'Jihadi John' is Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born Londoner Friends remember him as the typical boy next door He's thought to be seen in a video demanding $200 million to spare two Japanese journalists For more than a year, “Jihadi John” has been something of a nightmare for the West. But now the masked public face of ISIS may be gone, possibly the victim of a U.S. drone strike, the Pentagon announced. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the strike was successful. But a senior U.S. official said authorities are confident the strike killed him. This is what we know about the man behind the mask. Mohammed Emwazi is a Kuwaiti-born Londoner. He is believed to have traveled to Syria in 2012 and later joined ISIS there. Emwazi was born in Kuwait in 1988 and he moved to the UK with his parents, Jasem and Ghaneya, and sister when he was 6, according to CAGE, an advocacy group for those affected by terrorism investigations. The family settled in west London. Emwazi’s father is reported to have worked as a taxi driver while his mother stayed at home to look after Emwazi and his siblings. Many of those who grew up with him have told British news organizations they remember Emwazi much differently: as the typical “boy next door,” a popular kid who loved football, pop music and The Simpsons. Related video U.S. officials: 'Jihadi John' a college-educated Brit He is reported to have attended St Mary Magdalene Church of England Primary School, in the Maida Vale distict in west London.  After leaving St. Mary Magdalene, he is believed to have moved on to the Quintin Kynaston Academy, in neighboring St. John’s Wood. A former teacher told Britain’s Channel 4 News that Emwazi was “a diligent, hardworking, lovely young man. Responsible, polite, quiet. He was everything that you’d want a student to be.” He studied at the University of Westminster in London, graduating in 2009 with a degree in computer programming, according to CAGE. Emwazi in London terror network before becoming ‘Jihadi John’ With so much going for him, what inspired Emwazi to join ISIS? Guesses depend on whom you ask. Some terrorism experts said Emwazi’s history shows someone who’d been on a path toward extremism for years. But CAGE said that, if he is the man who has appeared in ISIS videos, it shows that the tactics of British authorities radicalized him. Friends of Emwazi said they believed he started down the road to radicalization when he traveled to the east African nation of Tanzania in 2009, the Washington Post reported this year. He was supposed to be going on safari but he was reportedly detained on arrival, held overnight and then deported. He was also detained by counterterrorism officials in Britain in 2010, the Post said. Authorities have not disclosed the reasons for those reported detentions. There are “striking similarities” between Emwazi and the man known as “Jihadi John,” according to Asim Qureshi, CAGE’s research director. If Emwazi is indeed Jihadi John, Qureshi said, that makes him sad. But in some ways, he said, it’s not surprising. Many Muslims feel alienated in their society, as did Emwazi, Qureshi said. “When are we going to finally learn if we treat people as if they’re outsiders … they will look for belonging elsewhere?” Qureshi asked. “Our entire national security strategy for the last 13 years has only increased alienation.” Related gallery The ISIS terror threat The Washington Post’s report includes emails Emwazi purportedly wrote after British counterterrorism officials detained him and stopped him from flying to Kuwait. “I had a job waiting for me and marriage to get started,” he wrote in a June 2010 email to Qureshi, the Post reported. But now “I feel like a prisoner, only not in a cage, in London. A person imprisoned & controlled by security service men, stopping me from living my new life in my birthplace & country, Kuwait,” the email said. CAGE points the finger at British security services, which it says have “systematically engaged in the harassment of young Muslims, rendering their lives impossible and leaving them with no legal avenue to redress their situation.” Haras Rafiq, managing director of the Quilliam Foundation, a UK-based counter-extremism think tank, said CAGE was pointing in the wrong direction. It’s clear Emwazi had been radicalized before 2010, Rafiq said. And he said the intelligence agencies that stopped Emwazi from traveling to Tanzania believed there was evidence he intended to join the extremist group Al-Shabaab in Somalia. Haras said it was “very upsetting that an organization like CAGE would spin this in the way that they’ve done,” by blaming intelligence agencies. Former CIA counterterrorism analyst Philip Mudd told CNN that blaming radicalization on alienation was oversimplifying Emwazi’s case. “We’re only seeing half of this story,” he said. “The government doesn’t spend the resources and take the risk, the legal risk of pulling somebody aside, preventing them from traveling, searching through their luggage, just because somebody looks funny. There is something else going on here, in terms of whatever triggered the government to undertake this investigation, that we’re missing here.” The masked, black-clad figure believed to be Jihadi John appeared to be the ISIS militant shown in a January video, demanding a $200 million ransom to spare the lives of two Japanese journalists. A similar figure appeared in at least five previous hostage videos. Related video Why 'Jihadi John' is critical to ISIS propaganda The man’s reported background offers some clues as to why he might have been recruited, said Sajjan Gohel, director of international security at the Asia Pacific Foundation. “We know that ISIS recruits a lot of Westerners who are skilled in new media, understanding of the Internet, because they use that as their platform as an oxygen of publicity,” Gohel said. But by not revealing his name for operational reasons, one expert said, officials may have created another problem. “It created more speculation in the media,” he said. “In some ways, the nom de guerre of Jihadi John gave this individual a form of notorious celebrity.” Emwazi, who speaks English, was frequently seen in hooded hostage videos carrying out violent beheadings. For periods at a time this year, Emwazi was not seen in hostage videos, though U.S. officials told CNN in July that they had learned that he was alive and hiding near Raqqa. Analysts describe him as grotesque and fond of sadistic torture techniques, with one former hostage recounting last month how his captor made him dance the tango with him. Opinion: Why ‘Jihadi John’ is so worrying CNN’s Laura Smith-Spark, Ashley Fantz and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.


In officially accepting the Republican nomination for President, Donald Trump vowed to put “America first” and put forward a credo of “Americanism, not globalism.” While the speech was mainly focused on domestic issues, Trump singled out China as a beneficiary of what he described as the decline of the U.S. Related article Most memorable lines from the RNC's final night “(Hillary Clinton) supported China’s entrance into the World Trade Organization – another one of her husband’s colossal mistakes,” Trump told the Cleveland crowd. He vowed to stop “China’s outrageous theft of intellectual property, along with their illegal product dumping, and their devastating currency manipulation,” and vowed to renegotiate trade deals with Beijing. Donald Trump’s speech at the Republican convention, as prepared for delivery China has long been a favorite target for Trump, he has blamed Beijing repeatedly for America’s woes. However, a CNN Reality Check found that many of his arguments were out of date or wrong, particularly regarding alleged currency manipulation. Republicans like, say, Mike Pence https://t.co/O686YnQxPc On Twitter, many international observers reacted with shock to Trump’s speech, with some drawing parallels between it and foreign strongmen. Gary Kasparov, former World Chess Champion turned dissident Russian politician, said “I’ve heard this sort of speech a lot in the last 15 years and trust me, it doesn’t sound any better in Russian.” I’ve heard this sort of speech a lot in the last 15 years and trust me, it doesn’t sound any better in Russian. Trump’s speech, he said, was “demagoguery 101.” It’s Demagoguery 101: When you don’t have actual answers, exaggerate the problems with fear & hatred in order to blind people with emotion. Jorge Guajardo, former Mexican ambassador to China, said “sorry U.S. The world is looking tonight and you, you ain’t looking good.” Mexico has long been a target of Trump’s ire, and he used his speech to repeat calls to “build a wall” on the southern border of the U.S. I'm sorry, US. The world is looking tonight and you, you ain't looking good. British historian Simon Schama said Trump’s speech was “protectionism added to isolationism – recipe for catastrophe. Plus big dose of Sinophobia.” Now we have protectionism added to isolationism - recipe for catastrophe . plus big dose if Sinophobia Bret Stephens, foreign affairs columnist for the conservative Wall Street Journal, said Trump’s speech was “a relentless, unyielding, humorless, hectoring appeal to fear and loathing.” Other foreign policy experts were unimpressed by Trump’s blaming of the Obama administration, and Hillary Clinton specifically, for the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, pointing out that the group predates 2009, when Obama assumed office. Trump wrong again, ISIS did not begin after 2009. They just rebranded from AQI, which started under Bush. Not everyone was critical, anti-immigrant Dutch politician Geert Wilders said Trump had a “great speech.” Wilders, who has said the U.S. “can’t afford” a Clinton presidency, previously praised Trump’s immigration policy, telling the Wall Street Journal politicians who ignore calls for restrictions on people entering the country are “very stupid.” Great speech @realDonaldTrump !#RNCinCLE pic.twitter.com/BTuYEg7EaR The international press reaction to Trump’s rise has been largely negative, with Russian outlets being among the few to actively praise the Republican nominee. China’s nationalistic state-run tabloid Global Times quoted scholars who were “stumped” by Trump’s success. “At the very beginning, we didn’t expect American disgust with Washington and Wall Street to have such a powerful impact on the U.S. general election,” Jin Canrong, deputy director of the Center of American Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the paper. El Pais, Spain’s highest circulation newspaper, said Trump’s speech offered a “grim vision of America.”  While the UK’s Daily Telegraph described the speech as “deeply pessimistic” and said fact-checkers were “highly critical,” it highlighted a CNN instant poll that found that 56% of Americans who watched the speech responded positively. British opinion writers from both sides of the political spectrum took a negative view of the speech, with Max Hastings writing in the right-wing tabloid The Daily Mail that the prospect of Trump winning the Presidency “will give sleepless nights to many world leaders, both America’s friends and foes.” In the Guardian, David Smith argues that “the ability of this demagogue to play the crowd, switching its anger on and off like a tap, carries too many echoes of the past century to ignore.”


