Category: News
California Man With Underground Bunker, Weapons Cache Arrested In CHP Raid
California Man With Underground Bunker, Weapons Cache Arrested In CHP Raid
Reminder to Californians; you do not live in a free state, and they don’t play around.
Last week the California Highway Patrol (CHP) announced that they arrested Michael Jay Kamfolt, a 40-year-old conservative activist who has an underground bunker containing a cache of ‘illegal weapons,’ ammo, and body armor.
After receiving tip about an illegal marijuana grow operation, CHP Air Operations conducted a flyover of the property located in the city of Anderson, located around 150 miles north of Sacramento in Shasta County.
Authorities conducted a month-long investigation of the property owned by Kamfolt, after which CHP executed a search warrant at the location on Jan. 20.
And while they didn’t find any weed being grown, officers recovered 13 firearms – including three AR-style assault rifles, one of which was a “ghost gun” without a serial number, along with a sawed-off shotgun and two firearms that had been reported stolen, one in 2016 and the other in 1978.
A ‘ghost gun’ can be assembled at home, which is usually milled out of a hunk of aluminum or 3D printed.
The bunker, equipped with power, ventilation, a concrete floor with built-in drainage, and the necessary supplies to grow weed, also contains a home gym, armchair, television, and workbench with a Bennington flag.
Investigators also found roughly 10,000 rounds of ammunition – an amount not uncommon among enthusiasts and preppers, including armor piercing rounds, 30 high-capacity magazines, and four soft-body armor vests.
“During the search, officers discovered an underground bunker accessible through a 100-foot-long culvert,” reads a press release. ‘The bunker was equipped with power, ventilation, a concrete floor with built-in drainage and the necessary supplies to cultivate marijuana.”
Kamfolt was arrested and booked for the following:
30605(a) PC – Possession of an Assault Rifle
30600(a) PC – Manufacturing of an Assault Rifle
33215 PC – Manufacturing of a Short Barreled Rifle
32625(a) PC – Possession of a Machine Gun
32625(b) PC – Converting a firearm into a Machine Gun
23920 PC – Possession of an Altered Firearm Serial Number
24610 PC – Manufacturing and Possession of an Undetectable Firearm
496(a) – Possession of a Stolen Firearm
29180(b) PC – Manufacturing of a “Ghost Gun”
30315 PC – Possession of Armor Penetrating Ammunition
32310(C) PC – Possession of High Capacity magazine
He was held in the Shasta County Jail overnight. Bail was set at $50,000 and he is no longer in custody according to county jail records.
According to county records available so far, Kamfolt is not facing federal charges. Some of his alleged offenses — such as owning a machine gun — are only illegal in certain states such as California, while other allegations, like obliterating an identifying marker on a firearm, also violate federal gun laws.
Kamfolt was also active in local politics:
In November of 2024, the day before the presidential election, Kamfolt visited the county election office with Supervisor Crye who said he’d just met Kamfolt that day. Speaking to a reporter, Kamfolt expressed his support for Crye’s work in the community and his interest in the importance of this particular election. He said he wanted to observe for himself that it was being facilitated correctly. At the time, former Registrar of Voters Tom Toller was running the election office.
A few days later, Kamfolt made an appearance at a county board meeting alongside members of the local Cottonwood Militia. The group showed up after community member Jenny O’Connell-Nowain was arrested for allegedly disrupting the meeting. She was protesting statements by Supervisor Patrick Jones about another election official, former Assistant Registrar of Voters Joanna Francescut. Earlier this month, O’Connell-Nowain was found guilty of disrupting that meeting by a Shasta County jury. –Shasta Scout
“This operation went far beyond an illegal grow,” said CHP Northern Division Chief John Pinoli. “The combination of a hidden bunker and an alarming cache of illegal firearms and ammunition highlights the threat posed to public safety.”
Again, Californians – your state doesn’t play around.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/28/2026 – 21:20
Gol anotado por el portero en el descuento lleva al Benfica a octavos de final en la Champions
LISBOA (AP) — En los últimos minutos del descuento, cuando a Benfica se le concedió una falta cerca del área, el entrenador José Mourinho miró al portero Anatoliy Trubin y le dijo que se lanzara al frente en un intento desesperado por rematar en el tiro libre.
Momentos después, Trubin estaba debajo de un montón de jugadores de Benfica que celebraban su gol decisivo contra el Real Madrid, que envió al club portugués a la fase de eliminación directa de la Liga de Campeones.
El cabezazo de Trubin le dio a Benfica una victoria por 4-2 y la diferencia de goles que necesitaba para clasificarse al figurar entre los 24 mejores en la fase de liga de la competición europea.
“No sabía lo que necesitábamos. Luego vi a todos diciéndome que subiera. También vi a nuestro entrenador, así que subí, entré en el área, y no sé… No sé qué decir”, mencionó Trubin. “Fue un momento loco. No sé qué decir. No estoy acostumbrado a marcar. Tengo 24 años y es la primera vez. Increíble.”
El gol también significó que el Madrid, el antiguo club de Mourinho, quedara fuera de los ocho primeros que se clasificaron automáticamente para los octavos de final.
“No tenía idea si el 3-2 era suficiente, no tenía indicaciones. Cuando llegó el tiro libre, envié a Trubin al frente”, dijo Mourinho. “Esta victoria es histórica e importante, aún más desde un punto de vista de prestigio”.
Trubin corrió hacia el centro del campo y se deslizó de rodillas después de marcar. Sus compañeros lo siguieron y rápidamente se le abalanzaron. En el banquillo, Mourinho también corrió antes de girarse hacia los aficionados para festejar jubiloso con ellos.
El portero ucraniano de 24 años señaló al cielo mientras luego era levantado por sus compañeros.
“Sabíamos que podía hacerlo”, dijo Mourinho. “Estábamos perdiendo en Oporto hace un par de semanas, y en el último minuto, subió y casi marcó. Así que sabemos que este gran chico es capaz de esto. La calidad del servicio, por supuesto, es lo más importante. Tienes que poner el balón allí, pero es un gol increíble para este tipo”.
Incluso el arquero del Real Madrid, Thibaut Courtois, fue uno de los que acudieron a felicitar a Trubin después del partido. El internacional belga sonrió mientras abrazaba al héroe del Benfica.
Trubin se convirtió en el quinto portero en marcar en la Liga de Campeones propiamente dicha, según la UEFA, y el primero desde que Ivan Provedel anotó para la Lazio en un empate 1-1 con el Atlético de Madrid en 2023.
