As people cross borders regularly and live closer together, the risk of outbreaks is greater than ever Experts say climate change and civil unrest are also contributing to the risk It could take just one cough, one kiss, one touch or even one bite to change not only your life, but the lives of everyone around you – and for months or even years. In most cases, the closer those people are to you, the greater the risk. But it isn’t always that simple. The risk at hand: an infectious outbreak. Public health experts believe we are at greater risk than ever of experiencing large-scale outbreaks and global pandemics like those we’ve seen before: SARS, swine flu, Ebola and Zika. Related article Are we ready for the next global epidemic? More than 28,000 people were infected during the 2014-16 Ebola epidemic, with over 11,000 deaths. And as of March 10, 84 countries have reported Zika transmission. That disease was discovered in the 1940s, but had its first outbreak in 2007 in Micronesia, and more recently began spreading toward the end of 2015. Every time, the infection’s arrival is unexpected and its scale unprecedented, leaving the world vulnerable. Experts are unanimous in the belief that the next outbreak contender will most likely be a surprise – and we need to be ready. “We’re only as secure in the world as the weakest country,” said Jimmy Whitworth, professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. With so many health systems and economies in a fragile state, this means we are far from secure. “Infectious diseases respect no boundaries,” he said. The World Health Organization is alerted to hundreds of small outbreaks every month, he noted, which it investigates and uses to predict the chances of a bigger problem. “There are little clusters of outbreaks occurring all the time, all over the place,” Whitworth said. But with infections disregarding borders and their battle lines against humans drawn, he believes the way we live today is what opens us up to risk. “(Many) aspects of modern life put us at more risk. We are more ready than before,” he points out, highlighting the International Health Regulations Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network and countries with national rapid response teams – such as the United States, UK and China – ready to tackle any emergency. “But the stakes keep getting raised,” he said. Here’s why. The facts around urban living are simple: You live, eat, work and move closer to people than in any rural setting, and with this comes greater opportunity for disease to spread through air, mosquitoes or unclean water. As populations grow, so will the number of city-dwellers, with the United Nations predicting that 66% of the global population will live in urban areas by 2050. More people in cities can “put a strain on sanitation,” said David Heymann, head of the Centre for Global Health Security at the think tank Chatham House. Beyond people’s close proximity, “this is a second source of infection,” he said, and a third is increased food demand, causing farmers to grow more food, with more animals, making them likely to live closer to those animals as well. Animals are reservoirs for many diseases, including cattle for tuberculosis and African sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis) and poultry for avian flu. With people moving more regularly from – and between – rural settings to urban ones, the chances of them becoming infected and then living in close quarters with others further boosts the potential for things to spread. As numbers of people grow, so does the amount of land needed to house them. Populations expand into previously uninhabited territories, such as forests. With new territories comes contact with new animals and, inevitably, new infections. Related article Lassa fever death rates in Nigeria higher than expected For one example, “Lassa fever occurs because people live in the forest and destroy it for farming,” Heymann said. Lassa fever is a viral disease spread by contact with the feces of infected rodents. It can cause fever and hemorrhaging of various parts of the body, including the eyes and nose. Person-to-person transmission is also possible, albeit less common. Outbreaks generally occur in West Africa, with higher than expected rates in Nigeria since 2016. Heymann explains that Lassa is one example of people living near forest environments where infected rodents reside, but destruction of those forests for agriculture leaves the animals nowhere to go – other than humans’ homes. “The rodents that live there can’t get food and go into human areas for food,” he said. Evidence continues to emerge that climate change is resulting in greater numbers of heat waves and flooding events, bringing more opportunity for waterborne diseases such as cholera and for disease vectors such as mosquitoes in new regions. Related article Scientists highlight deadly health risks of climate change “Flooding is occurring with increased frequency,” Heymann said, and with that comes greater risk of outbreaks. Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is projected to cause about 250,000 additional deaths per year from heat stress, malnutrition and the spread of infectious diseases like malaria, according to the World Health Organization. With disease carriers like mosquitoes increasingly able to live in new unprotected territory, the risk of an outbreak is high. Whitworth cited the current yellow fever outbreak in Angola, which has infected more than 350 people. He explained that as workers from China returned home from Angola, any yellow fever infection could have been transmitted by mosquitoes in China. But, the workers’ return in winter meant the insects weren’t around to transmit through bites. “We’re vulnerable because of increased travel,” Whitworth said. International tourist arrivals reached a record of almost 1.2 billion in 2015, according to the UN World Tourism Organization, 50 million more than 2014. It was the sixth consecutive year of above-average growth. And with greater numbers moving at all times come greater options for infections to hop a ride. “Infectious agents travel around in humans many times within their incubation period,” Heymann said. An incubation period is the time between infection and the onset of symptoms, meaning people can transmit an infection though they won’t appear to be sick. The SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) pandemic of 2003 is thought to have begun with Dr. Liu Jianlun, who developed symptoms of the airborne virus on a trip to Huang Xingchu in China and then went to visit family in Hong Kong. He infected people at his hotel and his family. He was then hospitalized and died, as did one of his relatives. In less than four months, about 4,000 cases and 550 deaths from SARS could be traced to Liu’s stay in Hong Kong. More than 8,000 other people became infected across more than 30 countries worldwide. But Heymann stresses that “it’s not just humans” who spread disease through travel. Infections spread through insects, food and animals moved between countries. “It’s also trade,” he said, pointing to airport malaria, in which people in airports have become infected with malaria through mosquitoes that have hitched a ride on a plane or in food. He also described bird flu that was stopped at the Belgian border in Thai eagles being traded as pets in 2004. Guinea rats shipped as pets in the United States in 2003 harbored infections with monkey pox, he noted, which then entered prairie dogs and eventually humans. “If a health system cannot handle (an outbreak), there’s pandemonium,” Heymann said. He believes that poor hygiene is not a valid excuse anywhere, even in developing settings, as sterilization and hand-washing are straightforward. But if a country is on the brink of breakdown from civil unrest, the ability to handle an intense and sudden problem like an outbreak could bring its people to their knees – and allow the infection to flourish. “Outbreaks can completely paralyze countries,” said Whitworth, citing the 2014 Ebola epidemic in which Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia were “quite close to collapsing.” Civil unrest had plagued all three countries, leaving their economic and health infrastructures in dire need of rebuilding – and ill-prepared for a major infection to strike. That problem combined with human movement between these three countries and others more globally meant Ebola was able to spread, even though dozens of infections in previous years in nearby Democratic Republic of Congo were self-contained and often resolved themselves. “If (an infection) stays local, it burns out,” Heymann said. “People learn what to do.” Beyond weak health systems, countries where outbreaks are more likely to occur – namely, more developing settings – also have fewer doctors and nurses to treat the population. Most have left for better prospects elsewhere. “We have to deal with that as a reality,” Heymann said, adding that some countries even encourage young medical talent to travel to new regions. “It’s difficult to manage health worker migration,” he said. But programs and strategies are underway to tackle this by “task-shifting,”  moving responsibilities to new groups and training them to deliver care, such as community health workers. “Communities have to be resilient,” he said, and assigning tasks to people at all levels could mean a greater team available when a new infection strikes. In the information age, new levels of communication bring even newer levels of fear and multiple ways to spread it, experts believe. Although the majority of small outbreaks may once have gone largely unknown by populations farther from the epicenter, people today are more informed than ever and require transparent, factual information to be fast-flowing. Google has been been using searches for symptoms to help identify when an outbreak may occur, such as with the flu. “The world looks for an authority,” said Heymann, who believes the WHO adopts that role but needs to be faster and more transparent with information. The organization was criticized for being too slow to respond and unprepared for the 2014 Ebola outbreak. “But social media has become active … and that’s an area that’s difficult to control,” he said. Related article 14 million Africans to be vaccinated against yellow fever The posting and shaping of information by multiple people can change messaging and what people read and believe, Heymann added. It may not all be bad, he said, but the point is that it can shape the way information travels, potentially inciting fear and stigma. “Not all information on the internet or social media is accurate,” said Mark Feinberg, chairman of the scientific advisory committee of the recently launched Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. “Ensuring accurate communication to the public is critically important.” The coalition, launched in January, will address the surprise nature of outbreaks and epidemics to try to prevent them, rather than respond to them. Heymann describes the likelihood of a new infection spreading rapidly and becoming an epidemic – and potentially a global pandemic – using the analogy of lining up pieces of Swiss cheese, with the different risk factors equating to holes in the cheese. “When they line up, you get an epidemic,” he said. He highlighted an outbreak of Rift Valley virus in East Africa in 1997. The combination of an El Niño event pushing humans away from their homes and closer to cattle, combined with increased rainfall producing more breeding sites for disease-spreading mosquitoes, led to the largest documented outbreak of this virus. It involved five countries and infected an estimated 90,000 people. Related article MERS Fast Facts “All these (factors) came together and led to an outbreak,” Heymann said. Despite what we know about the aspects of modern life that put us at greater risk, all three experts believe the world is not quite ready to handle what is inevitably coming. “We need to do a lot better,” Feinberg said. “We need to prepare in advance, not respond.” His program, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, is working to do just that. It’s aiding the development of vaccines against viruses that it believes need attention and are in families of infections that are likely to pose a risk, such as MERS CoV, which continues to persist in the Middle East and has been reported in almost 20 countries outside that region. See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter. The program will also be looking to develop platforms on which vaccines can be made more rapidly so that the general development time frame of 15 to 20 years can be shrunk significantly to respond to a new virus – even moreso than those being developed against Ebola and Zika. “That’s the kind of capability we need,” Feinberg said. “The pathogens we don’t know about pose the greatest threat.” Combined with other global and national strategies programs – such as WHO regulations and national response teams – Feinberg is optimistic. “We are far away from that goal,” he said. “But I am encouraged, as they are all working on this.”


