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politics | The Reporters

For All Its Flaws, American Health Care Gets a Lot Right

We all know the problems with American health care . It costs too much, there are gaps in insurance coverage, health care markets are uncompetitive, provider payments are often incomprehensible, pricing is opaque, bureaucracy is metastasizing, and our citizens face absurd barriers to personal choice of plans and providers.  

These problems cry for solutions. Sen. Bernie Sanders , I-Vt., recently restated his timeworn remedy for our ills: a “single payer” system of government-run national health insurance.

His reason to adopt such a system? The United States spends $4.9 trillion on health care, more than any other country in the world. But our medical outcomes in certain areas, such as maternal mortality, are substandard.  

On that point, Sanders is right.

But our problems are much deeper than flawed financing and insurance arrangements. The root cause of our spending problem is a growing epidemic of chronic disease.

More than 40% of adults are obese and, unsurprisingly, over 85% of our health care spending goes toward treating and managing often-preventable chronic diseases and mental health conditions. Our raging obesity epidemic fuels cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers, diabetes, and its related comorbidities.

In short: Because of factors such as obesity, Americans are generally sicker than our counterparts in other advanced nations—and that means our doctors and hospitals must work harder than their counterparts in other high-income countries to treat costly chronic diseases.

But the news isn’t all bad.

When Americans get sick, we have reason to be thankful for the high-quality care available to us.  

Our many successes in care delivery are too often overlooked. We should be proud of our ability to respond quickly and effectively to treat major killers like cancer, heart disease, and strokes. And we should celebrate the stunning American advances in basic biomedical research, pharmacology, and technology.

Consider the facts.

First, the U.S. is the undisputed world champion in biomedical research. No other country even comes close.

Since World War II, 74 Americans have won Nobel prizes in physiology and medicine. American achievements have included breakthroughs like the discovery of streptomycin to treat tuberculosis successfully, the discovery of tumor-generating viruses, and research into how cell and organ transplantation can improve disease treatment.

Our Nobel Prize winners have also pioneered breakthroughs in our understanding of genetics, immunology, and virology. In 1988, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences outlined a successful research program  to map the human genome, thus ushering in a new age of biomedical research that holds enormous potential to improve and extend human life.   

With the ability to isolate the genetic predisposition to disease, the field for future innovation is wide open, including the potential of regenerative medicine such as ethicalstem cell or cellular transplants.

Now, rapid advances in artificial intelligence bring a new host of possible clinical applications. Soon, medical professionals may be able to deploy a powerful new weapon in our growing arsenal to diagnose, treat, and even predict disease. 

But the U.S. isn’t just superior in biomedical research. It’s also home to rapidly advancing medical technologies to treat and cure disease such as robotic surgeries, personalized drugs, and advanced therapies that are most effective based on a person’s genetics.  

At the same time, America’s innovative use of telehealth allows tens of millions of patients in rural and “underserved” areas to receive care. Remote patient monitoring devices are now becoming widely available and increasingly affordable. Patients can now monitor their heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar—an ability that enables timely medical interventions and fewer visits to hospital emergency departments.  

Globally, no country comes close  to developing the number of breakthrough and lifesaving medications and therapies as the U.S.

According to 2023 clinical trial data, the U.S. had 8,403 medicines in preclinical and clinical development. The next closest countries were China, with 4,024, and the European Union, with 3,445. The leading “single payer” countries, the United Kingdom and Canada, had only 1,763 and 1,250, respectively.  

In those “single payer” countries, the delivery of medical services is undercut by weak research and development, bureaucratic delays, and denials of available drug therapies. For example, one breast cancer therapy  was initially approved in 2013 in the U.S. and Europe, but it wasn’t available for British women until 2017.

Similarly, in Canada, as Michael Baker of the American Action Forum notes, “only 11% of new cancer drugs that were approved for marketing in Canada, the United States or the EU between 2016 and 2020 were listed on its public formulary.”

