Author: CNN

CNN
 — 

American actor Edward Norton has discovered that the real-life Pocahontas, the romanticized and mythologized 17th century daughter of a Native American chief, is his 12th great-grandmother.

The Oscar-nominated star learned of his family connection to the woman who married Virginia settler John Rolfe on Tuesday’s episode of the PBS genealogical history show “Finding Your Roots.”

Historian and host Henry Louis Gates Jr. confirmed the longstanding family rumor to be fact, telling Norton: “You have a direct paper trail, no doubt about it, connection to your 12th great-grandmother and great-grandfather, John Rolfe and Pocahontas.”

According to Gates, the couple married on April 5, 1614 in Jamestown, Virginia – at a time when William Shakespeare was still alive. He added that documents revealed that Pocahontas died three years later in Gravesend, England, while Rolfe died around March 1622.

“It just makes you realize what a small … piece of the whole human story you are,” Norton remarked following the revelation.

Pocahontas welcomed English settlers to the current-day US in the early 17th century. Legend holds that she saved the life of Captain John Smith, stopping his execution by laying her head upon his.

The show, which traces the ancestral histories of celebrities, also uncovered that Norton’s third great-grandfather, John Winstead, owned a family of slaves including a 55-year-old man, a 37-year-old woman and five young girls, aged 4, 6, 8, 9 and 10.

Norton, 53, who said he had researched his own ancestry before his appearance on “Finding Your Roots,” expressed that that part of history didn’t sit well with him.

Asked what it was like to see a census that confirmed his relative was a slave owner, the “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” and “Fight Club” actor, said: “The short answer is these things are uncomfortable. And you should be uncomfortable with them.”

“It’s not a judgment on you in your own life but it’s a judgment on the history of this country and it needs to be acknowledged first and foremost and then it needs to be contended with.”

Norton went on to say that he personalized the details of the census and “when you read ‘slave aged eight,’ you just want to die.”

The first episode of the show’s ninth season also delved into “Pretty Woman” actor Julia Roberts’ lineage.

Editor’s Note: Aaron David Miller is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of “The End of Greatness: Why America Can’t Have (and Doesn’t Want) Another Great President.” Miller was a Middle East negotiator in Democratic and Republican administrations. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. Read more opinion on CNN.

CNN
 — 

Barely a week into the most extreme government in Israel’s history, its controversial national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, is already demonstrating its right-wing religious and nationalist credentials.

On Tuesday, Ben Gvir visited the Jerusalem compound known as the Temple Mount by Jews and the Haram al-Sharif by Muslims – an action that threatens to upset an already precarious status quo and trigger violence.

Ben Gvir, who has previously been convicted of racist incitement, has vowed to institutionalize Jewish prayer and presence in perhaps the most volatile flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His stated intention for the visit was to mark one of the Jewish fast days.

The visit prompted a string of international condemnations, including from the US Embassy in Jerusalem, which indicated in a short statement that such actions were “unacceptable.”

Ben Gvir – a long time provocateur and heir to the party of the extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane – is now in charge of Israel’s police, putting him in an influential position to stir up trouble in Jerusalem and between Israel’s Arab and Jewish citizens.

But if you think the Biden administration is gearing up for a sustained campaign to aggressively oppose the direction the new Netanyahu government is heading, you should lay down and wait quietly until the feeling passes.

Governing is about choosing. And while a fight might yet come, US President Joe Biden will go to great lengths to avoid a confrontation with a newly elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Here’s five reasons why.

First, Biden is preternaturally pro-Israel.

The US President may have once told Netanyahu: “Bibi, I don’t agree with a damn thing you say, but I love you.” But it’s not the Prime Minister with whom he’s enthralled, it’s the state of Israel.

Biden’s commitment to Israel stretches back decades. He’s long been captivated by the idea of Israel and has a deep appreciation and respect for the realities of Israel’s security challenges. If you’re looking for a presidential model when it comes to handling Israel, it’s not Biden’s former boss Barack Obama that comes to mind but former President Bill Clinton. As fellow politicians, their affection for Israel and the importance of supporting Israel politically run deep.

