By Danya Gainor, CNN

(CNN) — As a shrinking number of Transportation Security Administration agents work to keep hourslong security lines moving despite not being paid, President Donald Trump stepped into the fray Saturday, announcing he will send Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to airports by Monday if Congress doesn’t agree to a plan to end the partial government shutdown.

The Trump administration has not clarified what shape ICE agents’ roles would take at airports since they’re not trained to perform security screenings, and TSA screeners are required to undergo months of training. CNN has reached out to the White House and the Department of Homeland Security, which includes TSA, for comment.

“The president can have (ICE agents) come there but I don’t see how that helps us in getting through this time period,” Atlanta TSA officer and union steward George Borek told CNN, reiterating the need for proper training.

As leaders in both parties try to work out a deal to fund DHS, which includes 61,000 TSA employees who have been working without paychecks, there are few signs the impasse will break soon on Capitol Hill before a scheduled recess.

Trump’s threat comes as hundreds of TSA agents have quit amid the funding lapse, frustrated travelers are facing dizzying security checkpoint lines at some major airports, and officials are warning it could get worse if the standoff between Republicans and Democrats over federal immigration enforcement continues.

Here’s what lies ahead as chaos and uncertainty continue to cast a shadow over airports across the country.

What’s ahead for travelers

It’s not clear what — if any — relief ICE agents could provide for lengthy security wait times, should the president deploy them. The agents could potentially help in limited roles, like managing lines, directing passengers or helping move people through the checkpoint process, to free up trained TSA officers for critical security functions.

Trump’s announcement also did not specify to which airports ICE agents might be headed.

Bringing in untrained personnel could pose its own problems, Borek said.

“If you bring people in there, they are not trained, they don’t know what they’re looking for, then certainly it could be a problem,” he said. Even trained TSA officers must be recertified after taking medical leave from work for 30 days, Borek said.

And as financial strain and low morale push TSA agents off the job, travelers may expect to see continuing lines weaving through some airports.

For six straight days last week, TSA callout rates hovered above 9% — with a record 10.22% absentee rate set on Monday — as employees continue working without pay.

Impacts for travelers due to the callouts have varied wildly by airport, and unpredictability could continue. More than a third of screeners at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were absent last week, forcing passengers to wait in security lines for up to two hours. On Friday, Read more

Por Sara Sidner, Meridith Edwards y Rachel Clarke, CNN

Marlon Batres no está bien.

El subdirector afirma que vive con miedo constante por sus estudiantes, el personal e incluso por sí mismo en su comunidad de Minnesota.

Su sensación de seguridad desapareció cuando agentes federales invadieron las calles alrededor de su escuela secundaria de Minneapolis en diciembre.

No importa que el zar fronterizo de la Casa Blanca, Tom Homan, haya reducido desde entonces el número de agentes; Batres dice que todavía ve agentes de inmigración en las calles de Minneapolis.

Tampoco importa que Batres sea ciudadano estadounidense. Dice haber visto a una de sus alumnas nacidas en Estados Unidos ser detenida y llevada a una instalación federal antes de ser liberada sin explicación ni compensación por el terror y la confusión que le causaron a ella y a su familia.

Lo que sí importa es transformar el miedo en fortaleza, centrándose en mantener unida a su escuela y a su comunidad, declaró Batres a CNN, y eso es increíblemente difícil.

Sus preocupaciones reflejan las de padres, educadores y autoridades que temen que haya un impacto a largo plazo en los niños por la operación de detención masiva y el miedo que generó.

“Esto nunca termina, y para nosotros nunca terminará”, dijo. “Vamos a cuidar de nuestros estudiantes de diferentes maneras. Va a ser difícil. Mi preocupación no es ahora, sino qué vendrá después, qué efecto tendrá en nuestros estudiantes y nuestras familias”.

Por ahora, las tácticas agresivas desplegadas por el entonces jefe de la Patrulla Fronteriza de Estados Unidos, Gregory Bovino, que provocaron protestas y las muertes de Renee Good y Alex Pretti, en gran medida se han transformado en operaciones más focalizadas que involucran a menos agentes.

Pero los habitantes de Minnesota como Batres están acostumbrados a las falsas primaveras, cuando las condiciones mejoran brevemente antes de que una nueva ronda de clima brutal se desplome. Y temen que lo mismo pueda ocurrir con las acciones migratorias en su castigada ciudad.

Batres recuerda sonreír todos los días al cruzar las puertas de escuela secundaria Hiawatha Collegiate, al sureste del centro de la ciudad. Ahora, se arma de valor justo cuando sale de la autopista hacia una escuela donde su trabajo se siente cada vez más como dirigir un centro de crisis.

El estrés en Hiawatha es tan palpable que parece difícil que no se desborde.

