A federal judge in Newark denied Sen. Bob Menendez’s attempt to toss out the Justice Department’s bribery case against him Monday morning. The trial, now in its seventh week, will turn to the defense case as lawyers for the New Jersey Democrat and Dr. Salomon Melgen, a wealthy ophthalmologist from Florida, try to convince jurors that prosecutors have wrongly twisted a longtime friendship into an illegal bribery scheme. The heart of the Justice Department’s case rests on accusations that Menendez accepted political contributions, free rides on private jets and a swanky hotel suite in Paris from Melgen in exchange for agreeing to pressure other high-level federal officials in the executive branch to help resolve his wealthy friend’s business problems – “official acts” prosecutors claim put Menendez on the hook under federal bribery law. Related article What the jury isn't hearing in the Menendez bribery trial Judge William Walls continued to hear arguments from lawyers Monday morning about whether he should throw out the charges against the two men in light of a 2016 Supreme Court decision unanimously overturning former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s bribery conviction. The defense team urged Walls that the prosecution’s overarching “stream of benefits” theory – where many gifts are exchanged for a variety of political favors over a period of several years – cannot survive post-McDonnell. Lawyers for the defense argued that the prosecution had to show a more direct link between a specific gift followed by a specific political favor. Walls was unpersuaded, however, finding “a rational jury could conclude the defendants entered into a quid pro quo agreement.” Appearing to read from a lengthy written opinion he drafted ahead of time, the judge ultimately concluded: “McDonnell is not antagonistic to the stream of benefits theory.” “We are living in a real world of reality and common sense,” Walls said. “The jury will decide whose version of what happened or didn’t happen is more likely than not.” Prosecutors had argued in court filings over the weekend that the McDonnell decision had no effect on the stream of benefits concept and courts have more recently reaffirmed it as a valid legal theory of bribery. Later Monday, the defense called Menendez’s son to the stand as its first witness, who described the relationship between his father and Melgen as “like brothers” and “true friends.” The defense team hopes to show the jury the genuine friendship between the two men in order to avoid any accusation from the prosecution that they had a corrupt arrangement or conspiracy to commit bribery. “They are the best when they are together,” Robert Menendez Jr. told jurors, depicting his father as a “serious guy” who found himself able to “unwind” around Melgen, unlike anyone else. “When he’s with Melgen, he can be himself, he can laugh, he can – unfortunately – sing,” Menendez added about his father, prompting smiles from several jurors as he described “happy occasions” at Melgen’s vacation home in the Dominican Republic, including a 1999 trip to the island for a New Years Eve celebration when he was 14 years old. But prosecutors tried to cast doubt on the son’s credibility when they showed his 2014 grand jury testimony indicating that his time with Melgen in 1999 was, in fact, only a “small part” of a family vacation, after he testified Monday it was a “major element.” First on CNN: An inside look at Sen. Menendez’s vacation spot in the Dominican Republic Melgen defense attorney Kirk Ogrosky also showed jurors various pictures of Melgen’s home at the Dominican Republic as the doctor’s wife described how the senator was a “very special person” to her, and highlighted a photograph of Melgen’s daughter’s wedding with Menendez in the background. Yet when Ogrosky tried to offer that Menendez gave $1,000 to the daughter – one of the largest gifts for the wedding – the judge stepped in. “That’s chump change,” Walls shot back, refusing to permit the question before the jury departed for the day.


The two top ranking Democrats on the Senate foreign relations committee announced their opposition Wednesday to CIA Director Mike Pompeo becoming the next secretary of state. Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the committee, and Sen. Ben Cardin, the No. 2 Democrat, released statements laying out their objections. Menendez, specifically faulted Pompeo for not disclosing his recently discovered trip to North Korea to meet with dictator Kim Jong Un. “Even in my private conversations with him, he didn’t tell me about his visit to North Korea,” Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, said in his statement. “Now I don’t expect diplomacy to be negotiated out in the open but I do expect for someone who is the nominee to be Secretary of State, when he speaks with committee leadership and is asked specific questions about North Korea, to share some insights about such a visit.” RELATED: Pompeo sets an irreversible course to meet Kim that Trump may not want For his part, Cardin said he doesn’t believe Pompeo will be an “independent voice in advising the President” and raised concerns about past statements by Pompeo on Muslims and the LGBT community. While not unexpected – both men voted against Pompeo’s nomination last year to head the CIA – their public statements Wednesday further underscore the tough road ahead for Pompeo’s quest to become the country’s chief diplomat. Related article King 'undecided' on Pompeo for secretary of state It’s widely believed that Pompeo will not receive a favorable committee vote, given the Republicans’ slim 11-10 majority on the committee and with one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul, already announcing he’s a “no.” Still, Pompeo’s nomination could be brought to the floor despite an unfavorable vote in the committee. The question then is whether he would get enough votes in the full Senate. With Paul a “no” vote and Sen. John McCain back in Arizona battling cancer, Republicans would need a single Democrat to vote in favor of Pompeo should each of the 49 Republicans vote for the nomination. Should they lose more Republicans, more Democrats would be needed to get the nomination across the finish line. Pompeo secured support from 15 Democrats and independents when he was nominated for CIA director last year, but it’s unclear whether those same senators will back him again. Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Tim Kaine of Virginia all voted for Pompeo last time but have already expressed opposition to his nomination for secretary of state. Other Democrats who voted yes last year, like Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, have said they’re still considering how they’ll vote. Pompeo has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill, meeting with previous “yes” votes, such as Manchin and Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he’s set to meet with Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. CNN’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.


Size matters. If you were looking for a two-word slogan to describe Donald Trump’s life, that would be a fitting one. In everything – from the size of his buildings to the size of his genitals to the size of his nuclear arsenal, Trump is totally and completely obsessed with being the biggest and the best. Witness his tweet Tuesday night directed at North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un: “North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the ‘Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.’ Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!” “Much bigger & more powerful.” “My Button works.” If you don’t see what Trump is going for there, then we need to have a side conversation about the birds and the bees. This is a measuring contest provoked by the President of the United States against an unstable dictator pursuing a nuclear capacity. It’s absolutely stunning given the stakes: Nuclear war/annihilation. At the same time, it’s an entirely predictable tactic from Trump given what he we know about him. Let’s remember that in the 2016 Republican primary process, Trump got into a pissing contest – almost literally – with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio about genital size. Related video President alone has power to order nuclear action At a rally in early March, Rubio said this of Trump: “He’s like 6-foot-2, which is why I don’t understand why his hands are the size of someone who is 5-foot-2. And you know what they say about men with small hands? You can’t trust them.” Days later – at a GOP primary debate – Trump made sure to address the Rubio allegation. “Look at those hands, are they small hands?” Trump said while displaying his mitts. “And he referred to my hands – ‘if they’re small, something else must be small.’ I guarantee you there’s no problem. I guarantee.” I guarantee you there’s no problem. Trump’s obsession with size is evident in ways large and small – ahem – throughout his life. Remember how he had the biggest inauguration crowd ever? Or how his tax cut was the biggest in history? Or how the ratings for “Saturday Night Live” when Trump made a guest appearance were the biggest in years? Or how Mar-a-Lago is the best club in the world? Or how “The Apprentice” was the biggest TV hit in history? Or how he actually had the tallest building in downtown Manhattan – on September 11, 2001, following the terror attacks that brought down the World Trade Center? (Yes, that actually happened.) There’s dozens more examples just like these, but you get the point. In Trump’s mind, the first, second and third most important measures of success are size. Everything he is involved with must be the biggest, the tallest, the most well-attended, the most expensive, the best. A bit of armchair psychology would suggest that relentless focus on size is born of insecurity. Remember that Trump has always viewed himself as an outsider, scorned by the cool kids. His father was a successful developer, but not in Manhattan, where the big boys played. Trump went into Manhattan and built right in the heart of it, but the major players in the city’s power structure didn’t like him or let him into their clubs. When he came to Washington in 2011 considering a potential political career, the establishment laughed at him during the White House Correspondents Dinner. In Trump’s mind, he is always on the outside looking in. And he is motivated by a desire to stick it to the elites who have shunned him his entire life. Related video Trump launches Twitter tirade first day back The way to do that – in Trump’s mind – is to always one-up whoever is challenging him. If you build a 95-story skyscraper, he’ll find a way to build a 96- story one. If you got 50,000 retweets, he’ll want to get 100,000. And, if you have a nuclear button ready to push on your desk, well you can sure as hell bet Trump has a bigger and better nuclear button on his desk. Trump’s size obsession was mildly amusing when he was a private citizen. The man who always had to have the biggest toy. But, as President, his compulsive need to not only have the biggest and the best everything but to shove it in the face of world leaders that he has the biggest and the best everything takes on an entirely different feeling – one of uneasiness about whether the President of the United States grasps what his size contest obsession means in a world of nuclear weapons.