As far as Netanyahu is concerned, Biden knows all too well the Prime Minister’s strengths and limitations. After the humiliation of a Netanyahu government decision to announce a major expansion of housing in East Jerusalem during his visit as Vice President in 2010, Biden clearly doesn’t trust him.

At the same time, he knows that Netanyahu – for better or worse – is a political survivor and an immensely talented politician who’s been a part of Israel’s story for decades.

Biden believes – perhaps mistakenly – that if he wants to have any chance of getting anything done in the region, he must find a way to deal with him. Like Clinton, his first instinct is not to jam Netanyahu but to give him the benefit of the doubt and try to work things out quietly without a public row.

Indeed, it’s no coincidence that in congratulating Netanyahu on his new government, Biden referred to the fact they’ve been friends for decades.

Second, Biden is too busy.

Fighting with Israel requires presidential time and energy. Biden’s foreign policy plate is already brimming with problems that lack quick or easy solutions. The administration’s top foreign policy priorities are the Russian war against Ukraine and how to deal with China. And then there are the nuclear threats from both North Korea and Iran.

These are the challenges that will define his presidency far more than the Middle East, which the administration has rightly deprioritized. In that region, filled with political and security landmines, the focus is on managing – not resolving. And trying to keep as many issues off the President’s plate as possible.

Biden got a taste of the risks during his ill-fated “fist-bump” trip to Saudi Arabia in July last year. He gave Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman what he wanted – recognition. And in return, he essentially got a slap in the face. With gas prices rising, two weeks before the midterms, the Saudi-Russia dominated OPEC+ cartel cut production significantly.

Third, Biden knows fighting with Israel is bad politics.

Republicans control the House and trail the Democrats by a hair in the Senate. The race for the White House won’t formally conclude until 2024; but it begins this year. Whether Biden runs or not, the Israel issue is always loaded politically – for whoever does run.

With the exception of a few outliers like Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the Republican Party has set itself up as the go-to party on Israel. And given Netanyahu’s honorary membership in the GOP, it should surprise no one if he finds a way, as he did during the Obama administration, to cavort with the Republicans.

If Donald Trump is the Republican nominee, there’s no doubt they’ll figure out ways to cavort with one another. The last thing Biden or any Democratic nominee needs is to get sandwiched between the Republicans beating him up for fighting with Israel, and a Democratic Party divided between a majority who are traditional Israeli supporters and a progressive minority pushing the administration to hold Israel accountable for its treatment of the Palestinians.

In the event the Iran nuclear deal surfaces again (even the Israelis believe it’s not dead yet) Biden would get caught between Republicans and more than a few Democrats who will vigorously oppose US reentry – and an Israeli Prime Minister egging them on, if not leading the band.

Fourth, Biden knows the Palestinian issue isn’t ready for prime time.

Presidents don’t willingly seek out fights with a close ally, even one where US interests and values may be beginning to diverge on some important issues. And fighting with Israel on the Palestinian issue, which shows little promise of producing results, is unlikely to provide Biden with much of an incentive.

The two-state solution, if not dead and going the way of the dodo, still faces unimaginable long odds. The best Biden can possibly hope to achieve is to prevent an explosion between Israelis and Palestinians of tensions. That involves holding the line against de jure annexation by Israel; preempting another escalatory round like May 2021 between Israel and Hamas and keeping the Abraham Accord countries from jumping ship if there’s a sustained confrontation between Israel and the Palestinians.

The key ingredient required for anything remotely resembling a credible negotiating process are leaders on each side who are willing and able to make key decisions and bring their constituencies along with them. These simply do not exist now.

Fifth, Biden believes Iran is the greater priority.

The Palestinian issue is volatile. But the real crisis for Biden isn’t over a two-state solution but how to contain Iran’s nuclear program. That issue could lead to regional confrontation, rising oil prices and plunging financial markets. And right now, it appears that there’s little prospect of a return to the nuclear accord even while Iran ramps up uranium enrichment to near weapons-grade.

Biden knows that Netanyahu’s threshold for taking military action against Iran is much lower than America’s. And the US President is going to try to coordinate with Netanyahu on Iran, rather than push him into a corner, in the hopes of finding some way to deter Iran without the use of military force.