The family recently secured visas after a years-long process They are Orthodox Christians, a persecuted group in Syria Two brothers, their wives and children left war-torn Syria with 16 suitcases and crossed the border into Lebanon. They were finally on their way to the United States after working for almost 15 years to join their family members stateside. But after a flight from Beirut to Doha, Qatar, and then to Philadelphia on Saturday, the two families were told to get on a flight back to Doha. It was because President Donald Trump had just signed an executive order denying citizens from seven countries, including Syria, entry into the United States. Related article Trump's immigration ban sends shockwaves Sarmad Assali and her daughter, Sarah, are among the relatives who were waiting to welcome the families to the United States. Sarmad Assali said they received a call from authorities Saturday morning telling them their relatives would not be allowed to enter the country. The Assalis, US citizens who live in Allentown, Pennsylvania, weren’t able to make contact with their family members until they were already headed back overseas. One of the brothers told Sarmad Assali they were not allowed to make calls or use the Internet while they were held. According to the Assalis, their family members do not speak English very well and were told by authorities they could either be detained and have their visas taken away, or they could take the first flight back to Doha. Frightened and facing a language barrier, the six family members chose the second option. Sarmad Assali told CNN she wished she had been able to speak with them, since she would have told them to stay until she could arrive with her attorney. The Assalis are Orthodox Christians, a group that has faced extreme persecution in Syria. Their relatives, whom Sarmad and Sarah Assali did not want to identify for their protection, began their immigration process in 2003. In late 2015 they were finally approved to enter the United States on an F-4 visa for brothers and sisters of US citizens. Related article What immigrants need to know about Trump's order The relatives finalized their paperwork, immigration interviews and medical examinations during a 10-day trip to Jordan in late December last year. The Assalis have helped bring family members to the United States before. In 2013, they were able to bring in one relative, and last month they were able to bring the brothers’ sister and her daughter. The brothers waited to join them until after they could pack up their homes in Syria, Sarmad Assali said. “We bought them a house, we furnished it for them, to help them start a new life,” she told CNN. But that plan is now on hold until the family can figure out a legal route forward. They have been in touch with their congressman, Republican Charlie Dent, as well as attorneys to figure out a plan. Dent took a very vocal stance Sunday on behalf of the Assali family. “I certainly agree that we can always improve our visa vetting and refugee vetting program, and I don’t have any question about that,” Dent said on CNN’s “New Day Weekend.” “But I think it’s wrong in the case that I was dealing with, with the family already in flight when the order was issued, and having no idea at the time of arrival they would be turned around.” Their attorney, Jonathan Grode, has an emergency conference Sunday with other attorneys about the new regulations, Sarmad Assali said. Related article They were hoping to get to the US -- and then Trump banned them “It makes me so sad that this great country is doing this to our Christians and to these people and to my family,” Sarmad said. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney released a statement about the two families’ plight. “I am sickened by reports that federal officials, without knowledge or cooperation of PHL Airport staff, detained and then turned away two Syrian families,” Kenney said in the statement. “By several accounts, these families waited months to obtain the proper documentation so they could come to our country legally. And still, they were sent back to a war-torn nation that has used chemical warfare against its own people. The Trump administration very well may have just given these families a death sentence.” Said Sarah Assali, “We’re all feeling a lot of anger, a lot of disappointment in our government. … It’s against our ethics as Americans.” At a protest in front of Philadelphia International Airport’s international arrivals terminal Sunday surrounded by a massive crowd of chanting supporters waving pro-immigrant signs, Tawfik Assali, the son of two of the people turned away and nephew of Sarmad and cousin to Sarah, told CNN he had been very excited to see his parents. “I was, like, one hour-and-a-half away from them,” he said. “I haven’t seen them for three years, so, it was really hard for me to not hug them, to not be with them.” While attorneys are still working on the case, he and Sarah both said they were encouraged and felt support from the large crowd that turned out Sunday and the other people who had reached out to help the family. Sarah also said that her family will begin a GoFundMe page to support her family members’ travel expenses and legal fees. “Thank you to everyone,” Sarah told CNN. “We didn’t expect this, we never thought we’d be in the position we’re in now. So I’m very thankful. This is the America that we do know, and that we do love. And I’m just grateful.”

President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration


The convoy’s progress is painstaking, the tracks it follows barely defined, at times though open terrain, at times through the thick wooded areas that worry the soldiers most. It makes ideal cover for an ambush, so they dismount and advance on foot before calling their vehicles forward. We bump our way past villagers on donkeys, herds of camels and goats, and long stretches where there is no one in sight. There is a harsh and rugged beauty to the landscape in this volatile region of the Sahel, where outside of the major cities, people survive largely on what nature provides. Bonds here are strongest along tribal and familial lines, and the reach of the capital governments in Niamey and Bamako can’t possibly extend far enough to control all of this vast territory. Related article Outnumbered and outgunned, US troops got separated in Niger ambush The October 4th attack that killed four American soldiers, their translator and four Nigeriens has thrown this remote porous border region between Mali and Niger into the global spotlight, but for the Nigerien soldiers, the fight out here has been ongoing for years. They come under attack on a regular basis, and tell us that over the last two years the main threat has morphed from banditry to terrorism. We headed out looking for answers to the many questions that continue to churn around the attack near the village of Tongo Tongo. It’s here that the US military said the convoy stopped to replenish supplies and was then held up by elders. US officials told CNN last week that it was “quite probable” that someone in the village tipped off the ISIS-affiliated militants that US forces were in the village, setting up the ambush 10 kilometers (6 miles) down the road. At one point our vehicle gets stuck in the sand, while another refuses to start in the extreme heat and a third gets a flat tire. It is all time ill-spent in the broader ambush zone that puts us and the soldiers on edge. Some four hours after we veer off the main road – a wide dirt lane – we reach the outskirts of Tongo Tongo. The soldiers again dismount, fanning out into the dense vegetation that encircles about half the village. The ground is littered with heavy caliber machine gun casings; no one can definitively tell us if they were fired by American, Nigerien or even enemy forces. But something definitely happened here – it could be where the first shots were fired, or perhaps the main ambush zone where besieged soldiers made their last stand. Our escorts tell us we have ten minutes on scene. The village is small, maybe 30 or 40 single-room mud homes in all. Two men weaving in the shade balk at our arrival and insist that they were not here the day of the attack. A woman we approach shakes her head nervously and quickly walks away. One man gestures as if he was shooting a gun and points towards the outskirts. We manage to track down the detained village chief’s older brother and uncle. It was the village chief who led the soldiers to Sgt. La David Johnson’s body, a day and a half after the attack and roughly one kilometer away from the main site. Related article US sought to arm drones in Niger prior to attack Both men swear on the Quran that they did not know the attackers. They say that the US-Nigerien convoy never actually stopped in their village, but was merely driving past when shots were fired from the school building – a single mud room on the outskirts, opposite the side that we approached from. They tell us they had never seen Americans come through here before, never heard gunshots and explosions. They are afraid and confused. They say that the villagers, terrified, hid inside their homes for hours until Nigerien soldiers came through and told them to come out. Our escorts tell us it is time to leave, and we hurry past the burnt remains of the classroom. If the attack started here, the bullet casings we saw earlier could have been from the convoy when it raced off, or from the guns of soldiers who tried to flank their assailants. As we speed away in a different direction, we drive over more bullet casings along the tracks, raising yet more questions about how large the battle zone was, and where, if at all, soldiers were able to take cover. There are traces of burnt vegetation, consistent with witnesses’ reports that the militants started fires that acted as a smokescreen for French fighter jets who arrived on the scene two hours after the ambush began. But our time in Tongo Tongo is too short-lived to yield many answers, and it’s clear just how complicated and murky the narrative and the war on terror in Niger has become.


Minnesota mayor says she is asking investigators "to release as much information, as quickly as they are able to" The shooting occurred as two officers responded to a 911 call Minnesota authorities are investigating the shooting death of an Australian woman who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer Saturday night. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it is providing consular assistance to her family. The agency declined to identify the woman citing privacy concerns. The shooting occurred as two Minneapolis police officers were responding to a 911 call of a possible assault shortly before 11 p.m., Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said. At some point one of the officers fired a weapon, killing the woman. The officers were wearing body cameras but they were not turned on during the incident, the mayor said. Press release from the MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension regarding the officer-involved shooting on the 5100 block of Washburn Ave. South. pic.twitter.com/wRR9sA3gbt The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is leading the investigation, Hodges said. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy on the woman and release her identity after the family has been notified, Hodges said. “As mayor of our City, a wife, and a grandmother, I am heartsick and deeply disturbed by what occurred last night,” Hodges said Sunday. “There are still many questions about what took place, and while the investigation is still in its early stages, I am asking the BCA to release as much information, as quickly as they are able to.” The incident sent shock waves through Minneapolis and Australia. On Sunday, members of Women’s March Minnesota honored the victim in a vigil. “This woman was a beautiful light. She was a healer, she was loved. She should still be here,” one woman said to applause. “This should not have happened… that could’ve been me, that could’ve been you, that could’ve been you, that could’ve been any of us. And we’re gonna talk and we’re gonna work as a community to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” she added. Chalk drawings on the driveway where they gathered said the victim would be remembered as “a loving woman, a light to everyone.” CNN’s Stella Ko contributed to this report.