UK Prime Minister Theresa May headed to Brussels on Thursday for a major summit of EU leaders, just hours after her government suffered an embarrassing defeat in Parliament in a vote on key Brexit legislation. Lawmakers backed an amendment to the Brexit bill that means the UK Parliament must be given a vote on the final deal with the European Union before withdrawal begins. The narrow defeat – by 309 to 305 votes – was May’s first as Prime Minister and leaves her in a weakened position at home as she travels to an EU Council meeting in the Belgian capital, during which the bloc’s other 27 leaders are set to confirm that Brexit negotiations can move on to to the next stage. May’s setback came less than a week after the UK and EU secured a significant breakthrough in Brexit negotiations. That breakthrough, in which the two sides agreed on the terms for Britain’s withdrawal, opened the door for the two parties to progress onto a second phase that will include discussions over a transition period and the nature of a future trading relationship – both crucial to Britain’s economy. May, who leads a minority Conservative government since a snap election called last summer, has had to battle bitter divisions within her own party over Brexit – as well as pressure from opposition parties and business leaders – as she seeks to negotiate Britain’s departure from the EU. Arriving in Brussels for the two-day summit, European Council President Donald Tusk said: “Tomorrow we will end formally our first phase of the Brexit negotiations. “Both these achievements demanded courage, realism, but above all our unity. By the way, I have no doubts, the real test of our unity will be the second phase of the Brexit talks.” Amendment seven to clause nine of the EU withdrawal bill was put forward by Conservative MP Dominic Grieve, who led a faction of rebels within May’s party who demanded a “meaningful vote” on the deal reached with Brussels before it is ratified. Related video UK, EU reach breakthrough Brexit agreement The bill is a key piece of legislation that aims to transfer EU law into UK law upon the country’s planned departure from the bloc on March 29, 2019. On Wednesday morning, as the government sought to head off the rebellion, Brexit Secretary David Davis submitted a written statement to the House of Commons in which he promised lawmakers a vote on the deal. The government then offered another concession later in the Commons debate. But the small group of Conservative rebels stuck to their guns to vote alongside opposition Labour and Liberal Democrat lawmakers in favor of the amendment, which gives a legal guarantee that Parliament will be able to vote on the deal before it comes into effect. Grieve had argued that without the amendment, the bill would give ministers powers to implement the deal without proper scrutiny from lawmakers. A spokesman for the government said it was disappointed that Parliament had voted for the bill despite the “strong assurances” it had offered. “We are as clear as ever that this bill, and the powers within it, are essential,” he said. “This amendment does not prevent us from preparing our statute book for exit day. We will now determine whether further changes are needed to the bill to ensure it fulfills its vital purpose.” Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described the defeat as “a humiliating loss of authority for the Government on the eve of the European Council meeting” in a statement on his Facebook page. “Labour has made the case since the referendum for a meaningful vote in Parliament on the terms of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union,” he wrote. “Theresa May has resisted democratic accountability. Her refusal to listen means she will now have to accept Parliament taking back control.” The government faces another potential showdown next week over an amendment of its own to the withdrawal bill that seeks to enshrine in law that the United Kingdom will leave the European Union at 11 p.m. GMT on March 29, 2019. Critics argue that this would leave no flexibility at the end of the negotiating process. CNN’s Lindsay Isaac and David Wilkinson contributed to this report.


Editor’s Note: Anna Neistat, a human rights expert and specialist in conflict areas, is Amnesty International’s senior director for research. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. Neistat: Russia was complicit in atrocities of Syrian government long before its bombing campaign in Syria By doing nothing, the UN has become complicit in Syrian coalition's crimes against humanity Seventeen years ago, Kofi Annan stood before the United Nations and apologized. The then-secretary-general acknowledged that the UN had failed the people of Rwanda during the 100-day genocide in which almost a million people were killed, and pledged to ensure that the UN would “never again” fail to protect a civilian population from genocide or mass slaughter. In Aleppo today, Annan’s promise is inaudible beneath the roar of bombs and the whimpers of children trapped under rubble, their faces caked with blood and dust. After years of images from this atrocious war being screened around the world, they are faces we know well. The streets of their city, the last remnants of hospitals and schools among which civilians scramble for shelter, are unrecognizable. There is no way that any of us can avoid responsibility for Aleppo. Anna Neistat There is no way that any of us can avoid responsibility for Aleppo. We watch it all, in real time, and it continues. In the summer of 2012, I documented one of the first air raids on Aleppo for Human Rights Watch. A few rockets fired from a plane hit Dar-El-Shifa hospital in the city. My colleagues and I rushed there to speak to the doctors and witnesses. As the war spiraled beyond the worst nightmares of Syrians, attacks on clearly marked civilian objects like hospitals became commonplace, but back then I thought it would be a game changer. Related article Aleppo evacuations: From one war zone to another I was sure that if we could show the world how ruthless and brutal the Assad government was, using air power against its own people, it would make a difference. So we took our findings to the UN Security Council and governments across the globe, including Russia. Nothing happened. There was no armed group calling itself ISIS to fight in Aleppo back then, and the UNSC essentially considered Assad’s killing of civilians to be Syria’s internal business. The core obligation of international law, to protect civilians from atrocities that “shock the conscience of humanity,” was pushed aside. Instead of taking steps to end unlawful attacks on civilians, hold perpetrators to account, and stop the flow of arms that was fueling the conflict, the UNSC sat back. It was just the beginning of what has been an almost total erosion of Kofi Annan’s belated promise. Related article Genocide Fast Facts The refusal to tackle abuses in Syria early in the conflict has paved the way for a litany of horrors: hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths, resulting from air and ground attacks as well as accusations of extermination taking place in prisons; wanton destruction of cities and towns across the country, suspected chemical attacks and widespread use of cluster munitions and other banned weapons; and the spread of groups like ISIS who revel in flouting the fundamental principles of humanity. What is happening in Aleppo is deeply shocking. But is it really surprising? We have seen this international inaction before, in Rwanda and Srebrenica, in Cambodia and Yemen. Related: We’re ignoring a possible genocide in South Sudan The need for a dramatic overhaul of the UNSC is painfully clear. With every civilian death in Syria the message gets louder: this is not working. Again and again, even after becoming a party to the conflict, Russia, with support from China, has used its veto as a member of the Permanent Five to block any international action to end the nightmare in Syria. Amnesty International has for years been calling for P5 members – the US, Russia, France, the UK and China – to refrain from using the veto in cases of genocide and other mass atrocities, which would enable the UN to take action more easily when civilian lives are at risk. Without its veto power, Russia would not have been able to block the referral of the crimes in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC), or the opening of desperately needed humanitarian corridors. Russia was complicit in atrocities of the Syrian government long before it began its bombing campaign in Syria in September 2015. Syrian Civil War Fast Facts It has been accused of supplying the government with arms to commit mass war crimes and crimes against humanity from the start of the civil war, while shielding it diplomatically from accountability. But it is not the only country to blame. Related article Why we lost Aleppo The climate that emboldened Russia to behave like this has been years in the making. In the 1990s, in Chechnya, I documented Russia using many of the same tactics now being used in Syria. First came the leveling of cities, which left tens of thousands dead or injured, and hundreds of thousands homeless and displaced. Then came the sweep operations, mass arrests, enforced disappearances, torture and executions, the same type of operations that are now being reported from Aleppo and other areas of Syria recaptured by the Syrian government. Accountability for violations committed in the Chechen conflict has been sorely lacking. It has led to Russia feeling so emboldened that it no longer even worries about flagrantly violating international law. By allowing Assad and his Russian supporters to continue their assault, the international community has become complicit, every day, in their crimes against humanity. What’s more, it is sending a clear signal to any other leader who might decide to murder civilians on a mass scale that we don’t really mean “never again.” The world has betrayed Aleppo, and nothing can make up for the lives lost or shattered. But what we can do is recognize that this catastrophe is an alarm bell signaling the desperate need for the international community to overhaul the way it responds to atrocities. Sign up for CNN Opinion’s new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook After the protection and evacuation of civilians, which is paramount, the focus must turn to holding perpetrators to account, to send an unequivocal message that war crimes have consequences. An investigation by the International Criminal Court may not be possible right now, but evidence must be preserved to ensure that those who have committed such crimes can be prosecuted in the future. Otherwise, we could well be faced with another Aleppo, and the cries of “never again” will, again, ring hollow.