Después de responder “¿Estás bien?” con un directo “No”, Batres tuvo que hacer una pausa. Se llevó las manos a la boca mientras se le llenaban los ojos de lágrimas. Su voz vaciló cuando finalmente continuó.

“Esto no está bien”, dijo, incluso mientras expresaba gratitud y orgullo por una escuela solidaria cuya respuesta ha incluido transportar a los estudiantes hacia y desde la escuela, así como organizar donaciones y entregas de comida. “Las cosas que estos maestros están haciendo; esto no es algo administrativo, esto no es algo de la escuela. Esto ha sido esfuerzo colectivo de todo el vecindario… Ese es el espíritu de nuestra escuela y de nuestra comunidad aquí. Pero… esto no está bien, y tengo que ser fuerte”, dijo. “Es duro”.

Cuando el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional lanzó la “Operación Metro Surge” el 1 de dic

By Mitchell McCluskey and Cristopher Ulloa, CNN

(CNN) — Tickets that go for $9,000 each; fans who plant trees so their idols can see them from their plane; devotees who listen for up to 11 hours a day.

Few places have caught the K-pop bug as intensely as Latin America.

After nearly a four-year break, the preeminent Korean pop music group BTS is reuniting for a world tour featuring several dates in Latin America, where the group’s return is highly anticipated.

In the band’s absence, the so-called “Korean wave” has continued to flourish on a global scale, with successes represented in the Netflix film “KPop Demon Hunters” and the solo careers of the Blackpink performers.

This dominance is especially emblematic in Latin America, where K-pop artists maintain a feverish fandom.

In 2021, the social media platform X found that the countries with the most K-pop fans included Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, and Colombia. Spotify recently reported that Mexico is among the genre’s largest markets.

Perhaps no group exemplifies the genre’s success more than BTS, the massively popular boy band that commands an expansive base of fans. The legions of followers who surround the group are known as the “ARMY,” a symbol of the loyal and organized nature of the fandom.

Before their break for mandatory military service, the group enjoyed titanic success that has transcended borders and languages.

After kicking off their long-awaited tour in Seoul, the group heads to Latin America in the fall, with dates in Bogotá, Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires, and São Paulo.

Across the region, anticipation for the group’s arrival is palpable.

The BTS craze has driven up resale prices in Mexico, where tickets cost as much as $9,000.

In Peru, fans are planting trees so the band will have “a better view” from the plane.

Meanwhile, some Chileans have expressed concern at the lack of a confirmed venue for the two October dates in Santiago.

Latin American fans have seemingly embraced the influence of K-pop acts, with their refined aesthetic presentation, flashy performances, and potent messages of self-acceptance.

Why K-pop resonates in Latin America

Across Latin America, K-pop fandom manifests in diverse ways.

In Colombia, a burgeoning movement of competitive dance groups is building communities centered around the music.

Fans in Mexico City gather to participate in K-pop themed events in Friki Plaza, a lively shopping center that offers Korean and Japanese merchandise and food. In Mexico, BTS is so popular that President Claudia Sheinbaum requested South Korea to schedule more tour dates.

Even in Cuba, which only formalized diplomatic relations with South Korea in 2024, the phenom

Análisis por Aaron Blake, CNN

Durante años, el presidente Donald Trump ha hecho comentarios groseros e insensibles sobre personas fallecidas, especialmente sus adversarios.

Pero el sábado celebró explícitamente la muerte del exdirector del FBI, Robert Mueller, al escribir: “Bien, me alegro de que esté muerto”.

Como fiscal especial, Mueller investigó a Trump y su campaña de 2016 como líder de la investigación sobre Rusia durante el primer mandato del presidente.

“Robert Mueller acaba de morir”, publicó Trump en redes sociales poco después de que se informara por primera vez de la muerte. “Bien, me alegro de que esté muerto.
¡Ya no puede perjudicar a personas inocentes!”.

Si bien fue la culminación de una serie de comentarios de este tipo por parte de Trump a lo largo de años, difícilmente fue un incidente aislado.

En 2017, una de las primeras grandes controversias del primer mandato de Trump fueron sus supuestos comentarios insensibles a la viuda de un soldado que acababa de morir. Se acusó a Trump de decirle a la viuda que su esposo “sabía a lo que se exponía”. Y, aunque Trump afirmó que había sido “una conversación muy respetuosa”, la Casa Blanca pareció confirmar tácitamente los comentarios.

Después de que John McCain muriera en agosto de 2018, Trump, a comienzos de 2019, reanudó sus ataques de años contra el exsenador de Arizona. Criticó al republicano por tumbar la ley de salud de Trump, diciendo: “Nunca fui seguidor de John McCain, y nunca lo seré”. Trump también afirmó falsamente que el recién fallecido se había graduado “último de su clase” y lo acusó, sin pruebas, de compartir el “expediente Steele” con el FBI antes de las elecciones de 2016.