Editor’s Note: This page has been retired and is no longer being updated. West Nile virus (WNV) is primarily transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. More than 2,600 people have died of West Nile virus in the United States since it was first detected in New York City in 1999. Related video West Nile virus symptoms explained West Nile virus is usually spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes. It is not spread person-to-person through casual contact. In rare cases, WNV can be spread through blood transfusions, organ transplants, exposure in a lab setting or from mother to infant. Symptoms of West Nile infection include: fatigue, fever, headache, body aches, rash and swollen lymph nodes. 80% of infected people do not display any symptoms. According to the CDC, less than 1% of infected people develop a serious neuroinvasive illness, such as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord). There is no vaccine or specific treatment for WNV. The most effective method of prevention is to avoid mosquito bites, by using insect repellent and by wearing protective clothing when outdoors. 1937 - The first case of West Nile virus is reported in Uganda. It is common throughout Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East. August 1999 - The first cases of West Nile encephalitis in the Western Hemisphere are reported in the Bronx and Queens boroughs of New York. It is not known how the virus arrived in the United States. (source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) 2021 (preliminary, as of 1/11/22) 2,695 cases reported with 191 deaths. 2020 - 731 cases reported with 66 deaths. 2019 - 971 cases reported with 60 deaths. 2018 - 2,647 cases reported with 167 deaths. 2017 - 2,097 cases reported with 146 deaths. 2016 - 2,149 cases reported with 106 deaths. 2015 - 2,175 cases reported with 146 deaths. 2014 - 2,205 cases reported with 97 deaths. 2013 - 2,469 cases reported with 119 deaths. 2012 - 5,674 cases reported with 286 deaths. 2011 - 712 cases reported with 43 deaths. 2010 - 1,021 cases reported with 57 deaths. 2009 - 720 cases reported with 32 deaths. 2008 - 1,356 cases reported with 44 deaths. 2007 - 3,630 cases reported with 124 deaths. 2006 - 4,269 cases reported with 177 deaths. 2005 - 3,000 cases reported with 119 deaths. 2004 - 2,539 cases reported with 100 deaths. 2003 - 9,862 cases reported with 264  deaths. 2002 - 4,156 cases reported with 284 deaths. 2001 - 66 cases reported with 10 deaths. 2000 - 21 cases reported with two deaths. 1999 - 62 cases reported with seven deaths.


Russia says it is intensifying its airstrikes in Syria, which began Wednesday It says intelligence suggests militants are panicking and fleeing the war-torn country The U.S.-backed coalition accuses Moscow of targeting opponents of Syria's President, which it denies Russia is intensifying its airstrikes in Syria, which it says have “considerably reduced” the combat potential of militants. The Russian air force began strikes in Syria on Wednesday. In the past 24 hours, it has carried out 20 flights targeting 10 ISIS positions in Idlib province, the Russian Defense Ministry announced in a statement Sunday. Since 2011, Syria has been torn apart by a brutal civil war that has seen the rise of extremist groups including ISIS. Moscow supports the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and says it is targeting ISIS, al Nusra and “other terrorist groups.” But the U.S-backed coalition against ISIS – comprising the United States, Britain, Turkey, France, Germany, Qatar and Saudi Arabia – accuses Russia of attacking civilians and Syrian groups opposing al-Assad. Related video Criticism mounts over Russia's air campaign in Syria British Prime Minister David Cameron, in an interview with the BBC on Sunday, said most of the strikes appeared to have targeted areas not under ISIS control. “What is happening is that they are backing the butcher Assad, which is a terrible mistake for them and for the world. It’s going to make the region more unstable, it will lead to further radicalization and increase terrorism,” he said. Al-Assad told Iranian television station Khabar TV he was optimistic that a coalition of Iran, Russia, Iraq and Syria would be successful, according to a transcript carried by Syrian state news agency SANA. “It must succeed; otherwise the whole region, not only one or two countries, will be destroyed,” he said. “When these countries unite against terrorism and fight it militarily and in the areas of security and information, in addition to other aspects, this coalition will, no doubt, achieve real results on the ground, particularly that it enjoys international support from countries which do not have a direct role in these crises and in this region,” al-Assad said. In a speech Saturday, Russian Col. Gen.  Andrei Kartapolov announced that Russia was intensifying its strikes. He said that before Russia began air operations, “American experts informed us that there was nobody but terrorists in the district.” Related video Report: Russia to intensify airstrikes in Syria Russian intelligence suggested militants had begun fleeing the strikes, which had targeted ISIS command centers, ammunition depots and training camps, Kartapolov said, according to Russia’s Ministry of Defense. “Panic and desertion has started among them. About 600 mercenaries have left their positions and are trying to flee to Europe. Thus, the Russian airstrikes will not only be continued; their intensiveness will be increased,” he said. War in Syria: Six graphics that explain the latest On Saturday, Russia said its soldiers had bombed nine ISIS positions in Raqqa, the group’s de facto capital. Tactical bombers destroyed various militant targets, including ammunition and oil depots, and all-terrain vehicles, it said in a statement. Opposition groups alleged at least 11 people had been killed in a double strike by Russia on the village of Ehsim in Idlib province. CNN could not independently verify it was a Russian strike. Syria and the U.S.-backed coalition against ISIS also have continued strikes. CNN’s Margot Haddad and Radina Gigova contributed to this report.


President Trump plans to focus heavily on disputes in Syria and Ukraine, two urgent challenges for the White House, during his meeting this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to administration officials. Related article Trump, Putin and the meeting that could shape the world A formal outline for the meeting hasn’t yet emerged, and Trump’s advisers are looking for him to drive the topics of the sit-down, a top administration official said last week. There is little expectation among Trump’s national security team that the President will bring up Russia’s meddling in last year’s presidential election during the meeting, according to administration officials and another person close to the White House. Instead, he’s likely to engage Putin in a conversation about Russia’s support for Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and the increasingly tense military situation in the civil-war-torn nation. Trump is also likely to raise Russia’s actions in Ukraine, though Syria is at the top of his agenda, according to administration officials. Related article US official: No more chemical weapons activity observed at Syrian airbase The meeting also will provide the two men an opportunity to size each other up in person for the first time, an interpersonal dynamic that officials said was likely to determine the direction of the session. Asked if the President is going to bring up Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster told reporters last week “There’s no specific agenda. It’s really going to be whatever the President wants to talk about.” The unstructured agenda means Trump could ultimately decide to bring up the election hacking issue, officials said, though they conceded it was unlikely. The open-endedness has prompted some concerns among members of Trump’s national security team, who fear his penchant for distraction and distaste for extensive preparation could allow the calculating Russian leader to drive the agenda instead. Related article Russia sanctions bill still stuck in Congress before Trump-Putin meeting Aides recall Trump’s oval office meeting with the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak, where Trump disclosed classified information that caused an intelligence-sharing row with Israel. White House officials were also caught off-guard by the release of photos from that session by official Russian state media. Afterward, US officials told CNN they felt the Russians “tricked” them and lied about the parameters of the meeting. This time around, officials hope to exert greater control of the session. But they say that largely depends on Trump himself. Trump has maintained since he was a candidate that he’s looking to find areas of cooperation with Russia, and hopes to emerge from his meeting having identified where Washington and Moscow can work together, according to people involved in the meeting’s planning. Trump has asked members of his team to continue preparing options for partnering with Russia, including some types of possible sanctions relief. That includes the potential return of two properties in the United States to Russian control, according to two administration officials, though any such return would come as part of a larger set of agreements and contain certain conditions. The administration officials said that no decision has yet been made to return the compounds or ease sanctions, and that any such steps were unlikely to accompany Trump’s meeting with Putin in Hamburg.


