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House GOP channels ‘Nighthawks’ as they try to pass Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’

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House Republicans are channeling Edward Hopper this week as they try to pass President Trump’s big, «beautiful bill.»

Hopper is known for «Nighthawks,» one of the most iconic paintings in American history. The 1942 painting depicts four people in a diner in the middle of the night. A deserted streetscape commands the foreground. Two men – heads festooned with fedoras – sit separately at the counter, nursing coffee. One of the men has a cigarette tucked between his index and middle fingers. He’s positioned next to a woman with scarlet hair and a red dress. She appears to holding a bite of a doughnut or sandwich, studying it as though it were a rare artifact. She seems to debate whether she should eat it. A young counterman – attired in white with a crisp envelope hat – leans downward in search of glassware or dishes hidden underneath.

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It’s the dead of night. Everyone is distant and detached. Even the couple – even though they sit side-by-side – don’t look at each other.

Nighthawks, 1942, oil on canvas, 84.1 x 152.4 cm (33 1/8 x 60 in.), Art Institute of Chicago. (VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images)

In Nighthawks, everyone appears as though they’re just trying to make it through the night to dawn.

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It’s kind of what House Republicans are going through this week.

‘DEAD OF NIGHT’: DEMS ACCUSE GOP OF COWARDICE OVER LATE-NIGHT VOTES ON TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL’ BUDGET BILL

The House Budget Committee convened at 10:26 p.m. ET Sunday night to advance the tax cut and spending reduction package after a hiccup stalled the measure Friday afternoon. At 10:39 p.m. ET, the committee approved the bill 17-16 – with four House Republicans voting «present.»

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Representative Jodey Arrington

Representative Jodey Arrington, a Republican from Texas and chairman of the House Budget Committee, center, speaks during a House Budget Committee meeting at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Sunday, May 18, 2025.  (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The next stop is the House Rules Committee, the final parliamentary way station before depositing a piece of legislation on the floor.

At 12:31 a.m. ET Monday, the Rules Committee announced it would prep the bill for the floor – with a meeting at 1 a.m. Wednesday morning. That session could last all day Wednesday. Literally. The Energy and Commerce panel met for 26 consecutive hours last week to prepare its section of the budget reconciliation measure. The Ways and Means Committee huddled all night long.

The group of House Republicans pushing to state and local tax for high-tax states (known as SALT) scheduled a meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for 9 p.m. ET Monday. And it’s entirely possible that the House could be debating or even voting on the measure late Thursday, the wee hours of Friday morning or even Friday night.

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This is how Capitol Hill rolls when there’s a big piece of legislation on the clock. The hours are late. The meetings are long. Lawmakers convene different sessions whenever they need to – just to get the measure across the finish line.

HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO WHERE THE ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ STANDS, AND WHAT HAPPENS SUNDAY IN THE BUDGET COMMITTEE

The only difference between the halls of Congress now and «Nighthawks» is that the coffee fueled the figures in the painting until dawn. It was 1942. But this is 2025. Edward Hopper would know nothing of Celsius or Red Bull.

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There’s an actual parliamentary reason as to why the Budget Committee met so late on Sunday night after its stumble on Friday afternoon. And there’s a method to the Rules Committee’s 1 a.m. madness on Wednesday.

Let’s rewind.

The Budget Committee tried to blend the various provisions from nearly a dozen House committees into one unified legislative product midday Friday. That effort came up short. A total of five Budget Committee Republicans voted nay. They groused about spending cuts, green energy tax credits and the timeframe of work requirements for those on Medicaid.

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Roy in committee meeting

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) listens during a mark up meeting with the House Budget Committee on Capitol Hill on May 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. Members of the Budget Committee met to consider House Republicans’ reconciliation bill, which includes U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed tax and spending cuts. The bill faced bipartisan opposition, with five Republican members of the House Budget Committee voting against it and supporting a motion for the committee to recess for the weekend.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Four of the five GOP noes were truly opposed. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Penn., voted nay so he could order a re-vote. Rules allow a member on the winning side of an issue (in this case, the nays), to ask for another vote later. Smucker supported the plan. But he then switched his vote to nay to be on the winning side. That teed up a possible re-vote.

REPUBLICANS READY LATE-NIGHT SESSION ON TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ AFTER GOP MUTINY

«Calling a vote moves the process forward. I think it’s a catalyst,» said Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Tex., after the failed vote Friday.

