The biggest piece of Trump's first executive order was his long-promised wall on the border Both orders also sought to beef up enforcement agencies in terms of staffing President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed two executive orders on immigration and border security, which included his campaign promises of building a wall and substantially stepping up deportations and immigration enforcement. The lengthy orders contained a number of provisions designed to execute key elements of the immigration hard-liner’s agenda, including on sanctuary cities, enforcement priorities and cracking down on crime. “Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders,” Trump told employees of the Department of Homeland Security at the department’s headquarters in Washington, where he signed the orders. Here’s a look at the important pieces of the actions signed Wednesday: The biggest piece of Trump’s first executive order was his long-promised wall on the border with Mexico. The measure instructs the homeland security secretary to take “steps to immediately plan, design, and construct a physical wall along the southern border,” in order to “achieve complete operational control of the southern border.” The measure includes instructions to figure out funding, including what federal money sources exist now and what the administration will need to request in congressional appropriations later. The order also calls for a study within six months on securing the southern border. Trump orders construction of the wall Trump has said Mexico will pay for the wall, and stood by that Wednesday, saying he would get reimbursement after building the wall with federal funds. Negotiations, he said, would begin “relatively soon.” “I’m telling you there will be a payment. It will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form,” Trump said. “We are going to stabilize on both sides of the border and we also understand that a strong and healthy economy in Mexico is very good for the United States.” The order directed agencies to conduct an analysis of all federal aid to Mexico over the past five years – previewing Trump’s vision for gaining leverage over the neighboring country. But the order also seemed to indicate that despite Trump repeatedly insisting he meant a physical wall, there was wiggle room. “‘Wall’ shall mean a contiguous, physical wall or other similarly secure, contiguous, and impassable physical barrier,” the order said in its definitions. Both orders also sought to beef up enforcement agencies in terms of staffing. The border security order instructed the Department of Homeland Security to hire 5,000 additional Border Patrol agents, and the other order focused on security of the interior of the nation seeks the addition of 10,000 immigration officers. Both, however, are “subject to available appropriations,” meaning the agency will need to find funds or Congress will need to appropriate them. The order seeks to get Border Patrol reinforcements to stations “as soon as is practicable.” The order also specifies that the additional immigration officers should be trained to perform duties including interrogating, detaining, arresting and searching for people believed to be non-citizens or non-nationals. The order on border security signals there could be significant efforts to put more immigrants behind bars if they’re caught illegally crossing the border, or if they’re in deportation proceedings. The order instructs the secretary of homeland security to construct or establish detention facilities near the border and staff them with asylum officers and immigration judges. It’s unclear how such measures would be funded. Right now, Congress has appropriated funding for about 34,000 beds for immigrant detention – many of which are in facilities operated by private companies across the country. Meanwhile more than half a million cases are pending in immigration court. Wednesday’s order directs the secretary of homeland security to “allocate all legally available resources to immediately construct, operate, control or establish contracts to construct, operate or control facilities to detain aliens at or near the land border with Mexico.” It’s likely private prison companies, which saw their stock go up after Trump’s election, will be involved. One of the touted elements of the orders is ending what Trump calls “catch and release,” in essence guaranteeing immigrants who could be removed from the country are continuously detained and not let free based on humanitarian concerns. “It is the policy of the executive branch to end the abuse of parole and asylum provisions currently used to prevent the lawful removal of removable aliens,” the order states. The section is heavily technical, but orders the homeland security secretary to ensure that allowances in US immigration law to grant individuals asylum or parole based on concerns about persecution in their home country are not “exploited” to block deportations. The provisions should only be used “when an individual demonstrates urgent humanitarian reasons or a significant public benefit derived from such parole,” the order states. This portion of the order also notes that unaccompanied children detained at the border receive care and are sent back to their home nations as appropriate. A flood of unaccompanied children at the border created a crisis in recent years, as detention facilities were unable to humanely accommodate high numbers. The increased influx of minors crossing the border without adults were largely fleeing violence in Central America. Trump’s “interior” security order takes aim at so-called sanctuary jurisdictions – cities, states and other entities that through a range of policies shield undocumented immigrants from federal law enforcement. The order will “strip federal grant money from the sanctuary states and cities that harbor illegal immigrants,” according to White House press secretary Sean Spicer in his daily briefing. What are sanctuary cities and can they be defunded? The order declares that entities labeled “sanctuary jurisdictions” by the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security will be “not eligible” for federal grants, and it directs the Office of Management and Budget to compile federal grant money currently going to sanctuary jurisdictions. The order appears to apply mostly to future federal grants, though after OMB’s review, Spicer explained that the funding identified could be taken away. While the administration likely can’t cut off all federal funding, as much of it is disbursed through Congress, the President could put some pressure on cities this way. Any attempts to enact this provision will almost certainly face a legal challenge – past court rulings have weighed in on the government stripping funds from states and cities to enforce policies and have found the measures must relate to the policy in question, must promote the general welfare and cannot be coercive. Trump’s been saying he wants to prioritize deporting criminals for months. That’s no surprise; so did President Barack Obama. But Trump’s executive order Wednesday took a sweeping approach to defining “criminal.” The “interior” order lays out new enforcement priorities for the government, which go far beyond what the Obama administration followed. The order says the priority will be removing deportable immigrants who “have been convicted of any criminal offense; have been charged with any criminal offense, where such charge has not been resolved; have committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense; have engaged in fraud or willful misrepresentation in connection with any official matter or application before a governmental agency; have abused any program related to receipt of public benefits; are subject to a final order of removal, but who have not complied with their legal obligation to depart the United States; or in the judgment of an immigration officer, otherwise pose a risk to public safety or national security.” Based on the wording of the executive order, a criminal could include someone who’s charged with – but not actually convicted – of a crime. The last provisions apparently include anyone who an immigration official feels endangers “public safety or national security,” even if that person doesn’t face charges – giving wide latitude to officers. And the term “criminal offense,” isn’t defined in the order and could include a wide range of charges, including presumably misdemeanors. This part of the executive order is also likely to face legal challenges from civil liberties and immigrant rights advocates, who have long argued the government’s approach to handling immigration cases violates due process Trump’s executive order revives a controversial program that ended during the Obama administration. The “Secure Communities” program requires local authorities to share fingerprints and other arrest data to help track down undocumented immigrants. Critics said it pitted law enforcement against the communities they were charged with protecting by putting immigration enforcement in the hands of local police. They also claimed it led to the deportations of immigrants who were in the United States illegally but had no criminal arrest records. Supporters said it helped authorities catch criminals who might otherwise fall through the cracks. Wednesday’s order rolls back Obama’s Priority Enforcement Program and reinstates “Secure Communities.” The “interior” order also includes a provision on “recalcitrant countries” – a technical way of describing nations that do not cooperate in taking back nationals the US is seeking to deport. The order directs the secretaries of homeland security and state to put heavy pressure on those countries, including by levying sanctions against them. The State Department should also engage in the “maximum” legal pressure through diplomacy and negotiations, the order says. Mark Toner, acting State Department spokesman, said the department was reviewing the order and would work to implement it “immediately.” “Facilitating the removal of aliens who are subject to a final order of removal, particularly those who pose a danger to national security or public safety, is a top priority for the Department of State,” Toner said. He also cited work done by State on the issue under the Obama administration. “In FY2015, US government authorities successfully facilitated the repatriation of 235,413 foreign nationals. Stepped-up diplomatic efforts by ICE and the State Department have resulted in significant increases in cooperation among the 23 countries currently on ICE’s Uncooperative (‘Recalcitrant’) list, with nearly half of these countries improving their records of issuing travel documents, accepting charter deportee flights with deportees, and agreeing on formal arrangements for future removals in recent months,” he said. The “interior” order contains two provisions to increase the public reporting of crimes related to illegal immigration. One provision directs US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to create an “Office for Victims of Crimes Committed by Removable Aliens.” The office would offer services to victims of such crimes and to their family members, and would provide reports quarterly “studying the effects of the victimization by criminal aliens present in the United States.” Regarding sanctuary cities, another provision seeks “to better inform the public regarding the public safety threats associated with sanctuary jurisdictions,” by using a weekly report to publish a list of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants and name and shame jurisdictions that ignored detention requests in relation to them. Trump often spoke on the trail of individuals who lost loved ones allegedly at the hands of undocumented immigrants. One such case, the murder of Kate Steinle in San Francisco, has been a central rallying cry of sanctuary city opponents and advocates of restricting immigration. “I have no higher duty than to protect the lives of the American people. First, these families lost their loved ones, then they endured a system that ignore them, while at the same time constantly rewarding those who broke the law,” Trump said at the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday. “For these families it has been one injustice after another, but that all turns around beginning today. We are joined here this afternoon my parents whose children were horribly killed by individuals living here illegally.” CNN’s Jeremy Diamond, Elise Labott, Elizabeth Landers and Dan Merica contributed to this report.