El Madrid estaba con nueve hombres cuando Trubin conectó con el centro de tiro libre de Fredrik Aursnes en el octavo minuto de descuento en el Estádio da Luz. Raúl Asencio había sido expulsado dos minutos después de comenzar el tiempo añadido y Rodrygo cuatro minutos después.
El tiro libre que llevó al gol de Trubin fue provocado por una falta de Jude Bellingham sobre Aursnes.
___
Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Swiatek: abundancia de cámaras hace que tenistas se sientan como animales de zoológico en Australia
Por JOHN PYE
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Iga Swiatek retomó un tema de la privacidad que dejó flotando en el Abierto de Australia Coco Gauff, la tenista estadounidense de 21 años que fue captada por una cámara mientras destrozaba una raqueta en uno de los pasillos que llevan a los vestuarios.
Tras protagonizar esa rabieta que se volvió viral en las redes sociales, Gauff dijo que “quizás se puedan tener conversaciones” sobre el acceso aparentemente ilimitado de las cámaras, que siguen a los jugadores desde el camerino hasta la cancha y prácticamente en todos los lugares intermedios.
Después de su derrota del miércoles por 7-5, 6-1 en los cuartos de final ante la quinta cabeza de serie Elena Rybakina, se preguntó a Swiatek cómo se siente acerca de la falta de áreas sin cámaras para los jugadores. Se le inquirió también sobre qué piensa del equilibrio entre el contenido constante en el torneo y la privacidad de los jugadores.
“Sí, la pregunta es, ‘¿somos jugadoras de tenis o somos como animales en el zoológico, donde son observados incluso cuando hacen sus necesidades?’” dijo, disculpándose por la última referencia. “Bueno, eso fue una exageración obviamente, pero sería agradable tener algo de privacidad.”
Swiatek y Gauff son dos de las tres mejores tenistas por lo que es lógico que estén más en el foco de atención.
Las imágenes de Swiatek, a quien personal de seguridad le cerró el paso después de olvidar su credencial, se convirtieron en un meme durante el torneo. Ha ganado cuatro títulos del Abierto de Francia, así como Wimbledon y el Abierto de Estados Unidos. Pero la seguridad es eso, seguridad.
Compromiso de los aficionados
La vigilancia de cámaras fuera de la cancha ocurre en otros torneos y no se limita al Abierto de Australia, donde los organizadores han creado un festival de tres semanas alrededor del primer major de la temporada, involucrando de muchas maneras a los aficionados.
La visión de las áreas no públicas del estadio no siempre se transmite, pero los jugadores no necesitan que se les recuerde que algunos momentos capturados aparecerán en internet por ser lindos, informativos o simplemente dramáticos.
Swiatek, segunda del ranking, dijo que había partes de su juego que le gustaría practicar inmediatamente antes de salir a un partido. “Sería bueno tener un espacio donde puedas hacer eso sin que todo el mundo esté mirando”, razonó.
La joven de 24 años es una de las mayores estrellas de Polonia y es plenamente consciente de que estar en el ojo público es la consecuencia de ser una campeona.
“Somos tenistas. Se supone que debemos ser vistas en la cancha, ¿sabes?, y en la prensa. Ése es nuestro trabajo,” dijo.
La raqueta de Gauff
Gauff, tercera del escalafón mundial y ganadora de dos majors, rompió su raqueta al azotarla siete veces contra el suelo de concreto de una rampa cerca del área exclusiva de jugadores, después de su derrota en cuartos de final del Abierto de Australia ante Elina Svitolina en la décima jornada.
Mantuvo la compostura al salir de la cancha central antes de buscar un lugar en las sombras para desahogarse.
Resultó que prácticamente no hay lugar dentro de los confines de la Rod Laver Arena, excepto los vestuarios, que esté fuera del alcance de las cámaras.
“Ciertos momentos — lo mismo le pasó a Aryna (Sabalenka) después de que jugué con ella en la final del Abierto de Estados Unidos — siento que no necesitan ser transmitidos,” dijo Gauff en su conferencia de prensa posterior al partido. “Intenté ir a algún lugar donde pensé que no había una cámara porque no necesariamente me gusta romper raquetas”.
El consejo de Serena
Gauff recibió algo de aliento de su compatriota Serena Williams, ganadora de 23 majors, quien publicó en las redes sociales que no hay “nada de malo en odiar perder,” y se ofreció a mostrarle cómo demoler la raqueta de un solo golpe — al estilo Serena.
Gauff dijo que no quería romper su raqueta en la cancha a la vista de los fanáticos, por lo que se guardó el exabrupto para un área más reservada.
“Así que, sí, tal vez se puedan tener algunas conversaciones, porque siento que en este torneo el único lugar privado que tenemos es el vestuario”, indicó.
Y es exactamente allí adonde la cuarta cabeza de serie Amanda Anisimova se dirigió después de su derrota en cuartos de final ante su compatriota estadounidense Jessica Pegula.
“Hay buenos momentos, obviamente que la gente ve, y eso es divertido. Luego, cuando pierdes, probablemente hay momentos no tan buenos,” relató. “El hecho de que el video de Coco se haya conocido públicamente es difícil, porque ella no tuvo voz en eso.”
La WTA, atenta a las preocupaciones
La gira femenina manifestó que “apoya a nuestras jugadoras y toma en serio sus preocupaciones sobre la privacidad y las cámaras en el Abierto de Australia.”
“Las jugadoras merecen espacios alejados de la competencia donde puedan recuperarse en privado,” dijo la presidenta de la WTA, Valerie Camillo. “Ya hemos tomado medidas para reducir la presencia de cámaras en las áreas de jugadores fuera de la cancha para asegurar que tengan espacios privados apropiados.
“Estamos de acuerdo en que debería haber límites claros y respetuosos en las áreas fuera de la cancha,” agregó Camillo. “Creemos que este tema debería ser revisado por los organizadores del torneo y los socios de transmisión para asegurar que se establezcan límites apropiados.”
Djokovic no cree que haya cambios
Novak Djokovic, ganador de 24 majors, recuerda el tiempo antes de las cámaras omnipresentes, y lo prefería. Pero cree que no habrá marcha atrás.
“Vi lo que pasó con Coco después de su partido. Empatizo con ella,” dijo Djokovic. “Estoy de acuerdo con ella. ¿Sabes?, es realmente triste que básicamente no puedas moverte a ningún lado y esconderte y… desahogar tu frustración de una manera que no sea capturada por una cámara.
“Pero vivimos en una sociedad y en tiempos donde el contenido lo es todo, así que es una discusión más profunda. Es realmente difícil para mí ver que eso vaya a retroceder. Es simplemente algo que supongo que tenemos que aceptar.”
