Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump’s pick to be the next CIA director, pledged Wednesday she would not restart the CIA’s detention and interrogation program and that she would not follow an order that she found morally objectionable. “I would not allow CIA to undertake activity that I thought was immoral, even if it was technically legal,” Haspel said. “I would absolutely not permit it.” Haspel’s role in the George W. Bush administration’s interrogation program was front-and-center for her confirmation hearing, where she faced pointed questions about her views on the harsh interrogation of detainees and her role in the destruction of CIA interrogation tapes. Haspel made clear that she does not believe the CIA should be in the interrogation business — and she would not allow the CIA to resume interrogations — but she declined to criticize the CIA for using waterboarding and other interrogation tactics that critics say amounted to torture. “I’m not going to sit here with the benefit of hindsight and judge the very good people who made hard decisions who were running the agency in very extraordinary circumstances at the time,” Haspel said. The CIA nominee was pressed repeatedly by Democrats about whether she thought CIA’s interrogation tactics were moral, which she answered by saying she supported the current “higher moral standard.” Sen. Kamala Harris of California tried a different tack, asking Haspel whether she thought torture “worked,” as Trump has said. “We got value information from debriefing of al Qaeda detainees,” Haspel said. “And I don’t think it’s knowable whether interrogation techniques played a role in that.” Haspel was also pressed over her role in the 2005 destruction of the CIA tapes that was ordered by her boss, then-clandestine chief Jose Rodriguez. She emphasized that the decision to destroy the tapes was his, but she did acknowledge she also supported it. “I absolutely was an advocate, if we could within and conforming to US law, and if we could get policy concurrence to eliminate the security risk posed to our officers by those tapes,” Haspel told Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California. Haspel told Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat, that she would no longer support the destruction of the tapes today. It’s not clear whether Haspel’s answers will sway skeptical Democrats. Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, questioned “the message the Senate would send” by appointing a director who worked in the interrogation program. “Ms. Haspel has stated that the law has changed and that the RDI program is no longer legal. She has committed to upholding the law. I appreciate that, but it is not enough,” Warner said. In her opening statement, Haspel said she would not restart the interrogation program, saying it was now clear the CIA was “not prepared” to run an interrogation program. “Having served in that tumultuous time, I can offer you my personal commitment, clearly and without reservation, that under my leadership, on my watch, CIA will not restart such a detention and interrogation program,” Haspel said. Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr praised Haspel, a 33-year CIA veteran, as the most qualified nominee that could have been chosen for the post, and argued that her confirmation hearing should not be used to put the George W. Bush administration’s interrogation program on trial. “I’d like to set the record straight and make clear to those in attendance, and the American people, that this hearing is not about programs already addressed by executive order, legislation and the court of law — it is about the woman seated before you,” Burr said. For lawmakers on the fence, Haspel’s willingness to answer questions about her past will be a major factor in whether she will be able to clinch Democratic votes. And several senators from both parties say her answers will matter – they’re looking to her hearing to decide how they will vote on her nomination. Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine who is still undecided on Haspel, said the hearing was going to be key in whether he supports her. “It’s an important hearing,” King said. “My principal concern is about the tapes’ destruction and what she was thinking, what her role was. That’s the essence of it.” Haspel was selected as deputy CIA director last year, a position that did not require Senate confirmation. But Trump’s selection of Haspel to succeed Mike Pompeo atop the agency has been contentious ever since she was tapped in March. Her nomination was quickly opposed by human rights groups and many Democrats, as well as Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, over her role in the George W. Bush administration’s interrogation and detention program, in which critics say the CIA tortured terror detainees. Critics point to Haspel’s time leading the CIA’s black site in Thailand in 2002, where harsh interrogations were conducted. Then in 2005, she was chief of staff to the CIA’s clandestine chief, Jose Rodriguez, when he ordered the destruction of tapes of CIA interrogations. With Paul’s opposition and Sen. John McCain’s absence from Washington as he fights brain cancer, Haspel will need at least some Democratic support to win the simple majority needed for confirmation. Republicans are looking to the same red-state Democrats who voted for Pompeo’s confirmation as secretary of state last month to also back Haspel. Several have signaled they’re open to supporting her. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida pointed to support for Haspel from former Obama and Bush administration officials, while Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said she “has been a true soldier and done her job.” Other Democrats, however, say the CIA has failed to publicly disclose key details about her record that the public should have access to before she is confirmed to a Cabinet-level position. Several Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee have urged the CIA and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats to make Haspel’s record in the interrogation program public. The CIA has declassified some materials, including an internal 2011 report on the tape destruction clearing her of wrongdoing. And the agency provided additional classified material to senators but has argued that the information cannot be made public for security reasons. Democrats say the response is insufficient, and they have complained that the CIA is selectively releasing favorable parts of Haspel’s record. They are also warning that Haspel will say little to nothing about the controversial parts of her career during the open hearing – there is also a classified session for senators – because they remain classified. “As of now, this is headed toward a secret confirmation process,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, adding later, “It is going to take place in public. Yet I believe, as of now, people will not know much of what the nominee was doing during that crucial period and will not know a number of the facts … that relate to her record and who she really is.” Haspel and the CIA tried to push back on the criticisms of her record in the lead-up to the hearing. The CIA has waged its own public relations campaign for Haspel, releasing an extensive biography and tweeting support for her nomination. Dozens of former intelligence officials, including senior Obama administration officials, have expressed support for her nomination. Haspel’s leadership experience has left many in the GOP leadership confident she’ll get the job. “She’s got the résumé. She’s got all the field work. She knows this job cold,” Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, a member of GOP leadership, told CNN. Thune said Haspel “enjoys broad support among Republicans. The question is are there Democrats that will vote for her?” This story has been updated. CNN’s Manu Raju, Jenna McLaughlin and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.


Police in UK issue statements warning people not to scare their communities by dressing up Wave of creepy clown sightings have emerged in US Spike in clown-related incidents in lead-up to Halloween The sinister clown scare is spreading worldwide. The bizarre craze seemed to be confined to the US, where sightings of so-called creepy clowns emerged in the late summer. But it now looks like the fancy dress frenzy has spread across the seas. It may seem a funny prank to scare unsuspecting victims ahead of Halloween but police in the UK are warning against participating in the hoax. Authorities across the country have responded to an increasing number of incidents involving people in clown outfits. “Dressing up as a clown to scare people may seem like a joke, but it is no laughing matter,” Cumbria Superintendent Mark Pannone said. “The fear of such incidents is deeply upsetting children in Cumbria and causing them a great deal of distress.” Related article A brief, creepy history of clown hoaxes and internet panics On Sunday, Cumbria Police said it received nine clown-related reports including one who was holding a knife and another a stick. Thames Valley Police said it responded to 14 incidents in 24 hours over the weekend. And police in Durham in the northeast of England are investigating after a man dressed as a clown and wielding a knife is alleged to have followed four children to school on Friday morning. “The children arrived at school understandably upset and distressed by this incident and we are currently trying to locate this man,” neighborhood Sergeant Mel Sutherland said in a statement. “We believe this to be part of a much larger prank which is currently sweeping across the USA and parts of the UK. It is very alarming he was carrying a knife, however we do not think he intended to harm the children and as far as we are aware, this is part of the prank.” Related article What's with all the clowns everywhere? 6 legit possibilities Authorities are urging people to forgo the mischievous fun as the reports are taking vital resources away from other crime investigations. “While we do not want to be accused of stopping people enjoying themselves we would also ask those same people to think of the impact of their behavior on others and themselves,” Thames Valley chief superintendent Andy Boyd said in a statement. “Their behavior is causing multiple reports to our call takers and is tying up police resources which could impact on calls to other incidents.” And it’s not just pranksters in the UK who are clowning around. Authorities in Australia and Canada have also issued clown-related cautions in the last several days. Related video How to be a good clown Victoria Police in Australia told CNN that they are aware of copycat incidents and warned that “any intimidating and threatening as well as anti-social behaviors will not be tolerated.” They urged those in their community to contact their local station if concerned. According to Google Trends, interest in clowns tends to spike each year ahead of Halloween on October 31 but a wave of creepy clowns spotted around the US has brought with it a frenzy of panic. Reports of clowns around the neighborhood first emerged in South Carolina towards the end of August but has since filled up countless social feeds as imitators don their own masks. As a result, a number of people in the US have been arrested, schools have released letters warnings parents and the subject even cropped up at a White House briefing last week. Press secretary Josh Earnest said: “I don’t know that the president has been briefed on this particular situation.” Karla Pequenino contributed to this report.


This page includes the show Transcript Use the Transcript to help students with reading comprehension and vocabulary At the bottom of the page, comment for a chance to be mentioned on CNN Student News.  You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call. August 18, 2015 Our “Catching Up” series continues today by explaining the controversial Iran nuclear deal: What is it, what are some international perspectives on it, and how is the U.S. Congress involved? We’re also looking at how the role of Japan’s military could change. And amid a spike in U.S. heroin overdoses, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is exploring the effects of opiates on the brain. On this page you will find today’s show Transcript and a place for you to request to be on the CNN Student News Roll Call. TRANSCRIPT Click here to access the transcript of today’s CNN Student News program. Please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published. CNN Student News is created by a team of journalists who consider the Common Core State Standards, national standards in different subject areas, and state standards when producing the show. ROLL CALL For a chance to be mentioned on the next CNN Student News, comment on the bottom of this page with your school name, mascot, city and state. We will be selecting schools from the comments of the previous show. You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call! Thank you for using CNN Student News!


