Category: News
Madison School ESL teacher lauded as Outstanding by state group
Donna DeVito, a teacher at Madison Elementary School in Hinsdale, has been honored with the 2026 Elliot Judd Outstanding Teacher Award by the Illinois Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages – Bilingual Education.
The purpose of the award is to honor an ITBE member who demonstrates the qualities exemplified by Elliot Judd, who died in 2008 and exemplified the characteristics of an exceptional educator and demonstrated outstanding commitment to the field of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, according to the ITBE.
Karen O’Connor, communications director for Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Elementary District 181 said the award is a powerful testament to DeVito’s commitment to multilingual education and the exceptional quality of teaching professionals across the district.
O’Connor said DeVito has served Madison School students for nine years, bringing a wealth of experience gained from her prior work as an English as a Second Language teacher in bilingual and ESL classrooms in Cicero Elementary District 99.
In District 181, DeVito works as a resource teacher, providing small pull-out groups focused on developing students’ listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, and often pushing into classrooms, O’Connor said.
“Her teaching is characterized by an outstanding commitment to project-based learning that connects her students to the world around them,” she said, adding that DeVito’s innovative projects have included creating wristbands for refugees, gathering school supplies, making teddy bear buddies for refugee students, and sending postcards of hope for refugee kids overseas.
“We are incredibly proud to have Ms. DeVito representing our district,” O’Connor said.
Madison Principal Katherine Zulauf said DeVito is an educator who makes everyone around her better.
“She has an incredible way of seeing the whole child and making every student feel known, valued, and capable,” Zulauf said. “Donna pours her heart into supporting our multilingual learners and their families, and her impact reaches far beyond the classroom.
“She is thoughtful and deeply committed to her work, and this recognition could not be more deserved. We are so incredibly lucky to have her at Madison, and I couldn’t be prouder to see her honored with this award.”
DeVito modestly said that she is “so fortunate to have the best teaching job in the world.”
“This award validates my passion and advocacy for teaching multilingual learners,” she said. “This award truly belongs to my students and their families because of their desire to be in this country and be successful.”
The annual Elliot Judd Outstanding Teacher Award dates back to 2014.
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/03/madison-school-teacher-award/
Watch: Viral Video Exposes Democrats’ Staggering Hypocrisy On Immigration Enforcement
Watch: Viral Video Exposes Democrats’ Staggering Hypocrisy On Immigration Enforcement
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,
A viral video compilation circulating on X has laid bare the dramatic reversal in Democratic positions on immigration, showcasing top party figures advocating for robust border security measures that they now vehemently oppose.
This shift comes amid growing public demand for deportations, exposing a calculated pivot away from policies that once aligned with American interests.
The video, posted by @WesternLensman on X, features archived clips of prominent Democrats articulating views on immigration that echo today’s America First agenda. It underscores how border security was once a bipartisan consensus before the party’s radical elements took over.
NEW VIDEO: For decades, border security and immigration enforcement weren’t controversial or radical ideas.
The only thing that changed?
Democrats. pic.twitter.com/h1MHLdRIn3
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) February 2, 2026
In one clip, former President Barack Obama states, “Americans are right to demand better border security and better enforcement of the immigration laws.”
Obama continues in another segment: “We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked.”
He adds, “We’ve had five million undocumented workers come over the borders. It has become an extraordinary problem.”
Former President Bill Clinton echoes this sentiment: “All Americans not only in the states most heavily affected but in every place in this country are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country.”
Clinton asserts, “And we must do more to stop it.”
Joe Biden, in an older clip, is asked, “Yes or no, would you allow sanctuary cities to ignore the federal law?”
He responds, “No. Any city should listen to the Department of Homeland Security.”
Hillary Clinton criticizes sanctuary policies: “The city made a mistake not to deport someone that the federal government strongly felt should be deported.”
Clinton also says, “Just because your child gets across the border, that doesn’t mean the child gets to stay.”
