By Lauren Fox, Sarah Ferris, CNN

(CNN) — Kentucky may be the last place in America where you can take on President Donald Trump as a hard-right Republican and carry a GOP voting card in Congress. At least for now.

A pair of twangy Kentucky rebels – Rep. Thomas Massie and Sen. Rand Paul – are teaming up to defend Massie in the biggest fight of his political career as Trump intensifies efforts to oust the seven-term Republican from Washington next year.

Massie is facing the full might of Trump’s political operation in a nasty GOP primary in northeast Kentucky, where MAGA world has poured millions to support the president’s preferred candidate, former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein. And Massie and his allies argue it’s no ordinary race – it’s an attempt to silence the president’s remaining critics in Congress.

“I think that’s one of the reasons they’re attacking me and putting so much money into my race, is to keep the others in line, and so far, it’s working,” Massie told CNN in a recent interview. “I just think there’s so much political pressure from the president and the people surrounding him that they can’t withstand it.”

The attacks from the president have only intensified since the House margins have narrowed to just a single vote – giving Massie outsized power in the fractious chamber. In the last week, Trump personally went after Massie with crass comments about his recent marriage and even made a swipe at the National Prayer Breakfast calling him a “moron.” (Paul’s response? “Doesn’t sound very charitable to me.”)

So far, Paul seems to be the only congressional Republican working to help Massie hang on in what some consider the last vestige of the pre-Trump Tea Party brand of fiscal restraint and hands-off government. The Kentucky senator told CNN he plans to campaign with him for several days this spring ahead of the May primary, after other joint events last fall. Massie told CNN the only other help on the stump he’s been offered is former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who left Congress last month after Trump’s repeated tirades against her.

Even Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN that he is not committed to backing Massie, a stunning move for a sitting party leader.

“I generally run the incumbent protection program here. But it’s gotta be a cooperation. I gotta have a conversation with Thomas to see if he wants to be on the team,” Johnson told CNN when asked if he would back Massie in the primary. “Stay tuned on that.”

In today’s GOP, support for Massie has become its own kind of political litmus test. That includes in Kentucky’s heated three-way Senate primary, where one of those contenders, GOP Rep. Andy Barr, formally endorsed Massie’s opponent in a bid for Trump’s support in his own race. (One of Barr’s opponents, Nate Morris, quickly followed.)

And last week, Trump endorsed against a MAGA hardliner in a special election in Georgia who has been supportive of Massie.

But Massie remains undeterred. Both he and Paul remain unwilling to engage in the kind of MAGA-world apology tour that many of his colleagues have unfurled to save their own political careers. And Paul told CNN that he believed some of Trump’s attacks – including against Massie’s wife, who is a former Paul staffer – would backfire in the primary. (Massie was widowed in mid-2024 and recently remarried.)

“I think a lot of people at home are seeing the attacks on Thomas Massie’s wife as being unseemly,” Paul told CNN. “People are rallying around him because to talk about his hurried wedding, and, ‘Oh, she’s much younger than him.’ … I think they’re going to react the opposite to what the president thin

By Dana O’Neil, CNN

Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy (CNN) — The message Kendall Coyne Schofield posted on her social media was not terribly difficult to decipher.

A framed blackboard propped in front of Schofield’s two dogs, Penny and Blue, spelled out the message: “Baby Schofield Coming Summer 2023.” The dogs wore matching big sister bandanas in case something somehow got lost in translation.

Yet along with the congratulations to Schofield and her husband, Michael, came a rather puzzling rejoinder.

“A lot of people said, ‘Hey, congratulations on a great career,’” Coyne Schofield said at the Olympics media summit in October. “I was like, ‘Wait. I didn’t announce my retirement.’”

It is a uniquely female athlete’s quandary, the presumption that parenthood means the end of competition. Athletes-turned-dads return to their sport with a shrug, with nary a raised eyebrow about how they might juggle it all. Yet somehow – through the feminism movement to the “You’ve come a long way, baby” campaign to the birth and eventual seismic growth in women’s professional sports – sports-star moms, not unlike those in the working world, still face the same age-old questions.

This month, six American women will cart their baby gear along with their Team USA kits to Milan Cortina, pulling the double duty as mom and Olympian.

Coyne Schofield – a gold medalist, three-time Olympian and the mother of Drew – will captain the women’s hockey team. Kelly Curtis, mother to two-year-old Maeve, the first Black athlete to represent Team USA in skeleton, returns for her second Games. Elana Meyers Taylor, mother to Nico and Noah, is the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Games history and will go for her sixth Olympic medal in Cortina. Her teammate, Kaillie Humphries – mom of 15-month-old Aulden – is the first female bobsledder to defend her Olympic title and will vie for her fourth gold. Tabitha Peterson Lovick, is making her third Olympics in curling and her sister and teammate, Tara Peterson, will make her second Olympics run – with son Eddie, born in September 2024 – in tow.