Trump's immigration and border security executive orders


Daniel Deng lists off his college applications: “I am waiting to hear from Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Amherst and Babson colleges.” It’s a daunting catalog of some of the most selective universities in America. Yet Deng has no “safety school,” and in fact, he seems pretty confident. It’s a remarkable trait for any 19-year-old navigating the nail-biting application process, but more so for Deng, who is from South Sudan. As a boy, he fled his country without his parents. He ended up in the sprawling refugee camp of Kakuma, then made his way to school in Nairobi, Kenya. But at the African Leadership Academy (ALA) outside of Johannesburg, South Africa, Deng’s story is far from unique. The academy resembles an intimate university campus with hand-picked students from across the continent. The goal of the two-year bridging program is to get them into a top university. And the ALA is remarkably successful, graduating students from 46 countries for nearly ten years. In the wake of controversial comments attributed to US President Donald Trump about African nations – he reportedly described them last week as “shithole countries” – two well-known American non-profits donated to the academy. Related article South Africa formally protests Trump's 'shithole countries' remarks It was a protest of sorts – the College Board and ETS, which administer several US university entrance exams, clearly wanted to make a point. “America’s colleges are hungry for the strength and talent of Africa, Haitian and Central American students,” wrote David Coleman, the president of the College Board, in an online post. African governments and citizens have viewed Trump’s comments as racist, although he has since denied he said them. “Personally, I grew up in a community where we were taught dignity and respect for every individual and sanctity as human beings,” said Deng. Much of the anger isn’t new. Africans have long despaired that the varied continent is viewed by some as a monolithic mess. “Africa is much more than poverty and famine and just rural areas that are not developed. We are much more than underdevelopment,” said Diana Spencer, a student from Senegal. Spencer is heading to Notre Dame later this year on full scholarship to study international economics. The number of international students arriving in the US is dropping, and Trump’s proposed immigration restrictions and travel bans could make it much harder for some students to attend US colleges. The dean of the academy, Hatem Eltayeb, thinks it would be a great shame if fewer students and immigrants from Africa landed in the US. Eltayeb came to ALA by way of Sudan and Harvard. “I think the more we build walls and the more we close doors, the more opportunities for magical opportunities and inspirational discoveries we miss out on,” he said. Related article African Union, African UN envoys demand Trump apology But the ALA can’t keep up with the demand from bright applicants from scores of countries. They accept roughly five percent of their applicants. Many prospective students aren’t able to access a first-rate education because of finances, or because top schools just don’t exist in their countries. It can be a bit daunting for those who make it. “I think there is a responsibility attached to it, because we have been given the privilege of getting an education that some people might not have gotten. So, at times it is a bit scary,” said Felix Morara, from Nakuru, Kenya. If a student at ALA receives substantial financial backing, and many do, they are required to come back to their home countries to plough their experience and education back into their communities. For most, it isn’t a chore. Morara said he would prefer to answer Trump’s comments with action, not words. “Comments such as these stem from the perception that a lot of Africans or immigrants come to take from the country, but I don’t think that is what a lot of us are aiming to do. A lot of us, instead of getting something, hope that that country will make us into something,” he says. But first, Morara is off to Yale.


There were two separate incidents, one near Gush Etzion settlement junction, the other near Hebron The men wielded knives against Israeli forces, the IDF says They were shot dead; no Israeli forces were injured Four Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces in the West Bank overnight after two separate attempted knife attacks, Israel said. In the first deadly incident, three Palestinians attempting to attack with knives were shot and killed by Israeli forces at the Gush Etzion settlement junction in the West Bank, the Israeli military said Friday. “The force thwarted the attack, responding to the imminent threat danger and shooting the perpetrators resulting in death of two,” the Israeli military told CNN. “The third was receiving medical treatment at the scene but later died of injuries.” No Israeli soldiers or civilians have been reported injured. The Palestinian health ministry said that the three Palestinians were cousins from the town of Sa’eer near Hebron. The ministry identified them as Ziyad Kawazbeh, 18, Ahmad Kawazbeh, 19, and A’laa Kawazbeh, 19. In the second incident, “a Palestinian armed with a knife attempted to stab soldiers northeast of Hebron,” the Israeli military said. “The forces thwarted the attack and shot the assailant resulting in his death.” No soldiers were injured. The Palestinian health ministry identified him as Khalil Mohamad Shalaldeh, 16, from the town of Beit Eynoun in the West Bank. Shalaledeh’s brother, Mohammad Shalaldeh, died after clashes with Israeli forces in November. The Palestinian health ministry said in a statement that the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since October has risen to 149. Israeli medical and disaster organization Magen David Adom has recorded at least 27 Israeli deaths at the hands of Palestinian attackers since mid September.


Trump leads the Texas senator by 19 points The real estate mogul leads the Republican primary with the support of 36% of Republicans Donald Trump continues to dominate the field in the latest national poll – and his attacks on Sen. Ted Cruz’s eligibility to be president seem to have some legs. A Monmouth University poll released Wednesday finds the real-estate mogul leading the Republican primary with 36% support among Republican voters, a 19-point edge over the Texas senator, who is second at 17%. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has 11%, and all other candidates are in single digits. The poll also asked voters if they believe Cruz, who was born in Canada to an American mother, is a natural-born citizen and thus eligible for the presidency. While two-thirds said he was, 12% said he was not and 24% weren’t sure. Monmouth asked the same of Trump for comparison, and found that 91% of Republicans said he’s a natural-born citizen, 2% said he’s not and 7% weren’t sure. President Barack Obama has also faced steady skepticism about his U.S. citizenship despite the fact that he was born in Hawaii. In a 2014 Fairleigh Dickinson University poll, 19% of Americans said Obama was definitely or probably not a legal U.S. citizen. For its poll, Monmouth surveyed 1,003 adults by telephone from January 15 to 18, including 385 Republican voters. The Republican sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. Polls have continually shown Trump leading the field since this summer, though Cruz has drawn neck-and-neck with the billionaire businessman in Iowa.


Bush is returning to the national stage in the role of an elder statesman Return comes as Trump's new administration is rocking Washington Ex-presidents tend to recede from public view, particularly when they leave office – as George W. Bush did – with a Gallup approval rating hovering around 30%. But Bush is returning to the national stage this week in the role of an elder statesman. He’s promoting his new book “Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors” in television appearances and spoke before a sold-out crowd Wednesday evening at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. George W. Bush discovers his ‘inner Rembrandt’ in homage to veterans His return to the political scene comes as President Donald Trump’s new administration is rocking Washington with upheaval and instability. At the Reagan Library event, Bush made clear he did not want to second-guess the current President and said his comments this week had been misconstrued as criticism. “I’m asked the question, ‘Do I believe in free press?’ And the answer is, absolutely I believe in free press,” Bush said. “So I answered that question, and of course the headlines were ‘Bush criticizes Trump.’ And so therefore, I needed to say there should be a free and independent press, but it ought to be accurate.” Related gallery Presidents of the United States Nevertheless, Bush’s presence underscores the contrast in tone between the two most recent Republican presidents and serves as a reminder of how the expectations surrounding presidential rhetoric and tone have changed over the years. Bush “was a president who after 9/11 talked about Islam as a religion of peace,” said Steve Schmidt, a Republican strategist and former Bush aide. “He talked about the act of illegal immigration – people who took great risk coming across the desert – as an act of love for their families.” “All presidents have been in difficult times and divisive fights, but there was a normalcy of behavior expected of the American head of state rhetorically,” Schmidt said. He cited the recent example of Trump blaming generals for the loss of Senior Chief Petty Officer William “Ryan” Owens during a covert mission in Yemen. (“They lost Ryan,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News that aired Tuesday). “That’s not how George W. Bush, or Barack Obama, or Bill Clinton, or George Herbert Walker Bush, or Ronald Reagan talked about the military,” Schmidt said. “He was a president who served in turbulent times and was controversial, but as is always the case – when a president has distance from their presidency, voters look at them and are much more likely to see their virtues than their flaws.” Trump tempered his tone – at least temporarily – with a strong performance at Tuesday’s joint address to Congress. The emotional high point of his speech came when he spoke directly to Owens’ wife, Carryn, who watched the speech from the first lady’s box. Related gallery President Trump's first address to Congress He also spoke in more measured terms about race and the need for the country to unify even as he maintained hardline positions on issues such as building a wall along the US border with Mexico and repealing and replacing Obamacare. On the news interview circuit this week, Bush has been peppered with questions about Trump’s controversial actions on immigration and his targeted travel ban (which was halted by the federal courts). Bush, whose brother Jeb was hazed by Trump during the Republican primaries, never warmed to Trump in the general election. In interviews this week, he has been careful to avoid personal criticism Trump, but made his displeasure clear about both the political climate and some of the President’s policies. “I don’t like the racism, and I don’t like the name-calling, and I don’t like the people feeling alienated,” Bush told People Magazine. “Nobody likes that.” Bush offers muted criticism of Trump, talks Russia, travel ban, free press Bush took issue with Trump’s characterization of the press as the enemy. “I considered the media to be indispensible to democracy, that we need an independent media to hold people like me to account,” Bush said on NBC’s “Today” earlier this week. “Power can be very addictive, and it can be corrosive, and it’s important for the media to call to account people who abuse their power, whether it be here or elsewhere.” During an interview with “Sunday Today” host Willie Geist, Bush also seemed to make the case for the so-called “Dreamers,” who were brought to America as young children, to stay in this country. “I think somebody who has vested time and effort and can make a contribution to our country will be a really good citizen,” the former President told Geist. “See in Texas, we grew up with a lot of people of Hispanic heritage and we’re used to the contributions they have made to our state and to our country.” At the same time, he acknowledged the political difficulty in finding compromise on changes to the immigration system. “I tried to reform it and one of my big regrets was that I couldn’t get Congress to respond,” he said. “And I think the plan I laid out ultimately would be the plan that would be accepted.”


Police: The explosives were in a pillow placed near a school wall It wasn't immediately clear who was behind the blast or if it was intentional Explosives stuffed inside a pillow went off outside a southern Afghanistan school on Saturday, killing three children and injuring six others, police said. The children were killed around 3 p.m. when the explosives – in a pillow placed near a school wall – went off as they were playing in Kandahar, said Ahmad Zia Durrani, a spokesman for police in southern Kandahar province. The incident happened at a madrasa, or Islamic school, that has dormitories where students sleep. It was not immediately clear who was behind the blast or if anyone intended for the explosives to go off near the schoolchildren. Still, such bloodshed is all too common in Afghanistan. The nation has seen sometimes sporadic, sometimes sustained violence for years. A U.S.-led invasion after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks helped push out the ruling Taliban, though it did not eliminate the group – which has claimed credit for numerous attacks, including a suicide bombing on Tuesday aimed at international forces in Kabul.