In the U.S., on the other hand, our performance in care delivery is among the best in the world. The U.S. provides outstanding training for physicians and other medical professionals and is home to some of the finest medical facilities in the world, including Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, and the University of California in San Francisco.

Researchers at the Commonwealth Fund of New York, a liberal think tank, routinely give American health care a “failing” grade on their metrics. But even they report  that among 10 economically advanced countries, the U.S. ranks second in the “care process,” behind the Netherlands, when one considers “prevention, safety, coordination, patient engagement and patient preferences.”

These researchers note that a “concerted focus in the U.S. on patient safety since the beginning of the century has yielded significant reductions in adverse events during hospital stays for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and major surgeries between 2010 and 2019.”

Similarly, while cancer is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and worldwide, American cancer survival rates are impressive. A common measure of success is the five-year relative survival rate, meaning the percentage of people in the general population with “the same type and stage of cancer” who live at least five years after diagnosis.

According to data  from the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Americans’ relative five-year survival rate for all types of breast cancer is 91%, and for early-stage breast cancer, it’s 99%. According to the data  from the American Cancer Society, the five-year “relative survival rate” is 90% for Americans with prostate cancer and 80% for those with colorectal cancer.

Yet under a “single payer” system like the one that Sanders wants, we likely wouldn’t see as much success.

Just look at the U.K.’s “single payer” performance in treating cancer.

Ishani Sarkar, an analyst with MacMillan Cancer Support, observes  that “cancer survival rates in the U.K. are as much as 25 years behind other European countries.” According to Sarkar, “analysis suggests if the U.K.’s survival rates matched the best in Europe, thousands more people who are diagnosed each year would survive their cancer for at least five years.”  

And “single payer” care’s promise of universal coverage means little if one cannot access medical care.

According to a recent report  by the British Medical Association, the U.K. has approximately 7.5 million cases on waiting lists. The median wait time is 14.2 weeks, and about 200,000 patients have been waiting for over a year for treatment.

In Canada, wait times from an initial referral from a primary care physician until “receipt of treatment” reached 30 weeks last year—a record high, according to a recent Fraser Institute report .

Americans should celebrate our successes in reducing death from big killers such as cancer and heart disease.

As Douglas Holtz-Eakin, former director of the Congressional Budget Office, said , “Health care is about access to good preventive care and, especially, to the most innovative treatments when, God help us, we need them. America does that better than any country in the world.”    

While U.S. health care financing is far from perfect, those facing diseases such as breast cancer stand far better odds in Massachusetts or Maryland than in London or Liverpool.

And now, the new administration has the chance to make America healthier than ever.

When accepting his nomination, President Donald Trump promised  to “unleash the power of American innovation.” In doing this, he said, we’d “soon be on the verge of finding the cures to cancer, Alzheimer’s, and many other diseases.”  

Originally published by the Washington Examiner

The post For All Its Flaws, American Health Care Gets a Lot Right appeared first on The Daily Signal .

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Arrestan a un estadounidense en India por intentar contactar a una tribu aislada

Por RAJESH ROY

NUEVA DELHI (AP) — La policía india ha arrestado a un YouTuber estadounidense de 24 años que visitó una isla prohibida en el océano Índico para intentar contactar con una tribu aislada conocida por atacar a los intrusos.

Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, de Scottsdale, Arizona, fue arrestado el 31 de marzo, dos días después de haber pisado el territorio restringido de la isla Sentinel del Norte —parte de las Islas Andamán y Nicobar de India— en un intento de conocer a la hermética tribu de los sentineleses, según informó la policía.

Un tribunal local envió a Polyakov a una custodia judicial de 14 días la semana pasada y está previsto que comparezca de nuevo ante el tribunal el 17 de abril. Los cargos conllevan una posible sentencia de hasta cinco años de prisión y una multa. Las autoridades indias dijeron que habían informado a la embajada de Estados Unidos sobre el caso.

