Grain storage buildings never looked so fabulous. Cape Town’s The Silo Hotel – named after the former grain-silo complex in which it is housed – opened its doors in March as an instant Cape Town landmark. From the outside, it’s an industrial monolith with a standout set of 25-feet-high convex windows overlooking the popular V&A Waterfront. The inside, by contrast, is a riot of color, pattern and glamor, with 28 individually designed rooms stocked with vibrant custom furnishings, oversized chandeliers and feature artworks. Africa’s most expensive city hotel (rooms start at about $900 in the low season) is based six floors above the soon-to-open Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) – touted to become Cape Town’s answer to Le Louvre and the Tate Modern – and features a spa, a panoramic rooftop bar with swimming pool and The Vault, the hotel’s very own private gallery of African contemporary artists in the building’s basement. The original silo building was completed in 1924, and at nearly 200 feet high, once held the title as sub-Saharan Africa’s tallest building. It was the premier grain silo for all of South Africa, where all of the country’s small farmers’ yields were deposited for export. When the silo complex closed its operations in 2001, South African hotelier Liz Biden saw a future opportunity. “We have always wanted to open a hotel in our home city of Cape Town but we were waiting for the perfect property and opportunity to arise,” says Biden, whose hotel collection, the Royal Portfolio, features some of South Africa’s most luxurious lodgings. It took four and a half years for the collaborative vision between Biden, the V&A Waterfront complex and London-based starchitect Thomas Heatherwick to come to life, with the hotel now occupying the former elevator portion of the silo (the upcoming art museum is a separate operation from the hotel). Heatherwick spearheaded the exterior revamp, which had to be done carefully to preserve the complex’s heritage status. Thus, the building retains its austere appearance save for the show-stopping geodesic window installations, which “billow” up to three feet out from the building’s facade. “Heatherwick wanted the redeveloped building to appear as if it were gently inflated like a glowing beacon in the harbor,” Biden says. The Silo Hotel’s glass-and-concrete construct is a far departure from Biden’s colorful, eclectic aesthetic seen in all her other properties. “Designing the interiors of The Silo Hotel has been a complicated task,” Biden admits, needing to work around the building’s limited space and original interiors. “I have tried to contrast the stark exterior of the building with warm colors, vibrant fabrics, exciting ornaments, and contemporary art to create a lively and welcoming space.” The rooms and suites have Biden’s signature eccentric, elegant look – assorted bric-a-brac inspired from personal travels; color-blocked interiors where you might find handmade teal headboards alongside bubblegum pink dressers; Persian carpets; Egyptian crystal chandeliers (there are 80 in the hotel) and painted portraits by Africa’s premiere artists such as Frances Goodman and Jody Paulsen. The rooms’ highlights are the bathrooms, each expansive in size with a large tub set dramatically in the middle of a 56-paneled window – with a crystal chandelier dangling gracefully from above. Most of the furnishings and art pieces were custom-made in Cape Town, with very few elements from outside the country. Ardmore, a premium Durban-based ceramics company, teamed with Biden to make patterned headboards and pillows in select spaces. The hotel’s high-ceilinged lobby is dominated by local Haldane Martin’s structural Tesla chandelier. The inclusion of contemporary works from artists such as Kenya-born Cyrus Kabiru in the corridors suggests a “blending” into the space below the hotel which in September will house the largest collection of African contemporary art. “We are extremely happy to be situated above the museum [Zeitz MOCAA] which will be a remarkable attraction for Cape Town and for South Africa. It really will be something special,” Biden says. “We must be the only hotel in the world situated directly above such a prestigious art museum.” As luxurious as The Silo’s rooms and suites might be, many might find the nightly rates to be a tad exorbitant for an urban South Africa hotel, with the entry-level Silo Rooms starting at 12,000 ZAR (about $940) per night in the low season for a 441 square feet room with balcony. The gated 13-bedroom mansion hotel Ellerman House, perhaps The Silo’s main “best African hotel” competitor also based in Cape Town, has comparable rates yet is more exclusive – its cliffside lap pool, restaurant, spa and owner-curated contemporary private art gallery are only open to guests and their companions. For those who can’t afford a stay in Africa’s most expensive city hotel, there’s always the restaurant and bar options. The Willaston Bar and Granary Cafe are based on the sixth-floor reception level, the former a vision of velvety jewel-toned booths with floor-to-ceiling window views of Cape Town’s iconic flat-top mountain. The Granary Cafe is an informal dining space led by star South African chef Veronica Canha-Hibbert, and features a small raw bar selection, dishes such as steak frites and confit pork belly and a European-style Sunday Lunch menu. The rooftop lounge/bar and swimming pool – with uninhibited 360-degree views of the urban landscape, the formidable Table Mountain, harbor and the Atlantic Ocean – are unsurprisingly in-demand during those sundowner hours, making The Silo Cape Town’s hottest hotel hangout of the moment. READ: Walking with whales in South Africa The Silo Hotel, Silo Square, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa; +27 (0) 21 670 0500 Travis Levius is a globetrotting writer, editor and photographer for the likes of BBC Travel, Business Insider and Forbes Travel Guide. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his travel/inspiration blog MisterLevius.com.


US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on Wednesday and announced plans to relocate the US embassy there, upending seven decades of US foreign policy in a move expected to inflame tensions in the region and unsettle the prospects for peace. Trump also signed a waiver officially delaying the move of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem for six months, a National Security Council official said. But the State Department’s security arm is planning for potentially violent protests at US embassies and consulates. CNN’s Oren Liebermann, who is based in Jerusalem, walks us through what’s at stake. The final status of Jerusalem has always been one of the most difficult and sensitive questions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For years, US policy has been to avoid declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel in the absence of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, as the Palestinians also claim Jerusalem as their capital. It was argued that a unilateral decision would  break with international consensus and prejudge an issue that was supposed to be left to negotiations. Recognizing Jerusalem as the capital has also moved the United States a big step closer to relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which would be seen as cementing Israeli sovereignty over the city. In theory, moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem could be simple. There is already a US consulate in Jerusalem – but the US has decided against simply switching the names on the doors, upgrading the consulate to an embassy in Jerusalem and declaring the Tel Aviv location a consulate. Instead, Trump directed the State Department “to begin preparations to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.” His directive, Trump said, would allow the State Department to begin hiring architects and building contractors to build an embassy that would be “a magnificent tribute to peace.” But the challenges are not simply logistic. Moving the embassy risks setting off diplomatic crises with Arab states that could include widespread protests outside US diplomatic offices in those and other countries. There was widespread condemnation from the Arab world after Trump’s decision was announced. The United Nations partition plan drawn up in 1947 envisaged Jerusalem as a separate “international city.” But the war that followed Israel’s declaration of independence one year later left the city divided. When fighting ended in 1949, the armistice border – often called the Green Line because it was drawn in green ink – saw Israel in control of the western half, and Jordan in control of the eastern half, which included the famous Old City. During the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel occupied East Jerusalem. Since then, all of the city has been under Israel’s authority. The city marks “Jerusalem Day” in late May or early June. But Palestinians, and many in the international community, continue to see East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Roughly 850,000 people live in Jerusalem – 37% are Arab and 61% are Jewish, according to the independent think tank Jerusalem Institute. The Jewish population includes around 200,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews, with the rest split generally between religious Zionist and secular Jews. Of the city’s Arab population, 96% is Muslim; the other 4% is Christian. The vast majority of the Palestinian population lives in East Jerusalem. Although there are some mixed neighborhoods in Jerusalem where both Israelis and Arabs live, most of the neighborhoods are split. Yes. Before 1980 a number of countries did, including the Netherlands and Costa Rica. But in July of that year, Israel passed a law that declared Jerusalem the united capital of Israel. The United Nations Security Council responded with a resolution condemning Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem and declared it a violation of international law. Correct. In 2006, Costa Rica and El Salvador were the last to move their embassies out of Jerusalem, joining the rest of the world in locating their embassies in Tel Aviv. Some countries do maintain consulates in Jerusalem, including the United States, which has one in the western part of the city. Other countries – such as Britain and France, for instance – have a consulate in the eastern part of the city, which serve as their countries’ main representation in the Palestinian territories. The US has never had its embassy in Jerusalem. It has always been in Tel Aviv, with the Ambassador’s residence in Herzliya Pituach, about 30 minutes north. Wait a minute, it gets more complicated. In 1989, Israel began leasing to the US a plot of land in Jerusalem for a new embassy. The 99-year lease cost $1 per year. To this day, the plot has not been developed, and it remains an empty field. In 1995, the US Congress passed a law requiring America to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Proponents said the US should respect Israel’s choice of Jerusalem as its capital, and recognize it as such. Every President since 1995 – Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama – has declined to move the embassy, citing national security interests. Every six months, the President has used the presidential waiver to circumvent the embassy move. The Israeli government has lauded Trump’s pledge to follow through with the embassy move.  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump for making the decision and called the move an “important step towards peace, for there is no peace that doesn’t include Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel.” Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, one of the most outspoken advocates of the move, told CNN that Trump’s decision was “the right thing to do, and here in Jerusalem and Israel we applaud the President.” Netanyahu said he hoped other countries will follow the US lead and relocate their envoys. Palestinian leaders are adamant that an embassy move to Jerusalem would be a violation of international law, and a huge setback to peace hopes. President Mahmoud Abbas has turned to other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Jordan’s King Abdullah, to help pressure Trump to change his mind. The Palestine Liberation Organization has suggested it would consider revoking its recognition of Israel, and canceling all agreements between Israelis and Palestinians, should the move take place. In the aftermath of the announcement, Abbas said it would stoke extremism in the region. Hanan Ashrawi, an executive committee member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said it meant the “death knell of any peace process.” More immediately, there are fears it could set off a wave of unrest – perhaps even street protests and violence – in the Palestinian territories and across the Arab world. CNN’s Caroline Kenny contributed to this article.

