sobre ciudadanía.
La Corte Suprema federal bloqueó el intento de agregar la pregunta de ciudadanía, y ambas órdenes fueron rescindidas cuando el presidente demócrata Joe Biden llegó a la Casa Blanca en enero de 2021, antes de que se publicaran las cifras del censo de 2020.
Recientemente, legisladores republicanos en el Congreso presentaron un proyecto de ley que excluiría a algunos no ciudadanos de las cifras de distribución. Varios fiscales estatales del Partido Republicano también han presentado demandas federales en Luisiana y Misuri, con la intención de agregar una pregunta de ciudadanía al próximo censo y excluir a las personas que se encuentran ilegalmente en Estados Unidos del conteo de distribución.
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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.
Arrestan a siete policías de Toronto por presuntos vínculos con el crimen organizado
Por ROB GILLIES
TORONTO (AP) — Siete agentes de la policía de Toronto y uno más en el retiro fueron arrestados y acusados formalmente como parte de una investigación de crimen organizado que involucra el pago de sobornos, asociación delictuosa para cometer homicidio y tráfico de drogas, informaron las autoridades el jueves.
Los agentes habían recopilado información personal y privada de manera ilegal para distribuirla entre figuras del crimen organizado, en algunos casos a cambio de sobornos, señalaron funcionarios de la policía en una conferencia de prensa. Los miembros de la mafia usaban posteriormente esta información para llevar a cabo tiroteos y otros crímenes violentos, detallaron.
“Este es un momento doloroso e inquietante”, declaró el jefe de la policía de Toronto, Myron Demkiw. “Cuando el crimen organizado penetra en el Servicio de Policía de Toronto, el daño va mucho más allá de las irregularidades inmediatas”.
El subjefe de la policía regional de York, Ryan Hogan, dijo que la investigación comenzó en junio cuando la policía descubrió que miembros del crimen organizado habían elaborado un plan para asesinar a un encargado de correccionales. Señaló que los sospechosos le habían pasado información del empleado a los mafiosos.
Hogan explicó que varios supuestos miembros del crimen organizado se presentaron en la residencia de encargado de correccionales para asesinarlo, pero en su lugar se encontraron con un contingente de la policía que fue asignado para proteger al empleado y arrestó a los presuntos mafiosos después de que chocaron contra un vehículo policial.
Añadió que era la tercera vez en 36 horas que los sospechosos habían visitado la casa, y el incidente dio origen a una investigación que reveló que los agentes de la policía de Toronto habían tenido acceso a información personal que filtraron a miembros de un grupo del crimen organizado.
Los investigadores alegan que Timothy Barnhardt, agente de la policía de Toronto, proporcionó información personal a Brian Da Costa, quien es sospechoso de varios delitos de tráfico de drogas y una de varias personas que presuntamente buscaba información confidencial.
“Afirmamos que el señor Da Costa es una figura clave en una red criminal que opera dentro del área metropolitana de Toronto, con importantes lazos internacionales”, subrayó Hogan.
Los agentes de la policía de Toronto Derek McCormick, Elias Mouawad, John Madeley Jr., así como el policía jubilado y padre de éste último, John Madeley Sr., enfrentan cargos como resultado de la investigación.
Los agentes de la policía de Toronto Timothy Barnhardt, Robert Black, Saurabjit Bedi y Carl Grellette también fueron acusados por su presunta participación en una red de sobornos orquestada por Da Costa, explicó Hogan.
“Afirmamos que estos agentes en particular estaban involucrados con el señor Da Costa en el apoyo a dispensarios ilegales de cannabis al aceptar sobornos para protegerlo en última instancia de una investigación policial”, declaró Hogan, agregando que algunos de los acusados presuntamente también estaban involucrados en el tráfico de cocaína.
Además de Da Costa, otros 18 sospechosos fueron arrestados como parte la investigación, incluidos dos menores de edad.
Demkiw dijo que los agentes sospechosos quedaron bajo licencia y se busca que al menos cuatro de ellos sean suspendidos sin goce de sueldo.
El jefe de la policía regional de York, Jim MacSween, dijo que era un “día sumamente decepcionante y triste” para la policía.
“Esta investigación también subraya la insidiosa corrosión del crimen organizado. Destaca cómo estos criminales encuentran una manera incluso en las instituciones más protegidas de nuestra sociedad”. señaló.
Clayton Campbell, presidente del Sindicato de Policía de Toronto, señaló que estaba perturbado por las acusaciones y aclaró que el apoyo legal para los acusados en casos criminales no está garantizado y su disponibilidad se determina caso por caso.
“De hecho, no hay nada que nuestros miembros o el (Sindicato de Policía de Toronto) odien más que un policía corrupto”, declaró Campbell en un comunicado.
La Junta de Servicios de Policía de Toronto, que supervisa a la policía, emitió un comunicado en el que señaló que le ha solicitado al inspector general que investigue cuestiones que incluyen cuestiones como la supervisión, selección, reclutamiento y acceso a bases de datos, entre otras.
La alcaldesa de Toronto, Olivia Chow, dijo que los residentes de Toronto merecen saber que los agentes de policía con los que tratan todos los días son de confianza.
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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.
