The introduction of drones follows a buildup of Russian military equipment and personnel into Syria. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter spoke with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu Friday on the escalating Russian posture. Russia has started to fly unmanned aircraft over Syria in what appears to be surveillance operations over the country, two U.S. officials told CNN. The officials were not able to confirm whether the drones were armed, or how many missions have been flown to date. The development was first reported by Reuters. The introduction of drones follows a buildup of Russian military equipment and personnel into Syria. To date, Russia has over 25 fighter and attack aircraft, 15 helicopters, nine tanks, three surface-to-air missile systems and at least 500 personnel on the ground in Syria, a U.S. official told CNN. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter spoke with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Friday regarding the escalating Russian posture. While there has been no follow-up contact between the two since Friday, defense officials are watching the situation closely. The U.S. opposes Russia’s policy of bolstering Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom the U.S. has stated must leave office for the civil war to be resolved. “We are keenly aware of what is happening there,” Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters Monday. “We continue to believe that anything that’s done in support of the Assad regime, particularly militarily, is counter-productive and risks worsening an already bad situation.” Related video Israel wary of Russian military build up in Syria READ: Russia sends fighter jets to Syria after talks with U.S. Pentagon officials are also concerned about any potential run-in with Russian aircraft in Syrian airspace while the U.S.-led coalition continues its military campaign against ISIS. In addition, the U.S. is supporting rebels in fighting the terror group, also known as Islamic State. While Russia has not flown any combat missions using jets or helicopters in Syria yet, officials said that they are keeping a close eye on all Russian military moves. “This has the Secretary’s attention and it has the attention of our senior leaders, and we’re absolutely concerned about the potential for confliction and the need to de-conflict,” Davis said. For its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry used harsh language against anti-Assad forces after announcing that the Russian Embassy in Damascus had been hit by a mortar shell on Sunday. The Foreign Ministry statement characterized the attack as a terrorist act by Syrian rebels. “We expect a clear position in regard of this terrorist act from all members of the international community, including regional parties,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday. “This requires not only words, but also concrete actions.” The statement continued, “a mortar attack on the Russian Embassy was carried from the district of Dzhobar where the anti-government militants are. They did not identify themselves as ‘Islamic state,’ but have external sponsors, who are responsible for influencing the illegal armed groups.”


Dozens of Taiwanese have been deported from Kenya to China in recent months They are accused of running Internet and phone scam operations Taiwan has strongly protested the deportation of five of its nationals from Kenya to mainland China, the second such incident in recent months. The move showed “contempt for human rights,” Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in a statement. According to Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua, the five Taiwanese were part of a group of 40 fraud suspects brought from Kenya to China in police custody on Monday. ALSO READ: Kenya defends forcing 45 Taiwanese onto a plane to China The deportees are accused by Chinese authorities of being involved in dozens of fraud cases worth upwards of $600,000. They were arrested by Kenyan police in November 2014, Xinhua said. They are part of the same group deported from Kenya to mainland China in April, who were also accused of fraud. That group included 45 Taiwanese citizens, sparking a diplomatic incident between Taipei and Beijing. Many of the suspects deported to China had previously been acquitted by a court in Nairobi of running a complex phone and internet scamming operation, but then later charged by Chinese authorities. Chinese officials said the Taiwanese nationals confessed after being flown to China. At the time, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Lu Kang, said “the one China policy is an important precondition for bilateral relations with China and other countries. We commend Kenya for implementing this policy.” The “one China” policy is the principle that Taiwan and China are part of the same country. The governments of Taiwan and China both claim sovereignty over mainland China and Taiwan – but crucially, neither recognizes the other’s legitimacy. Kenya does not recognize Taiwan – officially the Republic of China (ROC) – nor does it maintain diplomatic relations with the island. Only a handful of states, mainly small island nations and South American countries, recognize the ROC. According to Xinhua, Chinese police “kept their Taiwan counterparts informed of all developments” with regard to the latest deportations.


The statement comes as the President has called on friends and allies to choose between him and Bannon Trump continued to fume privately about Bannon over the weekend Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said Sunday he regretted not responding sooner to comments attributed to him that were critical of Donald Trump Jr. in an explosive new book on the White House. “Donald Trump, Jr. is both a patriot and a good man,” read Bannon’s statement, which CNN obtained Sunday from a source close to Bannon. “He has been relentless in his advocacy for his father and the agenda that has helped turn our country around.” The statement later adds: “I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr has diverted attention from the president’s historical accomplishments in the first year of (Trump’s) presidency.” Axios first reported Bannon’s statement. READ: Steve Bannon’s full statement on comments attributed to him in ‘Fire and Fury’ Bannon’s statement comes as the President has called on friends and allies to choose between him and Bannon, a source told CNN. It also comes amid an effort to oust Bannon from his position as executive chairman at the conservative news site Breitbart because of his remarks in the book, a person familiar with the matter told CNN. White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley echoed those sentiments aboard Air Force One on Monday, telling reporters that Bannon’s attacks on Trump’s family members were “repugnant” and “grotesque.” “I don’t believe there’s any way back for Mr. Bannon at this point,” Gidley said when asked to react to Bannon’s statement. In the book, “Fire and Fury,” author Michael Wolff quotes Bannon as saying the 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Trump campaign officials, including Trump Jr. and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and a Russian lawyer purportedly offering damaging information about Hillary Clinton was “treasonous.” The book also attributes statements to him denigrating the President. CNN has not independently verified all the assertions in Wolff’s book. Bannon said his comments about the Trump Tower meeting were not aimed at Trump Jr., but rather Manafort, “a seasoned campaign professional with experience and knowledge of how the Russians operate. He should have known they are duplicitous, cunning and not our friends.” Following the publication of Bannon’s quotes in the book, which went on sale Friday, Trump has called friends and allies to make clear they must choose between him and his estranged former adviser, a source familiar with the calls told CNN. Axios previously reported the calls. Trump continued to fume privately about Bannon over the weekend despite Sunday’s statement, a source inside the White House told CNN, adding that Trump viewed Bannon’s semi-apology as “too little and too late.” Trump has also taken to Twitter to attack Bannon, labeling him “Sloppy Steve,” and said in a statement released by White House last Wednesday that Bannon had “lost his mind.” On his Sirius XM radio show later the same day, Bannon praised Trump and called him “a great man” – a comment Trump touted the following morning. “He called me a great man last night, so he obviously changed his tune pretty quick,” Trump said. The White House has attacked Wolff as well, and an attorney for Trump sent a “cease and desist” letter to him and the book’s publisher. The attorney, Charles Harder, also said he sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bannon warning of potential legal action. After leaving the White House, Bannon returned to his previous position as executive chairman of the right-wing website Breitbart, where he has boosted Trump and select conservatives. But his future there has come into question in the wake of Wolff’s book. There has been a “hard push” to convince Breitbart CEO Larry Solov and Susie Breitbart, the widow of website founder Andrew Breitbart, to fire Bannon, a person familiar with the matter told CNN. Billionaire conservative donor Rebekah Mercer, who owns a stake in Breitbart, publicly rebuked Bannon and said they had not spoken “in many months.” Although Bannon’s statement Sunday said his comments in the book were “not aimed at Don Jr.,” a quote attributed to Bannon in the book predicted, “They’re going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV.” Bannon also said in the statement that he continued to believe special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into potential coordination between Trump’s associates and Russia to influence the 2016 election is “ridiculous” in nature and “a witch hunt.” In the book, Bannon is quoted as calling the Trump Tower meeting in June of 2016 “treasonous” and saying it should have been reported to the FBI. “The three senior guys in the campaign thought it was a good idea to meet with a foreign government inside Trump Tower in the conference room on the 25th floor – with no lawyers. They didn’t have any lawyers,” Bannon said in the book. “Even if you thought that this was not treasonous, or unpatriotic, or bad s***, and I happen to think it’s all of that, you should have called the FBI immediately.” CNN’s Kaitlin Collins, Jeff Zeleny, Elizabeth Landers and Oliver Darcy contributed to this report.


Steve Bannon left the White House because the Trump administration “needed a wingman outside” and now wants to help get allies of President Donald Trump elected to the Senate, he said Tuesday at a global investment conference. Bannon delivered a keynote address in Hong Kong on the subject of “American economic nationalism, the populist revolt and Asia” at an event organized by Hong Kong brokerage firm CLSA. He also discussed the US relationship with China and his belief that a trade war between the two nations can be avoided. RELATED: Who has left the Trump administration? “I left the White house because Trump needed a wingman outside, helping candidates for the Senate,” Bannon said, according to a global investor who attended the talk. Media was barred from attending the event; asked why media access was revoked, a CLSA spokesperson said it was a decision by the firm and declined to comment further. Asked if Bannon received a fee for his speech, the spokesperson had no comment. In his address, Bannon emphasized the populist movement he pushed while serving as White House chief strategist. “This populist message is a global message,” he said in the Grand Ballroom in the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. “This movement could win elections for the next 50 years.” Related article The 48 most revealing lines of Steve Bannon's '60 Minutes' interview A source close to Bannon told CNN on Sunday that he and his allies are preparing primary challenges against Republican senators, including Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, Alabama Sen. Luther Strange, Nevada Sen. Dean Heller and Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake. Bannon has held private meetings with possible challengers whom he plans to support in the primaries, Politico has reported. He has begun working with conservative mega-donor Robert Mercer and has installed an ally in an outside group that is expected to target GOP lawmakers and push Trump’s agenda, the article said. Bannon, who rarely speaks publicly or gives interviews, played a crucial role as one of Trump’s top political advisers over the past year, feeding and encouraging Trump’s nationalist and populist instincts. While serving in the White House, he garnered an infamous reputation as a puppet master pulling the strings in the Oval Office, earning the moniker “The Great Manipulator” from Time magazine. During the forum, Bannon reiterated his belief that the Republican establishment is trying to “nullify” Trump’s election, a remark he also made while appearing on CBS’s “60 Minutes.” “The Republican establishment is really trying to nullify Trump’s election,” he repeated. During the CBS interview, Bannon specifically named Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan as obstacles to Trump’s agenda. He also addressed Trump’s recent deal with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to attach hurricane relief money to a shorter-term bump in the debt ceiling as well as keeping the government open. Trump surprised the leaders of his own party in Congress when he made the deal, making it one of the most fascinating and mysterious moves he’s made with Congress during eight months in office. “He’s a transaction guy,” Bannon said, defending Trump’s decision to work with the Democrats. But he later added: “My recommendation would be not to work with the Democrats.” Although Bannon has been critical of China in the past, he was very complimentary about China’s leadership – a stark contrast to what he told The New York Times last week, when he compared China to Germany before the rise of the Nazis. “Trump doesn’t respect anyone more than the President of China,” Bannon said. “There is a lot of affinity between China and the US.” Related article Trump to aides: 'I want tariffs' He added that he believes a trade war with China can be avoided, but called for a bilateral trade agreement with Japan and said the US “must limit China’s access to the tech market.” Bannon’s praise of China is particularly notable as he is one of the foremost opponents of China in Trump’s orbit in regard to economic policy. Right before he left the White House in August, Bannon declared in an interview with The American Prospect that the US is at “economic war with China,” promising aggressive trade actions against Beijing and adding he was “fighting” other top White House aides on the subject “every day.” Bannon was ousted in mid-August amid a reshuffling of power within the White House, just a few weeks after retired Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly took over as chief of staff with a goal of instilling order in a chaotic operation beset by internal divisions, staff infighting and a string of controversies. Bannon has since returned to his role as executive chairman at the conservative online publication Breitbart News, a job he held before joining Trump’s campaign.


