· 7 years ago · Feb 05, 2018, 09:52 AM
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12 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/13/us/port-authority-bombing-suspect-court-appearance/index.html">Manhattan bomb suspect makes court appearance -- from hospital bed</a>
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16 <span>Dec 14, 2017</span>
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19 Akayed Ullah made his first court appearance from a hospital bed on Wednesday, two days after authorities said he detonated a homemade device on a busy transit hub in New York City, injuring five people and creating panic. Ullah, 27, is being treated for lacerations and burns to his hand and abdomen at Bellevue Hospital after the bombing. His court appearance was transmitted over a video. The Bangladeshi native was not required to enter a plea, but had to acknowledge that he understood the federal criminal complaint against him. U.S. District Court Judge Katharine Parker advised Ullah of his rights. Asked whether he understood he replied, "Yes, I do." Parker requested a court-appointed defender for Ullah. Ullah will be held without bail until his next preliminary court hearing on January 13, 2018. He was charged Tuesday with five federal terrorism-related charges and three state terrorism-related charges, according to court documents. Authorities said Ullah detonated the device made of a battery, wires, metals screws and a Christmas tree light bulb in an underground walkway connecting two subway lines beneath the Port Authority Bus terminal, which accommodates 220,000 passenger trips a day. The explosive chemical ignited in the pipe bomb but the pipe itself did not explode, lessening its impact, Gov. Andrew Cuomo told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Authorities said the explosion was an isolated attempted terrorist attack. Officials said Ullah, who lived in Brooklyn, pledged allegiance to ISIS and said he acted in response to Israeli actions in Gaza. In an interview with investigators, Ullah admitted he built the device in addition to detonating it, court papers show. Ullah had posted on Facebook earlier in the day of the bombing attempt, saying, "Trump you failed to protect your nation," according to the criminal complaint. The bombing suspect's wife, who remained in Bangladesh when he moved to Brooklyn, said she was "surprised to find out what her husband did," despite speaking to her husband 30 minutes before the attempted attack, police in Bangladesh told CNN.
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35 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/13/us/five-things-december-13-trnd/index.html">5 things for December 13: Doug Jones, Trump tweet, North Korea, New York blast, China</a>
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39 <span>Dec 13, 2017</span>
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42 Want a spectacular light show? Just look up. This year's Geminid meteor shower, which hits its peak tonight, is expected to be the best ever. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. (You can also get "5 Things You Need to Know Today" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.) 1. Alabama Senate race The ruby red state of Alabama turned blue, at least for one night. Doug Jones stunned the political world, beating Republican Roy Moore in a special election to become the first Democrat in a generation to be elected to the Senate from the state. Moore wouldn't concede the narrow loss and demanded a recount, but Alabama's secretary of state said a change is highly unlikely. The result is an absolute game changer for Republicans and President Trump. Most of the GOP has cast a blind eye to the controversies swirling around the Trump presidency so far, but the party can't ignore a safe seat in a red state falling to Dems, especially with the midterms coming up next year. Trump, who gave Moore his full endorsement, will share the blame for this loss, and many Republicans fear the President will be an even bigger drag on them in 2018. Besides the sexual misconduct allegations against Moore, race may have played a bigger role than many expected. Jones needed Obama-era turnout from black voters, and he got it. Blacks made up almost 30% of the electorate this time, surpassing the record African-American turnout when Barack Obama was on the ballot. These voters clearly had strong reaction to Moore's many dubious comments on race, like when he said America's families were stronger when there was slavery. Jones, who in 2002 was lead prosecutor against Ku Klux Klan members responsible for the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963, also gave blacks -- and many whites -- something to vote for. Democrats are now more energized than they've been in the Trump era. But all those Dems hopeful that Jones will be in Washington next week to vote against the GOP tax bill, slow your roll. Alabama still has to certify the results, which could take a couple weeks, meaning Jones likely won't take the oath of office until after the new year. 2. Trump tweet Trump and Twitter usually equals trouble. And that's exactly what happened after the President sent out a suggestive tweet attacking New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. She'd called for him to resign over the sexual harassment and assault claims against him. Trump responded by calling her a "lightweight" and saying she used to come to his business office willing to "do anything" for campaign contributions. Wow, just wow. Gillibrand said Trump was just trying to silence her, and it won't work. Many Democratic senators, like Elizabeth Warren, came to her defense, saying the President was trying to "slut-shame" her. The White House said your mind would have to be in the gutter to think the President's comments were sexual in nature. (Um, OK.) But the biggest burn on this came from the normally tame editorial board of USA Today, which said Trump's tweet indicates the President is "not fit to clean the toilets in the Barack Obama Presidential Library." 3. North Korea The United States is willing to talk to North Korea without the regime first getting rid of its nukes, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. That's a huge change to the Trump administration's stance. Tillerson said it's not realistic to demand the North dump its weapons program because "they have too much invested in it." And Tillerson says Trump is on board with this line of thinking. It's not clear if this change will bring the North Koreans to the negotiating table. 4. New York blast The man who police say set off a homemade bomb in a busy pedestrian subway tunnel in the heart of New York now faces several federal and state terrorism charges. Akayed Ullah also taunted President Trump on social media before the blast, which injured five, saying, "Trump you failed to protect your nation," according to a criminal complaint. Ullah's wife, who stayed in his native Bangladesh and who spoke to him a half hour before the blast, told police she didn't know anything about what her husband may have been planning. 5. China The Chinese government reportedly is collecting the DNA samples, fingerprints, eye scans and blood types of millions of people in its far-west Xinjiang territory. Why? Xinjiang is the only Chinese territory other than Tibet that's not majority-ethnic Han Chinese, and it's been under heavy government control and surveillance for a long time. Human rights observers call the mass collection of biodata "a gross violation." BREAKFAST BROWSE People are talking about these. Read up. Join in. Skywalker setback Don't shoot the messenger, but "The Last Jedi" won't leave us all giddy like "The Force Awakens" did. Douglas drought It's not your imagination. Christmas trees are harder to come by this year. Just one more thing we can thank the Great Recession for. Year in review We searched Hurricane Irma on Google and looked up the meaning of "feminism." That's 2017 in a nutshell. Reality bites Yes, those virtual reality headsets are all the rage, but the shiny gadgets can pose health risks in the real world. Here's how you can play and still be safe. QUOTE OF THE DAY "I don't know San Francisco without Ed Lee." Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, talking about the death of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, who suffered a heart attack at age 65. AND FINALLY ... #RUDuffEnough Talia Duff is battling a rare genetic disease, but she's not fighting alone. Here are 160 of her classmates, joining together in a special video to raise money to help find a cure. (Click to view.)
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58 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/13/us/port-authority-bombing-suspect-akayed-ullah/index.html">New York bombing suspect's wife 'didn't know about radicalization'</a>
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62 <span>Dec 13, 2017</span>
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65 The wife of the suspect in a pipe bomb explosion in New York was "surprised to find out what her husband did," police in Bangladesh told CNN, despite speaking to him 30 minutes before the attempted attack. Akayed Ullah, who is accused of detonating a homemade explosive in a pedestrian subway tunnel at a bus terminal near Times Square, was born in Bangladesh but legally moved to the US in 2011. His wife, who remained in Bangladesh when he moved Brooklyn, said he "never mentioned radicalization or planning these types of activities," Bangladeshi police spokeswoman Sahely Ferdous said. "Akayed's conversations with her were very normal," Ferdous said. "Akayed talked to his wife around 30 minutes before the explosion, but he didn't mention anything about the plan or what he was going to do." Ferdous added that she said Ullah's activities around his family were "very much normal. His wife didn't know anything about this side of Akayed," Ferdous said. The couple were married in 2016 in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka. When Ullah returned to the US, his wife remained in Dhaka with their baby and her parents. Ullah has no criminal record in Bangladesh, according to Ferdous. She said Ullah last traveled to Dhaka in September. The federal law enforcement source said Ullah's travel overseas was not significant for the planning of the attempted attack. Ullah posted on Facebook earlier in the day, saying, "Trump you failed to protect your nation," according to a criminal complaint. Akayed Ullah: What we know about the Manhattan explosion suspect Charges faced He faces a number of federal and state terrorism charges after authorities say he detonated a device made of a battery, wires, metal screws and a Christmas tree lightbulb during the busy morning commute on Monday. The blast detonated around 7:20 a.m. in an underground walkway connecting two subway lines beneath the Port Authority Bus Terminal, which accommodates 220,000 passenger trips a day. On grainy surveillance footage, commuters are seen walking through a tunnel when a burst of smoke erupts into the hallway, quickly filling it. Commuters flinch and take cover. When the smoke clears, a man can be seen on the ground in the hallway. Five people were treated for minor injuries at area hospitals, while the suspect was said to be seriously injured. He is at Bellevue Hospital, where he is being treated for lacerations and burns to his hands and abdomen, New York City Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. Anthony Manfredini, the first responding officer, described the injuries to the suspect as what appeared to be shrapnel-type wounds. These officers stopped the New York pipe bomb suspect Prepared to die According to a law enforcement official, through his comments to investigators, Ullah indicated he was prepared to die. The source also said the suspect was wired up with the self-made device during his entire subway ride from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Investigators said Ullah admitted that he built and detonated the device, saying he was inspired to do so by ISIS. He said he acted in response to Israeli actions in Gaza. Ullah's ISIS radicalization began in 2014, according to the complaint, and was at least in part inspired by the truck attack in New York last month, which killed eight people. He began researching how to build improvised explosive devices about a year ago, began collecting the necessary items two to three weeks ago and built the bomb in his home a week ago, the complaint states. Investigators recovered a passport in his name with a handwritten message: "O America, die in your rage." He faces five federal terrorism-related charges and three state terrorism-related charges, according to court documents. Ullah's family released a statement through the Council on American-Islamic Relations saying they are heartbroken by the attack, but simultaneously "outraged" by the behavior of unspecified law enforcement officials during the investigation. Opinion: The internet is a terror battle ground -- and we're losing Trump administration calls for change US President Donald Trump said Monday that the attack bolstered the need for his preferred immigration policies, which the White House said would have prevented the suspect from entering the country. Trump has called on Congress to end the diversity immigration lottery, which provides visas to people randomly chosen from countries where there is a low rate of immigration to the United States. He also has called to end chain migration, a term that describes immigration based on family connections. "Today's terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security," Trump said Monday. L. Francis Cissna, the director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, reiterated that call Tuesday. "We need to be able to select the types of people that are coming here based on criteria that ensure their success. Criteria that ensure their ability to assimilate successfully in our country," Cissna said. "Random lotteries, extended family connections -- that's not the way we want to run an immigration system." Bergen: Amateur terrorists can kill, too
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81 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/12/asia/china-xinjiang-dna/index.html">China collecting DNA, biometrics from millions in Xinjiang: report</a>
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85 <span>Dec 13, 2017</span>
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88 Authorities in China's far-west are collecting DNA samples, fingerprints, eye scans and blood types of millions of people aged 12 to 65, according to a new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report. Xinjiang, the only Chinese territory apart from Tibet where ethnic Han Chinese are not in the majority, has long been subject to tight controls and surveillance not experienced elsewhere in China. In April, authorities banned the region's 10 million Muslims from wearing long beards or veils in public, as well as banning home schooling and introducing new restrictions on downloading allegedly extremist materials. Those new rules came on the heels of a series of steps to increase surveillance in the region that include the surrender of passports and mandatory GPS trackers in cars. "The mandatory databanking of a whole population's biodata, including DNA, is a gross violation of international human rights norms," Sophie Richardson, China director for HRW, said in a statement. The Ministry of Public Security and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Data collection According to a document posted on a Xinjiang government website, the main goal of the new scheme "is to fully and accurately verify the real number of Xinjiang's population, to collect the images, fingerprints, iris scans, blood types, and DNA biometrics of those between the age of 12 and 65." That information is to be linked to residents' hukou, or household registration cards. The controversial registration system limits where people can access education, medical and housing benefits, essentially limiting many to the region where they were born. "Regulating the management of identification cards is the foundation to creating a basic population database, based on one's ID numbers, for the autonomous region," the government document said. Officials are instructed to "ensure that the hukou information for everyone in every household, in every village is completely verified in Xinjiang. No one is to be missed." Xinjiang is home to an estimated 21.8 million people according to 2010 census figures, though the true population could be much higher, owing to the number of migrant workers attracted to the region for work. According to the HRW report, the regulations went into effect in February and have been being rolled out across Xinjiang throughout the year. While part of the scheme is designed to improve access to healthcare, DNA and blood type data is to be provided to the police "for profiling," the guidelines said. Discrimination and surveillance Xinjiang, a sparse predominately rural territory that accounts for almost one-sixth of China's land mass, is home to many minority ethnic groups, though HRW's Richardson said the program will have a particular effect on Uyghurs, the mostly Muslim ethnic group who make up around 40% of the total population. "China has few meaningful privacy protections and Uyghurs are already subjected to extensive degrees of control and surveillance, including heavy security presence, numerous checkpoints, and routine inspection of smartphones for 'subversive' content," she said. "In this context, compulsory biodata collection has particularly abusive potential, and hardly seems justifiable as a security measure." There have been a number of violent attacks in Xinjiang by groups China claims are separatists linked to overseas Islamic terrorist organizations. Michael Clarke, author of "Xinjiang and China's Rise in Central Asia," wrote for CNN last year that Beijing has long used fear of religious terrorism to "justify its hardline repression of dissent in Xinjiang." Beijing has consistently denied accusations of ethnic or religious discrimination in Xinjiang. Privacy concerns Authorities in China have engaged in a major push to collect DNA information for years, with the Ministry of Public Security saying in 2015 its database was already the world's largest, with some 44 million entries, according to Chinese academics. An HRW report earlier this year said DNA data is collected indiscriminately, in the name of "solving crimes," with few safeguards to protect citizens' privacy. Judges in other jurisdictions have expressed concerns at this type of broad biometric data collection, with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling in 2008 the retention of fingerprints and DNA from people acquitted of crimes breached their right to privacy. The UN has also warned DNA databases can "raise human rights concerns, including potential misuse of government surveillance (for example, identification of relatives and non-paternity) and the risk of miscarriages of justice." Nor will the collection of this data necessarily help the authorities' stated goals of reducing crime and religious extremism, according to Richardson. "Chinese authorities seem to think they can achieve 'social stability' by placing people under a microscope, but these abusive programs are more likely to deepen hostility towards the government," she said.
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104 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/12/politics/new-york-attacker-domestic-radicalization-trump-administration/index.html">Trump team immigration push undercut by NY attack facts, critics say</a>
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111 As the Trump administration presses the notion that recent terrorist attacks justify significant changes in the legal immigration system, critics say the facts of those attacks undercut their own argument. President Donald Trump and administration officials have explicitly pointed to how Akayed Ullah, the suspect in Monday's attempted terrorist attack in New York City, was granted a green card in the US as evidence for their push to restrict those immigration avenues. But according to charging documents for Ullah, federal authorities traced the beginning of his radicalization to "at least approximately 2014" -- three years after he came to the United States. The Department of Homeland Security on Monday confirmed that Ullah came with his parents to the US as the child of a sibling of a US citizen, on a so-called nephew visa, in 2011. They noted that his uncle, now a US citizen, originally came on a diversity lottery visa, a program that benefits up to 50,000 people per year from countries with lower levels of immigration to the US and is the same program that brought the suspect in a Halloween New York terrorist attack to the US. The administration has used those connections to argue that Congress should drastically cut family-based immigration, also called "chain migration," and the diversity lottery program. But when pressed to explain the connection to terrorism from the White House podium on Tuesday, Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services Lee Francis Cissna could cite olnly hypothetical risk. "If you have a system that doesn't select at all or is barely selecting anybody, we don't know what we're going to get," Cissna told reporters at the daily briefing. "With respect to the individual in yesterday's attempt, I would say I don't know, I don't have a command of the facts relating to the investigation as to whether or if he was ever radicalized." Supporters of such an idea say that any criminal or terrorist who could have been denied entry to the US means a preventible crime. "The Department of Homeland Security will use every legal option available to keep Americans safe," DHS spokesman Tyler Houlton said in a statement. "This multi-pronged approach is not an either-or solution to our national security challenges. The fact remains that both of these terrorists entered the country using a deeply flawed visa lottery program and chain migration. Both programs are outdated and need to be replaced with a merit based immigration system to protect the homeland." But given that Ullah began his radicalization in the US years after immigrating, and that the previous New York attacker, Sayfullo Saipov, was also radicalized in the US, according to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, critics are accusing the administration of disingenuously pushing its aggressive immigration agenda. Reacting to Cissna's turn at the podium, Gregory Chen, director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, called it "baldly transparent" that the administration could not make a sufficient connection between the immigration programs it is targeting and terrorism. "They are just using this as a way to scapegoat and attack the immigration system, this particular incident, when there's no demonstrated connection between cutting back on the family-based system and protecting our national security," Chen said. "That was so transparent from that (briefing)." Experts say family-based migration achieves the goals of assimilation that the administration says it wants, by connecting individuals from abroad with family members already settled in the US. All immigrants to the US are screened for security risks, which Cissna acknowledged on Tuesday. Although diversity lottery winners are chosen at random and family-based migrants are allowed in based on their relatives, all of them must pass eligibility checks by the US and be interviewed before they can receive visas. Critics argue that the administration is ignoring the threat of online radicalization by terror groups in its pursuit of dramatic cuts to the legal immigration system. "It's worse than not effective, it's counterproductive," said Michael Breen, president and CEO of the Truman Center and Truman National Security Project, whose membership includes former national security officials and veterans of the Obama and Clinton administrations. Breen said that responding effectively to terrorist ideologies requires creating a "sense of national unity," and that to be "opportunistic" with an agenda instead could lead to more radicalization. "The more we alienate people, the more difficult it is to prevent radicalization," Breen said. "It is not good policy to categorize large parts of your population as outside the national identity."
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127 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/12/opinions/internet-terrorism-battlefield-opinion-vinograd/index.html">The internet is a terror battle ground -- and we're losing</a>
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134 As New Yorkers witnessed yet again -- for a second time in weeks -- terrorists' ability to recruit, direct and inspire attacks has not lessened. The internet is a battlefield, and we are losing that fight. Investigators will need to take their time piecing together how failed suspected bomber Akayed Ullah became motivated to launch his attack on Monday. We do know that he has been in this country for years, and while some may point to his Bangladeshi origin (Bangladesh is 90% Muslim), it is also possible Ullah was radicalized here in the US. Ullah's botched alleged attack at the Port Authority Bus Terminal is the latest reminder that the United States -- like many other countries -- is vulnerable. And when it comes to issues in general, the US has a real issue with domestic radicalization. We need to look hard at this individual's life while he was living in the US. One clear place to start is Ullah's online activity. It is likely that investigators are looking at, among many other things, Ullah's digital footprint. With an immediate goal of mitigating any additional violence, one of their immediate first steps must be also seeing whom he communicated with online to make sure he didn't work with anyone else and that there aren't any follow-on attacks planned. To start to match terrorists online from a level playing field, we need to create a new anti-digital warfare entity. When we realized that terrorists were taking advantage of changes in the financial space to move illegal funds that were critical to their survival, previous administrations created dedicated departments like Treasury's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. We need to do the same thing in the digital space. Groups like ISIS depend on digital warfare for their survival, and we need to cut off their access to this infrastructure. The digital theater keeps growing. It expands every second, opening up new places for bad actors to exploit. The good news is that digital footprints don't go away, and Ullah's online activity could potentially provide valuable clues to investigators. Law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and the private sector -- if they work with the authorities -- can go back over his online activity to look at what platforms he used, block any extremist content he accessed and analyze his communications. This could help in the study of what allowed this attack to happen, but we need to think bigger. Strategically, we need to apply advanced machine-learning tools -- which technology companies use every day -- to identify the individual's patterns of behavior. We can see if anyone else is following a similar pattern. This can help ward off other attacks. We're operating several steps behind terrorists if we don't start to apply advanced technology to tracking, anticipating and preventing their malicious behavior. We have already heard statements that if our immigration policies were different then terrorists like Ullah would not have been able to launch their attacks. While we should always review our immigration policies to ensure that they are appropriately identifying any threats, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders' statements that Trump's immigration plan -- including his plan to end "chain migration" -- would have kept Ullah out of the country is a red herring. While policies that limit immigration would have kept Ullah out, the fact is that he could very easily have been radicalized while already in the United States. The White House offered no evidence Monday about where Ullah might have been radicalized and, according to the Associated Press, unnamed law enforcement officials said Ullah had looked at ISIS propaganda online. Trump's proposed immigration policies would do nothing to address terrorists' ability to reach Americans. This is less about who we allow to legally immigrate to the United States - it is about how we prevent Americans, including natural-born Americans and legal immigrants, from getting access to terrorist content and becoming radicalized. Shutting our physical borders is not a strategy for combating domestic radicalization. After the last attack in New York City -- Sayfullo Saipov's alleged truck attack near the World Trade Center -- we heard calls for stronger immigration policy, travel bans and more walls. This is a misidentification of the threat; in Saipov's case, reports are that he wasn't radicalized before he came to the US. So, this isn't an immigration issue. It's a question of how the perpetrator was exposed to extremist content once in the US, why that content was available, and how he operationalized his plans without being detected. The more resources and time we devote to the wrong enemies -- who are being painted as immigrants and refugees -- the fewer resources we're going to have for minimizing access to the content that inspires alleged terrorists like Saipov and Ullah to act. As Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared that Iraq is "fully liberated" from ISIS over the weekend, ISIS and its affiliates still retain the ability to reach millions of people around the world through the internet. The liberation of Iraq from ISIS -- and major gains against ISIS in Syria -- are significant achievements and shouldn't be underplayed. But, if Monday's attack was related to ISIS, it is just another reminder that terrorists today do not need physical safe havens. The internet is boundary-less, and they're winning the fight online. Terrorists are circumventing a lack of physical access to recruits and sympathizers by putting content online, where there are no borders. There are no checkpoints. They are manipulating the digital theater, and we just aren't able to keep up. This isn't about pointing fingers -- tracking terrorists is extremely difficult, and it's even more complex when you're operating in a theater, like the internet, that doesn't have any boundaries. This is a shared public and private sector responsibility. Much like the way we organized to combat terrorist activity in the financial space, this is a prime opportunity for experts in the private sector to work with government on identifying patterns of behavior and applying the most sophisticated tools to countering digital warfare.
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150 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/12/opinions/donald-trump-should-come-to-london-klaas-opinion/index.html">Hey, President Trump, you should definitely come to visit London</a>
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153 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
154 <span>Dec 12, 2017</span>
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157 Dear President Donald Trump, I've heard some rumors in the British media that you're considering a trip over to the United Kingdom. I'm writing to tell you that you should definitely come, particularly if you want to get a nice little ego boost -- something I'm guessing you could use these days given all those so-called polls that show you're the least popular first-year president in polling history back home. But here in Britain, it'll be different. I swear. If you come, there will be "yuge" crowds -- perhaps the largest in the history of the country. From Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square and from Whitehall to Westminster, they will all come out to greet you. Throngs of chanting Brits, all there for you! (OK, maybe don't look at the signs held by the people in the crowds. Or listen to the slogans they're chanting. And keep in mind that if some really enthusiastic supporters extend their middle finger toward your motorcade or flash you the peace sign, here in Britain, those are all warm symbols of welcome. I know, I know -- the cultural differences are so interesting. It took a while for me to get used to it when I moved to the UK from the US, too.) Brits haven't always been on your side, I'll admit. Before the election last year -- the one that you have called a "landslide" victory despite the fact that about 3 million more people voted for your opponent -- one fake poll over here suggested that only 15% of the British public would vote for you if they had the chance, compared with 64% for Hillary Clinton. Of course, 21% said they were undecided because they didn't know enough. Boy, have you won them over since then. In June, three cowardly terrorists killed eight people in the London Bridge attack. But thankfully, you showed how much you cared. So as President of the United States, you weighed in with your thoughts right away. As paramedics were working to save lives and first responders were still at the scene, you bravely brushed aside political correctness and facts, using the terror attack to tweet out a renewed call for your (definitely not a Muslim) travel ban -- despite the fact the attackers were believed to be British, Moroccan and Italian and therefore may not have been subject to the proposed ban anyway. And then, of course, it was great how seven minutes later, you realized that it was probably a good idea to say something nice, so you added as a Twitter afterthought: "WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!" That was a really nice touch. I know everyone in Britain appreciated it. But for the doubters or haters who still thought you were being a political opportunist with your tweets, you sure showed them. London Mayor Sadiq Khan had the gall to tell people the following day that "Londoners will see an increased police presence today and over the course of the next few days -- no reason to be alarmed." As Khan, mayor of the largest city in America's most important ally, was trying to reassure the public, you put him in his place by tweeting: "At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is "no reason to be alarmed!" Context is for losers. Courtesy to allies shows weakness. Right? Brits -- and especially Londoners -- remember that moment, and they'll make sure they show you how much it meant to them if you come visit. But perhaps the best reason of all for you to come visit is an opportunity to see your new favorite Brit, Jayda Fransen. If you've forgotten, she's the leader of the neo-fascist hate group Britain First that you retweeted three times a little over a week and a half ago. Of all the people in the world, you picked her and gave her a platform, bringing her into the political mainstream. Sure, some of her videos were fake, and sure, she's been arrested for inciting religious hatred. But on the other hand, she loves you so I'm sure you'd love her. You should definitely come visit so you can have a photo-op together. OK, I'll admit those tweets sort of incited a diplomatic incident in which Prime Minister Theresa May had to call you "wrong" for spreading hateful messages that are antithetical to British values. But again, you showed her. First, you tweeted @theresamay, a British woman named Theresa Scrivener who had six followers. But nobody can get one past The Donald, so you quickly tweeted at the Prime Minister: "Don't focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!" Anyway, when people try to cite "surveys" that show 79% of Brits had confidence in Barack Obama's global leadership, compared with just 22% who have confidence in yours, don't believe the haters. Just come to Britain. You'll love it. And it'll be great for your ego.
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173 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/12/us/new-york-explosion/index.html">New York bombing suspect on Facebook: 'Trump you failed'</a>
174 </h3>
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176 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
177 <span>Dec 12, 2017</span>
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180 The man accused of blowing up a homemade explosive in a pedestrian subway tunnel in the heart of New York posted on Facebook earlier in the day, saying, "Trump you failed to protect your nation," according to a criminal complaint. Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi man, faces a number of federal and state terrorism charges after he allegedly detonated a device made of a battery, wires, metal screws and a Christmas tree lightbulb during the busy morning commute on Monday. Five people were treated for minor injuries at area hospitals, while the suspect was said to be seriously injured. In an interview with investigators, Ullah admitted that he built and detonated the device and said he was inspired to do so by ISIS. "I did it for the Islamic State," Ullah told investigators, according to the federal complaint. He faces five federal terrorism-related charges and three state terrorism-related charges, according to court documents. Here's what we know so far about the explosion and attack: The location The blast detonated around 7:20 a.m. in an underground walkway connecting two subway lines beneath the Port Authority Bus Terminal, near Times Square, which accommodates 220,000 passenger trips a day. The suspect was first spotted on a security camera as he began to climb the subway station stairs to the 18th Avenue F. train platform in Brooklyn at 6:25 a.m., according to one law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation. He then switched to the A train at Jay St./MetroTech stop in Brooklyn before exiting the train at the Port Authority Bus Terminal stop in Manhattan, the same law enforcement official said. On grainy surveillance footage, commuters are seen walking through a tunnel when a burst of smoke erupts into the hallway, quickly filling it. Commuters flinch and take cover. When the smoke clears, a man can be seen lying on the ground in the hallway. According to a law enforcement official, through his comments to investigators, Ullah indicated he was prepared to die. The source also said the suspect was wired up with the self-made device during his entire trip on the subway system. The suspect Akayed Ullah is a Bangladeshi who has been living in the United States since 2011 on an F43 family immigrant visa, according to Department of Homeland Security spokesman Tyler Houlton. He is a lawful permanent resident who lives in Brooklyn and has no criminal record in the United States, according to a preliminary background check. He had pledged allegiance to ISIS, according to one law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation, and said he acted in response to Israeli actions in Gaza. Ullah recently carried out electrical work close to the Port Authority along with his brother, who lives in the same apartment building as the suspect, according to law enforcement. He is at Bellevue Hospital, where he is being treated for lacerations and burns to his hands and abdomen, New York City Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. He is said to be seriously injured. Ullah's ISIS radicalization began in 2014, according to the federal complaint. He began researching how to build improvised explosive devices about a year ago, began collecting the necessary items two to three weeks ago, and built the bomb in his home a week ago, the complaint states. Investigators recovered a passport in his name with a handwritten message: "O America, die in your rage." Ullah told investigators he was motivated in part by pro-ISIS Christmas attack propaganda circulated about a month ago online with an image of Santa Claus over Times Square, a law enforcement source told CNN. Ullah did not pray at a mosque, according to the source, but prayed at his home in Brooklyn. The source also said several of Ullah's family members are not cooperating with authorities in the investigation at this time. From March 2012 to March 2015, Ullah held a Taxi & Limousine Commission license, which had not been renewed, TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg said. It's unclear "whether he drove for any particular base, or whether he simply got the license but didn't drive at all," Fromberg said. Ullah has no criminal record in his native Bangladesh, according to Sahely Ferdous, a Bangladesh police spokeswoman. Ferdous said Ullah last traveled to Bangladesh's capital Dhaka -- where he was born and raised -- in September, but police had no information on why he was there. The federal law enforcement source said Ullah's travel overseas was not significant for the planning of this attack. Police in Bangladesh have been speaking with Ullah's wife in an effort to learn more about "how he was influenced and how he joined these activities," Ferdous said, adding that authorities went to the wife's residence in Dhaka to question her. Ferdous said Ullah and his wife have a 1-year-old child, but she was not sure of the gender and had no information as to whether the wife was living in Dhaka or just visiting. The bomb Ullah had at least two devices, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation tells CNN. Only one detonated -- a foot-long pipe that contained black powder, a battery, wiring, nails and screws. It was attached to Ullah with Velcro and zip ties. Investigators did not elaborate on the second device. The suspect made the bomb last week at his apartment in Brooklyn, according to an official. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said it was an amateur, "effectively low-tech device." The explosive chemical ignited, but the pipe itself did not explode, lessening its impact, Cuomo told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "Fortunately for us, the bomb partially detonated," he said. "He did detonate it, but it did not fully have the effect that he was hoping for." CNN law enforcement analyst James Gagliano said the explosion could have been much worse. "We really dodged a bullet yesterday," he said. Opinion: Amateur terrorists can kill, too The victims Five people were treated for minor injuries in area hospitals. "Mount Sinai Health System received and treated five patients with minor injuries as a result of the explosion today at Port Authority; four at Mount Sinai West and one at Mount Sinai Queens," a statement from the hospital group said. "All were in stable condition and were released today. We are working closely with officials in law enforcement in the wake of this event." The response Ullah was apprehended by Port Authority police officers shortly after the blast. Four of the officers involved in the apprehension and arrest of the suspect have been named as Sean Gallagher, Drew Preston, John Collins and Anthony Manfredini. "Today, four courageous Port Authority police officers risked their lives confronting an armed terrorist to protect others from harm," Port Authority Police Benevolent Association President Paul Nunziato said in a statement. "I am so thankful there was no loss of life and I could not be prouder of our Port Authority police officers, their actions and dedication to their sworn duty." Bobby Egbert, public information officer for the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association, said Manfredini was the first responding officer and he described a "smoke and debris-filled" scene. Manfredini was on patrol in the area when he observed panicked people running out of the passageway. He then made a radio transmission, and three other officers immediately responded, Egbert said. Officers first encountered the suspect lying on the floor in the passageway, Egbert said. Manfredini described the injuries to the suspect as what appeared to be shrapnel-type wounds. The officers noticed the suspect reach for a cellphone, Egbert said. Because of their training, they knew that a cellphone can often be used as a detonator and treated the object as a secondary device. The officers struggled with the suspect, but were able to separate him from his cellphone, Egbert said. All subways and trains are running as scheduled, except the passageway where the incident occurred. Some exits and transfers may be blocked so passengers may be affected. Cuomo praised the courage of the authorities, first responders and the city's residents. "I am deeply grateful to the first responders and security personnel who kept people safe after today's attack and brought the suspect into custody," he said. "Despite this morning's terrible incident, New Yorkers went about their lives unafraid, undeterred and more united than ever before. We will not allow this to disrupt us." He added that he was directing the World Trade Center spire to be lit in red, white and blue "as a symbol of our essential values of freedom and democracy." Ullah's family released a statement through the Council on American-Islamic Relations saying they are heartbroken by the attack, but simultaneously "outraged" by the behavior of unspecified law enforcement officials during the investigation. "Today, we have seen our children, as young as 4 years old, held out in the cold, detained as their parents were questioned," the statement said. "One teenage relative was pulled out of high school classes and interrogated without a lawyer, without his parents. These are not the actions that we expect from our justice system, and we hope to see better in the days and weeks to come." Trump administration calls for change US President Donald Trump said Monday that the attack bolstered the need for his preferred immigration policies, which the White House said would have prevented the suspect from entering the country. Trump has called on Congress to end the diversity immigration lottery, which provides visas to people randomly chosen from countries where there is a low rate of immigration to the United States. He also has called to end chain migration, a term that describes immigration based on family connections. "Today's terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security," Trump said Monday. L. Francis Cissna, the director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, reiterated that call Tuesday. "We need to be able to select the types of people that are coming here based on criteria that ensure their success. Criteria that ensure their ability to assimilate successfully in our country," Cissna said. "Random lotteries, extended family connections -- that's not the way we want to run an immigration system."
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196 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/11/opinions/nyc-port-authority-bomber-peter-bergen-opinion/index.html">Bergen: Amateur terrorists can kill, too</a>
197 </h3>
198 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
199 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
200 <span>Dec 11, 2017</span>
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203 Monday's botched terrorist attack at Manhattan's Port Authority Bus Terminal was an amateur affair, according to law enforcement officials. The suspected bomber, Akayed Ullah, had a homemade device attached to his body with Velcro and zip ties and when it detonated, it injured him with lacerations and burns, while three bystanders suffered minor injuries. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo observed at a news conference on Monday, "Anyone can go on the internet and download garbage and vileness on how to put together an amateur-level explosive device, and that is the reality we live with." Indeed, it is. But we shouldn't take too much comfort from the fact that Ullah's alleged attack was the work of an amateur, because according to New America, every one of the 12 successful jihadist terrorist attacks since 9/11 in the United States has also been the work of amateurs who received no formal training from any foreign terrorist group. Consider the Boston Marathon bombers who on April 15, 2013, killed three and injured more than 200 with explosive devices they modeled in part on the instructions they found in the English-language webzine Inspire, which was published by al Qaeda's Yemen branch. Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the two brothers who carried out the Boston attack, hadn't received any kind of training from a terrorist organization. Or take Omar Mateen, who killed 49 at a gay nightclub in Orlando in 2016. As he carried out his attack, Mateen pledged an oath of allegiance to ISIS, but there is no evidence he was trained by the group or even had any contact with it. And Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov is accused of driving a rented pickup truck into a crowded bicycle path near the World Trade Center in Manhattan, killing eight people on Halloween. A note near the truck said Saipov carried out the attack for ISIS, but like Mateen, Saipov had no training from the group. Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Iraqi government released a statement saying it had "fully liberated" all Iraq's territory from "ISIS terrorist gangs." This is indeed a significant milestone, but Monday's botched terror attack in Manhattan reminds us that jihadist ideology continues to inspire a small number of disaffected Muslims in the United States. And simply because they are amateurs doesn't mean they can't also be deadly.
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219 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/11/us/ny-suspect-what-we-know/index.html">Akayed Ullah: What we know about the Manhattan explosion suspect</a>
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222 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
223 <span>Dec 11, 2017</span>
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226 Akayed Ullah set off a pipe bomb explosion at a bustling bus terminal near Times Square with the hope of "taking as many innocent people as he could with him," according to a federal prosecutor in Manhattan. "Through incredibly good fortune, his bomb did not seriously injure anyone other than himself," acting US Attorney for the Southern District Joon Kim said Tuesday. Ullah, 27, and five other people were injured Monday. Here's the latest on the suspect: Who is Ullah? -- Ullah lives in Brooklyn and is of Bangladeshi descent, two law enforcement sources said. -- He arrived in the United States on an F43 family immigrant visa in 2011, DHS spokesman Tyler Houlton said, calling him a "lawful permanent resident from Bangladesh who benefited from extended family chain migration." -- He faces five federal terrorism-related charges and three state terrorism-related charges, according to court documents. -- He had no criminal record in the US before the bombing, according to a preliminary background check. -- Ullah has no criminal record in his native Bangladesh, according to Sahely Ferdous, a Bangladesh police spokeswoman. Ferdous said Ullah last travelled to Bangladesh's capital Dhaka -- where he was born and raised -- in September, but police had no information on why he was there. -- A federal law enforcement source said Ullah's travel overseas was not significant for the alleged planning of this attack. -- Police in Bangladesh have been speaking with Ullah's wife in an effort to learn more about "how he was influenced and how he joined these activities," Ferdous said, adding that authorities went to the wife's residence in the capital Dhaka to question her. -- Ferdous said Ullah and his wife have a 1-year-old child, but she was not sure of the gender and had no information as to whether the wife was living in Dhaka or just visiting. -- He recently did electrical work close to Port Authority with his brother. That brother lives in the same apartment building as Ullah, according to law enforcement. -- Ullah is in custody and is now at Bellevue Hospital, where he is being treated for lacerations and burns to his hands and abdomen. He is said to be seriously injured. -- He did not pray at a mosque, according to a law enforcement source, but prayed at his home in Brooklyn. The source said that several of Ullah's family members are not cooperating with authorities at this time. The device -- The suspect wore an "improvised low-tech explosive device attached to his body. He intentionally detonated that device," Police Commissioner James O'Neill said. -- The device was a pipe bomb affixed to his person with a combination of Velcro and zip ties, said John Miller, deputy commissioner of intelligence and counter terrorism for the city. -- Investigators confirm the suspect had at least two devices, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN. The device that detonated was a foot-long pipe and contained black powder, a battery, wiring, nails and screws, the source said. -- The explosive chemical ignited, but the pipe itself did not explode, lessening its impact, Gov. Andrew Cuomo told CNN. -- The suspect made the bomb last week at his apartment in Brooklyn, a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN. -- Cuomo said it was an amateur, "effectively low-tech device." -- The suspect was first spotted on a security camera as he began to climb the subway station stairs to the 18th Avenue F. train platform in Brooklyn at 6:25 a.m., according to one law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation. -- He then switched to the A train at Jay St./MetroTech stop in Brooklyn before leaving the train at the Port Authority Bus Terminal stop in Manhattan, the same law enforcement official says. -- Grainy surveillance footage shows commuters walking through a tunnel when a burst of smoke erupts into the hallway, quickly filling it. Commuters flinch and take cover. When the smoke clears, a man can be seen lying on the ground in the hallway. Possible motive -- Ullah, on his way to carrying out the attack, posted on Facebook, saying, "Trump you failed to protect your nation," according to a criminal complaint. -- Recent Israeli actions in Gaza compelled Ullah to carry out the attack, a law enforcement source said. The suspect was upset, in his words, with the "incursion into Gaza," the source said, but did not elaborate on what incursion he may have been alluding to. Israel launched airstrikes this weekend against what it said were Hamas targets in Gaza after several rockets were fired out of Gaza toward Israel. This came amid widespread protests over President Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. -- In conversations with authorities, Ullah pledged allegiance to ISIS, according to one law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation. -- "I did it for the Islamic State," Ullah told investigators, according to the federal complaint. -- Ullah's ISIS radicalization began in 2014, according to the complaint. -- He began researching how to build improvised explosive devices about a year ago, began collecting the necessary items two to three weeks ago, and built the bomb in his home a week ago, the complaint states. -- A passport in his name with a handwritten message -- "O America, die in your rage" -- was recovered by investigators. -- Ullah told investigators he was motivated in part by pro-ISIS Christmas attack propaganda circulated about a month ago online with an image of Santa Claus over Times Square, a law enforcement source told CNN. -- One of his goals in the attack was to terrorize as many people as possible -- on a workday, the complaint said. -- "Ullah had apparently hoped to die in his own misguided rage, taking as many innocent people as he could with him," Kim told reporters. Driver-for-hire license -- Ullah held a New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission for-hire vehicle driver's license from March 2012 through March 2015, NYC TLC Deputy Commissioner for Public Affairs Allan J. Fromberg said in a statement to CNN. -- That license lapsed and was not renewed in March 2015, Fromberg said. -- Ullah was not licensed to drive a NYC yellow taxi, he said. -- "As taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers are independent contractors and not employees, I have no way of knowing whether he drove for any particular base, or whether he simply got the license but didn't drive at all," Fromberg said. "That said, since he held an FHV license, if in fact he did drive, we do know that it could not have been a yellow taxi." Neighbors -- Alan Butrico owns a residential building next door to the building where he says Ullah and his family live. -- Butrico said Ullah lives in the basement, his sister on the first floor and his brother on the top floor. -- Neighbors told Butrico they had heard fighting and yelling at Ullah's home during the past two nights. This story has been updated with more information based on a federal criminal complaint against Ullah.
