Por Laura Sharman, CNN

Hace cinco años, Logan Paul estableció un récord mundial al comprar una carta Pokémon por US$ 5,27 millones. Resultó ser una inversión acertada: el influencer y luchador vendió esa carta por la asombrosa cifra de US$ 16,49 millones, con un collar incrustado de diamantes incluido.

La rara carta Pikachu Illustrator —una de solo 39 creadas para un concurso de ilustración de Pokémon a finales de los años 90— fue subastada en Goldin Auctions este lunes.

Se cree que la estrella de la WWE obtuvo más de US$ 8 millones de ganancia después de las comisiones de la subasta, una venta que calificó de “absolutamente loca”.

La subasta había estado activa durante 42 días, pero terminó tras horas de pujas extendidas este lunes, con Paul diciendo “puede que hayamos cansado a alguien” durante una transmisión en vivo en YouTube.

“Oh, Dios mío, esto es una locura”, añadió una vez que la subasta cerró y cayó confeti.

Momentos después, un representante de Guinness World Records apareció en pantalla y confirmó que Paul había vendido la carta coleccionable más cara de la historia en una subasta.

Esta vez, la carta se vendió dentro de un collar personalizado que Paul usó en WrestleMania 38 y con su promesa de entregarla personalmente al comprador ganador.

Pokémon es la franquicia mediática más lucrativa del mundo, superando incluso a Disney y Star Wars. Las cartas han disparado su valor, superando a las cartas deportivas y al índice bursátil S&P en un 3.000 % en los últimos 20 años, dijo a CNN en diciembre Ken Goldin, fundador y CEO de Goldin, después de que Logan confirmara que subastaría la carta.

“Esta es la carta coleccionable más codiciada del mundo”, dijo.

Goldin explicó que la carta Illustrator es considerada “la joya de la corona de todas las cartas Pokémon” y que la carta de Paul es la que todos quieren porque es prácticamente impecable: la única carta Illustrator considerada de grado 10 por la agencia de autenticación PSA.

Cuando la subasta de este lunes llegaba a su fin, el precio se mantuvo inicialmente en US$ 6,88 millones hasta que una oleada de ofertas de último minuto durante un periodo de puja extendida de varias horas elevó el total final a US$ 16,49 millones, con 97 ofertas en total.

Paul tiene fama de llevar las colecciones a niveles extremos y ha gastado millones para conseguir algunos de los objetos más raros jamás producidos, incluidos los NFT, activos digitales únicos y verificables que se negocian en la blockchain.

La estrella de la lucha libre de la WWE se despidió de la carta el sábado en una publicación de Instagram, diciendo: “Adiós, amiga. Qué privilegio ha sido ser el dueño del mayor coleccionable del mundo”.

La carta es solo una de las 20 Illustrator calificadas por PSA.

Paul consiguió la ultra rara carta de grado 10 intercambiando una Pikachu Illustrator de grado 9 de PSA que ya poseía —valorada en US$ 1,27 millones— y US$ 4 millones en efectivo por ella en julio de 2021.

Solo ocho de las cartas Pikachu Illustrator han recibido un grado 9 de PSA y la venta de Paul es la única de grado 10, el nivel más alto y deseado que otorga PSA.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The post Venden la “joya de la corona” de las cartas Pokémon de Logan Paul por US$ 16,5 millones, con un

* WHAT…Southwest winds 25 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph
expected.

* WHERE…San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Anacapa Islands.

* WHEN…From 9 AM this morning to 3 PM PST this afternoon.

* IMPACTS…Damaging winds could blow down trees.
Watch for falling debris and tree limbs.

The post High Wind Warning issued February 16 at 12:33AM PST until February 16 at 3:00PM PST by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

* WHAT…Southwest winds 20 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph
expected.

* WHERE…Coasts and Valleys of Southwest California.

* WHEN…From 6 AM this morning to 6 PM PST this evening.

* IMPACTS…Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree
limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.
Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for
high-profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

Secure outdoor objects.

The post Wind Advisory issued February 16 at 12:33AM PST until February 16 at 6:00PM PST by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

* WHAT…Southwest winds 30 to 55 mph with gusts up to 70 mph
possible. Strongest in the mountains.

* WHERE…Cuyama Valley, Eastern Antelope Valley Foothills,
Interstate 5 Corridor, San Luis Obispo County Interior Valleys,
San Luis Obispo County Mountains, Santa Barbara County Interior
Mountains, Southern Ventura County Mountains, Western Antelope
Valley Foothills, and Western San Gabriel Mountains and Highway 14
Corridor.

* WHEN…From 6 AM this morning to 6 PM PST this evening.

* IMPACTS…Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines.
Travel could be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles.
Remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and
stay away from windows. Watch for falling debris and tree limbs. Use
caution if you must drive.

The post High Wind Warning issued February 16 at 12:33AM PST until February 16 at 6:00PM PST by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN

London (CNN) — Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have been swept into the maelstrom that has engulfed their parents, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, forcing them to grapple with renewed scrutiny swirling around the British monarchy.

The sisters, now 37 and 35 respectively, are named hundreds of times in the latest tranche of the so-called “Epstein files” recently published by the US Department of Justice. At least one of the references is highly embarrassing, referring to a young Eugenie’s private life.

Beatrice and Eugenie are among the few members of the Windsor clan to hold “HRH” titles, meaning “His” or “Her Royal Highness,” but they do not represent the monarch as working members of “The Firm.”

Much of the criticism of the York family, as they were known in Britain, has centered on Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. However, the latest disclosures from the DOJ files also reveal the apparent depth of the late sex offender’s friendship with the princesses’ mother, who appears to have brought her daughters into his world.

“It’s incredibly distressing for both young women to see themselves mentioned so freely by their parents to a convicted sex offender,” said Russell Myers, the royal editor of Britain’s The Mirror newspaper, who has covered the Windsor family for the past decade and co-hosts the award-winning royal podcast “Pod Save The King.”

He told CNN that while there was “a great deal of sympathy for them,” the emails sparked questions over what, if anything, the women knew.

“The questions remain, both inside the palace and publicly, as to whether Beatrice and Eugenie could have raised concerns both to their parents, or more widely, considering how close they were brought into Epstein’s world, even after he was convicted of serious sex offenses.”

The princesses’ father is facing mounting pressure to answer more questions about his involvement with Epstein, with British police now investigating claims of misconduct in public office and breach of official secrets after unearthed emails appear to suggest the former prince shared confidential material with the sex offender during his tenure as UK trade envoy.

Mountbatten-Windsor, whom CNN has approached for comment, has not publicly reacted to the latest allegations but has previously denied any wrongdoing over his ties to Epstein, including after he reached an out-of-court settlement with a woman who said she was trafficked to him as a teen.

The Miami lunch

Ferguson’s spokesperson said last year that the former duchess had severed her ties with Epstein “as soon as she was aware of the extent of the allegations.” But the DOJ files suggest that was not the case.

The documents appear to show that not only did Ferguson maintain contact, but she visited him in Miami five days after he was released from prison in 2009 having served 13 months of an 18-month sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Beatrice and Eugenie, who were then 20 and 19, joined their mother at a meal with him on July 27, 2009.

In one email exchange, Epstein initially drops a quick note to a partially redacted address which appears as “ferg,” asking “where are you?” Roughly an hour and a half later, “Sarah” says she is “In Miami” and “aiming to get to you for 12.30 for lunch.”

The financier then offers her a