US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and embassy move


NEW: Masses of people in Istanbul, Ankara heard Erdogan Scores died last year in the coup attempt Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – delivering feisty and stirring messages on the one-year anniversary of a failed coup aimed at unseating him – lauded the popular resistance that helped stop the coup, and promised to decapitate “traitors,” a sign that his harsh crackdown against his foes over the last 12 months will continue. Speaking to hundreds of thousands of people at a massive ceremony on Saturday in Istanbul, Erdogan urged vigilance against lurking enemies and declared that last summer’s bloody ordeal emboldened the nation. “This experience has unified us, made us stronger,” the President said. “This wasn’t the first attack against our nation and it’s not going to be the last attack either.” “We know who is behind these terrorists. However, there’s also the fact that if you do not combat and fight against these pieces we cannot fight and overcome those who are manipulating them.  Therefore, we are going to behead these traitors.” “If parliament passes a bill on resuming executions in Turkey., he said, “I will sign it.” If Turkey does so it would likely scuttle its longtime effort to join the European Union, whose member countries have abolished the death penalty. Related article Turkey: Anti-Erdogan marchers 'scream' for justice in Istanbul The country has remained in a state of emergency while allowing Erdogan to tighten his grip on power and oversee a massive purge of those who he says rose up against him. Over the past year, Erdogan and his government have clamped down on civil liberties across Turkey, gutted public institutions and universities, heavily restricted the media and ordered mass arrests of activists, journalists and the political opposition. Since the coup attempt, more than 169,000 people have faced “judicial action” ranging from travel restrictions and detentions to arrest warrants,, the justice ministry said, according to Anadolu. The clampdown stoked widespread unease in the country. But the sea of Erdogan supporters packing the streets waved flags and cheered on their popular and outspoken leader. The commemoration ceremony started at July 15 Martyrs Bridge with the national anthem. Then it was followed by a Quranic recitation, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency said. The names of those people killed were read out and their pictures were also shown on big screens. A monument honoring those killed while fighting the coup attempt near the bridge was unveiled. Erdogan praised those who lost their lives in the fight against those carrying out the attempted putsch. “I wish this bridge were able to speak about the heroic acts on this bridge,” he said. “I express my gratitude to these martyrs. They have defended their freedom, their calls to prayers, their flags, their motherland, their state and their future.” After the address, he traveled to Ankara, the capital, where he spoke  to throngs at the parliament building early Sunday, repeating the same themes that he did in Istanbul, sympathy for the people who died trying to stop the coup attempt, respect and confidence for the Turkish people, criticism of the country’s opposition leader, and anger toward the people who tried to overthrow the government. Related article 'I can't forget that night' Speaking in Istanbul, Erdogan warned of groups that are using terrorists as “manipulation.” He cited followers of exiled cleric and former ally Fetullah Gulen. Erdogan has claimed Gulen was behind the coup attempt, a charge that Gulen denies. Gulen is the leader of a popular movement called Hizmet, but the Turkish government refers to his group as the Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization, known as FETO. Related article Turkey senses 'willingness' from Trump admin to take action against Gulen The government has said that the Gulen group “is behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary,” according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. “How dare you can attack this motherland? There will be those days that you will account for what you have done,” Erdogan said in Ankara. “Hey FETO, is there anywhere you can safely go? Is there anything you haven’t done to damage this nation. Is there any door left that you haven’t knocked at? “You have been allocated some land in Pennsylvania to use, now you are governing these places from there. Those who made calculations for a coup d’etat completely forgot that you cannot make calculations before God and they have hit the wall of the national will as a result,” Erdogan said, referring to where Gulen now lives in the United States. Erdogan also mentioned the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a designated terror group in Turkey, the US and Europe. Known by its acronym the PKK, it has been engaged in a 30-year conflict with the Turkish government.   He also cited Daesh, another name for ISIS, which Turkey also views as a foe. “We know very well that FETO is not just FETO. PKK is not just PKK. Daesh is not just Daesh on itself. These terrorist organizations and other are not only comprised of what you can see when you look at them, we know this very well,” Erdogan said. The President said many enemies were “waiting at bay ready to attack.” “We are not uttering their names but we know all about them. We know who they are,” he said. “You will not be able to succeed. You will not be able to divide our nation. You will not be able to bring our flag down.” The attempted coup took place July 15, 2016, undertaken by a faction of the military Tanks rolled into the streets of Turkey’s two largest cities, Ankara and Instanbul. Soldiers blocked the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul – now renamed the July 15th Martyrs Bridge in honor of people on the bridge who confronted the coup-plotters. Bombs struck the parliament building in the capital Ankara, and a helicopter stolen by rogue pilots was shot down by an F-16 jet. Erdogan was hundreds of miles away at a seaside resort when the coup got going. By the time he emerged to address the nation via FaceTime hours later, it had already begun to abate. About 250 people died standing up to the soldiers who took part in the uprising. Coup plotters were rounded up the next day. In the ongoing days and week, Erdogan and his government have clamped down on civil liberties across the country, gutted public institutions and universities, heavily restricted the media and ordered mass arrests of activists, journalists and the political opposition. Related article Turkey's democracy has died Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People’s Party, recently led a long trek through Turkey, about 250 miles over three-and-a-half weeks, to demand that the government loosen its stranglehold on the country’s democracy. Called the “March for Justice” Kilicdaroglu was joined by throngs of disaffected citizens – many angry with Erdogan – in the walk from the capital, Ankara, to Istanbul. Kilicdaroglu kicked off the march after the imprisonment of one of his party’s parliament members. In his Saturday address, Erdogan slammed Kilicdaroglu for repeatedly claiming that the government knew about the coup attempt in advance but it failed to stop it and called those remarks disrespectful and insulting. CNN’s Mayra Cuevas, Gul Tuysuz and Alper Tugra Cakici contributed to this report


Take a look at the week in politics from February 4 through February 10. White House chief of staff John Kelly watches as President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday. The President addressed the ongoing fallout from staff secretary Rob Porter’s resignation amid allegations of domestic abuse against his two ex-wives. Sources say Kelly knew for months about some claims that Porter physically and emotionally battered the women, yet didn’t conduct an internal investigation into their veracity. A source told CNN Friday that Kelly made clear to Trump that he would resign if the President wanted him to, but did not formally tender his resignation. US Vice President Mike Pence watches the PyeongChang Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in South Korea on Friday. Seated just feet behind him was Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Pence was a vocal critic of North Korea in the run-up to the Olympic Games. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer walk to the Senate floor from McConnell’s office on Wednesday. The Senate passed a massive budget deal on Wednesday night, but the House was unable to reach an agreement prior to the shutdown deadline. It was ultimately able to pass a deal to reopen the government early Friday morning after several hours of shutdown. White House communications director Hope Hicks and White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway stand together in the Oval Office on Friday. President Trump defended Hicks in a statement to the New York Times, despite reports that he was growing frustrated with her role in the situation. People familiar with the matter told CNN Friday that the President was dismayed by the handling of the abuse allegations against Porter, with whom Hicks is romantically involved. Amid a raucous week on Wall Street, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin testifies before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday. “I’m not overly concerned about the market volatility,” Mnuchin said. First lady Melania Trump meets with children at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center on Monday. President Donald Trump bows his head in prayer during the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC on Friday. In his remarks, which came as the White House continued to grapple with the Rob Porter scandal, Trump touted the role of faith in the United States. White House principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah speaks at his first daily press briefing on Thursday, during which he told reporters the White House “could have done better” in addressing the allegations against Rob Porter. Pizzas arrive on Capitol Hill as a budget deadline approached Thursday night. The government briefly shut down overnight before Congress voted to pass the budget deal. President Trump signed the deal on Friday morning, reopening the government. The US Capitol is seen at sunset on Thursday as negotiations continued over the budget. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg arrives to speak at New York University’s law school on Monday, one of several speaking appearances she has made recently. Vice President Mike Pence inspects a PAC-3 interceptor missile system with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera in Tokyo on Wednesday. He also met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before traveling to South Korea for the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. President Donald Trump participates in a tour of Sheffer Corporation to promote his tax policy in Blue Ash, Ohio, on Monday. Police arrest activists engaging in an act of civil disobedience in the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building on Wednesday in Washington, DC. A coalition of immigrant advocates from across the United States staged the demonstration to pressure Congress to pass legislation protecting “Dreamers” as part of federal budget negotiations. President Donald Trump speaks during a visit to Sheffer Corporation in Blue Ash, Ohio. In his remarks, he suggested that Democrats who did not applaud for his State of the Union address last week were “un-American” and “treasonous.” The comments drew widespread criticism from Democrats and some Republicans. The White House later said Trump was “clearly joking.” Jerome Powell is sworn in as the new Chairman of the Federal Reserve on Monday. See last week in politics


