Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times
DNER sets buoys to mark off Pelican Beach on Caja de Muerto
By THE STAR STAFF
Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) Secretary Waldemar Quiles Pérez announced Tuesday that personnel from the Office of the Commissioner of Navigation installed a series of buoys and maritime ropes to demarcate the Pelican Beach area on the Caja de Muerto islet on the outskirts of Ponce, “with the goal of safeguarding the lives and property of residents visiting” the area.
The DNER chief added in a written statement that the buoys “precisely demarcate the area that can be used for permitted maritime activities in this important nature reserve.”
“This action allows bathers to enjoy the area in this reserve, while also protecting residents, as the land area of Caja de Muertos remains closed to the general public,” Quiles said.
The island, with a land area of some 412 acres (1.2
Natural and Environmental Resources Secretary Waldemar Quiles Pérez said the buoys “precisely demarcate the area that can be used for permitted maritime activities in this important nature reserve.”
hectares), is part of the Caja de Muertos Nature Reserve and is located about eight nautical miles south of the area known as Ponce Beach.
“We know that during the summer months, Caja de Muerto islet is very popular with water sports enthusiasts, thanks to its crystal-clear waters and beautiful scenery,” the official said. “Therefore, we have implemented this action plan so that swimmers, as well as boat operators, know their limits in the only area in the nature reserve designated for beach enjoyment.”
Quiles also announced that the DNER will be implementing a surveillance plan for the islet during the months of June and July.
The reserve’s terrestrial area has been closed since the 2020 earthquakes, and the DNER, along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is seeking funding for its rehabilitation, including the lighthouse built in 1887.
Gov’t to shut down Homebuyers Assistance Program
By THE STAR STAFF
Due to a loss of federal funding, the Direct Homebuyer Assistance (HBA) Program, which supports low-income families in obtaining homes, will be shutting down.
On Tuesday, Housing Secretary Ciary Pérez Peña and Ricardo Álvarez Barreto, the executive director of the Housing Finance Authority (AFV by its initials in Spanish), announced that the program will close its acceptance period for new applications in the second half of 2025.
The program utilizes Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds to provide direct assistance to homebuyers to facilitate and expand homeownership by using such assistance to subsidize interest rates and
mortgage principal amounts, pay up to 100% of the down payment required by the mortgage for the purchase on behalf of the purchaser, and pay reasonable closing costs associated with the home purchase on behalf of the purchaser for LMI homebuyers only. The assistance is offered through a grant.
“The main objective of the HBA Program has been to increase the number of families and individuals who acquire safe and affordable housing,” Álvarez Barreto said in a written statement.
Applications from low- and moderate-income families will be accepted until September, while those from families in urgent need will be accepted until July.
“It is important to emphasize that the closing of the acceptance period for new applications does not mean that the funds allocated to the HBA Program are exhausted,” Pérez
Peña stated. The officials also said they are working on new sources of financing to establish a successor program that will allow them to continue assisting families in purchasing affordable housing.
Ricardo Álvarez Barreto, executive director of the Housing Finance Authority (puertoricobonds.pr.gov)
Since its inception, the program has benefited 13,713 families, including 4,153 essential employees, 7,353 low- and moderate-income families, and 6,360 families in urgent need, according to data provided by the AFV.
By THE STAR STAFF
House Government Committee Chairman Víctor Parés Otero filed a measure this week seeking to establish an industrial zone in Puerto Rico for the research, development and production of integrated circuits, better known as microchips.
“Puerto Rico has the potential to become one of the main centers for the research and development of these integrated circuits, which, in the era of digitalization, are used in the majority of equipment and systems, including computers, smartphones, tablets and motor vehicles, among others, that citizens operate daily,” the San Juan District 4 lawmaker said in a written statement. “Our island’s potential lies in a professional and efficient workforce, with decades of experience in the production of high-quality,
innovative and complex products, such as pharmaceutical and digital products.”
The New Progressive Party legislator said the skilled workforce is supported by some 9,825 young people (data circa 2024) pursuing university studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM subjects.
Parés noted further that the microchip industry in the United States generated $9.017 billion in 2024, and it is estimated that the figure will increase to $10.180 billion by the end of 2025. Available data points to 300% growth in the sector by 2032, reaching unprecedented levels.
He pointed out that during the previous four years, the administration of President Joe Biden emphasized the creation of zones to develop industries associated with the construction
of microchips.
“Unfortunately, Puerto Rico was left out of that approach,” Parés said. “However, since January of this year, the new administration of President Donald J. Trump has been promoting the creation of new microchip manufacturing bases in the United States, both in the United States and in its territory, with the aim of fostering an industrial renaissance in the nation and eradicating dependence on foreign products.”
He added that the “current administration’s new industrial policies in the federal capital, combined with Governor Jenniffer González’s vision and commitment to expanding the island’s industrial base and streamlining the relocation or reshoring process, make Puerto Rico the ideal location for the establishment of industries related to the development of microchips.”
Economic concerns are mounting, but the Fed isn’t cutting rates proactively
By COLBY SMITH
Less than a year ago, the Federal Reserve took decisive action to bolster the U.S. economy. With inflation easing and the labor market starting to soften, the central bank opted to go big, lowering interest rates by half a percentage point and signaling further cuts to come.
Rather than a panicky response to a crisis situation, the decision amounted to the Fed taking out some insurance to protect the labor market from weakening too much.
In a barrage of attacks on the central bank recently, President Donald Trump called on Jerome Powell, the chair, to lower borrowing costs in a similar fashion to prevent the economy from slowing down. But the Fed no longer has the flexibility to move preemptively.