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242 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/11/us/new-york-possible-explosion-port-authority-subway/index.html">Suspect in attempted 'terrorist attack' pledged allegiance to ISIS, officials say</a>
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249 It was the latest lone wolf attack to target New York City. And it might have been worse. A man wearing a homemade pipe bomb set off the explosive in a busy transit hub on Monday, injuring five and setting off panic during the morning commute. Authorities said the explosion in a walkway below Port Authority Bus Terminal was an isolated attempted terrorist attack. Officials said the suspect, 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, pledged allegiance to ISIS and said he acted in response to Israeli actions in Gaza. Investigators said the suspect had at least two devices, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN. The device that detonated was a foot-long pipe that contained black powder, a battery, wiring, nails and screws. It was attached to Ullah with Velcro and zip ties. Investigators did not elaborate on the second device, the source said. The explosive chemical ignited in the pipe but the pipe itself did not explode, lessening its impact, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "Fortunately for us, the bomb partially detonated," he said. "He did detonate it, but it did not fully have the effect that he was hoping for." Latest developments Ullah's movements: The suspect was first spotted on a security camera as he began to climb the subway station stairs to the 18th Avenue F. train platform in Brooklyn at 6:25 a.m. about an hour before the attack, according to one law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation. He then switched to the A train at Jay St./MetroTech stop in Brooklyn before exiting the train at the Port Authority Bus Terminal stop in Manhattan, the same law enforcement official says. How bomb was made: The suspect made the bomb last week at his apartment in Brooklyn, according to one law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation. Suspect's condition: Ullah is at Bellevue Hospital, where he is being treated for lacerations and burns to his hands and abdomen, New York City Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. Five people were treated for minor injuries in area hospitals. His prior credentials: Ullah held a Taxi & Limousine Commission license from March 2012 to March 2015, after which the license was not renewed, TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg said. It's unclear "whether he drove for any particular base, or whether he simply got the license but didn't drive at all," Fromberg said. Residency: He is of Bangladeshi descent and lives in Brooklyn, two law enforcement sources told CNN. Ullah came to the United States in 2011 on an F43 family immigrant visa, said Department of Homeland Security spokesman Tyler Houlton. He is a lawful permanent resident. What his neighbor says: Alan Butrico owns a Brooklyn building next to the home where he says Ullah lives with his family. He said Ullah lives in the basement, while his sister and brother live above him. "He wasn't friendly at all. The family was very quiet themselves. They don't talk to nobody. They just stay there," he said, adding that his tenants reported hearing "screaming and yelling" coming from Ullah's home the last two nights. The tenants did not call police, he said. 'Just a lot of chaos' The blast detonated around 7:20 a.m. in an underground walkway connecting two subway lines beneath the bus terminal, which accommodates 220,000 passenger trips a day. On grainy surveillance footage, commuters are seen walking through a tunnel when a burst of smoke erupts into the hallway, quickly filling it. Commuters flinch and take cover. When the smoke clears, a man can be seen lying on the ground in the hallway. Francisco Ramirez said he was exiting a bus when he heard two blasts, even though he was wearing headphones. "From what I saw it sounded like it came from the subway, but I'm just guessing," he said. "It was two distinct explosions seconds from each other. As I was making my way toward the outside, I kept getting shoved by cops and there were cops at every entrance blocking and there was police and SWAT everywhere. "It was scary. It was just a lot of chaos but I didn't see any injuries." Marlyn Yu Sherlock was at a retail store on the main floor of the terminal when people began flooding out of the subway entrance, "screaming, running in panic," she said. "The PA system was still blaring Christmas carols," Sherlock said. "It took about four minutes before men in black cop uniforms started shooing people out of Port Authority. As I walked further away from the building, I kept asking the heavily armed cops what it was. They said 'suspicious package.'" Terror links? Police Commissioner James O'Neill called it a "terror-related incident." A key point of the investigation will be determining if Ullah intended to detonate the device in the hallway, he said. Four Port Authority Police Officers confronted the suspect in the smoke-filled passageway and intervened, the president of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association said. He identified the officers as Sean Gallagher, Drew M. Preston, John "Jack" F. Collins and Anthony Manfredini. "Today, four courageous Port Authority police officers risked their lives confronting an armed terrorist to protect others from harm," Paul Nunziato said. Mayor Bill de Blasio called the incident an "attempted terrorist attack" and said there were no credible, specific threats against the city at this moment. By Monday afternoon, all subway stations with direct access to the terminal were reopened. The passageway remained closed. Previous attacks The incident comes a few weeks after a deadly terror attack in Lower Manhattan. A man was charged with killing eight people and injuring a dozen others as he drove a pickup truck down a bicycle path near the World Trade Center on Halloween. He was arrested after the truck hit a school bus, stopping it in its tracks. He exited the vehicle and an officer shot him. The suspect, Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, was indicted last month on murder and terror-related charges, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said. Saipov pleaded not guilty to 22 federal counts. The Halloween incident was the deadliest terror attack in New York City since the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center. The incident came less than a year after a pressure cooker bomb went off in New York's Chelsea neighborhood, wounding 30 people. A second pressure cooker bomb was found a few blocks away but didn't detonate. In October, a jury convicted Ahmad Rahimi of eight federal charges in connection with the September 2016 incident.
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257 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/11/middleeast/putin-russia-syria-withdrawal/index.html">
258 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171121145859-russia-syria-photo-02-story-body.jpg">
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264 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
265 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/11/middleeast/putin-russia-syria-withdrawal/index.html">Putin orders withdrawal of Russian troops in visit to Syrian base</a>
266 </h3>
267 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
268 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
269 <span>Dec 11, 2017</span>
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272 Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria during a visit to the war-torn country on Monday. Putin was met at Russia's Hmeimim air base by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad alongside Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, according to Russian state news agency Tass. "In two years, the Russian armed forces, together with the Syrian army, have defeated the most lethal group of international terrorists," Tass quoted Putin as saying. "In this regard, I have decided that a significant part of the Russian military contingent in the Syrian Arab Republic is returning home to Russia." Putin's visit to Syria comes just weeks after the two Presidents met for talks in the Russian city of Sochi. Putin has been one of the chief supporters of Assad's government, and Russia's intervention in the country's long-running civil war in 2015 helped tilt the balance of power back in Assad's favor. This is not the first time Putin has declared his intention to withdraw troops from Syria. Putin said two Russian bases in the country, Hmeimim and Tartus, would continue to operate despite the drawdown. "If terrorists will raise their heads ever again, we will strike them with such force that they have never seen before," Putin said in remarks Monday that were broadcast on the state-owned Russia 24 new channel. Putin's Syria visit came two days after the Iraqi military said in a statement that it had "fully liberated" all of Iraq's territory of "ISIS terrorist gangs" and retaken full control of the Iraqi-Syrian border. ISIS captured huge chunks of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014 and announced the creation of a caliphate on those lands. The campaign to eradicate the terror group has taken more than three years. ISIS was pushed out of Mosul and Raqqa, its de facto capitals in Iraq and Syria, this year, and has since lost almost all of the areas it once controlled. Russia-Egypt flights to resume After meeting with Assad, Putin flew on to Cairo for talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, where he announced that direct flights between the two countries would resume soon for the first time in more than two years. Direct flights between Russia and Egypt have been suspended since October 2015, when a Russian passenger jet traveling from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg was downed in mid-air, killing all 224 passengers. The two leaders also signed an agreement to build Egypt's first ever nuclear power plant in El-Dabaa -- about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Cairo. Putin is set to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara later Monday.
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280 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/10/politics/kfile-roy-moore-aroostook-watchmen/index.html">
281 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171208164808-01-roy-moore-1205-story-body.jpg">
282 </a>
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288 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/10/politics/kfile-roy-moore-aroostook-watchmen/index.html">Roy Moore in 2011: Getting rid of amendments after 10th would 'eliminate many problems'</a>
289 </h3>
290 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
291 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
292 <span>Dec 11, 2017</span>
293 </div>
294 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
295 Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore appeared on a conspiracy-driven radio show twice in 2011, where he told the hosts in an interview that getting rid of constitutional amendments after the Tenth Amendment would 'eliminate many problems' in the way the US government is structured. Alabama's special election for Senate, in which Moore is facing Democrat Doug Jones, will be held Tuesday. Moore's controversial views on a variety of subjects -- including homosexuality, Islam, and evolution -- have come into sharper focus in the final days of the campaign, even as Moore has had to deal with multiple accusations from women who say that he sexually assaulted or pursued relationships with them as teenagers when he was in his 30s. Moore has denied all allegations. Moore also faced criticism for comments he made in September at a campaign rally. According to the Los Angeles Times, when asked by a black member of the audience when he thought the last time America was great, Moore answered, "I think it was great at the time when families were united — even though we had slavery — they cared for one another. Our families were strong, our country had a direction." Moore made his comments about constitutional amendments in a June 2011 appearance on the "Aroostook Watchmen" show, which is hosted by Maine residents Jack McCarthy and Steve Martin. The hosts have argued that the US government is illegitimate and who have said that the September 11, 2001, attacks, the mass shooting at Sandy Hook, the Boston bombing, and other mass shootings and terrorist attacks are false flag attacks committed by the government. (False flag attacks refer to acts that are designed by perpetrators to be made to look like they were carried out by other individuals or groups.) The hosts have also spread conspiracy theories about the raid that led to the death of Osama Bin Laden and have pushed the false claim that former President Barack Obama was not born in the US. CNN's KFile obtained audio from Moore's two appearances on the show. In the same June episode, Moore invoked Adolf Hitler in a discussion about Obama's birth certificate. In a May 2011 episode, Moore told the two radio hosts, who have repeatedly rejected the official explanation for the 9/11 attacks, that he would be open to hearings looking into "what really happened" on that day. In Moore's June appearance, one of the hosts says he would like to see an amendment that would void all the amendments after the Tenth. "That would eliminate many problems," Moore replied. "You know people don't understand how some of these amendments have completely tried to wreck the form of government that our forefathers intended." Moore cited the 17th Amendment, which calls for the direct election of senators by voters rather than state legislatures, as one he particularly found troublesome. The host agreed with Moore, before turning his attention to the 14th Amendment, which was passed during the Reconstruction period following the Civil War and guaranteed citizenship and equal rights and protection to former slaves and has been used in landmark Supreme Court cases such as Brown v. Board of Education and Obergefell v. Hodges. "People also don't understand, and being from the South I bet you get it, the 14th Amendment was only approved at the point of the gun," the host said. "Yeah, it had very serious problems with its approval by the states," Moore replied. "The danger in the 14th Amendment, which was to restrict, it has been a restriction on the states using the first Ten Amendments by and through the 14th Amendment. To restrict the states from doing something that the federal government was restricted from doing and allowing the federal government to do something which the first Ten Amendments prevented them from doing. If you understand the incorporation doctrine used by the courts and what it meant. You'd understand what I'm talking about." Moore explained further that the first ten amendments restricted the federal government in certain areas. "For example, the right to keep and bear arms, the First Amendment, freedom of press liberty. Those various freedoms and restrictions have been imposed on the states through the 14th Amendment. And yet the federal government is violating just about every one of them saying that -- they don't they don't -- are not restrained by them." Besides the 14th and 17th Amendments, amendments adopted after the Bill of Rights include the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, the 15th Amendment which prohibited the federal and state governments from denying citizens the right to vote based on that person's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude," and the 19th Amendment, which extended the right to vote to women. Moore's campaign spokesman told CNN's KFile that Moore does not believe all amendments after the Tenth should be eliminated. "Once again, the media is taking a discussion about the overall framework for the separation of powers as laid out in the constitution to twist Roy Moore's position on specific issues," Doster said in an emailed statement. "Roy Moore does not now nor has he ever favored limiting an individual's right to vote, and as a judge, he was noted for his fairness and for being a champion of civil rights. "Judge Moore has expressed concern, as many other conservatives have, that the historical trend since the ratification of the Bill of Rights has been for federal empowerment over state empowerment." In the same June episode, Moore invoked Adolf Hitler in a discussion about Obama's birth certificate. Moore has in the past repeatedly questioned Obama's citizenship. "Now let me ask you a question. You think that Barry Soetoro -- oh I'm sorry, Barack Obama -- you think you could get the security clearance that you got," a host asked. "Well, I don't know about that. I don't know. I haven't, I haven't explored that. But my personal opinion. My personal opinion --," Moore responded. "I think his dog could get a security clearance easier, the dog's got papers," the host interjected. "I know what you mean Jack," Moore said. The host then said that when he was in the military, Obama's documentation would not suffice to get him on a submarine. Moore responded, "Well that's, that's a problem. You know Hitler once said, 'you tell a big enough lie long enough, people to believe it.' And that's that's the problem. We've got to look at simple facts of the case, and we need to recognize we need a new administration in Washington. And it just doesn't, based upon party, we need like people that uphold the Constitution not undermine it." In the May 2011 episode of Aroostook Watchmen, after one of the hosts asks Moore if he would be "interested in new hearings into what really happened on 9/11," Moore replies, "Well, I think they need to explore that, yes, but it's something that's already done and now we have to live with the consequences. But I know what you're talking about. If there's any new evidence, we always go back to the truth. If there's anything that's not been revealed, we need to know about it," he said. "Excellent," the host responded. Moore campaign spokesman Brett Doster told CNN that Moore "believes that Islamic terrorists were responsible for the 9/11 attacks, has made rebuilding the military one of his key campaign purposes, and is the only Senate candidate with experience serving in a combat zone."
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303 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/10/us/cnntv-guterres-america-first/index.html">
304 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171208210254-exp-gps-1210-un-guterres-sot-america-first-00000701-story-body.jpg">
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311 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/10/us/cnntv-guterres-america-first/index.html">UN chief: 'America first' is 'detrimental to American interests'</a>
312 </h3>
313 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
314 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
315 <span>Dec 10, 2017</span>
316 </div>
317 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
318 President Trump said in his inauguration speech that the slogan "America First" would govern his administration and approach to foreign policy. But UN Secretary-General António Guterres believes that the President's pledge is "detrimental to American interests." The whole idea of "America first" is predicated on a belief that "the interests of the American people are best protected by the US in itself, and that international organizations do not contribute much to it," Guterres told CNN's Fareed Zakaria on Sunday. But, the Secretary-General emphasized, this simply "wasn't true." "The US is too big and too relevant to be able to think it alone. The way things happen in the world has a very important impact in the way things happen in the United States," he said. As a result, it's important for the United States to operate with a global mindset, Guterres insisted. This in spite of the fact that, in his first year of office, President Trump has pulled out of the Paris Accords, and has announced that he will be withdrawing US membership of UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organization. "It's very important for the United States that the US engages -- engages in climate action, engages in migration but also engages in addressing crises like the crisis in Syria or Iraq or Afghanistan or South Sudan or the DRC," Guterres said. "The role of the US can be extremely important to allow for solutions to be found, to have leverage, to have pressure on the actors to these conflicts in order to be able to make them understand that it's necessary to stop those conflicts," he added. What's more, he argued, if "the US doesn't occupy the space, someone else will." Not only would a negative view of international institutions and global agreements be "detrimental to American interest," Guterres emphasized, it could also result in "a lack of capacity to have a stabilizing influence in the world." "In the multiplicity of crises we have where conflicts are so much interlinked and linked to problems of global terrorism, I think that to disengage in world affairs also impacts negatively on the security of any people, including the American people," he said.
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326 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/09/middleeast/iraq-isis-military-liberated/index.html">
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334 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/09/middleeast/iraq-isis-military-liberated/index.html">Iraq is 'fully liberated' from ISIS, its military says</a>
335 </h3>
336 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
337 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
338 <span>Dec 9, 2017</span>
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340 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
341 The Iraqi military has "fully liberated" all of Iraq's territory of "ISIS terrorist gangs" and retaken full control of the Iraqi-Syrian border, it said Saturday in a statement. "Our heroic armed forces have now secured the entire length of the Iraq-Syria border," Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi said on his Twitter account. "We defeated Daesh (ISIS) through our unity and sacrifice for the nation. Long live Iraq and its people." ISIS, an acronym for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, rapidly captured large territories in Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate in 2014. The group controlled more than 34,000 square miles of territory from the Mediterranean coast to south of Baghdad. The campaign to eradicate the Islamic State took more than three years and about 25,000 coalition airstrikes. Iraqi forces have increasingly been pushing ISIS out of the country over the past few months. Troops last month retook the town of Rawa, one of ISIS's last footholds in the country. At that point, only pockets of ISIS resistance remained. Al-Abadi later in a televised speech lauded the victory. "Dear Iraqis, your land has been completely liberated, and your towns and villages have been returned to the homeland," he said. "The dream of liberation became a reality." "ISIS dream has come to an end," he added. "We must remove all its effects and should not allow terrorism to return again." ISIS remains a threat ISIS' rise and the world's military response has created a devastating crisis for civilians and led to the displacement of more than 3.2 million people, according to the United Nations. "Our people have paid a high price for its security and stability and the blood of its finest youth, men and women," Al-Abadi said. "Millions of families have suffered the hardships of displacement." The underlying conditions that allowed for the rise of ISIS, such as sectarian and ethnic divisions and a lack of economic opportunities, remain potent issues in the region. ISIS began as an insurgency group and could return to its roots, and jihadi groups like al Qaeda could grow. In addition, although ISIS no longer controls territory in Iraq, the threat of violence from members of the group is not over. As it has lost territory over the past year or so, ISIS has morphed into more of an ideological threat, both in the region and in the West. "Despite the announcement of the final victory, we must remain vigilant and ready to face any terrorist attempt targeting our people and our country," Al-Abadi said. "Terrorism is a permanent enemy and the battle with it continues, and we must preserve this unity, which with it we have defeated ISIS." The humanitarian aid group Mercy Corps said it was moving into areas retaken from ISIS to provide support and evaluate long-term needs. "As humanitarians, we are looking at a different kind of fight, a good fight," said Deepmala Mahla, Mercy Corps' country director for Iraq. "The battle for a better future for Iraqis is happening now." US salutes 'historic gains' The US special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS tweeted his support for Abadi's declaration and said the coalition would remain to assist the Iraqis. "We congratulate the Prime Minister and all the Iraqi people on this significant achievement, which many thought impossible," Brett McGurk wrote. "We honor the sacrifices of the Iraqi people, its security forces, and the Kurdish Peshmerga, and admire the unity in their ranks that had made this day possible," McGurk added. "That spirit must be renewed and continue as Iraq works to consolidate these historic gains over the coming year. "Our @coalition will continue to stand with #Iraq to support its security forces, economy, and stabilization to help ensure that #ISIS can never again threaten Iraq's people or use its territory as a haven," he wrote. "We mark today's historic victory mindful of the work that remains." The US State Department applauded the Iraqi announcement but said its work is not over, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. "The United States, along with the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, will continue to partner with the Iraqi Security Forces, advising, training, and equipping them. Together, we must be vigilant in countering all extremist ideologies to prevent the return of ISIS or the emergence of threats by other terrorist groups," she said. The US has contributed nearly $1.7 billion in humanitarian assistance and committed more than $265 million in stabilization assistance to Iraq since 2014, Nauert's statement said, adding that those investments and other work have helped get more than 2.7 million Iraqis back to their homes. "Working 'by, with, and through' the Government of Iraq, we will continue to help our displaced Iraqi friends return to their communities and support them as they begin to reestablish their lives," she said. "We remain committed to standing with the Government of Iraq and the Iraqi people to stabilize areas liberated from ISIS control."
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349 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/08/politics/us-state-department-travel-advisory-system/index.html">
350 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/151119192129-us-passport-2-story-body.jpg">
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356 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
357 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/08/politics/us-state-department-travel-advisory-system/index.html">US unveils new travel advisory system</a>
358 </h3>
359 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
360 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
361 <span>Dec 8, 2017</span>
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363 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
364 The State Department unveiled Friday a new system for communicating security risks associated with foreign travel in an effort to reduce confusion and protect US citizens abroad. "The Department of State is improving our communications with US citizen travelers to provide clear, timely and reliable safety and security information worldwide," Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Carl Risch said, outlining the new advisory system to reporters ahead of its implementation next month. The existing guidance system will be replaced by a four-tiered advisory system, whereby every country will be assigned one of the following security levels: Level 1 - Exercise normal precautions Level 2 - Exercise increased caution Level 3 - Reconsider travel Level 4 - Do not travel. The levels are meant to communicate the risk of travel to each country, but are advisories only. Citizens will not be forbidden from traveling to Level 4 countries unless otherwise barred by the US government. Risch insisted the levels will be "strictly based on security conditions," and not political or diplomatic considerations. The specific risk factors the State Department will consider and highlight are: Crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health, natural disaster and time-limited events such as elections or protests. Other factors may be noted as well. The changes are the result of a year-long review process, said Risch, which found that members of the public were confused by the current system, and unsure how to respond to the various alerts and warnings issued by the State Department. "We wanted it to be an easier to understand system," Risch said. The process to assign levels to countries is ongoing, and will be unveiled sometime in January.
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372 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/07/politics/roy-moore-campaign-spokeswoman-janet-porter-anderson-cooper-cnntv/index.html">
373 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171206210940-janet-porter-ac-02-story-body.jpg">
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380 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/07/politics/roy-moore-campaign-spokeswoman-janet-porter-anderson-cooper-cnntv/index.html">Cooper presses Roy Moore spokeswoman on sexual abuse allegations</a>
381 </h3>
382 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
383 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
384 <span>Dec 7, 2017</span>
385 </div>
386 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
387 In a combative interview Wednesday, CNN's Anderson Cooper pressed Janet Porter, a spokeswoman for Roy Moore's Senate campaign, on sexual harassment allegations against the Alabama Republican. Defending Moore, Porter compared the claims that women have made against him to the Duke Lacrosse rape case, in which three members of the Duke University men's lacrosse team were falsely accused of sexually assaulting an exotic dancer at a party in March 2006. "First off, when we talk about believing the women, I would ask the question of maybe some lacrosse players at Duke University, ask them if they believe every woman who makes an accusation," Porter said. "If we did a lynch mob media against innocent people as we did with lacrosse, there would be some lacrosse players in jail right now." Moore faces Democratic opponent Doug Jones in the December 12 special election in the deep red state. Jones is bidding to become the first Democrat to win a Senate race in Alabama in 25 years. Porter continued to argue that the Democratic establishment, the far-left media, the pro-abortion lobby and George Soros were to blame for the accusations. "Can you just explain to me how all these people got together and came up with this plot against Roy Moore?" Cooper asked. "When you have false allegations that are generated by 'The Washington Post' there tends to be a pile on," Porter said. "That's how a lynch mob works." Asked if she had any evidence to support her claim, she doubled down, saying, "what the establishment does is make false allegations." In a discussion about about Moore's past positions and statements, Porter appeared unable to answer Cooper's questions. Moore spokeswoman on past statements "Does judge Moore still believe that homosexual conduct should be illegal and homosexuality is still the same thing as beastiality?" Cooper asked. "I can't answer that question," she replied. "I can tell you what he does believe regarding that issue. If you want to talk about making sure we don't have sexual predators." Cooper pushed back, "Can you get back to me on whether or not he believes homosexuality should be illegal?" "I believe that he believes the Bible and what the Bible has to say," Porter said. "Does he still believe that 9/11 may have happened because, 'we distanced ourselves from God'?" Cooper asked. "A lot of people talk about God and how they're Christians," Porter replied. "In fact if you look at the commercials of Roy Moore's opponent, he's telling everybody what a great Christian and he is and how he defends the Second Amendment." "You don't know the answer about 9/11 either?" Cooper asked. "I don't know the answer about 9/11, no," Porter said. "Does he still believe an American citizen who's a Muslim should not be able to serve in Congress? "I think that what he's getting at there is we believe in the rule of law by the Constitution, not Sharia law," she said. Cooper cited Moore's past statement, in which he said, he believed that Minnesota congressman Keith Ellison should not be allow to swear on the Quran. "You don't know the answer to that either, whether he still believes that?" Cooper asked. "I believe his position has to do whether we follow the Constitution or the ridiculously oppressive to women Sharia law," Porter replied. "I get you don't want to answer these questions and that's cool, but I'd rather you just say I'd rather not answer them rather than just ignore them," Cooper said. "I'm answering them," Porter replied. "He picks the Constitution over Sharia law and the people of Alabama agree."
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395 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/06/politics/erik-prince-steve-bannon-seychelles-meeting/index.html">
396 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170118122639-erik-prince-blackwater-anderson-intv-ctw-00050213-story-body.jpg">
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403 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/06/politics/erik-prince-steve-bannon-seychelles-meeting/index.html">Democrats grilled Erik Prince about meeting Bannon before Seychelles trip</a>
404 </h3>
405 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
406 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
407 <span>Dec 7, 2017</span>
408 </div>
409 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
410 In a combative hearing behind closed doors, Democrats pressed Blackwater founder Erik Prince about his meeting with President Donald Trump's then-chief strategist Steve Bannon ahead of Prince's trip to the Seychelles, where he met with a Russian hedge fund manager. Prince's testimony from last week was released Wednesday under an agreement with the House Intelligence Committee to be interviewed in a closed setting and later have the transcript made public. Prince acknowledged that Bannon told him about a December 2016 meeting in Trump Tower with United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, but he denied there was any effort to set up a back-channel with the Russians, as was suggested after his January meeting with Kirill Dmitriev in the Seychelles was disclosed. Prince insisted to the House committee he had not acted as a representative of the Trump administration during the meeting with the Emirati dignitaries, though he was close to Bannon and sent him unsolicited policy papers during the campaign. When the committee's top Democrat, California Rep. Adam Schiff, asked Prince if anyone on the campaign indicated they were engaged in any discussions with the Russians through any channels, Prince responded, "Front side, back side, no side never got any indication of anything like that." Prince also said that his trip to the Seychelles, which he said was to meet with UAE officials about business opportunities, did not have anything to do with Russia. "The Emiratis I'd just met with previously said, there's an interesting guy from Russia you should meet if you have any business in the commodity space, which I do," Prince told the committee. "I look at minerals and oil and gas. He said, you should meet him. So I met him in the bar and had a drink." In a statement, Schiff said Prince did not "adequately explain why he traveled halfway around the world to meet with UAE officials or Dmitriev." "On the details of this meeting, Prince was again less than forthcoming and sought to represent that his discussion with Dmitriev, which comprised a third of the time he was conducting meetings in the Seychelles, was merely coincidental," Schiff said in the statement. The transcript showed a combative hearing, in which Prince accused the committee's Democrats of a fishing expedition and complained they were wasting his time. Schiff and Prince got into a testy back-and-forth exchange, with Schiff threatening Prince with a subpoena if he refused to continue with the hearing. When Prince objected to extending questioning for another 30 minutes, Schiff replied, "It's not up to you to decide how long the hearing goes on." "It is, because I'm here voluntarily," Prince shot back. "You may be used to operating this way in your business, Mr. Prince," Schiff responded. Prince told the committee that Dmitriev expressed that he wished "trade would resume with the United States in a normal way." Prince and Dmitriev spoke about "trade matters and how the United States and Russia should be working together to defeat Islamic terrorism," Prince told the committee. The two men also spoke about the prices of oil, minerals and other commodities. The state-run investment firm that Dmitriev leads in Russia was sanctioned by the US in 2015. Dmitriev and Prince didn't specifically discuss sanctions or Prince's relationship to the Trump administration, Prince said. He didn't relay his conversation with Dmitriev back to the Trump Organization, transition or administration, he added. Prince said he hadn't delved too deeply into who Dmitriev was in the moments before he met him at a bar in Seychelles. Prince said he Googled him to see his picture, learned he ran a Russian hedge fund, and looked no further into Dmitriev's connections to the Russian government. "I was roaming, so data roaming is expensive when you're overseas," Prince said. When asked why Abu Dhabi's crown prince may have reached out to Prince after not having contact with him for some time, Prince said, "I think the Obama administration went out of their way to tarnish my ability to do business in the Middle East, and with a different administration in town, they probably figured that that downdraft wasn't present anymore." Prince said he and the crown prince's conversation stuck to the problem of terrorism and aluminum manufacturing costs. Also in the interview, Prince accused former national security adviser Susan Rice and other National Security Council staffers in the Obama administration of leaking electronic surveillance of his meeting with the Russian in the Seychelles to The Washington Post, which first reported his Seychelles meeting.
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419 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170513102130-ransomware-wannacry-attack-explained-00002401-story-body.jpg">
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425 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
426 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/06/opinions/america-global-cyber-showdown/index.html">Why the world needs a NATO for cyberwarfare</a>
427 </h3>
428 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
429 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
430 <span>Dec 6, 2017</span>
431 </div>
432 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
433 Despite the increasing number of digital assaults against private industry and governments in the past couple of years, we are still in a state of denial about the prospects of a global cyber showdown. America and its international partners have offered mostly hand-wringing and half-measures in response. In a speech last month, Microsoft's president and chief legal officer, Brad Smith, called for the global community to band together to create a digital version of the Geneva Conventions to combat global cyberthreats. But why not take Smith's idea a step further? The United States should be leading the international community in addressing these attacks through existing worldwide organizations by creating a cybersecurity version of NATO. The next large-scale cyberattack is inevitable. While this summer's WannaCry attack -- which infected more than 150 countries and disrupted critical sectors of the world economy -- could have been worse, the next probably will be. But the industry alliances formed in response to such attacks have yet to drive substantial change. Instead, it is in America's interest to persuade both citizens and governments around the world of the threat these attacks represent. They violate basic human norms and flout existing laws that people around the world welcome. Cyberattacks aren't daring electronic adventures. They're dangerous, criminal acts -- high-tech burglary, theft, armed robbery, piracy and kidnapping with ransoms. And they jeopardize everything from our freedoms and economic prosperity to our way of life. We can't go it alone in response to these crimes: Perpetrators of data breaches are difficult to identify and frequently act from outside the United States, making them elusive to domestic authorities. Even with excellent international law enforcement cooperation, few cyber criminals have been brought to account for the significant harm they have inflicted. Nor can we pretend that the threats will ebb any time soon. The number of reported data breaches in the United States alone this year is expected to hit an all-time high, up nearly 40% from 2016, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center. The annual price tag for cybercrime -- up to $575 billion in losses for the global economy and $100 billion in losses inside the United States, the hardest hit of any country. Juniper Research predicts that the cost of data breaches globally will quadruple to $2.1 trillion by 2019. America needs to lead an international coalition of partners to help. In 1949, the United States and European nations formed NATO to safeguard their freedoms and security through political and military means. That alliance and other global organizations -- including groups that America may need to foster -- must campaign against cybercrime with two central features. First, as with NATO's Article V, they should agree that a cyberattack on one member country constitutes an attack on all. While rogue states may still harbor cyber criminals, this principle assures that enforcement measures -- through diplomatic, trade or other international means -- have maximum effect. Second, worldwide bodies should actively pursue cyber security defenses, sharing these with private enterprise, as a paid service if necessary. Lack of preparedness, after all, is a common theme in breaches that have dominated the news. This path forward may not be easy and controversy free, given differing national views on critical issues such as privacy and innovation. But as with other global initiatives that have helped to control nuclear arsenals, contain global pandemics and safeguard our skies, coordination and cooperation are critical, and can grow. The cyber criminals who unleashed WannaCry may unwittingly have advanced the global consensus to battle the grave dangers of future cybercrimes by attacking computers across Eurasia, Latin America and Africa, including in nations reluctant to crack down on bad actors. The impetus for change typically hinges on a moment when the focus shifts away from words toward action. America must mobilize the world against a cyber doomsday. It's only a matter of time, without appropriate collective measures, before criminals -- on purpose or by accident -- cause a global calamity the scale of which fundamentally alters the course of economic and political history.