She further declares, “We do not think the comprehensive health care benefits should be extended to those who are undocumented workers and illegal aliens.”
Clinton emphasizes, “We do not want to do anything to encourage more illegal immigration.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer explains, “People say, well why can’t you stop illegal immigrants from coming here? And the number one answer we give is when they come here they can get jobs, get benefits against the law because of fraud.”
Schumer states plainly, “Illegal immigration is wrong, plain and simple,” further warning “Open borders, you’re doing away with a concept of nation state.”
Senator Bernie Sanders affirms, “Our nation like all nations has the right and obligation to control its borders.”
Finally, Obama reinforces accountability: “No matter how decent they are, no matter their reasons, 11 million who broke these laws should be held accountable.”
This compilation arrives as Democrats ramp up efforts to undermine ICE and DHS operations. Recent reports highlight Senate Democrats threatening to block government funding over demands for reforms to immigration enforcement following incidents in Minneapolis, including fatal shootings by federal agents. They seek measures like requiring warrants for arrests and ending roving patrols, moves that would hamstring border security.
Such positions mark a stark departure from their earlier stances, prioritizing open borders and globalist priorities over national sovereignty.
This hypocrisy is all the more glaring given the overwhelming public support for mass deportations. As we previously reported, multiple polls confirm that 55% to 64% of Americans favor deporting all illegal immigrants, with sentiments hardening against unchecked influxes.
The video serves as a potent reminder that secure borders were once uncontroversial—until Democrats decided otherwise to chase votes and advance agendas that erode American communities.
With President Trump poised to ramp up enforcement, these past admissions from Democratic leaders only strengthen the case for restoring law and order at the border, putting America first once more.
Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 02/03/2026 – 12:25
‘SaaSpocalypse’ Strikes As Private Credit-Software Stock Vicious Cycle Accelerates
‘SaaSpocalypse’ Strikes As Private Credit-Software Stock Vicious Cycle Accelerates
Yesterday, in a must read report for everyone, we highlighted the shocking reality of the circular firing squad evolving between private credit providers (BDCs) and software companies as the latter suffers from artificial intelligence’s domination and the former’s pain grows from the massive exposure it faces to those very same software entities.
“Software is the largest sector exposure for BDCs, at around 20% of portfolios, making the industry particularly sensitive to the recent decline in software equity and credit valuations,” Barclays analysts including Peter Troisi wrote in a note available to pro subs.
The total exposure was about $100 billion in the third quarter of last year, the analysts said, citing PitchBook data.
Today the vicious cycle is accelerating as the details of the report hit the mainstream with Bloomberg reporting that sentiment has gone from bearish to doomsday lately with traders dumping shares of companies across the industry as fears about the destruction to be wrought by artificial intelligence pile up.
“We call it the ‘SaaSpocalypse,’ an apocalypse for software-as-a-service stocks,” said Jeffrey Favuzza, who works on the equity trading desk at Jefferies.
“Trading is very much ‘get me out’ style selling.”
The anxiety was underscored Tuesday after AI startup Anthropic released a productivity tool for in-house lawyers, sending shares of legal software and publishing firms tumbling.
Hedge funds have already been exiting the ‘software’ building en masse, as noted over the weekend, Goldman’s Prime Brokerage showed a stunning chart: the divergence between hedge fund exposure in semiconductor companies (broadly seen as beneficiaries of the AI supercycle) and software companies (increasingly seen as the biggest losers of AI), has never been greater.
It appears that the rest of the market is now waking up to that pain trade.
Goldman Sachs Software stock basket is collapsing, now back near Liberation Day lows from last year…
Perceived risks to the software industry have been simmering for months, with the January release of the Claude Cowork tool from Anthropic supercharging disruption fears.
“I ask clients, ‘what’s your hold-your-nose level?’ and even with all the capitulation, I haven’t heard any conviction on where that is,” Favuzza said.
“People are just selling everything and don’t care about the price.”
All told, the S&P North American software index is on a three-week losing streak that pushed it to a 15% drop in January, its biggest monthly decline since October 2008.