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The Budget Committee then announced it would convene at 10 p.m. ET Sunday.

This is where things get interesting:

The key here was for the Budget Committee to finish its work before midnight Friday. Once it got rolling, the process would only consume 15 or 20 minutes. The Budget Committee approved the plan 17-16 with four Republicans voting «present.»

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«We’re excited about what we did,» said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who was one of the GOPers who voted nay Friday.

Norman surrounded by reporters gaggle

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., arrives for a meeting of House Republicans in the Capitol Visitor Center on the budget reconciliation bill on Thursday, May 15, 2025.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

But Norman still wasn’t excited enough to vote yes on Sunday night. He voted present.

«There’s so much more that we have to do to rein in government and rein in the costs and the deficits,» said Norman on FOX Business Monday.

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But regardless, the measure was out of the Budget Committee before the witching hour on Sunday. And then came the Rules Committee announcement – just after midnight on Monday – about a session at 1 a.m. Wednesday to ready the «big, beautiful bill» for the House floor.

There are several reasons House Rules Committee Republicans decided to huddle at 1 a.m. et Wednesday. Let’s begin with the parliamentary one.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS FACE DOWN DEM ATTACKS, PROTESTS TO PULL ALL-NIGHTER ON TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

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The Budget Committee wrapped up just before midnight Sunday. The rules allow Democrats two full days to file their paperwork and viewpoints after that meeting. So, they had all day Monday and all day Tuesday. The Rules Committee needs an «hour» to announce its formally meeting. So, the «official» announcement of the Rules Committee meeting on Wednesday will go out just after 12:01:01 a.m. ET Wednesday. That triggers a 1 a.m. ET meeting on Wednesday.

Here are the other, more practical reasons.

Republicans need all the time they can get. There is talk of trying to vote on the floor late in the day on Wednesday. We’ll see about that. But the early Rules Committee meeting time makes that a possibility.

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Second of all, it’s possible the Rules Committee meeting could consume the entire calendar day of Wednesday. Streams of lawmakers from both sides will file into the Rules Committee to propose various amendments. This is a protracted process.

capitol hill at night

The US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

But by the same token, meeting at 1 a.m. ET could diminish attendance. After all, who wants to show up at 1 a.m. ET for a meeting and maybe discuss your amendment at 6:30 a.m. ET? You get the idea. 

And once the bill gets out of the Rules Committee, expect late night meetings among Republicans as they try to close the deal. It’s possible the House could vote at virtually any time of day Wednesday, Thursday or Friday to pass the bill. That could be late in the evening. Or even overnight. They will vote when the bill is ready, regardless of the time on the clock.

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Such is the lot drawn this week by House Republicans for the «big, beautiful bill.» Maybe they’ll have the votes. Maybe they won’t. Maybe they’ll pass more spending cuts. Maybe there’ll be a deal on SALT for state and local taxes. Maybe not. Maybe the vote comes at 3 in the afternoon. But more likely, sometime late at night.

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Just like in Nighthawks, everyone on Capitol Hill is just trying to make it through the night and to the dawn.

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House Of Representatives,Republicans,Donald Trump,Politics,House Budget

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US-Mexico Tijuana River sewage crisis deal is ‘massive’ win for Americans, EPA says

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A new deal between the United States and Mexico aimed at resolving the Tijuana River sewage crisis is «massive» win for Americans living in the San Diego area, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced this week. 

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The memorandum of understanding was signed Thursday as the EPA said «For many decades, untreated raw sewage has flowed into Southern California from Mexico, polluting the Tijuana River Valley, closing beaches, fouling the air, harming the region’s economy, and sickening people on both sides of the border.» 

«The Trump Administration is proud to deliver this massive environmental and national security win for Americans in the San Diego area who have been living with this disgusting raw sewage flowing into their communities for far too long,» Zeldin said in a statement. 

The EPA said the deal meets multiple «top Trump Administration priorities and milestones critical to ensuring a 100% solution to this issue» — including expediting already-existing critical infrastructure projects. 