A finales de 2019, Trump atacó a otro adversario legislativo que murió ese año —el veterano representante John Dingell— al sugerir que el demócrata de Michigan estaba “mirando hacia arriba” desde el infierno.

La viuda de Dingell, la representante demócrata Debbie Dingell de Michigan, respondió: “Me preparo para la primera temporada de fiestas sin el hombre que amo. Me hundiste de una manera que nunca podrías imaginar y tus palabras hirientes hicieron que mi sanación fuera mucho más difícil”.

Para 2021, los ataques de Trump contra los fallecidos se volvieron más inmediatos.
Aproximadamente 24 horas después de que el exsecretario de Estado, Colin Powell, muriera, Trump difundió un comunicado criticando sus “grandes errores en Iraq” y llamándolo un “republicano moderado clásico” que siempre era “el primero en atacar a otros republicanos”.

(Powell había criticado abiertamente a Trump y cruzó líneas partidistas para votar en su contra en 2016 y 2020).

Y la tendencia de Trump realmente se ha intensificado en los últimos meses.

En diciembre, volvió a publicar una serie de ataques contra la familia Kennedy apenas unas horas después de que la nieta de John F. Kennedy, la periodista ambiental Tatiana Schlossberg, muriera tras ser diagnosticada con cáncer cerebral terminal.

Eso ocurrió apenas un par de semanas después de, posiblemente, los comentarios más insensibles de Trump sobre un crítico fallecido. Y no se trataba solo de alguien que hubiera muerto recientemente, sino de alguien que había sido brutalmente asesinado.

Poco después de la muerte del director Rob Reiner y su esposa, Trump sugirió que Reiner había muerto por “síndrome de trastorno por Trump”.

“Era conocido por volver LOCAS a las personas por su furiosa obsesión con el presidente Donald J. Trump, con su evidente paranoia alcanzando nu

By Lianne Kolirin, CNN

(CNN) — The biggest mystery in the art world has apparently been solved: Banksy has been unmasked as a bespectacled middle-aged man from Bristol, England called Robin Gunningham.

His name was revealed in a sprawling investigation by Reuters, though many say it has been an open secret for years, having been reported by the British tabloid the Mail on Sunday as far back as 2008.

True to form, the artist formerly known as Banksy has neither confirmed nor denied his identity and continues to maintain a low profile. His representatives did not respond to a request for comment from CNN.

How the revelation, which made headlines globally, will impact his output and its value remains uncertain.

Banksy is not alone in preferring to remain anonymous. Among the artists who conceal their identities is Jerkface, a New York street artist known for his unique interpretations of much-loved animated characters.

In an email to CNN –– which did not reveal his identity –– Jerkface said anonymity had long been valued in the arts.

“Looking at all the creative fields, visual art is one of the few that expression can be made without the necessity of revealing one’s identity,” he said. “Actors and musicians change their real name, but often can’t easily hide their face. Writers have been hiding their identity for centuries.”

“I think people enjoy the honesty of a blatantly fabricated persona,” said Jerkface. “The people who appreciate these artists, they don’t want to know who’s behind the mask. It ruins the mystery.”

He added: “There’s a real disappointment in Banksy’s identity being revealed. It’s like telling someone wrestling isn’t real. They already know. They’re not looking for detailed proof.”

Nico Epstein is a Lisbon-based art consultant who also runs an online art platform called Collector Connoisseur and teaches classes at Christie’s auction house on collecting and evaluating art. He told CNN there had long been “whispers” in the industry about Gunningham, but he is “disappointed” to have them confirmed.

“I wanted the memory of the anonymous artist –– and the mystery behind that –– to live on. Banksy is a superhero for many many people. People want to believe that fairy tale and now it’s come to a close.”

He said he had liked the “neutrality” of not knowing whether Banksy was male or female or their background. “Now it’s been connected to an old White guy from Bristol definitively I’m just not as into it anymore.”

The cost of exposure

Banksy went to great lengths to preserve his anonymity, but it is likely to have started out of necessity. “Being an anonymous mysterious artist was part of the persona but it was also a practicality that allowed him to avoid being detected by law enforcement,” said Epstein.

Gunningham’s unveiling is likely to affect Banksy’s work, said Epstein, who believes the value of his art was already falling.

Banksy’s works go for huge amounts of money. In 2021, “Love is in the Bin,” the painting that partially self-destructed at auction three years earlier, sold for a staggering £18.5 million ($25.4 million).

“The bigger question is whether or not he’ll still be able to make interesting work now he’s been uncovered,” said Epstein, who cited Banksy’s “iconic”