Por Ben Church, CNN

El miércoles, la carrera libre por equipos de esquí de fondo femenino olímpico tuvo un grato añadido al final: un perro se unió a algunas de las atletas en el sprint final hacia la meta.

Las imágenes de la transmisión mostraron al cachorro con aspecto feliz corriendo detrás de dos esquiadoras, mientras el público lo vitoreó cuando cruzó la meta.

Luego se mostró al perro olfateando a la competencia, mientras las esquiadoras parecían algo confundidas por su nuevo rival.

“Estaba superfeliz cruzando la meta. Estaba tan concentrada en terminar la carrera que no miré al perro”, dijo la esquiadora argentina Nahiara Díaz González después de la carrera.

“Fue una experiencia divertida. Esto no es normal. No sé qué hacía aquí. Pero llegar a la meta no fue un problema. Por suerte, salió bien”.

No se preocupen, sabemos la historia del perro escapado.

Según NPR, el amigo de cuatro patas es de la zona y se llama Nazgul.

Tras ser controlado por los organizadores, el perro lobo checoslovaco —oficialmente llamado Vlciak Checoslovaco por el American Kennel Club (AKC)— fue devuelto posteriormente a sus dueños, quienes, según informa NPR, son familiares de uno de los responsables del evento.

Aunque Nazgul, de dos años, no estuvo disponible para hacer declaraciones tras su debut olímpico, los dueños hablaron en su nombre para explicar lo sucedido.

“Esta mañana lloraba más de lo normal porque nos vio salir y creo que solo quería seguirnos”, declaró el dueño a NPR, añadiendo que el perro se había escapado de la casa. “Siempre busca a la gente”.

Según el AKC, Nazgul es, en cierto modo, una excepción en su naturaleza. La raza se caracteriza por ser “amorosa” con los miembros de la familia, pero “reservada” cuando se encuentra con desconocidos.

Sin embargo, sin duda cumple con otros aspectos de la raza, y el AKC afirma que son una “excelente opción para el rastreo o el deporte/trabajo de rastreo, o como compañero para dueños activos que disfrutan de actividades al aire libre como ciclismo, correr o senderismo” (o, al parecer, esquí de fondo olímpico).

Afortunadamente, Nazgul no pareció tener mucho impacto en la carrera, que era de calificación para la final.

“Me sorprendió como a todos”, dijo la sueca Maja Dahlqvist, quien ganó el oro en la prueba junto a su compañera de equipo Jonna Sundling.

“Fue algo que nunca había visto antes. Una locura”.

Esperemos ver a Nazgul competir de verdad cuando se celebren los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno de 2030 en Francia.

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The post Rápido y furioso: un perro lobo hace un inesperado debut olímpico en la meta de esquí de fondo appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

Por Curt Devine y Kara Scannell, CNN

Un legislador republicano lanzó una acusación impactante la semana pasada: documentos gubernamentales no solo habían señalado a un magnate multimillonario del comercio minorista como cómplice en el caso de tráfico sexual de Jeffrey Epstein, sino que el Departamento de Justicia había intentado exonerar al hombre de rendir cuentas.

El representante Thomas Massie reprendió al Departamento de Justicia en una audiencia en la Cámara de Representantes por ocultar varios nombres y detalles en los registros publicados junto con los archivos de Epstein. “Esto es más grande que el Watergate”, declaró Massie. “Este encubrimiento se remonta a décadas”.

Los comentarios de Massie pusieron de relieve a Les Wexner, expropietario de Victoria’s Secret, una de las figuras más misteriosas en la órbita de Epstein y clave en su ascenso a la riqueza extrema, cuyas motivaciones y vínculos con Epstein han sido durante mucho tiempo motivo de especulación.

Una revisión de CNN de la masiva divulgación de archivos de Epstein por parte del Departamento de Justicia reveló que, si bien el nombre de Wexner fue inicialmente tachado en el documento de “coconspiración”, aparece en cientos de otros registros que demuestran que las autoridades federales lo han examinado minuciosamente y le han solicitado información repetidamente.

Este examen incluyó preguntas de los investigadores antes de que Epstein se declarara culpable de solicitar prostitución en 2008, incluyendo a una menor de edad, y de nuevo cuando las autoridades presentaron otro caso de tráfico sexual contra Epstein una década después. Los correos electrónicos muestran que las autoridades querían comprender si Wexner tenía conocimiento de que Epstein pagaba a menores por actos sexuales, y los funcionarios lo citaron en 2019 y hablaron con sus abogados. Otro documento del FBI de 2019 incluye a Wexner como coconspirador “secundario”, pero señala: “Existen pruebas limitadas sobre su participación”.