The “world’s strongest coffee” is now available in the US, but just one cup could spill you over the daily caffeine limit. “If you want to stand out, you need to be the ‘est’ – the biggest, smartest, strongest, or cheapest,” said Black Insomnia founder Sean Kristafor. “So when we wanted to compete in coffee, as a caffeine product, we had to be the strongest, but obviously, we don’t exceed the world guidelines.” As a coffee aficionado, Kristafor created the company after retiring from a corporate job. He found a top coffee roaster online and created Black Insomnia last June, first selling locally to cafes in Cape Town, South Africa. Retailing at $19 a pound, the company’s online business sold three tons more than the other local shops in August, he said. By October, they had customers in 22 countries. And by March, they were listed on Amazon in the US. Now, the company says it sells five to six tons of coffee a month. Related article Health effects of coffee: Where do we stand? With a sweet nutty taste, Black Insomnia’s strength comes from the type of bean, robusta, and the way they are roasted. To prove their “world’s strongest” title, Kristafor had his beans tested chemically against competitors. At 58.5 mg per fl. oz., Black Insomnia is more than twice as strong as Starbucks’ dark roast, at around 21.25 mg per fl. oz. This all depends on how you brew the coffee, of course. Kristafor said this level is well within limits for a shot, but one cup (12 oz.) could add up to 702 mg of caffeine. The FDA and the International Food Information Council recommend 400 mg of caffeine for daily consumption. “For the same amount of coffee, you will get double the amount of caffeine,” said Mary Sweeney, who researches the effects of caffeine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. “This makes it easier to consume more caffeine than you intend to and effects can range from mild to severe, for example, jitteriness, nervousness, restlessness and trouble sleeping. The most serious effect would be cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat).” Caffeine Informer, a consumer information site devoted to help people understand caffeine, lists Black Insomnia as one of the “Most Dangerous Caffeinated Products.” “While the amounts are still much higher than what we experts recommend as a safe daily amount (400 mg), this group of people has, over time, built up their caffeine tolerance and/or their livers process caffeine really well so it doesn’t affect them adversely,” said Ted Kallmyer, editor of Caffeine Informer. “However, the problem with these products is that they can inadvertently be consumed by people who are not in the targeted category.” Kallmyer calls Black Insomnia and its competitor, supposedly the second world’s strongest coffee Death Wish, “insanely strong coffees.” Death Wish said they were “not scared” about the competition from these “new kids on the block.” Caffeine Informer lists their coffee at 54.2 mg per fl. oz., but after this story was published Death Wish tweeted out that their coffee is 59.17, which makes them stronger than Black Insomnia. looks like incorrect information. Since 2015 our caff contents been higher. 200mg/100ML = 59.17mg/oz. See image. pic.twitter.com/3oWjfMbEgP Caiden Tuller, who works customer service at the New York-based company, said, “We’re the leader in the strong coffee category and are not letting up anytime soon. Our coffee is much different than the competition, due to the fact that our roast is USDA Certified Organic and Fair Trade Certified as well.” Both coffees are available for sale on Amazon, which could not be reached for comment. The commerce company sells a range of caffeinated products, including drinks, pills, eye creams, inhalers and shampoos. It requires products to follow US Food and Drug Administration regulations, which include accreditation of the roasting facility, packaging and labeling. But for items like coffee beans, the FDA counts caffeine not as a nutrient, but rather a natural chemical. If caffeine is added separately, then the inclusion is necessary on the food product label. See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter. “We are very aware of the limits and there are clear warnings on the labels,” said Kristafor of Black Insomnia. “On Caffeine Informer, they say that if you drink more than 20 cups of Black Insomnia, you win the Darwin Awards … an award for people who pass away for doing stupid things.”


Trump scored some hits against Clinton but overshadowed that by refusing to say he would accept the results of the election CNN/ORC poll on the debate: 52% said Clinton won to 39% for Trump In the last third of the final debate, Donald Trump fell apart. He’d gotten in some hits on Hillary Clinton and was well on his way to turning in his best performance of the three presidential debates. Then, he refused to say he’d accept the election’s results. And he called Clinton “such a nasty woman.” Any gains Trump had made were undone, and he blew his last big, nationally televised chance to broaden his base – making a case to women, moderates and disaffected Republicans whose rejection has left him far behind in the national polls. Here are CNN’s takeaways from the final debate of the 2016 presidential race: Related article The final debate: CNN's Reality Check Team vets the claims The integrity of the vote is the very foundation of American democracy – and on Wednesday night, Trump was toying with it. Asked by moderator Chris Wallace whether he’d accept the election’s results, he said: “I will look at it at the time.” The answer was stunning – and immediately became the one that would dominate all post-debate coverage. Trump repeatedly used the word “rigged” – bemoaning media bias, inaccurate voter rolls and the FBI’s decision not to charge Clinton over her use of a private email server. Pressed again on whether he’d accept the election’s outcome, Trump revealed his motivations. “I will keep you in suspense,” he said. “That’s horrifying,” Clinton shot back. It was the biggest moment of the night – and perhaps of all three debates. By entertaining the idea that he’d refuse to concede the election if he loses, Trump guaranteed the topic would dominate in the precious few days he has left to catch Clinton. Trump has put every other Republican on the ballot this November in yet another tough spot. This time, less than three weeks from the election, they’ll be forced to decide between defending Trump and defending the integrity of the democratic process. They’ll have to explain why Trump went somewhere even his running mate wouldn’t go. Mike Pence told CNN’s Dana Bash just an hour before the debate started: “I’ve said before that we’ll certainly accept the outcome of this election.” Afterwards, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said Trump would accept the elections results “because he will win,” then left an interview when Bash continued to question Trump’s statement. Trump’s comments drew immediate rebukes from Republicans who have already rejected him. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said Trump is “doing the party and the country a great disservice.” Even conservative talk radio host Laura Ingraham, a reliably pro-Trump voice, wasn’t having it. “He should have said he would accept the results of the election. There is no other option unless we’re in a recount again,” she tweeted. Given Trump’s propensity to fight with his fellow Republicans like House Speaker Paul Ryan, he may not care that conservatives are unhappy. But he needs Republicans to turn out on November 8 if he’s going to win — and his party needs those same voters to keep control of Congress. Trump’s biggest political challenge is his huge disadvantage with women. But you wouldn’t have known it when – with minutes left in the debate – he interrupted Clinton, leaning into the mic and saying: “Such a nasty woman.” It was the culmination of a night of interruptions and asides that could alienate the very voters Trump needs most. “Wrong,” he said over and over. “You can’t,” he said as Clinton described a plan. When Clinton attempted to interject during one of his answers, Trump held up his hand. “Excuse me – my turn,” he said. Meanwhile, his insistence that the multiple women who have come forward accusing him of sexual assault since the second presidential debate left Clinton an opening to point out that his defense, used repeatedly at rallies, has been to suggest the women weren’t attractive enough. “Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger. He goes after their dignity, their self-worth, and I don’t think there is a woman anywhere who doesn’t know what that feels like,” she said. When Trump answered that “nobody has more respect for women than I do,” moderator Wallace had to admonish the crowd, which had started laughing. Early on, the debate resembled the policy battle you might hear in any other election — a surprising departure for the 2016 campaign. The two jousted over the types of justices they’d nominate for the Supreme Court. Trump defended gun rights; Clinton advocated for abortion rights. Related article Trump campaign manager walks away from Dana Bash mid-interview Trump landed some clean shots at Clinton, mocking her for turning a question about what a WikiLeaks hack revealed she’d said in a paid speech into “a great pivot off the fact that she wants open borders.” But Clinton poked and prodded Trump – and once again, it worked. Over Trump’s decision not to raise his proposed border wall in a meeting with Mexico’s president, Clinton said “he choked and then got into a Twitter war.” When Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin would rather deal with him than Clinton, she said: “Well that’s because he’d rather have a puppet as president of the United States.” It was the beginning of Trump’s slide. Soon, he made a big mistake – telling Clinton she’s “been in a position to help” solve problems for 30 years. “The problem is, you talk, but you don’t get anything done, Hillary. You don’t,” he said. That teed up Clinton for a memorable answer. “You know, back in the 1970s, I worked for the Children’s Defense Fund, and I was taking on discrimination against African-American kids in schools. He was getting sued by the Justice Department for racial discrimination in his apartment buildings,” she said. Related article Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton III: The most memorable lines “In the 1980s, I was working to reform the schools in Arkansas. He was borrowing $14 million from his father to start his businesses. In the 1990s, I went to Beijing and I said women’s rights are human rights. He insulted a former Miss Universe, Alicia Machado, called her an eating machine,” Clinton said. “And on the day when I was in the Situation Room, monitoring the raid that brought Osama bin Laden to justice, he was hosting the ‘Celebrity Apprentice.’” The results: A CNN/ORC instant poll found 52% of debate watchers viewed Clinton as the winner compared to 39% who felt the same about Trump. Voters’ lack of faith in Trump’s temperament and leadership capacity, polls show, are among his biggest political liabilities. On Wednesday he offered a glimpse at how he measures effective leaders. Trump praised Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad – who has used chemical weapons – as better than American leaders. “He’s just much tougher and much smarter than her and Obama,” he said. He also continued to refuse to distance himself from Russian President Vladimir Putin – or acknowledge that intelligence officials have said Russia is responsible for hacks into Democratic operatives’ email accounts. “This is not my best friend,” Trump said. “But if the United States got along with Russia, wouldn’t be so bad.” It was a window into Trump’s thinking: Strength – almost to the exclusion of all else – is paramount, all challenges must be met and no slight can go without rebuttal. It was the same thinking that led Trump to air his personal grievance with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the opening minutes of the debate – and to weigh in when Clinton mocked him for complaining that when “The Apprentice” didn’t win awards, Trump “started tweeting that the Emmys were rigged against him.” “Should have gotten it,” Trump said.


