Terence Tam’s dad fled to Hong Kong from China during the political chaos of the Cultural Revolution to make a better life for himself and his family. Then a British colony, the city became home to a huge number of refugees fleeing Communism in the 1960s and 1970s. Now 39, Tam says he’s ready to make another escape, 20 years after the UK handed sovereignty over the city to China. While Hong Kong is one of the most affluent cities in the world, he says it’s now in the throes of its own political upheaval. “I want to see if I can do the same for my family (as my father did for us),” he says. “I’m not satisfied with the situation in Hong Kong. The political situation, the government. We have so many complaints.” By most yardsticks, Tam’s done well for himself. He’s an assistant IT manager at one of Hong Kong’s universities and owns an apartment – no mean feat in a city that has the world’s most unaffordable property prices. But Tam objects to China’s growing grip on the city. Under the principle of “one country, two systems,” Hong Kong was supposed to have preserved the rule of law, freedom of speech and the right to protest as enjoyed under the British – at least until 2047 – but Tam, and others, feel that China hasn’t held up its part of the bargain. “Some people say that we are emigrating but I feel like we are refugees escaping from Hong Kong,” he says. In two years, once his newborn daughter is ready for kindergarten, Tam plans to uproot his family and move to Taiwan. His wife has already secured citizenship there through an investment visa scheme and Tam plans to cash out his Hong Kong pension pot and start a business selling Hong Kong snacks. Tam is one of a growing number of people in the city looking for an exit. According to an opinion poll conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong last year, two in five Hong Kongers want to live overseas – up from one in five in 2014 – although only 10% of those who said they wanted to leave had put such a plan into action. It’s not the first time that political upheaval has had Hong Kongers scouting for boltholes. From 1989, in the wake of the Tiananmen massacre, almost 60,000 people left the city every year, primarily for Canada, the United States and Australia, according to one academic study. However, many came back as the nightmare scenarios some had imagined didn’t emerge and Beijing largely left the city alone during the first 15 years of Chinese rule. According to Canadian estimates, some 65,000 Hong Kong born people returned from Canada to Hong Kong between 1996 and 2011. But in 2014, Beijing denied Hong Kongers the universal suffrage promised to the city under its mini-constitution, the Basic Law, triggering massive streets protests that paralyzed much of the city for more than two months. Since then, fears have grown that Beijing neither cares about, nor pays heed, to the city’s supposed autonomy. In 2015, five men involved in publishing gossipy books on China’s ruling elite – two of whom had European passports – disappeared only to reappear in Chinese custody weeks later. Last year, a Chinese tycoon who held Canadian citizenship was abducted in the dead of night from the luxury Four Seasons hotel. China has also moved to bar pro-democracy lawmakers from taking office, using a rarely invoked power. This erosion of the city’s autonomy has led to calls for Hong Kong’s independence from a small but persistently vocal group. Many fear that Hong Kong’s new leader Carrie Lam, who was selected by a 1,200-strong committee and takes office July 1, will now enact a controversial security law, known as Article 23, that would “prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion against China.” Andrew Lo, an immigration consultant at Amlex in Hong Kong, said his company has seen an upturn in business since the 2014 Occupy protests – largely down to the deteriorating political situation, though he says the city’s pressure cooker school system and cramped high-rise living conditions also play a role. “The main reasons why people leave Hong Kong is because of political instability – the future is uncertain – and poor education in Hong Kong,” he says. Taiwan, and southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and Thailand, have emerged as popular destinations  –  particularly for younger couples and retirees, says Lo.  It’s also now much harder to emigrate to places like Australia and Canada than it was in the 1990s. Tam says he chose Taiwan because it’s a place he fell in love with on vacation and it has the same cultural roots as Hong Kong. He knows that life won’t be easy. Tam’s native language is Cantonese and says he speaks Mandarin, the language most Taiwanese use, haltingly. Jobs are also lower paid on average in Taiwan than in Hong Kong. “I love the culture in Taiwan. I’ve been to the UK to study for one year. When I landed there, the first step, I felt like I didn’t belong. But when I went to Taiwan I felt different,” Tam says. It’s also the world’s only Chinese-speaking democracy – an important drawcard. According to official figures, the number of Taiwan permanent residents hailing from Hong Kong has more than doubled since 2014 – though the absolute number is still very small at 1,086. Taiwan, however, is not without its own political issues and complexities. Despite Taiwan governing its own affairs for more than six decades, China views the island as part of its territory, to be taken by force if necessary. The two – officially the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China –  split in 1949 following the Communist victory on the mainland after a civil war. China’s military comes out of shadowsHong Kongers look for an exitFrom pop princess to democracy fighterHow Hong Kong has changedWhat China’s scared ofSecret negotiations sealed city’s fate China’s military comes out of shadowsHong Kongers look for an exitFrom pop princess to democracy fighterHow Hong Kong has changedWhat China’s scared ofSecret negotiations sealed city’s fate “I have a stable job, income and property, but I find the environment here very uncomfortable,” Tam says. “We were born before 1997. Our birth certificates, our passports were issued by the UK. After 1997 we didn’t immediately see any changes but we do now.” On July 1, thousands braved the city’s sultry summer humidity to mark the 20th anniversary of the handover by marching through Hong Kong’s streets to demand greater democracy. The annual event took on extra significance this year with Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting the city for the very first time. Tam has joined the protest in the past but didn’t this year – he sees it as a futile act: “I have a choice, I can leave. It’s time to get out.” CNN’s Bex Wright and intern Mark Lu contributed to this report


