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An ICE officer fired at an SUV fleeing a car stop in Pennsylvania. That’s not how it should happen, policing experts say

Kraig Pakulski 0 65 Article rating: No rating

By Shimon Prokupecz, Nicki Brown, CNN

(CNN) — In the early morning of July 1, federal immigration officers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, pulled over a white SUV. An unmarked Immigration and Customs Enforcement car stopped in front of the SUV to block its path, while other law enforcement vehicles parked behind it, according to surveillance video obtained by CNN affiliate WGAL.

“Get out of the car now,” one officer said after he approached the driver’s side.

When the driver did not emerge after officers repeatedly ordered him out of the SUV, an officer shattered the window. The SUV then drove away, appearing to clip the ICE vehicle stopped in front of it before turning the wrong way down a one-way street. One ICE officer fired his gun as the SUV drove away from the officers and hit a parked car.

In a statement, an ICE spokesperson said the driver – who the agency said had a criminal history of assault, hit-and-run, and a domestic incident – had “weaponized his car and rammed an ICE law enforcement vehicle.”

An ICE officer discharged his weapon, and the driver escaped, the statement said.

It’s the latest example of how surveillance footage can undermine the government’s public statements, and a law enforcement expert told CNN it clearly demonstrates some of the poor tactics being used by ICE officers.

“The vehicle pulls in front to stop the car from fleeing, but isn’t even effective at doing that. It’s not even properly positioned to do that because the guy’s pretty easily able to get around him,” said Kenneth Corey, former chief of department for the New York Police Department. “He takes a little sideswipe damage, but he doesn’t ram his way out of that, by any means.”

The officers missed multiple opportunities to conduct the car stop more safely, he said, likely due to their inexperience handling such situations – which could be contributing to similar confrontations across the country.

“I think that just goes to the lack of practice in these situations where the agents are almost having to kind of make it up as they go along,” Corey said. “While they received some training a number of years ago on how to do this, it’s not something that they’ve really executed well in the real world.”

The incident in Harrisburg occurred days before an ICE agent fatally shot a 52-year-old man during a car stop in Houston. Less than a week later, another ICE agent killed a 25-year-old man during a vehicle stop in Maine. Neither victim was the intended target of the immigration enforcement operations. The killings prompted community vigils for the victims and renewed outcry over the Trump administration’s aggressive tactics.

Following the shooting in Maine this week, the agency issued a pause on most vehicle stops conducted by ICE agents, which was swiftly overturned by President Donald Trump, who has made mass deportations a cornerstone of his second term.

ICE shifted its tactics

Vehicle stops were not always a major component of the agency’s actions, experts told CNN, as agents would typically take people into custody from a local jail or a targeted location, such as a residence or workplace. But car stops have ramped up during Trump’s immigration crackdown, as his administration set a goal of making 2,000 immigration-related arrests a day.

“They didn’t really try to pick people up off the street the way they are n

Dentro de la disputa sobre Israel que está desgarrando a los demócratas en el Congreso

Kraig Pakulski 0 61 Article rating: No rating

Por Annie Grayer, CNN

Cuando una cafetería de Brooklyn anunció en redes sociales que prohibía la entrada al representante Dan Goldman por sus opiniones sobre Israel, algunos de sus colegas judíos en el Congreso querían que el liderazgo demócrata se pronunciara.

Pero incluso mientras la controversia se disparaba por internet, el líder de la minoría en la Cámara de Representantes, Hakeem Jeffries, guardó silencio. Muchos en sus filas estaban frustrados.

“Creo que están haciendo todo lo posible por no hablar del antisemitismo en la izquierda para poder superar las elecciones”, dijo el representante demócrata Jared Moskowitz sobre su equipo de liderazgo. “Creo que es más conveniente simplemente fingir que no está ocurriendo”.

Goldman dijo a CNN: “Se notaron las pocas personas que hablaron públicamente en respuesta a ello”.