Jordan reinforcing borders over concerns ISIS fighters from Iraq, Syria may move towards the country Nearly half of all armed forces now deployed to border regions, officials say A little over an hour’s drive from the Jordanian capital Amman, lies one of the most breathtaking and seemingly tranquil scenes in the country. But the lush mountainous terrain around al-Wahda dam near the Syrian border, is far from peaceful. Jordanian border guard are on a constant state of alert here. Their weapons pointed towards Syria’s green hills on the other side of Yarmouk river. Some of the villages across the river live under the control of an ISIS affiliate, the Khaled bin al-Waleed Brigade. The group has mostly been battling Free Syrian Army rebels but it has also tried to target Jordan, according to officials. And as the US-led coalition forces step up their campaign on ISIS in Iraq’s Mosul and Syria’s Raqqa, Jordanian officials are warning that pressure on jihadists in these two countries may push them closer to Jordan’s doorstep. Jordan is a key US ally in the region; its security forces and air force have been among the most active members of the global coalition in the fight against the terror group. As ISIS may now be turning its attention to the Kingdom, Jordan is stepping up its efforts to secure its borders. Related article Why Jordan, 'Kingdom of Peace,' is no longer immune from attack “We reinforced our borders especially in the northern part and eastern part,” Brig. Gen. Sami Kafawin, commander of Jordan’s border guard force, told CNN. “We (are) reinforced by manpower, equipment (and) the whole weapons system. We need to make a balance between the security and the fighting, if it happens.” Nearly half of all armed forces are now deployed to the border regions, Jordanian military officials say. Last June, a suicide attack on the northeastern border left at least seven security forces dead. It was the first attack of its kind targeting Jordan’s borders, then-deputy prime minister, Nasser Judeh told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer at the time. Commanders stationed at the northern border told CNN their troops foil near daily smuggling or infiltration attempts and are always prepared for possible militant attacks. According to Kafawin, Jordan is readying for all kinds of threat scenarios because they know the group is going to try and expand its reach beyond Iraq and Syria and may divert resources to do so. And the newly appointed commander does not rule out the Kingdom requesting support from the US-led coalition in securing its borders. “I think the coalition is ready to support because we are not talking about Jordanian border – we are talking about the region which is part of the global coalition,” he said.


Editor’s Note: Now you can get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here. A shocking day in court. A mind-blowing discovery in space. It’s Thursday, and here are the 5 things you need to know to  Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. Emotions ran high in court as convicted Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof spoke for the first time to the jury that will decide whether he lives or dies. Roof, who is representing himself during the penalty phase, said there’s nothing wrong with him psychologically. That was just too much for three people sitting in the section of the courtroom reserved for family and friends of the victims. They walked out as he spoke, with one man declaring, “this is all crap.” Prosecutors dropped a bombshell of their own – Roof’s jailhouse diary. In it Roof said he wasn’t sorry for what he’d done. “I do not regret what I did. I am not sorry. I have not shed a tear for the innocent people I killed.” The President-elect may be looking to weaken the power of the Director of National Intelligence. This office was put together after 9/11 to coordinate intelligence between the various agencies. But Team Trump thinks that it’s become an unnecessary level of bureaucracy that gets in the way of the president and the 16 agencies it represents. Trump’s been really critical of the intelligence community lately, especially their claim that Russia hacked into the 2016 elections. How can people be so cruel? That’s just one of the questions that pop up as you watch a video, put on Facebook Live, of a group of black teens in Chicago brutalizing an 18-year-old white man with special needs. He’s tied up in a corner with his mouth covered as they beat him, taunt him and hurl racial slurs at him. They mix in Donald Trump’s name amid the insults. Which leads to another question. How is this not a hate crime? Police say they’re checking out that angle. The teens have been arrested. The signs of violence are everywhere. Bullet holes in chairs. A blood-soaked wall. Women’s shoes all over the floor. CNN gained access to Reina, the club attacked by a terrorist gunman during New Year’s celebrations. Thirty-nine people were killed there in seven horrifying minutes. Lots of personal items, like purses, still remain in the upscale club and will probably never be retrieved because their owners didn’t make it out alive. Reina’s owner said he’s not sure if he’ll ever reopen. An incredibly rare Hoag-type galaxy has been found 359 million light-years from Earth. These type of galaxies usually have a single circular ring of stars surrounding a round core. They make up less than 0.1% of galaxies that we can observe. This one’s even more rare because it has two rings. So what does it all mean? We’re left with another mystery. Most galaxy rings aren’t symmetrical because of the effects of gravity from other galaxies. But this Hoag-type galaxy’s round core and ring defy that, and scientists don’t know why. People are talking about these. Read up. Join in. Packing heat They say don’t mess with Texas. Guess the same goes for Texas grandmothers too, like the pistol-packing grandma who faced off with an armed intruder. Moving on We’re sure many parts of New Jersey are just wonderful, but that’s not enough for some of its residents. Jersey’s the most moved-from state in the US. Dude, where’s my car? A driver leaving a rock concert couldn’t remember where he parked a BMW. Police finally found it – six months later. Paper thin Get ready to toss out that Ultra 4K TV you just bought. The next big thing is a $10,000 screen that’s as thin as wallpaper. 10,000 The number of jobs that will be lost when Macy’s closes 68 stores later this year. A little blush goes a long way Need some makeup advice? There’s no one more qualified to give tips on that than a 2-year-old girl. (Click to view)


He switched languages 27 minutes into his announcement speech. “Ayúdennos en tener una campaña que les da la bienvenida–Help us to have a campaign that welcomes you,” Jeb Bush said to a crowd of supporters Monday.  “Work with us for the values we share and for a great future that is ours to build for our children.” For a man who started learning Spanish as a teenager, married a Mexican woman, lived three years in Venezuela and was the governor of Florida for eight years, switching languages wasn’t that difficult … it was expected by the roughly 3,000 supporters, many of them Hispanics, who gathered at the Miami-Dade College’s Kendall campus to hear him say he’s running for president. The 62-year-old Republican has been married for more than four decades to Columba, who was born and raised in Mexico. It all started when, as a teenager, he spent several months in her country of birth. At the age of 17, Jeb Bush taught English in a small village outside the Mexican city of Leon (Guanajuato state), Mexico as part of a student exchange program. It was during the same trip that he met Columba Garnica de Gallo, the woman who would become his wife. They speak Spanish to one another and she speaks Spanish to their children at home.  In 1996 he converted to her religion: Catholicism. Speaking at the Universidad Metropolitana de Puerto Rico in late April, Bush said can relate to immigrants. “Trust me,” he said.  “I know the power of the immigrant experience because I live it each and every day. I know the immigrant experience because I married a beautiful girl from Mexico. My children are bicultural and bilingual.” At a spring public event in Des Moines, Iowa; Jeb Bush, gave his listeners a glimpse into how he has embraced Hispanic culture. The Republican presidential candidate was talking about labeling of imported produce, but his answer gave people attending the Iowa Agricultural Summit on March 7 a good idea about where he stands when it comes to food. “When I go to Publix [supermarket] in Coral Gables, which I’ll do tomorrow morning, after church, to go prepare for a Sunday fun day in my house,” Bush said, “I’ll probably make a really good guacamole, and I want to know where that avocado is from. I want to know where the onions are from and the cilantro.” In college, Bush earned a B.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas.  After college, he spent three years in Venezuela working for the Texas Commerce Bank, where he significantly improved his Spanish and gained knowledge of the culture. He’s lived in Florida since 1980, a state that has the third largest population of Hispanics in the United States after California and Texas. SEE WHICH STATES HAVE THE LARGEST LATINO POPULATIONS While serving two terms as governor in the Sunshine State, Jeb Bush never had a problem communicating with voters and Hispanic media in Spanish, a skill that helped him connect with constituencies. More recently, Jeb Bush recorded an ad in Spanish endorsing former Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) in his successful bid to the U.S. Senate. More than 25 million Latinos are currently eligible to vote in the United States and their role will be crucial in the 2016 presidential election.  For the 2012 presidential election, 17 percent of all Hispanic eligible voters lived in battleground states like Colorado, Florida, Iowa and Nevada, according to the Pew Research Center. While Jeb’s brother George W. Bush had made inroads with Hispanic voters and cut into the Democratic advantage with them, Barack Obama drew them back toward Democrats. He won more than 70 percent of Hispanic voters in 2012. A winning Republican will likely have to bring more Hispanics back to the GOP. Last month, Bush’s Political Action Committee Right to Rise published a YouTube video on the occasion of Fifth of May, a day in which Mexicans celebrate a victory over the French army. “Here in the U.S., Cinco de Mayo has become a day where we celebrate our ties with Mexico and the great contributions of the Mexican-American community in the U.S.  In my case, this relationship is very profound. My wife Columba was born in Mexico, my family has always had strong ties with Mexico and I have great respect and affection for our neighboring country,” Bush said in the video. In fact, Bush is the only non-Hispanic in the crowded field of GOP candidates aiming for the White House with a wide support among the Hispanic electorate. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, a 44 year-old Floridian, was born in Miami to Cuban immigrants.  He frequently takes advantage of his fluent command of Spanish while campaigning. Ted Cruz, another junior senator, was born in Canada to an American mother and a Cuban father who raised him in Texas. He’s said in the past his Spanish is “lousy” and has alienated some Latino voters for his hard stance on immigration. Rubio has previously supported a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers. Bush has not. But he has shown a more moderate side than most other Republican candidates on how to approach the United States immigration problems. In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Bush said he favors “a strategic approach,” meaning he would favor giving visas for highly-skilled foreigners. He also called immigration a “gateway issue” and stopped short of criticizing fellow Republicans for calling for mass deportations and saying no to legislation to address the issue of what to do with the eleven million undocumented immigrants already in the United States. “If you keep being against things, particularly something that has… we have emotional connectivity as immigration is for a lot of emerging voting groups, you’re not going to even make your case,” Bush told Tapper. But Matt A. Barreto, co-founder of polling and research firm Latino Decisions, and professor of political science and Chicano studies at UCLA, says it would be a mistake for Jeb Bush to take the Latino vote for granted. “Latino voters have proven more than willing to reject even actual Latinos as candidates when their policy positions are in contrast to the community preferences.  Bush’s marriage and linguistic skills, while symbolically important, would founder if his issue positions are in contrast to the average Latino voter,” Barreto said. Barreto says, when you look at the record, Jeb Bush has been “all over the map” on the issue of immigration. “When he was not a candidate he was much stronger on immigration reform.  On his book he said that he would never support a path towards citizenship, which it’s a step too far.  Later he came out on a Sunday morning show softening his position, but saying he doesn’t support amnesty.  He’s going to have to clarify his position if he truly wants to attract the Latino vote,” Barreto said. Bush didn’t intend to speak about immigration Monday, but he was forced by hecklers to briefly depart from his prepared remarks to address the issue. “The next president will pass meaningful immigration reform so that will be resolved – not by executive order,” the former Florida governor said. A description of Jeb Bush’s three children by his father as “the little brown ones” proved an embarrassment in 1988 when then-Vice President George H.W. Bush was  running for president. Jeb’s His sons, have followed in their father’s footsteps and may prove invaluable to their father’s bid to the White House.  Jeb Bush Junior, 31, has been called “ambassador to millennials,” helping his father raise fund for the GOP.  His brother George P., 39, the eldest sibling, was elected Texas land commissioner and spoke at the Republican National Convention, introducing George W. Bush in 2000 . In April, Bush turned around a potentially embarrassing incident with the help of his son Jeb.  The New York Times had just unearthed a 2009 voter registration form on which he had listed his ethnicity as “Hispanic.” “My mistake! Don’t think I’ve fooled anyone!” Bush tweeted the following morning. He was responding to his son, Jeb Bush, Jr., who tweeted out a link to the New York Times post and said “LOL – come on dad, think you checked the wrong box #HonoraryLatino.”