Trump’s tariffs and the inflation spike they could potentially unleash have left officials much more cautious about restarting interest rate cuts despite rising risks of an economic slowdown. The Fed is widely expected to keep interest rates steady when officials gather this week, extending a pause that began in January after a series of cuts last year.
But forecasts for when the Fed will have the confidence to cut again are in a constant state of flux, injecting yet more volatility into an already tenuous moment for the economy and the global financial system. Officials will need to see tangible evidence that the labor market is starting to weaken and people are struggling to find work before taking action. If it takes time to materialize, the Fed could be on hold for even longer than expected.
That risks keeping tensions simmering with Trump, who on Sunday again criticized Powell while saying that he would not replace the chair before his term ends in May 2026.
“It’s too uncertain to be preemptive,” said Ellen Meade, who served as a senior adviser to the Fed’s board of governors until 2021 and is now at Duke University. “The date for a cut is the time that the slowing of the economy outweighs, in their view, the overshoot in inflation.”
Policy backdrop in flux
Making a big policy pivot is never an easy judgment call, but the current circumstances have made it uniquely fraught. The Fed is having to contend with an ever-changing backdrop amid Trump’s whipsawing plans for tariffs, tax cuts and other campaign promises.
The White House says trade deals will be worked out before a self-imposed 90-day delay to large levies initially announced in early
April. But no one knows for sure how those are progressing, or even if the administration is in communication with one of its biggest trading partners, China. It is not yet clear what will happen after the July deadline lapses if deals are not reached. The administration has also set a July 4 goal to fulfill Trump’s promise to enact sweeping tax cuts, but the contours of that bill are still being worked out.
The uncertainty alone has already chilled business activity, causing paralysis in many industries as companies put off big investments and hiring until they get clearer direction from the White House. As recession odds have crept up alongside expectations about inflation in the year ahead, consumer sentiment has plummeted. Already, many consumer-oriented brands, from Chipotle to PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble, have reported sluggish sales.
Christopher J. Waller, a Fed governor, recently argued that tariff-induced inflation will be temporary. Yet even he has acknowledged that looking past this surge will not be easy. “It’s going to take some courage to stare down these tariff increases in prices with the belief that they are transitory,” he said in an interview last month.
Many economists warn that dismissing tariff-related price increases altogether would not be prudent either.
Jean Boivin, the former deputy governor at the Bank of Canada who is now head of the BlackRock Investment Institute, expects tariffs
to induce a supply shock similar to what happened during COVID-19, when empty shelves led to higher prices and, in turn, persistently higher inflation. Businesses and consumers have already pulled forward purchases in an attempt to get ahead of Trump’s tariffs, and ports along the coasts are already reporting a sharp drop in traffic.
In what he calls a “supply driven recession,” Boivin forecasts that consumers will still want to spend but shortages will make that harder to do. When products do become available, consumers will be willing to pay the higher prices, translating to higher inflation that lingers for longer than it otherwise would have even as spending on the whole falls.
“It does raise a question about what the right medicine is,” said Raghuram Rajan, a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, of the potential unintended consequences if the Fed lowers interest rates as shortages hit.
“Having demand pick up once again while supply is hugely constrained by these high tariffs may not be the best answer,” he said.
The San Juan Daily Star
The Federal Reserve building in Washington, Nov. 3, 2024. The U.S. central bank is set to reinforce its wait-and-see approach at its meeting this week as President Trump’s tariffs begin to bite. (Anna Rose Layden/The New York Times)
Carney tells Trump that Canada ‘is not for sale’ during visit to the White House
By MATINA STEVIS-GRIDNEFF and TYLER PAGER
Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada had one key goal in his high-stakes meeting with President Donald Trump on Tuesday: say, in no uncertain terms, that Canada is not going to become the 51st state, while avoiding a public fight. And he succeeded.
“As you know from real estate, there are some places that are not for sale,” Carney said solemnly. “It’s not for sale it won’t be for sale, ever,” he added.
“Never say never,” Trump replied. But the moment’s potency had been defused, and Trump clearly was not interested in having a fight with Carney, whom he praised for a stunning electoral victory just a few days ago.
The relationship between the next-door neighbors, allies and top trading partners has been at a historic low since Trump’s reelection, because of his decision to impose tariffs on Canadian goods and his constant refrain that he wants to make Canada part of the United States.
Less than an hour before Carney arrived at the White House, Trump unloaded on Canada in a bellicose post on Truth Social, repeating his frequent criticisms that the country was too dependent on the United States.
“We don’t need ANYTHING they have, other than their friendship, which hopefully we will always maintain,” Trump wrote. “They, on the other hand, need EVERYTHING from us!”
But Trump struck a much more conciliatory tone once the two leaders sat down together in the Oval Office. Trump con-
gratulated Carney on his election, praising the campaign he ran as “one of the greatest comebacks in the history of politics.” (He did not mention that Carney won on an anti-Trump platform).
“We have some tough points to go over, and that’ll be fine,” Trump said.
As the public portion of the meeting came to a close, Trump contrasted this meeting with the disastrous one that Carney took pains to avoid: the Oval Office meeting in February between Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine.
“We had another little blow up with somebody else,” Trump said. “That was a much different. This is, this is a very friendly conversation.”
Carney spoke just three times over the course of a half-hour meeting in front of the cameras. Trump dominated the airtime, mostly with comments that veered off topic.