El episodio refleja un dilema creciente para los demócratas en el Capitolio, que cada vez ven más sus filas llenarse de miembros con una visión negativa de Israel por lo que consideran una conducta reprobable en Medio Oriente.

Si los demócratas ganan la mayoría en la Cámara de Representantes en noviembre, el feroz debate que se desarrolla dentro del partido podría complicar los esfuerzos por mantener unido al bloque después de que una lista de candidatos críticos de Israel derrotara a los titulares —incluido Goldman— en primarias recientes.

La tensión estalló con fuerza el miércoles, cuando 103 demócratas votaron para bloquear miles de millones en ayuda exterior a Israel, sumándose a una medida patrocinada por un republicano, aunque los republicanos y otros demócratas finalmente se levantaron para derrotarla. Incluso el liderazgo demócrata de la Cámara Baja estuvo dividido en la votación: el líder de la minoría, Hakeem Jeffries, y el presidente del Caucus Demócrata, Pete Aguilar, votaron en contra de la medida, mientras que la coordinadora de la bancada, Katherine Clark, votó a favor.

“Nada volverá a ser igual en este tema nunca más, creo, después de esta votación”, dijo el presidente del Caucus Progresista, el representante Greg Casar, rodeado de sus colegas que votaron con él para bloquear la ayuda.

Un día después, el senador John Fetterman advirtió que dejaría el Partido Demócrata si adoptaba una política antiisraelí, calificando el asunto como su “línea roja”.

“Si el Partido Demócrata se vuelve oficialmente antiisraelí, entonces ahí es cuando eso me obligaría a salir”, dijo a Manu Raju, de CNN.

Los demócratas en el Capitolio han minimizado de diversas maneras la tensión, han dicho que está sacudiendo a su partido de formas incómodas, o han intentado construir relaciones con personas cuyas opiniones sobre Israel divergen marcadamente de las suyas. Pero esto está claro: es un problema.

Jeffries cortó una pregunta de CNN el jueves cuando se le preguntó si estaba desfasado respecto a la dirección hacia la que se dirigen los demócratas de la Cámara de Representantes sobre Israel.

“Si me hace una pregunta seria, le daré una respuesta seria”, dijo Jeffries a CNN.

De cara al futuro, Jeffries argumentó que los demócratas están unidos para abordar este tema complejo: “nuestro enfoque será ampliamente inclusivo”.

Jeffries ha intentado ser un puente entre las facciones rivales en su bloque, alentando a que esas diferencias de opinión coexistan. Cree en el derecho de Israel a existir como un Estado judío, pero también exige que la política exterior de EE.UU. hacia Israel cambie para exigir responsabilidades al Gobierno israelí. Al mismo tiempo, ha pedido la reconstrucción de Gaza, asistencia humanitaria para los palestinos y, en última instancia, la creación de un Estado palestino independiente. Jeffries también ha señalado en el pasado casos de antisemitismo.

El día antes de la votación sobre la financiación para Israel, Jeffries fue franco con sus colegas en una reunión a p

“Solo los tontos no tienen miedo”: los ucranianos se adaptan a la vida bajo los constantes ataques de drones rusos

Kraig Pakulski 0 74 Article rating: No rating

Por Daria Tarasova-Markina, Svitlana Vlasova y Lauren Kent, CNN

Nikopol, en el sur de Ucrania, rara vez aparece en los titulares, eclipsada por las amenazas a la central nuclear de Zaporiyia, ocupada y situada justo al otro lado del río.

Sin embargo, según las autoridades locales, esta ciudad, en la primera línea de la invasión rusa a gran escala, ha sido atacada casi a diario desde que comenzó la guerra.

Su proximidad a posiciones militares rusas situadas a tan solo tres kilómetros de distancia, en la otra orilla del río Dniéper, significa que los civiles se enfrentan a un mayor riesgo de ataques por parte de drones rusos de corto alcance.

