Un recuerdo todavía presente en los uruguayos es el déficit hídrico de 2023: las reservas de agua dulce eran escasas en el país y la que salía de los grifos en Montevideo y sus alrededores era salada. El gobierno de Luis Lacalle Pou advertía que el país estaba a pocos días de quedarse sin agua potable y apuraba medidas paliativas para atravesar la peor etapa. Para el agro, la sequía dejó pérdidas de cerca del 3% del PIB.

Aunque todavía lejos de esa crisis –que fue la peor en 70 años en Uruguay– la falta de lluvias que se registra en el sur del país en los últimos meses enciende las alarmas en el agro. También ha generado que OSE, la empresa estatal encargada del suministro de agua, haya definido tomar medidas paliativas y emitir recomendaciones a la población.

“OSE comenzó a implementar medidas preventivas de preparación del sistema, ante un escenario caracterizado por precipitaciones escasas y caudales circulantes por debajo de los valores medios en la zona sur”, dice el comunicado que la empresa estatal emitió este martes.

Estas medidas preventivas se dan en el marco de un protocolo de sequías, que define indicadores, umbrales y acciones a aplicar en los distintos estados del sistema. Tiene un “enfoque preventivo y de gestión anticipada”.

Esta advertencia ha motivado reuniones entre OSE, el Instituto Uruguayo de Meteorología (Inumet) y la Dirección Nacional de Agua del Ministerio de Ambiente, que en conjunto resolvieron activar medidas de preparación del sistema de abastecimiento de agua potable, además de emitir recomendaciones a la población sobre este caso.

“Las acciones que se vienen desarrollando de forma progresiva incluyen el fortalecimiento del monitoreo de los recursos hídricos y las reservas, la evaluación permanente del estado del sistema, la adecuación de la gestión operativa y la preparación de infraestructuras de emergencia, entre otras medidas”, dice el comunicado.

1. No utilizar agua de manguera para el lavado de fachadas, patios, calles y veredas
2. Utilizar el agua de forma racional en el lavado de vehículos
3. Realizar riegos de jardines de manera eficiente y moderada
4. Uso moderado de lavarropas y lavavajillas
5. Minimizar el llenado de piscinas

“Lo que vemos ahora es un país partido en dos”, dijo Guadalupe Tiscornia, investigadora del Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA), al hablar sobre esta situación en canal 12. El norte del país está con un nivel bueno de agua en el suelo, pero la región sur tiene “valores bastante bajos”, describió. Este escenario se registra desde octubre.

“Lo que está pasando es que los suelos no están con buena cantidad de agua. Entonces, la vegetación no tiene agua de dónde sacar. A esto se le suman las altas temperaturas. En la región sur, particularmente, hubo eventos de vientos. Esta es la peor combinación: altas temperaturas, bajo contenido de agua y viento hacen que la vegetación evapotranspira más”, explicó la técnica.

Si bien la situación es crítica, está lejos de reeditar lo que sucedió en 2023. Ese año el país afrontó el mayor déficit hídrico de los últimos 76 años.

“Puede ser que en enero llueva menos de lo esperado, pero que esa poca lluvia caiga en momentos clave de los cultivos o de las pasturas. Si es así, el impacto no es tan grande”, señaló Tiscornia.

Esta crisis también tiene repercusiones políticas. El senador Sebastián Da Silva, del opositor Partido Nacional, se comunicó días atrás con el viceministro de Ganadería, Matías Carámbula para pedirle que declare la emergencia agropecuaria para el este del país. En particular, para Canelones, Maldonado y Rocha.

“Entrar a enero con esta falta de pasto era inesperado, pero no hay nada de comida”, escribió el senador en la red social X.

Lawmakers fought over Obamacare subsidies tooth and nail for the latter part of the year, and ultimately, neither side won.

Senate Democrats thrust the government into the longest shutdown in history in an effort to refocus the narrative in Congress on healthcare, and Republicans agreed to talk about it in the open. And both Republicans and Democrats got a shot to advance their own, partisan plans. Both failed.

Now, the subsidies are set to expire on Wednesday, sending price hikes across the desks of tens of millions of Americans that relied on the credits. 

REPUBLICANS CONSIDER USING RECONCILIATION AGAIN AFTER TRUMP’S BIGGEST LEGISLATIVE WIN

When lawmakers return on the first week of January, healthcare will be front of mind for many in the Senate. But any push to either revive, or completely replace, the subsidies may, for a time, take a backseat to the government funding fight brewing ahead of the Jan. 30 deadline.

When asked if he was disappointed that lawmakers were unable to, at least in the short term, solve the subsidies issue, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., was more concerned about people that would experience higher costs. 