Está prohibido que los visitantes se acerquen a menos de cinco kilómetros (tres millas) de la isla, cuya población ha estado aislada del resto del mundo durante miles de años. Los habitantes usan lanzas y arcos y flechas para cazar a los animales que deambulan por la pequeña isla con densa vegetación. Profundamente desconfiados de los forasteros, atacan a cualquiera que desembarque en sus playas.

En 2018, un misionero estadounidense que desembarcó ilegalmente en la playa fue asesinado por los isleños de Sentinel del Norte, quienes aparentemente le dispararon con flechas y luego enterraron su cuerpo en la playa. En 2006, los sentineleses mataron a dos pescadores que habían desembarcado accidentalmente en la orilla.

Los funcionarios indios han limitado los contactos a raros encuentros de “entrega de regalos”, en los que pequeños equipos de funcionarios y científicos dejan cocos y plátanos para los isleños. Los barcos indios también vigilan las aguas alrededor de la isla, tratando de asegurar que los forasteros no se acerquen a los sentineleses, quienes han dejado claro repetidamente que quieren que les dejen en paz.

La policía dijo que Polyakov navegó guiado por GPS durante su viaje y observó la isla con binoculares antes de desembarcar. Permaneció en la playa durante aproximadamente una hora e hizo sonar un silbato para atraer la atención, pero no obtuvo respuesta de los isleños.

Más tarde dejó una lata de Diet Coke y un coco como ofrenda, hizo un video con su cámara y recogió algunas muestras de arena antes de volver a su bote.

A su regreso fue avistado por pescadores locales, quienes informaron a las autoridades y Polyakov fue arrestado en Port Blair, la capital de las Islas Andamán y Nicobar, un archipiélago a casi 1.207 kilómetros (750 millas) al este del continente de India. Se abrió un caso en su contra por violación de las leyes indias que prohíben a cualquier forastero interactuar con los isleños.

La policía dijo que Polyakov había realizado una investigación detallada sobre las condiciones del mar, las mareas y la accesibilidad a la isla antes de comenzar su viaje.

“Planeó meticulosamente durante varios días visitar la isla y hacer contacto con la tribu sentinel”, indicó el agente de policía senior Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal.

En un comunicado, la policía dijo que las “acciones de Polyakov representaron una seria amenaza para la seguridad y el bienestar del pueblo sentinelés, cuyo contacto con forasteros está estrictamente prohibido por la ley para proteger su forma de vida indígena”.

Una investigación inicial reveló que Polyakov había hecho dos intentos previos, en octubre del año pasado y en enero, para visitar las islas, en una ocasión utilizando un kayak inflable.

La policía dijo que Polyakov se sintió atraído por la isla debido a su pasión por la aventura y los desafíos extremos, y estaba fascinado por el misticismo del pueblo sentinelés.

Survival International, un grupo que protege los derechos de los pueblos indígenas, dijo que el intento de Polyakov de contactar con la tribu de Sentinel del Norte fue “imprudente e idiota”.

“Las acciones de esta persona no solo pusieron en peligro su propia vida, sino que también pusieron en riesgo la vida de toda la tribu sentinelesa”, dijo en un comunicado la directora del grupo, Caroline Pearce.

___

Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa. Con AP Fotos.

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Daywatch: A path to resentencing for more than 1,200 inmates in Illinois

Good morning, Chicago.

Christopher Carter was 20 when he took part in the murder, armed robbery and kidnapping of a man whose body he helped dispose of on Chicago’s West Side in March 2001.

He was the youngest of three suspects charged in the crime. He argued that his role was comparatively limited and that he didn’t commit the actual killing, but at trial testified that he participated in the murder because he was afraid of the two older men, according to court records. All three were convicted, and Carter was sentenced to 100 years in prison.

More than 20 years into his incarceration, criminal justice reform advocates say Carter is among roughly 1,200 people in prison in Illinois who, under legislation being considered in Springfield , could be eligible for resentencing by a judge who takes into consideration their age and maturity level at the time the crimes were committed.