None will say it is easy – on their bodies, their training and occasionally, their peace of mind – but impossible?

“I knew I could return to not only where I was but better,” Coyne Schofield said. “I wanted my son to know he wasn’t the reason I stopped playing hockey but the reason I continued to play hockey. And any hard day I might have, or source of inspiration I need, I can just look at him and it’s right in front of me.”

The sisterhood within motherhood

In 2019, Nike debuted an ad campaign, “Dream Crazier,” showcasing women athletes and their accomplishments, urging other women to show “what crazy can do.”

In response, track athlete Alysia Montaño crafted a video in conjunction with the New York Times, parodying Nike’s sponsor’s ad. Then under contract with the shoe company, the mother of two said in a voice over, “If you want to be an athlete and a mother, well that’s just crazy.”

She explained that the shoe company paused her sponsorship after she told its representative she was pregnant.

Montaño’s outspokenness – and her break with Nike – created a movement, #DreamMaternity. As women stepped into the spotlight to share their stories as well as their frustration that somehow motherhood and peak athletic success were mutually exclusive, action followed. The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, with outside pressure from several senators, created reforms to ensure women maintained their health insurance after getting pregnant.

And then ca

By Andy Rose, CNN

(CNN) — The killings of anti-ICE protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti prompted outrage in Minneapolis, both for their deaths and the immediate response of federal officials to call both terrorists.

The political backlash that resulted lowered the temperature from the Trump administration – with even the president himself saying, “Maybe we could use a little bit of a softer touch” – along with seesawing promises from federal officials over how they would investigate the deaths.

But looming is the question of whether the federal immigration officers who pulled the triggers in both cases actually broke the law, a question that will come down to complicated issues that are much harder to define than the outrage that prompted calls for accountability. Any criminal or civil case will revolve around the legal standards around use of force and what was in those officers’ minds as they pulled the trigger.

“Whenever we’re talking about use of force, it’s not like there’s a single rule that we apply,” said Seth Stoughton, a criminal justice professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law and former police officer. “There are a number of different rules.”

Courts must determine what an officer thought when pulling the trigger

Under a standard established by the Supreme Court nearly four decades ago, shooting a suspect – even one who is unarmed – does not violate the Constitution if the officer reasonably thought the actions of the suspect presented “imminent danger of death or serious physical injury.”

“The ‘reasonableness’ of a particular use of force must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, rather than with the 20/20 vision of hindsight,” Justice William Rehnquist wrote in the Graham v. Connor decision in 1989.

To figure out how much danger the officer perceived at the time of a shooting requires evidence, says Alex Reinert, director of the Center for Rights and Justice at the Cardozo School of Law.

“You’re going to need as much evidence as you can about what was happening in that space and time,” Reinert told CNN. “You’re going to need videos, any eyewitness statements, anything that could best illustrate the officer’s perspective in the moment.”

While that is the standard that would be considered in a civil case, local investigators are also looking into whether any state laws were violated.

In the immediate aftermath of Good’s shooting, the head of Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said being cut off from that kind of information could be fatal to its own investigation of Jonathan Ross, the ICE officer who shot her.

“Full access to evidence, witnesses and information is necessary to meet the investigative standard that Minnesota law and the public demands; without it, we cannot do so,” said BCA Superintendent Drew Evans.

But by the time of Pretti’s killing – and with public anger rising – the tone of state officials hardened, promising a serious inquiry, whatever the challenges.

“Minnesota’s justice system will have the last word on this,” Gov. Tim Walz said January 24. “It must have the last word.”

Local investigators and prosecutors have not said what state charges they might consider in these cases. Vice President JD Vance appeared to argue there could be no state prosecution of a federal agent.

By Arit John, David Wright, CNN

(CNN) — During a forum last month, Analilia Mejia was the only person running in the Democratic primary for New Jersey’s 11th District who raised her hand when asked if she agreed with human rights groups that say Israel has committed a genocide in Gaza, a charge the Israeli government rejects.

Now, she may be on her way to Congress thanks in part to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s efforts in her race.

With votes still being counted, Mejia has a narrow lead over former Rep. Tom Malinowski after Thursday’s special election primary for the seat vacated by Gov. Mikie Sherrill. But the results appeared to be an embarrassing defeat for AIPAC, which helped fund a group that spent roughly $2 million on ads targeting Malinowski despite once supporting him.

