By Chelsea Bailey, CNN

(CNN) — School drop-offs and pick-ups across Minneapolis look a lot different since Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents came to town.

Kate Lundquist, a mom of six and a local teacher, told CNN, these days – as she hustles her children out the door – she finds herself checking to make sure her two adopted sons have their citizenship documents.

As the mother of a Black teenager – who lives mere miles from where George Floyd was murdered – Lundquist said her blended family has already had tough conversations around how to interact with local police officers.

But, she added, it’s an entirely different thing when federal immigration agents are stopping people and questioning their right to even be in the country.

“There was one day specifically where it was known that agents were pulling over people at random in my neighborhood – just blocks from my home,” she said. “Knowing my son was going to be driving home from high school … how do I prepare my kids for that potential danger?”

A sense of fear hangs like fog over this diverse, close-knit city. In the weeks since the Department of Homeland Security launched Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas, much of the nation’s focus has centered on federal immigration agents’ hardline and at times fatal tactics.

But parents and teachers in the Minnesota communities most impacted by the surge tell CNN the ripple effects of the operation have spread well beyond the streets and into their classrooms.

And it’s robbing students not only of their opportunity to learn, but also of their innocence.

“Our kids hear the whistles, and they hear the car horns, and they know that means that there’s a bad person nearby,” said Elizabeth, a south Minneapolis mom who asked to be identified only by her first name.

“My child hasn’t had recess since December – it’s not safe for them to be outside,” she added, “(Federal agents) dropped tear gas a block-and-a-half away from a school last week during dismissal.”

“I wish that people on both sides of the aisle could look at these kids and see that something needs to change.”

Why don’t my friends feel safe?

Breonna Robinson’s third grade classroom has grown gradually quieter in recent weeks.

Robinson teaches in the Columbia Heights School District – the same district where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father were detained by ICE last month.

Although the preschooler and his father were released from detention this weekend, many families in their community remain fearful the same thing could happen to them, as long as the operation continues.

The district said, in addition to Liam, five other students have been detained in recent weeks and classes were canceled Monday while local police investigated bomb threats sent to schools in the district.

In December, Robinson said she began noticing a few of her students – who were normally engaged and excited to learn – had begun to withdraw.

Her classroom is like an ecosystem, she said, where “everybody’s personality matters; everybody has something to contribute.”

As federal agents ramped up activity across Minneapolis, Robinson said some of her students began describing how terrified their parents were. And after the holidays, she added, many of those same students didn’t return to class.

Then, the fatal shootings began – first Read more

Por Jessie Yeung y Todd Symons, CNN

Irán ha acordado tentativamente reanudar las conversaciones nucleares con Estados Unidos mientras intenta evitar la amenaza de nuevos ataques militares.

De producirse, serían las primeras negociaciones de este tipo desde que la administración Trump bombardeó tres de las instalaciones nucleares del país persa el verano pasado

Se espera que el principal diplomático de Irán, Abbas Araghchi, se reúna con el representante especial de EE. UU., Steve Witkoff, y con Jared Kushner en Estambul el viernes, según informaron tres fuentes a CNN el lunes.

El presidente de Irán confirmó posteriormente que buscaba negociaciones, aunque con condiciones.

“He dado instrucciones a mi Ministro de Asuntos Exteriores para que, siempre que exista un entorno adecuado —libre de amenazas y expectativas irrazonables—, lleve a cabo negociaciones justas y equitativas, guiadas por los principios de dignidad, prudencia y conveniencia”, escribió el martes en X el presidente Masoud Pezeshkian.

Pezeshkian señaló que había dado el visto bueno a las negociaciones tras “solicitudes de Gobiernos amigos de la región”.

“Estas negociaciones se llevarán a cabo en el marco de nuestros intereses nacionales”, afirmó Pezeshkian.

Mientras Pezeshkian sea presidente, el poder supremo en Irán reside en el líder supremo del país, el ayatolá Alí Jamenei. El clérigo adoptó el domingo en Teherán un tono desafiante, advirtiendo que cualquier ataque estadounidense contra el país provocaría una guerra regional.

La tensión se ha disparado en las últimas semanas, en las que el presidente Donald Trump ha enviado una “armada” estadounidense a la región y renovado las amenazas de atacar de nuevo a Irán si no accede a negociar un nuevo acuerdo nuclear.

A principios de enero, Trump también advirtió sobre una posible acción militar en respuesta a las protestas nacionales en Irán, que desencadenaron una mortífera represión por parte de las fuerzas de seguridad.

Personas familiarizadas con el asunto declararon a CNN la semana pasada que Trump estaba considerando opciones como ataques aéreos contra los líderes iraníes, instalaciones nucleares e instituciones gubernamentales.

Un grupo de ataque de portaviones estadounidense se encuentra actualmente en la región, donde podría apoyar cualquier posible operación contra el país.

Se cree que Irán posee miles de misiles y drones dentro del alcance de las tropas estadounidenses estacionadas en varios países del Medio Oriente, y ha amenazado con atacarlas, así como también a Israel.