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440 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
441 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/06/middleeast/jerusalem-israel-us-intl/index.html">
442 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/141030150900-temple-mount-story-body.jpg">
443 </a>
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448 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
449 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/06/middleeast/jerusalem-israel-us-intl/index.html">Trump's Jerusalem decision: How the world reacted</a>
450 </h3>
451 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
452 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
453 <span>Dec 6, 2017</span>
454 </div>
455 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
456 Top Palestinian officials condemned US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying the decision would bolster extremists' calls for holy wars and delegitimize the United States as an arbiter in the peace process. "These procedures do also help in the extremist organizations to wage a religious war that would harm the entire region, which is going through critical moments and would lead us into wars that will never end, which we have warned about and always urged to fight against," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in a televised address following the US announcement. Trump's move means the US can no longer play a role in the peace process, said Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary-General Saeb Erekat. "President Trump just destroyed any possibility of a two-state (solution)," Erekat, who is also the Palestinian chief negotiator, said in a statement. "President Trump tonight made the biggest mistake of his life," Erekat told CNN's Christiane Amanpour. "Instead of encouraging the parties to sit together, the parties to put all core issues including Jerusalem on the table and negotiate in good faith, he dictates." Israeli officials have worked to demolish a two-state solution, he said. The Trump administration cast the landmark step as a "recognition of reality" that Jerusalem has long been the seat of the Israeli government. In announcing the move, Trump stressed that the decision would have no impact on the boundaries of future Israeli and Palestinian states as negotiated under a final status agreement. Palestinian factions called for three "days of rage" in protest, and the US State Department has issued a travel warning for the West Bank and Jerusalem's Old City. The UN Security Council will discuss the development on Friday. Israeli PM: 'Important step towards peace' The Israeli government praised Trump's move, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on other nations to follow Trump's lead. "Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years," Netanyahu said. He praised Trump and called the move an "important step towards peace, for there is no peace that doesn't include Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel." Netanyahu vowed there would be no change with regard to the city's many holy sites. "Israel will always ensure freedom of worship for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike," he said. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin hailed Trump's recognition as a "beautiful gift." "Jerusalem is not, and never will be, an obstacle to peace for those who want peace," he said in a statement that quoted Psalm 122. "As it is written, 'Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, may all that love her prosper, may there be peace in her quarters and palaces.'" Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat told CNN that Trump's decision was "the right thing to do, and here in Jerusalem and Israel we applaud the President." Asked if he was worried that violence might result from the move, Barkat said: "The state of Israel would never be what it is today if we would be deterred by violence." PLO: 'Death knell of any peace process' The announcement moves Trump one step closer to fulfilling his campaign pledge to relocate the US Embassy to Jerusalem -- a move long sought by Israel, but set aside by previous US presidents due to regional security concerns and because the international community had agreed that Jerusalem's status would be resolved as part of a negotiated agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. "It means the death knell of any peace process," said Hanan Ashrawi, an executive committee member of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Both sides claim the holy city as their capital. No countries have embassies in Jerusalem. Ahead of his announcement, Trump spoke Tuesday to Abbas, King Abdullah, Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Saudi Arabia's King Salman. Those conversations prompted regional statements opposing the plan, warning it will undermine stability and scuttle any hopes of peace for the foreseeable future. The Saudi government issued a statement Thursday expressing its "great disappointment." "Saudi Arabia had previously warned of the serious consequences of such an irresponsible and unwarranted step," said a statement issued by the Saudi Royal Court. "The Kingdom expresses its denunciation and deep regret that the administration has taken this step, as it represents a great bias against the historic and permanent rights of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem." Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, posted on his official Twitter account that the US decision was made "out of despair and debility." "On issue of #Palestine their hands are tied and they can't achieve their goals," he tweeted. "Palestine will be free. Palestinian nation will achieve victory." Iran's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the move, saying it will "enrage the Muslims and fan the flames of a new Intifiada, prompting violent acts for which the US and Zionist regime should stand accountable," according to a statement published by official news agency IRNA. The ministry called the move "provocative and unwise" and "a flagrant breach of international resolutions." Macron: Move 'contravenes international law' While Trump and his Israeli allies have said the city is key to regional stability, detractors said the move promises not only to destabilize the region, but scuttle any hopes of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. Hamas, France and UN Secretary-General António Guterres joined the chorus of criticism targeting Trump following his Wednesday announcement that the US would soon move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Guterres said Jerusalem's status should be resolved only via negotiations between Israel and Palestinians, he said. "In this moment of great anxiety, I want to make it clear: There is no alternative to the two-state solution. There is no Plan B," he said. "It is only by realizing the vision of two states living side-by-side in peace, security and mutual recognition, with Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and Palestine, and all final status issues resolved permanently through negotiations, that the legitimate aspirations of both peoples will be achieved." Speaking in Algiers, French President Emmanuel Macron called Trump's decision "regrettable" and said the new American policy "contravenes international law." In addition, the German government said it doesn't doesn't support Trump's decision, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesperson, Steffen Seibert, said on Twitter. Seibert wrote: "#Merkel on the decision by @POTUS Trump regarding Jerusalem: 'The Federal Government does not support this decision, because the status of Jerusalem is to be negotiated within the framework of a 2-state solution.'" Middle East leaders oppose Leaders across the Middle East came out against the Trump administration's announcement and urged the US to reconsider. Jordan called the US decision "a violation of international legitimacy." State Minister for Media Affairs and Government's Spokesperson, Mohammad al-Momani, said in a statement that Jordan rejects the decision, which he said fuels tension. Egypt rejects the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and any impact that may result from it, President el-Sisi said in a statement released by his office. "This decision overlooks the special position of Jerusalem for Arabs and Muslims" Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas, the governing authority in Gaza, decried the move, tweeting, "Trump's decision will not succeed in changing the reality of Jerusalem being Islamic Arab land. This decision is foolish and time will tell that the biggest losers are Trump and Netanyahu." Opposition in Asia Islamabad has expressed its "strong opposition and condemnation" Thursday at the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, according to a statement from Pakistan's Foreign Ministry. It urged the US to "revisit its decision as soon as possible in order to avoid the potentially grave repercussions in the region and beyond" and welcomed an announcement by Turkey to convene an Extraordinary Islamic Summit next week to discuss the issue. China expressed its concern about potential escalating violence in the region, calling on all parties to "act with caution." "China will consistently support and push forward the Middle East peace process and support the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights," said Geng Shuang, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman said a Wednesday briefing, before the official announcement. The leader of the world's most populous Muslim nation, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, strongly condemned the US decision and warned it could "destabilize global security." "I and the people of Indonesia, all remain consistent in standing with the Palestinian people, in their for their independence and rights, in accordance with the mandate of the Preamble of the 1945 Constitution," he said. India also reiterated its support for a Palestinian state, saying its position on the matter would not be swayed by the US move, while Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said that country had no plans to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem. Concerns before decision announced Even before Trump's announcement, the move spurred denunciations from regional and world figures. "There is no alternative to a two-state solution, and Jerusalem is key to any peace agreement," said Jordanian King Abdullah, speaking in Ankara alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Abdullah said he had "reemphasized our concerns" to Trump about recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "It is imperative to work fast to reach a final status solution and a peace agreement," he said. The Jordanian King added that any such agreement must allow for an independent Palestinian state and that "ignoring Palestinian Muslim and Christian rights" in the holy city "could fuel terrorism." Abdullah is the custodian of the Muslim holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem. Erdogan warned that a wrong step taken in Jerusalem would cause a reaction across the Islamic world that could destroy the foundations for peace. Regarding Trump, Erdogan said, "No one person's personal ambitions should be allowed to alter the fates of billions of people. Any such move would only embolden terrorist organizations." Kremlin: 'Serious concern' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a regularly scheduled call that President Vladimir Putin had spoken to Abbas on Tuesday and expressed "serious concern for possible deterioration of the situation." Peskov said that the situation in Jerusalem was "not easy." British Prime Minister Theresa May said the UK position on Jerusalem continued to be that "the status of Jerusalem should be determined in a negotiated settlement between Israel and the Palestinians." The city "ultimate
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462 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
463 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
464 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/06/europe/theresa-may-assassination-plot-intl/index.html">
465 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170604104314-01-theresa-may-downing-st-0604-story-body.jpg">
466 </a>
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471 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
472 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/06/europe/theresa-may-assassination-plot-intl/index.html">Theresa May assassination plot suspect in court</a>
473 </h3>
474 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
475 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
476 <span>Dec 6, 2017</span>
477 </div>
478 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
479 A man who allegedly plotted to assassinate British Prime Minister Theresa May appeared in court Wednesday charged with terrorism offenses. London based Naa'imur Zakariyah Rahman, 20, who described himself in court as Pakistani British, was arrested last week and charged on Tuesday. A second man, Mohammed Aqib Imran, 21, from Birmingham, appeared in court at the same time, also charged with "the intention of committing acts of terrorism." When asked about his nationality in court, Imran said he was Bangladeshi British. According to court documents, Rahman planned to detonate an explosive device at the gates of Downing Street and then seek to gain access to No. 10 -- May's official residence -- "in the ensuing chaos with a view to trying to kill the Prime Minister." "The secondary attack on No. 10 was to be carried out with a suicide vest, pepper spray and a knife," the document said. Rahman had carried out a "hostile reconnaissance" of the area as part of his preparations and revealed his plan to "attack, kill and cause explosions" in several recorded conversations, according to the allegations. In a related allegation, Imran is accused of trying to obtain a fake passport in order to leave the UK and travel to Libya. On his arrest, Imran was found in possession of a short video recorded by Rahman "who was sponsoring Imran in order to assist him to enter Islamic State and fight," according to the allegations. Rahman allegedly made the video in November "with the expectation of becoming a martyr." The recording would have given Imran greater credibility with the terrorist organization, the document said. Lawyers for both Rahman and Imran entered "no indication" as the suspects' plea, meaning that the case continues as if they had pleaded "not guilty." Both suspects have been remanded in custody without bail and will next appear in court on December 20. The news of the arrests emerged just a few hours after the publication of an official security review, which said that 20 Islamist-inspired terrorist plots had been "disrupted" since October 2013, seven of them since the end of March this year. The UK terror threat from Islamist terrorists is operating "at a scale and pace we've not seen before," said Andrew Parker, director general of MI5, in a speech in October. He warned that "the challenge that we face is undoubtedly a stark one. More threat, coming at us more quickly, and sometimes harder to detect. But it is a challenge that we and our partners are rising to and are facing down." Over 500 counterterrorism investigations Thirty-six people have been killed in five separate terror attacks in the UK this year. Opportunities to stop the most fatal of those -- a suicide bomb attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester in May -- were missed, according to the report by senior barrister David Anderson published Tuesday. Suicide bomber Salman Abedi, who killed 22 people, had been a "subject of interest" to British police in the months before the attack, but was not put under investigation. "On two separate occasions in the months prior to the attack, intelligence was received by MI5 whose significance was not fully appreciated at the time," the report said. The report noted that while counterterrorism police and MI5 had gotten most things right, "it is conceivable that the Manchester attack in particular might have been averted had the cards fallen differently." "Policing and our colleagues in the fight against terrorism will continue to learn and improve," Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said in a statement Tuesday. "There are currently well over 500 counterterrorism investigations, involving more than 3,000 subjects of interest -- along with a growing pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have previously been the subject of terrorism investigations," the statement said. "These investigations cover the full range of terrorist activity, from attack planning to activity that supports or facilitates terrorism -- but a significant proportion involve potential attack-planning threats. The tempo is more intense than ever."
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485 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
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487 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/05/politics/election-integrity-cyber-security-experts-clapper/index.html">
488 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170719181618-kris-kobach-01-story-body.jpg">
489 </a>
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494 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
495 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/05/politics/election-integrity-cyber-security-experts-clapper/index.html">White House's planned voter database could be hacking target, experts warn</a>
496 </h3>
497 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
498 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
499 <span>Dec 6, 2017</span>
500 </div>
501 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
502 Nine national security and cybersecurity experts filed an amicus brief Tuesday afternoon in support of a lawsuit against the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. The experts warn that the commission's plan to centralize voter data with a national database could become a target of foreign cyber attacks. The brief -- filed by Georgetown Law's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection and signed by former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, among others -- supports a pending lawsuit against the commission, which attempted to retrieve voter data -- including names, addresses, birthdays and partial Social Security numbers -- from all 50 states. The commission, which was set up by President Donald Trump to combat voter fraud, is headed by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a staunch supporter of voter ID laws. In July, 44 states and the District of Columbia refused to provide certain types of voter information to the commission, which were requested by Kobach. Currently, voter data is decentralized across states. The amicus brief signatories say that by housing all the data in one place, "(p)ersonally identifiable information about millions of American voters would be extremely valuable to foreign adversaries seeking to interfere in future elections." "The bigger the database, the greater the payoff from a potential breach," the brief states. The group also raised concerns over the "seemingly last-minute" decision to store the database in a repurposed White House system instead of storing it with the Department of Defense. The filers say the White House has not said what system has been repurposed, and they warn that it "may lack core safeguards." "Based on what is already known, however, there is substantial reason to believe that the Commission has gone about its work in ways that subjected the data to significant vulnerabilities and indeed exacerbated those vulnerabilities," a release for the brief states. Election interference by Russia in 2016 was also a concern for the security experts. "(A) foreign adversary such as Russia could conduct targeted information campaigns against particular subsets of voters. It could even seek to undermine voters' access to the polls by, for example, targeting individuals of one party or another (or perhaps of all parties) with disinformation about the locations or hours of polling places or false reports that an election has been postponed or canceled," the brief states. The filers add that if a hack could alter the information stored on the database, "the results could have other serious implications for future elections" and "could cause widespread confusion for months or years to come." Signatories of the brief include former National Counterterrorism Center Director Matt Olsen, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Paul Rosenzweig, former Under Secretary of Homeland Security for the National Protection and Programs Directorate Suzanne Spaulding, former Deputy Chief Technology Officer for the Obama administration Alexander Macgillivray, former Justice Department Chief Privacy Officer Nancy Libin, former Coordinator for Cyber issues for the State Department Christopher Painter, former White House technology adviser Dipayan Ghosh and former White House Senior Director of Cybersecurity Policy Andrew J. Grotto.
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508 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
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510 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/05/politics/dhs-kirstjen-nielsen-senate-confirmation/index.html">
511 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171208141920-kirstjen-nielsen-sworn-in-story-body.jpg">
512 </a>
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517 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
518 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/05/politics/dhs-kirstjen-nielsen-senate-confirmation/index.html">Senate confirms Trump's 2nd permanent DHS chief</a>
519 </h3>
520 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
521 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
522 <span>Dec 6, 2017</span>
523 </div>
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525 The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Kirstjen Nielsen to be secretary of Homeland Security, permanently filling the vacancy created when President Donald Trump selected retired Gen. John Kelly to be his chief of staff. Kelly left the Department of Homeland Security for the White House in late July during a shakeup that included the resignation of the former chief of staff, Reince Priebus. Trump did not make his selection for Kelly's replacement until October, when he announced Nielsen as his choice to lead the Department. Nielsen was Kelly's chief of staff at DHS and went with him to the White House before Trump nominated her. Nielsen's successful nomination makes her the second woman, after Janet Napolitano, to be confirmed to the position. After Kelly's move to the White House, Elaine Duke served as acting secretary. The Senate confirmed Nielsen 62-37, with 11 members of the Democratic caucus joining the Republicans and Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander not voting. The key Cabinet position, created after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, oversees a myriad of agencies tasked with protecting the US and managing immigration and customs. It is central to executing specific Trump agenda points, including his hardline approach to immigration, establishing a wall along the US-Mexico border and implementing his travel ban, which the Supreme Court decided on Monday to resume. At her confirmation hearing in November, Nielsen maintained she would continue to operate DHS the way Kelly had, including parting with Trump's campaign promise on the proposed border wall. "There is no need for a wall from sea to shining sea," Nielsen said.
526 </div>
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531 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
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533 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/05/europe/manchester-uk-terror-report-intl/index.html">
534 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170522190352-03-manchester-arena-0522-story-body.jpg">
535 </a>
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540 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
541 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/05/europe/manchester-uk-terror-report-intl/index.html">Manchester attack could have been prevented, report says</a>
542 </h3>
543 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
544 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
545 <span>Dec 5, 2017</span>
546 </div>
547 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
548 The man who killed 22 fans at a concert by singer Ariana Grande in Manchester in May had been a "subject of interest" to British police and opportunities to stop him were missed, according to an official security review published Tuesday. Security service MI5 came by unspecified intelligence about Salman Abedi in the months before the Manchester attack, the report by senior barrister David Anderson said. The information would have caused an investigation into him to be opened had its true significance been properly understood. Instead, he was not under active investigation when he detonated a suicide device at the Manchester Arena on May 22. "On two separate occasions in the months prior to the attack, intelligence was received by MI5 whose significance was not fully appreciated at the time," the report said. "It was assessed at the time to relate not to terrorism but to possible non-nefarious activity or to criminality on the part of Salman Abedi. In retrospect, the intelligence can be seen to have been highly relevant to the planned attack." The report did not say what that intelligence was. Reviews of the four UK terrorist attacks between March and June this year were overseen by Anderson to provide assurance to the government that the internal reviews by the police and MI5 were thorough enough. The report noted that while counterterrorism police and MI5 had gotten most things right, "it is conceivable that the Manchester attack in particular might have been averted had the cards fallen differently." Khuram Butt, who led the knife rampage on London Bridge last June, in which eight people died, was the only attacker to have been under police surveillance when he carried out his atrocity, the report said. Butt had appeared in a British television documentary "The Jihadi Next Door" openly supporting ISIS. Nine terror plots thwarted since March "Policing and our colleagues in the fight against terrorism will continue to learn and improve," Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said in a statement. "We need to make rapid progress in implementing the recommendations, many of which require new technology, better infrastructures and resources at a time when the threat from terrorism poses significant challenges for police and security services." The statement, issued jointly with MI5, said nine terror plots had been thwarted since March. "There are currently well over 500 counter-terrorism investigations, involving more than 3,000 subjects of interest -- along with a growing pool of more than 20,000 individuals who have previously been the subject of terrorism investigations," the statement said. "These investigations cover the full range of terrorist activity, from attack planning to activity that supports or facilitates terrorism -- but a significant proportion involve potential attack planning threats. The tempo is more intense than ever." Following the Manchester attack, US security services leaked details about Abedi to the US media. UK Prime Minister Theresa May confronted US President Donald Trump about the intelligence leaks, which Trump described as "deeply troubling." The breakdown of trust between the two countries led to the brief suspension in sharing intelligence.
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556 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/05/opinions/pakistan-mattis-us-relations-intl/index.html">
557 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171205145118-pakistan-mattis-intl-story-body.jpg">
558 </a>
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563 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
564 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/05/opinions/pakistan-mattis-us-relations-intl/index.html">US-Pakistan relations: A broken record</a>
565 </h3>
566 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
567 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
568 <span>Dec 5, 2017</span>
569 </div>
570 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
571 Congratulations, Secretary Mattis. You've become the latest US official to serve as lead vocalist on a hopelessly broken record. On a visit to Pakistan on Monday, US Defense Secretary James Mattis sang from what's now a very familiar songsheet. "Pakistan must redouble its efforts to confront militants and terrorists operating within the country," he said, according to a Pentagon statement. For nearly two decades, Washington has implored Islamabad to shut down sanctuaries for militants -- mainly the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network -- that target Americans in Afghanistan. And each time, Washington has been rebuffed. There's a fundamental reason why consistently strident American demands are met with consistently stubborn Pakistani inaction: A misalignment of interests. Washington views the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network as direct threats to Americans -- and to the Afghanistan that it's desperately trying to help stabilize. Pakistan, conversely, views these groups as useful assets to push back against Indian influence in Afghanistan, and as a helpful hedge against the possibility of an eventual American exit from that country. From Pakistan's perspective, it would be sheer folly to sever ties with the most powerful non-state actors operating in Afghanistan -- actors whose influence would increase even more if Afghanistan descends into unrest and civil war. Predictably, each side perceives the counter-terrorism issue through the lens of its own interests. Pakistan says it's done a great job cracking down on terrorists. Indeed, the Pakistani military has staged counter-terrorism operations in the North Waziristan tribal area that have badly degraded the Pakistani Taliban -- the group responsible for most of the terror attacks in Pakistan over the last decade. For Washington, while these operations are commendable, they're not good enough because they don't address the heart of the matter -- the terrorists that target Americans in Afghanistan. Domestic politics in Pakistan also ensure Islamabad won't change course and comply with US demands anytime soon. Elections are next year. As the country enters campaign season, no politician worth his or her salt -- including those leading the current government -- would remotely consider calling for accommodating American demands. This is particularly the case given the recent establishment of several hardline religious parties -- one of them linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group -- planning to contest elections. Pakistani politics are rife with retrograde ideologies. In such an environment, overtly caving to American demands could destroy your electoral prospects -- not to mention your political career. Interestingly, when I was in Islamabad last month, the Pakistani political class, both in public messaging and in private conversations, was strikingly more sanguine about US-Pakistan relations than were the Americans with whom I spoke there. It's almost as if the Pakistanis were putting a happy face on a worrisome situation, well aware of the plunge that the relationship could take in the coming months. We've seen this plotline before: Incessant American demands coupled with a lack of Pakistani compliance trigger a crisis, before the two sides -- like an unhappily married couple -- come back from the brink and grudgingly agree to muddle through. Except this time the movie may have a new twist: The Trump administration has threatened to use unprecedented punitive measures if the Pakistanis don't act sufficiently against terror. With Washington unlikely to be satisfied with Pakistani efforts, something will have to give in this fragile relationship during the initial months of 2018. America's most likely move will be to expand its drone war and target leaders of the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Several days before Mattis touched down in Islamabad, CIA director Mike Pompeo effectively warned at a security forum that if Pakistan doesn't smash the sanctuaries on its soil, then the United States will do so itself. To be sure, such a move would risk Pakistani retaliations -- such as closing down NATO supply routes and suspending intelligence sharing with Washington -- that could imperil US interests. For this reason, it's unlikely any expansion of the drone war would be accompanied by other muscular measures proposed by analysts, and in some cases hinted at by the administration itself -- at least initially. Those measures range from sanctioning Pakistani officials with ties to terror to revoking Pakistan's non-NATO ally status and designating it as a state sponsor of terror. Refraining from more draconian policies may preempt dangerous Pakistani retaliations and threats to US interests. But it would also guarantee that Pakistan continues to patronize the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network -- a relationship that poses longstanding threats to US interests. Ultimately, for Washington, there are no easy options. Except to cue that broken record.
572 </div>
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576
577 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
578 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
579 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/04/politics/supreme-court-travel-ban/index.html">
580 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170925191340-travel-ban-1-story-body.jpg">
581 </a>
582
583
584 </div><!--
585 --><div class="cnn-search__result-contents">
586 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
587 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/04/politics/supreme-court-travel-ban/index.html">Supreme Court lets full Trump travel ban take effect</a>
588 </h3>
589 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
590 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
591 <span>Dec 4, 2017</span>
592 </div>
593 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
594 The US Supreme Court on Monday allowed the newest version of President Donald Trump's travel ban to take effect pending appeal. This is the first time justices have allowed any edition of the ban to go forward in its entirety. It signals that some of the justices might be distinguishing the latest version from previous iterations and could be more likely, in the future, to rule in favor of the ban. Issued in September, the third edition of the travel ban placed varying levels of restrictions on foreign nationals from eight countries: Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Somalia and Yemen. Lower courts in two separate challenges had partially blocked the ban. The order is a significant temporary win for the Trump administration, which has fought all year to impose a travel ban against citizens of several Muslim-majority countries. Monday's order means it can be enforced while challenges to the policy make their way through the legal system. The Trump administration has maintained that the President has the authority to install travel bans in order to protect national security. "The Constitution and acts of Congress confer on the President broad authority to prevent aliens abroad from entering this country when he deems it in the nation's interest," Solicitor General Noel Francisco argued in court papers. Francisco argued that the ban was necessary "in order to protect national security." The White House said it was "not surprised" by Monday's order. "We are not surprised by today's Supreme Court decision permitting immediate enforcement of the President's proclamation limiting travel from countries presenting heightened risks of terrorism," White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said. "The proclamation is lawful and essential to protecting our homeland. We look forward to presenting a fuller defense of the proclamation as the pending cases work their way through the courts." In his arguments, Francisco pushed back on allegations from critics that the travel ban amounted to a "Muslim Ban" in part by noting that the latest iteration covers some countries that are not majority Muslim. "These differences confirm that the Proclamation is based on national-security and foreign-affairs objectives, not religious animus," he wrote. But after Francisco made those arguments, the President caused controversy by retweeting three inflammatory videos from a British far-right account rife with anti-Muslim content. The videos, posted by Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of Britain First, a far-right and ultra-nationalist political group, depict purported Muslims assaulting people and, in one video, smashing a statue of the Virgin Mary. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor said they would have denied the administration's request. Cases continue Challenges against the travel ban will continue this week on both coasts. In the Hawaii case, a district court judge blocked the ban from going into effect except as it pertains to Venezuela and North Korea. But a three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals partially lifted that order. The appeals court allowed the ban to go into effect except for foreign nationals who have "bona fide" relationships with people or entities in the United States. The language of the order was adopted from a Supreme Court order pertaining to an earlier version of the ban. Neal Katyal, representing Hawaii, had urged the justices to leave the lower court's ruling -- that echoed the justices' own words from the previous case -- intact. "This court has already struck the equitable balance that governs this appeal, and the President's claim to unlimited power over immigration remains without merit," Katyal argued. In a separate challenge out of Maryland brought by, among others, the International Refugee Assistance Project, US District Court Judge Theodore D. Chuang issued a similar order also partially enjoining the ban in a case that is now pending before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Both cases are scheduled to be heard before the appeals courts this week.
595 </div>
596 </div>
597
598 </div>
599
600 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
601 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
602 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/03/africa/somalia-mogadishu-bombings-death-toll/index.html">
603 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171015120005-18-mogadishu-somalia-explosion-story-body.jpg">
604 </a>
605
606
607 </div><!--
608 --><div class="cnn-search__result-contents">
609 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
610 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/03/africa/somalia-mogadishu-bombings-death-toll/index.html">Death toll spikes nearly two months after Somalia truck bombings</a>
611 </h3>
612 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
613 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
614 <span>Dec 3, 2017</span>
615 </div>
616 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
617 The number of dead in the devastating twin bombing in the Somali capital of Mogadishu in October has jumped to 512, authorities announced Sunday. Nearly 70 people remain missing, and 295 still have injuries suffered in the attack, Abdullahi Mohamed Shirwac, the chairman of the 11-member government investigation committee, said in a press conference. The October 14 attack was already the deadliest in Somalia's modern history. Government officials reported the death toll at 358 near the end of October. Two Americans were killed in the blast, the US State Department said. It was not immediately clear what caused the death toll to increase so significantly more than a month and a half after the deadly attack. There still has been no claim of responsibility. The initial vehicle bomb destroyed dozens of stalls and the popular Safari Hotel in the heart of the city. Minutes later, a second vehicle bomb went off nearby. One truck was packed with explosives, including cooking gas. The force of the blast was the worst Somalia has seen in at least 10 years, CNN correspondent Farai Sevenzo reported. Michael Keating, special representative of the United Nations secretary-general for Somalia, said whoever was behind the "revolting" attack "killed an unprecedented number of civilians." Rescue workers had to comb through piles of rubble to try to locate victims. Those with serious wounds were airlifted for treatment to Turkey, Sudan, and Kenya. Mass burials took place as President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo called for three days of national mourning. Mogadishu, a large city on the east African nation's coast, has endured high levels of violence for years. Al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked terror group, has carried out several deadly bombings. Al-Shabaab has been waging a war with the Somali government for more than 10 years, prompting the African Union to send in peacekeeping troops. The terror group is now based mainly in rural areas in the south of the country, having lost control of Mogadishu in 2011. Last August, the US State Department warned Americans to avoid traveling to Somalia because of widespread terrorist and criminal activity. The warning said al-Shabaab and ISIS "operate with relative impunity throughout large parts of the country, including Mogadishu, and attack civilian, military, and government targets." The White House issued a statement condemning the October attack, calling terrorist organizations "the enemies of all civilized people."
618 </div>
619 </div>
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621 </div>
622
623 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
624 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
625 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/02/asia/north-korea-trump/index.html">
626 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171130040530-north-korea-missile-launch-newton-00000629-story-body.jpg">
627 </a>
628
629
630 </div><!--
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632 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
633 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/02/asia/north-korea-trump/index.html">North Korea: Trump is 'begging for nuclear war'</a>
634 </h3>
635 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
636 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
637 <span>Dec 2, 2017</span>
638 </div>
639 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
640 US President Donald Trump and his administration are "begging for nuclear war," North Korea's Foreign Ministry said Saturday. Trump is "staging an extremely dangerous nuclear gamble on the Korean peninsula," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a written statement that also calls Trump a "nuclear demon" and a "disruptor of global peace." The comments came ahead of a joint US-South Korean military drill, scheduled to begin Monday. About 12,000 US military personnel and 230 planes are expected to participate in the drill, known as Vigilant Ace. North Korean officials made similar comments last month. A furious commentary published in a state-run newspaper said Trump had displayed his "true colors as an old lunatic, mean trickster and human reject" during his visit to the Korean Peninsula. Days later, Trump placed North Korea on the list of state sponsors of terrorism; the country was removed from that list in 2008 by George W. Bush. The North's latest statement also comes days after North Korea test-fired a brand new intercontinental ballistic missile, which experts said shows a major advance in technology and threat. Trump vows sanctions after missile launch After the missile was tested, Trump tweeted Wednesday that "additional major sanctions will be imposed on North Korea." The United States has been trying to get other countries, especially China, to squeeze North Korea's economy to make Kim back down from developing his country's nuclear weapons program. After this week's launch, a North Korean official told CNN Pyongyang was not interested in diplomacy with the US until it had fully demonstrated its nuclear deterrent capabilities. Reiterating past remarks, the official said one step was to conduct an above-ground nuclear detonation or "large-scale hydrogen bomb" test. The other was the "testing of a long-range ICBM," the implication being this had been achieved with the most recent launch.
641 </div>
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644 </div>
645
646 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
647 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
648 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/02/us/bakersfield-california-hospital-shooting/index.html">
649 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171202034530-bakersfield-hospital-shooting-story-body.jpg">
650 </a>
651
652
653 </div><!--
654 --><div class="cnn-search__result-contents">
655 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
656 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/02/us/bakersfield-california-hospital-shooting/index.html">Gunman opens fire at California hospital</a>
657 </h3>
658 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
659 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
660 <span>Dec 2, 2017</span>
661 </div>
662 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
663 A man was shot Friday after police say he opened fire at a hospital in Bakersfield, California. Police responded to the Bakersfield Heart Hospital after they received reports of an active shooter. Assistant Police Chief Greg Terry said the suspect first fired several shots into a glass door at the rear of the building and then entered the hospital with a handgun and an assault rifle. The man was confronted by a security officer but no shots were fired. Shortly after, the suspect exited the hospital and was shot by police, Terry said. The suspect, who was not identified, was being treated at a local hospital Friday night and was in stable condition, officials said. No patients, staff or visitors were injured during the incident, police said. The gunman's motive remains unclear but authorities believe terrorism was not a factor in the shooting, said FBI supervisory special agent Jose Moreno. The hospital went on lockdown after a housekeeper alerted administrators that a person with a firearm was in the back parking lot, the hospital's CEO Michelle Oxford said. Ronnie Nop and his 8-year-old son were visiting a family member in the hospital's intensive care unit when the hospital when on lockdown. As they were taking cover in an empty room, Nop said he saw the gunman running outside the building. This story has been updated to correct the condition of the suspect. He was hospitalized Friday night and is in stable condition, authorities said.
664 </div>
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666
667 </div>
668
669 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
670 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
671 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/01/politics/who-is-michael-flynn/index.html">
672 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/161117201720-02-michael-flynn-1117-story-body.jpg">
673 </a>
674
675
676 </div><!--
677 --><div class="cnn-search__result-contents">
678 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
679 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/01/politics/who-is-michael-flynn/index.html">Who is Michael Flynn?</a>
680 </h3>
681 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
682 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
683 <span>Dec 1, 2017</span>
684 </div>
685 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
686 Michael Flynn on Friday became the first Trump administration official to be charged as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between the Russian government and the Trump campaign. It was a stunning development not just for the White House, but in the career of a man who climbed through the military ranks to helm one of the United States' top intelligence agencies, the Defense Intelligence Agency, before serving as President Donald Trump's national security adviser. Now, the former national security adviser finds himself charged with lying to the FBI -- becoming the first Trump administration official to face charges in Mueller's investigation. Why is Flynn's indictment so significant? Flynn is now the first person who worked inside the Trump White House to be charged with a crime. And it's Flynn's close relationship with Trump that makes the development particularly significant. Flynn first began advising Trump in February 2016, and within a few months he began joining Trump at rallies across the country and soon became a near constant presence by the Republican nominee's side -- flying on Trump's plane and frequently introducing him at rallies. Their bond was sealed during those months of campaigning and through their shared ideology on foreign policy and national security matters, from both advocating for closer ties with Russia to hawking hardline, often Islamophobic views on terrorism. It all led to Flynn being named national security adviser to the President soon after the election. So Trump and Flynn grew close. Why did he only last 24 days as national security adviser? Flynn was forced to resign after less than a month after he misled Vice President Mike Pence and then-chief of staff Reince Priebus about his conversations with then-Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Flynn had told them -- and the public -- that he did not discuss US sanctions against Russia during a conversation with Kislyak in December 2016 -- before Trump's was inaugurated as President. But he had. Flynn's conversations with Kislyak would become a focal point of the FBI's investigation into Flynn -- and raise questions about the Trump campaign's potential interference with that investigation. That provoked a domino effect, with FBI Director James Comey later alleging that Trump asked him to drop the investigation into Flynn. " 'I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go,' " Comey wrote in contemporaneous notes, quoting Trump. And on Friday, the federal charges against Flynn again came back to Flynn's conversation with the Russian ambassador -- with the indictment alleging Flynn made false statements to the FBI about two conversations with Kislyak. Trump remained close to Flynn even after he was pushed out? It looks that way. Yahoo news reported that Flynn told a group of friends in April that he and the President were still in touch and that Trump had sent him a message to "stay strong." In public comments in the wake of Flynn's resignation, Trump has continued to praise Flynn, calling him a "very good person" in a May interview. It's not clear when Trump and Flynn last spoke. Before he got in trouble for his conversations with the Russian ambassador, were there any signs Flynn might be trouble for the President? Yes. Flynn's legal issues stem in part from foreign payments he received after he started his own consulting firm. Flynn founded the Flynn Intel Group after he retired from the military in 2014. The FBI began investigating Flynn in the fall of 2016 for secretly working during the presidential campaign as an unregistered lobbyist for Turkey, an investigation he disclosed to the Trump transition team before joining the administration as Trump's national security adviser. As part of his pro-Turkey lobbying, Flynn and his colleague held meetings in September and during the Trump transition with Turkish representatives. According to The Wall Street Journal, Flynn and his son were offered as much as $15 million to forcibly remove a Turkish cleric wanted by Turkey from the United States. CNN's legal analysts say the alleged plan to kidnap Fethullah Gulen and subvert the US legal process would directly violate the US criminal code and could carry a punishment of as much as 20 years in federal prison. Lawyers for Flynn said the allegations "ranging from kidnapping to bribery" are completely false. Flynn's lobbying firm was paid $530,000 by Inovo BV, a company owned by Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin, during the final months of the US presidential campaign. The Flynn Intel Group, which is no longer active, was tasked with producing an anti-Gulen documentary, though the final product never aired. Is that it? Nope. Flynn had also previously drawn scrutiny for his work with Russian businesses and payments he received from the Russian government-funded television network, RT. And he failed to disclose those payments in his initial financial disclosure form filed in February. Among the payouts, Flynn received $33,000 of a $45,000 speaking fee for a 2015 speech at a Moscow event hosted by RT, where he sat at the same table as Russian President Vladimir Putin. Flynn's presence at the gala celebrating RT's 10th anniversary raised eyebrows among his critics. The US intelligence community said earlier this year that the Kremlin uses RT to push propaganda on American audiences, and that the English-language channel was involved in the effort to interfere in the election.
687 </div>
688 </div>
689
690 </div>
691
692 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
693 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
694 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/01/europe/germany-device-defused-christmas-market/index.html">
695 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171201120131-02-germany-christmas-market-evacuation-1201-story-body.jpg">
696 </a>
697
698
699 </div><!--
700 --><div class="cnn-search__result-contents">
701 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
702 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/01/europe/germany-device-defused-christmas-market/index.html">German Christmas market evacuated after suspicious package delivered</a>
703 </h3>
704 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
705 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
706 <span>Dec 1, 2017</span>
707 </div>
708 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
709 A Christmas market on the outskirts of Berlin was evacuated Friday after authorities found what was thought to be an improvised explosive device (IED), police said on Twitter. Later in the day, police said the cylindrical object contained nails, wires and batteries but no detonator. Brandenburg police spokesman Thorsten Herbst said a suspicious package was delivered to a pharmacy in Potsdam. An employee opened the package, saw the device and called police, Herbst said. He said police defused the device about three hours later. A follow-up police tweet clarified that no detonator was found. Brandenburg police also said that the lockdown in the area near the Christmas market remains in place and that the investigation is still ongoing. Last December, 12 people were killed and at least 48 were wounded when a tractor-trailer rammed into a crowd at a Christmas market filled with holiday shoppers in Berlin. The suspect, Anis Amri, was killed later in a shootout with police in Italy. Police have been on alert for any similar plots. Following large-scale raids in four German cities on November 21 that resulted in the arrest of six Syrian nationals, a German intelligence officer initially told CNN that the arrests uncovered a possible terror plot on a Christmas market in Germany. But the Syrians were released without charge after initial investigations found there wasn't "sufficient evidence of a terror plot," the Frankfurt prosecutor's office said. There was also "no concrete evidence" the suspects belonged to the ISIS terror group, the office said. There are, however, indications the men have had contacts with ISIS and investigations are ongoing, the office's Christian Hartwig said. According to the initial account from police, the Syrian nationals had applied for asylum and were suspected of being ISIS members. An attack "had not been fully planned yet" according to the previous statement, but the suspects were believed to have been planning to carry out attacks with "weapons or bombs on a public target in Germany." The German intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, further claimed the suspects had been carrying out target reconnaissance of the areas in which Christmas markets in Essen, Germany, would be held. They'd also surveilled buildings in Berlin, the official alleged.
710 </div>
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713 </div>
714
715 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
716 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
717 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/01/asia/pakistan-school-attack-intl/index.html">
718 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171201162158-peshawar-pakistan-attack-1201-02-story-body.jpg">
719 </a>
720
721
722 </div><!--
723 --><div class="cnn-search__result-contents">
724 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
725 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/12/01/asia/pakistan-school-attack-intl/index.html">At least 9 dead after Taliban attack on training school in Pakistan</a>
726 </h3>
727 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
728 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
729 <span>Dec 1, 2017</span>
730 </div>
731 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
732 Taliban militants stormed a training school Friday in northern Pakistan, leaving at least nine people dead and injuring nearly 40, officials said. The attackers used a rickshaw and wore burkas to disguise themselves as women, police told CNN. They stormed the Agricultural Training Institute of Peshawar around 10:30 a.m. local time (12:30 a.m. ET), and all three attackers were killed within an hour. Six of the nine killed at the school were students between the ages of 16 and 21, said Sallahuddin Mehsud, a spokesman for the Pakistan military in Peshawar. A faction of Tehreek-e-Taliban, or TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Mohammad Khorrasani, a spokesman for the faction. The faction is led by Mullah Fazlullah, who orders attacks on Pakistan from Afghanistan, according to Pakistani officials. The Pakistan Taliban claim a long list of violent and deadly assaults on civilians and the military in Pakistan's mostly ungoverned area along its Afghan border. The group received the most international publicity for the 2012 attack on Malala Yousafzai and the Peshawar school massacre in December 2014 that left 145 dead, including 132 children. It has long conducted an insurgency in an attempt to overthrow the Pakistani government and introduce Sharia law.
733 </div>
734 </div>
735
736 </div>
737
738 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
739 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
740 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/30/politics/fbi-wray-meets-cbc/index.html">
741 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170801174058-01-christopher-wray-lead-image-story-body.jpg">
742 </a>
743
744
745 </div><!--
746 --><div class="cnn-search__result-contents">
747 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
748 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/30/politics/fbi-wray-meets-cbc/index.html">FBI director meets with black caucus over criticized report</a>
749 </h3>
750 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
751 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
752 <span>Dec 1, 2017</span>
753 </div>
754 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
755 FBI Director Christopher Wray continued to fend off questions over a controversial bureau report that linked black extremists to violence against police officers, this time at a House hearing Thursday. His public explanation of the internal intelligence assessment on "Black Identity Extremists" followed a nearly two-hour meeting with lawmakers from the Congressional Black Caucus one day earlier. Criticism has grown for weeks from members of Congress and activist groups after the document was first published by the news organization Foreign Policy in October. Speaking after the meeting Wednesday CBC Chairman Cedric Richmond said the discussion with Wray was like a "breath of fresh air" and said the director understood their outrage with the report. "He owns it and he understands our frustration with it and our outright challenge of its accuracy and whether it's useful at all," Richmond said. The 12-page intelligence assessment produced in August details influences behind a series of attacks it labels as perpetrated by black identity extremists. The grouping is one of nine movements investigated by the FBI's domestic terrorism program -- alongside white supremacy, anarchist and anti-abortion movements -- and is comprised of individuals who use violence in response to "perceived racism and injustice in American society," the agency says. The report says it found that after the shooting of Michael Brown in 2014, it was "very likely" that "Black Identity Extremist perceptions of police brutality against African Americans spurred an increase in premeditated, retaliatory lethal violence against law enforcement." Six total cases of so-called black identity extremist attackers are identified from the years that followed, including the sniper who killed five police officers in downtown Dallas in July of last year, and the man who ambushed and killed three police officers the week after in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A law enforcement official confirmed the authenticity of the report to CNN. Agency officials have testified that the FBI has around 1,000 pending domestic terrorism investigations. Rep. Karen Bass, a caucus member who represents parts of Los Angeles, questioned the methodology of the report and said Wray had promised to get back to the group on some of the origins of its assessment. "How did they even come up with the term black identity extremist?" Bass asked. "We reject the entire notion of that and will not stand for a whole new generation of people exercising their first amendment rights to protest police brutality to have to go through what generations went through in the '70s and in the '80s." Rep. Elijiah Cummings said the report would have a "chilling effect" on groups like Black Lives Matter and called for it to be pulled. Testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee on Thursday, Wray called the meeting with the CBC "candid and constructive" and sought to put the report in context. "I can assure you and the rest of the American people that we do not investigate people for rhetoric, for ideology, for First Amendment expression, for association," Wray said. "When there's credible evidence of a federal crime involving the credible threat of force or violence to further a political or social goal, that's our focus," he said.