Simply put, fears of an AI-induced wave of obsolescence have left investors wondering which industries will be left behind.
“The draconian view is that software will be the next print media or department stores, in terms of their prospects,” said Favuzza at Jefferies.
“That the pendulum has swung so far to the sell-everything side suggests there will be super-attractive opportunities that come out of this. However, we’re all waiting for an acceleration, and when I look out to 2026 or 2027 numbers, it is hard to see the upside. If Microsoft is struggling, imagine how bad it could be for companies more in the path of disruption, or without its dominant position.”
FactSet notes that 75% of companies have beat on EPS and 65% beat on revenue. That’s not great by hit-rate standards.
Instead, as Bloomberg reports, the lift is coming from magnitude – fewer companies are clearing the bar, but the ones that do are clearing it by enough to keep the aggregate results looking healthy.
But, as we noted in detail previously, and briefly at the start of this note, the pain in software is not staying there as BDCs are suffering significantly.
Private credit could see default rates surge to as high as 13% in the US if artificial intelligence triggers an “aggressive” disruption among corporate borrowers, UBS Group AG strategists wrote in a separate note on Monday.
And today we see that fear contagiously accelerate in the BDCs, including Blue Owl, Blackstone, and Ares…
The central issue facing investors who want to buy software stocks is separating the AI winners from the losers. Clearly, some of these companies are going to thrive, meaning their stocks are effectively on sale after the recent rout. But it may be too early to determine who they are.
“The fear with AI is that there’s more competition, more pricing pressure, and that their competitive moats have gotten shallower, meaning they could be easier to replace with AI,” said Thomas Shipp, head of equity research at LPL Financial, which has $2.4 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets.
“The range of outcomes for their growth has gotten wider, which means it’s harder to assign fair valuations or see what looks cheap.”
For now, traders are selling first as the threat of falling software equity prices prompts painful balance sheet reflection at private credit shops (which don’t report until late Fed/early March), triggering less availability of credit (or pulling existing lines), feeding back into lower growth potential for software companies (which already face existential threats from AI).
Much more on this whole fiasco in the full Barclays note available to pro subs.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 02/03/2026 – 12:10
Hinsdale High School District 86 hiring superintendent from northwest Indiana
The Hinsdale High School District 86 Board was slated to vote Wednesday on the approval of a new superintendent to replace Michael Lach, who is retiring.
With the expected board approval, Jack “Chip” Pettit will become the district’s next superintendent, effective July 1.
Pettit has served since 2019 as superintendent of Duneland School Corporation in northwest Indiana. That school district consists of five elementary schools (grades K-4), two intermediate schools (grades 5-6), two middle schools (grades 7-8) and a high school (grades 9-12).
“During his time at Duneland, Pettit has significantly improved student performance, implemented a large capital improvement plan, and led two cycles of strategic planning, among other things,” the District 86 board said in a statement.
Information from District 86 also stated that Petitt has received many awards for his leadership as a high school principal, published author, and as a superintendent, including recognition as the 2026 Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents District 1 Superintendent of the Year.
“Dr. Pettit believes in strong relationships, collaboration, and will implement a clear vision to build upon D86’s tradition of excellence for all students,” the District 86 Board said. “We are looking forward to taking action on Dr. Pettit’s contract next week and will continue to support our students, families, educators, and staff through this transition.”
Brandon Kroft, president of the Duneland School Board, said in a statement to that community that he was announcing Petitt’s leaving with “much sadness,” and that his accomplishments were many.
“During this time, Duneland student performance continues to be the leader in Northwest Indiana and amongst the highest in the state of Indiana,” Kroft wrote in his statement.
Petitt’s District 86 contract is for three years, running through June 30, 2029. His salary for the 2026-2027 contract year of July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, will be $300,000.
The annual salary for each of the remaining contract years will include an increase of no less than the Consumer Price Index increase identified in the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability’s certification of the minimum salary rate for the applicable contract year over the superintendent’s annual salary in the immediately prior contract year.
