Latest news with #Rodriguez
National Post
a day ago
- Politics
- National Post
André Pratte: Pablo Rodriguez has won over the Quebec Liberals. That was the easy part
Article content Rodriguez is a hard worker. He will need every ounce of energy he can muster; a tremendous amount of work is necessary to rebuild the QLP. Support for the party outside the region of Montreal is meagre. In many ridings, there are few party members left, no association and no money. Depending on the public opinion surveys in the next few months, finding first-rate candidates in all 125 ridings may not be an easy task. Article content The current political situation in Quebec does offer some hope for the provincial liberals. According to a Pallas poll conducted right after Rodriguez was elected, the PQ leads (as it has for months now) with 31 per cent of the vote, followed by the QLP at 26 per cent, its best score in five years. The party currently in government, François Legault's Coalition Avenir Québec, slides to third place, with only 15 per cent of voting intentions. With such numbers, the next provincial election may turn out to be a traditional PQ-QLP confrontation. Article content If this is so, it will be tempting for the provincial Liberals to run a campaign based solely on Quebecers' fear of another separation referendum, a strategy that has worked well in the past. In 2026, though, that would be a mistake. Although most Quebecers want to remain in Canada, especially with Donald Trump's annexation threats, their priorities lie elsewhere: the cost of living, the catastrophic state of public services, the shortage of housing, high immigration, etc. They will expect concrete and credible solutions to those problems from the parties vying for power. Article content Under their charismatic leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, the Péquistes have demonstrated a knack for developing original policy ideas. Rodriguez's Liberals will have to come up with their own, more convincing proposals. If they are not successful, Quebecers may vote PQ notwithstanding the referendum threat. Article content
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Kane Rodriguez talks Houston, his relationship with TikTok and his plans for the future
Born and raised in Houston, singer-songwriter Kane Rodriguez grew up surrounded by music. His grandfather, father and brother are musicians, and the sounds of cumbia, banda and norteño were ever present in his house. The 22-year-old Texican launched his music career by playing with his brothers in a cumbia group in his teens, but says he always felt more of a calling toward corridos. He leaned into his musical tastes at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, uploading videos on TikTok of himself singing and playing his guitar. His first big hit was his 2022 melancholic cover of Aldo Trujillo and Legion RG's 'El Chaman,' which tells the story of an enigmatic character whose emotional availability contradicts his tough-guy appearance. The clip was just him and his guitar in front of a plain background while being filmed at an upward angle — nothing fancy, but his voice and musicality shined. 'I started seeing myself grow and grow, and then a couple videos would go viral, and people asked for more,' Rodriguez told The Times. 'I guess people really like how I sound just with the guitar, so I just try to keep recording. ... I think TikTok, for me, is a big part [of my success].' The singer and multi-instrumentalist released his debut studio album, 'La Batuta,' in April under Warner Music México. The LP's intricate instrumentation works deftly to complement Rodriguez's gravelly vocals and his swashbuckling lyrics — telling tales of romantic conquests, occasional sadboi reflections and living it up with his compas over the course of 13 tracks. The 'Se Volvieron Locos' artist has been touring the U.S. since his album's release and was scheduled to perform at Downtown L.A.'s Peacock Theater — in a billing with Chino Pacas, Estevan Plazola, Los Caimanes De Sinaloa, T3R Elemento, El de La Guitarra and Omar Ruiz — but the show was canceled due to the temporary L.A. curfew and the ongoing ICE raids in the city. Rodriguez fans can rejoice, however, as the singer has a show scheduled for June 20 at El Farallon Event Center in Lynwood. Ahead of his performance, Rodriguez spoke with The Times about his rise to fame, collaborating with other artists and his hopes for the future. This interview has been edited and shortened for clarity. This is your first studio album. What was the process of recording it like? It took a while, a cool seven months to get it done. But we picked the right songs and we got the right songwriters. We added different genres, so it took us a while, but I think it was worth it. It's a big jump from [playing] live to the studio. How do you think being from Houston informs your work as an artist, and what kind of obligation do you feel to represent the city? Right now in Houston there's really not that many corrido artists, so I think being one of the few ones from Houston really helped because I get a lot of support from my hometown. I grew up in the southeast part of Houston [in an area] called Pasadena, on a little trailer park. It wasn't nothing too crazy or nothing too bad. I think growing up in a neighborhood like that made me hungrier to make it out of the hood. That just helped me build up. I think right now Houston needs somebody that could rep them and take them to the next level on the