Djokovic hizo una broma sobre la santidad del vestuario, que todavía está fuera del alcance de la televisión.
“¡Estoy sorprendido de que no tengamos cámaras mientras nos duchamos!,” dijo. “Quiero decir, probablemente ése sea el siguiente paso.”
_____
Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Century Aluminum To Construct First US Aluminum Plant In More Than 40 Years
Century Aluminum To Construct First US Aluminum Plant In More Than 40 Years
Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
Illinois-based Century Aluminum Co. has entered into a joint development agreement with Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) to construct the “first new primary aluminum production plant in the United States since 1980,” Century said in a statement on Jan. 26.
Primary aluminum production involves smelting alumina to produce new aluminum metal. This differs from secondary production, in which existing aluminum is recycled.
“The new plant, to be built in Inola, Oklahoma, as previously announced by EGA, is expected to produce 750,000 tonnes of aluminum per year, larger than previously envisioned and more than doubling current U.S. production. The Inola plant will create 1,000 permanent direct jobs at the facility and 4,000 jobs during construction,” Century stated.
“About 85 percent of the aluminum needs of American industries are currently met by imports. The new smelter will expand the domestic supply of this critical mineral and grow the American aluminum workforce, revitalizing U.S. aluminum expertise and know-how.”
According to data from the International Aluminum Institute, China was the largest producer of primary aluminum in 2025, accounting for an estimated 44.2 million metric tons out of the 73.78 million metric tons of global output.
Commenting on Century’s plan to build a U.S. aluminum smelter, White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai said in a Jan. 26 post on X, “President Trump’s tariffs are working.”
Trump’s Tariffs
In March 2025, the Trump administration’s 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports came into effect. In June, the tariff rate doubled to 50 percent.
At the time, the Aluminum Association, a group representing the U.S. aluminum industry, had struck a cautious tone on the tariffs, saying they would neither increase domestic aluminum output nor support mid- and downstream industries.
In a post on June 5, 2025, the Council on Foreign Relations warned that if aluminum and steel prices were to rise, it could negatively affect industries such as automotive, appliances, electrical, oil and gas, and machinery.
President Donald Trump justified the tariffs in February 2025, a month before the 25 percent tariff took effect, saying they were essential to bolster domestic production, bring jobs back to the United States, and stop other nations from taking advantage of the United States.
“Our nation requires steel and aluminum to be made in America, not in foreign lands,” he said at the time. “This is a big deal, the beginning of making America rich again.”
In August 2025, the federal government announced tariff hikes on more than 400 products, subjecting them to the 50 percent steel and aluminum import tariffs.
The move affected 407 product categories, including furniture, railcars, and compressors.
Jeffrey Kessler, undersecretary of commerce for industry and security, said at the time that the action “expands the reach of the steel and aluminum tariffs and shuts down avenues for circumvention—supporting the continued revitalization of the American steel and aluminum industries.”
Aluminum Plant
Construction of the Inola plant is set to begin by the end of the year, and production is scheduled to kick off by the end of the decade, Century stated.
The plant will be constructed at the industrial park at Tulsa Port of Inola, located on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, which connects to the Mississippi River system, providing efficient bulk freight movement.
Once construction is completed, the Inola plant will be the largest ever primary aluminum production plant in the United States.
The plant is expected to drive forward the development of an aluminum-focused industrial hub in the state, which would result in thousands of additional jobs, Century stated.
Under the deal, EGA, the world’s largest “premium aluminum” producer, will own 60 percent of the joint venture, and Century will hold the remaining 40 percent. The plant will use EGA’s “state-of-the-art” EX technology, its next-generation aluminum smelting technology.
Jesse Gary, CEO of Century Aluminum, said that key industries such as aerospace, automotive, construction, and national defense stand to benefit “greatly” from the venture.
“Our partner EGA brings world-class smelting technology and construction expertise that are fast-tracking our collective efforts to realize President Trump’s vision of rapidly increasing domestic primary aluminum production,” he said.
“We are once again proving that President Trump’s leadership is working to spur investment and innovation to revitalize the U.S. aluminum industry, which is essential to our nation’s defense and the economic vitality of working-class communities across the country.”
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/28/2026 – 20:55
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/century-aluminum-construct-1st-us-aluminum-plant-more-40-years
DHS confirms Super Bowl security role amid fears of ICE enforcement — but details remain unclear
With Super Bowl LX less than two weeks away, federal officials have confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security will be involved in security for the Bay Area’s biggest event in years — a routine role the department plays at major sporting events — even as viral reports and heightened national tensions have fueled fears that immigration enforcement could be tied to the game.
DHS said this week it will be involved in Super Bowl security but declined to detail what personnel or operations that presence will include. The lack of specificity has led to questions locally about whether immigration enforcement could be part of the federal role, despite the department’s long-standing involvement in large-scale event security.
In a statement, Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at DHS, said the department is “committed to working with our local and federal partners to ensure the Super Bowl is safe for everyone involved, as we do with every major sporting event, including the World Cup.”
“Our mission remains unchanged,” she said.
McLaughlin declined to disclose “future operations or discuss personnel,” but said Super Bowl security would involve a “whole of government response conducted in-line with the U.S. Constitution.”
“Those who are here legally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear,” she added.
DHS — which includes agencies such as Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement — routinely has a presence at major events like the Super Bowl. Under the Biden Administration, the department sent 600 personnel, including ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents, to Arizona in 2023 to assist with security for the game.
Juliette Kayyem, who previously served as DHS assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs under President Barack Obama, said that prior to the Trump era, federal involvement at the Super Bowl would not have drawn scrutiny.
“It would be obvious to have DHS,” Kayyem said in an interview. “There are things the federal government can do that state and local agencies can’t.”
For example, she said, if a stadium sits near waterways, the Coast Guard would be deployed to protect the perimeter. DHS also plays a role in investigating crimes that historically spike around major events, including child exploitation and human trafficking.
The Super Bowl would not be the setting for sweeping immigration raids, Kayyem said. At most, ICE involvement would likely be limited to targeted enforcement tied to existing investigations.
But heightened political tensions have blurred those distinctions.
“You can’t even say DHS now without a political overlay,” she said.
Those anxieties have been amplified by recent high-profile killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minnesota, incidents that have reverberated nationally and intensified scrutiny of federal law enforcement activity ahead of major public events.
Concerns about ICE targeting major sporting events have lingered in the Bay Area over the past year, including ahead of World Cup matches scheduled for this summer at Levi’s Stadium.
Potential ICE activity cast a shadow over last year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal at the Santa Clara stadium, where Mexico defeated Honduras 1-0. Fans told Bay Area News Group at the time that the fear of immigration enforcement at the game kept some of their friends at home.
