By Kaanita Iyer, CNN

(CNN) — A Republican congresswoman from Virginia is defending herself amid calls for her to resign after she agreed with a radio host’s remark referring to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ “cotton-picking hands.”

The comment was made during Rep. Jen Kiggans’ appearance on “Richmond’s Morning News” on Monday to talk about her state’s redistricting fight. During the interview, radio host Rich Herrera said Jeffries, who is Black, should “get your cotton-picking hands off of Virginia.”

“That’s right,” Kiggans said in response. “Ditto.”

Later Monday, Kiggans, in a post on X, said she doesn’t “condone” Herrera’s language but described the backlash as a “lie and distortion” from Democrats.

“This is precisely what’s wrong with Democrats. Every lie and distortion is intended to distract from getting their hats handed to them and the Virginia Supreme Court’s clear message: stop trying to rig our elections,” Kiggans said.

She continued, “The radio host should not have used that language and I do not -and did not – condone it. It was obvious to anyone listening that I was agreeing Hakeem Jefferies (sic) should stay out of Virginia.”

Merriam-Webster notes that the term is “widely considered offensive” as it calls back to work enslaved Black people were forced to do in cotton fields.

CNN has reached out to the offices of Kiggans and Jeffries, as well as to Herrera.

The redistricting fight in the state continued Monday after Virginia Democrats asked the US Supreme Court to reinstate a congressional map that voters approved in a referendum. Last week, the state’s Supreme Court voided the map, which would have helped Democrats win up to four additional House seats in this year’s midterm elections.

Kiggans’ radio show comments drew swift criticism from Democrats, including some who are calling on her to resign.

Rep. Katherine Clark, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, said, Kiggans “should immediately apologize and resign.” Jeffries reposted Clark’s post.

Similarly, Rep. Pete Aguilar, who is also part of House Democratic leadership, said, “This racist rhetoric is absolutely disqualifying from a Member of Congress. Rep. Kiggans must apologize then get the hell out of the House.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Yvette Clarke, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, responded directly to Kiggans’ post defending herself, saying, “No matter what you say now, the fact is that you did not say a thing then — and that is precisely what’s wrong with Republicans!”

Jeffries “deserves an apology, and the people of Virginia deserve better than bigots and their enablers,” Clarke added.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The post Virginia representative distances herself after agreeing with radio show host’s offensive comment about Jeffries appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Alicia Wallace, CNN

(CNN) — For the first time in three years, Americans’ wages are no longer outpacing inflation.

Prices rose 0.6% on a monthly basis, driving the annual rate to 3.8%, the highest since May 2023, according to the latest Consumer Price Index data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Economists had expected prices to rise 0.6% from March and for the annual rate to climb to 3.7%.

The energy price shock from the US-Israeli war with Iran is further compounding longstanding affordability concerns for Americans, who have been weighed down by years of fast-rising prices.

This story is developing and will be updated.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The post US inflation rose to 3.8% in April, eroding Americans’ paychecks appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Karla Walsh, CNN

(CNN) — Chef Hillary Sterling has worked in kitchens with culinary icons such as Bobby Flay and Missy Robbins. Sterling has traveled and eaten her way through many corners of Italy, and she now helms the bustling New York City restaurant Ci Siamo.

But the Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef isn’t too proud to admit that when she’s home alone for dinner, she occasionally stands at the counter scooping pretzels into hummus straight from the tub.

Chefs, they are just like us.

“My other guilty pleasure is to order delivery from Peter Luger, which is just five blocks from my house. I default to this so often that the team knows my order by heart: a Caesar salad and a burger, medium-rare,” Sterling said, referring to the well-known New York City steakhouse.

The chef, who lives in Brooklyn with wife Tess McNamara and their 4-year-old son, isn’t above a “girl dinner” or takeout. But Sterling also likes to return to her roots and whip up a simple 15-minute pasta dinner that reminds her of one of her beloved matriarchs.

“My grandparents grew up in the Depression, so my grandma was a thrifty yet soulful home cook,” Sterling told CNN. “She also created this environment in our house that was warm and inviting. We always gathered around the table.” To this day, the chef still dreams about her grandmother’s kosher spaghetti and meatballs — served with soft, squishy white bread.

Sterling swears by Bucatini all’Amatriciana as a go-to back-pocket dinner as a tip of her cap to her grandma — and to her passion for Italian cuisine. Featured in her new cookbook, “Ammazza! Culinary Adventures from New York to Italy and Back Again,” Sterling declared it “a dish I could eat every day.”

“I love amatriciana because it’s like the best parts of marinara, the sweet-tart tomatoes, mixed with my favorite part of carbonara: bacon. Or guanciale, if you have it. Plus, if you stock a can of tomato paste, an onion and a box of pasta in the pantry, have some bacon in the freezer, and keep some pecorino cheese in the fridge, you have everything you need for a satisfying meal for one,” Sterling said.

Pasta is actually one dish that’s occasionally better to prepare in single servings. Yes, even beyond those heat-and-eat cups of mac and cheese.