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/03/hinsdale-high-school-d86-pettit/
Lake Forest resident files complaint with Illinois State Board of Elections alleging local group acts as a political committee
A Lake Forest resident has filed a complaint with the Illinois State Board of Elections regarding the operations and practices of a group focused on local government.
Joe Weiss, one of the hosts of the Lake Forest Podcast, has raised concerns with the ISBE about Lake Forest for Transparency, known as LF4T.
In a letter sent to ISBE Executive Director Bernadette Matthews on Jan. 22, Weiss alleges that LF4T has effectively operated as a political committee by soliciting political contributions, advocating for electoral outcomes, and making political expenditures, while failing to register with the ISBE or file required disclosure reports.
Weiss contends that LF4T produces printed materials, maintains digital operations through third-party vendors, displays yard signs and retains legal counsel, among other activities that require funding, yet has not filed any campaign finance disclosures with the state.
“The irony being a group with the word transparency in its name is not transparent in its finances,” Weiss said in an interview.
LF4T co-founder John Trkla labeled the complaint “frivolous” and said it reflects a misunderstanding of Illinois campaign finance law.
“LF4T does not endorse candidates or engage in electioneering communications on behalf of any candidate or ballot initiative,” Trkla said in a statement. “As such, LF4T is not required to register with the State Board of Elections or file campaign disclosure reports because it does not meet the legal definition of a political action committee. We are confident the complaint will be summarily dismissed.”
ISBE spokesman Matt Dietrich confirmed the agency had received Weiss’s complaint and it will have a preliminary hearing with a staff member serving as hearing officer sometime in February. As part of the process, the complaint then could have a hearing in front of the full ISBE board, possibly at their March 16 meeting if scheduling permits.
LF4T was formed in the spring of 2003, Trkla said. The group has been critical of certain operations of the Lake Forest Caucus, and recently opposed a proposed bylaw amendment that would have allowed electronic voting. That measure was defeated for a second time on Jan. 24.
Weiss, a former elected official from Morton Grove who moved to Lake Forest in 2022, said he supports the Caucus but filed the complaint independently and not in coordination with Caucus officials.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/03/lake-forest-resident-files-complaint/
Iranian Gunboats Attempted To Stop U.S. Tanker In Critical Energy Chokepoint
Iranian Gunboats Attempted To Stop U.S. Tanker In Critical Energy Chokepoint
UK Maritime Trade Operations warned of a “suspicious activity” on Tuesday morning at the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical energy chokepoint, after numerous small armed boats attempted to stop a U.S. oil tanker.
This is what UKMTO has reported so far:
Location: about 16 nautical miles north of Oman, within the inbound traffic separation scheme
Incident: a merchant vessel was hailed on VHF by multiple small armed boats
Response: the vessel ignored requests to stop and continued on its planned route
Status: authorities are investigating
Guidance: all vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO
Here’s the UKMTO Advisory:
The Wall Street Journal provided more color on the situation, including the U.S. tanker:
Maritime-security firm Vanguard Tech said in a message to clients that six Iranian gunboats armed with 50-caliber guns approached the tanker as it entered the strategic waterway and ordered it to kill the engines and prepare to be boarded. Instead, the vessel sped up and was later escorted by a U.S. warship.
U.S. officials confirmed armed Iranian boats tried to stop a U.S.-flagged ship and that it was escorted to safety.
The incident occurred at the critical maritime chokepoint where 20% of oil trade and a large share of LNG flows pass daily.
At its narrowest, shipping lanes are only about 2 miles wide in each direction…
Brent crude prices are marginally higher on the session, trading around $66/bbl handle.
UBS analyst Dominic Ellis provided clients with his assessment of the crude oil market early Tuesday: “The Lowdown: Oil At Risk Of Near-Term Pullback But Risks Remain.”
