By Ellis Kim and Sarah Ferris

(CNN) — Rep. Al Green was escorted out of the House chamber just minutes into President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night for holding a sign reading “Black people aren’t apes!”

“I wanted the president to see it, and he saw it, and I told him, Black people are not apes, and for him to do what he did was racist, and he knows it. But sometimes we have to let him know in the public that we know it,” the 78-year-old Texas Democrat told CNN shortly after he was escorted out.

Green, a senior member of the party, is staunchly anti-Trump and is known for his repeated attempts to impeach the president, as well as his previous disruption of one of Trump’s speeches at the US Capitol.

Democrats had been expecting some kind of public protest from Green, given he is one week out from a difficult primary battle, where he faces a member-on-member race.

House Democratic leaders had made their most unambiguous demands and pleas to their rank-and-file of any major address from the president to date: Keep quiet in the House chamber or skip Trump’s speech altogether, according to Democratic members familiar with the conversations.

Democratic leaders were fearful a spectacle from one of their members could turn the focus away from the president at a time when he is at his weakest moment politically in years, and instead badly divide Democrats.

They had told their members they didn’t want them bringing in signs that could create awkward moments that could become a scene.

“There was an understanding that members are either going to plan to attend and those who are not going to attend are going to boycott the event and express their opposition to Donald Trump and a variety of the other different things that will be taking place,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said earlier Tuesday, adding that he was “not concerned” anyone would defy his wishes.

Asked whether he had defied instructions from his party leaders, Green said: “I’m not defying the leadership. What I’m doing is making a point to the president.”

“At some point you cannot let racism continue. If you tolerate it, you perpetuate it. I refuse to tolerate racism. The president needs to know that Black people aren’t apes, and he should have apologized for what he did,” he said.

Earlier this month, Trump shared and then deleted a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes in a jungle. The president refused to apologize for the Truth Social post, insisting he hadn’t seen the final frames containing the offensive content and blaming a staffer for the mistake.

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CNN’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.

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By Jack Guy, CNN

(CNN) — A mother-and-daughter team of citizen scientists has identified the world’s largest known coral colony, found on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia.

It spans about 111 meters (364 feet) – roughly the same length as a soccer pitch – and covers around 3,973 square meters (42,765 feet), according to a statement from conservation organization Citizens of the Reef Tuesday.

This means it is “among the most significant coral structures ever recorded on the Great Barrier Reef,” and “the largest documented and mapped coral colony in the world,” according to the organization.

The coral was found late last year by Sophie Kalkowski-Pope, marine operations coordinator at Citizens of the Reef, and her mother, Jan Pope, an experienced diver and underwater photographer.

Pope had been diving at the site a week before, and knew she’d seen something special. So, the pair returned with measuring equipment.

“When we hopped in the water, immediately I could recognize the significance of what we were seeing,” said Kalkowski-Pope. Together, they filmed a video, swimming across the expanse of the J-shaped coral. “It took me a three-minute video just to swim from one side to the other,” Kalkowski-Pope said.

The size of the Pavona clavus coral was verified using manual underwater measurements and high-resolution imagery taken from platforms on the water surface.

This data was then used to produce a 3D model of the coral, according to Citizens of the Reef.

This kind of spatial modeling is useful in monitoring the site and how it changes, as it “means we can return in future months and years and make direct, one-to-one comparisons to understand how the coral changes over time,” said Serena Mou, research engineer at the Queensland University of Technology’s Centre for Robotics.

The site has been found to experience strong tidal currents and low exposure to tropical cylone waves compared with many other parts of the Great Barrier Reef, and scientists are now examining whether these conditions could play a role in the existence of such a large coral structure.

The exact location of the coral has not been released, so as to “reduce the risk of unintended impacts,” Citizens of the Reef said.

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on the planet and home to a vast array of species. But in recent years it has been hit by a series of devastating mass bleaching events, turning the vibrant colors of parts of the reef a bright white.

