When chef René Redzepi announced his revolutionary Danish restaurant Noma would be staging a pop-up under a Copenhagen bridge, the excitement was inevitable. Not only was it a chance to sample the team’s cooking on home turf, but it might also offer some hints about Noma 2.0, the much-anticipated new version of the restaurant, which opens in February 2018. Little has been revealed about the upcoming eatery since the original incarnation closed it doors in February 2017. But when I arrive and take my place among the 60 people already sitting elbow to elbow at the long wooden table, it automatically feels different to the more formal, cerebral tasting menu experience associated with the Noma brand. For a start, we’re outdoors on a cobbled passageway directly under central Copenhagen’s Knippelsbro Bridge. Tented in from the chill with plastic sheeting and gas heaters installed at intervals, warm light from woven wicker pendant lamps casting a rosy glow over the table and faces of people eating, it’s the definition of “hygge” – that now famous Danish concept of conviviality and contentment. The crowd is also a little younger than the usual fine-dining set. Most are in their 20s and 30s, much like the staff – possibly because the 1,250 DKK ($200) price, inclusive of pour-your-own wine pairings, is more affordable than Noma’s typical $480-plus charge. Two seatings are offered for the prix fixe, five-course, family-style dinner and dishes are kept secret until they’re served. Richard Hart, head baker of San Francisco eatery Tartine, is working with Noma until he opens his bakery in Copenhagen in 2018 and our first platters are heaped with huge hunks of crusty bread baked by the man himself, with mandatory slabs of Danish butter. Welcome nibbles in the form of light, crispy tostadas quickly give way to bowls of warm mushroom broth with black trumpets, young spinach, grilled baby cucumber and wild Swedish blueberries. The best new restaurants for 2017 The next course is a menu mainstay and a nod to the team’s spring 2017 Noma Mexico pop-up in idyllic beach destination Tulum – DIY cabbage leaf “tacos” topped with microgreens, edible flowers and smoked cod roe, accompanied by a cast-iron pot filled with whole, crunchy fried fjord shrimps and oil and salsa made with Mexican habanero and salted green gooseberry. “It’s that perfect bite of, ‘OK, I’m tasting these flavors and feeling the influence of Mexico,’ but whum, you’re also in Denmark,” says Katherine Bont, restaurant manager at Noma and team leader for its pop-ups. It’s also a clear departure from what I’ve come to expect from a restaurant named for the contraction of “nordisk mad,” the Danish words for Nordic food. But while it’s run by the Noma team, Under The Bridge is not Noma. One of the main differences is that it’s not an outlet for Redzepi’s cooking. “René’ll come down and taste and give his feedback, but really it’s a chance for the young cooks in the kitchen to show their creative side and use ginger, chillis… things we wouldn’t use at Noma,” Bont explains. The staff conceived Under The Bridge while in Mexico, knowing they had at least another six months in Copenhagen before Noma 2.0 launched. During the summer, Noma’s wine supplier Rosforth & Rosforth served wine and food at picnic tables adjacent to its cellar here, under the Knipplesbro bridge. The team opted to expand on that concept, combining their Mexico experience with their Danish heritage and setting to offer relaxed, 60-head dinner-party style dinners featuring food they’d cook for friends. Under The Bridge was supposed to end in early September. However, construction delays caused by the unearthing of an ancient wall at the Noma 2.0 site – and the pop-up’s runaway success – led to it being extended until November 12 and from five evenings a week to seven. (At the time of writing, reservations are still available.) Noma chef Torsten Vildgaard – who opened Claus Meyer’s eatery Studio at The Standard in October 2013 and earned a Michelin star just a few months later – came on board last month to help the team. But menu development has remained a collaborative process in keeping with Noma’s usual open, all-hands structure. Recent additions include sides of whole-baked celeriac with chunks of apple and chestnut and roasted Brussels sprouts with ginger and sweet miso. Tonight, dessert is light and tangy in the Nordic tradition, comprising a semi circle of milk parfait and another of strawberry grapes, with aronia berry juice, tagetes leaves and liquorice salt. Then, another visceral throwback to the team’s time in Mexico – rich, moist almond financier petit fours, capped with a dusting of dehydrated wood ants. So how will Under The Bridge – coupled with former pop-ups and the additions of Copenhagen sister restaurants 108 and North-Sea-restaurant Barr, housed within Noma’s old space– feed into Noma 2.0? The short answer is – nobody knows yet. Redzepi has spent months exploring Nordic destinations and the culinary potential they offer, with Noma’s social media feed ripe with shots of langoustine and sea urchins from ice-cold Faroese waters and mushrooms from Håøya in Norway. Top chefs on tour: 10 culinary pop-ups But in a video clip for Noma’s monthly Weather Report news bulletins, the chef suggests he’s open to bringing his team’s global perspective into the new restaurant. “We’re going to open up again. That’s all good, but what if we fall into the same routine? What if we can’t see the fresh opportunities?” he says. “All of this new stuff we have with us, all of the new mindsets and inspirations, we’re going to put that into practical use at the new Noma.” Now that the Noma team has worked collectively in Japan, Australia and Mexico and New Nordic, will Redzepi incorporate more international influences at Noma 2.0? Past experience suggests he might. Chocolate has always featured among Noma’s desserts and oenophiles were given the option of choosing Old World and New World wines from its lists. After the team’s first international trip to Tokyo in 2015, more exotic ingredients appeared. “We had a seaweed we were using from Hokkaido and black garlic from Aomori,” recalls Bont. “All of a sudden we had a few things that extended beyond the Nordic region but we felt that with all of the research and care and meeting the farmers who made these products, we could expand on what we’d previously known.” But, as Bont says, nobody knows for sure because they’re building the restaurant from the ground up. World's best chefs: My favorite food experience was ... Even details of the new Noma 2.0 site, being developed by Danish “starchitect” Bjarke Ingels’ firm BIG in a former sea mine depot atop ancient fortifications bordering vibrant “free town” Christiania, are scarce. Tourism authority VisitCopenhagen has revealed the site is being reimagined as a gourmet village with an urban farm and 10 huts – one each for grilling, baking, fermenting, wine and so on – with the kitchens housed within the old mine building. The only definite news is that the restaurant will open on February 1, 2018 – reservations are being taken from November 16 – with a seafood-focused menu. Informed by the Nordic climate, Redzepi is dividing the year into three seasons. In the colder months from December through May, when few things grow, the team will look to the ocean. As the weather warms, menus will shift towards a more plant-based menu, which will be succeeded by a menu emphasizing land and pasture, particularly game, from September to December. Bont says that while Under The Bridge and Noma 2.0 are two completely different things, she believes the style of service will carry over. “I think what we’ll take away from this experience is the way in which we’re cooking the dishes – coming together, this looking after people, a more casual approachable vibe, this real home feeling,” she says. Under The Bridge will run until November 12.  Knippelsbrogade 10, 1409 København K, Denmark. Noma 2.0 is due to open on February 1, 2018, Wednesday to Saturday, offering the same menu for both lunch and dinner. Refshalevej 96, 1432 København K, Denmark. Gemma Z Price is a freelance travel and lifestyle writer based between San Francisco and HCMC. She regularly contributes to titles such as TIME, Conde Nast Traveller, Business Traveler & WSJ.


When Britain went into the first round of talks with the EU two months ago, its chief negotiator was pictured facing his Brussels counterpart with no notes on the table in front of him – as if to confirm what critics of Brexit believe, that the UK government is woefully unprepared to leave by March 2019. On Monday, at the start of the third round of negotiations, David Davis, the UK Brexit Secretary, will have a stack of documents to hand. After the EU’s growing impatience at the lack of preparedness from the UK side in the first two rounds, the British government has published several Brexit “position papers” setting out how it sees the UK’s relationship with Europe once it leaves in just 19 months’ time. It was not just accusations of disorganization that has spurred the government of Prime Minister Theresa May into action. Over the summer, legal experts, businesses and the Prime Minister’s own Treasury department warned of the consequences of crashing out of the EU under a “hard Brexit” without any transitional arrangements agreed in advance. Related article Brexit splits give Theresa May a holiday headache In January, the Prime Minister had boldly declared that “no deal is better than a bad deal” with the EU, making clear that the UK would be ready to walk out of negotiations – and Europe – if it didn’t get its own way. But in June, she lost her overall majority in a hastily called election and no longer has the power to play hardball. The straightforward argument – to take back control from Brussels – that persuaded the British people to vote for Brexit last year has given way to pragmatism. The “no deal” ultimatum has been replaced by more realistic proposals. Yet whether they will bring Britain and the EU any closer to a deal on Brexit remains to be seen. From the point of view of Brussels, the papers still represent far too much of the UK’s desire to “have its cake and eat it”. So what have we learned from the position papers published this week? According to the position paper on customs, Britain would leave the customs union, which allows EU countries to trade freely with each other without tariffs. Yet the UK says it wants a special deal with Brussels involving a transition period of two to three years, during which it would keep the benefits of membership of the customs union whilst ministers seek trade deals with other countries. This proposal of a transitional deal would avoid what many have warned would be the “cliff edge” scenario after the exit date of March 2019, which would result in long queues at British ports to move goods into and out of the bloc. Every year, 2.6M trucks pass through the Channel port of Dover without the need for customs checks, posing a huge infrastructure challenge post-Brexit. This desire for special treatment, in which Britain would step outside formal EU membership yet remain closely aligned to the EU’s trading and customs systems, is viewed skeptically by the remaining 27 nations. Legal experts and Brussels officials warned that taking part in trading arrangements with the EU should also mean abiding by the bloc’s rules. Last weekend, Sir Paul Jenkins, who was the British government’s top legal official for nearly a decade, said May was “foolish” to think the UK could carry on reaping the economic benefits of access to the single market without adhering to EU law. At present, there is no hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and the UK government wants this situation to remain – an invisible border, with minimal checks on goods passing between north and south. Smaller traders would be exempt from any checks, while larger firms would be required to sign up to “trusted trader arrangements” using electronic checks. Related video Irish farmers straddling border fear Brexit The future of the Irish border raises serious questions because any suggestion of a “hard border”, with checkpoints, risks undermining more than two decades of the peace process between Northern Ireland, the republic and the British government. Yet a porous border would also mean there would be no guarantee that goods entering post-Brexit Northern Ireland from the rest of the world – controversial chlorinated chicken from the US, for example – would not subsequently travel south and enter the EU in breach of single market rules. Papers on civil judicial cooperation and on international arbitration over disputes between the UK and EU make clear that Britain intends to break free of “direct” jurisdiction of the ECJ, the court which interprets and enforces EU law on issues including trade and security. But the word “direct” is key here: British officials have acknowledged that with a close continuing relationship between the UK and EU, there would need to be mutual respect for each other’s legal systems. So future cooperation on judicial matters would involve a “close and comprehensive framework” to “mirror closely” the existing system so that cross-border disputes were resolved swiftly. On arbitration of disputes between the UK and EU, the British government accepts that the ECJ could still have jurisdiction during the transition period. This approach of May’s government to “have its cake and eat it” – to break free yet somehow remain as close as possible – risks angering the Brexit purists, including many in the Conservative Party, who campaigned for Britain to cut all ties with Europe and set its own course on trade and law. Wrestling free of the ECJ, in particular, is a totemic demand of the anti-European Tory right wing, and any suggestion of a continuing relationship with it could cause a revolt. Taken together, these papers show how May’s government has finally realized it cannot take a sudden and dramatic leap in the dark – which would be hugely economically damaging and technically difficult. But this process of clarification has also served to highlight how complicated Brexit is turning out to be.