Facebook CEO Mark Zuckberg has promised to do more to help tackle hate speech in Myanmar after activists accused him of turning a blind eye. In a response to an open letter from a group of tech and nonprofit organizations, Zuckerberg said the social media giant will introduce technological improvements to filter hate content, and has hired “dozens more Burmese language” moderators to deal with the issue. “We now we have a special product team working to better understand the specific local challenges and build the right tools to help keep people there safe,” Zuckerberg said. Related article When Facebook becomes 'the beast': Myanmar activists say social media aids genocide However, the activists who originally called Zuckerberg out said his response did not “change our core belief that your proposed improvements are nowhere near enough to ensure that Myanmar users are provided with the same standards of care as users in the US or Europe,” reiterating the heightened stakes in the Southeast Asian country. “When things go wrong in Myanmar, the consequences can be really serious – potentially disastrous,” they said in a follow-up statement. As many as 700,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar’s western Rakhine state have been forced from their homes and across the border into neighboring Bangladesh since last summer, following a sustained campaign of violence and abuse, which the UN has called “ethnic cleansing.” Myo Min, a director of Equality Myanmar and a signatory to the letters to Zuckerberg, told CNN Facebook’s work to tackle hate speech is “not enough … we should have more accountability and transparency (from Facebook).” “At least he’s showed interest (in the problems faced here),” he added. “We really need more collaboration with local civil society organizations. We’re the ones who know, can read local language, can monitor, but we need a quick and efficient reporting mechanism (for hate speech).” Activists in Myanmar said they had found examples of Facebook tools “being used to incite real harm,” including a call to arms against Muslims over a fabricated “jihad” planned for September 2017 shared via Facebook Messenger. “Far from being stopped, (these examples) spread in an unprecedented way, reaching country-wide and causing widespread fear and at least three violent incidents in the process,” the authors of the original letter said. They cited an interview Zuckerberg did with Vox, in which he said Facebook’s systems “detected” the hate speech. However, according to the letter, many of the examples were raised to Facebook by the authors themselves, and represented a “far from systematic” approach to the detection of hate speech. Calling this “the opposite of effective moderation,” the group also chided Facebook for what it said was a lack of proper mechanisms for emergency escalation, a reticence to engage local stakeholders and a lack of transparency. Zuckerberg said the company is “rolling out improvements to our reporting mechanism in Messenger to make it easier to find, and simpler for people to report conversations,” like the false jihad messages. The activists said his response did not go far enough, and included a list of ten questions for Zuckerberg concerning the number of incidents reported in Myanmar, amount of accounts closed due to violations of standards, and other indicators of hate speech. The Rohingya refugee crisis has been attributed to the actions of the Myanmar military, which has denied the intentional killing of civilians and insisted its operations primarily target terrorists. Hate speech and incitements to violence against Rohingya “on social media is rampant, particularly on Facebook,” said Marzuki Darusman, chair of a United Nations probe into human rights in Myanmar, adding it largely “goes unchecked.” Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, added “ultra-nationalist Buddhists … are really inciting a lot of violence and a lot of hatred against the Rohingya or other ethnic minorities.” Ethnic conflict has plagued Myanmar for centuries, and violence has flared up in Rakhine on numerous occasions between the Buddhist majority and minority Muslims. Raymond Serrato, a data analyst who has studied Facebook activity around last year’s military action in Rakhine, said it would be “superficial” to ignore the pre-existing tension, but added “Facebook has definitely facilitated it.”


President Obama ordered the US flag be flown at half staff to honor the passing of former Israeli PM Shimon Peres Obama will lead a US delegation to Peres' funeral on Friday President Barack Obama, in a rare move, ordered the US flag be flown at half-staff at the White House and on federal grounds and government properties on Friday to mark the death of former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, the White House announced on Wednesday. Peres, the Israeli elder statesman who shared a Nobel Prize for forging a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians, died at age 93 on Tuesday following complications from a recent stroke. In top Israeli leadership roles over the decades – including prime minister and president – the Labor Party veteran became a face of the Jewish State, instantly recognized and well-respected in Israel and across the globe. Shimon Peres Fast Facts Only infrequently has the US flag been flown at half-staff to mark the death of foreign dignitaries. Obama last issued the honor in 2013 after the passing of the South African leader Nelson Mandela, and President George W. Bush did the same to honor Pope John Paul II after his death in 2005. Obama will lead a US delegation to Peres’ funeral on Friday, and former President Bill Clinton is also slated to attend. “There are few people who we share this world with who change the course of human history, not just through their role in human events, but because they expand our moral imagination and force us to expect more of ourselves,” Obama said in a statement from the White House earlier Wednesday. “Shimon was the essence of Israel itself.”


Clinton has sought to cast Donald Trump as a foreign policy novice She will meet with the Egyptian and Ukrainian presidents Hillary Clinton will look to highlight her foreign policy credentials next week by meeting with foreign leaders during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to an aide. The former secretary of state, who has taken three days off the campaign trail to recover from pneumonia, will meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The aide said the Democratic presidential nominee would hold “a number of bilateral meetings during the United Nations General Assembly next week,” so it is expected she will also meet with other world leaders. Clinton throughout the 2016 campaign has sought to cast Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, as a foreign policy novice who would damage international relationships. Trump tried to counter this messaging last month by going to Mexico to meet with President Enrique Peña Nieto. But Trump and Pena Nieto got into a public disagreement after the meeting about whether they had discussed Trump’s demand that Mexico pay for constructing a wall along America’s southern border. “Last week we saw even more evidence that Trump is temperamentally unfit and totally unqualified to be president,” Clinton blasted Trump. “In just a few hours, he managed to turn his trip to Mexico into an embarrassing international incident.” Trump, for his part, frequently denounces Clinton’s foreign policy decisions while at the State Department to try to make the case that should would be a disastrous leader for the country. Jason Miller, a Trump spokesman, said that Clinton’s meetings at the United Nations next week “serve as a stark reminder of her failed leadership as America’s top diplomat.” “We need strong, new leadership on the global stage like Donald Trump is promising, not a rehash of the last eight years of leading from behind,” Miller said.


Julian Hernandez was 5 when he and his father vanished from Alabama in 2002 Julian: "At this point I just simply want to be normal" Julian was listed as missing; his father, Bobby Hernandez, has been arrested Julian is now 18 Julian Hernandez wants to live a normal life. He wants to be left alone. Reported missing in Alabama 13 years ago, Hernandez was found safe and unharmed this week in Cleveland, Ohio, authorities say. He was in the legal custody of his mother when he disappeared on August 28, 2002. He was 5 then. It was suspected that his father, Bobby Hernandez, took him as part of a noncustodial parental abduction, according to the Vestavia Hills Police Department, just south of Birmingham. In a statement Friday, Julian Hernandez asked the media to respect his privacy. “At this point I just simply want to be normal!” the statement said. “I want to go through my day like I did before this week, just being a normal 18 year old.” Hernandez wrote, “Please, no more spotlights, no more cameras, no more reporters sneaking into my school or showing up at my house, and no more microphones in my face. I just want to be left alone.” After 18 years, a missing son emerges in Mexico, reunites with Indiana father A lead in the case came Sunday, when Vestavia Hills Police were contacted by the FBI in Cleveland about a missing child. The case broke when Julian was trying to apply for college, Brandon Falls, the district attorney for Jefferson County, told CNN affiliate WVTM.  He ran into problems when his Social Security number didn’t match his name. A school counselor worked with him to determine why.  It was then they found that he was on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database. The missing child they were able to locate and positively identify is now 18. Julian’s mother and family were notified of his recovery. Mother, daughter reunited after father spirited child to Mexico, authorities say Bobby Hernandez was arrested Monday in the abduction. The court records from Cuyahoga County in Ohio did not specify exact charges against him but Lt. Johnny Evans of the Vestavia Hills Police Department said they would include interference with child custody. Bobby Hernandez made his first appearance in the Cuyahoga County Court on Wednesday, and his bond was set at $250,000. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 12. In addition to the charges in Ohio, Bobby Hernandez will face charges in Jefferson County, Alabama, in the 2002 abduction. He may face additional charges. The Vestavia Hills Police Department worked in collaboration with the FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force in Cleveland, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Birmingham Division of the FBI.