Lawmakers were briefed Tuesday on a $1.3 billion payment to Iran Republicans have called the payments ransom for hostages The Obama administration made two additional cash payments totaling $1.3 billion, after delivering $400 million to Iran by plane in January, to resolve a failed arms deal, administration officials told lawmakers Tuesday. The briefing, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, was confirmed to CNN by congressional aides who attended. The additional payments were delivered to Iran in Swiss francs, Euros and other currencies. It’s sure to stoke more criticism from Republicans, who had already sharply denounced the $400 million transfer as “ransom.” That cash payment was made in January on the same day Iran released four American prisoners and formally implemented the nuclear deal. The money was flown in a plane to Iran on wooden pallets stacked with various currencies to resolve a dispute between the two countries stemming from a failed arms deal made before the Islamic Revolution in 1979 that toppled the Shah. When the nuclear deal was implemented in January, the Obama administration announced that it agreed to pay $1.7 billion to settle the decades old dispute, although officials didn’t say when or how the payments were made until now. The administration has dismissed the notion that the payments amounted to a “ransom.” “We do not pay ransom,” Obama said last month. “We didn’t here, and we won’t in the future.” “We announced these payments in January. Many months ago,” Obama added. “They were not a secret. It wasn’t a secret. We were completely open with everybody about it.” Dawn Selak, a spokesperson for the Treasury Department, sounded a similar note Wednesday. “As we announced at the beginning of this year and was widely reported at the time, the United States in January agreed to pay Iran $1.7 billion to settle a long-standing legal claim at the Hague,” Selak said. “The form of those principal and interest payments – made in non-U.S. currency, in cash – was necessitated by the effectiveness of U.S. and international sanctions regimes over the last several years in isolating Iran from the international financial system.” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce introduced a measure Tuesday to censure the Obama administration for the payments. Sen. Marco Rubio also introduced legislation that would prohibit those kinds of payments to Iran. The Florida Republican said the bill, “The No Ransom Payments Act,” “will prevent this president or any future president from paying ransoms and ensure that American victims of Iranian terrorism are paid first, before the regime in Tehran can claim settlements.” “The Obama administration’s ransom payment has become a source of bragging rights and extensive propaganda from the Iranian regime,” Rubio wrote in an editorial published Wednesday in the Tampa Bay Times. “The payments were made within hours of the hostages being released, and the plane carrying the hostages was not allowed to leave Tehran until the plane with the ransom payment arrived,” the senator added. “Payments conditioned on the release of hostages are ransom payments, no matter what other dispute they are intended to settle.”


Other bees from Hawaii are on endangered list Bees pollinate more than one-third of the world's food For the first time, a bee species in the continental United States has been declared endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The rusty patched bumblebee is in worrisome decline and it is a race to keep it from becoming extinct, the agency said. “Listing the bee as endangered will help us mobilize partners and focus resources on finding ways right now to stop the decline,” Wildlife Service Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius said. The population of the rusty patched bumblebee has shrunk by 87% since the late 1990s, the wildlife service said. Bees help pollinate 35% of the world’s food, and bumblebees pollinate everything from tomatoes to cranberries, blueberries and melons. Related article The old man and the bee There are a number of reasons for the crash of pollinator bees worldwide. Mainly, those are habitat loss (nearly 40% of all land is used for agriculture, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization), climate change (the land that’s left is changing, and this is shrinking the ranges of some bees) and rampant chemical use. “The rusty patched bumblebee is among a group of pollinators,  including the monarch butterfly, experiencing serious declines across the country,” Melius said. “Why is this important? Pollinators are small but mighty parts of the natural mechanism that sustains us and our world. Without them … our crops require laborious, costly pollination by hand.” The species joins seven species of yellow-faced bees found in Hawaii on the endangered list. It is one of 47 bumblebee species in North America. Related gallery The amazing diversity of wild bees Sarina Jepsen, deputy chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s bumblebee specialist group, and a director at the Xerces Society, an environmental nonprofit, told CNN in December that about 25% of bumblebees in North America are at risk for extinction. On Tuesday, she commended the wildlife service’s decision. “Now that the Fish & Wildlife Service has listed the rusty patched bumblebee as endangered, it stands a chance of surviving the many threats it faces,” she said. The rusty patched bumblebee lives in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada. There are roughly 20,000 species of bees in the world. That’s more species than birds, amphibians, reptiles or mammals. Bumblebees live in underground colonies, caring for a queen. Worker bees – females that don’t reproduce because they’re not the queen – fly around during the day collecting flower pollen and nectar for food and energy. They only live for a year, except the queen who is dormant during the winter and emerges in the spring to begin a new colony with eggs fertilized during the prior fall. CNN’s John Sutter contributed to this report.


US President Donald Trump suggested Thursday Beijing could be behind North Korea’s recent harsh rhetoric against Washington in the past week, which has thrown the June summit in Singapore into doubt. Speaking in the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump appeared to blame Xi for Pyongyang’s change of tone, which included threatening to call off the talks if the US insisted on unilateral denuclearization. “It could very well be that he’s influencing Kim Jong Un,” Trump said, adding Kim’s apparent change of heart had begun after his recent meeting with Xi in the northern Chinese town of Dalian. China has mixed feelings about a closer relationship between North Korea and the United States, experts say, and wants any agreement struck between Pyongyang and Washington to ensure Beijing is still the powerbroker in the region. “They want to make sure that whatever potential relationship could come from the meeting between Trump and Kim doesn’t overshadow China’s power,” Emily Weinstein, researcher at Georgetown’s Security Studies Program, told CNN. But there’s no doubt a rising China still wants to see a successful summit in Singapore in June, which could lead to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and peace in the region. Related article Kim Jong Un holds second meeting with Xi Jinping in China There has been a clear warming in relations between the two fractious allies in recent months, sparked by concerns in Beijing of being left out of the Korean Peninsula peace process and Pyongyang’s desire for a firm ally as it steps on the world stage. Kim made an unannounced visit to the northern Chinese city of Dalian from May 7, where he met with the Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the trip, the North Korean leader declared the two countries were in “a historical new golden era,” according to state media KCNA. It was Kim’s second meeting with Xi after a secret meeting in Beijing in late March, his first journey outside the country since he became leader after his father’s death in 2011. But their blossoming relationship doesn’t mean North Korea is beholden to its much bigger neighbor, said John Delury, associate professor at Seoul’s Yonsei University. “There’s always a temptation to see North Korea as a pawn in China’s game but the North Koreans have their own play here and Kim Jong Un’s not just going to do Xi Jinping’s (bidding),” he said. In its first public statements since North Korea said it was reconsidering the Singapore summit, Beijing called for the United States to meet North Korea “halfway.” “What I would like to emphasize is that the present eased tension on the peninsula is hard-won,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a visit to France, according to China’s Foreign Ministry. Related article Is North Korea trying to get John Bolton fired? China has been supportive of upcoming talks between Trump and Kim, currently planned to take place in Singapore on June 12. On Thursday, Xi met with a North Korean delegation of senior officials, saying he supported denuclearization of the peninsula as well as warmer relations between Pyongyang and Washington. Richard McGregor, senior fellow at Sydney’s Lowy Institute, told CNN the perfect outcome of the summit for China would be cordial talks, leading eventually to a peace treaty and calmer Korean Peninsula. But it wants to ensure the United States doesn’t replace China as North Korea’s ally of choice, nor does it want a reunified Korea, indebted to Washington, sitting just across its border. “It’s not (about) unification, this is about two separate Koreas which begin to coexist in a much more friendly and cooperative fashion,” he said. Preparations for the Trump Kim summit were still going ahead on Friday despite the confusion over the North Korean statements, Trump said on Thursday. “They’ve been negotiating like nothing happened,” the US President told reporters in the Oval Office. Related article Trump, still planning summit, reassures and warns Kim Jong Un Trump attempted to smooth over Kim’s concerns about potential regime change by reassuring the young leader that Kim would remain in power even if he abandoned his nuclear weapons, only to then threaten decimation if he didn’t. Trump’s suggestion that Beijing may have been to blame for North Korea’s recent wavering could have unintended consequences for US China relations, McGregor said. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He in Washington this week in an attempt to find common ground with the US leader amid ongoing sparring over trade between the two countries. “Whatever Trump has said about China he’s always gone out of his way to praise Xi Jinping, he’s always talked about what a terrific guy Xi is and how they have a great relationship and great chemistry,” McGregor said. “So if Trump starts to blame Xi for the potential unraveling of his summit with Kim, that’s not good news for US-China relations.” CNN’s Kevin Liptak contributed to this article.