European Council chief praises the "outstanding unity" of EU ahead of talks Germany's Angela Merkel says there is "no conspiracy" against Britain European Union leaders swiftly and unanimously adopted their negotiating principles for Britain’s exit from the EU at a meeting Saturday in Brussels amid signs they plan to take a tough stance over the country’s financial commitments to the bloc. Britain was not invited to the special summit of 27 EU nations, where the leaders finalized the guidelines for two years of what are set to be grueling divorce talks. British Prime Minister Theresa May triggered the official withdrawal process a month ago, but the Brexit negotiations will begin only after a UK snap general election is held June 8. European Council President Donald Tusk praised the “outstanding unity” of the 27 nations at a news conference concluding the summit, saying it had given the EU a “strong mandate” and the guidelines had been adopted unanimously and immediately. Guidelines adopted unanimously. EU27 firm and fair political mandate for the #Brexit talks is ready.  #EUCO In what he described as “unity in action,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker tweeted it had taken less than 15 minutes to approve the principles. #EUCO: Unity in action: #EU27 adopt #Article50 Guidelines in less than 15 minutes. #Brexit French President François Hollande said Brexit would be negotiated to meet Europe’s interests – and that there would be a cost for Britain. “Obviously, there will be a price and a cost to be paid by the United Kingdom,” he said. “This is their choice. It mustn’t be punitive, but at the same time it is absolutely clear that Europe will have to defend its interests and that the UK – outside of Europe – will have a less good position than inside as it does today.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel – who warned Britain this week not to hold any “illusions” about what Brexit means for its future – told reporters Saturday there was “no conspiracy” against the UK. “British citizens have held a referendum, and we have to accept that,” she said, adding the exit was regretted by all 27 states. The UK government had hoped to be able to negotiate a new trade deal with the EU at the same time as carrying out the complex process of unraveling a relationship lasting more than 40 years. Related video One thing to know about the UK's snap election But the EU has insisted that progress must be made on key issues around Britain’s continued budgetary commitment to the bloc, the future status of EU citizens living in Britain and the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland before talks on future relations with Britain can begin. Juncker reiterated that position Saturday and stressed it would be for the EU leaders unanimously to decide when enough progress had been made on the “divorce talks” to proceed to trade negotiations. He acknowledged it would be hard for the bloc to preserve the unity shown in agreeing to the guidelines throughout the negotiations, saying there would be “tough decisions” ahead, particularly in discussions of budgetary matters. A European Council statement on the adoption of the guidelines warned of the potential disruption Brexit will cause to UK and other EU citizens’ lives and businesses and said for this reason it will pursue a “phased” approach that prioritizes an “orderly withdrawal.” Related article Brexit: EU says it doesn't want to 'punish' Britain for leaving The EU will “maintain its unity and act as one” throughout the negotiations, with the aim of reaching an agreement fair for all its citizens and member states, it said. “The Union will work hard to achieve that outcome, but it will prepare itself to be able to handle the situation also if the negotiations were to fail,” the statement said. An EU source earlier told CNN that there was increasing unity among the EU states. “The 27 want a deal and they realize the more united they are, the higher chances to get a deal,” the source said. “We are not aligning against anyone. We are aligning (in) the interest of the 27, and then we need to find common ground with the British.” UK’s Labour Party vows to ditch May’s Brexit plan if elected Last month, Juncker told the BBC that Britain would need to come up with roughly 50 billion pounds ($62.4 billion) as it leaves the EU to honor its financial obligations. But the UK government has indicated it does not expect to pay nearly that much. Brexit Secretary David Davis told the BBC last month that Britain would meet its international commitments but that the bill would be “nothing like” the tens of billions of euros suggested by Juncker and others. EU member states pay into a communal budget, which finances infrastructure projects, social programs, scientific research and pensions for EU bureaucrats. The budget is negotiated to cover a period of years, with the current agreement extending to 2020. Britain pays roughly 10 billion pounds a year ($12.5 billion) more into the budget than it receives in benefits – a fact often cited by supporters of Brexit – and its departure will leave a large hole in the EU’s finances. However, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Britain’s departure would not “affect significantly” the EU’s global position as a leader in trade, humanitarian affairs and security. The EU has also said that resolving the thorny issue of the Irish border must be a priority in the upcoming negotiations. In a letter to the 27 EU leaders Friday, Tusk said Europe should aim to avoid a “hard border” between the Republic of Ireland, which will remain in the EU after Brexit, and Northern Ireland, which leaves as part of the UK. Related video Brexit implementation period 'will take years' Border controls between the north and south were eased as part of the Good Friday Agreement, the 1998 accord that brought peace to Northern Ireland after decades of sectarian conflict. Ireland asked Saturday that Northern Ireland be allowed to enter the EU automatically if the two Irelands ever unite, an EU source said. The request was approved but won’t be published in EU minutes until the next European Council meeting in June, the source said. The EU is not taking a stance on unification, which would be decided by the people of Ireland and Northern Ireland in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement. A majority in Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU in last year’s UK referendum. At present, the “soft” border with the neighboring Republic of Ireland facilitates trade and the movement of people. Both the UK and Irish governments want to maintain the soft border but have struggled to define how such an arrangement could work after the introduction of what would be the UK’s only land border with the EU. The issue has forced a discussion on the future status of Northern Ireland: The Good Friday Agreement stipulates that if polls show support for a referendum on unification, then the UK government must offer one. However, a poll by Ipsos MORI in Northern Ireland in September did not suggest great enthusiasm for a united Ireland. CNN’s Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported from London, and Erin McLaughlin reported from Brussels. Journalist Peter Taggart contributed to this report.