Speculation intensified again in October after comments by Corey Lewandowski, a longtime Trump adviser and now an adviser to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“There is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally, not the Super Bowl and nowhere else,” Corey Lewandowski said on “The Benny Show,” a right-wing podcast.
DHS has not indicated that such enforcement would occur at the Super Bowl, and federal officials have declined to describe any immigration-related operations tied to the event.
The Santa Clara Police Department, which serves as the lead public safety agency for the Super Bowl, referred questions about federal involvement to a previously released video statement from Police Chief Cory Morgan.
In the video, Morgan said that the Police Department “does not necessarily receive advanced notice” of federal operations.
“Federal immigration enforcement is handled by federal authorities,” Morgan said. “As a matter of practice we do not confirm, deny or speculate about the presence or activities of other agencies. Our officers remain focused on local public safety protecting constitutional rights and serving the community in a professional and impartial manner.”
The NFL did not respond to a request for comment.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee, who serves as the president of the Board of Supervisors, said in a statement that the county vows to protect its residents and doesn’t plan on cooperating with ICE.
“If anyone comes into our county masked, spreading terror, breaking laws and threatening our residents, they will be arrested,” Lee said. “Our Sheriff’s Department is working diligently to protect our county’s residents, and we will continue to coordinate with local law enforcement agencies throughout the region to ensure a safe event for all.”
Lee’s comments about ICE agents come as Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom issued guidance this week that state and local law enforcement could investigate potential crimes committed by federal agents, following the killings of Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, and Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse in Minneapolis.
Lee urged residents to contact the Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network if they see ICE activity in the community, noting that “we want to build power, not panic during and leading up to the Super Bowl.” The organization, which has seen a surge of calls in the last year, sends trained responders to the scene of suspected ICE activity to confirm whether it is ICE or another law enforcement agency.
Tatiana Villaseñor-Carrillo, a dispatcher with the Rapid Response Network, said the organization has been preparing for months.
“The reality is that ICE is always present in our communities,” she said. “I understand that with large scale events the severity and the numbers are set to be increasing. We are essentially just preparing ourselves for worst case scenarios in the case that it does happen, but I do think that the trickle effects of the mass hysteria are already happening.”
Kayyem, the former DHS official, said she believes the White House is weighing how aggressively to pursue immigration enforcement in the lead-up to the Super Bowl.
“Based on the pushback in Minnesota, based on the White House’s invested interest in having a successful Super Bowl, I would suspect that DHS’s greatest presence will be its traditional presence,” she said, “which is it simply has assets that a state and locality can’t match.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/super-bowl-security-dhs-ice/
Where to stream the 2026 Oscar nominees
The nominees for the 98th Academy Awards were announced January 22, with “Sinners” receiving a record-breaking 16 nominations and “One Battle After Another” not far behind with 13. Both of those films are currently streaming on HBO Max — it was a big year for the platform’s parent company, Warner Bros. — and are widely available for digital rental, along with the vast majority of nominees in major categories. Of the 10 best picture contenders, only “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme” and “The Secret Agent” are still exclusively in theaters, along with the animated feature nominee “Zootopia 2.”
Nearly every title should be available by the time the ceremony airs March 15, but for now, here’s a complete rundown of where to find all the major awards hopefuls.
‘Sinners’
Nominated for: Best picture, director, actor, supporting actor, supporting actress, original screenplay, production design, costume design, cinematography, editing, makeup and hairstyling, sound, visual effects, score, song, casting.
How to watch: Stream it on Amazon Prime Video and HBO Max. Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Google Play and YouTube.
Having established himself as a Hollywood craftsman of the first order with hits like “Black Panther” and “Creed,” writer-director Ryan Coogler combines his keen commercial instincts with a startlingly audacious treatment of racism and cultural appropriation in America. Before busting out into a no-holds-barred horror film about vampires laying siege on a juke joint, “Sinners” patiently evokes life in the Jim Crow south as the Smoke Stack Twins (both played by Michael B. Jordan) return to their Mississippi hometown in 1932 after a lucrative stint working for the mob in Chicago. Recruiting from the local community, the twins invest their money and muscle into converting an abandoned sawmill into a lively road house, but their grand opening is disrupted by creatures of the night.
‘One Battle After Another’
Nominated for: Best picture, director, actor, supporting actor, supporting actress, adapted screenplay, production design, cinematography, editing, sound, score, casting.
How to watch: Stream it on HBO Max. Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Google Play and YouTube.
From its opening siege on a detention center at the U.S.-Mexico border, led by a leftist revolutionary group that calls itself the French 75, Paul Thomas Anderson’s rousing combination of political thriller, shaggy-dog comedy and large-format action spectacle feels uncannily like a movie of the moment. Loosely adapting Thomas Pynchon’s “Vineland,” Anderson casts Leonardo DiCaprio as a former French 75 munitions expert who’s been living on the lam and raising his daughter (Chase Infiniti) for the past 16 years. When a renewed push by authorities arouses him from his stupor, “One Battle After Another” sends him on an odyssey through the underground as a network of sympathetic operatives, like a karate sensei/community leader (Benicio Del Toro), shield him from an obsessed colonel (Sean Penn) and a shadowy right-wing organization.
‘Sentimental Value’
Nominated for: Best picture, director, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, original screenplay, editing, international feature.
How to watch: Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Google Play and YouTube.
Continuing a run of literate, keenly observed dramas like “The Worst Person in the World” and “Oslo, August 31st,” Norwegian director Joachim Trier gathers an exceptional ensemble cast for this story of a family whose long-simmering dysfunction gets processed into art. Stellan Skarsgard stars as the chief instigator, a notable filmmaker who resurfaces in the lives of his estranged daughters, one an actress (Renate Reinsve) with crippling stage fright and the other a historian (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) with a more stable home life. When Skarsgard arrives with a new personal project, he’s forced to cast an American star (Elle Fanning) in a role he’d written for his actress daughter, but that doesn’t prevent old resentments and recriminations from bursting to the surface.
‘Frankenstein’
Nominated for: Best picture, supporting actor, adapted screenplay, production design, costume design, cinematography, makeup and hairstyling, sound, score.
How to watch: Stream it on Netflix.
In an almost inevitable addition to a career full of lush period fantasies like “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “The Shape of Water,” director Guillermo del Toro’s sumptuous adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel emphasizes gothic atmosphere and the all-encompassing price of hubris. Hewing closely to the book, “Frankenstein” carefully details the events that lead Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Issac), the wayward son of a renowned doctor, to assume the godlike role of creating new life out of reanimated flesh. But the film gains in power once the Creature finally emerges from the laboratory and Jacob Elordi leverages his size and sensitivity into a performance that brings a tragic dimension to the classic monster.