Anger was reignited when Nunes signed off on four subpoenas A Republican points out that Nunes never promised to "recuse" himself But Democrats are mad at his reemergence as a player in the probe The House intelligence committee’s Russia investigation appeared Friday to be veering back off the rails after a rocky week, punctuated by the re-emergence of House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes as a force in the probe. A visibly angry House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said Friday she has met with House Speaker Paul Ryan multiple times to complain about Nunes never fully stepping away from the Russia probe – despite the California Republican’s promise two months ago that he would step aside. “The behavior of Nunes – whatever we’re calling him, ‘Chairman Recused, ‘Un-recused,  ‘I didn’t mean recuse, when I said and gave you the impression of recused’ – whatever that loosey-goosey (definition) is – is beneath the dignity of being a chairman of the intelligence committee,” Pelosi said. Related article Nunes remains powerful force in House Russia probe, despite promise to step back The anger behind the scenes was reignited when Nunes signed off on four subpoenas sent by House Russia investigators to former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Trump lawyer Michael Cohen – and also issued three subpoenas on his own, seeking information from former Obama administration officials. The old arguments that threatened to consume the House probe almost two months ago re-emerged immediately. But now, Democrats were openly blaming House Speaker Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, for Nunes’ continued role. Related article Flynn providing documents to Senate, first batch by June 6 “My dismay, my objection has been conveyed to the speaker on more than one occasion,” Pelosi, a California Democrat, said. “It all comes back to the speaker, it’s his appointment.” A senior House Republican aide noted Friday that Nunes never promised to “recuse” himself – citing the legal definition of the word – and added that Nunes, who is still the chairman of the House intelligence committee, has a duty to investigate whether US residents had their names revealed in classified intelligence reports, an issue pushed hard by Trump in response to the Russia investigations. Related article Trump lawyer Michael Cohen says he'll 'gladly' testify -- if Congress subpoenas him “While (Texas Rep. Mike) Conaway leads the Russia investigation, Mr. Nunes remains the chairman of the intel committee and has the right and responsibility to conduct oversight of the intelligence community, especially as it relates to the potential misuse of intelligence agencies against Americans,” said AshLee Strong, a Ryan spokeswoman. And Nunes, in a rare public comment about his role overseeing the House panel, blasted the media and critics Thursday. “Seeing a lot of fake news from media elites and others who have no interest in violations of Americans’ civil liberties via unmaskings,” Nunes tweeted. One Democrat on the committee said there is still confidence that Conaway can lead the Russia probe, but Democrats are on guard for possible “sabotage” from Nunes. “I think the Republicans don’t want to slap their chairman in the face. The effort to try to work around him appears to be moving the committee forward,” said the Democrat, who asked not to be named. “If, in fact, it appears he’s trying to truly sabotage the investigation, then I think gloves will start coming off.” It’s a surprising backslide for House investigators after they spent two months righting their ship – including agreeing to a “reset” immediately after Nunes first said he would step aside from leading the probe. Democrats on the panel – who had been calling for Nunes’ recusal – have broadly praised Conaway’s leadership of the probe. And the panel held a pair of hearings – one with former FBI Director James Comey and another with former CIA Director John Brennan – that had been waylaid by fighting between the Democrats and Nunes. But even as House investigators pushed forward, Democrats on the investigation grumbled in private that Nunes had never really stepped away from the probe. Nunes’ trip two weeks ago to review Russian intelligence at the CIA raised the ire of Democrats at the time. And private worries that he refused to step away from signing off on subpoenas boiled over in public Wednesday. Nunes’ decision to send out subpoenas re-opened old wounds and allegations that he was coordinating with the White House to undercut the House Russia investigation. “We have very little insight into what the chairman is doing here. I think the only guidance we can get is that we hear coming out of the White House,” Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Thursday. Meanwhile, the Senate probe has continued chugging on – Flynn agreed to provide documents to the Senate Intelligence Committee, under the force of multiple subpoenas, and the panel is scheduled to interview Comey about his firing at a Thursday hearing.


Joe Biden may be out of the Presidential race, but his statements this week on the events that led to the death of Osama Bin Laden could change the narrative of that week. As part of a partnership with FactCheck.org, here’s a look at his claim and how well it holds up with previous statements from Mr. Biden himself as well as from President Obama. FROM FACTCHECK.ORG: Is Joe Biden revising history or correcting it? We don’t know for sure, but the vice president now says that he privately advised President Obama to approve the raid that killed Osama bin Laden — which is diametrically opposed to what Biden and Obama said in 2012. Biden gave his revised version of history on Oct. 20 at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he was speaking about the legacy of former Vice President Walter Mondale. Biden recounted a meeting of the National Security Council on April 28, 2011. At that meeting, Obama asked each person for their opinion on whether the U.S. should raid the Abbottabad compound in Pakistan, where Bin Laden was believed to have been hiding.


NEW: President Barack Obama talks about democracy in a speech near the Acropolis Police: Anarchists became violent after they tried to break through a police cordon Six people have been arrested in the Greek capital after a group of anarchists started throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails following an anti-capitalism protest, Athens police told CNN. The trouble came as Barack Obama visits Athens on his final state tour as President of the United States. He gave a speech Wednesday after touring the Acropolis, the complex of monuments known as the “cradle of democracy,” in which he said democracy was “complicated” and “messy” but designed to correct mistakes. The arrests occurred Tuesday after a peaceful demonstration, organized by the Communist Party and permitted by police, in Omonia Square near central Athens. About 5,000 people attended the anti-establishment protest, police said. After it was over, a group of some 100 to 150 anarchists became violent, police said. Unrest broke out as the group tried to break through a police cordon to march to the US Embassy and Presidential Mansion, where Obama was attending an official state dinner. Protesters threw Molotov cocktails, and police responded with stun grenades and tear gas, dispersing the crowds who eventually retreated into the side streets. Three officers suffered minor injuries, police said. On Tuesday, Obama gave a news conference alongside Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in which he warned against “crude nationalism” in the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election last week. Related video Obama, Trump: The view from Greece Obama said countries across Europe as well as the United States were confronting populist movements based on a fear of intruding global forces, arguing people “are less certain of their national identities or their place in the world.” He said leaders should heed lessons from election results in the United States and in Britain, which voted in June to exit the European Union. Obama is on a weeklong, three-stop foreign trip that will also take him to Germany and Peru. Journalist Barbara Arvanitidis reported from Athens for CNN, and CNN’s Laura Smith-Spark wrote in London. CNN’s Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.


45 Afghan students training in the US have gone missing since 2015 Thirteen of them have yet to be found More than 40 Afghan security force members training in the US have gone AWOL since last year, including eight last month, according to the US military. One of those eight who vanished in September was detained by Canadian police while attempting to cross the US-Canada border, Cmdr. Patrick Evans told CNN Thursday. A total of 45 members of Afghanistan’s security forces have been reported absent without leave (AWOL) while in the US since the start of 2015. Of those, the whereabouts of 13 remain unknown, Evans said. The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for tracking them down once they are reported missing, according to the military. The 32 that have been located, Evans said, have either been deported, arrested and jailed, crossed an international border, or applied for immigration benefits. The number of missing students was first reported by Reuters. The training is part of an international effort to boost Afghanistan’s ability to defeat the Taliban and the AWOL students were undergoing instruction in a variety of topics, including leadership, language, infantry, aircrew, intelligence, engineering, military police, ordnance, transportation and Army Ranger training, US officials said. A large number of Afghan soldiers and police have undergone training in the US since the international effort to build-up Afghanistan’s security forces began. Since 2007, US facilities have hosted 2,207 Afghan trainees, the Department of Defense said in a statement. “It is important to note that the majority – well over 90% – of Afghans who train in the US successfully complete their training and return to their country,” Evans told CNN. But Pentagon officials also said that the US is looking at ways to curtail these type of incidents. “DoD is assessing ways to strengthen eligibility criteria for training in ways that will reduce the likelihood of an individual Afghan willingly absconding from training in the US and going AWOL,” Evans added. US officials also stressed that there is currently a vetting process in place as part of the requirements of the “Leahy Law,” which governs rules for the training of foreign military and security personnel. The vetting is to insure the students have no links to terrorist or insurgent groups and have not committed any human rights violations. The trainees are also required to go through the regular US visa application process. “If at any time they fail one of these steps, they are ineligible to go to this training or any future US-funded training,” Defense Department spokesman Adam Stump told CNN. Afghan security personnel are also screened for such ties by the Afghanistan government upon enlistment. The eight trainees that went missing in September were not acting as a group when they vanished, Stump said. The September uptick in disappearances could be related to the summer season in Afghanistan which tends to witness an increase in fighting as the Taliban typically launch their offensives during that time. One such attack brought Taliban fighters close to the center of the provincial capital city of Kunduz, a push that was recently beaten back by Afghan troops backed by airstrikes and US special operations forces. But most experts believe the disappearances are likely more tied to economic concerns as many of the Afghan trainees have received extensive English language training and therefore think they would be better able to find work in the US or Canada. Back in 2014 three trainees went AWOL from a facility in Massachusetts. The eight that absconded in September did so from military facilities in Fort Benning, Georgia, Fort Gordon, Georgia, Fort Lee, Virginia, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and Monterey, California.

US military training program for Afghan security forces


Russian President Vladimir Putin tells the Dutch Prime Minister that talk of an international criminal tribunal is premature His call comes a day before the first anniversary of the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 As the world prepares to mark one year since the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine, Russia is rejecting talk of creating an international criminal tribunal for the case. Russian President Vladimir Putin told Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte by phone Thursday that Dutch efforts to create a tribunal to try the case were premature and counterproductive, since an investigation hasn’t ended, the Kremlin said. It’s the latest example of Russian officials – wary of accusations that pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine might be responsible for the disaster – making points of emphasis that diverge from those of other countries investigating the crash. MH17, heading from Amsterdam to Malaysia, was shot down on July 17, 2014, over Ukrainian territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists, killing all 298 people on board. Putin’s call came a day after a source told CNN that the Dutch transportation safety board, in a draft report yet to be released, says evidence indicates that pro-Russian rebels shot down MH17 with a Russian-made surface-to-air missile. Disputes over who is responsible for the disaster have helped to taint relations between Moscow and the West. On Tuesday, the Netherlands and four other nations leading the MH17 investigation called on the U.N. Security Council to create a tribunal that would try whomever is charged, saying in a joint statement that it would be “the best means of ensuring justice for the victims and their loved ones.” “Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine call upon members of the Security Council to support this proposal to ensure that those responsible are held to account and to deter those who would threaten civil aviation,” the statement read. Putin, besides explaining to Rutte why Russia believes calling for a tribunal is premature, stressed “the inadmissibility of media reports on various versions” of what happened to the airliner, the Kremlin said. Also Thursday, the prosecutor leading the Netherlands’ criminal MH17 investigation told CNN that evidence gathered so far indicates the plane was hit by a Buk, a surface-to-air missile manufactured in Russia. Even before the MH17 disaster, Western nations accused Russia of supplying the rebels in Ukraine. The United States and the European Union imposed sanctions against Russia last year to punish it for this and its annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. The prosecutor, Fred Westerbeke, did not comment on who might have fired the missile. “Most of the information we have points to the use of a Buk rocket being fired from the eastern part of Ukraine,” he said. Westerbeke’s criminal investigation is separate from that of the Dutch safety board. The criminal probe is expected to produce a report by the end of the year, while the safety board’s report is due in October. He said investigators are “not yet in the stage where we have suspects, just persons of interest who could have taken part in one of the scenarios.” He said he believes a prosecution will happen. “Will the suspect be arrested and handed over for prosecution? That is more difficult to answer,” he said.