Source tells CNN that Xiao has been abducted from Hong Kong hotel Front page newspaper ad in tycoon's name denies he's been kidnapped A Chinese billionaire with Canadian citizenship has been seized from his apartment at the Four Seasons hotel in Hong Kong and taken to mainland China, a source familiar with the situation told CNN Wednesday. Hong Kong police said they were investigating the disappearance of Xiao Jianhua, who was reported missing Friday. Police added that they had received a request Saturday from a family member to drop the case. “We are still investigating and have reached out to the mainland authorities concerned,” the statement sent to CNN Tuesday said. Xiao is one of China’s richest men and controls the Tomorrow Group, a massive holding company with stakes in banks, insurers and property developers. According to Hurun, which analyzes Chinese wealth, Xiao is 46 and has a net worth of $6 billion. Xiao’s disappearance adds to fears that freedoms guaranteed under the “one country, two systems” policy agreed to as part of Britain’s 1997 handover of Hong Kong are being eroded as Beijing asserts more control over the city. His case has drawn comparisons with Lee Bo, a bookseller and British passport holder that disappeared from Hong Kong in late 2015 and later turned up in Chinese custody. Lee’s removal, which came after the disappearance of four of his colleagues, sparked outrage in Hong Kong and internationally over fears he was taken against his will by Chinese law enforcement agents, who aren’t permitted to act in the self-governing city. One of the booksellers, Swedish citizen Gui Minhai, remains in detention 15 months after he was taken from Thailand. Meet 5 of China’s disappearing executives The person familiar with the situation told CNN that there was a small scuffle between two dozen security officials and Xiao’s own security detail, which usually numbers about eight bodyguards per shift. The source, who wanted to remain anonymous because of the politically sensitive nature of the case, said Xiao had close connections to some of China’s most powerful families. In a front-page ad published in Hong Kong’s Mingpao newpaper Wednesday, Xiao appeared to deny he had been kidnapped. The statement in Chinese, which had Xiao’s name printed at the bottom, said that he was “recuperating overseas” and hoped to meet with media once he had recovered. “I’m a patriotic overseas Chinese and I’ve always loved the party and the country,” it said. The statement added that he was a Canadian citizen entitled to consular assistance and a permanent Hong Kong resident. Mingpao said they couldn’t disclose who bought the unusual ad, which according to the newspaper’s advertising rate card would have cost $36,500. Other high-profile businesspeople detained in China have been pressed to release messages insisting that everything is fine. The newspaper statement was similar to a post on the Tomorrow Group’s WeChat account – a social network and messaging app that’s massively popular in China. The post has since been deleted. The Four Seasons, which occupies a 45-story skyscraper that commands spectacular views of Hong Kong’s harbor, said it was cooperating with the police investigation but declined to comment further. The Canadian Consulate said it was aware of the reports and officials were “in contact with the authorities to gather additional information and provide assistance.” “In order to protect the privacy of the individual concerned, further details on this case cannot be released.” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Public Security Ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment. Born in China, Xiao also held a diplomatic passport from Antigua and Barbuda, where he was an ambassador at large, according to a statement on the Antigua government website. The country’s foreign ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. According to the Financial Times, Xiao was a financier with links to the family of Chinese President Xi Jinping. He was one of a number of Chinese tycoons who had moved to Hong Kong and taken up residence in private apartments at the 5-star Four Seasons hotel during Xi’s crackdown on corporate excess, the paper said. A 2014 profile in the New York Times said Xiao was often surrounded by aides and retained a number of female body guards “who even wipe the sweat from his brow.” Born in a poor mountain village, Xiao passed the highly competitive college entrance exam at 14 and attended Peking University, China’s most prestigious, it added. CNN’s Esther Pang, Felicia Wong, Yuli Yang, Vivian Kam and Zahra Ullah contributed to this report


Russian President Vladimir Putin let loose a volley of trash-talk at his annual press conference Putin sometimes veers off into country-bumpkin expressions, which occasionally defy translation For most U.S. politicians, such comments would be impossible to get away with, but they are seen as part of Putin's attraction It was a classic “Putin moment.” A huge hall filled with almost a thousand journalists, his formal “year-ender” December 17 news conference, broadcast live on all the major Russian TV networks and websites. A question about Turkey, and why it shot down a Russian warplane in November. President Putin was still furious. With a sneer and a snort, he let loose a volley of trash-talk. “If anyone in the Turkish leadership decided to lick the Americans in a certain place – I don’t know if they acted correctly or not – I don’t know whether the Americans need that.” Laughs, and even applause from some of the Russian reporters. Foreign journalists looked stunned. What Putin left out was the real ending of that Russian expression: “lick someone’s a*s.” But every Russian in the room knew what he meant. Related video Trump and Putin's bromance Vladimir Putin has a presidential potty mouth that he uses to great effect. The public first heard it in September 1999, when Putin was an unknown prime minister. Russia was hit with several deadly terrorist  bombings of apartment buildings. Vowing revenge, Putin didn’t hold back: “We’re going to pursue the terrorists everywhere,” he said. “That means, you’ll excuse me, we’ll catch them in the toilet, we’ll wipe them out in the sh*t house, finally.” That tough talk shocked many Russians. They’d never heard anything like that from a leader before. But it also boosted their spirits; a tough, vigorous leader had their back and would fight to protect them. A few months later, the ailing president, Boris Yeltsin, stepped aside and Vladimir Putin took the reins as Russian president. But he didn’t change his locker room talk. At a summit meeting in 2002, a foreign journalist asked the president whether Russia was repressing human rights in the breakaway republic of Chechnya, where most people are Muslim. Related video Putin says downing of Russian plane was an 'enemy act' “If you’re really ready to become an Islamic radical and you’re ready to have yourself circumcised, I invite you to Moscow,” he shot back. “We have a multi-faith country and we have experts in that. I’ll recommend doing the operation so that nothing grows back.” Male circumcision is practiced more by Muslims than any other religious group. The first translator was left speechless and sputtered an attempt at explaining what Putin had in mind. “Uh…uh…uh, uh come to Moscow…” Another translator jumped in: “If you want to do a circumcision….You are welcome…and everyone is tolerated in Moscow.” No translation was provided regarding anything not growing back. Putin’s sense of humor often has an ironic twist to it. “If a grandmother had certain sexual indicators, she would be a grandfather,” he said in June of 2006, answering a question about sanctions against Iran. Michele Berdy, who writes a column on the Russian language for The Moscow Times newspaper, has followed Putin’s rhetorical style for years. She thinks “it’s a way of being like the guy next door.” “I always thought it was a controlled way of slipping into ‘Hey, we’re all just one of the guys, sittin’ around, throwin’ back beers, and talkin’ about life the way it really is,’” she adds. The Russian president occasionally veers off into country-bumpkin expressions, which occasionally defy translation. Related video Putin and Erdogan: A clash of egos “One of the first ones was a goat reference when Tony Blair was visiting,” Michele Berdy recalls. “Above us is Allah, under us are goats,” is what Putin’s interpreter translated him as saying to the former British Prime Minister.  But a Moscow Times article explained that the Russian for goat has a second translation – bastard, or something even more insulting – and suggested that the interpreter suffered from excessive modesty. “It involved goats and prisons and allusions that the translators, I think, understood but had no idea what to do with,” Berdy adds. But there was no issue about what he meant when he put down a question about his supposed wealth in 2008 with this zinger: “That’s such garbage! They picked it out of their noses and smeared it on their papers!” Putinisms have become famous in Russia, and it doesn’t hurt that they’re often about sex. “They’ve asked me when I began having sex,” Putin said in July, 2006, at an internet conference. “I don’t remember … I remember exactly when I did it the last time. I can define that right down to the minute.” Many of Putin’s zingers are launched in apparent anger, which helps to solidify Putin’s macho image. Related video Putin: Turkey will regret downing of Russian warplane “It’s also this sort of ‘man’s man,’ slipping into foul language, and always putting somebody down, making fun of somebody,” says Berdy. “Like the Turks licking the Americans. It’s insulting and it’s putting down the Turks and the Americans in the process.” In December 2011, young people wearing white ribbons on their coats gathered on the icy streets of Moscow to protest what they said were rigged parliamentary elections. Putin smirkingly derided the symbol of their protest movement. “Frankly speaking,” he said, “when I saw those little ribbons, I thought it was some sort of action against AIDS. I’m embarrassed to say I thought they were wearing condoms.” That comment infuriated the opposition and Vladimir Putin’s crude expressions have not gone down well with many in Russia’s educated class, the intelligentsia. For them, speaking proper, literary Russian is highly valued. But Putin, when he is not making off-color jokes, does speak excellent Russian. “That’s why I’ve always thought that his slipping into this is very strategic,” notes Michele Berdy. “He decides when he want to leave standard literary Russian and get into non-standard Russian.” Putinisms are decidedly not politically correct, but PC language now is a dirty word in Russia. Some Russians deride the West for wimping out in a lame attempt not to insult anybody. For most American or European politicians, comments like Putin’s would be impossible to get away with. In Russia, however, they seem to be part of Putin’s political attraction. After all, who can miss the point of this shorthand explanation of how the law should work, that he unleashed in 2003: “Everyone has to understand, once and for all, that you’ve got to obey the law all the time, and not just when they grabbed you ‘in a certain place.’”


