NEW: Freed captive: "The kids are learning what it's like to be in a real home" Canadian man and his US wife return with their children after their 5-year captivity A Canadian man who was freed along with his family after five years in militant captivity in Afghanistan said his captors authorized the killing of one of his children and raped his wife. “The stupidity and the evil of the Haqqani network’s kidnapping of a pilgrim and his heavily pregnant wife engaged in helping ordinary villagers in Taliban-controlled regions of Afghanistan was eclipsed only by the stupidity and evil of authorizing the murder of my infant daughter, Martyr Boyle,” Joshua Boyle told reporters upon his arrival Friday night at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. He said his goal now is to build “a secure sanctuary for our three surviving children to call a home … and try to regain some portion of the childhood that they have lost.” His captors’ actions were in retaliation for his “repeated refusal to accept an offer” from them, he said, without providing details on what the offer was. Boyle, his American wife, Caitlan Coleman, and their three children were freed Thursday in a mission that Pakistani forces carried out based on intelligence from US authorities. CNN affiliate CTV reported that Boyle and his family were expected to return to his hometown of Smiths Falls, Ontario, with his parents. Boyle told CNN’s Paula Newton he and his family are doing as well as can be expected. “The kids are learning what it’s like to be in a real home,” he said. “It’s funny – they’ve flushed the toilet like 200 times but haven’t really been playing with toys.” “We join the Boyle family in rejoicing over the long-awaited return to Canada of their loved ones,” the Canadian government said Friday. “Canada has been actively engaged on Mr. Boyle’s case at all levels, and we will continue to support him and his family now that they have returned.” Canada welcomes arrival of Joshua Boyle and family: https://t.co/tnpEsTudUa The couple was held for five years by the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network in Afghanistan after their kidnapping in 2012. Coleman was pregnant at the time of their kidnapping, and all their children were born while they were in captivity. Boyle did not say whether the militants killed a child, only that his captors were responsible for “authorizing the murder” of his infant daughter. Sources close to the family said Boyle alluded to at least one forced abortion while in captivity. Boyle said his wife was raped by a guard who was assisted by his superiors, and he asked Afghan authorities to bring them to justice. Boyle’s father, Patrick, said his son told him in a phone call after his release that the abuse his wife suffered during captivity was far worse than alluded to in “proof of life” videos the militants previously released of the family. “I certainly do not intend to allow a brutal and sacrilegious gang of criminal miscreants to dictate the future direction of my family, nor to weaken my family’s commitment to do the right thing, no matter the cost,” Boyle said. The Canadian said he had been in Afghanistan “helping the most neglected minority group in the world, those ordinary villagers that live deep inside Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, where no NGO, no aid worker and no government has ever successfully been able to bring the necessary help.” A senior official had said Boyle refused to board an American military plane on Thursday over concerns he could face arrest. Boyle said his family had been delayed due to a medical emergency surrounding one of his children. “I assure you, I have never refused to board any mode of transportation that would bring me closer to home, closer to Canada and back with my family,” he said. Boyle was previously married to the sister of Omar Khadr, a Canadian imprisoned for 10 years at the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after fighting US troops in Afghanistan. The US official said there were some questions surrounding Boyle’s past, but the Department of Justice said he did not face arrest. “Coleman and Boyle are not charged with any federal crime and, as such, we do not seek their arrest,” spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle said. Before the family’s arrival in Canada, Patrick Boyle told CNN his son had described the rescue mission during a phone call. “The five of them (were) in the back of a car being transferred and a car being stopped, surrounded by, Josh described, 35 Pakistani army officials,” Patrick Boyle said. “A firefight (breaks) out, that all five captors had been killed by the Pakistani army, and all five of our Boyles are safe and OK. Josh said he was hit with some shrapnel, and our governments have confirmed that he was damaged in the leg. That’s all we know right now about that.” Patrick Boyle said the sudden turn of events was nothing short of miraculous. “Cait, in her last video, said if all five of them make it out, it’s going to be a miracle,” he said. “And we’re living a miracle.” Boyle told CNN he cooperated with the Pakistani military in making a video not long after his family’s rescue. The video, released Saturday, probably was made to improve morale, he said. “You could say that it was partially scripted but I was fine with doing it,” he said. CNN’s Paula Newton, Artemis Moshtaghian, Eli Watkins, Ryan Browne, Barbara Starr, Laura Jarrett, Joe Sterling and Journalist Adeel Raja contributed to this report.


It was an awkward end to an historic day. We were back on our Soviet style soft sleeper carriage on the way back from the destruction of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, when the call came through from CNN that US President Donald Trump had called off the planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The North Koreans on the train learned the news from us. They were shocked and crestfallen. In their eyes, Pyongyang had just gone through with a major show of good faith in destroying its primary nuclear site, only to have Washington cancel a summit North Korea has been hoping to hold for decades. A post shared by Will Ripley (@willripleycnn) Even after we first arrived in Wonsan on Tuesday, it seemed like trip to Punggye-ri still might not happen, with Pyongyang and Washington trading angry barbs, and rumblings the Singapore summit could be called off. Things started looking brighter however: a number of South Korean journalists initially denied permission to enter the country received their visas at the last minute and flew from Beijing to join us at the luxurious marbled hotel we’d been put up in. Finally, late into Wednesday afternoon, we were told to prepare to leave, and soon we boarded a bus to the train station. A 10-carriage train had been specially arranged for the trip. Two sleeper carriages for the journalists and minders and a restaurant car were all that we were allowed to explore. It was unclear whether anyone else was in the remaining carriages. The sleeping carriages were old fashioned but cosy and clean, but there was one detail that seemed strange: although it was still bright afternoon, all the blinds in the corridors and compartments were closed. When we naturally opened them, we were told to shut them again: there was to be no filming – or looking out of the window – for the roughly 12-hour trip. A post shared by Will Ripley (@willripleycnn) Of all the hundreds of journalists that had asked to be on this trip, North Korea accepted only a small group, a little over two dozen in total, representing two media outlets each from the US, Russia, China, the UK and South Korea. Not a single print or radio journalist among them – for Pyongyang, this was about images above all else. After a sumptuous, 10-course dinner in a luxury dining car, we retired to our sleeping compartments. At some point in the night, the train stopped for several hours and guards walked along the corridors. Finally, early on Thursday morning, the blinds were lifted so we could see, and film, the countryside we were passing through. Soon enough however, we were ordered to stop filming again as we reached the train station and boarded buses to the nuclear site itself. During a 90-minute drive along a rough dirt road into the mountains, we passed several small villages. These were obviously occupied, because the fields had been recently cultivated and the buildings were in good repair, but not a soul was in sight. There were no animals, no children, not even a bicycle propped against a wall, and in every house we could see from the road, the curtains were drawn. The only people we saw on the entire drive to the nuclear site were soldiers manning the few checkpoints we passed through. Punggye-ri itself looked bizarrely like a holiday camp, with large log cabins scattered around a clearing in the woods. We were told strictly not to try and go inside any of the buildings, because they were all rigged with explosives. After a briefing from the Deputy Director of North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons Institute in front of a giant map of the nuclear site, we were able to inspect the testing tunnels themselves. The oldest tunnel on the site had already been collapsed some years earlier, but three tunnels were intact, and the North Korean officials accompanying us said two of the tunnels had never been used, and could have easily conducted future nuclear tests. This was difficult to judge – no experts or inspectors had been allowed on the trip despite initial suggestions they would be, only journalists – but the tunnels appeared to be in good order, timbered inside like an old Wild West gold mine. Also inside, stretching as far as the eye could see, were bundles of wires and detonation charges to prepare for the tunnels’ imminent destruction. Finally, the time had come, and we donned bright yellow safety helmets and, tailed by medics in case one of us sprained an ankle or was hit by debris, we trooped up to an observation deck to watch the first tunnel’s detonation. With a colossal bang and a burst of earth, smoke and dust, tunnel #2 exploded outwards in a cloud of rubble. The earth under our feet shook as the buildings next to the tunnel were also detonated. Once the smoke had cleared, we were taken to inspect the aftermath. All that remained of the buildings was splintered wood, we could see that there had been no equipment of any kind in the huts, anything that was previously there had been removed. After an al fresco lunch of ham and cucumber sandwiches in the shade of camouflage netting, during which we were again warned to stay away from the buildings either side because they too were rigged with explosives, we headed up the hill again to another observation point to watch the destruction of tunnels #3 and #4. Finally, the Deputy Director read us another prepared statement, informing us that the exercise was a success and the facilities had been completely destroyed. Some North Koreans around us did not look exactly pleased. For many of them, they were witnessing the destruction of decades of work. Others were happier however, sure that this was a step in a positive direction, an historic moment that would soon be overshadowed by the meeting between Kim and Trump, the first ever between a North Korean leader and sitting US President. Those good feelings were quickly dashed by Trump’s letter to Kim, in which he expressed a willingness to meet in future, but said the planned Singapore summit would be “inappropriate, at this time.” Despite fears a collapse in talks could see a return to “fire and fury,” North Korea seems willing to press on with diplomacy. In a response to Trump published early Friday, a top official said “we are willing to sit face to face at any time and in any way.” “I would like to conclude that President Trump’s statement on the North Korea-US summit is a decision that is not in line with the wishes of the who hope for the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula as well as the world,” he said. CNN’s Paul Devitt contributed reporting. Edited by James Griffiths.