Iraqi paramilitary forces take airbase outside northern city of Tal Afar ISIS attacked eastern Mosul neighborhood of al Zahraa after losing it nearly a week ago Iraqi paramilitary forces have recaptured a strategic airbase outside the northern city of Tal Afar, a spokesman for the Popular Mobilization Forces said. Ahmed al Assadi acknowledged that militia forces have yet to extinguish some pockets of ISIS resistance inside the airbase, however, saying late Wednesday that mopping-up operations will continue for the next few hours. Iraq’s Joint Operations Command put out a similar statement. The base will serve as a staging area for Iraqi Security Forces in their battle with ISIS west of Mosul, authorities said. Tal Afar is a predominantly Sunni city that used to be divided between Sunni and Shia Turkmens before ISIS captured it in 2014. It is about 70 kilometers (43 miles) west of Mosul. Mosul, Iraq’s second-most populous city, is ISIS’ last major stronghold in Iraq and the terror group is well entrenched there. The campaign to retake the city has raged on for a month, forcing nearly 59,000 people to flee their homes, according to the United Nations. An ISIS attack on a Mosul neighborhood previously declared “liberated” from the militants killed at least two civilians and wounded at least seven more people, including children, Iraqi army officials told CNN on Wednesday. The officials said at least four mortars landed in the eastern Mosul neighborhood of al Zahraa, which was declared under the full control of Iraqi security forces nearly a week ago. Witnesses also told CNN there had been civilian deaths and injuries from the attacks. Video of the aftermath broadcast by local Kurdish TV station Rudaw showed several of the injured, including children with bloody wounds. Up to a dozen children are being maimed every day as fighting pushes into the city, according to Save the Children. “Many children have been through two years of ISIS and were then forced to flee through a war zone, and some told us they have seen people shot and hanged,” said Aram Shakaram, deputy country director for Save the Children in Iraq. “Imagine what effect that would have on a child.” The Iraq Joint Military Operations Command declared six days ago that its security forces had taken full control of al Zahraa as well as two other eastern neighborhoods – al Samah and al Malayeen. Attacks by ISIS in areas previously cleared by Iraqi forces are frequent. These areas often lack water, power and medical services, according to the UN. Iraqi forces have encountered fierce resistance as they battle their way into Mosul. Related article Booby-trapped toys: How ISIS targets Mosul's children While the ISIS presence has started to wane in parts of the northern city, a number of residents told CNN they are disappointed with the pace of Mosul’s liberation. They said people are increasingly fearful because of what they see as slow advances by Iraqi forces. ISIS has fortified its positions and regrouped after the Iraqi forces’ initial push on Mosul, which was faster than current progress, residents said. The Mosul offensive began almost one month ago. Brig. Gen. Halgurd Hikmet, a spokesman for the Peshmerga, or Kurdish forces, told CNN on Wednesday that “for ISIS, Mosul is survival.” Hikmet said he believes ISIS militants won’t leave Mosul but will continue to put up a fight that will only grow fiercer as the battle moves to the city’s west. He pointed to the audio message purportedly from ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi released just weeks ago, which seems to have emboldened and inspired ISIS fighters. Hikmet also reiterated the difficulty posed for Iraqi-led forces by the potential for civilian casualties among the dense urban population, saying the utmost care was being taken not to bomb civilians. The terror group’s use of civilians as “human shields” is also a challenge because it’s often hard to differentiate between them and ISIS members, Hikmet said. The paramilitary force said Tuesday it has intelligence that al-Baghdadi is somewhere between al Baaj and Tal Afar. The two cities are about 50 miles (80 kilometers) apart and close to the border with Syria. Iraqi Ministry of Defense spokesman Brig. Gen. Tahsin Ibrahim would not confirm nor deny that al-Baghdadi is in the area. Related video This is what an ISIS booby-trapped house looks like Meanwhile, a military official said Tuesday that the US-led coalition against ISIS has pounded targets linked to the extremist group relentlessly since the Iraqi-led offensive began on October 17. In four weeks, coalition forces have hammered ISIS targets with 4,000 bombs, artillery strikes and missiles, coalition spokesman Col. John C. Dorian said. They also have killed hundreds of fighters in the battle to retake Mosul, he said. Nearly 60 vehicles equipped with bombs and more than 80 tunnels have been destroyed, Dorian said at a news conference in Qayyara. The Mosul offensive has exacerbated widespread displacement of residents in northern Iraq and placed heavy demands on humanitarian groups working to provide aid for civilians fleeing the war, Refugees International said in a report Tuesday. Since ISIS began seizing territory across Iraq in 2014, 3.3 million civilians have been displaced. The Mosul battle is spurring more civilian flight, the group says. The International Organization for Migration says more than 56,000 people have been displaced since the start of the offensive. More resources are needed as tens of thousands of families have no place to stay, the leaders of NGOs and UN agencies said a joint statement. “With winter approaching, and temperatures dramatically dropping at night, families, many who fled their homes with virtually nothing, need heaters, blankets and other winter items.” Save the Children reported that children who’ve been able to flee Mosul are showing signs of distress. The organization has set up tents to care for nearly 2,000 children with classes. CNN’s Jennifer Hauser and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.


Zarif agrees with Trump that US policy created ISIS Says travel ban, which included Iran, was an insult to whole nation Sending US ground troops to Syria to fight ISIS will fan flames of extremism in the region that will impact the security of the whole world, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour Friday. He also said that the agreement with Iran to limit its nuclear program – brokered in 2015 by the US, Iran and five other world powers – will stay in place, despite noises to the contrary from members of US President Donald Trump’s administration. Speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Zarif said there was an international consensus not to let the agreement – which took two years to negotiate – unravel. “I believe everybody, including experts in the United States, know this was the best deal possible for all concerned, not just Iran but the US too,” he said. “It was a triumph of diplomacy over coercion, because coercion doesn’t work any more.” Related article ISIS' enemies line up to take Raqqa, but when -- and how? Regarding Syria, where Iran is in alliance with Russia in supporting the government of President Bashar al-Assad, the 57-year-old Iranian diplomat said it was the US “occupation” of Iraq that had created ISIS. Zarif claimed that a nationwide ceasefire in Syria – brokered by Russia and Turkey in December – was largely working, and said that sending US soldiers to fight ISIS would add fuel to the fire. “We cannot commit to solutions that are part of the problem,” he said. “I believe that the presence of foreign troops in Arab territory is a recipe for those extremists to rally behind and gain new fighters from disenfranchised youth.” Regarding the global effort to destroy ISIS, Zarif pointed out that Trump himself had accused then-President Barack Obama of creating ISIS, and repeated criticisms of the US policy to arm opposition groups in Syria. Shortly after Trump took office, the White House put Tehran “on notice,” applying sanctions on 25 individuals and companies connected to Iran’s ballistic missile program and those providing support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force. Iran is playing with fire - they don't appreciate how "kind" President Obama was to them. Not me! Zarif said that sanctions won’t work with Iran. “Everybody (in) the past who has tested Iran know we don’t respond well to threats. We respond well to mutual respect and mutual interests.” Zarif said the Obama administration tried to use economic sanctions to curtail Iran’s nuclear program, but eventually failed, with Iran increasing their number of nuclear centrifuges tenfold in that period. “The reason Obama came to the negotiating table was because sanctions did not work,” Zarif told CNN. Related article 'We will lose those babies': Iranian doctor sees effects of travel ban Zarif said Trump’s proposed, but currently stalled, travel ban on seven mainly Muslim countries including Iran “was an affront to the entire nation.” “You cannot find any Iranian who has committed a single act of terror against Americans, in any of these atrocities that have taken place,” he said. “Iran has always condemned every single terrorist incident in the United States since 9/11.” Zarif said the ban was a departure from previous US policy that took issue with the government but not the Iranian people, and added that Iranians were among the most successful immigrants to the US. “They (the US) don’t understand in a globalized world you cannot contain threats to one locality. Syria is now a training ground for terrorists creating havoc everywhere,” Zarif said. Related article Report suggests Russia, Syria deliberately targeted civilian areas of Aleppo Amanpour asked the Iranian Foreign Minister why Tehran chose to intervene in Syria on behalf of President Assad. “There are 500,000 people dead, there are twelve million refugees, there is torture, there is mass hanging – it is not my impression, those are the facts,” she said. “Mistakes were made in Syria, as in the past mistakes have been made,” he replied. “The same people who armed Daesh [ISIS], armed the terrorist groups, were the same people who armed Saddam Hussein, were the same people who created and armed al Qaeda.” “We should not continue to repeat history and then blame people who were on the right side.” Responding to a question about people fearing Iran – partly because of its support for Hezbollah – Zarif said the Lebanese Shia militia entered Syria on the request of Assad “to prevent these extremist forces (ISIS and other Sunni Islamist groups) from infiltrating into Lebanon, which would be a threat against all of us.”