House Democrats sounded the alarm Tuesday about their Republican counterparts planning to interview a “confidential informant” for the Uranium One probe. A letter from Reps. Elijah Cummings and Adam Schiff, the top Democrats on the House Oversight and Intelligence committees, respectively, to the GOP chairmen of those committees said Republicans have been in contact with the informant for months without allowing Democrats access. The Democratic pair further said the Justice Department has already expressed to members of the committees that they had “serious credibility concerns” with the informant, and the two requested Democrats receive a transcript of the expected interview this week. The letter said Republican staff had informed them there was no full transcription planned for the interview. House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes and Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy began the investigation last October into an Obama-era Uranium Deal that some have sought to link to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Shortly after the announcement of the investigation, the Justice Department gave a former FBI informant approval to testify for those committee investigations. In his response to the letter, Gowdy said the interview would take place Wednesday and was arranged by Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley’s staff. Gowdy said in his letter to Cummings that “legitimate questions” surrounding Uranium One have materialized, that Democrats have had equal access documents and briefings and that the “committees have not ruled out the prospect of transcribed interviews in this investigation.” CNN has reached out to Nunes’ office for response to the letter and has not yet received a response. A letter from the Justice Department to the House Judiciary Committee last November said the department, in response to Republican lawmakers’ calls for a special counsel, would evaluate whether a special counsel is merited into Clinton Foundation ties to the Uranium One deal and other matters. On the campaign trail and since taking office, President Donald Trump has tried to link the Clinton Foundation to the sale of a Canadian uranium company to Russia, a sale that was approved by a slew of US government departments, including the State Department then-led by Clinton. CNN’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.

House Republicans' handling of the Uranium One probe


At one point, former Sen. Joe Lieberman was considered a leading candidate Trump has since decided he wants to see a broader range of candidates for the job The team tasked by the White House with finding a new director for the FBI is resetting its search, a senior administration official told CNN, after a wide range of dissatisfaction with talk of Sen. Joe Lieberman as a possible nominee. President Donald Trump said last week that he was “very close” to choosing a new FBI director to replace James Comey, who was leading the investigation into possible Trump campaign ties to Russia and was fired earlier this month. The circumstances surrounding the firing have attracted broad attention, with senators calling for an unimpeachable, nonpartisan appointment to the position designed to be a 10-year term. At one point, Lieberman, the former Democratic senator and vice presidential nominee, was considered a leading candidate. But Trump has since decided he wants to see a broader range of candidates for the job, the official said. The White House was not realistic in thinking it could finish the selection process before Trump left on his multi-country trip, a Justice Department source said. President Barack Obama kept Robert Mueller in the job for two additional years before settling on Comey, the source noted. Another source familiar with the selection process said FBI officials who were concerned about the quick pace are encouraged by the reset and hope it means there won’t be a rush to make the final appointment. That person, the source said, should be someone who knows the inner-workings of either the Justice Department or the FBI and also has the energy and vitality to handle the demands of the job for what is supposed to be a 10-year term. That person, critics said, was not going to be Lieberman. Related article Bill Clinton lawyer: My best advice for Trump Concerns about the former Democratic senator and vice presidential nominee – shared with the White House – centered on the fact that without experience as a federal prosecutor or an FBI agent that Lieberman “simply does not have the right experience to lead the FBI.” “People inside the FBI, along with former FBI officials, believe Lieberman simply was not the right choice,” the source said. A source informed on White House discussions said that Lieberman was someone who intrigued Trump but others inside the White House were not supportive of the choice. Lieberman is partners at the same law firm as Marc Kasowitz, whom Trump is expected to hire as part of a team on matters related to the inquiry into his campaign’s alleged ties to Russia. The official said Kasowitz’s hiring hasn’t affected the FBI director search. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been interviewing candidates for the job, including acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, former congressman and FBI special agent Mike Rogers, and Fran Townsend, former Homeland Security adviser to President George W. Bush. Related article Paul Ryan: James Comey is not a nut job Trump has read reports and recommendations from the interviews and met with a few leading candidates himself, a senior White House official has told CNN. There is no set number of finalists that the President has pledged to interview personally. Several candidates – including former Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher, Associate Judge Michael Garcia of the New York Court of Appeals, career FBI official Richard McFeely, Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn and South Carolina Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy – have removed themselves from consideration. CNN’s Laura Jarrett contributed to this report.