‘Train Dreams’
Nominated for: Best picture, adapted screenplay, cinematography, song.
How to watch: Stream it on Netflix.
A poetic reverie on American progress in the early-to-mid 20th century, Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella isn’t an obvious candidate for adaptation, because of its taciturn hero and its reliance on descriptive language. But director Clint Bentley (who wrote the screenplay with Greg Kwedar) and his star, Joel Edgerton, convert those limitations into assets, with Bentley emphasizing the visual splendors of a Pacific Northwest under construction and Edgerton lending quiet dignity to the role of a logger and seasonal laborer who carves out an unsteady life for himself in the forest. Combining intimacy and scope, the film celebrates one of the invisible men who built this country and reflects on the burdens and wonders of transformative change.
‘Bugonia’
Nominated for: Best picture, actress, adapted screenplay, score.
How to watch: Stream it on Peacock. Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Google Play and YouTube.
Since his breakthrough dark comedy “Dogtooth,” Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos has frequently returned to the premise of characters who live in self-sustaining bubbles of delusion and misinformation. With “Bugonia,” his provocative English-language remake of the Korean film “Save the Green Planet!” Lanthimos casts Jesse Plemons as a loner who believes that Michelle, the high-powered CEO of a pharmaceutical company played with Type-A pugnacity by Emma Stone, is an alien plotting to destroy the Earth. After he kidnaps her with the help of his autistic cousin (Aidan Delbis), the epic power struggle that commences oscillates between the desperate and the hilariously absurd, as most of the arguments Michelle makes for being human are dismissed as the clear machinations of an extraterrestrial.
‘F1’
Nominated for: Best picture, editing, sound, visual effects.
How to watch: Stream it on Apple TV. Buy it on Amazon, Fandango at Home, Google Play and YouTube.
True to a racing circuit known for its high-tech sleekness, ruthless efficiency and conspicuous wealth, “F1” is an impeccably machine-tooled blockbuster that’s faithful to the team dynamics and technical language of Formula One while customizing itself around Brad Pitt’s lead performance. In a young guy’s sport, the idea of a middle-aged driver returning to F1 after a 30-year absence seems absurd, but Pitt’s preternatural confidence allows him to play a brush hotshot and a seasoned mentor all rolled into one. The racing sequences are the film’s true star, however, and director Joseph Kosinski captures the incremental grind of the F1 season, when cumulative success only arrives after small improvements and painful stretches of trial and error.
‘It Was Just an Accident’
Nominated for: Best original screenplay, international feature.
How to watch: Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Google Play and YouTube.
After periods of house arrest and imprisonment for running afoul of Iranian censors, director Jafar Panahi made this deserving Palme d’Or-winner in secret with French producers, and his personal experience weighs heavily on its tale of oppression and retribution. The accident of the title brings an Azerbaijani auto mechanic, Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), in touch with the peg-legged man (Ebrahim Azizi) he has strong suspicions was his chief tormentor in prison. But before Vahid can exact his revenge, he needs to confirm the man’s identity, leading him on a road trip that’s surprisingly funny and absurd before Panahi shifts gears toward an ending of scorching emotional intensity. The film confirms Panahi as not merely one of the world’s most courageous directors, but one of its best.
‘Blue Moon’
Nominated for: Best actor, original screenplay.
How to watch: Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV and Fandango at Home.
On the opening night of “Oklahoma!” — the new musical by his former partner Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott), now writing with Oscar Hammerstein II (Simon Delaney) — the brilliant lyricist Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) slips away early to the after-party at Sardi’s, holding court at the bar. Clinging precariously to his sobriety, Hart engages anyone who will listen with bitterly funny observations and memories of past triumphs like the song “My Funny Valentine,” while casting his affections out to men and women alike, chiefly a Yale University art student (Margaret Qualley) who is less than half his age. Working again with Richard Linklater, his collaborator on the “Before” trilogy and “Boyhood,” Hawke projects the wit and soul of an artist whose mistakes have led to this sad reckoning.
‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’
Nominated for: Best actress.
How to watch: Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Google Play and YouTube.
Exercising the full spectrum of her talent as a comic and dramatic performer, Rose Byrne is the harried face of maternal ambivalence in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” which bundles urgent conflicts in an ulcerous mass but nonetheless finds room for welcome jabs of gallows humor. Byrne stars as a Long Island psychologist who’s mostly left alone to treat her daughter’s mysterious illness while also managing a patient (Danielle Macdonald) who’s abandoned her newborn child and a therapist (Conan O’Brien) who exudes the opposite of warmth. Writer-director Mary Bronstein sustains a tone of near panic from the start, but there’s variety, too, in performances like A$AP Rocky’s charismatic turn as Byrne’s unlikely friend at a flophouse motel.
‘Song Sung Blue’
Nominated for: Best actress.
How to Watch: Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango at Home and Google Play.
Based on the true story of Mike and Claire Sardina, a Milwaukee couple whose Neil Diamond tribute band, Lightning and Thunder, was enough of a sensation that it opened for Pearl Jam in 1995, sounds like the stuff of an ingratiatingly offbeat romance and musical. While that’s true to an extent, the hardships that life threw at the Sardinas make this a triumph-over-adversity scenario that “Song Sung Blue” doesn’t try to sugarcoat, which gives the film a burnished soul to go along with the crowd-pleasing covers of “Sweet Caroline” and “Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show.” Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson are authentically Wisconsin as struggling musicians in separate acts — he’s a Don Ho impersonator; she’s Patsy Cline — who unite for a fruitful collaboration in art and life.
‘Weapons’
Nominated for: Best supporting actress.
How to watch: Stream it on HBO Max. Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Google Play and YouTube.
Writer-director Zach Cregger’s first feature, the sleeper hit “Barbarian,” revealed the grim secrets of a double-booked Airbnb. His follow-up turns on an even juicier hook: In the middle of the night, all but one student from the same elementary classroom disappear simultaneously, leaving the townspeople grief-stricken, puzzled and looking for answers. Suspicion naturally falls on the kids’ teacher (Julia Garner), who’s relatively new to the position, but the truth is far stranger and gnarlier than anyone could guess, bringing new characters like Amy Madigan’s blissfully deranged Aunt Gladys into the mix. As with “Barbarian,” Cregger loves to pull the rug out from under the audience, and his overlapping time structure gives him the opportunity to view key events from a range of perspectives. Plus, for a horror film, there’s a notable abundance of big laughs.