Swiss officials discover sawed-up elephant tusks in eight suitcases destined for China They also find a kilogram of lion fangs and claws in the luggage, carried by three Chinese nationals Swiss customs officials have seized around 262 kilograms (578 pounds) of elephant ivory destined for China in a random check on three Chinese passengers at Zurich Airport. The elephant tusks were discovered in eight suitcases carried by three Chinese nationals who were traveling from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to the Chinese city of Beijing, via Zurich. The tusks had been sawed into chunks to fit into the luggage, according to a news release from Swiss customs officials. The discovery was made on July 6 but was only highlighted Tuesday. Are China’s ivory trade efforts too late? Officials also uncovered a kilogram of lion fangs and claws in the luggage. The ivory has an estimated black market value of up to 400,000 Swiss francs (about $412,000), they said. Poaching, shrinking habitats and a seemingly insatiable appetite for ivory in Asia – particularly in China – have contributed to disappearing populations of elephants. About 35,000 elephants are poached annually as the demand for ivory grows. U.S. crushes ton of ivory in Times Square CNN’s Rebecca Coleman and Margot Haddad contributed to this report.


Who loves Guinness more than the Irish? Well, there’s the UK: That’s the world’s biggest market for Guinness. And then there’s Nigeria, which overtook Ireland as the world’s second-biggest Guinness market 10 years ago. Cameroon is the fourth-biggest market for Guinness and the beer is also brewed in Kenya, Uganda and Namibia. Africa, with its $13 billion beer market, is the biggest source of beer sales for the owners of Guinness, the British multinational Diageo. So how did the dark, tangy porter beer first brewed by Arthur Guinness in Dublin in 1759 come to win the hearts and minds of beer lovers on another continent? The answer is in a secret recipe sheet kept under lock and key in the Guinness archives at St James’ Gate brewery – and CNN Travel got a look when we visited Dublin for the July episode of “In 24 Hours.” Dated December 14, 1801, it details the unique mix of roasted, malted barley, hops, yeast and water that made up the original Guinness West Indies Porter: a beer born to travel. “It really is one of the most precious documents that we hold,” says Archive Manager Eibhlin Colgan. READ: The Irish inspiration behind the world’s best bar If there’s one thing about Guinness you’ll hear bandied about more than any other, it’s that the world’s most famous porter does not travel well. It’s said the black stuff tastes better in Ireland than anywhere else and, local lore has it, the best pint in Dublin’s Fair City is poured at Mulligan’s on Poolbeg Street. But Guinness didn’t get to be the global powerhouse it is today by only catering to taste buds lucky enough to be on Eire’s soil. When Arthur’s son, Arthur Guinness II, took the reins in 1803, the beer empire began to grow – and it followed the routes already created by the British Empire. Especially brewed to survive long sea journeys, Guinness West Indies Porter was hoppier than regular Draught Guinness – and stronger too. In 1817, eight barrels of porter journeyed across the Atlantic to South Carolina. By 1827, Guinness was being drunk in Africa, and by 1858 it had made it all the way to New Zealand. At this time, Ireland was still governed by Britain and Arthur Guinness – despite the patriotic associations his beer has today – was a committed unionist and opponent of Irish nationalism. Porter itself – so called because of the dark beer’s popularity with London’s street and river porters – is actually an English invention. But it was Ireland which made porter known around the world. WATCH: In 24 Hours – Swimming at sunrise in Dublin WATCH: In 24 Hours – Inside the world of Ireland’s rugby union WATCH: In 24 Hours – Charting Ireland’s history through its words The British Empire may be gone, but the Guinness empire remains. In 1962 – two years after Nigeria gained independence from the UK – Lagos became home to the first Guinness brewery outside of the United Kingdom. More breweries soon followed. Today, Guinness is available in more than 100 countries worldwide and is brewed in almost 50. Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is the 21st-century descendant of the original West India Porter. It’s stronger, heavier and punchier than regular Guinness, with a powerful 7.5% ABV. This is the Guinness variant you’ll most often find in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean – brewed on home turf. In 2014, Guinness also introduced a new 6% ABV version of Guinness West Indies Porter modeled on the original 1801 recipe. It’s part of a number of innovations which have helped Irish sales go up 4% in 2016, after several years of decline. But will they now reveal the magic mix? Not a chance. Says Colgan, “As we’ve kept this recipe secret for over 200 years, we’re going to keep it that way.” Africa’s 10 best safari parks 25 of Africa’s best beaches 10 budget airlines changing Africa’s skies


Obama administration officials have debated how to respond to Russian hacks But they kept arriving at reasons not to respond publicly For months, Obama administration officials have debated how to respond to Russian hacks they believed were intended to undermine the US elections. But they kept arriving at reasons not to respond publicly. In addition to a fear of sparking a wider cyber-conflict and an attempt to save talks with Russia over Syria, the administration did not want to give Donald Trump reason to cry foul following what they were certain would be a Hillary Clinton victory. Now it’s Democrats who are suggesting that the elections were stolen, in part at least, by Russian hacking efforts aimed to hurt Clinton and boost Trump. Democrats think it’s too little too late. Related article Why is Rex Tillerson as secretary of state so controversial? Obama administration officials dispute that the internal debate was slowed by anything other than the deliberate work of law enforcement and intelligence agencies. They say that the administration had to let the investigation take its course before making a policy response. CNN discussions with multiple administration, law enforcement and intelligence officials tell a different story. By July, law enforcement and intelligence agencies were sure that Russian intelligence hackers had breached the Democratic National Committee. A debate began inside the administration about what to do next. A month earlier, the hackers had released an opposition file on Trump that had been stolen from the Democrats. The US and many other nations use cyberhacking to spy on each other. The Russian actions, administration officials determined, had crossed the line because they were releasing documents the administration believed were intended to undermine the US elections. The good, bad and ugly of warmer US-Russia relations Over the next three months, during a series of meetings at the White House and on conference calls, national security officials at the White House and other government agencies debated over how to calibrate an appropriate response. Some officials in the US intelligence agencies warned that the US risked starting a wider cyber-conflict with Russia in which the US had a lot more to lose because more of the US infrastructure and economy is dependent on the Internet, and much of it is vulnerable to attack. Related video Is Russia trying to sway election for Donald Trump? Some State Department officials also worried about the risk to ongoing efforts to make a deal with Russia over Syria. The on-again, off-again talks continued during the summer as the US wrestled with what to do about the hacks. By the fall, as WikiLeaks kept releasing documents only on Democrats, Obama administration officials also grew confident that the Russians were trying to hurt Clinton’s campaign – and therefore trying to help Trump get elected. Other websites connected to Russian intelligence published documents stolen from Republicans including former Secretary of State Colin Powell, but they, too, were mostly damaging to Hillary Clinton. White House officials worried that publicly outing Russia would appear to be an effort to help Clinton, and the deliberations coincided with Trump’s complaints about a rigged election. Administration officials were sure Trump would lose in November and they were worried about giving him any reason to question the election results. Trump rewrites US foreign policy on the fly In October, a month before the presidential election, the Director of National Intelligence and the Homeland Security Department for the first time publicly attributed the hacks to Russia. Some Democrats had been pushing for the move for months. On Tuesday, the White House defended that public statement from the intelligence community as appropriate. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that a “proportional response” was appropriate but at the time the concern was on protecting the integrity of the election. “The President made clear, we made clear, that a proportional response to that was appropriate. But the President’s first concern, and the first steps that were undertaken by the US government were to ensure that the equipment and systems that were used to register voters, allow voters to cast ballots and to ensure that those ballots were counted, were protected,” Earnest said. Gap on Russia hacking conclusions between intelligence, FBI Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the Obama administration didn’t act soon enough. “I do think it was a mistake,” he said. “I think it was a mistake earlier frankly not to react more forcefully when North Korea hacked us. I think those kind of – that lack of deterrence invited the Russians to meddle and consider they could do this with impunity.” Now, with Trump about a month from taking office, Obama administration officials are working to prepare a range of possible responses that President Barack Obama could use before he leaves the White House to retaliate against Russia – responses President-elect Trump will likely be left to answer for.


