NEW: Head of police union: SB4 requirements could results in more fights, police chases Law is about "doing away with those that seek to promote lawlessness in Texas," governor says A civil rights watchdog on Tuesday issued a “travel alert” for Texas, saying a law targeting sanctuary cities threatens to turn Texas into a “show me your papers state” and could expose travelers to rights violations and illegal arrests. The alert is not just for Texans, the American Civil Liberties Union says. It’s for anyone traveling through the Lone Star State. Eighteen state ACLU affiliates have issued alerts for its residents traveling though Texas. At least one organization representing Texas police says it’s “fearful” of what the law could mean for rank-and-file officers. Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday signed Senate Bill 4 into law, touting it as a way to punish local governments and police officers who don’t comply with immigration laws and federal detention requests. It will take effect in September. Governments who violate the law can be fined up to $25,500 a day; sheriffs and police chiefs can be charged with misdemeanors for refusing to comply with federal detainer requests; elected and appointed officials can be removed from office for violations of the law. The law comes amid President Donald Trump’s push to improve border security and crack down on illegal immigration. “There are deadly consequences to not enforcing the law, and Texas has now become a state where those practices are not tolerated. With this bill we are doing away with those that seek to promote lawlessness in Texas,” the governor said in a news release. The ACLU painted the bill quite differently, saying SB4 “gives a green light to police officers in the state to investigate a person’s immigration status during a routine traffic stop, leading to widespread racial profiling, baseless scrutiny, and illegal arrests of citizens and non-citizens alike presumed to be ‘foreign’ based on how they look or sound.” “Texas is a state with deep Mexican roots and home to immigrants from all walks of life. Many of us fit the racial profile that the police in Texas will use to enforce Trump’s draconian deportation force,” Lorella Praeli, ACLU director of immigration policy and campaigns, said in a statement. Kevin Lawrence, executive director of the Texas Municipal Police Association, says the debate over sanctuary cities has been overpoliticized on both ends, and while SB4 provides the state’s police with a needed resource, it does not mean officers will be pulling over people for driving while brown. Texas isn’t the first to target sanctuary cities “Law enforcement needs to be able to service the communities we serve, whether they’re legal or not. We don’t want them scared,” he said. “It’s not good police work for us to go out checking everyone’s immigration status all day, every day. We do when we need to, but not as a matter of course.” The TMPA supports the law, he said, because it prohibits city councils and county commissions from passing local laws that prohibit policemen for enforcing the law or “threaten (officers’) jobs if they do their jobs.” Such was the case in February when a Travis County law went into effect restricting law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials, prompting Abbott to deny the county $1.5 million in grants. Travis County is the only jurisdiction in the state with such a law. What do Texas police think of SB4? “It should be obvious that my implementation of a policy, meant to meet our community’s need, did not violate any law. Otherwise, the Texas Legislature wouldn’t have felt compelled to make a new one,” Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez said this weekend in denouncing SB4. “I am disappointed, because this is not in the best interest of public safety. It ties the hands of our law enforcement agency and pushes victims of crime into the shadows.” Charley Wilkison, executive director of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, said his organization had no stance on SB4 until the state House added an amendment requiring officers to inquire about immigration status. Under current law, officers saved this question until after they had made an arrest; starting in September, they’ll have to do it during routine traffic stops. Wilkison feels complaints are “going to roll in” as officers make quick decisions on whom to ask and whom not to ask about their immigration status. “We feel like that exposes the officer to massive amounts of complaints. We think it exposes them legally. We think it exposes them to some safety issues,” Wilkison said, explaining his organization stands “in extreme opposition to the bill.” Like Lawrence, he believes the debate over sanctuary cities is heavily politicized. Texas legislators sacrificed officers’ well-being in order to score political points, Wilkison said. The law takes away one of the most important tools in policing – an officer’s discretion – without providing a cent for additional training, he said. When officers pull someone over or respond to an address, they tend to survey the situation and make sure everyone’s safe before determining whether crimes were committed. That’s out the window, Wilkison said, as officers now will have to make immigration status a priority. “The onus of the immigration debate is balanced on the back of working cops,” he said. The first two minutes of a traffic stop are the “riskiest and deadliest for both sides. They’re both very vulnerable to a misunderstanding or fear, all sorts of things,” Wilkison said. Add to this the possibility that drivers could be separated from their homes, spouses, children and livelihoods if they give the wrong answer to an officer’s question about immigration status, and it’s evident how quickly things can go awry, Wilkison said. “I believe they’ll run or fight,” he said. Lawrence, who served on the Texas police forces in Baytown, Georgetown and Seabrook during his 22-year career, contends the law does not mandate that local law enforcement cooperate “regarding all things immigration.” He also notes that the law specifically prohibits considering “race, color, religion, language, or national origin while enforcing immigration laws.” As a law enforcement tool, it would allow a police officer to check someone’s immigration status if they were being detained on suspicion of criminal activity – suspicion being a lower bar than the probable cause required for an arrest, Lawrence said. As an example, he said, an officer might detain a driver who is weaving on suspicion of driving under the influence. The officer would continue detaining the driver – observing the driver, talking to her or him, perhaps conducting sobriety tests – until the officer was satisfied the driver was sober or the officer had probable cause for a DUI arrest. It’s only during detention or arrest that police can check immigration statuses under SB4, he said. Want to read the law for yourself? Terri Burke, the ACLU of Texas’ executive director, has called SB4 “racist and wrongheaded.” According to ACLU data, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement between 2008 and 2012 requested local law enforcement hold 834 US citizens, “even when they lack the legal authority to do so.” Some of those Americans spent days in jail, in what the watchdog organization called “the federal government’s constitutionally flawed use of detainer requests.” “It is simply a matter of time before illegal arrests occur. Local law enforcement will have to decide between violating a person’s rights and being severely fined, thrown in jail, or even being removed from office for choosing not to do so,” said Burke. But Lawrence believes the specter of rights violations and illegal arrests is overblown, and a misinterpretation of the law. Officers simply don’t have time to begin stopping Texas drivers solely to check their immigration statuses, he said. “We’ve got a lot more important things to do,” he said. CNN’s Chuck Johnston and Darran Simon contributed to this report.


