By Karina Tsui, Brian Stelter, CNN

(CNN) — Independent journalist and former CNN anchor Don Lemon defended his coverage of an anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul, Minnesota, church, which resulted in his arrest last week, telling Jimmy Kimmel on Monday that as a journalist, he “went there to chronicle and document and record what was happening.”

“There is a difference between a protester and a journalist,” Lemon said on Kimmel’s late-night show in his first interview since he was released without bail last Friday.

Lemon and another independent journalist, Georgia Fort, were livestreaming as dozens of demonstrators interrupted a service at Cities Church on January 18, leading to tense confrontations. Protesters said one of the pastors is a top ICE official in the Twin Cities.

Federal prosecutors lumped the two journalists in with protesters and charged them with conspiring to violate someone’s constitutional rights and violating the FACE Act, which prohibits the use of force or threats to intentionally interfere with someone expressing their First Amendment right to practice religion.

Trump administration officials had called for Lemon’s arrest in the days after the protest, prompting him to take precautionary measures and hire an attorney, he said.

“The attorney reached out to (prosecutors) and said basically, ‘I understand that you have an interest because your folks have been talking about it. So, if you are serious about this, then let’s do it the right way,” Lemon told Kimmel, describing his willingness to turn himself in.

But instead of being able to surrender voluntarily, Lemon said, at least a dozen federal agents were sent to arrest him in the lobby of a Los Angeles hotel, where he was staying while covering the Grammys.

Lemon said he was “jostled” near a hotel elevator and placed in handcuffs, adding it took a while for agents to identify themselves and present him with a warrant.

“I think my attorney tried to contact them once, maybe twice –– that I could just go in and it would have to be just the folks who were just working there that day. They wouldn’t have to have all these people following me around,” Lemon said.

“They want to embarrass you, they want to intimidate you, they want to instill fear,” Lemon told Kimmel.

Federal prosecutors have alleged Lemon and Fort participated in a “takeover-style attack” of the church and intimidated congregants. A federal prosecutor in court last week said Lemon told his audience the protest’s purpose was to make the experience traumatic and uncomfortable for the congregants.

Lemon was released from custody on Friday after appearing in federal court. Prosecutors requested a $100,000 bond, and argued Lemon needed conditions to ensure he wouldn’t feel emboldened to do something similar while awaiting trial.

His defense attorneys agreed he would have no contact with known witnesses, victims or co-defendants, and must get approval for any foreign travel – the judge approved a trip to Europe planned in June.

He is expected to be arraigned on Monday in Los Angeles.

First Amendment advocates and civil rights organizations have condemned the charges and argued the administration is trying to chill press freedom.

Hollywood support for Lemon

The choice of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for Lemon’s first post-arrest interview was no accident. The Trump administration’s targeting of Kimmel made news in September when ABC briefly suspended the show amid government pressure

By Andi Babineau, Nick Watt, CNN

(CNN) — Charlie Kirk’s alleged shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, will appear in a Utah courtroom Tuesday for another hearing addressing whether the prosecutor’s office has a conflict of interest and should be removed from the case.

Robinson’s defense argues they should, because the 18-year-old child of one of the prosecutors is a student at Utah Valley University and was in the crowd on September 10, 2025, when Kirk was killed.

The proceedings will be the second day of argument on the issue, picking up at the same place a January 16 hearing ended: with Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray testifying under oath about what his office knew about the child’s presence at the event as the shooting unfolded and in the following hours and days.

18-year-old did not see Kirk get shot, county attorney’s office says

Robinson’s team was made aware of the possible conflict via email on October 20, Gray said, a little over a month after Kirk was killed.

The issue was first addressed in court four days later during a sealed hearing, a transcript of which has since been released publicly with redactions.

The county attorney’s office has repeatedly denied having a conflict of interest because the student, referred to as “adult child (AC)” in court documents, “did not see Charlie get shot,” and “did not see anyone (in the crowd or elsewhere) with a gun.”

Gray testified in January he found out about the shooting from the student’s father, who is a member of the executive team at the county attorney’s office and one of the prosecutors assigned to the case.

Gray said the two were at an event together in Layton, Utah, when his colleague, “Prosecutor A,” showed Gray a text from his child saying, “CHARLIE GOT SHOT.”

Gray did not meet or speak to the prosecutor’s adult child at the university following the shooting because students had left the scene by the time they arrived, he said.

He testified as he understood it, “the child was not in that line of fire,” a detail Gray said is important because the charging documents allege when Kirk was killed, the shooter “placed others in grave risk of death.”

Three more witnesses expected to testify

Gray’s testimony on Tuesday is expected to last for about 40 more minutes before the next witness is called, Robinson’s attorney Richard Novak said at the end of the last hearing.

Before Judge Tony Graf makes a ruling, the court will hear from three more witnesses: the prosecutor in question, his adult child and Special Agent Cole Christensen with the investigations division at the county attorney’s office.

Christensen helped determine where the student was located in the crowd relative to the positions of both Kirk and the shooter.

Graf denied a defense request to close the entirety of the January hearing but said he would consider further requests on a witness-by-witness basis.