United Arab Emirates businessman Ahmed Al Menhali was in the United States last week for medical treatment. Instead, police body camera footage shows him collapsing outside an Avon, Ohio, hotel, after officers charged at him with guns raised and handcuffed him. They were responding to a false report that Al Menhali, dressed head-to-toe in traditional Arabian thobe, pledged allegiance to ISIS in a phone call from the Fairfield Inn & Suites lobby. It quickly became an international incident. The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation called for an apology from Avon officials and warned citizens against wearing national dress when traveling to the United States. Avon’s mayor and police chief apologized to Al Menhali on Saturday in a meeting in the Cleveland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Mayor Bryan K. Jensen released a statement after the meeting, saying officers followed standard department protocol based on the information they had at the time. “As soon as the facts became clear our officers apologized to Mr. Al Menhali and released him,” Jensen said in the statement. “This was a very unfortunate incident and does not reflect our community. Avon is proud to welcome visitors from the United Arab Emirates and other countries who regularly come to Northern Ohio for tourism, business, medical care of education.” Al Menhali said he is grateful for the apology but it’s not enough. He wants those responsible for the 911 call to be held accountable. And, he hopes the police department will use it as a teachable moment in cross-cultural encounters. TSA official says he was instructed to racially profile Somali-Americans “Ahmed greatly appreciates the overture by coming to meet him on a holiday weekend. He appreciates their sincere apology, this is a positive and very important first step,” a translator said on his behalf. “However, he still has a lot of unanswered questions and concerns [as] to how this could have happened in the first place.” The Avon Police Department received the 911 call on June 29 at 5:53 p.m., according to a news release. A woman said she was calling on behalf of her sister, a desk clerk at the Fairfield Inn & Suites. The woman said her sister called her and told her there was a man in the hotel lobby “in full headdress with multiple disposable phones pledging his allegiance to ISIS,” the news release said. Meanwhile, another 911 call came in from the desk worker’s father requesting assistance on behalf of her daughter for the same reason. He said she was “terrified” and hiding “in the back.” Officers arrived at the hotel at 5:57 p.m. and found Al Menhali at the hotel entrance on a cell phone. As they approached, his first instinct was to follow their orders, Al Menhali told CNN through a translator. Related article 'I am you:' American Muslims on faith -- and fear He had no idea what was going on; maybe something was wrong in the hotel, he thought to himself, and they were coming to help him. As they got closer and Al Menhali saw their “vicious eyes,” he realized he was the target, he said through his translator. The clerk was right about one thing: Al Menhali had two phones that he was using to find a place to stay in Cleveland, said Julia Shearson, executive director of CAIR Cleveland. Related video Chertoff on profiling Muslims as terrorists Al Menhali, who owns a marketing company in the UAE, has been in the United States on a tourist visa since April for treatment at the Cleveland Clinic for several medical conditions, Shearson said. He had been renting an apartment in Lakewood. His landlord asked him to find alternate accommodations during the week of the Republican National Convention so the RNC could use the apartment. He went to the nearby Fairfield and asked the desk clerk for recommendations for extended stay hotels. The manager came out front to help while the desk clerk went to the back office, Shearson said. Al Menhali took a seat in the lobby and waited for them to print a list. As he continued to wait, he stepped outside the hotel just as police showed up. “The only behavior that was unusual was the clerk’s, not Ahmed,” Shearson told CNN. “It’s the lack of cultural education.” Opinion: Why American Muslims should look beyond the White House Officers approached Al Menhali with guns drawn, the police news release said. Body camera video worn by one of the officers showed at least one of them carrying an assault rifle as they shouted orders at him to get down and drop his phone. The video shows Al Menhali complying, sinking to his knees in a position resembling a prayer pose as officers approached. While officers handcuffed him and removed his wallet, others made contact with the desk clerk and determined  Al Menhali had not made statements related to ISIS, the police statement said. “It was evident to the responding officers that there was a clear miscommunication between the desk clerk and her relatives,” the statement said. After a few minutes, the video shows him collapsing to the ground. A paramedic who had been called to treat the desk worker for a panic attack tends to him, according to the police statement. Moments later, the video shows paramedics lifting him onto a cot and wheeling him into an ambulance. He suffered a “light stroke,” and was hospitalized until Saturday, translator Ahmed Ali said. A spokesman for Marriott International, which owns Fairfield Inn & Suites, expressed regret over the incident and said the company is working with Avon hotel staff on training to prevent a similar situation. “This was a terrible misunderstanding and we deeply regret what happened to Mr. Al Menhali,” said Jeff Flaherty, senior director of global crisis communications and corporate affairs. “Diversity and inclusion is a core principle of Marriott’s operations and we remain committed to providing a welcoming environment. We have been in regular contact with the hotel since the incident and we will be following up to discuss diversity and inclusion training designed to help prevent this type of situation. “ Shearson commended Avon city officials for not backing down from the situation. “We commend City of Avon officials for taking an important step toward helping to resolve this matter. Instead of retreating behind a wall of silence, they came forward swiftly to unequivocally exonerate Mr. Al Menhali, which is extremely important in restoring his dignity and reputation,” Shearson said. “We appreciate the transparency and forthrightness of these officials and hope they will pursue this matter in terms of seeking justice for Mr. Al Menhali through the office of the prosecutor.” The police department is reviewing the case to determine whether to pursue charges against the 911 callers, the mayor said in his statement. The department also is reviewing its 911 protocol to see whether changes are warranted. Al Menhali is back in his Lakewood apartment, where he received a warm welcome on Saturday from neighbors, Shearson said. Despite the incident, Al Menhali still loves America, his interpreter said. He hopes to be a contributing member of the community during the remainder of his stay. “He will do his best to help this country, American or not.” CNN’s Kelly Christ contributed to this report.


