The post Picking Perfect Art appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

Por María Kay Mallonee, CNN

El gobernador demócrata de Colorado, Jared Polis, fue censurado por su propio partido este miércoles por su decisión de conceder el indulto a Tina Peters, negacionista de las elecciones.

El Partido Demócrata de Colorado votó a favor de reprender al gobernador por su decisión de liberar a Peters.

“Reducir su condena ahora, bajo la presión de Donald Trump, no es justicia”, declaró el partido estatal en un comunicado. “Envía un mensaje a futuros infractores de que la manipulación electoral tiene consecuencias, a menos que seas amigo del presidente. Es un precedente peligroso y lamentable”.

La exsecretaria del condado de Mesa saldrá de prisión estatal el 1 de junio, luego de que la jueza Polis redujera su condena a la mitad. Un jurado declaró culpable a Peters de conspirar con aliados del presidente Donald Trump para manipular los sistemas de votación de su condado en 2021, con la esperanza de demostrar sus acusaciones de fraude electoral de 2020.

Los demócratas estatales declararon que censuraron formalmente al gobernador “por una conducta incompatible con el compromiso del Partido Demócrata de Colorado con las instituciones democráticas, la integridad electoral y la rendición de cuentas pública”.

El partido añadió: “Hasta que el Comité Central Estatal o el Comité Ejecutivo tomen nuevas medidas, el gobernador Jared Polis no participará como invitado de honor, orador principal ni representante oficialmente reconocido del Partido Demócrata de Colorado en eventos y funciones patrocinados por el partido, incluyendo, entre otros, la Gala Obama y el DemFest”.

Un portavoz de Polis declaró el miércoles que el gobernador actuó según su criterio, basándose en los hechos del caso, y añadió: “A veces, lo correcto no es lo más popular. La democracia se fortalece cuando el desacuerdo se aborda con debate y diálogo, no con censura”.

La inminente liberación de Peters representa una victoria para Trump y el movimiento negacionista de las elecciones de derecha, que la considera una heroína procesada injustamente.

Trump ha ejercido una intensa presión sobre Colorado a raíz del encarcelamiento de Peters. Ella es la última aliada del presidente que permanece en prisión por delitos relacionados con las elecciones de 2020.

La decisión de Polis de liberar a Peters provocó la condena bipartidista de funcionarios de Colorado. Su decisión se produjo después de que ella reconociera, por primera vez desde su condena en 2024, que “cometió un error” y “engañó” a los funcionarios electorales de Colorado.

En el juicio de Peters, varios testigos declararon que, en 2021, ella otorgó acceso no autorizado a las oficinas electorales del condado de Mesa, donde ejercía como secretaria, a personas vinculadas al teórico de la conspiración pro-Trump Mike Lindell.

Los testigos afirmaron que estas personas hicieron copias de datos electorales confidenciales para poder auditar los resultados de 2020.

El mes pasado, un tribunal de apelaciones estatal confirmó las condenas penales de Peters.

Sin embargo, ordenó al juez de primera instancia que dictara una nueva sentencia, al considerar que basó indebidamente parte del castigo en la libertad de expresión de Peters sobre las elecciones, un derecho protegido por la ley, violando así sus derechos

By Helen Regan, Wayne Chang, CNN

(CNN) — US President Donald Trump has raised the prospect of speaking to Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, in what would be an unprecedented move for a US leader and a major departure from diplomatic norms.

US and Taiwanese presidents have not spoken directly since 1979, when Washington shifted diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei.

“I’ll speak to him,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday when asked whether he would call Lai before making a decision on whether he will sign off on a major Congress-approved arms sale to the island.

“I speak to everybody. We have that situation very well in hand,” he said before boarding Air Force One, adding, “we’ll work on that Taiwan problem.”

It is not clear whether the Trump administration has moved forward with any plans for a call.

Trump’s comments on potentially speaking to Taiwan’s Lai came days after he returned from his a closely watched visit to Beijing. During that trip, China’s leader Xi Jinping warned Trump directly that Taiwan could become a “very dangerous situation” if mishandled.

China’s ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) views Taiwan as part of its territory, despite having never controlled it — and has long vowed to “reunify” the island with the Chinese mainland, by force if necessary.

Under the “One China” policy, the US acknowledges China’s position that Taiwan is part of China but has never officially recognized the Communist Party’s claim to the island.

Washington maintains robust unofficial relations with Taiwan and is bound by law under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide the self-governing island with defensive weapons. A 1982 US assurance to Taiwan says Washington does not have a policy of consulting with Beijing on arms sales.

How the US handles its unofficial relationship with Taiwan has long been a major point for contention for Beijing, which is now watching closely whether Trump will advance a $14 billion arms deal with the island. Congress approved the deal back in January.

Following his visit to China last week, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping discussed arms sales to Taiwan “in great detail” and that he would make a decision about arms sales “over the next early short period of time.”

On Wednesday, Trump described his meeting with Xi in Beijing as “amazing,” before describing Taiwan as a “problem.”

A senior US official last week noted the US administration’s record of arms sales to Taiwan, which included more than $11 billion in sales last December – one of the largest in history – as a sign of the US commitment to the self-governing island.

Taiwan has been ramping up military purchases in recent years as it comes under increasing pressure from Beijing, with Chinese aircraft and ships present almost daily around Taiwan as well as regular large-scale exercises in and over the surrounding waters.

Any call between Trump and Taiwan’s leader would likely anger Beijing and could risk potentially driving a diplomatic wedge between the US and China.

As President-elect in 2016, Trump had a phone call with Taiwan’s then President Tsai Ing-wen, which overturned decades of diplomatic protocol. China’s foreign ministry lodged a complaint and urged the US to adhere to the ‘one China’ policy.