OTHER MAJOR NOMINEES
‘KPop Demon Hunters’
Nominated for: Best animated feature, song.
How to watch: Stream it on Netflix.
‘Elio’
Nominated for: Best animated feature.
How to watch: Stream it on Disney+. Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Google Play and YouTube.
‘Little Amélie or the Character of Rain’
Nominated for: Best animated feature.
How to watch: Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Google Play and YouTube.
‘The Alabama Solution’
Nominated for: Best documentary feature.
How to watch: Stream it on HBO Max.
‘Come See Me in the Good Light’
Nominated for: Best documentary feature.
How to watch: Stream it on Apple TV.
‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’
Nominated for: Best documentary feature.
How to watch: Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV and Fandango at Home.
‘The Perfect Neighbor’
Nominated for: Best documentary feature.
How to watch: Stream it on Netflix.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/2026-oscar-nominees-streaming/
GM CEO Warns Of ‘Very Slippery Slope’ As Canada To Import Cheap Chinese EVs
GM CEO Warns Of ‘Very Slippery Slope’ As Canada To Import Cheap Chinese EVs
Shortly before Davos, Canada and China announced a 5-point ‘strategic partnership’ which includes slashing tariffs on Chinese EVs from 100% to 6.1% for the first 49,000 units, in exchange for China cutting tariffs on Canadian canola from 85% to 15% until at least the end of the year.
After Donald Trump stomped his feet and threatened to slap a 100% tariff on Canadian exports, PM Mark Carney assured the US that the deal with China was simply ‘rectifying’ some ‘issues’ that developed over the last several years.
Yet, the reduced EV tariffs remain…
In response, General Motors CEO Mary Barra told employees at an all-hands meeting that the EV deal is a risk to North American auto manufacturing, WSJ reports.
“I can’t explain why the decision was made in Canada,” Barra told employees, warning “It becomes a very slippery slope,” and noting that Chinese automakers benefit in China from high tariffs imposed on importers, plus technology restrictions that prevent other companies from entering their market.
Under the agreement between China and Canada, at least half of the EVs imported would be required to have a price of $35,000 Canadian dollars (US$26,000), according to Carney’s office. Canada will also work with Chinese automakers to ensure timely vehicle certifications, and that they meet the country’s motor-vehicle safety standards.
Illustration via insideevs.com
Canada, meanwhile, is a major market for Detroit automakers. In 2025, Ford, GM and Jeep owner Stellantis sold over 700,000 vehicles combined in Canada. One factor which makes this easy is that Canada’s emissions standards closely mirror those of the US.
That said, Canada’s auto industry has been burnt, badly by Trump’s tariffs on vehicles and parts made there, causing US automakers to scale back manufacturing as a result. Last year GM made the decision to stop making slow-selling electric vans at an Ingersoll, Ontario factory, while Stellantis has canceled plans to build the electric Jeep Compass in Ontario – and will instead make them in Illinois.
Chinese automakers, meanwhile, have been rapidly gaining global market share in recent years, but continue to be effectively barred from entering the massive US car market due to triple-digit tariffs on Chinese vehicle imports. Meanwhile, they’re making roughly 25% of new Chinese cars in Mexico.
We hear they’re pretty cool too.
h/t Capital.news
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/28/2026 – 20:30
Comer helados hechos con nieve puede ser una delicia invernal si se hace de forma segura
Por HOLLY RAMER
CONCORD, Nueva Hampshire, EE.UU. (AP) — ¿Coma dos bolas de nieve y llámeme por la mañana?
La doctora Sarah Crockett —especialista en medicina de emergencia y medicina de montaña— no les dice explícitamente que coman nieve a sus pacientes del Centro Médico Dartmouth-Hitchcock, en Nueva Hampshire, pero a menudo les receta pasar más tiempo al aire libre. Y si ese tiempo incluye comer un puñado de cristales de hielo directamente, o añadir ingredientes para hacer conos de helado y otros postres congelados, está totalmente de acuerdo.
“Detenerse y simplemente estar presente y querer atrapar un copo de nieve con la lengua, o recoger nieve fresca, blanca e intacta que se acumula durante algo tan emocionante como una tormenta de nieve… creo que hay espacio en nuestro mundo para disfrutarlo”, expresó Crockett. “Y aunque debemos hacer elecciones acertadas, creo que estas son cosas sencillas que pueden traer alegría”.
Es poco probable que salir al aire libre para disfrutar de los placeres sencillos sea una prioridad para quienes viven en una franja de 2.100 kilómetros (1.300 millas) de Estados Unidos, donde una tormenta invernal masiva el fin de semana trajo consigo nieve profunda y un frío intenso. La lluvia helada y el hielo derribaron cables eléctricos y ramas de árboles, lo que dejó a cientos de miles de hogares sin electricidad y calefacción en el sur, mientras que la nieve trastocó el transporte por carretera y aéreo desde Arkansas hasta Nueva Inglaterra.
Ahora que la tormenta ha pasado, los residentes de las zonas menos afectadas podrían sentirse tentados a preparar tazones de “crema de nieve” —nieve mezclada con leche, azúcar y vainilla— después de ver demostraciones de técnicas para hacerlo en TikTok. Otros podrían querer probar el “azúcar sobre nieve”, un dulce parecido al caramelo que se prepara al verter jarabe de arce caliente sobre un plato de nieve.
No obstante, a pesar de su aspecto de pureza, la nieve no siempre está lo suficientemente limpia como para consumirla. Crockett y otros expertos compartieron consejos para comerla con seguridad.
La ciencia de la nieve
Ya sea lluvia o nieve, la precipitación limpia la atmósfera, absorbiendo contaminantes a medida que cae, explicó Steven Fassnacht, profesor de hidrología de la nieve en la Universidad Estatal de Colorado. Pero los copos de nieve absorben más impurezas porque caen más lentamente y tienen una superficie más expuesta que las gotas de lluvia, agregó.
Esto significa que la nieve que cae cerca de plantas de carbón o fábricas que emiten partículas al aire contiene más contaminantes, destacó Fassnacht, quien estuvo en Shinjo, Japón, la semana pasada para estudiar el contenido de sal que tiene la nieve. Comentó que no habría dudado en probarla allí porque no había grandes complejos industriales a barlovento.
“La nieve se puede comer, pero hay que pensar en la trayectoria. ¿De dónde provino esa nieve?”, recomendó.
El momento oportuno es otro factor a tomar en cuenta, señaló Crockett. La primera ola de nieve contiene la mayor cantidad de partículas, explicó, por lo que una precaución que debe tomarse es esperar a que la tormenta esté bien avanzada antes de colocar un recipiente para recolectar la nieve que ha caído.