A high-ranking official from former President George W. Bush’s State Department shared a dire assessment of the current geopolitical state of affairs, calling it “the most perilous moment in modern American history.” President Donald Trump “is now set for war on 3 fronts: political vs Bob Mueller, economic vs China/others on trade, and actual vs. Iran and/or North  Korea,” Richard Haass tweeted Friday. “This is the most perilous moment in modern American history – and it has been largely brought about by ourselves, not by events.” .@realDonaldTrump is now set for war on 3 fronts: political vs Bob Mueller, economic vs China/others on trade, and actual vs. Iran and/or North  Korea. This is the most perilous moment in modern American history-and it has been largely brought about by ourselves, not by events. Haass, a pillar of the US foreign policy establishment and longtime president of the Council on Foreign Relations, a premiere foreign policy think tank, previously accused the Trump administration of abdicating US global leadership. Haass’ appraisal on Friday comes after a day of major developments out of the Trump White House. On Thursday morning, Trump’s lead lawyer, John Dowd, resigned from the President’s personal legal team handling the response to the Russia investigation. Dowd’s resignation came amid growing disagreements with Trump over the response to special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe. That afternoon, Trump directed the US trade representative to level tariffs on about $50 billion worth of Chinese imports following a seven-month investigation into alleged Chinese intellectual property theft. In addition to the tariffs, the US also plans to impose new investment restrictions and take action against China at the World Trade Organization, and the Treasury Department will also propose additional measures. Related article John Bolton on: bombing Iran, North Korea, Russia and the Iraq War Later in the day, Trump announced he was replacing national security adviser H.R. McMaster with John Bolton. Bolton, a former US ambassador to the United Nations and Fox News analyst, is seen as a controversial pick. He has advocated war with Iran and a preemptive strike on North Korea, and remains an unapologetic supporter of the Iraq War despite the flawed intelligence used to justify the US invasion. CNN’s Jeremy Diamond, Gloria Borger, Pamela Brown, Zachary Cohen, Nicole Gaouette, Kaitlan Collins and David Wright contributed to this report.


This page includes the show Transcript Use the Transcript to help students with reading comprehension and vocabulary The Weekly Newsquiz tests students' knowledge of events in the news September 9, 2016 As the U.S. approaches the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, today’s show is focused exclusively on the memories and insights of some young people who were directly affected. The interview contains emotional accounts from the children of attack victims as well as some footage of the attacks themselves, so teachers are encouraged the preview the program. On this page you will find today’s show Transcript and a place for you to request to be on the CNN Student News Roll Call. TRANSCRIPT Click here to access the transcript of today’s CNN Student News program. Please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published. WEEKLY NEWSQUIZ Click for a printable version of the Weekly Newsquiz (PDF). 1. A model of a European city was recently burned to commemorate the 350th anniversary of what historic event? 2. Pope Francis recently canonized a woman known for her humanitarian work in India. By what popular name was she known before her sainthood? 3. In what U.S. state did Hurricane Hermine make landfall on September 2 before the storm moved northeast and out into the Atlantic? 4. In what Asian country, which is located between Thailand and Vietnam, are officials trying to locate and dispose of up to 80 million unexploded U.S. cluster bombs? 5. Name the international sporting event whose roots date back to a 1948 competition between injured British veterans of World War II. 6. Name the animal that is native to China and is no longer considered endangered, thanks in part to an increase in its habitat. 7. In the U.S. presidential race, name either the candidate representing the Green Party OR the candidate representing the Libertarian Party. 8. What term is used to describe the generation of American workers who were born after 1980? 9. In order to participate in a U.S. presidential debate, a candidate has to have the support of a certain percentage of likely voters in national polls. What is this percentage? 10. How many years ago was the worst act of terrorism on U.S. soil carried out? CNN Student News is created by a team of journalists who consider the Common Core State Standards, national standards in different subject areas, and state standards when producing the show. Thank you for using CNN Student News!