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LIV GOLF STAR PHIL MICKELSON ADDS HIS REACTION TO DEEPENING SEWAGE CRISIS IN SAN DIEGO 

A sign reads «Stop The Stink» near the Tijuana River Valley area by Border Field State Park along the U.S.-Mexico border between San Diego and Tijuana in San Diego County, Calif., on April 23, 2025. In recent years, the U.S.-Mexico border sewage pollution problem has closed beaches and raised concerns over public health issues.  (Patrick Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

«The United States — which has withheld sending more American dollars to projects until Mexico fulfilled their obligations toward other projects — agreed to release EPA Border Water Infrastructure Program funding to complete the rehabilitation of Pump Station 1 and the Tijuana River collection pipes. This is because Mexico agreed to fund and begin construction on two priority projects this year, the diversion of treated effluent from two wastewater treatment plants and the rehabilitation of the Parallel Gravity Line,» the EPA said, in reference to a wastewater collecting pipe in Mexico. «This increased the total number of projects planned for this year from two to six.» 

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«To that end, Mexico will immediately seek internal funding to initiate the construction process for the diversion, which will divert 10 million gallons per day of treated effluent entering the Tijuana River, and the rehabilitation of the Parallel Gravity Line. This will be completed no later than December 31, 2025,» the EPA added. 

It also said «Several necessary Mexico side projects have been added to account for future population growth in Tijuana and operation and maintenance costs.» 

DEAL STRUCK BETWEEN US AND MEXICO TO ENSURE TEXAS FARMERS GET MUCH-NEEDED WATER 

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Tijuana River sewage treatment plane in California

The South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant operates to treat water and sewage flowing across the border from the Tijuana River behind a section of border wall fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border between San Diego and Tijuana on April 24, 2025.  (Patrick Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

The deal was reached after Zeldin traveled to San Diego in April to speak to those affected by the situation. 

«I made a commitment to the residents that I would spearhead an effort to construct an all-encompassing plan to finally bring the sewage crisis to an end,» Zeldin said. «Since my visit, the Mexican and United States’ governments have been working collaboratively to urgently finalize a permanent 100% solution to this longstanding issue. Secretary Rubio and the whole State Department, and the National Security Council at the White House worked hand-in-hand with EPA, and other federal partners, to make this agreement a reality.» 

Sewage in Mexico

An aerial view of sewage water spilling into Playa Blanca beach in the coast of Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico on March 21, 2024.  (Getty Images)

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«This is not just a solution for 2025,» he added. «We devised this agreement to factor in population growth, operation and maintenance costs, and other variables that would make this solution durable and long term. Grateful to President Claudia Sheinbaum, Secretary [of the Environment and National Resources of Mexico Alicia] Bárcena, and the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their partnership, cooperation, and commitment to work with us to clean up the Tijuana River Valley. This is a huge win for millions of Americans and Mexicans who have been calling on us to end this decades old crisis.» 

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Trump heads to Scotland to talk golf, politics and trade

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President Donald Trump will depart for Scotland on Friday for a five-day trip where he will check in with his golf resorts in Turnberry and Aberdeen, as well as with British Prime Minister Kier Starmer and head of the Scottish government, First Minister John Swinney.

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While it is unclear what dates he will be meeting with the British leaders, one topic of conversation expected to be top of the list is the U.S.-U.K. trade agreement. 

The U.K. is one of the few countries with which the U.S. has advanced its trade agreements under relatively amicable terms, signing a deal dubbed the «Economic Prosperity Deal» last month, which agreed to slash tariffs.

Then-former President Donald Trump playing golf at his Trump Turnberry course in South Ayrshire during his visit to the U.K. on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. (Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)

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TRUMP HEADS TO SCOTLAND, CONTINUES IRONING OUT TRADE DEALS AFTER NOTCHING SIX MONTHS BACK IN OFFICE

It is unclear what details the pair will hash out, but according to Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, an international affairs think tank based in London, the June deal was more of a «head of terms,» essentially stating both nations’ intent to move forward with new trade terms.

«Now we expect to see more detail to be hammered out and specific rates on various industries to be specified,» Mendoza explained to Fox News Digital.  

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also told reporters last week that Trump and Starmer will meet «to refine the great trade deal that was brokered,» though the White House did not answer Fox News Digital’s questions about what specifically will be discussed over the weekend. 

«The U.K. is the only country to have secured this deal with the U.S., reducing car export tariffs from 27.5% to 10%, saving manufacturers hundreds of millions each year and protecting hundreds of thousands of jobs,» the British government said in a statement. «At the same time, the aerospace sector has seen the removal of 10% tariffs on goods such as engines and aircraft parts, helping make companies such as Rolls Royce more competitive and allow them to continue to be at the cutting edge of innovation.»