British teenager plotted to behead a police officer during Australia's Anzac Day commemorations The attack -- which was to have been carried out by another person -- was arranged over social media It was foiled when police investigating other threats made by the boy decrypted messages on his phone A police officer beheaded in broad daylight on one of the most solemn days of the year, as thousands of people gathered to pay tribute to the sacrifice of soldiers in past wars. It’s a grisly crime that – if carried out – would have shocked Australia to its core. And it was plotted by a schoolboy on the other side of the world. Britain’s youngest terror mastermind has been jailed for life for orchestrating the beheading, which was to have been carried out during a parade in Melbourne on Anzac Day – a national holiday honoring the country’s war dead – in April this year. The boy, who admitted directing the jihadist plot and encouraging others to take part, was just 14 when he planned the brutal slaying. He cannot be identified because he is a minor. Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Mole, head of England’s North West Counter Terrorism Unit, said the boy’s role was “quite shocking,” considering he was “extremely young.” Related gallery Remembering Anzac Day, 100 years on “I think it shows that the ideology, if you’re open to it, it takes no prisoners … there are certain people who fall into the seductive propaganda of some of the ISIL stuff that’s pumped out on social media. “He’s been caught up in that, he’s explored it and he’s escalated into an attack plan, and a credible one, which is an extremely dangerous thing to do.” According to authorities, the attack was to have been carried out in person by his co-conspirator, Sevdet Besim, from Melbourne; the pair had set out the details of the deadly outrage in thousands of messages sent using an encrypted app. But the plan was foiled, police say, when they were called in after the teenager threatened to behead teachers at his school in northern England, prompting counterterrorism experts to crack the encryption code on his smartphone. Besim awaits trial in Australia on charges of conspiring to commit a terrorist act; he has not yet entered a plea. Alerted by their counterparts in the UK, Australian police closed in and found “the knife, the flag, and the martyrdom … script,” Mole said. Related video Anzac Day: Gallipoli remembered 100 years on The boy, who is now 15, was known to have behavioural problems, but his parents, who are divorced, are said to have had no idea their son had been radicalized until police became involved. The British-born teenager had managed to convince 18-year-old Besim that he was much older and had a history of radicalism, testing the Australian’s religious knowledge and determination to carry out an attack. “He’s put himself in the space of authority and Besim has accepted that,” said Mole. “That’s the mask of social media – you can, if you [behave] in the right way, ask the right questions, you can show yourself to be that sort of mature person that Besim was … looking for to give him some guidance.” Telegram is an instant messaging system which allows users to send encrypted texts, along with photos and videos, via their mobile phone or computer.It was set up by Russian exile Pavel Durov, who says he and his brother Nikolai “wanted a secure means of communication for ourselves.”Durov told CNN he believes people have a right to communicate without the government or others being able to see what they are saying.“When law enforcement bodies can get access to the data it leads to abusing that kind of power … and you can buy any private communication if you have enough money or connections.”Durov says he is aware the platform may be used by terrorists, but insists that: “Providing [a] secure private means of communication for … 99.999% of people that have nothing to do with terrorism means more than the threat we see from the other side.” Authorities claim that over the course of nine days the pair exchanged some 3,000 messages using controversial messaging app Telegram. Security analysts say members of terror groups like ISIS use encryption apps including Telegram, Surespot, Kik and Wickr to send messages to each other without the risk of them being read by outsiders. “It is very well known that ISIS – and not just ISIS – uses open source social media like Facebook and Twitter to circulate its propaganda,” said Charlie Winter, of counter-extremism think tank Quilliam. “What you also see is people in Syria and Iraq who self-advertise as Islamic State fighters and recruiters and they provide the details to their Surespot account, their Kik account, their Telegram account.” British authorities want the ability to monitor such communications. “Do we want to allow a means of communication between people which – even in extremis, with a signed warrant from the Home Secretary personally – we cannot read?” British Prime Minister David Cameron asked in January this year. His message has been echoed by Andrew Parker, the head of Britain’s security service, MI5, who says counterterrorism forces must be able to monitor suspected extremists. “MI5 and others need to be able to navigate the internet, to find terrorist communication,” Parker told the BBC in early September. “We’ve been pretty successful in recent years but it is becoming more difficult as technology changes faster and faster. Related video FBI: U.S. can't crack secret terror messages from ISIS “We need to be able to do in the modern age what we have done in our history – [we] need to be able to monitor the communications of terrorists and spies.” Telegram’s co-founder, Pavel Durov, says he is “sorry” that the teenager was using his app to plot the beheading, but insists: “If Telegram did not exist, this young boy would have used some other app.” A Russian exile, Durov says he’s seen first-hand what happens when a government has too much power over information. “What I saw in countries like Russia [and] many other places is that when law enforcement bodies get access or can get access to the data eventually it leads to abusing that kind of power.” He says people have the right to secure communication, and warns it is almost impossible to limit the spread of encrypted technology. But later this year, the British government plans to introduce draft legislation dealing with encryption – in the hopes of stopping the next teenage terrorist.


Program note: CNN’s “Declassified” reveals the story of Russia’s secret network of deep-cover spies living in the United States on Saturday July 22, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. CNN Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen and his crew were embedded with US Air Force crews in the Middle East. U2 crew members fly surveillance missions over Iraq and Syria at more than 70,000 feet Planes fly 10-hour missions to gain intelligence on ISIS Getting dressed for a combat mission in a U2 “Dragonlady” reconnaissance plane looks almost like the preparations for a space flight, the pilot in a yellow compression suit wearing a massive white helmet. The suits need to be cooled the entire time, otherwise the pilots would die of heat exhaustion in a matter of minutes, but they are necessary to protect the crew members as they fly surveillance missions over Iraq and Syria at more than 70,000 feet scoping out ISIS targets. The US Air Force gave CNN rare access to U2 crews flying out of a secret location in the Middle East. We can only identify the pilots by their rank, first name and their call sign. The pilot getting suited up was named Capt. Steven. His call sign is “Meathead.” He was brought to the plane in a bus similar to those that bring astronauts to their spacecraft. He was connected to a mobile cooling unit the entire time. Dozens of ground personnel were readying the U2 jet for a 10-hour mission. “You do things to keep your mind busy,” Capt. Steven said, referring to the toll the long hours sitting in the cockpit take on them. “The radios are constantly going, there’s constant communications with guys on the ground. So it keeps you busy.” READ MORE: Flying with planes fueling fight against ISIS The “Dragonlady” lifted off soon after, quickly climbing into the Middle Eastern sun. The U2 is built for altitude. It can climb to well over 70,000 feet, making it an important asset in the effort to find and destroy senior ISIS fighters, safe houses and battle positions. “With the U2 we’re able to get out there, find those guys and track them,” said another pilot, Maj. Matt. “Then we get that information back to the fighters and bombers, so that way when they go out there they’ve got the best intel, the best information about where they are and can do what needs to be done.” The U2 “Dragonlady” is a Cold War-era plane. It’s been flying since the 1950s. But the planes have been modernized with new sensors and cameras, making them an important asset in the intelligence war against ISIS. But they are by no means the only ones. Drones also play a major role. From the massive Global Hawk that can stay in the air for well over 24 hours to the smaller predator and reaper unmanned aerial vehicles, all these platforms contribute to what is a gigantic airborne surveillance aimed at degrading and ultimately destroying ISIS. READ MORE: The fight for Mosul, one month on “I am seeing continuous progress,” said Col. Paul Birch, the head of the 380th Expeditionary Operations Group. “There’s progress each day. From reports about what’s happening to ISIS on the ground I know that we are having an absolutely critical impact.” But despite the many surveillance assets and the major firepower of coalition aircraft in the skies over Iraq and Syria, ISIS remains a powerful and elusive group, offering stiff resistance to Iraqi and Kurdish forces as they try to storm the terror group’s biggest stronghold, Mosul. Iraqi leaders have acknowledged it could be months before Iraq’s second largest city might be liberated. That means many more missions for the crews of the U2 “Dragonlady.” After about 10 hours we were on hand when Capt. Steve came in to land. The U2 is a very difficult aircraft to bring to the ground. Its landing gear is aligned like the wheel of a bicycle. Keeping one from running off the runway requires great skill and the help of a second pilot trailing the jet down the runway in a chase car and keeping radio contact. Peeling himself out of the plane, Capt. Steven was happy to leave the confines of the small cockpit and satisfied with the support he was able to provide forces fighting on the ground. “The things that we can do while we are up there, as well as how often we are up there. Thanks to our maintenance guys we are constantly up in the air providing that support for those who need it most,” he said. READ MORE: Slaughter of innocents in battle for Mosul And it looks like the demand for the U2 missions won’t go away anytime soon, as the international coalition continues to ramp up the pressure and the firepower, trying to destroy the network for good.