'No Escape' was filmed in Thailand but Cambodia is the one that gets smeared as the imaginary land of evil The film's fictional rioters could easily be seen as Thailand's Red Shirts, who rallied for nationwide elections in 2010 Apparent references to Cambodia have led to the country banning the movie When visiting Southeast Asia for the first time this year, some anxious novices might wonder if they’ll stumble into a frenzied bloodbath in the streets unleashed by political protests, riots or a coup. And will those screaming natives also hack, shoot, bomb and rape innocent tourists amid the tacky souvenirs and charming neighborhoods surrounding their five-star hotels? Could this happen to an American family with two darling daughters as soon as they arrive here in Thailand? Watch Hollywood’s latest Asia-based action potboiler – “No Escape” stars Owen Wilson and Pierce Brosnan – and you might see your worst and most absurd fears vividly displayed. “No Escape” is an over-the-top, so-bad-it’s-good, careening, pulsating, murderous chase from beginning to end, heavily splattered with blood and tears. Countless quivering, desperately pleading Thai actors soon become dead meat, expertly minced by other Thai actors, bug-eyed and grimacing. These guys just won’t stop killing. Wilson, playing a sincere Texas multinational executive, and his resourceful motherly wife (Lake Bell) also eventually kill. But the urbane Americans are different from the “locals” who slaughter, because the brave husband and wife are just trying to survive and escape the mobs. Aside from all that ridiculousness, one of the most interesting aspects of “No Escape” is the real-life, behind-the-scenes intrigue that enabled it to be filmed. The movie was shot in Thailand’s tourist-friendly northern cities of Chiang Mai and Lampang. To avoid implying that Thailand is an anarchistic destination swarming with homicidal Thais, most of the signage that appears in the film’s streets, markets, advertisements and elsewhere is actually neighboring Cambodia’s Khmer script, lamely printed upside down. Cambodia also gets smeared as the film’s imaginary, unidentified, land of evil. That’s because only one Southeast Asian country – Vietnam – is mentioned by name, and is repeatedly hailed as a much safer nation. The escaping Americans try to row a boat “to Vietnam.” They row under a huge sign that reads “Vietnam” on a bridge that forms an international border. Thailand of course does not border Vietnam. But Cambodia does, along some of the Mekong River. MORE: Best and worst expat movies of all time Perhaps in an effort to protect its relationship with Thailand, where the film was shot, “No Escape” trashes Cambodia, which subsequently banned the movie. Despite the rumor that Thailand might prohibit the movie, “No Escape” has been showing at Thai cinemas since early September. Ironically, much of the screaming by Thai actors is in Thai language without subtitles, so the attempted sleight of hand that would suggest none of this chaos is taking place in Chiang Mai and Lampang ultimately appears clumsy and cosmetic. On the plus side, the Americans and their British buddy, played by Brosnan, are chased through the streets amid gripping scenes, dazzling photography and concise vignettes. But the plot of “No Escape” chases a weary formula. Good, clean, wealthy, intellectual and sensitive white people are brutally bullied by a cruel, yelling, bloodthirsty, darker-skinned, generic Third Worlders. Film credits reveal the story was copyrighted as “The Coup” – the original working title. But soon after filming here in 2013, Thailand’s military staged a coup in May 2014. The movie was retitled. Today, Thailand still lives under the coup’s military junta. But members of the coup-installed regime may be laughing if they watch “No Escape,” which they allowed in theaters here. The regime might be amused by the movie’s bloody coup, which topples a pro-American government and unleashes anti-American, anti-capitalist carnage. Though Bangkok’s 2014 coup did oust a pro-U.S. government, the coup was bloodless and didn’t result in any street violence. Perhaps even more pleasing to Bangkok’s military regime may be the appearance by many of the rioting Thai actors wearing a piece of red clothing, creating a deadly catwalk of red pants, red shirts, red scarves or red bandanas. In 2010, Thailand’s U.S.-trained military crushed a nine-week insurrection in Bangkok by thousands of self-named Red Shirts, who wore that color while demanding nationwide elections. The clashes left more than 90 people dead on all sides, but mostly Red civilians. As a result, the film’s red-clothed rioters could easily be (wrongly) seen as Thailand’s real Red Shirts, now exaggerated into overwhelmingly vicious slayers. READ: World’s 10 most romantic movie locations In real life, some Americans and other foreign expats who live here are worried for their personal safety while Thailand’s politics and economy spiral down the drain under Bangkok’s dictatorship. “Where would you go? What bolthole would you run to, if things got out of hand here?” one aged expat executive recently asked journalists in the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand, in the real world. Some reporters responded by suggesting their favorite countries as ideal retreats. Other journalists dismissed an apocalypse of Thais massacring foreigners, even if this polarized country further implodes. “Does living in a foreign country always cause some degree of uncertainty and anxiety for expats? Or is it just Thailand?” tweeted an American nicknamed Lucky Erawan a few days later, also in real life. A Thai white-collar manager, however, who watched “No Escape,” said she’ll gladly recommend the movie to her Thai office colleagues and friends. “It’s interesting and exciting. Actually, when you see the movie, maybe you can learn how to escape from that type of situation,” she said. “You can learn how to fight, how to find things and how to hide from the bad guys like when Owen put a dead guy in front of him to hide behind.” The movie’s stereotypes and attempt to disguise Thailand weren’t so good, she said, asking not to be named because she didn’t want to be publicly involved in any controversy over the film. “I think it makes Thais look bad. But it isn’t obviously Thailand,” she said. Perhaps that’s true for many viewers. MORE: 21 of the world’s coolest outdoor cinemas Richard S. Ehrlich has reported news for international media from Asia since 1978, based in Hong Kong, New Delhi and now Bangkok.