After their public remarks in the Oval Office, the two leaders went on to a private working lunch, flanked by some of their top advisers and ministers. That is most likely be where the substantive conversation about the future of the relationship would begin, although there were no expectations that a breakthrough would be reached in Tuesday’s meeting.
Canada and the United States share, together with Mexico, a free-trade agreement that now lays in tatters. Trump has said that trade with Canada overly favors Canada and hurts the United States.
Carney said the discussions between the two of them would take time, and would extend well beyond trade issues to encompass other areas such as security and defense.
Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada, right, was greeted by President Donald Trump outside the White House in Washington, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. The Canadian prime minister is meeting with President Donald Trump, days after being elected on an anti-Trump platform as relations between the two allies are at a historic nadir.
(Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times)
Germany gets a new chancellor, in unexpectedly dramatic fashion
By JIM TANKERSLEY and CHRISTOPHER F. SCHUETZE
Friedrich Merz became Germany’s 10th postwar chancellor Tuesday after a historic stumble that could complicate his efforts to revive the nation’s slumping economy, tighten its borders and rebuild its military, at a time when an isolated Europe is hungry for strong German leadership.
After 10 weeks as the nation’s leader-inwaiting following his party’s victory in February elections, Merz initially fell six votes short in the parliamentary vote for chancel-
lor Tuesday morning — a defeat without precedent in modern Germany’s history.
The votes were conducted on secret ballots, leaving the reasons for the failure murky; the parties in the new governing coalition held more than enough seats to elect him. But some lawmakers speculated that a series of individual protest votes had, possibly by accident, added up to an embarrassing setback.
Merz, 69, rebounded to win on a second ballot in the afternoon. Still, rival parties and outside analysts warned that his credibility had suffered at home and abroad, and
his opponents on Germany’s far left and far right alike said that Merz had lost legitimacy.
Political observers said the brief setback could make it more difficult than expected for the new chancellor to project strength on the world stage and to pass critical legislation to advance his agenda. Merz had hoped for a clear vote of confidence in parliament as he seeks to confront President Donald Trump’s tariff threats against Germany’s export-heavy economy, reverse his country’s economic malaise and counter an aggressive Russia to the east.
“Germany and Europe need to serve as anchors of stability in a volatile global environment,” said Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook, the senior vice president for Bertelsmann Stiftung, a nonpartisan foundation based in Gütersloh, Germany. But Merz’s unexpectedly delayed election “could signal rocky times ahead.”
“Voters’ trust in elite policymakers is already
dwindling,” Ashbrook said. “Self-doubt inside a government is pernicious in a moment like this.”
Merz had been largely expected to win on the first ballot, and the dissenters did not identify themselves.
But based on the makeup of parliament, there appeared to be more than a dozen of them from within Merz’s party, the centerright Christian Democrats; its sister party, the Christian Social Union; and their coalition partner, the center-left Social Democrats. The three parties hold 328 seats, with 316 needed for a majority.
The coalition rallied behind Merz in the afternoon, with members warning of dire consequences if there were further delay. He picked up 15 additional votes in the second round, more than enough to secure the job.
“It is important that Germany gets a stable government, that we can very quickly start working within reliable structures, and that we work to ensure that this country is strong and well governed,” Lars Klingbeil of the Social Democrats, Germany’s new vice chancellor, told reporters.
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL
By MAUREEN DOWD
Donald Trump has had remarkable success creating a shadowy plane of unreality, an inside-out zone where he uses his dark sorcery to convince whole swaths of people to believe his self-serving version of events rather than actual events. And now, far beyond Fox News, there’s a Trumpist media ecosystem built to help him.
But we learned that, thank heavens, this plane is not impermeable.
Reality can pierce Trump’s “reality” show. That moment happened most dramatically when, a week after he levied his irrational tariff plan, he had to put much of it on pause after stocks fell like a pig out of a helicopter, to adapt a Dave Barry phrase. And, most ominously, when many investors raced to sell their ordinarily stable Treasury bonds.
The president tried to blame Americans losing their nerve for the pause, rather than the dubious math and erratic application of tariffs that sent the global economy spiraling.
By LYDIA POLGREEN
Afew weeks ago, I tried to return an item I had mistakenly ordered from Amazon. The website said I needed to contact customer service, but when I clicked the link, it took me to an artificial intelligence bot that provided no answers, just a link back to the place I started. This was a faceless and hopeless process with no clear venue of appeal.
Despite Amazon’s supposedly friendly logo — an arrow shaped like a smile — the process seemed designed to get me to give up, which I promptly did.
This low stakes bit of Kafkaesque bureaucracy is maddening even for something as inconsequential as a mistaken order. So I was astonished when I read this declaration made by a senior Trump administration official last month at a border security trade show in Arizona:
“We need to get better at treating this like a business,” the acting ICE director, Todd Lyons, said of deporting people from the United States without due process, musing that it should work like Amazon’s Prime, “but with human beings.”
This was a shocking, dehumanizing thing to say, but I wasn’t surprised that it made little impression beyond a ripple of social media posts. It stuck with me, however, because it is emblematic of two terrifying trends that have unfolded since Donald Trump took office.
One is the administration’s chilling reliance on surveillance technology and artificial intelligence, from the apparent scanning of social media posts to deny student visas to the use
“Well, I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line,” he told reporters at the White House. “They were getting yippy, you know. They were getting a little bit yippy, a little bit afraid.”
I hadn’t heard the term “yips” since I had to follow George H.W. Bush around on the golf course in Kennebunkport, Maine, and report on his driving and putting. (He was such an avid golfer that when it rained, he played the sand traps as water hazards.) Bush used the term in an orthodox way, as a moment of inexplicable jitters while playing golf. Trump’s use was slightly unorthodox, about recession fears.