«I think who it’s most disappointing for are the people whose premiums are going to go up by two, three times,» Hawley said. «So, it’s not good.»

Price hikes on premium costs will be variable for the roughly 20 million Americans that rely on them, depending on age, income and other factors. Broadly, a person’s out-of-pocket cost is expected to double with the credit’s lapse, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The nonpartisan healthcare think tank painted a broader picture of the disparate impact on premium cost increases in a report released late last month that, based on myriad factors, including where a person lives, their age range and where they sit above the poverty line, some could see price hikes as high as 361%.

SENATE QUIETLY WORKS ON BIPARTISAN OBAMACARE FIX AS HEALTHCARE CLIFF NEARS

Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, introduced the bipartisan bill during a news conference Tuesday. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

While Senate Republicans’ and Democrats’ separate plans failed to advance — despite four Republicans crossing the aisle to support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s, D-N.Y., plan — lawmakers are working together for a solution.

There are two plans with traction in the House. The GOP’s plan advanced on the floor earlier this month but doesn’t address the issue of the expiring tax credits. Then there is a bipartisan plan that calls for a three-year extension of the subsidies, similar to Senate Democrats’ plan, that is teed up for a vote.

The latter option, and its bipartisan momentum, has some Democrats hopeful that a three-year extension could get a shot in the upper chamber.

«I’ll also say that the glimmer of hope is if we’re searching for a bipartisan deal that can pass the Congress, we don’t need to search any further than the three-year extension of the subsidies that’s going to pass the House of Representatives,» Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, told Fox News Digital. «We don’t need a negotiation any further. That bill can pass, if it can provide relief to the taxpayers, and it can pass, then that’s our vehicle.»

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Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and many Senate Democrats are hopeful that the bipartisan momentum brewing in the House for a three-year extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies will translate in the Senate, where a similar plan has already failed. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., however, has maintained a deeply-rooted position against just a simple extension of the credits.

He argued that a straight-up extension for three years would be «a waste of $83 billion,» and lacks any of the reforms that Republicans desire, like reinstalling an income cap, adding anti-fraud measures, and reaffirming language that would prevent taxpayer dollars from funding abortions.

«I mean, I think if nothing else, depending on if the House sends something over here, there would be a new vehicle available,» Thune said. «And if there is some bipartisan agreement on a plan, then you know, it’s possible that we could — obviously it’d have to be something that we think the House could pass, and the president would sign.»

«But I’m not ruling anything out, I guess is what I’m saying,» he continued. «But you know, a three-year extension of a failed program that’s rife with fraud, waste and abuse is not happening.»

Senate Democrats are open to negotiating on a bipartisan plan, something that is already ongoing after Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, held a meeting with lawmakers before leaving Washington, D.C., earlier this month.

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But Democrats are also making clear that they don’t want to budge on some of the Republicans’ demands.

«Let’s put it this way, Republicans are asking to meet with me, and I’m telling them, I’ll listen, you know, I made it clear what I think is the only practical approach, and I’m certainly not going to go along with selling junk insurance,» Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said.

U.S. and partner forces killed or captured nearly 25 Islamic State operatives in Syria in the days following a large-scale U.S.-led strike on Dec. 19, according to a new statement from U.S. Central Command, underscoring Washington’s assessment that ISIS remains an active and persistent threat inside the country.

CENTCOM said those forces conducted 11 follow-on missions between Dec. 20 and Dec. 29, killing at least seven ISIS members, capturing the remainder, and eliminating four ISIS weapons caches. The operations followed Operation Hawkeye Strike, when U.S. and Jordanian forces hit more than 70 ISIS targets across central Syria using over 100 precision munitions, destroying infrastructure and weapons sites linked to the group. 

«We will not relent,» CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said, adding that U.S. forces remain «steadfast» in working with regional partners to dismantle ISIS networks that pose a threat to U.S. and regional security.

The scope of the follow-on raids highlights a reality U.S. commanders and analysts have been warning about for months: ISIS no longer controls large swaths of territory, but it retains the ability to organize, strike and regenerate inside Syria’s fragmented security landscape.

SYRIANS MARK FIRST YEAR SINCE ASSAD’S FALL AS US SIGNALS NEW ERA IN RELATIONS

Syria remains divided among competing forces, militias and foreign-backed armed groups, with no single authority exercising full control over large parts of the country. Analysts say that vacuum continues to provide space for ISIS cells to operate quietly, recruit and exploit overstretched local forces.

Analysts note that Syria’s security environment remains shaped by former jihadist networks that were never fully demobilized after the war. The country’s transitional leadership, including President Ahmed al-Sharaa, emerged from armed Islamist factions that relied heavily on foreign fighters and militias, according to regional security assessments. While those groups are not synonymous with ISIS, experts say the incomplete dismantling of extremist networks has left gaps that ISIS cells continue to exploit.