Just before jetting off to Davos, President Donald Trump stopped by a sit-down that chief of staff John Kelly was having with reporters – and immediately started talking. It was classic Trump who, despite all of his rhetorical emphasis on “fake news,” is an avid consumer of the news and relishes the back-and-forth banter with reporters. Trump, as he does, touched on a wide variety of subjects – from Kelly to the special counsel investigation to FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe. And more! I scoured the transcript and flagged a handful of the most notable lines from the President. They’re below. 1. “How’s he doing, OK? I think by the way he’s doing great.” Trump wanders into a meeting between his chief of staff and a bunch of reporters. First question: You guys like this guy? So, so Trump-y. 2. “Fake news yesterday, or two days ago. I rarely put out a tweet, praising somebody, but only when they get a false story.” Trump is referring to a Vanity Fair piece published Monday that alleged Kelly and the President were on the outs. Also, Trump “rarely” puts out a tweet “praising somebody.” Same, honestly. 3.  “I don’t even know if he saw that stuff, but I put it out.” If a tweet falls in the forest… 4. “Nice to see you all. The economy is doing very well.” Non sequitur, Donald Trump. President Trump, non sequitur. 5.  “I’m going to Davos to get them to bring back a lot of money.” Wait. They give away money at Davos? So that’s why people love it so much! 6. “Thank you for some of the nice things you’ve said over the recent past.” I’m not sure which reporter Trump is referring to but it doesn’t matter. The point here is a) he is hyper-aware of media coverage of him and b) his feelings about reporters are entirely tied to whether or not they have written nice things about him of late. 7. “We’re going to get the wall, we’re going to get great border security.” Well, I’m convinced! 8. “Over a period of 10-12 years, somebody does a great job, they’ve worked hard, it gives incentive to do a great job.” BIG news here. Trump is saying that Dreamers will have a path to citizenship after “10-12 years.” People like Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, and Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, seized on this comment as a sign Trump is committed to finding a workable solution on the immigration issue. But, if past is prologue, Trump could well say something totally different within a day or two. 9. “If they do a great job, I think it’s a nice thing to have the incentive of, after a period of years, being able to become a citizen.” While floating a path to citizenship is obviously a big deal, notice the fuzziness built into Trump’s answer. How is the judgment of “do a great job” made? And by whom? 10. “Yeah, I might do that. I might do that.” This is Trump responding to a question on whether he might extend the DACA deadline if Congress can’t reach a deal on the program by March. Classic cliffhanger for the reality TV star. Stay tuned for next week’s episode! 11. “But chain, where we get the lottery system is a broken system, they put people in a lottery.” I mean, your guess is as good as mine. 12. “They’re not putting their finest in that system, you would not be in that system.” “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you.” – Donald Trump, June 16, 2015. 13. “Well it has to go in a very strong form, absolutely, and I think even the Democrats know that the lottery system is not good, it’s a bad, it’s a bad system.” Lottery system: Not good. Bad. Got it? 14. “We want to have a good strong family and we’re going to treat people very well.” This seems sensible. 15. “When you have a mountain, you don’t build a wall, OK?” I think Socrates first said that. 16. “When you have a river that is un-crossable, that you cannot cross, you don’t build a wall, OK?” “We’d go down to the river/And into the river we’d dive/Oh down to the river we’d ride” – The Boss 17. “So I think we’re gonna be very successful, but no, Schumer – well, I can tell you this: if you don’t have a wall, you don’t have DACA.” So, here we are. Earlier this week Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, took wall funding off the table as part of a DACA deal. And now Trump says that without wall funding, there is no DACA. This is fine. 18. “I like him! I like him! I grew up with Schumer.” “Cryin’ Chuck Schumer fully understands, especially after his humiliating defeat, that if there is no Wall, there is no DACA. We must have safety and security, together with a strong Military, for our great people!” – Donald Trump, Tuesday night 19. “Tell them not to be concerned, OK? Tell them not to worry about it, we’re gonna solve the problem.” Relax, Dreamers. Just chill. The Donald’s got this. 20. “But we’re saving hundreds of millions of dollars, hundreds of billions of dollars, by building that wall.” Um, is it millions or billions? Because, well, there’s a big difference. 21. “In the initial, we’re putting chain, a negotiated chain, we’re putting a replacement for lottery or an end to lottery, and it could be a replacement, we bring people in from various countries, that come in based on merit and various other reasons, and we are going to build a wall.” This is one sentence. It is 51 words long. 22. “There has been no collusion whatsoever. There’s no obstruction whatsoever.” No collusion! No obstruction! No surrender! 23. “I would love to do it. You know, again, I have to say, subject to my lawyers and all of that, but I would love to do it.” This is Trump on talking to special counsel Robert Mueller. My guess is his lawyers were, um, not happy that Trump said this without checking with them. 24. “I think you have an idea. Do you not have an idea? Do you REALLY not have an idea? I’ll give you an idea: she didn’t do it under oath. But I would do it under oath.” Trump is referring here to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 interview with the FBI during the organization’s investigation into her use of a private email server. Clinton was not put under oath and there was no transcript of her interview created, according to then-FBI Director James Comey. 25.  “If you didn’t know about Hillary, then you’re not much of a reporter.” Boom. Roasted. 26. “I mean, I am very disturbed, as is the general, as is everybody else that is intelligent.” Trump’s response to whether or not he trusts the FBI is stunning. He is the President! This is the FBI! 27. “When you look at five months, this is the late great Rose Mary Woods, right? A step. This is a large scale version.” To be clear what Trump is doing here: He is equating the fact that the FBI is missing texts for a 5-month period from December 2016 to May 2017 with the allegedly accidental erasing of more than 18 minutes of White House recordings – just days after the Watergate break-in – by Nixon secretary Rose Mary Woods. Also, we learned Wednesday that it’s not just texts from two FBI officials who expressed anti-Trump sentiments that were lost. It was the text messages from one in every 10 FBI phones. So… 28. “Well McCabe got more than $500,000 from essentially Hillary Clinton, and is he investigating Hillary Clinton?” Nope! McCabe’s wife, when she was a candidate for state Senate in 2015, got a $467,000 contribution from a super PAC associated with then-Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. Yes, McAuliffe is a longtime friend of the Clintons. But he is not, in fact, Hillary Clinton. 29. “Now Terry is Hillary.” Who wants to tell him? 30. “I don’t think so. No. I don’t think so.” Trump is responding here to a report in The Washington Post that he asked then-acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe who he voted for during a meeting shortly after Trump fired Comey. You don’t have to be a word sleuth to realize that Trump isn’t exactly denying it. 31. “I don’t know what’s the big deal with that, because I would ask you who you voted for, who did you vote for?” “How about this weather, huh?” “Yes, it’s beautiful.” “How are the kids?” “Crazy, like always.” “So, did you vote for me in the election, or no?” 32. “I only repeat, I only repeat for the purposes of making sure you understand.” Same. 33. “No collusion. There’s no collusion.” None. Zero. Zippy. Nada. Zilch. 34. “There’s no collusion.” This is not the same quote. He just said it again. Like 10 words after he said it the last time. 35. “I was one of the greatest candidates.” This feels like a good place to end.


US attorney: This is "a fleecing and betrayal of the United States" Thirteen individuals accused in the scandal have pleaded guilty A grand jury has returned a sweeping indictment against nine active and retired US Navy members, including a rear admiral and a retired Marine colonel, in the so-called “Fat Leonard” bribery scandal. Retired Rear Adm. Bruce Loveless and eight other high-ranking Navy officers are charged with accepting luxury travel, elaborate dinners and the services of prostitutes from foreign defense contractor Leonard Francis. They did so in exchange for classified and internal US Navy information, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. “This is a fleecing and betrayal of the United States Navy in epic proportions, and it was allegedly carried out by the Navy’s highest-ranking officers,” said Acting US Attorney  Alana Robinson in a statement. Loveless, who was a Navy captain during the time of the alleged activity, and eight others were arrested on various charges. They include bribery, conspiracy to commit bribery, honest services fraud, obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal investigators when confronted about their alleged actions. Twenty-five individuals – including 20 current or former Navy personnel – have been charged in connection with the bribery scandal since it began to unfold in 2013. Thirteen individuals already have pleaded guilty and several other cases are pending. The cases revolve around bribes allegedly paid by Leonard Glenn Francis, known as “Fat Leonard,” who ran Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia. The recently unsealed indictment includes several allegations, including references to a 2007 party in the MacArthur Suite of a Manila hotel during a USS Blue Ridge port visit. According to the indictment, the party was attended by a number of Navy members and prostitutes. “During the party, historical memorabilia related to Gen. Douglas MacArthur were used by the participants in sexual acts,” the indictment states. The indictment also claims that Francis picked up a $50,000 bill for hotel expenses for a number of the defendants staying at Singapore’s Shangri-La Hotel in February 2007. “The allegations contained in today’s indictment expose flagrant corruption among several senior officers previously assigned to the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet,” said Defense Criminal Investigative Service Director Dermot O’Reilly. “The charges and subsequent arrests are yet another unfortunate example of those who place their own greed above their responsibility to serve this nation with honor,” he said. CORRECTION: This story has been updated to properly reflect that the indictment was recently unsealed.