756 </div>
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759 </div>
760
761 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
762 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
763 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/30/politics/white-house-defend-trump-tweets/index.html">
764 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171130162722-trump-may-fallout-robertson-pkg-00001409-story-body.jpg">
765 </a>
766
767
768 </div><!--
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770 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
771 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/30/politics/white-house-defend-trump-tweets/index.html">White House: Trump's anti-Muslim retweets 'elevated' the conversation</a>
772 </h3>
773 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
774 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
775 <span>Dec 1, 2017</span>
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778 President Donald Trump's decision to retweet anti-Muslim content from a leader of a far-right British political group elevated the conversation, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Thursday, admitting that Trump likely didn't know the content came from an ultra-nationalist political group. "What he's done is elevate the conversation to talk about a real issue and a real threat," she said. Trump had sparked criticism from Britain's highest officials Wednesday when he retweeted three anti-Muslim messages from Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of the group, Britain First. Trump's support for the messages, which contained videos depicting purported Muslims assaulting people and smashing a statue of the Virgin Mary, drew condemnation from England, including from Prime Minister Theresa May. "I don't believe so," Sanders said when asked if Trump knew who Fransen was. But, as she had done on Wednesday, Sanders then defended the retweets, saying they were an attempt by Trump to get a conversation started on security and immigration. "I believe he knew what the issues are," she said. "And that is that we have a real threat of extreme violence and terrorism, not just in this country but across the globe, particularly in Europe, and that was the point he was making." Sanders had made a similar case on Wednesday, downplaying questions about whether the videos were authentic because "the threat is real." "That is what the President is talking about, that is what the President is focused on, is dealing with those real threats, and those are real no matter how you look at it," she had said. Fransen heralded Trump's backing. "GOD BLESS YOU TRUMP!" she wrote in all caps on Wednesday after the President's retweets.
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786 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/30/opinions/millions-could-die-in-a-war-with-north-korea-opinion-gallego-lieu/index.html">
787 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171130040530-north-korea-missile-launch-newton-00000629-story-body.jpg">
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794 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/30/opinions/millions-could-die-in-a-war-with-north-korea-opinion-gallego-lieu/index.html">A war with North Korea would be hell: Millions could die</a>
795 </h3>
796 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
797 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
798 <span>Nov 30, 2017</span>
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801 "War is hell." That's what Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman famously said in the wake of the Civil War and it's as true today as it was then. Unfortunately, as veterans, we have little confidence that President Trump has taken Sherman's admonition to heart and this lack of understanding about the true nature of combat is alarming, especially in light of North Korea's latest ballistic missile test. Trump's fiery words and ham-handed attempts at diplomacy have significantly increased the probability of a bloody war on the Korean Peninsula while doing little to slow the progress of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's nuclear program. Simply put, the President owes it to our allies in the region and our troops on the ground to adopt a smarter approach. In recent months, President Trump has responded to North Korean missile tests with a barrage of increasingly reckless and incendiary statements, claiming that the regime's leaders "only understand one thing!" and threatening that, "They won't be around much longer!" Moreover, his hardline speech in Seoul last month and the childish insults he aimed at Kim Jong-un on Twitter in recent weeks have only served to raise tensions. Alarmed by the President's comments and the prospect of imminent war with North Korea, we asked the Department of Defense in October for an estimate of the human and military costs of such a conflict. The response was chilling. In a letter sent last month, the Joint Chiefs of Staff informed us that, should hostilities erupt on the Korea peninsula, a ground invasion of North Korea would be necessary in order to locate and destroy its nuclear sites. They also noted that Seoul and its 25 million residents are only 35 miles from the border and well within range of North Korean artillery, rockets, and ballistic missiles. The former deputy commander of US Forces Korea, Lt. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas, also wrote to us to convey his concerns and cautioned that these weapons would take days to eliminate, during which time "an enormous casualty and refugee crisis will develop and include over a hundred thousand non-combatant Americans." In short, a Korean War II would be bloody. According to a Congressional Research Service report, in just the first few days of fighting, as many as 300,000 people could perish. Indeed, even if North Korea elected only to use conventional weapons, American troops would die in large numbers alongside South Korean forces and masses of innocent civilians. North Korea could also opt to employ its unconventional arsenal to devastating effect. The Joint Chiefs warn that there is strong reason to suspect that North Korea would choose to make use of its stocks of chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons in a conflict. And though neither China nor Russia wants war in Korea, any fight there has the potential to spin dangerously out of control into a global disaster. The US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins has estimated dire consequences: "if the 'unthinkable' happened, nuclear detonations over Seoul and Tokyo with North Korea's current estimated weapon yields could result in as many as 2.1 million fatalities and 7.7 million injuries." As veterans, we understand that it is sometimes necessary for our country to go to war to defend our friends and our freedom. But as Americans, we must always go to war reluctantly, and only as a last resort. Simply put, when we send our young men and women in uniform into combat and possibly to their deaths, it must be because there are no better options. And in North Korea, better options exist. Congress has already sanctioned North Korea and measures associated with its new status as a state sponsor of terrorism will also begin to take hold over time. In addition, the Trump administration should identify and clearly communicate a set of escalating, non-military consequences, including renewed propaganda efforts aimed at the beleaguered North Korean people, that Kim Jong Un's regime will face unless it returns to the negotiating table. We also need to invest more in missile defense. Significant advances in directed energy technology hold promise for systems that can better shoot down intercontinental ballistic missiles. Finally, Congress must thwart any march to war by demanding that the administration pursue every possible diplomatic avenue to mitigate this crisis. One of the main reasons we ran for Congress as proud veterans was to prevent more young Americans from dying on foreign battlefields because of the mistakes of our nation's political leaders. In confronting the growing threat posed by North Korea, the American people and our military deserve an administration committed to exhausting all options before resorting to military force.
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809 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/30/opinions/trump-retweeting-racists-opinion/index.html">
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817 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/30/opinions/trump-retweeting-racists-opinion/index.html">Retweeting racists would get you fired in most jobs, President Trump</a>
818 </h3>
819 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
820 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
821 <span>Nov 30, 2017</span>
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824 If Donald Trump worked at my university in the UK, he would likely be fired for retweeting the Islamophobic posts of a far-right British group. If Donald Trump was at a teacher at the school that my children attended -- alongside Muslims, Christian, Sikhs, Hindus, and Jews -- he might be dismissed. If Donald Trump continued this behaviour, he would likely be under scrutiny by British authorities for possible incitement to hatred and violence -- just as Britain First's Jayda Fransen, whose tweets he circulated -- has been convicted of religiously-aggravated harassment. As Donald Trump is not in the UK but is US President, at least for the near-future, he will not face such consequences. He will not apologize. And he will not restrain himself, as he made clear to UK Prime Minister Theresa May. When May said through a spokesperson: "British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far right which is the antithesis of the values this country represents, decency, tolerance and respect" Trump doubled down on his anti-Muslim provocation: "@Theresa_May, don't focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine." What can Britain actually do in the face of this? At one level, the official response will be to maintain good, working relations with US officials and those around Trump, while hoping he can be shoved into a social media corner. UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd appealed to MPs on Thursday to see the "bigger picture" of "the importance of the relationship between our countries, the unparalleled sharing of intelligence between our countries". But we are now beyond invocations of a "special relationship" to sweep away the damage. With his retweeting of Britain First, Donald Trump offered a platform of millions of supporters to a fringe, extremist group that can muster only a few dozen supporters for its marches. He made himself an accomplice to their efforts at division and hatred. Brendan Cox, whose wife Jo Cox MP was murdered in June 2016 by a man shouting "Britain First", summarized: "Trump has legitimised the far right in his own country, now he's trying to do it in ours. Spreading hatred has consequences & the President should be ashamed of himself." And this is not just a matter for the UK. Let us be clear: Donald Trump has sent a message to his followers that he supports Islamophobia, that he is in accord with the prejudices, accusations, and false information that have are no longer in far-right darkness but seeking the spotlight of recognition. He has gone beyond his false balance of "many sides" over white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia in August: he has continued to side with one group, whatever violence it may promote. He is trying to set Americans against Americans, including more than three million who profess the Islamic faith. To this challenge, I believe that we must respond not in kind with anger and hostility -- that will only further the division sought by Britain First and by Trump. Instead, we must seek the very values which have been pointedly rejected in the President's tweets: dialogue, respect, and tolerance. With those, we can turn the damage of one unsettled man -- a man who would be unfit for public service in our schools, our hospitals and our offices -- into a way forward for all the rest of us. For one day he will no longer be tweeting as President of the United States.
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840 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/30/politics/adam-kinzinger-trump-twitter-videos-cnntv/index.html">GOP rep.: 'Not helpful' for Trump to share anti-Muslim videos</a>
841 </h3>
842 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
843 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
844 <span>Nov 30, 2017</span>
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847 A Republican lawmaker and Air Force veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan criticized on Thursday President Donald Trump's retweets of anti-Muslim videos, saying it doesn't help the fight against terrorism. "I think we have ISIS on its heels. We're fighting, frankly, these forces of evil all over the world," Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Illinois, told CNN's "New Day." "But I do think it matters if you retweet a video that's not real or that is put out by an extremist, I guess, in the UK." Trump retweeted three videos Wednesday morning, showing people purported to be Muslims carrying out assaults and, in one video, smashing a statue of the Virgin Mary. Kinzinger said there are mornings when he wakes up saying he wished the President hadn't tweeted. "I don't think it helps to win at all," he said. "I think (it's helpful) to rally the people you can come and say, look, listen, we're fighting a real war on terror here. But, I think, to say it's basically all of Islam, us versus them, or to retweet this video, is definitely not helpful in the least." More strategically, Kinzinger noted, animosity between Muslims and Americans may be what extends the war on terror. "We have to fight what I call the next generational war on terror. It's the 7- and 8-year-olds," Kinzinger added. "Doesn't mean we fight them. It means we have to understand these are the ones that are either going to be the ones who are our enemies or they're going to be the ones who reject terrorism within their own community." Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats, echoed Kinzinger's concerns, also telling "New Day" that Trump's decision to share the videos "was wildly counter to our national security interests." "This is literally part of the ISIS and jihadist playbook, to separate the west from Islam," King said. "There are 1.9 billion Muslims in the world. Do we really want to alienate them?"
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855 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/30/politics/sadiq-khan-trump-muslim-video-tweets/index.html">
856 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170915112504-london-tube-mayor-sadiq-khan-response-00000215-story-body.jpg">
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863 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/30/politics/sadiq-khan-trump-muslim-video-tweets/index.html">London mayor hits Trump over anti-Muslim videos</a>
864 </h3>
865 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
866 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
867 <span>Nov 30, 2017</span>
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870 The mayor of London slammed President Donald Trump on Thursday for retweeting anti-Muslim propaganda from a British far-right party, and suggested UK Prime Minister Theresa May shouldn't welcome Trump into their country for a state visit. The statement from Sadiq Khan adds another notable voice to the growing list of leading British officials who have expressed outrage over Trump's retweets, which have created an international incident and opened a rift between the US and its closest ally. Khan, who is Muslim, called Britain First, the far-right party Trump retweeted on Wednesday, "a vile, extremist group that exists solely to sow division and hatred in our country." He added that the videos make it "increasingly clear that any official visit at all from President Trump to Britain would not be welcomed." Trump caused outrage in Britain by retweeting three videos posted by Jayda Frandsen, the deputy leader of Britain First. The inflammatory videos showed people purported to be Muslims carrying out assaults and, in one video, smashing a statue of the Virgin Mary. "Many Brits who love America and Americans will see this as a betrayal of the special relationship between our two countries," Khan continued. "It beggars belief that the President of our closest ally doesn't see that his support of this extremist group actively undermines the values of tolerance and diversity that makes Britain so great." Following Trump's retweets on Wednesday, a spokesperson for May said Trump was "wrong" to share the videos. Trump took aim at May following the statement, tweeting: "@Theresa_May, don't focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!" On Thursday, a spokesperson at Downing Street said May is standing by her criticism of the President, but said the offer of a state visit seems to be on track. "The Prime Minister is very clear that it was wrong to tweet those videos," the statement said. "But the US is one of our longest, closest and most trusted allies. The offer of a state visit has been extended and accepted. Further details will be set out in due course." British Ambassador to the US Kim Darroch said Thursday he raised his concerns about the tweets to the White House. "British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far right, which seek to divide communities & erode decency, tolerance & respect. British Muslims are peaceful and law abiding citizens. And I raised these concerns with the White House yesterday," Darroch tweeted. Trump and Khan have frequently traded barbs since Trump decided to run for president. In 2016, Khan said Trump "has ignorant views about Islam." Trump proceeded to challenge Khan to an I.Q. test, adding that the mayor had never met him and "doesn't know what I'm all about." In another notable exchange earlier this year, Trump appeared to misconstrue a statement by Khan in the mayor's response to a terror attack in London. "At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is 'no reason to be alarmed!'" Trump said. Khan, however, was referring specifically to a visible increase in police activity on the streets of London in the wake of the attack.
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886 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/30/europe/donald-trump-theresa-may-twitter-spat/index.html">May says Trump was 'wrong' to share anti-Muslim videos</a>
887 </h3>
888 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
889 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
890 <span>Nov 30, 2017</span>
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893 UK Prime Minister Theresa May delivered a rare public admonishment to US President Donald Trump on Thursday, declaring that he was "wrong" to share anti-Muslim videos posted online by a "hateful" British far-right group. May, facing intense pressure to cancel a planned state visit by Trump, was forced to address the controversy in person after the President criticized her on Twitter. But she insisted the US-UK relationship would survive the storm, and suggested the visit by Trump would go ahead. As the extraordinary diplomatic clash stretched into a second day, the British ambassador to the US revealed he had expressed concerns to the White House about the affair. Trump also faced an unprecedented barrage of criticism in UK Parliament, where MPs variously called him "racist," "fascist" and "evil." Some suggested he should quit Twitter. Asked about Trump's actions on a visit to Amman, Jordan, May said: "I'm very clear that retweeting from Britain First was the wrong thing to do. Britain First is a hateful organization. It seeks to spread mistrust and division in our communities. It stands against common British decency," she said. But May declined to rescind the offer of a visit. "The invitation for a state visit has been extended and has been accepted. We have yet to set a date." The controversy began on Wednesday morning when Trump shared three videos posted on Twitter by Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of Britain First. Amid outrage in the UK, May criticized the President through her spokesman. That prompted a rebuke from Trump on Twitter: "@Theresa_May, don't focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!" On Twitter, the British ambassador to Washington, Sir Kim Darroch, said he had been in touch with the Trump administration. "British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far right, which seek to divide communities & erode decency, tolerance & respect," he wrote in a post on Thursday. "British Muslims are peaceful and law abiding citizens. And I raised these concerns with the White House yesterday." Delete your account Members of Parliament from all parties lined up to criticize Trump in the House of Commons on Thursday. Labour MP Stephen Doughty said: "This is the President of the United States, sharing with millions, inflammatory and divisive content" by someone "who represents a vile, fascist organization seeking the spread hatred and violence in person and online." Doughty added that, by sharing the tweets Trump was "either a racist, incompetent or unthinking. Or all three." Another Labour MP, Chris Byrant, said the US President should face arrest if he came to the UK. "The Prime Minister should make it absolutely clear that if Donald Trump comes to this country, he'll be arrested for inciting religious hatred and therefore he'd be better off not coming at all." Some MPs said Trump should quit social media. Conservative MP Peter Bone said: "Wouldn't the world be a better place if the Prime Minister could persuade the President of the United States to delete his Twitter account?" Responding to Bone, Home Secretary Amber Rudd replied: "I'm sure many of us might share his view." Speaking earlier, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Trump's latest outburst meant it had become "increasingly clear that any official visit at all from President Trump to Britain would not be welcomed" and urged May to call it off. "President Trump yesterday used Twitter to promote a vile, extremist group that exists solely to sow division and hatred in our country," Khan said in a statement. 'Presidents come and go' Justine Greening, a British cabinet minister, addressed the controversy in a round of UK media interviews on Thursday morning. Greening said she did not agree with the tweets, but said the relationship between the two countries would survive Trump. "In the end, our relationship with the United States has a longevity to it that will succeed long after presidents come and go," she told the BBC. Brendan Cox, the husband of murdered British lawmaker Jo Cox -- whose killer reportedly shouted "Britain first" as he stabbed her -- said Trump had "become a purveyor of hate." Cox told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Wednesday evening: "This is like the President retweeting the Ku Klux Klan. This is not a mainstream organization and for the President of the United States, our greatest ally as a country, to be retweeting, to be providing a microphone to those voices." Trump's rebuke to May was originally addressed to the wrong Twitter account, one that had only six followers and has sent only nine tweets. After deleting his first effort and successfully locating the Twitter handle of the British Prime Minister, he lashed out at Downing Street for its criticism of him retweeting anti-Muslim videos posted online by Fransen, the deputy leader of Britain First. Fransen, who was found guilty of religiously aggravated harassment in November 2016 after abusing a Muslim woman wearing a hijab, was jubilant at the attention. May in tight spot May's attempts to woo the US have left her in a difficult position. With a view to strengthening Anglo-US relations after Brexit, May was the first world leader to meet Trump after his inauguration, flying out to Washington to launch a charm offensive. But the visit went down badly at home. She was widely criticized for taking Trump's hand while walking at the White House, while she was also derided for offering him the invitation of a state visit so early in his presidency. Since then, the decision has come under further criticism as Trump has made a series of interventions in British politics. In October, he incorrectly suggested there was a link between rising crime rates in the United Kingdom and the "spread of Radical Islamic terror." In September, he railed against "loser terrorists" behind the London Underground explosion and suggested that the perpetrator was known to authorities and recruited on the internet, prompting May and a London police spokesperson to publicly rebuke the President. And in June, soon after news reports surfaced about the London Bridge terror attacks, he seized on the moment to promote the travel ban. He has also been involved in a number of Twitter disputes with the London mayor. Some 1.8 million people signed a petition earlier this year urging the government to rescind the invitation May made to Trump just weeks after his inauguration in January.
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909 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/29/us/child-custody-case-muslim-radicalization/index.html">Muslim father accused in custody battle of radicalizing son, court docs say</a>
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912 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
913 <span>Nov 30, 2017</span>
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916 A child custody battle in New York City is raising questions about freedom of speech and religion -- and civil liberties advocates are sure to be paying close attention. Nabila Albarghouthy, a naturalized American citizen and a practicing Muslim, claims that her ex-husband has been indoctrinating their child with extremist ideology and is seeking sole custody of her now 11-year-old son -- a claim he denies. "I fear that my son is learning extreme violence and that can potentially put him and others at risk," she said during a press conference on Wednesday. "I don't know what happens when he goes to his father. I know that when he returns he's not happy. He's irritable. And that's not the beautiful young boy that I know." She divorced her ex-husband, Isam Albarghouthy, in 2013, according to court documents. They had two children together: a daughter in 1999, and a son in 2006. Nabila also has a daughter from a previous relationship. In an affidavit filed this month in support of her petition seeking custody, Nabila Albarghouthy claimed the marriage disintegrated after her ex-husband "became extreme in his interpretation of the Muslim religion" in a way that "detrimentally affected our family," according to the complaint. She said he demanded that she dress more modestly, stop exercising and allow him to bring home an "additional wife." She alleged that he became physically abusive toward her when she confronted him about his correspondence with the woman he was planning on taking as a "second wife," according to the affidavit. Isam Albarghouthy's lawyer denied the allegations, calling them "false and outrageous." "She's clearly retaliating against my client for filing a petition to award him custody of their son," attorney Joy S. Joseph said. "And she is obviously hoping to use these false allegations both to defend against the charges that Isam made against her in his custody petition and to gain leverage in her own motion for a change of custody that I just received this morning." She declined to provide CNN with a copy of the petition filed by her client. "I'm appalled that these parents' private custody dispute has been exposed and exploited in an apparent effort to capitalize on the current wave of Islamophobia and make some news," Joseph said. Attorney Larry Hutcher, a managing partner at Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, the firm representing Nabila Albarghouthy, said she was not seeking to foster an anti-Muslim response by filing the custody petition. "To us, the concerns that we had in bringing this petition was just the opposite: that this would be used as a further proof to support anti-Islamic beliefs or conduct. The fact that she had the bravery and the strength to bring this preceding on, knowing that that would be a question that she'd face, was a very difficult choice for her," he told reporters Wednesday. "To claim that it was done to take advantage of an anti-Islamic notion in this country is just the opposite. So what she has done is very, very brave, and she's did it with great risk to herself, but her need to protect her child is what motivated her." Nabila Albarghouthy claims in the affidavit that her son has started to express extremist, anti-American views under the influence of his father. Her son also told her that he wants to amass a "cabinet full of guns" when he gets older, she said. According to the filing, the child, who spends every other weekend with his father and has dinner with him one night a week, has been coming home and telling his mother that she is not a good Muslim because she participates in the exercise program Crossfit and dresses inappropriately. The affidavit also describes an incident on the child's middle school playground that alarmed school officials and led federal authorities to investigate Isam Albarghouthy. The investigation included "several" interviews of Nabila "by a person who identified himself as part of a special task force."‎ The court papers say that in September 2016, "certain students" told Albarghouthy's son that "Jesus is God." Her son responded, saying '''No -- Allah is God,' and adding that (he) is different because 'I would die for my God and they would not die for their God.'" That comment prompted the school principal to call the police, who then alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Joint Terrorism Task Force. A law enforcement source told CNN that nothing was found as a result of the probe. JTTF policy is to neither confirm nor deny the existence of any investigation. "My deep concern is that Respondent (Isam Albarghouthy) is radicalizing a beautiful, young, innocent mind; a fragile child," Nabila Albarghouthy said in the affidavit. 'Unprecedented' for a custody lawsuit This lawsuit is the first of its kind, said Leslie Barbara, Nabila Albarghouthy's lawyer. "It is unprecedented that a parent has sought custody predicated on indoctrination of extremist Muslim philosophy," said Barbara, the co-chair of the Divorce and Family Law practice group at Davidoff Hutcher & Citron. "But there is precedent where courts have gotten involved and shifted custody when there is exposure to religious indoctrination that has been detrimental to the child." While the Constitution protects free speech and the freedom to practice religion, Barbara said, courts are authorized to award or modify custody arrangements to protect the best interests of the child. Nabila Albarghouthy is seeking sole custody of her son, with the child's father allowed only supervised visits. "I myself am a proud Muslim American," Nabila Albarghouthy said in the affidavit. "I assure this Court that I am not seeking to impinge Respondent's right to practice however he believes," she continued. "What I will not tolerate is his efforts to harm (my son) based on his misguided and extremist beliefs." Her lawyer laid out the thrust of the argument she would make in the case. "If you have a father making derogatory statements, if he's ranting Anti-American sentiments, if he's instilling hatred toward others that are not Muslim, that, by its very nature, is psychologically harmful," Barbara said. "That is the basis for seeking custody." His character started to 'noticeably change' When she first met her husband, Nabila Albarghouthy said in the court filing, he was a different person. "During most of our relationship up until 2007, (Isam Albarghouthy) was pleasant, open minded and allowed me to be myself," she said in the affidavit. The family faithfully observed the pillars of Islam, she said, and while she dressed modestly, she did not cover her hair, and he accepted her choice. "Respondent's character first started to noticeably change in approximately 2007, which I believe was precipitated by his losing employment in Minnesota, where we were living at the time," she said in the filing. Isam Albarghouthy had been working as an IT specialist for Hennepin County, Minnesota, but was convicted of taking and selling county property, later serving 10 days in prison, after which he had a hard time finding work in the area. The family moved to New York after a cousin offered Isam a job at a shipping company. At some point in 2008, Isam began insisting on worshiping at a more "formal" mosque than the one the family attended and began attending other mosques in Yonkers, New Jersey, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx with his cousin, in order to "be around Arab-speaking Muslims," the court papers said. Soon after, according to the affidavit, he began demanding that Nabila change her clothing and exercise habits, stop wearing makeup, stop socializing and stop taking the children to visit her father in Jerusalem. Over time, he stopped contributing financially to the family, began to take trips alone and requested that she turn over her paycheck to him or stop working entirely, the affidavit said; he also began to forbid their daughter's attendance at school events like homecoming, graduation parties or other outings, and would not allow her to read books in English. "We are different than Americans; we do not socialize with them," Nabila's affidavit quoted him as saying. Her son also said his father told him "Americans are different, we are not like them, Allah states we are in a state of war against them, and we die for Allah," according to the affidavit. The couple's son has echoed those anti-American comments at school, leading to fights, the court papers said. "This is not an indictment of any religion," said Barbara, the attorney. "This is not fighting any ideological war. This is really brought on to protect an innocent child."
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924 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/29/politics/donald-trump-theresa-may-tweet/index.html">
925 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171128161524-donald-trump-november-28-2017-01-story-body.jpg">
926 </a>
927
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931 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
932 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/29/politics/donald-trump-theresa-may-tweet/index.html">Trump responds to Theresa May: 'We are doing just fine!'</a>
933 </h3>
934 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
935 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
936 <span>Nov 30, 2017</span>
937 </div>
938 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
939 President Donald Trump took to Twitter Wednesday evening with some unsolicited advice for Theresa May after the British Prime Minister criticized him through a spokesperson. "@Theresa_May, don't focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!" he wrote after returning to the White House from a day trip to Missouri to pitch tax reform. While US presidents traditionally pick up the telephone or make subtle diplomatic overtures to express their feelings to world leaders, Trump used his preferred social media outlet to reach the prime minister, continuing a public clash that had begun earlier in the day after he retweeted three inflammatory videos from a British far-right account rife with anti-Muslim content. The videos, posted by Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of Britain First, a far-right and ultra-nationalist political group, depict purported Muslims assaulting people and, in one video, smashing a statue of the Virgin Mary. The retweets were immediately met with outrage in the United Kingdom and resulted in a rare rebuke from the British government of its American ally. Trump's retweets were leading several major British news websites Wednesday morning, and officials condemned him on Twitter. May's spokesperson said Trump had been "wrong" to share the videos, adding that "Britain First seeks to divide communities through their use of hateful narratives which peddle lies and stoke tensions." "British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far-right, which is the antithesis of the values that this country represents -- decency, tolerance and respect," added the spokesperson, who also said Trump's 2018 state visit remains on for now. May, meanwhile, spent her Wednesday marking a milestone as she became the first major foreign leader to visit Iraq since the city of Mosul was reclaimed from the Islamic State over the summer, visiting with British, coalition and Iraqi troops, according to a tweet from her office.
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948 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171129082748-04-uk-politics-britain-first-trump-restricted-story-body.jpg">
949 </a>
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955 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/29/europe/uk-politics-britain-first-trump/index.html">Britain First, the far-right anti-Muslim group retweeted by Trump</a>
956 </h3>
957 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
958 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
959 <span>Nov 29, 2017</span>
960 </div>
961 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
962 The Twitter account of US President Donald Trump on Wednesday retweeted three inflammatory videos posted by the deputy leader of the UK far-right group Britain First. Here's what we know about it. Founded as a political party in 2011, Britain First is an ultra-nationalist organization that opposes immigration and claims to have "a proven track record of opposing Islamic militants and hate preachers." According to Searchlight, a magazine that investigates and reports on far-right and fascist groups, Britain First emerged as a splinter group following a collapse in support for the far-right British National Party. But it is far from being a mainstream organization in the UK. It has no elected representatives at any level of British politics and was "deregistered" as a political party earlier this month by the UK Electoral Commission. Its occasional protests rarely attract crowds of more than a few dozen. In its mission statement, Britain First describes itself as "a patriotic resistance and 'frontline' for our long suffering people" that will "restore Christianity as the bedrock" of national life and put British workers first. "We want our people to come first, before foreigners, asylum seekers or migrants and we are overtly proud of this stance," it says. "We will not stand back and watch as our people are made second class citizens by leftwing-liberal policies and political correctness." The mission statement says that it would end all immigration to the UK. The videos retweeted by Trump's account allegedly depict Muslims assaulting people and, in one video, smashing a statue of the Virgin Mary. They were posted by Jayda Fransen, the party's deputy leader since 2014, who reacted jubilantly online, highlighting that the videos had been shared with Trump's nearly 44 million followers. "GOD BLESS YOU TRUMP!" she wrote in all caps. Fransen, who has about 60,000 followers of her own on Twitter, is no stranger to controversy -- or the UK legal system. She was found guilty of religiously aggravated harassment in November 2016 for abusing a Muslim woman wearing a hijab while she was with her four children. Fransen was fined. She also faces four charges of causing religiously aggravated harassment as part of a Kent Police investigation into the distribution of leaflets and the posting of online videos during a rape trial of four men of Afghan origin in May. She pleaded not guilty to the charges at a court hearing in October, CNN affiliate ITV News reported. On November 19, she was arrested and charged for using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior after a speech made in Northern Ireland against terrorism. She has not yet entered a plea but in a Twitter video, party leader Paul Golding described the charges as without merit. In 2015, a court temporarily barred Fransen and Golding from entering mosques or Islamic centers without prior invitation. Police had asked for the ban following a Britain First demonstration in Luton, a town with a large Muslim population, in which the group was accused of offensive actions and remarks. The following year, police obtained an injunction from the High Court that banned the pair from mosques for three years. Britain First has not yet responded to a CNN request for comment. On its website, Britain First says it "rejects racial hatred in all its forms" and that members of ethnic minorities regularly attend its events. CNN has not been able to verify that claim.
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971 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171128161524-donald-trump-november-28-2017-01-story-body.jpg">
972 </a>
973
974
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977 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
978 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/29/politics/donald-trump-far-right-immigration-videos/index.html">Is Donald Trump losing control?</a>
979 </h3>
980 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
981 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
982 <span>Nov 29, 2017</span>
983 </div>
984 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
985 In the space of the last 48 hours, Donald Trump has: Retweeted three anti-Muslim videos from a far-right group based in Britain.
986Sent two tweets not only using the firing of NBC's Matt Lauer to bash so-called "fake news" but also to spread innuendo about NBC News head Andy Lack and "Morning Joe" anchor Joe Scarborough.
987Called Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren "Pocahontas" at an event honoring Navajo code talkers.
988Not denied repeated reports that he now believes the "Access Hollywood" tape is somehow fake and that President Barack Obama may not have been born in this country.
989Attacked congressional Democratic leaders and insisted he would blame them for a government shutdown.
990Delivered a statement about North Korea's latest missile launch.
991Spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping over the phone. That's just in the last 48 hours! Trump is someone who prides himself on a sort of everywhere-all-at-once approach to governance. He throws lots and lots of things at the wall every day --through tweets, public statements and policy maneuvers. He has, from the start of his political career, reveled in thumbing his nose at conventional wisdom and political correctness. He is a provocateur by nature; he likes to get reaction, he likes to freak out the squares. And yet, the last few days Trump feels even more unmoored than usual. More erratic. More wild. "Something is unleashed with him lately," Times reporter Maggie Haberman said on CNN Wednesday morning. "I don't know what is causing it, I don't know how to describe it." Scarborough was more pointed. "Looks like I picked a good day to stop responding to Trump's bizarre tweets," he tweeted of Trump. "He is not well." The retweeting of videos that purportedly depict violence being committed against Christians by Muslims is the sort of stuff you might expect to find on the Twitter feed of a local conservative talk radio host rather than the President of the United States. It is the exact opposite of the efforts made by Trump's two predecessors in the White House -- George W. Bush and Barack Obama -- to avoid painting all Muslims with the broad brush of terrorism. It stokes an "us against them" mentality -- not to mention an anger -- that has traditionally been wholly off limits to presidents. (And the retweets could affect Trump's tenuous efforts to convince the courts -- which have previously cited his comments on Islam -- that he has the power to institute a travel ban from several majority-Muslim nations.) All you need to know about these retweets is that they are being praised by white supremacist David Duke. "Trump retweets video of crippled white kid in Europe being beaten by migrants, and white people being thrown off a roof and then beaten to death," tweeted Duke. "He's condemned for showing us what the fake news media WON'T. Thank God for Trump! That's why we love him!" Then there is Trump's willingness to engage in baseless innuendo spreading -- the sort of stuff you might expect in a gossip tipsheet like "Page Six" but never from the leader of the free world. Trump's reaction to Lauer's firing -- the result, according to NBC, of "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace" -- was to make suggestions about the personal behavior of other powerful personalities in the NBC orbit. He did this entirely without any sort of facts or substantiation. And, if past is prologue, Trump won't produce any evidence. He will simply besmirch two public figures and then move on. Which brings us to the fact that the President of the United States is now, again, trafficking in two major conspiracy theories that he himself debunked not more than a year ago. Trump apologized for the language he used when speaking about women in an "Access Hollywood" tape that emerged in October 2016. He never suggested at the time that the tape was fake. But now, according to The New York Times, Trump is telling associates -- and at least one US senator, that he has doubts about the authenticity of the tape. "We don't think that was my voice," Trump told the senator, according to the Times. ("Access Hollywood" reiterated earlier this week that that tape was 100% genuine.) And, after five years of promoting the totally false idea that Obama wasn't born in the United States, Trump, last September, gave a perfunctory nod to the fact that, after all of that, Obama was an American citizen. But, apparently he has never totally been convinced of that fact and has taken to raising his lingering doubts about Obama's citizenship even since he has been elected president. What's most concerning about all of that is the fact that -- even amid this impulse-laden 48 hours -- Trump has also dealt with North Korea's latest provocation via a public statement and spoken with the president of China. The same man who is stoking conspiracy theories, fomenting gossip and retweeting violent anti-Muslim videos from questionable sources is also on the phone -- almost concurrently! -- with world leaders trying to avoid a war in the Korean Peninsula. None of this behavior is normal. But Trump's supporters will argue: that's the whole point! Trump was elected to do things differently. To shake up stodgy old Washington and actually get things done. Unpredictability is the new predictability! Sure -- but only to a point. What that argument presumes is that this is all controlled fury and contained chaos -- that Trump, deep down, knows exactly what he's doing. That he is operating off of a strategic plan that plays the media and Democrats for chumps even while, somehow, #winning. But, what if he isn't? (And all available evidence suggests he isn't.) What if Trump is just spinning ever faster -- lashing out here, issuing a statement there -- as he twirls and twirls and twirls? What then? And what if there is no one around him willing or able to slow him down or exert a semblance of control? These are not hypothetical questions given the way Trump has acted since returning from his Thanksgiving break. And they are not inconsequential ones either. We are talking about the man who is in charge of America's nuclear arsenal in an increasingly fraught and tenuous world.
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1007 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/29/politics/donald-trump-retweet-jayda-fransen/index.html">Trump retweets anti-Muslim videos</a>
1008 </h3>
1009 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1010 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1011 <span>Nov 29, 2017</span>
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1014 President Donald Trump retweeted Wednesday morning three inflammatory videos from a British far-right account rife with anti-Muslim content. The videos, posted by Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of Britain First, a far-right and ultra-nationalist political group, depict purported Muslims assaulting people and, in one video, smashing a statue of the Virgin Mary. Trump, who has previously warned that immigration from Muslim-majority nations threatens European and US security, frequently retweets other messages whose political views he finds favorable. But he has seldom shared messages as offensive and explosive as he did on Wednesday, and the retweets were immediately met with outrage in the United Kingdom and resulted in a rare rebuke from the British government toward its American ally. Fransen reacted jubilantly online, touting that the videos had been shared with Trump's nearly 44 million followers. "GOD BLESS YOU TRUMP!" she wrote in all caps. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders defended Trump's retweets, telling reporters that he shared them to start a conversation about border security and immigration. "I think his goal is to promote strong borders and strong national security," Sanders told a small group of reporters after appearing on Fox News. Sanders also downplayed questions about whether the videos were authentic, because "the threat is real." "That is what the President is talking about, that is what the President is focused on, is dealing with those real threats, and those are real no matter how you look at it," she said. One of the videos purports to show a young "Muslim migrant" attacking a boy on crutches. The Dutch attorney general's office, which handled the case, said the incident occurred in May and the suspect was born and raised in the Netherlands. A spokesperson would not comment on the suspect's religion, saying it was against their policy to share such information. Sanders said she didn't know how Trump came across the videos, but conservative commentator Ann Coulter, who is one of the 45 accounts Trump follows, had retweeted Tuesday one of the clips shared by Fransen. Fransen was found guilty of religiously aggravated harassment in November 2016 after abusing a Muslim woman wearing a hijab while she was with her four children. She was fined by the court and ordered to pay costs. In a separate development, Fransen was also charged over using "threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior" during a speech she made in Belfast in Northern Ireland. She is set to appear at Belfast Magistrates Court on December 14. Outrage in UK Trump's retweets were leading several major British news websites Wednesday morning, and officials condemned him on Twitter. A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Theresa May said Trump was "wrong" to share the videos, adding that "Britain First seeks to divide communities through their use of hateful narratives which peddle lies and stoke tensions." "British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far-right, which is the antithesis of the values that this country represents -- decency, tolerance and respect," added the spokesperson, who also said Trump's upcoming 2018 state visit for now remains on. A senior member of May's Conservative government, Communities secretary Sajid Javid also tweeted about the issue, writing: "So POTUS has endorsed the views of a vile, hate-filled racist organisation that hates me and people like me. He is wrong and I refuse to let it go and say nothing." The Muslim Council of Britain slammed Trump in a statement, saying the retweets were "the clearest endorsement yet from the US President of the far-right and their vile anti-Muslim propaganda. The US-based Council on American-Islamic Relations similarly condemned Trump's retweets, saying he is "clearly telling members of his base that they should hate Islam and Muslims." Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the UK opposition Labour Party, called the retweets "abhorrent, dangerous and a threat to our society." Labour lawmaker David Lammy told the President he was "not welcome in my country and my city." Brendan Cox, the husband of Jo Cox, the British MP who was murdered last year by a man who reportedly shouted "Britain First" as he attacked her, tweeted, "Trump has legitimized the far right in his own country, now he's trying to do it in ours. Spreading hatred has consequences & the President should be ashamed of himself." Asked about Trump's retweets on CNN's "New Day," former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said he found them "bizarre and disturbing." "I think it causes friends and allies to question where is he coming from with this. So it has all kinds of ripple effects both in terms of perhaps inciting or encouraging anti-Muslim violence, and as well, causes, I think, our friends and allies to wonder about the judgment of the President of the United States," he said. One person who applauded Trump's Twitter actions: former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke, who tweeted, "Thank God for Trump! That's why we love him!" Trump's call for travel ban Trump has repeatedly used examples of terrorism and immigration in Europe to bolster his case for a travel ban in the United States against several Muslim-majority nations. The travel ban would not affect travel from the United Kingdom. On September 15, the President reacted on Twitter to a terrorist attack in London, calling the terrorists "sick and demented people," ending the tweet by declaring, "Must be proactive!" He also added to his tweet that he would like to see a stronger travel ban: "The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct!" Several versions of Trump's travel ban have been tied up in court battles. The Supreme Court is currently considering whether to allow all of the third version of the ban to go into effect pending appeal. Trump's previous comments about Muslims have been cited in court rulings blocking previous versions of the ban, and it's possible his retweets on Wednesday could be cited in the future. As a candidate, Trump called for a "total and complete shutdown" of Muslims entering the US and often cited Muslim migration to Europe as his justification, tweeting in December 2015 that the UK was "trying hard to disguise their massive Muslim problem." The President has also been critical of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the past for her handling of immigration into Germany. "What's happening in Germany, I always thought Merkel was like this great leader. What she's done in Germany is insane. It is insane. They're having all sorts of attacks," Trump said in an October 2015 interview.
