Análisis por Mitchell McCluskey,

Mientras las furiosas protestas entran en su tercera semana y llevan a Irán al borde del cambio, el gobierno teocrático del país está tratando de sobrevivir reprimiendo duramente las crecientes manifestaciones.

El clero gobernante de Irán ha resistido multitudinarias protestas en numerosas ocasiones. Pero el control del poder por parte del régimen de larga data parece ahora más frágil que nunca, a medida que el creciente movimiento opositor exige cambios sustanciales.

Las protestas inicialmente se centraron en quejas económicas, pero desde entonces han evolucionado hasta convertirse en un movimiento más amplio contra el régimen que ha controlado Irán durante décadas.

“Hay mala gestión sistémica, corrupción y represión. Por eso la gente quiere que la República Islámica desaparezca”, declaró a CNN Holly Dagres, investigadora principal del Instituto Washington.

Mientras el régimen enfrenta una creciente presión interna por parte de manifestantes indignados, el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, ha sumado su propia voz de advertencia al liderazgo iraní.

Trump ha expresado repetidamente su apoyo al movimiento de protesta y ha pedido el fin del régimen islamista de Irán, que durante mucho tiempo ha sido adversario de Estados Unidos.

“Irán busca la LIBERTAD, quizás como nunca antes”, publicó Trump en redes sociales el sábado. “¡Estados Unidos está listo para ayudar!”

El presidente está sopesando una serie de posibles opciones militares en Irán, pero no ha tomado una decisión final sobre cómo se manifestaría la intervención estadounidense, dijeron funcionarios estadounidenses a CNN.

“Parece que han muerto algunas personas que no deberían haber muerto”, declaró Trump a los periodistas el domingo por la noche a bordo del Air Force One. “Son violentos, si se les llama líderes. No sé si sus líderes simplemente gobiernan mediante la violencia, pero lo estamos analizando muy seriamente”.

“El Ejército lo está analizando, y estamos considerando opciones muy sólidas. Tomaremos una decisión”, dijo Trump.

Pero algunos analistas advierten que una intervención militar de Estados Unidos podría tener un impacto limitado.

“El régimen es frágil, pero está brutalmente intacto”, dijo a CNN el Dr. HA Hellyer, miembro asociado sénior del Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

A lo largo de los años, Irán ha vivido oleadas de protestas que han tenido pocos resultados en materia social o política. Pero ahora la ira crece a medida que los iraníes desafiantes se muestran cada vez más cansados ​​e impacientes.

Desde que llegó al poder en 1989 –una década después de que una enorme revolución expulsara del poder al autoritario Sha de Irán, respaldado por Estados Unidos, y marcara el comienzo de una República Islámica–, el líder supremo, el ayatolá Ali Jamenei, ha enfrentado una serie de desafíos políticos y de seguridad.

Jamenei ha mantenido el respaldo de algunos leales e instituciones estatales, pero sus políticas represivas han encontrado un apoyo público menguante.

La frustración por la crisis económica iraní ha aumentado. Irán sigue enfrentándose a fuertes sanciones internacionales, incluyendo la reactivación de las llamadas sanciones de “reinicio rápido” relaci

WAPT

By Chris Boyette, CNN

(CNN) — A suspect has been arrested after a fire tore through a prominent Jackson, Mississippi, synagogue – the state’s largest Jewish house of worship – early Saturday, leaving the congregation forced to rebuild from the ashes once again.

Investigators have not yet determined a motive for the fire at Beth Israel Congregation, which remains under investigation, but it comes amid a wave of antisemitic attacks in recent years.

The suspect is expected to face arson charges, according to Charles Felton, chief of investigations for the Jackson Fire Department’s Arson Investigation Division.

This isn’t the first time the synagogue has burned. On September 18, 1967, Beth Israel’s temple was bombed by local Ku Klux Klan members, in part because of the congregation’s work in the civil rights movement, according to the synagogue’s website.

The suspect in Saturday’s fire, who has not been publicly identified, was found at a local hospital with non-life-threatening burn injuries and, once medically cleared, will be released into the custody of the FBI, which is also expected to file charges, Felton said.