Republicans have two new targets in their effort to discredit the dossier on Donald Trump and Russia written by ex-British intelligence agent Christopher Steele: the State Department under President Barack Obama and Sidney Blumenthal, a longtime associate of Bill and Hillary Clinton. Republicans are effectively accusing the Obama State Department of providing Steele information from Clinton associates which he then used to reinforce his own dossier that he eventually gave to the FBI. While the veracity and significance of the information given to Steele are not yet clear, the impact is already being felt as key Republican leaders suggest publicly that they see evidence of a partisan bias against Trump that fueled Steele’s dossier. Related article White House officials expect Trump to OK Dem memo barring national security threat Steele provided part of the report along with his own memos to the FBI, noting similarities between the two but acknowledging that he had not verified the sources or the information, according to The Washington Post. Republicans are alleging that Steele received material on Trump and Russia written by Cody Shearer, a freelance journalist who they claim is a Clinton partisan. According to a source with knowledge of the matter, Shearer’s raw collection of notes – which Republicans are calling a second dossier – made its way to Steele on this path: from Shearer to Blumenthal, who gave it to an official at the State Department, who then passed it along to Steele. Steele then gave it to the FBI, explaining it was passed along by the State Department and someone connected to a “friend of Clinton’s,” according to a report from the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Related article Judiciary chairman wants FISA judge to reveal more info on Page surveillance After targeting the FBI and the Justice Department in his first memo, the Shearer matter appears to be the next item on the agenda for House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, R-California, who has said he’s preparing more memos – including targeting the State Department – to follow last week’s allegations involving Steele and the dossier. Shearer’s notes are also a topic that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is probing as part of his investigation into the dossier, which prompted a criminal referral of Steele to the Justice Department last month. House Intelligence Committee Democrats say they’re once again being kept in the dark about the new Republican investigations, just as they were caught by surprise when the House Intelligence Committee first voted to make the Nunes memo available to House members last month. Here’s what is known about Steele, Shearer, Blumenthal and the investigations into the matter: Shearer, an independent journalist, decided to investigate potential Trump-Russia connections after seeing stories about the hacking of the Democratic National Committee, the source said. Shearer’s so-called dossier is actually a set of notes based on conversations with reporters and other sources, according to the person who spoke to CNN, and he circulated those notes to assorted journalists, as well as to Blumenthal. Blumenthal then passed the notes to Jonathan Winer, who was a State Department special envoy for Libya under former Secretary of State John Kerry, the source said. Winer had a previous relationship with Steele, and he passed it along to Steele in order to get his assessment. Related article Carter Page struggles to explain how he could advise both Kremlin and Trump team Blumenthal, according to the source, did not know that Winer would consult Steele on the Shearer document, and said Winer made that decision on his own. After Winer gave Steele the notes from Shearer, Steele wrote that he found it interesting and it tended to corroborate some of what he found, but he also noted that it was uncorroborated, the source said. Shearer’s notes, a copy of which were obtained by CNN, make uncorroborated allegations involving Trump and Russia, and they cite unnamed Russian intelligence and Turkish sources. Steele provided Shearer’s notes to the FBI in October 2016. Steele was being paid for his research by the opposition research firm Fusion GPS, which was hired by a law firm on behalf of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee. A key allegation in last week’s Nunes memo was that Steele’s political connections to Democrats were not told to the FISA court, and Republicans are charging that Shearer’s involvement could show Steele was receiving information from Clinton associates that went into the dossier he gave to the FBI. The criminal referral from Grassley and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham – which was unclassified with some redactions this week – states that Shearer’s notes went to Steele through an official at the State Department and another person who was a “friend of the Clinton’s.” “It is troubling enough that the Clinton Campaign funded Mr. Steele’s work, but that these Clinton associates were contemporaneously feeding Mr. Steele’s allegations raises additional concerns about his credibility,” the senators wrote in the criminal referral, which does not accuse Steele of wrongdoing but urges the Justice Department to investigate the matter. Winer worked with Steele from 2014 through 2016, according to another source familiar with their interactions. Steele provided Winer with reports related to the conflict in Ukraine and Russia as a courtesy, which was not unusual and considered one source among many used for assessing the situation on the ground in Ukraine, the source said. Related article Former CIA Director Brennan says Nunes 'abused his office' Steele also gave the dossier to Winer, who flagged to his superiors at the State Department, according to the source. Kerry was eventually briefed on its existence, and that it wasn’t known how much was true. Senior State Department officials showed the dossier to Kerry once it was clear the document was in wide circulation around Washington, according to the source. Kerry was not briefed on the Shearer document, the source said. Lee Wolosky, an attorney for Winer, said in a statement that Winer was “concerned in 2016 about information that a candidate for the presidency may have been compromised by a hostile foreign power.” “Any actions he took were grounded in those concerns,” Wolosky said. “Today’s attacks are nothing more than a further attempt to undermine the independence and credibility of special (counsel Robert) Mueller’s ongoing investigation into those and related issues.” Republicans haven’t come out and accused Blumenthal of any wrongdoing, but they’ve hinted in public appearances that raw intelligence may have been distributed for partisan purposes. Rep. Trey Gowdy, who chairs the House Oversight Committee and is a senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, discussed Nunes’ State Department investigation a Fox News interview Tuesday, saying he was “troubled” by the role the State Department played. Gowdy read the classified FISA documents that the Justice Department gave congressional committees access to on the condition that only one member of the majority and minority would view them. “When you hear who the source, or one of the sources of that information is, you’re going to think, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’ve heard that name somewhere before. Where could he possibly have been?’” the South Carolina Republican said. Related article Gowdy: Memo has no impact on Russia probe “A domestic source. I’m trying to