NEW: Former instructor: The accusation "doesn't seem to fit" Police say Jaelyn Young's father is a 17-year veteran of the force A lawyer and family friend says Muhammad Dakhlalla's family is "absolutely stunned" She’s the daughter of a police officer. He’s the son of a man who’s worked as a local imam. Jaelyn Young and Muhammad Dakhlalla came from families who, according to friends and acquaintances, push for peace, law and order. But now they’re both in federal custody, facing conspiracy charges alleging a plan to travel to Syria and join ISIS. Court documents detail the pair’s alleged conversations with two undercover FBI agents who they apparently believed were recruiters for the terror group. In messages over social media, they allegedly said they’d gotten married and planned to use their honeymoon as a cover to travel abroad. Details are still emerging in the case, and the pair’s families have been tight-lipped. Here’s what we know about the Mississippi couple: Jaelyn Young’s father, Leonce Young, has been an officer in Vicksburg, Mississippi, for 17 years, the police department said in a statement Tuesday. Related video Mississippi couple arrested for supporting ISIS He’s also served in the military for 21 years, completing 14 deployments, police said. “The family is devastated and it is our understanding had no knowledge of or involvement in Jaelyn’s plans,” police said. “We understand that the Young’s love their daughter and have supported her educational career and will stand by her through the legal process. At this time the Young family is going through an extremely difficult time and we would like to keep them in our thoughts and prayers.” The Young family hasn’t responded to requests for comment. Ken Coghlan, an attorney representing Jaelyn Young, declined to comment. In the spring, Jaelyn Young – now 20 — was registered as a sophomore studying chemistry at Mississippi State University, school spokesman Sid Salter said. She described herself as unemployed in a financial affidavit filed in court this week, noting that her mother pays her tuition bills. In high school, she was an honors student, a cheerleader and in her school’s Homecoming court, the Clarion-Ledger reported. The Vicksburg Post described her as an “all-American girl” who participated in robotics competitions. A law enforcement official described her as a recent convert to Islam. In a decision denying bond Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Allan Alexander said there is “clear and convincing evidence” that Young had “carefully constructed a plan” to travel to Syria and serve ISIS. “She left detailed letters to her family and ‘the authorities’ which all make clear her intent to join (ISIS) and never to return to the U.S.,” the judge wrote. Family members thought Muhammad Dakhlalla, a 22-year-old who goes by the name “Mo,” was going to start graduate school in psychology at Mississippi State on Monday, said attorney Dennis Harmon, a longtime family friend. But instead, Dakhlalla is behind bars and his parents, Harmon said, are “absolutely stunned.” “It’s like having a two-by-four right between the eyes,” Harmon said. Doug Bedsaul, an instructor who trained Dakhlalla in judo and taekwondo for years, said he was surprised to hear the allegations – and will reserve judgment until all the facts come out. “It doesn’t seem to fit with what I know of him, his personality, or his family,” he said. Bedsaul described Dakhlalla as calm, attentive and focused. “I can’t remember him ever getting upset or angry at all,” Bedsaul told CNN. “I have seen him compete, and for some people, that would be a moment when they could get upset, when they were losing or being in the heat of the moment. But he always had very good control of himself.” His father, Oda Dakhlalla, originally hails from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Harmon said. He’s been an imam and taught at the local mosque, the Islamic Center of Mississippi in Starkville. He’s also a private math and science tutor, Harmon said. His mother, Lisa Dakhlalla, is originally from New Jersey and has a catering business. “When Oda teaches, he teaches Islam as peace. … He has nothing to do with the Islam of (ISIS),” Harmon said. Harmon represents the family but isn’t involved in the federal case. A federal public defender representing Dakhlalla declined to comment. In her decision denying bond, Alexander said Dakhlalla “participated in plans” with Young to travel to Syria, “stating his desire to serve (ISIS)” in media relations and as a fighter. “He left a detailed letter to his parents which makes clear his choice was deliberate and voluntary,” the judge wrote. Dakhalla graduated from Mississippi State in the spring with a degree in psychology, Salter said. He described himself as unemployed in a financial affidavit, adding that his parents support him. He and Young met when they were both studying at the school, according to Harmon, but they haven’t know each other long – maybe months or a year. They had an informal Nikah, an Islamic wedding ceremony, Harmon said, but no civil marriage. The family learned about Dakhlalla’s arrest, Harmon said, when FBI agents knocked on their door. They let agents in to search their son’s room, he said. The family has spoken on the phone with Dakhlalla, Harmon said, and urged him to cooperate with the FBI. “They absolutely trust the government to get the facts straight,” Harmon said. CNN’s Shawn Nottingham, Evan Perez, Sam Stringer and Justin Lear contributed to this report.