On November 2, in a radio interview, President Donald Trump said this: “The saddest thing is that because I’m the President of the United States, I am not supposed to be involved with the Justice Department. I am not supposed to be involved with the FBI.” The following morning – beginning at 6:57 a.m. – he began a tweetstorm on the same topic. “Everybody is asking why the Justice Department (and FBI) isn’t looking into all of the dishonesty going on with Crooked Hillary & the Dems,” he wrote. He followed that tweet up with five more, including this one: “People are angry.  At some point the Justice Department, and the FBI, must do what is right and proper. The American public deserves it!” Then he left for a 12-day trip to Asia – a trip he returns from Wednesday. On the eve of that return came news out of the Justice Department that Attorney General Jeff Sessions is considering the possibility of appointing a special counsel to look into allegations of wrongdoing regarding the 2010 sale of a uranium company to Russia – which Hillary Clinton’s State Department approved. It’s a big day on Capitol Hill: Follow Sessions’ hearing live In a letter sent to House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican, assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd confirmed that Sessions had directed prosecutors to examine whether “any matters not currently under investigation should be opened, whether any matters currently under investigation require further resources, or whether any merit the appointment of a special counsel.” Here’s the thing: This could all just be a big coincidence. Sessions might well have decided to look into the possibility of a special counsel for the Uranium One sale prior to Trump’s tweets and public frustration with the Justice Department’s refusal to look at the “real” issues from the 2016 campaign. And, word of the consideration of a special counsel might have coincidentally leaked on the day before Trump is set to return to Washington. But, it’s odd – to say the least – that Sessions decided that now was the time to look into the Clinton allegations. After all, Goodlatte had written two letters to the Justice Department – one on July 27, the other on September 26 – asking for the appointment of a special counsel to examine the uranium deal and other “matters that appear to be outside the scope of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.” The obvious answer for the question of “why now” is that Trump – through Twitter and his public statements – sufficiently ramped up the pressure on Sessions to start doing what he wants done. Context matters here. Sessions has been fighting for his job since the day – way back in early March – that he recused himself from the FBI’s investigation into Russia’s attempted interference in the 2016 campaign and any potential collusion with the Trump campaign. That decision ultimately led to the appointment by deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein of Mueller as special counsel overseeing the investigation. Trump has made very clear that he is angry at Sessions over the recusal decision – and lays much of the blame for the ongoing Russia investigation directly at the attorney general’s feet. He told The New York Times that had Sessions informed him of his planned recusal,Trump would have picked someone else as his attorney general. Trump has referred to Sessions as “beleaguered” on Twitter. In short, the President has gone way out of his way to make clear to Sessions that he’s doing a bad job. And to suggest (and suggest again) that Sessions and the Department of Justice should spend a lot more time looking into allegations about the Obama administration uranium deal and Clinton’s private email server. Which is what Sessions is now at least thinking about doing. But, wait, you say. Trump is Sessions’ boss! Why can’t he tell him what to do?! Because the Justice Department is – and long has been – seen as an independent operator within the government. And, for good reason. The job of DOJ is to investigate and prosecute crimes and potential crimes without fear or favor. Even the appearance of White House involvement in how Justice does its job is seen as a major breach of protocol. (This LA Times explainer on why the Justice Department’s independence matters so much is worth reading.) The timing of Sessions’ decision has to raise questions about Justice’s vaunted independence from the executive branch. Of course, no special counsel has been appointed. Yet. But, if Sessions does decide to go that route, he’ll take a huge amount of flack from inside and outside the department for it.


Using bacteria that keep Zika from replicating inside the mosquito is one approach Sterilizing males with gamma radiation and releasing them in the millions is another GMO mosquitoes with lethal genes that kill their young could soon be used in Florida Imagine a hairy, bug-eyed monster that hides under your bed, in your closet and in your shower, waiting for just the right moment to attack. Her belly grows, glowing bright red, as she sucks your blood to create her babies – which she produces by the thousands – leaving a virus to grow inside of you that could harm your babies if you are pregnant. No, this is not a B-rated horror movie. It’s a Hollywood-style description of one of the craftiest little creatures on the planet, the female Aedes aegypti mosquito. (All male mosquitoes are exonerated because they don’t bite.) Over the centuries, she has adapted to live as close as she can to her favorite prey – us – and can breed in receptacles as small as flower vases and shower drains. Forgotten tires and discarded plastics? Even better. In other words, she’s perfect for spreading disease in any bustling, overpopulated, tropical city or slum. While the aegypti transmits the viruses that cause yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya and now Zika, her sister species, the Culex quinquefasciatus, carries West Nile and encephalitis. Another 40 species of mosquitoes, in the genus Anopheles, spread the malaria parasite. The Anopheles is such an efficient bloodsucker that a single female can infect more than 100 people. Together, these ladies have killed and maimed more humans than any other animal on earth, even mankind with all of its wars. Related article The mosquitoes that changed history If this was a traditional Hollywood horror flick, there would be a happy ending: All the monsters would be exterminated. But history shows man has tried that again and again with these mosquitoes, often using dangerous pesticides. And like every great villain, they always return. “And of course in today’s world, you and I, along with any mosquito or virus, can hop a plane and get anywhere within less than 24 hours,” said Uriel Kitron, chairman of Emory University’s Department of Environmental Studies. “I always say the mosquito is not a great flier, but it’s a wonderful hitchhiker. So it’s very easy to reintroduce.” Which is why a growing number of scientists are touting the need for a “mutant mosquito,” a helpful Frankenstein designed to win the fight against these deadly females. Remember the movie “Alien,” where the creature grows in the crewman’s belly until it finally rips through his stomach to the outside world? Now imagine a kinder, gentler creature living inside the cells of up to 60% of the insects around us. This creature, a genus of bacteria called Wolbachia, manages to live off its hosts and transform them, but doesn’t have to kill them to survive. A nonprofit group out of Australia discovered this helpful alien stops the growth of viruses inside the Aedes aegypti, keeping her from transmitting disease. Read more about this method of stopping Zika. The International Atomic Energy Agency recently announced a plan to help Brazil and other countries hard hit by Zika produce sterile “gamma-irradiated” Aedes aegypti mosquitoes for mass release in those countries. Within the next few months, the agency says it will send a cobalt-60 gamma cell irradiator to Brazil in order to create billions of sterilized male mosquitoes that researchers hope will mate with wild females to keep them from reproducing. But unlike their famous gamma-radiated movie cousin, the Hulk, these guys may not have the strength or stamina to do their jobs. Read more about this method of stopping Zika. Meet OX513A, a male Aedes aegypti mosquito genetically engineered to pass along a lethal gene to wild females that makes her offspring die. He’s the product of Oxitec, a small biotechnology company launched by Oxford University professors in 2002, now owned by biotech giant Intrexon. This male is created by injecting very small amounts of synthetically made DNA into thousands of mosquito eggs until finally one of the eggs accepts the DNA into its genome, creating two genes. One gene, based on DNA from coral, is used to implant a fluorescent red marker in OX513A so researchers can more easily find and track him. The other gene, artificially modeled after E. coli and the herpes simplex virus, is lethal because it creates a protein called tTAV which interferes with a cell’s activity, killing the infected mosquito before it can reach adulthood. Read more about this method of stopping Zika. Gene drives are considered the cutting edge of genetics. In labs around the world, enterprising researchers are using new tools such as CRISPR’s Cas9 to splice a helpful gene into a mosquito’s bloodline, “driving” it into the entire population, at a much higher rate than the standard genetics you learned in school. “It’s forcing those genes into the population,” explained molecular biologist Omar S. Akbari. “Instead of a gene being transferred to 50% of the offspring, now it can transfer to 99%, maybe even 100% of their progeny.” Before you can “drive” a beneficial gene into a population, you have to create it. That’s where genetic engineers can get really clever. Take what University of California-Irvine microbiologist  Anthony James and his team did to create a drive against one strain of malaria. “Frankenstein’s not a fair comparison,” explains James, “because Frankenstein was made of all human parts. We’re making what’s called a Chimera, an animal that is made from parts of several creatures.” Read more about this method of stopping Zika. From Wolbachia to radiated males, from OX513A to gene drives, all of these solutions have significant issues, say critics: expense, proof of disease reduction, environmental impact studies, community support, and especially the need for mosquito control during any outbreak. After all, officials aren’t going to let Zika-carrying mosquitoes continue to spread disease while we wait for a takeover by mutants. “If you’re releasing mosquitoes for doing control and on top of that you have to do mosquito spraying, then in a way you’re killing your investment,” said Emory University ecologist Gonzalo Vazquez Prokopec. “You’re releasing mosquitoes that cost money but at the same time you cannot stop helping people. So how this integration of genetically modified mosquitoes works in the context of ongoing control activity, I think it’s still an open question.” Oxitec CEO Hadyn Parry disagrees. What’s needed, he says, is coordination with local authorities. “It’s a very sensible, logical strategy to go into a town, carry out an insecticide-based campaign and then use our approach,” explained Parry. “The only thing you can’t do in the same street at the same time is release our mosquitoes with fogging. Because our guys are completely susceptible and they’d all fall down dead. Whereas ironically, the wild ones have quite high levels of insecticide resistance.” “The key is to mobilize the community,” agreed Emory’s Kitron. “The challenge is that often the community is not into it, or they do not like some of the measures that were applied, or they did not feel that the disease was that important. Zika is different because the potential complication is so severe that I think that on its own will be a major mobilizing force for the community.” But, he adds, it’s too soon to determine if the mutant mosquito can truly win the war against man’s deadliest enemy. “I think that the jury is still out on all of these techniques,” said Kitron. “I think they will play a role, and I think they will add to the many tools that we already have. But none of them, I don’t think, will be a silver bullet.”