«ISIS today doesn’t need a caliphate to be dangerous,» said Bill Roggio, told Fox News Digital. «We’ve always been quick to declare terrorist organizations defeated and insignificant, and that couldn’t be further from the truth.»

Roggio said the group has adapted rather than disappeared, shifting away from holding territory toward smaller, more covert cells capable of carrying out lethal attacks. He pointed to ongoing ISIS activity not only in Syria and Iraq, but also in Afghanistan and other regions, citing United Nations reporting that estimates roughly 2,000 ISIS fighters remain active in Afghanistan alone.

«That’s not what a defeated group looks like,» Roggio said, noting that ISIS continues to recruit, indoctrinate and inspire attacks even without the visibility it once had.

FROM SYRIA TO SOMALIA, US TROOPS REMAIN DEPLOYED THIS HOLIDAY SEASON UNDER MISSIONS THAT NEVER FORMALLY ENDED

ISIS terrorists in Syria. (Reuters)

One of the most sensitive vulnerabilities remains the network of detention facilities in northeastern Syria holding thousands of ISIS terrorists and supporters. Those prisons are guarded primarily by Kurdish-led forces backed by a small U.S. military presence, estimated at roughly 1,000 troops, according to Reuters.

U.S. and coalition officials have repeatedly warned that any major disruption to prison security could allow hardened ISIS operatives to escape and reconstitute networks across Syria and beyond. Kurdish officials have also raised concerns about funding shortages, manpower strain and pressure from rival militias operating nearby.

While U.S. officials have not publicly linked the recent strikes to prison-related threats, analysts say the broader environment of fragmented control increases the risk of coordinated attacks, insider assistance or prison unrest.

The danger is not theoretical. ISIS has previously staged mass prison break operations in Syria and Iraq, including a 2022 assault on the al-Sinaa prison in Hasakah that required days of fighting to contain.

The U.S. strikes also come amid continued instability inside Syria, where multiple armed actors operate with overlapping authority. Analysts note that clashes among militias, sectarian violence and unresolved command structures have weakened overall security and diverted attention from counterterrorism efforts.

US, SYRIAN TROOPS COME UNDER FIRE WHILE ON PATROL: REPORT

U.S. soldiers attached to the Iowa National Guard sign GBU-31 munitions systems in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Dec. 18, 2025 as the U.S. military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria in retaliation for an attack on U.S. personnel, U.S. officials said.  (Air Force Photo/Handout via Reuters)

Bombings in neighborhoods of Damascus, including Mezzeh, and unrest in minority areas have further illustrated the gaps ISIS and other extremist groups can exploit, according to regional security assessments and open-source reporting.

«Syria’s chaos is the accelerant,» Roggio said. «ISIS thrives where no one is fully in charge.»

U.S. officials and analysts stress that ISIS activity in Syria is part of a wider pattern rather than an isolated flare-up.

Sources in the Israeli Mossad told Fox News Digital of continued ISIS-linked activity across multiple theaters, including recruitment networks and small-scale attacks designed to test security responses and maintain operational relevance.

In Turkey, security forces recently clashed with Islamic State militants during counterterrorism operations, wounding several officers, according to Reuters on Monday. Turkish authorities said the raids targeted ISIS cells suspected of planning attacks inside the country.

DEADLY STRIKE ON US TROOPS TESTS TRUMP’S COUNTER-ISIS PLAN — AND HIS TRUST IN SYRIA’S NEW LEADER

Security forces loyal to the interim Syrian government ride in the back of a vehicle moving along a road in Syria’s western city of Latakia on March 9, 2025. Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa called for national unity and peace on March 9, amid growing international backlash following the killing of civilians along the country’s coast in the worst violence since the overthrow of former president Bashar al-Assad. (Omar Haj Kadour/AFP via Getty Images)

«These are signals, not spikes,» Roggio said. «ISIS operates across regions, adapting to pressure and exploiting weak governance wherever it finds it.»

The renewed U.S. military action raises difficult questions for policymakers about how long the current containment strategy can hold.

While U.S. officials say the Dec. 19 strikes delivered a significant blow to ISIS infrastructure, they have also acknowledged that counterterrorism operations alone cannot eliminate the underlying conditions that allow the group to persist.

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People wave guns in the air as they gather to celebrate the fall of the Syrian regime in Umayyad Square on Dec. 8 in Damascus, Syria.  (Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)

«Just because we want to declare the war against terror over doesn’t mean it’s over,» Roggio said. «The enemy gets a vote.»