What Biden is unlikely to do is to put himself in a situation where he and Netanyahu are in conflict on both Iran and the Palestinians. Biden had a ringside seat watching his former boss Obama go at it with Netanyahu on both; and probably doesn’t want to go down that road again.

There are reports that the administration is sending National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to Israel this month. That suggests Biden wants to get ahead of any kind of confrontation with Netanyahu and perhaps believes he can work out understandings on some key issues.

Netanyahu isn’t looking for a fight with Biden. Right now he’s more beholden to his extremist coalition than he is to Washington. Without those partners, Netanyahu can’t pass the legislation he needs to postpone or nullify his corruption trial. Perhaps he believes he can control his extremist ministers. And that’s the case he’ll make to the administration – that he needs help in doing so.

Paradoxically, tough statements from Washington might actually help Netanyahu do so. But the administration should also understand that words alone aren’t enough, particularly if the views of Netanyahu’s extremist coalition partners turn into actions.

Without imposing consequences for provocative Israeli actions in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and working to press Palestinians to control terror and violence, Biden will likely – before his first term is up – have yet another crisis to add to an already full plate.

CNN
 — 

A 41-year-old California man faces multiple charges after he allegedly drove off a cliff on the Pacific Coast Highway with his wife and two children, authorities said.

All four occupants of the Tesla survived the crash Monday after the car plunged 250 to 300 feet into a rocky beach area known as Devil’s Slide, about 20 miles south of San Francisco, California Highway Patrol said.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Mark Andrews said the car’s three passengers were the driver’s wife and two children. Their names are not being released.

The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office initially said in a social media post that the children were “unharmed.” But the California Highway Patrol said occupants of the car were taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

The four-door, white Tesla was traveling south on Highway 1 just south of the Tom Lantos Tunnel between Pacifica and Montara on Monday morning when it veered off the road. It plunged at least 250 feet below that road, and a dramatic rescue mission ensued.

“The damage to the vehicle would indicate that it hit, and then flipped several times,” said Brian Pottenger, a battalion chief for Cal Fire’s Coastside Fire Protection District. He said the car came to rest on its wheels.

Based on the evidence collected, “investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act,” the state’s highway patrol said Tuesday.

The driver, from Pasadena, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and child endangerment, according to an arrest report. He will be formally booked into San Mateo County Jail after his hospital treatment, the highway patrol said.

On Tuesday, the highway patrol said the Tesla’s high-tech driving features did not contribute to the crash.

“There has been no determination as to what driving mode the Tesla was in; however, that does not appear to be a contributing factor in this incident,” the highway patrol said.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating.

The highway patrol was alerted about the crash around 10:50 a.m. on Monday.

When first responders arrived, all four occupants were conscious, and the two children were secured into their car seats that remained intact, Pottenger said. All were trapped inside the smashed car.

The agency posted video of the helicopter lowering a rescuer on a cable to the crash site while surf crashed against the rocks below.

As firefighters rappelled down the cliff to the car, other first responders watched through binoculars.

“As we were doing that, we were able to notice movement in the front seat through the windshield,” Pottenger said. “So we knew that we had at least one person that was alive.”

Crews freed the two children and used a rope to lift them up the cliff in baskets. Later, a California Highway Patrol helicopter hoisted the two adults to safety.

The pregame “60-minute meeting” among medical teams and NFL officials was vital to the response when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed during Monday night’s game, NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allan Sills said.

“If you ask me, the 60-minute meeting is the most important thing we do on Sundays,” Sills told CNN on Wednesday.

“Fans don’t ever see that meeting. It happens underneath the stands,” Sills said. “It’s part of the reason why, in this tragic moment on Monday night, we could have a quick, effective and really transformational response.”

Sills said that the main focus now is on treating Hamlin but that his medical team will continue to search for answers, including possible causes like commotio cordis and myocarditis.

“Many times in these cases, players don’t necessarily have a preexisting history or a preexisting abnormality, and cardiac arrest can occur without any warning,” he said.

Sills also said questions of safety are relevant to him as a parent of four and grandfather of nine.

“I let my children and my grandchildren play sports because I think there are tremendous benefits. But what I want to know as a parent is: is that sports league prepared? Do they have an emergency action plan? Do they have bystanders or people who are trained in emergency procedures? Do they have a defibrillator present? To me, those are the key questions, and I also want to make sure the league or the team they’re associated with promotes an atmosphere of safety,” he said.