Russia’s Foreign Ministry ordered the expulsion of 23 British diplomats from Russia on Saturday in a tit-for-tat response to Britain’s decision to expel Russian envoys in connection with the poisoning of a former Russian double agent and his daughter on British soil. The ministry also declared it was closing the British Consulate General in St. Petersburg and the British Council in Russia, in a step beyond the measures taken by Britain. The British Council is a cultural institute with artistic, language and educational programs. Related article Nerve gas attack unsettles residents in English cathedral city The UK diplomats have a week to leave, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, adding that its actions came “in response to the provocative actions of the British side and groundless accusations” against Russia over the Salisbury attack. “The British side is warned that in case of further unfriendly actions against Russia, the Russian side reserves the right to take further retaliatory measures,” the ministry said. Russian Senator Igor Morozov, a veteran of the Russian Service of External Intelligence, claimed that the British Council was shut down because UK intelligence operated under the cover of the organization, state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported. The British Council said it was “profoundly disappointed” by Moscow’s decision to order its closure. “It is our view that when political or diplomatic relations become difficult, cultural relations and educational opportunities are vital to maintain on-going dialogue between people and institutions,” it said in a statement. “We remain committed to the development of long-term people-to-people links with Russia as we do in over 100 other countries.” Relations between the two nations have deteriorated rapidly since the March 4 nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, in the English city of Salisbury. The pair remain critically ill in the hospital. UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday gave the 23 Russian diplomats – whom she described as undeclared intelligence officers – a week to leave, as she accused the Russian state of being “culpable” for the attack in Salisbury. Russia, which denies any involvement in the incident, condemned May’s decision as unacceptable and vowed a swift response. Its retaliatory move came a day before Russians go to the polls for a presidential election in which President Vladimir Putin is expected to win a second consecutive term. Related article Why Russia's presidential election is like no other The United Kingdom’s ambassador to Moscow, Laurie Bristow, was summoned to the Russian ministry on Saturday to be told of Moscow’s decision. The British Embassy in Moscow told CNN it had been given a list of 23 specific individuals that were to be expelled from Russia. In comments to reporters after he left the Foreign Ministry, Bristow said the crisis had arisen because of “the attempted murder of two people using a chemical weapon developed in Russia and not declared by Russia.” He said Britain must defend itself. “We have no dispute with the Russian people,” he said. “But we will always do what is necessary to defend ourselves, our allies, and our values against an attack of this sort, which is an attack not only on the United Kingdom, but upon the international rules-based system, on which all countries, all countries including Russia, depend for their safety and security.” The UK Foreign Office said its priority was looking after its staff in Russia and helping those who will return to Britain. Addressing members of her Conservative Party on Saturday, May said the Russian move had been “anticipated” and that Britain would consider its next steps in the coming days, when the National Security Council is due to meet. Russia’s response does not change the fact that Moscow was in “flagrant breach of international law” and the Chemical Weapons Convention, she said. Related article Former Soviet chemist shares details of the nerve agent Novichok The UK government was backed this week by allies France, Germany and the United States in its assessment that there was “no plausible alternative explanation” than that Russia was responsible for the Salisbury attack. UK officials believe the Skripals were exposed to a nerve agent known as Novichok that was developed in Russia. UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson upped the stakes Friday when he said it was “overwhelmingly likely” that Putin personally gave the order to use the nerve agent against the Skripals. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking to CNN, slammed that remark. “We have said on different levels and occasions that Russia has nothing to do with this story,” he said. “Any reference or mentioning of our President is nothing else but shocking and unpardonable diplomatic misconduct.” Russia has insisted it is ready to cooperate in investigating the attack in Salisbury if Britain reciprocates by sharing the evidence it holds. UK police renewed their appeal Saturday for people who may have seen Sergei Skripal’s burgundy BMW car on the morning of Sunday, March 4, to share what they know. About 400 witnesses have already come forward in what is “extremely challenging and complex investigation,” Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu of London’s Metropolitan Police said. Officers also are trawling through some 4,000 hours of CCTV footage, he said. In a dramatic twist Friday, the Metropolitan Police said that the death of Russian businessman Nikolai Glushkov, who was found dead Monday in his London home, was now being treated as murder. Related article The UK's weak actions are unlikely to hurt Putin -- or his cronies A post-mortem exam on the Russian exile, who had links to compatriots who died in mysterious circumstances in the UK, “gave the cause of death as compression to the neck,” a police statement said. There’s no evidence at this stage that his death and the attack on the Skripals are linked, it said. Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had launched its own criminal proceedings in connection with the “attempted murder of a Russian citizen, Yulia Skripal” in Salisbury and the “murder” of Glushkov in London. UK-Russia relations have been fractious ever since the assassination of another former Russian spy, Alexander Litvinenko, in 2006. A UK inquiry found that two Russian agents poisoned Litvinenko at a London hotel bar in 2006 by spiking his tea with highly radioactive polonium-210, and that Putin “probably approved” Litvinenko’s killing. The Kremlin has always denied the accusation. Sergei Skripal was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2006 for spying for Britain, according to Russian state media accounts of the closed hearing. Russian court officials at the time said he’d received at least $100,000 for his work for MI6, the British intelligence service. He was granted refuge in the UK after a high-profile spy exchange between the United States and Russia in 2010. CNN’s Matthew Chance reported from Moscow and Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported from London. CNN’s Radina Gigova and Stephanie Halasz contributed to this report.


Syrian leader may be near capturing Aleppo, but the war is far from over, analysts say ISIS' attack on Palmyra is a reminder of just how fluid the battlefield remains in parts of Syria The Syrian regime’s near capture of eastern Aleppo changes the face of the country’s horrendous civil war; the fortunes of the many rebel groups arrayed against it have rarely seemed so bleak. But few observers expect them to sue for peace or lay down their arms. A new phase of the conflict beckons, one in which the government led by Bashar al-Assad tries to consolidate its gains, as ruthlessly as it wishes, while its ever-more radicalized opponents revert to insurgent tactics. All the while, any prospect of repairing the country or allowing its millions of displaced and expelled to return home remains distant. Assad will reign over a wasteland. To the head of Britain’s foreign intelligence service, Alex Younger, “In Aleppo, Russia and the Syrian regime seek to make a desert and call it peace.” Rebels surged into much of Aleppo in 2012. As recently as the summer of 2015 they still imagined they could defeat Assad. No longer: So long as he has Russian and Iranian backing, victory for any rebel alliance is impossible. Militarily, Assad has the wind in his sails and has repeatedly said his ultimate goal is to free every inch of Syria from “terrorists.” Related article After Aleppo falls, Syria's bloodshed may continue Assad knows that’s a long way off. He told the state newspaper al Watan this month that victory in Aleppo would transform the course of the conflict: “But let’s be realistic,” he said, “it won’t mean the end of the war in Syria.” A reminder of that came as the last bastions of resistance in Aleppo  began to crumble. Some 280 kilometers to the south, ISIS launched an attack on the town of Palmyra surprising in its scale and intensity. Over the weekend, Syrian troops fell back from the town, despite intense Russian airstrikes in their support. Their humiliation came just nine months after the regime celebrated retaking Palmyra and its fabled Roman theater. Intelligence analysts Flashpoint Partners say ISIS’ attack on Palmyra is a reminder of just how fluid the battlefield remains in parts of Syria. “It affords ISIS further opportunities to advance in Homs province. The group has already seized several gas and oil fields in the city, further underscoring ISIS’ pursuit of energy resources.” Related article Syrian war: CNN goes inside Aleppo under airstrikes Assad may soon control Syria’s major urban centers – or their ruins – but vast areas of north and eastern Syria remain beyond his grasp. His armed forces have been degraded by incessant fighting, and debilitated by desertion. He must rely on irregular militia known as the National Defense Forces. More significantly, he continues to need Russian airpower and largely Shia paramilitary units from Lebanon, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. Pacifying the Aleppo area will consume already-stretched resources. Jihadist rebel groups, principally the former al Qaeda affiliate now known as Fatah al Sham, still dominate the northwestern province of Idlib. ISIS still holds Raqqa and much of Deir Ezzour near the Iraqi border. The Kurdish YPG militia controls much of the border with Turkey and the sizable towns of Qamishli and Hasakah. And the hinterland around the capital Damascus is a checkerboard. The conditions for a political solution simply don’t apply. Even in its direst moments – in mid-2015 – the regime did not contemplate concessions. Now with the upper hand, it has no incentive to make a deal. And the international environment is arguably more favorable to the regime than it has been since 2011. A US administration that repeatedly said peace in Syria was impossible while Assad remained in power is about to give way to one that wants to cooperate with Russia against terrorism in Syria. US support for the Syrian Kurds as an effective ally against ISIS may diminish. Iran has more money to spend thanks to the nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions. Iraqi Shi’ite paramilitaries have said that once they are finished with ISIS in their own country, they will help rid Syria of terrorists (for which read Sunni groups). Related video France: Trump must push for Syria ceasefire Moscow is already comparing the Obama administration to what it hopes for under a Trump administration. Speaking about the loss of Palmyra, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Cooperation would have probably allowed us to more effectively avoid such attacks from terrorists.” The merciless battle for Aleppo has only concentrated the sectarian toxin that has steadily seeped into the Syrian civil war. It has deepened the despair of rebel groups – and tens of thousands of trapped civilians – of ever getting any support from the international community. But so deep is their hatred of the regime for its targeting of hospitals and indiscriminate use of barrel bombs that many have said they prefer death to surrender. Related article Aleppo: 'I don't know what I am going to do,' resident says The West’s response to the pulverizing of Aleppo has been confined to humanitarian appeals and strong words of condemnation at the United Nations, routinely vetoed by Moscow. The European Union said it had no plans to impose additional sanctions against Russia, with foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini saying Monday, “There was no member state asking for additional work on sanctions.” Assad and the Russians could carry on bombing with impunity. There was no threat or warning of retaliation. With nowhere to go, moderate rebel factions are likely to make deals with radical Islamist groups – especially in Idlib – just to survive. Some may be absorbed into more militant factions. MI6 chief Younger said that “in defining as a terrorist anyone who opposes a brutal government, [Syria and Russia] alienate precisely the group that has to be on side if the extremists are to be defeated.” The blitzkrieg against Aleppo may change the calculations of states with a dog in Syria’s fight. Russia has transformed the course of the war and forged an understanding with Iran, Assad’s other principal ally. If he is true to his campaign rhetoric, President-elect Donald Trump will be less inclined to support moderate rebel groups than was the Obama administration, and averse to any entanglements that go beyond striking ISIS. Of moderate rebels, he has said: “We have no idea who these people are.” Related article As US and Russia fall out, others eye their own Syria goals For the rebels, much will depend on the attitude of regional states that have supported the Sunni resistance – Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey – as well as the wealthy Gulf donors that have kept Islamist groups afloat. The Qataris appear to have made their mind up. “It doesn’t mean that if Aleppo falls we will give up on the demands of the Syrian people,” Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told Reuters last month. Turkey has more complex considerations. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has invested heavily in repairing relations with Vladimir Putin, but Turkish-backed moderate rebel groups are expanding the area under their control north of Raqqa, ISIS’ capital in northern Syria. Erdogan has said recently he remains committed to Assad’s ouster, but he is less vocal about it than he used to be. US Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, says the United States is at a crossroads. He told the Washington Post: “There will be significant reputational costs with our allies in the region if we abandon support of the moderate opposition.” Related article What you need to know about Aleppo The question now was “whether our Gulf allies can count on us or they can’t, whether the Iranians are going to be given free rein or they won’t,” Schiff said. One source with extensive contacts inside the country, and who has already lost two family members in the fighting, predicted in 2011 that a conflict in Syria would last a decade and cost a million lives. He was widely ridiculed at the time, but five years later at least 250,000 people have been killed and millions displaced. Lebanon’s civil war lasted 15 years before Saudi diplomacy, Syrian “peacekeepers” and discreet US mediation put an end to it. Those same parties are on opposite sides of this conflict, which dwarfs the scale of the Lebanese war. The deep hatreds unleashed in the Syrian conflict, the absence of any trust and the hollowing-out of any moderate presence, as well as the continued involvement of outside powers in arming different proxies, suggest the war has years to run.


