By Sarah Ferris, Manu Raju, CNN

(CNN) — As Hakeem Jeffries sits in the minority of a GOP-controlled Washington, he is still haunted by a Republican gerrymandering gambit that he believes cost him the speaker’s gavel — and cost his party control of the House.

This time, he’s making sure Democrats fight back.

Jeffries is leading the Democratic party’s counterpunch to President Donald Trump’s aggressive mid-decade redistricting push. He’s going all in with money, legal firepower and his own political capital to make sure no seat is left on the table for Democrats — forcing the party to abandon the left’s longtime moral opposition to party-line map meddling.

“Republicans started this redistricting war, and Democrats have made clear, we’re going to finish it,” Jeffries said in an interview with CNN. “When they go low, we strike back.”

Top Democrats, including Jeffries, are buoyed by signs of surging anti-Trump sentiment across the country — with special election wins even in ruby red parts of Texas — and believe they will capture the House, and possibly the Senate, in November. But Jeffries believes he can’t afford to ignore the GOP’s gerrymandering, when just three seats in North Carolina in 2024 were enough to cost Democrats the majority.

After a huge win on redistricting in California, Jeffries is vowing to spend “tens of millions” of dollars to push through an April ballot initiative in Virginia to potentially give Democrats four more seats. And he is now turning his attention to Maryland, where Democrats’ big gerrymandering gamble is facing its most difficult test yet. Jeffries and other top Democrats are now intensifying pressure on a key party leader, the 42-year-old Baltimorean who runs the state Senate, who refuses to help draw his party another more favorable seat that would target the state’s lone GOP-held congressional district.

Jeffries issued a stark warning to that Democrat, state Senate President Bill Ferguson — suggesting the move could help Trump’s GOP win the midterms.

“One man shouldn’t stand in the way of the people of Maryland … being able to decide, ‘Should we go in this direction? Or should we not answer Donald Trump’s continued efforts to rig the midterm election?’” Jeffries said.

If Ferguson doesn’t back down, Jeffries vowed to personally apply the pressure: “At some point I’m going to have a conversation with him if he continues to stand in the way of an up-or-down vote.” CNN has reached out to Ferguson for comment.

The prevailing sentiment in the Maryland Senate Democratic Caucus, however, is one of skepticism. They insist a new map at this point would only backfire on Democrats.

“It’s not a question of one man, but a caucus that measures the risk calculation differently given recent past experience,” a person close to the Maryland Senate Democratic Caucus told CNN.

While the caucus agreed with Jeffries that fighting Trump should the top goal, this person added: “Unfortunately, mid-cycle redistricting in Maryland would have the opposite impact and likely backfire in the state courts, giving Trump and the GOP even more seats in Congress.”

Top Democrats, including Jeffries, never expected a mid-decade redistricting push to be the centerpiece of their midterms strategy. It’s expensive and legally fraught with plenty of political pitfalls. Already, Jeffries and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker struggled to find support for a mid-decade map red

Por Emma Tucker, CNN

Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna estaba trabajando en Minneapolis una noche de miércoles del mes pasado, haciendo entregas como conductor de DoorDash, cuando se dio cuenta de que estaba siendo seguido por agentes de ICE, según su abogado.

Condujo hasta su casa y fue derribado por un agente, pero logró zafarse y corrió hacia la vivienda, donde estaba su primo Julio César Sosa-Celis, según el abogado. Al cerrar la puerta e intentar ponerle seguro, Sosa-Celis dijo que un agente de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas le disparó en la pierna.

El incidente, que ocurrió solo siete días después de que un agente federal matara a tiros a Renee Good, desató nuevas protestas y tensos enfrentamientos con la Policía. Un informe del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS, por sus siglas en inglés) poco después del incidente difería de las versiones de los dos hombres y sus familiares.

El DHS afirmó que Sosa-Celis conducía el auto y que él, Aljorna y otro hombre agredieron al agente antes de que este disparara su arma.

La primera señal de que el Gobierno cuestionaba la versión del DHS vino del Departamento de Justicia de EE.UU. (DOJ). En un documento judicial del 16 de enero, en apoyo a los cargos criminales contra los dos hombres, el DOJ afirmó que Aljorna era quien conducía el vehículo.

En un giro sorprendente, el jueves el Departamento de Justicia presentó una moción para retirar los cargos criminales contra los dos venezolanos. En ella, el DOJ reconoció que los fiscales federales proporcionaron información incorrecta al tribunal, mientras que ICE emitió un comunicado admitiendo que sus agentes federales hicieron “declaraciones falsas” bajo juramento.

Los dos agentes federales involucrados han sido puestos en licencia administrativa mientras el Departamento de Justicia investiga sus “declaraciones falsas”, reveladas tras revisar evidencia en video, dijo el director de ICE, Todd Lyons, en un comunicado.