ISIS makes money by looting and selling antiquities, stealing from banks, extorting locals It is believed to make between $1 million and $2 million a day in oil revenue, experts say The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has crude, stomach-turning tactics when it comes to dealing with its enemy, but experts say that its moneymaking methods are highly sophisticated, especially for such a new terror group. Here’s a look at how ISIS has made (and taken) millions: ISIS makes between $1 million and $2 million each day from oil sales, numerous sources tell CNN. The oil comes mostly from refineries and wells that ISIS controls in northern Iraq and northern Syria. The militants smuggle oil into southern Turkey, for example, and sell it to people who desperately need it just to carry on some semblance of everyday life. The United States-led coalition fighting ISIS has repeatedly targeted ISIS oil assets in an effort to, in part, damage this arm of the group’s financial system. ISIS is estimated to produce about 44,000 barrels a day in Syria and 4,000 barrels a day in Iraq, according to Foreign Policy. A Kurdish newspaper has published the names of people involved with ISIS and its oil enterprise, the magazine reported. Some on the list were associated with oil smuggling under former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Foreign Policy said,  as were those associated with a Toyota branch in Irbil that sells ISIS trucks. Through its oil operations, ISIS appears to be trying to establish a self-sufficient state in the “Sunni triangle” in west and north Iraq, said Luay al-Khatteeb, founder and director of the Iraq Energy Institute. Today, ISIS controls approximately 6 million people in Iraq and Syria, he said, and “that is a lot of people who need fuel.” In 2012, the U.S. Treasury Department estimated that al Qaeda and its affiliates had accumulated  $120 million from ransoms over the previous eight years. ISIS was once aligned with al Qaeda. The two groups are thought to operate separately but share similarities. A 2014 New York Times investigation found that since 2008, al Qaeda and its affiliates had received $125 million from ransoms, including $66 million in 2013. A Swedish company reportedly paid $70,000 to save an employee whom ISIS abducted. Though officials publicly deny paying ransoms, the French purportedly have a policy of negotiating with militant groups to free its citizens. ISIS kidnapped Nicolas Henin, Pierre Torres, Edouard Elias and Didier François, in 2013 in Syria. They were released in April 2014, CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen said in a report that asked whether paying ransoms is a wise strategy. The United States has a policy of not doing that, and the recent executions of U.S. and other Western ISIS hostages have sparked debate over whether that should change. ISIS demanded hundreds of millions of dollars for American journalist James Foley, said Philip Balboni, the CEO of GlobalPost, the outlet for which Foley freelanced. ISIS beheaded Foley and released a video of the slaying. The terrorists also told the Japanese government to pay a $200 million ransom to free two Japanese citizens. Japan did not negotiate, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said. ISIS slaughtered the men. ISIS allows locals to dig at ancient sites as long as those people give ISIS a percentage of the monetary value of anything found, according to a September 2014 New York Times opinion piece written by three people who had recently returned from southern Turkey and interviewed people who live and work in ISIS-controlled territory. ISIS’ system of profiteering from antiquities thieving is very complicated, the three said, adding that for some areas along the Euphrates River, ISIS leaders encourage semiprofessional field crews to dig. “ISIS has caused irreparable damage to Syria’s cultural heritage,” the writers said, and it’s crucial that the digging and smuggling of antiquities be stopped because Syria’s history is essentially part of its identity. Leaving some of the targeted heritage intact, they said, “will be critical in helping the people of Syria reconnect with the symbols that unite them across religious and political lines.” CNN has extensively reported on ISIS’ destruction of some ancient and deeply meaningful sites in Iraq. Officials in Iraq have said ISIS has blown up shrines such as the tomb of Jonah. Qais Hussain Rashid, director general of Iraqi museums, told CNN that ISIS militants “cut these reliefs and sell them to criminals and antique dealers.” He gestured to an  ornate carving that’s thousands of years old. “Usually they cut off the head, leaving the legs, because the head is the valuable part.” As if pillaging weren’t enough, ISIS simply damages fragile historical sites as if they were empty storefronts for the taking. Rashid said that ISIS has used the ancient ruined city of Hatra, or al-Hadr in Arabic, which dates back to the third century B.C., as a training ground, weapons depot and a place to murder prisoners. In 2014, ISIS gained control of large swaths of Iraq and Syria and set out to create civil and administrative entities as if it were a legitimate state. That is, after all, what the militants have claimed to be after – a caliphate, or an Islamic state led by one person, a successor to the Prophet Mohammed. States demand taxes. In ISIS-controlled areas, to get anything done – or to survive – the people pay a fee to the terror group. Businesses are taxed if they want to have essential things like electricity and security, experts say. Drivers who want to move through a checkpoint must hand over cash. When it’s used more and more, extortion can seem to a terrified and traumatized populace as a normal tax system, Joseph Thorndike, the director of Tax Analysts’ Tax History Project, wrote in Forbes. Sometimes there’s no pretense such as “taxing.” ISIS has stolen money, too. In June 2014, the group raided several banks in Mosul and stole an estimated $500 million, though the full amount is unconfirmed, according to global intelligence firm Stratfor. In Syria, ISIS has seized control of oil facilities, taking over from rebel group al-Nusra, which didn’t fight back. The Iraqi ambassador to the United Nations caused a sensation this week when he said that bodies have been found mutilated, and openings have been carved out of the backs of the corpses. To Mohamed Alhakim, that indicated “some parts are missing.” He said it’s possible that ISIS is harvesting and trafficking the organs of dead civilians. There is tremendous skepticism about that, particularly considering how hard it would be to preserve organs in crude and unsanitary war environments. Mark Lyall Grant, Britain’s ambassador to the U.N., said there was no proof or evidence to support Alhakim’s assertion. Mouaz Moustafa, the executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force in Washington, told CNN that Raqqa, ISIS’ de facto Syrian capital, is a kind of breadbasket. “They’ve got the cotton and the wheat.” he said. The United States has targeted grain silos that ISIS controls. Last year, ISIS announced that its “Treasury Department” would start minting its own gold, silver and copper coins for its “Official Islamic State Financial System.” It’s not clear if this has any value. The move is “purely dedicated to God,” ISIS declared, and will remove Muslims from the “global economic system that is based on satanic usury.” Everything to know about ISIS Scott Bronstein and Drew Griffin contributed to this report.


Amnesty: More than 80 Rohingya sites set ablaze in orchestrated campaign Up to 400,000 Rohingya have reportedly fled to Bangladesh to escape violence A day after Amnesty International accused Myanmar’s military of deliberately torching Muslim-minority Rohingya villages near the Bangladesh border in a campaign of “ethnic cleansing,” another rights group is leveling the same charge. “Our field research backs what the satellite imagery has indicated – that the Burmese military is directly responsible for the mass burning of Rohingya villages in northern Rakhine State,” Deputy Asia Director Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch said Friday. Myanmar was formerly known as Burma. “The United Nations and member countries should urgently impose measures on the Burmese government to stop these atrocities and end the forced flight of Rohingya from Burma,” Robertson said. Up to 400,000 Rohingya – of which, about 60 percent are children – have fled to Bangladesh since August 25 to escape the latest wave of violence, UNICEF, the UN agency overseeing children, said in a statement Thursday. Human Rights Watch released new satellite imagery and sensory data showing that 62 villages in northern Rakhine state were targeted by arson attacks between August 25, when the military’s operation against alleged Rohingya militants began, and September 14. On Thursday, Amnesty International released a similar report accusing Myanmar’s security forces of engaging an “orchestrated campaign of systematic burnings” of Rohingya villages across northern Rakhine as part of a government backed “scorched-earth policy.” “Make no mistake: this is ethnic cleansing,” said Tirana Hassan, crisis response director for the human rights group. “The evidence is irrefutable – the Myanmar security forces are setting northern Rakhine state ablaze in a targeted campaign to push the Rohingya people out of Myanmar.” The Amnesty report identifies at least 80 large fires in predominantly Rohingya-inhabited areas since August 25. Amnesty says it has matched satellite images of the burnings to eyewitness testimony and images of homes being torched. “There is a clear and systematic pattern of abuse here,” Hassan said. “Security forces surround a village, shoot people fleeing in panic and then torch houses to the ground. In legal terms, these are crimes against humanity, systematic attacks and forcible deportation of civilians.” The report also claims that satellite images from mixed ethnic areas show that non-Rohingya areas “appear to have been left untouched.” Earlier this week, UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein described the actions of Myanmar’s armed forces as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.” The Rohingya are considered one of the most persecuted populations in the world. They’ve lived in Myanmar for centuries. But Myanmar regards them as illegal immigrants, a view rooted in their heritage in Bangladesh, and has denied Rohingya residents the rights of citizenship. Meanwhile Bangladesh says the Rohingya are Burmese. As a result, they’re effectively stateless. The latest outbreak of violence in Rakhine began in August after a series of reported attacks by Rohingya militants on police border posts. In response, the Myanmar military and Buddhist nationalists launched a brutal crackdown on the Rohingya. Almost 20,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh on average each day since August 25, according to the UN. The Myanmar government claims it is fighting a terrorist insurgency, and says it is targeting terrorists suspected of masterminding the August attacks. “Some of them are directly involved with terrorist activities and some are sympathizers for the terrorist group,” Zaw Htay, a spokesman for Myanmar’s Presidential Office, wrote in an email to CNN. But the refugees tell a different story. They accuse the security forces of atrocities, including burning villages, firing on civilians indiscriminately, and family members being taken away and never heard from again. On Wednesday, the plight of the Rohingya prompted a rare rebuke from the UN Security Council. In the statement, the first the UN’s most powerful body has made on the situation in Rakhine in nine years, the 15-member council acknowledged militant attacks on Myanmar security forces but “condemned the subsequent violence,” and called for “immediate steps to end the violence.” UN Secretary General António Guterres said the crisis had become “catastrophic.” Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been criticized over her response to the mounting violence, although some argue that she has little power to change the situation. The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate has canceled a trip this month to the UN General Assembly in New York as the crisis escalated. “There must be much more pressure on Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar’s military leadership who are still carrying out abuses to end this carnage,” Hassan said. “It’s time for the international community to wake up to the nightmare the Rohingya are living through.” CNN’s Steve George, Rebecca Wright, Ben Westcott and Jamie Tarabay contributed to this report.


The US announced Wednesday that it would rebrand the command responsible for overseeing US military operations in Asia, a move that comes amid heightened tensions with China over the militarization of the South China Sea. US Pacific Command will now be called US Indo-Pacific Command, Secretary of Defense James Mattis said while speaking at a change of command ceremony in Hawaii, where the command’s headquarters is located. Related article US plans 'steady drumbeat' of exercises in South China Sea, Mattis says “In recognition of the increasing connectivity of the Indian and Pacific Oceans today we rename the US Pacific Command to US Indo-Pacific Command,” Mattis said. “It is our primary combatant command, it’s standing watch and intimately engaged with over half of the earth’s surface and its diverse populations, from Hollywood, to Bollywood, from polar bears to penguins,” Mattis said of the command. Adm. Harry Harris, who oversaw US military operations in the region until Wednesday, has been tapped by President Donald Trump to serve as the US ambassador to South Korea. Adm. Phillip Davidson will now lead the Indo-Pacific Command, which oversees some 375,000 US military and civilian personnel. US officials say the name change is meant to better reflect the command’s areas of responsibility, which includes 36 nations as well as both the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The US has increased cooperation with India in a range of areas, including defense cooperation, and both Washington and New Delhi have voiced concerns about what they see as an increased assertiveness by China’s military. Related article US sails warships past disputed islands in South China Sea The rebranding comes in the wake of a series of actions by both the Chinese and US militaries that have raised tensions in the South China Sea. The US and the majority of the international community reject Beijing’s claims of ownership of the area. In recent months US officials have said that the Chinese military has deployed anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missile systems, and electronic jammers to contested features in the Spratly Islands region of the South China Sea. China also recently landed a nuclear-capable H-6K bomber aircraft on Woody Island for the first time. Those actions led the US to disinvite China from participating in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise, which the US Navy calls “the world’s largest international maritime exercise,” and involves some 26 nations including India and countries like Vietnam and the Philippines which actively contest China’s claims to the South China Sea. Related article China 'disinvited' from major US military exercise over South China Sea “China’s continued militarization of disputed features in the South China Sea only serve to raise tensions and destabilize the region. As an initial response to China’s continued militarization of the South China Sea we have disinvited the PLA Navy from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise,” Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Chris Logan told CNN last week. “We have called on China to remove the military systems immediately and to reverse course on the militarization of disputed South China Sea features,” he added. The US Navy also sailed two warships Sunday past a handful of disputed islands in the South China Sea, including Woody Island where the Chinese bomber landed, a move that drew the immediate ire of Beijing. Related article Can the world's mightiest naval fleet survive the perfect storm? Two US defense officials told CNN that the guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins and the cruiser USS Antietam sailed within 12 miles of four of the Paracel Islands in what the US Navy calls a “freedom of navigation operation,” which are meant to enforce the right of free passage in international waters. Two US officials said that during the freedom of navigation exercise a Chinese naval vessel shadowed the US warships, coming close enough to the US ships that the encounter was considered unprofessional but safe. “It’s international waters, and a lot of nations want to see freedom of navigation,” Mattis told reporters Tuesday while en route to the change of command ceremony.