Ted Cruz is meeting with House conservatives to talk about the  government shutdown Cruz said it was time for his party's leadership to stiffen its spines Ted Cruz is trying to get the band back together. The Texas firebrand senator and GOP presidential candidate plans to huddle with House conservatives amidst a growing number of conflicts between the party’s leadership and right flank. The most pressing: How to fully fund the federal government by month’s end and avert a shutdown while appeasing conservatives who are demanding that Planned Parenthood not receive a dime of taxpayer money. Cruz has sent out invites for a meeting as soon as Wednesday, according to two House Republican lawmakers. Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kansas), who said he was invited to the meeting in Cruz’s office, said there’s a reason for the skull-session: to collaborate on strategy opposing the party leadership. “The establishment would like the House conservatives never to talk,” Huelskamp told CNN. “Because we always hear that our leadership said this and that are impossible to do. How do we get around the reluctance of our establishment in Washington to get done what we all said we were going to do in August?” “I am meeting with Ted Cruz later today. It’s a free-flowing conversation,” said Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala). “I like rapping with him.” It’s not the first time that Cruz has met with the House’s most conservative lawmakers. The meetings, typically over pizza, Dr. Pepper and beer, often are social in nature, but the participants do talk strategy and tactics, which are often at odds with the party leadership. It is similar to a 2013 effort to unite conservatives behind a push to defund Obamacare, an effort that prompted an internal GOP battle and a 16-day government shutdown. A Cruz aide confirmed Wednesday that conservatives had been invited to the meeting but said that it could be delayed until later this week. READ: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz join forces on Iran Speaking to reporters outside the Senate chamber, Cruz said it was time for his party’s leadership to stiffen its spines. “The right answer is not the Washington solution of a meaningless show vote,” Cruz said. “The solution that makes sense is we should not be spending taxpayer funds to fund an ongoing criminal enterprise.” Cruz was referring to the Planned Parenthood controversy centering on videos that depict group officials discussing the sale of aborted fetal tissue. Planned Parenthood has denied wrongdoing. Cruz would not say if he would support a conservative effort to oust House Speaker John Boehner, saying, “It’s a question for the House to decide.” It’s unclear how much sway Cruz holds among House Republicans after the 2013 shutdown.  Many admitted that showdown over Obamacare was a mistake and future fights over funding shouldn’t put the party in a similar position. But the meeting comes at a critical juncture on Capitol Hill. In addition to the funding fight, there’s a growing GOP division over the strategy to take on Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran, with Cruz and other conservatives demanding that the party leadership delay a vote until more documents are provided by the White House. Moreover, the business community is ratcheting up pressure on House Republicans to revive the Export-Import Bank, the country’s chief export credit agency, which is reviled by conservatives. In the aftermath of the controversial Planned Parenthood videos, conservative lawmakers are insisting that the none of the $500 million in annual funding that typically goes to the organization should be provided this year. But both Senate Democratic leaders and President Barack Obama have said they won’t accept any stop-gap funding bill that touches Planned Parenthood allocations, meaning the issue must be resolved or there’s a chance the government could shut down again. Top Republicans, including Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, are eager to avoid that possibility. Senior Republicans are trying to initiate congressional investigations into Planned Parenthood and remove the issue from the funding process in order to respond to anger on the right but also ensure the government remains open. READ: GOP feud jeopardizes Iran vote Boehner is considering several options – attaching a Planned Parenthood defunding provision to a short-term spending bill, holding a separate vote on stripping all federal funds for Planned Parenthood, or moving a moratorium on taxpayer money going to the organization while Congress investigates the group’s practices. Republicans are also examining whether the fast-track process known as budget reconciliation could be a way to target Planned Parenthood funding without risking a government shutdown. On Wednesday, Boehner told House GOP members that his top lieutenants would lead “listening sessions” to sound out rank-and-file members on the best legislative strategy to strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood. At a closed-door meeting, Republican leaders stressed they wanted the focus this week on efforts to block the Iran nuclear deal. A path forward on a spending bill, they said, would likely come together in the next week. Boehner told reporters, “I have not made any decisions on when we would move” the short-term spending bill. The Speaker brushed off a question about whether the threat from House conservatives to oust him complicated the path forward on a spending bill. “It does not make it more difficult,” he said. I’ve got widespread support in the conference and I appreciate it.” But Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who was invited to the Cruz meeting and supports an effort to remove Boehner from his speakership, said the current problem is of the leadership’s own making. “We are here because our leadership put us here, because they subverted the appropriations process,” Massie said. But New Jersey Republican Rep. Leonard Lance warned fellow GOP colleagues that attaching a defunding provision to a must-pass spending bill would threaten another government shutdown. “My view is that we need to pay our troops on time. We need to provide Social Security on time. There are many essential functions of the federal government. I also think it’s bad politically,” Lance told CNN. “The White House will then concentrate on that, as opposed to the goal, which should be to defund Planned Parenthood.” North Carolina GOP Rep. Bob Pittenger said he thought leaders should separate out the issue of Planned Parenthood, telling CNN, “I think we need to think strategically on how we can really attack this.” He acknowledged that some conservatives wouldn’t vote for any funding bill that continued money for Planned Parenthood but said “we have to look at the realities - where is the money coming from.  And the money is coming from Medicaid. That’s not going to be corrected through the type of vote.”


Elusive British street artist Banksy has returned to New York to protest the incarceration of a Turkish artist who was imprisoned last year over a painting. Zehra Dogan is an artist and journalist who had covered the wars in Iraq and Syria and was one of the first reporters to talk to Yazidi women freed from the clutches of ISIS, according to her official website. Can art be too political? Artist Zineb Sedira sounds off Last July, Dogan was handed a jail term of two years, nine months and 22 days for producing “terror organization propaganda” after she painted a scene of Nusaybin, a Turkish town that had been under curfew because of fighting between the military and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), according to CNN Turk. The PKK is considered a terror group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. Banksy’s latest piece in downtown Manhattan is a massive mural of black tally marks which resemble jail bars through which Dogan’s face can be seen. In the bottom right corner is a call for action: “Free Zehra Dogan.” A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) Dogan’s painting is projected above the mural. Shortly after she was initially detained in July 2016, the International Federation of Journalists urged the Turkish government to release Dogan – as well as 90 other journalists presently behind bars. Since her incarceration, several international freedom of expression organizations – including The Voice Project and Pen International – have called for her release. “They gave me a prison penalty for taking the photo of destroyed houses and putting Turkish flags on them. But it wasn’t me who did it, it was them. I just painted it,” Dogan is quoted as saying on her personal website. Why Russia produces (and quashes) so much protest art Shortly after the mural was unveiled, the anonymous guerrilla artist uploaded several Instagram posts on his official account – which he traditionally uses to confirm his works. A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) “One year ago Zehra Dogan was jailed for painting this watercolour of a photograph she saw in the newspaper. Protest against this injustice by re-gramming her painting and tagging Turkey’s President Erdogan @rterdogan,” Banksy posted. Earlier this week, Banksy also stenciled a rat on the clock of a disused bank building on 14th Street in New York.


The Pentagon, in conjunction with the State Department, has increased the presence of Marine Corps security forces at a number of US embassies in the Middle East and Africa in light of increased tensions and unrest following the US decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and the opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem, according to several military officials. CNN first reported the deployment of Marines on Friday. The Marine Corps publicly acknowledged the deployment in a statement saying it had “been requested to augment a number of embassies in light of current events.” Related article White House blames Hamas for dozens of deaths in Gaza protests The Defense Department is not disclosing the number of Marines being deployed or their locations although it’s been known for weeks that security has been increased at US diplomatic installations in Israel including the new embassy in Jerusalem. “DOD takes necessary steps to mitigate threats to U.S. personnel, embassies and consulates around the world. At the request of the Department of State, and in coordination with host nations, the Department of Defense has deployed additional Marine Security Guards to several U.S. embassies for the purpose of temporarily augmenting security,” Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich told CNN. Escalating violence in the Gaza strip area has also led to increased concern it could spark demonstrations in other locations. The Marines are being sent from a unit called the Marine Security Guard Security Augmentation unit which has advanced training beyond the routine Marine Corps embassy guard who protect installations inside their fence perimeter. The additional Marines “are uniquely postured to respond expeditiously,” the Marine Corps statement said. Several US officials have told CNN that US embassies throughout the Middle East and Muslim countries are on alert because of three key events: the US embassy opening in Jerusalem on Monday, the beginning of Ramadan and the Nakba anniversary for Palestinians. Related article Dozens of Palestinians killed in Gaza clashes as US Embassy opens Palestinians mark what they call the “Nakba” or Catastrophe, in memory of the more than 700,000 Palestinians who were either driven from, or fled, their homes during the Arab-Israeli war that accompanied the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. The officials said there have been recent requests last week by the State Department for additional US Marines for additional protection at several embassies. Officials said that there does not appear to be a specific terror threat, but rather the US will be watching for signs of additional destabilizing and escalatory Iranian military actions or surrogate operations through Hezbollah. US defense officials also told CNN that Marines in the Middle East have been earmarked as a rapid response force if tensions rise given the upcoming dates on the calendar of concern. For weeks, the State Department has been working to bolster security at US diplomatic posts around the Muslim world in advance of the US embassy move in Jerusalem, anticipating possible violence. CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Nicole Gaouette and Elise Labott contributed reporting

US embassy security measures in the Middle East and Africa


Hezbollah leader: "We will pick time, place and manner" to retaliate against Israel for death of Samir Kuntar He was killed in an airstrike Sunday in Syria; Israel has declined to comment on accusations it is behind the strike Kuntar was sentenced to life in prison for killing three Israelis but released in a high-profile 2008 swap Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Monday threatened Israel with retaliation after an apparent airstrike killed a senior Lebanese militant a day earlier in Syria. “It is our right to revenge (Samir Kuntar’s) assassination, and we will pick the time, place and manner to do so as we deem appropriate,” Nasrallah said in a televised address. “This is our right.” Hezbollah accused Israel of carrying out the airstrike that hit a residential building in the suburbs of Damascus, killing Kuntar.  The Israeli military has declined to comment on the accusation. Nasrallah’s vow for revenge came hours after weapons fire was exchanged along the Israel-Lebanon border. The Israeli military responded with artillery fire into southern Lebanon after rockets were fired at Israel from its northern neighbor, according to a statement from the Israeli Defense Forces. The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon said it detected three rockets fired from the general area of Al Hinniyah in southern Lebanon toward Israel on Sunday evening, and that the “IDF retaliated with approximately eight rounds of 120mm mortar fire that impacted near Zibqin in southern Lebanon.” There were no immediate reports of casualties on either side. Kuntar served 30 years in an Israeli prison for murder before he was released in a prisoner swap between Israel and Hezbollah seven years ago. Kuntar was convicted of a 1979 attack in which he shot and killed an Israeli man in front of his 4-year-old daughter, then smashed her head against a rock with his rifle butt, tossing her body into the sea. The victim’s 2-year-old daughter was accidentally smothered by her mother, who tried to keep her quiet as they hid from the attackers who arrived in Israel from Lebanon by boat. Kuntar, who was 16 at the time of the attack, was convicted for murdering both children and was sentenced to 542 years in prison. But in 2008, the Israeli government agreed to release him from prison in a high-profile swap. Kuntar was traded for the remains of two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah in a 2006 cross-border raid. “It’s not an easy decision,” Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev told CNN at the time of the swap, adding of Kuntar: “One of the people being released is a brutal murderer, a man that with his own hands killed infants – a terrible crime, but this is a nasty business.” Kuntar received a hero’s welcome upon his return to Lebanon. In his address Monday, Nasrallah said Kuntar “was aware that he had always been a target for Israel since the first day of his release.” CNN’s Ed Payne, Hamdi Alkhshali and Kareem Khadder contributed to this report.


