By Eric Levenson, CNN

(CNN) — Opening statements are expected Tuesday in the double-murder trial of Brendan Banfield, accused by Virginia prosecutors of killing his wife and another man as part of an elaborate scheme hatched with his family’s au pair.

Banfield has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated murder for the deaths of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan, as well as using a firearm during the commission of a felony. He faces up to life in prison if convicted on the murder charges.

Jury selection took place Monday. By day’s end, the court had seated 12 jurors and four alternates who will hear the case, which is expected to last about four weeks.

Prosecutors say Brendan Banfield and the family’s Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, were having an extra-marital affair and carried out the plan together. The salacious plot features allegations of BDSM sexual role play, trips to the gun range and false 911 calls, all in an attempt to kill Banfield’s wife and frame Ryan, according to prosecutors.

Peres Magalhães was initially charged with murder and has since pleaded guilty to a lesser count of involuntary manslaughter for fatally shooting Ryan.

She has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for a recommendation that she be sentenced to time served, according to the plea agreement. She is likely to be the star witness in Banfield’s murder trial.

The case began February 24, 2023. Calls to 911 led police to the Banfields’ Herndon, Virginia, home, where they found Christine Banfield, 37, dead of stab wounds, and Ryan, 39, dead of gunshot wounds nearby, according to Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis.

In October 2024, court records show Peres Magalhães pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. At a plea hearing, prosecutors read aloud a statement laying out the key allegations in the case.

As they alleged, Peres Magalhães began working as an au pair for the couple in late 2021, and in August 2022 she and Brendan Banfield began an extra-marital relationship. That fall, prosecutors alleged, “Brendan Banfield expressed to Peres Magalhães his desire to be rid of his wife and soon thereafter began planning to kill his wife as well as, ultimately, Joseph Ryan, the victim in this case.”

Banfield set up an account on Fetlife.com, a sexual fetish site, began communicating with Ryan and lured him to the Banfield home, prosecutors said. Ryan “likely believed” he was meeting Christine Banfield for a consensual sexual encounter, prosecutors said.

As part of their plan, when Ryan came to the home, Peres Magalhães called Banfield to report that a strange man was at the house, and Banfield was waiting at a nearby McDonald’s so he could return to the home quickly, prosecutors said.

He and Peres Magalhães put his child in the basement and then went upstairs to the Banfields’ bedroom, with Brendan Banfield holding his service weapon and the au pair holding a firearm he had purchased a month earlier, according to prosecutors.

“The two entered the bedroom and Joseph Ryan was holding Christine Banfield down,” prosecutors said. “Brendan Banfield called out, ‘Police officer,’ and then shot Joseph Ryan in the head, and Ryan fell away from Ch

Análisis por Bryan Mena, CNN

Después de recortar las tasas de interés tres veces seguidas en 2025, la Reserva Federal indicó el mes pasado que probablemente no volverá a bajarlas por un tiempo.

Una pausa de meses, consolidada por los datos económicos clave publicados el viernes, podría ser el mejor escenario posible para la economía más grande del mundo.

El informe de empleo de diciembre mostró que la contratación en 2025 se desaceleró a niveles no vistos desde la pandemia. Sin embargo, el total mensual se acercó a las expectativas de los economistas y la tasa de desempleo disminuyó ligeramente.

Esto bastó para convencer a los inversores con casi total certeza de que la Fed mantendría los tipos estables en su reunión del 27 y 28 de enero, según los futuros. Wall Street ahora no espera un recorte de tipos hasta junio.

Las altas tasas de interés agravan los problemas de asequibilidad de muchos estadounidenses, pero el alto desempleo puede causar un impacto aún mayor.

Los bancos centrales tienen la tarea de gestionar este equilibrio, y bajar las tasas en este momento sería un reconocimiento de que el mercado laboral se ha deteriorado significativamente.

“Es probable que la Fed mantenga su rumbo por ahora, ya que el mercado laboral muestra señales tentativas de estabilización”, escribió Lindsay Rosner, directora de inversiones en renta fija multisectorial en Goldman Sachs Asset Management, en una nota de analista el viernes.