Trump spoke in Tokyo just hours after the shooting He said his "thoughts and prayers" are with the victims and their families President Donald Trump said Monday that he believes the Texas church shooting was caused by a “mental health problem,” not an issue with gun laws in the United States. “Mental health is your problem here,” Trump said, noting that “based on preliminary reports” the shooter was “a very deranged individual.” “This isn’t a guns situation,” Trump said. “This is a mental health problem at the highest level. It’s a very, very sad event.” “A very, very sad event, but that’s the way I view it,” Trump said. Related article Texas church shooting leaves 26 dead Trump’s answer came in response to a question during a joint news conference Monday in Tokyo about whether he believed gun control measures were the answer to the Texas shooting. Sunday’s church massacre took place in Sutherland Springs, Texas. In addition to the at least 26 people who were killed, many others were wounded, said Freeman Martin, a regional director with the Texas Department of Public Safety, during a local news conference. The victims ranged in age from 5 to 72 years old. Among the dead is the 14-year-old daughter of the church’s pastor, Frank Pomeroy, according to his wife, Sherri Pomeroy, the girl’s mother. The couple were traveling out of state when the shooting occurred. Read: What life was like at Texas church before the shooting The shooter has been identified as Devin Patrick Kelley, 26, according to two law enforcement officers briefed on the situation. Related article What we know about suspect Devin Patrick Kelley He was described as a young white male who was dressed in all-black “tactical-type gear” and wearing a ballistic vest, Martin told reporters. After a brief chase, law enforcement later found the suspect dead of a gunshot wound inside his vehicle. Authorities said they don’t know if the wound was self-inflicted or the result of a resident who fired on the suspect, Martin said. Earlier Monday, Trump decried the Texas shooting as an “act of evil” and called it “horrific” in his first public remarks since the attack. Read: How the shooting unfolded “This act of evil occurred as the victims and their families were in their place of sacred worship. We cannot put into words the pain and grief we all feel and we cannot begin to imagine the suffering of those who lost the ones they love,” Trump said at the top of his previously scheduled remarks to business leaders at the US embassy in Tokyo. Related article Mass shootings in modern US history Trump said his “thoughts and prayers” are with the victims and their families, but did not suggest plans to take any legislative or other policy action to address the shooting. Trump once again urged unity in the face of the latest mass shooting in US history and said it is what Americans “do best.” “We pull together. We join hands, we lock arms and through the tears and through the sadness we stand strong, oh so strong,” Trump said. Trump pledged his administration’s “full support to the great state of Texas and all local authorities investigating this horrible crime.” CNN’s Dakin Andone, Kaylee Hartung and Darran Simon contributed to this report.


Editor’s Note: John D. Sutter is a columnist for CNN Opinion who focuses on climate change and social justice. Follow him on Snapchat, Facebook and email. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his. Sutter: COP22 climate talks in Marrakesh are an important followup to UN climate talks held last year in Paris The divergent views of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on climate change are hugely consequential, Sutter says The world’s attention is rightly focused this week on the US election. Meanwhile in Morocco, however, diplomats are trying to do something future generations might see as even more consequential: They’re trying to safeguard the planet from dangerous climate change. The COP22 climate talks in Marrakesh, which opened on Monday, the day before the US presidential election, are a wonky but important followup to the UN climate talks held last year in Paris. There, the world pledged to do everything in its power to limit harmful warming to at most 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. .@Salahmezouar & @RoyalSegolene present globe & delegates hold up #solar lanterns in honor of #ParisAgreement & #ClimateAction at #COP22 pic.twitter.com/58JBj7KV3c That’s a staggeringly bold and critical goal – one that requires the world to ditch fossil fuels completely in coming decades. When protests flare up in North Dakota over oil pipelines, this is partly why. Climate activists realize the true urgency with which the world must act to avoid super-droughts, drowned coastal cities and mass extinction. There’s simply no time to waste. The US election could be a turning point on this issue, since Hillary Clinton supports the Paris Agreement and Donald Trump says he will scrap it (which may not be so easy) and falsely claims well-established climate science is a “hoax.” But it’s important to note progress on climate change continues outside the American political echo chamber. In terms of rallying attention and ambition, recent global climate negotiations should be seen as a resounding success. The Paris Agreement became international law on Friday. As of Monday morning, 100 countries had ratified that agreement, including the United States, China, India and Brazil, which are some of the biggest polluters. Together, they represent nearly 70% of the world’s emissions. That all of them say they’re moving away from fossil fuels is a very big deal. On eve of #COP22 in #Marrakech, 100 parties representing 69% global emissions formally joined the #Paris Agreement https://t.co/zjJTXHaUKX pic.twitter.com/oXhRz0IVJs But it’s also true that the Paris Agreement falls far short of what the science requires. Current pledges will add up to 2.9 to 3.4 degrees Celsius of warming this century, according to the UN Environment Program, which is a significant amount when it comes to the atmosphere. Scientists say some small island states, including the Marshall Islands, for example, are in jeopardy of drowning beneath rising seas at even 2 degrees Celsius of warming. Every fraction of a degree counts. “If we don’t start taking additional action now, beginning with the upcoming climate meeting in Marrakesh, we will grieve over the avoidable human tragedy,” Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment, said in a written statement. “The growing numbers of climate refugees hit by hunger, poverty, illness and conflict will be a constant reminder of our failure to deliver. The science shows that we need to move much faster.” James Hansen, formerly of NASA and one of the world’s most prominent climate scientists, has called the Paris Agreement “just worthless words” because it does not penalize countries that fail to curb rates of deforestation or to move swiftly to replace fossil fuels with cleaner sources of energy. “As long as fossil fuels appear to be the cheapest fuels out there, they will be continued to be burned,” he told The Guardian. CO2 emissions account for 68% of global greenhouse gas emissions. #EmissionsGap Report on the way forward: https://t.co/eLoXRJUQdS pic.twitter.com/u96fV6iVvd But even on the price of fossil fuels, there could be progress this week. Washington residents will vote Tuesday on a carbon tax proposal that would be a landmark shift in state-level climate policy in the United States. The plan, called Initiative 732, is based on a successful carbon tax in British Columbia – and it is regarded by economists as the “holy grail” of climate solutions. Carbon taxes work by making a bad thing – carbon pollution – relatively more expensive, and by comparison reducing the price of cleaner energy sources. The tax proposed in Washington state aims to be “revenue neutral,” meaning tax revenues are distributed via other tax breaks and credits to poor people. This is an agreeable, effective and bi-partisan solution to the climate crisis, and I’m hopeful it will pass. There's a smart, cheap fix to the world's biggest problem. And it's up for a vote soon. https://t.co/TfjvaVtI6I #yeson732 #2degrees In Morocco this week, diplomats will work on putting the Paris Agreement into action. But they will be talking also about politics in the United States. On an entire range of issues, from tax policy to immigration, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump couldn’t be more different. Their divergent views on climate change, however, may be among the most consequential. What we do – or don’t do – right now to curb fossil fuel use and stop deforestation will shape the habitability of this planet for generations. It’s for this reason that Vox called this an election that “will matter for 10,000 years.” In a commentary published earlier this year in the journal Nature Climate Change, a group of scientists wrote that looking at the climate problem on this longer time scale shows that “policy decisions made in the next few years to decades will have profound impacts on global climate, ecosystems and human societies — not just for this century, but for the next ten millennia and beyond.” There will be many issues on the minds of American voters on Tuesday. Let those ten millennia be among them.


Two men questioned are let go without being charged, prosecutor's office says Two suspects at large after raid on a Brussels apartment tied to Paris attacks, official says NEW: Four people were arrested in Paris in terror plot raid, but authorities say no attack was imminent The police raid of a Brussels apartment tied to last year’s Paris terror attacks turned up an ISIS flag, a Kalashnikov rifle and ammunition, but two suspects managed to escape after an intense, prolonged firefight, a spokesman for the Belgian federal prosecutor office said Wednesday. Authorities killed one suspect in Tuesday’s raid – Belkhaid Mohammed, 35, an Algerian who had not been on authorities’ radar before, spokesman Eric Van der Sypt said in a statement. He said a special forces sniper killed Mohammed when he tried to open fire on police from a window. The Algerian’s body was found next to a rifle and a book on Salafism, a puritanical branch of Islam that dictates only the followers of the Prophet Mohammed practice the correct Islam. Authorities also discovered 11 loaded Kalashnikov magazines “and innumerable shell casings,” but no explosives, according to Van der Sypt. An intense manhunt followed Tuesday’s operation in the southern Brussels neighborhood of Forest, which authorities connected to the investigation of the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people in November. One man was taken in for questioning during a subsequent house search Tuesday night in Brussels. And police also arrested an injured man who’d been taken to a hospital in Halle, a city about 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of Brussels. But the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office said Wednesday that both men were later let go without being charged. The raid began around 2:15 p.m. (9:15 a.m. ET) Tuesday when four Belgian and two French police officers arrived at what was thought to be an empty residence in Forest, according to a senior Belgian counterterrorism official. Instead, Van der Sypt said, “From the moment that the door of the flat was opened, at least two persons … opened fire toward them.” Three officers – including a Frenchwoman – were hurt in the initial exchange of gunfire before managing “to retreat safely,” he said. Reinforcements arrived, with bullets flying back and forth for several hours. Another officer, from Belgium, suffered a slight injury to the head in the later exchange. Related gallery Political violence is driving terrorism Two of the four wounded officers already had been treated and released from an area hospital as of early Wednesday, according to Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Jan Jambon. Afterward, authorities found another Kalashnikov in a building near the site of Tuesday’s raid. But other searches came up empty. Belgian troops will help police in their anti-terrorism efforts, Prime Minister Charles Michel said. There’s no change in Belgium’s threat level, now at its second highest, though the Prime Minister acknowledged Tuesday’s bloody raid underscored the need to be on guard. “The terrorist threat level is maintained at level three as yesterday’s events confirm the threat is still real,” Michel said. Four people suspected of planning a terror attack were arrested Wednesday morning in Paris, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said. The four suspects, three men and a woman, were taken into custody. A source close to the investigation told CNN that police moved in to make arrests in Paris after individuals discussed launching an attack in the city. So far the plot appears to be only aspirational in nature.  Police have not recovered evidence pointing to concrete planning, the source told CNN. Cazeneuve, speaking to French media, said intelligence services are making arrests and carrying out terror-related investigations every day and called for “prudence.”  He confirmed that authorities found a starter pistol with one round but no other arms or weapons. It’s unclear what connection Tuesday’s raid has to the November 13 carnage in Paris. Belgium long has been a focal point for investigators. Related gallery Night of terror: Paris attacks Two terrorist operatives phoned in orders from Brussels to those directly involved in the Paris attacks, according to a senior Belgian counterterrorism official. These two had an even more integral role than Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the man long identified as the ringleader of the attacks, according to the official. In his remarks Wednesday, Van der Sypt noted that authorities have searched more than 100 houses and arrested 58 people as part of the post-Paris probe. Another 23 people have been arrested “in linked investigations.” Abaaoud was killed during a raid that collapsed an entire floor of an apartment building in Paris. Yet others with Belgian connections and ties to the November attacks remain at large. They include Salah Abdeslam, a Belgian-born French national who lived and spent time with Abaaoud in a Belgian prison. The trail for Abdeslam, one of the few alleged Paris attackers to escape alive, went cold in December, according to a senior European counterterrorism official. Related gallery Paris attack suspects: What we know French sources close to the investigation said Abdeslam was not the target of Tuesday’s raid. Many of those tied to the Paris massacre lived in Belgium, and they’re believed to have met there before planning attacks. There is concern more individuals from the same place may be ready to launch other attacks. CNN’s Steve Almasy, Paul Cruickshank, Stephanie Halasz and Nima Elbagir contributed to this report.