No one, except perhaps his most die-hard supporters, buys Trump’s attribution of his U-turn to the irrational nerves of Americans rather than the increasing likelihood of recession or the absurd White House spin that the bizarre tariffs were all part of a canny “Art of the Deal” negotiation.
The truth, even if Trump won’t admit it, is that reality penetrated his fabricated unreality, and the Emperor of Chaos had to course-correct. It was an enormous relief to see that Trump’s alchemy in creating his own set of “facts” with a derecho of disinformation has its limits.
Trump’s unreality hits a limit One-click deportations
of AI to purge government programs suspected of engaging in woke activities. (The latter has had absurd results, like removing references on Pentagon websites to the Enola Gay.)
The other is the stubborn support for Trump on immigration that showed up in poll after poll, even as his approval on just about everything else, especially the economy, collapses. The latest surveys have found that support slipping slightly, but immigration remains his strongest major issue among voters, even as his administration has sent gangs of masked agents into the streets to whisk people onto deportation planes, detained even children in his drive to expel migrants and lawlessly sent people with no criminal background to a gulag in El Salvador.
Now Trump muses about ejecting American citizens, too, and has attempted to exclude his actions from judicial review by invoking national security. He is determined to assert unilateral authority to strip people of the most basic constitutional protections and enact the fantasy of expelling every person he deems undesirable.
So this is where we are, 100 days in. Popular indifference — enthusiasm is not required — combined with the use of frictionless technology to execute a vision of expulsion. In this new world, any one of us can be categorized by faceless technology, then shipped outside the constitutional sphere, beyond the bounds of any appeal, with ruthless efficiency.
It is Amazon Prime not just for people but for a nation: turning American constitutional democracy into fascism with the click of a button, an arrow and a smirking smile.
The soup that cures all my hangovers
Hangover kimchi soup. Garlicky, gingery and full of bright flavors, this panacea will heal you from within. Food styled by Rebecca Jurkevich. (David Malosh/The New York Times)
By ERIC KIM
When Carlos Juarez was growing up in Puebla, Mexico, his father would stay out late on Saturday nights, blowing off steam by drinking and playing soccer with friends.
Come Sunday morning, if he was hung over, his wife, Juarez’s mother, would boil a whole chicken — one of the hens from their yard — into a soup with jalapenos, onions and a thick bouquet of cilantro. The whole family would eat the soup that day, relishing in the gift of caldo, or broth, as the older Juarez woke from the dead. There is no magic cure for a hangover, experts
know: It’s really just a matter of time, and water, which might explain why every culture has a hangover soup. What is soup but sustenance suspended in water?
During my salad days in Atlanta, it was soup that sustained me (and my friends) after a night of excess, a bowl of pho from the city’s abundant Vietnamese restaurants. In the intervening years, that post-indulgence ritual matured as I grew into someone who keeps a refrigerator stocked with garlic, ginger and ripe kimchi, and a freezer full of stock rich with the fat and flavor of whole chickens.
My hangover kimchi soup will remind you of pho, with echoes of tom yum soup and kimchi guk, all healing and hydrating in their brothy brightness, but it is abundantly itself, a panacea of bright, savory, salty flavors.
The amount of spice you add is up to you, but know that a little red chile lends immeasurable flavor in addition to some heat. Gochugaru works here, but if you’re feeling something else, don’t be afraid to mix and match chile powders. If your ginger root is especially young and tender, consider peeling, then cutting it into fine matchsticks for an even deeper, punchier warmth. White beans offer protein in this dish, which becomes even heartier with white rice or noodles. (You can also sop it up with a slice of cornbread.)
Reheat it throughout the week, adding more broth and various crisper-drawer vegetables you need to use up, like cabbage, kale, arugula, watercress and bean sprouts. Whether you’re hung over, sick with a cold or just plain hungry, this humble, hardworking soup will rouse you from the dead — or even just lift you up when you’re down.
Hangover kimchi soup
Garlicky, gingery and full of bright flavors, this panacea will heal you from within. The amount of spice is up to you, but know that a little red chile lends immeasurable flavor in addition to heat. If your ginger root is especially young and tender, consider peeling then cutting it into fine 1-inch matchsticks to eat in the soup for an even deeper, punchier warmth. White beans offer protein in this brothy meal, which becomes even heartier with the addition of white rice or noodles. (You can also sop it up with a slice of cornbread.) Reheat this nouris-
hing soup throughout the week, adding more broth and various crisper-drawer vegetables you need to use up, like cabbage, kale, arugula, watercress and bean sprouts. Quick-cooking proteins like shrimp and tofu taste great in place of the beans, too.
By Eric Kim
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
1 packed cup finely chopped kimchi (8 ounces; see Tip), plus any accumulated juices
1 quart chicken stock, preferably homemade
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, sliced
1 tablespoon gochugaru (see Tip), plus more to taste 1 tablespoon fish sauce, plus more to taste 1 tablespoon doenjang or miso (see Tip)
Salt
1 (15.5-ounce) can large white beans, such as butter, cannellini or great Northern, rinsed and drained
1 small yellow onion, halved, peeled and thinly sliced 1 loosely packed cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
Preparation:
1. To a medium pot, add the kimchi, stock, garlic, ginger, gochugaru, fish sauce and doenjang. Set over high heat until boiling. Partially cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and gently boil, stirring occasionally, until the broth is aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the beans and onion and continue simmering until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed, with salt, gochugaru and fish sauce. Before serving, discard the ginger if you don’t want to eat it and stir in the cilantro.