Ellis continued:
In the near term, UBS strategists are expecting a pullback in oil, which is running ahead of their assumptions for the quarter and the year. They see the market as oversupplied this quarter and in the full year, which should pull Brent back down into the low $60s. It is now in the mid $60s having touched low $70s very recently.
What is challenging their view is that the U.S. is building up a presence in the Middle East, and there is a perceived risk of direct intervention in Iran, which could impact Iranian supply and potentially if things spill over into the wider region, affect the 20% of global crude flows that pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude prices…
US-Iran tensions appear to be simmering down:
Oil Prices Tumble 5% Amid Signs Of US-Iran De-escalation
This comes as the U.S. has been building up naval forces in the region for a possible strike on Iran.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 02/03/2026 – 12:00
Trump demands $1 billion from Harvard as a prolonged standoff appears to deepen
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is demanding a $1 billion payment from Harvard University to end his prolonged standoff with the Ivy League campus, doubling the amount he sought previously as both sides appear to move further from reaching a deal.
The president raised the stakes on social media Monday night, saying Harvard has been “behaving very badly.” He said the university must pay the government directly as part of any deal — something Harvard has opposed — and that his administration wants “nothing further to do” with Harvard in the future.
Trump’s comments on Truth Social came in response to a New York Times report saying the president had dropped his demand for a financial payment, lowering the bar for a deal. Trump denied he was backing down.
Harvard officials did not immediately comment.
Trump’s outburst appears to leave both sides firmly entrenched in a conflict that Trump previously said was nearing an end.
Last June, Trump said a deal was just days away and that Harvard had acted “extremely appropriately” during negotiations. He later said an agreement was being finalized that would require Harvard to put $500 million toward the creation of a “series of trade schools” rather than a payment to the government.
That deal appears to have fallen apart entirely. In his social media post, Trump said the trade school proposal had been turned down because it was “convoluted” and “wholly inadequate.”
Harvard has long been Trump’s top target in his administration’s campaign to bring the nation’s most prestigious universities to heel. His officials have cut billions of dollars in Harvard’s federal research funding and attempted to block it from enrolling foreign students after the campus rebuffed a series of government demands last April.
The White House has said it’s punishing Harvard for tolerating anti-Jewish bias on campus.
In a pair of lawsuits, Harvard said it’s being unfairly penalized for refusing to adopt the administration’s views. A federal judge agreed in December, reversing the funding cuts and calling the antisemitism argument a “smokescreen.”
Trump’s latest escalation comes as other parts of his higher education campaign are teetering.
Last fall, the White House invited nine universities to join a “compact” that offered funding priority in exchange for adopting Trump’s agenda. None of the schools accepted. In January, the administration abandoned its legal defense of an Education Department document threatening to cut schools’ funding over diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
When he took office for his second term, Trump made it a priority to go after elite universities that he said had been overrun by liberal thinking and anti-Jewish bias. His officials have frozen huge sums of research funding, which colleges have come to rely on for scientific and medical research.
Several universities have reached agreements with the White House to restore funding. Some deals have included direct payments to the government, including $200 million from Columbia University. Brown University agreed to pay $50 million toward state workforce development groups.
Oak Park library’s Idea Box showcases representation in form of a child’s bedroom
Representation in children’s books is important, said Roy Kinsey, a librarian and rapper whose book “Deangelo and the Dandelion” tells the story of a queer Black youngster from Chicago who is deemed different and effeminate and then bullied.
In Kinsey’s book, Deangelo compares himself to a dandelion that he identifies as a flower but is told instead is a weed, which leads to a journey of self discovery.
The ideas behind Kinsey’s book, which is available for preorder, are on display at the Oak Park Public Library’s latest Idea Box, Maintaining Wonder: Deangelo’s World. The exhibit, which opened last week, focuses on Deangelo’s bedroom, a place that represents protection from the outside world, where ideas originate and where creativity thrives.