Los dos agentes podrían ser despedidos y enfrentar cargos penales, agregó Lyons.

La moción del DOJ citó “nuevas pruebas descubiertas” que contradicen las declaraciones que la agencia incluyó como base para presentar cargos criminales contra los hombres.

No está claro qué evidencia en video se encontró, descrita en la moción como “materialmente inconsistente con las acusaciones” de los fiscales federales en el documento de cargos. CNN contactó al DHS para obtener más detalles sobre la evidencia y saber si mantiene su declaración inicial tras el tiroteo, pero no obtuvo respuesta. El DOJ declinó comentar sobre la moción cuando fue contactado por CNN.

“Esto fue un uso absolutamente irrazonable de la fuerza, y el oficial estaba inventando acusaciones contra mi cliente para justificarlo”, dijo el abogado de Aljorna, Frederick J. Goetz.

El caso desestimado encaja en un patrón más amplio en el que el Gobierno federal ha sido rápido en difundir versiones tras un tiroteo de sus agentes, que luego resultaron ser falsas, engañosas o incompletas, según el analista legal sénior de CNN, Elie Honig. Ejemplos incluyen evidencia en video tras los tiroteos fatales de agentes federales contra Good y Alex Pretti, que parecían contradecir elementos de las versiones oficiales sobre lo ocurri

Por Hannah Ryan, CNN

En el hielo, son enemigas acérrimas. En los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno de 2026, están en lados opuestos de una histórica y legendaria rivalidad entre dos naciones orgullosas, y ambas lucharán con uñas y dientes durante la competencia para salir victoriosas.

Fuera del hielo, sin embargo, son una pareja muy feliz y están comprometidas para casarse.

Se podría pensar que todo esto es parte de la trama de “Heated Rivalry” (traducida como “Más que rivales” en Latinoamérica y España), el fenómeno televisivo global sobre jugadores de hockey gay. Pero esto no es televisión: es la historia real de Anna Kjellbin y Ronja Savolainen. Kjellbin será la capitana del equipo nacional femenino de hockey sobre hielo de Suecia en los Juegos de Milán-Cortina por primera vez, mientras que Savolainen representará a Finlandia.

Savolainen jugó un papel fundamental en la histórica campaña de Finlandia en el campeonato mundial femenino de hockey de 2019, en el que el país llegó a la final contra Estados Unidos, que junto con Canadá había dominado previamente la competencia y las finales por la medalla de oro. Con solo 21 años en ese momento, Savolainen se hizo un nombre por su defensa mientras Finlandia rompía el orden habitual en el mundo del hockey femenino.

Kjellbin también es defensora y formó parte del equipo sueco que llegó a los cuartos de final en los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno de Beijing 2022, siendo finalmente derrotadas por la potencia del hockey, Canadá. Ahora, en sus segundos Juegos Olímpicos, se prepara para vestir la famosa camiseta amarilla y azul como capitana e intentar llevar a su nación a la gloria de la medalla de oro.

Aunque Finlandia y Suecia no hayan disfrutado del mismo nivel de éxito olímpico en el hockey femenino que Estados Unidos y Canadá, la rivalidad entre los dos países nórdicos sigue siendo muy intensa.

Los vecinos tienen historia: desde la Edad Media hasta principios del siglo XIX, Finlandia estuvo bajo dominio sueco. El sueco sigue siendo el segundo idioma oficial de Finlandia.

En el hockey femenino, Finlandia presume de más medallas en Juegos Olímpicos, campeonatos europeos y mundiales, pero Suecia no debe subestimarse. Ambos países buscarán regresar de los Juegos de Invierno de 2026 como el orgullo del norte de Europa.

Savolainen y Kjellbin pueden ser pareja en la vida, pero en Milán estarán en lados opuestos de una rivalidad con mucho peso histórico.

Ambas han hablado públicamente antes sobre enfrentarse en la pista. En 2024 —el año en que la pareja anunció su compromiso— Savolainen dijo al Ottawa Citizen: “Cuando juegas, solo juegas. Realmente no piensas en quién está ahí. Después eres amiga. En el hielo, ella es mi enemiga. Así es como funciona”.

Mucho antes de que Savolainen o Kjellbin comenzaran a prepararse para los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno de este año, hubo otra pareja en el hockey sobre hielo femenino que se enfrentó en lados opuestos de una amarga rivalidad.

Julie Chu y Caroline Ouellette fueron capitanas de Estados Unidos y Canadá, respectivamente, y se enfrentaron en dos finales olímpicas. Se hicieron amigas cuando coincidieron en un campamento de hockey de verano en Ontario en 20

By René Marsh, Steve Contorno, CNN

(CNN) — At first glance, the December meeting of a little-known government panel looked like ordinary bureaucratic business.

But then, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s advisory board opened its proceedings in an unusual way: with a Christian prayer.