Starmer championed his relationship with Trump in a BBC interview earlier this month and said that it was «in the national interest» for the two men to get along.

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Starmer Oval Office meeting with Trump

U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, middle left, meets with President Donald Trump, alongside Vice President JD Vance, right, and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy, left, in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 27, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Carl Court – Pool/Getty Images)

«We are different people, and we’ve got different political backgrounds and leanings, but we do have a good relationship and that comes from a number of places,» Starmer told BBC podcast «Political Thinking.» «I think I do understand what anchors the president, what he really cares about.»

Apart from geopolitical talks, Trump is expected to get in a round of golf at one of his courses when visiting his clubs, like he did in 2018 when he visited the historic golf resort and hotel at Turnberry.

UK TO ROLL OUT RED CARPET IN ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ SECOND TRUMP VISIT HOSTED BY KING CHARLES

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The British government did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions whether Starmer is expected to play alongside Trump at any point during his trip. 

Scotland appears to hold special significance for Trump as his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, was born and raised in Scotland before she moved to Queens, New York, and he dedicated his club in Aberdeen to her after breaking ground in 2023 and naming an 18-round course the MacLeod Course.

Trump stands by bagpipers in Scotland.

Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is welcomed as he arrives at his Turnberry golf course, in Turnberry, Scotland, on June 24, 2016. (REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo)

He is also reported to have created a memorial garden to his mother at the resort. 

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Though his strong affection for Scotland has not always been reciprocated and Trump has previously been met with protests during his trip.

Scotland Police confirmed with Fox New Digital that «significant» security precautions have been taken ahead of Trump’s visit, including pulling in additional forces from across the U.K. to help with the police effort.

«A policing plan will be in place to maintain public safety, balance rights to peaceful protest and minimize disruption,» Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond said, confirming that protests are once again expected. 

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Scotland ramps up police presence during Trump visit.

President Donald Trump plays a round of golf at the Trump Turnberry resort in South Ayrshire, where he and first lady Melania Trump are spending the weekend. (Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)

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«The visit will require a significant police operation using local, national and specialist resources from across Police Scotland, supported by colleagues from other U.K. police forces as part of mutual aid arrangements,» she added. 

Trump will return to the U.K. in September for an official state visit, where he will meet with King Charles III at Windsor Castle.

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The visit will mark the first time the U.K. has invited a U.S. president for a second state visit. 


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Un programa de televisión ayudó a identificar a una madre y su hija encontradas muertas en Roma

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El parque más grande de Roma, Villa Doria Pamphilj, es una especie de refugio del bullicio y el caos ocasional de la ciudad, un lugar para corredores y excursionistas y para cualquier persona que busque un poco de naturaleza. El mes pasado, esa visión se destrozó con el descubrimiento de dos cuerpos: una niña pequeña y una mujer, desnudas, encontradas con pocas horas de diferencia en la maleza cercana a un extremo del parque.

Los investigadores estaban perplejos. No había documentos de identificación, y el cuerpo de la mujer estaba tan descompuesto que habría sido difícil que cualquier persona la identificara visualmente. De inmediato, el caso provocó titulares sensacionalistas en primera página: “Roma, horror en el parque, mujer y niña muertas”, decía uno de ellos, en el diario romano La Repubblica. Il Corriere della Sera, de Milán, lo llamó “un asesinato de novela policiaca en un parque de Roma”.

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El país, enganchado; la policía, bajo presión.

Con pocas pistas, y un frenesí mediático en marcha, los investigadores dieron un paso inusual. Una portavoz apareció en un popular programa de televisión llamado Chi l’ha Visto? —o “¿Quién lo ha visto?”, en español— para pedir la ayuda del público.

Y los espectadores del programa, que busca a personas desaparecidas, hicieron lo que habían hecho durante 37 temporadas: buscaron pistas en sus recuerdos.

Lo único que tenía la policía era que la mujer tenía cuatro tatuajes visibles y que una autopsia preliminar había revelado que la niña era su hija. La gente que frecuentaba el parque recordaba haber visto a una mujer joven y a una niña que podían corresponder con esa descripción en compañía de un hombre.

