Por Will Ripley y Wayne Chang, CNN

Las fuerzas militares de Taiwán se han acostumbrado a la tarea diaria de rastrear los aviones de guerra chinos que vuelan cerca de la isla. Algunos días hay unos pocos. Otros, muchos más. Pero su presencia es casi constante.

Así que cuando los cazas dejaron de volar repentinamente durante casi dos semanas, el silencio fue al mismo tiempo sorprendente y profundamente desconcertante.

Ese hechizo se rompió el jueves cuando cinco aviones del Ejército Popular de Liberación (EPL) operaron alrededor del Estrecho de Taiwán durante las 24 horas anteriores, según el ejército de Taiwán, y varios volaron cerca de la línea media que divide la vía fluvial.

Los analistas dicen que fue la pausa más larga en la actividad aérea china desde que Taiwán comenzó a publicar datos militares diarios.

“Esto es francamente diferente a todo lo que hemos visto en la historia reciente en términos de actividad del EPL alrededor de Taiwán”, declaró a CNN Ben Lewis, fundador de PLATracker, una plataforma de datos abiertos que rastrea los movimientos militares chinos alrededor de Taiwán, Japón y el Mar de China Meridional.

“Desde que el Ministerio de Defensa de Taiwán comenzó a publicar estos datos en 2020, la tendencia ha sido al alza”, indicó Lewis. “Y ahora, esta pausa, que quizá haya terminado hoy, quizá no, representa un cambio muy significativo en el patrón”.

A partir del 27 de febrero, Taiwán registró 13 días consecutivos sin aviones de guerra chinos volando cerca de la isla.

Una breve excepción ocurrió el 6 de marzo, cuando se detectaron dos aviones en el extremo suroeste de la zona de identificación de defensa aérea de Taiwán, pero los analistas dicen que el patrón más amplio todavía representa una ruptura sorprendente con los últimos años de actividad militar china en constante aumento.

El repentino silencio desconcertó a los analistas y planteó una serie de posibles explicaciones.

Una teoría es que Beijing puede estar tratando de evitar una escalada de tensiones antes de una reunión planeada a finales de este mes entre el líder de China, Xi Jinping, y el presidente Donald Trump, donde se espera que el comercio, la tecnología y Taiwán ocupen un lugar destacado.

“Si estuviera en Las Vegas, lo apostaría a la visita de Trump”, apuntó Lewis.

Otros han señalado la guerra que involucra a Irán y su potencial impacto en los mercados energéticos globales, aunque los analistas dicen que esa conexión es menos segura.

Algunos observadores también señalan que las reuniones parlamentarias anuales de China, conocidas como las “Dos Sesiones”, que concluyen esta semana, son un período en el que la actividad militar ocasionalmente se ha desacelerado en el pasado.

El ministro de Defensa de Taiwán, Wellington Koo, pidió cautela a la hora de sacar conclusiones de la pausa, señalando que la actividad naval china alrededor de Taiwán ha continuado durante todo el período.

“Existen muchas teorías”, declaró Koo a la prensa el miércoles. “Pero seguimos viendo buques de guerra chinos operando alrededor de Taiwán a diario, y estos esfuerzos por convertir el estrecho de Taiwán en aguas interiores de China no han cesado”.

De hecho, Taiwán siguió rastreando varios buques de guerra chinos que operaban alrededor de la isla durante todo el período, incluso mientras los cielos sobre ella permanecían inusualmente tranquilos.

Lewis señaló que el número limitado de aeronaves detectadas el jueves podría no indicar un retorno total a la actividad normal.

Los vuelos se produjeron el mismo día en que un avión de vigilancia P-8 de la Marina de Estados Unidos transitó el estrecho de Taiwán, en lo que la Séptima Flota dice que es una demostración del “compromiso de Washington con un Indo-Pacífico libre y abierto”, y

By Tierney Sneed, Fredreka Schouten, CNN

(CNN) — The federal elections overhaul bill that’s a top priority for President Donald Trump already faced near-impossible odds in the Senate, but the White House is making the “SAVE America Act” even more difficult to pass by insisting that Republicans load it up with additional controversial provisions.

The version that passed the House last month – focused on adding strict new ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting – is not expected to get the approval of the Senate because Republicans lack the votes to eliminate the filibuster, which allows the Democratic minority to block the bill.

But Trump has doubled down, commanding Republicans to add provisions that would end the widespread practice of no-excuse mail voting and target transgender policies that have been effective culture war fights for the GOP yet are unrelated to the running of elections.

If either the current iteration of the bill, or the pie-in-the-sky version Trump is now reaching for, were to become law, it would be a massive disruption for this year’s midterm elections. (Under an earlier draft of the “SAVE America Act” some of the provisions would have not taken effect until next year, but a last-minute change to the bill in the House makes those requirements take effect immediately upon enactment),

Election experts say documented cases of voter fraud – especially voting by non-citizens – are exceedingly rare. The right-leaning Heritage Foundation’s database of confirmed fraud cases, for instance, shows fewer than 100 examples of noncitizens improperly casting ballots between 2000 and 2025.