This page includes the show Transcript April 6, 2017 As U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, how do the two leaders differ on their approaches to North Korea? And what other subjects will they discuss? Those topics are followed by reports on a mission to Saturn, the health benefits of reading, and a space station zipline. TRANSCRIPT CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR:  China, North Korea and the U.S. are the three nations directly involved in our first story on CNN 10. I’m Carl Azuz.  Thank you for watching. A meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled for today and tomorrow at President Trump’s resort in Florida.  With that meeting coming up, North Korea launched a missile into the sea on Wednesday.  The test didn’t go well.  A U.S. official described it as a spectacular failure. But analysts say the launch was designed to be an insult to President Trump and Xi.  They also say that if America wants to put more pressure on North Korea to stop its nuclear program, it will need China’s help, something Mr. Trump recently echoed in an interview with “The Financial Times” when he said China has great influence over North Korea and that he hoped China would help.  That country is North Korea’s only major ally.  More than 80 percent of North Korea’s trade is conducted with China. What happens if China doesn’t help put more pressure on its neighbor? President Trump says the U.S. could act on its own.  His administration says all options are on the table when dealing with North Korea.  What could some of those options look like? (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT:  President Trump says he’s willing to go it alone to stop North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.  But he’s facing regime that he has challenged U.S. administrations on this issue for a quarter century.  Experts argue he has three basic strategies for confronting Pyongyang starting with negotiations. DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:  Would you speak to the leader of North Korea?  I said, absolutely.  Why not?  Why not? WATSON:  Previous U.S. administrations have negotiated directly with North Korea, and in the past, Pyongyang has made some concessions in exchange for big financial aid.  But experts say Pyongyang used its existing nuclear weapons as the ultimate insurance policy, protecting North Korea from the threat of possible military strikes. PROF. ANDREI LANKOV, KOOKMIN UNIVERSITY:  They are not going to give up a single nuclear weapon, a single warhead as they have already produced, and no amount of negotiation is going to change that. WATSON:  A second option: sanctions.  The U.S. already has many sanctions in place to economically isolate North Korea.  But a further step might be to punish companies that do business with North Korea, particularly those in China, North Korea’s largest trading partner. LANKOV:  So, past policies have not worked actually because China is not completely participating, actually because the North Korean state is designed in a way that basically makes the government quite oblivious to the demands of the population. WATSON:  The final option would be a military strike.  Targets could include the North Korean leadership or their nuclear weapons or ballistic missile facilities.  But a former top U.S. official warned the consequences for a key U.S. ally could then be devastating. ASH CARTER, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY:  It’s quite possible that they would as a consequence of that launch, an attempted invasion of South Korea.  This is a war that would have an intensity of violence associated with it that we haven’t seen since the last Korean War. WATSON:  There is one possible ray of hope: neither the U.S. nor China, the two biggest superpowers in the region, want to see a nuclear-armed North Korea.  If they can work together, then perhaps they can find a way to deal with the hermit kingdom and its weapons of mass destruction. Ivan Watson, CNN, Seoul. (END VIDEOTAPE) AZUZ:  One challenge ahead of President Trump and Xi is their disagreement over how to pressure North Korea, and they’ll have more than that to talk about.  They’re the leaders of the two largest economies on the planet.  Their nations are both regional powerhouses.  Will two nations that are an ocean apart be able to find common ground? (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT:  The United States and China, perhaps the most consequential relationship in the world today.  But if that’s the case, then what’s at stake? Let’s start with the standoff on the Korean Peninsula.  Both China and the United States agree that North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is bad news.  They disagree on how best to stop it. The U.S. thinks China should use its economic leverage to force North Korea to halt its testing program.  China says the only way to solve the problem is if the U.S. directly negotiates with the regime.  It’s a situation where tens of millions of lives are at stake, how will China and the U.S. can work together is key to solving the crisis. Next, consider the Chinese and American economies, combined worth about 40 percent of global GDP.  They are inextricably linked, with hundreds of billions of dollars in goods traded each year.  But any barriers to that trade would mean that both economies would suffer.  That in turn would hurt the global economy overall. Finally, let’s turn to the South China Sea.  Over the last few years, China has aggressively built up artificial islands, extending its military capability far beyond its own borders.  In response, the U.S. has sent warships near Chinese claimed territory.  So, will China continue its expansion?  Does the U.S. draw a red line in response?  The answers will help shape the future of a volatile region. (END VIDEOTAPE) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ (voice-over):  Ten-second trivia: What is the second-largest planet in our solar system? Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune or Earth? Though scientists say Saturn’s mass is 95 times that of earth, it’s still smaller than Jupiter, making Saturn the second largest planet in our solar system. (END VIDEO CLIP) AZUZ:  And the mission to the ringed planet is coming to an end.  We’re reporting on Cassini’s final assignment.  The spacecraft has been out of this world for almost 20 years and its mission formally ends in September.  It got off the ground in 1997 and it took Cassini seven years to reach the region of the mysterious planet.  The mission’s total cost has been about $3.26 billion with the U.S. funding almost 80 percent of that. One major accomplishment for Cassini was landing on the surface of Saturn’s largest moon, which is named Titan.  Scientists were able to study the moon and find a few similarities it has to Earth, though Titan is much colder. Cassini doesn’t have much fuel left but it’s not going to quietly fade away.  The last assignment it has will be to perform 22 dives in between Saturn and its rings.  It will be going very fast, 70,000 miles per hour, through a gap that measures about 1,200 miles wide.  That speed, a grain of sand could cripple Cassini.  So, let’s hope it doesn’t hit that or anything bigger. It sounds fine.  What’s the value in this?  Scientists hope it will help them learn about where Saturn’s ring came from and what the planet’s interior is like.  Cassini will be closer to Saturn that ever before.  In fact, on its final orbit, Cassini will be crashed right into the planet. Unlike the cat in the hat, I cannot read with my eyes shut.  But the National Institutes of Health says through his wacky and subliminally educational books, Dr. Seuss improved children’s health.  He helped them develop literacy skills.  That’s not the only healthy effect of reading. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT:  When you think about reading, just the idea of being able to focus on something in particular that’s not a big screen, not a device, can really be a benefit.  There have been studies that have shown that it can help reduce your stress levels, help improve your attention levels, and possibly be overall good for your mental functions.  You can reduce your rates of cognitive decline by up to 32 percent. This is significant.  It’s fascinating to see how the brain responds even if the body is sitting still looking at those pages.  So, for example, if there’s a scene that you’re reading that’s a very active scene.  The areas of your brain that are called the motor cortex that were responsible for movement, they may start to light up.  If it’s a particularly stimulating part of the book that you’re reading, your sensory cortex, which actually allows you to see, that may start to light up. There have been some interesting studies showing that you don’t actually have to read a book – I recommend this one by the way.  You could actually hear books.  You could listen to an audio book for example, and that can have some of the same beneficial effects that we’re talking about. So, just keep in mind, the more you read, the more you know, the more you learn, the further you’ll go.  That was a different doctor, Dr. Seuss.  But regardless, it will help you live to a hundred. (END VIDEOTAPE) AZUZ:  For “10 Out of 10”, it’s a little closer to Earth than Saturn.  What engineer wouldn’t want to test this out?  It’s a zip line, but not for every tourist, more for space tourist.  If something were to go wrong on the launch pad, when future astronaut crews are preparing to blast off on a rocket, this EES, the Emergency Egress System, at Cape Canaveral, Florida, could help them get away in a fun way.  It covers a quarter mile in 30 seconds. Of course, they probably prefer to be zipping off to space, but if you’re down to the wire and you got to stay grounded, this is one advantage of having cable.  As long as the zip lines are open, it’s a pretty egressive way to get from A to B. I’m Carl Azuz and we reach the end of the line on CNN 10.  Hope to see you tomorrow. Click here to access the printable version of today’s CNN 10 transcript. CNN 10 serves a growing audience interested in compact on-demand news broadcasts ideal for explanation seekers on the go or in the classroom. The show’s priority is to identify stories of international significance and then clearly describe why they’re making news, who is affected, and how the events fit into a complex, international society. Thank you for using CNN 10


McCain noted that the F-35 program had only delivered 179 of 1,013 promised planes Air Force variant of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to be further delayed by 60 days Sen. John McCain slammed the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s troubled history Tuesday, saying it “has been both a scandal and a tragedy with respect to cost, schedule and performance.” The development of the Joint Strike Fighter, a fifth-generation stealth jet, has been beset by spiraling costs and schedule delays. The program’s price tag is nearly $400 billion for 2,457 planes – almost twice the initial estimate. McCain, an Arizona Republican, called the cost overruns “disgraceful” and noted that the F-35 program had originally promised 1,013 fighters by fiscal year 2016 but had only delivered 179. Related video See F-35 fighter drop guided warhead Is the $400 billion F-35’s ‘brain’ broken? McCain added that the plane’s delays meant that “the last F-35 will be delivered in 2040,” and given that potential adversaries like China and Russia were investing in modern aircraft technology, he said he “cannot fathom how this strategy makes any sense.” He made the comments while chairing a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the F-35. In his testimony, the F-35 program’s executive officer, Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan acknowledged the problematic development, saying it was sometimes “slower” than he would like. But he defended the current status of the plane, adding that he was “confident the current risks and issues we face can be resolved and we’ll be able to overcome future problems and deliver the F-35’s full combat capability.” But Bogdan confirmed that the Air Force’s variant of the strike fighter would be delayed by an additional 60 days and would not reach initial operating capability, its minimum usefully deployable form, until October 2016. Are F-35s fit for combat? Pentagon doesn’t know The Marine version of the aircraft obtained the capability in July while the Navy’s is not predicted to do so until 2018. Bogdan added that while 45 aircraft were delivered in 2015, more than 100 airplanes would be delivered in 2018 and 145 by 2020. The Pentagon’s director of operational testing and evaluation, Michael Gilmore, attributed the delays to incorrect assumptions at the start of the project. “The F-35 is an extreme example of optimistic, if not ridiculous assumptions, about how a program would play out,” he said. F-35, is it worth the cost? Frank Kendall, the under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, was cautiously optimistic about the aircraft’s future. “The F-35 is no longer a program that keeps me up at night,” he said. McCain concluded the hearing by commending the current leadership of the F-35 program, saying, “the takeaway from this is that we are making progress, that we have challenges that lie ahead, but there has been some significant improvements as opposed to some years ago.” The Joint Strike Fighter program is the largest and most expensive acquisition program in the history of the Department of Defense. The single-seat F-35 is intended to be extremely versatile, suited for air-to-air combat, air-to-ground strikes, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. New Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter jets drop first bombs Its highly advanced design allows pilots to immediately share data with one another and their commanders; it can penetrate enemy territory without being detected by radar; and its specialized helmet display gives pilots a 360-degree view of their surroundings. The fighter is intended for use by the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps and 10 foreign U.S. allies.


Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will face a trial on charges of corruption and influence peddling, a source close to the case told CNN on Thursday. Sarkozy is suspected of attempting to obtain secret information in 2014 via his lawyer Thierry Herzog from a prosecutor about the status of an investigation into campaign financing. These suspicions were revealed by media outlets Le Monde and Mediapart, indicating Sarkozy’s lawyer allegedly offered to help prosecutor Gilbert Azibert to obtain a prestigious posting in Monaco, in exchange for the secret information. Both Herzog and Azibert deny the claims. Sarkozy, leader of France from 2007 until 2012, has been dogged by accusations of financial wrongdoing. Speaking to CNN affiliate BFM, Sarkozy’s lawyer Jacqueline Laffont slammed the decision to put Sarkozy on trial, suggesting wiretaps were not enough to open proceedings. Laffont said Sarkozy’s lawyers had filed a challenge to the proceedings. “We are doing so on a very serious basis,” she told the BFM. Thursday’s decision to send this case to trial comes after Sarkozy, in a separate case, was put under formal investigation on March 20 under allegations of accepting money from Libyans for his 2007 presidential campaign. In that case, Sarkozy says there is no evidence to support such a claim. “I am accused without any physical evidence,” Sarkozy wrote in an opinion piece published Thursday in French Newspaper Le Figaro.