La contaminación del suelo es un factor adicional, según los expertos. Evitar la nieve amarilla —que puede estar contaminada con orina o corteza de árboles— es una práctica de sentido común, pero también es recomendable mantenerse alejado de la nieve que empujan las máquinas quitanieves y que contiene sal para carreteras, productos químicos antihielo y escombros.
¿Conviene consumir nieve para sobrevivir?
¿Qué tal comer nieve para sobrevivir? Crockett, quien supervisa el programa de medicina de montaña en la Facultad de Medicina Geisel, de la universidad Dartmouth College, dice que es una mala idea.
La energía que se necesita para derretir la nieve en la boca mientras la come en esencia contrarresta el beneficio de la hidratación, además de disminuir la temperatura corporal central e incrementar el riesgo de hipotermia. Si bien los entusiastas de las actividades al aire libre que planean pasar días en las montañas a menudo derriten y hierven nieve para purificarla y beberla, esta no debería considerarse una fuente inmediata de hidratación, añadió.
“Si se siente desorientado en una excursión local, yo diría que su prioridad número uno es intentar pedir ayuda de cualquier manera posible, no pensar: ‘¿Puedo comer suficiente nieve?’”, recomendó Crockett.
Concéntrese en las recompensas, no en los riesgos
Fassnacht, quien ha estudiado la nieve durante más de 30 años, reportó que probó la “crema de nieve” por primera vez el año pasado, cuando unos estudiantes le prepararon una poca. La describió como una experiencia divertida que lo hizo pensar en sabores y texturas, no en contaminantes.
“Es algo caprichoso”, señaló. “Me hizo reflexionar sobre cuáles son las características de esa nieve recién caída, y cómo eso altera el sabor”.
Crockett también es fanática de encontrar inspiración y asombro en la naturaleza. Le preocupa que la crianza sobreprotectora haya contribuido a la ansiedad en algunos jóvenes, y que las advertencias excesivas sobre comer nieve puedan agravarla.
“Tenemos que encontrar el equilibrio adecuado entre asegurarnos de evitar el peligro y no ser tan protectores que fomentemos la mentalidad de ‘todo me va a hacer daño’, sobre todo entre los niños”, añadió.
Crockett tiene cuatro hijos, incluida una hija de la que dijo es una “apasionada devoradora de nieve”. Al comenzar la reciente tormenta invernal, le preguntó por qué le gustaba tanto comer nieve y ella le respondió: “Me hace sentir conectada con la Tierra”.
“Eso es algo realmente importante para mí: que todos tengamos esta conexión con la naturaleza”, señaló Crockett.
———
El periodista de la AP Allen G. Breed contribuyó desde Wake Forest, Carolina del Norte.
NASA Set to Launch 1st Manned Moon Rocket In 50 Years: What To Know
NASA Set to Launch 1st Manned Moon Rocket In 50 Years: What To Know
Authored by T.J. Muscaro via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
For the first time in more than 50 years, NASA has mounted a rocket on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in preparation for a manned flight around the moon.
The super heavy lift rocket is called the Space Launch System. Fueled by more than 700,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and hydrogen and two solid rocket boosters reminiscent of the space shuttle era, the orange and white behemoth could, as soon as Feb. 6, carry the Artemis II crew—NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen—on their 10-day voyage around the moon and farther from Earth than any astronauts have gone before.
Hundreds of men and women who had a hand in assembling the rocket braved the winter cold on Jan. 17 to watch the ship roll out of the vehicle assembly building and move to the launch complex. The Artemis II crew, mission leaders, and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman were also on hand to commemorate the milestone.
But there is still a lot to be done before liftoff, and the exact launch date is still to be determined.
Here is what to know about the Artemis II mission, as well as what preparations and parameters still stand in the way of launch.
What Is Artemis II?
Artemis II is the second mission of NASA’s Artemis campaign. Named after the ancient Greek goddess of the moon and Apollo’s twin sister, the program’s purpose is not only to return manned missions to the moon, but also to establish a sustainable, permanent human presence on the lunar surface and in lunar orbit before 2030.
Lead flight director Jeff Radigan emphasized that the mission is first and foremost a test flight. Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen will be the first to fly aboard the Space Launch System and NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which includes the crew capsule and a service module provided by the European Space Agency.
NASA’s priorities for the test flight include successfully demonstrating that the spacecraft and ground teams can sustain the crew members for the entirety of the mission and return them safely to Earth, successfully demonstrating the operations and procedures that are essential for future crewed moon missions, and demonstrating emergency systems and operations.
These demonstrations will include proving the readiness of critical functions, including life support systems, radiation shielding, and maneuverability for docking on future missions, as well as solidifying everyday procedures onboard. That includes how to optimally stow flight suits and fulfill physical exercise requirements in the cramped quarters of the crew capsule.
The crew will also test a new laser communication array, participate in ship-to-ship communication with the International Space Station, and conduct human science experiments. Those experiments will not only broaden understanding of how deep space affects the body, but also improve NASA’s ability to customize treatments for each astronaut.
“This is a test flight, and there’s things that are going to be unexpected,” Radigan stressed at a news conference on Jan. 16. ”You know, I think we’ve prepared for those as much as we can, and we’re very much looking forward to flying this mission successfully with the crew and learning what we need to on Artemis II moving forward and paving the road for future Artemis missions.”
Artemis II Launch
Artemis II could launch as early as Feb. 6 or as late as April 6. That is, if the space agency wants to keep its long-held promise that the mission will launch before the end of April.
Because of parameters set by mission objectives and vehicle limitations, NASA has isolated six-day launch windows at the start of each month.
The first group of launch opportunities will be Feb. 6, Feb. 7, Feb. 8, Feb. 10, and Feb. 11. After that, NASA will have launch opportunities on March 6, March 7, March 8, March 9, and March 11, and then, if necessary, launch opportunities on April 1, April 3, April 4, April 5, and April 6.
Limiting factors include the need for the position and rotation of the Earth and the moon to be aligned properly on launch day so the Space Launch System can lift the spacecraft into the correct high-Earth orbit. The spacecraft can then set off on its “free-return trajectory” around the moon, ending with a shortened re-entry path toward a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
All the while, because of the service module’s solar panel wings that provide power, the spacecraft and its service module cannot be in darkness for more than 90 minutes.
On top of these conditions, the moon rocket still needs to undergo some testing and systems integration before it is cleared for launch, including a “wet dress rehearsal.” That is a practice in which ground operations will put the rocket through launch day conditions such as fully loading and unloading the rocket with fuel, powering up and powering down critical systems, and practicing closeout procedures that would secure the crew in the capsule.