Here is a look at the life of the late Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela from 1998 to 2013. Personal:Birth date: July 28, 1954 Death date: March 5, 2013 Birth place: Sabaneta, Barinas, Venezuela Birth name: Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias Father: Hugo Chavez, school teacher Mother: Elena (Frias) Chavez, school teacher Marriages: Marisabel Rodríguez de Chavez (December 1997- 2004, divorced); Nancy Colmenares de Chavez (divorced mid-1990s) Children: with Marisabel Chavez: Rosa Inés; with Nancy Chavez: Rosa Virginia, María Gabriela, Hugo Rafael, Raúl Alfonzo Education: Military Academy of Venezuela in Caracas, 1975 Religion: Roman Catholic Other Facts:Was closely aligned with Fidel Castro of Cuba. Timeline:1975 - Joins Venezuela’s Army. 1990 - Lieutenant Colonel in the Venezuelan Army. February 4, 1992-March 26, 1994 - Is imprisoned for a coup attempt against President Carlos Andres Perez. 1994 - Forms the Fifth Republic Movement, a political opposition group. December 6, 1998 - Is elected the youngest president in Venezuela’s history. February 2, 1999 - Is sworn in as president of Venezuela. 1999 - Chavez’s government creates a new constitution. It passes in a vote on December 15, 1999. July 30, 2000 - Wins re-election to the presidency for a six-year term, under the new constitution. April 8, 2002 (week of) - Demonstrations break out across Venezuela due to an economic crisis. Sixteen demonstrators are killed as well as one police officer on April 11 in Caracas. April 12, 2002 - Chavez says he will “abandon his duties” and Pedro Carmona Estanga becomes President. On the following day, demonstrations force Carmona to resign and Diosdado Cabello, Chavez’s vice president, takes over for one day. April 14, 2002 - Chavez is reinstated as president. August 20, 2003 - Opposition groups present election officials with approximately 2.7-3.2 million signatures calling for the removal/recall of Chavez from the presidency. June 3, 2004 - The National Electoral Council of Venezuela announces that Chavez’s opponents have collected enough valid signatures to force a recall vote. August 15, 2004 - A vote to potentially recall Chavez fails and he remains president. 59% of voters vote to keep him in office. August 22, 2005 - Conservative Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson calls for the United States to assassinate Chavez, calling him “a terrific danger” bent on exporting Communism and Islamic extremism across the Americas. “If he thinks we’re trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it,” Robertson tells viewers on his “The 700 Club” show. “It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war.” September 15, 2005 - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez delivers a fiery speech to the UN General Assembly, criticizing the United Nations as an imperialist institution and suggesting the world body move its headquarters out of the United States. September 20, 2006 - In a speech to the UN General Assembly, Chavez says in reference to US President George W. Bush, “The devil came here yesterday, and it smells of sulfur still today.” December 3, 2006 - Claims victory in Venezuela’s presidential election against Manuel Rosales after Rosales concedes. January 31, 2007 - The Venezuelan National Assembly approves a law that gives Chavez the authority to rule by decree. He has been granted the special powers for 18 months. April 30, 2007 - Chavez announces that Venezuela will formally pull out of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. May 1, 2007 - Chavez’s government takes control of Venezuela’s last remaining privately run oil fields. May 28, 2007 - Chavez creates a furor when he refuses to renew the broadcast license of Radio Caracas Television (RCTV), Venezuela’s oldest television network. His decision to shut it down draws claims of censorship and days of protests in Caracas and other cities. RCTV returns in mid-July. January 10, 2008 - Chavez assists in brokering the release of two Colombian hostages, Consuelo Gonzalez and Clara Rojas, who had been held for five years by FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. March 14, 2008 - In a public statement, Chavez dares the United States to put Venezuela on a list of countries that sponsor terrorism. February 15, 2009 - A referendum passes that will allow Chavez to run for a third six-year term in 2012. September 7, 2009 - Oliver Stone’s film “South of the Border,” featuring Chavez, premieres at the Venice Film Festival. Chavez attends the premiere. December 17, 2010 - Venezuelan Television reports that Venezuela’s National Assembly has granted President Hugo Chavez the power to pass laws by decree for the next 18 months. May 9, 2011 - Chavez calls in to Venezuelan state television and says that he’s canceling a scheduled trip to Brazil because of debilitating pain in his knee requiring doctor-ordered bed rest. June 5-7, 2011 - Chavez visits Brazil and Ecuador and heads to Cuba, scheduled as the third leg of an international trip. June 10, 2011 - Undergoes surgery for a pelvic abscess in Cuba. In a speech on June 30, 2011 Chavez says that a cancerous tumor was removed during this surgery. June 23, 2011- Venezuelan government officials go on the offensive as media reports suggest Chavez could have cancer. In a Twitter post, Venezuelan Vice Foreign Minister Temir Porras said Chavez’s enemies should “stop dreaming,” adding that “the only thing that has metastasized is the cancer of The Miami Herald and the rest of the right-wing media.” June 29, 2011 - Cuba TV releases video of Chavez and Fidel Castro. The video is aimed at curtailing rumors regarding Chavez’s health. June 30, 2011 - In a speech broadcast on Venezuelan state television from Havana, Chavez reveals that doctors have removed a cancerous tumor from his body. He does not specify what type of cancer he is battling. July 4, 2011 - Chavez returns to Venezuela after more than three weeks of treatment in Cuba. July 5, 2011 - Chavez does not attend Venezuela’s bicentennial parade, but addresses the crowd from inside the presidential palace. July 13, 2011 - Announces he is in his second phase of cancer treatment and may undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment. July 16, 2011 - Chavez returns to Cuba for further cancer treatment. Before leaving Venezuela, he delegates some of his power to Vice President Elias Jaua and Finance Minister Jorge Giordani. July 23, 2011 - Arrives back in Venezuela after traveling to Cuba to receive chemotherapy treatment. Two days later, Chavez tells a newspaper that he is still planning to run for president in 2012. July 24, 2011 - Successfully undergoes first round of chemotherapy in Cuba. August 7-14, 2011 - Returns to Cuba for second round of chemotherapy. September 18-22, 2011 - Chavez travels to Cuba for another round of chemotherapy. September 25, 2011 - An audio recording of Chavez airs on Venezuelan state-run television, assuring listeners he is recovering successfully from his last round of chemotherapy. October 20, 2011 - After five days of medical tests in Cuba, Chavez says he’s beaten cancer. “There are no malignant cells in this body. They don’t exist,” he says. February 21, 2012 - Chavez says that he will need to undergo surgery to remove a lesion, roughly two centimeters in diameter, from the same area where doctors removed a cancerous tumor from his body in June of 2011. February 24-March 16, 2012 - In Cuba for cancer treatment. March 25-March 29, 2012 - In Cuba for cancer treatment. March 31-April 4, 2012 - In Cuba for cancer treatment. April 7-11, 2012 - In Cuba for cancer treatment. April 14, 2012 - Chavez is unable to attend the Summit of the Americas in Colombia due to illness. April 26, 2012 - Returns to Venezuela from Cuba after another round of cancer treatments. May 2, 2012 - Names ten Venezuelans to an influential commission called the Council of State. It is the highest circle of advisers to the president, but has never actually been formed. The timing of the appointments is significant, as speculation increases over who will succeed Chavez if he becomes too ill to govern, or if he dies. May 1-11, 2012 - In Cuba for cancer treatment. July 9, 2012 - Chavez declares that he is cancer-free. October 7, 2012 - Wins re-election as president for a new six-year term. November 28, 2012 - Arrives in Cuba for another round of medical treatment. December 7, 2012 - Returns to Venezuela from Cuba after receiving hyperbaric oxygen treatment. December 8, 2012 - In a televised announcement, Chavez reveals his cancer has returned and that he will return to Cuba in two days for more surgery. Vice President Nicolas Maduro is named by Chavez to succeed him should his health worsen. December 11, 2012 - Chavez undergoes six hours of surgery in Havana, Cuba. December 30, 2012 - According to Vice President Nicolas Maduro, Chavez is suffering from “new complications” and his health remains “delicate.” January 3, 2013 - Venezuelan Information Minister Ernesto Villegas says in a televised statement that Chavez is suffering from a “severe” lung infection and “respiratory insufficiency.” January 9, 2013 - Venezuela’s Supreme Court rules that Hugo Chavez will remain president even though he is unable to attend his inauguration, scheduled for January 10. February 18, 2013 - Chavez returns to Venezuela from Cuba. He announces his return via Twitter saying, “We come back to the country of Venezuela. Thank God! Thank you dear people! Here we continue the treatment.” March 4, 2013 - Information Minister Ernesto Villegas announces on state-run TV that Chavez is battling a new and “severe” infection and that his condition remains “delicate.” March 5, 2013 - Chavez dies at 58. March 22, 2013 - Chavez is laid to rest in Cuartel de la Montaña military history museum in Caracas.


President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he has selected New York Jets’ owner Woody Johnson, one of the top fundraisers of his presidential campaign, to serve as US ambassador to the United Kingdom. Trump announced during a luncheon with supporters in Washington, DC, that Johnson is “going to St. James,” an apparent reference to the Court of St. James’s. The US ambassador to the UK is known formally as the ambassador to the Court of St. James. “Congratulations,” Trump told Johnson as he pointed out notable members of the audience. Incoming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed Johnson’s appointment. Johnson was rumored for some time to be the top pick for the plum ambassadorship to the UK, one of the US’s foremost allies. He served as a vice chairman of the Trump Victory Committee, the joint fundraising committee between the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, and helped raise millions of dollars for Trump’s campaign. Top donors, fundraisers and bundlers for successful presidential candidates have frequently snagged coveted posts as US ambassadors around the world. Related video Navarro slams Trump's Cabinet for no Latinos Trump’s often promised during the campaign that he would owe nothing to no one, but he has picked a number of major donors for key positions. Trump frequently – and falsely – claimed during his general election campaign that he was self-funding his run for president. Trump did spend nearly $66 million of his own money, but most of the funding for his general election effort came from outside donors. Among the big GOP donors and those who helped Trump finance campaign who are up for key posts: -Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s pick to lead the Treasury Department who was facing a Senate confirmation hearing Thursday, served as Trump’s campaign finance chairman. -Betsy DeVos, who was tapped for Education Secretary, did not donate to the Trump campaign, but is a mega-donor to the Republican Party. -Wilbur Ross, the billionaire investor who donated the maximum contribution to Trump’s joint fundraising committee, was tapped for Commerce Secretary.


Editor’s Note: Andrea Mammone is a historian at Royal Holloway, University of London, who writes and comments on European politics and the far right. The opinions in this article belong to the author. The EU should be working hard to improve its unappealing image by implementing more social, "people-friendly" reforms But taking this new European leadership at its word, it is hard to see any improvements on the horizon Last, week, Antonio Tajani was elected President of the European Parliament. Considering the myriad challenges currently facing both the EU and the wider continent, his job should be one of the busiest in politics. His victory was the result of a newly established alliance between Guy Verhofstadt’s liberals, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), and Tajani’s center-right European People’s Party (EPP). “We want to act together to bring results for European citizens and guarantee Europe’s stability. Our partnership is based on content and on reforms for Europe. It is a pact for results,” the parliamentary leader of the EPP, Manfred Weber, said. “This is a first important step in the construction of a pro-European coalition to reform and strengthen our union, which is absolutely necessary. With Trump, with Putin, with many other challenges Europe faces, it is key we cooperate to reform our Union,” echoed Verhofstadt. Related video Austria: Populism is EU's biggest threat Following the year in which the establishment took a serious kicking in the form of the Donald Trump’s election win and Britain’s vote to leave the EU, you’d be forgiven for assuming that a change in the Parliament’s presidency might mark a fresh start for the EU. But those hoping for change in European politics will probably be disappointed. Tajani is a former EU commissioner, a former spokesman for Silvio Berlusconi and one of the founders of the media tycoon’s party. He represents the Parliament’s choice to maintain the status quo in the European Union. After securing his victory, Tajani suggested that there is neither a need to press ahead with “more” European integration, nor to destroy this successful supranational political project to deal with the current crisis in European politics. This attitude is hopeless. The old continent is facing poor growth, strong unemployment – especially in some of the southern areas – and a growing dissatisfaction with its overall governance. This has contributed to the rise of nationalist, far-right and anti-EU forces. This unpleasant situation is being worsened by the ongoing waves of refugees reaching Europe’s borders. The answer of the European leadership to such problems has been inadequate. This historical moment requires a renewed dynamism; revolutionary action must be taken if the European Project is to survive. Yet, 351 MEPs (out of a total of 751) voted for a line of “continuity” when they elected Tajani. This could anger many European citizens – especially the jobless youth. Western societies have experienced – with Brexit and the election of Trump – how the anti-elites translate politics. The risk is, in fact, a further strengthening of narrow right-wing nationalist forces in the coming elections in France and Holland, and later in Germany. In other words, the EU should be working hard to improve its unappealing image by implementing more social and “people-friendly” reforms. But the political elite seems determined to take a trip on the Titanic, rather than change its world view. In practical terms, the appointment of Tajani completes the monopoly of the center-right group over some of the EU main institutions: they already lead the governing body – the EU Commission – and the powerful representative of member states, the EU Council. This means that there will be no counterbalance to unpopular austerity policies promoted by Germany. Sign up for CNN Opinion’s new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook The aforementioned liberal group, ALDE, shares the same economic standpoint. But this fixation with budgets alone will not reverse a stagnant economy, promote public investments, nor will it offer a better future for workers and the young. Their new plans are still vague and based on existing policies. The EPP-ALDE agreement proudly states that they will be supporting “a strengthening of the growth, stability, sustainable development and investment strategy in the Union including support for new ambitious trade agreements.” This leaves anyone familiar with Europe wondering: what growth? what stability? Naturally, there is no mention of the fragility of some of the Italian banking system or the lack of recovery in places such as Greece. “It’s a coalition of ideas,” Verhofstadt suggested, “to change the direction of the European Union. … We need leadership, the future does not wait.” But taking this new leadership at its word, it is hard to see any improvements on the horizon.