Neighbors identify 18-year-old attacker as Ali Sonboly Man had no connection to ISIS and no apparent political motive, police say The teenager who shot dead nine people in Munich on Friday was a mentally troubled man who had extensively researched rampage killings and had no apparent links to ISIS, German police said. Authorities said  the 18-year-old lone attacker – who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound – had no political motivations. No references to religion were found in documents in his home in the southern German city. But investigators searching his belongings found numerous documents on rampage killings, including a book entitled “Rampage in My Mind – Why Students Kill,” said Robert Heimberger, president of the Bavarian state criminal police office. Neighbors told CNN that the teen who lived in the apartment  searched by police was Ali Sonboly. German police said the gunman’s parents had been taken in for questioning. Police have not named the attacker, but said he had dual German and Iranian nationality, and was born and raised in Munich. Munich shooting: What we know It appeared that before the attack, the gunman had hacked a woman’s Facebook account to post a fake offer of free food at the McDonald’s branch where the attack began,German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said. Investigators were still working to confirm that he posted that to lure people to the scene. Police said there was also likely to be significance in the timing of the attack, five years to the day since Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in Norway in 2011, many of them attendees at a youth camp. Both attacks targeted young people, with most of the victims in Munich in their teens, Police Chief Hubertus Andrae said. Three of the victims were 14, two were 15, one was 17 and another 19, while a 20-year-old and a 45-year-old were also killed. Three were female. The victims all were German nationals from the Munich area, officials said. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said three of the victims were also Turkish nationals. Another of the victims was also a Greek citizen, Greece’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday. The attack left 27 people wounded, 10 of them with serious injuries, Andrae said. The gunman stormed the McDonald’s outside the Olympia mall in Munich on Friday evening, before continuing in to the shopping center, bringing Germany’s third-largest city to a standstill. Residents were warned to avoid public places and public transport was halted. Authorities, initially fearing three gunmen were on the loose, mounted a massive operation involving 3,200 security personnel. Terrified shoppers sought safety in strangers’ homes. Police engaged in a shootout with the gunman, whose body was found near the scene of the attacks. An autopsy indicated he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. No suicide note had been found in the attacker’s home, and his parents were too shocked to help police in their investigations, officials said. The attacker used a 9 mm Glock 17 pistol that was likely obtained illegally. The serial number had been scratched off, and he had  about 300 rounds of ammunition in his backpack, police said. De Maiziere said there had been no previous police or intelligence agency investigations into the attacker, the son of Shiite Muslims from Iran who came to Germany as asylum seekers in the 1990s. “We know that in the apartment of the perpetrator, material was found which leads to him being interested in those who go on a  rampage,” he said. “We do not have any indications that would lead to international terrorism.” The attacker had received medical treatment for mental health issues, a police official said. In 2012, he had been the victim of “bodily injury” in an incident involving other young people. The attack shook Europe after a spate of recent terror attacks on the continent, including the stabbing of passengers on a German train by a man who claimed to be inspired by ISIS, and the killing of 84 people in a deadly truck attack in Nice, France. German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressed the ongoing public anxieties over the security climate as she expressed her condolences at a news conference in Berlin. “We are mourning those who will never go back to their families,” she said, before addressing the bereaved families of the victims of Munich’s “night of horrors.” “We share your pain. We think of you. We suffer with you.” She expressed her gratitude for German security forces. “We live together in a liberal society. This freedom is our greatest strength,” she said. A witness who was in the McDonald’s restaurant said her son was in the bathroom with the gunman. “That’s where he loaded his weapon,” said Lauretta, who only wanted to be identified by her first name. She said she saw many young casualties. “I hear like an alarm and boom, boom, boom … and he’s still killing the children. The children were sitting to eat. They can’t run.” Lauretta said she heard the gunman say, “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is great” in Arabic. “I know this because I’m Muslim. I hear this and I only cry,” she said. Witness Huseyin Bayri said he was riding his bike outside the restaurant when he saw the attacker yelling. “I heard a scream at first: ‘You shitty … foreigners. I am German. You will get it,’” Bayri said. “And then the first shots were fired. And a boy of about 14 or 17 years of age … collapsed, fell to the floor.” Related video Teen kills 9 people in Munich shopping district rampage Bayri jumped off his bike, crawled toward the wounded teenager and hid next to him. He tried to reassure him as he pressed on his gunshot wounds to stop the bleeding. “The boy asked for my help. I tried to talk with him, asked him his name, his age, if he has a girlfriend,” Bayri said. “I tried to make sure that he looked at me, that his eyes are open.” The teen pleaded with Bayri to call an ambulance, but died just before it got there. After the shooting, the gunman moved across the street to the mall, which is near the site of the 1972 Summer Olympics where Israeli athletes were killed by Palestinian attackers. Lynn Stein, who works in the mall, described a chaotic scene when gunfire erupted. “People were very confused, and they were running and they were screaming,” she said. She saw someone lying on the floor of a store who appeared to be either dead or injured. “There’s a woman over them, crying,” she said. JUST IN: Twitter video shows people running from scene of shooting at German shopping center https://t.co/rI3HVFMiav pic.twitter.com/59Pf70D5cF Photos and video posted on social media showed a profanity-filled verbal exchange between a man on the top level of a parking garage and another one on a balcony. The man who appeared to be a shooter said insulting things about Turks, did not espouse jihadist ideology and spoke with a German accent. The conversation ended in gunfire. CNN’s Atika Shubert,  Catherine Shoichet, Jason Hanna, Erin Mclaughlin,  Dugald McConnell, Lonzo Cook, Ray Sanchez, Claudia Otto, Bharati Naik, Vasco Cotovio, Nadine Schmidt, Laura Perez Maestro and Donie O’Sullivan contributed to this report.


North Korea has fired two missiles into the sea, believed to be Scud-C The launch comes as the United States and South Korea begin joint military drills The annual exercises have long sparked tensions North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, a South Korean Defense Ministry official said. The missiles were fired from North Korea’s west coast into the sea, which is also known as the East Sea, around 6:30 a.m. and 6:40 a.m. Monday (4:30 p.m. and 4:40 p.m. ET Sunday), the official said. They were fired from an area near Nampo City, located about 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of Pyongyang. The two projectiles were estimated to have flown about 490 kilometers (304 miles) before falling into the sea east of the peninsula, according to the South Korean official, who asked to remain anonymous citing government policy. Considering the speed, altitude and distance the missiles traveled, they are assumed to be Scud-Cs, according to the South Korean Defense Ministry. Related video North Korea tests 'cutting-edge' missile The missiles were fired as the United States and South Korea began annual military drills, which United States Forces Korea describes as “nonprovocative training” that are “an important component of readiness” for defending South Korea. Related video North Korea orders army to prep for war with U.S. The annual joint military exercises, called Foal Eagle and Key Reserve, have long sparked tension between North Korea, South Korea and the United States. Related gallery Photos North Korea didn't want you to see North Korea’s state-run KCNA slammed the joint military exercises Monday, saying that the drills are “nothing but a smokescreen” by the United States and South Korea “to cover up their surprise invasion of the north.” “The situation on the Korean peninsula is again inching close to the brink of a war,” KCNA said, noting that North Korea’s military “will never remain a passive onlooker in this grave situation.” North Korea was informed on February 24 when the joint drills would be held, said Kim Min-seok, the South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman. “North Korea in the past did fire (projectiles) in a very similar manner,” he said during a briefing Monday.  “On several occasions, they fired (projectiles) from the west coast to sea off east of the Korean Peninsula.” He added that North Korea fired about 90 ballistic missiles and rockets during last year’s Foal Eagle and Key Resolve drill. “Our military is strictly warning North Korean military of the reckless and the provocative act. We will firmly and strongly respond to any North Korea’s provocation through solid united defense posture,” South Korea’s Kim said. CNN’s Paula Hancocks and Sara Mazloumsaki contributed to this report.


Editor’s Note: John McCain is a US senator for Arizona. Marco Rubio is a US senator for Florida. Ben Cardin is a US senator for Maryland. Jack Reed is a US senator for Rhode Island. The views expressed are their own. Sens. McCain, Rubio, Cardin and Reed: It is imperative the United States engages economically in Asia Our success in the region is not just based on military might, but on our values as well, they write On the heels of Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis’ successful trip to South Korea and Japan last week, and with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Washington this week, we have an important opportunity to reaffirm America’s commitment to security and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. Seventy years ago, out of the ashes of a world war, America and our allies and partners built a rules-based international order – one based on the principles of the rule of law, free peoples and free markets, open seas and open skies, and peaceful settlement of disputes. Put simply: These ideas have changed the fortunes of the United States and Asia forever, and for the better. Our nation enjoyed access to resources that fueled broadly shared economic growth at home and a stability that kept another world war at bay, benefiting Americans from all walks of life, while an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity lifted hundreds of millions of Asians out of poverty and toward self-sufficiency. None of this was preordained. And the rules-based order is not self-sustaining. America and our allies have made the choice to uphold and defend this order. We do so because it is profoundly in our national interest. And with challenges mounting from China’s assertive behavior in the East and South China Seas to North Korea’s increasingly dangerous nuclear threat, this is the stand we must take again. This is not just a choice for President Donald Trump. As a coequal branch, Congress must do its part to strengthen our alliances, deepen our diplomacy, and protect our interests. A simple yet valuable first step would be to affirm America’s broad, bipartisan commitment to defend our allies when they are threatened. Prime Minister Abe’s visit is the right moment for President Trump and Congress to reiterate what Mattis asserted last week: that the Senkaku Islands are administered by Japan and therefore fall within the scope of Article 5 of the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, and that the United States will oppose any unilateral attempts to undermine Japan’s administration of these islands. Our forward-deployed forces in the Asia-Pacific region secure our enduring national interests, uphold our treaty commitments, and safeguard open seas and open commerce. Fortunately, we also have allies that cover much of the cost of America’s forward presence in the region. For example, Japan contributes approximately half of annual US basing costs, while South Korea contributes about 40%. But greater American investment is needed to update our posture and keep pace with evolving threats. A strong first step would be Congress’ support for partner capacity building efforts to assure critical munitions, military facilities and strengthened cooperation with our allies. Our military should continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, including where China’s excessive and militarized maritime claims erode the freedom of the seas. On the Korean peninsula, the administration must work with the South Korean government to assure a capable multilayer extended deterrence architecture, including accelerating the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, system to protect against North Korea’s missile threat. Doing so is important for civilians threatened everywhere, from Seoul and Tokyo to Seattle, as North Korea prepares to test an intercontinental ballistic missile that can deliver a nuclear payload. Our success in the region is not just based on military might, but on our values as well, and must also be matched by smart and agile diplomatic engagement and the full range of American influence. There are also significant opportunities to work with our allies and partners to deepen and broaden Asia’s own emerging architecture, include the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN. Sign up for CNN Opinion’s new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook Finally, it is still imperative the United States engages economically in Asia. Five of our top 10 trading partners are in Asia and it is the destination for one-fourth of our exports. These relationships are more than statistics: They help American workers and businesses win access to new markets and new opportunities. To take advantage of them, the administration and Congress should work to open new markets in the Asia-Pacific region for American products, protect American invention and innovation, and support American jobs and manufacturing. We should welcome dialogue over investments in the United States that create jobs for our workers, build needed infrastructure and enhance productivity. As a Pacific nation, the United States recognizes that much of the history of the 21st century will be written in the Asia-Pacific region. Now is the time to engage, not retrench. We stand ready to work with the administration to do just that.