Candida auris is a sometimes fatal fungal infection that is emerging globally Seven cases occurred between May 2013 and August 2016 in four states Thirteen individuals have become ill from a serious and sometimes fatal fungal infection previously unseen in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. The fungus, Candida auris, is known to occur in health care settings such as hospitals and nursing homes. Seven cases occurred between May 2013 and August 2016 in four states: Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and New York. As of August 31, four of these seven patients, all with bloodstream infections, died, though it is unclear whether their deaths were due to C. auris. The remaining six cases were identified after August and are still under investigation. Related article 5 things you need to know about antimicrobial resistance “It appears that C. auris arrived in the United States only in the past few years,” Dr. Tom Chiller, chief of the CDC’s Mycotic Diseases Branch, said in statement. He added that scientists are working to better understand the fungus so they can develop recommendations to protect those at risk. C. auris bloodstream infections have a 50% fatality rate in some countries, according to one study. Some strains of this yeast are multidrug-resistant and cannot be treated by the three major classes of antifungal medications. First reported in 2009 in Japan, cases have been recorded in South Korea, India, South Africa, Kuwait, Colombia, Venezuela, Pakistan and the United Kingdom. “Experience outside the United States suggests that C. auris has high potential to cause outbreaks in healthcare facilities,” the CDC notes on its website. Importantly, this deadly organism is difficult to identify using traditional laboratory biochemical methods. In response to international reports, the CDC issued an alert in June to see whether C. auris might be present in the United States. After hospital and other health care facilities across the nation performed investigations, the CDC discovered 13 cases had occurred in the US over the past few years. Related article Second U.S. patient had antibiotic-resistant superbug infection A CDC report published Friday describes in detail the first seven US cases reported to the CDC as of August 31, 2016, in four states: Illinois (2), Maryland (1), New Jersey (1) and New York (3). Laboratory evidence suggests that these seven US cases are related to those in South America and South Asia, with transmission occurring within the health care settings, according to the CDC. Nearly three-quarters of the C. auris strains in US patients showed some drug resistance, but none was resistant to all three antifungal drug classes. All patients had serious underlying medical conditions, including tumors, vascular disease and bone marrow transplants. The average time from hospital admission to isolation of C. auris was 18 days. Five patients with bloodstream infections had central venous catheters at the time C. auris was identified. Weeks to months after the initial infection, patients had C. auris on their skin and other areas of the body; according to the CDC, this could present opportunities for contamination of the health care environment. Additionally, samples taken from multiple surfaces in one patient’s hospital environment showed contamination of C. auris. See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter. CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden called the fungus an emerging threat and said, “We need to act now to better understand, contain and stop the spread of this drug-resistant fungus.” In announcing these cases, the CDC reminded health care facilities of the need to follow cleaning and disinfection protocols to control and prevent the spread of all fungal infections. In 2011, there were 722,000 health care-acquired infections in US acute care hospitals, according to the CDC, and about 75,000 patients with these infections died during hospitalization.


Donald Trump is backing away from his claim that President Barack Obama is considering an executive order to take away Americans’ guns, saying he’s hearing about it from “good sources” in the media. Related gallery The 2016 candidates stances on gun control 2016 election candidates Trump served up a fresh platter of red meat to a crowd of 5,600 supporters Monday night in the deep red part of South Carolina by suggesting that the President is planning to sign an executive order to “take your guns away.” “You know, the President is thinking about signing an executive order where he wants to take your guns away. You hear about this? Not gonna happen. That won’t happen. But that’s a tough one, I think that’s a tough one for him to do,” Trump told the crowd. “There’s plenty of executive orders being signed, you know that. And we can’t let that go on.” But when pressed by that claim by CNN’s Alisyn Camerota on “New Day” Tuesday, Trump backed away from the comment. “No, no. I’ve heard that he wants to. And I heard it, I think, on your network. Somebody said that that’s what he’s thinking about. I didn’t say that he’s signing it. I said I think that would be a tough one to sign actually,” Trump said. “I would say it would be impossible. But nevertheless he was thinking about it. And I’ve heard it from numerous networks. And I’ve read it in the papers. You know. My source is the papers. So, you know, they’re pretty good sources.” Related gallery Donald Trump's empire Obama has not announced any plans to sign an executive order that would take Americans’ guns away or further restrict access to guns. He has, however, called for Congress to pass legislation that would establish universal background checks and implement laws aimed at minimizing the number of mass shootings in the country. Obama’s change crusade hits reality on guns About 5,600 people filled the 6,000-person capacity civic center in Anderson, South Carolina, to see Trump, according to the local fire marshal. The Trump campaign said more than 7,900 people attended the event. Trump also appeared to reverse his stance on the war in Afghanistan on Monday night, telling the crowd that he was only opposed to the war in Iraq, not the war in Afghanistan – saying Afghanistan is where the U.S. should have focused its attention. “Afghanistan is where we should have gone,” Trump said. But just two weeks ago, Trump called the decision to send troops into Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks a “terrible mistake.” Trump, who typically takes questions from reporters after his events, declined to do so on Monday. CNN’s Jeremy Diamond contributed from Anderson, South Carolina. CNN’s Tom Lobianco contributed from Washington.


Kidnapping suspect Brendt Christensen attended a rally for alleged victim Christensen is scheduled to make his second court appearance Wednesday It’s the latest twist in a haunting kidnapping case that so far has left many painful questions unanswered for the family of a missing Illinois university student. The man who is accused of kidnapping Yingying Zhang attended a vigil for her the day before he was arrested in the case, authorities said. Suspect Brendt Christensen can be seen in a photograph taken by CNN’s Kaylee Hartung. He is leaning against a railing behind hundreds of students and community members who gathered to support her on Thursday on the campus where she was last seen. Christensen was arrested Friday and has been charged with kidnapping. Zhang is still missing. Christensen has been charged but not tried or convicted in the case. But if – as authorities claim – he is her kidnapper, why would Christensen attend a vigil for his victim? In fact, that would not be so unusual. There is no shortage of examples of people who were found guilty of heinous crimes behaving in very a similar manner. “In a sick, twisted way, some of these criminals will go to the scene of funerals, they’ll go to wakes, they’ll actually show up,” retired police officer Steve Rogers told Brooke Baldwin on “CNN Newsroom.” Rogers is a former Nutley, New Jersey, police detective and was a member of an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. “Sometimes, believe it or not, they are remorseful, they are looking for forgiveness in their own way, and that’s why they show up. They’re having a hard time coping with what they did. “Or, they’re just confirming that – ‘Hey look what I did, and I got all these people gathered in one area to mourn my victim,’” he said. Related article Kidnapping suspect linked to abduction fantasy web page, FBI says There have been well-documented cases of kidnappers and killers helping in the search for their own victims, attending rallies held for them, or making high-profile appeals for the missing person’s safe return. Investigators said a 17-year-old convicted in the killing of a 6-year-old girl in Washington state attended a community vigil for the little girl. The case of Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro, who pleaded guilty to kidnapping and raping three young women he held prisoner for years, is another example. One of his victims, Gina DeJesus, was the best friend of his daughter. Castro seemed shaken by DeJesus’ 2004 disappearance, even handing out fliers with the girl’s photos. Castro later killed himself in prison. Related article School rallies behind family of missing student In 1994, South Carolina’s Susan Smith confessed that she had strapped her two small children into their car seats and pushed the car into a lake. For weeks before  that confession, Smith had said she had been carjacked by a black man while stopped at a red light in Union City. During the manhunt that followed, Smith made several TV appearances and tearfully pleaded for the return of her children. She was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Twenty-six-year-old Zhang had come to the United States from China to further her education. She had been in the United States for only about two months when she disappeared June 9 from the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, authorities said. Facebook post not found. Post has been removed or is no longer public. Christensen appeared in a magistrate’s court for an arraignment hearing Monday, where he did not enter a plea. He has been charged with kidnapping, and if convicted, the penalty is up to life in prison, said Sharon Paul, spokeswoman for the US Attorney’s Office. Christensen’s attorney, Evan Bruno, urged the public to avoid jumping to conclusions. “There’s a long road ahead,” Bruno said. “I encourage everyone to be patient, to keep an open mind and wait until the evidence comes in,” Bruno said. Christensen will face another hearing Wednesday to determine whether he should remain in custody, according to the US attorney’s office.