A 104-year-old Australian scientist who is set to end his life at a clinic in Switzerland later this week told CNN that his life was no longer worth living and said he hoped his story would lead to the legalization of assisted dying in other countries. David Goodall, a respected botanist and ecologist, is due to die at the Life Circle clinic in Basel on Thursday, after traveling to Europe from his home town of Perth, Australia earlier this month. The grandfather-of-12 and longtime member of pro-euthanasia group Exit International said his life stopped being enjoyable “five or 10 years ago,” in part because of his failing mobility and eyesight. “My life has been out in the field (working), but I can’t go out in the field now,” said Goodall, who must be pushed everywhere in a wheelchair, during an exclusive interview with CNN in his hotel in Basel on Tuesday. Related video Why 104-year-old scientist wants to die “I would love to be able to walk into the bush again, and see what is all around me,” said the father-of-four, who during his long life has had three wives and moved to Australia from London as a child. “I could still enjoy birdsong,” he added. “But my lack of vision would seriously impair it.” Goodall said he would have preferred to have died when he lost his driver’s license in 1998, adding that the loss of independence at 94 was a big moment in his life. “At my age, I get up in the morning. I eat breakfast. And then I just sit until lunchtime. Then I have a bit of lunch and just sit. What’s the use of that?” said the scientist, who flew business class to Europe earlier this month after supporters raised $20,000 for his campaign. Euthanasia is illegal in Australia, though the state of Victoria is planning to allow assisted dying from mid-2019. Goodall’s home state of Western Australia is currently debating whether to introduce the policy. Several US states have a form of physician-assisted suicide, as do a small number of countries including Japan, Belgium and Switzerland. Goodall attempted to take his own life a few weeks ago but ended up waking up in hospital instead, where doctors judged that he was a risk to himself. He was only discharged after an independent psychiatric review commissioned by his daughter. The scientist described his treatment as “cruel,” adding, “they oblige one to stay alive, when one hasn’t got anything to live for.” Goodall said he felt “resentful” that he had to travel to Switzerland to die, and hoped that his story would lead the Western Australian government to change its laws. “I’m looking forward to it,” he said of his death in two days time. “I’m happy that this period beforehand has been used to interview me, and I’ve brought the ideas of euthanasia to light.” “What I would like is for other countries to follow Switzerland’s lead and make these facilities available to all clients, if they meet the requirements, and the requirements not just of age, but of mental capacity.” Goodall said he did not fear death, but instead will “welcome it when it comes.” “The process of dying can be rather unpleasant, but it need not be – and I hope it won’t be for me,” he said. On Thursday, doctors will place a intravenous needle filled with sodium pentobarbital into Goodall’s arm and he will administer the lethal drug himself. Exit International founder Philip Nitschke told CNN earlier in May that the option of traveling to Switzerland for medically assisted suicide was open to anyone, provided they had sound reason and fulfilled certain criteria. “My belief is that any rational adult should have the ability to access the drugs which would give them a peaceful, reliable death,” said Nitschke, whose organization was instrumental in helping Goodall organize the trip. While a little hard of hearing, and reliant on Nitschke to push his wheelchair, Goodall appeared to have lost none of his sense of humor on Tuesday, wearing a top inscribed with the words “Aging Disgracefully.” Born in London in April 1914, just months before the outbreak of World War I, Goodall said he remembered “creeping under a table in northern London suburbs to escape the air bombs being dropped.” The respected botanist and ecologist went on to hold academic positions across the world, including in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. After his retirement in 1979, Goodall edited a 30-volume series entitled Ecosystems of the World, written by more than 500 authors. In 2016, the professor was awarded the prestigious Order of Australia Medal. Some of his happiest memories of his life included his many trips abroad, including to Fiji and Sweden. His advice for young people on how to live a good life was “to take whatever opportunities arise – as long as those opportunities don’t involve harm to other people.” When asked what his final thought would be before his life ends on Thursday, Goodall was sharp as ever. “I’ll be thinking about the needle and hoping they aim right!” he replied. Melisa Bell and Saskya Vandoorne reported from Basel. Sheena McKenzie wrote from London. Ben Westcott contributed to this report from Hong Kong.


Al Mourabitoun militant group claimed the bombing Group is linked to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb A group with links to Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing that tore through a military camp in West Africa’s Mali, killing 47 people. The attack was launched Wednesday in the city of Gao at the camp shared by government forces and armed groups, who had signed a peace deal in 2012 and were to carry out joint patrols. The Al Mourabitoun militant group claimed it was behind the attack in a statement posted on Facebook and obtained by Mauritanian news agency Al-Akhbar. The group is the Mali branch of Al Qaeda’s North African affiliate, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). “We will not allow the establishment of military posts and headquarters or the convening of patrols and convoys belonging to the French occupiers to wage war against the mujahideen,” the statement read. Al Mourabitoun is led by terrorist Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who is believed to have been behind a number of high-profile attacks against military and civilian targets in Mali and elsewhere in Africa. The one-eyed Belmokhtar has been mistakenly declared dead many times. The United States named him a global terrorist 12 years ago and offered a $5 million reward for information about him. Francois Delattre, France’s ambassador to the United Nations, said Wednesday that the attack was an “attempt against the ongoing efforts in Mali to stabilize the country and a direct effort to undermine the peace agreement.” Mali is a former French colony that has struggled with instability and Islamist extremists for years. An uprising by rebels from the Tuareg ethnic minority began in the country’s sparsely populated north in January 2012, followed by a military coup two months later. During the chaos that followed, Islamist extremists who had helped the Tuareg against Malian forces took over a large portion of northern Mali for themselves. At Mali’s request, France sent thousands of troops after the coup to help push out the militants. The United Nations also established a peacekeeping mission to secure the government enough to continue a peace process. French troops helped push the militants out of urban areas, but the militants persisted in the nation’s desert regions. An Algerian-brokered peace deal, which allowed for greater autonomy in the country’s north, was signed in June 2015 by the so-called Coordination of Movements of Azawad, representing the Tuareg-led rebels. CNN’s Jason Hanna, Bijan Hosseini and Richard Roth contributed to this report.


A California man told authorities he bought an endangered Bengal tiger cub for $300 in Mexico A Customs and Border Patrol inspector discovered the tiger cub on the floor of the vehicle A California man has been charged with smuggling a Bengal tiger cub into the United States from Mexico. He told investigators he wanted to keep the tiger as a pet, the United States Attorney’s Office said. Under federal law, all species of tigers – including Bengal tigers – are endangered species. A Fish and Wildlife Service permit is required to import any species listed under the Endangered Species Act. Luis Eudoro Valencia, 18, of Perris, California, told federal authorities he bought the tiger cub on August 21 for $300 from a man he saw on a Tijuana street walking a full-size tiger on a leash. But Valencia didn’t have the required permit and failed to declare the tiger with Customs and Border Protection officers when he drove across the border into San Diego, California two days later, the US Attorney’s Office said. Valencia was also charged Wednesday with importing an endangered species without a permit. Valencia was released on a $10,000 surety bond and was ordered to appear for a preliminary hearing on September 5. A number for Valencia could not be located on Thursday. His attorney, Adam Schneider, told CNN he hadn’t yet spoken to his client. Around 1:30 a.m. on August 23, Valencia and his passenger drove into the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in a silver 2017 Chevrolet Camaro with no license plates, the complaint said. The two initially said they didn’t have anything to declare, the complaint said. A Customs and Border Protection inspector searched the vehicle after they found a problem with its vehicle identification number. The inspector found the tiger cub on the floor of Valencia’s vehicle, the complaint said. Valencia told authorities he started communicating with the seller on August 18, the same day he went to Mexico to meet the seller. He returned on August 23 to purchase and pick up the tiger, the complaint said. The Bengal tiger is the most populous subspecies of tiger. It is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, the US Attorney’s Office said.