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1029 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1030 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/29/africa/au-eu-summit-ivory-coast/index.html">Slavery, security on agenda as Merkel and Macron meet African leaders</a>
1031 </h3>
1032 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1033 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1034 <span>Nov 29, 2017</span>
1035 </div>
1036 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1037 Leaders are gathering in Ivory Coast on Wednesday for an African Union-European Union summit intended to boost relations between the continents at a time when concerns over migration, security and opportunities for young people are at the fore. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are among the European leaders who will sit down with their African counterparts for the two-day summit in the capital, Abidjan. The issue of human slave auctions in Libya is expected to be on the agenda, following recent reporting by CNN which revealed African migrants being sold as slaves in the capital, Tripoli, and elsewhere. European Parliament President Antonio Tajani called in a speech Tuesday in Abidjan for the summit to "give fresh impetus to our relations," with a focus on investment in job creation and infrastructure to help manage an impending population explosion in Africa. "Everything we do must focus on young people," said Tajani, as he warned that Europe risked being sidelined if it did not step up to the challenge. "This is of fundamental importance, as there is a danger of our relationship being shunted into the background by other players such as China and Turkey." Tajani also condemned "the reemergence of a form of slavery" in Libya. "This is unacceptable, and we must not close our eyes to the phenomenon," he said. "This is why we need an honest, open discussion on the subject of migration." Tajani tweeted that the summit "must put the African continent securely at the top of our political agenda. The time has come to deliver concrete results for the benefit of citizens on both continents." In recent years, Libya has been flooded by migrants hoping to travel to Europe. The United Nations estimates there are now between 700,000 and a million migrants in the country. Those who have crossed the Mediterranean have shared stories about beatings, kidnappings and enslavement. The United Nations-backed Libyan Government of National Accord, or GNA, has said it is keen to address violations against illegal immigrants but called upon regional and global partners to provide assistance. African Union Commission chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat told CNN last week that tackling the slave markets in Libya was "the responsibility of the international community." Macron, who has condemned slave auctions in Libya as a "crime against humanity," signaled a new approach in his country's relations with Africa while visiting Burkina Faso on Tuesday -- his first stop in a three-day Africa tour. He is from a generation "that will not tell Africa what to do," he said. He also said change wasn't just an option for Africa but "mathematics" in a continent where 70% of the population is aged under 30. This, he tweeted, "is an opportunity but also a great responsibility." African and EU leaders have held joint summits in the past -- the last was in Brussels in 2014 -- but the migration crisis and fears over security and terrorism may bring new urgency to European efforts. The European Union and its member states are already the largest aid donors on the continent, giving 21 billion euros in development aid to Africa in 2016, according to the European Council. EU companies also accounted for about a third of the overall foreign direct investment in Africa in 2015, it said.
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1045 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/29/politics/aby-rayyan-fbi-terror-sting-pizza-man/index.html">
1046 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171127163017-112717-isis-arrest-khalil-abu-rayyan-story-body.jpg">
1047 </a>
1048
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1052 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1053 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/29/politics/aby-rayyan-fbi-terror-sting-pizza-man/index.html">How a suicidal pizza man found himself ensnared in an FBI terror sting</a>
1054 </h3>
1055 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1056 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1057 <span>Nov 29, 2017</span>
1058 </div>
1059 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1060 Every day was the same for Khalil Abu Rayyan, 21, a depressed pizza delivery man from Dearborn Heights, Michigan. Working for a pizzeria in Detroit, he'd drive late nights on desolate inner city streets, smoking pot hoping to keep boredom at bay. He carried a pistol to protect himself from robbers. Rayyan wished he could meet a girl but his strict Muslim parents didn't allow him to date. He'd been troubled since the age of 12, when he was sent into counseling after telling his teacher he had a nightmare about bringing a gun to school and killing everyone in class. Tormented by bullies, he later got into fights that led to at least three suspensions. When he was 17, he started using marijuana. Now, high school was over and Rayyan had a stable job at his dad's pizza shop but he still felt lonely, bitter and powerless, consumed with revenge fantasies. When he got home from work and logged onto his computer, he sought out shocking content in the darkest reaches of the Internet. He began watching ISIS videos in 2014. He posted images of the terror group's atrocities on social media, a gruesome montage that included the beheadings of Coptic Christians, the burning death of a Jordanian pilot and men being thrown from high-rise rooftops for suspected homosexuality. Rayyan felt insecure around the weightlifters at the gym, but online he portrayed himself as a menacing Islamist warrior. In one picture, he's cloaked in camouflage, holding a pistol and pointing his index finger skyward. It's a gesture that signals support for ISIS. It's a gesture that put the pizza man on the FBI's radar, according to a CNN review of ISIS prosecutions in the US. Late one autumn day in 2015, Rayyan was at his lowest. He'd been pulled over by Detroit police for speeding and was arrested after the officer found a concealed revolver, four plastic bags of marijuana and sleeping pills in his 2001 Buick Century. Rayyan was released on bond but things looked bleak, with a seemingly endless series of court appearances on the horizon. Chronic gloom gave way to suicidal thoughts. He tried to purchase a new pistol and was turned away because of his arrest. That same day, he went to a firing range and rented an AK-47-style rifle as well as an AR-15-style rifle. Background checks are not required for individuals renting firearms to use exclusively at gun ranges, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Retailers may, however, use their discretion and decline to rent guns to individuals they suspect may be prohibited from owning firearms by law. Two weeks later, Rayyan tweeted a picture of himself holding a rifle with a caption: "Sahwat hunting." In ISIS vernacular, a sahwat is a person who opposes the terror group. Sahwat refers to the Sunni tribesmen who fought alongside US-led coalition troops during the surge in Iraq. First Ghaada, then Jannah About a week after Rayyan posted the picture of the rifle, a woman named Ghaada contacted him on Twitter. She described herself as a Pakistani girl in Cleveland whose parents were pressuring her into an arranged marriage. Within days, Rayyan and Ghaada were making wedding plans, even though they had yet to meet in person. She was Rayyan's first girlfriend. "While i was driving i started to cry because how happy i am to have you," Rayyan wrote. "Don't cry my love. Please," Ghaada replied. "Its tears of joy wallahi...I never felt this way before" "I wish I could give you a great big hug!! You have no idea. I just I could jump through this phone right now" "I need you" "You have me from our first tweet" Rayyan told Ghaada that he and his father planned to visit her in Cleveland so they could plan the wedding. And suddenly, Ghaada was gone. She stopped replying to his messages. She disappeared completely, and Rayyan didn't know why. Two days after Ghaada vanished, Rayyan got a message from a young woman named Jannah. She said she was a 19-year-old Sunni Muslim . Unlike Ghaada, Jannah expressed no interest in a conventional romantic relationship. She said she wanted to martyr herself for ISIS, an act of vengeance against the coalition troops and Shia militants in Syria and Iraq who had killed her husband and two of her cousins. "Its like i knew you all my life," wrote Rayyan. "I will ask you (to marry me) but not now." "Please don't rush me," wrote Jannah. "I'm depressed and very scared." Jannah said she dreamed of committing a suicide attack with Rayyan as an expression of undying love. "I'm not crazy Khalil," Jannah wrote. "It's my iman (faith). It's what I believe in. Jihad is my dream." "Honestly you need to think about what you want," Rayyan replied. "I cant be in this game." Rayyan wasn't that into the idea of violent jihad as an expression of spiritual love. He repeatedly told Jannah that she should rethink her plans and marry him instead. They could be happy. They could start a family. "Dont do anything that will hurt u yourself or other people," Rayyan wrote. He later added, "Depression is real but don't let it run your life." A violent dream and thoughts of suicide As Rayyan tried to convince Jannah that martyrdom was a foolish choice, he confessed to her that he had struggled with violent thoughts himself. He said he wanted to kill the cop who had pulled him over for speeding. He claimed, falsely, that there was a sword in his car. He blustered that he once had contemplated shooting up a church near his pizza shop and he didn't intend to spare the women and children. "Its one of the biggest [churches] in Detroit," Rayyan wrote. "i had it planned out ... i bought a bunch of bullets. I practiced a lot with [the gun]. I practiced reloading and unloading. But my dad searched my car one day and he found everything. He found the gun ... and bulletes (sic) and a mask i was going to wear. .. It wouldve been [a] blood bath but everything happens for a reason ... I dont no (sic) what the future leads. Maybe down the line i can try again." Weeks of desperate messages to Jannah culminated with a foreboding phone conversation. Rayyan told her he had purchased a rope to hang himself. "Only in like a minute or two, it'll be over," said Rayyan. "(My family) is going to be sad for a little while but they'll get over it." Jannah responded that the only proper way for Muslims to kill themselves is in an act of violent jihad. "Like I told you before ... when it's for the sake of Allah, when it's jihad, or when it's based on our [creed] or for a cause, that's the only time Allah allows it," said Jannah. "But not to put your life to waste, and just hang yourself like you say you want to do. That's not the right thing to do." Later in the conversation, Rayyan said he did not want to hurt anybody else. He was interested in taking only his own life. "If I did it to myself, it would be easier," said Rayyan. "I wouldn't get in trouble. I'm not trying to get arrested again." A gun plea gets a terror sentence Two days after the call, Rayyan got an unexpected visit. Federal agents arrested him for possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance. Rayyan didn't have a new pistol. He didn't have any guns. The firearm in question was the revolver that Detroit police had confiscated months earlier during the traffic stop. Jannah, the woman who encouraged Rayyan to kill innocent people for Allah, was an undercover FBI employee. Rayyan's first love, Ghaada, was also a fictitious persona. In a court filing, prosecutors declined to reveal what agency or department may or may not have employed the individual who pretended to be Ghaada. The government had engineered the romantic intrigue to bust Rayyan for ISIS support. The FBI spent nearly a year investigating him. Despite the investment of time and resources, the sting failed to yield any terrorism charges. Rayyan could have been prosecuted for making a true threat, based on his comments to Jannah about shooting up the church and killing the traffic cop, but ultimately he was indicted solely for two gun offenses: firearm possession by a drug user and lying about his drug use to buy a pistol. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced last April to five years in prison, a sentence almost three times longer than the advisory range for his offenses. The 33-page memorandum opinion centered on Rayyan's messages to Jannah, with the judge stating that concerns about public safety warranted a longer sentence. "While it is true that [Rayyan] begged the UCE (undercover employee) not to hurt herself, he also discussed with her his plan to shoot up a church and assassinate a police officer," the judge wrote. "As the government aptly points out, [Rayyan] may claim he made the disturbing statements merely to 'impress' the UCE, but anyone who has been victimized by a terrorist attack would find his ideas far from impressive." Rayyan's public defenders are fighting the sentence in the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals. Their most recent filing was a reply brief on November 8. The government has yet to respond. "Beyond vague representations of a desire to commit a terrorist act, made almost exclusively to an undercover agent posing as a love interest, Rayyan never took any action that could remotely be considered an 'initial step' toward the planning of an attack," his attorneys wrote in their appellant brief. From ABSCAM to 9/11 to ISIS The FBI has a decades-long history of undercover work to combat organized crime, drug trafficking and public corruption. In 1980, it famously busted several politicians who had taken bribes during an undercover operation called ABSCAM. Counterterrorism stings became a priority in 2001. "In the wake of 9/11, it no longer is enough for law enforcement officers to solve crimes after their commission," FBI Academy instructor David J. Gottfried wrote in an article about undercover operations published in the FBI's Law Enforcement Bulletin. "Investigative activity that preempts crimes, particularly terrorism in a post-9/11 world, has become commonplace." The first wave of undercover counterterrorism operations began in the aftermath of the 2001 attacks, as then-FBI director Robert Mueller restructured the agency to make national security its main focus. The FBI's new surveillance tools and investigative techniques were designed to prevent another 9/11. During the first decade after the attack, the biggest fear was al Qaeda obtaining biological, chemical or nuclear weapons, according to an FBI overview of the era. Over the last four years, ISIS has eclipsed al Qaeda in the top tier of domestic threats. Even as its self-declared caliphate crumbles, ISIS remains a dangerous group that uses social media to radicalize Americans and inspire attacks, according to the 2017 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community. The FBI often identifies American terror suspects by reviewing their activity online, according to
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1076 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/29/politics/donald-trump-north-korea-strategy/index.html">Trump confronts perilous North Korean test</a>
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1080 <span>Nov 29, 2017</span>
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1083 North Korea pushed President Donald Trump closer to a set of excruciating choices with its most potent missile test yet, which shattered a two-month calm in Northeast Asia and set nerves in Washington back on edge. Trump, who earlier this year warned he would rain "fire and fury" on the isolated state if it continued to threaten the US or its allies, was relatively muted in responding to Kim Jong Un's latest provocation. "I will only tell you that we will take care of it. ... It is a situation that we will handle," Trump told reporters at the White House. He later attempted to tie the launch to domestic politics, using it to pressure Democrats to move ahead on government spending proposals. "After North Korea missile launch, it's more important than ever to fund our gov't & military! Dems shouldn't hold troop funding hostage for amnesty & illegal immigration. I ran on stopping illegal immigration and won big. They can't now threaten a shutdown to get their demands," he tweeted. His quiet resolve may have been calculated to avoid further provoking Kim, or to deprive him of the full propaganda value of his latest move -- if so, this would represent an evolution in the President's public rhetoric on the crisis. But Trump's vague and unspecific response also reflected the paucity of options he has to deal with North Korea, and how the most serious foreign-policy threat facing his presidency is becoming ever more grave. Serious escalation It's clear that Tuesday's launch of an intercontinental missile that blasted off from Sain Ni in North Korea and, according to Defense Secretary James Mattis, went higher "than any previous shot they've taken" represents a serious escalation of the crisis. To begin with, the test flight demonstrated Pyongyang's theoretical ability to hit targets as far away as Washington. As such, it brings Trump ever closer to an agonizing dilemma: If diplomacy continues to fail, it could require one of the most consequential decisions on military action taken by a president since the end of World War II. He would either have to accept the notion that North Korea could tip an intercontinental ballistic missile with a nuclear payload and hit the US homeland, or he would have to contemplate military action to dismantle, in the knowledge that doing so could kill thousands of civilians and US troops in Asia and has long been deemed unthinkable. "We are within a year away from North Korea completing its nuclear program," said Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA North Korea analyst who is now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "I am afraid this is their goal," said Terry on CNN International. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has spoken in depth with Trump on the nuclear showdown, delivered a dire warning about the consequences of North Korea's current path -- conscious that top regime officials watch CNN. "If we have to go to war to stop this, we will," Graham told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room." "We're headed towards a war if things don't change." Graham also implored regional powers, such as China, and allies like South Korea and Japan to find a solution to the crisis, admitting that hundreds of thousands of people in Asia could die in a war with North Korea, though the US would win. "If President Trump has to pick between destroying the North Korean regime and the American homeland, he's going to destroy the regime," he said. In a further sign of the deepening emergency, and in a chilling echo of a previous Cold War age, Hawaii prepared to test its air attack warning siren system, for the first time in a quarter of a century. Tough questions Strategically, Tuesday's missile test left Washington with tough questions. For instance, the nighttime dispatch of the missile at short notice might have been calculated to show the US that North Korea's forces could outwit any future American attempts to hit a nuclear missile on the launchpad. It appears to dampen several hopeful interpretations of the recent pause in Pyongyang's missile tests, including the suggestion that Kim was sending a signal he was ready to negotiate with the US. Tuesday's events also contradicted arguments circling in conservative media that Trump's tough talk, including his dismissal of Kim as "Rocket Man," had convinced North Korea to blink. They suggest that several recent US and international initiatives are having little impact, including the US redesignation of North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism last week and tough new sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council in September after the North's most recent nuclear test. The latest challenge from North Korea also compromises hopes that Trump's Asia tour, which was hailed as a stunning success by his White House, had done anything to defuse the worsening showdown with the Stalinist state. There will now be renewed focus on the administration's fervent appeals to China to solve the crisis for the US by leaning heavily on on its recalcitrant neighbor. The next few days will show whether Trump's lavish praise of Chinese President Xi Jinping will yield a meaningful shift in China's position on the crisis -- perhaps through a coordinated response gamed out with Trump during his talks this month in Beijing. Many regional analysts, however, doubt that US pressure on China to do more -- possibly by entirely choking off North Korea's energy supplies -- will work, since Beijing's national interests mitigate any action that could risk the downfall of the regime and the reunification of a pro-American Korean state. A recent trip to Pyongyang by a Chinese envoy did little to ease the situation, and Kim and Xi have no relationship. In one intriguing dimension of the diplomatic puzzle, former President Barack Obama announced an international trip on Tuesday -- that will include talks in Beijing with Xi. Any notion that Obama could either carry a message for Xi, or unofficially intercede on Trump's behalf as a respected former president, seems farfetched, however, given the current President's disdain for his predecessor. In Trump's defense, his failure so far to halt North Korea's nuclear and missile threat puts him in a club with Obama and his predecessor George W. Bush, who were similarly unsuccessful during their terms. But the fateful moment when North Korea crosses the threshold of having the capacity to deliver a nuclear weapon to US soil will come on his watch. International diplomacy In the short term, the predictable machinery of international diplomacy is already swinging into action with ritual condemnations from world powers. Trump spoke to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in Tuesday evening US time. US envoy to the UN Nikki Haley and her counterparts from Japan and South Korea have requested an emergency Security Council meeting for Wednesday. Former Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that the idea that diplomacy has failed is false. "There's a false narrative about North Korea that has been purposefully promulgated ... that somehow diplomacy has failed, and therefore it is only 'fire' and 'fury' that is going to meet this challenge and be effective," said Kerry, a Democrat who served in the Obama administration. But there is a genuine sense in Washington, from Capitol Hill to the White House, that options that center on more sanctions may be running out of time, given their limited impact on North Korean behavior. That leaves Trump contemplating steps that fall short of direct military action but could significantly change the US approach. One option would be to launch an intense new diplomatic push, possibly to offer North Korea the prospect of a radically altered relationship with the United States and its allies, and finally a peace treaty to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War. But key players in the administration are skeptical that Kim could be trusted to live up to any new commitments that could emerge from a diplomatic grand bargain given his country's past record. And the White House position that Pyongyang must first denuclearize its arsenal is likely to be a nonstarter for North Korea. Trump could intensify the pace of US military exercises off the North Korean coast -- but tensions are so high there are fears that miscalculations could spark conflict. Another option would be to abandon attempts to persuade China to do more and try to force more significant action, including by directly sanctioning major Chinese banks and energy firms that do business with North Korea. Such a step is as likely to backfire and provoke a crisis in US-China relations as to meaningfully change China's approach, however. The fact that it is even a possibility shows the limited and unappealing options open to Trump.
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1099 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/28/politics/nicholson-us-taliban-afghanistan/index.html">Top US general says Taliban 'living in comfort' in Pakistan</a>
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1103 <span>Nov 29, 2017</span>
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1106 It's been nearly 100 days since President Donald Trump announced his new strategy for Afghanistan and the wider region, a strategy that demanded Pakistan do more to fight the Taliban, but Pakistan has yet to take significant action against the Taliban, according to the commander of US and international forces in Afghanistan. "We have not seen those changes implemented yet," Gen. John Nicholson told reporters Tuesday at the Pentagon via a video link. "We are hoping to see those changes. We are hoping to work together with the Pakistanis going forward to eliminate terrorists who are crossing the Durand Line," Nicholson said, using another name for the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. While Nicholson acknowledged that the Pakistanis had taken military action against other violent extremist groups, he said that Islamabad needed to act against the Afghan Taliban, which has found sanctuary inside Pakistan since 2001. "The offensive operations against sanctuaries would be in other areas that we've identified with the Pakistani leadership on a number of occasions," he said. The general would not say how much time the US would allow for Pakistan to change its behavior before taking additional actions to compel Islamabad to crack down on Afghan Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan. "As you've heard our president say, as you've heard all of our senior leaders say, we have got to see movement on this reduction of sanctuary and support for those insurgents and terrorists operating from Pakistan who are attacking our forces and our coalition diplomats and forces, as well as the Afghans," Nicholson said. The White House recently slammed Pakistan for allowing Hafiz Saeed to go free last week. He had been under house arrest in Pakistan due to his links to Lashkar-e-Taiba, an internationally recognized terrorist group that is believed to be responsible for terror attacks in India. Nicholson later said that while the Taliban's tactical-level commanders were in the field in Afghanistan, its "senior leadership still resides in Pakistan." He said the Taliban leaders were "living in comfort outside of the country with plenty of drug money" while the rank and file fighters were dying in Afghanistan. As part of the effort to make the Taliban more uncomfortable, in line with his new strategy, Trump granted Nicholson the authority to target the Taliban's sources of revenue. Nicholson said the US and Afghan militaries had recently carried out a series of operations targeting Taliban-linked opium production facilities in Helmand province, operations he said cost the Taliban as much as $10 million in revenue. He also said Trump's new Afghan strategy represented a "game change."
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1122 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/28/politics/abu-khatallah-benghazi-trial-verdict/index.html">Benghazi suspect cleared of murder, guilty on terror charges</a>
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1126 <span>Nov 28, 2017</span>
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1129 A US jury found Ahmed Abu Khatallah guilty on four of 18 charges on Tuesday related to his role in the 2012 terrorist attack on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. A federal jury came back with a guilty verdict for the following counts: Conspiracy to provide material support and resources to terrorists.
1130Providing material support and resources to terrorists. Using, carrying and discharging a semi-automatic assault rifle during a crime of violence. Maliciously destroying and injuring dwellings and property, and placing lives in jeopardy within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, and attempting to do the same. The jury found Abu Khatallah not guilty on the four murder charges of the US personnel killed in the September 2012 attack on the US office in Benghazi. Abu Khatallah, wearing a white shirt untucked with his sleeves rolled up and a white beard, stood and faced the jury emotionless as the verdicts were read. He faces at least 10 years up to life in prison for his conviction on the four charges according to the Department of Justice. While it convicted Abu Khatallah on two terrorism material-support charges, the jury returned a special finding that his actions did not result in death, which would have carried life sentences. Instead the counts carry possible sentences of up to 15 years each. Additionally, he faces up to 20 years for his actions at the US mission of maliciously destroying and injuring dwellings and property, and placing lives in jeopardy. The verdict on the final count -- using and carrying a semiautomatic weapon during a crime of violence -- carries a mandatory 10-year minimum sentence. In 2016, the Justice Department announced it would not pursue the death penalty against Abu Khatallah -- opting instead for a maximum sentence of life in prison. CIA Director Mike Pompeo sent a message to CIA employees following today's Benghazi verdict, saying: "Today, a small measure of justice was meted out." Two of those killed were CIA contractors. Tuesday's verdict was handed down after eight weeks of testimony at a US District Court in Washington, during which prosecutors argued that Abu Khatallah was a "stone-cold terrorist" who was driven by a desire to kill Americans. "Ladies and gentlemen, he hates America, and that's why he committed this attack," federal prosecutor Michael DiLorenzo told the jury in his closing argument. "He was there to attack the mission facilities. He was there to kill Americans," DiLorenzo said. Abu Khatallah was not accused of directly taking part in the attack on the US mission and CIA annex but prosecutors described him as the "on-scene commander" who orchestrated the deadly assault. He "didn't light the fires or fire the mortars, but is just as guilty" for planning the attack, setting it in motion and getting others "to do his dirty work," federal prosecutor John Crabb told jurors in his opening statement. The defense pushed back on those claims, arguing the prosecution was attempting to cover holes in the evidence by playing to the jury's emotions. "They want you to hate him," attorney Michelle Peterson told the jury, adding there is "no evidence" that Abu Khatallah hates America. The defense team consistently attacked the credibility of three Libyan witnesses who took the stand for the prosecution during the trial. "All three government witnesses had an ax to grind," Peterson said during her closing argument. Peterson also said one key government witness -- who testified under pseudonym Ali Majrisi -- was motivated to lie after receiving $7 million to take the stand. "Boy, did he get paid well," Peterson said, calling Ali Majrisi "the $7 million man." The prosecution said Ali Majrisi assisted in Abu Khatallah's capture in June 2014, when intelligence assets lured him to a beach-side villa near Benghazi. The attack and political firestorm Years of court proceedings have revealed new details related to the deadly 2012 attack, during which assailants armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades blasted through the main diplomatic mission before setting it ablaze, according to court papers. Stevens and State Department information officer Sean Smith died there. A coordinated mortar assault on a nearby annex killed security officers Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, both CIA contractors and former US Navy SEALs. "Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens choked to death by thick black smoke. Sean Smith choked to death by thick black smoke. Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods were 'blown apart by mortar fire,' " Crabb said on the first day of the trial while vividly describing the attack that had taken place more than five years ago. Coming in the midst of a US presidential campaign, the Benghazi assault ignited a political firestorm -- the effects of which still linger. Republican critics of Democratic former President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton seized on the vulnerability of the US compound on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks to accuse the administration of failing to provide proper security. GOP members of Congress scrutinized how Clinton handled the matter ahead of her failed 2016 presidential bid. She oversaw US diplomacy at the time as secretary of state, resulting in questions about her responses and decisionmaking in addition to grilling by lawmakers during testimony on Capitol Hill. For years, Abu Khatallah was the only Benghazi suspect in US custody but that recently changed when President Donald Trump announced the capture of a second individual: Mustafa al Imam. Al Imam was charged with three felony offenses, two of which carry maximum sentences of life imprisonment, and he made his first appearance in a US District ourt in Washington this month. Who is Ahmed Abu Khatallah? Abu Khatallah emerged from years in prison under the regime of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to form an Islamist militia and later became associated with Ansar al-Sharia, a group US officials blamed for the 2012 attack. Believed to be in his 40s, Abu Khatallah became the face of the militant attack and a top target for the US after he cultivated a celebrity profile in its wake, meeting with journalists and granting interviews. Prosecutors highlighted testimony and video evidence that they said proved Abu Khatallah not only had orchestrated efforts to gather weapons ahead of the attack but also had rushed the gates of the mission armed with an AK-47 rifle and fuel canisters, which were used to set the building on fire. The prosecution stated in its opening and closing arguments that Abu Khatallah had been motivated by his hate for Americans and concerns that the US mission in Libya served as a "spy nest." "The defendant's participation in the attack was motivated by his extremist ideology," prosecutors said in 2014 court documents, which also alleged that Abu Khatallah "voiced concern and opposition to the presence of an American facility in Benghazi" days prior to the attack. However, the defense argued that Abu Khatallah was not a radical terrorist but rather a "Libyan patriot" who fought to free the country from Gadhafi. The defense said Abu Khatallah was at a friend's house when he heard about the attack and "went to see what was going on." He did not attempt to block people from going to the attack site but was only trying to protect those present from gunfire, the defense said during opening statements, adding that Abu Khatallah never went to the CIA annex and was at home when the mortars hit. "I knew we were under attack" Some of the most compelling testimony of the trial came from special agent Scott Wickland, a regional officer with diplomatic security who was living at the mission. Wickland recalled the events of September 11, 2012, as the first witness to testify in the trial and was visibly emotional as he described Stevens as "very personable" with a warm manner that was "not normal" for an ambassador. Around 9:45 p.m. on September 11, Wickland said, he heard chanting down the street from the mission and then calls of "Allahu Akbar." As guards scrambled to put on their protective gear and get their guns, Wickland said, he went to notify Stevens -- who had already gone to bed -- of a possibly escalating security situation. Wickland then said he had directed Stevens and IT official Smith to a safe room in one of the compound's villas. There were gunfire, explosions and "bloodcurdling screams" on the radio, according to Wickland, who told the jury, "I knew we were under attack." The doors of the villa were then blown open, and attackers entered the compound armed with AK-47s and other assault rifles, he said. When the attackers could not blast open the gates of the safe room, they set the villa on fire, Wickland said. With smoke filling the safe room, Wickland told the jury, he tried to lead Stevens and Smith to the bathroom so they could get some air but quickly realized they were not behind him. He tried to feel around and yell for them but couldn't find them, though he kept searching until he was out of air and almost collapsed. As Wickland went outside to escape the smoke, he said, he was fired upon by grenades. He repeatedly entered the compound to search for Stevens and Smith until he was out of breath, only to be met with a barrage of grenade fire each time he exited the compound. Unable to locate Stevens and Smith, Wickland told the jury, he said to himself, "I'm going to search for them until I'm going to die." Wickland then said he waited for a lull in the gunfire and climbed a ladder to the roof, where he stayed alone for a very long time and continued to take fire -- unable to make contact with anyone on the radio. Just when he thought everyone was dead, one of the special agents, David Ubben, called Wickland on the radio and said, "Are you alive?" "I don't know how many times I thought I was going to die, but this was a piece of hope that I was going to survive," Wickland told the jury. Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the final charges on which Abu Ahmed Khatallah was found guilty and his possible maximum sentence.
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1146 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/28/us/new-york-terror-attack-arraignment/index.html">New York terror attack suspect pleads not guilty</a>
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1150 <span>Nov 28, 2017</span>
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1153 The man accused of New York's deadliest terror attack since 9/11 pleaded not guilty to 22 federal counts on Tuesday. Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, 29, is charged with killing eight people and injuring a dozen others by driving a pickup truck down a bicycle path near the World Trade Center on Halloween. Saipov, who appeared in court wearing a navy blue jumpsuit and with ankle shackles but no handcuffs, walked with an apparent slight limp into federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon. During his initial appearance in early November, he had used a wheelchair. Saipov listened to the proceedings with the aide of an Uzbek translator. He only spoke when Judge Vernon Broderick asked him if he could hear the interpretor. Saipov answered "yes." His federal defender, David Patton, entered the not guilty plea on Saipov's behalf. Saipov will appear in court next on January 23. A 22-count indictment released November 21 charges Saipov with eight counts of murder in aid of racketeering, 12 counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, one count of providing and attempting to provide material support to ISIS and one count of violence and destruction of a motor vehicle. He was arrested after the truck hit a school bus, stopping the rented vehicle in its tracks. Saipov exited the vehicle and an officer shot him. Saipov came to the United States from Uzbekistan in 2010. He told investigators he was inspired by ISIS videos to use a truck in the attack "to inflict maximum damage against civilians," according to a complaint. Investigators searched two of his cell phones and found about 90 videos and 3,800 pictures, many of which were ISIS-related propaganda. In particular, Saipov said he was motivated to proceed with his plan after watching a video of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi questioning "what Muslims in the United States and elsewhere were doing to respond to the killing of Muslims in Iraq." He thought about displaying an ISIS flag in the truck, according to the complaint, but decided against it to avoid drawing attention to himself, he told investigators. He also asked to display an ISIS flag in his hospital room after the attack, the complaint states.
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1161 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/28/asia/myanmar-yangon-muslim-community-rohingya/index.html">
1162 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171126144313-myanmar-islamophobia-ivan-watson-00015113-story-body.jpg">
1163 </a>
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1169 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/28/asia/myanmar-yangon-muslim-community-rohingya/index.html">Rohingya crisis unleashes fears among Myanmar's other Muslims</a>
1170 </h3>
1171 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1172 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1173 <span>Nov 28, 2017</span>
1174 </div>
1175 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1176 In the warren of streets surrounding Yangon's Sule Pagoda, one of Myanmar's oldest and holiest Buddhist sites, lie a church, a Hindu temple, and a handful of mosques, one of which dates back more than 100 years. Their followers rub shoulders in the narrow, numbered alleys that slice up Yangon, which to an outsider feels like a multi-cultural Asian city on the make after decades sealed off under military rule. But Yangon's downtown diversity masks a more unsettling reality for the city's Muslims -- a rising tide of Islamophobia among the country's Buddhist majority. Myanmar stands accused of ethnic cleansing in Rakhine State, from where more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since August. The country's military denies involvement in any atrocities and blames the bloodshed on Rohingya militants that attacked border posts. Than Aung, a lawyer and a regular preacher at Yangon's 59th Street mosque, blames the divisions in Rakhine State on poverty and lack of job opportunities, saying he feels sorry for both the Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists. However, he says the crisis has made life difficult for non-Rohingya Muslims. "The hate speech overwhelmed the minds of most of the people in Myanmar, if you look at these people, it's all because of fear, and because of this fear, they are afraid of us and we are afraid of them," he says. Yangon hasn't been immune from the religious strife. In April, two Islamic schools were closed in Yangon's Thaketa township at the behest of angry mobs, according to Human Rights Watch. And in January, Ko Ni, a high-profile Muslim lawyer and government adviser, was killed by a gun-wielding assassin outside Yangon's international airport while he held his grandson in his arms. Harassment, no go zones There's little public sympathy in Myanmar for the Rohingya. For decades, authorities labeled them illegal immigrants and denied them citizenship. Newspapers largely carry the government's account of the latest crisis, casting it in terms of the military responding to attacks by terrorists. There are few references to the accusations of ethnic cleansing or alleged massacres. And the Rohingya crisis has raised fears among other Muslims in Myanmar, even though they enjoy full citizenship rights. Sann Aung, the chairman of the Society of Enlightening Quranic Knowledge, says he and his family have been harassed, especially when they travel outside Yangon. "Security forces check me, not the others, ask me where I'm from, where I'm going, what I'm doing. It's embarrassing." Khin Maung, an imam at 59th Street Mosque, says he doesn't fear for his own family but does worry about Muslim families living outside relatively cosmopolitan Yangon. "Village people get overwhelmed by hate speech so the Muslim people in the rural areas, I worry for them. Buddhist people do not understand about Muslims." A recent Burma Human Rights Network report documented at least 21 villages erecting signs warning Muslims not to enter. Since 1962, when the military took power in a coup, no new mosques have been opened -- a bone of contention for many Muslims as cities like Yangon expand, says Aye Lwin, chief convener of the Islamic Center of Myanmar and a commissioner on the government's Advisory Commission on Rakhine State. Many Muslims have moved to new suburbs and satellite cities but once there find there's no place for them to worship. They've resorted to worshiping and teaching their children at home but Aye Lwin says this has attracted the attention of authorities after protests. "Muslims are a growing population. They need to practice and learn about their religion. I'm not talking about proselytizing, they are teaching their own children how to pray and how to read the Quran and how to practice Islam in their daily life," he says. Tensions Aye Lwin blames the toxic climate on Buddhist nationalists, who have whipped up tensions. Muslims only make up around 5% of the population but some Buddhist monks preach they pose an existential threat to the country. "People think it's a clash between two major religions. No, religion has been hijacked by people with a hidden agenda to use it as a political tool," he says. Thaw Parka, who leads around 100 monks at ZayTaWon DammarYone Monastery on the outskirts of Yangon, acts as a spokesman for Ma Ba Tha, a Buddhist nationalist group that has been at the forefront of anti-Rohingya protests, believes extremist Islam is putting Buddhism at risk. "We are worried that they will explode our ethnic heritage, cultural buildings, religious monuments and our brethren, when they carry out suicide bombings," he told CNN. Pope Francis, who visits Myanmar this week and has spoken out in support of the Rohingya, has been advised by his own cardinal to refrain from using the word Rohingya, a politically charged term, during his trip. His cardinal in Myanmar, Charles Bo, says Islamophobia is widespread: "The majority would have an aversion for Muslims in general and particularly those Muslims in Rakhine State." However, he says there have been no negative remarks about the Pope's trip, even from extremist Buddhist monks, who "are in favor of receiving" him, but "he has to be very careful about what terms he will use." The Pope meets Tuesday with Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's de facto leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, who has been roundly criticized internationally for not doing more to halt the violence against the Rohingya. However, Muslim leaders like Aye Lwin defend how she has handled the crisis, stressing the limits of the power-sharing agreement she has with the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's powerful military. "I'll be very blunt, if she comes out and defends the Muslims it would be political suicide for her," he says. Extreme nationalism In 2015, there was hope that the election of Suu Kyi after decades of military rule would calm religious tensions. The murdered Muslim lawyer, Ko Ni, was one of her top legal advisers and one of the country's highest profile Muslims. He was also a campaigner for Rohingya rights to citizenship. Her government labeled his killing an act of terrorism, saying personal antagonism and "extreme nationalism" were behind the assassination. A trial of several suspects is underway and an Interpol red notice has been issued for the arrest of Aung Win Khaing, who served in the military until 2014. "When I turned around and look, my father was on the ground so I run and help him but there was no sign of life," says Yin Nwe Khaing, the daughter of the murdered lawyer who was at the airport when he was shot. She said she didn't know much about her father's work but had warned him to be more careful. "My father was a very principled man. He'd never discuss his professional life. Others knew much more than us, " she said, while playing with her son at her Yangon home. "We told him please take care...and he just smiled. He said 'you only have one life.'"