Dámaso López Nuñez arrested in Mexico City Reputed Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman awaits trial in New York A high-ranking leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel was arrested Tuesday and could face charges in the United States, authorities said. Dámaso López Nuñez was picked up in Mexico City, according to the office of Mexico’s attorney general. His arrest follows January’s extradition of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the Houdini-like master of escape who is accused of running the Sinaloa cartel –  one of the world’s largest drug trafficking organizations. Related video 'El Chapo' Guzman back behind bars in New York Guzman awaits trial in New York on 17 counts accusing him of running a criminal enterprise responsible for importing and distributing massive amounts of narcotics and conspiring to murder rivals. The Sinaloa cartel controls an estimated 40% to 60% of the marijuana, cocaine and heroin peddled on the streets of the United States. López Nuñez, who is believed by many to have taken over the cartel from Guzman, could now follow “El Chapo” across the US-Mexico border. He is expected to face charges in Virginia for alleged distribution of cocaine and money laundering, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. The United States provided information leading to his arrest, the source said. Related gallery 'El Chapo' in prison López Nuñez nicknamed “El Licensiado,” a title given to a college graduate, was indicted in November 2011 in Virginia. He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, if convicted. The indictment was unsealed in 2013. In January 2013, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated López Nuñez under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act – which prohibits US persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with him and freezes any assets under US jurisdiction. OFAC at the time identified López Nuñez as a top lieutenant of Guzman. López Nuñez helped Guzman escape from Mexican federal prison in 2001, according to OFAC. Related gallery Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's 2015 escape In 2015, Guzman staged another daring prison escape through a mile-long tunnel that featured a motorcycle on tracks. The trafficking of heroin, marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States from Mexico is an annual $19 billion to $20 billion industry, according to a Department of Homeland Security report. The cartel has reputedly held a dominant share of that market, thanks in part to Guzman’s sophisticated business strategies and Sinaloa’s control of trafficking routes. A US Customs and Border Protection report that analyzed seizure data along the border between 2009 and 2010 found that “the removal of key personnel does not have a discernible impact on drug flows” into the United States.


A U.S. Army Apache helicopter gunship for the first time in more than a year fired on an ISIS target in Iraq, a defense official told CNN. The Apache fired rockets Monday against a vehicle-borne IED south of Mosul – signaling the first acceptance by the Iraqi government of the combat use of Apaches since the accelerated effort by the U.S. military against ISIS. The Apache mission took place near the town of Qayyarah. U.S. airstrikes in the area support Iraqi, Kurdish and other militia units in their attempt to surround and isolate Mosul. Related gallery The ISIS terror threat “I’m going to be careful about how far I go … but they were employed against [an] ISIL target, an ISIL target was struck and the operation,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters Monday. “This is the first time that it’s been called into action, and effectively,” he added. The official said they were last used in October 2014 to protect the Baghdad airport. The U.S. had been pressing the Iraqi government for months to accept the offer to call in Apaches to help across Iraq in the fight against ISIS. The offer was rejected by the Iraqis in their campaign to retake Ramadi, but the U.S. official said the Iraqi government recently accepted the support. Isolating Mosul and cutting off ISIS resupply lines in the immediate area is a top priority as the Iraqis try to make progress there, even as they are battling to defeat ISIS in Fallujah, which is located just west of Baghdad. It had been thought the Iraqis might not move against Mosul for a few months, but the use of Fallujah as a haven to launch suicide attacks inside Baghdad has forced the Iraqis to deal with both areas simultaneously. U.S. officials said there is no specific timetable to begin the assault on Mosul. “I think its (the Apache) use was timely this time, or said differently, why the Iraqi and U.S. commanders decided to use it was because it – it could be effective in helping those forces that are positioning themselves for the two-forked envelopment of Mosul,” Carter said. “That’s what it was used for, to help them along their way.” The Apaches are widely seen as very effective; they attack from a “standoff range” to minimize the threat of attacks against them from surface-to-air missiles. In an interview with ABC News at the time the Apaches were used at the Baghdad airport, General Martin Dempsey, the then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said ISIS fighters were within 20 to 25 kilometers of the airfield, which led to the helicopter gunships being called in. “Had they (ISIS fighters) overrun the Iraqi unit, it was a straight shot to the airport. So we’re not going to allow that to happen. We need that airport,” Dempsey told ABC.

U.S. Army Apache helicopter use against ISIS in Iraq


Editor’s Note: Carol Costello anchors the 9 to 11 a.m. ET edition of CNN’s “Newsroom” each weekday. The opinions expressed in this commentary are hers. For Christians living in parts of the Middle East, going to mass on Christmas Eve is an act of courage Carol Costello: Talking with an Iraqi Catholic nun made her feel gratitude I love Christmas Eve. Midnight Mass is the best. I desperately wanted to celebrate midnight Mass at the magnificent St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, until I found out that would be impossible. The mass is “sold out.” As the St. Patrick’s website explains: “We receive thousands of requests each year and send tickets, first-come-first-serve, by the date they are received.  We start accepting ticket requests at the end of the summer.” Who knew midnight Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral was the hottest ticket in town? But, as I thought more deeply about my extreme disappointment, I felt ashamed. Yes, it would be amazing if I could worship at St. Patrick’s – where Pope Francis prayed just a few months ago – but the fact I am able to celebrate Christ’s birth in any church, anywhere – without fear –  ought to be enough. For Christians living in parts of the Middle East targeted by militants, going to Mass on Christmas Eve is an act of courage. A few weeks ago, I talked via the Internet with Sister Ban Saaed, an Iraqi Catholic nun living in a refugee camp under Kurdish control. The connection was tenuous, but our conversation taught me something I never needed to learn in Sunday school: Gratitude for the freedom to practice not just my Catholic faith, but any faith I wished. “Our identity is very difficult … in our country,” Sister Ban told me from a Kurdish controlled area in Iraq. “We would like to live our lives in peace, but we haven’t seen peace since we’ve been born.” Sister Ban lives with other Christians in a shipping container outfitted with intermittent electricity in a refugee camp near the city of Irbil. It’s a far cry from her life in the ancient biblical area of Nineveh, modern day Mosul, Iraq. There, the U.S.-educated Sister Ban lived in a convent with dozens of other Dominican Sisters. She had successfully established Montessori schools to educate hundreds of Iraqi children. Related article Clinton: What ISIS is doing is 'genocide' But all that disappeared on August 6, 2014. That’s the day ISIS came and told the sisters they had three choices: Pay a tax to practice their Christian faith, convert, or die. “They left with the Christian community because the sisters would never convert and they didn’t have money to be paying taxes,” Sister Donna Markham, president of Catholic Charities USA, told me. Sister Ban has not only stuck by her fellow Christians, but also has set up makeshift schools for hundreds of displaced Iraqi children. She worries, though. The children have witnessed horrific violence perpetrated by ISIS terrorists, and in spite of her master’s degree in special education, she fears she does not have the skills to help them. “Sometimes they fight with each other and become aggressive,” she told me. “So we have a special table with two chairs. We call it a peace table. We let them [the children] talk about why they hurt each other.” Sister Ban tells them there is no need to fight; they are safe now. But the children, even the youngest, want to go home to Iraq. She told me the children see fighting ISIS as their only way to return home. “I’m talking about the 4- and 5-year-old children; the children that we are working with,” Sister Ban said. “We ask them: ‘What would you like to be in the future?’ One of our children said that ‘I would like to become a soldier so I can go fight ISIS and then we can go [back] to our country.’ “ I wish I had asked Sister Ban how she was celebrating Christmas this year, but our tenuous Internet connection broke down. She later texted me saying that her father had died. I can’t imagine how painful life must be for her now. Still, I bet her faith is as strong as ever. Her last words to me were about how Americans can help. No, she and the other sisters do not want to escape to the United States. They want our prayers. Like the children they serve, the sisters just want to go home. “We are asking for your prayers, because your prayers support us,” she told me. “We would like to live in dignity because we’ve lost our dignity.” Sister Ban, I will pray for you, for the children, for refugees of all faiths on Christmas Eve. And thank you for reminding me that God is everywhere, not just in the majestic St. Patrick’s Cathedral, but also in a shipping container in the middle of a war zone. Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion.Read CNNOpinion’s Flipboard magazine.