Joshua Wong and Nathan Law sentenced to community service Alex Chow gets suspended jail term Two student leaders who brought tens of thousands onto Hong Kong’s streets during pro-democracy protests in 2014 have been spared jail, with a local court saying they genuinely believed in their political ideals. A magistrates’ court in Hong Kong on Monday sentenced Joshua Wong to 80 hours of community service after he was convicted last month for taking part in a rally on September 26, 2014 in front of Hong Kong’s Central Government Offices. The rally sparked the two-month long Occupy Central demonstrations, also known as the Umbrella Movement. Nathan Law was sentenced to 120 hours of community service for inciting others to take part in an unlawful assembly at that same rally. A third man, Alex Chow, was given a three-week jail term suspended for one year. However, unless Chow commits a criminal offense in the next year he won’t spend time in jail. Related video Hong Kong: Fears of losing freedom Chow’s sentence was going to be 80 hours community service but was changed because he is going abroad to study, the court said. “The court accepted that all three defendants expressed their opinions and demands because they genuinely believe in their political ideals and were concerned about the status of (Hong Kong) society,” according to the court document issued on the sentencing. “Their motivation was not for their own benefit or to harm others,” the document said. The relatively light sentences won’t restrict their participation in Hong Kong politics as some had feared. Earlier this year, Wong launched a new political party – Demosistō – with the aim of winning representation in Hong Kong’s decision-making body, the Legislative Council and push its pro-democracy agenda. At 19, Wong is too young to run for a seat himself, so 23-year-old Law is standing in next month’s election. ALSO READ: China blames ‘dark shadow’ of U.S. for Hong Kong independence While Chow has taken a step back and shifted his focus to academics – he is due to study in London –  Wong and Law continue to campaign for democracy in Hong Kong. “I do not regret any of my involvement in the Umbrella Movement,” Wong told CNN last Friday. Both he and Law said their biggest fear is that their sentences would scare off others from making their voices heard. “I believe that to have social change, we need more people to come out,” Law said. “I’m afraid these kinds of court cases will stop people from participating.” ALSO READ: Hong Kong bans pro-independence candidate from election Wong first gained prominence in 2012 as the founder of the student group Scholarism, which helped fight off a plan to introduce “moral and national education” classes in the city. Many saw it as an attempt by the Communist government in Beijing to exercise greater control over Hong Kong, which is supposed to enjoy a high degree of autonomy from the mainland China – maintaining its own political, judicial, education and economic systems. In 2014, Wong became the face of the Umbrella Movement, which paralyzed the city’s normally booming financial district for 79 days. At times, up to 100,000 people gathered in the area to protest a lack democracy for Hong Kong’s top post of chief executive. ALSO READ: Hong Kong’s Brexit moment? Calls grow for independence Under the current system, the position is chosen by a 1,200-member Election Commission, primarily made up of Beijing loyalists. “It is necessary for our party to get a legislator elected into council to gain the resources and the sustainable political power inside the institution and let us push forward (with) the self-determination movement,” Wong told CNN last Friday. The party wants to work towards a referendum that will allow Hong Kongers to decide their future after 2047, when Mainland China is no longer bound by an agreement with Britain to allow Hong Kong to enjoy a high degree of autonomy. “It is not an easy time for Hong Kong. We are facing our core values being eroded,” Wong said. “We just hope more and more people around the world will support the new generation and for Hong Kong to get back our own rights of universal suffrage, direct elections, freedom, human rights and democracy.”


Analysts say discrimination against women remains widespread in China Expressing support for feminism can be controversial in China The biggest event in China’s political calendar just concluded in Beijing, and the lack of women at the top echelons of power was palpable. This week, Chinese President Xi Jinping presented his new leadership team to the world on stage in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. Just who would be on the Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee was a matter of fierce debate, but on one thing everyone was certain: there would be no women. The People’s Republic of China has never had a female president, nor have any women served on the Standing Committee, where all key decisions about running the country are made, since the party came to power in 1949. Rulers revealedXi Jinping’s new menXi anointed in constitution Few female leadersHow China stacks upEconomy: What’s nextWho is Xi Jinping?Opinion: ‘Momentous time’ Rulers revealedXi Jinping’s new menXi anointed in constitution Few female leadersHow China stacks upEconomy: What’s nextWho is Xi Jinping?Opinion: ‘Momentous time’ The next rung down – the 25-member Politburo – previously had only two female members. It now only has one. China’s lack of female leadership is made all the more stark by the contrast with Hong Kong and Taiwan, both of which are run by women. Carrie Lam took office as first female leader in Hong Kong, a former British territory now part of China, in July. In Taiwan, a self-governing island China views as a breakaway province, Tsai Ing-wen was elected as its first female president in early 2016. Other countries in the region – South Korea, Thailand, Myanmar, Singapore – have also all had women leaders. The founding father of the People’s Republic, Mao Zedong, famously proclaimed that “women hold up half the sky,” so why, four decades after his death, are there still so few high-level female politicians in China? Although China’s constitution enshrines gender equality, discrimination remains widespread, according to analysts. Current retirement policy requires female public servants stop working up to 10 years earlier than men. For government employees, including those at state-owned enterprises, the mandatory retirement age for men is 60, while women retire at 50 or 55. Some experts argue this age-gap perpetuates perceptions women are physically unable to work as long as men and discourages employers from hiring women for long-term positions. It also leads to less opportunities for women seeking advancement in Chinese politics, where cadres only reach the height of power as they near their 60s. “The government has no intention of doing anything substantive to improve female political representation,” said Leta Hong Fincher, author of the upcoming book “Betraying Big Brother: China’s Feminist Resistance.” “It’s just doing the talk to appear more responsible as it wants to be viewed as a more prominent global leader.” Many women – like real estate maven Zhang Xin and tech entrepreneur Hu Weiwei – are succeeding in business and academia, but female politicians remain a rare breed. Time magazine included Jiang Qing, Mao’s wife and leader of the “Gang of Four” during the Cultural Revolution, as one of the 25 most powerful women of the past century, but she only reached the Politburo. The country’s two most senior female politicians today are vice premier Liu Yandong, a scion of a political dynasty – her father was a close ally of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin – and Sun Chunlan, a somewhat obscure Politburo member. In this week’s leadership reshuffle, Liu retired from the Politburo, leaving Sun as the only female member. Another notable female politician is Fu Ying. While she is not a member of the Politburo, she’s only the second woman to ever hold the position of vice foreign minister. “Chairman Mao’s words are poetic; they’re not real policies,” said Cheng Li, a China expert at the Washington-based Brookings Institution. “Mao wanted to encourage women, but not let them go too far.” Although a 1982 revision to the party constitution calls for it to “pay great attention to cultivating and selecting women cadres,” Li said the rules have had limited impact as they don’t define a percentage. Obstacles to women at the policy level are compounded by another factor: culture. Surviving China’s male-dominated political system means playing by its rules, such as drinking large amounts of baijiu, the clear, highly alcoholic grain spirit that forms a key part of formal banquets and meetings. This puts women in a dilemma – if they take part in the drinking, they may be judged for failing to uphold a modest lifestyle; if they refuse, they’re excluded from the mingling and miss out on opportunities to make connections and gain influence. Li said discrimination in China is often more open than in the West, “especially at dinner tables and in meeting rooms.” The extravagant banquets where baijiu consumption is a big part have been major target of Xi’s anti-corruption campaign, hurting sales of the spirit and giving some hope networking events could take a more professional turn. In the West, moves to open up more fields to women and improve representation have been driven by proudly feminist activists and politicians, but in China, expressing support for the mere concept of feminism can be controversial. Last year, state-run news agency Xinhua published an opinion piece criticizing Taiwanese President Tsai’s “extremist style,” because she was unmarried. “As a single female politician, she does not have the emotional burden of love, of ‘family’ or children. So her political style and strategy tend to be emotional, personalized and extreme,” wrote Wang Weixing, an official from a Beijing-controlled body that handles relations with Taiwan. The story was eventually pulled after a wave of outrage online, but it’s not the only example of Chinese politicians going after outspoken women, which comes amid a wider crackdown on NGOs and civil society groups. Related video China releases women's rights activists from detention In 2015, five Chinese feminist activists were detained and accused of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” after they attempted to organize a campaign against sexual harassment on public transport. Though they were eventually released on bail, prosecutors threatened them with charges carrying hefty prison terms and one of the five, Wu Rongrong, was briefly banned from leaving the country. “Even though the women were released, they are still officially criminal suspects,” Hong Fincher said. “To this day, the government is continuing to carry out an unprecedented crackdown on feminist activism, trying to extinguish the nascent feminist movement.” For Li’s part, he said he was not “entirely pessimistic,” pointing to improvements in education. “However,” he added, “we might not see any significant change in the next five to 10 years.”


Lavrov: Russia shares President Trump's desire for "re-establishing normal relations" Russia's foreign minister also called for a normalization of ties with the European Union Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called for the “re-establishment of normal relations” between Russia and the United States under the Trump administration. His desire for better US-Russian relations on Wednesday echoes previous statements by US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. “Following the difficult relations we had under Barack Obama, President Putin is ready to meet in the interests of global security and stability,” Lavrov said, in remarks to Russia’s lower house of parliament. “We share the position expressed by President Trump for re-establishing normal relations. This means we need to work in a businesslike way.” Lavrov also urged a normalization of ties between Russia and the European Union and said “Russophobia” must be combated. “We cannot build our relations other than on mutual respect,” he said. Related video Trump on relations with Russia The US and EU both imposed sanctions on Russia after it annexed Crimea in 2014 and backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Amid continued concern over potential Russian aggression, some 4,000 US soldiers have been deployed as part of troop rotations to Europe that the Pentagon has said are intended to bolster ties with NATO allies and send a clear message to Russia. Russia has previously said it sees the buildup of NATO forces as a threat  – and Lavrov told lawmakers that their country was obliged to respond. “We understand that we had to carry out measures in response to the actions of NATO, about the military potential of (NATO), including their missile defense system,” he said Wednesday. “Russia is a peaceful country but we have to be ready and prepared to provide the security and safety of our citizens,” he said. Addressing the continued violence in eastern Ukraine, Lavrov accused Kiev of “continuing to set up armed provocations” in the conflict zone and of a “stubborn refusal” to abide by a ceasefire agreement signed in Minsk in 2015. Lavrov also highlighted Russia’s role in facilitating talks between the Syrian government and Syrian rebel groups in Astana, Kazakhstan, this week, saying they were “extremely important.” Related video Tensions high at Syria peace talks The talks – backed by Russia, Turkey and Iran – could help pave the way to further discussions in Geneva, Switzerland, next month. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared the Astana meeting a “success” in a call with reporters Wednesday and said he hoped it would help to restart the Geneva peace process. “Undoubtedly it is a success. Undoubtedly it is a significant support to the Geneva process, you know, the main avenue to settling the Syrian issue is in Geneva, we know that there have been some stumbling blocks there for quite a while,” he said. “The fact that a meeting of the interested parties took place is the most positive thing – so that’s why we are positive about the talks [in Astana],” Peskov said. “Time will show how viable these talks are and it’s the practicability of them which will dictate the situation.” The new Trump administration opted not to send a delegation to Astana, instead tapping US Ambassador to Kazakhstan George Krol to represent Washington’s interests. In his remarks Wednesday, Lavrov also highlighted Russia’s desire to strengthen ties with China and other Asian nations. And he said Russian diplomacy around the world was focused on promoting Russian citizens’ security and the country’s best interests. “We cannot fight the terrorism without stabilization of the Middle East, including Syria, Iraq, Libya – we have to work together with Iran, Syria, Turkey and other countries in order to solve the Syria crisis,” he said. CNN’s Emma Burrows and Stephanie Halasz contributed to this report.