Korean War ended with an armistice agreement on July 27, 1953 Both sides are still technically at war, North Korea claims that it won As both Seoul and Pyongyang mark the end of the Korean War 63 years ago Wednesday, a new movie depicts one of the most remarkable operations of the three year conflict. Both sides still disagree on who won, more than six decades after they signed an armistice agreement ending hostilities, and as no peace treaty exists they are still technically at war. As North Korea marks “Victory Day,” South Koreans will be able to watch “Operation Chromite,” the story of a scheme given 5000-to-one odds before it succeeded and changed the course of the war. On September 15, 1950, 75,000 United Nations troops landed behind enemy lines at the narrow South Korean port of Inchon, pushing North Korean soldiers back to the Chinese border. The operation was the brainchild of U.S. five star general Douglas MacArthur, who is played by Hollywood actor Liam Neeson in the South Korean production. “He was a formidable soldier, incredibly brave and yet (with a) huge ego,” Neeson tells CNN of his character. “People loved him or hated him.” Related video How was North Korea able to hack Sony? The Oscar-winner admitted he had some reservations about North Korea’s possible reaction to the film, given its furious response after “The Interview” premiered in 2014. Washington said the movie, which tells the story of a fictional CIA plot to assassinate leader Kim Jong Un, was the motivation behind a giant North Korean hack attack against Sony Pictures. Pyongyang denies that it was behind the hack. “It’s a horrifying situation,” Neeson said of North Korea. “I think in light of recent events, very recent events, we are all – not just as filmmakers but as citizens on this planet – we are all very concerned.” “Operation Chromite” releases in the U.S. on August 12.


The vote, which was 285-281, has no legal force Snowden calls it a "game-changer" He's wanted in the United States on three felony counts, including violations of the U.S. Espionage Act The European Parliament voted Thursday in support of a resolution that calls on member states to protect Edward Snowden from extradition. The vote, which has no legal force, was 285-281. The resolution urges nations to drop criminal charges and “consequently prevent extradition or rendition by third parties, in recognition of his status as whistle-blower and international human rights defender.” Snowden, a former contractor at the U.S. National Security Agency, leaked documents about top secret mass surveillance programs. He fled the United States in 2013 and spent more than a month living in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport before being granted asylum. On Twitter, Snowden called Thursday’s vote a “game-changer.” “This is not a blow against the US Government, but an open hand extended by friends. It is a chance to move forward,” he wrote. This is not a blow against the US Government, but an open hand extended by friends. It is a chance to move forward. pic.twitter.com/fBs5H32wyD The Justice Department has said Snowden would face criminal prosecution if he returns to the United States. He’s been charged with three felony counts, including violations of the U.S. Espionage Act. Snowden told the BBC this month that he has offered “many times” to go to prison in the United States as part of a deal to return from exile in Russia, but is still waiting for an answer from the American government. In response to Thursday’s vote, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. policy on Snowden has not changed. “He needs to come back to the United States and face the due process and the judicial process here in the United States. That’s been our position from the beginning. It’s our belief that the man put U.S. national security in great danger and he needs to be held account to that,” Kirby said. CNN’s Jethro Mullen contributed to this report.

European Parliament resolution to protect Edward Snowden from extradition


Alessandro Rampazzo documented a mother's devotion to her disabled daughter He photographed other families as well for his ongoing project, "When we are gone" A single photo assignment for a newspaper in his hometown of Padova, Italy, opened photographer Alessandro Rampazzo’s eyes to the story of a mother’s devotion to her disabled daughter. Maria and her husband, Antonio, were deeply in love. She called him Toni as an endearment. They tried to live their dreams in Switzerland, but when it didn’t work out, they returned to their home country of Italy and started their family together. But things didn’t go according to plan. Antonio grew ill and died a few months after their daughter, Tonina, was born during the 1960s. Maria was left to take care of three daughters by herself. And by age 3, Tonina was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. In January 2015, Tonina wrote a letter to the newspaper when the public transportation she used to reach a recreational center in the city suddenly stopped. It was where she could do activities with other people who also had muscular dystrophy. The bus had been equipped to carry wheelchairs. And then, Tonina ran out of options. Rampazzo took a photograph for the paper and then asked if he could continue to tell the story of Tonina and Maria through images. Only about a month before, he had read about the fact there was no law concerning the destiny of people who weren’t able to take care of themselves when their families were no longer able to do so. “Discovering this reality for me was shocking and I decided I had to give a voice to these people, to their stories, to hopefully generate more awareness and understanding of the situation,” Rampazzo said. “Despite the difficulties of being a mother and widow in the ’60s, in Italy, Maria was able to raise her daughters and still take care of Tonina for all her life, alone, with her own energy and strength. All these things together move my heart every time I think about it.” He was soon met with the reality of the challenges that fill their daily lives. There are cranes in the bathroom and the bedroom that Maria uses to help Tonina, because she lacks muscle strength to do things on her own. Tonina can’t eat quickly, so Maria makes sure that a double-bottomed dish with hot water keeps the food warm. Cold food poses a risk to Tonina because it’s more difficult to digest. Tonina also likes to read in bed, but if the book is new and stiff, she doesn’t have the strength to hold it open. Maria stretches them out for her. And every night, at least two to three times, Maria wakes up to turn Tonina from one side to the other so she doesn’t develop bedsores. See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter. Not only was Rampazzo moved by Maria’s devotion, but also Tonina’s upbeat personality. “Tonina has been dealing with her illness for all her life without giving up, without being sad,” Rampazzo said. “If you meet her, she’s always smiling and in a good mood, even if things are quite complicated for her.” They also welcomed Rampazzo into their lives. Maria even asked him what he would like for dinner during the evenings he was there. They opened their hearts to him and made him feel like family. No one had ever asked them about their experiences. “The first time I showed this story to some friends, their reaction was, ‘I had no idea that people could live like this, in 2015, in Italy.’ Images, in my opinion, have a great virtue: They are able to show exactly what happened.” He began photographing other families as well for his ongoing project, “When we are gone.” He became a photojournalist in his 20s because he wanted to use photography to give a voice to those who didn’t feel like they had one. “Spending time with Maria and Tonina, and the other families I portrayed, it really opened my eyes to a situation that involves hundreds of thousands of families in Italy,” Rampazzo said. “I learned how important is the love of a family, and what it can do.” Alessandro Rampazzo is an Italian photographer represented by Echo Photojournalism. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter.


President-elect Donald Trump and President Barack Obama have been in regular communication, a top Trump aide said Sunday. Asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about who Trump was consulting on Cuba policy, senior adviser Kellyanne Conway replied: “He’s even been talking to President Obama. You know, beyond the sit-down they had 30 hours or so after President-Elect Trump won the election, they’ve been talking regularly on any number of issues. They talked just yesterday.” Conway said they spoke for about 45 minutes Saturday, but declined to say what else they talked about. Trump enjoys talking with Obama, despite their disagreements, she said. “I can tell you from President-Elect Trump’s side that he very much enjoys speaking with President Obama, talking about the serious issues that face this country and the world,” she said. “They get along nicely. They disagree on many things. That’s not going to change.” The White House has said it will not confirm every conversation with the President-elect. “Reports the two have talked after their White House meeting, I think, are not particularly surprising,” said White House spokesman Josh Earnest last week during a daily press briefing. “But in the same way that I protected the ability of President Obama to consult confidentially with other senior officials, including some former presidents, I’m not going to read out or confirm every reported meeting or phone call or conversation.” Obama has pledged to help ease Trump’s transition to the White House, despite their at-times acrimonious past. Throughout Obama’s presidency, Trump persistently sought to undermine the legitimacy of the nation’s first African-American presidency by questioning his citizenship and his Christian faith. The President has directed his own barbs at Trump, too. At the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner, with Trump in the audience, Obama mocked Trump’s birtherism, in a biting attack that crossed the line between humor and sarcasm into overt personal hostility. He also cast Trump as incompetent and unhinged on the campaign trail. CNN’s Catherine Treyz contributed to this report.

Donald Trump and Barack Obama communication


Here’s what you might have missed on CNN today: – Jared Kushner offers his first public accounting of what he says are his four meetings with Russians during the 2016 campaign and transition. He gave a rare public statement from the White House following a two hour meeting with Senate intelligence committee staffers. – After publicly criticizing Attorney General Jeff Sessions last week for recusing himself from the Russia investigation, President Trump today described Sessions as “beleaguered” in a tweet about his frustration with the Russia probe. – The parents of the terminally ill British baby have given up their legal fight to bring their son to the United States for treatment. “For Charlie, it is too late … treatment cannot offer a chance of success,” the family’s lawyer told the UK High Court. – New research suggests water could exist deep inside the moon, and it could potentially be extracted on future moon missions. – A 9-year-old South African child diagnosed with HIV has been in remission for most of his life without the help of drugs. His case is only the third known globally and could help researchers understand how to better control the virus. – A 10th person has died after being smuggled into the United States a boiling hot truck. Eight undocumented immigrants were found dead inside the truck, which was stopped at a San Antonio Walmart, early Sunday morning. Since then, two people who were hospitalized have died, officials said. The latest death came hours before the driver of the tractor trailer, James Matthew Bradley Jr., was due in court. – A car bomb in Kabul killed 29 people. The Taliban has claimed responsibility. The Islamist fundamentalist group has been ratcheting up an offensive across Afghanistan. – A police manhunt is underway after a chainsaw-wielding attacker injured five people in northern Switzerland. – Democrats unveil a new economic agenda they call “A Better Deal,” which aims to unite the party ahead of next year’s midterm elections.