The proposal would apply to people in prison for crimes they committed when they were under 21. It marks one of the latest efforts by lawmakers to allow retroactive sentencing reforms that would give long-term prisoners, some essentially locked away for life, a chance at freedom.

Read the full story from the Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner .

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: how the city will handle “teen takeovers” returning downtown, State Sen. Emil Jones III going on trial today on bribery charges and Chicago’s connection to “The Great Gatsby.”

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Tyler Technologies was hired to help the Cook County Circuit Court digitize records and create a new case management system accessible through terminals such as these at the Daley Center, shown in March. It was one of three major Tyler projects in Illinois to make government easier to navigate, but projected costs have swelled and some of the projects have been dogged by slowdowns and shortcomings. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Tyler Technologies was hired to help the Cook County Circuit Court digitize records and create a new case management system accessible through terminals such as these at the Daley Center, shown in March. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

The $265 million tech bill: How a plan to streamline Illinois computer systems has cost more than $250 million

Cook County and state officials approved the cascade of taxpayer dollars even as the company struggled with software crashes, bungled rollouts and allegations of incompetence, while Tyler pointed the finger back at government officials for various missteps, an investigation by Injustice Watch and the Chicago Tribune found.

People talk near an Illinois Head Start Association display in the halls of the state Capitol in Springfield, Feb. 19, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
People talk near an Illinois Head Start Association display in the halls of the state Capitol in Springfield, Feb. 19, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Shutdown of regional Head Start offices creates confusion, but feds say funding will continue

The Trump administration’s decision to close a regional Head Start office in Chicago this week has raised questions about how the program, which serves more than 28,000 children and low-income families in Illinois, will continue to operate in coming weeks and months.

Felicia Miceli holds a photograph of her son, Louie Miceli, as opponents of a Haymarket drug treatment center coming to Itasca march toward a public hearing on the subject on Sept. 18, 2019. Louie died of a heroin overdose at age 24 in 2012. Next to Miceli is Robin Dale, whose son Matthew died of an overdose of heroin laced with fentanyl in 2017. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Felicia Miceli holds a photograph of her son, Louie Miceli, as opponents of a Haymarket drug treatment center coming to Itasca march toward a public hearing on the subject on Sept. 18, 2019. Louie died of a heroin overdose at age 24 in 2012. Next to Miceli is Robin Dale, whose son Matthew died of an overdose of heroin laced with fentanyl in 2017. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Judge: Feds can’t intervene in Haymarket lawsuit to bring rehab center to Itasca

A federal judge has determined that Itasca won’t have to face the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by behavioral health provider Haymarket Center after the western suburb rejected its proposal for a drug treatment facility.

Thousands gather at Daley Plaza for a “Hands Off!” protest and march to criticize recent actions by Elon Musk and President Donald Trump on April 5, 2025, in Chicago. (Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune)

Thousands rally, march through Loop for national ‘Hands Off!’ protest

Thousands rallied and marched around downtown Saturday afternoon to take part in a national day of action to say “hands off” to President Donald Trump’s administration.

So-called Hands Off! demonstrations were organized for more than 1,200 locations in all 50 states. In Chicago, a flood of people swarmed Daley Plaza, with hundreds filling the surrounding streets by noon. The crowd then began an hourlong march making a loop around to State Street and then back to Daley Plaza.

A pair of police officers are posted outside the AMC River East 21 movie theater complex at 322 E. Illinois St., April 3, 2025, in Chicago. Recent gatherings of teens in the area have resulted in violence. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
A pair of police officers are posted outside the AMC River East 21 movie theater complex at 322 E. Illinois St., April 3, 2025, in Chicago. Recent gatherings of teens in the area have resulted in violence. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

As teens ‘take over’ downtown once again, Chicago faces a choice

When Khalil Cotton was growing up on Grand Boulevard on the city’s South Side, he and his friends often struggled to find places to hang out outside of school. A hoop with a crate on a pole was a replacement for a basketball court because there wasn’t one nearby, he said.