corrido side, and I think I have that responsibility. I want to take that responsibility, and hopefully we can make it bigger. You're now on tour and collaborating with big artists. How does it feel to continue to grow in popularity, and how are you managing that emotionally and professionally? It's a dream come true. I coming from playing in backyards like almost every day. Playing 10 hours a day. To play in front of people with big artists — it's just crazy. It's really hard to to believe, but I try not to get too excited or get too comfortable. We try to keep our feet on the ground. It's sort of incredible how everything is building up real fast. Who are some of the acts you've had the chance to work within a professional space that you kind of can't believe actually happened? For sure Legado 7 — they're OGs. I think everybody would listen to them back in 2018, 2019 when I was in high school. So getting the chance to be in the studio and and make a hit song with them is even crazier. And Adrian L Santos also. That fool's from my family's hometown over there in Mexico. He's real poppin' and a real humble guy. Working with him was one of the best experiences. Being a musician can feel sometimes, from the outside looking in, like it's not a 'real job,' but getting that cosign from a label changes things. What was your family's reaction to that moment? At first they were real iffy, because a lot of people don't make it out in music. It's real hard. So they were there, mentally. But the good thing about my parents is they let me do it. They stood back. They'd seen the hunger that I had for it and knew I wouldn't listen — I'd just keep doing it. Right now they're real proud, and I'm happy to see them like that. You've got your album out, you're going on tour — where do you see it going from here? Where are you trying to go? My vision in the next two years is: I'm trying to sell out stadiums. That's one of my goals. My biggest dream is to have thousands of people sing my songs.
Montreal Gazette
2 days ago
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Legault says he's energized by public's disapproval of CAQ government
Quebec Politics QUEBEC — Premier François Legault acknowledged Wednesday that the people are disappointed in his government, but insisted poor polling numbers inspire him to keep trying. There was also a slice of good news for the Coalition Avenir Québec government on Wednesday: the Moody's credit rating agency opted not to downgrade Quebec's rating despite the province's projected historic deficit of $13.6 billion for 2025-26. 'I am well aware that many Quebecers are disappointed in our government,' Legault said Wednesday as he arrived for his last in-person cabinet meeting before the summer. 'But for me, it gives me energy. It makes me want to fight during the year and a few months that remain (before the next election) to deliver still more results to Quebecers. 'In October 2026, it will be up to Quebecers to decide if they want to keep me or not.' Legault was reacting to a new Pallas Data/L'actualité/Qc125 poll showing the CAQ has placed third in voter support for the second time in two months. In the previous poll, done by Léger for Le Journal de Montréal in May, the CAQ was bleeding support to the benefit of the Parti Québécois. The Pallas Data poll is different because it shows the CAQ losing support to the Quebec Liberals and the party's new leader, Pablo Rodriguez, who was elected to the top job Saturday. The poll was conducted just after Rodriguez won the leadership over second-place Charles Milliard. According to the poll, the PQ still leads in voter intentions with 31 per cent, but the Liberals under Rodriguez are not far behind with 26 per cent, up four points from the previous Pallas poll in March. The CAQ has fallen to third place with 15 per cent, 11 points less than the Liberals. For the Liberals, this is the best poll they have had since 2022. The Quebec Conservatives are fourth with 14 per cent and Québec solidaire is at 12 per cent. The Pallas poll was conducted from June 14 to 16 and is based on a sample of 1,085 Quebecers. The poll comes as Rodriguez is to meet Thursday with the entire 19-member Liberal caucus for the first time as leader. He will hold an afternoon news conference after the meeting. Legault also got more bad news Wednesday: Quebec's anticorruption squad UPAC announced it conducted searches Wednesday of the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec's headquarters in connection with the SAAQclic fiasco, which the Gallant inquiry is investigating. The CAQ government did, however, get one tidbit of good news as Quebec enters the summer holiday season: A second credit rating agency, Moody's, which is based in New York, has decided not to downgrade Quebec's credit rating. In a statement issued Wednesday, Moody's maintained the rating at Aa2 with a 'stable' perspective. 'The stable outlook reflects our forecast that risks to the province's budget and fiscal plan are broadly balanced,' Moody's says. 'Despite the widening deficits in the near term, driven by the economic uncertainty of U.S. trade tensions, we expect the province's strong fiscal management will mitigate risks where possible. 'While the debt and interest burdens will rise, we expect they will remain with levels recorded by the province of the past decade.' The Moody's decision to maintain Quebec's credit rating follows that of DBRS on June 9. DBRS decided to maintain Quebec's rating at AA (low) with a 'stable' perspective. The two contrast with a decision in April by S&P, which lowered Quebec's credit rating from AA- to A+. It was the first time in 30 years that Quebec's credit rating was lowered. The latest decision is 'a positive sign,' Finance Minister Eric Girard said Wednesday on his way into the cabinet meeting. 'If you look at Moody's, they took a long-term perspective. They recognized that the current situation is difficult, but they are more positive in the long term.' This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 3:42 PM.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Teen Charged After Allegedly Taking Selfie with Fake Rifle Outside Her Old High School and Causing a 'Lockout': Reports