Intelligence analysts expect to see North Korea's new missiles on display Foreign media has not been invited North Korea staged a highly anticipated military parade through the capital Pyongyang Thursday, a diplomatic source told CNN, an event that has so far been hidden from the rest of the world. International media was not invited to cover the parade, which was to feature “hundreds” of rockets and missiles, diplomatic sources said last month. South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that as many as 50,000 people gathered in Kim Il Sung square to watch the event, which included around 13,000 soldiers. The parade began at 10:00 a.m. Pyongyang time, a diplomatic source with deep knowledge of North Korea’s activities told CNN. It’s possible that North Korean state television will air video of the event during its afternoon broadcast. The parade was held around the same time as a welcoming ceremony for hundreds of North Koreans who are in South Korea for the 2018 Winter Olympics. For North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the parade is an opportunity to stoke patriotic fervor and to remind the world of his country’s rapid progress on its nuclear program. For South Korea, it’s a poke in the eye after efforts by President Moon Jae-in to present a united front as the two Koreas compete under the same flag. “The North Koreans tend to act out like this even during periods of quiet to demonstrate their independence and to try to convince us that their nuclear arsenal is beyond limits,” said Adam Mount, a senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists. “It’s a clear sign of defiance, and they intend it to be.” Pyongyang’s parades offer an unparalleled opportunity for intelligence analysts to get images of military equipment from one of the world’s most reclusive places. Last year, many in the open-source intelligence community that track North Korea’s weapons program were surprised by the sophisticated missiles on display. Nonproliferation experts said during Thursday’s parade it’s possible Pyongyang could show some mock-ups of their newer technology, like a new long-range, solid-fueled ballistic missile. A diplomatic source told CNN the event was expected to include of “hundreds” of missiles and rockets in an attempt “to scare the hell out of the Americans.” Based on combination of factors, including satellite imagery analysis and insights from diplomatic sources, analysts say it’s possible North Korea will attempt to show the world that it is in the process of mass-producing the technology it showed off last year, like the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). “If we were to look at last year, we saw lots of new technology. I think this year it will definitely be an opportunity for North Korea to show off the things it tested last year,” said Melissa Hanham, a senior research associate at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies’ Center for Nonproliferation Studies. RELATED: US and North Korea’s political games threaten to overshadow the Olympics However, last year’s parade was open to members of the international media, including CNN. This year Pyongyang has only invited a handful of diplomats and will control all the imagery that goes out. And North Korea has a history of doctoring pictures it releases to the world. It’s also unclear when photographs and video would actually go public. Though North Korean state television does cover some events live, Pyongyang sometimes does not confirm news of their military accomplishments – like missile tests – until a full 24 hours after the rest of the world knows. The fact that YouTube has shut down some North Korea propaganda channels may make it even harder to get pictures of the parade. “It’s going to be tougher to get images out that aren’t carefully scripted by North Korea. There’s probably a wide variety of reasons why that may be happening,” Hanham said. “Maybe they’re trying to prevent something small … or maybe they realize that they are giving away a lot of intelligence.” North Korea has been holding military parades since the early days of Kim Il Sung’s reign. The grainy images of soldiers marching in front bear undeniable similarities to those that come from North Korea today. These displays of military might aren’t a specific North Korean phenomenon. They date back to Roman times, when the city would celebrate victories of generals and their armies. As in ancient times, the parades are used to stoke patriotic fervor. They’re essentially pep rallies with weapons – the weapons have just gotten deadlier over the years. And plenty of countries still hold them. China held its own massive military display last year. So did Russia. The parades aren’t limited to more autocratic states. France holds a parade on Bastille day, which US President Donald Trump attended last year. That display has reportedly prompted the President to ask the Pentagon to plan an American military parade, something which has not been seen in years (though some argue the inaugural parade every four years has a martial feel to it.) But Thursday will be the first time North Korea has held a parade on February 8 in some time. From the 1970s until 2014, North Korea has celebrated its Army Day on April 25, the day the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army – the guerrilla forces fighting Japanese occupation – was founded in 1932. North Korean history claims that Kim Il Sung – the country’s founder and grandfather of the current leader – transformed the KPRA into the country’s armed forces on February 8, 1948, after the Korean Peninsula was divided into two countries. Analysts suspect Kim Jong Un revived the February celebration in 2015 in an attempt to “put his own stamp on things.” The country’s most important holiday, however, is the Day of the Sun, the anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s birth on April 15. That’s when last year’s massive military parade was held. CNN’s Will Ripley contributed to this report


Lizbeth Mateo seems to be a woman that’s going places. She was the first person in her family to go to college. She has a law degree, and her own firm in metro Los Angeles. She was just appointed to a California state senate committee. She’s also an undocumented immigrant. It’s believed to be the first time in state history that an undocumented immigrant has been put on a statewide committee, and her appointment is rubbing some people the wrong way in a state known for thumbing its nose at President Trump’s anti-immigrant policies. Mateo was appointed Wednesday to the Student Opportunity and Access Program Project Grant Advisory Committee, which seeks to increase college opportunities for low-income students. Her appointment was praised by state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, who also took a shot at the President. “One day after President Trump came to California to see prototypes of his border wall, the state Senate made history Wednesday by selecting the first undocumented resident for a statewide appointment,” de Leon said in a statement, according to CNN affiliate KCBS. “While Donald Trump fixates on walls, California will continue to concentrate on opportunities. Ms. Mateo is a courageous, determined and intelligent young woman who at great personal risk has dedicated herself to fight for those seeking their rightful place in this country.” Mateo was born in Mexico and came to the US at age 14 with her parents. She graduated from California State University, Northridge, and got her law degree from Santa Clara University. She’s advocated for immigration rights, including passage of the Dream Act. “While undocumented students have become more visible in our state, they remain underrepresented in places where decisions that affect them are being made,” said Mateo, according to KCBS. “I welcome this opportunity to advise and help the Student Aid Commission achieve its goals. But on Twitter, there was a strong backlash to her tweet thanking de Leon for her appointment, with many questioning how someone in the country illegally can serve on a state committee. Some state lawmakers don’t like the move either. Travis Allen, a Republican state representative who is also running for governor, said in a Facebook post talking about Mateo’s appointment that “the California Democratic Party now prioritizes illegal immigrants over California citizens.” CNN has reached out to Mateo and members of the Senate Rules Committe, and is waiting to hear back.

Lizbeth Mateo's appointment to California state senate committee


Editor’s Note: Stephen Chan is a professor of international relations at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies and the author of “Robert Mugabe: A Life of Power and Politics.” The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Stephen Chan: Robert Mugabe's resignation does not spell democracy for Zimbabwe Those who succeed him have blood on their hands and will need to reinvent themselves as Western-friendly pragmatists, writes Chan The resignation of Robert Mugabe, after the intervention of the army and then the move to impeach him, ends his 37 years in power – which included his physical and intellectual degeneration over the last decade. Even his own party saw he had lost the capacity to function as a modern president in perilous economic times. Accordingly, the impeachment motion in Parliament was put forward by his own party, and seconded by the opposition. But those coming after Mugabe are not good, clean men. Some have real blood on their hands. The need for reinvention will include their own transformation into Western-friendly pragmatists. The era of ideology is over, and the rhetoric of nationalism will need to be replaced by the hard work of rebuilding. Related article How it feels to be a Zimbabwean today This rebuilding will require some emergency injection of liquidity by foreign powers. The Chinese are in a position to do some of this – and have indeed acted as an ally to Mugabe in the past. If the West does not provide support, the question of future influence may be at stake. But, after a short period of fiscal stabilization, the hard work of rebuilding not just an economy, but foundations for a prosperous economy, will demand the best brains of both Mugabe’s party – the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front – and the opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change. A coalition government must be formed in order to showcase this kind of capacity. And there should be no long-term injections of cash if the transparency of public finance in Zimbabwe does not dramatically improve. In short, the very oligarchs – military as well as political – who overthrew Mugabe must finally reach the conclusion that they have looted enough. Their reinvention will require not just pragmatic Western-friendliness, but some real efforts toward honesty and transparency. Sign up for CNN Opinion’s new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook Mugabe might be gone, but the transition from “Mugabeism” – insofar as it has come to stand for power-hungriness and economic acquisition, for immediate gratification as opposed to long-term planning and investment, for elite lifestyles rather than equity for the citizen body – will be extremely difficult. It will take a full term of Emmerson Mnangagwa, the vice president who Mugabe fired and his presumptive successor, before even the beginnings of this can be fully seen and appreciated. However, the chances of a radical transformation remain small. Zimbabwe is likely to recover in key sectors in which the elite have holdings, but the majority of Zimbabweans may experience a further economic degeneration. This time, if there is a coalition, but the opposition parties cannot hold economic rapaciousness in check, the future for pluralistic honest politics may take even longer to reappear than the vibrancy of a functioning economy.