“One of the great own goals in the history of American politics,” said Matt Bennett, a co-founder of Third Way, a moderate Democratic think tank. “Unbelievably dumb.”

Malinowski is a moderate who expressed openness for conditioning aid to Israel as the national Democratic Party shows more skepticism about the Israeli government in the wake of its offensive following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attacks.

Mejia, meanwhile, served as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ national political director during his 2020 presidential campaign. She was backed by Sanders as well as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“I hope Dems begin to see that moderate or progressive, AIPAC is not our friend,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X. “They are a right-wing organization that undermines democracy.”

United Democracy Project, a super PAC aligned with AIPAC, sought in its ads to portray Malinowski as supportive of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, pointing to a 2019 vote for a bipartisan spending bill that provided funding to the agency.

“I think voters see that attack as particularly outrageous and disqualifying for the group that is promoting it,” Malinowski told CNN this week.

Despite those efforts, the winner of Thursday’s primary will be either Malinowski or Mejia, based on current vote totals. Former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, who was endorsed by the Democratic Majority for Israel, is currently in a distant third place.

“UDP will be closely monitoring dozens of primary races, including the June NJ-11 primary, to help ensure pro-Israel candidates are elected to Congress,” Patrick Dorton, a spokesperson for the United Democracy Project, said Friday.

Mejia on Friday denounced AIPAC’s efforts against Malinowski.

“I was disgusted that they were going after Tom Malinowski, but I didn’t need to see the assault to know the practices that they employ, and to be against it,” she said.

The left has long bemoaned AIPAC’s influence in Democratic primaries, as the group has spent millions seeking to block progressives from Congress, or oust them in primaries. Former Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman of New York lost primaries in 2024 to AIPAC-backed candidates.

“First and foremost, this election was a clear rejection of AIPAC by Democratic voters,” said Usamah Andrabi, a spokesperson for Justice Democrats, which backs progressive challengers and supported Bowman and Bush. “AIPA

By Billy Stockwell, CNN

(CNN) — Norway’s royal family were battling scandals on multiple fronts this week, with charities moving to cut or review ties to the Crown Princess for her past contact with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while others question her suitability to the role of future queen.

The first controversy is that of the 29-year-old son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Marius Borg Høiby, who earlier this week broke down in tears during his first day of testimony as he denied four counts of rape in an Oslo court.

Høiby sits outside the line of succession as he was born before his mother married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001.

Haakon reaffirmed Høiby’s status as a commoner in a rare statement ahead of the rape trial starting on Tuesday, saying his stepson was “not a member of the Royal House of Norway and is therefore autonomous.”

But his efforts to safeguard the Crown’s reputation were overshadowed when a second controversy erupted, this time implicating his wife and Høiby’s mother, the country’s future queen.

New Epstein files released by the US Justice Department show extensive correspondence between Mette-Marit and the late sex offender – something the princess has since expressed regret over – years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a minor.

On Friday, Norway’s royal house said Mette-Marit “strongly disavows Epstein’s abuse and criminal acts” and is sorry for “not having understood early enough what kind of person he was.”

“Some of the content of the messages between Epstein and me does not represent the person I want to be. I also apologize for the situation that I have put the Royal Family in, especially the King and Queen,” Mette-Marit said in a statement.

Challenges on multiple fronts

It has sparked an open public discussion in Norway about whether Mette-Marit should become queen, experts say.

“Confidence in the Crown Princess has fallen sharply,” said Tove Taalesen, a royal correspondent for news outlet Nettavisen. “A majority still backs the institution, but that support is weaker, and uncertainty is growing.”

The controversy raises uncomfortable questions about Mette-Marit’s position within the clan, particularly given the advanced age of King Harald V, who at 88, is Europe’s oldest monarch. Harald’s physical health has deteriorated in recent years, requiring Haakon to act as regent on occasion.

Mette-Marit is not facing an immediate end to her time as a working royal just yet, Taalesen cautioned, but she said one option would be for her to withdraw from royal duties citing health reasons, and leaving the crown prince to one day rule on his own.

Mette-Marit was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic, progressive lung disease with a poor prognosis, in 2018 and will likely need a lung transplant, according to the royal palace.

Other royal commentators agree. Kjetil Alstadheim, the political editor at Norway’s influential newspaper Aftenposten, said many Norwegians are disappointed by the revelations and have less confidence in the princess as a result.

“They question what her judgment will be like in the future,” Alstadheim told CNN.

Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen, a royal commentator for Norway’s broadcaster TV2, added: “We need to wait until the dust has settled to see how much it has really affected the monarchy.”

A modern monarchy

Mette-Marit became Crown Princess in 2001 after she married Haakon at Oslo cath