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- El País - English
- Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton clash in CNN debate on economy, AI, and ICE raids in California governor’s race
Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton clash in CNN debate on economy, AI, and ICE raids in California governor’s race
It was the first face-to-face between the two men vying to govern California, the most populous state in the United States, with more than 39 million residents, just over a month before the midterm elections. Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra arrived at the CNN-organized debate with a twofold mission: lay out their proposals to lead what is considered the fourth-largest economy in the world and, at the same time, attack their opponent and explain to voters why they should not trust the other with their vote on November 3. Neither missed the chance to present their ideas on the state’s difficult economic situation, fears around artificial intelligence, and the ICE raids that threaten undocumented immigrants.

© (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times, David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News) vía Getty Images
- El País - English
- US Treasury targets ‘Mayito Flaco’ network, including Baja California governor’s ex-husband
US Treasury targets ‘Mayito Flaco’ network, including Baja California governor’s ex-husband
The U.S. Department of the Treasury struck on Tuesday at the criminal network led by Ismael Zambada Sicairos, alias Mayito Flaco, leader of a criminal organization operating in Sinaloa, Durango and Baja California, among other regions of Mexico. The son of longtime Sinaloa cartel boss Ismael Mayo Zambada, Sicairos appears as a person of interest to the U.S. government, which has sanctioned a total of 21 individuals, as well as 25 companies linked to the network.

© CEDIDA
- El País - English
- Six Flags closes the ‘X2’ roller coaster in California following reports of a potential risk of brain damage
Six Flags closes the ‘X2’ roller coaster in California following reports of a potential risk of brain damage
Six Flags Magic Mountain, located in California, announced on Tuesday the permanent closure of the X2 roller coaster. Considered one of the park’s main attractions for two decades, the ride’s safety was called into question after CNN published an investigation reporting that more than a dozen people suffered serious brain injuries after riding it.

© MattGush (Getty Images)
Trump’s immigration policy is choking business: ‘There’s nobody to work’
In recent months, the Donald Trump administration has been proudly releasing statistics on migrant arrests. Nearly 51,000 detentions were recorded in August, setting a new record that surpassed July’s 50,208, according to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data. But while the administration celebrates increased operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), business owners lament the effects on the labor market. “I’ve already lost several employees. There’s nobody to work,” says Carlos Raba, a chef of Mexican descent.

© Jim Vondruska (REUTERS)
- El País - English
- The epic life of Schwarzenegger, a bodybuilder-turned-legend: ‘If he had been born in the US he would be president’
The epic life of Schwarzenegger, a bodybuilder-turned-legend: ‘If he had been born in the US he would be president’
No matter how skeptical we may be about the American dream, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s personal story strains the limits of credibility as much as any of his most over-the-top films. That the destiny of Hollywood—not to mention California, the world’s fourth-largest economy all by itself—should be shaped for decades by an Austrian villager raised among the ruins of World War II would seem highly unlikely, were it not for the fact that the actor and former governor is so firmly ensconced in our collective imagination, his name pronounced by everyone with the same startling ease. Schwarzenegger, 79, is one of those individuals for whom the phrase “larger than life” seems to have been invented: for the scale of his achievements, his film career and his physical presence — 6ft 2in (1.88 meters) of chiselled muscle like a Greek statue.

© Imágenes cortesía de 'Arnold '(Taschen) (EL PAÍS)
The Seniors Against Senior Housing
America’s elders need more places to live, but even in liberal enclaves that recognize the problem, developers are facing fierce foes: America’s elders. Make it make sense! Charley Locke reports from her hometown of Oakland, California, where boomers are organizing against two proposals that would add 618 market-rate residential units to the city’s senior housing stock:
Many in the crowd had been marching against governmental and corporate overreach for half a century: against the Vietnam draft and the invasion of Iraq; against Wall Street; against police brutality. They’re part of a generational force that’s antiestablishment and suspicious of power. But in this fight, it wasn’t so clear who the establishment was or who had the power. Were these righteous middle-class activists fending off greedy developers who would charge high rents, or were they wealthy seniors prioritizing neighborhood character over ameliorating the housing crisis? Were they once again David, or had they become Goliath?
How I Became the Villain of El Cerrito’s Nextdoor
You don’t have to live in El Cerrito, California, or have ever used Nextdoor, for this essay to resonate. For Oakland Review of Books, Amy Brown recounts buying her first home in the East Bay city and swiftly becoming the villain of her local Nextdoor—after her uncharitable Bluesky posts about the seniors opposing a library tax made their way back to her neighbors. Honest and funny, Brown’s essay explores being locally online—that weird, often uncomfortable place between online and IRL—and shows how (not) to talk to people you’ll run into at the grocery store.
Still, I spent multiple nights lying awake, thinking that everyone in this town must know I’m a bitch now. My son is supposed to start TK at the public school in the fall. What if his classmates’ parents use Nextdoor? What if the nice lady across the street who organizes a monthly dinner for our block uses Nextdoor? What if my neighbor already told everyone that the woman who moved into the house on the corner is an asshole? Does everyone I see on the street think I’m an asshole? Can they tell I don’t belong here? Do I have to go crawling back to my hometown and get a job at the car seat manufacturing plant?
A Teen Reporter Searched for His Community in the Epstein Files. Adults Freaked Out.
Every adult who purports to care about a free press should read at least one story about the frustrating hurdles and bad-faith nitpicking confronted by student journalists (and their advisors). Earlier this year, a young reporter for the Redwood High School Bark found a few local references in the US Department of Justice’s public files concerning Jeffrey Epstein, the sex offender who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Soon, the high school faced legal threats, and administrators grew concerned that students had published inaccurate information. Ara Rosenthal tells the story of the steady, diligent young journalists who weathered the worries and pressures of the adults around them—and kept their story intact.