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1184 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/27/middleeast/egypt-sinai-attack-isis-al-qaeda/index.html">
1185 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/151109195215-understanding-the-sinai-peninsula-pleitgen-orig-00000319-story-body.jpg">
1186 </a>
1187
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1191 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1192 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/27/middleeast/egypt-sinai-attack-isis-al-qaeda/index.html">Why the massacre of Muslims in Sinai was too extreme for al Qaeda</a>
1193 </h3>
1194 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1195 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1196 <span>Nov 27, 2017</span>
1197 </div>
1198 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1199 It is unusual for militant Islamists to condemn terror attacks against "non-believers," but so grotesque was last Friday's onslaught in Egypt that several extremist groups have threatened revenge against its perpetrators. While no one has yet claimed the attack, its location and method point to the Islamic State in Northern Sinai (ISNS), a group that has proved both ruthless and resilient in the face of the Egyptian military's attempts to crush it over the last four years. More than 300 people were killed -- among them nearly 30 children -- as they attended prayers at the al Rawdah mosque near the Sinai town of Bir al-Abed. The mosque was associated with the Sufi tradition within Islam, which is regarded as apostasy by ISIS and by some in al Qaeda. The Islamic State in Northern Sinai is an affiliate of ISIS and the most powerful jihadist group in Egypt -- but not the only one. Smaller militant factions closer to al Qaeda quickly distanced themselves from the mosque attack. Jund al-Islam, which is regarded as pro-al Qaeda, declared that it was "a great sin and transgression to violate the sanctities of Muslims." It claims to have carried out an attack last month against ISNS, which it regards as "Khawarij" -- a term from the 8th century used to describe those who go against Islamic leaders and institutions. Another militant group -- Ansar al-Islam -- offered condolences to the families of the victims of the massacre and said that God promised torment for anyone who killed a Muslim unjustly. In a statement issued on Saturday, it pledged to take revenge against the "transgressors who spilled the blood of the worshipers in a house of Allah." Ansar al-Islam is well-organized and regarded as more aligned with al Qaeda than ISIS. It claimed responsibility for a devastating ambush of Egyptian troops in the western desert last month. The group is led by Hisham Ashmawy, a former captain in the Egyptian special forces. Ashmawy belonged to the group in Sinai that preceded ISNS -- known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis -- but he appears to have left when it became an affiliate of ISIS. Counter-terrorism analysts have said the split was both ideological and to do with personal rivalries. The condemnation of the ISNS attack is evidence of the ever-widening enmity between ISIS affiliates and al Qaeda-inspired groups, and raises the question of whether the latter will begin to confront ISNS militarily as well as ideologically. True believers ISIS is doctrinaire about its definition of true Muslims, and has often warned that it would target the Sufi community. "Our focus lies in the war against polytheism and apostasy, and among those Sufism, sorcery and divination," said a spokesman in ISIS' online publication al-Naba a year ago. The article even mentioned al Rawdah, yet the mosque appears to have had little protection. ISIS is not alone among jihadi groups in targeting other Muslim denominations, and especially Sufis. Adherents of Boko Haram in Nigeria also see Sufism as apostasy. In Pakistan, Sufi shrines have come under frequent attack, most recently in February this year, when a suicide bombing claimed by ISIS killed at least 70 people. And when Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda briefly seized the city of Timbuktu in Mali in 2012, they demolished centuries-old Sufi mausoleums and libraries, several of which were UNESCO world heritage sites. Unlike ISIS, the core leadership of al Qaeda has not singled out Sufi communities for attack. It has also distanced itself from overtly sectarian campaigns of violence against the Shia, most notably by Abu Musab al Zarqawi during the Iraqi insurgency between 2004 and 2006. Zarqawi's attacks, such as the attempt to destroy the al Askari mosque in Samarra, drew criticism from al Qaeda's leaders -- even though he was affiliated to al Qaeda at the time. But the rhetoric of al Qaeda and its affiliates against the Shia has hardened in recent years -- especially in Syria and Yemen, amid what some observers call a multidimensional civil war within Islam. ISNS: Resilient, capable, vicious ISNS has frequently shown its audacity in Sinai, even sometimes erecting roadblocks around al-Arish, the Mediterranean town at the heart of the violence and some 40 kilometers from al Rawdah. The group is well-armed and well-trained. On one occasion it used a missile to hit an Egyptian patrol boat off the coast. It has expertise in building IEDs, which have taken a heavy toll on Egyptian security patrols. And in 2015 it claimed to have smuggled a bomb inside a soda can on board a Russian airliner which exploded shortly after leaving Sharm el-Sheikh in southern Sinai. The nature of Friday's assault, a complex operation involving both a bomb attack and subsequent ambush of worshipers and ambulances by dozens of fighters, is typical of ISNS. But it is different in one crucial respect: most of the group's attacks until now have targeted Egyptian security forces in Sinai -- whether by IED or assassination. Not for the first time, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi threatened to crush the militants, saying in a short statement that "the armed forces and police will avenge our martyrs and restore security and stability with the utmost force." It is a familiar pledge, but the impunity with which the attackers struck demonstrates the inability of the Egyptian security forces to stamp out ISNS, despite a massive deployment of the army and strikes by F-15 fighter jets. Omar Ashour, visiting professor at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Qatar and a longtime observer of the Sinai insurgency, says the mix of guerrilla warfare and urban terror tactics has "undermined both the morale and the capacities of the regular forces, a historically incompetent one with limited success in conventional warfare and counter-insurgency campaigns." The government has been able to recruit some tribes against ISNS, but the group has still been able to find recruits among the marginalized Bedouin youth of Sinai, long a neglected backwater of Egypt where the writ of central government means little. It is helped by the fact is that Sinai is huge -- almost the size of Texas -- and sparsely populated. Sinai also has a long history of smuggling -- of people, drugs and weapons -- and counter-terrorism analysts say ISNS has been able to obtain weapons by sea from Libya and elsewhere. The staying power of ISNS and its growing capabilities also concern Israel. The group has attempted several border incursions, and several ISIS operatives have been detained by Hamas in Gaza, after apparently crossing from the Sinai. Amos Harel -- writing in Haaretz -- was critical of the Egyptian military's response, saying "quicker action is needed, combining precise intelligence and commando forces." But Ashour says the Egyptian state's over-reliance on force in Sinai, coupled with the neglect of the region and a polarized political situation in Egypt as a whole, suggest the government is a long way from bringing peace to the area.
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1207 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/26/middleeast/saudi-arabia-crown-prince-terrorism-fight/index.html">
1208 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171025173858-mohammed-bin-salman-2-story-body.jpg">
1209 </a>
1210
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1215 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/26/middleeast/saudi-arabia-crown-prince-terrorism-fight/index.html">Saudi Crown Prince: Coalition will fight terrorism until it is 'eradicated'</a>
1216 </h3>
1217 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1218 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1219 <span>Nov 27, 2017</span>
1220 </div>
1221 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1222 Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the country's two-year-old military coalition would "pursue terrorism until it is eradicated completely" in remarks made at the group's inaugural meeting on Sunday. The Saudi-led Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) was established in 2015 amid criticism that Arab states were not doing enough to fight ISIS. The group's first meeting came in the wake of Friday's deadly attack on a Sufi mosque in Egypt's northern Sinai, which killed more than 300 people, including 27 children, according to the Egyptian state prosecutor. "I express today our condolences to our brothers in Egypt, as a leadership and people, for what happened in the past days," Prince bin Salman said at Sunday's meeting of defense ministers in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, Al Arabiya reported. "We will not allow them (terrorists) to distort our peaceful religion. Today we are sending a strong message that we are working together to fight terrorism," he said, according to the group's statement. "Today we affirm that we will pursue terrorism until it is eradicated completely." The coalition, which has some 40 members, does not include Saudi Arabia's archrival Iran. In recent weeks, the Kingdom has exercised a more assertive regional foreign policy, ratcheting up its military campaign in Yemen and taking a more aggressive stance against the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. Qatar, a member of the coalition, was also noticeably absent. The IMCTC's Secretary General Abdulelah al-Saleh said the country was not invited to the meeting in order to build consensus between member countries, Reuters reported. A Saudi-led quartet of Arab countries placed an embargo on Qatar in June, accusing the tiny Gulf country of supporting terrorism. Qatar firmly denies the allegations.
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1229 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
1230 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/26/middleeast/egypt-sinai-al-rawdah-mosque-survivors/index.html">
1231 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171125073853-12-egypt-mosque-attack-story-body.jpg">
1232 </a>
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1237 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1238 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/26/middleeast/egypt-sinai-al-rawdah-mosque-survivors/index.html">Egypt mosque attack survivor: I hid under dead bodies</a>
1239 </h3>
1240 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1241 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1242 <span>Nov 26, 2017</span>
1243 </div>
1244 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1245 A survivor of the attack on the Egyptian mosque which left 305 people dead said Sunday that he lost nine family members in the massacre. His father was among those killed at the al Rawdah Sufi Mosque in Bir al-Abed on Friday. "No one got out of the mosque," said the survivor, who did not want to be named, speaking outside the Ismailia General Hospital, where other family members and friends were recovering from injuries. "The military could hear the gunshots from their unit and they didn't move. Even the ambulances came under fire." CNN can not independently verify the military locations in the area, which is closed to foreign and most Egyptian journalists. At the hint of criticism, hospital volunteers ushered in an army officer to move out journalists. Some of the gunmen wore masks and at least one was carrying an ISIS flag, the state prosecutor said in a statement. At least 27 children were killed and at least 128 people were injured, the prosecutor added. Another survivor, who did not want to be named, said he hid under dead bodies to avoid detection by the gunmen, who were searching the mosque for survivors. Wearing a white patch over his eye after being struck by shrapnel, he sat on a sidewalk outside of the emergency room at Suez Canal University Hospital, flanked by his tribesmen. He lost his brother and nephew during the attack, he said. His son, 14, suffered a broken leg. "I only found out about my son hours later," he said. Outside the two main hospitals in Ismailia, which is northeast of Cairo and about a two-hour drive from the northern coastal city of Bir Al-Abed, Bedouin men sat on colorful blankets awaiting news of their injured relatives. They do not want to be identified because they're scared of ISIS, who they fear could target their families in the troubled peninsula. "They could kill us," one survivor said. In Ismailia, the local community rallied to help the victims of the attack. Nine months ago, they also helped Coptic families driven by ISIS from Al-Arish in Sinai. Wessam Hassouna, a local volunteer, said that people had flocked to donate blood, with more than 15,000 bags already collected. The al Rawdah Sufi mosque is known as the birthplace of an important Sufi cleric. Sufism is a mystical branch of Islam that some jihadists consider heretical. It wasn't immediately clear if that was the reason the mosque was targeted. The nation has set aside three days of mourning and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has ordered the armed forces to build a memorial to those killed at the mosque, a statement on his Facebook page said. Ahmed El-Tayyeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar and one of the foremost clerics in Egypt, condemned the "barbaric attack" and said Egyptians would prevail over terrorism with solidarity and determination. Al-Azhar, home to a 1,000-year-old mosque and university, is considered the premier religious authority in Egypt, and El-Tayyeb is a prestigious figure in Sunni Islam. Egypt's Muslim are predominantly Sunni. Gamal Awad, a senior preacher at the Ministry of Religious Endowments, said the only way to fight terrorists is to kill them. Despite efforts by the ministry to raise awareness through mosques, there is no way to debate terrorists' convictions, he said. "They will kill again."
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1253 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/26/africa/egypt-sinai-mosque-massacre/index.html">
1254 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171125073853-12-egypt-mosque-attack-story-body.jpg">
1255 </a>
1256
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1260 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1261 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/26/africa/egypt-sinai-mosque-massacre/index.html">Egypt mosque attackers wore military uniforms and arrived in SUVs</a>
1262 </h3>
1263 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1264 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1265 <span>Nov 26, 2017</span>
1266 </div>
1267 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1268 Dozens of men wearing military combat uniforms and armed with automatic machine guns carried out the deadly assault on a Sufi mosque in northern Sinai, Egyptian authorities said. Twenty-five to 30 attackers arrived in five SUVs at the al Rawdah Sufi mosque in Bir al-Abed on Friday. Some wore masks and at least one was carrying an ISIS flag, the state prosecutor told state-run Nile TV in a statement. They positioned themselves at the building's entrances and the front of the mosque shortly before the massive gunfire and loud explosions rang out. By the time the attackers' weapons went quiet, 305 people were dead, including 27 children, the prosecutor said Saturday. An additional 128 people were wounded. The al Rawdah Sufi mosque is known as the birthplace of an important Sufi cleric. Sufism is a mystical branch of Islam that some jihadists consider heretical. Survivors describe chaos, panic Sitting outside a hospital emergency room, a survivor who did not want to be identified told CNN that he still had shrapnel in an eye that was covered by a bandage. He believes he survived because he was covered by the bodies of other victims as the attackers went around the mosque to ensure everyone was dead, he said. "No one got out of the mosque," said another witness at a nearby hospital. The man, who also declined to be identified out of fear of retaliation, said his father and eight other family members, including a brother and nephew, were killed. The nation has set aside three days of national mourning and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has ordered the armed forces to build a memorial to those killed at the mosque, a statement on his official Facebook page said. Ahmed El-Tayyeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, condemned the "barbaric attack" on the mosque and said Egyptians would prevail over terrorism with solidarity and determination. Al-Azhar is the premier religious authority in Egypt. No claim of responsibility yet President Sisi vowed to respond to the massacre -- believed to be the deadliest terrorist attack in the country -- with "brute force." Egyptian warplanes conducted airstrikes Saturday on "terrorist outposts" containing weapons, ammunition and radical elements following the attack, the military said. There has been no claim of responsibility from ISIS or its affiliate in Egypt. However, the attack bears the hallmarks of a strike by ISIS. The group maintains a foothold in the north of the Sinai Peninsula and inspires local Islamist extremist groups despite the efforts of Egyptian security forces. Sisi has expressed concern recently that ISIS militants fleeing Iraq and Syria would come to Egypt. Egyptian security forces face almost daily attacks from militants with ISIS ties in northern Sinai. The Wilayat Sinai group, which pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2014, has been behind numerous attacks and hundreds of deaths in the desert region. It claimed responsibility for the bombing of a Russian passenger jet that crashed in October 2015 in the Sinai Peninsula, killing 224 people. If it turns out ISIS militants are behind the latest attack, "it reflects their willingness to continue to do large operations that have large civilian casualties," said Timothy Kaldas, a fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. There would be two plausible motives for an ISIS attack, he said. First, ISIS considers Sufis to be heretics, making the Sufi mosque a legitimate target in the eyes of ISIS, even though all worshipers probably weren't Sufi. Second, Kaldas said, ISIS may be taking revenge against members of the Sawarkah tribe, to which most of the people in the area belong, because it has been cooperating with the Egyptian government in its campaign against Wilayat Sinai.
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1276 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/25/middleeast/israel-saudi-relations/index.html">
1277 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170522190953-prince-turki-amanpour-story-body.jpg">
1278 </a>
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1283 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1284 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/25/middleeast/israel-saudi-relations/index.html">How a mutual enemy is changing Israel-Saudi relations</a>
1285 </h3>
1286 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1287 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1288 <span>Nov 25, 2017</span>
1289 </div>
1290 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1291 The two former spymasters sat an arm's length apart. Both appeared calm and relaxed, neither suspicious of the other. Occasionally, they laughed with the crowd gathered at a synagogue in New York's Upper East Side. The panel discussion in October was about the future of the Middle East. At one end sat Efraim Halevy, who led Israel's Mossad at the turn of the century. Next to him was Prince Turki bin Faisal al Saud, who headed Saudi Arabia's intelligence agency for 24 years. A few years ago, such a meeting would have seemed inconceivable. To this day, Israel and Saudi Arabia don't have diplomatic relations. Until recently, any ties between the two countries, if they existed, were never discussed openly. Now, the dynamics of a changing Middle East have revealed an association built on mutual interests, namely countering Iran's growing influence in the region. For Israel and Saudi Arabia today, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Speaking to Israel Army Radio on Sunday, Minister of Energy Yuval Steinitz admitted what many had long suspected. "We have partially clandestine ties with many Muslim and Arab countries. It's the other side who is interested in hiding it," Steinitz said. "Our ties with the moderate Arab world assists us in blocking Iran." Finding common ground Prince Faisal's visit to a New York synagogue was one of a growing number of public interactions between Israelis and Saudis. In January, Faisal met with former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In the summer of 2016, retired Saudi General Anwar Eshki visited Jerusalem, meeting Israeli politicians while seeking to revive interest in an old peace initiative from 2002. At the heart of the visit was the two countries' mutual enemy: Iran. "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not the source of terrorism, but it does create fertile ground for acts of terrorism in the region," Eshki was quoted as saying. "If the conflict is resolved, the countries that exploit the Palestinian issue, namely Iran, will no longer be able to capitalize on it." Last week, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot gave his first-ever interview to Saudi media, speaking to Saudi news site Elaph. Eizenkot's intended audience may have been moderate Sunnis in the Gulf states; the interview was an attempt to establish common ground between Israel and the Arab world, and lay the groundwork for further relations, one tiny step at a time. "I was in the meeting for chiefs of staff in Washington and when I heard what the Saudi representative said, I found that it is exactly what I think of regarding Iran and the necessity to confront it in the region and stop its expansion program," said Eizenkot, in what Israeli media called an unprecedented interview. "We are ready to share information if necessary [with the Saudis]," Eizenkot continued. "There are many mutual interests between us." In a speech at Israel's Foreign Ministry in September, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (who also serves as the country's Foreign Minister), said: "There is cooperation in various ways, on various levels, but it is not yet out in the open. But what is not yet out in the open is much greater than in any other period in Israeli history. This is a major change. The entire world is changing." The groundwork for peace Forty years ago this month, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to officially visit Israel, speaking before the Knesset about the need for peace. His visit paved the way for a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt in 1979, making Egypt the first Arab country to recognize Israel. In commemorating the visit, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman tweeted last week, "Anwar Sadat is a true leader that went against the flow and paved the way for additional Arab leaders to recognize the importance of strategic ties with the State of Israel. Forty years after the historic landing in Israel, I call on regional leaders to follow President Sadat, to come to Jerusalem, and to turn a new page, not only in relations with Israel and the Arab world, but with the whole region." It would be another 15 years before the next Arab country signed a peace treaty with Israel. In 1994, Jordan's King Hussein and Israel's Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shook hands after signing the accord, with US President Bill Clinton looking on. Since then, Israel's relations with the Arab world have developed slowly. Israel and Qatar maintained modest trade relations until 2013, according to Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Israel has a mission in Abu Dhabi to cooperate with the United Nations' International Renewable Energy Agency. "Cooperation in different ways has been happening between Israel and different [Gulf Cooperation Council] states not for the past year, but for the past decade, including with Qatar but with pretty much everyone, albeit on different files," said H. A. Hellyer, a nonresident senior fellow at the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council. Further development of Israel's relations with the Arab world is contingent upon progress on the Palestinian front. This is especially true with Saudi Arabia, where the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains an important issue. "An open alliance would be politically awkward for Riyadh owing to the failure to resolve the Palestine question and put an end to the Israeli occupation and siege," Hellyer said, "but no one should underestimate how much antagonism to Iran animates Riyadh." Strategic concerns and mutual benefits With official diplomatic relations static, opposition to Iran and its proxies has become the mutual interest for ties to develop privately. The sudden resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Riyadh earlier this month -- before his about-face -- fueled speculation by Israeli analysts that the Saudis were trying to maneuver Israel into another war with Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shia militant group with whom Hariri shares power in Lebanon. With Hariri gone, Hezbollah would shoulder the blame for Lebanese political dysfunction, the theory goes, and could initiate a war with the "Zionist entity" in order to shore up domestic support. Last week, Adel bin Ahmad al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, said: "Hezbollah is a terror organization. There is no peace in Lebanon unless it's disarmed." Those words could have come from Israel's leaders, who see Hezbollah -- an Iranian proxy -- as a serious, possibly strategic, threat to Israel. "We do have unprecedented common ground," said Amos Gilad, the former director of the Political-Military Affairs Bureau at Israel's Ministry of Defense. "The Arabs used to be our worst enemies and now we are living in spring -- not the Arab Spring that is negative -- but a real spring with them based on common enemies, threats and unprecedented readiness of Israel to cooperate against all dangers, and they are very valuable to national security and the whole area's stability." Israel and Hezbollah last fought a war in 2006. The 34-day conflict was indecisive, ending in a United Nations-brokered ceasefire. Israel is not eager to rush into another war with a stronger Hezbollah, battle-tested from years of fighting in Syria. In his interview with the Saudi news site, Eizenkot dismissed speculation that Israel wanted a war with its northern neighbor. "We have no intention of attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon and bring about a war," Eizenkot said. "However, we will not accept a strategic threat to Israel." For Israel, normalization with Saudi Arabia -- and subsequently the UAE, Bahrain and perhaps other regional Arab states -- would offer Israel more local trading partners and bolster the sliver of a country's security in the Middle East. For the Saudis, official relations with Israel would give them an additional -- and powerful -- weapon in the struggle against their regional rival Iran, which has established an arc of influence from Tehran to Baghdad to Damascus to Beirut. Normalization would allow Saudi Arabia to tap into Israel's military and cyber expertise, presenting a more united front to counter Iran. But normalization will require Israel to make a move that it has so far been unwilling to make: an acceptance of the 2002 Saudi Initiative or other concessions on a process to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Saudi initiative For years, Saudi Arabia has pushed its 2002 peace initiative as the basis for an end to the conflict and a full normalization of relations with the Arab states. The plan called for Israel to withdraw from territories occupied following the 1967 Six-Day War and accept the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in exchange for diplomatic relations with the region's Arab countries. Despite its widespread international recognition as -- at the very least -- a basis for negotiations, Israel has never accepted the initiative. If once it was Egypt that seemed the critical third-party in an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, the focus has shifted to Riyadh, a point not lost on US President Donald Trump as his administration tries to restart negotiations. Trump's special envoy for international negotiations, Jason Greenblatt, and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have led the team pursuing what the president has called "the ultimate deal," have visited the region -- and the Saudis -- multiple times to lay the groundwork for a peace process. "While there are no diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv, Saudi Arabia remains the only hope for a lasting regional peace given its political and religious weight," said Faisal J. Abbas, editor-in-chief of the Arab News, the first Saudi English-language newspaper. Painting Saudi as a potential neutral mediator, Abbas pointed to "the fact that, unlike Qatar for example, [Saudi Arabia] has not supported Hamas, which has fired missiles into civilian areas" and doesn't have "a slogan cursing Jews or wishing death to Israelis like the Iranians and their Houthi and Hezbollah agents." There is a sharp line being drawn through today's Middle East. On one side, Iran stands together with Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, joined by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. On the other side, Saudi Arabia is allied with the other Sunni Arab countries in the region. Next to them stands Israel, no longer an enemy, but not quite a friend.
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1297 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
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1299 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/25/africa/egypt-sinai-mosque-massacre/index.html">
1300 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171125073853-12-egypt-mosque-attack-story-body.jpg">
1301 </a>
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1306 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1307 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/25/africa/egypt-sinai-mosque-massacre/index.html">Egypt mosque attack death toll climbs above 300</a>
1308 </h3>
1309 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1310 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1311 <span>Nov 25, 2017</span>
1312 </div>
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1314 The death toll in a bomb and gun attack on a Sufi mosque in northern Sinai has risen to 305, with 27 children among the dead, Egypt's state prosecutor said Saturday. Another 128 people were wounded, according to a statement from the public prosecutor read out on Egyptian state-run news channel Nile TV. Between 25 and 30 armed men carried out the assault on the al Rawdah Sufi mosque in Bir al-Abed, the statement said. The prosecutor also gave more detail about how the brutal attack unfolded. The attackers arrived in five SUVs and were armed with automatic machine guns, the statement said. They took position in front of the mosque and its entrances. Survivors of the incident now at the hospital described massive gunfire and loud explosions at the start of the attack. A number of attackers, some of them masked, then entered the mosque, the statement said. The attackers had long beards and hair, were wearing military fatigues and were armed with heavy machine guns, according to the statement. At least one of those who entered the mosque was carrying an ISIS flag, it said. There has not yet been a claim of responsibility from ISIS or its affiliate in Egypt. However, the attack bears the hallmarks of a strike by ISIS, which maintains a foothold in the north of the Sinai Peninsula and inspires local Islamist extremist groups, despite the efforts of Egyptian security forces. President vows 'brute force' President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi vowed to respond to the massacre -- believed to be the deadliest terrorist attack on the country's soil -- with "brute force." Egyptian warplanes conducted airstrikes on "terrorist outposts" and vehicles following the attack, the military said Saturday. "The Egyptian Air Force pursued the terrorist elements, discovered and destroyed a number of vehicles that carried out the brutal terrorist killings, and killed all terrorists inside those vehicles," military spokesman Tamer Rifai said in a statement Saturday. It also targeted a number of terrorist outposts containing weapons, ammunition and radical elements, Rifai said. Al Rawdah mosque is known as the birthplace of an important Sufi cleric. Sufism is a mystical branch of Islam that some jihadists consider heretical. Witnesses told CNN that the attack started when an explosive device went off in a building adjacent to the mosque and that gunmen fired at worshippers as they fled. Gunmen then entered the mosque and fired at those inside, they said. The attackers had also set up "ambush" locations and opened fire on ambulances as they transported the wounded to al-Arish before the arrival of security services, according to witnesses. Photos from inside the mosque showed what appeared to be bodies lined up in rows on the carpet. 'No one got out of the mosque' One survivor, who asked that his name not be used, told CNN on Saturday that he still had shrapnel in an eye that was covered by a bandage. Sitting with tribesmen outside a hospital emergency room, he said he believes he survived because he was covered by the bodies of other victims as the attackers went around the mosque to ensure everyone was dead. "No one got out of the mosque," said another witness at a nearby hospital. The man, who also declined to be identified out of fear of retaliation, said his father and eight other family members, including a brother and nephew, were killed. The man said soldiers from a nearby military unit must have heard the gunfire during the attack but did not immediately respond. "Even the ambulances came under fire." he said. A man nearby nodded in agreement. Moments later, hospital volunteers alerted a military officer protecting the hospital -- who asked reporters to leave. Another man told CNN he drove one of the first ambulances to the scene but turned around after shots were fired at the vehicle. Ambulances from al-Arish managed to reach the mosque only after security forces secured the road, he said. The attackers used automatic weapons, said Diaa Rashwan, the chairman of the state information service. Some victims were also killed by the explosions. National mourning declared In a short, televised speech after meeting with security officials, Sisi said the government would hunt down the attackers. "We will respond to this act with brute force against these terrorists," he said. "This terrorist act will strengthen our resolve, steadfastness and will to stand up to, resist and battle against terrorism." Three days of national mourning have been declared. Sisi has also ordered the armed forces to build a memorial to those killed at the mosque, a statement on his official Facebook page said. The grand imam of Al-Azhar, the premier religious authority in Egypt, condemned the "barbaric attack" on the mosque. "The shedding of blood, the violation of the sacred houses of God and the terrorizing of worshippers are acts of corruption on the earth," Ahmed El-Tayyeb said. The targeting of mosques followed an attack on churches, El-Tayyeb said, adding that Egyptians would prevail over terrorism with solidarity and determination. Northern Sinai unrest Friday's attack prompted wide international condemnation, with US President Donald Trump among the leaders expressing condolences and vowing to continue the fight against terrorism. Sisi expressed concern recently that ISIS militants fleeing Iraq and Syria would come to Egypt. Egyptian security forces face almost daily attacks from militants with ISIS ties in northern Sinai. The Wilayat Sinai group, which pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2014, has been behind numerous attacks and hundreds of deaths in the desert region. It claimed responsibility for the bombing of a Russian passenger jet that crashed in October 2015 in the Sinai Peninsula, killing 224 people. If it turns out ISIS militants are behind the latest attack, "it reflects their willingness to continue to do large operations that have large civilian casualties," Timothy Kaldas, a non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, told CNN. There would be two plausible motives for an ISIS attack, he said. First, ISIS considers Sufis to be heretics, making the Sufi mosque a legitimate target in the eyes of ISIS, even though all worshippers probably weren't Sufi. Second, Kaldas said, ISIS may be taking revenge against members of the Sawarkah tribe, to which most of the people in the area belong, because it has been cooperating with the Egyptian government in its campaign against Wilayat Sinai.
1315 </div>
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1322 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/24/africa/sinai-peninsula-explainer/index.html">
1323 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171124162317-file-sinai-egyptian-military-tanks-story-body.jpg">
1324 </a>
1325
1326
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1329 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1330 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/24/africa/sinai-peninsula-explainer/index.html">Why the Sinai peninsula is so dangerous</a>
1331 </h3>
1332 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1333 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1334 <span>Nov 24, 2017</span>
1335 </div>
1336 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1337 The attack on a mosque in Egypt that left more than 300 people dead appears to be the deadliest in the history of the Sinai Peninsula. The triangular mass of land, wedged between the continents of Africa and Asia, is a violent place as ISIS holds onto a foothold in the north of the peninsula and inspires local Islamist extremist groups. No one has so far claimed responsibility for Friday's mosque attack, but it bears all the hallmarks of ISIS. Militancy in the Sinai increased dramatically after the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 in the Arab Spring. It was ratcheted up again in 2013 when Mubarak's successor, Mohamed Morsy, was toppled, leaving a security vacuum on the peninsula. In 2013, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led a popular coup and launched a major, heavy-handed crackdown on jihadist groups in Sinai and other areas. He resigned from the military and was elected President in 2014 on a platform of security and stability. Egypt outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, who led the previous government, further fueling resentment. The crackdown alienated many in the local population and violent jihadist groups started to morph. The Wilayat Sinai group emerged at the same time and pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2014. The group has been behind numerous attacks and hundreds of deaths. Wilayat Sinai took credit for a bombing on a Russian Metrojet flight in October 2015 that killed all 224 people on board. It has typically attacked Coptic Christians and security personnel. Violent Islamist extremists have also fed off the resentments of the Sinai Bedouin tribes, who have been largely ignored by the Egyptian government and been left behind as the country develops. Many Bedouin communities have no access to electricity or running water. The vast majority of Bedouin tribal leaders are against religious violence and many even combat ISIS, but some Bedouins have joined extremist groups. This poverty has also given way to a flurry of illegal activity, including drug trafficking and people smuggling. There is a sense of lawlessness on the northern part of the peninsula and Wilayat Sinai has been able to operate there. With desert in the north and mountains in the south, the Sinai Peninsula is very difficult to control.
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1345 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/24/politics/president-donald-trump-kurdish-militia/index.html">
1346 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171117093634-donald-trump-1115-03-story-body.jpg">
1347 </a>
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1353 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/24/politics/president-donald-trump-kurdish-militia/index.html">Turkish FM: Trump agreed to stop arming Kurdish militia</a>
1354 </h3>
1355 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1356 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1357 <span>Nov 24, 2017</span>
1358 </div>
1359 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1360 President Donald Trump told the Turkish President that he will stop arming a Kurdish militia the Turkish government considers a terrorist organization, Turkey's foreign minister announced Friday. The decision would cut the flow of weapons from the US to the YPG, the Kurdish militia fighting with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, just six months after Trump approved the plan over Turkey's strenuous objections. "Our discomfort regarding the provision of weapons to the YPG was conveyed to Mr. Trump once again," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a news conference Friday. "Trump very clearly said he had given instructions to not provide weapons to the YPG." The White House did not dispute the top Turkish diplomat's account of the Friday morning call between Trump and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but suggested there were no impending plans to stop supplying weapons to the YPG. Trump informed Erdogan "of pending adjustments to the military support provided to our partners on the ground in Syria, now that the battle of Raqqa is complete and we are progressing into a stabilization phase," the White House said in a statement. Pressed about the US's specific plans, National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton told CNN the US's supply of weapons to the YPG will be "winding down over time, as the physical caliphate is destroyed." It was not immediately clear whether Trump had overpromised in his conversation with Erdogan or if the Turkish foreign minister had oversold Trump's pledge to the US, but the lack of clarity could leave the YPG and other US-backed allies in Syria uncertain about the future of US involvement in the region. But Cavusoglu was emphatic, saying Trump "repeated by the end of the conversation before they hung up that he ordered generals and National Security Adviser (Lt. Gen. H.R.) McMaster not to give arms." Trump approved a plan to supply weapons to the YPG in May to help bolster the effort by US-backed forces to capture Raqqa, the self-declared capital of ISIS. The YPG is closely affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, the PKK, which has carried out terrorist attacks against Turkey, prompting concerns from the NATO ally that weapons supplied to the YPG could wind up in the hands of the PKK. US-backed forces captured Raqqa from ISIS last month in a major milestone in the fight against the terrorist group, but the Trump administration has offered no signals it would stop arming the Kurdish militia after the city's fall. Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, said Turkey welcomes Trump's "promise of not providing weapons to the YPG" and is waiting for the pledge to be "implemented practically." Trump's call with Erdogan had been expected to focus on the Syrian conflict, coming days after Erdogan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to discuss Syria's future. Trump also spoke earlier this week with Putin to discuss Syria.
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1368 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/24/asia/mumbai-suspect-freed/index.html">
1369 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/131124175425-vo-mumbai-taj-hostages-file-cms2-story-body.jpg">
1370 </a>
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1376 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/24/asia/mumbai-suspect-freed/index.html">Accused Mumbai attack mastermind freed from house arrest in Pakistan</a>
1377 </h3>
1378 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1379 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1380 <span>Nov 24, 2017</span>
1381 </div>
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1383 The accused mastermind of the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, India, has been freed from house arrest in Pakistan, authorities said Friday. Released overnight by the Lahore High Court, Hafiz Mohammed Saeed led Friday prayers at Al-Qudsia mosque in Lahore, according to Habibullah Salafi, a spokesman for the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, or JuD, Saeed's organization. News footage showed Saeed celebrating with his exultant supporters. The United States and India issued statements critical of the decision for him to go free, but Pakistan defended its fight against terrorism and condemned India's response. "First of all I thank God who has given me an honorable release. Three judges of the High Court gave the decision. Praise be to God, it is a matter of great happiness for me that nothing has been proved against me which could be detrimental for me or for Pakistan. Thank God, we have been vindicated," Saeed said. Both India and the United States accuse Saeed of being responsible for the deadly attacks that struck locations across Mumbai nearly a decade ago. But he has repeatedly denied involvement in the Mumbai killings or support for terrorist activities. In late November nine years ago, gunmen went on a three-day rampage in the Indian city, using automatic weapons and grenades to strike hotels, a cafe, a railway station, a movie theater, a hospital and a Jewish center. The violence resulted in at least 164 deaths. Under house arrest since January Saeed had been under house arrest since January after being detained in Pakistan's Punjab province. The arrests of Saeed and four others came in conjunction with placing JuD and another group, the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, on a watch list under Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 The men were detained for being active members of the organizations and were held under a part of the Anti-Terrorism Act that gives Pakistan's government the power to arrest or detain suspects for up to 12 months. Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, a spokesman for the Punjab provincial government, said, "After court orders, Hafiz Saeed was released from house arrest early morning today; he is no longer under house arrest. It is yet to be decided if the government will appeal the court's decision." Saeed said, "I believe that this is not a personal issue, it is an issue involving my country. India has always accused me of terrorism; it lobbied and tried to convince the world. But the High Court decision has proved that India's allegations are all fabricated and based on hatred for Islam." Supporters outside Saaed's house chanted "God willing," "God is the greatest" and "India, your death is at hand." US offers $10 million bounty The United States, which labels Saeed a leader of the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, said it is "deeply concerned" about his release. That group is widely thought to have been behind the Mumbai attacks that also killed six Americans. Lashkar-e-Tayyiba "is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent civilians in terrorist attacks, including a number of American citizens. The Pakistani government should make sure that he is arrested and charged for his crimes," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. According to the UN Security Council, Saeed's JuD organization is synonymous with the terrorist group and supportive of al Qaeda and the Taliban. The State Department describes JuD's mission as the establishment of Islamist rule in India and Pakistan and is offering as much as $10 million for any information that might lead to his arrest or conviction. Raveesh Kumar, a spokesman for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, said Saeed's release once again confirms Pakistan's "lack of seriousness" in bringing perpetrators of terror to justice. "It also appears to be an attempt by the Pakistani system to mainstream proscribed terrorists. Pakistan has not changed its policy of shielding and supporting nonstate actors, and its true face is visible for all to see," Kumar said. He called Saeed the "prime organizer" of the Mumbai attacks and said he is "also responsible for unleashing numerous other terror attacks against Pakistan's neighbors." "It is the responsibility of Pakistani government to fulfill its international obligations and take credible and effective action against terrorists like Hafiz Saeed. India, as indeed the entire international community, is outraged that a self-confessed and UN-proscribed terrorist is being allowed to walk free and continue his evil agenda." Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued statement rejecting "India's self-serving insinuations" and said its "resolve, actions and successes" in fighting terrorism "is unmatched in the world." "The courts in Pakistan, pursuant to their constitutional duty, are determined to uphold rule of law and due process for all citizens of Pakistan. Legal processes are anchored in rule of law, not dictates of politics and posturing," the statement said. "Pakistan condemns and opposes all forms of terrorism by any individual or group. Pakistan also opposes and condemns acts of terrorism inside Pakistan and elsewhere by India, which claims to be a champion of democracy, and international law." This story has been updated to reflect the full list of targets in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
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1389 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
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1391 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/24/opinions/blasphemy-laws-pakistan-opinion-zakaria/index.html">
1392 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171121121437-free-press-blasphemy-laws-pakistan-story-body.jpg">
1393 </a>
1394
1395
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1398 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1399 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/24/opinions/blasphemy-laws-pakistan-opinion-zakaria/index.html">The borders of freedom: Blasphemy and the press in Pakistan</a>
1400 </h3>
1401 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1402 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1403 <span>Nov 24, 2017</span>
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1406 On August 13, a day before Pakistan turned 70, I received a Facebook message from a Pakistan-based journalist and colleague. "Please help me report this," he said, linking to the Facebook page of a religious leader in Pakistan. In the post, written in Urdu, the leader accuses him of insulting a renowned 11th Century Sunni Muslim saint during an appearance on a privately owned Pakistani television channel. In response, the leader demanded action from the Pakistani state and made a number of insults directed at the journalist, many of which were seconded by comments from some of the page's 180,000 odd followers. The post, along with its accusation and incitement to punish, has never been removed. The journalist at whom the message was directed was right to worry. Journalists, constantly in the public eye, are easy targets for Pakistan's vague and lethal blasphemy laws, which criminalize any statement that is "defamatory" to Islam, religious texts, the holy prophet or anyone associated with him. The laws are a relic of the colonial era, their bite made dramatically worse by military rulers and others seeking to woo the religious right and silence any potential opposition. Pakistan is ranked seven out of the 12 most dangerous countries in the world by the Committee to Protect Journalists' "2017 Impunity Index." Together, these 12 countries account for 80% of the unsolved murders of journalists occurring in the last 10 years. None of this is news in Pakistan, where journalists have long been subject to high levels of violence when dissenting against state policies or draconian and orthodox interpretations of Islam espoused by extremist elements. As Americans well know, a free and impartial media is essential to democracy and a bulwark against extremism of all kinds. The dire situation of Pakistani journalists is the canary in the mine for the world's fight against terror of all kinds. Pakistan's constitution does establish freedom of the press, but it is a frail freedom, circumscribed by laws that protect Islam and the security and defense of the country. There are official curbs on speech and unofficial ones. Officially, the press is free in Pakistan, but the individuals who constitute it are not. Pakistan's blasphemy laws dangle like the sword of Damocles over journalists who report on issues that can irk religious conservatives, the military or the powerful strongmen who regularly rob the country's coffers, any one of whom can orchestrate an accusation that can put an end to talk of those issues -- or to lives. But the blasphemy laws are not the only tool in the government's persecution kit. In early October, Shabbir Siham, an Islamabad-based journalist with the Daily Times, was indicted on terrorism charges by the Anti-Terrorism Court in the Pakistani province of Gilgit-Baltistan. Days prior to receiving the summons from the court, Siham had written a newspaper column critical of members serving in the regional assembly. Like the blasphemy statute, Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act defines terrorism very broadly and includes "creating a sense of fear and insecurity in society" and can thus be applied to actual terrorists but also journalists like Siham who criticize government officials. Others, like Taha Siddiqui, Pakistan bureau chief for the Delhi-based World is One News, have been investigated under Pakistan's cybercrime crackdown law: Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill 2015. While Siddiqui, whose harassment began in May of this year, is not yet charged, another journalist, Zafarullah Achakzai, was arrested and charged in July of this year under the same law. He had posted a Facebook comment questioning whether a particular military deployment was adequately doing its job after a suicide bombing had occurred in the area. Like the anti-terror laws, the Electronic Crimes Bill creates broad categories of crimes related to "cyberterrorism," hence allowing the government and military unchecked powers to threaten, intimidate and charge online speech and make it the basis for prosecutions, including those of journalists like Achakzai. But persecution is not limited to lone journalists. In 2014, blasphemy charges were leveled at Pakistan's right of center television channel Geo TV, after a morning program re-enacted the wedding of its female host during which they played a religious hymn recounting the wedding of the prophet's daughter. This upset some people who felt the host was in fact pretending to be the prophet's daughter, a re-enactment not viewed as permissible by many Sunni Muslims. The ensuing outcry led to blasphemy charges against the owner of Geo TV and the show's male and female hosts. Later that year, the owner was sentenced in absentia to 26 years in prison, a sentence bound, in the words of Amnesty International, to have "a chilling effect" on media freedom in Pakistan. The case involving Geo TV is instructive because commentators alleged that the real reason for going after the channel was not the show's use of the hymn, but rather an opportunity for members of Pakistan's military intelligentsia to send a message. Not long before the allegations, Geo TV had courted their ire when a top anchor and journalist openly accused military intelligence of being the masterminds behind an attack perpetrated on him. Not long after, PEMRA, Pakistan's broadcast regulatory body, announced it would be pursuing legal measures against the channel for "bringing Inter-Services Intelligence into disrepute and harming the national interest." The blasphemy allegation was simply a means of reminding the station of the power of Pakistan's deep state and the consequences of infuriating the very powerful men who control it. As Americans can see within their own context of tolerance and permissibility, unofficial curbs on speech define the normal boundaries within which dissent can take place. In Pakistan, a blasphemy accusation is a public instance of being tossed beyond that boundary; if one escapes alive, one is still likely to lose one's voice. For a journalist, life without a voice equals death itself.