The fire began around 3 a.m. on Saturday morning, according to the Jackson Fire Department. The building was closed and all doors were locked when fire units arrived, the department said.

“The Jackson Fire Department responded quickly, contained the blaze and extinguished the fire,” Jackson Mayor John Horhn said in a statement.

The FBI is working with local law enforcement officials on the investigation, the agency’s field office in Jackson told CNN.

Hate crimes are “the highest priority of the FBI’s civil rights program because of the devastating impact they have on families and communities,” according to the agency.

Founded in 1860, Beth Israel Congregation built the first synagogue in the state of Mississippi and has grown in recent decades to be the state’s largest congregation, according to its website.

The congregation intends to rebuild its “beloved institution,” said Zach Shemper, the congregation’s president.

“We are a resilient people. With the support from the community, we will rebuild. Beth Israel Congregation has been the Jewish spiritual home in Jackson, MS for over 160 years,” Shemper said in a statement to CNN.

The congregation is still assessing th

By Laura Sharman, Junko Ogura, CNN

(CNN) — Dozens of worshipers took a deep breath and a brave plunge into icy waters at a Tokyo shrine Sunday, keeping afloat a New Year tradition to purify the soul and pray for good health.

The cold endurance event, known as “Kanchu Misogi,” drew around 100 participants – mostly men clad in white loincloths and several women in white robes – to the Teppuzu Inari Shrine.

Percussion and flute music set the mood in the shrine’s courtyard where a knee-deep pool filled with chunks of ice awaited.

Clasping their hands in front of their chests, worshipers chanted “Haraedo-no-Okami,” referring to the Goddess of purification as they prayed for their sins to be cleansed.

They then jogged in the streets around the shrine and did warm-up exercises before taking the icy plunge.

Once in the pool, participants scooped water over themselves with a wooden bucket, shouting “ai” as they tried to steel their nerves while others cheered them on.

This is the 71st year the ritual is taking place at the shrine.

Purification is key to Japan’s ancient Shinto practice, believed to ward off evil spirits.

The indigenous religion, dating back centuries, centers on the belief that sacred spirits inhabit nature and all living things.

Japan is a constitutional monarchy led by 65-year-old Emperor Naruhito.

The country regards the emperor as the highest authority in Shinto although his powers are politically limited.

Originally intended as a purification rite for the local deity, the shrine now welcomes public participation by application.

Registration closed early this year due to overwhelming interest, organizers said.

Shinto New Year

Japan’s Shinto New Year, known as Shōgatsu, is celebrated on January 1 in line with the Gregorian calendar, rather than a lunar one.

The spiritual celebration combines ancient Shinto rituals with broader Japanese culture and runs until January 3.

Other traditions include “Hatsumode”, the first visit of the year to a Shinto shrine or Buddhist temple, to pray for good fortune and health.

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Por Análisis de Stephen Collinson

Hasta ahí llegó el “pato rengo” en la Casa Blanca.

El presidente Donald Trump está redoblando sus esfuerzos en la retribución, la dominación global y el poder interno implacable

La primera semana completa de 2026 fue potencialmente definitoria para la segunda presidencia de Trump después de que el año terminara con predicciones de que su autoridad menguaba bajo la maldición de los comandantes en jefe con mandatos limitados.

Pero Trump nunca iba a quedarse de brazos cruzados viendo cómo su aura de hombre fuerte se erosionaba.

Trump derrocó al presidente de Venezuela Nicolás Maduro y planea administrar personalmente las reservas petroleras del país en su afán por dominar el hemisferio occidental. Exigió la propiedad de Groenlandia en una posible nueva apropiación imperialista de tierras. El domingo, el gobierno prometió no dar marcha atrás en su purga contra los migrantes indocumentados, a pesar de la muerte de Renee Good, una mujer de Minneapolis, a manos de un agente del ICE.

La segunda semana del año comenzó con otro revuelo político el domingo, cuando el presidente de la Reserva Federal, Jerome Powell, reveló que la fiscalía federal había abierto una investigación sobre la renovación de la sede de la Reserva Federal. Powell acusó a la administración de perseguirlo por no ceder ante la presión de Trump para que se reduzcan drásticamente las tasas de interés.