McCain has sharp critiques of the President McCain hasn't personally thwarted any elements of Trump's agenda, yet Now that he has returned to the Senate for another six years, Sen. John McCain is back to being a president’s biggest headache on Capitol Hill. The Arizona Republican bashed President Donald Trump’s White House as an “administration in disarray” while attending a security conference in Munich. Then, on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he blasted Trump’s attacks on the media, saying “the first thing that dictators do is shut down the press.” The sharp critiques of the President come as McCain sheds his campaign-trail reluctance to criticize Trump – or even say the then-Republican nominee’s name. McCain, who was the party’s nominee himself in 2008, has long been comfortable on the bad side of presidents. The Armed Services Committee chairman trashed George W. Bush’s tenure over his handling of the Gulf War and the mounting national debt and constantly accused President Barack Obama of weak leadership abroad. “I’m the one that said Ronald Reagan shouldn’t send Marines to Afghanistan,” McCain told CNN in early February. “I’m the one that said Donald Rumsfeld should be fired. I’ve said the general in Afghanistan should be fired. Look, I have done what I have done right for this country under Republican and Democrat presidents. I will continue to do so. This is not a departure from the way I’ve conducted myself in the United States Senate.” Trump made clear he viewed McCain as an opponent in 2015, when he belittled the senator’s five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam by questioning McCain’s “war hero” status, saying, “I like people who don’t get captured.” McCain’s response was muted. He skipped the Republican National Convention but continued to say he’d support the Republican nominee – at least, up until the emergence of the “Access Hollywood” video in which Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women. But since McCain won re-election, that’s all changed. In Munich on Friday, McCain fretted about “the growing inability, and even unwillingness, to separate truth from lies” – a clear shot at Trump, who has espoused falsehoods about crowd size, voter fraud and more. Trump sometimes “contradicts himself,” McCain said, adding, “So we’ve learned to watch what the president does as opposed to what he says.” On Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” McCain joked that he hates the press, and host Chuck Todd “especially,” but defended the role of journalists in society when asked about Trump’s tweet Friday that the “fake news media … is the enemy of the American people” and similar remarks he made at a rally the following evening in Florida. “If you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and, many times, adversarial press,” McCain said. “And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That’s how dictators get started.” “They get started by suppressing free press,” McCain continued. “In other words, a consolidation of power. When you look at history, the first thing that dictators do is shut down the press. And I’m not saying that President Trump is trying to be a dictator. I’m just saying we need to learn the lessons of history.” It’s not the first time McCain has slammed Trump’s presidency. He hammered Trump over a reportedly contentious phone call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, called Trump’s travel ban a “self-inflicted wound in the fight against terror,” and said the President’s first major military decision – a raid in Yemen that, in addition to killing more than a dozen al Qaeda fighters, left a US Navy SEAL, and 8-year-old girl and nearly two dozen civilians dead – couldn’t be qualified as a success. Still, McCain hasn’t personally thwarted any elements of Trump’s agenda, yet. While McCain, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio cast the fate of Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, into doubt, McCain has only voted against one Trump nominee, budget director Mick Mulvaney. And Mulvaney was confirmed anyway. And at times, McCain has heaped praise on Trump, showing the limits of his intra-party criticism and underscoring why Democrats can’t count on the senator to consistently undermine the President. In a statement Monday afternoon, McCain called Trump’s choice of Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster to replace Michael Flynn as national security adviser an “outstanding choice” and heaped praise on Trump’s entire national security team. “I give President Trump great credit for this decision, as well as his national security Cabinet choices. I could not imagine a better, more capable national security team than the one we have right now,” McCain said. CNN’s Tom LoBianco contributed to this report.


David Letterman says he had no regrets about retiring from his late-night comedy show – until Donald Trump’s presidential campaign took off. “I have made the biggest mistake of my life, ladies and gentlemen,” Letterman told an audience Saturday night in San Antonio. In a surprise appearance at a show hosted by fellow comedians Steve Martin and Martin Short, Letterman reprised his famous ‘Top 10’ list to chide Trump, the real estate mogul who has shot near the front of the Republican field even as he’s made controversial remarks about undocumented immigrants from Mexico. Related gallery Donald Trump's empire In his satirical list of Trump ‘facts,’ Letterman said, “That thing on his head was the gopher in ‘Caddyshack.’” His quips also included that Trump wears 10 pounds of cologne and would evict a family, rather than pardon a turkey, on Thanksgiving. And referencing Martin and Short’s comedy “¡Three Amigos!” Letterman offered: “Donald Trump has pissed off so many Mexicans, he’s starring in a movie called ‘No Amigos.’”


The transition maintains the documents were its property and should not have been handed over without its approval The emails in question involve 13 transition officials, including four senior ones, according to the letter A spokesman for special counsel Robert Mueller has denied accusations by Trump transition lawyers that Mueller’s team got unauthorized access to thousands of transition emails. “When we have obtained emails in the course of our ongoing criminal investigation, we have secured either the account owner’s consent or appropriate criminal process,” the spokesman, Peter Carr, said early Sunday. Lawyers representing the transition wrote to members of Congress accusing Mueller’s team of obtaining unauthorized access to tens of thousands of transition emails in the course of its Russia investigation, including what they claim to be documents protected by attorney-client privilege. The transition maintains the emails, which were on a government domain, were its property and should not have been handed over without its approval. The emails in question involve 13 transition officials, including four senior ones, according to the letter. The lawyer, Kory Langhofer, wrote to leaders of the Senate Homeland Security and House Oversight and Government Reform committees because he said the General Services Administration, which supports presidential transitions, “unlawfully produced” private materials of the transition although the GSA “did not own or control the records in question.” Langhofer wrote in the letter that the Special Counsel’s Office “was actively using those materials without any notice” to transition officials. The letter states there were two other occasions where the Special Counsel’s Office did not notify transition officials that their records had been requested or received. The transition’s executive director, Ken Nahigian, asserts that the transition owns the emails under the agreement that set up the operation, despite the GSA’s stance. “Up until the very end that was our understanding. GSA would maintain, but you owned them,” Nahigian said. “In no way they own the emails. … We are the victim.” The emails have a “.gov” domain because GSA was in charge of their security, he said. Nahigian also emphasized that his organization has no official connection to the White House. “I don’t talk to the White House,” he said, regarding his running of the independent group set up to handle the transition’s business. Nahigian also said he is objecting to the handing over of the emails because of the precedent it will set for future transitions. He said his organization is exploring options about how to respond and expects to make a decision possibly later Sunday, but he would not discuss possible courses of action. “What we do beyond requesting a lawful process hasn’t been determined,” he said, adding that some of the documents contain privileged information. GSA Deputy Counsel Lenny Loewentritt disputed a claim by Langhofer that the GSA’s general counsel had agreed in June that any requests for transition records would go to the Trump campaign, BuzzFeed News reported Saturday night. Loewentritt said transition officials were told that “in using our devices,” materials “would not be held back in any law enforcement” requests. He added there was a series of agreements between the transition and GSA for using its goods and therefore there was no expectation of privacy. Langhofer’s letter also states that Special Counsel’s Office had obtained transition laptops, cell phones and at least one iPad after the FBI requested them of career GSA staff without a subpoena. Related article White House special counsel: No plans to fire Mueller The letter also says a representative of the Special Counsel’s Office told transition officials it did not recover any documents from that hardware, but failed “to disclose the critical fact that … the Special Counsel’s office had simultaneously received from the GSA tens of thousands of emails.” “The materials produced by the GSA to the Special Counsel’s Office therefore included materials protected by the attorney-client privilege, the deliberative process privilege, and the presidential communications privilege,” the letter maintains. Axios first reported the existence of the emails, and Fox News first reported the transition lawyer’s letter. The transition lawyer is asking the members of Congress to act to protect future presidential transitions from having “private records misappropriated by government agencies, particularly in the context of sensitive investigations intersecting with political motives.” Specifically, the lawyer is asking if future transitions receive request or demand for documents it must provide notice to transition officials and an opportunity to respond. A spokeswoman for House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, of South Carolina, said in a statement that the Trump transition email issues are “to be briefed by the parties (or others with cognizable legal claims and standing) and decided by the court — not Congress.” “The central issues raised are fact specific legal issues which involve issues of privilege, waiver (express, implied, actual and constructive), standing to assert claims of privacy, expectations of privacy and the reasonableness thereof, third party consent, statutory constructions, and inevitable discovery among other issues,” she added in the statement. But Committee ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings, of Maryland, says the panel does have jurisdiction over the matter. “Our committee has direct jurisdiction over the Presidential Transition Act, and it simply does not support withholding transition team emails from criminal investigators,” Cummings said in a statement. “The President’s lawyers have said they want to fully comply with Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation, so it is odd that they now suggest they would have withheld key documents from federal investigators.” CNN”s Boris Sanchez and Jeremy Herb contributed to this report.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation team