The benediction was delivered by a White House official. “Thank you for your son, Jesus, who died for our sins,” the official said at one point, according to two sources who attended the meeting.

Under President Donald Trump, moments like this, rare in recent administrations, are becoming commonplace. A series of faith initiatives championed by the White House have led to a systematic religious revival within the government’s operations, culture and policy.

Americans have been encouraged to pray for an hour each week. Some government agencies have opened their meetings with prayer or hosted regular faith services. Bible verses and Christian imagery now appear on official government social media accounts.

The changes — predominately Christian in character — have been welcomed by conservative organizations that have fought for decades against an increasingly secular government, while alarming longtime defenders of a separation between church and state.

Both supporters and critics alike say this religious turn has little modern precedent — and it may be just the beginning.

Since last year, interfaith leaders, religious legal activists and close political allies of the president have been laying the groundwork for a broader expansion of the role of religion in public life.

By this summer, the group — Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission — is expected to produce a blueprint for policy changes that could redefine the boundaries between government and religion in American life.

“We have to bring back religion in America,” Trump told the commission last year. “Bring it back stronger than ever before.”

Discussions by the commission on how to fulfil Trump’s mandate have included aggressively pursuing legal action against state and local governments accused of blocking religious expression and withholding federal funding for K-12 schools viewed as hostile to faith. The latter mirrors pressure Trump has applied to colleges accused of failing to protect Jewish students from discrimination.

They have also considered ways to encourage the Supreme Court to revisit decades-old precedent governing the First Amendment’s establishment clause, which prohibits the US government from establishing a state religion or favoring one religion over others.

Though the commission has representatives from various faiths, and Jewish and Muslim communities are involved, its strongest threads skew toward conservative views within Christianity.

Some participants — including Trump — have lamented the Bible’s diminished presence in schools.

One member, television psychologist Phil McGraw, known as “Dr. Phil” has framed the commission’s work in starker terms.

“We are in a religious and cultural war right now, and every single one of us is a combatant,” said McGraw, a close Trump friend, during a September meeting. “Nobody can afford to sit on the sidelines.”

A new environment

Past presidents have overseen periods of religious revival in government, such as when Dwight Eisenhower signed provisions adding “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance and “In God We Trust” to paper curren

By Emma Tucker, CNN

(CNN) — Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna was on shift in Minneapolis on a Wednesday evening last month, making deliveries as a DoorDash driver, when he realized he was being followed by ICE agents, his attorney said.

He drove home and was tackled by an agent but broke free and ran into the house where his cousin Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis was standing, the attorney said. As he shut the door and was trying to lock it, Sosa-Celis said he was shot in the leg by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.

Coming just seven days after a federal agent fatally shot Renee Good, the incident spawned renewed protests and heated clashes with police. An account of the events from the Department of Homeland Security soon after the incident conflicted with the narratives from the two men and their family members.

DHS claimed Sosa-Celis was driving the car and he, Aljorna and another man assaulted the agent before the agent fired his weapon.

The first inkling of the government questioning the DHS account came from the US Department of Justice. In a January 16 court filing supporting criminal charges against the two men, the DOJ asserted Aljorna was the one driving the vehicle.

In a stunning reversal, the Justice Department on Thursday filed a motion seeking to drop criminal charges against the two Venezuelan men. In it, the DOJ said federal prosecutors provided incorrect information to the court, while ICE issued a statement admitting its federal agents made “false statements” under oath.

The two federal agents involved have been placed on administrative leave while the Justice Department investigates their “untruthful statements,” which were revealed by a review of video evidence, ICE Director Todd Lyons said in a statement.

The two officers may be fired and potentially face criminal prosecution, Lyons said.

DOJ’s motion cited “newly discovered evidence” contradicting statements the agency included as the basis for filing criminal charges against the men.

It’s not clear what video evidence was uncovered, described in the motion as “materially inconsistent with the allegations” from federal prosecutors in the charging document. CNN has reached out to DHS for further clarity on the evidence and whether it stands by the initial statement following the shooting but did not hear back. The DOJ declined to comment on the motion when contacted by CNN.

“This was an absolute unreasonable use of force, and the officer was fabricating claims against my client to justify that,” said Aljorna’s attorney, Frederick J. Goetz.

The dismissed case fits into a larger pattern in which the federal government has been quick to release accounts after a shooting by its law enforcement agents, which were later proven to be false, misleading or incomplete, according to CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig. Examples include video evidence after federal agents fatally shot Good and Alex Pretti, which appeared to undermine elements of the government’s accounts of what happened.

Similarly, prosecutors last year filed to drop charges against Marimar Martinez in Chicago, who the government said rammed a federal agent’s vehicle before he shot her several times. A judge, who noted the government’s case included omissions that caused her to tread carefully, dismissed the charges against Martinez last year.

Martinez ask