Hatch's spokesman: "Sen. Hatch has a great sense of humor" Hatch previously engaged in a funny Twitter exchange with Sen. Ben Sasse Sen. Orrin Hatch knows how to be blunt. And, yes, that is a marijuana reference. When introducing a Medical Marijuana Research Bill, the Republican lawmaker did not shy away Wednesday from including weed puns in his statement. Eight, to be exact. “It’s high time to address research into medical marijuana,” Hatch said in the statement. “Our country has experimented with a variety of state solutions without properly delving into the weeds on the effectiveness, safety, dosing, administration, and quality of medical marijuana. All the while, the federal government strains to enforce regulations that sometimes do more harm than good. To be blunt, we need to remove the administrative barriers preventing legitimate research into medical marijuana, which is why I’ve decided to roll out the MEDS Act.” “I urge my colleagues to join Senator Schatz and me in our joint effort to help thousands of Americans suffering from a wide-range of diseases and disorders,” he added. “In a Washington at war with itself, I have high hopes that this bipartisan initiative can be a kumbaya moment for both parties.” The weed references include: “high time,” “experimented,” “delving into the weeds,” “strains,” “to be blunt,” “roll out,” “joint effort” and “high hopes.” According to Hatch’s office, the humor was on purpose. “Sen. Hatch has a great sense of humor,” said Matt Whitlock, Hatch’s spokesman. “While this is a serious bill dealing with serious issues, particularly in Utah, he felt that the best way to ensure it received the attention required for a thorough and robust debate was with a bit of good-natured humor, similar to that of his social media platforms.” As few of you were alive during the Civil War, here's a valuable jargon lesson on "wads" and the shooting of them. https://t.co/dOYvcfgImO pic.twitter.com/wk9aaNb3s2 This isn’t the first time the Utah conservative has been creative about his word choice. In August, his colorful comment about  how members of his party “shot their wad” on their efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare made headlines. As Hatch’s comment began circulating on social media, the senator shared a “valuable” lesson on Civil War jargon. His office tweeted a link to the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of the expression, explaining that it refers to a “a plug of tow, cloth, etc., a disk of felt or cardboard, to retain the powder and shot in position in charging a gun or cartridge.” Hatch later clarified his remarks with “helpful additional context,” sharing a tweet from Whitlock, who explained that this turn of phrase “was used quite often during the Civil War when Hatch was just a young senator.” Hatch also engaged in a funny Twitter exchange with Sen. Ben Sasse in July. Hatch responded to a dig from Sasse about his age by writing: “The vote-a-rama we had on the Treaty of Paris was quite the hootenanny.” CNN’s Liz Stark contributed to this report


Pat Toomey is a first term Republican senator from Pennsylvania He's locked in a tight battle with Democratic challenger Katie McGinty Republican Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, who is in a tight race for re-election, refused to say during a debate Monday night if he plans to vote for his party’s presidential nominee. The first-term senator has repeatedly dodged when asked whom he would vote for and during the final Senate debate before Election Day, he told the crowd at Temple University that Donald Trump was “deeply flawed” but he would not go as far to disavow the top of ticket. “If he were president, he would probably sign a bill repealing Obamacare, which we badly need,” Toomey said. “He’d probably sign a bill that would restore sanctions on Iran which we badly need. So there is this dilemma.” After being asked three times by the debate’s moderator, Toomey tried moving past the question saying, “I don’t think my constituents care that much how one person is going to vote.” His Democratic challenger, Katie McGinty, pounced on her opponent’s answer. “The senator is in a class of his own on this issue,” she said. “He is the only person running for United States Senate in the entire country who has not leveled with his constituents.” First on CNN: House Dems expand map as super PAC targets ruby red Montana The numbers in Pennsylvania show why Toomey is walking a fine line. Polls consistently show an advantage for Hillary Clinton in the Keystone state but a much tighter race in the battle for the Senate. In the latest Bloomberg Politics/Selzer poll of the state out October 13, McGinty and Toomey were statistically tied at 47% to 45%, respectively, well within the poll’s 3.5 percentage point margin of error. Democrats are counting on picking up Republican Senate seats, such as Toomey’s, to regain control of the congressional chamber. They need four seats to tie the chamber 50-50, and five seats to take a majority.


Editor’s Note: Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, is the host of SiriusXM radio’s daily program “The Dean Obeidallah Show” and a columnist for The Daily Beast. Follow him @TheDeansreport. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his. John Lewis' books sold out after the President-elect criticized him on Twitter Dean Obeidallah says he wants to be Trump's next target On Saturday, President-elect Trump went after civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, a man millions of Americans rightly admire for his courage and principles. Lewis had commented Friday that he didn’t view Trump as a “legitimate” president since in his view “the Russians participated in helping this man [Trump] get elected.” Well, Trump used Twitter to go after Lewis:  “Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart.” In a second tweet Trump added,  “All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!” It appears that to Trump, Lewis risking his life in leading a civil rights march in 1965 across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, and being instrumental in leading the way for the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts is just talk and not action. In any event, the reaction to Trump’s slam was swift, but probably not what Trump had expected. Related article Trump, stop whining about SNL and focus on presidency There was an awe-inspiring outpouring of support for Lewis online.  Add to that Lewis’ book, “March,” a graphic novel trilogy about the Civil Rights movement, jumped to No. 1 on Amazon.   Lewis’ memoir, “Walking with the Wind,” skyrocketed to No. 2. The lesson: A Trump attack on Twitter translates into a spike in popularity and even profits. This is far from the only time Trump’s Twitter attacks have yielded a windfall of benefits for the targets. In December, Trump went after Vanity Fair magazine hard, tweeting that the publication was, “Way down, big trouble, dead!” and he called its editor, Graydon Carter, “No talent” and demanded he be fired. What had Vanity Fair done to earn Trump’s wrath?  Had they made racist or bigoted remarks? Had they possibly colluded with some foreign actor to influence our election? Nope, they had simply published a bad review of Trump’s restaurant, “Trump Grill.” But Trump’s hope of crushing Vanity Fair with his tweets saw the opposite result. The article panning Trump’s restaurant received 1 million plus views and Vanity Fair gained more than 10,000 new Twitter followers. Vanity Fair reported that in response to Trump’s attack, the magazine had seen the highest number of new subscriptions sold in a single day among the family of Conde Nast publications. Sign up for CNN Opinion’s new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook And, naturally, Trump has unleashed a barrage of tweets directed at “Saturday Night Live” for its comedic jibes and especially in response to Alec Baldwin’s hilarious depiction of Trump.  In fact, Trump even took to Twitter in October calling for this legendary comedy show to be canceled after they skewered Trump: “Watched ‘Saturday Night Live’ hit job on me. Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election!” So have Trump’s tweets hurt “SNL”? Apparently not. As of November 21, 2016, “SNL” was up 26% in ratings from the year before.  In fact this “SNL” season got off to a roaring start with the highest ratings for early episodes of the show in 24 years! Related video Rand Paul: John Lewis is a 'partisan Democrat' You get my point. So President-elect Trump, here’s my humble plea to you: Mock me on Twitter. That’s right, call me a “low energy loser,” “overrated,” and/or “third rate.”  You can even give me a nickname like “Despicable Dean.” In fact, I’ll make it as easy as possible for you: Here’s a sample tweet you can simply copy and paste and instantly share with your nearly 20 million Twitter followers: Just read Despicable Dean @Deanofcomedy new @CNNOpinion article. Total loser. Unfunny Clown. And do NOT listen to his @SIRIUSXM radio show! I think I’ve earned a tweet or two from Trump. After all, I’ve written countless articles for CNN and The Daily Beast over the last year and a half calling out Trump’s racism, bigotry and sexism. My radio show is like a nonstop anti-Trump tirade.  And I’ve debated just about every Trump surrogate on cable news and even screamed at one or two on live TV. So Mr. Trump, if you are reading this: Bring it on. I – as well as my agent and accountant – anxiously await your Twitter attacks on me.