1407 </div>
1408 </div>
1409
1410 </div>
1411
1412 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
1413 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
1414 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/24/africa/egypt-sinai-mosque-attack/index.html">
1415 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171124143704-egypt-mosque-1-story-body.jpg">
1416 </a>
1417
1418
1419 </div><!--
1420 --><div class="cnn-search__result-contents">
1421 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1422 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/24/africa/egypt-sinai-mosque-attack/index.html">Egypt hunts for killers after mosque attack leaves at least 235 dead</a>
1423 </h3>
1424 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1425 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1426 <span>Nov 24, 2017</span>
1427 </div>
1428 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1429 The Egyptian military kicked off a hunt for the attackers of a Sufi mosque in the northern Sinai, a military source said, combing the area of Friday's assault that killed at least 235 people -- thought to be the deadliest terror attack on the country's soil. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi vowed to respond to the attack on al Rawdah mosque with "brute force." Some 109 others were injured, Egyptian state media reported. No one has claimed responsibility, but the strike bears the hallmarks of an attack by ISIS. The mosque is known as the birthplace of an important Sufi cleric. Sufism is a mystical branch of Islam that some ultra-orthodox Muslims consider heretical. Key developments Coordinated attack: Gunmen fired on people fleeing after explosions took place at the mosque between Bir al-Abed and the city of al-Arish. The attackers also opened fire on ambulances, witnesses said. The target: The mosque is known for being the birthplace of Sheikh Eid al-Jariri, a Sufi cleric considered the founder of Sufism in the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt's reaction: The President vowed to restore security and avenge those killed. 'Ambush' followed blasts Blasts from improvised explosive devices caused considerable damage to the mosque, Ahram Online said. The attack started when an explosive went off in a building adjacent to the mosque, and gunmen fired at worshippers as they fled, eyewitnesses told CNN. Ashraf Abu Salem 27, said gunmen then went inside the mosque to fire at people. Entering the mosque afterward, he said the bodies looked as if people had been shot in the back. His clothes were stained with the blood of the injured he helped to carry out, but he was unharmed. The gunmen had set up "ambush" locations and opened fire on ambulances as they were transporting wounded worshippers to al-Arish before the arrival of security services, eyewitnesses reported. Photos from inside the mosque showed what appeared to be bodies lined up in rows on the carpet. Osama, who didn't want his last name used, drove one of the first ambulances to the scene. He said he turned around after shots were fired at the vehicle. Ambulances from al-Arish managed to reach the mosque only after security forces secured the road, he said. The attackers used automatic weapons, said Diaa Rashwan, the chairman of the state information service. Some victims were also killed by the explosions. Three days of national mourning In a short, televised speech after meeting with security officials, Sisi said, "We will respond to this act with brute force against these terrorists. This terrorist act will strengthen our resolve, steadfastness and will to stand up to, resist and battle against terrorism." The presidency has declared three days of national mourning. "Egypt is facing terrorism on behalf of the region and the world," Sisi said. Sisi met with several of his top ministers, according to the Ministry of Interior Facebook page. He affirmed his confidence that Egypt is capable of winning the war against terrorism and eradicating it, a spokesman said. Sisi has expressed concern recently that as ISIS militants flee Iraq and Syria they will come to Egypt. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, a top Sunni imam, told a nationwide television audience that the Al-Azhar Mosque supports the country's leadership and the military against the terrorism groups, which he said have a false understanding of Islam. He said the terrorists killed innocent people, did not distinguish between children, youth or elders, and the attack was a war crime. Hints of ISIS responsibility There is no word yet on what happened to the militants involved. Egyptian security forces face almost daily attacks from ISIS-aligned militants, whom they have been battling in northern Sinai for years. However, mosque attacks are relatively rare in Egypt. In October 2015, 224 people were killed when a bomb brought down a Russian passenger jet that crashed in the Sinai Peninsula. ISIS' affiliate in Egypt claimed that attack. International condemnation Leaders around the world condemned the mosque attack. US President Donald Trump called it a "horrible and cowardly terrorist attack on innocent and defenseless" worshippers in Egypt and said terrorism and its ideology must be defeated. The White House also said in a statement that "the international community must continue to strengthen its efforts to defeat terrorist groups that threaten the United States and our partners and we must collectively discredit the extremist ideology that forms the basis of their existence." According to both nations, Trump reiterated Washington's solidarity with Egypt in its terror fight during a call with Sisi. The Egyptian President stressed the importance of concerted international efforts to combat terrorism, his office said. UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he was deeply saddened by the "abhorrent attack." "My sincere condolences to all those affected by such a barbaric act," he tweeted. UK Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron also gave their condolences on Twitter, while NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said his thoughts were with all those affected. On the Jordanian royal family's official Twitter account, King Abdullah II condemned what he called a "heinous terrorist attack." "We stand with Egyptians in their war against terrorism and against anyone who tries to harm the Egyptian national security," Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called "for those responsible for today's horrific attack to be swiftly brought to justice." European Parliament President Antonio Tajani tweeted: "Heartbreaking loss of life in the cowardly massacre that took place in Egypt. Acts of barbarism and hatred in the name of God are acts against God himself."
1430 </div>
1431 </div>
1432
1433 </div>
1434
1435 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
1436 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
1437 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/22/asia/north-korea-us-terror-provocation/index.html">
1438 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170922102439-kim-jong-un-september-story-body.jpg">
1439 </a>
1440
1441
1442 </div><!--
1443 --><div class="cnn-search__result-contents">
1444 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1445 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/22/asia/north-korea-us-terror-provocation/index.html">North Korea denounces US terror listing as a 'serious provocation'</a>
1446 </h3>
1447 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1448 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1449 <span>Nov 22, 2017</span>
1450 </div>
1451 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1452 Pyongyang has loudly denounced the decision by the United States to relist North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, with a foreign ministry spokesman warning it was a "serious provocation." In a report published on North Korean state media KCNA, the spokesman said his country had nothing to do with terrorism, saying the relisting was an "absurdity." "This is a serious provocation and a violent infringement upon our dignified country," the spokesman said according to KCNA. The Trump administration announced on Monday that North Korea would again be included on the list of states which sponsor terrorism, adding the US Treasury Department would be initiating further sanctions on the already isolated nation. "Today the United States is designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. Should have happened a long time ago. Should have happened years ago," President Donald Trump said. Former President George W. Bush removed North Korea from the list in 2008. It marked another escalation in the war of words between Washington and Pyongyang over the latter's ongoing nuclear ambitions, which include developing a missile which would have the ability to strike the US capitol. Trump has pushed hard for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to halt his nuclear program, but so far Pyongyang has refused to even consider abandoning its weapons development. On Tuesday, the US placed new sanctions on one individual, 13 companies and 20 vessels which all engage in millions of dollars worth of trade with North Korea. "We are steadfast in our determination to maximize economic pressure to isolate (North Korea) from outside sources of trade and revenue," US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. But the North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman was defiant in the face of the new measures, saying they would "keep the treasured nuclear sword in (their) hands more tightly." "No sanction or pressure can stand up to the great and limitless strength of self-reliance and self-development of our people who are closely rallied around their leader," the North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said, according to KCNA. Seoul: Korean war armistice violated The new sanctions and North Korea's defiant response come amid complaints from South Korea that their northern neighbor violated the Korean War armistice agreement in the past week. North Korean soldiers attempting to catch a defector making a break across the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on November 13 fired into South Korea, while one soldier even crossed the border. The defector was shot about five times and badly injured, but emergency medical treatment in South Korea has helped stabilize his condition. The war between North Korea and South Korea never officially ended but an armistice has remained in place between the two countries since 1953. According to a document from the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea has been accused of defying the armistice thousands of times since 1953, though not all the violations are nearly as dramatic as a shootout caught on camera. North Korea claims in response the South has also breached the armistice thousands of times.
1453 </div>
1454 </div>
1455
1456 </div>
1457
1458 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
1459 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
1460 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/europe/germany-christmas-market-possible-terror-attack/index.html">
1461 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/161128151936-christmas-markets-gendarmenmarkt-berlin-156970656-story-body.jpg">
1462 </a>
1463
1464
1465 </div><!--
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1467 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1468 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/europe/germany-christmas-market-possible-terror-attack/index.html">Suspects held in supposed German Christmas market plot released</a>
1469 </h3>
1470 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1471 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1472 <span>Nov 22, 2017</span>
1473 </div>
1474 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1475 Six Syrian nationals detained in raids by German police were released without charge Wednesday after initial investigations found there wasn't "sufficient evidence of a terror plot," the Frankfurt prosecutor's office said. There was also "no concrete evidence" the suspects belonged to the ISIS terror group, the office said. There are, however, indications the men have had contacts with ISIS and investigations are ongoing, the office's Christian Hartwig said. A German intelligence officer previous told CNN that the arrest of the Syrians uncovered a possible terror plot on a Christmas market in Germany. The men were detained following large-scale raids in four cities involving approximately 500 officers on Tuesday morning led by the Hessian State Criminal Police and the attorney general of Frankfurt, a joint statement by the two agencies said. The men were targets of an investigation "into suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization and for preparation of terror attack," the original statement said. According to the initial account from police, the Syrian nationals had applied for asylum and were suspected of being ISIS members. An attack "had not been fully planned yet" according to the previous statement, but the suspects were believed to have been planning to carry out attacks with "weapons or bombs on a public target in Germany." The German intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, further claimed the suspects had been carrying out target reconnaissance of the areas in which Christmas markets in Essen, Germany, would be held. They'd also surveilled buildings in Berlin, the official alleged. Last year, a dozen people died and about 50 more were injured when a tractor trailer barreled into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin. The suspect had pledged allegiance to ISIS in a video posted hours before the attack. He later died after a shootout with police in Italy.
1476 </div>
1477 </div>
1478
1479 </div>
1480
1481 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
1482 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
1483 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/us/new-york-terror-attack-indictment/index.html">
1484 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171031212513-sayfullo-saipov-2016-mug-shot-story-body.jpg">
1485 </a>
1486
1487
1488 </div><!--
1489 --><div class="cnn-search__result-contents">
1490 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1491 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/us/new-york-terror-attack-indictment/index.html">New York terror attack suspect indicted on 22 charges</a>
1492 </h3>
1493 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1494 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1495 <span>Nov 22, 2017</span>
1496 </div>
1497 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1498 The suspect in New York's deadliest terror attack since 9/11 was indicted Tuesday on murder and terror-related charges, the US Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York said. Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, 29, is charged with killing eight people and injuring a dozen others as he drove a pickup truck down a bicycle path near the World Trade Center on Halloween. The 22-count indictment charges Saipov with eight counts of murder in aid of racketeering, 12 counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, one count of providing and attempting to provide material support to ISIS and one count of violence and destruction of a motor vehicle. He was arrested after the truck hit a school bus, stopping it in its tracks. He exited the vehicle and an officer shot him. Saipov came to the United States from Uzbekistan in 2010. Earlier this month, he was charged with providing material support to ISIS, and with violence and destruction of motor vehicles. Saipov told investigators he was inspired by ISIS videos to use a truck in the attack, according to a complaint. Investigators searched two of his cellphones and found about 90 videos and 3,800 pictures, many of which were ISIS-related propaganda. He told investigators that about two months before the attack, he decided to use a truck "to inflict maximum damage against civilians," the complaint states. In particular, Saipov said he was motivated to proceed with his plan after watching a video of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi questioning "what Muslims in the United States and elsewhere were doing to respond to the killing of Muslims in Iraq." He thought about displaying an ISIS flag in the truck, according to the complaint, but decided against it to avoid drawing attention to himself, he told investigators. He also asked to display an ISIS flag in his hospital room after the attack, the complaint states. Saipov is scheduled to appear in federal court on November 28 on the charges.
1499 </div>
1500 </div>
1501
1502 </div>
1503
1504 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
1505 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
1506 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/politics/us-congress-qatar-hamas/index.html">
1507 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170605113335-doha-file-story-body.jpg">
1508 </a>
1509
1510
1511 </div><!--
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1513 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1514 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/politics/us-congress-qatar-hamas/index.html">Members of Congress push for US to take tougher line on Qatar</a>
1515 </h3>
1516 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1517 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1518 <span>Nov 21, 2017</span>
1519 </div>
1520 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1521 Members of Congress are calling on the Trump administration to take a tougher line against Qatar, accusing the small Persian Gulf nation of supporting the Palestinian militant group Hamas. A bipartisan group of representatives sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday that criticized his announcement last month that the United States and Qatar had reached a memorandum of understanding on countering terror financing. "We are deeply concerned that this joint statement omitted any mention of Hamas," they wrote, calling Qatar's capital, Doha, "a sanctuary to Hamas terrorist officials." Another group of representatives, some of whom also signed the letter to Mnuchin, had sent a separate letter to US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Friday, criticizing her for saying Qatar does not support Hamas. Qatar, for its part, vehemently denies supporting Hamas -- which the US government considers a terror group. However, senior Hamas leadership reside in Qatar, and the country provides significant financial support to Gaza, where Hamas is active. Speaking at a Washington, DC, think tank on Monday, Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said any suggestion Qatar supports Hamas is "propaganda." Al Thani emphasized that Qatar's support is for the people of Gaza, and he said it is provided in a transparent manner. "We offer them just the platform to negotiate and engage with others," he said of the country's connection to Hamas' leadership. But the issue has created division, both in the Middle East and within the United States. Over the summer, the House of Representatives passed a bill calling out Qatar, saying it provides "significant financial and military support" to Hamas. At the same time, the Trump administration was grappling with a major diplomatic spat between Qatar and four of its neighbors, led by Saudi Arabia, which cut off ties with the nation over its alleged support for terrorism. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson conducted a round of shuttle diplomacy in July in an attempt to bring the two sides together, but they remain at odds. While Tillerson has sought to play the arbitrator, President Donald Trump has offered contradicting positions on the issue, at times backing the Saudi position and at other times projecting a more impartial tone. The issue is complicated by the fact that Qatar hosts 11,000 US military personnel. At a May summit in Saudi Arabia -- weeks before the Saudi-led embargo was announced, Trump described US relations with Qatar as "extremely good."
1522 </div>
1523 </div>
1524
1525 </div>
1526
1527 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
1528 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
1529 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/opinions/hoboken-mayor-diversity-american-value-bhalla-opinion/index.html">
1530 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171108135551-election-wins-story-body.jpg">
1531 </a>
1532
1533
1534 </div><!--
1535 --><div class="cnn-search__result-contents">
1536 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1537 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/opinions/hoboken-mayor-diversity-american-value-bhalla-opinion/index.html">Hoboken mayor: Diversity is an American value</a>
1538 </h3>
1539 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1540 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1541 <span>Nov 21, 2017</span>
1542 </div>
1543 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1544 The weekend before I was elected mayor this month, a flier with the phrase "Don't let TERRORISM take over our town" above a picture of me appeared on car windshields in Hoboken. As a Sikh, I maintain uncut hair and a turban as articles of my faith. Of course, the fliers were troubling, but I knew they did not reflect the views of the overwhelming majority of Hoboken's residents, nor the views of most Americans. At the time, I spoke out clearly, saying that we were not going to let hate and division win. I wanted people to know that Hoboken is a welcoming community where my wife and I are proud to raise our two young children. No matter your religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity, you are welcome here. In my case, my faith in the fellow residents of my community was rewarded when I won the election, becoming the first turbaned mayor of the Sikh faith ever elected in US history. The community knew me and my record as a city councilman and embraced my ideas and plans for the future. As a Sikh American and an incoming leader of a large and thriving community, I have to focus on how to move forward. It is important to use incidents like the racist flier and my election as opportunities to affirm the value of living in a diverse nation where we are judged by the content of our character, not by the color of our skin or how we worship. At this time in our history, when we have a President who seeks to divide us, it is critical that we come together and stand up for American values like diversity. We cannot be complacent as the problems of bigotry and racism persist in our nation. According to the Sikh Coalition, a US civil rights organization that tracks and combats bigotry, Sikh Americans have witnessed a steady increase in cases of profiling, backlash and hate crimes. Racists in our own country have desecrated Sikh gurdwaras (houses of worship) and brutally assaulted innocent Sikh Americans. Other minority communities have also experienced a step up in racially and religiously motivated incidents. Sikh Americans have been an integral part of the American fabric for generations. My turban and beard represent my commitment to equality, justice and diversity. These values are not only Sikh, they are also distinctly American. In Hoboken, my faith represents the rich diversity of our community and reinforces why I am so proud to represent the city and its residents. It will take all of us to stamp out bigotry. In my experience, the best antidote to ignorance is education. It is the many small things, like talking to our friends and neighbors, which each and every one of us can do. These small steps, taken together over time, will make our nation a better place. We are a nation of immigrants, where each new wave has strengthened and reinvigorated us all. It is important at a time when divisive voices are crowding the public square that celebrate a nation founded on equality. We must continue to call out bigotry and hatred when we see it in our community, but in a manner that reminds us all, in the famous words of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg, of the "better angels of our nature." As mayor of Hoboken, I will stand up for treating everyone in our city equally, civilly and with the respect they deserve. I will add my voice to the many others around the nation speaking up for American values.
1545 </div>
1546 </div>
1547
1548 </div>
1549
1550 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
1551 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
1552 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/politics/somalia-us-airstrike-al-shabaab/index.html">
1553 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171015113940-12-mogadishu-somalia-explosion-story-body.jpg">
1554 </a>
1555
1556
1557 </div><!--
1558 --><div class="cnn-search__result-contents">
1559 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1560 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/politics/somalia-us-airstrike-al-shabaab/index.html">US airstrike in Somalia kills more than 100 al-Shabaab militants</a>
1561 </h3>
1562 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1563 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1564 <span>Nov 21, 2017</span>
1565 </div>
1566 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1567 More than 100 al-Shabaab militants were killed Tuesday in a US airstrike on a camp in Somalia, US Africa Command said in a statement, the latest in a series of strikes against the al-Qaeda-affiliated group and ISIS fighters in the war-torn country. The strike on an al-Shabaab training camp was carried out by a manned aircraft, according to a US defense official. Africa Command, which oversees US troops on the continent, said it took place 125 miles northwest of the capital of Mogadishu. US Defense officials told CNN about the strike earlier on Tuesday. The Defense Department now has 500 personnel in Somalia including military, civilians and contractors, more than double the 200 personnel that had been reported to be in Somalia in March 2017, according to US Africa Command. The personnel are part of the effort to support African forces fighting al-Shabaab as well as ISIS forces there. While estimates have fluctuated over time, the US now estimates there are between 3,000 and 6,000 al-Shabaab fighters and less than 250 ISIS operatives in Somalia. US troops have primarily operated in Somalia to provide training and assistance for local forces. But US special operations forces also continue to rotate in and out of Somalia, conducting counter terrorism operations according to defense officials. Early November saw a decided uptick in US airstrikes in Somalia. Africa Command and the Pentagon insist the series of airstrikes are simply due to the ability to identify targets and not as a direct result of a number of recent massive deadly suicide attacks in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, including a double truck bomb attack in October that killed hundreds. "We've always stressed the importance of putting pressure on the network," said Samantha Reho, an Africa Command spokesperson. "The opportunities presented themselves with the right conditions and are purely coincidence." The increase in strikes in Somalia as well as Libya and Yemen, is driven by the intelligence that is gathered, according to officials: "I think as we constantly assess the battle space, when targets present themselves that are actionable and within the law of armed conflict, we're going to strike those targets," Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, director of the Joint Staff told reporters. There have been 29 strikes acknowledged by the Pentagon so far this year. Seven of those strikes took place between November 9 and 14. November 9, killing several militants, 100 miles west of the capital of Mogadishu.
1568November 10 in the Lower Shabelle Region of Somalia, about 20 miles north of Mogadishu, killing several militants.
1569November 11 near Gaduud, about 250 miles southwest of the capital, Mogadishu. Prior to the strike, US forces observed the al-Shabaab combatant participating in attacks on a U.S. and Somali convoy. US forces subsequently conducted the strike under collective self-defense authorities.
1570November 12 there were two separate airstrikes against al-Shabaab and ISIS, killing several terrorists. The first was against al Shabaab in the Lower Shabelle region, the second against ISIS in Puntland.
1571On November 13, there was another airstrike 250 miles southwest of Mogadishu when al Shabaab fighters posed a threat to a Somali led counterterrorism operation.
1572November 14 strike against al Shabaab about 60 miles northwest of Mogadishu. The strikes have been made possible by President Donald Trump's decision in April to grant new authorities to the commander of Africa Command. The new authorities gave the Africa Command commander the ability to carry out "precision airstrikes" in support of African Union and Somali troops fighting terrorists in Somalia. Previously, strikes could only be conducted in self-defense of US forces. The US military also carried out two drone strikes in Libya on Friday and Sunday, targeting ISIS fighters in near Fuqaha, Libya, multiple US officials told CNN. This story has been updated to reflect a statement from US Africa Command.
1573 </div>
1574 </div>
1575
1576 </div>
1577
1578 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
1579 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
1580 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/politics/trump-putin-phone-call/index.html">
1581 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171111093428-01-trump-putin-111117-story-body.jpg">
1582 </a>
1583
1584
1585 </div><!--
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1587 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1588 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/politics/trump-putin-phone-call/index.html">Trump, Putin discuss Syria in lengthy phone call</a>
1589 </h3>
1590 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1591 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1592 <span>Nov 21, 2017</span>
1593 </div>
1594 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1595 President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke for "a little over an hour" Tuesday morning, discussing a range of pressing international concerns a day after Putin met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a White House official told CNN. The two leaders discussed the situation in Syria and terrorism more broadly, the official said, as well as the state of affairs in Afghanistan, Ukraine and North Korea. The White House was expected to release a full readout of the call later Tuesday. The call was expected to focus on the state of the Syrian civil war following Putin's rare face-to-face meeting with Assad on Monday, where the two leaders spoke about military operation and the need to launch political processes in the country, according to a Russian government statement. "I believe that the problem of terrorism is a global one, a lot should be done to achieve a complete victory over terrorism, but as far as our cooperation in the fight against terrorists in Syria goes, the military operation is really coming to an end," Putin said. The discussions are just the latest on Syria between Trump and Putin, who have sought to work together to bring about resolution to the years-old conflict a that has ravaged the country -- slaughtering hundreds of thousands of Syrians and causing hundreds of thousands more to flee. Putin and Trump most recently met informally on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Vietnam, where the two leaders had a few encounters and handshakes during "family photos." The informal talks resulted in a joint statement from the US and Russia in the Syrian conflict that said the two leaders "agreed that there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria," and pledged to work to develop an "ultimate political solution" to the conflict. Trump came into office hoping to work with Putin to bring fresh solutions to end the Syrian Civil War, in which the US has supported moderate anti-government rebels while Moscow has bolstered Syrian government forces. Those efforts have been marked by a halting pace, as the relationship has been strained in part by the domestic political situation in the US stemming from the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The US and Russia also have wildly different visions for the future of Syria, with the two countries staking out different positions on Assad's future in the country and the involvement of rebel factions. Trump and Putin have had some success on Syria, brokering a ceasefire in southwest Syria last summer.
1596 </div>
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1601 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
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1603 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/africa/nigeria-mosque-bombing/index.html">
1604 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171121104435-mubi-map-story-body.jpg">
1605 </a>
1606
1607
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1610 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1611 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/africa/nigeria-mosque-bombing/index.html">Nigeria bombing: 50 killed in early-morning attack on mosque</a>
1612 </h3>
1613 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1614 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1615 <span>Nov 21, 2017</span>
1616 </div>
1617 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1618 At least 50 people were killed on Tuesday in a suicide bomb attack at a mosque in northern Nigeria on the border with Cameroon, police told CNN. The attack happened in the town of Mubi in Adamawa State as worshipers were gathering for the "fajr" dawn prayer at about 5:20 a.m., said Othman Abubakar, a police spokesman. The bomber was about 17 years old, Abubakar said. Many more people were injured and taken to hospitals. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but over the past eight years, jihadist group Boko Haram has carried out hundreds of deadly attacks on mosques, schools, markets and churches in northern Nigeria. Boko Haram, whose name translates roughly as "Western education is forbidden," frequently uses children to carry out the bombings. Tuesday's attack is the worst in a spate of suicide attacks in the Mubi area in recent months. The inhabitants are mainly subsistence farmers and herders from the Fulani tribe who trade at Mubi's regionally prominent cattle market. The town is near the Sambisa forest where Boko Haram fighters are believed to be hiding out, and where they took more than 270 schoolgirls they had kidnapped from a school in nearby Chibok in 2014, shocking the world. Boko Haram briefly overran Mubi in 2014 before it was liberated by Nigerian soldiers. "We have engaged all security agencies ... take all necessary measures," said the Adamawa state governor, Muhammad Jibrilla, on Twitter. "We call for calm as security has been stepped up in Mubi and environs. We will not rest until those behind this wicked act are brought to book. May the souls of the departed rest in peace." The attack comes a day after US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan made an official visit to Nigeria and promised $45 million in aid to the government to improve living conditions in the north. Since violence erupted in 2009, tens of thousands of people have been killed and more than 2 million have fled their homes, with 1.9 million internally displaced as of June 2017, according to the UN. More than 200,000 people are still in Cameroon, Chad and Niger, after having been forced to flee. In the three most-affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, almost 7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, more than 50% of whom are children.
1619 </div>
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1624 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
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1626 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/20/politics/president-donald-trump-north-korea-terrorism/index.html">
1627 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171120120616-trump-11-20-2017-story-body.jpg">
1628 </a>
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1633 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1634 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/20/politics/president-donald-trump-north-korea-terrorism/index.html">Trump names North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism</a>
1635 </h3>
1636 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1637 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1638 <span>Nov 20, 2017</span>
1639 </div>
1640 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1641 President Donald Trump, in the latest demonstration of increased tensions on the Korean Peninsula, placed North Korea back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Trump announced the move Monday during a public meeting with his Cabinet at the White House and said the Treasury Department will announce new sanctions against North Korea on Tuesday. "Today the United States is designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. Should have happened a long time ago. Should have happened years ago," Trump said. North Korea was removed from the list by President George W. Bush in 2008. South Korea, the US' ally on the peninsula, said its military is "maintaining a firm readiness posture" for reaction from North Korea following the move. South Korea's Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said so far Seoul had not observed any unusual activity across the border but was maintaining the heightened alert in case of North Korean "provocations." North Korean state media published a strong rebuke of Trump on Tuesday, but it wasn't clear if it was in direct response to the terror designation. "The hideous crimes committed by the lunatic president of the US are a blatant challenge to the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK," the article in Rodong Sinmun said. "Those who trample down and make a mockery of the DPRK's dignity can never go scot-free," it added. North Korea state media regularly publishes damning comments about the US and its allies. Regional approval In a briefing Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang cautioned that the "current situation on the Korean Peninsula is highly complex and sensitive." He said that the Chinese government hopes "to see all the relevant parties do more to ease tensions, and return to the negotiating table." Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he welcomed the move and hopes it "raises the pressure" on North Korea to denuclearize. Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also said he backed the move, adding that the designation "mirrors the determination of the international community on bringing North Korea back to its senses." Trump: Pyongyang guilty of repeated acts of terror Trump said that North Korea has "repeatedly" sponsored acts of terrorism, including "assassinations on foreign soil." "This designation will impose further sanctions and penalties on North Korea ... and supports our maximum pressure campaign to isolate the murderous regime," Trump said. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has also determined that the North Korean regime has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism, according to a State Department official -- noting the government has been implicated in assassinations on foreign soil. "As part of the administration's maximum pressure strategy, we have asked all countries around the world to put diplomatic and economic pressure on the DPRK, whose regime threatens international peace and security with its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile development, dangerous support for international terrorism and other malicious activities," the official told CNN. "'Kim Jong Un must realize that the only path to a secure, economically prosperous future is to abandon his unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile development and support for international terrorism and rejoin the international community," the official said. New sanctions Tillerson acknowledged that the designation will bring few new sanctions beyond those already imposed, noting during the White House briefing on Monday that "we already have many of these actions in place." But he also said the decision sends a message to the North Korean regime about the US' resolve and hopes it will "disrupt and dissuade" certain actors from doing business with North Korea. Trump said new sanctions to be announced over the coming weeks, including Tuesday by the Treasury Department, will bring US sanctions against Pyongyang to their highest level ever. The question of whether Trump would reinstall North Korea on the list hung over the President's recent Asia trip. Trump told reporters early in his visit that his administration would make an announcement on North Korea "very soon" and White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters that the announcement would come "at the end of the trip." United Nations spokesman Farhan Haq said the UN has "nothing to say" about the US designation of North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. "It's not our list," the deputy spokesman said. Terrorist acts It became clear during Trump's time abroad that his administration viewed North Korea as a rogue nation that engages in terrorist acts. During a fiery speech in South Korea, Trump described North Korea as an out-of-control country led by Kim Jong Un, whom he cast as a maniacal and deranged man. "The regime has made numerous lethal incursions in South Korea, attempted to assassinate senior leaders, attacked South Korean ships and tortured Otto Warmbier, ultimately leading to that fine young man's death," Trump said. Leaning into the likelihood that Trump would decide to reinstate North Korea's spot on the list, a senior administration official told reporters that taking North Korea off the list "was one of the things that a previous administration lifted ... as part of a hopeful attempt to lure them into reversing the threat. And, of course, that didn't work out." The official added that the country "clearly fit the criteria for a state sponsor of terror in a previous administration." "Today's designation is long overdue as North Korea continued its sponsorship of terrorism. Pyongyang's use of nerve agent to kill Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is the most visible example of North Korea's attacks on dissent overseas," according to Anthony Ruggiero, a former deputy director of the Treasury Department and an expert in the use of targeted financial measures for Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "A few years ago, after North Korea's cyberhack of Sony Pictures, it threatened a 9/11-style attack against US movie theaters," Ruggiero said. "The Kim regime should not have been removed from the list in 2008 and the US government should have relisted it sooner than today." But according to Mintaro Oba -- a former Korea desk officer at the State Department -- relisting North Korea may not yield significant progress in the administration's pressure campaign. "Re-designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism doesn't add much to our efforts to pressure North Korea, but it is an action with symbolic value that will make it harder to get on a path toward denuclearization," Oba told CNN. "It will be seen in Pyongyang as confirming the United States is not serious about negotiations." "I expect North Korea to react as it usually does -- with aggressive rhetoric in state media but nothing rash or unusual," he added. Tillerson also noted on Monday that the move to designate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism was a symbolic one that "points out again what a rogue regime this is and how brutal this regime is, and how little they care for the value of human life." "I've said the practical effects may be limited, but we hopefully we're closing off a few loopholes with this," Tillerson told reporters on Monday. Under sanctions legislation signed by Trump in August, the State Department was required to report to Congress earlier this month whether it will re-designate North Korea. The State Department, which was facing bipartisan calls to relist the country in the face of growing nuclear threats from Pyongyang, opted to delay the decision until after the President's trip. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Royce applauded the administration's decision to relist North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism on Monday. "Over the past year alone, Kim Jong Un and his regime brazenly assassinated his brother with a chemical weapon and brutally tortured Otto Warmbier, leading directly to his tragic death," the California Republican said in a statement. "These aren't isolated incidents, but are examples of a consistent pattern of terror. The regime also continues its push to develop nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles, threatening global security," Royce added. Republican support for the move comes as little surprise to Oba, who pointed out that many conservatives have long called for re-designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. "The desire to do something after the tragic case of Otto Warmbier gave more force to those calls. In a way, the administration is checking a box for North Korea hawks at home," he told CNN. Significant sanctions Prior to today's decision, only three countries -- Iran, Sudan and Syria -- were labeled state sponsors of terror by the United States. A country must "repeatedly provide support for acts of international terrorism" to get the label from the US government. Such a designation carries significant sanctions against the country's ability to receive US foreign assistance and puts a ban on defense exports and sales. It also allows the United States to punish people or countries who trade with the designated countries. Countries can be removed from the list. Former President Barack Obama removed Cuba from the list in 2015 and Bush, in addition to North Korea, removed Libya in 2006 and Iraq in 2004. Bush decided to remove North Korea from the list as part of a bid to save a nuclear deal with the country. That bid fell through, and North Korea has continued to drive toward building a nuclear bomb capable of hitting its neighbors and the United States. Thae Yong-ho, a former high-ranking North Korean official who defected to South Korea, endorsed adding North Korea back to the state sponsor of terrorism list during testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this year. "Once relisted, it will be easier to drive them from global financial systems and convince other world partners to detect the channels North Korea uses to fund its nuclear development," Thae said. Returning the country to the list will also increase the effectiveness of sanctions, he added. Thae was No. 2 in the North Korean embassy in London before he escaped with his wife and two sons, arriving in South Korea in 2016.
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1646
1647 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
1648 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
1649 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/19/middleeast/saudi-arabia-iran-arab-league/index.html">
1650 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171114185432-bruce-riedel-amanpour-story-body.jpg">
1651 </a>
1652
1653
1654 </div><!--
1655 --><div class="cnn-search__result-contents">
1656 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1657 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/19/middleeast/saudi-arabia-iran-arab-league/index.html">Arab League states condemn Hezbollah as 'terrorist organization'</a>
1658 </h3>
1659 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1660 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1661 <span>Nov 20, 2017</span>
1662 </div>
1663 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1664 Saudi Arabia ramped up its campaign against Iran's growing influence in the Arab World Sunday by persuading most of the 22 member states of the Arab League to condemn Iran's Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, as a "terrorist organization." Arab foreign ministers gathered at the League's headquarters in Cairo Sunday for an emergency meeting called by Saudi Arabia. Lebanon's foreign minister, Gibran Bassil, did not attend, and the Lebanese representative at the meeting expressed reservations over the final communique. Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari also did not attend the meeting. Iran, along with the US-led international coalition, has been a major supporter of Baghdad in its war against ISIS. "We want to hold everyone responsible," Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa said during the deliberations. "We want to hold countries where Hezbollah is a partner in government responsible, specifically Lebanon." Al-Khalifa claimed that Lebanon "is subject to full control by this terrorist group." The cabinet, led by outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri, includes several ministers affiliated with Hezbollah. Commenting on the Bahraini foreign minister's statement, American University of Beirut professor Rami Khouri told CNN that "Hezbollah is certainly the single most powerful political group in Lebanon, where governance requires complex consensus building in which Hezbollah is clearly preeminent. But it is not in total control." This latest flare up between Saudi Arabia and Iran was sparked by a November 4 incident in which Iranian-supported Houthi rebels in Yemen fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh's international airport. Saudi Arabia subsequently accused Hezbollah and Iran as being behind the attack. Both have denied any involvement in the incident. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have been rocky since the 1979 Iranian revolution. Saudi Arabia subsequently expressed its anger at Hezbollah, which maintains close ties with Iran. Saudi Minister for Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan has warned the Lebanese they must choose "either peace, or to live within the political fold of Hezbollah." Hariri announced his resignation as prime minister of Lebanon on November 4 from Riyadh on the Saudi-funded Al-Arabiya news network, accusing Iran of destabilizing Lebanon and the region. Many Lebanese, including President Michel Aoun and Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, have said they believe Hariri resigned under Saudi pressure. Hariri flew to Paris Saturday and vowed to return to Lebanon to attend celebrations marking the country's independence day on November 22. It's not clear whether Sunday's Arab League meeting will translate into concrete action. The League is notorious for passing resolutions and issuing communiques which are rarely acted upon. It is, however, the first time the Arab League has taken such a strong public stand against Hezbollah. Reacting to the emergency meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said, "Unfortunately countries like the Saudi regime are pursuing divisions and creating differences, and because of this they don't see any results other than divisions." While the Arab foreign ministers deliberated in Cairo, Iran's growing power across the region was on display in Syria. On Sunday evening Hezbollah's media unit posted on YouTube a video of Qassem Suleimani, the powerful head of Iran's Quds Force, meeting with what appeared to be Iraqi, Lebanese and Syrian fighters in the newly liberated Syrian town of Albu Kamal. The town, on the Iraqi-Syrian border, was the last significant population center in Syria to be held by ISIS. Iranian forces have played a key role in backing the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in its war against the rebels and ISIS.