Tips:
Kimchi is sold in many ways and at varying stages of ripeness. For this dish, you want very ripe, well-fermented kimchi for the brightest flavor. Less fermented kimchi will taste like fresh cabbage, whereas well-fermented kimchi will taste sharp and pickled, with small bubbles signaling fermentation. To ferment less ripened kimchi from the store, leave it on the counter in its covered jar at room temperature until it starts to effervesce and smell funky, overnight or up to 48 hours. Return to the refrigerator before using.
Gochugaru, a flavorful Korean red-pepper powder, ranges from a fine dust to tiny coarse flakes. Try to buy the coarse variety, for deeper, sweeter flavor. You can find gochugaru at Korean and other Asian supermarkets and at many grocery stores, as well as online.
Buy doenjang, often labeled “soybean paste,” in any Korean or Asian supermarket and online. Funkily pungent and packed with savoriness, doenjang is a magical flavor booster that has likely seasoned much of the banchan, or small dishes, that constellate the table at your favorite Korean restaurant. Doenjang is often compared to Japanese miso but tastes stronger.
The San Juan Daily Star Wednesday, May 7, 2025 15
National Science Foundation terminates hundreds of active research awards
By KATRINA MILLER and CARL ZIMMER
Casey Fiesler, an information science professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, learned April 18 that one of the three grants she had been awarded by the National Science Foundation was being terminated.
“It was a total surprise,” Fiesler said. “This is the one that I thought was totally safe.”
The grant supported Fiesler’s research on building artificial intelligence literacy. She received no official explanation for why the grant was being terminated more than a year ahead of its scheduled end. But Fiesler speculated that it had something to do with the word “misinformation” in the award’s abstract.
Fiesler was not alone. As of April 21, the National Science Foundation had canceled more than 400 active awards, according to a list obtained by The New York Times. The decision comes after months of scrutiny of the agency, including a report released by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, last October and, in February, an internal review of awards containing words related to diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI.
In January, the Trump administration attempted to freeze grant payments for existing awards at the NSF. A temporary restraining order lifted the freeze. The order also said that the agency could not terminate active awards to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders, one of which called for an end to “illegal and immoral discrimination programs” under the premise of DEI across the federal government.
In a statement Friday, the NSF said that its grant cancellations were not in violation of the temporary restraining order. When asked by the Times to provide clarification on the legality of the grant cancellations, the agency declined to comment.
The National Science Foundation, established in 1950, finances much of the scientific research that takes place in the United States, ranging from astronomy and quantum computing to microbiology and education in science technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM.
In fiscal year 2024, the agency had a $9 billion budget. But there have been
worries about how much of that budget would survive under the Trump administration.
Last Thursday, the magazine Nature reported that all new research grants by the agency had been frozen, as ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The NSF declined to confirm the freezing of new awards or what role, if any, DOGE had in the action.
On Friday, the NSF went further, canceling grants supporting ongoing research. In a statement, the agency said it was terminating awards that were not in line with its priorities, including but not limited to awards focused on DEI as well as misinformation and disinformation.
The agency also announced changes to how it evaluated the potential benefits of research. Previously, the agency factored in how well projects could draw underrepresented groups into science, including women, minorities and people with disabilities.
In its Friday statement, the agency announced it had shifted its priorities. Activities related to broader impacts “must aim to create opportunities for all Americans everywhere,” the agency said, adding that the efforts “should not preference some groups at the expense of oth-
ers.”
In addition, the agency said that it would no longer prioritize funding research on misinformation, which could “infringe on the constitutionally protected speech rights of American citizens,” and that it was canceling grants to “ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent in the most efficient way possible.”
A spokesperson for the NSF declined to comment on the number of awards terminated or any role played by DOGE in the cancellations. In a post on the social platform X on Friday, DOGE commended the agency for canceling 402 “wasteful” DEI grants, amounting to $233 million in savings.
According to a program director at the NSF, who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution, most of the awards that have been canceled so far are from the agency’s divisions of research on learning and equity for excellence in STEM.
More than 100 of the canceled awards have been compiled into a public database by Noam Ross, executive director of a nonprofit called rOpenSci, and Scott Delaney, an epidemiologist at Harvard University. The database mirrors their ever-growing list of awards canceled by the National Institutes of Health,
which has been ongoing since January.
According to Ross, many of the awards submitted to the new database were mentioned in the list compiled by a committee led by Cruz, which identified 3,483 “questionable projects” funded by the NSF that the investigators described as promoting either DEI or what they called “advanced neo-Marxist class warfare propaganda.”
Democrats on the Committee on Science, Space and Technology in the House of Representatives released a rebuttal of Cruz’s October report last week, noting several flaws, including the misinterpretation of scientific terms, such as “biodiversity,” as being related to DEI.
“Many people portray this as a war on the elite in higher education,” Ross said of the grant cancellations. But “so much of what is being taken away are the programs that make science look more like America.”
Critics of the cancellations say they run counter to existing laws.
“Congress has passed laws that require NSF to conduct research into specific topics and in specific ways,” said Delaney, who was an attorney before becoming an epidemiologist.
That could include the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act, which was passed into law in 2010 and requires the agency to support activities that expand the participation of women and people from other underrepresented groups in STEM.
In general, the agency provides scientists with the opportunity to dispute its decisions about funding. But researchers were informed that the decision to cancel their grants was final and not subject to appeal.
Scientists expressed fear about the growing disruptions to research and the harm it may do to both academia and the public at large.