Washington
CNN
 — 

The FBI is now offering $500,000 for information leading to an arrest of the person who placed pipe bombs near the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC, the night before the 2021 US Capitol riot, the bureau announced Wednesday.

The announcement represents a sharp increase in the amount of money the government is willing to pay for information in the investigation: the monetary reward had previously stood at $100,000 prior to Wednesday, up from the $50,000 the bureau initially offered in the wake of the riot.

The increased amount comes days before the two-year anniversary of the insurrection. Little information has been released about the investigation since the pipe bombs, which were viable but never detonated, were discovered.

“With the significantly increased reward, we urge those who may have previously hesitated to contact us – or who may not have realized they had important information – to review the information on our website and come forward with anything relevant,” said David Sundberg, the assistant director in charge of the FBI field office in DC, in a statement.

“Despite the unprecedented volume of data review involved in this case, the FBI and our partners continue to work relentlessly to bring the perpetrator of these dangerous attempted attacks to justice,” Sundberg added.

The statement said that investigators have “conducted around 1,000 interviews, visited more than 1,200 residences and businesses, collected more than 39,000 videos, and assessed nearly 500 tips” about the pipe bomber.

The bombs were discovered within minutes of each other around 1 p.m. ET on January 6, just around the time that a mob of angry supporters of then-President Donald Trump descended on the building after a nearby rally with the president, according to an account the acting chief of the US Capitol gave to lawmakers in January and the FBI poster.

According to the FBI, the individual placed the two pipe bombs between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on January 5, 2021.

Security footage released by the FBI shows the person was carrying a backpack in their hand and wearing a face mask, gray hooded sweatshirt and black and light grey Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers with a yellow logo.

In releasing additional footage in September 2021, the FBI said that “reviews of the suspect’s behavior in video footage and interviews with residents in the Capitol Hill neighborhood have led the FBI to believe the suspect is not from the area.”

CNN previously reported the devices had been rigged to egg timers and filled with an explosive powder. Officers from the ATF, FBI, US Capitol Police and DC Metropolitan Police had responded to the scene at the two offices, which are less than a quarter mile apart and just blocks south of the Capitol, and the bombs were safely detonated at the scene by robots.

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday acknowledged the upcoming two-year anniversary of the Capitol riot, saying in a statement that the Justice Department’s work of prosecuting those who attacked democracy is “far from over.”

“Two years ago, the United States Capitol was attacked as lawmakers met to affirm the results of a presidential election,” Garland said. “Perpetrators attacked police officers, targeted and assaulted members of the media, and interfered with a fundamental element of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next.”

The DOJ released updated figures on its sprawling criminal investigation, announcing that more than 950 defendants have been arrested for their alleged participation in the riot, more than 284 of whom have been charged with assault, and 99 with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.

Of the nearly 1,000 defendants, 484 have pleaded guilty, the department said, and 40 defendants have been found guilty after taking their cases to trial in DC. Only one January 6 defendant has been acquitted of all charges relating to the riot.

Law enforcement officials are still looking for approximately 350 people who the department believes were involved in violence at the Capitol, including 250 who allegedly assaulted police.

This story has been updated with additional details.

Kevin McCarthy suffered yet another stinging defeat on Wednesday as he lost in the sixth round of voting to elect a speaker — a major blow that increasingly imperils his bid and heightens uncertainty over whether he can still secure the gavel or if a viable candidate will emerge as an alternative. 

The House voted Wednesday evening to adjourn until 12 p.m. ET on Thursday as Republicans scramble to find a path forward. 

The House GOP majority has been stuck at a contentious stalemate amid opposition to McCarthy from a group of conservatives. The fight, which began on the first day of the 118th Congress, has thrown the new House GOP majority into chaos and undercut the party’s agenda.

The House will continue to be paralyzed until this standoff is resolved. The situation has grown dire for McCarthy’s political future as Republican allies are beginning to fear that the House GOP leader may not be able to pull off his gamble for speaker if the fight goes much longer.