Currently, states that on their own are trying to implement proof of citizenship mandates for voting can only do so for state and local elections, so proponents of the federal legislation say it is a much-needed fix so states can enforce those requirements up and down the ballot. Critics say the legislation puts unnecessary burdens on voters, requiring them to present documents that millions of Americans don’t have easy access to in order to exercise the franchise.

Current provisions

Proof of Citizenship

Individuals would have to present to election officials in person documents proving their citizenship, such as a birth certificate, US passport or a naturalization certificate, to register to vote. In cases such as marriage – where the name on a birth certificate doesn’t match the voter’s current name – voter registration applicants would be allowed to submit additional documents that explain the discrepancy.

More than 21 million otherwise eligible voters do not have easy access to those citizenship documents, according to a survey conducted by the Brennan Center, a left-leaning think tank that researches election issues, and other groups.

Supporters of the bill have argued that a REAL ID, such as those required at airports, would suffice for meeting the citizenship document requirement. However, that is only true for the handful of states that issue REAL IDs that indicate a person’s citizenship.

Currently, voters simply sign an attestation, under penalty of perjury, that they are US citizens.

Voter registration

The bill would complicate a person’s ability to register online or by mail, because those using those registration methods would have to still go to their election office in person to show their proof of citizenship.

Jason Snead, a proponent of the bill who leads the Honest Elections Project, argued because an “overwhelming majority of people register to vote in person through the DMV already,” that extra step would not be a burden fo

By MJ Lee, Nicky Robertson, CNN

(CNN) — Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was desperate. Almost a decade and a half after her highly public divorce from the former prince in 1996, Ferguson – better known to many as “Fergie” – owed tens of thousands of pounds in rent, was feeling alone, and in search of a new career.

On all of these tribulations, Ferguson sought help and advice from her friend: Jeffrey Epstein.

CNN’s examination of dozens of files in the Justice Department’s “Epstein library” found that Ferguson continually showered Epstein with praise, including after his 2008 conviction in Florida for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Messages show that Ferguson affectionately referred to Epstein as her “spectacular and special friend,” “the brother I have always wished for,” and told him “I am so proud of you” while he was serving jail time. More than once, Ferguson quipped that Epstein should marry her.

The former duchess, now 66, sought to lean on Epstein for financial help, repeatedly inquiring whether she could borrow money from the financier and asking him to employ her as his “house assistant.” CNN’s review also found that even after Ferguson criticized Epstein in an interview by tying him to pedophilia, in private, she was remorseful and apologetic to Epstein for those public comments.

Ferguson is one of many public figures whose close ties to the late convicted child sex offender have newly come to light through the millions of Epstein-related files released by the Justice Department.

Her ex-husband, the former Prince Andrew, has been publicly disgraced for his own association with Epstein: He was thrown out of the monarchy; made to relinquish his titles; moved out of his longtime home in the Crown’s Windsor Estate; and in February, arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Six companies linked to Ferguson are shutting down in the aftermath of the release of the Epstein files, CNN previously reported.

Ferguson has not been accused of crimes related to Epstein, and the appearance of one’s name in the Epstein files does not suggest wrongdoing. CNN has reached out to a representative for Ferguson for comment.

Ferguson to Epstein while he was in jail: ‘I am so proud of you’

Epstein still had months left of his 18-month jail sentence in early April of 2009 when he received an email from Ferguson. She wrote that she was landing in Palm Beach in a few hours and she wanted to know whether she could see Epstein during her layover for a cup of tea.

Epstein, who was given work-release privileges that allowed him to leave jail for up to 12 hours a day, six days a week, responded: “yes.” (It is not clear whether the two ultimately saw each other that day.)

Two days later, Epstein wrote an email to Ferguson that began with the words: “you look great.” In the message, Epstein laid out his vision for a company that Ferguson could run called “Mothers Army,” an initiative aimed at helping mothers in need that would be funded by corporate sponsors.

Ferguson sounded delighted.

“My dear spectacular and special friend Jeffrey,” she wrote back. “You are a legend, and I am so proud of you.” She continued on to write that she had “read and devoured” Epstein’s email, and that she planned to get back to him with a “business pla

The post Schools Should Be Safe Spaces appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

HENDERSON, Nevada (KEYT) - Cal Poly was just 6-of-32 from three-point distance for only 19 percent in a 72-69 first round loss to UC San Diego at the Big West Championships.

The top scorer in the Big West Hamad Mousa scored a team-high 21 points Cal Poly but he was 0-for-6 from beyond the arc while teammate Peter Bandelj made just 1-for-9 on his three-point attempts.

Cal Poly led the defending Big West Champions 35-26 at the half but the Tritons rallied behind a game-high 23 points from Hudson Mayes and 20 points from Tom Beattie.

The Mustangs finish the season 14-19.

The post Cal Poly struggles from long distance and has short stay at Big West Championships appeared first on News Channel 3-12.