Robert Mugabe's resignation and subsequent political transition in Zimbabwe


One official rules out a terror attack Plane carried members of Russian army's official choir The Tu-154 plane had 84 passengers and eight crew members aboard A Russian military plane carrying members of the army’s official choir traveling to perform in Syria has crashed in the Black Sea near Sochi. There are apparently no survivors, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The ensemble was “flying to congratulate Russian air force pilots in Syria with the New Year,”  ministry spokesman Igor Konashekov said. A Tupolev Tu-154 plane that was carrying 92 people, including 84 passengers and eight crew members, disappeared from radar Sunday morning local time after taking off from the Adler airport, state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported. The plane took off from Moscow and was headed to the Russian Hmeymim airbase in Latakia, Syria, where Russia has a large military presence, for a concert ahead of New Year’s Eve, a source told Russia’s state news agency Tass. The ‘Red Army’ choir loved by Russia Ten bodies have been brought on board a rescue vessel, according to the search and rescue team working the area of the crash, Konashekov said. One body believed to be among the victims was found more than three miles off the Sochi shore, Konashenkov said. One of the people aboard that flight was Liza Glinka, a famous Russian human rights activist, according to CNN affiliate RBC. She was bringing medicine and other supplies to a local hospital in Syria, her colleague and friend Dr. Sergey Kurkov told RBC. “We are shocked. I’ve talked to her on the phone just recently, just before it happened. She was a saint. She helped everybody,” he said, adding that he’s known her for 20 years. “She was kind, she was fair. It is such a huge loss for me. She talked to us. She argued with us. She was my teacher. She was like a family for me.” The first bodies of victims from the crashed flight are expected to arrive in Moscow on Monday morning, said Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov, according to RIA Novosti. The Russian Tu-154 could have crashed because of a technical malfunction or pilot error but not terrorism, said Viktor Ozerov, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, according to Russia’s Sputnik news agency. “I rule out version of the terror attack completely. It is the aircraft of the Ministry of Defense, the airspace of the Russian Federation, there cannot be such a version,” Ozerov is quoted as saying. “The plane had to make a U-turn after takeoff over the sea (and) may (have taken) the wrong direction.” En route to Latakia, the plane landed in Sochi to refuel, the Defense Ministry’s press service told Russia’s Interfax news agency. According to RIA Novosti, the Defense Ministry said it found debris from the Tu-154 in the Black Sea one mile from Sochi. Four ships and five helicopters have combed the crash site, Konashenkov said, according to Tass. More than 100 divers with special equipment will be deployed, and a group of medical and psychological professionals will be on hand to help relatives, he said. CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam said no major weather patterns were present at the time of the plane’s disappearance. On Sunday, the temperature of the Black Sea was about 10 degrees Celsius (50 F), according to Russian media. The Defense Ministry published a list of those on board. Among them: eight crew members, eight soldiers and more than 60 members of the famed Alexandrov Ensemble, the Russian army’s official choir, including its conductor Valery Kahlilov. Since 1928, the Alexandrov Ensemble has grown into a immensely popular tradition due to its unending government support. It has toured the world performing Russian folk songs, World War II anthems and patriotic music, and was dubbed “Russia’s singing weapon.” The ensemble consists of between 100 and 120 members depending on the type of performance. It includes a choir, a dance troupe and an orchestra. Because their performance at the airbase was going to be mostly a cappella, only the choir and a handful of dancers were aboard the plane, Russian media reported. “The orchestra did not fly because [the choir] was supposed to use pre-recorded music,” choir singer Sergei Khlopnikov, who didn’t make the trip because his daughter was sick, told the Interfax news agency. Nine journalists, including three reporters with Star TV, were on board, the Defense Ministry said on its television network. “Our cultural paratroopers perished,” the head of the Moscow government’s culture department, Alexander Kibovsky, said in televised remarks. “These people always performed in war zones, they wore uniforms, they brought kindness and light,” said Konashekov. The plane was manufactured in 1983 and had 6,689 hours of flight. “The last repair was on December 29, 2014, and in September 2016 it underwent scheduled maintenance,” the ministry said, according to Tass. The ministry identified the pilot as Roman Volkov, who it said was a “class 1 pilot” with more than 3,000 flying hours. Tass has reported that, according to the Defense Ministry, “all search and rescue services of aviation units on the Southern Military District in Krasnodar and neighboring regions are engaged in aircraft search.” Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to lead an investigation of the Tu-154 crash, according to Russian news agency Sputnik. The Russian Investigation Committee has launched a routine criminal investigation to examine potential “violation of rules of flight safety or preparation,” committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko told Tass. The committee plans to seize documents and interrogate those who prepared the plane for flight, she added. Putin declared Monday a day of national mourning. CNN’s Julia Jones in Atlanta, Mansur Mirovalev in Moscow and Sarah Sirgany in Abu Dhabi contributed to this report.


Editor’s Note: Julian Zelizer, a history and public affairs professor at Princeton University and a New America fellow, is the author of “The Fierce Urgency of Now: Lyndon Johnson, Congress, and the Battle for the Great Society.” He’s co-host of the “Politics & Polls” podcast. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. Julian Zelizer: Trump's firing of Comey in middle of Russia probe is stunner that recalls Nixon's "Saturday Night Massacre" Zelizer: It appears to be Trump's nuclear option for dealing with probe into the very foundations of his power President Trump dropped a bombshell Tuesday with the announcement that he had fired FBI Director James Comey – just days after Comey testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about, among other things, the bureau’s investigation into Russian meddling in the election that propelled Trump to the presidency. Trump has stunned the political world once again by issuing the orders to remove one of the most important figures in this entire investigation. Ironically, the announcement comes at a time when former secretary of state and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has been telling audiences that Comey was a key factor behind her loss in November. His infamous announcement in late October that the FBI was looking into new emails revived the specter of the earlier probe into Clinton’s emails just before voters went to the polls. Many experts agree that the announcement cost her points with voters. Related video Toobin: Firing Comey grotesque abuse of power But then Comey turned into a problem for President Trump. The Russia investigation has hung over Trump like a dark cloud since his first days in office. Even as congressional committees have stumbled over partisanship in their own probes of Russia’s interference, the FBI seems to have been driving forward at an aggressive pace, continuing to give strong indications about evidence that Trump campaign officials were in contact with Russian officials during the campaign. While Trump has continually denied any collusion and has lobbed accusations of his own, the FBI appears to have been keeping its eye on the ball. President Trump’s decision to fire Comey is the second such dismissal to rock the administration. When the President announced the resignation of Acting Attorney General Sally Yates in January for refusing to implement the administration’s refugee ban, the comparison to President Richard Nixon’s “Saturday Night Massacre” instantly lit up the headlines. Related video Clapper: Putin sought to advantage Trump In that 1973 event, Nixon fired independent prosecutor Archibald Cox for his aggressive inquiry into Watergate. It turns out that was nothing, compared with the firing of Comey in the middle of this inquiry.  It is a stunning blow to any attempt to obtain legitimate, non-partisan information about what went wrong in the campaign and why. The justification provided in the administration’s memorandum on the firing – that it came in response to Comey’s mishandling of the Clinton investigation – doesn’t pass the laugh test. While it is true that candidate Trump has complained that Comey gave Clinton “a free pass” in his decision not to bring criminal charges against her, Trump and his surrogates capitalized on that investigation more than anyone else. The President refused to take any action on that front until now. This is not about Hillary Clinton. There is no reason that the public should trust the congressional committees to do the job any longer. Indeed the House investigation completely broke down when it became clear that the chair of the committee, Congressman Devin Nunes, displayed more loyalty to the party and President than to finding out the truth. The Senate committee then stalled and delayed until criticism finally pushed it toward doing its job. But the power of partisanship remains strong, and many observers are skeptical that Senate Republicans, like Texas’ Ted Cruz, are willing to go where the facts take them. Related video Who is James Comey? From the start, President Trump has showed little interest in finding out what happened during the election. This has been one of the most suspicious aspects of his response. He has attacked President Barack Obama with false allegations of wiretapping, he has dismissed all the evidence and accusations coming out about campaign officials, and he has taken a strident stand against all the institutions that show any sign of standing up to him. The reason that the Saturday Night Massacre stung President Nixon so badly was because the firing proved to the public that the President really was frightened that the truth would come out. He was unwilling to let the institutions of government do their job, and the decision to get rid of Archibald Cox demonstrated that the President would do anything to protect his interests. This part of the Watergate cover-up, and, even worse, the effort to actively fight the investigation, turned public opinion against him. The question now is whether Trump has enough Teflon support from his base to keep even this from hurting his standing. His public approval ratings are low; it’s unclear how much lower they can sink. But there are several other ways in which he is vulnerable. Firing Comey could begin to make a dent in the strong support that he has enjoyed among Republicans, who will recognize this as a blatant effort to circumvent the law and cover up the truth. The firing will also put Congress – both parties – on notice that this is a President who will do almost anything to protect himself. Today’s firing could encourage the leaders of both parties to double down with their investigations. More than anything else thus far, this announcement fuels the perception that President Trump is scared about something. There was no obvious reason for the administration to take this step and it’s hard not to be skeptical about the reasons for it to be taken at this moment. Trump puts his interests before national interestHow close was Comey to the truth?Callan: The first step to impeachmentZelizer: Trump’s nuclear option on Russia probeHow Republicans in Congress can win on ComeyTrump had to do it Trump puts his interests before national interestHow close was Comey to the truth?Callan: The first step to impeachmentZelizer: Trump’s nuclear option on Russia probeHow Republicans in Congress can win on ComeyTrump had to do it From the day he stepped into the White House, President Trump has raised concerns that he does not adequately respect the boundaries of power. He has dismissed concerns about the conflicts of interest with his family business, he has openly attacked judges and Congress as illegitimate, and he has attempted to use executive power in an aggressive fashion. Firing James Comey right in the middle of the Russia debate looks like President Trump’s nuclear option to dealing with an investigation into the very foundations of his power. The Senate has a big job to do, and Senate Republicans will need to insist, through the power of confirmation, that President Trump appoint someone of the highest standing to replace James Comey and to see that this investigation is allowed to go wherever it might take the agency. Senate Republicans must show that they are more loyal to the nation than their party. Democrats, who have little love for Comey after his pronouncements about Clinton before the election, need to show that they can work with the GOP on this issue to make sure someone strong takes over the job. Better yet would be to take up Senator Chuck Schumer’s plan to appoint a special prosecutor, which is now the only way to move forward with a serious investigation. Without such action, the legitimacy of the 2016 election and the legitimacy of this President will remain a question. Congress must rectifying this imperial act – or the health of our democracy will continue to hang in the balance.