“That’s how I teach my cooks at the restaurant. It’s much easier to emulsify a pasta dish like cacio e pepe or amatriciana in one pan. It helps the marriage of the noodles and the sauce, supported by a splash of starchy pasta water,” she said.

Enjoyed on its own or paired with roasted broccoli with garlic and a medium-bodied white wine like pinot grigio or light red wine such as nebbiolo, Sterling believes this dinner for one might just inspire you to exclaim “ammazza!” — a Roman term for a feeling of overwhelming joy and delight.

Amatriciana has roots very close to Italy’s capital city. The sauce and dish come from Amatrice, a town north of Rome near Abruzzo, Sterling said, “where it’s also claimed as a regional specialty.”

Becoming a chef and cookbook author

Por Jeff Zeleny, CNN

Este martes, los votantes de Nebraska celebran elecciones primarias demócratas para el Congreso, en una contienda que se perfila como una de las más competitivas del país y podría ayudar a determinar el control del Congreso.

Ha pasado una década desde que Nebraska envió a un demócrata al Congreso, pero la decisión del representante Don Bacon de retirarse convirtió su distrito en el área de Omaha en un campo de batalla clave para las elecciones de noviembre. Bacon fue uno de los únicos tres republicanos del país que ganaron en un distrito que Kamala Harris también ganó en 2024.

Sin embargo, las conversaciones sobre la posibilidad de que un republicano obtenga un escaño en noviembre han quedado relegadas a un segundo plano ante unas primarias demócratas muy reñidas. El debate gira en torno a qué candidato protegerá —o pondrá en peligro— el llamado ”punto azul”, que se refiere al singular sistema estatal de asignación de votos electorales en las elecciones presidenciales.

Dos de los principales candidatos demócratas en la contienda, John Cavanaugh y Denise Powell, han acaparado la mayor atención nacional, ya que una guerra publicitaria multimillonaria sobre el futuro del “punto azul”, los derechos al aborto y otros temas han dominado el debate.

Pero los votantes también están sopesando las candidaturas de otros cuatro rivales, entre ellos Crystal Rhoades, secretaria del Tribunal de Distrito del Condado de Douglas, respaldada por el alcalde de Omaha, John Ewing, y Kishla Atkins, veterana de la Marina y ex subsecretaria adjunta de Asuntos de Veteranos.

Las primarias, muy concurridas, se celebrarán exclusivamente en el bando demócrata este martes.

Los republicanos despejaron el camino en su contienda, ya que el concejal de Omaha, Brinker Harding, se postuló sin oposición a la nominación republicana. El presidente Donald Trump respaldó a Harding, y dejó así una contienda que medirá la popularidad del presidente en el segundo distrito congresional, donde Trump ha perdido dos elecciones consecutivas, y también el voto del Colegio Electoral de ese distrito.

La disputa entre los demócratas sobre un tema estatal singular en Nebraska se distingue de las luchas ideológicas que se viven en otras primarias competitivas en todo el país. Esta contienda ha atraído una avalancha de gastos externos por parte de grupos de interés. Por ejemplo, se invirtieron más de US$ 6 millones solo en publicidad, según AdImpact.

Powell argumenta que elegir a Cavanaugh, senador estatal, para el Congreso amenazaría el bastión demócrata con el que se conoce coloquialmente al segundo distrito congresional del estado, porque ya no podría luchar contra los esfuerzos republicanos por cambiar la ley electoral estatal y convertir a Nebraska en un sistema de mayoría absoluta como el de otros 48 estados.

Dos comités de acción política (PAC, por sus siglas en inglés) progresistas externos han invertido más de US$ 1 millón en las ondas de radio de Omaha para amplificar el argumento de Powell: si Cavanaugh es elegido para el Congreso y renuncia a su puesto en la legislatura estatal, el gobernador republicano Jim Pillen ocuparía el escaño con alguien que votaría a favor de eliminar el llamado “punto azul”.

En respuesta, Cavanaugh ha emitido sus propios anuncios, en los que se refiere a su oponente como “Denise, la del dinero oscuro”.

Su campaña y sus aliados han colocado carteles electorales por todo el distrito en los que prometen “plantarle cara a Trump y defender el bastión demócrata”. Seis senadores estatales firmaron una carta abierta a los votantes el mes pasado, en la que afirmaban que los ataques eran infundados y que era probable que los demócratas ganaran otras elecciones legislativas para contrarrestar su escaño.

Nebrask

We start the morning with dense fog producing misting for many beach areas. Tale it slow and have low beams on through major highways. Expect a rather slow clearing trend as mostly sunny skies prevail by midday and after lunch for most.

May Gray will be the name of the weather pattern each and every morning through the weekeend. Expect another round of fog Wednesday morning. Fog will be less dense but still dangerous for some fog-prone areas.

Overcast skies turn to sunshine by lunch Thursday and Friday morning. Temperatures are near average and minimal change is expected through the weekend. Mid 70s on board for most beach areas and slightly warmer inland. No watches, warnings or advisories to worry about.

The post Misty Tuesday morning, tracking a mild workweek appeared first on News Channel 3-12.