The Popular Party in Spain is expected to win Sunday's general election but may lose its absolute majority as support grows for new parties like Podemos and Ciudadanos in response to economic hardship and corruption scandals. Polls show the Popular Party would fall from 186 to 109 seats while Podemos would gain strength with around 60 seats. No party is likely to win a majority, so the election outcome will depend on post-election negotiations between parties like the flexible Ciudadanos that could support either the Popular Party or Socialists.

1. T Name: Leina RayshounyNewspaper of COMM 346December 15, 2015
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Popular Party at risk of seat loss
By DAVID ROMÁN
MADRID— Spain’s ruling
Popular Party is likely to win
the countries general election
Sunday, but it could lose its
absolute majority amid the rise of
new parties.
A series of polls released
Monday, the last day they can be
published ahead of the election
under Spanish law shows
that the center-right Popular
Party stands to lose its current
absolute majority in the country’s
350-member parliament.
The election is a test of whether
the austerity prescription put in
place by Prime Minister Mariano
Rajoy is politically viable. Voters
have been dissatisfied with
the lingering effects of a deep
economic crisis and a series of
corruption probes involving
Rajoy and other Popular Party
politicians. Rajoy has denied
wrongdoing and hasn’t been
charged with any crime.
In a poll conducted between
Dec. 7 and Dec. 10 and published
by El País, Spain’s top selling
newspaper, the Popular Party
would drop from 186 to 109
seats, while the Socialist Party
would come second with 90 seats,
down from 110 seats in the 2011
election—already the Socialists’
worst result in more than three
decades.
Continuing economic
hardships engendered the rise of
two new parties—Ciudadanos
and Podemos—with fresh faces to
challenge the old order. Both are
capitalizing on disgust, especially
among younger voters, with
corruption, patronage politics
and cronyism between
government and big business.
Podemos, an anti-austerity
leftist party founded last
year, would come third with
60 seats, according to this
poll. Ciudadanos, a business-
friendly party with a left-
leaning social platform that
is seen as a possible coalition
partner for both the Popular
Party and the Socialists,
would come fourth, with 60
seats but slightly fewer votes.
Ciudadanos currently doesn’t
have any sets in parliament,
and has expressed reluctance
to support a possible Popular
Party government.
In a similar poll published
by El Mundo, Popular Party
leads with between 114 and
119 estimated seats, with the
Socialists second at between
76 and 81, and Ciudadanos third
at between 62 and 69. In the poll,
conducted between December 1
and Dec. 9, Podemos is fourth at
between 56 and 60 seats.
Because no party is expected
to come close to a parliamentary
majority, the decision about who
leads will be determined by post-
election bargaining. Ciudadanos
which has drawn supporters from
the Popular Party on the right
and the Socialists on the left, is
ideologically flexible enough
to join with either to form a
governing alliance. But the price
of Ciudadanos’s support for the
Popular Party might be ousting
Rajoy in favor of a new prime
minister.
Kiko Llaneras, an university
professor and political pollster,
said Monday that Popular Party
leads in all the latest 12 polls
published in Spain before the
election, with the Socialists
second in eight of them and
Ciudadanos in the rest.
Podemos ranks fourth in
nine of the 12 polls, with a better
performance in all of the latest
polls.
“All of the latest polls show
that Podemos is on the way up
and Ciudadanos’s support is
stagnating,” Antonio Barroso,
an analyst with Teneo, said.
“Ciudadanos may be hurt by
people switching their vote on a
strategic move to support one of
the established parties.
Pablo Iglesias, Podemos’s
leader, Sunday told thousands
at a campaign event that the
party—which briefly led some
opinion polls around a year ago,
when discontent with the Popular
Party was at its peak—remains
confident that they can still win
the election.
“They said we didn’t have a
chance, and here we are, gaining
support every day,” Iglesias said.