Otros registros en los archivos de Epstein incluyen acusaciones presentadas al FBI de que Wexner interactuó con mujeres jóvenes y posiblemente menores de edad en presencia de Epstein. Una víctima afirmó haber sido víctima de trata con Wexner, una afirmación que Wexner ha negado. Wexner nunca ha sido acusado de ningún delito.

Ahora, los miembros del Congreso tienen otra oportunidad de interrogar a Wexner, quien tiene 88 años. El magnate minorista tiene previsto declarar ante la Comisión de Supervisión de la Cámara de Representantes, este miércoles, en Ohio.

Wexner ha negado durante años cualquier irregularidad relacionada con Epstein. Tras la muerte de Epstein, declaró que se sentía “avergonzado” de haber depositado su confianza en el financiero. Un portavoz declaró a CNN que Wexner cooperó con las fuerzas del orden y que en 2019 le informaron que “no era cómplice ni objetivo en ningún sentido”.

Funcionarios de la administración Trump han rechazado con vehemencia las acusaciones de que han intentado encubrir delitos relacionados con Epstein. En septiembre, el director del FBI, Kash Patel, declaró que no había “información creíble” de que Epstein hubiera traficado con víctimas a otros hombres. La semana pasada, la secretaria de Justicia, Pam Bondi, al testificar ante el Congreso, afirmó que a los investigadores les encantaría escuchar más información de otras víctimas que se presenten.

Aun así, los documentos publicados este año, incluidos en el acervo de archivos, reavivan preguntas latentes desde hace décadas sobre los tratos de Wexner con el ahora infame delincuente sexual y ofrecen una nueva perspectiva sobre lo que descubrieron los investigadores.

En un mensaje sin fecha, Epstein pareció insinuar secretos compartidos entre ambos hombres.

“Tú y yo tuvimos ‘asuntos de pandilla’ durante más de 15 años”, escribió Epstein en una carta llena de errores tipográficos diri

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN

(CNN) — Dozens of abortion clinics closed in the US after the Supreme Court Dobbs decision revoked the federal right to an abortion in June 2022 — mostly in states that enacted bans. But the churn has continued, leaving even states with some of the most protective abortion policies to do more with less.

There were 753 brick-and-mortar abortion clinics in the US at the end of 2025, according to a new report by the Guttmacher Institute — ​54 fewer than in ​2020, including a net loss of 12 abortion clinics since March 2024.

“Running a clinic in an environment like we have today is oftentimes not sustainable,” said ​Brittany Fonteno, president and CEO of the National Abortion Federation. Both financial and community support play critical roles, she said.

In New York, abortion is legal and protected; voters enshrined the right to abortion in the state’s constitution in 2024. But the state has eight fewer abortion clinics than it did at the start of 2024, Guttmacher data shows, one of the most significant decreases in that timeframe nationwide.

Among the clinics that closed last year was a Planned Parenthood in New York City, the nonprofit’s only location in Manhattan.

The closure was “a big blow,” said Chelsea Williams-Diggs, executive director of the New York Abortion Access Fund.

“All clinic closures are a travesty,” she said. “But the Planned Parenthood on Bleecker Street was a powerhouse of a clinic that was able to do so much for folks.”

Planned Parenthood typically accepts a wider set of insurance coverage than smaller independent clinics can, and locations in New York could often enroll eligible patients in Medicaid on the same day as their appointment. The clinic in Manhattan was also one of a small and shrinking number that provide abortions after the first trimester, which can be particularly expensive.

“That has direct impacts on abortion access and on abortion funds,” Williams-Diggs said. “If more folks don’t have health insurance, if more folks are strained economically, that means more folks will be calling NYAAF to help them pay for an essential health care service.”

In a statement about the closure, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York said that “the gap between inflation and stagnant reimbursement rates has forced us to make difficult but necessary decisions.”

Additional moves by the Trump administration have further strained clinics, including a block on Medicaid reimbursement to large abortion providers. Planned Parenthood closed more than 50 health centers last year, some of which provided abortion care.

Clinics are left with “unsustainable financial realities,” said Angela Vasquez-Giroux, vice president of communications for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

“When a health center is forced to close, all patients lose access to their trusted provider, and entire communities are left unable to get high-quality reproductive health care, including abortion in many places,” she said. “These are not easy decisions to make.”

It’s important to track changes to the number of brick-and-mortar abortion clinics in the US, said ​Rachel Jones, a pri

By Ben Church, CNN

(CNN) — There was a welcome addition to the end of Wednesday’s Olympic women’s cross-country skiing team sprint free race, when a dog joined some of the athletes for the final sprint to the line.

Footage from the broadcast showed the happy-looking pup running behind two skiers, with the crowd cheering as it crossed the finish line.

The dog was then shown sniffing at the competition, with skiers looking somewhat confused by their new rival.