Here’s what you might have missed on CNN today: – President Donald Trump again slammed the special counsel’s investigation into potential obstruction of justice, after the New York Times reported on what questions Robert Mueller wanted to ask Trump. At the White House press briefing, Sarah Sanders refused to answer several questions about the investigation. – Two influential EPA staffers, the security chief and a business associate of Administrator Scott Pruitt, are leaving the agency. – Shootings and killings in Chicago have dropped for the 14th consecutive month, according to new crime figures. – A Russian fighter jet flew within 20 feet of a US Navy plane over the Baltic Sea, officials say. The intercept was deemed safe, but unprofessional. – President Trump has warned of attacks on Border Patrol agents at the US-Mexico border, but data shows that Border Patrol work is much safer than being a police officer. – Trump’s former physician claimed that his office was raided last year by the President’s former bodyguard and a Trump lawyer seeking Trump’s medical files, according to a NBC News report. – Companies profiting from the clean energy revolution can’t prove that children aren’t involved in their supply chains, a CNN investigation finds. – Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl have overtaken prescription opioids as the No. 1 killer in the opioid epidemic, according to a new report. – Watch out, Tinder. Facebook is getting into the dating game. – Tony nominations are out. “Mean Girls” and “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical” got the most nods, with 12 each. – Summer’s around the corner, but beware the bugs! Diseases transmitted through the bites of ticks, mosquitoes and fleas have more than tripled since 2004, a new CDC report finds.


New: Victim Katherine Chappell did visual effects for movies, TV "Katie was a brilliant, kind, adventurous and high-spirited woman," her family says Accounts say she was taking photos of lions through an open window when one attacked Katherine Chappell went to South Africa on a volunteer mission to protect wildlife. But as the 29-year-old American was taking photos of a pride of lions at a safari park on Monday, one of them leaped up against the vehicle she was in and fatally attacked her, according to accounts of the incident. Her family is heartbroken. “Katie was a brilliant, kind, adventurous and high-spirited woman,” a family member said in a Facebook post. “Her energy and passion could not be contained by mere continents or oceans.” A memorial service will be held Saturday in her hometown of Rye, New York. “She was very much loved and shared her love for life with those she met,” her family said. Chappell was a visual-effects engineer who had worked on such movies as “Godzilla,” “Divergent” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” according to her IMDb profile. Most recently she was employed by visual-effects firm Scanline VFX, where her team won an Emmy for its work on an episode of season 4 of “Game of Thrones.” “Kate was a valued member of our team and we are devastated by the loss. Our hearts and prayers go out to her family,” said Scott Miller, studio manager at Scanline VFX, in a statement sent to CNN. Details are still emerging of what exactly happened Monday at the Lion Park in Gauteng province. The deadly incident is under investigation by authorities. Related video Driver describes lion attack that killed an American tourist A South African tour operator, Pierre Potgieter, 66, was driving Chappell around the park. Inside the lion enclosures, they stopped to view a group of the animals. At that point, Chappell “rolled down the passenger window in order to take photographs,” according to Potgieter’s company, Kalabash Tours. But she apparently didn’t notice that one of the lions was approaching the vehicle from the side. Witnesses in other vehicles honked their horns, trying to get the attention of Chappell and Potgieter as the animal got nearer, according to a source close to the investigation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The lion stopped about a meter from the vehicle as Chappell continued taking pictures, a Lion Park statement said. The animal then lunged at the car, biting the woman through the open window. Potgeiter says he tried to fend the lion off, suffering injuries to his arm as he did so. He may also have suffered a heart attack, Kalabash Tours said. After the lion backed off, Chappell was left bleeding profusely from her neck, and Potgieter applied constant pressure to try to stop it, the tour company said. An ambulance arrived within minutes, the park said. But it wasn’t in time to save Chappell, who died at the scene. Opening windows is a big no-no at Lion Park. “That’s absolutely forbidden at our park,” said Scott Simpson, assistant operations manager at Lion Park. “There are numerous signs, and we hand out slips of paper to all guests warning them to keep their windows closed.” Related video Jeff Corwin: Lions see human beings as a meal ticket The source close to the investigation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the notice warning guests to keep their windows closed was found on the passenger side seat of the vehicle. There are conflicting accounts over how many of the vehicle’s windows were open and when. Lion Park has cited witnesses as saying that both the passenger’s and driver’s windows were open. But Potgieter “strongly denies that they were driving around the lion enclosures with open windows,” the tour company said. Kalabash Tours said Potgieter is “severely traumatized” following the incident and “is not capable of giving a detailed account of the incident at present.” Swordfish kills fisherman in Hawaii Potgieter wants to express “his deepest condolences” to Chappell’s family and friends, the company said. Related video Safari visitors experience dangerous lion encounters Lion Park said it was “incredibly sad that a life had to be lost in this manner.” Simpson said the lion would be taken to a second property while the park investigates the attack. It will not be euthanized. “Visitors to South Africa need to remember that predators are dangerous and rules are there for their own safety,” the park said. “If all the rules are adhered to (during) your visit to the Lion Park, national parks and other similar facilities will be a safe and treasured experience.” Second Yellowstone visitor injured in bison encounter CNN’s Brandon Griggs, Brent Swails, Dana Ford, Christie Bear and Elisa Roupenian contributed to this report.


This page includes the show Transcript Use the Transcript to help students with reading comprehension and vocabulary At the bottom of the page, comment for a chance to be mentioned on CNN Student News.  You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call. The Weekly Newsquiz tests students' knowledge of events in the news February 5, 2016 We begin this Friday by covering two U.S. presidential events concerning the issue of religious faith. Then, we explain the tenets of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and we travel to New Zealand for a sense of the developments and protests regarding the deal. As parts of the South recover from recent tornadoes, we explore how these twisters spin down from the sky. And as some students dream of DJ stardom, we drop some information about what it takes to get ahead in the industry. On this page you will find today’s show Transcript and a place for you to request to be on the CNN Student News Roll Call. TRANSCRIPT Click here to access the transcript of today’s CNN Student News program. Please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published. WEEKLY NEWSQUIZ Click here for a printable version of the Weekly Newsquiz (PDF). 1. From what country does the U.S. import the most goods? 2. Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles recently discussed their new theory that a planetary, head-on collision resulted in what object in the night sky? 3. The island of Lesbos, some of whose residents have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, is part of what European country? 4. Name the annual U.S. sporting event that’s seen by about a third of the country, despite a rise in concerns about the safety of the sport itself. 5. Name the Democratic candidate who received the most votes in Monday’s Iowa caucuses. 6. Name the Republican candidate who received the most votes in Monday’s Iowa caucuses. 7. What U.S. state holds the next contest in the U.S. presidential election process? 8. In the 1940s, the Zika virus was first identified in what African country? 9. China, the world’s most populous country, witnesses the world’s largest human migration surrounding what holiday? 10. How many nations are involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership? CNN Student News is created by a team of journalists who consider the Common Core State Standards, national standards in different subject areas, and state standards when producing the show. ROLL CALL For a chance to be mentioned on the next CNN Student News, comment on the bottom of this page with your school name, mascot, city and state. We will be selecting schools from the comments of the previous show. You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call! Thank you for using CNN Student News!


President Donald Trump questioned German Chancellor Angela Merkel about how to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their at times heated discussions at the White House last week, according to two people familiar with the conversations. Merkel, the longest-serving leader in the European Union, has a well-established history and rivalry with Putin. It’s not clear what advice she offered Trump, though the officials suggested the President at times didn’t really seem to be listening to the answers. The officials said the one-on-one meeting was calm and Trump “behaved himself” but became agitated at a larger plenary session, which became contentious when he repeatedly raised the issue of Germany’s large trade surplus and its defense spending, which falls below the NATO-recommended threshold. The White House denied CNN’s account of the discussions. Trump has long railed on those two issues, both in public and private, but his tone surprised some German officials attending the meetings, who said they felt the session provided a “window into Trump’s mind.” Related article Kelly says report he called Trump an idiot is 'total BS' Trump accused Merkel of being “so protectionist” in her trade policies, and again raised the issue of German automobiles flooding into the United States. Merkel explained that if she lowered barriers for US cars entering Germany, she would have to do the same for other countries. But Trump demanded to know what Merkel would offer the US if he agreed to extend an exemption on steel and aluminum tariffs. He adopted a similarly tough approach on defense spending, a bugbear he has railed on since the campaign. Trump told Merkel that “you could raise it to 2 percent tomorrow,” reaching the NATO target. The officials said Trump was angry and “venting” about both matters during the expanded meeting, which included officials from both leaders’ cabinets. Related article Trump 'just asking' if Korean border would be best suited for Kim meeting The tone was very different in the earlier one-on-one meeting with Merkel, which included a discussion of the Iran nuclear deal. Merkel, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, had traveled to Washington in the hopes of convincing Trump not to rip up the Obama-era agreement. The Germans regarded Macron’s floating of a new deal that addresses Iran’s ballistic missile program and destabilizing efforts in the region as a last-ditch effort to keep Trump from withdrawing. Not wanting to show signs of European disunity, Merkel largely kept to Macron’s talking points in her meeting but emphasized that any new agreement would build on the existing deal. Merkel emerged from the talks telling advisers that Trump had said “exactly what she expected” on Iran, including his insistence that the accord amounts to the worst deal ever negotiated. CNN’s Allie Malloy contributed to this report.