Editor’s Note: James B. Cunningham is a senior fellow and the Khalilzad Chair at the Atlantic Council.  Ryan C. Crocker is dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.  Both served as U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan. The views expressed are their own. Afghanistan needs sustained U.S., partner support. ex-envoys say Country still faces "daunting" challenges, they write We arrived in Kabul in the summer of 2011 to assume the leadership of the American Embassy. The U.S. military surge had been completed and was beginning to reverse from its peak of some 100,000 troops.  The U.S. civilian surge had peaked, with more than 1,200 American diplomats, civil servants and contractors throughout the country, working under difficult and dangerous conditions, to help the Afghan people rebuild their country. We were tasked, along with our incredible military partners, to implement a strategy that would transition responsibility for security to Afghan hands – where it belongs – to create an international structure of military and development support based on U.S. leadership, to negotiate and implement a Strategic Partnership with Afghanistan, to help Afghans build the capacity to provide a better and more promising life, and to help Afghans achieve the first democratic political transition from one president to another in Afghanistan’s history.  All of this while denying the terrorist Taliban insurgency, who enjoy safe haven in Pakistan, the ability to recoup its losses in Afghanistan and to threaten the government itself. Four years later, that strategy is bearing fruit and many of those goals have been achieved in whole or in part. But there have also been serious setbacks and disappointments, and many challenges remain. The U.S. active combat role has ended (indeed, it virtually ended two years ago), and the Afghan security forces are fighting against a determined enemy. Yes, they will continue to improve, but they need sustained U.S. and partner support. Meanwhile, President Ashraf Ghani’s national unity government, with Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, is implementing its international and domestic agenda despite the predictable, extreme difficulty of making the needed political cooperation a reality.  The new government is seeking stronger international ties, including with Pakistan, and it appears that it may have succeeded in opening new possibilities for a serious discussion with the Taliban about peace.  Importantly, Ghani and Abdullah have made clear the commitment of Afghanistan to the U.S. relationship, including in combating terror and violent extremism. None of this should suggest that we are underestimating the difficulties Afghanistan and its government are facing; they are daunting.  The implications of discord among the Taliban after Mullah Omar’s death remain to be seen.  And the barbaric bombings of recent days in Kabul, murdering mostly innocent civilians, are a stark reminder of Taliban brutality. But progress continues to be made, and the Afghan people have a unique, truly historic opportunity to seize this time and to build their future. And the reality is that they have not had, and will not have, a better one. There is also an opportunity for the United States, one we must not miss after years of commitment and the sacrifice of our young men and women in pursuit of American security.  An Afghanistan that is securing its own future and is an Islamic partner in defeating terror will increase the prospects for regional stability and contribute to international security – our security.  This critical period will determine whether Afghanistan is a positive factor, or a dangerously negative one, in the struggle against terror that brought us to Afghanistan in the first place and which will engage us for years to come. The United States has invested too much and has too much at stake to turn away now.  Afghan failure would be disastrous for Afghanistan, dangerous for its neighbors, and a threat to the United States and much of the rest of the world. Yet for Afghanistan to succeed, two things are needed:  American strategic patience and support where it is needed, and continued and accelerated performance by the Afghan government on the ambitious reform agenda laid out by President Ghani during his visit to the United States together with Abdullah last March. When we lead in Afghanistan, our international partners will follow.  We believe it will be necessary, given security realities on the ground and the need for a continued U.S. counterterrorism mission in Afghanistan, to maintain U.S. military forces longer than currently planned, as President Obama announced Thursday. This is even clearer in light of recent events.  Further reductions from today’s levels must be based on conditions and missions, rather than the calendar if the U.S. is not to run the very real risk of undercutting our own security by premature withdrawal of capabilities which are still needed for Afghan stability. We trust the American people and government will have the foresight to view our engagement in Afghanistan as part and parcel of our global and enduring effort to combat terrorism and extremism, a fight we must win if America is to be safe. Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion.Read CNNOpinion’s Flipboard magazine.


The Iraqi military recaptured villages surrounding ISIS stronghold of Falluja An estimated 50,000 civilians feared to be caught up in Falluja fighting Fierce clashes erupted between Iraqi security forces and ISIS militants on Tuesday at the southern edge of the Iraqi city of Falluja. The U.S.-led coalition and Iraqi forces are battling to retake the city from the terror group. Iraqi security tried to enter the city at dawn, a senior member of its rank told CNN. The official requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. ISIS fighters used suicide car bombs, RPGs and snipers to beat back the Iraqi forces, the official said. The Iraqi side suffered losses, the official added, declining to say how many. The most intense fighting took place in Nuaimiya, a farming area considered to be one of the last strips of land that separated Iraqi forces from ISIS south of Falluja. ISIS claimed that its fighters stopped Iraqi security forces and prevented them from advancing toward southern Falluja. The group said it killed at least 25 Iraqi troops and destroyed six army vehicles. CNN cannot confirm that. In a video released by Iraq’s Ministry of Defense, Iraqi Gen. Hamid al-Maliki announced Monday the city was encircled by Iraqi troops. Iraqi forces, in conjunction with Iraqi and coalition air support, started the operation to retake the city Monday, an Iraqi military spokesman said, capturing some villages on the outskirts of Falluja. The next step in the military’s plan was to push into the heart of the city and drive ISIS out, which may be the most dangerous part of the operation. Related video U.S. forces play key role in retaking ISIS stronghold Meanwhile, the danger for innocent people caught in the middle intensifies. There are reports that hundreds of families are being used by ISIS as human shields in the center of Falluja, said Caroline Gluk, spokeswoman for the United Nations refugee agency in Baghdad. Long struggle looms in battle for ISIS heartland The agency has also received reports of civilian casualties, deaths caused by heavy shelling, she said. About 3,700 people – or more than 600 families – have fled Falluja over the past week, since the offensive to retake the city from ISIS began, according to the UNHCR. Tens of thousands of people are at risk once door-to-door combat begins in the city, and there are reports of ISIS executing men and boys who refuse to fight for them, according to the United Nations. Maliki says aerial forces have provided cover for ground operations, helping to take out ISIS fighters and destroy their equipment. Voices from Falluja “With every moment that passes, their need for safe exits becomes more critical,” said Nasr Muflahi, the Norwegian Refugee Council country director in Iraq. “Getting there in the first place is near impossible for those in the city center.” And if the city is liberated, Iraqi authorities will face a whole new set of challenges – among them, addressing the social and political problems that led to the rise of ISIS, as well as security issues. The newest phase of the operation to retake Falluja was announced early Monday morning. “With God’s blessing we have launched the third phase of the operation to storm the center of Falluja city – by our heroes in the counterterrorism forces, units of the Iraqi army and Anbar police,” Iraqi military spokesman Yahya Rasoul said on Iraqi state TV. Related video Why Falluja matters Falluja and Mosul are the last two Iraqi cities under ISIS’ control. Iraqi forces retook the village of Nuaimiya, just south of Falluja, closing in on the city itself, al-Iraqi TV reported. Earlier Monday, Iraqi military units and supporting militia captured a handful of settlements from ISIS near Falluja, including the town of Saqlawiya, about 10 kilometers (6.5 miles) northwest of the city, and the villages of al-Buaziz, al-Bu Efan and al-Shiha, north and west of Falluja, state-run TV reported. Iraqi government troops, backed by Shiite militias known as the Popular Mobilization Units and an air campaign by the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition, launched the offensive last week to retake the ISIS stronghold, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Baghdad, first targeting outlying settlements. Why suffering may not be over for Iraqis ‘liberated’ from ISIS Capturing Karma, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) northeast of Falluja on Thursday, brought most of the territory east of the city under government control. More than 5,000 Americans are providing training, advice and assistance to Iraqi forces and sending equipment to them, United States Col. Steve Warren, a spokesman for the coalition, said on CNN’s “New Day” Monday. Iraq was “invaded by these animals” of ISIS, he said, but the terror group’s grip on territory is slipping in both Iraq and Syria, he said. Related video Iraqi civilians flee Falluja to get away from fighting The U.N. refugee agency has warned that an estimated 50,000 people are at risk, caught in the city turned combat zone as the Iraqi military’s bombardment has intensified. “There are reports of a dramatic increase in the number of executions of men and older boys in Falluja (who are) refusing to fight on behalf of extremist forces,” said Leila Jane Nassif, the U.N. agency’s assistant representative in Iraq. “And many people have been killed or buried alive under the rubble of their homes in the course of ongoing military operations.” Hundreds, mostly women and children, fled Falluja on Friday as Iraqi soldiers attacked to drive ISIS from the city, the Iraqi military said. Security forces evacuated about 760 people who escaped from eastern and southeastern Falluja, the military said. “Food is scarce in the city,” said Um Ahmed, a 40-year-old living in Falluja with her family. “We have mostly been relying on dates for our meals.” The Norwegian Refugee Council reports the residents of Falluja have been faced with food shortages, lack of electricity and hospitals have depleted stocks of medical supplies. “We are working around the clock in the displacement camps to provide water and emergency food rations to people who manage to flee the violence,” Muflahi, the Iraq country director for the NRC, said. Farther north, thousands of Kurdish Peshmerga troops are involved in an offensive to retake formerly Kurdish villages near  Mosul, Kurdish officials say. The Peshmerga-led ground offensive, backed by coalition air support, was launched early Sunday to recapture villages near Khazir, east of Mosul. The move comes ahead of a joint offensive by Kurdish forces and Iraqi troops to take back Mosul, Kurdish media said. Across the border in Syria, a U.S.-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab forces last week pushed into territory north of Raqqa, the de facto capital of ISIS. Sarmad al-Jilane, an activist with the monitoring group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, confirmed reports that ISIS has let some residents of that city flee to the surrounding countryside or Deir Ezzor as Kurdish and Arab forces pushed forward. CNN’s Ashley Fantz, Azadeh Ansari, Mohammad Tawfeeq, Merieme Arif and Abeer Salman contributed to this report.