“It’s shocking to see the government do this,” said Jon Freeman, a psychologist at Columbia University whose grant on studying facial perception was terminated. “It cedes American leadership in science and technology to China and to other countries. I think it is going to take at least 10 years for American scientific and biomedical research to recover from this.”
A neighborhood in River Rouge, Mich., April 24, 2020. A doctoral student’s grant was canceled because she was studying low-income neighborhoods with high rates of air pollution. (Emily Rose Bennett/The New York Times)
en este Tribunal, por la parte demandante, una acción sobre divorcio. Es el abogado de la parte demandante:
f/HECTOR CORA SANTIAGO
RUA#9087
717 CALLE HÉCTOR CORA
SANTIAGO
SAN JUAN. P.R., 0091S (787) 313-4807
hcorasantiago@gmail.com
Se le advierte que este edicto se publicara en un periódico de circulación general una (1) sola vez y que sino contesta la demanda dentro del termino de treinta (30) días de haberse publicado el original de esa contestación ante el Tribunal de Primera Instancia de Puerto Rico, Sala Superior, Sala de San Juan, con copia a la parte demandante, se podrá dictar Sentencia en Rebeldía en contra suya, concediendo el remedio solicitado en la Demanda.
EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y Sello del Tribunal, hoy día 15 de abril de 2025. Griselda Rodriguez Collado, Sec Regional. Milagros Vazquez Velazquez, Sec Serv a Sala.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE BAYAMÓN ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC, COMO AGENTE DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC.
Parte Demandante Vs. RAFAEL LORA RAMIREZ
Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: BY2024CV05210. Salón: 500-A. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.
A: RAFAEL LORA RAMÍREZ- URB JARD DE CAPARRA, AC13 CALLE 6 BAYAMON PR 00959; 3 FRANKLIN AVE REVERE MA, 02151-3570. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// www.poderjudicial.pr/index. php/tribunal-electronico/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más
citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia a los abogados de la parte demandante, el Lcdo. Roneil Louzau Pastrana cuyas direcciones son: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección roneil.louzau@orf-law.com y a la dirección notificaciones@ orf-law.com. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hoy día 11 de marzo de 2025. En Bayamón, Puerto Rico, el 11 de marzo de 2025. ALICIA AYALA SANJURJO, SECRETARIA. IXIA B. CÓRDOVA CHINEA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE CAGUAS ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC COMO AGENTE DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC
Parte Demandante Vs. GERARDO JIMENEZ ROBERTO
Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: CG2024CV02673. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: GERARDO JIMENEZ ROBERTO - URB BATISTA 17 CALLE MADRID, CAGUAS PR 007253948; 138 MARGIN ST LAWRENCE MA 018414227. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// www.poderjudicial.pr/index. php/tribunal-electronico, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia al abogado de la parte demandante, Natalie Bonaparte Servera cuya dirección es: P.O.
Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección natalie.bonaparte@orf-law.com y a la dirección notificaciones@ orf-law.com. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en CAGUAS, Puerto Rico, hoy día 11 de marzo de 2025. IRASEMIS DÍAZ SÁNCHEZ, SECRETARIA. VIONNETTE ESPINOSA CASTILLO, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE FAJARDO ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC, COMO AGENTE DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC.
Parte Demandante Vs. MICHAEL MARQUEZ JACA
Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: RG2024CV00155. Salón: 302. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: MICHAEL MÁRQUEZ
JACA - URB ALTO RIO GRANDE, V1230 CALLE 23 RIO GRANDE, PR 00745.
POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// www.poderjudicial.pr/index. php/tribunal-electronico/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia a los abogados de la parte demandante, el Lcdo. Roneil Louzau Pastrana cuyas direcciones son: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 009368518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección roneil.louzau@ orf-law.com y a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en Fajardo, Puerto Rico, hoy día 12 de marzo de 2025. En Patillas, Puerto Rico, el 12 de marzo de 2025.
WANDA I SEGUÍ REYES, SECRETARIA. LYDIA E. RIVERA MIRANDA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE CAROLINA ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC COMO AGENTE DE ACE ONE FUNDING, LLC
Parte Demandante Vs. NELLY PEREZ ALGARIN Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: CA2024CV03219. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: NELLY PEREZ
ALGARIN - VILLA DE SAN ANTON J9 CALLE TIBURCIO BERTY, CAROLINA PR 00987-6810; 4796 WILLIAMSTOWN BLVD, LAKELAND FL 33810.
POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www.poderjudicial.pr/ index.php/tribunal-electronico, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia al abogado de la parte demandante, Osvaldo L. Rodríguez Fernández cuya dirección es: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 009368518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección notificaciones@ orf-law.com. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en CAROLINA, Puerto Rico, hoy día 12 de marzo de 2025. LCDA. KANELLY ZAYAS ROBLES, SECRETARIA.