GOP presidential candidates spoke Thursday before an influential audience of Republican Jews Donald Trump was booed over his comments regarding the location of the U.S. embassy in Israel All but one of the 14 Republican presidential candidates took the stage on Thursday at the Republican Jewish Coalition forum – a rare moment in the GOP presidential campaign when each White House hopeful can speak at length before the same audience in the same day. The well-informed, Jewish audience meant that candidates had to bring their A-game on foreign policy and were expected to speak to their pro-Israel stances. The forum also took place the day after the devastating mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, which cast a clear shadow across the event. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was unable to make his afternoon speaking time due to votes in the Senate. Here are the top takeaways from the 13 speeches: Donald Trump commanded the biggest crowd of the day, but it was clear he knew the audience wasn’t seriously considering his candidacy and spent most of his speech making jokes about his familiarity with the room. “I know everybody in this audience,” he joked at one point after recognizing an associate in the front row. RELATED: Trump to Republican Jewish Coalition: ‘I’m a negotiator like you’ He also cracked about being in a room full of negotiators like himself multiple times during his remarks. But he also drew boos from the audience when he refused to take a position on whether Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of Israel. “You’re not going to support me even though I’m going to be the best thing that ever happened to Israel,” Trump had said earlier. “And I know why you’re not going to support me, it’s because I don’t want your money.” Trump’s lack of specifics but continued success riled one of his opponents, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who went off script and used his remarks to implore the audience to stop supporting the business mogul. “I think Donald Trump is destroying the Republican Party,” Graham said. “ISIL loves Donald Trump because he is giving them an opportunity to bring people their way,” Graham told reporters after his speech. The audience’s clear favorites of the day included Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, two senators with demonstrably pro-Israel track records. The two young, Cuban-American senators are also rising to neck-and-neck in the polls behind front-runner Trump. On the issue of the civil war in Syria, Cruz and Rubio took different approaches to whether Syrian President Bashar Assad should be removed from power. Cruz, speaking first in the day, warned against U.S.-spurred regime change and spoke out against the Obama administration seeking to remove Assad. “Toppling a government and allowing radical Islamic terrorists to take over a nation is not benefiting our national security. Putting ISIS or Al Qaeda or the Muslim Brotherhood in charge of yet another state in the Middle East is not benefiting our national security,” Cruz said. Rubio, taking the same stage about a half hour later, had harsh words for that perspective, saying leaving Assad in place creates the conditions for “the next ISIS.” “This simplistic notion that, ‘Leave Assad there because he’s a brutal killer but he’s not as bad as what’s going to follow him,’ is a fundamental and simplistic and dangerous misunderstanding of the reality of the region,” Rubio said in a response to a question about Syria. The two candidates aren’t just duking it out for voters – they are also making a play to appeal to powerful donors, many of whom pay close attention to the RJC forum. Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino mogul and GOP mega-donor, wasn’t in attendance on Thursday, but the influential Jewish Republican is deciding whether to use his considerable wealth to support Rubio or Cruz. Ben Carson showed his lack of foreign policy experience in precisely the speech experts said he needed to stave off criticisms about his weak spot. The retired pediatric neurosurgeon delivered an uncharacteristic written address, he said in order to make sure he made all the points he wanted to. But the wooden speech that was heavy on Israeli history and statistics failed to strike a chord with the audience. He also showed his lack of fluency in the topic as he several times throughout the speech failed to correctly pronounce the name of the Palestinian group Hamas, at one point sounding closer to “hummus.” Carson also was one of the few candidates who didn’t take questions. “(Carson) missed a big opportunity,” said RJC board member Ari Fleischer. “He didn’t advance his goal of showing any foreign policy. … I admire him for trying and putting together probably one of the most meaty, substantive speeches you will hear, and what he had to say is very pro-Israel and very good to listen to. It just doesn’t work.” There was one issue that all candidates had to weigh in on – and if they didn’t put it in their speech, they were asked about it in Q&A: Jerusalem. While Israel considers Jerusalem to be its capital, the world community has not recognized it as such while the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to dispute the territory. Congress has passed legislation to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but the past three presidents have all periodically issued waivers and maintained the status quo. On Thursday, all the candidates declared their support for moving the embassy and recognizing Jerusalem as the capital. Except one. Trump was booed when he ducked the question after not mentioning it in his speech. “I want to wait until I meet with Bibi,” Trump said, referring to his upcoming trip to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As the crowd booed him, he downplayed their reaction, telling the audience to “relax.” “You’re going to like me very much,” he said. “It’s going to be fine.” Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has seen his poll numbers drop sharply over the past several months, but he found a warm reception at the RJC forum, where he still has many important boosters. Bush took the stage to a standing ovation and cheering crowd, and the good will continued throughout his speech. He won applause when he promised to “whup” Clinton if he won the nomination, and got plenty of love for his family, as well. He name-dropped his brother, former President George W. Bush, who got applause from the crowd. “The person I rely on the most as it relates to U.S.-Israeli policy is my brother,” he said, to loud cheering. “I’ve got a damn good brother.” Jeb was asked about his father and mother, George H.W. and Barbara Bush. He said the elderly patriarch was not watching “CSI” anymore. “He’s now watching Fox again, trying to figure out Donald Trump, I think. That’s his main goal in life,” Bush joked as the crowd cheered. “Hard for a guy like that to understand the Trump phenomenon.” The super PAC supporting Bush also held a breakfast on the sidelines of the event. The discussion at RJC was always going to have a heavy national security focus, but the event taking place a day after the San Bernardino shooting added an extra emphasis. Many of the candidates addressed the shooting at the beginning of their remarks, though they differed on whether to call it terrorism. Cruz said while details about the shooting in the wake of the Paris attacks were “still unclear,” it raised concerns of “radical Islamic terrorism here at home.” “This horrific murder underscores that we are in a time of war,” Cruz said. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took a similar tack. “As a former prosecutor … I am convinced that was a terrorist attack,” he said, later adding: “We need to come to grips with the idea that we are in the midst of the next world war.” Carly Fiorina also used her comments on the shooting to attack Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton for her tweet on Wednesday as the shooting unfolded calling for gun control measures. “Hillary Clinton was tweeting about gun control while we learned that radicalized Islamic terrorists had been building pipe bombs,” Fiorina said. RELATED: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders seek gun control reform after shootings There was one universal sentiment among the White House hopefuls: They call agreed that Democrats should use the term “radical Islamic terrorism.”


Sheikh Abdul Hasib led ISIS in Afghanistan Troops carried out raid April 27 in Nagarhar Province The ISIS leader in Afghanistan, Sheikh Abdul Hasib, was killed in an April 27 raid conducted by Afghan special security forces and US troops, Afghan and US authorities said Sunday. Fifty US Army rangers and 40 Afghan commandos were dropped by helicopter into Nangarhar Province, within a mile or so of the site where the United States dropped the MOAB, or “mother of all bombs,” on April 13. Related video US drops 'mother of all bombs' Within minutes, the rangers were surrounded by heavy fire, the Pentagon said, causing the soldiers to call in support from an AC-130 aircraft, F-16s, drones and Apache helicopters. The Pentagon said Hasib was the target of the attack, but didn’t confirm his death until Sunday. The raid also resulted in the deaths of several other high ranking leaders of  ISIS-K, the terror group’s regional branch, and 35 ISIS fighters. Two American soldiers died in the attack, perhaps from friendly fire, the Pentagon said. “This is the second ISIS-K emir we have killed in nine months, along with dozens of their leaders and hundreds of their fighters,” said General John Nicholson, Commander US Forces - Afghanistan. “For more than two years, ISIS-K has waged a barbaric campaign of death, torture and violence against the Afghan people, especially those in southern Nangarhar.” In a series of Tweets on Sunday, President Ashraf Ghani’s Office confirmed Hasib was killed in the attack. “He was responsible for ordering the attack on the 400-bed hospital in Kabul, kidnapped girls and beheaded elders in front of their families,” the President’s office said. The March 8 attack on the hospital, carried out by gunmen disguised as medical personnel, left 30 people dead before Afghan security forces killed the attackers. CNN’s Ryan Browne and Spencer Feingold contributed to this report.