En los últimos días se ha producido una intensa actividad diplomática, ya que los líderes y actores regionales se apresuraron a buscar una salida para evitar el conflicto.

Qatar, Turquía y Egipto han liderado estos esfuerzos, y Turquía se ha ofrecido a acoger conversaciones presenciales entre Estados Unidos e Irán.

También se espera que los ministros de Asuntos Exteriores de Egipto, Omán, Pakistán, Qatar, Arabia Saudita y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos asistan a las conversaciones de Estambul, informaron las tres fuentes a CNN.

Trump ha expresado cierto optimismo sobre las negociaciones, diciendo a los periodistas el domingo que Irán estaba “hablando con nosotros, hablando seriamente con nosotros”.

Araghchi también comentó a CNN el domingo que estaba “seguro de que podemos lograr un acuerdo”.

Pero otros líderes iraníes han adoptado un tono más firme. Ali Bagheri, responsable de política exterior del Consejo Supremo de Seguridad Nacional (CSSN) de Irán, declaró el lunes que el país “

By Elise Hammond, CNN

(CNN) — Law enforcement believes Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her bed in Arizona, but they’ve been tight-lipped about what details lead them to that conclusion about the 84-year-old mother of “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie.

Guthrie was last seen at her home in the Catalina Foothills near Tucson Saturday night and police say time is of the essence to find her, especially since she is without crucial medication she takes daily.

When law enforcement arrived at the house Sunday, they found things that were “very concerning,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said, and that kicked off a criminal investigation.

Here are the key questions and what we know about the case.

What happened?

Guthrie was last seen Saturday when her family brought her home from dinner around 9:30 p.m., Nanos told CNN. They got her in the house and she went to bed, he said.

When she did not show up to church Sunday morning, a church member called her family, who went to her home around 11 a.m. to look for her, the sheriff said at a news conference Monday.

A family member called 911 around noon Sunday to report her missing, Nanos said, and homicide detectives were sent to the home.

“Something that they told me about that scene made me believe that there’s more than just a missing person,” Nanos said about the decision to set in motion a criminal investigation. “We still hope she’s alive and we continue with those missions of search and rescue.”

Nanos said investigators believe she was abducted from her bed “but cannot speak as to why.” Officials do not know what time Guthrie was taken, Nanos added.

What have investigators found at the house?

Law enforcement is treating Guthrie’s house as a crime scene and has described the circumstances around her disappearance as suspicious, Nanos has said.

The case is “not dementia-related,” Nanos said at a Monday morning news conference, and Guthrie is “of great sound mind” and “sharp as a tack.” But she also has limited mobility and “couldn’t walk 50 yards,” the sheriff said, leading investigators to believe she was taken from the house.

“This isn’t somebody who wandered off,” Nanos said.

“We also have some things at that scene that indicate to us that she was removed from that scene against her will. I can’t go into all those details,” Nanos said, saying it’s to protect the integrity of the case.

He also declined to give information about whether it appears Guthrie was hurt during the incident.

Asked by CNN whether Guthrie could have been part of a kidnapping-for-ransom plot, given her daughter’s high profile, Nanos said that is not the direction investigators are taking, but “we’ll never rule it out.”

Investigators also do not believe it was a home invasion or robbery gone wrong, Nanos told MS NOW, adding they’re also not dismissing that possibility, either.

Right now, “time is very critical” in finding her, the sheriff said at the news conference. Guthrie takes daily medication that “could be fatal” for her to go without, he said. However, there is no indication there is a threat to the public, Nanos said.

Who’s involved in the investigation?

Local law enforcement is leading the investigation, and FBI agents from across Arizona are “fully engaged” and offering numerous technical resources to local authorities, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN. This includes assisting with analysis of data from cell phone towers near the Guthrie home.

A priority for investigators right now is downloading security footage from the house, he said. Private comp

Análisis por Stephen Collinson

Cuando parece que el presidente Donald Trump se está preparando para interferir en una elección, la historia reciente sugiere que hay que creerle.

Este lunes demostró una vez más que está obsesionado con las elecciones de medio término, dos días después de que una sorpresa demócrata en un distrito del Senado estatal confiablemente republicano en Texas ofreciera otra señal ominosa para su partido en noviembre.

“Los republicanos deberían decir: ‘Queremos tomar el control, deberíamos tomar el control de la votación, la votación en al menos 15 lugares’. Los republicanos deberían nacionalizar la votación”, dijo Trump. “Tenemos estados que son muy corruptos y están contando votos. Tenemos estados que gané, pero que muestran que no gané”.

La última amenaza del presidente a la integridad de las elecciones estadounidenses llegó en una entrevista con Dan Bongino, hasta hace poco subdirector del FBI, quien ahora ha recuperado su manto como el “padre del grupo” en su programa que promueve MAGA.

En esencia, el comentario de Trump fue absurdo, ya que la Constitución exige que los estados celebren elecciones. Este principio se ha defendido en múltiples ocasiones ante los tribunales, incluso en casos presentados por el presidente alegando falsamente fraude.