“He was super happy crossing the finish line. I was so focused on finishing the race (that) I didn’t look at the dog,” Argentinian skier Nahiara Díaz González said after the race.

“It was just a fun experience. This is not normal. I don’t know what he was doing here. But the finish was not a problem. Luckily, it went well.”

Wait, tell me more about this dog

Fear not, we have a backstory on the runaway canine.

According to NPR, the four-legged friend is local to the area and is named Nazgul.

After being wrangled by organizers, the Czechoslovakian wolfdog – officially called a Czechoslovakian Vlciak by the American Kennel Club (AKC) – was later returned to his owners who, as NPR reports, are related to one of the event officials.

Although two-year-old Nazgul wasn’t available for comment after his Olympic debut, his owners spoke on his behalf to explain what happened.

“He was crying this morning more than normal because he was seeing us leaving and I think he just wanted to follow us,” the owner told NPR, adding the dog had escaped from the house. “He always looks for people.”

According to the AKC, Nazgul then is somewhat of an exception in his nature. The breed is marked as “lovey dovey” with family members but “reserved” when confronted by strangers.

However, he sure does live up to other aspects of the breed, with the AKC saying they are an “excellent choice for tracking or trailing sport/work, or as a companion for active owners who enjoy spending time doing outdoor activities such as biking, running, or hiking” – or Olympic cross-country skiing it seems.

Fortunately, Nazgul didn’t seem to have much of an impact on the race, which was just a qualification for the final.

“I was surprised as everyone else,” said Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist, who went onto win gold in the event, alongside her teammate Jonna Sundling.

“That was something I had never seen ever before. Kind of crazy.”

Let’s hope to see Nazgul compete for real when the 2030 Winter Games come around in France.

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By Brian Stelter, CNN

(CNN) — A recent FCC inquiry to ABC about a possible “equal time” rule violation at “The View” raised concerns at CBS that “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” could be targeted next, according to people familiar with CBS’s deliberations.

The government pressure clearly had an impact. Lawyers for CBS contacted Colbert’s show during his Monday taping. The unusual intervention became a national news story when Colbert told viewers all about it that evening.

In a follow-up on Tuesday night, Colbert said of CBS parent company Paramount, “I’m just so surprised that this giant, global corporation would not stand up to these bullies.”

The “bullies,” in Colbert’s telling, are Trump administration appointees who are using antiquated FCC regulations to pressure Trump critics on broadcast TV.

Many critics are now calling out CBS for flinching rather than forcefully standing up to politically motivated intimidation.

“Just like the Jimmy Kimmel fiasco from last year, the FCC didn’t have to actually do anything — just issue threats bold enough to scare those who control broadcast networks to obey in advance,” longtime media critic Eric Deggans wrote.

The threats have come from FCC chair Brendan Carr, who indicated last month that his Trump-aligned agency will enforce the “equal time” rule that previous agency heads downplayed.

The rule states that if one candidate for public office gets free airtime on a local TV or radio station, the other candidates for that office have a right to airtime, too.

FCC regulations do not apply to cable channels like CNN or streaming platforms like YouTube, which is why Colbert directed his fans to YouTube on Monday night.

Inside the Talarico decision

The CBS intervention stemmed from Colbert’s interview with James Talarico, a Texas state representative and rising star in the Democratic Party, who is currently running in the Texas Senate primary.

The other leading candidate in the race is Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who has also appeared on Colbert in the past, but not during this Senate primary campaign.

A strict reading of the “equal time” rule indicates that the third candidate in the race, Ahmad Hassan, would also qualify for equal time.

But the rule contains big exemptions for news coverage, and for the past two decades, that exemption has also been thought to apply to late-night and daytime talk shows.

Carr is trying to eliminate those exemptions — and observers say it’s no coincidence that those shows skew left. President Donald Trump frequently inveighs against Colbert and other late-night hosts.

Carr “had not gotten rid of [the exemption] yet, but CBS generously did it for him,” Colbert asserted Tuesday night.

Colbert said CBS “told me unilaterally that I had to abide by the equal time rules, something I have never been asked to do for an interview in the 21 years of this job.”

CBS said in a statement that “The Late Show” was given “legal guidance” about how to abide by the FCC regulations.

Talarico leaned into the controversy on Tuesday, incorrectly claiming that Trump’s FCC “refused to air” the interview, when in fact CBS made that decision.

“Trump is worried we’re about to flip Texas,” Talarico wrote on X.

His team also noted that the YouTube video registered millions of views. Curiosity about the controversy helped the interview attract a much larger audience than it would have on the traditional CBS platform.

The attention was timely for Talarico — coming at the start of the primary’s early voting window — and lucrative for his campaign.

On Wednesday morning, the campaign said it raised $2.5 million, a single-day record for Talarico, in the 24 hours after the “censo