“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro’s lavish fantasy, leads the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) film award nominations, in the running for 12 categories. The crime drama “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,”  and “Darkest Hour,” set in the early days of World War II, received nine nominations each. What all three films have in common is that they were directed by men. Related article Golden Globes bring scant focus to wide-open Oscar race On the heels of Sunday night’s emotional Golden Globe Awards ceremony, where gender inequality and abuse in the industry were passionately addressed, women filmmakers were conspicuously absent from key BAFTA nominations announced Tuesday in London. All five nominees for best director were men, and all the nominations for best film and outstanding British film were directed by men. The lead characters in “The Shape of Water” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” however, are women. And two women were also nominated for best screenplay: Greta Gerwig for “Lady Bird” and Vanessa Taylor, alongside del Toro, for “The Shape of Water.” And women were among producers of some of the top-nominated films. BAFTA chair Jane Lush gave a nod to the Golden Globes, where women actors had draped themselves in black to protest the culture of sexual misconduct and abuse of power in Hollywood, exposed after the Harvey Weinstein revelations. She said that people such as Oprah Winfrey, who won the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes, used the moment as a “clarion call for change, something we at BAFTA wish to wholeheartedly endorse.” “We too are determined to ensure that the brave revelations – and make no mistake, they were very brave – become a watershed moment to become a catalyst for real lasting change across the workplace in film, games and television.” She announced that BAFTA, with other industry bodies, was setting out principles and guidelines with the goal to “reset the tone” of the industry. “It’s not only MeToo, but it’s WeToo,” she said. BAFTA also announced “Absolutely Fabulous” star Joanna Lumley as the next host of the awards ceremony. Actor Stephen Fry stepped down last year after 12 years hosting the show. Actors Natalie Dormer and Letitia Wright announced nine of the 25 categories, including best film, best director, leading actor and leading actress. The awards are often seen as a pointer to the Oscars and the nominations were announced after the Golden Globe awards. “The Shape of Water” is a fantastical feature about a 1960s research facility in which a janitor forms a relationship with an amphibious creature being held captive. Guillermo del Toro was nominated for both best director and original screenplay. Among the film’s other nominations are Sally Hawkins for leading actress and Octavia Spencer for supporting actress. It also picked up a slew of production nominations, including costume design, special visual effects and production design, as well as cinematography. “Darkest Hour” is set early in World War II, when British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had to make a decision on whether to negotiate with Hitler. The film received nominations for best film and outstanding British film. Gary Oldman was nominated as leading actor and Kristin Scott Thomas as supporting actress, for their roles as Winston and Clementine Churchill. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is a film about a mother, frustrated with a police investigation into her daughter’s death, who goes to great length to push authorities to catch the killer. It is nominated for best film and outstanding British film, while Frances McDormand is nominated for leading actress, and Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson are both nominated for supporting actor. The 71st British Academy Film Awards will take place on Sunday, February 18, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Here are the nominees for key awards: Best Film “Call Me by Your Name” “Darkest Hour” “Dunkirk” “The Shape of Water” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Outstanding British film “Darkest Hour” “The Death of Stalin” “God’s Own Country” “Lady Macbeth” “Paddington 2” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Best Director Denis Villeneuve for “Blade Runner 2049” Lluca Guadagnino for “Call Me by Your Name” Christopher Nolan for “Dunkirk” Guillermo del Toro for “The Shape of Water” Martin McDonagh for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Original Screenplay Jordan Peele for “Get out” Steven Rogers for “I, Tonya” Greta Gerwig for “Lady Bird” Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor for “The Shape of Water” Martin McDonagh for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Leading Actress Annette Bening in “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” Frances McDormand in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Margot Robbie in “I, Tonya” Sally Hawkins in “The Shape of Water” Saoirse Ronan in “Lady Bird” Leading Actor Daniel Day-Lewis in “Phantom Thread” Daniel Kaluuya in “Get Out” Gary Oldman in “Darkest Hour” Jamie Bell in “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” Timothée Chalamet “Call Me by Your Name” Supporting Actress Allison Janney  in “I, Tonya” Kristin Scott Thomas in “Darkest Hour” Laurie Metcalf in “Lady Bird” Lesley Manville in “Phantom Thread” Octavia Spencer in “The Shape of Water” Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer in “All the Money in the World” Hugh Grant in “Paddington 2” Sam Rockwell in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Willem Dafoe in “The Florida Project” Woody Harrelson in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”


This is not the first time the President has mentioned his pardoning powers In his tweets, Trump asked why his attorney general and the special counsel in the Russia probe aren't looking at what he alleges are Clinton's ties to Russia President Donald Trump mentioned his presidential pardoning powers and condemned intelligence leaks in a string of tweets Saturday morning, a day after The Washington Post reported that Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke about the Trump campaign in meetings with the Russian ambassador last year. The Post reported Friday night that Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak was previously picked up in US intelligence intercepts telling his Russian colleagues that he talked with Sessions twice last year about the campaign. Sessions, who was a campaign adviser at the time of his meetings with Kislyak, has repeatedly denied that he discussed the campaign with any Russians. His office has also denied he ever spoke with Kislyak about campaign interference. In his Saturday morning tweets, the President referenced the fact that he holds presidential pardoning powers, saying, “While all agree the U. S. President has the complete power to pardon, why think of that when only crime so far is LEAKS against us. FAKE NEWS.” The Washington Post reported Thursday that Trump has asked his advisers about his power to pardon aides, family members and even himself in connection with the Justice Department’s probe into Russia’s efforts to influence last year’s election, which is being led by special counsel Robert Mueller. Friday morning, John Dowd, the attorney defending Trump in the Mueller investigation, called the Post story about Trump considering pardons “nonsense.” “The President’s lawyers are cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller on behalf of the President,” Dowd added. Brian C. Kalt is a professor of law at Michigan State University and the author of a 2012 book entitled “Constitutional Cliffhangers: A Legal Guide for Presidents and Their Enemies,” told CNN that the presidential pardoning power is, in fact, very broad. The Constitution reads that the president “shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.” In his Saturday tweets, Trump also launched into criticism of the Russia probe, asking why Sessions and Mueller weren’t looking into Hillary Clinton’s handling of classified information in emails while secretary of state and accusing her of having ties to Russia. So many people are asking why isn't the A.G. or Special Council looking at the many Hillary Clinton or Comey crimes. 33,000 e-mails deleted? Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. Trump also tweeted a defense of his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., over his posting emails on Twitter earlier this month showing him setting up a meeting last summer with a Russian lawyer, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort with the aim of getting information that would be damaging to Clinton’s campaign. “My son Donald openly gave his e-mails to the media & authorities whereas Crooked Hillary Clinton deleted (& acid washed) her 33,000 e-mails!,” Trump tweeted. Earlier, in the wee hours of the morning, the President referred to the Post report in a tweet, saying leaks of intelligence information, “like Comey’s,” must stop. It was an apparent reference to fired FBI Director James Comey’s testimony in June that he gave a memo about his interactions with Trump to a friend and Columbia Law School professor, the contents of which the friend, Daniel Richman, shared with The New York Times. Richman, a former federal prosecutor, has told CNN that the memo was not classified. “A new INTELLIGENCE LEAK from the Amazon Washington Post, this time against A.G. Jeff Sessions,” Trump wrote. “These illegal leaks, like Comey’s, must stop!” Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement to CNN that she could not comment on the Post’s report Friday. “Obviously I cannot comment on the reliability of what anonymous sources describe in a wholly uncorroborated intelligence intercept that the Washington Post has not seen and that has not been provided to me,” she said. “But the attorney general stands by his testimony from just last month before the Senate Intelligence Committee, when he specifically addressed this and said that he ‘never met with or had any conversations with any Russians or any foreign officials concerning any type of interference with any campaign or election.’”


The President-elect’s incoming press secretary, Sean Spicer, clashed Monday with CNN host Alisyn Camerota, casting doubt on a US intelligence assessment that suggests Russia directed hacks on the Democratic National Committee in order to sway the presidential race in favor of Donald Trump. “This report that everyone keeps talking about is not final,” Spicer said, speaking on CNN’s “New Day.” The “intelligence community is talking about wrapping it up later this week … the idea that we are jumping to conclusions before we have a final report is frankly irresponsible.” "I know this is frustrating for you that we are doing it in a logical way." Trump spox takes shot at @AlisynCamerota https://t.co/ffqmL8CubK Over the weekend, Trump voiced doubt over the pending report, invoking flawed intelligence from the lead-up to the Iraq War and suggesting someone else could be to blame for the hacks. He also claimed to have inside information on the matter, which he said he would reveal later this week. “I just want them to be sure, because it’s a pretty serious charge, and I want them to be sure,” said Trump, speaking from his Mar-a-Lago estate. “And if you look at the weapons of mass destruction, that was a disaster, and they were wrong.” Trump has repeatedly cast aside the uniform US intelligence assessment from early October that Moscow was behind hacking, even after receiving classified intelligence briefings. Trump’s decision puts him at odds with congressional leaders from his own party. The President-elect has scheduled an intelligence briefing midweek on the hacking. Spicer continued to defend those comments Monday.  “As President-elect he is privy to information most people aren’t,” Spicer said. Camerota continued to question Spicer on the level of information Trump has received so far from the intelligence community. “He has not been briefed about the heads of the intelligence community about whether or not they believe Russia is behind the hacking?” she asked. Spicer said he had not but that officials were set to brief Trump later in the week, once the report was finalized. “The idea we’re asking people and making assumptions on a report that’s not final is unbelievable,” he added. Later in the exchange, Spicer also took a shot at Camerota, suggesting she was unable to see the good sense in Trump’s approach to the alleged hacks. “I know this frustrating for you that we’re doing it in a logical way,” Spicer said. “No, we’re going to get all the information, get briefed properly and then make a decision. We’re not going to put the cart before the horse.” But US officials told CNN later Monday that the “digital fingerprints” indicating that Russia orchestrated the cyberhacks around the US election give the intelligence community growing confidence in its Oct 7 public assessment that Russia carried out the hacking. One US official said that the hacks were perpetrated on specific Cyrillic keyboards.  The intelligence community is confident in their analysis, citing the extremely high quality intelligence on Russia. As one official put it, “This is not a black hole like North Korea.” CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Barbara Starr and Jim Sciutto contributed to this report.