Kinsey said he wished he had something like his book to read when he was younger during an opening event Friday at the library. About 100 people were on hand to explore Deangelo’s bedroom, which was filled with artifacts from the 1990s and 2000s that are highly regarded in Black culture, such as Chicago Bulls memorabilia and posters of influential artists like Michael Jackson.
Rasheed Owens, the lead curator for the installation, spent the last four and a half weeks working on the bedroom. It was the first exhibit he has curated, but could lead to more down the road, he said.
“It feels good to know that I can do this and I also have original thoughts and ideas and things I actually want to build, and then from those ideas I can actually do it,” Owens said.
Rasheed Owens, curator of the Maintaining Wonder: Deangelo’s World installation, discusses the installation Friday, Jan. 29 at the Oak Park Public Library. (Cam’ron Hardy/Pioneer Press)
The curator’s work received a good review from Angel San Juan, a friend who came out to support Owens. He said he wished his own bedroom looked like the one Owens created, calling the installation “amazing.”
“I’m just really happy for him that he’s able to do this in public spaces, because I know he’s been talking about this for a long time,” San Juan said.
Items for the display were sourced through Fad2Fresh, a Chicago vintage clothing and memorabilia business.
Sonia Randhawa, a Wrigleyville resident, is looking forward to the official release of the book, but went to the installation for her love of art. The bedroom felt lived in and she could gather a sense of warmth just from looking at it, she said.
Guests view the installation of Maintaining Wonder: Deangelo’s World on Friday, Jan. 29 at the Oak Park Public Library. (Cam’ron Hardy/Pioneer Press)
“It shows how much art really does affect a person and who they are because this is the showmanship of who this person is and there’s just more of it everywhere, and it was really nice to see,” Randhawa said.
“I love tapping into the community, especially during times like these in America,” she said. “I feel like it’s really important to come together.”
The strong turnout meant a lot to the author.
“We are not having real conversations about the power of the humanities, the power of imagination and what art means in people’s lives,” Kinsey said. “It’s always very humbling to be able to get people together and to be able to have an idea that then inspires other artists.”
Cam’ron Hardy is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/03/oak-park-library-deangelos-world/
Gurnee police say 3 injured in ‘random acts of violence’
A Wisconsin woman struck two pedestrians with her vehicle in a Gurnee parking lot before, armed with a large butcher’s knife, she attacked a man nearby along Grand Avenue, in a rampage police called “random acts of violence.”
Gurnee police said they were called to the parking lot in the 6100 block of Grand Avenue at about 10 a.m. Monday. Authorities said a van traveling through the lot struck a 79-year-old man who was standing near his vehicle.
The man sustained serious injuries and was brought to a hospital. A 60-year-old woman was also struck and suffered an ankle injury. The vehicle left before the police arrived.
As police investigated the van-related injuries, an officer observed a disturbance in the 6400 block of Grand Avenue involving a man and woman who were fighting.
When officers ordered the pair to stop, the woman advanced on officers, who tasered her and took her into custody.
Police said the woman, a 25-year-old Waukesha, Wisconsin resident, was the driver in the parking lot incident.
Officers said the woman used a large butcher’s knife to strike the car window of the man in the 6400 block. The man got out of his vehicle and was able to disarm the woman, though he sustained several cuts.
Charges are pending.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/03/gurnee-random-acts-of-violence/
Con política y protestas, el Super Bowl llega en un momento crítico en EEUU
Por STEVEN SLOAN y STEVE PEOPLES
WASHINGTON (AP) — No sintonices el Super Bowl esperando un descanso de la tumultuosa política que envuelve a Estados Unidos.
La NFL enfrenta presión antes del partido del domingo entre los Seahawks de Seattle y los Patriots de Nueva Inglaterra para tomar una postura más explícita contra la agresiva aplicación de la ley de inmigración del gobierno del presidente Donald Trump. Más de 184.000 personas han firmado una petición pidiendo a la liga que denuncie la posible presencia del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE) en el Super Bowl, que se disputará en el Levi’s Stadium en la zona de la Bahía de San Francisco. El grupo liberal MoveOn planea entregar la petición a la sede de la NFL en la ciudad de Nueva York el martes.