Across the world, corals are suffering a similar fate, with more than 80% of the ocean’s reefs hit by an ongoing global bleaching event that began in 2023, due to record-high marine temperatures. Bleaching can be deadly, as the corals are depleted of the algae that live inside them and act as a food source.

Citizens of the Reef is part of conservation efforts that aim to protect the reef, and the mother-and-daughter team were surveying the reef from the family boat as part of the Great Reef Census, a joint effort to collect reef imagery that involves more than 100 vessels.

“The Great Reef Census helps us to locate the most important sources of reef recovery, helping scientists and managers better target their protection,” said Pete Mumby from the Marine Spatial Ecology Lab at the University of Queensland in the statement.

The initiative is part of efforts to engage “people power” to drive conservation efforts, said Andy Ridley, CEO of Citizens of the Reef, in the statement.

“The Great Reef Census was developed to compliment existing monitor

MONTECITO, Calif. - (KEYT) Scissors snip. Glue sticks roll across tables. Students lean over bright sheets of construction paper, building their latest classroom project.

Artificial intelligence is part of the lesson, too.

Inside Cold Spring School in Montecito, educators are embracing AI — but with clear guardrails.

The goal isn’t to replace teachers or fast-track assignments. It’s to support instruction and deepen student thinking.

Teachers use secure tools like Khanmigo through Khan Academy to customize materials and guide projects.

The technology helps create structure and prompts tailored to individual needs, while students remain in charge of the final work.

“It really helps teachers custom-make materials to meet students where they are,” said teacher Ryan Francisco.

Lessons stay rooted in California academic standards through project-based learning. In one assignment, students built detailed California maps. AI helped organize the framework, but every creative decision came from the students themselves.

Principal Amy Alzina says the purpose is balance.

“Our goal is to utilize AI to amplify the voice of teachers and students. It’s not to replace them — it’s to be a thought partner,” Alzina said.

From math concepts like surface area and ratios integrated into STEAM projects, to personalized learning supports, school leaders say they are preparing students for an AI-driven world — without letting technology do the thinking for them.

Scissors in hand. Standards in focus. The future of learning taking shape in Montecito.

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Por Mauricio Torres, CNN en Español

El gobierno de Venezuela denunció este martes que autoridades de Panamá presuntamente forzaron la apertura de una valija diplomática, una situación que Caracas describió como un “atropello” que viola “un principio esencial para la convivencia entre naciones”.

Los hechos ocurrieron en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen en Ciudad de Panamá, la capital del país centroamericano, de acuerdo con un comunicado difundido por el canciller de Venezuela, Yván Gil, en su canal de Telegram.

Venezuela dijo que lo sucedido “constituye una violación directa y flagrante de la Convención de Viena sobre Relaciones Diplomáticas de 1961”, que establece la inviolabilidad de la correspondencia oficial.

“La inmunidad de las comunicaciones diplomáticas es un principio esencial para la convivencia entre naciones. Su vulneración sienta un precedente peligroso que afecta la seguridad jurídica de nuestras misiones y atenta contra el derecho a la identidad de la comunidad venezolana residente en territorio panameño”, señaló Caracas.

Agregó que, ante lo que considera un “atropello” por parte de Panamá, “exige garantías plenas de no repetición e insta a las autoridades panameñas a cumplir estrictamente las normas que rigen la actividad diplomática y consular, considerando la voluntad expresada por ambos gobiernos para reactivar los servicios consulares”.

CNN contactó a la Cancillería de Panamá para pedir comentarios sobre la situación y está en espera de respuesta.

Los gobiernos de Venezuela y Panamá no tienen relaciones diplomáticas plenas desde julio de 2024. El entonces presidente de Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, rompió Panamá y otros seis países —Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Perú, República Dominicana y Uruguay— luego de que estos cuestionaron los resultados de las elecciones de ese año, en las que Maduro fue proclamado ganador.

Casi un año después, en junio de 2025, los dos acordaron restablecer relaciones consulares.