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Se empieza a develar una triste historia

Lo que se desarrolló, a lo largo de varios programas semanales, fue la triste historia del sueño roto de una joven rusa de crearse una vida en el extranjero. Con cada revelación, aumentaba el caché de Chi l’ha Visto?, así como las preguntas sobre la falta de intervención de la policía cuando los transeúntes preocupados la habían llamado por la pareja y la niña.

El primer avance se produjo pronto, cuando una telespectadora llamó al programa para decir que recientemente había presenciado en la calle un cuadro inquietante en el que estaban implicados un hombre, una mujer y una niña. El hombre sangraba por una herida en la cabeza, dijo, y se llamó a la policía.

Al revisar los registros de aquella noche, los investigadores vieron que, efectivamente, la policía había estado allí. El hombre tenía un pasaporte estadounidense con el nombre de Rexal Ford. Después de examinar los manifiestos de los aviones en busca de ese nombre, los investigadores vieron que el hombre había tomado un vuelo de Roma a Skiathos, Grecia, el 11 de junio. (Más tarde supieron a través del FBI que su verdadero nombre era Francis Charles Kaufmann).

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Fue detenido en Skiathos el 13 de junio y posteriormente extraditado a Italia como sospechoso de matar a la niña, según la orden de arresto, aunque no se le han presentado cargos por ninguna de las dos muertes.

El hombre fue fotografiado sosteniendo a la bebé niño el 5 de junio, dos días antes de que se encontraran los cuerpos (Imagen: Facebook/Chi l’ha visto?)

Durante una conferencia de prensa, Francesco Lo Voi, fiscal jefe de Roma, dio las gracias a Chi l’ha Visto? por haber proporcionado “una pista particularmente útil para las investigaciones” al ayudar a identificar a Kaufmann.

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Quiénes son ellas

Aunque la policía tenía ahora un sospechoso, la mujer y la niña seguían sin ser identificadas. De nuevo, Chi l’ha Visto? proporcionó información crucial. Francesco Paolo Del Re, reportero del programa, se dirigió a la zona cercana a donde habían encontrado a Kaufmann sangrando. Interrogó a los comerciantes y se encontró con un portero que dijo que había llamado a la policía la noche en que encontraron al hombre sangrando. Describió al hombre como beligerante y dijo que había estado con una mujer y una niña pequeña.

También había tomado una foto de los tres. Ahora, por primera vez, había una foto de la mujer cuando aún estaba viva, una clave para identificarla.

La primera imagen de la mujer desaparecida (Captura de video del programa)

La primera imagen de la mujer desaparecida (Captura de video del programa)

Chi l’ha Visto? publicó la foto en su sitio web y esperó. Cinco días después, el 18 de junio, una mujer rusa se puso en contacto con el programa para decir que conocía a la madre de la mujer muerta. La madre le había pedido a la mujer, una amiga suya, que buscara noticias en internet después de días sin saber nada de su hija. La amiga buscó en internet a Rexal Ford, con quien sabía que la joven había mantenido una relación sentimental. Chi l’ha Visto? fue el primer resultado que apareció.

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Mejor que el FBI

Federica Sciarelli, presentadora del programa y conocida personalidad, reconoció durante el programa siguiente que los telespectadores habían hecho posible que se identificara a la mujer muerta, otro momento clave en la investigación. “Lo digo con una sonrisa amarga, pero si los fiscales se apoyan en el FBI, nosotros nos apoyamos en ustedes, los telespectadores”, dijo. “Quiero darles las gracias porque son ustedes quienes hacen nuestro programa”.

La joven muerta, identificada por su madre, era Anastasia Trofimova, de 29 años, y la niña era su hija, Andromeda.

En el programa, aparecieron varios testidos de situaciones de violencia (Captura de video)

En el programa, aparecieron varios testidos de situaciones de violencia (Captura de video)

La investigación sobre las dos muertes continúa, y Kaufmann se encuentra en la prisión Rebibbia de Roma. En una audiencia preliminar celebrada la semana pasada, ejerció su derecho a no responder a preguntas.

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Su abogado no respondió a los numerosos intentos de contactarlo. Pero una activista de los derechos de los presos, Elisabetta Zamparutti, dijo en una entrevista telefónica que se había reunido con Kaufmann la semana pasada y que este le había dicho que era inocente.

A medida que se desarrollaba el caso, el programa de televisión trasladó al padre y a la madre de Anastasia desde Siberia a Roma. Se reunieron con los fiscales, y su madre, Tatiana Zemliakova, colocó un animal de peluche en un monumento en su memoria en el parque Villa Pamphilj.