Taiwan President Lai, who marked two years in office on Wednesday, said communication channels between Taipei and Washington “were always open” and if given the opportunity to speak directly to T

By Zachary Cohen, Natasha Bertrand, CNN

(CNN) — Iran has already restarted some of its drone production during the six-week ceasefire that began in early April, one sign it is rapidly rebuilding certain military capabilities degraded by US-Israeli strikes, according to two sources familiar with US intelligence assessments. Four sources told CNN that US intelligence indicates Iran’s military is reconstituting much faster than initially estimated.

The rebuilding of military capabilities, including replacing missile sites, launchers and production capacity for key weapons systems destroyed during the current conflict, means that Iran remains a significant threat to regional allies should President Donald Trump restart the bombing campaign, according to the four sources familiar with the intelligence. It also calls into question claims about the extent to which US-Israeli strikes have degraded Iran’s military in the long term.

While the time to restart production of different weapons components varies, some US intelligence estimates indicate Iran could fully reconstitute its drone attack capability in as soon as six months, one of the sources, a US official, told CNN.

“The Iranians have exceeded all timelines the IC had for reconstitution,” the US official said.

Drone attacks are a particular concern for regional allies. If hostilities resume, Iran could augment its missile production capability — which has been significantly degraded — with more drone launches, to continue firing at Israel and Gulf countries that are well within range of both weapons systems.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to resume combat operations against Iran if the two countries fail to reach a deal to end the war, including saying publicly on Tuesday that he’d been an hour from restarting bombing, meaning these military capabilities could come into play.

Iran has been able to rebuild much faster than expected due to a combination of factors, ranging from support it is receiving from Russia and China to the fact that the US and Israel did not inflict as much damage as the two countries had hoped, one of the sources told CNN. For example, China has continued to provide Iran with components during the conflict that can be used to build missiles, two sources familiar with US intelligence assessments told CNN, though that has likely been curtailed by the ongoing US blockade.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS last week that China is giving Iran “components of missile manufacturing” but declined to elaborate further.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun denied the allegation during a press conference, calling it “not based on facts.”

Meanwhile, Iran also still maintains ballistic-missile, drone-attack and anti-air capability despite the serious damage inflicted by US-Israeli strikes, according to recent US intelligence assessments, meaning the quick rebuilding of military production capacity isn’t starting from scratch.

A spokesperson for US Central Command declined to comment, saying the command does not discuss matters related to intelligence.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told CNN in a statement that “America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing.”

“We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests,” Parnell added.

CNN reported in April that US intelligence assessed that roughly half of Iran’s missile launchers had survived US strikes. A recent report increased that figure to two thirds partially due to the ongoing ceasefire providing Iran with time to dig out l

By Lianne Kolirin, CNN

(CNN) — Two young women who hid under a car as a gunman launched a murderous assault in Washington, DC, last year have described how speaking to survivors of the Holocaust and other terrorist attacks has helped them confront their trauma.

Catherine Szkop, now 29, and Abbie Talmoud, now 25, were just feet away from their colleagues Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim when they were killed. Now, on the first anniversary of the shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum on May 21, 2025, they have spoken to CNN about what unfolded that evening and their efforts to come to terms with it.

The four, who worked together in the Israeli embassy, had shared a ride in Talmoud’s car to an event for young professionals at the museum that evening. They left the museum around 9 p.m. and walked toward the car, which was parked close by, according to Szkop.

Szkop recalled Lischinsky, 30 and Milgrim, 26, who were dating, being just steps behind her and Talmoud. “Abbie was directly on my left and said: ‘Where’s my car?’ I said: ‘Straight ahead, by the Italian church.’”

“The moment I said that I suddenly heard a loud noise like a pop. I heard that a few times and noticed it was echoing off the buildings. I thought, ‘What if those aren’t fireworks?’”

She recalled running over the crosswalk, spotting a parked SUV and diving beneath it.

“I don’t remember hitting the ground, but I remember crawling under the car and still hearing the popping noises,” she said. “Then it got quiet and that’s when Abbie slammed into me. Then the popping continued.”

“Abbie told me breathlessly under the car that Yaron got shot.”

She and Talmoud were “within a meter or two” of their friends, although at that point they were unaware of the full extent of what had happened. “I thought it was a drive-by shooting,” said Szkop, adding that she only learned her colleagues had died hours later.

The Justice Department last week formally notified DC federal court that it intends to seek the death penalty in the case of the suspect in the shooting, Elias Rodriguez. He has been charged with multiple terrorism-related offenses, including counts of premeditated murder and hate crimes resulting in death. Rodriguez has pleaded not guilty.

‘Such a different life’

Szkop, Talmoud and Milgrim worked on the same team in the public diplomacy department at the embassy and were “close friends,” according to Szkop. As they left the museum event, they posed smiling and arm-in-arm for a picture. Eight minutes later, the gunman attacked.

“I could stare at that photo for hours,” Szkop told CNN. “Such a different life and we didn’t even know it.”

Talmoud described her late friends as the “sweetest” people. “They loved animals, they loved dancing, they loved music. They were such a happy couple. They’re really, really missed,” she said.

On top of coping with their bereavement, Szkop and Talmoud have struggled to make sense of the hand fate dealt them.

“That first month I kept saying, ‘I don’t understand why I didn’t at least walk away with one bullet,’” said Talmoud. “When it was over, I was put in a cop car and sat there for hours, no medical assistance, no nothing, and I went home. That survivor’s guilt, it really does sit with me.”

Both women recently returned from the International March of the Living, an annual remembrance event held at Auschwitz-Birkenau,