Bangkok's Gaggan named Asia's top restaurant two years in a row Chef Anand Gaggan is celebrated for his modern take on Indian cuisine Bangkok restaurants have scooped the top prize for three years running Singapore and Japan both have 10 eateries in the top 50 They say good things come in threes. They certainly have for Thailand’s dining scene, as the coveted number one spot at the San Pellegrino Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards went to a Bangkok restaurant for the third year running. Gaggan, chef Anand Gaggan’s restaurant serving “progressive Indian cuisine” scooped the award for the second year in a row, taking over from rival Bangkok eatery Nahm, which took the top prize in 2014. Victory was made all the sweeter (and tastier) because this year the awards were held in Bangkok for the first time – previous years’ events have been in  Singapore. Anand opened his eponymous restaurant in the Thai capital in 2010 with a mission and vision to “reinvigorate” Indian cuisine by exploiting contemporary techniques and adding molecular twists to traditional Indian dishes. “It is different, because it doesn’t look the same, it doesn’t feel the same, it doesn’t scent the same,” Gaggan told CNN shortly after receiving his latest accolade. “But if you are from Kolkata, and you put it in your mouth and close your eyes, it is a short flight to the street there, and you are getting the same flavor that you were raised on.” Meet Gaggan Anand, the 'world's best' Indian chef “That has been my foundation of cooking – eating in the streets and celebrating life in India.” Gaggan, 35, said his victory in last year’s awards gave him the confidence to follow his instincts rather than cater to customer whims. “This year, 2015-16, we cooked what we wanted to cook,”  he added. “Our success and the popularity have brought in a lot of clientele, and has changed a lot of things. “We don’t think, ‘Will this make that person happy?’ Let’s make ourselves happy. And if we cook happy, I hope the guest is happy. And I’m sure they will be.” Asia’s 2014 winner Nahm may have slipped down to number eight this year, but Australian chef David Thompson, who runs the restaurant as well as his Long Chim restaurant in Singapore, is unlikely to be shedding any tears. This year he picked up the Diner’s Club Lifetime Achievement Award, having made his name when he opened the Darley Street Thai restaurant in Sydney back in 1991. Securing second spot for the third year running was Tokyo’s Narisawa. Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa spent eight years training in Europe before opening this award-winning eatery, where he delivers French cuisine featuring Japanese ingredients. Singapore’s Restaurant Andre moved up two places this year, securing a third-place ranking. The food here is a Singaporean take on southern French nouvelle cuisine. 40 Indonesian foods we can't live without The highest new entry was modern Korean restaurant Mingles in Seoul, which also took the award for Best Restaurant in Korea. Singapore has 10 restaurants in the 2016 list, as has Japan (seven of which are in Tokyo). Hong Kong has nine. Tokyo’s Florilege, a bijou French restaurant owned and run by Hiroyasu Kawate, was named 2016’s One to Watch. Margarita Fores was named Asia’s best female chef as a result of her work in Manila where she runs a number of Italian-inspired restaurants. The awards were based on votes from more than 300 chefs, restaurateurs and experts in six countries across Asia. 1. Gaggan (Bangkok)68/1 Soi Langsuan, Ploenchit Road, Lumpini, Bangkok; +66 2 652 1700 2. Narisawa (Tokyo)Minami Ayoyama 2-6-15, Minato-ku, Tokyo; +81 3 5785 0799 3. Restaurant Andre (Singapore)41 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore; +65 6534 8880 4. Amber (Hong Kong)7/F, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, The Landmark, 15 Queen’s Road, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2132 0066 5. Nihonryori Ryugin (Tokyo) Ground Floor, 7-17-24 Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo; +81 3 3423 8006 6. Waku Ghin (Singapore)Level 2-01, Atrium 2, The Shoppes, Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore; +65 6688 8507 7. Ultraviolet (Shanghai) c/o Bund 18, 6/F, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, Shanghai; +86 21 6323 9898 8. Nahm (Bangkok) Metropolitan Hotel, 27 South Sathorn Road, Tungmahamek Sathorn, Bangkok; +66 2 625 3333 9. Indian Accent (New Delhi) At The Manor, 77 Friends Colony, New Delhi 110065, India; +91 11 43235151 10. Lung King Heen (Hong Kong) Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance St, Central, Hong Kong; +852 3196 8888 11. Hajime, Osaka, Japan 12. Les Amis, Singapore 13. Otto e Mezzo, Hong Kong 14. Burnt Ends, Singapore 15. Mingles, Seoul 16. L’Effervescence, Tokyo 17. Corner House, Singapore *new entry* 18. Fu He hui, Shanghai 19. Issaya Siamese Club, Bangkok, Thailand 20. Quintessence, Tokyo 21. Shinji by Kanesaka, Singapore 22. Jungsik, Seoul 23. Eat Me, Bangkok, Thailand 24. Takazawa, Tokyo 25. Ministry of Crab, Colombo, Sri Lanka 26. Sushi Saito, Tokyo 27. The Chairman, Hong Kong 28. Mr and Mrs Bund, Shanghai 29. Jaan, Singapore 30. Le Mout, Taichung, Taiwan 31. = La Maison de la Nature Goh, Fukuoka, Japan 31. = Tippling Club, Singapore 33. Tenku RyuGin, Hong Kong 34. Fook Lam Moon, Hong Kong 35. Robuchon au Dome, Macau, China 36. Iggy’s, Singapore 37. Den, Tokyo 38. Wild Rocket, Singapore 39. Gallery Vask, Manila, Philippines 40. L’atelier de Joel Robuchon, Hong Kong 41. Bo Innovation, Hong Kong 42. Kikunoi, Kyoto, Japan 43. Cuisine Wat Damnak, Sien Reap, Cambodia 44. Wasabi by Morimoto, Mumbai, India 45.  Bukhara, New Delhi 46. Raw, Taipei 47. Nihonbashi, Colombo, Sri Lanka 48. Ta vie, Hong Kong 49. Locavore, Bali, Indonesia 50. La Yeon, Seoul, Korea For more on the winners, visit the official Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants website. This article was originally published in February 2016.


Editor’s Note: Dawn Dimowo is a lawyer and senior consultant at africapractice, a Pan-African strategy and communications consultancy. She studied in France for several years where she obtained graduate degrees from the Universite Pantheon Assas (Paris II) and worked at the International Criminal Police Organisation INTERPOL.The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely hers. As a sans-papiers – an immigrant without papers – Mamadou Gassama should have been condemned to a life in the shadows, dodging immigration officials and living in bad social housing – but for his superhuman feat of climbing four balconies to save a little boy from certain death. No papers, but a desire for a better life. No papers, but strong arms and a brave heart. By that singular act of bravery, Gassama suddenly qualified for French citizenship and showed that being a good immigrant is not so much about being legal or illegal, right or wrong, black or white. It is about being desired. For immigrants of color the world over, desirability is too often judged by high achievement, by doing or going above and beyond the ordinary. You cannot just be smart enough, talented enough, strong enough, brave enough. You must be exceptional. Related article French Spider-Man's act of extreme bravery you don't know about Gassama’s fast track route to citizenship will certainly remain the exception as French President Emmanuel Macron has made it clear that France cannot absorb all the misery in the world. Related article Your questions on the 'Spider-Man' photo, answered Life in France as an immigrant of color (legal or illegal) is no bed of roses. The misery is all too present in how they are viewed as second class citizens, denied access to jobs and routinely treated with suspicion by police and neighbors alike. I was a graduate student at one of the best universities, the ‘law school of the Sorbonne’ and each time I mentioned where I studied, I could see how I was immediately rated an above par immigrant. It also helped my standing in my part time job as a private English tutor for French students, helping with homework or preparations for rigorous exams. And when I told the upper middle class parents of a 10-year-old boy I had been tutoring, that it was my last lesson, that I had completed my degree and would be leaving to work at a prestigious international organization, I visibly went up several notches in their estimation. I was immediately asked to stay for an aperitif and engaged in a lengthy conversation about wine and French and English literature, and about my new job and plans. I was suddenly, even more interesting than before. I became one of the good immigrants. Until I wasn’t. Two weeks later I would struggle with getting an apartment in a new city because as a black immigrant, I was immediately branded an unsuitable tenant until I could prove otherwise. Experiences of this kind were, thankfully, few and far between for me, but for too many, they are everyday occurrences – the stark reality of the immigrant experience when the social and political reflex is to presume the worst about you until you prove otherwise. In France, many immigrants and their second generation children live in often deplorable conditions in social housing projects, in poor suburbs. For them, the reality of life in France is unemployment, poverty and a life of racial profiling and discrimination by the authorities. Related article Hundreds of migrants stranded in Libya are returned to Nigeria There have been violent protests and clashes with police over the years, including the notorious 2005 riots when Paris burned over a three-week period of clashes. Earlier this year, the lower house of the French National Assembly passed a stricter immigration law which introduced a one year prison sentence for illegal entry into the country. The prime immigration hubs across the world have long favored the best and brightest, combined with an assessment in France that tests the immigrant’s  desire to integrate. According to stats released by the OECD and the French national statistics body INSEE in 2014, immigrants constitute under a tenth of the population (8.8%), and in terms of new arrivals, Africans are a smaller migrant group (30%) than Europeans. But figures of asylum applications – 100,000 in France in 2017 – tend to get more traction and too often result in blanket policies and definitions – ‘no economic migrants’ – which ignore the different kinds of value immigration and migrants bring to the table. Related article A migrant's journey: raped, beaten and forced into prostitution in Italy Migrants are not only seeking a better life, better economic conditions for themselves and their families, many of them are also offering their skills and a willingness to contribute to the economy by working hard and also to impact the communities they live in, just as Gassama has done. France’s proposed immigration law, which will be debated by the French Senate in June, also shortens asylum application deadlines, while extending the time failed asylum seekers can be held pending deportation, demonstrating that even for political migrants, the country has no intention of making it easy. The unanswered question for thousands of immigrants reading Gassama’s story with pride – how does their situation change? When intrinsic worth and value as a human being is not always nearly enough for equal treatment in the eyes of the state and the law, how many extraordinary feats and acts of superhuman courage will it take to change attitudes on immigration and towards migrants?