Si el mercado laboral se mantiene estable en los próximos meses, es probable que los funcionarios de la Reserva Federal comiencen a tomar como referencia los datos de inflación para reducir aún más las tasas de interés.

Este año, la inflación superará el objetivo del 2 % del banco central por quinto año consecutivo.

Tras la publicación del informe de empleo de diciembre, los analistas de Morgan Stanley actualizaron su pronóstico para 2026. Ahora proyectan un recorte de tasas en junio y otro en septiembre, en lugar de en enero y abril.

“Dada la mejora del impulso económico y la disminución de la tasa de desempleo, vemos menos necesidad de recortes a corto plazo para estabilizar el mercado laboral”, escribieron. “En cambio, ahora creemos que la Fed recortará las tasas a medida que se haga evidente que la transferencia arancelaria se ha completado y la inflación se está desacelerando hacia el objetivo del 2 %”.

A lo largo de 2025, los empleadores agregaron nuevos puestos a un ritmo débil, y solo unas pocas industrias impulsaron el crecimiento de las ocupaciones a medida que la tasa de desempleo aumentaba gradualmente.

Esto ha puesto a los funcionarios de la Fed en un enigma, con ambos lados de su mandato dual de precios estables y máximo empleo bajo presión, y ha dividido al poderoso comité de fijación de tasas de la Fed.

Los economistas también prevén que el mosaico de aranceles del presidente Donald Trump se refleje plenamente en la inflación al consumidor este año, lo que probablemente resulte en un aumento único de precios.

Sin embargo, la situación arancelaria sigue siendo incierta: se espera que la Corte Suprema determine este año si una gran parte de los aranceles de Trump son legales.

Y una nueva investigación de la Reserva Federal de San Francisco sostiene que los aranceles de Trump podrían reducir la inflación pero aumentar el desempleo, basándose en cómo respondió la economía a los grandes cambios en los aranceles en la era anterior a la Segunda Gu

Unseasonably warm conditions kick off Tuesday. The morning will be cool and clear but a quick warming trend arrives and brings temperatures into the 70s for most of the area! Ventura will be the warmest with some places in the upper 70s and low 80s, head out to the beaches! Winds are still up to advisory levels in Ventura through 2pm, so if headed out, be aware it'll be blustery. Gusts could near 40mph at times, some of the strongest gusts will be closer to lunch before dying down. High Surf remains through 9am in San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara County beaches. Use caution but enjoy as the waters calm right in time for the heat to crank up.

The mini heatwave peaks Wednesday for most areas. Highs rise into the mid 70s and 80s for the coverage zone. This is the best day to head out to the beach and soak up the warmth while it lasts! Winds will be strong at times, but less impactful than previous days. Some Wind Advisories may be extended. Skies remain bright and clear, grab those sunglasses and head out.

We continue with the Santa Ana winds pattern Tuesday and Friday. These days will be rinse and repeat with clear skies, and above average temperatures. We begin a cooldown into the weekend as high pressure moves out of the area and winds switch. Expect a northwesterly push and more marine clouds to come with it into next week. Highs will drop back to 50s and 60s.

The post Santa Ana winds bring beach weather Tuesday, toasty mid-week appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Alexandra Banner, CNN

Wall Street rallied on Monday as investors appeared to shrug off the Justice Department’s investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Still, experts warn that the criminal probe may unsettle stocks and spark volatility.

Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.

1⃣ Tariffs

President Donald Trump said countries that do business with Iran will face a new 25% tariff, a move aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran amid a wave of anti-government protests. The announcement could mean goods from China — a major trading partner of both Iran and the US — would be significantly more expensive to import. The tariffs could also deal a major blow to India, which is already reeling from existing American levies. At the same time, Trump has floated the possibility of US military intervention to “rescue” anti-government protesters in Iran, hundreds of whom have been killed. A communications shutdown imposed by authorities on Thursday has largely cut Iranians off from the outside world, further isolating the country during the unrest.