MARICRUZ APONTE ALICEA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR. LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA
SALA SUPERIOR DE GUAYAMA
LLACG COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND
Demandante Vs. SUCESION PAULA CINTRON VICENTE COMPUESTA POR JOHN DOE Y JANE DOE COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA; CENTRO DE RECAUDACION DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES
Demandados
Civil Núm.: GM2024CV00740. Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. EDICTO DE SUBASTA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: LA PARTE DEMANDADA, AL (A LA) SECRETARIO(A) DE HACIENDA DE PUERTO RICO Y AL PÚBLICO
GENERAL:
Certifico y Hago Constar: Que en cumplimiento con el Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que me ha sido dirigido por el (la) Secretario(a) del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Guayama, en el caso de epígrafe, venderé en pública subasta y al mejor postor, por separado, de contado y por moneda de curso legal de los Estados Unidos de América y/o Giro Postal y Cheque Certificado, en mi oficina ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Guayama, el 3 DE JUNIO DE 2025, A LAS 10:00 DE LA MAÑANA, todo derecho título, participación o interés que le corresponda a la parte demandada o cualquiera de ellos en el inmueble hipotecado objeto de ejecución que se describe a continuación: “URBANA: Solar #1 del bloque G de la Urbanización Bello Horizonte, situada en el Barrio Algarrobo de la municipalidad de Guayama, Puerto Rico, con una cabida superficial de 512.88 metros cuadrados. En lindes por el NORTE, en 24.00 metros, con terrenos de la South Engineering Construction Corporation; por el SUR, en 24.00 metros, con el solar #2 del bloque G; por el ESTE, en 21.500 metros, con el solar #3 del mismo bloque; y por el OESTE, en 22.240 metros, con la calle #1 de dicha Urbanización. Contiene una casa de concreto para fines residenciales.” Inscrita al folio 231 del tomo 237 de Guayama, finca número 7003, Registro de la Propiedad de Guayama. La Hipoteca Revertida consta inscrita al folio 7 del tomo 486 de Guayama, finca número 7003, Registro de la Propiedad de Guayama, inscripción 3ª. Propiedad localizada en: URB. BELLO HORIZONTE, G-1 CALLE 1, GUAYAMA, PR 00784. Según figuran en la certificación registral, la propiedad objeto
de ejecución está gravada por las siguientes cargas anteriores o preferentes: Nombre del Titular: N/A. Suma de la Carga: N/A. Fecha de Vencimiento: N/A. Según figuran en la certificación registral, la propiedad objeto de ejecución está gravada por las siguientes cargas posteriores a la inscripción del crédito ejecutante: Nombre del Titular: Secretario de la Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano. Suma de la Carga: $150,000.00. Fecha de Vencimiento: 25 de enero de 2081. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad de la propiedad y que todas las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes al crédito ejecutante antes descritos, si los hubiere, continuarán subsistentes. El rematante acepta dichas cargas y gravámenes anteriores, y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. Se establece como tipo de mínima subasta la suma de $150,000.00, según acordado entre las partes en el precio pactado en la escritura de hipoteca. De ser necesaria una SEGUNDA SUBASTA por declararse desierta la primera, la misma se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Guayama, el 10 DE JUNIO DE 2025, A LAS 10:00 DE LA MAÑANA y se establece como mínima para dicha segunda subasta la suma de $100,000.00, 2/3 partes del tipo mínima establecido originalmente. Si tampoco se produce remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, se establece como mínima para la TERCERA SUBASTA, la suma de $75,000.00, la mitad (1/2) del precio pactado y dicha subasta se celebrará en mi oficina, ubicada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Guayama, el 17 DE JUNIO DE 2025, A LAS 10:00 DE LA MAÑANA. Dicha subasta se llevará a cabo para, con su producto satisfacer a la parte demandante, el importe de la Sentencia dictada a su favor ascendente a la suma de $163,034.19 por concepto de principal, intereses y otros gastos; más la cantidad de $15,000.00, por concepto de costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado, según pactados. A tenor con la Regla 44.3 de Procedimiento Civil se condena a la parte demandada a pagar intereses aplicables sobre el importe de la presente sentencia incluyendo costas y honorarios de abogado, desde esta fecha y hasta que sea satisfecha. La venta en pública subasta de la referida propiedad se verificará libre de toda carga o gravamen posterior que afecte la mencionada finca, a cuyo efecto se notifica y se hace saber la fecha, hora y sitio de la PRIMERA, SEGUNDA Y TERCERA SUBASTA, si esto fuera necesario,
a los efectos de que cualquier persona o personas con algún interés puedan comparecer a la celebración de dicha subasta. Se notifica a todos los interesados que las actas y demás constancias del expediente de este caso están disponibles en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante horas laborables para ser examinadas por los (las) interesados (as). Y para su publicación en el periódico The San Juan Daily Star, que es un diario de circulación general en la isla de Puerto Rico, por espacio de dos semanas consecutivas con un intervalo de por lo menos siete (7) días entre ambas publicaciones, así como para su publicación en los sitios públicos de Puerto Rico. Expedido en Guayama, Puerto Rico, hoy 8 de abril de 2025. ÁNGEL MERCADO QUILES, ALGUACIL REGIONAL. LITZY M. CORA ANAYA, ALGUACIL PLACA #247.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE BAYAMÓN ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC COMO AGENTE DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC
Parte Demandante Vs. EDWIN RODRIGUEZ TORRES
Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: VB2024CV00591. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: EDWIN RODRIGUEZ TORRESURB CIUDAD REAL 550 CALLE ANDALUCIA, VEGA BAJA PR 006933670; RR 4 BOX 57684, GUAYNABO PR 00971.
POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www.poderjudicial.pr/ index.php/tribunal-electronico, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su
sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia al abogado de la parte demandante, Osvaldo L. Rodríguez Fernández cuya dirección es: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 009368518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección notificaciones@ orf-law.com. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en BAYAMON, Puerto Rico, hoy día 14 de abril de 2025. Alicia AYALA SANJURJO, SECRETARIA. SAMARY RODRÍGUEZ ESTRADA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.