Belgian authorities' counterterrorism efforts


President Donald Trump spoke to reporters Tuesday and tweeted at length about immigration and border security, saying the US “basically” has “no border.” Here’s what he said and what the reality is. Trump: “I just noticed that the caravan now, which is toward the middle of Mexico, coming up from Honduras, is breaking up very rapidly. That’s because Mexico has very strong immigration laws, as we should have. … I’ve just heard that the caravan coming up from Honduras is broken up, and Mexico did that. And they did it because, frankly, I said you really have to do it.” Reality: There is an annual event organized by activists where migrants caravan through Mexico to the US, designed to highlight the dangerous journey that immigrants must undertake to escape violent and unstable conditions in their home countries. The migrants on the journey hope to make it to the US border, where they can make a claim that they qualify for asylum. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen tweeted Tuesday that Mexican officials had told her the “caravan is dissipating” and that several hundred of the migrants had been sent back to their home countries, while others are being offered refugee status. “I thank the GOM (Government of Mexico) for their partnership on this and other security issues,” she tweeted. Related article Activists say Mexico deports too many migrants, not too few Earlier Tuesday, Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Luis Videgaray Caso had tweeted the caravan was “dispersing” on its own and that Mexico’s immigration policies would not be influenced by foreign threats. The Foreign Ministry told CNN that the caravan was not necessarily ending but that people were separating. In a statement Monday night, Mexico’s Foreign Ministry had said that roughly 400 of the participants had been returned to their home countries. Organizers still estimated that over 1,000 participants were continuing on the journey. Trump: “We have very bad laws for our border and we are going to be doing some things, I spoke with (Defense Secretary) Gen. (James) Mattis, we’re going to do some things militarily, until we can have a wall and proper security – we’re going to be guarding our border with the military. That’s a big step.” Reality: The administration has yet to articulate how this plan will work. Military resources being used for border security would not be entirely novel. For one, the US Army Corps of Engineers already handles border infrastructure and construction. Related article Trump threatens Honduras' foreign aid over migrant caravan The National Guard has also been sent to the border in the past, especially during surges of migration much higher than levels seen today. From 2006 to 2008, under President George W. Bush, 6,000 National Guard troops were deployed to southern border states under Operation Jump Start. The troops repaired and constructed border fencing and flew border protection agents by helicopter to intercept immigrants trying to enter illegally. In 2010, the Obama administration deployed National Guard troops to assist US Customs and Border Protection with surveillance and intelligence gathering while the agency worked to hire additional staff. And in 2014, as a surge of unaccompanied minors from Central America crossed into the United States, Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced the activation of up to 1,000 National Guard troops to help secure the southern border. Federal law explicitly prohibits the use of the military for law enforcement, however, without approval from Congress. Trump: “President Obama made changes that basically created no border, called ‘catch and release.’ You catch them. You register them. They go into our country. We can’t throw them out. And in many cases, they shouldn’t be here. … They’re supposed to come back to court. Almost nobody comes back to court.” Reality: When deportable immigrants are arrested, some go into mandatory detention and some have to be released. Immigration officials have discretion on the rest. The US has the capacity to detain only roughly 40,000 immigrants at any given time, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and congressional appropriators, and in this administration and the last, many immigrants who are deemed not to be flight risks and not dangerous are released on their own recognizance or with monitoring technology. Related article Sessions tests limits of immigration powers with asylum moves The Trump administration has expressed frustration in recent days with measures in the 2008 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and a 2015 court ruling on what’s known as the Flores Settlement Agreement, a court case that goes back decades. Both created protections for children in immigration custody. Unaccompanied minors from non-neighboring countries must be turned over to the Department of Health and Human Services for resettlement within three days of arrest, as opposed to being held in lengthy detention, and children with their families also cannot be held in lengthy detention. To respond to that order, the Obama administration began releasing the families from detention, as opposed to releasing the children without their parents. Trump administration officials have referred to these measures as “loopholes” that criminals “exploit,” though advocates and supporters say they are human rights and constitutional rights protections for vulnerable populations. The Trump administration has also been trying to tighten the rights of asylum seekers. Asylum is a policy under international law and US law that says noncitizens who can show they are likely to be persecuted in their home countries can legally stay in the US. If an immigrant tells an officer at the border that they fear persecution, they are given a “credible fear” test to determine if they may have a claim. Based on US Citizenship and Immigration Services data, the credible fear passage rate was nearly 80% in fiscal year 2017, which takes into account that these individuals are likely to be traumatized, unfamiliar with US law and have little English-language skills. Because of a massive backlog in the immigration courts, it can take years for those cases to work their way to completion, and many immigrants are given the ability to work and live in the US in the meantime, putting down roots. According to Justice Department data, 25% of asylum decisions were given in absentia in 2016, meaning those immigrants were not in court. That number in 2015 and 2016 was higher than years previous. Also according to the data, 43% of asylum petitions were eventually granted in 2016, a number that continued the downward trend of recent years. Trump: “Congress must immediately pass Border Legislation, use Nuclear Option if necessary, to stop the massive inflow of Drugs and People. Border Patrol Agents (and ICE) are GREAT, but the weak Dem laws don’t allow them to do their job. Act now Congress, our country is being stolen.” (Tweeted Monday). Related article A timeline of DACA offers Trump has rejected Reality: A bill that represented the White House’s proposal to preserve the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which Trump has ended, would not have passed even with the so-called nuclear option – allowing legislation to pass with only a simple majority, instead of the 60 votes it now requires to advance bills. Trump’s bill, which included hardline immigration measures, border security and drastically cutting legal and family-based migration, got only 39 votes, including those of three Democrats. A bipartisan proposal that picked up eight Republicans and nearly all Democrats would have passed in that scenario, getting 54 votes. That bill, which would have created a path to citizenship for DACA recipients, given Trump $25 billion for border security and put some restrictions on family-based immigration, failed to get enough support after the administration aggressively attacked it before the votes. In the House, a proposal from immigration hardliners that also meets much of Trump’s wish list has languished. Despite Republican leadership whipping the bill, it lacks even enough Republican votes to pass the lower chamber, and would be dead on arrival in the Senate. CNN’s Catherine Shoichet in Washington and Leyla Santiago in Mexico City contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump's immigration and border security policies


Norway’s Prime Minister, whose country is often put up as a model by Brits who want to leave the European Union, tells CNN that Brits won’t much like life outside the Union. “We are a small country,” Prime Minister Erna Solberg told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Wednesday. “I think it will be more difficult for British voters to accept that Brussels decides and the Brits don’t have a say.” “I think those who are saying there’s a good romantic story outside the European Union are underestimating the challenge that the whole process of division will have.” Related video Watch the full interview Brits will go to the polls Thursday to decide whether to leave the European Union. Many who want to leave – the “Brexit” supporters – say the UK need not worry about leaving, because EU countries will be clamoring to trade with Britain. Norway rejected EU membership in its own 1994 referendum. But the country nonetheless has access to the so-called “single market” trade zone – access for which it pays heavily both in money and by allowing free movement of people and capital. “We really are, on some issues, more part of Europe, without the decision-making, than Britain is,” Solberg said. Norway, the Prime Minister said, accepts decisions made by EU leaders and representatives and enshrines them in Norwegian law – without having any official seat at the table. Related video Newspaper editors clash in Brexit debate “We try to lobby and put our weight into the decision-making process, but when the final decision is made, the Norwegian politicians and the Norwegian people have to accept most of those regulations.” “I don’t think that a large country like Britain would like to have that type of decision-making being made without participating in the decision making.” “I agree that there are a lot of things that I don’t like about EU decisions.” “Sometimes they are made by people who have another political view than I have. Being a conservative, I would like to have a little bit less of this very typical bureaucratic regulations.” “But you know, sometimes you make compromises. And if you want to move the world ahead, you cannot always get your own will.”