En enero de este año, el presidente de Panamá, José Raúl Mulino, dijo que su gobierno no reconocerá a Delcy Rodríguez como presidenta encargada de Venezuela, quien asumió el mando del país sudamericano tras el operativo de Estados Unidos en el que Maduro fue derrocado y capturado. Maduro es acusado en EE.UU. de narcoterrorismo, narcotráfico y uso de armas, cargos que él rechaza.

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Por Valeria León, Michael Rios y Norma Galeana, CNN

Un grupo de madres mexicanas con años de experiencia buscando personas desaparecidas en el estado de Sonora, México, ha llegado a Arizona para ayudar en la búsqueda de Nancy Guthrie.

En un primer momento, las Madres Buscadoras de Sonora solicitaron un permiso para realizar una búsqueda de campo en el desierto de Arizona. Esperaban comenzar el martes, pero el alguacil local negó la solicitud argumentando que podría interferir con la investigación oficial.

Sin embargo, las Madres –una red nacional compuesta por voluntarias, madres y esposas– no se han dejado intimidar. Algunas viajaron a Arizona para distribuir volantes con la imagen de Guthrie, mientras que otras se quedaron en México para buscar en la ciudad fronteriza de Nogales.

La presencia del grupo en Arizona se da mientras la búsqueda de Guthrie –la madre de 84 años de la presentadora del programa “Today”, Savannah Guthrie– entra en su cuarta semana. Guthrie fue vista por última vez el 31 de enero antes de ser aparentemente secuestrada de su casa en Catalina Foothills, Arizona, a las afueras de Tucson, a unos 95 kilómetros de la frontera con México.

El martes, Savannah Guthrie anunció en un video en Instagram que la familia ofrece hasta US$ 1 millón por información que conduzca a la recuperación de su madre. El video fue la primera declaración de la familia Guthrie en más de una semana.

Aunque el caso sigue atrayendo una atención significativa, las actualizaciones de la investigación por parte de las autoridades han disminuido.

“Estamos aquí para ayudar en todo lo que podamos”, dijo la líder de la organización, Cecilia Flores, a CNN. “Haremos todo lo que esté en nuestras manos para ayudar a esta familia. Nancy es una madre que merece reunirse con su familia”.

El grupo dice que un amigo de la familia Guthrie les pidió ayuda. Sin embargo, su presencia no ha sido bienvenida por algunos lugareños, especialmente después de que algunos de ellos realizaran una búsqueda limitada en el lecho de un arroyo cerca de la casa de Guthrie.

“Los vecinos salieron gritándonos y diciéndonos que nos fuéramos, que era propiedad privada”, dijo Lupita Tello, una de las Madres.

“Queremos explorar el área circundante, las salidas, todo, incluso las salidas principales de las calles principales”, dijo, pero agregó que no han podido hacer una “búsqueda adecuada debido a las regulaciones locales”.

“Respeto las leyes y las reglas, pero no sé dónde podríamos buscar sin tener problemas con la gente, porque la gente simplemente no coopera”, agregó Tello.

Al ser consultado sobre las Madres, el Departamento del Sheriff del Condado de Pima dijo a CNN: “agradecemos su preocupación… y todos queremos encontrar a Nancy, pero este trabajo es mejor dejarlo en manos de profesionales”.

“Tenemos oportunidades de voluntariado si desean involucrarse con el departamento”, agregó. “Se aplican las leyes de propiedad privada. Depende de cada propietario dar permiso para que alguien esté en su propiedad”.

Flores fundó Madres Buscadoras de Sonora después de que sus tres hijos desaparecieran en 2015 y 2019. Se cree que los tres fueron secuestrados por grupos del crimen organizado, que han generado una crisis creciente en México.

Desde su fundación en 2019, el grupo se ha convertido en una red nacional que ha ayudado a localizar a más de 5.000 personas en todo el país, vivas y muertas.

El grupo tiene amplia experiencia realizando búsquedas de campo en zonas remotas, donde los cárteles de la droga suelen desh