If the wet dress rehearsal exposes a problem such as a fuel leak, as was the case during Artemis I, that must be addressed before proceeding further.
The weather could also cause delays. For example, if the temperature at the launch pad falls below a defined temperature constraint—from 38 degrees Fahrenheit to 49 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on wind and relative humidity—for 30 minutes, the moon mission will not be able to get off the ground. And if lightning or thunderstorms are detected within 10 nautical miles of the launch pad, the launch could be delayed or scrubbed.
Although NASA only published its launch windows for the next three months, Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said a suitable launch window exists for every month this year, and the rocket can remain on the pad exposed to the elements for two launch windows before it would need to be rolled back into the Vehicle Assembly Building.
Artemis II Flight Plan
Whenever it does launch, NASA leadership expects Artemis II’s 10-day flight to begin with a night launch and end with a nighttime splashdown.
The first two days of the mission have been described by the crew and flight directors as grueling in terms of workload.
Day one will kick off with a more-than-three-hour journey from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center to a high-Earth orbit, flying as high as 46,000 miles. By comparison, the International Space Station generally flies at an altitude of 250 miles beyond Earth.
Once in high-Earth orbit, Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen will conduct a roughly 23-hour checkout of the spacecraft while still relatively close to the Earth. That checkout includes what NASA calls a “proximity operations demonstration.” Glover will take manual control of the spacecraft to test the maneuverability of the Orion spacecraft as it relates to docking. Using the detached upper stage of the Space Launch System as a point of reference, he will fly as close as 30 feet to the stage. After all, the Orion spacecraft will have to be able to dock with a lunar lander built by either SpaceX or Blue Origin in order for its future crews to land on the moon.
This demonstration will make Glover the first astronaut to manually fly NASA’s new moon-bound spacecraft, putting him in league with the Apollo astronauts who came before him.
Mission leaders said the astronauts will get a rest period of approximately four hours during the first day before waking up to conduct one more orbital adjustment ahead of their trans-lunar injection.
If all checkouts and tests reveal a healthy spacecraft, Artemis II will perform its “translunar injection burn” just 25 hours and 37 minutes into the mission, when its crew fires the spacecraft’s main engine to set it off on a course from the Earth to the moon on a free return trajectory.
It will take the spacecraft and her crew three days to reach the moon. During those proverbial days at sea, the crew members will perform three trajectory correction burns, test communications on the deep space network, and demonstrate operations inside the brand-new spacecraft, including rapidly putting on their spacesuits. They will also review imaging plans for the lunar flyby in anticipation of the geological observations that await them.
The spacecraft will enter the moon’s gravity four days and seven hours after launch, and roughly 15 hours later, Artemis II is expected to pass the farthest point from Earth reached by any manned Apollo mission.
It is in this newly-reached frontier of deep space that the crew members will make their closest approach to the moon and perform their flyby, roughly five days after liftoff. They will have three hours to observe the far side of the moon.
Mission leaders said the moon will appear to the crew members to be the size of a basketball held at arm’s length as they pass at a distance of 4,000 to 6,000 miles above the lunar surface. The crew will be tasked with performing geological observations by a lunar science ground team, which will be following along and passing requests to the astronauts from Houston in real time, save for a brief loss of signal when the moon is directly between the crew and the Earth.
Erroneously called “the dark side of the moon” because it is in darkness while the side seen from Earth is lit, the moon’s far side is expected to be lit by sunlight, possibly to a greater extent than on any Apollo mission. If so, Artemis II’s flyby could reveal parts of the moon never seen by human eyes.
However, NASA will not know for sure how much of the far side will be in sunlight until the crew is on its way, and mission science leaders have confirmed that far-side visibility has no effect on the launch date.
It will take another three days to get back home. The crew will make more trajectory corrections, participate in a lunar science debrief, and conduct a demonstration of radiation shielding, as well as another manual flight demonstration.
Read the rest here…
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/28/2026 – 20:05
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/nasa-set-launch-1st-manned-moon-rocket-50-years-what-know
“Will Bring Country To Halt”: Far-Left NGOs Prepare To Mobilize Children As ‘Ice Out’ Protesters
“Will Bring Country To Halt”: Far-Left NGOs Prepare To Mobilize Children As ‘Ice Out’ Protesters
A network of far-left nonprofits linked to Marxist financier Neville Roy Singham is leveraging Minnesota-based Black and Somali student organizations to mobilize child protesters in a planned “ICE Out of Everywhere” action on Friday, assessed as a coordinated general strike intended to inflict economic disruption amid widespread protests following multiple fatal shootings of protesters by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.
“We support the call from Minnesota-based Black and Somali student organizations — on Friday, January 30, join the national day of action to say ICE OUT OF EVERYWHERE!” Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) wrote on X.
PSL continued:
Last Friday, people from all walks of life came together in the Twin Cities and all across Minnesota had a day of “no work, no school, no shopping” and shut it down. It captured the imagination of the whole country. They’ve shown the way for all of us — to stop ICE’s reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN. What happened in Minnesota can happen across the entire country.
Now is the decisive moment. The Minnesota General Strike has given us a historic opening. If we all take a stand now, we can stop the killings and the kidnappings, and end Trump’s war on our most basic rights!
Make a plan. Organize your people. Stay tuned for actions this January 30 around the country.
We support the call from Minnesota-based Black and Somali student organizations — on Friday, January 30, join the national day of action to say ICE OUT OF EVERYWHERE!
Last Friday, people from all walks of life came together in the Twin Cities and all across Minnesota had a day… pic.twitter.com/ZOUvWRtaey
— Party for Socialism and Liberation (@pslnational) January 27, 2026
Just the News reports that anti-ICE protests involving children and business shutdowns – one that can only be viewed as a general strike – are being planned nationwide.
Key organizers and promoters include the People’s Forum, Party for Socialism and Liberation, BreakThrough News, Code Pink, and the ANSWER Coalition, with heavy coordination via social media and a central “National Shutdown” website.
Left-wing activist Linda Sarsour declared that “we will bring this country to a halt.”
As assessed last week, Minneapolis protests have moved beyond normal demonstrations toward deliberate targeting of critical economic chokepoints, with left-wing activists exploiting public outrage over federal agent shootings as a catalyst to sow chaos from within the nation.
Meanwhile…
Just wait until warmer weather arrives; the Trump administration will face a protest-industrial complex that will likely deploy assets across major sanctuary cities.
‘Comrade’ Singham Faces House Subpoena Over Alleged CCP-Linked NGO Network Fueling Anti-ICE Protests
Get ready for spring.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/28/2026 – 19:40