“I was on the way to winning until a combination of Jim Comey’s letter, on October 28th, and Russian WikiLeaks raised doubts in the minds of people who were inclined to vote for me but got scared off. And the evidence for that intervening event is, I think, compelling, persuasive, and so we overcame a lot in the campaign, we overcame an enormous barrage of negativity, of false equivalency and so much else, but as Nate Silver, who doesn’t work for me, he’s an independent analyst, but one considered to be very reliable, has concluded: If the election had been on October 27th, I’d be your president.” On May 2, 2017, Hillary Clinton sat down for a conversation with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour at a Women for Women International event in New York. Nearly six months out from Election Day, Clinton said she took “absolute personal responsibility” for its outcome – but her remarks strayed from there. In a now famous riff, Clinton paraphrased a tweet from FiveThirtyEight.com’s Nate Silver, who said former FBI Director Jim Comey’s letter to Congress, delivered 11 days before the vote, shaved off a fateful sliver of her support, enough to ultimately deliver the presidency to Donald Trump. In a brisk note, Comey told lawmakers that the FBI had “learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation” of Clinton’s personal server – the same probe Comey had said over the summer was effectively over. The bureau, he added now, “cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant, and I cannot predict how long it will take us to complete this additional work.” Meting out blame (or claiming credit) for Clinton’s loss has become a full-time concern for countless interested parties across the political spectrum. Few if any, Clinton included, would suggest any single factor tipped the race – one she seemed sure to win for long stretches of the summer – in Trump’s favor. Clinton too has cited an assortment of damaging variables, from the foul headwinds of white grievance to bad journalism. Her book, “What Happened,” points fingers just about everywhere, including at herself. But even in such a weird and unpredictable campaign, Friday, October 28 – just three weeks after the “Access Hollywood” tape dropped – was uniquely gonzo. By the time it was over, with Clinton back in New York ahead of a Saturday trip to stump in Florida, the tone was changed, and the contest was back in doubt. What follows is a look back at that fateful Friday, as it unfolded on social media. 10:57 p.m. ET, October 27: Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama embrace in North Carolina. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/pWF9Evqr4j 7:20 a.m. ET, October 28: The campaign is an afterthought in the NYC tabloids. Today's cover: Oregon militia leaders acquitted in wildlife refuge standoff https://t.co/WyXhCqpDdN pic.twitter.com/Sjnf7P01ui Today's front page: SANDY RIPOFF https://t.co/hfaTDJSTHb News finds NYCHA consultants ran up costs on hotels, flight, limos — even laundry pic.twitter.com/iXgrQhX6gp 8:13 a.m. ET: A new poll shows Clinton slipping … Clinton lead shrinks, even as nearly 6 in 10 expect her to win, Post-ABC tracking poll findshttps://t.co/fphjhtP9fE 8:15 a.m. ET: …but she’s still favored, as multiple outlets speculate about the Clinton Cabinet. "They are spending a lot of time figuring out the best way to try to persuade him to do it if she wins" https://t.co/387Su8UptM Joe Biden is on Hillary Clinton's Secretary of State list, sources say https://t.co/Xvrf50aR16 pic.twitter.com/6hOh0DlimJ 9:02 a.m. ET: Former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh chats about his post-election plans. Former Rep. Joe Walsh explains his "If Trump loses, I'm grabbing my musket" comment https://t.co/nKMxsL4Lxt https://t.co/lgJho3OWDm The tweet in question here: On November 8th, I'm voting for Trump.On November 9th, if Trump loses, I'm grabbing my musket.You in? 10:03 a.m. ET: Another allegation against Trump. Former Miss Finland says Donald Trump groped her https://t.co/9TsfwQrUKK pic.twitter.com/XkjFzXc262 10:39 a.m. ET: The Clinton press corps gathers. Flying with Hillary Clinton to Iowa today: @RobbyMook, her campaign manager. 10:53 a.m. ET: The Clinton campaign posts video of the Obamas and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders campaigning for her. “I need you to knock on doors.I need you to make phone calls.You gotta talk to your friends, including your Republican friends.” —@POTUS pic.twitter.com/3bTUjMkSRZ 11:06 a.m. ET: Fox News questions whether the FBI was thorough enough with Clinton. #AngelinaJolie's FBI interview was longer than #HillaryClinton's https://t.co/WcbZ2KNYZH 12:35 & 12:41 p.m. ET: The Clinton campaign talks up trip to Arizona. Hillary Clinton will campaign in Arizona on Wednesday, per @jmpalmieri, her first trip to the battleground state since the primary. Arizona ain't an indulgence. It's a true battleground. Perhaps even more favorable-looking right now than some other places we've been on TV 12:57 p.m. ET: Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz tweets about what he’s just been “informed.” FBI Dir just informed me, "The FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation." Case reopened 1:00 p.m. ET: Kellyanne Conway touts coverage of new WikiLeaks disclosures. Huge. https://t.co/WEvmpLumIU 1:04 p.m.: Trump heads north. Heading to New Hampshire. Will be talking about the disaster known as ObamaCare! 1:04 p.m.: The Comey letter lands (while Clinton flies). FBI Director Comey, in letter to members of Congress, says FBI is investigating additional emails in Clinton private server case pic.twitter.com/Ue0qlhqT5w 1:07 p.m. ET: Breitbart celebrates the Chaffetz tweet. https://t.co/CW4KlXJUPe pic.twitter.com/WDMD49EV2Q 1:11 p.m. ET: CNN’s Wolf Blitzer throws to justice correspondent Evan Perez with the breaking news FBI director says investigators will review Clinton emails to determine whether they contain classified information https://t.co/yXO6L5b1BM pic.twitter.com/2QKTFIMZKO The scene inside Clinton’s campaign plane As he was just about every day for more than a year, CNN’s Dan Merica was traveling with Clinton October 28. Here he recalls how the Clinton press corps – and the campaign itself – got the news: “I remember getting to the airport and there being a buzz in the air among her campaign staffers. They had read a series of strong swing state polls and there was talk of expanding the battleground map. A lot, they felt, was going their way as Election Day closed in. But most notable to me was how Clinton looked like she was finally having fun on the campaign trail – a rarity. She was dancing on TV, celebrating her birthday with tequila and engaging more. All of that was blunted, though, when reporters seated in the back of Clinton’s campaign plane got wind that the FBI was reviewing new emails related to Clinton’s personal server. The wifi on the campaign plane was awful. It made commercial air travel wifi feel like Google Fiber. But as the plane cruised at 30,000 feet to Iowa, the Los Angeles Times’ Chris Megerian somehow – miraculously – got his wifi to work and read the Comey letter. Megerian and other members of the press were the first to inform Nick Merrill, Clinton’s traveling press secretary, about the reopened investigation. Clinton and her top campaign aides had no advance warning that the FBI would be issuing its letter to Congress. Shocked, Merrill made his way to the front of the plane, where Clinton’s top campaign staffers – including top aide Huma Abedin – consumed the news and decided what to do. Later in the day, those same aides learned the emails being examined were part of an investigation into former Rep. Anthony Weiner, Abedin’s estranged husband. The most remarkable moment of the day, though, was a last-minute press conference Clinton’s staff planned at Theodore Roosevelt High School. As the traveling press made their way to the bus, a staffer told everyone to head another way. That was how the press conference – which ended up being in a choir room – was announced. Hillary Clinton on new FBI email review: "We have not been contacted by anyone" https://t.co/ACuHYAubba https://t.co/j8OJdDonhr ‘We don’t know what to believe. And I’m sure there will be even more rumors,’ Clinton said. ‘That’s why it is incumbent upon the FBI to tell us what they’re talking about.’ After an upbeat morning and talk of expanding the map, the Clinton campaign’s mood was dramatically different. It was almost like they knew that was going to be the day that did them in.” Related article The bizarre day that blunted Clinton's good mood 1:27 p.m. ET: Conway celebrates the news. A great day in our campaign just got even better.  FBI reviewing new emails in Clinton probe @CNNPolitics https://t.co/WBltG2lAK6 1:28 p.m. ET: House Speaker Paul Ryan piles on. BREAKING NEWS → The FBI is reopening its investigation into Secretary Hillary Clinton.My full statement ⇩ pic.twitter.com/LHfyg46dWk From around 1:40 p.m. ET: Clinton lands in Iowa; reporters wait. Reporters waiting for Hillary Clinton to step off her plane in Iowa shortly after FBI news broke. No comment from her team yet. pic.twitter.com/qPxSYPzB0F Reporters wait for Clinton to deplane in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We landed over 20 minutes ago. pic.twitter.com/XzjzSdXIrt Clinton waves but does not respond to reporters' questions as she deplanes in Cedar Rapids: pic.twitter.com/cERWZ6RZqA 1:52 p.m. ET: Trump weighs in from the trail. Trump: The FBI just sent a letter to Congress informing them they have discovered new emails pertaining to Hillary Clinton's investigation. pic.twitter.com/l4SDvhK3xl Good to know your audience: .@realDonaldTrump: "With that being said, the rest of my speech is going to be so boring!" pic.twitter.com/SMBVLHOP69 2:14 p.m. ET: A break – and a question – about the “new” FBI emails. Pete Williams sources say in course of a separate investigation, FBI came across "a device." found emails there. but emails NOT from HRC 2:15 p.m. ET: But would you have blamed him? 2:28 p.m. ET: Twitter starts sniffing around. 2:31 p.m. ET: Despite the news, this number wouldn’t change much. Clinton’s chance of losing is about the same as the probability that an NFL kicker misses a 31-yard field goal https://t.co/QUVUfF5CVy pic.twitter.com/IyQ4wCc0Qr 2:49 p.m. ET: Mike Pence wants more info from the FBI. We call on the FBI to immediately release all emails pertinent to their investigation. Americans have the right to know before Election Day. 2:50 p.m. ET: State of play. Democrats everywhere frozen by the FBI news — GOP blasting away, but Dems don’t know what they don’t know. Around 3:00: p.m. ET: Trump applauds the FBI’s “courage” at New Hampshire rally; Clinton mum on FBI. We must not let #CrookedHillary take her CRIMINAL SCHEME into the Oval Office. #DrainTheSwamp pic.twitter.com/GtPkj4xIz6 Clinton in Cedar Rapids takes aim at Trump: "this is a man who relishes making women feel terrible about themselves" pic.twitter.com/nP1BCNfunD 3:20 p.m. ET: Anthony. Weiner. 3:44 p.m. ET: Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta responds. Statement from @johnpodesta in response to Comey letter to GOP chairmen pic.twitter.com/egyUMl68ZC 4:05 p.m. ET: The Weiner angle develops. "Weiner confirmed!" -- POLITICO editor just now 4:29 p.m. ET: At least a couple of Trump supporters are… suspicious. I don't trust this FBI thing.  It feels like an attempt to distract from something larger and then at the last moment declare it nothing. Limbaugh: FBI Rekindled Email Investigation Just to Distract Attention From Wikileaks https://t.co/TaMacPoLO0 (AUDIO) pic.twitter.com/K3rzSSvDAj 4:45 p.m. ET: The long debate begins. good one. If you want to pretend this is typical in the final days of a campaign, cool. 5:00 p.m. ET: Programming note – Clinton does an ad buy in … Wisconsin. News: Hillary Clinton is buying television time in Wisconsin, per source.Her very first ads of the general election in the state. Around 5:00 p.m. ET: Clinton arrives in Des Moines; Trump is talking in Maine. Hello, old friend. Wheels down Des Moines. pic.twitter.com/7IKa1hVmCi For second time today, Hillary Clinton ignores shouted questions on FBI news, offering a smile and wave on Des Moines tarmac instead pic.twitter.com/K0D7ybmrqP Not sure why Trump's entire speech isn't just about the FBI investigation, laying out past contradictions as he did after first decision. While talking TPP, Trump interjects that "they're looking at her properly now" in re: Hillary Clinton/FBI Trump spent less than 2 minutes addressing the FBI's decision to probe new emails tied to Clinton private email server at 2nd rally today 5:34 p.m. ET: The Clinton campaign bites back. Brian Fallon: “Director Comey is just unleashing a wildfire of innuendo” https://t.co/vFvCdTl9pU https://t.co/AHii2Ry2a1 6:22 p.m. ET: Right wing media perks up. Any Republ who is not working to stop the Clinton Criminal Enterprise by supporting @realDonaldTrump, pls reconsider for good of USA. She was taking glamour shots with Annie Leibovitz 😂😂😂She thought this was in the bag 😂😂😂 https://t.co/mq7a4SQLxD Around 7:00 p.m. ET: Clinton talks to reporters in Des Moines. .@HillaryClinton laying in to FBI: "it's imperative the bureau explain this issue without any delay" "Even Director Comey said this information may not be significant so let's get it out" -@HillaryClinton .@HillaryClinton calls on #FBI to provide more information about the email probe it has opened without delay pic.twitter.com/mfN18HdbBE Clinton: "I think people a long time ago made up their minds about the emails. I think that’s factored into what people think." Clinton was asked if she’s spoken to Huma Abedin. She did not answer that specific question. Clinton was asked if she’s spoken to Huma Abedin. She did not answer that specific question. 7:05 p.m. ET: Clinton on what’s to come. Clinton says she is "confident" the initial conclusion of the email investigation will remain unchanged https://t.co/LcckUzzHEr Clinton was correct. On Sunday, November 6, Comey would – once again – tell lawmakers that it wouldn’t recommend charges against Clinton. 7:44 p.m. ET: Crowds await Trump in Cedar Rapids. And here's your pre-event pano from @realDonaldTrump's rally in Cedar Rapids. Big crowd and more still coming. Word is Trump will be delayed pic.twitter.com/10QtbO3WAU Waiting for @realDonaldTrump as crowd screams "lock her up" -- behind the stage in Cedar Rapids happens to be a prison. #Election2016