Boko Haram has killed thousands in the nation's northeast since 2009 Aid agencies are scrambling to provide the refugees with clean water, shelter, food and education The United Nations is appealing for $174 million to help Nigerian refugees who’ve fled to neighboring nations following militant attacks. Boko Haram has killed thousands in the nation’s northeast by attacking villages, schools, churches and mosques. It has also kidnapped students, including more than 200 schoolgirls abducted in April last year. A majority of them remain missing. The militants have attacked relentlessly for six years, sending 192,000 people seeking shelter in Cameroon, Niger and Chad. “Displaced people in northeastern Nigeria and across borders are in a very dramatic situation, they fear for their lives and are at this point unable to return to their homes,” said Liz Ahua, who’s coordinating Nigerian refugee efforts for the U.N. Aid agencies are scrambling to provide the refugees with clean water, shelter, food and access to education. “In the refugee camps, thousands of school-age refugee children cannot attend school because of lack of classrooms and teachers,” Ahua said. Mental health needs are crucial to help the survivors of physical attacks and those who’ve witnessed violence, according to the U.N.  Some children are separated from their parents amid the trauma. “The conflict has had a devastating impact on children, including many who were forcibly recruited by the insurgents in Nigeria,” Ahua said. The appeal encompasses the needs of 23 agencies and nongovernmental organizations helping the refugees. “Adequate funding is crucial to make sure aid agencies can improve the living conditions for refugees in asylum countries and respond to their protection needs,” Ahua said. “We relocate refugees away from the conflict border areas, and establish additional refugee camps where needed.” The Islamist group has said its aim is to impose a stricter form of Sharia law across Nigeria, which is split between a majority Muslim north and a mostly Christian south. An additional 1.2 million people are displaced within Nigeria as a result of the insurgency. CNN’s Pierre Meilhan contributed to this report


Pope Francis calls for an end "to horror and death" in Syrian civil war Around 60,000 gather to hear pontiff  in flower-filled St. Peter's Square Pope Francis delivered the traditional Easter Sunday Mass sermon in Rome on Sunday with a call for an end to the “horror and death” in Syria and prayed for Jesus to help world leaders end the arms trade. “In the complex and often dramatic situations of today’s world, may the Risen Lord guide the steps of all those who work for justice and peace,” he told a crowd of around 60,000 people gathered in a flower-filled St. Peter’s Square. “May he grant the leaders of nations the courage they need to prevent the spread of conflicts and to put a halt to the arms trade.” The “Urbi et Orbi” message “to the city and the world”  was delivered from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica amid tight security with people trying to enter the square having to pass through several checkpoints. Addressing the civil war in Syria, the Pope said a prayer for humanitarian workers there. “Especially in these days, may he sustain the efforts of all those actively engaged in bringing comfort and relief to the civil population in Syria, prey to a war that continues to sow horror and death. And yesterday, the latest despicable attack on refugees which caused a number of deaths and injuries,” he said. More than a hundred people, including many children, were killed Saturday by a suicide bomb attack on a convoy of refugees leaving besieged villages as part of a demographic exchange. The Argentine pontiff, whose own father was an immigrant from southern Italy, reiterated the Catholic Church’s support for refugees. “Everywhere he (Jesus) helps these forced migrants to encounter brothers and sisters, with whom they can share bread and hope on their journey,”  he told the crowd of faithful. Jesus was also beside victims of slavery and people-trafficking and “children and adolescents deprived of their carefree innocence and exploited, and those deeply hurt by acts of violence that take place within the walls of their own home,” Pope Francis said. The Pope also prayed for peace in the wider Middle East, for victims of famine in Africa and for social peace in his native Latin America. “May it be possible for bridges of dialogue to be built, by continuing to fight the scourge of corruption and to seek viable and peaceful solutions to disputes, for progress and the strengthening of democratic institutions in complete respect for the rule of law,” he said. Last Wednesday Pope Francis paid a visit to his predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who is 90 today (Sunday), according to the Vatican Press Office. Pope Benedict resigned from his papal role in 2013 due to “lack of strength of mind and body” due to old age.


Rubio faces the prospect of defeat in his home state A big loss could leave him in a tough spot if he ever wanted to seek public office again Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign has presented the youthful Florida senator as the future of the Republican Party. On Tuesday, that image – along with Rubio’s political career – is at stake. Rubio, who began his White House campaign 11 months ago as a hero of Florida Republicans, now faces the prospect of defeat in his home state. For years, Republicans believed that Rubio was destined to be a presidential nominee and that even if he fell short in 2016, he would be well-positioned to run for governor in 2018. But polls suggest Rubio might not just lose Florida – but get thumped here. A Quinnipiac survey released Monday found Rubio trailing Trump by 24 points in his home state. READ: On even of Florida primary, Rubio airs regrets – and alarm A loss of that magnitude could be devastating to Rubio, and leave him in a tough spot if he ever wanted to seek public office again. Of course, Rubio could eke out a surprise win in defiance of the polls, as Bernie Sanders did in the Michigan Democratic primary last week. For his part, Rubio has insisted he will win. But as he traveled across the state making his final appeal to voters, he hardly exuded the swagger of a candidate in his home state, and grudgingly confronted questions about his intentions after Tuesday. “January of next year, I will either be president of the United States or I will be a private citizen. If I never hold elected office again, I’m comfortable with that,” Rubio told CNN at a press conference in West Palm Beach. “I can’t tell you what’s going to happen two to four years from now but I have no plans, no thoughts, no contemplation, no meetings, nothing, about any future political run of any sort.” For starters, some Rubio backers said he should end his campaign if he loses Florida. Related gallery Moments from Marco Rubio's career READ: Rubio TV ads gone after Florida “We’re the backbone – at least we’re supposed to be – and if he doesn’t have the backbone, he can’t have a body,” said Amethyst Ditieri, a 22-year-old Rubio supporter who attended a campaign event in Orlando on Sunday. Setting aside his national ambitions, even some former Rubio allies say that he might struggle to re-enter Florida politics if he loses the primary by a wide margin. His presidential campaign, they say, has taken a toll on his standing in the state. The rift between Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush could be problematic in a future campaign, and the time Rubio has spent away from the state has come at a price. Speculation about Rubio’s future has focused on the 2018 race for governor, when Rick Scott will be term limited. Winning the governorship could position Rubio for a comeback in national politics. But several other Republicans have been circling the race, and it’s unclear whether Rubio still has the political strength at home to dominate a statewide race. Will Weatherford, a former Florida House speaker, who is seen as a possible future candidate for the governorship or the Senate, told CNN this week that Rubio was a “gifted” politician with many doors open to him in Florida politics. Ted Cruz open to Marco Rubio, John Kasich in cabinet But, he said he did not believe Rubio could crowd other Republicans out of an open-seat race. “There are other people that would and are considering that seat,” Weatherford said. “If he ran, he would be extremely viable, but I certainly don’t think he would clear the field.” In what could be the final days of his presidential campaign, Rubio has seemed determined to preserve his legacy. After briefly adapting Trump’s strategy of lobbing personal – and at times juvenile – attacks on the campaign trail, Rubio quickly reversed course, saying he regretted his decision to reciprocate Trump’s style. Casting aside insults about the color of Trump’s hair and the size of his hands, Rubio has returned to the forward-looking message that has fueled his White House campaign since its launch. He delivered a strong performance at CNN’s presidential debate in Miami on Thursday, arguing that Trump’s rhetoric isn’t presidential. When the billionaire said he didn’t want to be “so politically correct,” Rubio responded with one of his most memorable lines of the night: “I’m not interested in being politically correct. I’m interested in being correct.” And by Monday night, he struck a decidedly reflective note. “My whole life, I have been told being humble is a virtue,” he said during a speech in West Palm Beach. “And now, being humble is a weakness and being vain and self-absorbed is somehow a virtue.” Marco Rubio’s final Florida push The gradual deterioration of Rubio’s presidential campaign has exposed hard feelings toward the first-term senator within Florida’s political circles. Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn, a Democrat who has expressed interest in running for governor, said losing Florida on Tuesday would be the ultimate repudiation of Rubio by his own constituents. Buckhorn has vocally criticized Rubio in recent weeks for being inattentive to Florida while he has pursued national office. “He’s never really taken the time to establish real relationships and real roots in Florida and has literally been running for president since the day he took office. I don’t just say that as a Democrat,” said Buckhorn, who complained that he has never once met Rubio. “There are folks on the Republican side who echo the same sentiments.” Further complicating Rubio’s relationship with Florida Republicans and donors is his decision this cycle to mount a direct challenge to Bush, his former mentor. Florida insiders say there is a raw sense of betrayal among Bush allies towards Rubio, and that the bad blood between Bush loyalists and the Rubio camp could interfere with the senator’s future aspirations in the state. Since ending his White House campaign last month after a disappointing finish in South Carolina, Bush has remained out of the public spotlight. Sources close to the former governor say he is unlikely to make an endorsement ahead of the Florida contest. But Rubio’s allies insist that even if Rubio loses to Trump in Florida on Tuesday, voters will ultimately be forgiving. They say it is clear that there are unprecedented emotions fueling the 2016 election and that the Trump campaign, too, is an extraordinary phenomenon. “What you’re seeing is an angry public,” said former Florida state Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, who is supporting Rubio’s campaign. Trump is “talking their language right now and a segment of the population is very attracted to that,” she continued. “Is it the best for our future in terms of our governance? That’s yet to be seen. But it’s all about timing. It’s all about timing.” Over the weekend, Rubio delivered a sober speech at Temple Beth El in West Palm Beach, expounding on the importance of the U.S.-Israeli relationship. He warned that if Trump wins the presidency, his intentions of “forcing Israel to the negotiating table” only “weakens Israel and only further emboldens their enemies.” The temple’s rabbi, Leonid Feldman, said the speech was emblematic of Rubio’s raw political talent and boundless future potential. “He is clearly a leader, he has charisma, he has knowledge. He could be – who knows – maybe whoever it is, let’s say it is Donald Trump. Maybe he’ll go back to Little Rubio and say he’ll be his national security adviser,” Feldman said. “What we’re witnessing now is unprecedented in American history. Really.” CNN’s Ashley Killough contributed to this story