Based on available court documents and the attempts of both parties to protect the student’s identity, the courtroom will likely be closed to the public during their testimony.

Robinson has not yet entered pleas for the slew of charges he’s facing, including aggravated murder, felony use of a firearm, obstruction of justice and witness tampering, along with several victim targeting enhancements and an aggravating factor of having committed a violent offense in the presence of a child.

He won’t be arraigned until after his preliminary hearing, which has been scheduled to begin May 18 and is expected to last three days.

The b

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) -

Santa Barbara 71, Rio Mesa 46: The Dons wrapped up their third straight Channel League crown. They finish league 13-1 and head into next week's CIF playoffs with a 19-8 record.

San Marcos 67, Pacifica 46: Junior Aidan Conlan scored 18 points and senior Koji Hefner added 14 points as the Royals finish 12-2 in league, good for second place. Before the game the Royals honored seven seniors.

(Conlan and the Royals finish the regular season 21-6 and riding a 9-game win streak. Entenza Design).

Oxnard 54, Ventura 47: Dom Angell scored 20 points for the Yellowjackets who claim third place at 9-4 in league and 20-8 overall.

Dos Pueblos 59, Buena 56: The Chargers sent their seniors off on a high-note. Senior Evan Pinsker scored a game-high 21 points and fellow senior Coulter Jay added 14 points as DP finished an injury-filled season at 13-15.

The post Channel League wrap-up: Dons 3-Peat, Royals claim second. appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) -

Santa Barbara 71, Rio Mesa 46: The Dons wrapped up their third straight Channel League crown. They finish league 13-1 and head into next week's CIF playoffs with a 19-8 record.

San Marcos 67, Pacifica 46: Junior Aidan Conlan scored 18 points and senior Koji Hefner added 14 points as the Royals finish 12-2 in league, good for second place. Before the game the Royals honored seven seniors.

(Conlan and the Royals finish the regular season 21-6 and riding a 9-game win streak. Entenza Design).

Oxnard 54, Ventura 47: Dom Angell scored 20 points for the Yellowjackets who claim third place at 9-4 in league and 20-8 overall.

Dos Pueblos 59, Buena 56: The Chargers sent their seniors off on a high-note. Senior Evan Pinsker scored a game-high 21 points and fellow senior Coulter Jay added 14 points as DP finished an injury-filled season at 13-15.

The post Channel League wrap-up: Dons 3-Peat, Royals claim second. appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Jessie Yeung, Todd Symons, CNN

(CNN) — Iran has tentatively agreed to resume nuclear talks with the US as it tries to avert the threat of further military strikes, in what would be the first such negotiations since the Trump administration bombed three of Iran’s nuclear sites last summer.

Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi is expected to meet US Special Representative Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Istanbul on Friday, three sources told CNN Monday. Iran’s president later confirmed it was pursing negotiations –– though with conditions.

“I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists — one free from threats and unreasonable expectations — to pursue fair and equitable negotiations, guided by the principles of dignity, prudence, and expediency,” wrote Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on X on Tuesday.

Pezeshkian said he had given the go-ahead for the negotiations following “requests from friendly governments in the region.”

“These negotiations shall be conducted within the framework of our national interests,” said Pezeshkian.

While Pezeshkian is president, ultimate power in Iran rests with the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He struck a defiant tone in Tehran on Sunday, warning that any US strike on Iran would result in a regional war.

Tensions have soared in the last few weeks, with US President Donald Trump sending a US “armada” to the region and renewing threats to strike Iran again if it does not agree to negotiate a new nuclear deal. Earlier in January, Trump had also warned of possible military action in response to nationwide protests in Iran, which had triggered deadly crackdowns by security forces.

People familiar with the matter told CNN last week that Trump was considering options including airstrikes targeting Iran’s leaders, nuclear sites, and government institutions. A US carrier strike group is now in the region, where it could support any potential operations against the country.

Iran is believed to have thousands of missiles and drones within range of US troops based in a number of countries in the Middle East, and has threatened to strike them, as well as Israel.

All eyes on Istanbul

The past few days have seen a flurry of diplomatic activity as regional leaders and players rushed to find an off-ramp to avoid conflict. Qatar, Turkey and Egypt have led these efforts, with Turkey offering to host in-person talks between the US and Iran.

Foreign ministers from Egypt, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are also expected to attend the Istanbul talks, the three sources told CNN.

Trump has expressed some optimism about negotiations, telling reporters on Sunday that Iran was “talking to us, seriously talking to us.”

Araghchi also told CNN Sunday that he was “confident that we can achieve a deal.”

But other Iranian leaders have taken a firmer tone. Ali Bagheri, the foreign policy head at Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), said on Monday the country has “no intention” of negotiating over its enriched uranium stockpiles, according to Iranian state media outlet Press TV.

Just weeks before the US struck Iran’s nuclear facilities last year, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) raised “serious concern” that Iran was enriching uranium to 60%, noting that it was the only “non-nuclear weapon state” to be doing so.

On Monday, Ali Shamkhani, a key advisor to Khamenei, told Lebanese media that the US “must offer something in return” if Iran