Ericka Rodriguez, 18, has been charged after she was accused of taking a selfie while holding an imitation rifle outside Hauppauge High School in Long Island, N.Y., on Tuesday, June 17 The school was placed into a lockout as a result, a spokesperson for Hauppage Public Schools told PEOPLE Rodriguez is former student of the school, according to local media reportsAn 18-year-old is facing charges after she allegedly snapped a selfie posing with a fake rifle outside her old high school in New York, according to reports. On Tuesday, June 17, former student Ericka Rodriguez, 18, was accused of taking a selfie while holding an imitation rifle in front of Hauppauge High School in Suffolk County in Long Island, according to local media outlets News 12 Long Island, Newsday and TBR News Media. The school was subsequently placed into a lockout, per News 12 Long Island. In a message obtained by PEOPLE to parents from Dr. Donald B. Murphy, Superintendent of Schools at Hauppage Public Schools, Dr. Murphy said the middle school was also placed into a lockout "out of an abundance of caution" and "all exterior doors to the buildings were securely locked, and no one was allowed to enter or exit the buildings." Dr. Murphy said the school district's security team was alerted to a "911 report made to the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) regarding an individual on the sidewalk along Lincoln Boulevard, near Veterans Memorial Highway. The individual was reported to be carrying an object that appeared to be a firearm." The object was determined to be a Gel Launcher, or toy gun, which can 'closely resembled a firearm,' Dr, Murphy said in his message, The lockout was lifted just over an hour later. "We want to reassure our families that students and staff remained safe at all times. As always, we are extremely grateful for the swift response from SCPD and the vigilance of our security team. Our safety protocols were implemented promptly and effectively," Dr. Murphy's message to parents concluded. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Rodriguez was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon on school grounds and endangering the welfare of a child, per the outlets. According to TBR News Media, Rodriguez is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip, Long Island, at a later date. PEOPLE has reached out to the Suffolk County Police for comment. Read the original article on People
GMA Network
3 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Marcos tasks DPWH to work on reconstruction of QC school building hit by fire
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. tasked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to work on the reconstruction of San Francisco High School in Quezon City that was damaged by fire. Marcos on Wednesday inspected the Dao Building, which was struck by fire last Sunday. Education Secretary Sonny Angara said that the DPWH has recommended the demolition of the damaged area and building a new structure. 'Ang recommendation po ng Department of Public Works is gibain na po 'yung istruktura at gumawa na po ng panibagong four-story, 36-classroom, na nagkakahalaga ng P180 billion,' Angara said in a separate interview. (The recommendation of the Department of Public Works is to demolish the structure and build a new four-story, 36-classroom building, which costs P180 billion.) Angara said the building would be finished in one year. The fire broke out in the school a day before the opening of classes for School Year 2025-2026. Fire authorities raised the first alarm at 10:52 a.m. The Bureau of Fire Protection eventually raised the third alarm. Firemen were able to put the fire under control before 12 noon. The said school is near a shopping mall, which was not affected by the blaze. According to Marissa Rodriguez, the school principal, investigation is still ongoing as regards the cause of the fire. The initial cost of damage was P3 million, according to Rodriguez. At least 600 students were affected by the fire, the principal said. She, however, ensured that the classes were not disrupted as they implemented double shifts for senior high school students. 'Actually hindi naman siya masyadong naapektuhan pero ang ginawa po namin kasi nakaplot po kasi ang senior high school na single shift kasi mayroon kaming enough classrooms for the senior high school,' Rodriguez said. (The classes weren't affected much, Since the senior high school had single shifts we have enough classrooms for the senior high school,) 'Ngayong nasunog po siya, we opted to revert to double shift para maaccommodate po 'yung mga bata na nawalan po ng classrooms,' she added. (After it burned down, we opted to revert to double shifts to accommodate the children who lost their classrooms.) —VAL, GMA Integrated News