Sen. Ted Cruz argued Monday that any potential White House candidate who’s not willing to reject the emerging deal with Iran over its nuclear development is “not fit to serve” as president. Speaking at a Politics and Eggs breakfast in New Hampshire on Monday, Cruz urged the audience to press other contenders on whether they would “be willing to repudiate” a non-Congressional approved agreement reached with Iran should they become president. “Any candidate in my view who will not say ‘yes’ to that is not fit to serve as commander in chief of this country,” said Texas Republican senator. Cruz was one of 47 GOP senators who signed a letter last week to Iran suggesting that the deal needs to be approved as a treaty by Congress in order for it remain a valid agreement when Obama leaves office in January 2017. RELATED: Did 47 Republican senators break the law in plain sight? Members of Obama’s administration argued that the letter undermined the President. Cruz also took issue with the reported possibility of the United Nations Security Council getting involved in the matter by lifting some sanctions against Iran. The senator argued that such a scenario would force the next U.S. president to resort to military action should Iran ultimately obtain a weapon. “It dramatically increases the likelihood that a new president in 2017 will face no other choice but launching military strikes against Iran to stop them from acquiring nuclear weapons,” he said. “We’d like to be able to use all of the tools of sanctions and everything else. But if the president hands those tools away it puts the next president and it puts this country in a much worse position.” Cruz was on the second of a two-day swing in New Hampshire as he lays the groundwork for a potential presidential bid. His visit followed a trip to the first-in-the-nation primary state by Jeb Bush and Scott Walker, who were there earlier in the weekend. Asked by a reporter Monday whether Bush was too moderate for the primaries, Cruz said “that’s a determination for the voters to make” but pointed out that “every time the Republican Party looks to the mushy middle…that candidate loses.” RELATED: Fiery Ted Cruz confuses a little girl, snubs a goat in New Hampshire


Nigeria plans manned space mission by 2030 The country has launched several satellites Nigeria has announced plans to send an astronaut into space by 2030, as part of its drive to develop a world-class space industry. “The space program is very important,” said Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology, during a speech in the capital city Abuja. “Space is a major asset that Nigeria must be involved in for the purpose of protecting national interests.” A Nigerian Space Agency delegation will visit partners in China this month to discuss logistics and investment for a manned space mission, which would be the first by an African nation. Dr. Onu’s announcement has been greeted with skepticism, partly as it came soon after a scam email demanding $3 million for a lost Nigerian astronaut went viral, and as policy announcements from the new government have been scoring poorly on the Buharimeter, a Nigerian civil society website assessing policy commitments. Onu also recently announced plans to start a pencil manufacturing industry that would create 400,000 jobs. But Nigeria’s space program is no joke, and it is making steady progress. The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has launched five satellites since 2003, with three still in orbit delivering vital services. The most recent - NigeriaSat-X – was the first to be designed and constructed by NASRDA engineers, and more advanced models are in development. Related article Ethiopia starts looking at the stars - from a nearly perfect location The space agency has made extensive and creative use of the satellites, from analyzing climate data to improve farming practices, to retrieving hostages from Boko Haram, and officials argue this proves space exploration is essential for Nigeria. “We contribute to various sectors that benefit the nation,” says Felix Ale, NASRDA communications chief. “Space applications are key to development.” Capacity has improved through greater investment in infrastructure and skills, says Ale, adding that NASRDA has now trained over 300 staff to PhD or BsC level. Crucially, the industry also benefits from political will at the highest level. “The president is committed to the program,” says Ale. “To ensure that dreams transfer to reality.” Launching an astronaut into orbit represents a greater challenge than Nigeria’s previous missions, but leading figures from the space industry are optimistic. “To train an astronaut from selection to flight takes about eight years,” says Dr. Spenser Onuh, head of the Centre for Satellite Technology Development. “2030 is realistic in my opinion…Responses from the international collaborators are very supportive and encouraging.” Related article Could the next lunar mission come from South Africa? Professor Calestous Juma, a specialist on space programs in developing countries at the Harvard Kennedy School, suggests the mission represents “lofty ambition” that “may or may not happen as planned.” But he believes that the vision is more important than the outcome. “Scientific, technological and engineering capabilities would have direct economic benefits to Nigeria long before the decision of putting a person in space is made,” says Juma. “Space walks are probably the least important. It is the scientific and technological infrastructure and its linkages to the rest of the economy that matters.” The Nigerian space program has ambitions beyond its borders, and it is hoped that bold statements – such as a manned mission – will inspire stargazers across the continent. “This would be a landmark achievement for Nigeria and Africa, which will encourage the rest of Africa to get involved,” says Ale. Nigeria already shares resources from its space assets, such as providing satellite imagery to Mali, and has supported the idea of an African Space Agency. With an ever-increasing number of African states investing in space programs, while traditional powerhouses downsize, the continent could be the hotspot of exploration for years to come.


Their memories are those of old men – sometimes wandering, sometimes imprecise – but they clearly remember the fear. “I was just so scared at that time,” says Karto Wiyono, who survived one of Indonesia’s darkest periods. It was October 1965, and Wiyono and his neighbor Widji Thukul were farmers in a small village in Central Java. Two men arrived at their front doors, one in a military uniform, one in civilian clothing. The men asked to come to the local cemetery and dig holes in the ground. Soldiers arrived escorting a large group of men with their hands tied, the farmers says. They aren’t sure how many prisoners, maybe 200 or more. Then the killing started. “They pushed them so that they jumped into the hole alive. Then in the hole the soldiers shot at them. Then we as the villagers buried them,” Wiyono says. The farmers are the only two still alive among the 30 villagers who buried the victims that night. Their fading memories are evidence of mass killings that took place across the country. In the wake of a failed coup in the autumn of 1965, Indonesia’s military launched a systemic campaign to purge communists from the country. According to multiple eye witness accounts and investigations by human rights groups, mass atrocities followed that Indonesia hid from the world. Soldiers, police and local militias arrested, tortured and killed members of the communist party and their families, as well as teachers, labor activists and many ethnic Chinese. No one knows exactly how many people died, but an international tribunal last year estimated death squads killed between 400,000 and 500,000 people. It concluded that the mass killings were a crime against humanity. Bedjo Untung had to eat mice and snakes to survive during nine years in prison in the 1970s. He believes he was arrested because his father was a member of the teacher’s union, which was seen as allied with the communist party. Now he leads the Indonesia Institute for the Study of the 1965 Massacre, staging a weekly protest in front of the Presidential Palace. His group wants the government to provide answers about what happened then and to exhume suspected mass graves. He has compiled a list of 122 possible locations. Untung shows CNN around a site in central Java where he believes his own father-in-law is buried with 200 others, based on information from eyewitness accounts. Adjacent to an existing cemetery, the alleged mass grave is now a quiet, overgrown field. Some families have erected symbolic tombs here to honor the missing dead. “Nobody has courage to open up this one, but I hope this time, the government may open up this place,” Untung says. For decades, Indonesia’s government blocked public discussion of the events of 1965-66. The military general who led the anti-communist purge, Suharto, ruled the country for more than three decades. Even after the transition to a civilian government, dredging up the past has been frowned upon.  Human Rights Watch has tracked more than 30 meetings on the mass killings that were either banned by the police or attacked by Muslim militias. Activists claim communists and their families are still banned from joining the military or police, although the government insists such policies are no longer enforced. However, Indonesian authorities are beginning to open up about the past. In a major step forward, the government supported a 2016 symposium to discuss the killings. A senior government minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan met with representatives of the victims and their families and listened to their concerns. Luhut says the government is investigating their claims and considering “having a look” at the alleged mass graves. However, the minister has his doubts about what will be found. He believes only a few thousand died in 1965-66, dismissing the idea that the death toll reached hundreds of thousands. “The spirit of this basically is to reconcile. Forget the past and move forward,” he tells CNN. Victims also want answers about the true depth of the involvement of Indonesia’s cold war allies, including the United States and Australia. The United States supported the Suharto regime and provided it with a list of supposed communist sympathizers, although former officials say it was only based on publicly available information. Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights has called on the United States to release all historical documents that could shed light on the killings. The Hague tribunal recommended the Indonesian government apologize to victims and their families, investigate the crimes against humanity, and ensure any survivors receive appropriate compensation.. However, within Indonesia, there is no serious talk of putting anyone on trial and no one in power has ever officially apologized. Authorities are still nervous about even proceeding with exhumations, according to Andreas Harsono, Indonesia Researcher at Human Rights Watch. Some have called for a truth and reconciliation commission, like in South Africa, but Harsono insists Indonesia’s powerful military only wants half of that deal. “It is going to be a fake reconciliation without truth telling,” he says. Untung and the victims he represents waited 50 years for a formal meeting with the government to ask for answers. Six months after he handed over his list of suspected mass graves, he believes the government has made no serious effort to exhume them. He’s still sending them letters asking for an explanation.