By Betsy Klein, CNN

(CNN) — One of the more emotional moments in first lady Melania Trump’s new documentary comes when she meets Aviva Siegel, a former hostage held by Hamas who’s advocating for the release of her husband, in January 2025.

On Wednesday, Trump welcomed the couple to the White House, and told observers that they could see more of that meeting in her film — a callout for the multimillion dollar project that is alarming some advocates and ethics experts, even though there are no rules barring her from promoting it at the White House.

“It was emotional meeting, and it is captured on camera and available to see in my film, ‘Melania,’” Trump said in remarks in the Blue Room at an event meant to celebrate the Siegels’ release. (Keith Siegel, who was also captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023, was freed in February 2025.)

Asked by CNN whether she felt it was appropriate to use an official White House event to tout her film, Trump said Wednesday’s meeting came at the Siegels’ request and was “not promotion.”

“This is not promotion. We are here celebrating the release of the hostages, of Aviva and Keith. They were in Washington, DC, and they called me. They said they would like to come over to thank me and to give hugs,” she said.

“That’s why we are here. It has nothing to do with promotion.”

Earlier during Wednesday’s sit-down, Keith Siegel thanked Trump for the role he said she played in bringing him home and discussed his efforts to work in humanitarian aid in Kenya as part of his recovery process. Then, he congratulated the first lady on her new movie.

“Looking forward to seeing it, and so grateful for you deciding to have Aviva be a part of your movie,” he said.

Aviva Siegel thanked Trump “for putting me in your special ‘Melania’ film.”

The office of the first lady and Trump’s private office did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on whether she did any private outreach or advocacy on behalf of hostages captured by Hamas over the past year.

But for hostage advocates and ethics experts, the focus on the film on Wednesday was jarring.

“There’s gratitude for the role the administration played in bringing the hostages home, and, with an administration that has exploited aspects of the presidency for personal benefit, deep discomfort with that potentially happening here,” said Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.

Using the “role hostages played to promote a film,” she added, “obviously raises major concerns.”

It’s not illegal for a sitting first lady to profit from her position — Trump signed a roughly $40 million deal with Amazon MGM on the film documenting the 20 days around her husband’s 2025 inauguration — nor is it illegal for her to personally promote it in the White House. (There are, however, rules prohibiting her staff from doing so.)

Still, ethics experts questioned the optics of Trump using a meeting at the White House to tout her film.

“The White House is the representation of American government. This is paid for by taxpayers and is one of the symbols of public service. … When you see it being used as part of this business deal that’s bringing in millions of dollars for the first lady, it makes us and a lot of people uncomfortable,” said Jordan Libowitz, spokesperson for CREW, or Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

He added: “It’s supposed to be above that. It’s a symbol of something greater, something beyond money making.”

The film — which earned ab

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - Toasty temperatures continue Thursday as clouds move in from the southeast.

Temperatures drop Friday as high pressure exits east, gets replaces with weak low pressure, and onshore winds ramp up.

Despite the upcoming cooling, we will remain warm and in the 70s through this weekend with offshore winds giving us a boost to near 75 on Super Bowl Sunday.

Two rainstorms are now expected for next week - one around Tuesday with another possible during the Valentine's Day weekend though both systems expected to produce under half an inch expected each.

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The post Injured Hiker Airlifted from San Ysidro Trail After Dramatic Helicopter Rescue appeared first on edhat.

Por Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

Cuando Bad Bunny suba al escenario del Super Bowl este domingo, hará historia como el primer artista de habla hispana en encabezar el espectáculo de medio tiempo.

Eso tiene a los puertorriqueños rebosantes de anticipación y orgullo.

“Creo que es un orgullo, un orgullo enorme, que sea así, en nuestro idioma, con nuestra jerga, con música que nos representará, con un artista que nos representa”, dijo RaiNao, una artista que ha colaborado con Bad Bunny, a CNN.

Mientras que algunos conservadores, incluido el presidente Donald Trump, han manifestado su rechazo a la presentación de Bad Bunny, el apoyo de los puertorriqueños y de otros seguidores del artista ha sido igual de fuerte, si no más.

Ese apoyo creció después de que Bad Bunny arrasara en los premios Grammy el pasado fin de semana, ganando en las categorías a mejor interpretación de música global, mejor álbum de música urbana y convirtiéndose en el primer artista de habla hispana en ganar álbum del año por “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS”.

También fue elogiado por sus seguidores por pronunciarse en contra de las políticas antiinmigración del Gobierno de Trump, con comentarios iniciados por las palabras: “ICE out” (“Fuera ICE”, en español).

Hace tiempo, Bad Bunny se comprometió a cantar solo en español. Dijo a Vanity Fair en 2023 que “nunca” cantaría en inglés “solo porque alguien diga que tengo que hacerlo para llegar a cierto público”.

“Pienso en español, siento en español, como en español, canto en español”, declaró a la revista.

Ya ha lanzado siete álbumes de estudio, sin una sola canción completa en inglés.

“No se movió hacia el mundo; hizo que el mundo se moviera hacia nosotros”, dijo Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) en una entrevista incluida en el especial de CNN “Bad Bunny and the Halftime Show: Rhythms of Resistance”.

Bad Bunny ya hizo una aparición en el espectáculo de medio tiempo del Super Bowl en 2020, cuando Jennifer Lopez y Shakira fueron las artistas principales.

El show incluyó imágenes impactantes, como un segmento durante la interpretación de “Let’s Get Loud” con niños cantando desde estructuras semejantes a jaulas en el campo, en referencia a la política migratoria de Estados Unidos.

Shakira y JLo, quienes cantan tanto en inglés como en español, promovieron su espectáculo como uno que buscaría unificar y demostrar, como dijo Shakira en ese momento, “la fuerza relevante que la comunidad latina es en este país”.

El espectáculo recibió críticas mixtas y más de 1.000 quejas ante la Comisión Federal de Comunicaciones (FCC, por sus siglas en inglés), algunas alegando que no era apto para toda la familia.

Antes del Super Bowl de este domingo, Turning Point USA anunció que presentará su propio “All American Halftime Show” con los artistas Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice y Gabby Barrett.

Trump ya dijo que es “anti-ellos”, refiriéndose a Bad Bunny y a Green Day, quienes también son críticos de su Gobierno. El presidente de la Cámara de Representantes, Mike Johnson, calificó la elección de Bad Bunny como “una decisión terrible”.

“Parece que no es alguien que le guste a un público más amplio”, dijo en octubre.

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