Trump, Abadi met at White House Monday Leaders reaffirm commitment to SFA, shared goal of ISIS defeat US President Donald Trump has met his Iraqi counterpart in Washington, D.C., praising the “unprecedented cooperation” between the two countries in ridding Iraq of ISIS and reaffirming the US’ commitment to bolstering the country’s security. Trump met Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi at the White House Monday, with both leaders praising the partnership that has seen significant gains in retaking territory, including progress in liberating Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, which has been under militant control for three years. Related video Can ISIS ever be eradicated? “The two leaders agreed that the United States and Iraq will pursue a long-term partnership to decisively root out terrorism from Iraq and strengthen the Iraqi military and other key institutions,” a White House readout from the talks said. The two leaders agreed to promote a “broad-based political and economic partnership based in the Strategic Framework Agreement (SFA),” the bilateral agreement which has been the cornerstone of US support of Iraq since 2008. Opinion: Will Iraq survive victory over ISIS in Mosul? Prior to the trip, Abadi said Iraqi forces were close to ridding the country of ISIS and that he would talk to the US administration about the final steps needed. Related video ISIS destroyed antiquities ... or did it? “We are in the last chapter, the final stages to eliminate ISIS militarily in Iraq,” he said in a video statement. Abadi said he hoped the US and other allies would continue to offer economic assistance to Iraq, which he said faced a financial crisis as a result of the war against the militant group. Trump last week proposed a $54 billion increase in defense spending. If approved by Congress, more than $3 billion of the additional money would be allocated to the fight against ISIS, including $2 billion for a flexible fund that would allow the Pentagon to decide how to utilize resources in support of the new counter-ISIS strategy. Speaking at a United States Institute for Peace (USIP) event Monday, Abadi said that he felt that the Trump administration wants to be “more engaged in fighting terrorism.” However, he admitted that he wasn’t up to date on Trump’s plan to combat the ISIS threat. “I haven’t seen a full plan. I know there is a plan, I haven’t seen it. We have our own plan. But we need to have a plan together, the region must have a plan to wipe out terrorism” he said. ‘Hundreds’ of Yazidi women killing themselves in ISIS captivity It is not clear from the official readout if the two leaders discussed Trump’s controversial travel ban, which seeks to ban travelers from six Muslim-majority countries from visiting the US. The Iraqi government objected after its citizens were included on the first iteration of the executive order, which was struck down by an appeal court. Iraq was removed from the revised version of the order following intensive lobbying from Baghdad at the highest levels, a senior US official told CNN. The pressure from the Iraqi officials included a phone call between Trump and Abadi on February 10 and an in-person conversation between Abadi and Vice President Mike Pence in Munich on February 18. In the two leaders’ meeting, Trump criticized his predecessor’s policies in the region. He queried “why President Obama signed that agreement with Iran, because nobody’s been able to figure that one out,” referencing the Iran nuclear deal. Related video Iraqis wage intense urban combat against ISIS He praised the Iraqi military’s advances in Mosul but added further criticism of both the Bush invasion of Iraq and Obama’s troop drawdown. “Perhaps we shouldn’t have gone in (to Iraq) and… certainly we should never, ever have left and the vacuum was created and we discussed what happened,” he said. “We will figure something out. Our main thrust is we have get rid of ISIS, it’s happening – it’s happening right now.” In war-torn western Mosul, a determined few remain CNN’s Merieme Arif and Yousuf Basil, and journalist Susannah Cullinane, contributed to this report


Lesotho is a mountainous nation of 2 million landlocked by South Africa Prime Minister Thomas Thabane says an attempted coup has taken place He tells a South African broadcaster that he fled because the military was looking for him An attempted military coup took place in the remote and mountainous nation of Lesotho on Saturday, Prime Minister Thomas Thabane said in an interview aired by South African broadcaster eNCA. “In my political life, it was not the first time that I saw this kind of activity by the Lesotho army,” Thabane said. A lot of effort has been made to reform the military and to “make it a normal army that is subject to the civilian authority,” he said. Sometimes referred to as the “Kingdom of the Sky,” Lesotho is completely landlocked by South Africa and is the only country in the world where all of the land lies above 1,000 meters. It  has a population of nearly 2 million and covers an area slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Maryland, according to the World Factbook. The Lesotho government is seeking the assistance of the South African government and other neighboring states, Thabane said. The Prime Minister said that since the Lesotho military was looking for him, he decided “to get out of the way,” and fled to an unknown location. He told the broadcaster he would not resign. “We can’t have coups d’etat in 2014. If there are political problems people must sit (down) and talk,” said Clayson Monyela, a spokesman for the South African Foreign Ministry. Monyela said that the Lesotho military’s actions “bear the hallmarks of a coup d’état.” Kamalesh Sharma, secretary-general of the Commonwealth of Nations, condemned the reported coup attempt and urged the military in Lesotho to respect civilian authority, constitutional order and the rule of law. “There is zero tolerance in the Commonwealth of any unconstitutional overthrow of an elected government,” he said in a statement. “Democracy and the rule of law are central tenets of our association … and any action to subvert constitutional civilian rule is unacceptable.” Lesotho has been independent of the United Kingdom since 1966, but continues on as a member of the 53-nation Commonwealth. Thabane became Prime Minister in 2012, when he formed the kingdom’s first coalition government, according to the CIA World Factbook. Elections are next due in 2017. Jen Psaki, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said the United States “is deeply concerned by clashes between security forces today in Lesotho.” Psaki called upon all parties to “remain committed to a peaceful political dialogue and to follow democratic processes” in order to resolve the conflict. Lesotho is known for its “herd boys,” children as young as 5 who tend flocks of cattle in remote locations and often miss out on education. Prince Harry established a charity, Sentebale, to help the country meet educational challenges. CNN’s Nana Karikari-apau and Joshua Berlinger contributed to this report.