Police say newborn girl buried alive under walking path asphalt Witnesses say they heard faint cries which they at first thought was a cat Police say the baby was born within the last 36 to 48 hours Parents face attempted murder, child endangerment charges if found The crying coming from under a block of asphalt sounded like it was from a cat to Angelica Blount. But it turned out to be an abandoned baby that police say was deliberately buried under debris along a Los Angeles area walking path. Blount was walking in Compton on Friday, when her sister Evangelina McCrary pointed the sound out to her. Newborn baby pulled alive from toilet in Beijing “She told me, ‘Can you hear the baby crying?’” Blount told CNN affiliate KABC. “And I said, ‘I don’t know; it might be a cat.’ And my sister said, ‘No, it’s a baby crying.’” They called 911. Two deputies from the LA Sheriff’s Department found the newborn under pieces of asphalt and debris inside a crevice. She was “cold to the touch” and wrapped in what appeared to be a hospital blanket, the sheriff’s office said. “There’s indications that the child was born at a medical facility or at a hospital…because of the blanket,” LA Sheriff’s Dept. Sgt. Marvin Jaramilla told journalists on Saturday. Opinion: Why there are more walk-away moms Paramedics treated her at the scene before transporting her to the hospital where she’s listed in stable condition. Police say the baby girl was born within the last 36 to 48 hours. She’s lucky to be alive. Newborn found in Nativity scene at New York church “We do know that if the child had spent the night there in those conditions the baby wouldn’t have survived,” Sgt. Jaramilla said. If the parents are found, they will face attempted murder and child endangerment charges. Los Angeles County has a so-called “Baby Safe Surrender Program” that provides parents the option to hand their baby over at any LA county hospital or fire station, no questions asked. “I don’t know how someone would just dump the baby and throw them in that hole and forget about it,” resident Angel Flores told KABC. CNN’s Amanda Watts and Andy Rose contributed to this report

Los Angeles County Baby Safe Surrender Program


Mars mission ended with hard landing on planet's surface Schiaparelli designed as a test flight for 2020 mission to Mars There are many craters on Mars – but this one is different. New images show a fresh, dark mark on the face of the Red Planet. This one was made by the Schiaparelli spacecraft when it hit the surface hard after a systems malfunction. The pictures – taken by a NASA Mars orbiter this week – reveal the final resting place of the Mars lander, reported lost by the European Space Agency earlier this month. They also hint at the violence of the impact made by the speeding Schiaparelli at the end of its fiery plunge through the martian atmosphere. Schiaparelli was designed to be a test flight for another mission – a planned 2020 launch that will send a rover to Mars. The agency suspects something went wrong when a parachute was jettisoned. “The ejection itself appears to have occurred earlier than expected, but analysis is not yet complete,” it said in a statement. At a news conference announcing the loss of the craft, ESA’s Director General, Jan Wörner, said Schiaparelli’s primary role was to test whether they could successfully land a probe on Mars. “Recording the data during the descent was part of that, and it is important we can learn what happened, in order to prepare for the future,” Wörner said. NASA’s MRO @HiRISE has imaged #ExoMars @ESA_EDM landing site & module hardware in high-res:  https://t.co/zwULj6knp5 pic.twitter.com/uy6nUUrUVJ The probe was equipped with nine thrusters that were due to be activated for the last 30 seconds to help cushion the landing. While they were confirmed to have been briefly activated, the agency believes they may have switched off sooner than expected. After monitoring its descent, scientists at mission control in Darmstadt, Germany, did not get a signal back from the 1,272 pound (577 kilogram) probe. Schiaparelli’s companion craft, an orbiter with a much longer mission, successfully made it to orbit. The Trace Gas Orbiter will investigate the source of methane on Mars, which could be a sign of life or geological processes. Related article Barack Obama: America will take the giant leap to Mars The orbiter adds to a number of craft that are looking for signs of life on our neighboring planet. The presence of methane is a signature of life on Earth, so the orbiting spacecraft will be trying to detect it on Mars – and determine where it is coming from. The Trace Gas Oribiter is expected to operate until 2020. CNN’s David Gilbert and Bianca Britton contributed to this report.


"I'm going to vote against him, absolutely against him," Merkley said on CNN's "New Day" Merkley said he was 'disappointed' by Tillerson's answers about Russia Sen. Jeff Merkley announced Thursday that he will vote against Rex Tillerson’s confirmation as the next secretary of state. “I am ready to take a position,” Merkley, an Oregon Democrat who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee, which heard Tillerson’s testimony Wednesday, said in an interview on CNN’s “New Day.” “I’m going to vote against him, absolutely against him.” “It was a very disappointing performance yesterday,” he added of Tillerson’s day-long confirmation hearing. Merkley said he was disappointed with Tillerson’s answers to questions about Russia and his time as CEO of ExxonMobil. “Obviously, sanctions are a big concern – as leader of Exxon, Tillerson proceeded to utilize a subsidiary to bypass American sanctions on Iran. His company lobbied extensively to get rid of the sanctions and certainly not to extend them,” Merkley said, referring to charges that during Tillerson’s term as CEO, ExxonMobil skirted US sanctions in international business dealings. Tillerson said during his confirmation hearing that he did “not recall” such business dealings. Merkley also said he was surprised when Tillerson told the Senate committee that he hadn’t discussed Russia policy with President-elect Donald Trump yet. “That has not yet occurred,” Tillerson said. “It’s inconceivable, because he’s been very close to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, the President-elect has been very close to Putin, Exxon had huge interests in Russia. And one of the reasons that you would think that Trump selected him is because he is very close to Putin, and so it didn’t seem like he was speaking in a straightforward manner,” Merkley said. Still, Merkley said that one has “to give (Tillerson) credit” for his answers about Russian hacking. “I said, ‘If a candidate conspired with an outside country to take down your opponent in an internal election, wouldn’t this be against the very core of our democratic process?’ And he said, ‘Yes, yes it would be.’ So I have to give Tillerson credit on that one.” Republicans have a one-vote margin on the Foreign Relations Committee, meaning that if all Democrats on the panel and just one Republican vote against Tillerson’s nomination, it will stall in committee. At least one Republican on the committee, Sen. Marco Rubio, is undecided. However, if the nomination does not make it out of committee, it is still possible for Senate GOP leaders to bring it to a vote before the full Senate, although such a step would be unusual. Arizona Sen. John McCain told reporters Thursday he also has not yet made up his mind on Tillerson. CNN’s Dan Merica contributed to this report.

Rex Tillerson's confirmation as Secretary of State


Grenier is the co-founder of the Lonely Whale Foundation "We want to bridge the disconnect we have with the ocean and to have empathy," Grenier said After spending eight years on the HBO television hit “Entourage,” a show that promoted conspicuous consumption and immediate gratification, actor and ocean conservation advocate Adrian Grenier is now promoting the exact opposite: a “wholistic lifestyle and culture change,” where people are committed to protecting the planet and building the future world in which they want to live. “In the reality of television, there are no consequences, but in the real world, there are,” Grenier said Friday on a panel with Secretary of State John Kerry at a State Department conference on ocean conservation. For two days, Grenier lent some star power to State Department’s Instagram account as a guest posting about the conference. Grenier is the co-founder of the Lonely Whale Foundation, which promotes ocean health through education and awareness for marine wildlife. “We want to bridge the disconnect we have with the ocean and to have empathy,” Grenier said in an interview at the State Department. “Not just for whales but for all marine wildlife.” Grenier joined Kerry and 60 foreign ministers and leaders from the private and non-profit sectors for the conference. Fellow actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio addressed the group Thursday. It may seem more likely for Vincent Chase – the A-list movie star Grenier played in “Entourage” and who starred in James Cameron’s (fictional) blockbuster “Aquaman” – to be an advocate for ocean conservation, than Grenier, who grew up in New York City and spent little time by the water. “I lived in a concrete jungle, and I think most people have the same experience – they don’t live near the water or their access to the water is not readily available,” he said. “The reality is these are all of our oceans. We need to protect them because they’re ours and we can’t protect them unless we feel connected to them. “ The foundation’s mascot is Lonely Whale, a solitary whale which migrates along the West Coast calling out at a frequency no other whales can understand. “Imagine what that would be like for us if we couldn’t connect with others in our species,” Grenier said. He said he hopes that through the Lonely Whale’s story “people will connect with one another and bond with the oceans.” The foundation has teamed up with Dell to create Cry Out: The Lonely Whale Experience, a virtual immersive experience to let people feel what it is like to live under water and to appreciate what marine wildlife face every day. Grenier hopes that once people feel more connected to the ocean, they will care about what they throw out into it, such as plastic that soon will be populating the ocean at a rate greater than fish. He is currently on a crusade to end the reliance on plastic straws, asking waiters to skip the straw with his drink order and starting a #strawless campaign on Twitter. Next week, Grenier and billionaire philanthropist Richard Branson will swim 3.3 kilometers in the open ocean on the coast of Sicily, Italy, as part of Grenier’s foundation’s #MakeASplash campaign to raise money for ocean conservation. “We spend more money on space exploration than ocean research. We know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the world’s oceans,” Grenier said. “We are always looking for life outside the planet, but we don’t know about the diverse life that is under the ocean.”