The Air Force says it is dropping bombs 'faster than we can replenish them' in fight against ISIS More than 20,000 bombs and missile have been dropped over the past 15 months The U.S. Air Force has fired off more than 20,000 missiles and bombs since the U.S. bombing campaign against ISIS began 15 months ago, according to the Air Force, leading to depleted munitions stockpiles and calls to ramp up funding and weapons production. As the U.S. ramps up its campaign against the Islamist terror group in Iraq and Syria, the Air Force is now “expending munitions faster than we can replenish them,” Air Force chief of staff Gen. Mark Welsh said in a statement. “B-1s have dropped bombs in record numbers. F-15Es are in the fight because they are able to employ a wide range of weapons and do so with great flexibility. We need the funding in place to ensure we’re prepared for the long fight,” Welsh said in the statement. “This is a critical need.” The bombing campaign has left the U.S. Air Force with what an Air Force official described as munitions depot stocks “below our desired objective.” Obama: U.S. safe against ISIS attack Related gallery More from the U.S. military's holiday wish list The official told CNN that the Air Force has requested additional funding for Hellfire missiles and is developing plans to ramp up weapons production to replenish its stocks more quickly. But replenishing that stock can take “up to four years from time of expenditure to asset resupply,” the official said. “The precision today’s wars requires demands the right equipment and capability to achieve desired effects. We need to ensure the necessary funding is in place to not only execute today’s wars, but also tomorrow’s challenges,” the official said. Which nations are attacking ISIS? The Air Force’s publication of the number of missiles and bombs dropped comes amid continued criticism from Republicans – in particular those running for president – who insist the Obama administration has been too timid in the fight against ISIS, with many on the right calling for the U.S. to loosen the rules of engagement and lead a more aggressive fight against the militant group. American pilots have fired weapons in less than half of the nearly 18,000 sorties they have in the first 10 months of 2015, according the latest figures available. That’s up from 2014, when pilots fired their weapons just one third of the time. Complete coverage on the U.S. military

U.S. Air Force bombing campaign against ISIS


UN report says Syria government and ISIS used chlorine and mustard gas weapons Security Council to meet Tuesday to discuss findings The White House is condemning the Syrian government Thursday after having announced that a year-long UN-backed investigation found that both the Assad regime and ISIS had used chemical weapons. “It is now impossible to deny that the Syrian regime has repeatedly used industrial chlorine as a weapon against its own people,” US National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement Wednesday. The NSC statement went on to accuse the regime of violating the Chemical Weapons Convention and a UN resolution. The investigation, led by the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention, was launched a year ago at the behest members of the UN Security Council with the aim of identifying the perpetrators of chemical weapons attacks in Syria. Because chlorine has non-military uses, its removal was not mandated by the US-Russian arrangement in 2013, governed by UN Security Council Resolution 2118. However, weaponized chlorine is still considered a chemical weapon and its use is banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention that the US-Russia deal compelled Syria to be a party to, thereby making Syria’s use of the substance against civilians a violation of the agreement. There have been many such attacks using chlorine alleged after the resolution took affect, but the UN report is the first definitive international declaration of a Syrian breach. The findings of the new UN report is sure to revive Republican opposition to President Barack Obama’s handling of the issue of Syrian chemical weapons. In August 2012, Obama had described the use of such weapons as constituting a “red line” that, if crossed, would force the US to consider intervening. But following reports that Syria had used sarin gas in 2013, Obama – in the face of Republican and Democratic opposition – delayed in authorizing military action. Instead, Russia brokered an agreement, codified in Resolution 2118, to have Syria turn over its chemical weapons as part of a process overseen by the OPCW. Though the Obama administration embraced the process as a victory, Republicans charged that it was a display of weakness as the White House didn’t enforce its red line. The UN’s confirmation this week that the resolution has been violated has revived the political dispute. The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ed Royce, said in a statement Thursday that Assad’s use of chemical weapons had made “a mockery” of Obama’s red line. “The White House says it is now ‘impossible to deny’ the regime repeatedly launched gas attacks against the Syrian people in 2014 and 2015. Just a few weeks ago, the regime dropped more barrel bombs on a neighborhood in eastern Aleppo,” he said. “So what’s the president going to do about it?” When asked by reporters whether the Obama administration had done enough to address Assad’s use of chemical weapons against civilians, White House spokesman Josh Earnest pushed back, citing the US intervention in Iraq in 2003. “We’ve got a test case just over the border in Iraq about what the consequences are for the United States implementing a regime-change policy and trying to impose a military solution on the situation,” Earnest said. Earnest also defended the Moscow-orchestrated agreement. “Because of the tough diplomacy of the United States and Russia,” he argued, the US was able to get Assad to surrender his stockpile of chemical weapons like sarin gas. “Unfortunately, that has not prevented the Assad regime from taking a compound like chlorine and weaponizing it,” Earnest acknowledged. ISIS is also reported to have used mustard gas against civilians in August 2015, according to the report. The administration on Wednesday also condemned that attack and highlighted its efforts to curb ISIS’ chemical weapons activities, including targeted airstrikes and the capture of an ISIS chemical expert in March. “We continue to remove leaders from the battlefield with knowledge of these weapons and will target any related materials and attempts to manufacture such chemicals going forward,” Price of the NSC said. UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon submitted the report to the members of the Security Council Wednesday. While State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau would not preview what actions the US would take at the Security Council, she told reporters Thursday that “the administration will continue to pursue all appropriate legal and diplomatic options” to hold the responsible parties accountable. The UN said that the Security Council will meet to discuss the report Tuesday, but it’s unlikely that Syria’s primary backer, Russia, will countenance any effort to formally punish Damascus. Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, said that Moscow would need to study the UN document before taking further steps. “It is a very complicated report which needs to be studied by experts,” he said.


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 @deanofcomedy. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his. Dean Obeidallah: There are two versions of Donald Trump -- the refined "fake" version and the crude "real" one Trump displayed both sides of when visiting Europe for the G20 summit this week There are two Donald Trumps: the “real” one and the “fake” one.  We saw both on display during the President’s Europe trip this past week. The fake Trump is the one who shows glimmers of being thoughtful, informed and presidential. We saw that Trump during his speech in Poland this week, when the Wall Street Journal editorial board, which has slammed Trump in the past, referred to his remarks as “Trump’s defining  speech.” Trump apparently loved the editorial so much it’s now on the White House website. Sure, that speech was “presidential,” with sentences like: “The triumph of the Polish spirit over centuries of hardship gives us all hope for a future in which good conquers evil, and peace achieves victory over war.” But let’s be blunt: Those words scream fake Trump. The real Trump – the one many of us knew on “The Apprentice” and were reintroduced to when he declared his bid for the presidency in 2015 – was on display that same day at a press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda. When a reporter asked Trump if he would finally acknowledge that Russia was behind the meddling in our 2016 election, he did not offer measured words wrapped in beautiful prose. Instead, we got the real Trump telling us, “I think it very well could be Russia, but I think it could very well have been other countries. I think a lot of people interfere…Nobody really knows. Nobody really knows for sure.” But former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper responded, “We saw no evidence whatsoever that it was anyone involved in this other than the Russians.” And on Sunday’s “State of the Union,” after CNN’s Dana Bash played the clip of Trump saying “Nobody really knows,” US Ambassador Nikki Haley still said, “Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections.” Related article Putin set a trap and Trump fell into it Then, in true Trump style, the President added: “I remember when I was sitting back listening about Iraq, weapons of mass destruction, how everybody was 100% certain that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. Guess what? That led to one big mess. They were wrong, and it led to a mess.” And while Trump was indeed correct on Iraq, many intelligence officials refute his claim that they are wrong about Russia’s meddling. But there again was the real Trump, this time mocking our intelligence agencies on foreign soil because he refuses to accept their conclusions on Russia’s involvement in the US electoral process. Imagine Republican outrage if President Barack Obama had gone to Europe and publicly questioned the work of numerous US intelligence agencies. Poland wasn’t the only place Trump presented two opposing versions of himself. At the close of the G20 gathering in Hamburg, Germany, Trump tweeted: “The #G20Summit was a wonderful success and carried out beautifully by Chancellor Angela Merkel. Thank you!” That was a thoughtful, gracious tweet which represented the United States well. Unfortunately for America, that was also the fake Trump. Related article Trump's mistake in his meeting with Putin The real Trump could be seen the day before, tweeting a bizarre attack on Hillary Clinton’s former campaign manager: “Everyone here is talking about why John Podesta refused to give the DNC server to the FBI and the CIA. Disgraceful!” If Trump is telling the truth, the leaders of the G20 countries weren’t focused on the economic and security issues of their respective countries, but instead were fixated on the hacking of the Democratic National Committee in July 2016. (If you believe that, please contact me because I have a unicorn ranch I’m looking to sell.) Then there was the fake Trump who appeared “presidential” during the G20 summit photo of world leaders by not pushing his way past other world leaders to be in the center of the photo, as he did in a past photo op. But the real Trump emerged Saturday, when he suddenly left in the middle of a G20 working meeting tilted, “Partnership with Africa, migration and health.” Who did the President leave at the table in his absence, sandwiched between British Prime Minister Theresa May and Chinese President Xi Jinping?  His daughter Ivanka. Typically when world leaders leave these meetings, a high-ranking government official will sit in who is knowledgeable on the subject matter up for discussion. It’s unclear what Ivanka’s expertise on African migration and health issues is. Sign up for CNN Opinion’s new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook The difference between the real and fake Trump is as clear as Trump vodka, assuming you can still find a bottle. If you see Trump being “presidential,” you know you’re watching the fake one.  Just give it a little time and the real Trump – the one who denies inconvenient facts, attacks the appearance of a female cable news host and mocks our intelligence agencies – will soon reappear. Don’t be fooled by Trump’s “presidential” moments. They truly are the definition of fake news.