United States engagement in Asia-Pacific region


Kushner met with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and banker Sergey Gorkov According to a source, neither of Kushner's meetings were about sanctions When President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and aide Jared Kushner voluntarily appears before the Senate intelligence committee, he will describe his interactions with Russians during the transition as a point man “looking for the right person to engage with on Russia,” and nothing more, according to a source familiar with what transpired. According to this source, neither of Kushner’s meetings – with the Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and with Russian banker Sergey Gorkov – were about sanctions, which Russian banks have been lobbying against since they were imposed in 2014. These were “relationship meetings,” the source said. In Kushner’s meeting with Kislyak, the source added, Kushner asked Kislyak to “identify someone who would be a good intermediary as they were trying to figure out who the right person would be to engage with on Russia.” The source said the transition team – and Kushner in particular – were looking for ways to establish a back channel to Putin, as they had done with other leaders during the transition. “In the transition they were looking to establish relationships with foreign leaders, and he took dozens of meetings,” according to the source. Washington Post columnist David Ignatius first reported that Kushner was seeking a back channel to Putin. In their meeting, Kislyak suggested Kushner also meet with Gorkov, whom Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed in February 2016 as chairman of VneshEconomBank, a Russian state development bank that has been under US sanctions since July 2014. The bank, known as VEB, and its ties to the Russian government could have easily been identified in an internet search. But the Trump transition “had no mechanism for vetting anyone” and it was not done, the source said. And while Kushner himself could have done a cursory search to find out more about Gorkov, that didn’t happen. “In a more organized transition there would have been someone to vet people before there were meetings,” the source said as explanation, acknowledging “incompetence” in that area of the transition. The bank’s recent statement that the meeting with Kushner was part of a “roadshow of business meetings” is in clear contrast to Kushner’s view of it. “That wasn’t the purpose of the meeting,” the source said. “That’s ridiculous.” In addition, the source also said that the meeting with Gorkov was not about business or sanctions or the bank’s “new strategy,” as the bank’s recent press release said. “That doesn’t make any sense to me from what I know,” the source added. The White House this week insisted that Kushner met as a representative of the incoming Trump administration and the meeting was not consequential. “Jared attended the meeting in his capacity as a transition official. Nothing of substance was discussed. There was no follow up,” a White House spokesperson said. And Kushner never followed up with Kislyak. When the ambassador wanted to meet with Kushner again, Kushner didn’t see the purpose in doing it, the source said. His feeling, according to this source, was “why should [Kushner] meet with a person for the second time who told [him] he’s not the right person” to be an intermediary to the Kremlin. As a result, Kushner sent a young aide to meet with the ambassador instead. The source added that when Rex Tillerson became Secretary of State, the need for a back channel became a moot point, since Tillerson had a wide range of Russian contacts, including with Putin himself. “After Tillerson was in place, the liaison role that Jared had been playing ended,” the source said, although Kushner obviously remains connected to the foreign policy world in his role at the White House.


The world turns to an experimental vaccine and drugs in development A "clear difference that I see between this outbreak and the 2014-2016 outbreak is the more robust response," one expert says An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo rages on. All eyes have turned to the northwestern part of the country, where cases of Ebola virus disease emerged this month, leading to an outbreak declaration and quickly posing a “very high” public health risk. Though it’s too early to determine what the outcome of this outbreak could be and how wide it could spread, there is one aspect that many experts agree on: The world seems better prepared than ever to fight this outbreak. “We are hearing about this and supporting a response to it much more quickly than the three-country outbreak in 2014-16,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2016 was the largest and most complex on record since the virus was discovered in 1976. Related video Remembering the deadliest Ebola outbreak That outbreak, which started in Guinea and spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia, saw more cases and deaths than all other Ebola outbreaks combined, according to the World Health Organization. During that outbreak, a total of 28,616 cases of Ebola virus disease and 11,310 deaths were reported in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone – as well as an additional 36 cases and 15 deaths that occurred when the outbreak spread outside of those three countries, according to the CDC. Then, “there were lots of criticisms of the WHO response,” Schuchat said. Now, however, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus already has visited the affected areas. “The political level at the national, regional and global level is committed to support this,” Schuchat said of WHO’s response this year. Related article Fear and failure: How Ebola sparked a global health revolution Additionally, “the Democratic Republic of Congo has had Ebola outbreaks before. This is the ninth one. This is a serious one in that it’s not just in a rural area but has reached an urban area, but there is more familiarity with the disease and syndrome than there was in West Africa,” Schuchat said. Also, in the 2014-16 outbreak, research was just beginning to test Ebola vaccines and drug candidates in humans. “We now have very good experience with one of the vaccines that was tested in the ring vaccination trial in Guinea and was also tested in large studies in Sierra Leone and Liberia, and appears to be very effective and very safe,” she said. “We don’t have licensed vaccines or drugs yet, but we have very promising vaccine and drug candidates.” Authorities are distributing the experimental Ebola vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV in Mbandaka, a city of nearly 1.2 million people in northwestern Congo’s Equateur province. In the 2014-16 outbreak, researchers were in the very early stages of developing possible vaccines, and testing began only in the final days of that outbreak. Between 2015 and 2016, the rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine was given to people in Guinea who were in contact with patients who had recently confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease, according to a study on that trial published in the journal The Lancet. “The rVSV vaccine was used in the ring vaccination program in Guinea,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who oversees an extensive research portfolio that includes studies on the Ebola virus. “Ring vaccination means you identify someone who has Ebola, and you identify the contacts of that person and the contacts of the contacts, and you vaccinate them with the rVSV vaccine. That is the major difference between the beginning of the outbreak in West Africa and what we’re seeing now,” Fauci said. Related video The death of Ebola? “We had no tools then, and by the time we had the vaccine ready to test, most of the cases had burned out,” he said. “We now have tools.” There are five known Ebola virus species, named after the regions where they originated, and three have been responsible for the larger outbreaks in Africa: Zaire ebolavirus, Bundibugyo ebolavirus and Sudan ebolavirus. The rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine, from the pharmaceutical company Merck, covers the strains in the Zaire group. The doses that Merck sent to WHO to help in the current outbreak were donated. Spokeswoman Pam Eisele said Tuesday that the company plans to file for licensure of the vaccine next year. Related article Experimental Ebola vaccine could be 'game-changer' in Congo outbreak “We can now give this vaccine to people at most risk of getting Ebola, such as health care workers treating Ebola patients and contacts of Ebola cases. The hope is that this would contain the spread of the virus. The key difference in this latest outbreak here is that the vaccine is being used in the early stages of the epidemic,” said Connor Bamford, a postdoctoral research assistant with the Medical Research Council at the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research in Scotland. On the other hand, “vaccines aren’t so effective at curing you of a disease if you are already infected,” he said. “There are no such licensed antiviral medicines against Ebola. There are, however, experimental drugs available.” Experimental Ebola drugs – including ZMapp, favipiravir and GS-5734 – are available for Congo’s Ministry of Health to access if needed to treat patients in the current outbreak. In 2014, ZMapp was used to treat two American missionary workers, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, who contracted Ebola in Liberia. Previously, the experimental drug had been tested only in monkeys. That year, Teresa Romero Ramos, a nurse’s aide who contracted the virus while caring for Ebola patients in Spain, was treated with an IV drip of antibodies from an Ebola survivor as well as favipiravir. Related video Survivor describes living through Ebola A study published last year in the Journal of Infectious Diseases reported a case in which a newborn contracted an Ebola virus infection from its mother; the baby was treated with both ZMapp and GS-5734 and survived. The patient was the first newborn known to survive a congenital infection with Ebola virus. GS-5734 “is a drug that we have experience with because we have a protocol that we implemented in West Africa where we tried to suppress or eliminate the residual Ebola virus in the semen of survivors,” Fauci said. That protocol is still being used in West Africa. He added that at the National Institutes of Health’s Vaccine Research Center, another drug was developed: mAb114, which is in a phase one trial. “The minister of health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has requested accessibility to that antibody,” Fauci said. “We are willing to provide mAb114 to them, and we are working with the health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in coordination with the WHO to determine if this is feasible.” Related video How the experimental Ebola serum Zmapp works Bamford pointed out that these experimental drugs are offering hope for controlling not only the current outbreak but outbreaks to come. “We should strive to get antivirals for Ebola licensed not only to save lives but to offer more to communities who might fear that Ebola is incurable and would otherwise not report their infection to authorities,” he said. “Antivirals provide hope to those infected, and perhaps ZMapp, favipiravir and GS-5734 are those medicines, but we don’t know yet.” Though many of those drugs were used in the 2014-16 outbreak and showed promise, questions remain about their clear effectiveness in decreasing either symptoms or likelihood of death, said Dr. Bruce Ribner, a professor at the Emory School of Medicine who led the university’s team in treating Ebola patients in 2014. He was among the five Ebola doctors listed that year as Time magazine’s Person of the Year. “The only clear difference that I see between this outbreak and the 2014-2016 outbreak is the more robust response to this outbreak that was lacking in the spring of 2014, with the earlier introduction of vaccines, therapeutics and outside health care workers to assist,” Ribner said. “We are also somewhat more fortunate in that the Congo has lived with Ebola.” Ebola is endemic to Congo, and this is its ninth outbreak of Ebola virus disease since the discovery of the virus near the country’s Ebola River. “So they are extensively experienced in how to handle an Ebola outbreak,” Fauci said. Related video The origin of the Ebola virus Compared with the 2014-16 outbreak, “that’s a big difference, because in West Africa – in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea – that was the first time that they had ever experienced Ebola,” he said. Many experts – including Dr. Susan Kline, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School – hope that the lessons of the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak will not be forgotten. “During the last outbreak, it was felt in retrospect that probably the local, national, international response to the outbreak was not as rapid and as widespread as it needed to have been to prevent the outbreak from becoming so large,” said Kline, a member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America’s Public Health Committee. “I think people have learned from that experience, that to get an outbreak under control, you really have to work quickly, not only to identify and isolate in Ebola treatment centers and treat patients, but then also do the community outreach work to identify contacts,” she said. In response to the Congo outbreak, the US has deployed some Ebola experts from the CDC to help with control efforts, such as screening and tracing Ebola cases, Schuchat said. She added that the CDC has an office in Congo, where workers have shifted their duties to assist in the outbreak. Other organizations also are leading efforts in clinical care and outbreak control, she said, such as Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), UNICEF and USAID. See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter. All in all, “we know that we have the tools available to control outbreaks now and in the future. We know that we cannot be complacent,” Bamford said. “We still do not know all there is to know about the Ebola virus, and each new outbreak teaches us a new lesson, such as the virus’ ability to lie dormant in some rare patients where it may flare up years later,” he said. “With Ebola, we must expect the unexpected.” CNN’s Natalie Gallon, Euan McKirdy, Al Goodman and Susan Scutti contributed to this report.