The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Friday that it would be “uncharted territory” if President Donald Trump tried to fire the special counsel investigating Russian election meddling and possible collusion by the Trump campaign. The statement comes a day after reports that Trump called for Mueller’s firing in June. “I think if the President had gone through with this, or tries to go through with it on a going forward basis, we’re into uncharted territory,” Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead” Friday.  “We’re into the real question of the fundamentals of our democracy.” Trump denied the reports, describing on Friday them as “fake news.” “These are not the actions of an individual who doesn’t have something to hide,” Warner said. “The President keeps saying, ‘There’s no there, there.’ Well, if there’s no there, there, let these investigations, including our bipartisan Senate intelligence investigation, finish our job.” On Thursday, reports surfaced that Trump had instructed the firing of special counsel Robert Mueller in June, just a month after Trump had fired FBI director James Comey. However, White House lawyer Don McGahn wouldn’t give the directive to the Justice Department because he disagreed with Trump’s reasoning, according to one person familiar with the matter. The New York Times first reported that Trump had sought to fire Mueller, including that the President backed off after McGahn threatened to quit; a source told CNN that McGahn did not threaten to resign directly to the President. When asked about findings in the Senate Intelligence Committee investigation, Warner said he has “reserved final judgment until we see all the witnesses and get all the facts.” “But we have seen enormously important documents, new documents, in the last 60 days, and you see particularly the President’s supporters going out, making these outrageous, and at some level, silly charges with secret memos and secret societies being asserted,” the Virginia Democrat said, referring to controversial text messages that were exchanged between officials at the FBI that some high-ranking Republicans allege is evidence of an anti-Trump bias among some who worked on the Russia probe. There are currently several investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election in the House and Senate and by special counsel Robert Mueller. Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion between his campaign and Russia. CNN’s Kara Scannell contributed to this report.


Five of CNN’s correspondents gathered recently to discuss how the world changed in 2015 and what may come in the year ahead. Nick Paton Walsh, Nima Elbagir, Ivan Watson, Clarissa Ward and Arwa Damon sat down with videographer Claudia Morales and talked about the stories, issues and people they had covered. See their conversations in a series of videos and catch up on the key stories of our time. Here, Russia. Also in the series: ISIS; the refugee crisis Last winter the war in eastern Ukraine raged. Then, after Russian-backed forces captured a key railway junction, the fighting went into abeyance, held together by a Western-backed ceasefire. Now, the focus of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy is Syria. As ISIS continued its rise in Syria and Iraq, and demonstrated a growing ability to inspire or even orchestrate attacks in Europe and North Africa, so Putin spotted an opportunity. In one move, he could make a serious military commitment to a long-standing Russian ally and expose the dithering of the West and its concomitant fear of another disastrous military endeavor abroad. Russian airstrikes appear to have led to gains on the ground for Syrian government forces. On the diplomatic front, Western powers have been edging away from their previous hardline position on Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. Now some in the West say they can envisage some sort of transitional role for Assad in a post-conflict Syria. Even those events that could have caused a wobble have been turned to Russia’s advantage. When Turkey shot down a Russian bomber it was an awkward moment. Moscow and Ankara have been close, with trade, investment and tourism all serving to cement strong ties. But the strike offered Putin the chance to pursue one of his overarching foreign policy goals: the weakening of NATO. If Turkey had failed to follow alliance protocol in the course of its military action, Putin seemed to suggest, then the Western alliance was hardly fit for purpose. Another sign of American weakness. Putin knows he can’t crush the West over Ukraine or over Syria. But he doesn’t want to; what the Kremlin wants abroad is weakness and division. A divided Ukraine will go nowhere fast; it certainly won’t be joining NATO or the EU anytime soon. A weak America poses less of a threat in itself and less of an ideal for other countries to rally round. The challenge for the year ahead is whether Putin can reach an accommodation with the West over Syria so all the world’s main powers are pulling in the same direction, without Russia feeling like it is a docile follower rather than a muscular leader.


Editor’s Note: Keir Giles is a senior consulting fellow with the Russia and Eurasia Program at Chatham House. He is also a director of the Conflict Studies Research Centre, which comprises subject matter experts in Eurasian security. The opinions in the article belong to the author. Throwing insults and bizarre accusations has become a normal way for Russia to respond when its own appalling behavior comes to light. Using official channels and its troll armies to send out a flood of nonsense, counteraccusations, threats and bluster, Russia hopes that by making it difficult to have a serious conversation about real-world events, it can avoid answering serious questions about its actions. In the case of the continuing confrontation over the Russian state’s apparent role in the attempted murder of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, Russia is also consistently attempting humor, especially in social media feeds from Russian embassies around the world. Related article Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal 'no longer critical' after poisoning News conferences by Russian ambassadors in the United Kingdom, Australia and elsewhere that push the boundaries of the ludicrous may also be misguided attempts at laughing off Russia’s culpability. This seems to be an additional way Russia is now hoping to distract world attention from the only plausible explanation for what happened in Salisbury – and in particular from the implications of this for other countries not directly involved. Russia seriously miscalculated the likely response to the attack in Britain from the international community. Instead of Britain being isolated, other countries have realized that if Russia can do this in the UK, it can do it elsewhere. That means everyone is at risk. So, Russia is trying everything it can to attempt to divert, distract, confuse and bewilder its audiences around the world. This also lies behind the bizarre and random nature of some of the digressions in Russian officials’ speeches, like the Russian ambassador to the United Nation’s references to Alice in Wonderland – though no doubt he had some choice words for his speechwriter when this set up the UK’s ambassador for the perfect putdown: that he, like the White Queen, is proud to go on “believing six impossible things before breakfast.” The insults, the attempts at humor and the ever more outlandish suggestions that anybody but Russia is to blame are all tactics for keeping audiences off balance and distracting from the fact that Russia has no real arguments to counter Britain and the Western world pointing the finger at Moscow. Sometimes, tactics like this can be successful, even just by sowing confusion and causing delay; Russian suggestions can be so extraordinary and nonsensical that a pause is needed to absorb them and come to terms with the fact that these warped perceptions of reality are being presented in what should be a serious discussion between adults. But real success for Russia comes at the moment when the listener suspends disbelief sufficiently to start to consider whether all they know to be real is in fact a lie – and that Russia might have a point. Russia’s suggestions that the British government might have carried out the attack in its own city make a classic case study. Related article Sergei Skripal's cat and guinea pigs are dead, UK says Trying to murder residents of your own country to make a political point is a nasty habit that Britain grew out of several hundred years ago. So, the idea that the UK might be to blame for an attack of this kind is one that could only come from Russia, where murder in the interests of the state or its ruling elite still lies comfortably in the mainstream of political practice. Nevertheless, the fact that this suggestion is now repeated not only by Russian trolls (and ambassadors and ministers) but also by real UK citizens represents a significant achievement for Russian disinformation. The answer, as always, is to take Russian bluster for what it is: a desperate attempt to shift the blame once the realization has set in, as it did in the case of MH17, that Russia has made a serious mistake and earned not just the disapproval but the disgust of the civilized world. Russia will continue to throw up wild accusations, nonsensical conspiracy theories, insults, threats and attempts at tasteless humor. But for most intelligent adults in the rest of the world, a swift reality check will be all that is needed to press the mental mute button on Moscow.