Mientras tanto, crece la anticipación sobre cómo Bad Bunny, el artista principal de habla hispana del espectáculo de medio tiempo, abordará el momento. Ha criticado al presidente Donald Trump por todo, desde su respuesta al huracán en su natal Puerto Rico hasta su trato a los inmigrantes. El domingo por la noche, criticó a ICE mientras aceptaba un premio en los Grammys. Su última gira evitó el territorio continental de Estados Unidos por temor a que sus fanáticos pudieran ser blanco de agentes de inmigración.
Trump ha dicho que no contempla asistir al juego de este año, a diferencia del año pasado, y ha calificado a Bad Bunny como una “terrible elección”. Un senador republicano lo llama el “Tazón Woke”. Y un grupo conservador prominente planrea realizar un espectáculo alternativo que espera desviar la atención del evento principal.
El Super Bowl es uno de los pocos referentes culturales restantes vistos por millones de personas en tiempo real y el espectáculo de medio tiempo no es ajeno a la controversia, quizás más notablemente la actuación de Janet Jackson en 2004 en la que su pecho fue brevemente expuesto. Pero hay pocos paralelismos con el juego de este año, que tiene el potencial de convertirse en una mezcla inusual de deportes, entretenimiento, política y protesta. Y se desarrollará en un momento crítico para Estados Unidos, apenas dos semanas después del asesinato de Alex Pretti por agentes federales en Minneapolis, que reavivó un debate nacional sobre las tácticas de aplicación de la ley de línea dura de la administración Trump.
“Se supone que el Super Bowl es un escape, ¿verdad? Se supone que vamos allí para no tener que hablar de las cosas serias de este país”, dijo Tiki Barber, un exjugador de los Giants de Nueva York Giants que jugó en el Super Bowl en 2001 y desde entonces ha asistido a varios como comentarista. “Espero que no se deteriore, porque si lo hace, entonces creo que realmente estamos perdiendo el contacto con lo que es importante en nuestra sociedad.”
Bad Bunny acepta la controversia
Bad Bunny, de 31 años, nacido en Puerto Rico como Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, ha elevado la música latina a un nivel de popularidad a gran escala y ha ganado fama mundial con canciones casi enteramente en español, algo que irrita a muchos de sus detractores conservadores. No se ha escondido a la controversia, refiriéndose al espectáculo de medio tiempo cuando fue anfitrión de “Saturday Night Live” en octubre, bromeando “todos están felices por ello, incluso Fox News”.
Continuó con algunas frases en español, expresando orgullo latino por el logro, y terminó diciendo en inglés: “Si no entendiste lo que acabo de decir, tienes cuatro meses para aprender”.
Aquellos que lo siguen de cerca dudan que retroceda ahora.
“Ha dejado muy claro lo que defiende”, dijo Vanessa Díaz, profesora en la Universidad Loyola Marymount y coautora de “P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance”.
“Así que no puedo imaginar que todo esto desaparezca con el Super Bowl”, añadió.
El espectáculo de medio tiempo es una colaboración entre la NFL, Roc Nation y Apple Music. Roc Nation selecciona a los artistas y Apple Music distribuye la actuación mientras que la NFL controla en última instancia el escenario, la transmisión y la marca.
La NFL, que está trabajando para expandir su atractivo en todo el mundo, incluyendo América Latina, dijo que nunca consideró retirar a Bad Bunny del espectáculo de medio tiempo incluso después de las críticas de Trump y algunos de sus seguidores.
El comisionado de la NFL, Roger Goodell, describió el lunes al cantante como “uno de los grandes artistas del mundo”, así como alguien que entiende el poder de la actuación del Super Bowl “para unir a las personas y poder reunir a la gente.”
“Creo que los artistas en el pasado han hecho eso. Creo que Bad Bunny lo entiende. Y creo que tendrás una gran actuación”, dijo Goodell a los periodistas durante su conferencia de prensa anual del Super Bowl.