2⃣ ICE operations

Minnesota and Illinois are suing the Trump administration over the president’s unprecedented immigration operations. “We have watched in horror as unchecked federal agents have aggressively assaulted and terrorized our communities and neighborhoods in Illinois, undermining Constitutional rights and threatening public safety,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement Monday. “This has to stop; it just has to stop,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison also said at a news conference announcing the lawsuit. Both Minnesota and Illinois are seeking an injunction to halt ICE operations in their states as officials criticize stepped-up enforcement actions in Democratic strongholds like Chicago and the Twin Cities.

3⃣ Transgender athletes

The Supreme Court will hear two cases today examining whether states can bar transgender women from competing on female sports teams. It is one of the most closely watched disputes of the justices’ current term, centering on whether the restrictions violate federal anti-bias statutes or the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection. This comes as President Trump has moved to punish institutions that are inclusive of trans athletes — in some cases by threatening their federal funding. Opponents argue that transgender women retain unfair physical advantages after puberty that would deprive cisgender women of opportunities to succeed. Trans athletes and advocates, in turn, point to a lack of consistent, conclusive research to support this claim.

4⃣ Synagogue fire

Authorities have arrested a suspect who confessed to setting fire to a prominent Jackson, Mississippi, synagogue because of its “Jewish ties.” The suspect allegedly ignited Beth Israel Congregation — the state’s largest and oldest Jewish house of worship — early Saturday using gasoline, causing heavy damage to the structure, according to the FBI. Prosecutors say the arsonist could face up to 20 yea

By Lisa Eadicicco, CNN

Las Vegas (CNN) — Amazon doesn’t just want Alexa to know you. It wants her to remember things about you, like a close friend or family member would.

That’s the driving philosophy behind the vision for Alexa’s future, which Amazon executives detailed in conversations with CNN at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last week.

Amazon is hoping to recapture the excitement that Alexa garnered upon its launch in 2014: a novel, mainstream, easy-to-use voice assistant for the home.

Alexa proved highly popular and sparked a resurgence in voice assistants. But then, in 2022, the release of ChatGPT brought artificial intelligence to the mainstream. Amazon was caught flat-footed and has spent the last couple of years revamping its product strategy to catch up.

After saying in 2023 that a more personal and conversational version of its assistant was coming, Amazon finally launched Alexa+ in 2025. To get ahead, it’ll have to prove that Alexa+ isn’t the same assistant from 12 years ago.

“There are tens of millions of people that want to turn on their coffee makers in the morning using Alexa, and that’s rad…(but) that’s not what changes the world,” Amazon devices and services chief Panos Panay said in an interview with CNN. “What does, though, is that context between these devices.”

Alexa+ is important for Amazon because AI is being hailed as the next major computing platform. Amazon already missed the boat on mobile — largely ceding that territory to Google and Apple — and its upgraded virtual helper signals an effort to avoid repeating history.

Making Alexa stand out

Amazon’s new Alexa website, launched last week, echoes the web browsers that OpenAI and AI startup Perplexity created in a bid to make their AI chatbots integral to how people use the web. With Alexa.com, those who sign up for early access to Alexa+ can chat with Amazon’s assistant online and continue those conversations on other devices — like Amazon Echo and the Alexa app.

But Amazon isn’t interested in racing to develop the most cutting-edge AI model, according to Panay. Instead, it’s focused on coming up with products that apply AI to the real world by leveraging context from Amazon’s devices and services.

Apple is taking a similar approach with its upcoming version of Siri, which will be powered in part by Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology, both companies announced Monday. The new Siri was announced in 2024 and has yet to launch.

Panay outlined an example that he says differentiates Amazon’s assistant from ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini: When he told Alexa he needed a new harness for his dog, the assistant had options waiting for him on his Echo Show device at home by the time he was done taking his pet for a walk.

In another example, Panay described a time when he and his family couldn’t agree on a restaurant for dinner. He asked Alexa for the top five places they wanted to eat the last time they were searching for a restaurant. Alexa pointed out the restaurants within those five that they had already been to, provided similar recommendations and offered to book a reservation.

Google and OpenAI are pursuing a very similar direction; both Gemini and ChatGPT can remember context from previous conversations. And Google says it can perform tasks like finding tickets to sporting events, booking restaurants and calling stores to see if an item is in stock on a user’s behalf.

But Panay insists Alexa is more personal than competing chatbots or search tools, saying Alexa’s memory combined with its abili