Iraq’s military has seized the remains of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri – where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the ISIS “caliphate” in 2014 – and is now engaged in fierce street-to-street fighting for the last several hundred meters of Mosul’s Old City. Troops are just 600 meters from the Tigris River, which marks the final few blocks of western Mosul still under ISIS control. The mosque was destroyed by ISIS fighters last week as Iraqi forces edged closer. “The fighting is heavy but our advance is strong,” Brigadier General Haider Fadl of Iraq’s counterterror service told CNN Friday. “The difficulties are mainly due to the presence of civilians and the terrain. The houses are tight-knit and the streets are too narrow for our vehicles.” Related video The moment historic Mosul mosque was destroyed ISIS militants are using small arms fire, snipers, mortars and grenades. At least four ISIS militants also blew themselves up near the frontline Thursday, including one woman who blew herself up near Iraqi forces on Thursday morning. A CNN team, who were embedded with Iraqi units during the fierce battle with ISIS on Thursday afternoon before the mosque had been secured, said it appeared some progress has been made overnight. The capture comes a day after US coalition forces predicted the operation could be complete within days. But commanders have warned it will take time to clear the regained areas of booby traps and explosives left behind by militants. The central government in Baghdad is under political pressure to announce the end the operation even as bitter fighting continues on the ground. On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi claimed victory and vowed to hunt ISIS until every last member is killed or brought to justice. Related video Drone footage shows Mosul's devastation “We are seeing the end of the fake ‘Daesh’ state, the liberation of Mosul proves that,” Abadi said on Twitter, referring to ISIS by another name. “We will not relent, our brave forces will bring victory.” Only a “couple of hundred” ISIS fighters remained in Mosul earlier this week, the coalition said. Once ISIS has been driven out, Iraqi military will still face the challenge of dealing with the terror group elsewhere in Iraq. It still controls cities in Kirkuk, Nineveh and Anbar provinces, including Hawija, Tal Afar, Qaim, Ana and Rawa. Amid the ferocious battle, around 300 to 400 civilians fled the Old City on Friday. Fighting has caused significant displacement from the city, where approximately 100,000 civilians remain. More than 742,000 people have left Mosul and surrounding areas since the offensive began, according to an Iraqi government statement a month ago. Related article This is life inside Mosul's Old City Civilians left behind ISIS lines lack access to clean water and medicine, and many have limited access to food, the United Nations has said. Read: How to help Iraqis fleeing Mosul Thousands of children remain trapped in western Mosul, Peter Hawkins, UNICEF’s representative in Iraq, said Thursday. “Children are facing multiple threats to their lives. Those stranded in the fighting are hiding in their basements, fearful of the next onslaught.” Hawkins added, “Those who try to flee risk being shot or wounded. Hundreds of civilians have already been reported killed and used as human shields.” And as Iraqi Security forces close in, the UN says it is seeing an “alarming rise in threats, specifically of forced evictions of those suspected of being ISIS members or whose relatives are alleged to be involved with ISIS.” In a statement on Friday the UN Commissioner for Human Rights said it was extremely concerned at the situation of civilians in Mosul. It called on the Iraqi government to take action to halt “such imminent evictions or any type of collective punishment.” Read: As Iraqi troops near, ISIS leaves death and destruction in Mosul The UN says it has received reports of “so-called night letters left at families’ houses or distributed in neighborhoods, including in Sharqat in Salahadin Governorate, Al Heet City in Al Anbar and Al-Qayyarah in Ninewa Governorate, as well as in Mosul City.” It added: “Illegal forced evictions are acts of vengeance that are detrimental to national reconciliation and social cohesion.” CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh and Salma Abdelaziz reported from near the front line. CNN’s Lauren Said-Moorhouse wrote from London.


Mike Huckabee accused Obama of marching Israelis to "the door of the oven" As Obama fired back, Huckabee pounced -- seizing a chance to rise in the polls It's a strategy other 2016 hopefuls are following as they look to surge before the GOP debate A Republican presidential candidate upended the 2016 conversation with contentious comments over the weekend — and this time it wasn’t Donald Trump. With the clock ticking down to the first GOP presidential debate and more than a dozen candidates vying to make the cut and appear on the Fox News debate stage, those headlines could be lifeblood. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee defended himself Monday after President Barack Obama slammed his comments linking the Iran deal to the Holocaust as “ridiculous” and “sad.” 2016 election candidates “What’s ‘ridiculous and sad’ is that President Obama does not take Iran’s repeated threats seriously. For decades, Iranian leaders have pledged to ‘destroy,’ ‘annihilate,’ and ‘wipe Israel off the map’ with a ‘big Holocaust,’” Huckabee said in a statement Monday just hours after Obama spoke. “Never again’ will be the policy of my administration and I will stand with our ally Israel to prevent the terrorists in Tehran from achieving their own stated goal of another Holocaust.” Huckabee has continued to capitalize on the moment, with his campaign posting a video to Facebook within hours of Obama’s rebuke that earned more than 30,000 views within its 40 minutes online. Republican candidates have tripped over themselves to criticize Trump for his heated rhetoric about immigration, Mexicans and even GOP Sen. John McCain. Huckabee’s Holocaust comparison drew no such rebuke, although several Republicans cautiously dismissed his language without rejecting his point. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker – when asked by NPR about Huckabee’s comments – said the comments could “speak for themselves.” “I’m going to tell you what I’m for, and you’re not hearing me use that sort of language,” Walker said. In Orlando on Monday, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush offered a brief response, calling Huckabee’s language “wrong” and urging Republicans to “tone down the rhetoric.” “Having said that, this is a bad deal, and I can see why people are angry about it,” Bush said. Bush and Walker can afford to be cautious; they and Donald Trump are almost assured a spot on the Aug. 6 debate stage in Cleveland. But for Huckabee and most of the rest of the 16-person GOP Field, that debate spot could represent a key moment of truth. The first debate will include the 10 GOP contenders leading in an aggregate of the five most recent nationwide polls released before Aug. 4 at 5 p.m, two days before the first debate on Fox News. Until then, the bottom-tier candidates are making a mad dash for the headlines – with many using controversy to command attention in the press, and boost their poll numbers – as Trump’s loud rise to the top of the polls has left little room for lesser known candidates to be heard. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is on the cusp of breaking into the top 10, has tried to seal his spot in the debate by positioning himself as the top Trump attack dog – relentlessly pursuing Trump in recent weeks in comments that quickly got picked up in news outlets. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has also hammered Trump, particularly in the wake of his comments questioning whether former prisoner of war and Vietnam veteran Sen. John McCain is a war hero. And after Trump disclosed Graham’s personal cell phone number, the South Carolina senator took to the internet with a viral video of him destroying his cell phone. The strategy doesn’t appear to have borne any results for either candidate though, as both stared down 1% of support in the CNN/ORC poll released Sunday. Related gallery Mike Huckabee's political career Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who faces the same gloomy percentage, is also looking for a way out of the dredges. A Super PAC supporting the former Iowa caucus winner released an ad online Monday that goes after Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Huckabee, who came in 7th and 9th place, respectively, in the CNN/ORC poll. At the same time, Santorum is echoing Huckabee’s harsh rhetoric, calling the Holocaust analogy “absolutely right” in an interview on Fox Radio’s “The John Gibson Show.” “Look, this is the same type of dehumanization of Jews, the same type of recreating history that we saw  in Nazi Germany. So no, I see this regime as equally virulent in its hatred of Jews,” Santorum said. “in my opinion there really can’t be strong enough arguments again– strong enough language against this proposal.” And while looking to boost their own fortunes, those candidates headline-grabbing antics also serve the purpose of looking to shift the conversation away from Trump. Huckabee’s remarks – in which he accused Obama of marching Israelis to “the door of the oven” – drew swift condemnation from top Jewish leaders, including the heads of anti-Semitism and anti-racism watchdogs like the the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Anti-Defamation League. Anti-Defamation League: Huckabee ‘completely out of line’ “To hear Mr. Huckabee invoke the Holocaust when America is Israel’s greatest ally and when Israel is a strong nation capable of defending itself is disheartening,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, national director of the latter group. In Huckabee’s case, using a sharp tone to discuss Iran politics is nothing new. He has repeatedly slammed the Iran deal as dangerous for the U.S. and Israel since even before the deal was forged. Huckabee drew on a widely-repudiated ad from five decades ago to slam the Iran deal, posting an ad online slamming the Iran deal that raised the prospects of a nuclear bomb explosion. The ad included footage from the infamous “Daisy” ad from 1964, depicting a little girl picking petals off a daisy before a nuclear bomb explodes on screen. Huckabee’s campaign did not respond CNN’s request to comment. For their part, Democrats aren’t missing an opportunity to slam Huckabee’s comments, as Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley called the remarks “out of line,” eager to paint their GOP counterparts as extremists. RELATED: Clinton repudiates Huckabee’s comments on Israel as ‘over the line’ The nation’s top Democrat – Obama – suggested as well that Huckabee was playing politics and that “this is just an effort to push Mr. Trump out of the headlines.” “The American people deserve better,” Obama said at his press conference. “Certainly presidential debates deserve better.” CNN’s Ashley Killough and Tom Lobianco contributed to this report.