think of Secretary Clinton defined him. I think she said he was an old friend who emailed her from time to time,” Gowdy continued. “Sidney Blumenthal?” Fox News’ Martha MacCallum asked. “That would be really warm,” Gowdy concluded. Nunes made headlines over the weekend when he predicted more memos would be coming from his committee, but he says that the investigation into the State Department has already been in the works. “We have an active investigation into the State Department. That has been ongoing for a while now,” Nunes told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. Nunes has repeatedly declined to discuss his investigations with CNN, saying he doesn’t discuss committee business “in the halls.” Graham declined to discuss Blumenthal’s role in the committee’s investigation into Steele, but said the State Department is one element of it. “There’s some connections outside the Department of Justice and the dossier that we’re looking at. One of them goes to the State Department,” Graham told CNN. “It’s clear to me he was using the dossier for political purposes and that should have been more alarming than it was.” Blumenthal is no stranger to congressional investigations, playing a role in the House Benghazi Select Committee investigation that was led by Gowdy. Blumenthal testified behind closed doors as part of the Benghazi investigation, and he provided the committee with emails he exchanged with Clinton, who was secretary of state when the 2012 Benghazi attack occurred. Blumenthal sent Clinton dozens of emails while she was secretary of state on various foreign policy topics, some of which were unsolicited and others that were requested by Clinton. A former journalist, Blumenthal has known the Clintons for more than 30 years, and he worked in the Clinton White House as senior adviser from 1997 to 2001. He’s been by the family’s side during difficult moments, including President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial. CNN’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.

Republican investigations into the Steele dossier and related actors


New center reflects growing perceived threat from Pyongyang North Korea has ramped up its nuclear weapons program in recent months The CIA has established a Korea Mission Center to address “the nuclear and ballistic missile threat posed by” North Korea and its unpredictable leader, the US intelligence agency announced Wednesday. The creation of the center focusing on specific threats from the Korean peninsula will allow the CIA to “harness the full resources, capabilities, and authorities of the Agency” to deal with North Korea, according to the agency’s statement. The center, which is located in CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, will put the forces of CIA analysts and officers side-by-side in one location to tackle the threat from Pyongyang. “The new Mission Center draws on experienced officers from across the Agency and integrates them in one entity to bring their expertise and creativity to bear against the North Korea target,” the statement reads. Added Heather Fritz Horniak, a CIA spokeswoman: “Just as the threats facing our nation are dynamic, so too must the CIA continue to evolve to address them.” Former CIA senior analyst John Nixon told CNN he expected the center to issue “sitreps” – situation reports for the intelligence community and the Trump administration – possibly twice daily, indicating an around-the-clock watch by an office of significant size. North Korea claims US ‘biochemical’ plot to kill Kim Jong Un In the statement, CIA Director Mike Pompeo says the creation of the center focuses the CIA’s efforts against the “serious threats” emerging from North Korea, which has in recent months ramped up both nuclear and missile tests in an effort to enhance its military capabilities. “Creating the Korea Mission Center allows us to more purposefully integrate and direct CIA efforts against the serious threats to the United States and its allies emanating from North Korea,” Pompeo said, adding its creation “reflects the dynamism and agility that CIA brings to evolving national security challenges.” Mission Center for AfricaMission Center for CounterintelligenceMission Center for CounterterrorismMission Center for East Asia and PacificMission Center for Europe and EurasiaMission Center for Global IssuesMission Center for Near EastMission Center for South and Central AsiaMission Center for Weapons and CounterproliferationMission Center for Western Hemisphere Mission Center for AfricaMission Center for CounterintelligenceMission Center for CounterterrorismMission Center for East Asia and PacificMission Center for Europe and EurasiaMission Center for Global IssuesMission Center for Near EastMission Center for South and Central AsiaMission Center for Weapons and CounterproliferationMission Center for Western Hemisphere The timing is unlikely to be linked to any recent events but rather to better position the agency against a very real and growing threat to the US, justifying the allocation of enough resources to a dedicated center, according to Bruce Klingner, former CIA Deputy Division Chief for Korea and senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center. “Although there aren’t many details, a restructuring of the bureaucracy is something that takes quite a while to prepare, review, and go through multiple levels of approval,” Klingner told CNN. There are 10 such existing centers in the CIA, and the new addition will be the most focused in terms of geographical area and remit – the Korean Peninsula currently falls under the jurisdiction of the Mission Center for East Asia and Pacific. Opinion: Dealing with North Korea is not an option The new office will “work closely with the intelligence community and the entire US national security community,” the CIA statement said. Nixon, the former analyst, said he also expects significant cooperation with South Korean intelligence services going forward. “I think (cooperation with the South Korean National Intelligence Service) will be very high. Also with the (Korean Central Intelligence Agency).” He added that the announcement of the center, coinciding with the election of a less-hardline South Korean President who is likely to pursue at least some form of diplomacy with Seoul’s belligerent neighbor to the north, was “interesting.” “I think its very interesting that this happened and now we have (newly elected South Korean President Moon Jae-in) who says he want a different relationship with Pyongyang. I think that’s very helpful, hardline never works.” Nixon said the creation of the mission would send a message from the CIA to the Trump administration that his foreign policy priorities were being acknowledged. “It’s not an easy regime to collect information on, but we’re not getting the information out of there that we should. It’s a sign that, ‘OK folks, we’re going to get serious about this,’” he said. “(This center will) show the administration that this (issue) is going to be front and center. “One thing that’s interesting about Trump is that he’s getting briefed up about North Korea. He’s absorbing this stuff. It’s another sign that North Korea is the top of the list.” He added that the CIA is looking to “beef up” its Seoul station, including the appointment of a new, high-profile station chief in Seoul. “They’re going to look for somebody with serious gravitas, who has connections and knows the players,” he said. South Korea election shakes up US-North Korea dynamic CNN’s Brian Todd and Joshua Berlinger contributed to this report.