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1670 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
1671 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
1672 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/19/opinions/trump-wont-tweet-why-we-have-free-press-press-opinion-zelizer/index.html">
1673 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171117133735-free-press-difference-2-story-body.jpg">
1674 </a>
1675
1676
1677 </div><!--
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1679 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1680 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/19/opinions/trump-wont-tweet-why-we-have-free-press-press-opinion-zelizer/index.html">What Trump won't tweet: 4 reasons for a free press</a>
1681 </h3>
1682 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1683 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1684 <span>Nov 19, 2017</span>
1685 </div>
1686 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1687 You're not going to read this in a tweet from President Donald Trump; but it can be said in a Twitter-length post: The free press is not an optional part of our democracy, it is an integral part of it. Without it, our political system can never be its best. Yet clearly, the tensions between President Trump and the news media have heightened concern about the future of the free press. The ongoing attacks by Trump fuel public mistrust of the media, in ways that will be difficult to reverse, and create a dangerous environment where reporters might feel that it is risky to do their jobs well. Perhaps the most troubling moment this year came when President Trump retweeted a faked video of him body-slamming and punching a man in a suit with the CNN logo plastered over his face, and many journalists trembled. As in earlier incidents, the President seemed to be intimidating and threatening the news industry in an attempt to scare them away from honest reporting. At his rally in Phoenix this summer, the President had the crowd whipped up into a frenzy, as people yelled, "CNN sucks!" The attacks on "fake news" have been one of the President's favorite refrains. Trump's ardent supporters see it differently: In their view, the press is out to get him. Within the Trump base, the belief is that the only reporters who can get space in the public discussion are those who are willing to be critical of the commander in chief. The press, they feel, is biased, controlled by liberals and has an agenda to attract ratings and readers at the expense of truth. Even Harvard's Jack Goldsmith, a critic of the administration who praises much of the investigative work that's been done since January 2017, admits: "Many reporters covering Trump have overreacted and exaggerated and interjected opinion into their stories more than usual." What often gets lost in the debate is consideration of all the ways the media's freedom enhances all of our freedoms. Here are four of them: The watchdog The role of the watchdog remains the most well-known function of the media -- the press has the responsibility to speak truth to power. Beginning in 1902, Ida Tarbell published pieces in McClure's magazine, later part of her influential book, "The History of the Standard Oil Company," that revealed the ruthless business practices of John Rockefeller and his petroleum empire. When Joseph McCarthy was incessantly attacking people as communists in the early 1950s, Edward R. Murrow broadcast a stunning episode of "See It Now" where he showed vividly how the senator fabricated accusations about fellow Americans and constantly contradicted himself. In 1969, Seymour Hersh shocked the nation with his article about how US soldiers had ruthlessly killed hundreds of civilians in the South Vietnamese village of My Lai. When Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein helped to break the Watergate scandal that toppled President Richard Nixon, they became a model for younger reporters entering the business. This moment in journalism was best captured when CBS correspondent Daniel Schorr, on the day that John Dean told the Senate Watergate Committee that President Nixon kept an "Enemies List," read the list live on air. "I got to No. 17," Schorr recalled, "and I said, No. 17. Daniel Schorr, a real media enemy. I almost collapsed on the air." There is a long history of reporters since Watergate who have exposed how politicians abuse power or lie. An entire cottage industry of money and politics reporters came of age in the late 1970s and 1980s and devoted their careers to revealing the often sordid connections between campaign donations, interest groups and politicians. During the confirmation hearings for Clarence Thomas in 1991, Nina Totenberg of NPR and Timothy Phelps of Newsday broke the story of Anita Hill's allegations of sexual harassment against the nominee. The story proved to be a watershed moment, even though the Senate confirmed Thomas, in expanding the dialogue about sexual harassment in the workplace. Of course, no president enjoys the way that the press covers him. In this respect, Trump is not alone. President Lyndon Johnson, pointing at the Potomac, reportedly half joked, "If I walked across the Potomac, the press would say 'LBJ can't swim.'" But as his predecessor President John F. Kennedy, who vastly expanded the number of presidential news conferences, wisely explained to NBC's Sander Vanocur: "It is never pleasant to be reading things that are not agreeable news, but I would say that it is an invaluable arm of the presidency . . . There is a terrific disadvantage not having the abrasive quality of the press applied to you daily, to an administration, even though we never like it, and even though we wish they didn't write it, and even though we disapprove." Besides reporters working hard to expose wrongdoing and falsehood, a free press can offer written, visual and audio space for new voices to express their opinions and gain attention for issues when they are being ignored by the people in power. This does not mean that a free press needs to be a partisan press -- in fact that tends to hurt. But rather a free press offers coverage of all perspectives, for example: -- The anarchist Emma Goldman wrote many articles early in the 20th century questioning the rationale behind America's entrance into war and promoting women's rights to vote and to birth control. -- The coverage of the civil rights movement in the 1960s was essential for challenging the lock that Southern Democrats had in Congress as they prevented civil rights legislation from coming up for a vote. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other activists understood the power that media coverage of white racism would have on building public pressure for legislation. -- President Johnson's speechwriter Richard Goodwin recalls in his memoir the impact that watching the civil rights protests on television had within the White House. When anti-war activists chanted that "the whole world is watching" at the 1968 Democratic Convention, they meant that through the media the entire world could be exposed to the lies behind Vietnam. -- During the 1970s, talk radio offered a forum for conservative voices, including Ronald Reagan, to popularize their ideas even if they did not receive sufficient attention from editors and producers. The filter Our political system is incredibly complicated. As the government undertook greater responsibilities in the 20th century, the thicket of federal policies and government agencies grew exponentially. The same was true at the state and local level, where government was simply doing more. It's difficult for most Americans to make sense of everything that is happening. Our separated system of power that creates multiple arenas of governance makes this even more difficult to discern. One of the most important roles that journalists play is to make sense of all the information. Walter Lippmann wrote that the function of the press was to "signalize an event" by bringing "to light the hidden facts, to set them in relation with each other, and make a picture of reality on which men can act." Some journalists, like the photographer Walker Evans, have done this through vivid images of events such as the Great Depression. The war correspondent Ernie Pyle brought the country first-hand accounts of what the on-the-ground experience of soldiers was like in World War II and what the war front actually looked like beyond military talking points. Many historians credit The New York Times' Anthony Lewis for creating a cadre of journalists who specialized in the law and offered smart coverage of what was going on in the courts. Jane Mayer of the New Yorker has been a model writer of this sort. Her work on the use of enhanced interrogation techniques during the war on terrorism, and the way that it proved ineffective, offered a model of how to help citizens sort through public policy. She did the same for campaign finance with her path-breaking work on how the Koch brothers exerted influence. Bits and pieces of what she reported were already known, but she put it all together for readers. The sociologist Michael Schudson has explained how one of the most important developments since the 1970s was not investigative journalism, but the rise of contextual journalism, with journalists doing more work to explain the "so what" and "why" of what was taking place rather than just providing the "who, what, where and when." Great journalists have been able to offer this interpretive service to Americans. In recent years, a younger generation of writers such as Ezra Klein, one of the founders of Vox.com, have kept up the tradition of offering digestible information about policy and politics that people can use to form perspectives of their own. The civic arena In the ideal situation, the press should offer a national commons where Americans can learn about and debate the great issues of the day. Even when there are many issues that divide us and many voices in newspapers and television, the goal of the press should be to create a shared environment where we understand who we are and what we need to do as a society. One of the great costs of the current system is the immense fragmentation that Americans have in where they get their news. During the era of network television, for instance, there were only three major networks -- and a handful of major metro papers -- that commanded national attention. As the US and the Soviet Union entered into a dangerous standoff over missiles in Cuba in 1962, the entire nation seemed to tune into the events and presidential pronouncements as people feared the confrontation could lead to nuclear war. When a president addressed the nation, such as Lyndon Johnson's historic speech about voting rights in March 1965, anyone turning on their television would be watching the same thing. To achieve national attention, CBS News President Fred Friendly convinced his network to temporarily switch from regular daytime programming to Sen. William Fulbright's historic hearings into the Vietnam War that triggered the first real national conversation about the rationale behind the war. Friendly's decision introduced many middle-class Americans to criticism of President Johnson's policies, but he resigned in protest when higher ups chose to air a rerun of "I Love Lucy" instead of continuing with the Fulbright hearing coverage. When in 1986 the space shuttle Challenger tragically exploded 73 seconds into flight, killing all of the astronauts aboard, everyone tuned in to watch the aftermath and listen to President Reagan's moving remarks. Every adult can still remember the horrifying images from 9/11, when every television set, every Internet site, and every print publication offered a window to witness this attack on American soil. Yet for the mos
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1693 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
1694 <div class="cnn-search__result-thumbnail">
1695 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/16/opinions/global-white-supremacy-opinion-golinkin/index.html">
1696 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170419115514-united-shades-of-america-richard-spencer-ron-1-00001628-story-body.jpg">
1697 </a>
1698
1699
1700 </div><!--
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1702 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1703 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/16/opinions/global-white-supremacy-opinion-golinkin/index.html">White supremacy movement is more than just an American problem</a>
1704 </h3>
1705 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1706 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1707 <span>Nov 16, 2017</span>
1708 </div>
1709 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1710 Millions of Americans are shocked by the recent displays of white supremacy on US soil. But it's not just America that is seeing these types of demonstrations. This Saturday, an estimated 60,000 people marched through Warsaw on Poland's independence day, with some of the marchers burning flares and carrying banners that read "White Europe" and "Clean Blood." Far-right symbols from the darkest corners of European white supremacy were proudly worn. One marcher said in a television interview that his goal was to "remove Jewry from power." To be clear, Polish leaders afterward said they condemned the hateful messages and stressed many thousands were there to celebrate the country's holiday. Images from Warsaw immediately bring to mind this summer's deadly rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, and for good reason: A thread of anguish and hatred connects white supremacists across the Atlantic with the ones in America. Indeed, one of the most underreported stories of Charlottesville is that Richard Spencer, David Duke, and Matthew Heimbach -- three prominent rally organizers -- have all been involved with European white nationalist individuals or organizations. White supremacy, like nearly everything else, has been fundamentally altered by globalization. Charlottesville -- actually, the entire United States -- is just one battleground in a far larger war. Unless America understands the full scope of this conflict globally, we will remain vulnerable to white supremacist ideology spreading within our borders. In the 21st century, no ideology exists in a vacuum. The Nazis and Nazi sympathizers of old were often constrained by nationalism: "Deutschland Uber Alles" for the Third Reich, "America First" for US isolationists in 1940. Today's neo-Nazis have been freed from the fetters of nationalism by social media as well as by an overarching goal. Charlottesville was an American manifestation of what Morris Dees and J. Richard Cohen of the Southern Poverty Law Center call transnational white supremacy. In some neo-Nazi circles it has been described as a "reconquest," a nod to the Reconquista crusade by Christians to reclaim Spain from Muslim rule in the Middle Ages. The warriors of the modern Reconquista see themselves as engaged in an existential struggle for the future -- for the very survival -- of their people. The slogans from Warsaw and the "Jews Will Not Replace Us" chants heard at Charlottesville are an expression of this fear of extirpation, as is the infamous "Fourteen Words" slogan of white supremacy: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." This shift to a borderless global struggle is what separates today's white supremacists from their predecessors. A victory for the white race in Charlottesville or Warsaw could empower white supremacists everywhere. It's all part of the same torchlight march. Dylann Roof, the murderer of nine African-Americans in Charleston, South Carolina, is a perfect example of hate adopting the "act local, think global" paradigm. "You've raped our women, and you are taking over the country," Roof said as he shot his black victims. The rape-of-white-women myth has been a staple of Southern bigotry for over a century. But Roof was concerned with far more than white women in America: Writings that Roof is thought to be the author of are filled with anguish over the minority takeover of Europe, "the homeland of White people." Roof, a native of South Carolina, acted locally, but his manifesto betrays a mindset operating on an astonishingly global scale. The connection to European fascism is even stronger in the case of the Charlottesville leaders. Heimbach -- chairman of the group that organized last year's bloody anti-immigrant rally in Sacramento, California -- made a tour of Eastern European far right groups, including Golden Dawn in Greece and the Czech Workers Party in the Czech Republic, before bringing his hate back home. Earlier this year, Buzzfeed reported that Spencer was partnering with Swedish white supremacists to create a far right media network. Iin 2006, Duke gave a lecture, which the Forward described as "Anti-Semitism 101," at the Inter-Regional Academy of Personnel Management in Ukraine, a university that has been known to produce anti-Semitic material. Far more disturbing than ideology is the way conflict in Ukraine has provided white warriors with deadly experience. Just as the deserts of Iraq and Syria have drawn jihadists to learn battleground tactics, the trenches of Ukraine have attracted white supremacists from three continents. The Azov Battalion, a Ukrainian National Guard unit with a heavy neo-Nazi contingent, has been caught recruiting in France, and, it is believed, Brazil. On the other side of the battlefield, Swedish extremists who trained with the Russian-backed rebels in St. Petersburg bombed a refugee shelter in Gothenburg earlier this year. White radicals from a score of nations are gaining combat experience in Ukraine; where they'll take those skills is anyone's guess. Welcome to the new Reconquista. None of this is to suggest America's racism is imported. Indeed, in the wake of the Charlottesville attack, Americans were reminded of the long and often whitewashed chain of institutional and cultural racism -- from slavery to Jim Crow to inner city police shootings -- which forms an inseparable part of the nation's past and present. But if the goal is to confront the far right threat, ignoring the reality that today's white extremists are obtaining training, inspiration and aid from overseas hate groups is just as dangerous. In a way, it's just as tinged with white privilege; we often fail to consider overseas ties of radicals named "Richard" or "Matthew." Some Americans may feel that until Donald Trump is out of the White House, there's little our government can do to combat the white supremacist threat. On the contrary -- and this is the silver lining here -- there is so much Congress can, and must, do. The September 11 terrorist attacks exposed a key vulnerability of American defenses: the lack of communication between domestic and foreign counterterrorism experts. The same perilous segregation still exists with regard to white supremacy. Watchdog groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center are consummate experts on homegrown neo-Nazis, while US Jewish organizations such as the National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry have their finger on the pulse of European anti-Semites. In-between looms a dangerous gap. Addressing this must begin with congressional hearings aimed at expanding our perception of transnational white supremacy, asking intelligence officials to detail what resources are devoted to monitoring white hate groups abroad, and working with watchdog organizations to unearth the ties between domestic and foreign white supremacist networks. Above all, it will require America to realize that it won't be able to fight white supremacy without acknowledging that the marches in Europe are not only connected to the march in Virginia but are, in essence, the same march. We can choose to learn that lesson from Charlottesville -- or we can wait until an even worse attack forces us to do so in the future. The sooner we learn, the better: The cost of these lessons is steep.
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1716 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
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1718 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/16/us/2017-in-review-fast-facts/index.html">
1719 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171103104805-cnnee-rosario-story-body.jpg">
1720 </a>
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1725 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1726 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/16/us/2017-in-review-fast-facts/index.html">2017 In Review Fast Facts</a>
1727 </h3>
1728 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1729 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1730 <span>Nov 16, 2017</span>
1731 </div>
1732 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1733 Here is a look back at the events of 2017. Notable US Events:
1734January 6 - A declassified report is released in which the US intelligence community concludes that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an "influence campaign" aimed at hurting Hillary Clinton and helping Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. January 6 - According to authorities, Esteban Santiago opens fire in the baggage claim area of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, in Florida, killing five people and wounding six others. In late January, Santiago pleads "not guilty" to a 22 federal count indictment. January 20 - Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. January 21 - More than a million Americans take to the streets of the United States to protest Donald Trump the day after his inauguration. This doesn't include the many thousands of people who took part in the main event -- The Women's March on Washington -- for which there was no official crowd estimate. January 25 - The Dow hits the 20,000 mark for the first time in history. January 27 - President Trump signs an executive order barring citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for the next 90 days and suspends the admission of all refugees for 120 days. The action prompts thousands of people to protest across the country the next day. January 30 - A $722 million class action lawsuit is filed against the EPA on behalf of more than 1,700 residents impacted by the Flint, Michigan, water crisis. January 30 - Washington state's attorney general files a lawsuit in federal court, challenging the constitutionality of key provisions of Trump's immigration executive order. February 3 - US District Court Judge James Robart, in Seattle, blocks President Trump's executive order banning citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. February 8 - After 30 hours of debate, the US Senate confirms Jeff Sessions as attorney general by a 52-47 vote. March 20 - During a hearing on Capitol Hill, FBI Director James Comey confirms the FBI is investigating links between Russia and members of the Trump campaign, and whether there's been any collusion. In a tweet before Comey's testimony, Trump says no collusion took place. March 28 - A federal judge approves a $87 million settlement, in which the state of Michigan agrees to replace lead or galvanized steel water lines in the City of Flint. The state will cover the cost of replacing water lines -- the pipes that connect household plumbing to the main distribution pipe running beneath the street -- for at least 18,000 Flint households by 2020. The state must also set aside an additional $10 million in federal funds in case replacements cost more than expected. April 6 - The United States launches a military strike on a Syrian government airbase in response to a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians earlier in the week. April 7 - The Senate confirms Neil Gorsuch, a conservative judge, to the Supreme Court of the United States with a vote of 54-45, mostly along party lines. Only three Democrats: Sens. Joe Manchin, Heidi Heitkamp and Joe Donnelly, sided with the GOP majority. April 19 - Aaron Hernandez, the former New England Patriots tight end who was convicted of murder in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison, is found hanged in his prison cell at 3:05 am. He is pronounced dead at 4:07 am, according to the Massachusetts Department of Correction. The following day, Massachusetts chief medical examiner concludes Hernandez's manner of death is suicide. May 3 - FBI Director Comey appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He testifies Russia is actively involved in trying to influence US politics and he defends his decision to announce eleven days before election day, the FBI was reviewing additional emails from Hillary Clinton. May 9 - President Trump fires FBI Director Comey, citing a memo by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, which recommended Comey's firing and criticized Comey's handling of the Clinton email investigation. June 14 - The Michigan Attorney General's office announces that several state officials have been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with a Legionnaires' outbreak that killed 12 people during the Flint water crisis. June 17 - Bill Cosby's aggravated indecent assault case ends in a mistrial after a Pennsylvania jury of seven men and five women are unable to come to a unanimous decision. Prosecutors immediately announce they will retry the case. June 21 - During a Senate hearing, a Department of Homeland Security official says that hackers linked to the Russian government targeted voting systems in as many as 21 US states. August 12 - One person is killed and 19 are hurt when a speeding car slams into a throng of counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a "Unite the Right" rally of white nationalist and other right-wing groups take place. Separately, two Virginia State Patrol troopers monitoring the rally are killed in a helicopter crash. James Fields Jr., of Maumee, Ohio, accused of driving the car in the attack, is later charged with second-degree murder, several counts of malicious wounding and failure to stop in an accident that resulted in death. August 21 - The first total solar eclipse to cross the United States from coast to coast in 99 years takes place. August 25 - Hurricane Harvey makes landfall between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor, Texas. Harvey is the first Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Hurricane Charley in 2004. August 30 - After retreating from the Houston area back to the Gulf of Mexico, Harvey slowly moves northeast and hits Louisiana. The death toll from Harvey is at least 82 people. Harvey dumped an estimated 27 trillion gallons of rain over Texas and Louisiana during a six-day period, according to WeatherBell, and also set a record for the most rainfall ever from a tropical cyclone in the continental US, at 51 inches of rain. September 6-8 - Packing winds up to 185 mph, Hurricane Irma makes landfall on the Caribbean island of Barbuda as a Category 5 storm. One of the most powerful Atlantic storms ever recorded. Irma kills at least 38 people, and devastates many of the Caribbean islands. September 10 - The Florida Keys take a direct hit from Hurricane Irma as a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds. FEMA initially estimates that 25% of houses on the island chain are destroyed, and 65% have major damage. Irma moves on to hit Marco Island as a Category 3 storm, then travels up the Gulf of Mexico to pummel Naples, Florida and to Jacksonville, Florida where it causes the worst flooding the city has seen in nearly a century. The death toll from Irma in the US is at least 61 people. September 20 - Hurricane Maria makes landfall near Yabucoa in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane. It is the strongest storm to hit Puerto Rico in 85 years. The energy grid is heavily damaged, with an island-wide power outage. The death toll from Maria is at least 64 people in Puerto Rico. October 1 - O. J. Simpson is released on parole from a Nevada prison, after serving nine years on charges including kidnapping, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. October 1 - In Las Vegas, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock of Mesquite, Nevada, opens fire on a crowd of 22,000 concertgoers from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, killing 58 people and injuring almost 500. Officials say the gunshots last between 10 and 15 minutes. Officers breach Paddock's hotel room to find him dead. Authorities say Paddock killed himself and that he acted alone. The attack is the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history. October 4 - In a memo to all federal prosecutors, Attorney General Jeff Sessions says that a 1964 federal civil rights law does not protect transgender workers from employment discrimination and the department will take this new position in all "pending and future matters." October 5 - The New York Times releases a story detailing three decades' worth of sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact accusations by numerous women, including actress Ashley Judd, against movie titan Harvey Weinstein. The piece also mentions at least eight settlements Weinstein had reached with his accusers through the years. Following the release of the story, Weinstein is fired from the Weinstein Company. In the weeks that follow, dozens more women, including actresses Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow, would make similar claims. Weinstein's representative responded, in part, "Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein." October 16 - Bowe Bergdahl pleads guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy in Afghanistan in 2009. The US Army sergeant was subsequently captured and held by the Taliban until May 2014. At his sentencing, he receives a dishonorable discharge from the US Army. The military judge also rules that Bergdahl will be required to pay a $1,000 fine from his salary for the next 10 months. October 31 - Eight people are killed and almost a dozen injured when a 29-year-old man in a rented pickup truck drives down a busy bicycle path near the World Trade Center in New York. The suspect is identified as Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, an Uzbek national who has been living in the US since 2010. Authorities find a note near the truck used in the incident, claiming the attack was made in the name of ISIS, a senior law enforcement official said. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio calls it an act of terror. November 5 - A gunman opens fire on a small church in Sutherland Springs, Texas killing 26, including and an unborn child, and wounding 20 others. According to authorities, the gunman, Devin Patrick Kelley, dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being pursued by two local residents. December 1 - Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn pleads guilty to "willfully and knowingly" making "false, fictitious and fraudulent statements" to the FBI regarding discussions with Russian ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak. December 4 - The US Supreme Court allows the newest version of President Trump's travel ban to take effect pending appeal. This is the first time justices have allowed any edition of the ban to go forward in its entirety. December 6 - President Trump recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital and announces plans to relocate the US Embassy there. December 11 - Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh, sets off a homemade pipe bomb he is wearing in a walkway below Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York, according to police. It partially detonates seriously injuring Ullah. Five other people have minor injuries. Ullah had pledged allegiance to ISIS, officials say. Notable International Events:
1735January 1 - A gunman opens fire at a nightclub in Istanbul, killing
1736 </div>
1737 </div>
1738
1739 </div>
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1741 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
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1743 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/15/politics/trump-asia-trip-statement/index.html">
1744 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171115153041-01-trump-asia-comments-1115-screengrab-story-body.jpg">
1745 </a>
1746
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1750 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1751 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/15/politics/trump-asia-trip-statement/index.html">Trump claims 'America is back' post-Asia trip</a>
1752 </h3>
1753 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1754 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1755 <span>Nov 15, 2017</span>
1756 </div>
1757 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1758 President Donald Trump, fresh off a five-country swing through Asia, sought Wednesday to cast his first 10 months on the world stage as an unmitigated success, claiming a "great American comeback" that has restored the US' standing in the world. The speech, which came as Trump fumed at press coverage of his trip, framed his accomplishments in terms of correcting the "mistakes" of his predecessors and following through on his promises to voters. But he offered no new announcements on trade or North Korea, two of the top issues he focused on during his trip. "I vowed that we would reaffirm old alliances and form new friendships in pursuit of shared goals. Above all I swore that in every decision, every action I would put the best interest of the American people first. Over the past 10 months traveling the globe and meeting with world leaders, that is exactly what I have done," Trump said from the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House. Trump pointed to his efforts during his first foreign trip to rally Muslim leaders around the fight against radical Islamist terrorism and his urging that NATO allies boost their financial commitments to the alliance. And he highlighted his efforts on this most recent trip to bring back "free and reciprocal trade" and unite the world against the North Korean threat. "My fellow citizens, America is back, and the future has never looked brighter," he concluded. But much of his speech failed to counter the core of the criticism he has faced in the wake of his 12-day trip to Asia: that he didn't deliver on his rhetoric. Beyond fresh Japanese sanctions against North Korea and a verbal commitment from China to increase pressure on North Korea, Trump made no immediate, visible progress to stop North Korea's development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Trump on Wednesday touted his insistence to regional partners on "free and reciprocal" trade, but he emerged with no written commitments from the region to rebalance trade with the US or change trade practices that have disadvantaged the US. The President did appear to try to clean up remarks in Beijing when he said he did not "blame" China for its unfair trade practices and gave the country "credit" for taking advantage of the US. Trump said Wednesday that he emphasized to Chinese President Xi Jinping in "a very candid conversation" that US-Chinese trade must be "conducted on a truly fair and equitable basis." "The days of the United States being taken advantage of are over," Trump promised, though he announced no changes to the terms of the relationship. Trump returned Tuesday night from his tour of Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines, where he focused on trade and North Korea's ongoing development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Trump was able to help secure the release of three UCLA basketball players, appealing directly to Xi to look into the matter. But Trump on Wednesday morning was focused on the criticism he has faced from some over his warm embrace of Xi, whom Trump praised in Beijing and absolved of any wrongdoing for unfair trading practices that Trump has said have hurt the US. "The failing @nytimes hates the fact that I have developed a great relationship with World leaders like Xi Jinping, President of China," Trump tweeted. "They should realize that these relationships are a good thing, not a bad thing. The U.S. is being respected again. Watch Trade!"
1759 </div>
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1763
1764 <div class="cnn-search__result cnn-search__result--article">
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1766 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/15/politics/john-mccain-steven-bradbury-general-counsel-department-of-transportation-torture-memos/index.html">
1767 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/171031101603-mccain-naval-academy-speech-00000519-story-body.jpg">
1768 </a>
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1773 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1774 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/15/politics/john-mccain-steven-bradbury-general-counsel-department-of-transportation-torture-memos/index.html">McCain cites torture justification for opposing DOT counsel</a>
1775 </h3>
1776 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1777 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1778 <span>Nov 15, 2017</span>
1779 </div>
1780 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1781 Sen. John McCain explained Wednesday why he wouldn't vote to confirm Steven Bradbury as the Department of Transportation's top legal officer, citing his role in justifying torture practices during the George W. Bush administration. "I will not support a nominee who justified the use of torture. Our enemies act without conscience - we must not," the Arizona Republican tweeted. McCain and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul were the only Republicans who voted against Bradbury's successful confirmation Tuesday. In a Medium post published Wednesday, McCain said Bradbury, while serving as the acting head of the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel from 2005 to 2009, authored the "torture memos," which provided legal justifications for enhanced interrogation techniques, including waterboarding and other methods used by the CIA for detainees held by the US under law of war authorities. "Put simply, Mr. Bradbury's memos were permission slips for torture," McCain wrote in the post. "Let's not pretend that there was no direct connection between the legal work done by Mr. Bradbury and the abuses that followed." He continued: "In voting against Mr. Bradbury's nomination ... I am making it clear that I will not support any nominee who justified the use of torture by Americans." A message left with Bradbury by CNN was not immediately returned Wednesday morning. Bradbury once authored memos that noted nudity could be used as an interrogation technique. "Detainees subject to sleep deprivation who are also subject to nudity as a separate interrogation technique will at times be nude and wearing a diaper," one 2005 memo said, noting that the diaper is "for sanitary and health purposes of the detainee; it is not used for the purpose of humiliating the detainee and it is not considered to be an interrogation technique." Another memo authored by Bradbury laid out techniques and when they should be used in a "prototypical interrogation." "Several of the techniques used by the CIA may involve a degree of physical pain, as we have previously noted, including facial and abdominal slaps, walling, stress positions and water dousing," it said. "Nevertheless, none of these techniques would cause anything approaching severe physical pain." McCain, who, himself, was tortured while a prisoner of war in Vietnam, wrote in the Medium post he understands why the methods were used to protect the US from terrorism, but he believed they were the wrong methods to use on detainees. "I cast my vote against Mr. Bradbury not because I believe him to be unpatriotic or malevolent, but because I believe that what is at stake in this confirmation vote, much like what we stand to gain or lose in the war we are still fighting, transcends the immediate matter before us," he said. "I cannot in good conscience vote to give him my trust to serve us again." Paul also cited torture in opposing Bradbury's nomination, tweeting Tuesday, "I voted against Steven Bradbury's nomination because you shouldn't get to author memos on torturing people & then get another government job." Before the vote Tuesday, McCain sent a letter to his colleagues, co-signed by Democratic Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dianne Feinstein, urging them to oppose Bradbury's nomination.
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1789 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/15/health/active-shooters-school-security/index.html">
1790 <img src="//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/130927201345-erin-pkg-mattingly-surviving-a-school-shooting-00001111-story-body.jpg">
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1796 <h3 class="cnn-search__result-headline">
1797 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/15/health/active-shooters-school-security/index.html">How active shooters are changing school security in the US</a>
1798 </h3>
1799 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1800 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1801 <span>Nov 15, 2017</span>
1802 </div>
1803 <div class="cnn-search__result-body">
1804 School fire drills became popular decades ago after several deadly fires triggered changes in safety codes. Today, teachers and children are preparing for something entirely different: mass shootings. A gunman tried to break into a remote Northern California elementary school on Tuesday but officials say, the quick action of school officials "saved countless lives and children." The building went on lockdown, a teacher rushed to block a classroom's door with a computer and students ducked under their desks. Those responses have become the new normal as more schools are being forced to adapt to more elaborate safety measures. Two thirds of schools in the US conduct active-shooter exercises and nearly all of them have a plan if a shooter comes into the school, the Government Accountability Office found in a recent survey of schools. "I think everybody, no matter where you are, needs to think about this. If you're in a school, in a college, if you go to the movies we should all be thinking about what are we going to do if a crisis breaks out right here," said Christopher Combs, FBI special agent in charge, after last week's church massacre in Texas. This year, there has been about one mass shooting every single day, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit that tracks gun-related violence in the US. 'You might lock down, you might try to escape' Sara Rounds and her colleagues recently took part in a series of simulated active-shooter scenarios at their western Indiana school. "When I did enter teaching, you know, this was not a thought in my head. But this is where we are now," Rounds, a first grade teacher at Jackson Township Elementary in Clay County, Indiana told CNN affiliate WTHI. Through training programs like ALICE -- Alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate -- Rounds and other teachers are learning how to barricade doors with desks and chairs, run away from gunfire and throw everything from pencils to staplers at a potential shooter. "It's not really defense techniques, it's not martial arts of any kind. It basically just gives them options," Jeffrey Fritz, the Indiana school's superintendent told CNN affiliate WTHI. "You might alert, you might lock down, you might try to escape, it just depends on the situation," he added. But training teachers is just the first step. The school plans to teach students how to make choices during an active shooter situation. "We are going to teach this to the kids in a very kind way, not using harsh words, kid friendly, so I think our kids will really grasp on to this," Rounds said. "This is nothing new here to society, it's in the news a lot. They understand what our world is going through unfortunately." Don't freeze, have a plan Those who plan for an active shooting situation are more likely to react quickly rather than freeze, said Katherine Schweit, a former senior FBI official and an active shooter expert. "We're not talking about making a decision on what to make for dinner. We're making a decision on how to survive," she said. During the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 and the 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Center in New York, people delayed evacuations or denied the possible danger rather than respond, according to a 2013 report released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "People freeze. And if you train yourself to work past freezing, past the moment of hesitation, you save your life. Or you save a life of another," Schweit added. It is recommended that if possible, Schweit said, that victims caught in shootings run as fast and far as possible. "I'm a total believer in run, run, run if you can (to) safety. Because you can't get killed if you're not there. But if you have to hide or fight, you have to be prepared to do that," she added. Other security measures Active shooter training is relatively new in some schools across the US. For years, schools have employed school safety officers, lockdown drills and implemented security systems that require visitors to sign-in and produce photo IDs. After the Columbine shooting in 1999, schools installed metal detectors and shifted restrooms away from entryways. While just a few weeks ago, a private school in Florida began selling bulletproof panels for its students' backpacks. Schools across the country have also created "threat-assessment teams" to prevent shootings by identifying behaviors like mental illness, drug abuse and disruptive conduct in students. Initially, all Virginia public schools were required by law to create those task forces. But now, dozens of schools across the country have adopted the practice. In 2002, Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas created the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) in partnership with several Central Texas law enforcement agencies to address the need for active shooter training. Since its creation, more than 85,000 law enforcement officers have been trained through the program.
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1820 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/13/europe/theresa-may-russia/index.html">British PM to Russia: 'We know what you are doing'</a>
1821 </h3>
1822 <div class="cnn-search__result-publish-date">
1823 <span class="icon icon--timestamp"></span>
1824 <span>Nov 14, 2017</span>
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1827 UK Prime Minister Theresa May has mounted a stern attack on Russia, claiming that it interferes in elections and plants fake news stories to sow discord and undermine Western institutions. In a significant escalation of rhetoric, May accused Moscow of attempting to "weaponize information" as part of a "sustained campaign of cyberespionage and disruption." Russia's actions were "threatening the international order," she said. "We know what you are doing. And you will not succeed. Because you underestimate the resilience of our democracies, the enduring attraction of free and open societies, and the commitment of Western nations to the alliances that bind us," May said in a speech at the annual Lord Mayor's Banquet in London on Monday. Since its annexation of Crimea, May said Russia had fomented conflict in eastern Ukraine, violated airspace of European countries, and hacked the Danish ministry of defense and the German Parliament. May said Britain would act to defend itself. "The UK will do what is necessary to protect ourselves, and work with our allies to do likewise," she said. "So we will take the necessary actions to counter Russian activity. But this is not where we want to be -- and not the relationship with Russia we want." Her criticism comes amid mounting allegations that groups linked to Russia or the Kremlin itself meddled in elections and referendums, including Brexit, Catalonia's independence vote, and the 2016 US presidential election. Senior Russian officials reacted angrily to May's comments. "The world order that suits May, with the capture of Iraq, war in Libya, creation of [ISIS], and terrorism in Europe, has outlived itself. It can't be saved with an attack on Russia," tweeted Alexey Pushkov, a Russian lawmaker who is also head of the Federation Council Committee on Information Policy. He also accused the British media of peddling "fake news" on issues such as the Iraq war and Syria. Konstantin Kosachev, Head of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, said in a Facebook post Tuesday that May's speech was "surprisingly full of ideological cliches." "The mistake is that this conflict is not ideological and there will be no "triumph of Western values" this time, no one is fighting them here," he wrote. "However, to force the West to behave in a democratic and not in an authoritarian way on the international arena is not only Russia's desire, it's the desire of the whole world. And this cannot be ignored." May's comments contrast starkly with US President Donald Trump's recent comment that he believed Vladimir Putin's denials of interfering in the 2016 US presidential elections. The UK Prime Minister said that even as the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, it remains committed to maintaining Europe's security through strong economic ties with allies and NATO. Such relationships will protect against security threats from Russia, she said. "That is why we are driving reform of NATO, so this vital alliance is better able to deter and counter hostile Russian activity. It is why we have stepped up our military and economic support to Ukraine. It is why we are strengthening our cybersecurity and looking at how we tighten our financial regimes to ensure the profits of corruption cannot flow from Russia into the UK," she said. She cited Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent comment that "when a state fails to observe universal rules of conduct and pursues its interests at any cost, it will provoke resistance and disputes will become unpredictable and dangerous." "I say to President Putin, I agree. But it is Russia's actions which threaten the international order on which we all depend," she said. "We do not want to return to the Cold War, or to be in a state of perpetual confrontation." International order faces other threats from regions where "the absence of strong states" has created instability and conflict, such as the Middle East. "We see the spillover effects of this instability in the challenge of mass migration and humanitarian crises in countries like Yemen," she said. She urged European and American allies to join the UK in stepping up efforts to contain and solve conflicts. She called attention to Yemen, Libya and Iraq and called for continued work toward a two-state solution in the Middle East peace process. "As part of this, while we will stand firm in our support for the Iran nuclear deal, we are also determined to counter destabilizing Iranian actions in the region and their ballistic missile proliferation, working with the US, France and Germany in particular," she said. "It is in all of our interests to get this right: to bring long-sought stability to the Middle East, ensure these growing economies can play their full role in the global system, and reinforce a rules-based international order."
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1835 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/13/politics/us-strikes-yemen-somalia/index.html">
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1843 <a href="//www.cnn.com/2017/11/13/politics/us-strikes-yemen-somalia/index.html">US military launches series of strikes in Yemen and Somalia</a>
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1847 <span>Nov 14, 2017</span>
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1850 The US military conducted a series of airstrikes targeting terrorists in Somalia and Yemen over the weekend, according to multiple military officials. The US military conducted three strikes against ISIS in Yemen on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, killing five suspected militants, US Central Command spokesman Maj. Josh Jacques told CNN Monday. Jacques said all three strikes took place in Yemen's Al Bayda Governorate, an area known for ISIS and al Qaeda activity. A US military official told CNN that the strikes were carried out by unmanned drone aircraft and that the military is still assessing the results of the strikes. The series of strikes over the weekend are only the third time the US has struck the ISIS affiliate in Yemen. Armed US drones also carried out a series of airstrikes targeting al Qaeda- and ISIS-linked militants in Somalia over the weekend. "US forces conducted five airstrikes in Somalia against al-Shabaab and ISIS from November 9 through the 12, removing more than 40 terrorists from the battlefield," Defense Department spokesman Col. Rob Manning told reporters at the Pentagon on Monday. Al-Shabaab is al Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia. Thursday's strikes against ISIS in Somalia marked the second time US forces have struck the terror group in the country. Manning said 36 al-Shabaab fighters and four ISIS militants were killed in the strikes. One of the five strikes in Somalia killed an al-Shabaab fighter who had attacked a joint US-Somali military convoy in Gaduud, Somalia, which is about 250 miles from the capital Mogadishu. The attack on the convoy involved "ineffective" small arms fire and resulted in no US personnel being killed or wounded, Robyn Mack, a spokesperson for Africa Command, told CNN. The US has about 500 troops in Somalia including Special Operations Forces working as military advisers and conventional logistics personnel. The emergence of ISIS affiliates in Yemen and Somalia in recent weeks comes as the terror organization has suffered multiple battlefield setbacks in Syria and Iraq. "ISIS uses the ungoverned areas in Yemen as safe space to plot, direct, inspire, resource and recruit for attacks," Maj. Adrian Rankine-Galloway, a Pentagon spokesman told CNN. "As its physical 'caliphate' is being taken away by America's capable and committed partners in Syria and Iraq, ISIS is attempting to make use of ungoverned, safe spaces across the globe to recruit and train militants to coordinate external terror attacks worldwide," he added.
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