Editor’s Note: Paul Fidalgo is communications director of the Center for Inquiry, a nonprofit educational, advocacy and research organization. The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author Pope Francis met secretly with Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis Paul Fidalgo: The Pope should use his platform to speak up for people suffering true persecution, including atheists In recent days, Pope Francis has talked a lot about tolerance and freedom of conscience. But he has failed to distinguish between those who truly suffer from persecution and discrimination and those who claim to be persecuted when told they may not discriminate. True prisoners of conscience are even now suffering punishments grotesque and medieval for exercising their right to criticize religion. But during his visit to the United States last week, the Pope chose instead to focus his attention and sympathies on a government employee who decided that her faith trumped her legal obligations and the constitutional rights of others. Pope Francis met secretly with Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, who refused to sign off on marriage documents for same-sex couples, citing religious objections. Speaking to journalists on the plane back to Europe, Francis explicitly endorsed this kind of discrimination, calling it “conscientious objection” and a “duty.” But what does the Pope have to say about atheists and secularists who have been jailed, attacked or killed for expressing their own conscientious objections to religion? Nothing. Instead of defending those who have lost their basic human rights, he wastes his political capital on those who seek to deny rights to others. If he truly wants to defend the right of human beings to follow their consciences, he could speak out on behalf of the persecuted atheists and secularists who languish in captivity or mortal fear for expressing their sincerely held beliefs. He could use his global megaphone to speak on behalf of the right of people not to believe, and to criticize faith – any faith, including his own. Right now there is a brutal crackdown on free expression and religious dissent going on in countries such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, among many others. Secularists in countries such as these face a kind of persecution that is not limited to marginalization or censorship but includes incarceration, floggings and even death. Civil servant Alexander Aan expressed his atheism on Facebook, and in 2012 was attacked by a mob and then himself arrested and jailed for his blasphemy. In 2013, Raif Badawi in Saudi Arabia was convicted of “insulting Islam” for running a liberal website that questioned tenets of the faith. He is serving a 10-year prison sentence and waits for his next installment of public lashings, having now endured 50 of the 1,000 to which he was condemned. And penalties of death come either via the state, such as in Pakistan, where blasphemy is punishable by death, or by radical extremists, who murder in the streets with impunity. Such has been the fate of no fewer than four atheist bloggers in Bangladesh this year alone, including Avijit Roy, the Bangladeshi-American writer who was waylaid at a Dhaka book fair by Islamists with machetes in February. Yet another Bangladeshi blogger hacked to death Francis missed several opportunities while in the United States to speak up for these persecuted nonbelievers – for their right to not believe in any gods, to question religious tenets and to express themselves without fear of prosecution or violent retribution. But it’s not too late. He could still urge the government of Bangladesh to take seriously its obligations under U.N. charters to protect the right of free expression and belief for its people, and to safeguard the lives of its people, even those who criticize religion. After all, today is International Blasphemy Rights Day, an initiative begun by my organization, the Center for Inquiry, to defend free expression and protect dissent. I would never expect this Pope to be a champion of secularism or nonbelief. But I do hope he discovers his duty to his own conscience and becomes an ally on this critical issue. Gallup: Record number of Americans would vote for an atheist president


"Even the taxi drivers on base know us for being the 'USS Bread and Water,'" one survey respondent said The Shiloh is part of the US Navy's 7th fleet, which has been beset by a series of problems Morale aboard a US warship operating in the Pacific reached such a low ebb that one sailor described serving aboard the ship as being akin to being on “a floating prison,” according to surveys obtained via the Freedom of Information Act. The Navy Times obtained three command climate surveys featuring hundreds of pages of anonymous comments from sailors revealing widespread morale issues aboard the USS Shiloh, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser based in Yokosuka, Japan. Two Navy officials told CNN that the information reported from the surveys was accurate. According to the obtained surveys only 31% of the sailors who responded to the survey said yes to the prompt: “I trust that my organization’s leadership will treat me fairly,” compared to 63% under the previous commanding officer. The commanding officer at the time of the survey, Capt. Adam Aycock, no longer works on the Shiloh. Related article US Navy officers lose jobs after fatal collision Additionally, only 37% agreed with the statement “I feel motivated to give my best efforts to the mission of the organization,” compared to 69% agreeing to the statement under the previous leadership. The Shiloh is one of 84 US ships equipped with the Aegis Missile Defense system, which is capable of shooting down hostile missiles from adversarial states like North Korea. One sailor hinted that morale could affect the Shiloh’s role in the US’ entire missile defense architecture. “I just pray we never have to shoot down a missile from North Korea,” one said, “because then our ineffectiveness will really show.” US President Donald Trump touted the effectiveness of missile defense systems in a recent interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “We have missiles that can knock out a missile in the air 97% of the time,” he said. It’s important to note not all military and weapons analysts share that level of confidence in US ballistic missile defense systems, as they have never been used in wartime. The Navy officials added that the poor results of one climate survey caused Navy leadership to increase the frequency of which such surveys were conducted to help prompt the commander, Capt. Aycock, to improve his performance. One of the officials said they could not explain how Aycock managed to retain command in the face of the poor survey results. Aycock served as the Shiloh’s commanding officer from June 2015 to August 2017 and is now at the US Naval War College. Related article US Navy destroyer sails near disputed islands in South China Sea One official said that Aycock remains on active duty and was not prematurely reassigned from his command of the Shiloh. The survey responses also showed that junior sailors were concerned about receiving harsh punishments from Aycock, including being placed in the brig and fed only “bread and water,” an arcane form of punishment that is still available to commanding officers. “Even the taxi drivers on base know us for being the ‘USS Bread and Water,’” one survey respondent said. Language prohibiting that form of punishment was placed into the current version of the FY17 National Defense Authorization Act. The Shiloh is part of the US Navy’s 7th Fleet which has been beset by a series of problems including two deadly collisions involving the USS Fitzgerald and the USS John McCain, both of which are also equipped with the Aegis system. Related article US bombers conduct drills off both coasts of Korean Peninsula Officers in the 7th Fleet have faced a range of disciplinary actions and the Navy took the rare step of relieving the fleet’s commander, Vice. Adm. Joseph Aucoin. The ship made headlines in June when a US sailor who was thought to have gone overboard for seven days and was presumed dead was found alive aboard the ship after prompting a major search operation. The sailor was later subjected to a non-judicial punishment. The string of incidents has fueled concerns about perceptions of the 7th Fleet’s readiness and abilities. “The Navy definitely has a perception problem, and the 7th Fleet in particular,” Carl Schuster, a former director of operations at the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, told CNN. “Those issues could worry US allies who rely on Aegis-equipped ships for missile defense – What if states like Japan and South Korea start doubting the 7th Fleet’s ability to shield them from a North Korean attack? “There’s an old saying that effectiveness not only has to be done, it has to be shown done. Perception is reality in these things,” Schuster said. “They’re going to have to address that perception.”