LEGAL NOTICE
ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE CAMUY ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC COMO AGENTE DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC
Parte Demandante Vs. ABIMAEL CRUZ ALONSO Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: HA2022CV00275. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: ABIMAEL CRUZ ALONSO - ESTANCIAS DE LA CEIBA D-8 CARR 2 K87 H1 BO. PUEBLO, HATILLO PR 00659; HC 7 BOX 31635 HATILLO PR 00659-9300; 1332 WASHINGTON ST, EASTON, PA, 18042. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www.poderjudicial.pr/index.php/tribunalelectronico, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia al abogado de la parte demandante, Osvaldo L. Rodríguez Fernández cuya dirección es: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com. EX-
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May 7, 2025 22
Yamal is making a claim as Europe’s best player
By THE ATHLETIC STAFF
After watching 17-year-old Lamine Yamal shine against his Inter team, manager Simone Inzaghi could not help but gush.
“Lamine is the kind of talent that comes along every 50 years,” Inzaghi said last week after a breathless 3-3 draw in the first leg of a Champions League semifinal.
In the afterglow of a Yamal’s performance, in which he scored once, turned defenders inside out and showed off his range of tricks, there was no shortage of praise.
“As a pure football talent, I’m going as far as to say I think Lamine Yamal is on another level to any player playing the game in the top five leagues in world football,” said former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand.
The draw with Inter was Yamal’s 100th appearance; in those matches, he has tallied 22 goals and 33 assists. At the same age, Cristiano Ronaldo had made 19 appearances (featuring five goals and four assists) and Lionel Messi had made nine, scoring once.
Excitement has long surrounded Yamal, from his moment of perfection at the 2024
European Championship to the comparisons with Messi that he has been keen to avoid. But is he already the best soccer player in Europe? And if he isn’t, who is?
Writers for The Athletic weigh in before the second leg of Barcelona’s tie with Inter on Tuesday.
Ballon d’Or in his future
If I could watch anyone play right now, it would be Lamine Yamal. Every time Yamal got the ball against Inter, you expected something to happen — and that something could be anything because of his incredible talent and the fact that he plays with so much freedom. His goal was breathtaking — a sinuous run and then a shot that was executed in a way (taken early, minimal backlift) that left Yann Sommer, the Inter goalkeeper, rooted.
To say that Yamal is the best in the world right now, at the age of 17, feels like a big claim. There’s an argument that he needs to score more prolifically, and for that reason, I would put him behind someone like Mohamed Salah, whose numbers are astonishing. But Yamal is a genius, and it’s a matter of when, not if, he wins the Ballon d’Or. — STUART JAMES
Part of the conversation
Yamal is phenomenal, and I love watching him. I would go so far as to say that I have never seen a better 17-year-old soccer player.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were incredibly talented, but they were not influencing games at the highest level at 17. What Yamal is doing is almost unheard of, but a word of caution: What Ansu Fati was doing at 17 was also extraordinary. Progression is rarely linear.
This season has brought arguments, at various points, for Mohamed Salah, Raphinha, Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Junior and Rodri, the deserving winner of last year’s Ballon d’Or. It is wonderful to think that a 17-year-old might be part of that conversation for years to come if he continues to develop. — OLIVER KAY
Salah with the edge
Yamal is the player I most enjoy watching at the moment, and to turn a Champions League semifinal in the way that he did, against players of that caliber, clearly describes ability that should terrify everyone.
But the best? I would still put Mohamed Salah ahead of him, on the numbers and the consistency of his output. Salah is still dominating opponents at 32, having been studied
Excitement has long surrounded 17-yearold Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona, from his moment of perfection at the 2024 European Championship to the comparisons with Lionel Messi that he has been keen to avoid.
(Instagram via fanstribehq)
and strategized against for years, which is a hard value to quantify but clearly worth something.
It’s extremely close, though, and if you ask me again in a year, I will probably have changed my mind. — SEB STAFFORD-BLOOR Key for Barcelona
Barcelona’s youngest player is already its on-pitch leader — his goal against Inter was the game’s key moment, coming with his team reeling at 2-0 down.
You keep having to remind yourself that he does not turn 18 for another few months. But he is already clearly Barcelona’s most important player. Nothing seems to faze him at all, and the really scary part is that he can still get a lot better. — DERMOT CORRIGAN
Brown sets new mark for stolen bases in a 20-game Double-A season
By THE STAR STAFF
Ponce Cubs rookie outfielder Antonio Brown set a new Double-A baseball record for stolen bases in a 20-game
season this past Sunday, when he stole two bases at Francisco “Paquito” Montaner Stadium in Ponce for a total of 23 stolen bases in the 2025 season.
“Brown surpassed the previous record
of 21 stolen bases, held by Alexis Torres of the Carolina Giants, set last season,” the Double-A Superior Baseball League confirmed in an official statement.
The speedy 23-year-old has been one of the season’s most impressive players, batting .353 with 24 hits in 68 at-bats and only two failed steal attempts. The Cubs still have three games remaining in the regular season.
The all-time record for stolen bases in a full season was set by the late Luis “Rolo” Colón, who had 41 with the Toritos de Cayey in 1979, before the current format.
Brown was selected this year in the Rookie Draft and had already showcased his speed with the Caciques de Mayagüez in Class A baseball, where he led in stolen bases and runs scored.
This Saturday, Brown will participate in the 2025 All-Star Game at Juan José “Tití” Beníquez Stadium in San Sebastián.
Ponce Cubs rookie outfielder Antonio Brown stole his 22nd and 23rd bases of the Double-A season this past Sunday, setting a new record for 20 games.
The San Juan Daily Star