Firefighter colleagues console one another at firehouse of Tower Ladder 34 at 7974 S. Chicago Ave. in Chi-
cago, after firefighter Daniel Capuano died after falling down an elevator shaft in thick smoke while battling a
vacant warehouse fire on the Far South Side. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
A 15 year veteran of the
Chicago Fire Department died
after falling down an elevator
shaft in thick smoke while battling
a vacant warehouse fire on the Far
South Side early Monday.
Daniel Capuano, 42, was
wheeled out of the building at
92nd Street and Baltimore Ave.
around 2:40 a.m. and rushed to
Advocate Christ Medical Center
in Oak Lawn, where he was
pronounced dead less than two
hours later, officials said.
When firefighters arrived at the
three-story building in the South
Chicago neighborhood, there
was heavy smoke throughout
the second floor as firefighters
searched for the source of the
blaze, fire commissioner Jose
Santiago said.
“As the firefighters went
in there, they saw some holes
throughout the floor,” Santiago
said. “They gave out an emergency
alert, ‘Be careful.’ It looks like
firefighter Daniel had just walked
into the elevator shaft as he was
searching, couldn’t see and fell.”
Capuano was found at the
bottom of the shaft in the
basement. “They were able to
remove him quickly and get him
on the ambulance” Santiago said.
Chicago Fire Department
spokesman Larry Langford
said there was no visibility as
firefighters worked on the second
floor. Firefighters were just able to
see a “glow” through the smoke
where the flames were rising.
Capuano was with another
firefighterwhenhefellthroughthe
shaft, Langford said. Firefighters
were able to find him right away.
[SEE Page 2, Firefighter]
Firefighter veteran dies from elevator shaft

2. December 15, 2015Page 2 NEWS
CapuanowasassignedtoTower
Ladder 34 and is survived by his
wife and 3 children, Santiago said.
He had previously worked as a
firefighter in suburban Evergreen
Park.
“We hope you can keep the
Capuano family in your prayers,
and the department members
that work with him,” Santiago
added. “This is devastating to the
family.”
About 20 Chicago Fire
Department personal, including
a handful in their helmets and
firefighting gear, waited outside
the Cook County medical
examiners office Monday
morning in windy drizzle for
Capuano’s body to arrive at the
morgue.
Two firetrucks faced each other
on opposite sides of Harrison
Street, their ladders hoisted into
the air and nearly touching each
other. One of the ladders had an
American flag hanging from it.
At times, the wind wrapped it
against the ladder.
The crackle of radio traffic
could be heard over the rumbling
engines of the firetrucks. Police
cordoned off Harrison with
squad cars from Hoyne Avenue to
Oakley Avenue.
At Capauno’s Mount
Greenwood neighborhood, a
Morgan Park District police
officer waved reporters from his
house, saying family members
did not want to speak. The officer
said a priest was visiting with the
family. Later, a man could be seen
going inside the brick, one-story
home with bags of groceries.
Theblockwasquietanddecked
out with Christmas decorations.
Several neighbors had put out
lights, garlands, wreaths, red
ribbons and full nativity scenes.
One neighbor a few doors
down was speaking on the phone
when she opened her door to a
reporter. The person on the other
end of the phone had broken the
news.
“What?” she said into the
phone, her eyes widening. “Oh,
my God. What happened?
She went back inside, shut the
door.
Another neighbor who said he
also is a firefighter simply repeated
a single thought. “He was a very
nice man,” the neighbor said,
declining to give his name. “Just a
very, very nice man.”
This is the second death of a
firefighter from Tower Ladder 34
in the last five years.
Corey Ankum, 34, of Tower
Ladder 34, was killed along with
Edward Stringer, 47, of Engine
Company 63, while battling a
blaze at an abandoned laundry
at 1744 E. 75th St. in the South
Shore neighborhood on Dec. 22,
2010. The two died after the roof
collapsed.
MayorRahmEmanuelreleased
a statement saying “Chicago has
lost one of its bravest in Dan
Capuano.”
“As a 15-year veteran of the
Chicago Fire Department, Dan
spent his career putting the safety
of others ahead of his own,” the
statement said. “He made the
ultimate sacrifice so Chicago’s
residents could be safe. For that,
there are no words that can truly
express our sorrow for his loss nor
our gratitude for his service and
sacrifice to the City of Chicago.