“En realidad, nos hemos acostumbrado un poco al peligro, aunque la sensación de miedo nunca desaparece del todo”, declaró Oleksandr Varytsev, poeta que también dirige una organización benéfica local que proporciona comidas calientes a personas mayores y discapacitadas.

“Da mucho miedo, y si me da miedo a mí, imagínense cómo se sienten los ancianos cuando vienen a nuestro centro de voluntarios”, agregó.

Un video escalofriante publicado por las autoridades en junio mostraba un pequeño dron ruso atacando a una anciana en silla de ruedas. La agresión acabó con la vida de tres personas, entre ellas la mujer de 87 años y su hijo. En abril, otras cuatro personas murieron en un ataque con dron contra un autobús urbano.

Estos son solo dos ejemplos de drones rusos FPV (vista en primera persona) que atacan a civiles en lugar de objetivos militares, un fenómeno que también se observa en las ciudades fronterizas de Jersón y Kramatorsk.

Rusia ha afirmado repetidamente que su objetivo son las amenazas de las Fuerzas Armadas ucranianas en Nikopol, a pesar de las pruebas que demuestran lo contrario.

Según Varytsev, en los últimos meses, los avistamientos de drones en Nikopol han aumentado de dos o tres al día a unos tres por hora, tanto de día como de noche.

La constante amenaza de los drones ha obligado a los civiles de esta zona a cambiar sus hábitos cotidianos para evitar convertirse en víctimas de lo que ellos llaman el “safari humano” de Rusia.

Intentan no permanecer en espacios públicos como las paradas de autobús. Las escuelas y los jardines de infancia han cerrado, y los servicios civiles como el servicio postal nacional ucraniano y los autobuses urbanos también se suspenden habitualmente.

“La gente tiene miedo de caminar por la calle, pero se está adaptando a la nueva realidad”, comentó Varytsev. “Mantenemos la cabeza en alto todo el tiempo, ya no miramos al suelo”.

Antes de la invasión a gran escala, Nikopol tenía alrededor de 100.000 habitantes y era conocida principalmente por las fresas que cultivaba para el mercado ucraniano. Hoy en día, las autoridades locales estiman que la mitad de la población ha emigrado.

“La ciudad se está vaciando ante nuestros ojos. La situación es muy peligrosa y cada día hay más ataques”, declaró Oleksii Kirillov, quien ha trabajado en el transporte de mercancías en Nikopol durante más de dos décadas.

Desde que comenzó la guerra, se ha centrado más en facilitar las evacuaciones que en su negocio de transporte, añadió.

En los últimos cuatro años, ha aprendido a distinguir entre drones de combate y drones de reconocimiento, que se mueven más lentamente. Y aunque el miedo se ha atenuado, nunca ha desaparecido. “Solo los tontos no tienen miedo”.

Nikopol está cada vez más cubierta de redes de pesca aéreas que pueden atrapar drones FPV, una nueva

Iran’s hardliners warn of a ‘coup’ as US truce comes under pressure

Kraig Pakulski 0 82 Article rating: No rating

By Mostafa Salem, CNN

(CNN) — As Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian walked alongside the coffin of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran last week, some of the black-clad mourners surrounding him chanted not in tribute to the late leader, but directly at him – “death to the compromiser.”

Not far from that site, Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s top diplomat who negotiated a ceasefire with the Trump administration and lifted some sanctions on the Islamic Republic, was forced to flee the funeral after a mob pelted him with rocks amid death chants accusing him of being a “traitorous sellout.”

The hostility directed at top officials during the funeral reflects a theory that has been gaining traction within the Islamic Republic’s most radical factions for months: that Iran’s wartime leaders who negotiated and signed the agreement with Washington are staging a soft coup against the Islamic Republic and its revolutionary ideals while the new supreme leader remains largely invisible for fear of his life – or, as some have suggested, because he is incapacitated.