It’s not at all clear whether McCarthy and his allies will be able to lock down the votes — and the longer the fight drags on, the more imperiled his speakership bid has become. But there were signs Wednesday that negotiations are progressing. 

Last-minute deal-making: After a series of failed speaker votes earlier in the day, the House adjourned for several hours as Republicans continued talks. 

Texas Rep. Chip Roy, one of the conservatives who has voted against McCarthy’s speakership bid, told GOP leaders that he thinks he can get 10 holdouts to come along if these ongoing negotiations pan out, according to GOP sources familiar with the internal discussions, and that there are additional detractors who may be willing to vote “present.”

Sources said the talks Wednesday between McCarthy allies and holdouts have been the most productive and serious ones to date. And in one sign of a breakthrough, a McCarthy-aligned super PAC agreed to not play in open Republican primaries in safe seats — one of the big demands that conservatives had asked for but that McCarthy had resisted until this point.

Still, even if these negotiations prove successful and 10 lawmakers do flip to McCarthy’s column — which is far from certain — that doesn’t get McCarthy to the 218 votes to win the speakership, so he would still have more work to do.

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The death of a pope is a unique circumstance in the Catholic Church. The death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the first pope in modern history to resign his position before his passing, is even more so.

As Catholics around the world prepare for his funeral and burial, Catholics in the United States are turning to a special set of prayers and displays of mourning that are reserved specifically for the death of one of the most important leaders in their faith.

The Catholic Church has pretty clear rules for what to do when a pope dies. However, Benedict XVI resigned in 2013 and was succeeded by the current pontiff, Pope Francis. Benedict was the first pope to resign from his position in more than 600 years, and that gave him a special status known as Pope Emeritus – essentially, a retired pope.

Pope Benedict XVI did something no Pope had done in 600 years

In light of this unusual circumstance, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a set of guidelines that clarified what Catholic leaders and churches are supposed to do.

“Unless the Holy See itself specifies otherwise, the presumption is that the customary prayers and practices observed at the death of a Pope should take place,” the guidelines read. So far, the Holy See – which refers to the current Pope Francis’ role as Bishop of Rome, has not given any special guidance.

Jo Ann Zuñiga, a representative of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, confirmed to CNN that its leadership is treating the event as they would the death of any other pope, and that the USCCB holds the ultimate guidance on the matter.

“The only difference is that there is, of course, no need to elect a new pontiff in this case,” she said.

The USCCB and other Catholic leaders have recommended several prayers, protocols and types of services that Catholic worshipers can participate in around the time of Benedict XVI’s funeral.

Prayers: Upon his death, the leadership body called for common Catholic prayers like the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, as well as the Recitation of the Rosary – a prayer that is typically said while holding a rosary, a piece of religious jewelry.

Tributes: “Churches may display a portrait of the late Holy Father with black bunting and church bells may be tolled,” the guidance reads. “Priests are essentially captains of their own ship, so it is up to them as to what services they hold and what else they choose to do in (Benedict XVI’s) memory,” says Zuñiga. On social media, priests have been sharing photos of memorials within their parishes, all bearing some likeness of the late pontiff, surrounded by black shrouds, candles or flowers. At St. Anne’s Shrine in Fall River, Massachusetts, on the day of Benedict XVI’s death, bells tolled 95 times in a row: One for each year of his life.

Special services: Benedict XVI’s funeral will be held on Thursday, January 5 in the Vatican. Given time differences, bishops and archbishops (who act as leaders for church regions, known as dioceses) are encouraging Catholic priests to hold special memorials for Benedict on or around the date of his funeral. There are specific forms of worship, called liturgies, that priests can use for such an occasion.

Special vestments: In many Christian denominations, the color of the vestments worn by church leaders correspond to the time in the liturgical season, or reflect a special event. The UCCSB has recommended priests wear red vestments for any mass specifically honoring Benedict XVI.

“It is customary for red vestments to be worn at a Mass for the Dead offered for a Pope since we are mourning the death of the successor of the Apostle Peter,” their guidance reads.

The tradition of red as the mourning color for a pope has its roots in ancient Byzantine funeral practices.

