Washington
Washington 2025 and Santiago 1973 – The Tufts Daily
I, along with many other left-of-center individuals, am deeply worried about President Donald Trump’s administration’s recent actions which smack of anti-democratic inclinations. Today, however, I want to touch on a very disturbing aspect of authoritarian regimes that I don’t think people adequately address: the sheer feeling of alienation that comes from living in them. By alienation I do not mean physical isolation from others, but rather the feeling of loneliness that arises from the inability to trust anyone, including oneself.
There are two works, both from Chile, that I believe display the incredibly damaging capability of this loneliness. The first is a 1990 play by Ariel Dorfman called “La muerte y la doncella,” which translates to “Death and the Maiden,” and the second a 2004 film called “Machuca.”
Both works deal with the dictatorship of Augosto Pinochet, lasting from his 1973 coup against the democratically-elected President Salvador Allende until a plebiscite removed him from office in 1988. Between those years, Pinochet ruled Chile with an iron fist as leader of a right-wing military junta, and was responsible for the executions or “disappearances” of 3,095 people and the torture of an estimated 27,255.
“La muerte y la doncella” takes place immediately following the end of the Pinochet regime. It concerns a politician named Gerardo who is helping to lead the redemocratization process, and his wife Paulina, a former political prisoner who faced terrible treatment at the hands of the military and now lives an isolated life. One night, Gerardo invites a stranger named Dr. Miranda over to their house whom he says helped him fix a flat tire, and Paulina becomes convinced that he was one of the men who tortured her. Thus, she places him at gunpoint and forces him to confess, despite it being unclear whether or not he actually was the culprit or if her PTSD is simply deluding her. Just before she is about to execute him, the play skips forward in time to a symphony performance in which Gerardo and Paulina are in attendance, and she sees the ghost of Dr. Miranda seated in the audience, staring at her, implying that she will forever be haunted by the fact that she may have killed an innocent person. This self-doubt and guilt will further isolate Paulina, just as her own torture by the military did.
The play’s power lies in the incredible profundity of Paulina’s sheer feeling of alienation. The regime may have ended by the time this play takes place, but it has nevertheless done long-term, possibly irreparable damage to its victims. And as a result, it’s possible that an innocent person got caught in the fray.
Unlike “La muerte y la doncella,” “Machuca” takes place in the time leading up to and immediately after the Pinochet coup. It follows Gonzalo, a well-off schoolboy attending a private Catholic school, who meets a poor indigenous boy named Pedro. Despite their socioeconomic differences, the two develop a close and beautiful friendship. However, immediately after the coup and as a result of the subsequent political turmoil, the two boys’ friendship falls apart. The film concludes with a dramatic scene in which Gonzalo visits Pedro’s shantytown only to find it under siege by the military, with soldiers violently rounding up the town’s inhabitants, presumably to be tortured or killed. As Gonzalo runs away from the bedlam, he locks eyes with Pedro. What is so particularly tragic about this scene is that Pedro’s look is one of anger, as if Gonzalo — and the Pinochet-supporting side of Chilean society which he represents — is at fault for all of this.
When I first saw “Machuca” as a 16-year-old, it shocked me. And it has stuck with me until this day as a warning sign of just how much damage an authoritarian regime can do to a society. Even though Gonzalo, at the very end, returns to his fancy Santiago neighborhood with all the comforts of a wealthy life, he is emotionally ruined, the beautiful friendship he had now gone forever.
I want the characters of Paulina and Gonzalo to stick in my readers’ heads, just as they have stuck in mine. They are emblematic of the immense damage that authoritarian regimes can do to societies beyond the archetypal images of death squads and censorship. They isolate people and inflict severe emotional damage.
About a month ago, The New York Times published a fascinating and disturbing video in the Opinion section that interviewed people who had been targeted by, and subsequently fled, authoritarian regimes. One of the interviewees, a former nonprofit leader in Nicaragua driven out by the Ortega regime, provides a powerful line: “I wish I had paid more attention to those flashes of authoritarianism. We ignored it…”
As the chaotic next four years unfold, be diligent in viewing what might be new signs of authoritarianism because those little signs could eventually snowball into a much larger attack on freedom. Keep the lessons of Paulina from “La muerte y la doncella” and Gonzalo from “Machuca” in your head; we should never allow society to become that terribly lonely.
Washington
Brothers shot Park Police officer who arrested one of them the day before, documents say
Charging documents reveal the U.S. Park Police officer who was shot Monday in Southeast D.C. had arrested one of the suspects the day before and was following that suspect at the time.
The suspects are brothers, 22-year-old Asheile Foster and 21-year-old Darren Foster, of Southeast. They appeared in federal court Wednesday afternoon.
Court documents state the Park Police officer who was shot had arrested Asheile Foster on Sunday on suspicion of dealing drugs. The officer said he followed Foster after he was released from jail on Monday and came to Park Police headquarters to get his personal belongings.
According to prosecutors, Foster told police he knew he was being followed by a white Tesla, and he confronted the officer on Queens Stroll Place SE, jumping out in front of the Tesla before the officer swerved around him.