Hundreds of young adults like Cotton have attended what are now commonly called “teen takeovers” over the past few years in the city’s downtown neighborhoods. Videos of these gatherings — including two notable ones just last month, which ended with a 15-year-old boy sustaining a graze wound and a tourist being shot as she walked back to a hotel with her son — have circulated across social media, generating debate in the City Council and neighborhood groups alike as summer approaches.

State Sen. Emil Jones III sits in the chamber at the Illinois Capitol building on Jan. 8, 2025, in Springfield. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
State Sen. Emil Jones III sits in the chamber at the Illinois Capitol building on Jan. 8, 2025, in Springfield. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Anointed by powerful father, state Sen. Emil Jones III heads to trial on bribery charges

Chicago Democrat Emil Jones III was made a state senator in 2008 in a classic Illinois way, on a path paved by his powerful father that left little to chance. Now, Jones is rolling the dice with a federal jury that could send him packing in equally time-honored Illinois fashion: as a convicted felon.

Jones, 46, whose father, Emil Jones Jr., led the state Senate for years before orchestrating having his son replace him, goes on trial today on bribery charges alleging he agreed to help a red-light camera company alter legislation in exchange for $5,000 and a job for his legislative intern.

Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke, center, walks from a press conference at Chicago police headquarters on Feb. 26, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke, center, walks from a press conference at Chicago police headquarters on Feb. 26, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Cook County state’s attorney’s office to expand pilot that allows police to directly file some gun charges

The Cook County state’s attorney’s office announced Friday that it is expanding a pilot program allowing Chicago police officers to bypass prosecutors and directly file charges in some low-level felony gun cases, a move the office says will ease backlogs and free up police officers and assistant state’s attorneys for higher-priority work.

Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson gestures to fans after hitting a solo home run during the third inning against the Padres on April 5, 2025, at Wrigley Field. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson gestures to fans after hitting a solo home run during the third inning against the Padres on April 5, 2025, at Wrigley Field. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Column: It might be a bumpy season, but Chicago Cubs fans should just relax and enjoy the ride

Is new closer Ryan Pressly the next Mitch Williams or a Hector Neris’ clone? Will the Cubs re-sign Kyle Tucker, or should fans just enjoy his presence for now and worry about that come November? And if the torpedo bats really work, why don’t they make every Cubs hitter use one instead of just Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner?

Those were but a few of the questions Paul Sullivan heard at Wrigley on day one of the home season as Cubs fans returned to their home away from home.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan yells to players in the first quarter against the Trail Blazers on April 4, 2025, at the United Center. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Bulls coach Billy Donovan yells to players in the first quarter against the Trail Blazers on April 4, 2025, at the United Center. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame along with Sky great Sylvia Fowles

Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan was a first-ballot selection for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, one of eight individuals named to its 2025 class Saturday. His selection was predicated on a heralded career as a collegiate coach for leading Florida to consecutive national championships in 2006 and 2007. He remains one of only three men’s coaches to accomplish the feat.

Former Chicago Sky star Sylvia Fowles also was named to this year’s Hall class as a first-ballot selection. The Sky drafted Fowles with the No. 2 pick in 2008 after she led LSU to four consecutive Final Four appearances. She was a three-time All-Star and won two Defensive Player of the Year awards with the Sky before being traded in 2015 to the Minnesota Lynx, with whom she won two WNBA championships and an MVP trophy in 2017.