Editor’s Note: Nile Gardiner is the director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation and a former aide to the late British Prime Minister. Opinions in this article belong to the author. Nile Gardiner: Merkel looks out of touch with winds of change sweeping through Europe He says the German leader must act decisively in the face of the mounting terror threat She once strode across the European stage like a colossus. German Chancellor Angela Merkel used to be the de facto leader of mainland Europe, the guardian of the continent’s liberal ideals, champion of European unity and standard bearer of German economic dominance and prowess. This week’s barbaric act of terror on the streets of Berlin, however, served as a stark reminder of the limits of Merkel’s power, the inherent risks of her open borders approach to the refugee crisis and the extraordinary failures of German federal authorities in the face of the rising Islamist threat. The chief suspect in the brutal attack on a Christmas market at the heart of Berlin is a Tunisian asylum-seeker, Anis Amri, who had already been the subject of an earlier German terror investigation but had been released instead of being deported, despite being in touch with radical Islamists, including a recruitment network for ISIS operating in Germany, German security officials told CNN. The brutal atrocity has shone a huge spotlight on Merkel’s highly controversial decision to welcome nearly 1 million migrants into Germany since the start of 2015 as well as her government’s lax deportation policies and striking failure to act aggressively against Islamist militants. Merkel’s popularity had already fallen to a five-year low before this latest terror attack, with an approval rating in September of just 45%. Related article German Chancellor Angela Merkel announces run for fourth term It will likely plunge even further in the coming weeks as public outrage swells, with discontent in the ranks of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and its Christian Social Union partners certain to grow. Merkel will represent her party in the German federal elections next fall, but if she is returned to office for a fourth time, it may be as a significantly diminished figure. The Berlin attack is sending shock waves across an increasingly nervous Europe, and will intensify the criticism from other European leaders, especially in Eastern and Central Europe, of Merkel’s migrant policy, which has left the rest of the continent in a far more vulnerable position. Merkel’s stance on the refugee crisis was strongly rejected by the rising powers in the east, including Poland and Hungary. Merkel has elevated a naive liberal humanitarianism over the national security of her own country. Nile Gardiner German power within the European Union was once formidable. Today, it is increasingly challenged and rejected. Related article How populism could shake up Europe: A visual guide Unlike her British counterpart, Theresa May, Merkel looks remarkably out of touch with the winds of change sweeping through Europe, ignoring the growing calls for greater sovereignty and control over national borders. She clings to a withering European project, ardently defending the European single currency while extolling the principle of freedom of movement across Europe in the face of mounting unease and fear at home and abroad. She is also seemingly unwilling to confront the sheer scale of the Islamist terror threat to Europe, and to acknowledge the fact that her own refugee policies have greatly exacerbated the dangers. Incredibly, Merkel has elevated a naive liberal humanitarianism over the national security of her own country. The deep-seated problems facing Merkel are part of a broader long-term decline of German power. In the coming decades, Germany will wrestle with a dramatically falling population and reduced economic competitiveness. Great Britain is already on course to be Europe’s largest economy by 2030, according to the Centre for Economic and Business Research, and will overtake Germany as the most populous nation in Western Europe by the middle of the century. Merkel’s heyday in the first decade of this century will likely be remembered as the highpoint of modern post-war Germany Nile Gardiner Merkel’s heyday in the first decade of this century will likely be remembered as the highpoint of modern post-war Germany. Sign up for CNN Opinion’s new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook But the challenges faced by Germany today are significantly greater than they were just a few years ago. Germany’s Chancellor must act decisively in the face of the mounting terror threat, and regain control of her own country’s borders. Europe is dramatically changing, and Merkel must be prepared to adapt with it.


The military options being considered could risk thousands of lives US officials told CNN last month that revised military options for North Korea have been prepared The Trump administration has said it’s ready to unleash American military might to back its diplomacy when it comes to preventing North Korea from developing a nuclear missile capable of hitting the United States. But there is no easy military solution to the crisis and several of the options potentially under consideration could risk thousands of lives. US officials told CNN last month that revised military options for North Korea have been prepared and were ready to be presented to President Donald Trump. “What we have to do is prepare all options because the President has made clear to us that he will not accept a nuclear power in North Korea and a threat that can target the United States and target the American population,” National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said last month during remarks at a Washington think tank. Related article Trump on North Korea: 'We handle everything' However it remains unclear whether those updated response options have been laid out for the President in the wake of North Korea’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Friday – the second ICBM test conducted by Pyongyang within a month. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un touted the test as a success and claimed the “whole US mainland” is now within range of his missiles. Related article US military updates Trump's North Korea options But last week a US official told CNN that the US government doesn’t believe North Korea will be able to launch a reliable, nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile until early 2018. The official said that while North Korea can currently get a missile “off the ground,” a lot of undetermined variables remain about guidance, reentry and the ability to hit a specific target. Related article 'Time for talk is over': US grapples for new approach on North Korea However, last week’s test shows that Pyongyang’s missile program may be more advanced than previously thought – an assessment that has raised new questions around how the US military might carry out a strike on North Korea and the potential fallout if they did. While all war game scenarios show the US winning a military confrontation, that victory could come at the cost of hundreds of thousands of deaths, mostly in South Korea where millions of innocent people – and nearly 30,000 US troops – are already in range of North Korea’s current missile capabilities. When asked about the US government’s strategy on handling North Korea, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham suggested Tuesday using military options to halt threats from the country. “There is a military option to destroy North Korea’s (missile) program and North Korea itself,” Graham said on NBC’s “Today” show. “If there’s going to be a war to stop them, it will be over there. If thousands die, they’re going to die over there, they’re not going to die here and (President Donald Trump) told me that to my face.” Related article Graham: Military options are 'inevitable if North Korea continues' He continued: “I’m saying (military options are) inevitable if North Korea continues.” While Trump condemned last week’s missile launch and said the United States would act to ensure its security, both he and Vice President Mike Pence have offered few specifics when it comes to a plan on North Korea. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders reiterated Tuesday that all options are on the table, but she put some distance between the White House and Graham’s comments that there are military options to destroy the country. “The President obviously has been very outspoken about how he feels about North Korea. We are weighing all options, keeping all options on the table, and as we have said many times, we are not going to broadcast what we are going to do,” Sanders said. Related article Who speaks for US on N. Korea? Contradictions emerge as Tillerson heads to Asia Pushed on Graham’s comments that the US could destroy the country, Sanders said, “Not what I am saying, what I am saying is the President has been very outspoken about the need to stop North Korea. We have been very focused on stopping the nuclear program, stopping the missiles, stopping the aggression, that still continues to be the focus and we are keeping those all options on the table to do that.” Related article North Korea tested its longest-ranging missile ever. Now what? However, in a recent exchange with Graham on Capitol Hill, Defense Secretary James Mattis took an unusually specific stand on US military policy. Graham asked: “Is it the policy of the Trump administration to deny North Korea the capability of building an ICBM that can hit the American homeland with a nuclear weapon on top? Is that the policy?” “Yes,” Mattis answered. Analysts raise several issues when it comes to military options against North Korea — one being former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s “Pottery Barn” rule of foreign relations: You break it, you own it. A military operation against North Korea would saddle the US with expanded costs and responsibility on the peninsula. It would roil Asia and China, perhaps with unintended consequences. Though considered by many to be the worst case scenario, the plan described by Graham illustrates a harsh reality surrounding using military force against North Korea. While the US would undoubtedly emerge victorious in a major military conflict with North Korea, any option that calls for a preemptive strike would likely result in a reciprocal attack by Pyongyang on South Korea that would inflict serious casualties and risk the lives of thousands including US troops stationed there. Limited strikes against North Korean launch sites or military installations could pose a similar problem – complicated further by concerns over North Korea’s increased ability to hide its testing from the US until the last minute. This gives the US little warning if a missile or nuclear test is about to happen. Related article As US military flexes, North Korea marches toward nuclear capability While this has worried the US for some time, especially as they move to solid fueled missiles, the official said the North Koreans continue to make advances in their ability to hide their actions from the US. For example, they are able to quickly drive missiles out of underground shelters and fire them, giving US satellites little or no time to observe pre-launch activities. They are also diversifying the number of sites from which they launch missiles. Increasing its military presence in the peninsula through shows of force is another option for the Trump administration but to date, military chest thumping has proven to have little effect in deterring North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. Suggestions that the US could force a regime change in North Korea have also only further inflamed tensions. Related article CIA chief signals desire for regime change in North Korea In July, CIA Chief Mike Pompeo said regime change could be a possible approach. He said that while a denuclearized Korean peninsula would a welcome development, the most dangerous thing about the weapons is the man who wields them: “So from the administration’s perspective,” he said, “the most important thing we can do is separate those two. Right?” Pompeo admitted during a Q&A that there are risks to this approach, namely, what would come next? Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has consistently rejected the idea of regime change reiterating Tuesday that it is not the US intention. Indications are that the US still hopes to reach a diplomatic solution to stop North Korea’s rapidly evolving missile program and would use military action only if North Korea posed an imminent threat. The Trump administration is likely considering a full spectrum of military options — some more forceful than flying a B-1 bombers over the peninsula and others less overt than a direct strike – in hopes that they can bring North Korea back to the negotiating table. But with Pyongyang months away from realizing its goal of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching the United States, Trump and his military leaders are considering a more forceful approach. CNN’s Brad Lendon, Barbara Starr and Nicole Gaouette contributed to this report.