For Samantha Sally, a vacation was all it took to flip her quiet middle-American world of muscle cars, cotton candy and an Indiana packing company, into the horror of the ritual beatings, serial rape, torture and propaganda videos of ISIS’s so-called Caliphate. A holiday is what her husband, Moussa Elhassani, promised her when she went to Hong Kong in 2014, she says. The couple was planning to move to Morocco to start a new, cheaper life, she says, and needed to go through Hong Kong to transfer money. Days later, Sally says, she stood on the Turkish border with Syria, on the edge of ISIS territory, her husband holding her daughter, Sarah, while she held her son, Matthew, then 7, confronted with an impossible choice: Abandon her daughter to ISIS and save her son, or follow her husband into ISIS’s so-called Caliphate. Following him was the only way to protect her daughter, she says. “To stay there with my son or watch my daughter leave with my husband – I had to make a decision,” Sally, 32, tells CNN in northern Syria. “Maybe I would never have seen my daughter again ever, and how can I live the rest of my life like that.” Sally spoke to CNN in Syrian-Kurdish custody, in limbo, arrested after ISIS’s collapse in Raqqa and unsure if she will ever see the United States again. The story of how Sally got there is a remarkable web of mystery, compassion, and animal savagery befitting ISIS’s legacy of almost surreal terror. And in it, Sally flits between the role of naive, manipulated housewife, and the savvy pragmatist able to survive the savage, male-dominated world of ISIS. As she sits in a Syrian-Kurdish jail, waiting the US government to determine – or not determine – what to do with her, it is navigating that delicate balance between unknowing victim and deft manipulator that will decide her fate. Sally’s journey to the former Caliphate begins in Elkhart, Indiana, where she and Elhassani worked at a delivery company. They lived with Matthew, her son from her first marriage to a US soldier, and their daughter Sarah. Elhassani took delight in souped-up cars, family videos show, and, according to Sally, used drugs and cheated on her – showing few signs of devout faith. Their marriage was rocky at times, but Elhassani came up with a plan to move to his native Morocco for a year, where she could get cheap surgery on her knee and they might find a new start. She says she went ahead to look, and was impressed enough to later fly to Hong Kong and help transfer some of their money. From Hong Kong, the couple together went to Turkey, on what Sally says was a romantic holiday, during which Elhassani lavished her with gifts. At the time, the indirect trip to Asia before diverting to the Syrian border in Turkey, and the proxy transfer of funds to Hong Kong, were textbook methods of evading law enforcement for those seeking to join ISIS. But Sally insists she thought nothing was amiss before she reached the Turkish border town of Sanliurfa. It was there that Elhassani refused to let her leave the hotel room, saying the city was “too dangerous.” “Once we got to Sanliurfa everything changed,” she says. “I was like a prisoner in the room.” Pushed as to how a woman adequately assertive to divorce her first husband in her 20s was now so submissive in a bustling Turkish city, she said: “This was years in the making. He separated me from my family. I could not see that he was the one that was wrong. It was always ‘no, my husband is right.’” Days later, they found themselves on the border, Sally faced with the agonizing choice. She insists the crossing was forced and then felt she could have come back again to Turkey later. “People can think whatever they want but they have not been put in a place to make a decision like that,” she says. Inside the so-called Caliphate, her relationship with Elhassani changed. “Before he would spoil me. ‘I love you.’ We were very much in love. The romance never left. As soon as we came here it changed. I was a dog. I didn’t have any choice. He was extremely violent. And there was nothing I could do about it. Nothing.” Sally says she feared divorcing him as that would leave her and her children yet more vulnerable in ISIS’s society. She said at one point she was jailed by ISIS for three months while pregnant for trying to escape and for alleged espionage for the US. She says she was held in solitary confinement and tortured, even sexually abused, in that jail. Sally says she was later released and went back to the small home she had made for her family on the outskirts of Raqqa, where Elhassani would periodically return from the frontline and – in between fits of violence – fathered two children by her. The loneliness of her domestic existence made Elhassani propose an addition to their home, which was, by the warped standards of the Caliphate, commonplace. In 2014, the terror group had captured hundreds of Yazidis when it took Mount Sinjar in Iraq, and many of the younger women were being sold as slaves, some purely for the purposes of sexual abuse. Elhassani suggested some Yazidi slaves would help keep Sally company while he was away, and he took her to the slave market. There she saw Soad. “When I met Soad, I couldn’t think about money, I needed to help her,” she said. The teenage girl cost her $10,000 – half the money she says she smuggled with her from their United States savings. She brought Soad home, and soon, her husband Elhassani began raping her. But that was not enough. Elhassani soon decided to “buy” his own slave, using another $7,500 from their savings to purchase Bedrine, who was younger than Soad. She was also raped by Elhassani. The family also bought a young boy, Aham, for $1,500 later still. Sally is defensive about the decision to buy the girls, saying she offered them a protection and care that other homes could not have. “I was trying to hold on to that money as at some point I knew that he (Elhassani) was going to die and I was going to need that money. That wasn’t the plan.” Asked if she feels she enabled the girls’ serial rape, she said: “In every house that she was in before that was the same situation, but she did not have the support of someone like me. We constantly talked about going to see her mother. I was going to get her out and she was going to go back home.” Sally continued: “And no, no one will ever know what it is like to watch their husband rape a 14-year-old girl. Ever. And then she comes to you – me – after crying and I hold her and tell her it’s going to be OK. Everything is going to be fine, just be patient.” “I would never apologize for bringing those girls to my house. They had me and I had them. And we knew that if we were just patient we would stick together. You understand? In any other situation they would be locked in a bedroom and fed tea every day. And the situation I was in with them, we cooked together, we cleaned together. Drank coffee together. Slept in the same room together. I was like their mother.” Sally does not outwardly appear a devout ISIS wife. She has a large blue tattoo of pursed lips on the right side of her neck and a nose ring. She smokes, and appears defiantly dismissive of the suggestion she must have known more about her husband’s plans to join the Caliphate than she admits. Indeed, she has been interviewed by the FBI, and admitting to voluntarily joining ISIS would legally complicate her situation, if not result in charges. CNN has spoken to several friends from her hometown, who say there were no open signs of her radicalization, and depict a loyal, single divorcee who found in Elhassani a generous provider-turned-controlling abuser. “She was an amazing, wonderful, generous person, a really good friend and an excellent mom to Matt and Sarah,” says friend Andria Lightner. “I believe with all my heart she would never be willing to take her kids” to join ISIS. A close friend in Indiana, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Sally became less available before she left and curiously did not confide in her friends that she intended to move to Morocco. She quit her job, and declared she was going on vacation to Hong Kong, but the friend describes what would be their final farewell as ordinary: “It was ‘I can’t wait for you to be home and see you soon,’” the friend says. “She was being everyday normal Sam.” CNN also tracked down Soad, the older of the three Yazidi children Sally and Elhassani bought. Now 17, she is in a refugee camp in Iraq, reunited with her family, and has nothing but gratitude for the American housewife who purchased her into a life of repeated rape. She sent a video message to Sally in which she said: “I really want to see you, even if it is one last time. I miss you so much and I miss your children. Anything I can do to help you get out, I will do. I love you so much.” In other ways too, Sally’s own children became victims. Her son Matthew, a US citizen through and through, was a prized cast member for ISIS as they increasingly sought to involve children in their macabre and sickening propaganda videos. Matthew was eventually visited by another ISIS fighter, who knew the ISIS propaganda wing, and approached Sally and Matthew with a script, part Arabic, part English, for Matthew’s appearance. “After I saw the script was when the beating happened,” Sally said, referring to her husband. “I was like, ‘This is absolutely not acceptable’. All I could do was talk. He became very violent and scared my son into becoming complicit. I ended up with two broken ribs on that video. I fought. I fought. It was three days after my operation with her,” she says, indicating to her youngest daughter. “I did not give birth naturally, it was Cesarean. I couldn’t even fight back. There was nothing I could do.” Matthew, sitting next to his mother throughout her interview, chimes in: “It was a very bad beating.” Sally added: “They learned the script but it was grueling. His days were long and he came home crying every day about how tired he was.” The video is one of ISIS’s more notorious, in which Matthew is made to walk through a damaged mosque and streets, vow revenge on US President Donald Trump and pledge attacks on the West. His mouth intermittently full of candy given to him by his Syrian-Kurdish captors, Matthew says: “It was extremely stressful and it was hard. I would have to say one word and then they would make me say another in Arabic. I never even knew Arabic before. I did not want to do it. He would hit me, he would stress me. About all those things.” Asked where he wants to go now, he said: “Back to my state. Back to America.” The family’s escape from Raqqa came tantalizingly closer when a drone strike killed Elhassani in the middle of last year. “I was able to breathe,” recalled Sally. “I was like – OK – we can start phase two. At least now we can all breathe.” The US coalition in Syria slowly tightened its noose around Raqqa, but Sally said she saw no avenue to escape with the thousands of civilians who had been fleeing the city during the assault. “All that I knew was that if somebody tried to leave, the snipers – which was my husband’s job – had permission to kill. So I am thinking if I try to walk out, I take the risk of IEDS (mines) if I go off road, and I run the risk that I will be sniped.” They remained in Raqqa until the very final days, released, Sally says, as part of the final hundreds of ISIS fighters – many foreign hardliners – whose departure from the city was negotiated with the US-backed Syrian-Kurdish fighters besieging ISIS. She left in that convoy east, and then found her way north, where she was eventually detained. Sally’s time in the so-called Caliphate spanned from its most brutal beginnings in 2015 until its very final moments, the totality of which, in some way, complicates her defense that she was an innocent bystander. Sally said: “I really don’t care what people think and what people say. Once I left, I was extremely relieved and I was not able to breathe in three years until now. All I saw was a bunch of drug-using thugs who had no place. They created their own state here and called it in the name of God.” Yet it is the believability of her story – that of the pliable and then abused housewife, turned savior of three child slaves – upon which her and her children’s fate surely hinges, as US authorities decide their next steps. “I will do anything to get my kids back where they belong,” Sally says. “If I have to spend 15 years in prison, it’s better than anything here.” They dream of returning home, yet the FBI agents who visit them in custody to talk, have yet to bring charges or plane tickets home. “Me and my kids we talk about wanting to eat McDonald’s,” she said. “We want to live a normal life again.” Correction: This story has been updated to correct the year Samantha Sally arrived in the so-called Caliphate. Journalist Mohammed Hassan contributed to this report.


Two Navy SEALs being investigated over the death of an Army Green Beret in Mali in June are accused of killing him after he discovered they had been stealing, according to a report in the Daily Beast. CNN has not independently verified the information in Saturday’s article, which the Daily Beast attributes to “five members of the special-operations community who were not cleared to speak publicly.” Related article Navy investigating if Green Beret died at hands of SEAL Team 6 members Naval Criminal Investigative Service spokesman Ed Buice confirmed to CNN last month that the NCIS was investigating whether two members of the Navy’s elite SEAL Team Six killed Army Staff Sgt. Logan J. Melgar. The New York Times was the first to report that the SEALs were under investigation for Melgar’s death at a US government compound near the American embassy in Bamako, the capital. Melgar was a Special Forces Engineer Sergeant, according to a statement from the US Army Special Command. Military officials told CNN that a military examiner ruled Melgar’s death while on assignment in the African nation of Mali as a homicide. An official said jurisdiction for the investigation shifted from the Army investigation service to the Navy in September. The official said the transfer of jurisdiction indicated that Navy personnel were subjects of the investigation. Melgar’s cause of death was asphyxiation, according to a defense official familiar with the findings of the medical examiner’s report. The Daily Beast article cites two special operations sources as saying the SEALs under investigation over Melgar’s death had been taking money from a fund used to pay informants. It says the sources allege that Melgar uncovered the theft and declined an offer to take a cut of the proceeds. On June 4, according to the Daily Beast’s sources, an altercation broke out – the cause of which the article says is unknown – and Melgar stopped breathing. The SEALs and another Green Beret took Melgar to hospital, the Beast quotes former AFRICOM officials as saying. Related article US investigating reports from locals that slain soldier in Niger was found with hands tied Melgar, a native of Lubbock, Texas, enlisted in the US Army in 2012 and began Special Forces training in 2013, according to the US Army Special Command statement. He served two deployments to Afghanistan. Melgar was a member of the 3rd Special Forces Group, which is the primary unit responsible for Army special operations in northwest Africa, including Mali and Niger. Four American soldiers killed in Niger in October were part of the same group. Like neighboring Niger, Mali has faced significant, deadly extremism. Gunmen attacked a luxury resort in Mali the same month Melgar died, and in August there were two separate attacks on United Nations missions there. CNN’s Barbara Starr, Eli Watkins and Ryan Browne contributed to this report.