Ahmed Farouq was a leader in al Qaeda's India branch He was killed in a U.S. counterterrorism airstrike in January Like Adam Gadahn, Farouq was American and part of al Qaeda Ahmed Farouq didn’t have the prestige of fellow al Qaeda figure Osama bin Laden, the influence of Anwar al-Awlaki, or the notoriety of Adam Gadahn. Still, he was a big deal. That’s the assessment of multiple sources on a man who may not have been well-known in the West, but nonetheless had a special role in the terrorist group. Farouq – an American – died in a U.S. counterterrorism airstrike in January, according to the White House. Two al Qaeda hostages, Warren Weinstein of the United States and Giovanni Lo Porto from Italy, were killed in the same strike, while Gadahn died in another U.S. operation that month. Before that, Farouq was the deputy emir of al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, or AQIS, a branch of the Islamist extremist group that formed in recent years. The branch made its presence known in September 2014, when militants infiltrated Pakistan’s navy and tried to hijack one of its ships, according to the SITE Institute, which monitors terror groups. The group’s spokesman, Usama Mahmoud, on Twitter compared the Pakistani naval officers involved in the attempted hijacking to Nidal Hasan, SITE reported. Hasan is the U.S. Army psychiatrist sentenced to death for killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas. Osama Mehmood, a spokesman for al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, said that Farouq and another top figure, Qari Abdullah Mansur, were killed in a January 15 drone strike in Pakistan’s Shawal Valley. They were senior al Qaeda leaders, according to Mehmood. American mouthpiece for al Qaeda killed CNN’s Sophia Saifi contributed to this report.


Trump described Hillary Clinton's 2008 election defeat to then-Sen. Barack Obama in R-rated terms: "She was favored to win and she got schlonged, she lost, I mean she lost" Donald Trump attacked Hillary Clinton in vulgar terms Monday night, saying that her bathroom break during the last Democratic debate was just too “disgusting” to talk about and then stating she “got schlonged” by Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential race. “Even a race to Obama, she was gonna beat Obama. I don’t know who would be worse, I don’t know, how could it be worse? But she was going to beat – she was favored to win – and she got schlonged, she lost, I mean she lost,” Trump said, using a vulgar Yiddish word for a man’s penis. Related gallery Democratic debate in New Hampshire Earlier, Trump started to criticize Clinton for not returning to the ABC News debate stage on Saturday night in time, but then said he didn’t want to talk more about it because it was “disgusting.” “I know where she went, it’s disgusting, I don’t want to talk about it,” Trump said. “No, it’s too disgusting. Don’t say it, it’s disgusting, let’s not talk, we want to be very, very straight up.” Clinton campaign responds to ‘degrading’ comments Fired up by a raucous crowd, Trump unleashed on a slew of political opponents – starting with Sen. Lindsey Graham, who dropped his presidential bid earlier on Monday, and finishing with Obama. Throughout it all, Trump’s supporters roared in approval. But groups of protesters throughout the arena interrupted Trump throughout his hour-long speech. More than a dozen times, protesters began shouting during Trump’s speech, which was one of the most interrupted since he jumped into the presidential race in June. The protesters largely accused Trump of spewing a racist and bigoted ideology. Related video Clinton: Trump 'is becoming ISIS' best recruiter' Trump even mocked some of the protesters, noting that one had a “weak voice” and calling several others “a bunch of losers.” But Trump focused the brunt of his fire on Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, who just days earlier in the Democratic debate called Trump an ISIS recruitment tool. On Tuesday, the Clinton campaign’s director of communications Jennifer Palmieri tweeted, “We are not responding to Trump but everyone who understands the humiliation this degrading language inflicts on all women should. #imwithher.” We are not responding to Trump but everyone who understands the humiliation this degrading language inflicts on all women should. #imwithher Trump on Monday morning demanded an apology from Clinton for making the allegation, to which the Clinton camp responded with a swift, “Hell no.” Engaging Clinton again on Monday night, Trump described Clinton’s late return to the Democratic debate stage on Saturday night because of a bathroom break as “a weird deal.” “I know where she went. It’s disgusting. I don’t want to talk about it, it’s disgusting,” Trump said, after bringing up the incident unprompted 20 minutes into his speech. Trump went on to call Clinton a “liar” and “crooked,” insisting that Clinton would not want to face Trump in the general election despite reporting that the Clinton camp is licking their lips at the prospect of Trump as an opponent. “Ask Jeb Bush if he enjoys running against me. Ask Lindsey Graham, did he enjoy running against Trump? Ask Perry, ask Gov. Perry. Ask Bobby Jindal,” Trump said. “Ask all of these guys that have gone out, do they enjoy running against Trump? I enjoy it. They don’t enjoy it.” Related gallery Donald Trump's empire Trump also could not resist hitting one of his favorite opponents on Monday night: the press. In a strange segue in which he defended Russian President Vladimir Putin from widely reported allegations that he has ordered the killing of journalists, Trump went on to consider whether he himself would consider killing reporters, whom he then blasted as “lying disgusting people.” Donald Trump’s bromance with Vladimir Putin “I would never kill them. I would never do that,” Trump said at first, before reconsidering. “Uh, let’s see, uh?” Trump said inflecting his voice. “No, I would never do that.”


One of the market attacks kills 11 people; the other kills 5 The attacks happen as anti-ISIS forces advance in the Mosul area ISIS has claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings at crowded Baghdad markets on Sunday, killing 16 people. The attacks happened the same day anti-ISIS forces advanced on the terror group’s stronghold in Mosul. Related article Iraqi PM: ISIS could be defeated 'within 3 months' The first blast happened when a driver blew up his explosives-laden vehicle at the Alwat-Jamila market in eastern Baghdad’s Sadr City. At least 11 people were killed and 25 were wounded, police said. In the second attack, a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest blew himself up at a busy market in the eastern Baghdad neighborhood of al-Baladiyat, police said. At least five people were killed, and 12 were wounded. ISIS’ media wing, Amaq, claimed responsibility for both explosions in statements posted on Twitter. The statements said the bombings targeted Shiites. Car bombs and roadside bombs are not uncommon in Baghdad, but in 2017, ISIS has already carried out several attacks across the capital and killed dozens of people. Related article Risking death by staying home in Mosul The latest wave of violence in Baghdad came as Iraqi counterterrorism forces reached the east bank of the Tigris River in eastern Mosul on Sunday, Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rasheed Yarallah said in a statement. Iraqi security forces on Sunday killed more than 125 ISIS militants in several neighborhoods in eastern Mosul, according to a statement released by Iraq’s joint operations command. Forty ISIS fighters were killed by counterterrorism forces as they were advancing toward the east bank of the Tigris River, the statement said, with the US-led coalition providing air support. The Iraqi army, counterterrorism forces and fedral police have been battling ISIS in eastern Mosul since the second phase of the Mosul operation was launched about 10 days ago. Their progress marks the first time Iraqi troops were able to reach the river since large-scale military operations to root out ISIS started in the Mosul area on October 17, 2016. CNN’s Holly Yan contributed to this report.


The US allowed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements "There's one president at a time," Rhodes said Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes denied Friday that President Barack Obama was trying to “get back” at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by abstaining from a controversial UN Security Council vote condemning Israeli settlements. “Absolutely not,” Rhodes told CNN’s Jim Acosta on “The Situation Room.” “Bipartisan policy of the US government for decades has been to oppose settlements. The reason we took this step is because for years, we’ve seen an acceleration in the growth of these settlements. And frankly, if these current trends continue, the two-state solution is going to be impossible. The peace that people say that they want, that we badly want for the people of Israel – a secure Israel living side-by-side a Palestinian state – that goal will become impossible.” The United States allowed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements, defying pressure from the Israeli government, which had reached out to President-elect Donald Trump for help in pressuring the Obama administration to veto the vote. The Security Council approved the resolution 14-0, with the US abstaining. Asked what the White House would say to Israeli officials who believe the US does not have their back, Rhodes said, “It’s just not backed up by the record. We just concluded a $38 billion tenure (memorandum of understanding) for security assistance to Israel.” Rhodes said the resolution also condemns the incitement of violence, “which we’ve seen too often in Palestinian territory, which is also an impediment of peace. So, we made clear the responsibility is on both sides – the Palestinians to stop terrorism, to stop the incitement of violence, and the Israeli government to not continue with settlements that will make peace impossible.” Reaction immediately followed the vote, with Palestinians cheering but harsh criticism coming from both Republicans and Democrats. Netanyahu’s office harshly criticized the Obama administration, accusing it of “colluding” at the UN to force the vote while also publicly saying the Israeli leader looked forward to working with Trump. On Thursday, CNN reported the Israeli government reached out to Trump, to help pressure the Obama administration on the vote. Rhodes said having Trump get involved in the matter before he’s sworn in was “unusual.” “After January 20, he will be responsible for the conduct of American policy. Until January 20, President Obama is. That’s how it works. There’s one president at a time,” Rhodes said.