Only twice before has the use of chemical weapons brought to Syria the threat or reality of US strikes – in Ghouta in 2013, and in Khan Sheikhoun in 2017. Both occasions involved the alleged use of sarin gas, a nerve agent banned under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention. In 2013, the use of the gas, reported by United Nations investigators, crossed one of then-President Barack Obama’s red lines, yet no military action came. Instead, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) went into Syria to monitor the destruction of the country’s chemical weapons program. Related article Haley says Russia chose 'protecting a monster' over Syrian people They were on the whole successful. In October 2013, the OPCW confirmed “the government of the Syrian Arab Republic has completed the functional destruction of critical equipment for all of its declared chemical weapons production facilities and mixing/filling plants, rendering them inoperable.” Yet some of the sarin stockpiles remained. One Western official told CNN the regime could not surrender the sarin gas used in the Ghouta 2013 attack, as that would be like handing over a murder weapon in a killing to which you had pleaded not guilty. Related video Albright: There is no strategy on Syria This may have enabled the April 4, 2017 attack in Khan Sheikhoun. It appears the shocking video of children and civilians choking to death, foaming at the mouth, caused the US to decide sarin was being used. US President Donald Trump launched 59 Tomahawk missiles in response just two days later – a very swift turnaround considering that any samples would have to have been rushed out of a war zone and tested. The OPCW only declared sarin had been used 13 days later, on April 19. No samples have been delivered yet from the site where activists say two chemical attacks struck Saturday, partially because Douma is the last rebel-held town and otherwise under siege. The gas appears to have sunk into basements – similar to the attack in 2013 – where children and families were sheltering. The second attack killed the most. The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) said emergency workers on the ground reported that patients showed “respiratory distress, central cyanosis, excessive oral foaming, corneal burns, and the emission of a chlorine-like odor. They added: “Symptoms indicate that the victims suffocated from the exposure to toxic chemicals; most likely an organophosphate element.” Omar Ibrahim, a SAMS doctor who treated the Khan Sheikhoun victims, told CNN: “I do believe it is the same gas used last year in Idlib, sarin gas. I saw the photos and videos coming from Douma … victims had similar signs and symptoms.” Related article Gassed where they had hidden, Syrian families killed in minutes The World Health Organization (WHO) said partners told them 500 people were affected and that “there were signs of severe irritation of mucous membranes, respiratory failure and disruption to central nervous systems of those exposed.” More than 70 died in basements they said, 43 of them from “symptoms consistent with exposure to highly toxic chemicals.” Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a chemical weapons expert who used to lead NATO’s response team, said the symptoms he had seen suggested this could be a nerve agent but that it was hard to be sure without samples. He added, however, that the number of casualties – said to be 500 affected, according to WHO, and 43 dead from the gas – was too high to be attributable to a more commonly used gas like chlorine. This leaves open the idea that it could have been a mixture of substances, he said. The smell of chlorine with the effects of a nerve agent are a particularly troubling development, suggesting perhaps some new cocktail designed to appear like the less-harmful chemical used repeatedly. There have been multiple instances of a chlorine-like or other gas being used in the past. In 2016, the OPCW concluded two female casualties “reported to have been involved in the incident in Um-Housh, Aleppo of 16 September 2016 were exposed to sulfur mustard.” Related article Trump's deadline for a Syria response has passed. Now what? Similarly in August 2015, biomedical samples taken from Marea, north of Aleppo, showed “at least two people were exposed to sulfur mustard and were in the process of recovering from the exposure. It is additionally very likely that the effects of sulfur mustard resulted in the death of a baby.” They also concluded that in Idlib province between March 16, and May 20, 2015, various incidents “likely involved the use of one or more toxic chemicals – probably containing the element chlorine – as a weapon.” When it appears that nerve agents have been used, the West’s response is very different – and it is worth noting that the United States is not acting alone here. As we have seen since the use of the Novichok nerve agent in the attempted murder of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, several nations appear willing to act in concert to protest the use of chemical weapons.


Trump's 100th day in office falls on Saturday He's had trouble moving on some of his agenda items President Donald Trump is all about the bark – bold, aggressive promises. Whether it’s unfair Chinese trade practices, the North American Free Trade Agreement he’s dubbed a “disaster” or Iran’s destabilizing actions, Trump has kept up much of his bold campaign rhetoric. But when it comes to follow through, at least in his first 100 days in office Trump has come up short on the bite, failing to deliver on his toughest campaign promises. After months of railing against NAFTA, some of Trump’s top aides signaled Wednesday he might withdraw from the deal altogether in the coming days. By Wednesday night, Trump had talked to the fretful leaders of Canada and Mexico and stood down on the possibility, deciding against pulling the US from the trade deal altogether. “I received calls from the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada asking to renegotiate NAFTA rather than terminate,” Trump tweeted Thursday morning. “I agreed subject to the fact that if we do not reach a fair deal for all, we will then terminate NAFTA.” I received calls from the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada asking to renegotiate NAFTA rather than terminate. I agreed.. ...subject to the fact that if we do not reach a fair deal for all, we will then terminate NAFTA. Relationships are good-deal very possible! But Trump’s decision to swerve away from NAFTA withdrawal also signaled the extent to which Trump is running up against the realities of governing as he attempts to implement his bold campaign promises. As Trump’s senior staff in recent days mulled a potential executive order announcing the US’ plans to withdraw from NAFTA, officials have had to consider tedious factors to ensure that they would maintain fast-track authority over a renegotiated deal and drafted several versions of a potential order to ensure it would pass muster. It’s part of the reason the White House has yet to formally notify Congress of its plans to renegotiate the deal. Trump’s decision not to withdraw from NAFTA came only after Trump consulted with members of his Cabinet as well as business and congressional leaders, a senior White House official said Thursday. The realities of governing have hit Trump harder than most presidents. Not only is Trump the first president to have never served in government or the military, but he surged to the White House on far-flung campaign promises that even many in his own party dismissed as unrealistic. And the business of making those promises a reality, coupled with his lack of relevant Washington experience, has left Trump with few choices beyond sticking to his rhetorical guns while scrambling behind the scenes to find ways to convert those bold ideas into sound policy. Trump has continued to rail against Iran, decrying the nuclear deal brokered under the previous administration as one of the “worst deals” just as he did during the campaign and arguing most recently that Iran was “not living up to the spirit of the agreement.” But even though the Trump administration put Iran “on notice” in the first weeks of Trump’s presidency, there’s been little follow-through. Absent any evidence to the contrary, the State Department was forced to affirm last week that Iran is abiding by the terms of the nuclear deal. The Trump administration has shown no signs so far of any plans to renegotiate the deal as the Republican nominee pledged during the campaign. And while he has continued to decry the US trade deficit with China and recently tied widespread loss of manufacturing jobs to the Asian powerhouse, Trump has confronted the reality of the US’s complicated and delicate relationship with China in the last month as he’s sought to enlist China in efforts to tame an increasingly belligerent North Korea. “Why would I call China a currency manipulator when they are working with us on the North Korean problem?” Trump tweeted earlier this month as he took flak for reneging on a major campaign promise. Why would I call China a currency manipulator when they are working with us on the North Korean problem? We will see what happens! And beyond the diplomatic implications, Trump has also had to confront the reality that China long ago stopped artificially devaluing its currency – instead working to prop it up, which benefits US exports. But Trump and his White House did not come to learn the limitations of his presidency and the realities of governing until after the bruising first weeks of his presidency. White House officials’ meticulous review of the language of a potential executive order on NAFTA followed the administration’s early stumbles as it eagerly sought to implement another one of the Trump’s biggest campaign promises: banning travel from Muslim-majority, “terrorist-prone” countries. The initial salvo on that ban came within days of Trump’s inauguration and with little consultation with government agencies that would typically be consulted. The result was chaos at airports worldwide and the detention of Muslims at US airports who had valid visas and even green cards to travel to and stay in the US. Trump has also struggled to make good on his core campaign promise of repealing and replacing Obamacare with something “much better” amid disagreements between warring factions of the Republican Party. And amid his quest to get a bill passed as soon as possible, Trump failed to help bridge those differences and was forced to accept a loss, canceling a scheduled vote on the House floor. Trump has sought to sidestep his difficulties on the legislative front with a slew of executive orders, but a person close to the White House acknowledged Wednesday that they were no substitute for legislation. “They let you take action,” the person said of the orders. “It doesn’t take place of something statutory.” But even as Trump is learning the lessons of governing and confronting the headwinds – diplomatic, economic and political – he faces as he tries to implement his hard-charging agenda, he is showing no signs of letting up. A person close to Trump vowed Trump will only ramp up his actions on trade – still searching to make good in bold fashion on Trump’s campaign rhetoric. “NAFTA as we know it today will change. It just is,” the person close to the White House and Trump said. “It’s just not going to stay the way it is. It’s going to be different.” Trump displayed the same bravado on NAFTA Thursday morning as he did on the campaign trail, despite backing down on a potential NAFTA withdrawal just the night before. “NAFTA has been a horrible deal for the United States. It’s been very good for Canada, it’s been very good for Mexico, but it’s been horrible for the United States,” Trump said Thursday from the Oval Office, as if he were still rallying supporters on the campaign trail. CNN’s Jim Acosta and Jeff Zeleny contributed to this report.