Ginevra Mitchell in the driver's seat, left, with Mrs. J.C. Burgard and other society ladies from Lake Forest in September 1926. With the two women are, in back row from left, Mrs. Nelson Tabbot, Mrs. Knight Cheney Cowles and Lacy Armour. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)
Ginevra Mitchell in the driver’s seat, left, with Mrs. J.C. Burgard and other society ladies from Lake Forest in September 1926. With the two women are, in back row from left, Mrs. Nelson Tabbot, Mrs. Knight Cheney Cowles and Lacy Armour. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)

Chicago’s connection to ‘The Great Gatsby’ as Fitzgerald’s novel turns 100

This week marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” It was destined to be the definitive literary monument of the Roaring ’20s, a decade of fortunes made and lost on Wall Street. Prohibition gave booze the lure of the illicit.

But the novel’s debut on April 10, 1925, was a dud.

Mayoral challenger John Laesch makes a celebratory speech at Two Brothers Roundhouse during a watch party on April 1, 2025, in Aurora. (Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune)
Mayoral challenger John Laesch makes a celebratory speech at Two Brothers Roundhouse during a watch party on April 1, 2025, in Aurora. (Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune)

Aurora Mayor-elect John Laesch says City of Lights Center project ‘pretty much dead’

Aurora Mayor-elect John Laesch told The Beacon-News in a recent interview that he has no intention of pursuing the City of Lights Center project.

The 4,000-seat theater and 600-person event space called the City of Lights Center proposed for downtown Aurora, which Laesch previously spoke out against and said Thursday as a project is “pretty much dead” under his incoming administration, would have cost the city between $100 million and $120 million, according to past reporting.

A 2022 collaboration between the CSO and Joffrey Ballet included choreographer Cathy Marston’s “Heimat,” performed by Joffrey dancers Christine Rocas and Dylan Gutierrez. (Todd Rosenberg)

Column: Next weekend, a confluence of dance events you definitely should see

Three upcoming, monumental dance events, all with deep ties to Chicago, are on a collision course with your calendar. But it is possible to see the Joffrey Ballet, Twyla Tharp and Parsons Dance next weekend. And you should, writes Lauren Warnecke .

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Benet freshman Keira Stone’s first goal takes ‘a weight off my shoulders.’ Opponents will feel the pressure.

Benet soccer player Keira Stone was thirsting for a goal.

The freshman midfielder didn’t score during the first five games of her high school career, just missing on several shots. But the drought ended Saturday when Stone redirected a cross from junior forward Ivana Vukas into Nazareth’s goal with 37:10 left in the first half.

“It was kind of like a weight off my shoulders almost to finally get that goal,” Stone said. “I’ve been wanting it, and hopefully it can lead to more this season.”

It already has. Stone scored again 26 minutes later.

“She has been active all over the field,” Benet coach Gerard Oconer said. “We changed our formation a little bit just to give her a little bit more freedom to get into dangerous spaces and kind of become more of a goal scorer for us. That’s exactly what happened.”

Stone’s breakthrough was only part of her dominant effort in the Redwings’ 3-1 East Suburban Catholic Conference victory in Lisle.

Stone and freshman midfielder Ashley Polanco, who scored the other goal, give Benet (3-2-1, 1-0) a potent and youthful one-two punch in the midfield. Polanco has a team-high six goals, but Stone has been the primary playmaker, often wreaking havoc with her offensive and defensive capabilities.

“She just impacts the game on both ends of the field,” Oconer said. “Once other players kind of get a sense for where she wants to play the ball, I think she’s going to make a lot of our players look very good because she’s got great vision, her head is always up, she’s always looking to try to slip the forwards through.

“The timing of the runs is a little bit off right now. So that’s certainly something that we have to work on.”

Benet's Keira Stone races to the goal
Benet’s Keira Stone, right, races to the goal ahead of Nazareth’s Gwendolyn Passino during an East Suburban Catholic Conference game in Lisle on Saturday, April 5, 2025. (Jon Cunningham / Naperville Sun)

Yet the performance against Nazareth was an encouraging sign for Benet. Stone’s second goal, which increased the lead to 3-0 at the 10:56 mark of the first half, was a terrific example of teamwork.