Art museums, a Gold Star father, lawmakers, states and one of Donald Trump’s personal lawyers are pleading with the Supreme Court ahead of Wednesday’s oral arguments on the fate of the President’s travel ban. The dozens and dozens of filings, known as “friend of the court” or “amicus” briefs, are meant to offer context and remind the justices that their eventual ruling could have historic implications on areas unrelated to current policy. The Trump administration’s third version of the travel ban issued in September places varying levels of restrictions on foreign nationals from seven countries: Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Somalia and Yemen. (Chad was removed from the list earlier this month.) “Nobody knows for sure whether any particular amicus brief changes a justice’s mind in any particular case, but we do know that the justices are using the briefs more than ever before – citing to them in their opinions regularly asking about them frequently at oral arguments,” said Allison Orr Larsen, a Professor of Law at the William and Mary Law School. Here are some of the highlights: Critics of the government say the ban does not protect national security. “We’re a group that believes courts should defer to the president on national security, but only when there’s a real national security threat presented, not a pretense of one,” Joshua A. Geltzer, the executive director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law said. He signed a brief submitted by former national security officials. “In three tries, the government still hasn’t shown what national security threat could require banning 150 million people from entering this country, especially when no national from a banned country has caused a terrorism-related death in the United States since 1975,” he said. Another is signed by Karen Korematsu, the daughter of the late Fred T. Korematsu ,the lead plaintiff in a Supreme Court case that challenged the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. In 1944, the Court ruled against Korematsu in a decision that has since been widely condemned. Lawyers for Karen Korematsu emphasize the “human toll and constitutional harms wrought by governmental actions , carried out in the name of national security , that impact men, women, and children belonging to disfavored minority groups.” Linking the case to the current travel ban, they argue that “invoking national security, the government seeks near complete deference to the President’s decision to deny indefinitely all immigrant and most non-immigrant visas to nationals of six Muslim majority countries.” Lisa Blatt, an Arnold & Porter lawyer,  represents Iranian-American nonprofit organizations who argue that the latest version of the travel ban continues to “demean and stigmatize minority communities.” She points out that while the government emphasizes that waivers are available on a “case-by-case” basis, in reality, those seeking the waivers are subject to “opaque, ad hoc and entirely discretionary decisionmaking.” The brief highlights the story of Nageeb Alomari, a citizen of the United States and a father of three, whose wife and children live in Yemen. He was unsuccessful in his attempts to get a visa for one of his daughters who has cerebral palsy. If the justices are curious about how many visas were issued before and after the travel ban proclamation took effect, Blatt provides the information. “In 2016,” she says that the United States issued more than 73,500 immigrant and nonimmigrant visas to nationals of the countries affected by the travel ban. In contrast, she argues that according to the State Department, in the first month after the latest Proclamation took effect of the 8,406 visa applications consular officers received and processed from those impacted by the ban, 6,533 were denied. “Only two waivers had been approved by February 15 – a rate of less than .025%,” Blatt wrote. Another brief comes from lawyers for the Association of Art Directors, who tell the justices that the proclamation has forced some museums to cancel or postpone planned exhibits that would have “showcased important works by artists from the covered countries” because artists, lenders, collectors and curators have not been able to travel under the ban. One artist, the prominent sculptor Parviz Tanavoli, who is a dual national of Iran and Canada, decided he would not travel to the United States because he didn’t want to be interrogated “just because I was born in Iran.” The Portland Art Museum is concerned with its ability to get a visa for a renowned Syrian calligrapher, Khaled Al-Saa’i. The artist was slated to create a mural for an indoor sculpture. “The loss of these projects causes substantial harm,” the brief said, “it does so by depriving Americans of important works of art, great performances, and scholarly presentations, thereby denying the public opportunities to gain insights into the history, culture, and aspirations of the people of the Designated Countries.” One hundred and twelve museums have signed on to the brief including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Frisk Collection in New York, and they argue  that they are “now doubtful of future exhibits that rely on the support of persons who are covered nationals of the Designated Countries.” When exhibits are canceled, they say, “the American public is denied the opportunity to view and study unique works of art that provide an invaluable window into world culture.” Larsen says that in recent years there has been a big uptick in the number of amicus briefs that have been filed – an 800% increase in filings since the 1950’s and a 95% increase since 1995. “To put it in perspective,” she said “Roe v. Wade (the landmark abortion case) had about 20 amicus briefs and Brown v. Board (striking down school desegregation by race) had only six.” Supporters of the government’s position in the case are also well-represented in court filings. Andrew C. McCarthy, who served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York and led the prosecution of Omar Abdel Rahman, the so called “Blind Sheikh” who was involved in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, signed on to a brief by national security experts. McCarthy believes that the President has the authority to issue the proclamation and that it is not the “province of the judiciary” to say otherwise. “At the end of the day,” McCarthy argued, “it is not the role of the judiciary to intercede in such matters, and this Court should clearly say so.” He says the ban offers the majority of Americans what they want: “Muslims who embrace our way of life invited in and Muslims who threaten our way of life kept out.” Attorney General Ken Paxton of Texas also supports the government, signing on to a brief filed by 14 states. They emphasize that the proclamation was issued after a worldwide review of vetting procedures that was conducted by the Trump administration. They say the ban does not amount to a “Muslim ban” because it classifies aliens by nationality. “That is not an invidious pretext-especially given the Proclamation’s detailed national-security findings, the resonance of those findings in determinations of numerous federal officials, and the judicial deference owed to executive decisions in this context,” the brief states. One of the President’s own lawyers in the Russia investigation, Jay Sekulow, who also serves as Chief Counsel of the conservative American Center for Law and Justice, has filed a brief in support of the travel ban. He says that the courts should not look to comments Trump made during the campaign that some believed showed religious animus. “Suggestions of possible religious or anti-religious motives, mined from past comments of a political candidate or his supporters uttered on the campaign trail as private citizens, is not enough to defeat the proclamation,” Sekulow wrote. Instead, he said, the court should “limit its inquiry to official acts or statements” in deciding the legality of the ban. In its brief in support of the administration, lawyers for an organization called the Foundation for Moral Law argue in part that the travel ban is “compatible with the teaching of the Bible on immigration.” “The New Testament” affirms, the brief said “that civil government exists to protect the innocent and punish those who do evil.” Scholars of Mormon History have filed a brief in support of neither party. Their lawyers focus on the “federal government’s efforts to restrict Mormon immigration as a part of the government’s sustained 19th century legal campaign against the Mormon faith.” Taking no position on the legality of the travel ban, the lawyers say their whole purpose is to provide the court with an example of religious discrimination in immigration from the past. “If the Proclamation does target Muslims for disfavored treatment, then the history of the government’s mistreatement of Mormons suggests it could take decades-if not longer-to undo the damage that official action would cause to both America’s body politic and the place of Muslims in our society,” they argued. While amicus briefs aren’t always relied upon, sometimes they are powerful enough to influence a justice’s thinking. Back in 2003, for instance, the court was considering a big affirmative action case concerning the admissions plan at the University of Michigan Law School. Lawyers for retired military officers filed an amicus brief in support of the school. When Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote the majority opinion she referred to “high-ranking retired officers” who assert that a “highly qualified, racially diverse officer corps” is essential to the military’s ability to fulfill its mission to provide national security. The court upheld the law school’s plan.


Facebook blocked photo of bronze Neptune statue Social network said it has reviewed and approved the image Facebook has come under fire for blocking a photograph of a bronze statue of Neptune in Italy. Designed by Jean Boulogne, better known as Giambologna, the mid-sixteenth century fountain of Neptune stands in the Piazza del Nettuno in Bologna. Facebook appeared to have taken offense at the disrobed Roman god, asking Italian writer Elisa Barbari to remove it from her Facebook page, “Stories, curiosities and views of Bologna,” where she shares historical facts and oddities about the city. Barbari had tried to use a photo from her personal collection but upon upload faced what appeared to be an automatic prohibition, deeming the image “explicitly sexual.” Undeterred, Barbari challenged the decision and received another emailed statement seen by CNN in which Facebook defended its initial ban, citing a violation of advertising guidelines. “The use of images or video of nude bodies or plunging necklines is not allowed, even if the use is for artistic or educational reasons.” Barbari was floored by the social network’s decision to “censor” the Italian city’s beloved Renaissance treasure. Volevo sponsorizzare la mia pagina ma a quanto pare per Facebook la foto del nostro Gigante è un contenuto... “The statue is shown from behind, not even as a close up, it’s in the distance. It’s ridiculous,” Barbari tells CNN. “At first I was angry. Then I was surprised, I couldn’t understand why they don’t want to clarify. It’s absurd. “In the past, I have flagged inappropriate content to Facebook myself – fake news, violence on animals… Things that really need to be censured, not art. I don’t know what to think, it’s ridiculous.” “I am guessing this hasn’t landed on Zuckerberg’s desk yet. There is nothing vulgar in a work of art,” she added. Related: What is banned on Facebook? And while the conflict may not have gone that far internally, it appears the social network has had a change of heart. In a statement sent to CNN, a spokesperson for Facebook wrote: “Our team processes millions of advertising images each week, and in some instances we incorrectly prohibit ads. This image does not violate our ad policies. We apologise for the error and have let the advertiser know we are approving their ad.” Barbari said she has since received another email from Facebook but in relation to an account suspension rather than her challenged photograph. She had said that should Facebook u-turn on its decision then “it would be the happy ending.” Almost a week later, Barbari received her happy ending – at least for now. “I’ve been waiting for an apology for 6 long days, but at the end they came from Facebook last night. They specify that I can use the photo of the Neptune for future posts … I’ll just have to try,” she said. Here's how to spot fake news in your Facebook feed Facebook has previously faced criticism for appearing to arbitrarily “censor” inoffensive images on the platform. Last September, the social media giant caused headlines after banning the iconic “Napalm girl” from the Vietnam War for a violation on images of naked children. But reversed its decision after public outcry over the image’s historical importance. The network also faced a firestorm last May after the “trending topics” box was found to be manually curated rather than supported by algorithms.


President Donald Trump now has an attorney general following the Senate’s confirmation Wednesday night of Jeff Sessions. The vote – coming after a confirmation process in which Sessions fended off accusations of racism – passed 52-47, largely along party lines. Speaking before prominent law enforcement officials Wednesday morning, Trump once again lashed out at the judiciary, saying “even a bad high school student” would rule in his favor. IMMIGRATION OBAMACARE ECONOMY TAXES/INFRASTRUCTURE – House Transportation Chair Bill Shuster told Bloomberg he supported using repatriated money from corporations to help pay for Trump’s infrastructure plan. INFRASTRUCTURE ENVIRONMENT LATER THIS WEEK – OBAMACARE – Sen. John Cornyn said Monday that the Senate would vote on Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Tom Price by the end of the week. However, Democrats have pledged to hold the floor on more cabinet votes, which may push Price to the weekend. THURSDAY – INFRASTRUCTURE – Trump meets with airline CEOs and they are expected to discuss his infrastructure plans. FRIDAY – TRADE – Trade, jobs and infrastructure will all be on the table as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits the White House.