Los funcionarios se negaron a dar detalles del caso, pero la afirmación de Powell de ser víctima de la instrumentalización del Departamento de Justicia se produce tras el uso del poder federal por parte de Trump para acusar a supuestos enemigos, incluido el exjefe del FBI James Comey, en casos que no siempre se han sostenido en los tribunales

La investigación de Powell enviará un mensaje inequívoco a su reemplazo, a quien se espera que Trump nomine este año: no ignore las demandas del presidente incluso si destruyen la independencia del banco central, que ha sido un pilar de la poderosa economía estadounidense.

Trump también se enfrenta a otra extraordinaria posible aventura en el extranjero. Sus asesores le han ofrecido opciones para imponer su línea roja con acciones militares contra Irán tras advertir que Estados Unidos “empezará a disparar” si el régimen reprime las crecientes protestas. A pesar de sus amenazas, cientos de manifestantes han sido asesinados.

El presidente también pasó el fin de semana amenazando a Cuba en redes sociales. Su administración espera que el control de Venezuela presione al régimen comunista, que ha desafiado a Estados Unidos durante 65 años, para que llegue a un acuerdo con Washington o se derrumbe políticamente.

En lo que va del año, Trump está indicando que su segundo año de regreso en la Casa Blanca acelerará una tendencia del primero: muéstrenle una restricción constitucional, una ley internacional o un statu quo, y su instinto es destruirlo.

El resultado es que millones

By Amanda Musa, CNN

(CNN) — Years before Monique Tepe and her husband, Spencer, were gunned down in their Columbus, Ohio, home, the mother of two had a brief marriage to a doctor named Michael David McKee.

Now, nearly a decade after their divorce was finalized, McKee is in custody in Illinois after being arrested on two counts of murder in connection with the Tepes’ deaths, records show. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon, according to the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office.

Monique, 39, and Spencer, 37 – whose loved ones say “shared a beautiful, strong and deeply happy relationship” – were memorialized Sunday during a joint celebration of life ceremony, according to an obituary.

Colleagues of Spencer, a respected dentist, had called 911 the morning of December 30 after he uncharacteristically didn’t show up to work.

The couple was found dead later that morning in the home where they lived with their two children, ages 4 and 1, just north of downtown Columbus. Police say the children were found in the home unharmed.

Here’s what we know about McKee and his marriage to Monique Tepe.

Who is Michael David McKee?

McKee, 39, is a physician and surgeon licensed in California and Illinois, according to medical licensing databases in those states.

Most recently, McKee was listed as a vascular surgeon at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, Illinois.

“OSF is cooperating with authorities who will provide any further information,” an OSF spokesperson said in a statement to CNN on Sunday.

McKee also held a medical license in Nevada, which expired in June 2025. Records show no disciplinary history in any of the states where he has practiced medicine.

In 2005, McKee began medical school at Ohio State University and interned at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center starting in 2014, records show.

In 2020, he completed his residency at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. Later that year, he began a fellowship in vascular surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center, which he completed in 2022.

McKee’s marriage to Monique Tepe

Monique Tepe was 28 when she married McKee in August 2015, according to Franklin County, Ohio, court records, which do not indicate any major conflicts throughout the divorce proceedings.

The couple had no children. Their divorce was finalized about a month after it was filed by Tepe – who was using her maiden name of Sabaturski at the time – in June 2017, the court records show.

The couple was separated at the time of the filing, according to the records, with McKee living in Roanoke, Virginia, coinciding with his medical residency at Virginia Tech.

Why is McKee a suspect?

Questions about how the killings unfolded and what motivated the attack intensified last week when Columbus police released surveillance footage showing “a person of interest” walking in the alley near the couple’s home in the Weinland Park neighborhood.

The video was taken during the timeframe investigators believe the couple was killed, police said at the time. They did not explain why they were seeking information about that person.

Columbus police have not said whether McKee is believed to be the person shown in the video. CNN has reached out to authorities for more information.

According to CNN affiliate WBNS, the video links McKee to a vehicle that detectives say arrived shortly bef