Hundreds of ISIS fighters streaming into Mosul, witnesses say Fighters have been seen rigging bridges with explosives ISIS is sending “suicide squads” from Syria to its Iraqi stronghold of Mosul, witnesses have told CNN, as tens of thousands of troops close in on the key city to take it from the militant group’s control. Witnesses said hundreds of new arrivals had streamed into Mosul from the group’s heartland of Raqqa, Syria, in the past two days, describing them as foreign fighters wearing distinct uniforms and suicide belts, and carrying light weapons. ISIS fighters have been seen rigging bridges across the strategic Tigris river with explosives and have prepared dozens of vehicle-borne suicide bombs. A coalition of around 100,000 forces began an operation on October 17 to retake Mosul, and have been slowly gaining ground toward the city, liberating villages from ISIS rule along the way. Clashes with ISIS fighters are expected to intensify the closer in troops get, and in Mosul itself, bloody street-to-street skirmishes are expected. While the coalition has made sweeping gains, ISIS has put up a fierce resistance in pockets, relying on asymmetric warfare tactics, such as setting oil fields and even a sulfur factory alight to push coalition troops away, and using civilians as human shields. Mosul: How ISIS is fighting to keep its Iraqi stronghold The group is also carrying out retribution killings, executing about 40 people on Saturday near a newly “liberated” village near Nimrud, southeast of Mosul, as revenge for those who had welcomed Iraqi forces. ISIS separately killed another 284 men and boys last week in and near Mosul. A UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesman, Rupert Colville, said Tuesday that his office had received reports of “barbaric acts” committed by  ISIS as troops advance. “We continue to receive reports of depredations – including extrajudicial killings and summary executions – against children and women, as well as male civilians, by ISIL as Iraqi Government forces close in on Mosul,” he told a press briefing in Geneva, using an alternative name for ISIS. “We also continue to receive information that reinforces the belief that ISIL are deliberately using civilians as human shields – forcing them to move to sites where ISIL fighters are based, or preventing them from leaving other places for strategic reasons.” He shared one case where three women and three young girls were allegedly killed Saturday after trailing behind a group that ISIS was forcing to relocate. The victims were lagging behind because one of the girls had a disability. He said that 15 civilians in Safina, a village south of Mosul, were killed and thrown into a river “apparently in an attempt to spread terror among the other residents.” US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said Tuesday that efforts to capture of Raqqa would continue, and not be put on hold by the Mosul operation. “There will be overlap, and that is part of our plan,” Carter said. “We have already begun laying groundwork to commence the isolation of Raqqa.” CNN’s Deborah Bloom in Atlanta contributed to this report.


President Donald Trump’s pick to head the CIA, Gina Haspel, would be the first female director of the intelligence agency if confirmed. Haspel, who served as deputy director of the agency under Mike Pompeo, Trump’s pick to replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, since February 2017, has accepted the new role, saying in a statement that she was “grateful to President Trump for the opportunity, and humbled by his confidence in” her. Haspel is a career intelligence officer who joined the CIA in 1985. In recent months, Haspel has been running the day-to-day operations at the agency, while Pompeo spent a lot of time at the White House, according to former and current CIA officials with knowledge of the matter and a former White House official. One former CIA official says that Haspel’s promotion is “good for both places” – the CIA and State.” The former CIA official added, “Haspel is a pro’s pro.” Related article Trump fires Tillerson, taps Pompeo as next secretary of state In her appointment last year as deputy director, Haspel garnered praise from high-level Obama-era and Bush-era appointees, including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA Director Michael Hayden. During her time at the agency, Haspel has held several senior leadership positions, including directorial roles in the National Clandestine Service and in the Counterterrorism Center, as well as several Chief of Station roles, a news release from the CIA said. Haspel has received several awards in her career, including the Presidential Rank Award – the most prestigious award in the federal civil service. According to The New York Times, Haspel has spent most of her career undercover. While running a CIA prison in Thailand, dubbed a “black site,” Haspel oversaw the torture of a terror suspect and her name was on a cable giving instructions to destroy video evidence documenting their interrogations, according to the Times. Related article Rex Tillerson is out. So, who gets fired next? Haspel, the Times reported in February, played a direct role in the agency’s program that gave captured militants to foreign governments and held them at secret sites, where they were tortured by CIA staff. Haspel was Jose Rodriguez’s chief of staff when he ran the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center, according to former CIA officials. According to Rodriguez’s memoir, “Hard Choices,” he asked Haspel to prepare a cable granting permission to destroy tapes of the interrogation sessions of terror detainees – including Abu Zubaydah, an Al Qaeda suspect who was waterboarded while in CIA custody, according to a Senate report – with an industrial shredder. However, Rodriguez said he personally sent the cable. Haspel will likely face questioning in her Senate confirmation for her involvement in the Thailand incident. In 2013, California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein blocked Haspel’s promotion within the clandestine service, the Times reported. And in 2017, a handful Senate Democrats called on Trump to withdraw Haspel from consideration for her role as deputy director, according to The Hill. Related article Republicans in Congress blindsided by Tillerson firing Feinstein told reporters on Tuesday that Haspel has asked to speak with her, and that she has a lot of questions for the new appointee. “I think, hopefully, the entire organization learned something from the so-called enhanced interrogation program,” Feinstein told reporters. “Since my concerns were raised over the torture situation, I have met with her extensively. Talked with her. She has been, I believe, a good deputy director. She seems to have the confidence of the agency, which is good,” she later said. Following Tuesday’s news, at least two Democratic senators, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Ron Wyden of Oregon, signaled that they did not support Haspel’s promotion. Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Susan Collins of Maine said questions about her work will be raised. McCain said she “needs to explain the nature and extent of her involvement in the CIA’s interrogation program” during her confirmation. Outside Capitol Hill, Haspel faces another strong opponent in Washington: the American Civil Liberties Union, which has concerns over her involvement in Thailand and whether as a career CIA employee, she has the independence needed for a CIA director. The organization has called on the CIA to declassify “every aspect of Haspel’s torture record before considering the nomination.” UPDATE: This story has been updated after the New York Times issued a correction stating that Haspel did not oversee the torture of Al Qaeda suspect Abu Zubaydah who was waterboarded 83 times in one month. CNN’s Tammy Kupperman, Jenna McLaughlin and Manu Raju contributed to this report.


Ferreira's police academy class voted him class president He and 42 other graduating officers are military veterans A former US Marine left a double amputee after stepping on an explosive device in Afghanistan has become a police officer in New York. Matias Ferreira, 28, will be one of a few active duty police officers in the entire country that are double amputees. Ferreira, fulfilling a lifelong dream to become a cop, is the first double amputee to join the Suffolk County Police Department in Long Island, New York, according to a Suffolk County Police press release. Ferreira lost both of his legs below the knees after stepping on an improvised explosive device (IED) while serving in Afghanistan in 2011. More than 40 members of Ferreira’s graduating class are also military veterans. His fellow newly minted officers voted him their class president. “On behalf of the entire Suffolk County Police Department, we are honored to have these young men and women joining our ranks tomorrow and dedicating their careers to serving the residents of Suffolk County,” Police Commissioner Timothy D. Sini said in a statement.


The House Intelligence Community has set a Monday deadline for the DOJ to provide evidence Calls for Trump to produce evidence have grown louder The Department of Justice asked the chairman and vice chairman of the House Intelligence Committee for “additional time” to collect evidence to support President Donald Trump’s accusation that the Obama administration wiretapped his phones at Trump Tower during the campaign. The committee had set a Monday deadline for the agency to provide the evidence, a source familiar with the matter has told CNN – a deadline that did not appear to apply to the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation. Senate panel Chairman Richard Burr told CNN, “I’ve talked to all the appropriate people,” adding later that he has received “sufficient” responses about the wiretapping claim. “I would say from our conversations, what we’ve gotten are sufficient answers,” the North Carolina Republican said. Burr would not say if there was any evidence backing Trump’s claim. The source told CNN over the weekend that the House committee had sent letters throughout the intelligence community this week to obtain records related to Russia, which the Justice Department responded to Monday evening. “This afternoon, the Department of Justice placed calls to representatives of the chairman and ranking member of the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to ask for additional time to review the request in compliance with the governing legal authorities and to determine what if any responsive documents may exist,” Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement. A spokesman for Rep. Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, suggested the panel may subpoena the administration if their questions go unanswered. “The Department of Justice has asked for more time to comply with the House Intelligence Committee’s request for information related to possible surveillance of Donald Trump or his associates during the election campaign,” Nunes spokesman Jack Langer said in a statement. “We have asked the department to provide us this information before the committee’s open hearing scheduled for March 20. If the committee does not receive a response by then, the committee will ask for this information during the March 20 hearing and may resort to a compulsory process if our questions continue to go unanswered.” In the upper chamber, senators on the intelligence panel say they’ve asked officials to provide evidence of Trump’s wiretapping claims. They suggest there wasn’t a Monday deadline – as the House committee has requested. Asked if he has imposed a deadline the way the House panel did, Burr said: “The House operates differently than I do.” Burr also said it’s possible former Trump associates could be hauled before his committee, adding that Trump confidante Roger Stone’s contacts with “Guccifer 2.0” is “part of an ongoing investigation.” The Guccifer 2.0 persona, who claimed credit for hacking the Democratic National Committee’s emails, was identified by the US intelligence community as a front for Russian intelligence. Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who also made a request to the Justice Department alongside fellow Judiciary Committee member Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, said he hasn’t heard back from the agency. “I’m getting very ill-tempered over this,” the South Carolina senator told reporters. “I expect them to take some time, but Judiciary has control over the FBI–oversight. So I have said, OK, let’s keep the committee process in place, regular order, so if the FBI runs over to the Intel committee and they testify there, and they don’t respond to my letter, I think that’s a mistake, because the FBI is under our jurisdiction.” Graham said he’ll give “them a little more time” but warned that (FBI Director James) Comey ought to respond to the letter. “You’ll run afoul of the Judiciary Committee. If I were you, I wouldn’t do that,” he said. “Director Comey, trying to give you a little advice here.” Trump has not publicly provided any evidence for his wiretapping allegations, first made more than a week ago. Sunday night, Kellyanne Conway, a top adviser to the President, appeared to expand the allegations by suggesting to the Bergen Record there could have been even wider spying of the Trump campaign, including the use of microwaves and television sets. Like the President, however, she did not provide any evidence, and later said she was speaking generally about surveillance. Former President Barack Obama has denied the allegations through a spokesman, and his former director of national intelligence, James Clapper, also has publicly denied them. Sources have told CNN that Comey also pushed back against Trump’s claim. As Congress’ deadline looms, calls for Trump to produce evidence have grown louder, including by some in his own party. “The President has one of two choices: either retract or provide the information that the American people deserve,” Sen. John McCain told CNN’s Jake Tapper Sunday on “State of the Union.” “I have no reason to believe that the charge is true, but I also believe that the President of the United States could clear this up in a minute.” Two congressmen privy to sensitive intelligence information said this weekend that they, too, had no information currently to support Trump’s claims. The House Intelligence Committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, said on ABC’s “This Week”: “I don’t expect we’ll see evidence of this.” And House Speaker Paul Ryan, asked directly on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” if he had seen evidence of the wiretaps, said: “No.” Conway said Sunday that “surveillance” could go beyond the tapping of phones. “What I can say is there are many ways to surveil each other,” Conway told the Record. “You can surveil someone through their phones, certainly through their television sets — any number of ways.” She went on to allege that the spying could have been done with “microwaves that turn into cameras,” adding: “We know this is a fact of modern life.” Conway also reiterated Trump’s request that an investigation into the wiretapping claims be included into a congressional investigation into Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 election. Pressed on CNN’s Chris Cuomo on “New Day” Monday morning about her comments to the Record, Conway said she was speaking about “surveilling generally.” “Chris, I’m not Inspector Gadget.  I don’t believe people are using the microwave to spy on the Trump campaign,” Conway told CNN. “However, I have – I’m not in the job of having evidence.  That’s what investigations are for.  I’ve said many, many times throughout the week that the president is pleased that the House and Senate Intelligence Committees have agreed with him that this should be part of the investigation that already exists about Russia and the campaign, an investigation that apparently has gone nowhere so far.” She later tweeted that the Record’s headline – “Kellyanne Conway suggests even wider surveillance of Trump campaign” – was “just wrong.” “Response to Bergen Record was about surveillance articles in news & techniques generally, not about campaign. Headline just wrong,” Conway said. This story has been updated. CNN’s Mary Kay Mallonee, Eli Watkins and David Wright contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump's wiretapping allegations