El cuento de amor que terminó en horror

En el programa, Zemliakova contó parte de la historia de cómo su hija había llegado a Roma. Dijo que, cuando estaba de vacaciones en Malta en 2023, Anastasia había conocido a un hombre que dijo llamarse Rexal Ford. Anastasia regresó a Rusia, pero él le rogó que volviera a Malta, dijo Zemliakova, y Anastasia lo hizo.

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En junio de 2024, dijo Zemliakova, la pareja tuvo a su hija, Andromeda. A finales de marzo, dejaron Malta y se mudaron a Roma.

Además de ser el principal sospechoso de la muerte de Andromeda, Kaufmann está acusado de ocultar el cuerpo de Anastasia, según Antonio Verdi, uno de los fiscales que investigan el caso. No se ha determinado la causa de la muerte de Anastasia; la niña fue estrangulada, según la orden de arresto contra Kaufmann.

Durante una rueda de prensa tras la detención de Kaufmann, otro fiscal, Giuseppe Cascini, dijo que la noche anterior al hallazgo de los cuerpos, Kaufmann fue visto en el parque sosteniendo el cuerpo inerte de una niña.

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El programa que busca gente desde hace 36 años

Para Chi l’ha Visto? el caso ha sido absorbente, y ha sido el tema de los últimos cinco programas. En una entrevista, Sciarelli dijo: “Nunca insistiremos lo suficiente en la importancia de nuestros espectadores, que son como cámaras en cada calle”.

Desde su debut en 1989, según el programa, miles de personas han sido encontradas.

Cada semana, el programa comienza con varios casos urgentes, de personas que han desaparecido en los últimos días. Sciarelli muestra fotografías. Se entrevista a familiares o amigos.

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Durante décadas, Chi l’ha Visto? ha creado una legión de devotos seguidores (captura de video)

Durante décadas, Chi l’ha Visto? ha creado una legión de devotos seguidores (captura de video)

Durante décadas, Chi l’ha Visto? ha creado una legión de devotos seguidores, con una audiencia promedio de 1,65 millones de espectadores a la semana, según Auditel, la agencia que mide la popularidad de la televisión italiana. El programa también tiene algunos detractores, entre ellos espectadores que lo acusan de ser excesivamente morboso.

Aunque Sciarelli es la cara del programa, los periodistas hacen el trabajo de campo mientras otros miembros del personal atienden las llamadas telefónicas, los correos electrónicos y los mensajes en las redes sociales.

Los ojos contra la policía

En el caso de Villa Pamphilj, las pistas de los telespectadores no solo han ayudado a la policía, sino que también han dado lugar a acusaciones de que fue demasiado arrogante y no investigó a fondo si Kaufmann suponía un riesgo para la mujer y la niña. Los reporteros del programa hablaron con personas que dijeron haber visto a Kaufmann actuar de forma agresiva o errática al menos en seis ocasiones. En algunos de esos casos se llamó a la policía, pero no se detuvo a Kaufmann.

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Por ejemplo, una mujer dijo al programa que había llamado a la policía el 5 de junio tras ver a un hombre, que ella dijo que estaba ebrio, caminando por el centro de Roma con su hija en brazos. Dijo que se trataba de Kaufmann. En un video tomado desde un departamento y hecho público por primera vez en un programa de noticias nacional, se ve a varios policías al hablar con Kaufmann, quien les dice: “Soy un ciudadano estadounidense que pasea con mi hija”. Tras una breve discusión, la policía le permite marcharse. Cuando se descubrieron las muertes y se le identificó como sospechoso, la mujer llamó a Chi l’ha Visto? para quejarse y decir que la policía la había ignorado.

Tras una protesta pública contra la inacción de la policía, Roberto Massucci, jefe de la policía de Roma, acudió recientemente al programa para abordar los problemas de este caso. Dijo que los agentes que habían hablado con la pareja eran investigados cuidadosamente.

Chi l’ha Visto? está en una pausa de verano hasta septiembre, pero su redacción sigue activa y continúa recibiendo pistas incluso cuando la mayoría de los italianos están de vacaciones.

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Por Elisabetta Povoledo, reportera radicada en Roma que cubre Italia, el Vaticano y la cultura de la región. Es periodista desde hace 35 años.

Italia, Roma, Crimen

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