Michael Flynn resigned from President Donald Trump's White House earlier this year Ex-FBI Director James Comey said Trump asked him to end his investigation into Flynn The top two leaders of the Senate intelligence committee are leaving the door open to holding Michael Flynn in contempt of Congress after President Trump’s former national security adviser said he would invoke his Fifth Amendment rights rather than comply with a subpoena. Sen. Richard Burr, the chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said the panel was reviewing a range of options to compel Flynn to disclose records about his meetings with Russian officials, including holding Flynn in contempt. And he said the panel “could” call for Flynn to assert his right against self-incrimination in a public session. “It does us no good in having people pleading the Fifth if we are trying to get information,” Burr said. He added: “The only thing I can tell you is immunity is off the table.” Unlike Flynn, two other former Trump campaign officials have turned over documents to the committee related to its investigation of Russian meddling in the US election. “The subpoena seeks to compel (Flynn) to offer testimony through the act of producing documents that may or may not exist. In these circumstances, (Flynn) is entitled to, and does, invoke his Fifth Amendment privilege against production of documents,” Flynn’s lawyer wrote in a letter to the committee, verified by CNN. When asked by CNN whether his panel would hold Flynn in contempt, Ranking Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner, said, “We have to find out whether we have the ability to either hold Gen. Flynn in contempt or whether it’s just Fifth Amendment. I’ve got to get the legal answer to that first.” Warner said he was “disappointed” Flynn didn’t produce the documents that were requested, and the committee was still determining if it had other options to get a hold of them. Flynn’s refusal to cooperate comes as he faces scrutiny in several inquiries, including by Capitol Hill and a federal grand jury that has issued subpoenas to associates of the ex-national security adviser. His refusal will also intensify scrutiny over Trump’s decision to hire him initially for the job and his decision to keep him on staff for 18 days after the President was warned by former acting Attorney General Sally Yates that Flynn may have been compromised by the Russians. And the White House is also bound to face new pressure from Trump’s apparent disclosure of classified information in a private meeting with Russian officials at the White House earlier this month. Warner, in an interview with CNN on Monday, said the White House must turn over records related to that meeting – and did not rule out issuing a subpoena for the records. “We have made the request,” Warner said. “Transcripts or tapes. My hope is the White House will comply. They say there is no there there. They ought to work with the committee.” Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has turned over documents to the committee, a source familiar with the filing told CNN on Monday. Former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone has also complied with the committee’s requests and answered its questions, according to Stone’s attorney, Robert Buschel. The Senate committee had asked Flynn earlier this month to produce all records over his communications with Russian officials by this Wednesday. But Flynn is expected to send a letter later Monday invoking his Fifth Amendment rights. The source close to Flynn said it would be “highly imprudent for him not to exercise his Fifth Amendment rights” given that several members of Congress have called for his prosecution. Related article Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: 'I believe we should look into obstruction of justice' Flynn’s decision to decline the subpoena does not come as a surprise to Senate intelligence leaders, as Flynn’s lawyer also told the panel last month he would not provide documents in response to an April request. Interactive: The many paths from Trump to RussiaFlynn was back in the news last week following the revelation that former FBI Director James Comey wrote in a memo that Trump had asked Comey in a meeting to end his investigation into the former national security adviser. Comey has agreed to testify before the Senate intelligence panel after Memorial Day. Warner said he and Burr hoped to meet with Robert Mueller, the Justice Department’s special counsel in the Russia investigation, to talk about what Comey can and cannot say in his testimony. “Our hope is that the chairman and I will be able to sit down and again just kind of get the rules of the road for us going forward with Director Mueller,” Warner said. Related article First on CNN: Russian officials bragged they could use Flynn to influence Trump, sources say Flynn resigned from the Trump White House in February after it was revealed he’d misled White House officials over his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, which included communication about sanctions. In what could be a signal of additional problems for Flynn, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a new letter on Monday calling for Chaffetz to issue subpoenas for White House documents. The letter from Maryland Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings cites a Report of Investigation from the Pentagon, which was conducted by investigators undertaking a review for Flynn’s security clearance application. According to that March 14, 2016 report, Flynn made false statements to investigators about who funded his foreign trips, including a 2015 trip to Russia where Flynn was paid roughly $45,000 for a speaking engagement. He claimed they were funded by “US companies,” even though he was paid by Russia Today, according to the letter released Monday by House Democrats on the Oversight Committee. The report stated that Flynn said he “had not received any benefit from a foreign country.” Flynn also claimed to investigators he had no substantial contacts with foreign government officials, saying he only had “insubstantial contact,” but photos from the event showed Flynn sitting near Putin at that 2015 RT dinner. The committee