The thoughts and prayers of a
grateful city are with Dan, his
family and his fellow firefighters
at this difficult time.”
[Firefighter CONTINUED]
The touching story of a
Michigan-bound Syrian refugee
who lost his wife and daughter
in a deadly attack has sparked
generosity from all over the
world, including actor and film-
maker Edward Norton, whom
said he was moved to tears by
the tale and has raised nearly
$350,000 for the family.
Humans of New York, a blog
founded by Brandon Stanton that
features strangers in New York,
shared the story of the unnamed
man, who said he worked as a
scientist in Syria and that he is
being resettled in Troy. Stanton
recently embarked upon the new
series, “The Syrian Americans”, to
highlight the voices of refugees.
The story went viral on
Facebook last week with
thousands of likes, and it even
garnered an official response
from President Barack Obama,
who welcomed the Syrian refugee
to the US.
Norton — who starred in
“Fight Club” alongside Brad Pitt
and in “American History X” —
read the story and decided to
launch the fund-raiser, which has
been officially backed by Humans
of New York. The fund-raiser,
which is called the Scientist,
has raised nearly $350,000 and
donations continue to pour in.
“This man has suffered
profound loss that would crush
the spirit of many people and
yet he still passionately wants a
chance to contribute positively
to the world,” Norton wrote on
the Crowdrise fundraiser site.
“If we don’t welcome people like
this into our communities and
empower his dream of making an
impact with his life, then we’re not
the country we tell ourselves we
are. Let’s reject the ‘anti-human’
voices that tell us to fear refugees
and show this man and his family
what Americans are really made
of. Let’s show that a country
built by the energy and dreams of
immigrants still believes in brave
people who come here with hope
for a better life.”
In seven different posts,
Stanton told the story of the man
who described whis life from
the time he was raised in Syria
to when he lost his wife and a
daughter. His wife and a daughter
we’re killed when a missile filled
with shrapnel and needles tore
through his family’s compound.
The man said he’s been living
in Turkey for two years with his
surviving son and daughter but
hasn’t been allowed to work. The
man has since been diagnosed
with cancer, according to
Stanton, but he hopes to still have
a chance to “make a difference in
the world.”
“I just want a place to do my
research,” he told Stanton. “I
learned today that I’m going to
Troy, Michigan. I know nothing
about it. I just hope that its safe
and that it’s a place where they
respect science. I just want to
get back to work. I want to be a
person again. I don’t want the
world to think I’m over. I’m still
here.”
Dozens of people left personal
messages on the fundraiser,
including a woman named
Darlene Thorsen, who said she
donated on behalf of her father,
who is an immigrant from
Bornholm Denmark.
“[My father’s] children
prospered and became scientists,
mechanics, technicians and
managers,” she said. ”Thanks to
the citizens for welcoming him.”
Norton said all of the money
raised will help the father get
medical treatment while he
pursues his work and allow the
family to build a stable life. Any
excess or unused funds will go
toward the other 11 families
profiled in the HONY series,
Norton said.
“... And as the Scientist
beautifully expresses, to support
his dream of contributing to the
world,” Norton wrote. “Thanks to
everyone who rallies together to
create the power of the crowd. If
enough of us kick in the price of
two frappucinos, we can probably
transform the experience of this
family and show them that life
can deliver healing and kindness,
not just heartbreak.”
Locally, University of
Michigan Student and Troy
resident Daniel Kang launched a
GoFundMe to help the scientist.
Kang, who has raised almost
16,000 dollars, said he’s reached
out to Humans of New York to
figure out the next steps to ensure
the family gets everything they
need. Kang is now directing
everyone to donate to the official
fundraiser.
“I just felt that it was
something I could do,” Kang told
the Free Press. ”Seeing as this
man is coming to my hometown
... It just felt very personal.”
‘Fight Club’ actor raises refugee funds