Nine days of mourning: After the death of a Pope, the Catholic Church observes an ancient ritual known as the “novemdiales,” which calls for nine days of mourning. Why nine? The Novena, a related type of Catholic prayer or supplication, is based on the biblical account of the days following Jesus’ death and ascension, during which his mother Mary and others prayed for nine days. Interestingly enough, the number shows up in related traditions as well: In Judaism, The Nine Days refer to an annual period of mourning and fasting. In Ancient Rome, mourning for the dead traditionally lasted nine days.

Before the Pope Emeritus’ death, there was some uncertainty as to whether the Catholic version of the ritual would be observed, since he was not a sitting pope. However, the UCCSB has confirmed that Catholic leaders in the US will observe it with calls for prayer and events like lectures and community service endeavors.

Archbishops across the country have announced special memorial services for Pope Emeritus Benedict in the days around his funeral in the Vatican. In Chicago, which is home to one of the largest Catholic populations in the country, the Archdiocese is holding memorial masses in each of the area’s six sub-regions. About 40% of US Catholics are Hispanic, according to a 2014 study. Many memorial events, like an English and Spanish language rosary vigil held by two bishops in the Dallas area, reflect this important facet of the faith.

The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston said their archbishop, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, will help celebrate Benedict XVI’s memorial mass in person. The “Cardinal” in DiNardo’s name refers to his status as a cardinal in the Catholic Church, one of the highest ranks of clergy and one that carries international weight. Cardinals assist the Pope with church duties from their home countries, and have the power to elect a new Pope.

For those who can’t make a mass, or want to be as close to the proceedings in Rome as possible, various Catholic outlets are live-streaming the Vatican mass, broadcasting it over the radio, and running repeat cable presentations to lessen the burden of the mass’ 9:30 a.m. start time – which translates to 3:30 a.m. ET.

CNN
 — 

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he intends to visit to US-Mexico border when he travels next week to the North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico City.

“That’s my intention, we’re working out the details now,” Biden told reporters before boarding Air Force One.

The visit would mark Biden’s first to the border since he took office and comes as officials continue to grapple with a migrant crisis and an immigration system officials across the administration call “broken.” CNN reported earlier Wednesday that White House officials are weighing the addition of a visit to the US-Mexico border when Biden travels to the summit, according to sources familiar with the matter.

A final decision on whether to add the border stop has not been made, one of the sources said.

Biden’s potential trip to the border was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

White House officials have resisted calls by Republicans for Biden to visit the border for two years, dismissing the idea as political theater. But in the weeks since the midterm elections, officials have explored potential pathways for immigration legislation in a divided Congress.

But any attempts at immigration reform are likely to be an uphill battle. In December, a long-shot bipartisan immigration deal led by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona fell apart following scant Republican support. The framework would have extended provided protections for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and extended the use of a Trump-era border policy.

The administration has repeatedly called on Congress to find a solution as it wrestles with mass migration in the Western Hemisphere.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas acknowledged Wednesday that the number of migrant encounters at the US-Mexico border is “straining our system,” but stressed that the department is managing the situation.

“We’re operating within a system that is fundamentally broken. No one disagrees with that. We just can’t seem to agree upon the solution and a solution is long, long overdue. Within the broken immigration system that we are operating, we are managing the number of encounters and we are prepared to address the end of Title 42,” he said during a Washington Post event Wednesday..

DHS was preparing for the end of Title 42 – a Trump-era Covid restriction that allows authorities to turn away migrants at the US southern border – but the termination of the authority was put on hold following an order from the Supreme Court.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

CNN
 — 

Frequent use of social media could be reshaping how adolescents’ brains develop, a new study found.

Those who checked their platforms more often were more likely to be sensitive to general social rewards and punishments, according to the study published Tuesday.

“For youth who habitually check their social media, the brain is changing in a way that is becoming more and more sensitive to social feedback over time,” said lead study author Dr. Eva Telzer, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “And this is setting the stage for how the brain continues to develop into adulthood.”

Telzer and her team studied 169 sixth and seventh grade students in rural North Carolina to determine how habits around checking social media impacted their development.

Over a three-year period, the students — who were all 12 or 13 years old when the research began — reported their social media behavior and underwent annual fMRI imaging of their brains to see their neural responses to an onscreen display of positive and negative social feedback, such as a happy or angry face.