Aproximadamente la mitad de los estadounidenses aprobaron a Bad Bunny como el artista del medio tiempo, según una encuesta de octubre de la Universidad de Quinnipiac. Pero hay brechas sustanciales con aproximadamente tres cuartas partes de los demócratas apoyando la elección en comparación con solo el 16% de los republicanos. Aproximadamente el 60% de los adultos negros e hispanos aprobaron la selección en comparación con el 41% de los blancos.
Los republicanos están ansiosos por mantener el apoyo latino en su intento de mantener el control del Congreso. Pero a medida que se acerca el Super Bowl, muchos en el Partido Republicano han mantenido sus críticas a Bad Bunny.
El senador Tommy Tuberville de Alabama, el exentrenador de fútbol americano en la Universidad de Auburn que ahora se postula para gobernador, ridiculizó el “Tazón Woke” en Newsmax la semana pasada y dijo que verá un evento alternativo organizado por Turning Point USA.
El grupo fundado por el difunto activista conservador Charlie Kirk dijo el lunes que Kid Rock, un vocal partidario de Trump, estaría entre los artistas en su evento.
Las autoridades federales no han dicho si habrá agentes de inmigración en el Super Bowl
En los últimos días, el funcionario del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional, Jeff Brannigan, organizó una serie de llamadas privadas con funcionarios locales y la NFL en las que indicó que ICE no planea realizar acciones durante la semana del Super Bowl o en el juego, según dos funcionarios de la NFL con conocimiento directo de las conversaciones.
No se espera que ICE esté entre más de una docena de agencias relacionadas con el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional que proporcionarán seguridad en el juego, dijeron los funcionarios, hablando bajo condición de anonimato para discutir conversaciones privadas.
Aunque ese es el plan, algunos temen que Trump y sus aliados MAGA que lideran el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional puedan cambiar de opinión antes del juego del domingo, dadas sus declaraciones recientes.
Corey Lewandowski, asesor clave de Kristi Noem, secretaria del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional, dijo en octubre que los agentes de ICE estarían realizando acciones de aplicación de la ley de inmigración en el juego.
“No hay ningún lugar donde puedas proporcionar refugio seguro a personas que están en el país ilegalmente, ni el Super Bowl, ni en ningún otro lugar”, dijo en ese momento.
Al ser preguntada para aclarar el papel de ICE esta semana, la portavoz del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional, Tricia McLaughlin, se negó a decir si los agentes federales de inmigración estarán presentes en el Super Bowl.
“Aquellos que están aquí legalmente y no están violando otras leyes no tienen nada que temer”, dijo. “No divulgaremos operaciones futuras ni discutiremos personal. La seguridad del Super Bowl implicará una respuesta de todo el gobierno realizada en línea con la Constitución de Estados Unidos.”
El grupo progresista MoveOn organizará una manifestación el martes frente a la sede de la NFL en Nueva York para presentar una petición diciendo a la liga: “No ICE en el Super Bowl.”
“El Super Bowl de este año debería ser recordado por grandes jugadas y Bad Bunny, no por agentes de ICE enmascarados y armados corriendo por el estadio causando caos, violencia y trauma a los fanáticos y trabajadores del estadio”, dijo la portavoz de MoveOn, Britt Jacovich. “La NFL no puede quedarse al margen, la liga tiene la responsabilidad de actuar como adultos, proteger a los fanáticos del Super Bowl y a los trabajadores del estadio, y mantener a ICE fuera”.
En una entrevista, el alcalde de San Francisco, Daniel Lurie, se mostró optimista de que el evento sería un éxito incluso en un clima políticamente tenso.
“Vamos a mantener a todos seguros: nuestros residentes, nuestros visitantes”, dijo. “Obviamente, con todo lo que está pasando, estamos al tanto, monitoreando todo. Pero espero que todo sea seguro y divertido.”
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Peoples informó desde Nueva York.
Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