Uzbeki is believed to have facilitated a nightclub attack in Istanbul Special Operations ground units conducted the operation A close associate of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who is tied to the New Year’s nightclub bombing in Turkey was killed by US forces in Syria two weeks ago, the US Central Command announced Friday. Troops killed ISIS facilitator Abdurakhmon Uzbeki on April 6, according to Col. John Thomas, chief spokesman for US Central Command. “He was known to interact with him in various ways over time,” Thomas said about Uzbeki’s relationship with al-Baghdadi. Uzbeki is believed to have facilitated the New Year’s attack on a nightclub in Istanbul that killed 39. “He was involved in plotting external terror plots,” Thomas said. “We’ve clearly linked him with the Istanbul” attack The ground operation was conducted by US Special Operations forces near Mayadin, Syria, according to a defense official who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the operation.  Mayadin is located in Deir Ezzor province in eastern Syria. It’s a rare use of US Special Operations ground units for combat inside Syria. A longstanding expeditionary targeting force made up of Special Operations troops has been tasked with these types of missions.


Grab a cup of coffee and settle in. Here are some pieces you may have missed in a busy news week: CNN exclusive: An FBI translator with a top-secret security clearance traveled to Syria in 2014 and married a key ISIS operative she had been assigned to investigate. (By Scott Glover) In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, people on both sides of the immigration debate have one thing in common. (By Catherine E. Shoichet; photographs by Mike Belleme) We unpack the one sentence in the Paris Agreement that could determine President Donald Trump’s decision on whether to withdraw from the climate change accord. (By John D. Sutter) France is about to pick a new president. One of Europe’s most powerful countries could end up being run by a far-right leader or someone who’s never held elected office. Either way, the result will ripple across the globe. (By Doug Criss) Is it a toy or a tool? The fidget spinner may be the latest fad for middle schoolers, but it actually has a really interesting history in education – even if it is driving some adults crazy. (By AJ Willingham) *** Artem Kolesov, a 23-year-old gay Russian violinist, explains how he went from being a closeted gay Christian in a Moscow suburb to an out and proud YouTube sensation. Kate Andersen Brower on how Melania Trump’s anti-fur statement lies somewhere in the space between Eleanor Roosevelt’s courage and Betty Ford’s bravery … and Michelle Obama’s experimentation with bangs (superficial but not entirely devoid of meaning). She clearly has channeled fashion icon Jacqueline Kennedy.


Republicans from a series of key states with large agriculture and livestock industries pushed President Donald Trump on Thursday to address their concerns with his recent trade rhetoric, seeking concessions to protect crop and livestock producers from a possible trade war with China. Trump has engaged in a tit-for-tat trade escalation with China for the last month, with each country promising to impose tariffs on imported products from each country. While Trump has focused his ire on steel, aluminum and cracking down on intellectual property violations by China, the Chinese have taken aim at politically powerful industries like soybean farmers, pork and beef producers and citrus growers. The trade escalation has rattled even staunchly pro-Trump Republicans from farm states, leading many to question the President’s rhetoric on China and asking him to consider the repercussions. “Hopefully the President is just blowing off steam again but, if he’s even half-serious, this is nuts,” Sen. Ben Sasse, a Nebraska Republican, said earlier this month in response to the tit-for-tat with China. “This is the dumbest possible way” to confront the country. Related article Senators: Trump is reconsidering his stance on TPP trade deal On Thursday, Trump met face to face with Sasse and some of those lawmakers who were critical of his decision. According to lawmakers in attendance, the back and forth was frank and direct and the lawmakers pressed on the collateral damage farmers could become in a trade war with China. Publicly, even, lawmakers in the meeting acknowledged that they pushed the President. Sen. Chuck Grassley, a powerful Iowa Republican who has long represented the most prolific pork producing state in the country, tweeted that the lawmakers “each expressed concerns to the Pres (about) nervousness among farmers (because) of possible retaliation against agriculture.” Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican who faces a tough reelection in November, told CNN that “farm prices are significantly down” and that the tough trade talk was not helping the issue. “Our farmers and ranchers in Nebraska cannot take much more and we need to protect our nation’s ag economy,” Bacon said. “It is important that our trade deals promote our state’s strong agriculture industry. I also ensured the President’s staff knew that tariffs, especially those on ethanol, would have negative impacts on our state.” Bacon is expected for face former Rep. Brad Ashford in the November election. The Democrat seized on the news earlier this month. “Attention soybean growers, pork producers and the Nebraska businesses and communities that depend on them in #NE02, you can express your opposition to Trump’s trade wars, by voting against one of his biggest enablers @RepDonBacon this November,” he wrote. And Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said in a statement that there is “uncertainty around the disruption tariffs may cause.” “During the discussion, I urged the President to put a continued focus on expanding markets for agriculture,” Ricketts said. “He listened and expressed a commitment to growing international trade so we can grow opportunities for our farmers and ranchers.” Trump has looked to explain the impact on farmers by arguing that the group – many of whom voted for him in 2016 – were “patriots” and would be helped by the trade negotiations in the long run. “If during the course of a negotiation they want to hit the farmers, because they think that hits me, I wouldn’t say that’s nice,” Trump said on China earlier this month. On Thursday, flanked by the senators, congressmen and governors, Trump made a similar argument by stating that farmers are “going to do fantastically well” after the trade negotiations. He pledged to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, a long-standing deal between the United States, Canada and Mexico, to make it “great” for agriculture. Related article Trying to make sense of Trump's contradictory trade war tweets As a way to appease the Senators on Thursday, Trump directed Larry Kudlow, his new top economic adviser, and Robert Lighthizer, his top trade negotiator, to take another look at the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, a massive multi-national agreement that he withdrew from in his first week in office. Sasse told reporters that Trump, while being pressed on the impact breaking away from the trade deal had on agriculture, directed his aides to take another look. “Clearly, it’s a deliberative process and the President is a guy who likes to … entertain a lot of different ideas,” said Sasse. “But he multiple times reaffirmed the point that TPP might be easier for us to join now once the TPP-11 is aligned and we might be the 12th party to those negotiations, as opposed to the long process that it took to get to TPP.” Sasse said the decision would be the “best thing the United States can do to push back against Chinese cheating.” There are electoral implications in a possible trade war with China. Many of the states and districts with considerable industries under threat of Chinese tariffs have key House and Senate races in 2018, meaning a full-scale trade conflict with the Asian nation could sour reliably Republican voters on the President at a critical time.


Lawmakers, wildlife officials watch more than a ton of ivory get crushed "Criminals, take notice," says Cristian Samper, president of Wildlife Conservation Society The message was crushingly loud and clear: Stop the illicit ivory trade. And to highlight it, the United States destroyed more than a ton of elephant ivory in New York’s Times Square on Friday. Lawmakers, wildlife officials, conservationists and bystanders watched the ivory turn into sand-like powder as an industrial rock crusher descended on carvings and raw tusks. “Today, we are not just crushing illegally poached ivory; we are crushing the bloody ivory market,” said Cristian Samper, president of the Wildlife Conservation Society. “We are crushing any hopes by the poachers that they will profit by killing off our Earth’s majestic elephants. Criminals, take notice.” Poaching is reducing elephant populations at an alarming rate, and the numbers are getting especially grim in Africa, where most of the giant animals are targeted. “Elephant poaching is at its highest level in decades and now exceeds the species’ reproductive potential,” said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which organized the Times Square crushing. The illegal ivory trade has doubled worldwide since 2007, with the United States among the largest markets for illegally acquired ivory. Two years ago, the United States crushed a six-ton stockpile of elephant ivory in Denver, the first time it has destroyed such large quantities. Other nations followed suit, including the Philippines, Kenya and Gabon, which have destroyed large quantities in recent years. Most of the ivory crushed Friday was confiscated during undercover operations nationwide. They included ivory seized from a Philadelphia art dealer who pleaded guilty in federal court to smuggling African elephant ivory into the country. African elephants are listed as threatened under the endangered species act. Even though some African elephant ivory, including lawfully hunted trophies, can be imported into the country, the United States prohibits commercial imports and strictly regulates domestic trade of ivory products, wildlife officials said. Poaching, shrinking habitats and a seemingly insatiable appetite for ivory in Asia – particularly in China – have contributed to the disappearing populations of elephants. About 35,000 elephants are poached annually as the demand for ivory grows. Glenn Close opinion: Intelligent animals marked for death