The DNC was already known to be hacked McCaul says the RNC was similarly targeted A Republican congressman said he misspoke when he asserted the Republican National Committee’s data has been hacked, amending his remarks shortly after a top RNC official disputed his initial statement. GOP Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Wednesday on “The Situation Room” that he learned from intelligence briefings that hackers have targeted the RNC similarly to how they struck the Democratic National Committee. Breaking: Russians have also hacked into the RNC, McCaul tells @wolfblitzer: “they’re not picking sides here” https://t.co/RsFr6u4dV4 “Yes, they have hacked into the Republican National Committee,” McCaul said. “So this is, again, they are not picking sides here I don’t think. They are hacking into both political parties … We’re not sure why they’ve released some documents and not others.” McCaul had continued: “What we don’t know is the extent of damage done and what they were able to retrieve out of the RNC itself. That’s, again, the subject of an FBI investigation.” A top RNC official immediately disputed McCaul. “There has been no known breach of the RNC’s cyber network,” said Sean Cairncross, the RNC’s chief operating officer. Homeland Security Chairman Mike McCaul releases statement on RNC hacking: I misspoke... https://t.co/cjDPQK1LaJ pic.twitter.com/EJuQwUd7kx Shortly after the interview, McCaul walked back his comments. “I misspoke by asserting that the RNC was hacked. What I had intended to say was that in addition to the DNC hack, Republican political operatives have also been hacked,” he said in a statement.


Nigel Farage says he has no plans to meet with Donald Trump on an upcoming US trip He says he wants to help improve relations between the UK government and Trump team UK politician Nigel Farage told CNN Thursday he’d like to act as a “middle man” to improve relations between the British government and US President-elect Donald Trump after a bumpy start. But he said he had no plans for a second face-to-face meeting with Trump while on a trip to the United States in the next few days, despite reports to the contrary. Trump caused diplomatic ripples Tuesday when he tweeted that Farage would “do a great job” as Britain’s ambassador to the United States. And Farage, who’s interim leader of the right-wing UK Independence Party (UKIP) and the figurehead of the Brexit movement, was the first UK politician to meet with Trump post-victory when he spent time with him at Trump Tower 11 days ago. By contrast, Trump called 11 other world leaders before placing a call to Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May following his election win, suggesting that the two countries’ much vaunted “special relationship” might be a little rocky. Related video Nigel Farage: Donald Trump should focus on issues Speaking to CNN’s Carol Costello, Farage said there were “some fences that need to be mended” after “nearly the entire British government said derogatory things about Donald Trump and his team” during the US presidential campaign. “I would like to try to act as a little bit of a middle man to try and mend some of this, so we can get on with some really important work,” he said. But Farage said it was up to the British government whether it wanted him to take on that kind of liaison role. Judging by the government’s frosty response to Trump’s tweet proposing Farage for the role of ambassador, the invitation may not come soon. A spokesman for May’s office blocked the idea, telling CNN the UK appoints its own ambassadors and that the position was filled. Related article Donald Trump could meet the Queen in 2017 There’s no doubt Trump’s expression of a preference for UK ambassador to Washington was a startling break with diplomatic protocol. It was also particularly awkward for the UK as Farage has long been a thorn in the side of May’s Conservative party. Farage, however, suggested the business world could see the advantages of building on the relationship he’s forged with Trump and his team, including appearing alongside Trump on the campaign trail in Mississippi. “I genuinely think and believe that a closer relationship between our two countries will be mutually beneficial to us and if I can do anything to cement this relationship, I will,” he said. CNN’s Angela Dewan contributed to this report.


Baqer and Siamak Namazi were ordered to pay a $4.8 million fine Iranian news agency reports father and son were paid by United States for "anti-Iran activities" Iranian-Americans Baquer Namazi and his son Siamak have been sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $4.8 million, according to Iran’s official news channel IRINN. Iran officials say five people were convicted and sentenced for “cooperating with Iran’s enemies,” a government euphemism that usually implies cooperating with the United States. Siamak Namazi was arrested nearly a year ago and became the first US citizen reported to have been detained in the country since the announcement of the Iranian nuclear program deal. The agreement was hailed by US President Barack Obama as a way to impede Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The sentence comes after four US prisoners were released by Iran earlier this year as part of a US-Iran prisoner swap that granted clemency to seven Iranians indicted or imprisoned in the United States. Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, Marine veteran Amir Hekmati and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini were three of the four freed in the swap. Siamak Namazi is a Dubai-based businessman with dual US and Iranian citizenship. His father, Baquer, was detained in February 2016. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said the country does not recognize dual citizenship and that it “routinely harasses citizens and dual nationals with trumped up national security charges.” The human rights group told CNN in September that it was aware of several dual nationals imprisoned in Iran when commenting on the five-year sentence of a British-Iranian woman whom Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps accused of attempting to overthrow the government. The US State Department released a statement Tuesday calling for the immediate release of father and son. “We join recent calls by international organizations and UN human rights experts for the immediate release of all US citizens unjustly detained in Iran, including Siamak and Baquer Namazi, so that they can return to their families,” the statement read. Baquer Namazi has a US passport with his birthplace listed as Iraq.  According to the US State Department, he is a former UNICEF employee whose health is being reported as “declining.” Iranian officials were not clear who has to pay the $4.8 million fine but said the amount is what the convicted  “had received from the US for their mission in Iran.” Iranian news agency IRIB said the five sentenced were paid by the United States for “anti-Iran activities.” Under Iranian law, the convicted have 21 days to appeal their sentence.


White House and State Department officials have long said they believe Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent, is no longer in Iran but somewhere else in southwest Asia But FBI investigators believe Levinson, if he is still alive, is being held in Iran FBI investigators believe Robert Levinson, if he is still alive, is being held in Iran despite public statements from U.S. officials in other agencies indicating he may be elsewhere, according to U.S. officials briefed on the investigation. White House and State Department officials have long said they believe Levinson is no longer in Iran but somewhere else in southwest Asia. Some officials cited a proof-of-life video and photos sent to his family in 2010 and 2011 that gave clues that indicated Levinson was in Pakistan or elsewhere. At the time, an analysis of the video suggested as much. What is in agreement among U.S. agencies is the possibility that Levinson died years ago in captivity, the officials say. White House press secretary Josh Earnest repeated that view Tuesday in response to criticism from the Levinson family. “We have reason to believe that he no longer is in Iran, and that’s why we continue to press for information about his whereabouts,” Earnest said. Brett McGurk, the lead U.S. negotiator on the prisoner swap, made a similar remark in an interview with CNN on Tuesday.  But the FBI, which led the investigation into Levinson’s disappearance nine years ago, believes that the former FBI agent has always been in Iran, the officials tell CNN. The officials didn’t say what evidence FBI investigators have to conclude that Levinson was in Iran. Iran has always denied having anything to do with his disappearance. White House and State Department officials referred CNN to their previous comments standing by the view that Levinson was not believed to be in Iran. And who held him in custody isn’t clear, the officials say. Some U.S. officials believe that a militant group, and not Iranian security forces, held him hostage. But others believe it’s unlikely Levinson could be held on Iranian soil by any group not under the control of the Iranian government. U.S. officials remain convinced that the Iranians know more about Levinson’s disappearance than they have admitted. Under the recent prisoner swap deal, the Iranian government promised to help in the investigation. But they have provided no new information on his whereabouts. McGurk, President Barack Obama’s special envoy on the U.S. effort against ISIS, led the negotiations with Iran on the prisoner swap, and said the agreement presents a formal process to continue discussing the Levinson case with Iran. “(If) this is a situation which we knew Bob Levinson was in a prison cell in Iran, I think you know we’d have a different outcome here,” McGurk told CNN on Tuesday. “That’s something that we can’t confirm. In fact, it appears that he’s not being held in Iran. But we have this formal, now process, with Iran to continue discussing that case in a very aggressive and vigorous way, and that’s something that we will continue to do.” In a statement to CNN, the Levinson family said, “If this is true, it is outrageous that, after nine years, members of the U.S. government are still not on the same page about getting Bob home. This confirms our belief that some in the administration have not made Bob a priority, and that’s why he is still a hostage.”