Republicans praise tough Egyptian line on radical Islam Potential 2016 GOP candidates use Sisi comments as cudgel against Obama Comments mark latest twist in diplomatic dance between Washington and Cairo He ousted Egypt’s first democratically elected president in a coup, crushed political dissent, let foreign journalists languish in jail and just jabbed the U.S. by greeting Vladimir Putin as a hero. Yet Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is fast becoming the favorite Middle East strongman of American conservatives and Republican presidential hopefuls. Jeb Bush says he can’t understand why the White House has told Sisi “you’re not on our team” as jihadism spreads like wildfire through the Middle East. Ted Cruz, another GOP 2016 pretender has also praised him, and key conservative media figures are lionizing Sisi. The rush of affection for the former Army Chief contrasts with the strained relationship between Sisi and the White House, reflected in the Obama administration’s decision not to publicly back air strikes by Egypt on a common enemy – ISIS – in Libya this week. It’s also the latest manifestation of the decades-long tussle between the U.S. and Egypt, which pits a push for human rights and democracy against the yearning for a stable pro-U.S. partner in a chaotic region, whatever the character of its regime. The spur for the conservative infatuation for Sisi was a speech in January in which the Egyptian leader warned Islam was being “torn” and “destroyed” by extremism. “It’s inconceivable that the thinking that we hold most sacred should cause the entire Islamic world to be a source of anxiety, danger, killing and destruction for the rest of the world,” said Sisi. Sisi spoke in a highly symbolic venue, the Al Azhar Mosque in Cairo, one of the most vaulted seats of learning in the Muslim world. “It’s antagonizing the entire world! Does this mean that 1.6 billion people (Muslims) should want to kill the rest of the world’s inhabitants – that is 7 billion – so that they themselves may live? Impossible!” On the face of it, Sisi’s speech was a call to cleanse Islam of extremist thought and elements which groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda have used to justify jihad. It continues to impress conservatives in the United States amid a fierce political debate about how to contain ISIS’s march across the region. “He gave this incredible speech about Muslim extremism, and saying it’s the responsibility of the Arab world to step up to fight this; that the first risks are for countries like Egypt,” Bush said in Chicago on Wednesday. It’s no coincidence that Republicans are praising the speech’s blunt message at the same time as they are accusing President Barack Obama of falling prey to political correctness in his unwillingness to state the U.S. is at war with radical Islam. That comparison is also frequently being made on conservative talk radio. Cruz also praised Sisi on Fox News on Wednesday. “What would be far better to see was the kind of courage that was demonstrated just a few weeks ago by President al-Sisi in Cairo,” Cruz said. “Why don’t we see the president of the United States demonstrating that same courage, just to speak the truth, about the face of evil we are facing right now?” Cruz asked. Mike Huckabee, another potential Republican presidential contender, said “thank God for President al-Sisi in Egypt” in an interview with NewsMax TV. Southern Baptist leader Richard Land wrote in The Christian Post that the Sisi speech could be as historically resonant as Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech or president John Kennedy’s declaration : “Ich bin ein Berliner.” Conservative commentator George Will said on Fox News Sunday last month that Sisi may deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. But are U.S. political figures ripping a speech redolent with Egyptian political overtones out of context to back up their own positions? Professor Nathan Brown of George Washington University said that Sisi’s remarks were not that unusual and that a number of Arab leaders have previously given similar speeches to limited effect. “It is standard stuff,” he said. And Sisi’s record toward political opponents and extremists, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, which formed Egypt’s first democratic government until it was ousted by his army amid mass protests in 2013, paints a different picture of the Egyptian leader. “The way that Sisi represents dealing with them is not through abstract theological arguments but through a severe security and political response,” said Brown, who is also with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “That is what he represents. That part of the message gets lost.” The State Department and rights groups fault Egypt for the removal of a civilian government, using lethal force to disburse MB protests, and for killing hundreds of protestors nationwide and say discrimination against Christians and Jews in Egypt remains widespread. Related gallery The ISIS terror threat Some analysts interpreted Sisi’s speech as a way to justify the exclusion from politics of Islamist elements from political life in Egypt following his landslide win in an election last year in which the Brotherhood was banned. Since the election, the Obama administration has tried to carefully restore ties with Egypt on the grounds that it remains a vital strategic partner. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Cairo in September and Obama met Sisi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York last year. Close intelligence cooperation continues behind the scenes. But relations have remained strained. After the coup the U.S. temporarily held up a tranch of $500 million in military aid to Egypt and an order of attack helicopters. Reconciliation has been made more difficult by the detention in Egypt of foreign journalists. The spectacle of Putin getting a warm welcome from Sisi in a visit last week did not go unnoticed in Washington, and was an apparent sign from the Cairo government that if the U.S. does not take better care of its friends, Egypt  will look elsewhere. The Pentagon, meanwhile, said it was not even told in advance about Egyptian air strikes this week on ISIS targets in Libya in revenge for the beheadings of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christian workers by an ISIS-affiliated group. “It’s a complex relationship that we have with Egypt,” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. ISIS’s swift spread in the Arab world has some realists in Washington considering whether it’s time to re-emphasise the stability dimension of the U.S. relationship with Cairo. Bush suggested as much on Wednesday, in remarks that were especially noteworthy because the second term administration of his brother, George W. Bush, angered the government of then Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak by issuing a call for democracy in the Arab world as part of its Freedom Agenda. Jeb Bush asked Wednesday: “Is (Sisi) a little “L” liberal democrat that believes in freedom like we do?” “No, he isn’t. But I think we have to be practical,” Bush said in the first foreign policy speech of his putative presidential campaign which could augur another turn in the roller coaster US-Egypt relationship. “We have to balance our belief in liberty with a belief that security and engagement will create the possibilities for the Egyptians to garner more freedom. “


Then candidate Donald Trump was “joking” when he publicly asked Russia to hack Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday. Trump, amid questions about what Clinton did with emails she deemed personal on her private server, called on Russia, China and other hackers to turn over the emails if they have them. “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” he said in July 2016. Later, Trump said at that news conference that he would “love” to see the emails, if Russia or China had them. “That a person in our government, Katy, would delete or get rid of 33,000 emails. That gives me a big problem,” he said, getting increasingly agitated at questions from NBC’s Katy Tur. “After she gets a subpoena. She gets subpoenaed, and she gets rid of 33,000 emails. That gives me a problem. Now, if Russia or China or any other country has those emails, I mean to be honest with you, I’d love to see them.” Spicer’s comments Monday echoed what the Trump campaign said at the time about his comments. “He was joking at the time. We all know that,” Spicer said. The new focus on Trump’s campaign comments comes after the President sent a series of tweets Monday morning, including one that accused former President Barack Obama of colluding and obstructing. “The reason that President Obama did NOTHING about Russia after being notified by the CIA of meddling is that he expected Clinton would win and did not want to ‘rock the boat.’ He didn’t ‘choke,’ he colluded or obstructed, and it did the Dems and Crooked Hillary no good,” he tweeted. The reason that President Obama did NOTHING about Russia after being notified by the CIA of meddling is that he expected Clinton would win.. ...and did not want to "rock the boat." He didn't "choke," he colluded or obstructed, and it did the Dems and Crooked Hillary no good. Spicer said Monday that it was not hypocritical for Trump to accuse Obama of collusion or obstruction after he personally called for Clinton’s emails to be released. “They had been very clear, they had been playing this card about blaming Trump and Russia,” Spicer said of the Obama administration. “They didn’t take any action, does that make them complicit? I think there are a lot of questions that need to be answered about who knew what and when?” A former Obama administration official refuted Trump’s assertions. “This situation was taken extremely seriously, as is evident by President Obama raising this issue directly with President Putin; 17 intelligence agencies issuing an extraordinary public statement; our homeland security officials working relentlessly to bolster the cyber defenses of voting infrastructure around the country; the President directing a comprehensive intelligence review, and ultimately issuing a robust response including shutting down two Russian compounds, sanctioning nine Russian entities and individuals, and ejecting 35 Russian diplomats from the country,” the former Obama official said. Trump’s 2016 comments inviting Russian involvement appalled some Republicans. Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker Paul Ryan, said: “Putin should stay out of this election.” The Clinton campaign, at the time, accused Trump of encouraging espionage. “This has to be the first time that a major presidential candidate has actively encouraged a foreign power to conduct espionage against his political opponent,” said Jake Sullivan, a top Clinton policy adviser, soon after Trump’s comments. “This has gone from being a matter of curiosity, and a matter of politics, to being a national security issue.” CNN’s Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.