Democrats say Chaffetz must subpoena documents from the White House to determine what the White House was told about these foreign contacts and trips. In the letter, Cummings demanded that Chaffetz either “issue a subpoena to the White House for the documents it is withholding or schedule a business meeting during which committee members can vote to issue the subpoena ourselves.” Flynn previously sought immunity from the Senate committee in exchange for his testimony. Leaders of both the Senate and House panels, which are conducting separate investigations into Russia’s election-year meddling, rejected that request. During the 2016 campaign, Trump blasted aides to Hillary Clinton for taking the Fifth Amendment in relation to the investigation of her use of a private email server while secretary of state. He said at a September Iowa rally: “So there are five people taking the Fifth Amendment, like you see on the mob, right? You see the mob takes the Fifth. If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?” Related article First on CNN: Comey now believes Trump was trying to influence him, source says Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican on the intelligence panel, said Flynn’s decision would not stop the committee’s investigation, tweeting: “It is Mike Flynn’s right to plead the 5th. We will get to the truth one way or another. We need facts, not speculation & anonymous sources.” It is Mike Flynn's right to plead the 5th. We will get to the truth one way or another. We need facts, not speculation & anonymous sources. Flynn is one of several former Trump aides to whom Senate investigators have sent requests for information to as part of the panel’s investigation into connections between Trump associates and Russian officials. The panel has also sought documents from former campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page. The House intelligence panel, meanwhile, is requesting documents from former Trump campaign communications adviser Michael Caputo.


Several Syrian activist groups Saturday reported that a brutal attack on the remnants of the rebel-held city of Douma in Eastern Ghouta left dozens of civilians dead and scores wounded. The groups – including the White Helmets, the Douma Coordination Committee and the Ghouta Media Center –  said  toxic gas inside barrel bombs dropped by helicopters over Douma caused people to suffocate and choke. Syrian state news agency SANA cited an “official source” who denied the allegations, saying the reports were a “blatant attempt to hinder the army’s advance” into what the news agency described as a “collapsing terrorist” stronghold. SANA, citing the same sources, wrote that the Syrian Arab Army “does not need to use any chemical materials as claimed by terrorists’ media affiliates.” Graphic images showed people, including children, apparently dead and injured – some with some kind of spittle or foam in their mouths in makeshift medical centers. An official with the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM) told CNN that doctors in eastern Ghouta have told him they were seeing patients who were convulsing from side to side and some appeared to be paralyzed and unresponsive. Related article Children swap basement hideouts for rooftop playgrounds after escaping war Many of the people had been staying in underground shelters. CNN could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the images. The UOSSM, citing doctors and activists on the ground, released a statement saying a massive suspected chemical or gas attack was reported and at least 25 people were killed and 500 wounded. CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen in Damascus said there were heavy air strikes in the area all day and rebels shelled the Syrian capital. Meanwhile, a US State Department official told CNN, “We have seen multiple, very disturbing reports this afternoon regarding another possible CW (chemical weapons) attack near a hospital in Douma, Syria.” The official also said, “The regime’s history of using chemical weapons against its own people (is) not in dispute, and in fact began with a sarin gas attack in Eastern Ghouta on August 21, 2013 which killed over 1,000 Syrians. Related article Top general says Trump has not given a Syria withdrawal timeline “As we’ve said, Russia ultimately bears responsibility for the brutal targeting of countless Syrians with chemical weapons.  Russia’s protection of the Assad regime and failure to stop the use of chemical weapons in Syria calls into question its commitment to resolving the overall crisis.” A later statement from State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the US continued to “closely follow disturbing reports” of the alleged attack. “Reports from a number of contacts and medical personnel on the ground indicate a potentially high number of casualties, including among families hiding in shelters. These reports, if confirmed, are horrifying and demand an immediate response by the international community,” Nauert said. “The United States continues to use all efforts available to hold those who use chemical weapons, in Syria and otherwise, accountable. The regime’s history of using chemical weapons against its own people is not in dispute, and in fact nearly one year ago on April 4, 2017, Assad’s forces conducted a sarin gas attack on Khan Sheikhoun, which killed approximately 100 Syrians,” she added. In April 2017, more than 80 people were killed in a sarin attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun – an attack that prompted the United States to launch 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase. A joint report from the United Nations and international chemical weapons inspectors last October determined the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad was responsible for the attack. Syria has repeatedly denied it had anything to do with the attack and denies it has any chemical weapons. Damascus has said an airstrike hit a chemical weapons depot in the rebel-held area. CNN’s Bethlehem Feleke, Fred Pleitgen, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Eyad Kourdi, Gul Tuysuz, Daniel Nikbakht, Jen Deaton, Barbara Starr, Elise Labott and Susannah Cullinane contributed to this report.