NEW: Resident tells CNN she initially mistook the noise from the crash for an avalanche Crash site in the Bleone Valley is remote, difficult to reach Single mountain road leads to area; police urge people to leave it clear With its snow-capped mountains and picturesque deserted hamlets, the Bleone Valley, where a Germanwings jet crashed Tuesday, is a stunningly beautiful but sparsely populated spot. Tiny villages are scattered along the gorge, which rises from the apple and pear orchards and the gray stone riverbed of the valley floor to heights of more than 2,000 meters (1.2 miles) above sea level. Many of these villages, which were bustling communities in the 19th century, now lie abandoned or survive with just a handful of inhabitants. One dead-end road, the D107, winds its way through Prads-Haute-Bleone, passing churches and a campsite that offers a peaceful retreat for summer hikers. But the remoteness – which appeals to small numbers of holidaymakers looking to ski in winter or take restorative walks through the green hills in the warmer months – may make reaching the wreckage of the Germanwings plane difficult. Gilles Gravier, director of the tourist office in Val d’Allos, told French newspaper Liberation the crash occurred in a particularly steep spot on the Trois Eveches mountain, and may have been witnessed by skiers on the area’s slopes. “There is no access by road; emergency crews are coming in by air, using helicopters,” he said. Capt. Benoit Zeisser from the Gendarmerie in the nearby town of Digne told CNN the aircraft was lying in “difficult terrain.” Related gallery Germanwings plane crashes in France Sandrine Boisse, the president of the tourism office at the Pra Loup ski resort, said she heard the plane crash and called the police and the local government office to find out what had happened. “It was about 11 (a.m.) here. I was outside the garage, and we heard a strange noise, ” she said. “And at first we thought it was an avalanche, but it was strange at this time because it was 11. “Something was wrong. … We didn’t know what.” Her husband was skiing nearby and saw a plane flying at low altitude, she said. French President Francois Hollande warned “it will take some hours for the emergency services to reach the crash site.” Photographs posted on Twitter hours after the plane disappeared from radar showed helicopters preparing to take off, and emergency vehicles lining up ready to receive the victims’ remains. The bodies of those on board the plane are expected to be taken to the gymnasium at the local high school in Seyne les Alpes, some 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the crash site, which will be used as a temporary morgue. French police in the region have pleaded with locals and visitors to stay away from the site, urging them “not to clutter the roads,” leaving them clear for emergency vehicles.


Approximately 100 to 200 US Special Operations Forces in northern Iraq are working as advisers US Special Forces have the authority to go further into the field than they have in the past While the Pentagon emphasizes Iraqi forces are leading the charge into Mosul, it is clear US troops will be heavily involved in the efforts to wrest the city back from ISIS. “Americans are in harm’s way as part of this fight,” Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook acknowledged Monday, though he added, “There are specific steps that have been taken, and protocols in place, for us to try and reduce the risk to Americans because this is Iraqis in the lead.” A day after the assault on Iraq’s second-largest city began, US forces are visibly providing a supporting role to the local troops. Approximately 100 to 200 US Special Operations Forces in northern Iraq are working as advisers to Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga units. Related video Battle to liberate Mosul begins A small number of US forces will serve as forward air controllers to call in the locations of ISIS targets for airstrikes. There are also US artillery units at locations both north and south of Mosul that are striking targets. US Special Forces have the authority to go further into the field than they have in the past to accompany relatively small Iraqi units, but it is not clear that has yet happened in the Mosul battle. US troops are required to stay in positions on the battlefield that provide the least chance of coming under attack. But despite those restrictions, three US service members have been killed over the past year in operations targeting ISIS in Iraq, and the danger for US troops is likely to grow as the Mosul offensive goes forward. “They may be as far forward as 500 meters outside the range of small arms, but that does expose them to mortar fire. It does expose them to artillery fire,” noted retired US Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt. ISIS are believed to have an elaborate network of booby-traps throughout the city to greet Iraqi forces, as well as a network of tunnels – some big enough to ride a motorcycle through. Iraqi forces have come a long way from their loss of Ramadi in western Anbar province in May 2015, when Defense Secretary Ash Carter told CNN that Iraqi forces showed “no will to fight” in Ramadi. Related video Iraq forces and ISIS exchange gunfire Following a later offensive that dislodged ISIS from Ramadi, Iraqi forces also took back the key cities of Fallujah, Baiji and others on the march closer to Mosul – ISIS’ largest remaining Iraqi stronghold and home to over a million people. But even if ISIS loses its grip on Mosul, analysts who follow the situation say there likely will not be many celebrations in the immediate aftermath. “There is a lot of fighting left to do,” said retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, a CNN military analyst. “ISIS will still be present, and it will take a generation to get rid of these ideologues.” And Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander of US forces in Iraq and Syria, also signaled Monday that what lay ahead for Iraqi forces in Mosul would not be easy. “This may prove to be a long, a tough battle, but the Iraqis have prepared for it and we will stand by them,” he said.


Hillary Clinton told a receptive audience over the weekend in India that while she thought President Donald Trump played to some of Americans’ worst fears, he does not reflect the country as a whole. “No, we did not deserve that,” Clinton said when asked if the US “deserves” Trump as its leader. Clinton called the 2016 presidential race the “first reality TV campaign,” and said Trump, as a bombastic “reality TV candidate,” was able to win over enough of the audience to win the election. And in comments seized on by the Republican National Committee, Clinton said she had won sections of the country with more economic output and attributed some of Trump’s insurgent victory to a series of social and economic anxieties and discriminatory attitudes among his supporters. “I won the places that represent two-thirds of America’s gross domestic product,” Clinton said. “So I won the places that are optimistic, diverse, dynamic, moving forward. And his whole campaign, ‘Make America Great Again,’ was looking backwards. You know, you didn’t like black people getting rights, you don’t like women, you know, getting jobs, you don’t want to, you know, see that Indian-American succeeding more than you are, whatever your problem is, I’m going to solve it.” Clinton said there is “the phenomenon of disappointment” about economic outcomes, particularly after the 2008 financial crisis, one of three main areas where she said she sees Americans’ fears play out. Second, she pointed to “a reaction to advancing opportunities and rights for other groups,” citing advancements for African-Americans, the LGBT community and women – and said the third area was “the reaction against immigrants.” As for Trump’s conduct on the international stage, Clinton pointed to the President’s “affinity for dictators,” including Russian President Vladimir Putin. But when asked if the Russians have anything compromising on Trump, Clinton said, “We’ll find out. Follow the money.” She made clear later in the discussion that she did not know where the special counsel’s investigation into Russian election meddling and possible coordination with Trump’s team is likely to lead. “Whether or not it affects him or just people around him, nobody knows,” Clinton said.


NEW: Military official says Boko Haram is changing tactics with raids, rather than challenging troops Boko Haram militants attacks a market and infirmary, a Cameroonian military spokesman says The Islamist extremist group is based in Nigeria but has launched attacks in nearby countries Boko Haram militants killed about 30 people and wounded 145 others in attacks early Thursday on a market and infirmary in northern Cameroon, a military official said. The bloodshed once again demonstrates the Islamist extremist group’s wrath and reach in Africa. The terrorist group’s members “came in from across the hills in Nigeria,” where Boko Haram is based, and struck a crowded market in the town Kerawa, said Col. Didier Badjeck, a spokesman for Cameroon’s military. The militants also attacked an infirmary near a Cameroonian military camp, according to Badjeck. The spokesman said Thursday’s attacks suggest Boko Haram may be changing its tactics, with more quick raids striking civilians than battles with government troops. “They find it hard these days, coming face-to-face with our forces,” Badjeck added. “What they do now is come in from Nigeria, attack border areas, and then run back to Nigeria.” The sentiment was seconded by Joseph Vincent Ntuda Ebode, a professor at the University of Yaounde, who credited the Cameroonian military’s actions in the wake of July suicide bombings that killed dozens. They’ve reverted to “the traditional methods used by all terrorist groups (like) suicide bombings,” he said. But Boko Haram still is a potent and dangerous force, he added. “This means they can attack simultaneously in Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Benin,” Ntuda Ebode said. The bloodshed in Cameroon came days after Boko Haram terrorists rode into the village of Baanu, in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state, on horseback and shot dead 68 people, according to residents and local militia. Such attacks have become commonplace in Nigeria for years, as Boko Haram has increasingly and violently asserted itself. The group began in the mid-2000s with a stated aim of imposing its strict version of Sharia law across Nigeria, which is split between a majority Muslim north and a mostly Christian south. To achieve this goal, Boko Haram has resorted to some of the most abhorrent tactics imaginable to achieve its goals. These include bombing marketplaces, churches, mosques and other public gathering spots as well as mass kidnappings, the most notorious being last year’s abduction of over 200 girls from a school in the northeastern Nigerian city of Chibok. Those girls’ fate remains a mystery. Yet Boko Haram hasn’t confined itself to Nigeria’s borders. Its fighters have also launched lethal attacks on sites in several other western and central African countries, including Niger, Benin and Chad. This also includes Cameroon, who is one of the African nations who pledged last winter to contribute to an 8,700-strong regional military force to combat Boko Haram.