NEW: An activist group in Raqqa says 24 bombs were dropped overnight NEW: France targeted a command center, recruitment center, ammunition storage base and training camp, the military says Analyst: Airstrikes send "a very strong political message, and it's all for internal consumption within France" The French air force carried out bombing missions on ISIS targets in Raqqa, Syria, for a second day in a row. France is retaliating against Islamist extremist terror attacks that killed at least 129 people in Paris. ISIS claims Raqqa as the capital of its so-called caliphate. On Monday, France targeted a command center, a recruitment center, an ammunition storage base and a training camp in the city, the French military said. On Sunday, the air force struck similar strategic targets in multiple sorties, reinserting France, a partner in the U.S.-led coalition striking ISIS from the air, into the battle against ISIS. Brussels raid: Police hit Molenbeek, area at heart of Belgium’s jihadist threat Related video Why did ISIS target France? A group of anti-ISIS activists in Raqqa reported 24 bombs dropped and 30 explosions overnight into Monday. Mostly the suburbs were hit, but in the city, the stadium and the museum were also struck, said Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently. ISIS uses the museum and the stadium as jails. Its headquarters are also in the stadium, the activists said. Paris attackers: What we know about them On Sunday, 12 aircraft dropped 20 bombs on ISIS positions in Raqqa, destroying all targets, France’s Defense Ministry said. Related video French reflect on loss, love, strength & tragedy But French bombs may have killed few of the militants. The Islamist terror group has withdrawn from its sites in anticipation of the retaliation, Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently said. Streets have been empty, markets less crowded. No civilian casualties have been reported, the activist group said, and the civilian population does not seem particularly worried. The activists said there have been ISIS casualties but could not say how many. An ISIS media wing has said there were no casualties Sunday. Paris victims: From all over the world and all walks of life Also on Monday, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that “war” had been declared on France and that “anybody who attacks the Republic, the Republic will fight back.” Related video The moment the shots rang out at the concert hall “It is not they who will destroy the Republic. The Republic will destroy them,” he said. France has been part of the U.S.-led coalition of nations fighting ISIS from the air, but after Friday’s attacks that killed 129 people and wounded more than 350 others, France has flown more sorties. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which France’s President described as “an act of war.” France has been conducting airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria since September as part of a U.S.-led coalition. A senior Obama administration official said that the United States was “working closely with the French to develop targets.” The U.S. military probably handed over a list of targets the coalition was planning to strike to the French to let them fly the sorties, said retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, a military analyst. “These target packages were already in folders, as they’re called, and I’m sure the central command handed them over to the French fighters to attack for the symbolism of France being back in the fight.” Related gallery World reacts to Paris attacks The timing of the new airstrikes probably is no coincidence, analysts said. “Clearly, it’s a military activity, but it really sends a very strong political message, and it’s all for internal consumption within France,” said retired Maj. Gen. James “Spider” Marks, a CNN military analyst. “This is very visceral.” ISIS in Raqqa was also the target of retaliatory airstrikes in February. Two days after news emerged that the group had burned a captive Jordanian pilot to death, the Middle Eastern nation hit back. At the time, ISIS posted photos of the destruction from the Jordanian airstrikes, and the activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 10 militants had been killed. Inside Syrian town living under reign of fear CNN’s Sandrine Amiel, Raja Razek, Pierre Meilhan, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Jim Acosta and journalist Mohammad Eyad Kourdi contributed to this report.


Bolton's first day as National Security Adviser is Monday and he may shake up the White House Get ready for some possibly contentious hearings over Trump's nominees for CIA, State and Veterans' Affairs Here are the stories our DC insiders are talking about in this week’s “Inside Politics” forecast, where you get a glimpse of tomorrow’s headlines today. John Bolton starts his new job as National Security Adviser Monday and he’ll have plenty on his plate. President Trump’s team has seen a major reshuffling over the past year, and Bolton’s arrival could bring changes to the White House and its foreign policy. The Washington Post’s Josh Dawsey explains: “You have John Bolton coming in with a more hawkish worldview. You have the Iran deal decision – the President has to decide if he’s going to rip it up. You have North Korea talks that the President wants to do, and you have someone with a different idea in many fronts than the President on foreign policy, someone the President seems to have some charisma with,” Dawsey reports. “I think there’s some reticence at the NSC (National Security Council) and at the State Department possibly on John Bolton, but I think it will be interesting to watch.” As Trump’s cabinet and staff go through makeovers, Congress gears up to weigh in on Trump’s replacement picks. Trump’s new choices for State, Veterans’ Affairs and CIA director may face contentious confirmation hearings. Politico’s Eliana Johnson explains: “Republicans in the Senate are annoyed and fatigued at having to push these (candidates) through, and Democrats have a real opportunity to energize their base by opposing these,” she says. “I’m looking at which one they’re going to try to oppose, one or more, and I think that one of these has a real chance at failing.” Speaking of that, Mike Pompeo’s confirmation hearing is Thursday. There’s already trouble brewing for him with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee because Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has announced his opposition. As CNN’s Manu Raju reports, there’s a one-vote advantage for the GOP on that committee, but Dems might actually help the president’s pick here. “There are two Democrats who voted for him for CIA director when he was confirmed by a 66-32 vote. That’s Senator Tim Kaine, Senator Jeanne Shaheen. They both sit on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,” Manu reports. “Of course, the State Department secretary versus being CIA director, much different positions … a lot of questions about whether or not they will support him going forward…we’ll see if any Democrats decide to jump ship because otherwise he could be in trouble on the floor, too.” Teachers in a handful of states are voicing their displeasure with low pay or lack of resources by striking or walking out. Educators in West Virginia, Kentucky and Oklahoma are trying to pressure state lawmakers to meet their demands. Time’s Molly Ball tells us the political impact of this trend. “There are 36 gubernatorial elections this November, the majority of them Republican-held. These teachers, surprising even the teachers unions by rising up, demanding better pay, and Democrats are looking at this thinking this could be part of the wave of activism that they expect to power any success,” Ball says. “This is about women. The teachers are mostly women. It affects moms. A lot of teachers are even running for office. To the extent that this feeds the wave that is being driven by women voters this fall, it could help Democrats.” Congress is back from recess, but notably still missing is the senior senator from Arizona. Senator John McCain, absent from Capitol Hill since mid-December, is staying back home as he receives treatment for brain cancer. As CNN’s John King reports, McCain’s staff hasn’t discussed a timetable for his return after they initially promised he would be back at work in January. “The senator’s friends will be happy to know McCain was highly annoyed by a Washington Post story last week noting that there are quiet conversations in Arizona and in Washington about replacing Senator McCain if he cannot return and decides to retire,” King says. “McCain told several friends in recent days, ‘I’m not going anywhere,’” King adds. “He is said to be in good spirits, working on building his strength and determined to return to work.”


Here’s what you might have missed on CNN today. – After Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell delayed a vote on the health care bill, more GOP senators came out against it. To complicate matters, different GOP senators have different ideas of what they want in the bill. Also, senators are mad about a pro-Trump super PAC that ran an ad against a fellow Republican who opposed the bill. So now what? Here’s a guide to what’s next for the Senate health care plan. – The White House just ramped up its war with the media. The latest attack comes from Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. – Grenades and gunfire were launched from a helicopter over Venezuela’s Supreme Court. President Nicolas Maduro called it an attempted coup. It was a dramatic escalation of the country’s ongoing crisis. – A man rammed his car into the new Ten Commandments monument outside the Arkansas state Capitol and streamed it to Facebook Live. – A man was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Bella Bond, a toddler whose body was found in a trash bag near Boston two years ago. – China freed three activists who were detained while investigating a company that made shoes for Ivanka Trump’s brand, an advocacy group said. – A visiting graduate student from China went missing on June 9. On Tuesday, the FBI found the car she was last seen entering. – Sarah Palin is suing the New York Times for defamation. – Michael Bond, creator of Paddington Bear, died at 91. – People really love Olive Garden. Really.