Soldier crossed the heavily fortified DMZ last week North Korea seeks to fortify zone after 3 soldiers defect this year North Korea has replaced nearly all the soldiers along the border where one of their former comrades defected, a South Korean lawmaker said Friday. “North Korea replaced almost all of its troops, if not all, at the Joint Security Area for their failure to prevent the defection,” said Kim Young-woo, chairman of the National Assembly’s defense committee.  “It was obviously a part of punishment for failing their mission to deter the North Korean soldier’s escape. North Korea has always punished those responsible for similar failures.” Earlier, both the South Korean military and US forces in Korea told CNN they could not confirm Kim’s statement. The status of the soldiers is unclear. The change comes as the North Korean People’s Army sought to prevent other soldiers from defecting by planting trees and apparently digging a trench at a section of the demilitarized zone, according to the chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Seoul. Marc Knapper, the highest-ranking official at the US Embassy, tweeted a photo this week showing North Korean soldiers supervising what appears to be the planting of two trees and the digging of a trench where the North Korean soldier dashed across the border November 13. “(T)he North Koreans have planted two trees and are digging a trench at the spot where their soldier crossed the MDL,” Knapper tweeted Wednesday, referring to the Joint Security Area at the heavily fortified demilitarized zone that divides North and South Korea. A photo tweeted by Knapper the next day showed several men, surrounded by North Korean soldiers, appearing to dig the trench behind a pair of trees. “I’m certain that’s the same spot where the soldier defected,” Kim said. “North Koreans appear to be digging a trench in an attempt to prevent others soldiers from defecting to South Korea.” Dramatic video of the North Korean soldier’s daring dash to freedom while being fired upon by his former comrades was released by the United Nations Command on Wednesday. After the defector’s vehicle got stuck in a gutter close to the border, he jumped out and ran toward the South Korean side, according to an official at a South Korean Ministry of Defense press briefing on Tuesday. The 24-year-old soldier, surnamed Oh, has regained consciousness after being shot and was undergoing treatment, according to the hospital where he was taken. Oh, whose rank has not been revealed, is the third member of the North Korean armed forces to defect this year. More than 40 bullets were fired at him from pistols and an AK-47, South Korea’s military said last week. South Korean troops did not return fire. Oh had lost more than 50% of his blood by the time he arrived by air at Ajou University Hospital, his surgeon Lee Cook-jong told reporters Wednesday. Lee said it was difficult to tell exactly how many times he was shot. Four major wounds were found, but he could have been shot twice in the same location. Oh underwent multiple surgeries and doctors found dozens of parasitic worms – some as long as 27 centimeters (about 11 inches) – in his ruptured intestines, which may be reflective of poor nutrition and hygiene in North Korea’s military. CNN’s Courtney Doll in Atlanta, Sandi Sidhu in Hong Kong and Taehoon Lee in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.


The Latino vote has long been sought after by presidential campaigns Hispanic women vote more than Latino men, according to a new CUNY/CNN study Margarita Montañez came to the United States from Mexico in 1970 when she was 23 years old. She raised six children but says one of her greatest accomplishments was becoming a United States citizen in 1999. “I wanted to vote,” she said. “I wanted to have a say in my children’s future.” The Latino vote has long been the subject of interest for presidential elections, and in 2016 it may be wise to look more specifically at the Latina vote. A study by the City University of New York commissioned by CNN shows that the growing trend among the nation’s estimated 27 million eligible Hispanic voters is the increasing number of Latina women stepping up to the ballot box. For Montañez that makes perfect sense. Poll: White working-class Americans have complicated view of Muslim immigrants “The women, they work so hard, and I think they put more attention [on voting],” she said, contending that more Latinas are acting as heads of household for family finances and family discussions on politics. Montañez works from home. Her six children graduated from college with careers in engineering, philosophy and education. Now that they’re grown, Montanez says she’s using this political season to get more involved. “I like to get involved for the campaigns so when I go knocking on the doors, more of the women answer the doors,” she said, “and they’re excited.” The CUNY/CNN study shows Hispanic women have voted in greater proportions that Latino men in every presidential election between 1992 and 2012, and that Latinas accounted for between 53% and 55% of all Hispanics who cast a ballot in presidential elections during that period. 2016: Last call for working class whites? Los Angeles-based immigration attorney Jessica Dominguez says she doesn’t find that surprising. “I take the fact that I can vote very seriously,” she said. “I take it not only as a right, but to me it’s a privilege to go out and vote.” Dominguez was 14 when she immigrated to the US in 1981. She became a legal, permanent resident eight years later and shortly after that, a US citizen. She’s been voting for more than 20 years now. “As Latinas, we take a lot of time to talk about the complaints that we have,” Dominguez said. “We want better education for our kids. We want to be able to afford a mortgage. We want to afford an education. How are we going to do that if our voices are not heard?” Latinas are also registering to vote in greater numbers than Hispanic men, accounting for a margin of nearly 10% more from 1992 to 2012, according to the CUNY/CNN study. Political analyst Hernan Molina explained that a lot of this may lie in Latin culture. Trump: Black communities in worst shape ‘ever, ever, ever’ “Numbers-wise, it’s a very important voting bloc,” Molina said. “But they also take voting very seriously. They want to make sure that they elect the next president, the next candidate, because they want to make sure that that person represents their values.” Growing up as undocumented immigrant, Mexican-American author Julissa Arce said she votes now because she wants to speak up for those who can’t and give the undocumented community a voice. Arce came to the US when she was 11 years old in 1994 on a tourist visa to be reunited with her parents, who were already living here. When she became an American citizen in 2014, she says she looked forward to this election year, when she will cast her ballot for president for the first time. “The thing I was looking most forward to was being able to vote,” she said. “And finally be a part of our country’s democracy because at the very core of what our country is about is the ability of people, of its citizens, to be able to participate in the political process.” But Arce said the idea that the voice in her vote is more than just her own, isn’t something she takes lightly. “I feel like with my vote, I can give a voice to the millions of undocumented immigrants who can’t vote who cannot be represented in this country the way that they should be,” she said. Trump brags about using ‘other people’s money’ amid questions over charity use Montañez, Dominguez and Arce represent three generations of Latinas from different backgrounds and socio-economic levels but with the same vision of the importance of their vote. “We really love our families. We want to take care of our families. We want to give them the best,” Dominguez said. “And in order to do that, we need better representatives. We need a lot of things to change. And if we want change, we need to go out and vote.” Arce agreed, saying: “It’s more than just our right to go out to vote, it’s our obligation to go out and vote.” “This election is really about taking back our narrative and taking back who we are as Latinos,” she said. “This election is about taking back that narrative and showing the country who we really are as Latinos and what we believe in and what we stand for.” The next couple of months, these women believe, will be crucial, believing the power of what happens next lies in their own hands. “We’ll define this next election by either going out and voting or staying at home and not voting. But regardless, it will be us who define this next election,” Arce said. “Those are the facts and those are the numbers. We will decide who the next president is.”


Not many Americans have shaken the hand of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un but in new photos released on Thursday, newly confirmed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is doing just that. They are the first publicly released photos from their clandestine meeting over the Easter weekend. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted out two remarkable photos of Pompeo and Kim, which show the two unsmiling representatives of their country, both in dark suits, firmly gripping the other’s hand in an ornate room in an undisclosed part of North Korea. Pompeo made the visit while he was CIA director, before he was confirmed as secretary of state. The Senate confirmed Pompeo Thursday for the top diplomatic position in the United States. Sanders tweeted on Thursday that Pompeo “will do an excellent job helping @POTUS lead our effort to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.” President Donald Trump teased the existence of the photos during a free-wheeling interview on “Fox & Friends” on Thursday morning, saying: “We have incredible pictures of the two talking and meeting which I would love to release if we can. I will do that. Not a bad idea.” The world continues to wait for details on a Trump-Kim meeting, which the President says will occur in late May or early June. Locales such as Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore and Mongolia have been suggested as potential places for the meeting, per US officials. During a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, Trump reiterated that the campaign of “maximum pressure” on North Korea will continue, as to “not repeat the mistakes of past administrations.” He also told reporters that he has a “very simple” view of North Korean denuclearization: “It means they get rid of their nukes.”