Rep. Keith Ellison's past ties to the Nation of Islam are resurfacing as he campaigns for DNC chair. A spokesperson for Ellison told CNN that Ellison "rejects all forms of anti-Semitism." Rep. Keith Ellison’s past ties to the Nation of Islam and his defense of its anti-Semitic leader, Louis Farrakhan, are resurfacing as he campaigns to lead the Democratic National Committee. Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, publicly renounced his association with the Nation of Islam in 2006 after it became an issue during his run for Congress, when local Republican bloggers began publishing his old law school columns and photos connecting him to the organization. “I have long since distanced myself from and rejected the Nation of Islam due to its propagation of bigoted and anti-Semitic ideas and statements, as well as other issues,” Ellison wrote at the time. But several outlets have resurfaced Ellison’s past writings as he runs for DNC chair, raising new concerns about his own views and what they would mean for the Democratic Party if he were to be its leader. A CNN KFile review of Ellison’s past writings and public statements during the late 1980s through the 1990s reveal his decade-long involvement in the Nation of Islam and his repeated defense of Farrakhan and other radical black leaders against accusations of anti-Semitism in columns and statements to the press. None of the records reviewed found examples of Ellison making any anti-Semitic comments himself. Pelosi fight exposes Democratic fault lines, puts power to check Trump in question In one scathing column from 1990 unearthed by CNN’s KFile, Ellison accused the university’s president of chilling the free expression of black students by openly criticizing a controversial speaker invited to speak on campus by the Africana Student Cultural Center. That speaker, Kwame Ture (also known as Stokely Carmichael), had publicly claimed that Zionists had collaborated with the Nazis in World War II and has been quoted as saying “Zionism must be destroyed.” University of Minnesota President Nils Hasselmo said he “personally found the statements in Ture’s speech concerning alleged Zionist collaboration with the Nazis deeply offensive.” Ellison, writing under the name “Keith E. Hakim” for the Minnesota Daily, the student newspaper at the University of Minnesota where Ellison attended law school, argued that Hasselmo “denounced Ture’s comment without offering any factual refutation of it,” and defended Ture’s right to speak on campus and to question Zionism. Ellison wrote, “Concerning Zionism and Ture’s speech, the ASCC’s position is simply this: Whether one supports or opposes the establishment of Israel in Palestine and Israel’s present policies, Zionism, the ideological undergirding of Israel, is a debatable political philosophy. Anyone, including black people, has the right to hear and voice alternative views on the subject — notwithstanding our nominal citizenship.” He added, “Alternatively, the University’s position appears to be this: Political Zionism is off-limits no matter what dubious circumstances Israel was founded under; no matter what the Zionists do to the Palestinians; and no matter what wicked regimes Israel allies itself with — like South Africa. This position is untenable.” According to an account by the Anti-Defamation League, Ture said in his speech on UM’s campus that “the Zionists joined with the Nazis in murdering Jews, so they would flee to Palestine.” Ellison wrote other columns in law school defending Farrakhan against charges of racism and arguing for reparations for slavery. A spokesperson for Ellison told CNN that Ellison “rejects all forms of anti-Semitism” and said “the right wing has been pushing these stories for years to drive a wedge between Congressman Ellison and the Jewish community.” Since announcing his candidacy for the DNC chair, Jewish groups like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and J-Street have come to Ellison’s defense on his past associations and writings. Ellison’s involvement with the Nation of Islam would continue after he graduated from law school in 1990. Ellison helped organized the Minnesota delegation to the 1995 Million Man March, which was led by Farrakhan. The Star Tribune reported at the time that Ellison spoke ahead of the controversial Khalid Abdul Muhammad, who was kicked out of the Nation of Islam by Farrakhan two years earlier for making blatantly anti-Semitic comments, at the University of Minnesota in efforts to raise funds for the Million Man March. According to The Star Tribune report, Muhammed’s speech at the university was racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic. Ellison’s spokesperson noted to CNN that “President Obama, Stevie Wonder, Maya Angelou, and many others also attended the March” and said he “had no additional involvement with March organizer Louis Farrakhan or his organizations, has long since denounced him, and rejects all forms of anti-Semitism.” Ellison continued to defend Farrakhan against accusations of anti-Semitism throughout the 1990s. “Minister Farrakhan is a role model for black youth,” wrote Ellison in an Insight News op-ed in 1995. “He is not an anti-Semite.” When the then-executive director of The Minneapolis Initiative Against Racism, Joanne Jackson, came under fire in 1997 for allegedly saying during a forum that Jews are the most racist white people she knows and that she did not think Farrakhan was a racist, Ellison, who identified by his religious name of Keith Ellison-Muhammad, defended her, saying,  “She is correct about Minister Farrakhan. He is not a racist. He is also not an anti-Semite.”   (Ellison would later address this incident in 2006, writing in a letter to a local Jewish group,  “While some at that meeting justified her comments, I spoke out in favor of increased dialogue between the Jewish and African-American communities. I believe that Ms. Jackson’s alleged remarks were clearly bigoted, discriminatory story, inappropriate, and even ridiculous.”) In 1998, Ellison launched a bid for Minnesota state representative, a race he lost after failing to gain the endorsement of the Democratic Party in the state, known as the DFL. Both the Star-Tribune and Insight News identified Ellison, who at time was still going by Keith Ellison-Muhammed, as deeply involved in the Nation of Islam at the time. During that race, Ellison rebuffed any insinuation he was, himself, anti-Semitic. “I am opposed to the subjugation of any class or person on account of their religion, national origin, sex, race, or gender,” Ellison said. “I reject anti-Jewish attitude from whatever source.” At the time, Ellison hosted a local radio show “Black Power Perspectives.” The show, which aired on KMOJ radio, was hosted by Ellison for years under the name “Keith Muhammad.” That same year, Ellison was pictured with copies of The Final Call, the official newspaper of the Nation of Islam. The picture, which was uncovered by the Minnesota Democrat Exposed blog in 2006, was taken at a rally against police brutality. “The source of this photo is an old right-wing attack blog whose author now regrets his writings,” an Ellison spokesman told CNN’s KFile. “He readily admits he made ‘mountains out of molehills’ and speaks favorably about Congressman Ellison’s work.” Michael Brodkorb, the blogger who uncovered the photo told CNN: “Ellison will face new scrutiny about his past associations, but he will have the advantage of balancing this discussion with his extensive work in Congress since being elected a decade ago.” As recent as 2000, Ellison publicly defended violent, fringe elements of the far-left. He appeared at a fundraiser that year for domestic terrorist Sara Jane Olson, a member of the self-styled  revolutionary group the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), which is best known for kidnapping heiress Patricia Hearst. Olson was apprehended in 1999 in relation to the 1975 attempted bombings of two police cars and the slaying of Myrna Opsah during a bank robbery. At the event, Ellison told the Pioneer Press he believed the prosecution of Olson was political. In his speech, Ellison noted he didn’t know much about the SLA and he thought Olson was being prosecuted in the court of public opinion because of some of her political beliefs. “I’m a supporter of anybody who’s subject to political prosecution based on their being in a vilified group,” he told the Pioneer Press. “Your chances of getting a fair trial are low. I’ve been waiting for the evidence against her. I don’t think they would not cheat to prosecute this woman.” Ellison also spoke favorably of convicted cop killer Assata Shakur and expressed his opposition to any attempt to extradite her to the United States from Cuba, where she had fled after escaping prison. “I am praying that Castro does not get to the point where he has to really barter with these guys over here because they’re going to get Assata Shakur, they’re going to get a whole lot of other people,” Ellison said at the event, which also included a silent auction and speech by former Weather Underground leader Bernardine Dohrn. “I hope the Cuban people can stick to it, because the freedom of some good decent people depends on it.” Other prominent black leaders also opposed Shakur’s extradition at the time, including  Rep. Maxine Waters of California when she chaired the Congressional Black Caucus. During his successful 2006 run for Congress, Ellison distanced himself from his past support for the Nation of Islam and Farrakhan when the local Republican blogs, Minnesota Democrats Exposed and Powerline Blog, uncovered many of Ellison’s past writings. Ellison publicly renounced the Nation of Islam in a 2006 letter to Jewish groups. In the letter, Ellison wrote he had seen the Nation of Islam and the Million Man March as positive effort to promote responsibility and economic development in the black community and that he had failed to scrutinize the views of Farrakhan and Khalid Abdul Muhammad and wrongly dismissed concerns they were anti-Semitic. During the race, Ellison told the Washington Post that his political beliefs had moderated over time. While he said he never said anything homophobic or anti-Semitic, he acknowledged he had been slow to judge those who did. Ellison’s work in the Minnesota legislature, like helping with an ethics complaint against a Minnesota representative who denied that Nazis persecuted gays during the Holocaust, was able to garner him the support of some Jewish groups during his 2006 run for Congress. Those groups stood by him when his past comments on Farrakhan surfaced. “When several local right wing blogs began attacking him, those in the Jewish community who know and work with Keith rallied behind him,” said Rep. Frank Hornstein, a longtime member of Minnesota’s House of Representatives. The American Jewish World endorsed Ellison saying they were” convinced that Ellison has had a real change of heart and mind.” Speaking to a synagogue in 2006, Ellison said he was confronting a past he wasn’t proud of. “I wasn’t proud of my work with the Nation of Islam,” Ellison said, “but I was hoping it wouldn’t come up. I have come face to face with my past.” After initial publication of this story, a spokesperson for Ellison pointed CNN’s KFile to a post by the congressman on Medium published  Wednesday night, where he wrote,  “In my effort to pursue justice for the African-American community, I neglected to scrutinize the words of those like Khalid Muhammed and Farrakhan who mixed a message of African American empowerment with scapegoating of other communities. These men organize by sowing hatred and division, including, anti-Semitism, homophobia and a chauvinistic model of manhood. I disavowed them long ago, condemned their views, and apologized.” Minnesota Daily staff contributed research to this report.