El Artículo I, Sección 4, de la Constitución es muy claro: “Las fechas, lugares y forma de celebrar las elecciones de senadores y representantes serán prescritos en cada estado por su Asamblea Legislativa; pero el Congreso podrá, en cualquier momento, mediante ley, dictar o modificar dichas normas, excepto en lo que respecta a los lugares de elección de senadores”.

No se menciona al presidente. Es deliberado.

David Becker, CEO del Centro de Innovación e Investigación Electoral, afirmó que Trump demuestra una “increíble falta de comprensión de las protecciones constitucionales que nuestros fundadores crearon con tanta sabiduría al fundar nuestra nación”. Añadió: “Cuando redactaron la Constitución, los fundadores estaban muy preocupados por la posibilidad de que un ejecutivo sin escrúpulos intentara tomar el poder manipulando la mecánica electoral”.

John Jones, ex juez del tribunal de distrito de Pensilvania, afirmó que la sugerencia de Trump era flagrantemente inconstitucional. “No lo digo como una falta de respeto, sino directamente. El presidente de Estados Unidos necesita leer la Constitución”, declaró Jones a Brianna Keilar de CNN el lunes. “Lo que propone es ilegal”.

La advertencia de Trump fue uno de sus esfuerzos más evidentes hasta la fecha para crear un discurso de sospecha en torno a las elecciones de noviembre, en caso de que el Partido Republicano tuviera un mal desempeño debido a su caída en las encuestas. Esta es una táctica habitual. Trump sentó las bases para sus falsas afirmaciones de que las elecciones fueron robadas en 2020, meses antes de que se emitieran los primeros votos en su derrota ante Joe Biden.

Ahora, mientras Trump palidece ante el escrutinio que enfrentaría si los demócratas recuperan la Cámara de Representantes, este proceso se ve más siniestro. La administración ha creado una infraestructura para cuestionar la legitimidad de las elecciones federales o para manipularlas antes de que se celebren. Es una fuente de lealtad incuestionable a Trump.

Casi todos los presidentes modernos evitaron poner en duda la honestid

By Karina Tsui, Brian Stelter, CNN

(CNN) — Independent journalist and former CNN anchor Don Lemon defended his coverage of an anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul, Minnesota, church, which resulted in his arrest last week, telling Jimmy Kimmel on Monday that as a journalist, he “went there to chronicle and document and record what was happening.”

“There is a difference between a protester and a journalist,” Lemon said on Kimmel’s late-night show in his first interview since he was released without bail last Friday.

Lemon and another independent journalist, Georgia Fort, were livestreaming as dozens of demonstrators interrupted a service at Cities Church on January 18, leading to tense confrontations. Protesters said one of the pastors is a top ICE official in the Twin Cities.

Federal prosecutors lumped the two journalists in with protesters and charged them with conspiring to violate someone’s constitutional rights and violating the FACE Act, which prohibits the use of force or threats to intentionally interfere with someone expressing their First Amendment right to practice religion.

Trump administration officials had called for Lemon’s arrest in the days after the protest, prompting him to take precautionary measures and hire an attorney, he said.

“The attorney reached out to (prosecutors) and said basically, ‘I understand that you have an interest because your folks have been talking about it. So, if you are serious about this, then let’s do it the right way,” Lemon told Kimmel, describing his willingness to turn himself in.

But instead of being able to surrender voluntarily, Lemon said, at least a dozen federal agents were sent to arrest him in the lobby of a Los Angeles hotel, where he was staying while covering the Grammys.

Lemon said he was “jostled” near a hotel elevator and placed in handcuffs, adding it took a while for agents to identify themselves and present him with a warrant.

“I think my attorney tried to contact them once, maybe twice –– that I could just go in and it would have to be just the folks who were just working there that day. They wouldn’t have to have all these people following me around,” Lemon said.

“They want to embarrass you, they want to intimidate you, they want to instill fear,” Lemon told Kimmel.

Federal prosecutors have alleged Lemon and Fort participated in a “takeover-style attack” of the church and intimidated congregants. A federal prosecutor in court last week said Lemon told his audience the protest’s purpose was to make the experience traumatic and uncomfortable for the congregants.

Lemon was released from custody on Friday after appearing in federal court. Prosecutors requested a $100,000 bond, and argued Lemon needed conditions to ensure he wouldn’t feel emboldened to do something similar while awaiting trial.

His defense attorneys agreed he would have no contact with known witnesses, victims or co-defendants, and must get approval for any foreign travel – the judge approved a trip to Europe planned in June.

He is expected to be arraigned on Monday in Los Angeles.

First Amendment advocates and civil rights organizations have condemned the charges and argued the administration is trying to chill press freedom.

Hollywood support for Lemon

The choice of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for Lemon’s first post-arrest interview was no accident. The Trump administration’s targeting of Kimmel made news in September when ABC briefly suspended the show amid government pressure