Editor’s Note: Paul Callan is a CNN legal analyst, a former New York homicide prosecutor and currently is counsel at the New York law firm of Edelman & Edelman PC, focusing on wrongful conviction and civil rights cases. Follow him on Twitter @paulcallan. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. Paul Callan: It's not illegal, but improper, arrogant for Trump to be interviewing potential US attorneys, given his history Callan says it raises question of whether personal interviews are used to demand loyalty from his new federal legal top guns So much for avoiding the appearance of impropriety. President Donald Trump  is personally interviewing United States attorney candidates, including those in New York and Washington. Throwing out the rule book of tradition in this area is dangerous for many good reasons.  The main one is that federal prosecutors in New York, Washington and possibly other jurisdictions might end up investigating the President or his aides or family members, for reasons relating to Trump’s political or governmental actions or to his many private businesses. We know that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating possible Russian interference in the  presidential election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.  As an appointee of the Justice Department, Mueller has every right to call upon the resources of US attorneys in any jurisdiction into which his investigation extends. The President was severely burned by his heavy-handed interactions with former FBI Director James Comey, first offering to keep him on the job, then firing him and triggering a possible obstruction of justice investigation. Related article Harvey Weinstein, the Trumps and the OTHER swamp Comey claims the President demanded a “loyalty pledge,” a claim Trump denies. Trump was similarly ham-handed in his termination of Preet Bharara, the former US attorney for New York’s Southern District.  Bharara is now a CNN Legal Contributor. The President has the legal right to conduct such interviews because as the nation’s chief executive he is the nominal head of the entire Justice Department and is also the highest ranking law enforcement authority in the United States.  US attorneys are technically his employees. Exercising this right, though, is an act of extraordinary arrogance by a President who should have learned a lesson from the Comey and Bharara fiascos. The real question many will have is whether the President is using personal interviews to either demand or inspire loyalty from his newly minted federal legal top guns. The US attorney spot in any state is an influential and prestigious post. Federal prosecutors are the most powerful law enforcement officials in their districts, sometimes supervising hundreds of lawyers, paralegals and investigators as they prosecute everything from drug dealers, organized criminals and terrorists to white collar criminals engaged in a variety of sophisticated financial frauds and schemes. Related article Sessions gets law dead wrong on transgender protections Many US attorneys become famous, as Thomas Dewey and Rudy Giuliani  both did in New York,  later running for such higher offices as mayor, governor or even President. The current attorney general of the United States, Jeff Sessions, was once a US attorney, as was his predecessor, Loretta Lynch. There is time-honored process in which the Department of Justice and local senate offices vet and interview candidates for these important positions. The process requires presidential involvement only at its conclusion, when the President makes his selection.   An ethical United States attorney owes loyalty only to the United States Constitution and the cause of justice. He or she should never be required to pledge personal loyalty to the President. A US attorney remains bound by the law, as are all others residing within the jurisdiction of The United States. Sign up for CNN Opinion’s new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook The President has no reason to be personally involved in the nitty gritty of US attorney interviews. There are more than 90 US attorneys scattered throughout the states and territories. The President has better things to do with his time, and though it may be legal to use it on such interviews, it will only create the impression that he is trying to stack the system of justice with loyalists who will look the other way when his business, family or political interests are at stake.


NEW: Former PM al-Maliki: Report has "no value" Persecution of women and minority religious groups reportedly followed Mosul's fall The report will be submitted to Iraq's judiciary for possible legal action A report approved Monday by the Iraqi parliament blames the country’s former prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, and other senior officials for the fall of the northern city of Mosul in 2014. The report will be submitted to the judicial branch of government for possible legal action. But in a Facebook post, al-Maliki said the report had “no value.” Mosul, a city of more than 1 million people about 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Baghdad, is one of the most important cities in northern Iraq. Its fall to the terrorist group ISIS was followed by disastrous consequences for residents in the area. ISIS raided the Turkish Consulate in the city, capturing 49 employees, including the consul general. Turkish officials negotiated their release in September. The trade-off for their release remains unknown, but until recently, Turkey declined to participate in the international fight against ISIS. Women and members of minority religious groups in Mosul have reportedly been persecuted since the city fell. Related gallery Iraqi civilians flee The Mosul report, compiled by the Parliamentary Committee for Security and Defense, holds former government officials and military commanders responsible for the city’s fall. The information was given to CNN by Intisar al-Jubouri, a member of parliament from Mosul province who attended the parliamentary session. The report also blames other officials, including former Defense Minister Saadoun Al-Dulaimi and former Mosul Gov. Atheel al-Nujaifi, al-Jubouri said. Al-Maliki, in a statement on Facebook, rejected any responsibility for what happened in Mosul while he was prime minister. “What happened in Mosul was a conspiracy, it was planned in Ankara and then the conspiracy moved to Erbil,” he wrote. “There is no value in result that came out from the parliamentary commission about the fall of Mosul, it was dominated by political differences and it was absent of objectivity,” he said. Al-Maliki’s office director, Husham al-Rikaby, confirmed that the remarks were made by the former prime minister, who is in Iran. Al-Maliki, a Shiite Muslim, governed in a sectarian manner. His rule, under which Sunnis were largely shut out of government, has been blamed by observers for helping spark a Sunni uprising – including by ISIS – in 2014.


Ghanaian boy headed for Guyana ends up in Goiania, Brazil instead Many passengers have ended up in wrong cities, wrong countries and wrong continents It was the opportunity of a lifetime for a young Ghanaian boy – a scholarship to study medicine in Guyana. But his journey didn’t go quite as expected. Emmanuel Akomanyi couldn’t get a direct flight to Guyana so he boarded a plane in Ghana to Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil. There, he bought a ticket to his final destination in Guyana – a South American country on the Caribbean coast bordering Surinam, Venezuela and Brazil. But when he got off the plane, he was not in Guyana – he was in the city of Goiania, Brazil – almost 3,000 kilometers away from where he needed to go. Akomanyi spent a week in Brazil, supported by strangers as he had no money. The airline that sold him the original ticket eventually helped him out with a new flight to Guyana’s Cheddi Jagan International Airport, near the capital Georgetown. You’d think with all the technology at our disposal, destination mix-ups like what Akomanyi experienced would be a rarity. Not so. They’re surprisingly common. In June of 2014, a couple boarded a plane to the southern Caribbean island of Grenada, instead of their desired destination – the ancient city of Granada, Spain. U.S. dentist Edward Gamson thought he’d bought tickets from London’s Gatwick Airport to Granada, Spain, for himself and his partner via a British Airways booking agent, but only realized he was actually headed to Grenada in the Caribbean once on board, reported The Independent. The destination country and flight duration hadn’t been listed on his e-tickets, which instead displayed only the city name. “It’s just so sad,” Gamson told The Independent. “A trip we had been really looking forward to was ruined and … BA won’t do the decent thing.” Gamson claimed the airline refused to reimburse his first-class tickets and didn’t reroute the travelers to Granada from Grenada. He ended up suing British Airways for the cost of the trip, including planned tours in Spain that he and his partner didn’t get to take, but the case was reportedly dismissed. READ: Doh! 20 biggest travel mistakes Remarkably, the same mix-up happened earlier that same month. Lamenda Kingdon from Plymouth, UK, had also booked a British Airways flight to Granada, Spain, but found herself on a flight bound for Grenada in the Caribbean. She’d planned the trip after being diagnosed with cancer. When notified of the mistake, the BA crew moved Kingdon to first class and sent her back to Gatwick when the flight made a scheduled stop in St. Lucia, reported the Daily Mail. “I genuinely don’t blame anyone,” she told the Daily Mail. “The person on the other end of the phone probably just misheard me. I honestly didn’t notice the spelling difference.” In May 2013, Sandy Valdivieso and her husband, Triet Vo, boarded a Turkish Airlines flight in Los Angeles, intending to travel to Dakar, Senegal, in western Africa, but ended up in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The mix-up was due to the similar sounding destinations and airport codes. The couple didn’t realize the error until they were already on their connecting flight from Istanbul. “When the flight attendant said we were heading to Dhaka, we believed that this was how you pronounced ‘Dakar’ with a Turkish accent,” Valdivieso told the LA Times. READ: Most annoying things people do on planes In December 2013, 85-year-old Maria Nieves ended up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, after she’d booked a Southwest Airlines flight to Fort Myers, Florida. It was the second time such a mix-up had happened to her – two years ago, the airline flew Nieves to Tampa, Florida, instead of New Orleans, Louisiana. According to Louisiana’s WAFB, Nieves had requested wheelchair assistance, which meant airline staff were responsible for assisting her from gate to gate. “I can see it happening once, but twice to the same person, it’s kind of like lightning striking twice in the same place,” her son Robert Ortiz told WAFB. Last June, a VietJet Air plane that took off from Hanoi landed at the wrong airport. Instead of arriving in Cam Ranh Airport near Nha Trang, the aircraft landed 140 kilometers away in Da Lat. The airline flew the misdirected passengers to their original destination via another flight, reported local news outlet Thanh Nien News. In January earlier that year, another Southwest Airlines plane landed at a small airport in Taney County, Missouri, approximately seven miles from where it was meant to land at Branson Airport. Due to the difference in airport runway lengths – Taney County airport’s runway is 3,738 feet compared with Branson Airport’s 7,140 feet – pilots were forced to brake hard when the plane touched down. No one was hurt and the airline refunded all tickets and provided future travel credit for passengers. MORE: Tattoos gone wrong: Permanently lost in translation Originally published June 2014, updated February 2015.