Then, dozens of gunshots went off, the officer told police. He said in charging documents he was shot in the shoulder as he kept driving several blocks to the intersection of Benning Road and Southern Avenue SE, where police found him. A helicopter then took him to a hospital. According to charging documents, the officer was treated and released the same night as the shooting.
A U.S. Park Police officer who was shot in Southeast D.C. on Monday is recovering from what authorities say was likely a targeted attack. Multiple law enforcement sources tell News4’s Mark Segraves that when the officer was shot, he was investigating a shooting that occurred in Anacostia Park on Friday.
Photos in the charging documents show the brothers firing at the officer’s Tesla, according to prosecutors.
The shooting drew a massive police presence to the Southeast neighborhood near the D.C-Maryland border Monday night.
Shell casings littered the middle of the street. Police said they recovered two weapons: a Glock 9 with an extended magazine and an AR-15.
Prosecutors said that when the officer was shot, he was investigating a shooting that occurred in Anacostia Park on Friday. No one was injured in that shooting.
Darren Foster was located and stopped shortly after the shooting, D.C. police said. Asheile Foster was found on Tuesday.
The brothers were charged with assault on a federal officer, assault with intent to kill and weapons charges. They could face up to 60 years in prison if they’re convicted.
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Washington
Washington passes new AI laws to crack down on misinformation, protect minors
Washington just became the latest state to regulate artificial intelligence.
Under a pair of bills signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson Tuesday, companies like OpenAI and Anthropic will have to include new disclosures in their popular chatbots for Washington users.
Ferguson asked legislators to craft House Bill 1170 to crack down on AI-generated misinformation. When content is substantially modified using generative AI, that information will now have to be traceable using watermarks or metadata. The new law applies to large AI companies more than 1 million monthly subscribers.
“ I’m confident I’m not the only Washingtonian who often sees something on my phone and wondering to myself, ‘Is that AI or is it real?’ And I feel like I’m a reasonably discerning person,” Ferguson said during the bill signing. “It is virtually impossible these days.”
RELATED: WA Gov. Bob Ferguson calls for regulations on AI chatbot companions
House Bill 2225 establishes new guard rails for AI chatbots that act like friends or companions. It applies to services like ChatGPT and Claude, but excludes more narrowly tailored chatbots, like the customer service windows that pop up when visiting a corporate website.
Chatbots that fit the bill will have to disclose to users that they are not human at the start of every conversation, and every three hours in an ongoing chat. The tools will also be barred from pretending to be human in conversation with users.
The rules go further if the user is a minor. Companies that operate chatbots will have to disclose that the tools are not human every hour, rather than every three hours, if the user is under 18. The bill forbids AI companions from having sexually explicit conversations with underage users. It also bans “manipulative engagement techniques.” For example, a chatbot is not allowed to guilt or pressure a minor into staying in a conversation or keeping information from parents.
“AI has incredible potential to transform society,” Ferguson said. “At the same time, of course, there are risks that we must mitigate as a state, especially to young people. So I speak partly as a governor, but also as the father of teenage twins who grapple with this as a lot of parents do every single day.”
Under the law, AI chatbots will not be allowed to encourage or provide information on suicide or self-harm, including eating disorders. The companies behind these tools will be required to come up with a protocol for flagging conversations that reference self-harm and connecting users with mental health services.
The regulations come in the wake of several high-profile instances of teenage suicide following prolonged interactions with AI companions that showed warning signs. Many more AI users of all ages have reported mental health issues and psychosis after heavy use of the technology.
Washington
Washington faces Utah, aims to stop 16-game skid
Washington Wizards (16-55, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (21-51, 14th in the Western Conference)
Salt Lake City; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Washington heads into the matchup with Utah after losing 16 in a row.
The Jazz have gone 13-24 in home games. Utah ranks second in the Western Conference with 16.6 fast break points per game led by Lauri Markkanen averaging 3.3.
The Wizards are 5-29 in road games. Washington is 9-10 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 15.3 turnovers per game.
The Jazz score 117.4 points per game, 6.7 fewer points than the 124.1 the Wizards give up. The Wizards’ 46.1% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.9 percentage points lower than the Jazz have allowed to their opponents (49.0%).
The teams square off for the second time this season. The Jazz won the last meeting 122-112 on March 6, with Ace Bailey scoring 32 points in the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Filipowski is averaging 10.5 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Jazz. Brice Sensabaugh is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.
Alex Sarr is averaging 16.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and two blocks for the Wizards. Will Riley is averaging 14.4 points over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 3-7, averaging 116.4 points, 43.3 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 9.9 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.7 points per game.
Wizards: 0-10, averaging 114.3 points, 37.4 rebounds, 24.5 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 130.6 points.
INJURIES: Jazz: Lauri Markkanen: out (hip), Isaiah Collier: out (hamstring), Keyonte George: out (leg), Cody Williams: out (shoulder), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic: out for season (nose), Jaren Jackson Jr.: out for season (knee).
Wizards: Anthony Davis: out (finger), Tristan Vukcevic: day to day (back), Cam Whitmore: out for season (shoulder), Alex Sarr: day to day (toe), Tre Johnson: day to day (foot), Kyshawn George: out (elbow), D’Angelo Russell: out (not injury related), Trae Young: out (quad).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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