Editor’s Note: Shannon Tiezzi is managing editor of The Diplomat, a current-affairs magazine for the Asia-Pacific region. She writes on China’s foreign relations, domestic politics and economy. The views expressed here are her own. Shannon Tiezzi: Pence's protests that Trump's Taiwan call was "courtesy" won't work Given personalities and context involved in Beijing and Taipei, negative fallout is likely, she writes On the face of it, it’s hard to believe that a simple phone call could cause such a furor. When US President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, the conversation may have seemed routine, but it was a potentially devastating breakdown in the elaborate dance between China, the United States, and Taiwan that downplays the reality that Taiwan is, in fact, a self-governing democracy. Donald Trump has now broken with this careful charade by becoming the first US president to speak directly with a Taiwanese counterpart (at least publicly). Though Mike Pence went on television Sunday to try to mollify all parties by asserting the call was simply “a moment of courtesy,” his attempts to diffuse the tension fail to address the fact that, given the personalities and context involved, Trump’s move has the potential to grow into a perfect storm: a downward spiral, where Beijing retaliates and Taipei stiffens its resolve in response. Taiwan’s President Tsai already faced a headache in cross-strait relations even without adding a call to Trump into the mix. Since she began running away from her opponent in the presidential election polls in summer of 2015, Beijing has been adamant that it will only engage with her government should Tsai embrace the “1992 consensus.” That agreement, openly accepted by Tsai’s predecessor Ma Ying-jeou, holds that there is only one China, although it does not define which government, precisely, is the rightful ruler of said China. Both the PRC and Taiwan’s Republic of China government have maintained they can claim that mantle. Tsai, as the candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, which was founded on a sense of unique Taiwanese identity, could not enter into a straightforward embrace of the “1992 consensus.” Beijing rejected her offer at compromise – accepting the “historical fact” of the 1992 talks that led to the consensus and pledging to uphold the “status quo” in cross-strait relations – and severed official communication channels with Tsai’s government the day of her inauguration. Related article Trump now considering more than four for secretary of state, Conway says Beijing seems inclined to place the blame mostly on Taiwan, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi dismissing the Trump-Tsai conversation as a “little trick” played by Taiwan. China may seek to apply coercive economic measures to Taiwan to “punish” Tsai and her administration; such a move would doubtless outrage Taiwanese. China’s attempts to play the barefaced bully have historically backfired, pushing Taiwan farther away from Beijing’s desired goal of unification rather than bringing it closer. That was the case in 1996, when Beijing fired missiles into the Taiwan Strait in an attempt to prevent the re-election of Taiwanese nativist president Lee Teng-hui; Lee won in a landslide. Likewise, Beijing’s attempts to freeze out the only previous DPP president, Chen Shui-bian, forced Chen to make an abrupt about-face; he went from advocating liberalized cross-strait economic ties in his first term to pursuing a referendum on Taiwan’s UN membership in his second. Cross-strait ties were already at their frostiest in eight years; this phone call to Trump ups the ante at a sensitive time for China, which will soon undergo its own leadership transition. In fall  2017, the Communist Party holds its 19th Congress. This gathering, held once every five years, will extol the achievements of the Xi Jinping-led government, cement his approach in party doctrine, and reshuffle the top echelons of leadership. While Xi will stay on, five of those on the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee are due for retirement. There are also persistent rumors that current No. 2, Premier Li Keqiang, could see himself officially replaced, forced to play scapegoat for slowing economic growth. What this means is that domestic political wrangling is at its peak in China at the moment. In such times, Beijing would keenly prefer a quiet external environment; that’s likely a large contributing factor to the current calm in the South China Sea. However, should a crisis emerge – such as, say, a paradigm shift in the US-Taiwan relationship – China’s current leaders will feel immense pressure to respond swiftly and harshly. Though not a democracy, Beijing is not as insulated from public opinion as one might imagine. Chinese leaders are incredibly wary of the risk of being outflanked by nationalistic sentiment on the cross-strait issue. Beijing’s censors have moved to block conversation about the Trump-Tsai phone call on social media, hoping to prevent a groundswell of public anger. But if the trend toward an open US-Taiwan relationship continues, Beijing won’t be able to keep a lid on domestic fury forever. Related article 10 minutes that could change US-China history In the United States as well, uncertainty rules. Trump will not officially take office for another six weeks, but even as President-elect he has the ability to send strong foreign policy signals. The question is whether he understands those signals – or even means to send them. His conversation with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is a prime example. When Trump assured Sharif, “I am ready and willing to play any role that you want me to play to address and find solutions to the outstanding problems,” did the US President-elect realize that would be read in Islamabad as an offer to intervene in the toxic Pakistan-India dispute over Kashmir? The phone call with Tsai is even more complex. Though, as he pointed out on Twitter, Tsai placed the call, Taiwan’s presidential office spokesman Alex Huang confirmed that Trump’s team helped arrange it. “Of course both sides agreed ahead of time before making contact,” Huang told Reuters. Several Trump affiliates, including adviser Peter Navarro and rumored secretary of state candidate John Bolton, have argued for a much closer relationship with Taiwan, despite (or even gleefully because of) the immense anger that would cause in China. That means Trump’s call with Tsai can be interpreted in two ways. One, it could be a simple nicety extended to a foreign leader, without much forethought on Trump’s side. That lack of understanding would be a dangerous sign for the future of US foreign policy in general, but not an indication that US-Taiwan (and thus US-China) relations are about to change forever. However, the call could also be taken as a sign of Trump’s future Taiwan policy. Trump’s latest tweets, which take a biting and sarcastic tone in criticizing China’s actions on currency, taxing US goods, and the South China Sea, certainly indicate that possibility. Sign up for CNN Opinion’s new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook If Trump’s advisers are advocating a wholesale change in the way Washington relates to Taipei, that could very well translate to actual policy decisions. This week, it’s a phone call; next year, we could see US Cabinet officials traveling to Taiwan, or Taiwan’s President making a visit to the United States. This would shake the foundations of the awkward diplomacy that has kept peace across the Taiwan Straits – and between the United States and China – since Washington normalized ties with Beijing in 1979. For now, uncertainty reigns in the United States, and that sets the stage for a crisis, especially if neither Taiwan nor China can correctly interpret what Trump will do next.


UN human rights experts urged Iranian authorities to respect the rights of protesters and voiced concern over Tehran’s restriction of social messaging services, in a joint statement issued Friday by the UN agency for human rights. The statement by four Special Rapporteurs – expert advisers to the United Nations who work on a voluntary basis – comes eight days after anti-government protests first broke out in Iran. At least 21 people were killed and 450 were arrested in the protests, many in clashes with security forces trying to quell the rallies. Related article Here's why the Iran protests are significant The protests, the most powerful challenge to the regime in years, appeared to have fizzled Thursday, after a claim by Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Ali Jafari that the unrest was officially over. Mass pro-government rallies have taken their place in many Iranian cities. “We are very disturbed by the way the authorities have responded to the protests,” the four Special Rapporteurs said in their statement, released by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. “The government’s instruction to the Revolutionary Guards to hit hard against the protesters, and the judiciary’s threats of harsh punishment, are unacceptable. “We urge the authorities to exercise restraint and respond proportionately in their efforts to control the protests, to limit the use of force to a strict minimum, and to fully respect the human rights of the protesters, including their rights to life, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.” The UN experts said they shared the concerns of Iranian civil society groups for those arrested. Related article Iran threatens to shut down Telegram social media app “We are also very concerned at reports that the Government has blocked the Internet on mobile networks, and that social media services like Instagram and messaging services like Telegram have been shut down in an attempt to quell the protests,” they said. “In some regions, Internet access has been blocked altogether. Communication blackouts constitute a serious violation of fundamental rights.” The experts added that the lack of measures to address the underlying causes of the unrest through nonviolent means was “disturbing.” The protests began just over a week ago over Iran’s stagnant economy and the rising cost of living, and developed into a broader outcry against the government. The UN Security Council met Friday to discuss Iran after the US requested an emergency session amid the demonstrations. US to UN Ambassador Nikki Haley called the protests “something the world must take note of” and a “powerful exhibition of brave people” risking their lives to exercise their right to speak. Iran’s ambassador to the UN said the US abused its power by calling for the meeting, saying the protests in his country fall outside the scope of the Security Council mandate. “There is a long history of US. bullying at the UN, but this is a preposterous example – the purely internal affairs of a nation,” Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo said, addressing the council. In Tehran, firebrand cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami delivered a fiery sermon during prayers at the Grand Mosalla mosque in which he pointed to the United States and Israel as fomenting protest. “Any voice that represents Trump and Netanyahu is not the voice of the people, it is the words of foreigners and the people will make them choke on their words,” he said, referring to US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Khatami spoke against the political divide in Iran, saying “religious leaders are on the side of the downtrodden and those who have problems making ends meet.” He added: “I urge you not to turn this into partisan politics. People want freedom. They want their voice to be heard.” The presence of Khatami, who often leads the prayers in turbulent times, signaled that the authorities are taking recent events across the country very seriously. Numbers in attendance at the mosque, always busy and bustling on a Friday – Islam’s holy day – appeared even larger than usual. A march began from outside the prayer hall once prayers ended. Rouhallah, an Iranian national at the Grand Mosalla who preferred only to give his first name, said he hoped the country could come together to address protesters’ real concerns about the price of basic foods like bread and chicken. “I don’t think the solution is regime change,” he told CNN after prayers. “I think the solution is to bring bread to the people. I think there are a lot of solutions for that and absolutely, we have to be thinking of them.” Another Iranian who gave only his first name, Hosseini, said: “Even though there are some shortcomings on the part of our officials, we are standing by our revolution and will wait so that our officials can discharge their duties in the best possible way.” Iranian state media broadcast wall-to-wall images of pro-government rallies in Tehran, Kerman and Tabriz. Both prayers and the pro-government marches that followed in Tehran passed off peacefully, according a CNN producer on the ground. Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli claimed Thursday that no more than 42,000 people had taken part in the anti-government protests since December 28, according to the semiofficial Iranian Student News Agency. That isn’t a high number of people, Fazli said, adding that protests are “normal occurrences and happen in all countries.” On Wednesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pinned the number at 15,000. CNN has not been able to verify either number. In a statement released late Thursday, Haley warned other nations against trying to impede the Security Council’s discussion of what she called a “troubling and dangerous situation” in Iran. “The world has witnessed the horrors that have taken place in Syria, that began with a murderous regime denying its people’s right to peacefully protest,” she said. “We must not let that happen in Iran.” Iranian and US officials have traded barbs for the past week, and Tehran maintains that the United States and its allies orchestrated the unrest. Tehran accused US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence of inciting Iranians to protest against the government through a series of tweets and described US interference in Iranian issues as “grotesque.” There is no evidence that Washington had any direct role in orchestrating the anti-government protests, beyond encouragement through social media and published remarks. CNN’s Angela Dewan, Bijan Hosseini, Marilia Brochetto, Elizabeth Joseph and Richard Roth contributed to this report.