Sophomore defender Audrey Eiseman booted a fierce diagonal cross from the left wing to the far post, where the onrushing Stone volleyed it home.

“I knew she was coming up on the right wing and she was probably going to be somewhere around there,” Eiseman said. “It was a hard shot to take. So I was like, ‘I’ll just whip it in there, hopefully find her on the back post.’”

Stone anticipated Eiseman’s pass.

“She took a touch, and I saw her pick her head up,” Stone said. “I knew she was going to cross it, and I can rely on her to do that.

“Then I kind of made a run and hoped that I could get there, and I just tapped it in.”

Stone is being slightly modest in her description of that play. Eiseman said Stone is playing beyond her years.

“You go from club to this, and it’s a bit of a bigger stage, so it’s hard to get used to,” Eiseman said. “But she’s handled it really well.

“She just has such confidence on the ball. She brings such a calmness on the field. You can trust her 100%, and that makes her really easy to play with. Plus, she’s so technically gifted, it’s insane.”

Benet's Keira Stone takes a shot
Benet’s Keira Stone takes a shot during an East Suburban Catholic Conference game against Nazareth in Lisle on Saturday, April 5, 2025. (Jon Cunningham / Naperville Sun)

People are noticing. Stone was invited to participate in the U15 Ontario Provincial Screening Competition camp in Toronto last month. She made the Ontario team, which will have two weekend training camps before playing three matches May 16-18.

Stone is eligible to play in the Canadian program because her grandfather John Culkin is Canadian.

“I went last year, but it doesn’t go anywhere for 14-year-olds,” Stone said. “This year it can lead to other stuff, though. There are scouts from the national team.

“First time, it was nerve-wracking, but everyone there was super nice, and it helped me adjust.”

Stone has already adjusted to playing varsity soccer.

“It’s harder to compete against the older players because they’re calm and they know what to do, and some are also bigger and stronger and sometimes faster,” she said. “But you’ve just got to be calm and play your game.”

How far can that take Stone and the Redwings?

“If we can figure out how to score some goals and be more clinical in front of goal,” she said, “we can go a long way.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.

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Mientras los mercados colapsan, socios comerciales de EEUU se preguntan si hay margen para negociar

Por ELAINE KURTENBACH

BANGKOK (AP) — El impacto de la subida arancelaria del presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, resonaba el lunes en los mercados mundiales mientras los socios comerciales de Estados Unidos se preguntaban si había espacio para negociar mejores acuerdos.

Varios países dijeron que estaban enviando funcionarios comerciales a Washington para intentar dialogar sobre la crisis, que ha generado incertidumbre sobre las perspectivas económicas globales, golpeado los mercados y dejado a los aliados de Estados Unidos cuestionando el valor de sus lazos con la economía más grande del mundo.

Sin embargo, el ministro alemán de Economía, Robert Habeck, se mostró desafiante al llegar a una reunión de ministros de comercio de la Unión Europea en Luxemburgo y dijo que la premisa de los aranceles de amplio alcance era “un disparate” y que los intentos de países individuales de obtener exenciones no han funcionado en el pasado.

Es importante que la UE se mantenga unida, afirmó. Eso “significa ser claros en que estamos en una posición fuerte — Estados Unidos está en una posición de debilidad”.

China, que respondió el viernes a Washington con aranceles del 34% sobre productos estadounidenses y otras medidas de represalia, acusó a Estados Unidos de no jugar limpio.

“Poner ‘Estados Unidos Primero’ sobre las reglas internacionales es un acto típico de unilateralismo, proteccionismo y acoso económico”, dijo a los periodistas el portavoz de Asuntos Exteriores, Lin Jian.

El Partido Comunistaque gobierna el país adoptó un tono de confianza incluso cuando los mercados en Hong Kong y Shanghái se desplomaron. “El cielo no se caerá”, declaró el Diario del Pueblo, el medio oficial del partido. “Frente a los golpes indiscriminados de los impuestos estadounidenses, sabemos lo que estamos haciendo y tenemos herramientas a nuestra disposición”.