The hardline factions that attended the funeral in large numbers believe that instead of avenging Khamenei’s killing, Iranian officials have surrendered by signing an agreement that defies the orders of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son and successor. But Khamenei has remained hidden from public view, neither addressing the nation directly nor visibly asserting his authority, even as officials negotiate or govern in his name.

Hardliners have accused Iran’s visible leadership – those running and representing the country as Khamenei remains in hiding – of plotting to consolidate power by suspending parliament, defying his orders in negotiations and attempting to disperse the nightly street rallies that had become a potent power base for fundamentalists.

“Warning to the people of Iran: Is a coup on the way??” Mahmoud Nabavian, an outspoken radical lawmaker, asked on X days before Khamenei’s funeral.

“In these moments of farewell to the martyred Imam (Khamenei), we raise the banner of vengeance for his blood and stand firm against the coup,” he wrote days later.

In Mojtaba’s absence, chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Pezeshkian and Araghchi have become the most visible faces in charge of post-war Iran. Without access to the new supreme leader, hardliners who are unhappy with their performance have instead accused them of plotting a coup, Arash Azizi, a US-based Iran expert and author of the book “What Iranians Want,” told CNN.

“Mojtaba’s continued absence means that they don’t have access to him and also that Ghalibaf and allies are effectively in charge of the country… the ultra-hardliners have thus accused Ghalibaf and Pezeshkian of plotting a ‘coup’ against Mojtaba,” Azizi said.

‘Us, the blade and your throat’

Despite widespread calls for wartime unity across Iran, the weeklong grand funeral f

Iran’s hardliners warn of a ‘coup’ as US truce comes under pressure

Kraig Pakulski 0 84 Article rating: No rating

By Mostafa Salem, CNN

(CNN) — As Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian walked alongside the coffin of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran last week, some of the black-clad mourners surrounding him chanted not in tribute to the late leader, but directly at him – “death to the compromiser.”

Not far from that site, Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s top diplomat who negotiated a ceasefire with the Trump administration and lifted some sanctions on the Islamic Republic, was forced to flee the funeral after a mob pelted him with rocks amid death chants accusing him of being a “traitorous sellout.”

The hostility directed at top officials during the funeral reflects a theory that has been gaining traction within the Islamic Republic’s most radical factions for months: that Iran’s wartime leaders who negotiated and signed the agreement with Washington are staging a soft coup against the Islamic Republic and its revolutionary ideals while the new supreme leader remains largely invisible for fear of his life – or, as some have suggested, because he is incapacitated.

The hardline factions that attended the funeral in large numbers believe that instead of avenging Khamenei’s killing, Iranian officials have surrendered by signing an agreement that defies the orders of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son and successor. But Khamenei has remained hidden from public view, neither addressing the nation directly nor visibly asserting his authority, even as officials negotiate or govern in his name.

Hardliners have accused Iran’s visible leadership – those running and representing the country as Khamenei remains in hiding – of plotting to consolidate power by suspending parliament, defying his orders in negotiations and attempting to disperse the nightly street rallies that had become a potent power base for fundamentalists.

“Warning to the people of Iran: Is a coup on the way??” Mahmoud Nabavian, an outspoken radical lawmaker, asked on X days before Khamenei’s funeral.

“In these moments of farewell to the martyred Imam (Khamenei), we raise the banner of vengeance for his blood and stand firm against the coup,” he wrote days later.

In Mojtaba’s absence, chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Pezeshkian and Araghchi have become the most visible faces in charge of post-war Iran. Without access to the new supreme leader, hardliners who are unhappy with their performance have instead accused them of plotting a coup, Arash Azizi, a US-based Iran expert and author of the book “What Iranians Want,” told CNN.

“Mojtaba’s continued absence means that they don’t have access to him and also that Ghalibaf and allies are effectively in charge of the country… the ultra-hardliners have thus accused Ghalibaf and Pezeshkian of plotting a ‘coup’ against Mojtaba,” Azizi said.

‘Us, the blade and your throat’

Despite widespread calls for wartime unity across Iran, the weeklong grand funeral f

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