Editor’s Note: CNN conditions expert Dr. Otis Brawley is the chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society and a practicing oncologist. He is also the author of the book “How We Do Harm: A Doctor Breaks Ranks About Being Sick in America.” There are conflicting messages regarding the benefit of mammograms Studies examining the issue have faced challenges The consensus is that mammograms are beneficial for women 40 to 75 Women should be aware of the limitations of mammography The subject of breast cancer screening is often in the news as ongoing clinical studies publish updates and experts debate the merits of the findings. Breast cancer is an emotional issue because it kills thousands of women per year. Many are in the prime of their lives. There seems to be conflicting messages regarding screening, so I can understand how it can be confusing to the layman. I have been a cancer screening expert for more than two decades, and the headlines are often confusing to me. Perhaps I can bring some clarity to the issue. Mammography (breast X-ray) was developed in the 1950s. The concept of using it to search for early cancer came about soon thereafter. Does breast screening save lives? Simply finding cancer is not proof of a test’s benefit. One must find the cancer, provide treatment and demonstrate that patients who would have died do not. Several screening tests for other cancers have been found not just useless but also harmful because the nature of the cancer was that early detection and treatment did not save lives. Long-term study questions benefits of mammogram screening The best way to determine whether a breast screening test is beneficial is through a prospective randomized study in which women are enrolled and randomly assigned to be screened or not, then followed over time. The goal is to determine that there are less breast cancer deaths in the heavily screened group. Related video Study: Mammograms do not save lives Related video Mammograms: When should women start? Related video Mammograms save lives A number of these clinical trials have and are being conducted in North America and Europe. The earliest began in 1963. The last began in Europe and Canada in the 1980s. Unfortunately, no study is perfect; each has flaws. These studies are huge and follow women for decades. The smallest enrolled 45,000 women and the largest more than 160,000. The studies are logistical challenges; some have even reported different numbers of women enrolled in different publications. The studies ask different questions. Most studied women 50 and older. Only two were designed to look at women 40 to 49.  Some asked whether mammography is better than no screening. Some studied whether screening with mammography and clinical breast examination is better than clinical breast examination. HealthMakers: Otis Brawley: Who should have a mammogram? When looking at these trials in 2014, there are challenges common to every study: • First, some women in the “do not screen” group began getting screened as initial reports of some studies showed a benefit to screening. The studies began assessing the long-term outcomes of groups of women who had been intensively screened over the years versus groups lightly screened over the past decades. • The quality of the mammography equipment has improved such that all the studies available used what is now obsolete imaging equipment. • Treatment of breast cancer has improved. Early detection may be less important today than two decades ago. These are the studies we have to make decisions from. It is unethical to start new studies because the consensus is that screening has some benefit; we cannot randomize women to the nonscreening arm of a new trial. Study questions benefit of yearly mammograms It is up to the screening expert to look at each of these studies and handicap them. The expert has to take into account the strengths and weaknesses of each and try to distill the truth. No one finding and certainly no one update on a single trial should change a recommendation. It is true some of the trials have failed to show a benefit to mammography when compared with a population getting clinical breast examination. Some of the studies show a benefit with mammography screening decreasing risk of death by 15%. Others say it’s 35%. Mammograms should be used with caution There are huge inconsistencies even in the studies showing benefit. The predominance of medical opinion is there is some lifesaving benefit to screening women 40 to 75. Screening messages are complicated, and we in medicine often are not good at explaining them. A number of medical organizations regularly put together groups of experts to review breast cancer screening data objectively and make recommendations about screening. Most review all the trials every five to seven years. The following organizations suggest that average-risk women begin yearly screening with high-quality mammography and clinical breast examination at 40, with screening continuing until the woman is no longer in good health. The year of recommendation is noted in parentheses: • American Cancer Society (2003) • American Medical Association (2002) • National Comprehensive Cancer Network (2009) • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2010) • American College of Radiology (2012) • American Society of Breast Surgeons (2011) The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2009) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (2012) recommend women 40 to 49 make an individual decision about screening with their doctors. Those concerned about breast cancer should get screening every one to two years while in their 40s. These two organizations recommend screening every two years from 50 to 74. Professors: Komen overstating benefits of mammograms Most of these organizations have statements that women should be informed of the limitations of mammography, including: • Screening is a better test for women in their 50s and 60s versus women in their 40s. • Screening will have some false alarms. Some women will be told they have a finding that requires further testing. Most of these women will ultimately not have cancer. • Screening will miss some important cancers we wish it would find. • Screening will find some cancers that do not need treatment and cause some women to get unnecessary treatment. • There is a small long-term risk of radiation-induced breast cancer. I am concerned that we in American medicine have led many to believe breast screening is better than it is. That is not to say it should not be used – it should be used with caution. Women should be informed of the benefits and limitations of mammography and clinical breast examination, and we need to work hard to find a better test. Opinion: Mammographers, Canada cancer study is legit


This week in Trumpworld was more focused on the things that didn’t happen – as opposed to ones that did. The highly-anticipated Donald Trump-Kim Jong Un summit, for one. On Thursday morning, the President announced – via a weirdly wistful letter – that he regretted to inform the North Korean dictator that the June 12 gathering in Singapore was off. That came just a day after North Korea sent the hottest of hot takes – threatening nuclear war and calling Vice President Mike Pence a “political dummy.” And a day before Trump said the meeting might take place as planned – or maybe not! The summit wasn’t the only thing that made news by not happening. There was also Trump’s insistence – via Twitter, natch – that the FBI had planted a spy in his 2016 campaign for wholly political reasons. Turns out that’s not the case, at least according to every intelligence source in a position to know. Which doesn’t mean Trump will stop saying it. What a week. Below, the big headlines of the week – the 70th of Donald Trump’s presidency. Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: You can read the full Point newsletter here; or check out more Point stories here.


Administration officials have been instructed to move forward with plans to convene a historic summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, according to two people familiar with the plans. The decision is ultimately up to Trump, who said on Wednesday he would announce the time and location in three days. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump ruled out the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that divides North and South Korea as a potential location for the talks with Kim. Singapore and the DMZ are the only two places Trump has floated in public as potential venues for the meeting. Related article Trump rules out DMZ as location for North Korea summit The Southeast Asian city-state has been the preferred location among US officials, who saw its neutrality as an advantage over locations closer to Pyongyang. The White House declined to comment on the summit’s location. Speaking during a briefing Wednesday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders affirmed that a date and site had been determined. “I can tell you that a date and location are set but beyond that, I don’t have any other announcements at this point,” Sanders said. “But we expect that to be announced here in the next few days.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been in Pyongyang to discuss details of the upcoming summit. Pompeo met personally with Kim, during which time the two spoke about summit plans and other issues. Kim also agreed to release three Americans held by North Korea. The meeting would be the first ever between a sitting US President and a North Korean leader. Singapore has long been seen as a gateway between Asia and the West, and today remains a close ally to Washington and also hosts a US military presence. It’s also one of just 47 countries to host a North Korean embassy. However, Singapore may lack some of the symbolism and photogenic advantages of the DMZ, which were on full display during last month’s summit between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Trump administration officials at the time said the President was impressed by the historic images that came from that meeting. Shortly after the Moon-Kim encounter, Trump mused about holding the summit at the DMZ. Even as Trump on Wednesday sought to heighten expectations for his summit, he acknowledged that the plans could fall apart. “Everything can be scuttled. Everything can be scuttled,” he said. “A lot of good things can happen, a lot of bad things can happen. I believe that we have – both sides want to negotiate a deal. I think it’s going to be a very successful deal.” But, he repeated, “lots of things can happen. And, of course, you’ll be the first to know about it if it fails.” CNN’s Joshua Berlinger and Ben Westcott contributed to this report


Editor’s Note: Now you can get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here. Where to start, where to start. There’s so much to talk about from the Clinton-Trump showdown to get you   Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. Donald Trump has thumbed his nose at pretty much every known political tradition during this wacky campaign, so should we really be surprised that he refused to say whether he’ll accept the election results if he loses? Republicans were horrified. CNN analyst Van Jones said, “You can’t polish this turd.” And Trump’s campaign manager, pressed for an answer, ran away. Debate watchers in a CNN/ORC poll handed the victory to Clinton: 52% to Trump’s 39%. (Note: This is a real poll, not a bogus online one.) More bad news for Team Trump: The latest electoral map shows him in his weakest political position of the entire campaign. Fox News’ Chris Wallace earned major props as moderator. He focused on substantive issues and kept the candidates in line “like a veteran teacher monitoring detention hall,” Stephen King tweeted. (Yeah, that Stephen King.) Trump and Clinton seemed to like his work too. At least they shook his hand. Sexual assault accusations against Trump debunked? False. Clinton’s tax plan not adding a penny to the federal debt? False. Trump encouraging the Russians to hack the US? True. Clinton’s stat about 33,000 gun deaths annually? Misleading. Here’s a full list of last night’s whoppers. Warning: It’ll take you a good 20 minutes to get through them all. Here are the 5 takeaways from the Trump-Clinton tangle. Here are the one-liners they dropped. And how #badhombres became a thing. Here’s the debate in 90 seconds … and in gifs. And here’s Trump Jr. saying the presidency is a “step down” for dad. People are talking about these. Read up. Join in. Air raid Turkey killed 200 Kurdish militants during airstrikes near Aleppo. Shouldn’t Turkey be fighting ISIS? It is. But it’s also going after Kurds. Here’s why. Judging the judge A Montana judge is catching heat after he sentenced a man who repeatedly raped his 12-year-old daughter to just 60 days in jail. Lost in space The European Space Agency wishes Schiaparelli would phone home. The spacecraft hasn’t been heard from since it tried to land on Mars. Failure to launch North Korea appears to have failed again while trying to launch a missile this morning. That’s two failures in a week. Top of the world For the first time in almost 20 years, the Cleveland Indians are headed to the World Series. They beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0 to win the ALCS. Birds in the sky, you know how I feel Daniel the duck is an emotional therapy animal and often flies with his owner. Of course, he gets the window seat.