During that period, the students who reported checking their social media more regularly showed greater neural sensitivity in parts of the brain like the amygdala, Telzer said. Those who checked their social media less frequently saw less sensitivity in those areas on the fMRI.

It is not clear whether the neural changes resulted in behavioral changes, like increased anxiety or addictive behaviors, Telzer said.

It is important not to worry too soon, she added. The study established a strong correlation between social media habits and greater sensitivity to feedback, but it cannot say for sure if one is causing the other, she added.

It’s also unclear whether greater sensitivity to social consequences is a good or bad thing.

“Heightened sensitivity could lead to later compulsive social media behaviors, or it could reflect an adaptive neural change that helps teens navigate their social worlds,” Telzer said.

Social media is filled with ways to get feedback from peers, whether it is through the excitement of a like on a post or criticism from a mean comment, said Dr. Neha Chaudhary, chief medical officer of BeMe Health and child and adolescent psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Chaudhary was not involved in the study.

And adolescence is simultaneously a time of high social media use and critical brain development. Adolescent brains are going through the most development and reorganization, second only to infancy, making them more susceptible to environmental influences, Telzer said.

As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, Chaudhary said she has often wondered about the role social media plays in development.

It is possible that the results of the study point to social media changing adolescent brains, but it could also be that some of the students were already experiencing changes in their brain development that led to more social media use, Chaudhary said.

Whether brain changes are the chicken or the egg in this case, there are steps caregivers can take to help teens exercise caution around social media use.

“I’d strongly encourage folks — especially adolescents — to take frequent breaks from social media use,” Chaudhary said.

Doing so can help young people connect more deeply in person, feel more present and “separate from the constant, often anxiety-provoking, influx of information about the world and other people’s lives,” she said.

Chaudhary advised that families take a four-step approach to teens’ social media use: help them evaluate how they are using it, ask how social media serves them, encourage them to identify changes they want, and make a plan to get there, she wrote in a 2021 story.

And even for young people who like to spend time online, there are ways to do it that don’t pose some of the potential risks social media does, she added.

“It might be time to find those non-social media apps and digital experiences and rethink how much time you spend on platforms that aren’t leaving you feeling calm, refreshed, and in a better headspace,” Chaudhary said.

Cincinnati
CNN
 — 

After suffering a cardiac arrest during a game on Monday, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition in intensive care, with “signs of improvement” noted over the past day, his team tweeted Wednesday afternoon, while uneasy supporters across the nation awaited word of his fate.

“He is expected to remain under intensive care as his health care team continues to monitor and treat him,” the Bills said.

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Hamlin, 24, has been at a Cincinnati hospital since collapsing during the Bills’ game against the host Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night – an incident that stunned a packed stadium and led to the game’s postponement.

Hamlin’s heartbeat was restored on the field as staff tended to him, the Bills have said, before he was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Hamlin remained sedated on a ventilator as doctors worked toward getting him to breathe on his own, his uncle Dorrian Glenn told CNN on Tuesday.

Hamlin was resuscitated only once, a family spokesman clarified Wednesday, not twice, as his uncle told CNN on Tuesday.

“My nephew basically died on the field and they brought him back to life,” Glenn said Tuesday.

It is still unclear what led to the cardiac arrest. CNN has requested comment from the hospital system, which is not releasing information about Hamlin or providing interviews with his medical staff.

Hamlin is on a ventilator to relieve some of the strain on his lungs, which have been damaged, according to Glenn. The doctors told Glenn his nephew has also been “flipped over on his stomach” in the hospital to help with the blood on his lungs, he said, adding, “It seems like he’s trending upwards in a positive way.”

Hamlin’s cardiac arrest came as the NFL is under scrutiny for how it protects players in an inherently violent game. Hamlin collapsed shortly after a collision in which Higgins tried to power past Hamlin, who’d approached for a tackle, with about six minutes remaining in the first quarter of Monday’s game. Hamlin still twisted Higgins to the ground and stood up – but within seconds fell and lay motionless.

On-field injuries are not uncommon in the league, which often resumes play even after severe cases. Many current and former players strongly have supported the game’s postponement, saying Hamlin’s cardiac arrest felt especially disturbing as medical personnel fought to save his life while fans and players looked on.