Alexey Pushkov: US democracy undermined not by Russia but by Obama administration Pushkov's tweets follow a US intelligence report blaming Russia for hacking in election A top Russian lawmaker accused the Obama administration Saturday of undermining US democracy, saying Republicans had more trust in Russian President Vladimir Putin than in the Democrats. Alexey Pushkov’s assertions in a series of tweets come in the wake of a US intelligence report pinpointing Russia and its leader as the culprit behind the hacking in the US presidential election. Related video Obama: 'Vladimir Putin is not on our team' Russia has consistently denied any interference in the election. Pushkov, a Russian senator and former chairman of the parliamentary foreign relations committee, first tweeted early Saturday, “The Democratic process in the United States is undermined not by Russia, but by the Obama administration and the media which supported (Hillary) Clinton against (Donald) Trump. The threat to democracy is the United States.” He then tweeted, “The head of the US Ministry of Defense accused Putin of bad relations between USA and Russia. Obama undertook a course to isolate and to undermine the positions of Russia and blame Putin. Complete nonsense.” Related article Putin's 'act of war' against American democracy As he had done earlier in the week, Pushkov also compared US hacking allegations against Russia to claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction in 2003, later blamed on faulty intelligence, posting that “all accusations against Russia are based on ‘confidence’ and assumptions. The US (was) just as confident of the WMDs (then-Iraqi President Saddam) Hussein had.” In his latest tweet, issued Saturday afternoon, Pushkov said that Republicans trusted Putin more than they did the Democratic Party. Translated, like the others, from Russian, it read: “Obama dismayed: Republicans trust Putin more than the Democrats. This is the ‘merit’ of the Democrats and one of the results of Obama’s presidency.” Obama: ‘Vladimir Putin is not on our team’ The US intelligence report, which was commissioned by President Barack Obama, was the first official, full and public accounting by the US intelligence community of its assessment of Russian cyberhacking activities during the 2016 campaign and the motivations behind that hacking. Related video Intel chiefs' take on Trump It found that Putin “ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election” and that the Russian President and his government “developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.” Trump has resisted the US intelligence community’s conclusions that Russia was responsible for the hacking and that it aimed to help his campaign. The President-elect, who was briefed on the report Friday by top US intelligence and law enforcement officials, said he had “a constructive meeting” but declined to agree publicly with their conclusions. Instead, Trump stressed that “there was absolutely no effect on the (election) outcome whatsoever,” which the US intelligence community asserted in its report it was not in a position to assess. Trump did acknowledge in his statement the possibility that Russia could have been behind the hack, though he named China as well as a persistent cyberhacker. The US intelligence community also warned in its report Friday that Moscow would likely continue to pursue cyberhacking campaigns to influence future elections. Related video Pence makes statement about hacking intel “Moscow will apply lessons learned from its Putin-ordered campaign aimed at the US presidential election to future influence efforts worldwide, including against US allies and their election processes,” it assessed. The 17 US intelligence agencies first concluded in October that Russian intelligence, directed by the most senior Russian officials, orchestrated the hacking of Democratic Party organizations. But since then, the US intelligence community said it had gathered additional information to make assessments of the motivations behind the cyberhacking operations: that the effort was aimed at undermining the US democratic process, hurting Clinton and helping Trump in the election. CNN’s Sebastian Shukla reported from Moscow, and Laura Smith-Spark wrote from London. CNN’s Jeremy Diamond contributed to this report.


Yingying Zhang is missing and presumed dead, authorities say Suspect to be arraigned July 20 A federal grand jury Wednesday indicted Brendt Christensen on one count of kidnapping in connection with the disappearance of Yingying Zhang, a University of Illinois student from China. Zhang disappeared June 9 while on her way to sign an apartment lease. Law enforcement officials believe she is dead, according to a criminal complaint filed before Christensen, 28, was arrested June 30. He is scheduled to be arraigned July 20 in Urbana, Illinois. Christensen’s attorneys have argued that he had no criminal history, has ties to the community in Urbana and Champaign, Illinois, and should have a right to take part in his own defense. He has not yet entered a plea and is being held at a Macon County jail. The maximum penalty for someone convicted of kidnapping in federal court is life in prison. Zhang, 26, was last seen getting into Christensen’s car at a bus stop on June 9, the complaint says, citing video evidence. Authorities have said Christensen changed his story about what he was doing that day. He first said he couldn’t remember where he was between 2 p. m. and 3 p. m. on the day of the kidnapping, the complaint says. He later told authorities he was probably sleeping or playing video games “at his residence all day,” the FBI agent writes in the complaint. Facebook post not found. Post has been removed or is no longer public. Days later, Christensen admitted to investigators he was “driving around the UI campus when he observed an Asian female with a backpack standing at a corner appearing distressed,” the complaint says. Christensen said he drove up to the woman, who told him she was late to an appointment, and offered her a ride, the FBI agent says. The Zhang family shared with us these photos of Yingying. Please help us find her. More info: https://t.co/UmW3BlyRgr #findingyingying pic.twitter.com/5OAePPqwmC Christensen also told authorities he may have made a wrong turn, and the woman panicked. At this moment, he said he let his passenger out of the car a few blocks away, the criminal complaint says. Investigators searched Christensen’s phone and discovered an April 19 visit to the website FetLife – where the user visited a forum called “Abduction 101,” with threads called “Perfect abduction fantasy” and “planning a kidnapping,” authorities have said. Efforts by CNN to reach administrators at the website were not successful. Investigators sought search warrants and started their surveillance of Christensen on June 16. In their recordings, the suspect can allegedly be heard explaining how he kidnapped Zhang. Christensen says in the recording that Zhang fought him, and that he took her back to his apartment and held her there against her will, Bryan Freres, an assistant US attorney, told a federal judge at Christensen’s bail hearing. On June 29, Christensen went to a vigil for the missing student, a photo taken by a CNN reporter shows. FBI agents recorded his comments there, and Christensen “explained the characteristics of his ideal victim,” Freres said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, University of Illinois Police Department and Illinois State Police are searching for Zhang. CNN’s Connor Spielmaker, Darran Simon, Holly Yan and Laura Díaz-Zúñiga contributed to this report.


"Mexico does not believe in walls. I've said time again," Peña Nieto said Trump said a meeting would have been "fruitless" and reiterated Mexico must pay for the wall Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Thursday canceled a meeting with US President Donald Trump that had been set for next week after renewed tensions erupted over Trump’s plan to build a wall on the border. “This morning we have informed the White House that I will not attend the meeting scheduled for next Tuesday with the POTUS,” Peña Nieto tweeted. Earlier Thursday morning, Trump had tweeted that it would be better to skip the meeting if Peña Nieto continued to insist Mexico would not pay for the wall – something the Mexican leader had said as recently as Wednesday evening. “If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting,” Trump tweeted and in an earlier tweet he noted the US’s trade deficit with Mexico and what he said were the American job losses caused by NAFTA. The U.S. has a 60 billion dollar trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers... of jobs and companies lost. If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting. Trump spoke about the cancellation during remarks at a gathering of congressional Republicans in Philadelphia. Trump said that he and the Mexican president had mutually agreed to scrap their planned get together, and he repeated his position that the US won’t fund the wall. “Unless Mexico will treat the US fairly, with respect, such a meeting is fruitless, and I want to go a different route,” Trump told House and Senate GOP lawmakers. “I have no choice.” “Border security is a serious, serious issue and a national problem,” Trump said. “Most illegal immigration is coming from our Southern border.” On Wednesday night, Peña Nieto had said at that time he did not see a need to scrap the get together – but he strongly reiterated that his country wouldn’t fund any border wall, which Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday would cost $12-$15 billion. “President Trump’s insistence that Mexico will pay for the wall has once again just been proven as delusional fiction by the Mexican President,” said House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. “The wall is a multi-billion dollar boondoggle in the making, and Republicans should be embarrassed about their brazen hypocrisy in enabling it.” “Mexico does not believe in walls. I’ve said time again; Mexico will not pay for any wall,” the Mexican president said in a video statement posted to Twitter and translated by CNN from Spanish. The back-and-forth between the two leaders began last year during the first days of the Trump campaign when he called some Mexicans entering the US criminals and rapists and tensions lingered throughout the 2016 contest. They escalated sharply over the last 24 hours when Trump took executive action on Wednesday to begin the process of erecting a wall. The President announced that move while a high-level Mexican delegation was visiting the White House – the first foreign representatives to come since Trump took office – for meetings with top officials, including Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and adviser Jared Kushner. One member of the delegation, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray, who had led talks between his government and the Trump transition team, was in his car on his way to meetings at the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday when he suddenly decided he would not attend. “We will work to schedule a future meeting and will continue to keep the lines of communication and partnership open,” said DHS Spokeswoman Gillian Christensen. In his video address, Peña Nieto also said he had ordered government agencies to step up protection for immigrants. “I’ve asked for the minister of Foreign Relations to re-enforce protection measures to our citizens,” he said. He added that the 50 Mexican consulates in the US will be used to defend the rights of immigrants in the country and issued a call to action to legislators and civic organizations to help immigrants. Mexican delegation brings ‘Mexico First’ message Peña Nieto closed his message by saying Mexico offers and expects respect. “Mexico offers its friendship to the people of the United States and expresses its wish to arrive at agreements with its government, deals that will be in favor of Mexico and the Mexicans,” he said. Related article What the US-Mexico border looks like before Trump's wall Earlier Wednesday, Trump signed two executive orders directing construction of a wall on the US-Mexico border, boosting border patrol forces, and increasing the number of immigration enforcement officers who carry out deportations. Meanwhile, the Mexican officials who arrived Wednesday had been expected to lay the groundwork for Peña Nieto’s visit next week, which Mexican diplomats had seen as an important opportunity to try to move past the anti-Mexico rhetoric Trump used during the campaign and a chance to put the relationship back on track. “There is … frustration with our government and ourselves that we have not been able to tell the story of this important relationship,” a Mexican diplomat told CNN ahead of the delegation’s visit. “There are a lot of stereotypes of Mexicans in the US, but there are also stereotypes of Americans in Mexico. It is in the interest of both governments to explain what this relationship is and what we can do together.” Related: Reality Check: Illegal immigration has plummeted In a Monday speech, Peña Nieto said his government is prepared to negotiate with the US if Mexico’s national sovereignty is respected. He laid out economic integration and respect for the rights of migrants and the money they send home as his nation’s key negotiating points. “Neither confrontation nor submission. Dialogue is the solution,” Peña Nieto said. Trump has suggested some of the $25 billion in annual remittances that migrants return home would be retained to pay for the border wall. Trump flew to Mexico City during his campaign to meet Peña Nieto and said they discussed a wall Trump has vowed to build on the US southern border, but not his demand that Mexico pay for it – an assertion the Mexican president later disputed. “At the start of the conversation with Donald Trump, I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall,” Peña Nieto tweeted, after their meeting, which was widely viewed as a public relations disaster for Peña Nieto. CNN’s Mary Kay Mallonee contributed to this report.