At least 26 people have been killed in a tour bus fire after it crashed into a guardrail on a highway near Taoyuan International Airport, according to the Ministry of the Interior’s National Fire Agency. Of the dead, 24 were tourists from China, including three children. A Taiwanese tour guide and the bus driver also died. The crash occurred just before 1 p.m.  local time on the No. 2 National Freeway that serves the capital Taipei’s airport, CNA reported. The bus was westbound on the highway and headed for the airport, where the tour group was due to fly back home after seven days in the country. The Taoyuan City fire department deployed 23 vehicles and 60 firefighters to join the firefighting and rescue operation. After extinguishing the fire, the crew reported finding a number of burned bodies. The National Fire Agency released images of the charred vehicle on social media. The Tourism Bureau confirmed that the group of tourists was from Dalian City in Liaoning Province, China. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Ma Xiaoguang said that an emergency response mechanism had been activated. “We are highly concerned with the life and property safety of our… compatriots,” Ma said. “Relevant departments will dispatch a work group to Taiwan to help families handle the aftermath.” Vivian Kam contributed to this report


Press and commentators have traded jabs and stories about whether Pope called Palestinian leader an "angel" PA President Mahmoud Abbas visited Vatican this weekend to witness canonization of 2 Palestinian nuns Just a few days after angering Israeli advocates by brokering a treaty with the “state of Palestine,” Pope Francis again came under fire for reportedly referring to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as an “angel of peace” during a meeting Saturday at the Vatican. It is unclear, though, whether Francis was praising Abbas’ angelic attributes or just urging him to forge a long-stalled agreement with the Israelis. Abbas visited the Vatican this weekend to witness the canonization of two Palestinian nuns, a political and religious gesture meant to highlight the deep history and present troubles of Christians in the Holy Land. According to the Vatican, Abbas thanked Francis for the canonizations and the two held a cordial discussion about the turmoil in the Middle East and the need to combat terrorism. There was no mention of angels in the Vatican Radio report. News outlets including the BBC, The New York Times and The Associated Press form the frontline of the “Abbas= angel” camp, quoting the Pope’s remarks in a raft of stories on Sunday. This, in turn, led to a round of columns, the gist being: Sorry, Pope, Abbas is no angel. “Such hyperbole may be par for the course in exchanges between heads of state but for the Pope to say something that is so patently false damages his credibility,” wrote Jonathan Tobin in Commentary. Italian media, though, tell a different story. According to La Stampa, a newspaper known for its sharp Vatican coverage, Francis presented  Abbas with a medallion and said: “May the angel of peace destroy the evil spirit of war. I thought of you: May you be an angel of peace.” After fielding calls from the media, the Vatican on Sunday released a short statement about angel-gate. “One of the gifts that the Pope often presents to visiting presidents is a large, round, bronze medal by a contemporary artist that represents an ‘angel of peace,’ ” said the Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman. “When the Pope presents the medal to the president or head of state, he offers a few words of explanation of the gift as well as an invitation to a commitment to peace on the part of the recipient. Each one of us must be for others and for the world an ‘angel of peace.’” Lombardi said he was in the room when Abbas and Francis met, but didn’t hear exactly what was said. He also noted that “angel” in Greek means “messenger,” as in the winged creatures that carried tidings from God to humans. According the Bible, the angels often had to shout to be heard.


President Donald Trump on Monday accused the Obama administration of using the investigation into potential ties between his campaign and Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election to discredit his bid and boost the chances of his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. “Why did the Obama Administration start an investigation into the Trump Campaign (with zero proof of wrongdoing) long before the Election in November? Wanted to discredit so Crooked H would win. Unprecedented. Bigger than Watergate! Plus, Obama did NOTHING about Russian meddling,” Trump tweeted Monday morning. Why did the Obama Administration start an investigation into the Trump Campaign (with zero proof of wrongdoing) long before the Election in November? Wanted to discredit so Crooked H would win. Unprecedented. Bigger than Watergate! Plus, Obama did NOTHING about Russian meddling. It’s unclear exactly what pre-election investigation Trump was referring to, though the FBI opened its investigation into the Trump campaign’s links to Russia in July 2016. Then-FBI Director James Comey oversaw that investigation until Trump fired him in May 2017. Shortly after that, former FBI Director Robert Mueller was appointed as special counsel to continue the probe. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was wiretapped before and after the election. Some of the intelligence collected includes communications that sparked concerns among investigators that Manafort had encouraged the Russians to help with the campaign, three sources familiar with the investigation have told CNN. Two of these sources, however, cautioned that the evidence is not conclusive. Manafort was Trump’s campaign chairman from May to August 2016. The FBI also eavesdropped on Carter Page, a campaign associate that then candidate Trump once identified as a national security adviser, on suspicions he was acting as a Russian agent. Page stepped away from the campaign in September 2016 amid questions about his Russian ties. The surveillance of Manafort and Page was approved by the secret court that oversees domestic surveillance of American citizens under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. In Page’s case, the FBI and Justice Department presented enough evidence to the court to convince Republican-appointed judges to continue the surveillance into mid-2017. Trump, who has called the investigation into potential ties between his campaign and Russia a “witch hunt,” has repeatedly slammed the Obama administration’s handling of the Russia investigation, saying it “did nothing.” Before leaving office, however, Obama applied new economic sanctions on the Russian government, ordered the State Department to shut down Russian compounds in Maryland and New York, and expelled 35 Russian diplomats that he described as “intelligence operatives.” CNN’s Marshall Cohen, Katelyn Polantz and David Shortell contributed to this report.


Trump disputes Myeshia Johnson's account He says he was very nice to her President Donald Trump defended Wednesday his conversation with the a fallen soldier’s widow who said Trump didn’t remember her husband’s name. Myeshia Johnson, the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson who was killed in Niger, said in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” Monday that the President stumbled on her husband’s name and suggested the only reason he knew it was because the report was right in front of him. “I was really nice to her. I respect her, I respect her family, I certainly respect La David, who I, by the way, called La David right from the beginning,” Trump said Wednesday. “They put a chart in front, La David, it says La David Johnson.” Trump disputes military widow’s account of condolence call Johnson said she was distraught over Trump’s alleged oversights during the call, which came as the Johnson family and Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Florida, who is a friend of the family, rode in a limo to receive Johnson’s body from Dover Air Force Base. “(The call) made me cry because I was very angry at the tone of his voice,” Johnson had said. Trump was asked Wednesday if he said something to her that he didn’t to other families of fallen soldiers, to which the President answered, “I would say basically we talked condolence.” Trump also accused the media of not reporting on the other phone calls he has made to military families and said everyone else he spoke to “couldn’t have been nicer.” “I was extremely nice to her,” Trump said. “Nobody has more respect than I do. Nobody.” CNN’s Allie Malloy contributed to this report.


The United States has killed a high-ranking al Qaeda commander in an airstrike in Afghanistan, a military statement said Friday. Abu Kahlil al-Sudani was killed during the attack in Paktika, a southeastern Afghan province that borders Pakistan, on July 11, the U.S. statement said. “This operation underscores the work that … all of our forces in Afghanistan do each day to take the fight to al Qaeda,” U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said during a stop in Iraq.  “We will continue to counter violent extremism in the region and around the world.” Al-Sudani was the head of al Qaeda’s suicide and explosive operations and has been directly linked to plans for external attacks against the United States, according to the U.S. military statement.


China's foreign ministry "seriously concerned" Donald Trump is questioning the "one China" policy President-elect Donald Trump again signaled Sunday a willingness to confront Beijing, questioning whether the United States should keep its long-standing position that Taiwan is part of “one China.” “I fully understand the ‘one China’ policy, but I don’t know why we have to be bound by a ‘one China’ policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade,” Trump said on “Fox News Sunday.” Trump had set off a diplomatic controversy when he took a call from Taiwan’s leader. The United States recognizes Taiwan as part of China – and Chinese officials were furious over the first conversation in decades between a Taiwanese leader and a US President or President-elect. Trump indicated Sunday he won’t hesitate to anger China until the country comes to the bargaining table on trade and severs ties with North Korea. “I mean, look, we’re being hurt very badly by China with devaluation, with taxing us heavy at the borders when we don’t tax them, with building a massive fortress in the middle of the South China Sea, which they shouldn’t be doing, and frankly with not helping us at all with North Korea,” Trump said. “You have North Korea. You have nuclear weapons, and China could solve that problem, and they’re not helping us at all,” Trump said. Trump attacks China on trade but misses the mark Trump’s comments triggered a furious response from China’s state-run Global Times newspaper. In a Monday editorial, the Global Times said of Trump: “He is ignorant as a child in terms of foreign policy,” and the editorial ruled out negotiations on the “one China” issue. “The ‘one China’ policy cannot be bought and sold, Trump, it seems, only understands business and believes that everything has a price and that if he is strong enough he can buy and sell by force,” it said. The editorial warned that Trump, because of his “lack of hands on experience,” was liable to be influenced and controlled by hardliners near him. It added that if Trump ditched the “one China” policy, it would spark “a real crisis.” China’s Foreign Ministry said China was “seriously concerned” by Trump’s questioning of the policy, adding that bilateral cooperation would be out of the question if it was “compromised or disrupted.” “Adhering to the ‘one China’ principle is the political bedrock for the development US-China relations,” spokesman Geng Shuang said. ‘Screw ‘em’ Trump aide on ChinaTrump, China on collision courseTrump takes fresh swipeOpinion: Trump’s move brilliantWhite House weighs inOpinion: Major break in protocolChina lodges complaintReigniting flashpoint? ‘Screw ‘em’ Trump aide on ChinaTrump, China on collision courseTrump takes fresh swipeOpinion: Trump’s move brilliantWhite House weighs inOpinion: Major break in protocolChina lodges complaintReigniting flashpoint? Antagonistic rhetoric toward China was a feature of Trump’s campaign rallies through both the Republican primary and general election. He has accused China of manipulating the value of its currency in order to give its products price advantages in the American market. Trump has also called for much steeper tariffs on products imported from China – and then criticized US companies, including Boeing, which have pointed out that that could set off a trade war with Beijing that could close its market to US-made products. Trump’s comments Sunday made clear he intends to force a new deal with China. But it hasn’t been clear whether Trump was ready to eliminate the “one China” policy that has been the cornerstone of diplomatic relations since President Richard Nixon went to China. The formula, enshrined in the documents that eventually led to the establishment of US relations with China, permits Beijing to regard Taiwan as a part of China and the United States to sell the nationalist island arms to defend itself against the mainland, and has headed off a major US-China clash over the issue. But Trump has bristled at the policy, ignoring it and provoking China before even taking office. “I don’t want China dictating to me and this was a call put into me. I didn’t make the call, and it was a call, very short call saying ‘congratulations, sir, on the victory.’ “It was a very nice call. Short. And why should some other nation be able to say I can’t take a call. I think it actually would’ve been very disrespectful, to be honest with you, not taking it.”