Liderando grandes caídas en muchos mercados, el índice de referencia de acciones de Hong Kong, el Hang Seng, se desplomó un 13,2%. Mientras tanto, el índice compuesto de Shanghái perdió un 7,3% a pesar de los movimientos reportados por los reguladores para detener las pérdidas.

El Ministerio de Comercio de China dijo que los funcionarios se reunieron con representantes de 20 empresas estadounidenses, incluidas Tesla y GE Healthcare, durante el fin de semana y les instaron a tomar “acciones concretas” para abordar el problema de los aranceles.

Durante la reunión, Ling Ji, viceministro de comercio, prometió que China seguirá abierta a la inversión extranjera, según el informe del ministerio.

Otras naciones asiáticas buscan negociaciones

El Ministerio surcoreano de Comercio dijo que su principal negociador, Inkyo Cheong, visitará Washington esta semana para expresar las preocupaciones de Seúl sobre los aranceles del 25% sobre los productos coreanos y discutir formas de mitigar el daño a las empresas surcoreanas, que incluyen importantes fabricantes de automóviles y acero.

Pakistán también planeaba enviar una delegación a Washington este mes para intentar negociar sobre los aranceles del 29% a sus exportaciones a Estados Unidos, dijeron funcionarios. El primer ministro ordenó al ministro de Finanzas, Muhammad Aurangzeb, evaluar el impacto potencial de los aranceles en la frágil economía de Pakistán y elaborar recomendaciones.

Estados Unidos importa alrededor de 5.000 millones de dólares en textiles y otros productos cada año desde Pakistán, que depende en gran medida de préstamos del Fondo Monetario Internacional y otros prestamistas.

En el sudeste asiático, el ministro de Comercio de Malasia, Zafrul Abdul Aziz, dijo que su país buscará forjar una respuesta unida de la Asociación de Naciones del Sudeste Asiático a los amplios aranceles de Trump.

Como presidente del organismo de diez naciones este año, Malasia liderará una reunión el jueves en su capital, Kuala Lumpur, para discutir las implicaciones más amplias de la guerra comercial en el comercio e inversión regional, dijo Zafrul a los periodistas.

“Estamos observando los flujos de inversión, la estabilidad macroeconómica y la respuesta coordinada de la ASEAN a este problema de aranceles”, dijo Zafrul. Negó los informes de que Malasia había impuesto un arancel del 47% a las importaciones de Estados Unidos, diciendo que el arancel promedio real de Malasia sobre las exportaciones estadounidenses es del 5,6%.

Dijo que se había reunido con el embajador de Estados Unidos en Malasia para intentar aclarar cómo llegó Estados Unidos a su arancel del 24%.

Indonesia planea aumentar las importaciones de Estados Unidos

Indonesia, una de las economías más grandes de la región, dijo que trabajaría con empresas para aumentar sus importaciones de trigo, algodón, petróleo y gas de Estados Unidos para ayudar a reducir su superávit comercial, que fue de 18.000 millones de dólares en 2024.

El ministro coordinador de Asuntos Económicos, Airlangga Hartarto, dijo en una conferencia de prensa que Indonesia no tomará represalias contra el nuevo arancel del 32% sobre las exportaciones indonesias, pero utilizará la diplomacia para buscar soluciones mutuamente beneficiosas.

Algunos vecinos del sudeste asiático, incluidos Vietnam, Camboya, Laos y Myanmar, enfrentan aranceles de más del 40%, lo que le da a Indonesia una ligera ventaja, señaló.

“Para Indonesia, también es otra oportunidad ya que su mercado es enorme en Estados Unidos”, dijo Hartarto. Dijo que Indonesia compraría componentes fabricados en Estados Unidos para varios proyectos estratégicos nacionales, incluidas refinerías.

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Periodistas de Associated Press de todo el mundo contribuyeron a este despacho.

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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

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