标签： North America

Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy and prominent climate journalist, has passed away at age 35 following a courageous battle with acute myeloid leukemia. The tragic news was confirmed through a social media announcement by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation on behalf of her grieving family.

Schlossberg, who had recently welcomed her second child, received her devastating cancer diagnosis in May 2024. In a profoundly moving essay published in The New Yorker last November titled “A Battle With My Blood,” she revealed her prognosis gave her less than a year to live. The climate journalist documented her intensive medical journey, including chemotherapy treatments and a bone marrow transplant, while confronting the heartbreaking reality that her children might grow up without memories of their mother.

Her writing poignantly addressed the emotional weight of introducing another tragedy to a family already marked by profound loss. President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, and her uncle, John F. Kennedy Jr., died in a 1999 plane crash. Schlossberg expressed particular concern for her mother, Caroline Kennedy—former U.S. ambassador to Japan and Australia—writing about her lifelong effort to protect her mother from additional pain and sorrow.

As the daughter of designer Edwin Schlossberg and diplomat Caroline Kennedy, Tatiana had built her own professional identity as an environmental writer, contributing to The New York Times and authoring “Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don’t Know You Have.” Her work focused on making complex climate issues accessible to broader audiences.

The Kennedy family, American political royalty, has now endured another generation of untimely loss, with Tatiana’s passing marking the latest chapter in their very public history of personal tragedies.

A growing wave of artistic protest has emerged at Washington’s premier performing arts venue as multiple acts cancel scheduled performances in response to the institution’s controversial renaming. The Kennedy Center’s board, recently populated with Trump allies, voted this month to rebrand the facility as ‘The Donald J Trump and the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,’ triggering immediate backlash from the artistic community.

The Cookers, an acclaimed jazz ensemble, abruptly cancelled their planned New Year’s Eve performances. While their official statement avoided direct mention of the controversy, drummer Billy Hart confirmed to The New York Times that the name change ‘evidently’ influenced their decision. The group referenced jazz’s historical roots in ‘struggle and relentless insistence on freedom’ in explaining their withdrawal.

They were joined by Doug Varone and Dancers, who cancelled April engagements, stating they ‘can no longer permit ourselves nor ask our audiences to step inside this once great institution.’ Folk artist Kristy Lee similarly cancelled her January performance, asserting she couldn’t ‘stand on that stage and sleep right at night’ when American history is being ‘renamed for somebody else’s ego.’

Center President Richard Grenell responded aggressively, characterizing the cancellations as ‘a form of derangement syndrome’ and alleging the artists ‘were booked by the previous far left leadership.’ He particularly targeted musician Chuck Redd, who cancelled his annual Christmas Eve performance, by demanding $1 million in damages for what he called a ‘political stunt’ that ‘has cost us considerably.’

The renaming has sparked legal and historical debates beyond the artistic community. Some lawmakers and legal scholars contend that because the center was named through 1964 legislation, Congressional approval is required for any official name change. Members of the Kennedy family have denounced the move, with former Congressman Joe Kennedy III emphasizing that the venue ‘is a living memorial to a fallen president’ that cannot be renamed ‘any more than someone can rename the Lincoln Memorial.’

Despite these objections, new signage reflecting the Trump name was added to the building’s exterior the day after the board’s vote, cementing the controversial change that continues to divide the arts community.

Abu Dhabi authorities have unveiled comprehensive traffic management protocols in preparation for the upcoming New Year festivities. Effective from noon on December 31, 2025, through 6:00 AM on January 1, 2026, stringent restrictions will prohibit trucks, heavy freight vehicles, and labor transport buses from operating within Abu Dhabi Island’s core traffic zones. Supplementary controls will simultaneously affect the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Road (E22) corridor during identical operational hours.

Additional movement constraints will be enforced along Hazza Bin Sultan Street in Al Ain from December 31 at noon until January 1 at 1:00 AM. Furthermore, partial intersection closures along King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street will be implemented from January 1 through January 5, 2026, facilitating extended celebration activities and pedestrian safety measures.

These traffic mitigation strategies represent standard operational procedures for large-scale public events, specifically designed to optimize traffic flow and enhance public safety during peak celebration periods. Transportation authorities strongly advise motorists and commercial operators to strategically plan alternative routes utilizing perimeter roads outside the island complex while emphasizing compliance with official directives to prevent penalties and unnecessary delays.

The emirate’s New Year programming features spectacular celebrations including the flagship Sheikh Zayed Festival at Al Wathba, promising an elaborate display combining synchronized drone formations, advanced pyrotechnics, and cultural presentations reflecting Emirati heritage. With over sixty fireworks locations scheduled across the UAE, residents and visitors will have numerous options for midnight countdown events featuring enhanced safety protocols at waterfront promenades, festival grounds, and community spaces.

Coinciding with the federal designation of January 1, 2026, as an official public holiday, the extended weekend includes remote work provisions for government employees, allowing broad participation in the celebrations across the capital city and surrounding emirates.

Authorities in Bexar County have released potentially significant dashcam footage in the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of 19-year-old Camila Mendoza Olmos, who vanished during her morning walk on Christmas Eve in San Antonio, Texas.

The newly obtained video, captured by a vehicle’s dashboard camera, shows an individual walking near Mendoza Olmos’s neighborhood whose clothing reportedly matches what the missing teen was wearing when she disappeared. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar cautioned that investigators cannot definitively confirm the person’s identity but acknowledged the clothing correlation during a press conference.

Law enforcement agencies are exploring multiple scenarios in the week-long search operation, including voluntary disappearance, self-harm, and potential abduction. The investigation has now expanded to include collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Previous surveillance footage released by authorities showed Mendoza Olmos searching through her vehicle’s trunk for an unspecified item before apparently continuing on foot, leaving both her car and mobile phone behind—behavior her family describes as highly uncharacteristic.

The missing teen’s parents have publicly expressed their emotional turmoil while maintaining hope for her safe return. Her father, Alfoso Mendoza, emotionally appealed during a CBS Mornings interview: ‘I miss her, come home. I might sound strong…but it hurts.’ Her mother similarly conveyed the family’s determination to remain strong despite their anguish.

The case continues to develop as law enforcement pursues all available leads in the disappearance that has gripped the San Antonio community.