As Hamlin was treated on the field, some players fell to their knees, sent up a prayer or were openly weeping and embracing one another. Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins realized the gravity of his teammate’s condition when Hamlin stayed on the ground as more and more medical staff were called over, he said.

“In that moment, you’re just thinking like, ‘What can I do? What can we do?’ And it just immediately breaks you down into prayer,” Dawkins told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday. “Whether you’re a believer or not, only a higher power can really take control of what is next. And our people that help also assisted that higher power.”

The incident marks the latest in a series of tragic blows for the Buffalo community, which in the past few months has endured a racist mass shooting and a historic blizzard that left at least 41 people dead in Erie County, New York. “It has been, you know, just (a) constant beating for Buffalo,” Dawkins said.

A swell of support has surrounded Hamlin and his family as messages of prayers and well wishes have flooded in from star athletes, fans and national leaders. A fundraiser that Hamlin previously had started for his Chasing M’s Foundation toy drive has raised more than $6 million since his hospitalization.

At a prayer service for the player Tuesday night, community members described the heartbreak of watching “one of our own” endure such a crisis.

“All you can do right now is pray for Damar: the man, not the football player, not the Buffalo Bill, but the person,” the city’s poet laureate Jillian Hanesworth said. “He has to pull through.”

Monday’s contest was postponed with the Bengals leading 7-3, and will not be resumed this week, and no decision has been made on whether to ever continue it, NFL have said.

“Everything is being considered,” Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, told reporters Wednesday. One option mentioned in the news conference involved pushing back the start of the playoffs a week to fit in the rest of the Bills-Bengals game.

When asked whether the Bills will play the New England Patriots this Sunday, Vincent said league officials have not had that discussion.

“We’ll allow (Bills head coach Sean McDermott) and his team and his staff and the players – which are the most important thing here – to guide us if we have to make that decision,” he said adding it will be a collective determination between the NFL and the team.

“My concern is to make sure the men have what they need to function.” he added.

Cardiac arrest results from electrical disturbances that cause the heart to suddenly stop beating properly, and death can occur quickly if help isn’t rendered immediately. It is not the same as a heart attack or heart failure.

Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on Wednesday that Hamlin’s health care team will do everything it can to discover what caused his cardiac arrest but for now the focus is on helping him get better.

One possibility, although it is rarely reported in football, is commotio cordis, which happens when severe trauma to the chest disrupts the heart’s electrical charge and causes dangerous fibrillations. Hamlin was injured while making a tackle and appeared to get hit in the chest.

“I don’t think at this point we can rule (commotio cordis) out,” Sills told CNN. Earlier, on the NFL’s call with the media, Sills said it is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning it might be the diagnosis if doctors don’t find any other causes.

Doctors will look for any potential congenital or other abnormalities with Hamlin’s heart, he said.

Hamlin, like every NFL player, had to pass health tests – including an EKG – to play this season. But sometimes players don’t have a preexisting condition and cardiac arrest can happen without warning, the doctor said.

Hamlin was resuscitated just once after his collapse, his family’s spokesperson said Wednesday. Glenn, the player’s uncle, misspoke when he told CNN and ESPN the prior day that Hamlin had been resuscitated twice, spokesperson Jordon Rooney said.

“There’s a lot of medical jargon, a lot of things being said, so Damar’s only been resuscitated once,” Rooney, Hamlin’s friend and marketing representative, said Wednesday, speaking on behalf of the family.

“His uncle’s incredibly supportive of his of his nephew. … I think that, you know, he just wanted to do his part to share some good news, and I think just misspoke,” Rooney said.

The family has said it is grateful for all the support it has received, including from the hospital, fans and the NFL community.

“(They are) incredibly thankful of everything that has been out there, all of the support that they’ve gotten. It’s made this just a little bit easier for them,” Rooney said Wednesday. “They’re very grateful people, and it’s meant a lot to them.”

Higgins, the receiver involved in the collision that preceded Hamlin’s collapse, has reached out to Hamlin’s family and been supportive, Rooney said.

This story has been updated to reflect the number of times Hamlin was resuscitated based on information from a family spokesperson and his uncle.