NEW: "We've now closed off every single path Iran had to building a (nuclear) bomb," Obama says Treasury Department issues new sanctions related to Iran's ballistic missile program, not its nuclear activities Iranian President says implementation of nuclear deal will help "the security and stability of the region" Iran has completed the necessary steps in a deal to restrict its nuclear program, meaning international economic sanctions are lifted, Iran and international inspectors said. The milestone was welcomed by the parties involved in the deal, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry saying the world was a safer place as a result and Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani hailing it as a “historic day” for the Islamic republic. “We’ve now closed off every single path Iran had to building a (nuclear) bomb,” U.S. President Barack Obama said Sunday. “We’ll know if Iran ever tries to break out.” He added: “We’ve achieved this historic progress through diplomacy, without resorting to another war in the Middle East.” Speaking at a press conference in Tehran on Sunday, Rouhani hailed the agreement as “a tool for the progress, growth and development of the country, as well as the security and stability of the region.” He said that the agreement proved that “constructive engagement” with the world was the right path. “As of today, it has become clear that the win-win policy is the right one,” he said. “We can interact with the world in favor of our nation, and of course not in a manner that disfavors others.” Obama said that engaging with Iran had created a unique opportunity, and that the international community had reached a “milestone” in ensuring the Islamic republic did not develop a nuclear weapon. Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that relations between Iran and the world body now entered “a new phase.” “It is an important day for the international community. I congratulate all those who helped make it a reality,” Amano said. The milestone meant that Iran had joined the UK, United States, France, Germany, China, Russia and the European Union in “the field of peaceful users” of nuclear energy, said Federica Mogherini, chief of foreign affairs for the EU. Obama signed an executive order lifting the U.S. economic sanctions on Iran, the White House announced Saturday. Iran nuclear deal: What happens next Kerry issued a statement confirming the IAEA had verified that Iran “has fully implemented its required commitments.” “Iran has undertaken significant steps that many, and I do mean many, people doubted would ever come to pass. And that should be recognized, even though the full measure of this achievement can only be realized by assuring continued full compliance in the coming years,” Kerry said. UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond echoed Kerry’s comment, saying the deal “makes the Middle East and the wider world a safer place.” He added that Iran’s nuclear program has been substantially rolled back. In an address to Iran’s parliament Sunday morning, Rouhani said that all the parties involved were satisfied with the deal, “with the exception of Zionists and warmongers … American hardliners and extremists.” Israel was not one of the nations applauding the deal. “Today, a country that threatens the existence of Israel, denies the Holocaust, destabilizes the Middle East, subjugates its own people and supports terror across the globe is being strengthened by the international community,” said Yair Lapid, a member of the Knesset. “The lifting of sanctions strengthens Hezbollah, it strengthens (Syrian President Bashar al-) Assad, it strengthens terrorists across the region who benefit from Iranian support.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is monitoring Iran and will report any violation of the nuclear agreement. Iran has not given up on its ambition to acquire a nuclear weapon, he said. U.S. candidates hail release of U.S. prisoners held by Iran as Republicans slam Obama policy The IAEA – the U.N. nuclear watchdog organization – released its report Saturday assessing Iran’s compliance with an agreement with foreign powers, including the United States and the European Union. The release heralds “Implementation Day,” the formal name for the start of the next phase in the agreement called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was hammered out with Iran in July. The new “Day” will mean the first wave of economic relief for Iran. Details of July’s Iran nuclear deal Under the agreement, Iran is obliged to take steps to put it further away from developing a nuclear weapon while keeping a peaceful nuclear energy program. It must reduce its level of uranium enrichment, drastically reduce the size of its stockpile of enriched uranium, reduce the number of centrifuges and agree to unfettered international inspections. Iran without sanctions: European firms ready to pounce In return, Iran will be able to sell its oil again on world markets and its banks will be able to connect to the global system. The country will also regain access to billions in assets frozen overseas. “As of today, our businessmen and -women, our entrepreneurs and traders can resort to the legal norms of banking to expand trade and exports,” Rouhani told reporters Sunday. “Today we are in an environment in which we can engage with the world in the economic, political and legal spheres to advance our national interest. In a possible sign of the thaw in relations, it was announced that Iran had freed four American prisoners, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, as part of a prisoner swap deal. Another American, who was not a part of the exchange,  was also released. But not all nuclear-related sanctions will be rescinded immediately – that process won’t be completed for about 10 years, should the deal hold. And in a sign that the United States would continue to take action against Iran’s ballistic missile program, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced Sunday that it had designated 11 entities and individuals it said were working on behalf of the program. The office said in a statement that it had sanctioned the United Arab Emirates-based Mabrooka Trading Co. and an associated network, based in China and the UAE, that had been involved in procuring goods for Iran’s ballistic missile program. The network had done this by using front companies in third countries to obtain sensitive goods used in the production of ballistic missiles, disguising the end user of the goods, the statement said. The office also sanctioned five Iranian citizens who it said had worked to procure ballistic missile components for Iran. “Iran’s ballistic missile program poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions,” said Adam J. Szubin, acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. “We have consistently made clear that the United States will vigorously press sanctions against Iranian activities outside of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – including those related to Iran’s support for terrorism, regional destabilization, human rights abuses, and ballistic missile program,” he said. Why U.S. businesses could lose big in Iran CNN’s Kevin Bohn, Heather Long, Jim Boulden, Ben Brumfield and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.


Happy winter! Here’s what you might have missed Thursday on CNN: – What we’re watching: A resolution on government spending. Republicans are trying to avoid a government shutdown days ahead of the holidays. The House was set to vote sometime Thursday on a stopgap spending bill. – Despite warnings from the US ambassador, the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to condemn President Donald Trump’s decision for the United States to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. – The Pentagon has accused Russia of intentionally violating an agreement intended to prevent accidents in the skies over Syria. – Bitcoin mania is reaching a whole new level of crazy. – Life expectancy in the United States fell for a second year in a row. The reason? Opioids, which now claim more lives per year than breast cancer. – The driver who plowed a car into Christmas shoppers in Melbourne, Australia, had mental health issues, police said, but there was no evidence of connections to terrorism. – The cholera outbreak in Yemen reached a record 1 million suspected cases, the International Committee of the Red Cross said. – Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markel released a set of official engagement photos. – It’s #TBT with this hilarious moment from 1996 when Patti LaBelle had one a hell of a time getting through a performance of  “This Christmas.”


President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to threaten to withdraw US troops from South Korea if he can’t get a better trade deal with Seoul. In a fundraising speech in Missouri, Trump told donors South Korea had become rich but that American politicians never negotiated better deals, according to audio obtained by The Washington Post and confirmed to CNN by an attendee. “We have a very big trade deficit with them, and we protect them,” Trump said. “We lose money on trade, and we lose money on the military.” “We have right now 32,000 soldiers on the border between North and South Korea. Let’s see what happens,” Trump said. The President went on to argue, “Our allies care about themselves. They don’t care about us.” The two countries signed the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) in 2007 and, since then, trade between the two countries has grown. However, the US’ trade deficit with Korea stood at $17.0 billion, according to figures from 2016. On Friday, South Korean Finance Minister, Kim Dong-yeon, appeared to hit back at Trump’s remarks. “We don’t think it’s ideal to link an economic issue with such an issue [the withdrawal of US troops],” said Kim, while speaking on South Korean TBS radio. “The South Korean government, with national interest of South Korea as priority, will consider striking a balance in the national economy and among multiple industries,” said Kim. “We have many issues to take into consideration dealing with the United States as well.” Kim’s comments, the first by a senior member of the South Korean government, follow the arrival of South Korea’s foreign minister in Washington to discuss the proposed face-to-face meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. South Korea and the US maintain a longstanding defense partnership. At the end of this month, joint military exercises involving tens of thousands of troops from both countries are set to resume, following their postponement during the Olympic Games. Last year, the annual exercises, code-named Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, saw an estimated 3,600 additional US service members deployed to join the 28,000 US troops already based in South Korea to participate in the drills, which included ground, air, naval and special operations field exercises. The United States and South Korea assert that the annual exercises, which have been carried out regularly for nearly 40 years, are strictly defensive and non-provocative. Both exercises, according to US Forces Korea, are designed to “highlight the longstanding military partnership” between the two countries and improve stability and security on the Korean Peninsula. However, the exercises usually draw a fierce response from North Korean. During last year’s drills, Pyongyang launched multiple missile tests and held a massive artillery exercise at the end of April. The US and South Korea have maintained this year’s drills will proceed as planned, despite the thawing in relations with the North. CNN’s Yoonjung Seo, Sophie Jeong, Steve George and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.

United States-South Korea defense and trade relationship


Turkish forces and allied rebels are poised to enter the center of the Kurdish-held Syrian city of Afrin “at any moment,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Friday, risking a further escalation of violence in northwest Syria. Turkey, a NATO ally, launched an operation targeting Kurdish groups – some of them backed by the United States – in Afrin province in January to clear the border area of militias it considers to be terrorist organizations. “Right now, Afrin city center is surrounded. God willing, we are in a position to enter Afrin center any moment,” Erdogan said. “We are definitely not there to occupy. We will God willing clear the territory from the ones who wants to occupy and hand it back to its real owners. This is what we want to do.” Bnafsh Jmmo, whose family lives in Turinda, near Afrin, told CNN that three of her children died in an airstrike on Thursday morning. Jmmo said her sons Husain, 15, and Firhad, 10, along with her daughter Hala, 14, were killed as they ate breakfast. “My future has been destroyed after my loss of my children,” she told CNN. “This deep wound will not be healed as long as I live because I lost my children and that means I’ve lost myself. “We are simple people, we did not do anything, is that not wrong?” Erdogan’s announcement comes after Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported Friday that the country’s troops “liberated” the Hallubi Kabir village in Afrin’s northeast and took control of a dam which provides water to the Azaz and Afrin regions. Turkey also claimed to have taken control of the town of Jandaris town on Wednesday, but the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Friday that the fighting was still ongoing. Related article US watching pro-Syrian regime forces amassing near US troops The SDF said in a statement that Turkey was exposing the Kurds to “systematic annihilation” in Afrin with different types of weapons and airstrikes and that its forces would continue to defend the region. Four branches of the SDF, which had been fighting ISIS in Syria, were transferred from east of the Euphrates Rivers to the Kurdish enclave of Afrin, SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali told CNN in a statement earlier this week. The redeployed SDF forces joined pro-Syrian government fighters who entered Afrin last month as part of a deal between the regime and Kurdish forces. Turkey’s deputy prime minister warned at the time of “disastrous consequences” should Syrian government forces intervene in Afrin. CNN’s Samantha Beech contributed to this story.