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Story highlightsSpaniard a step closer to making history by taking pole position in final race of season The 20-year-old only needs to finish fourth on Sunday to be crowned world championMarquez aiming to be youngest winner of MotoGP title and first rookie for 35 yearsMarc Marquez is a step closer to becoming the youngest rider to win the MotoGP title after snatching pole position for Sunday's final grand prix of the season in Valencia. The 20-year-old posted a lap record time of one minute 30.237 seconds on Saturday to edge out title rival and reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo who was 0.340 seconds slower.Read more: Marquez in title showdown with LorenzoMarquez's Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa completes the front row of the grid.The Spaniard had a minor fright on the final qualifying lap when he nearly came off his bike, but was quick to see the positives of the incident. "It was a little scare ahead of tomorrow to remind me I have to be 100% concentrated," Marquez told Spanish TV station Telecinco. "The good thing is that I feel good, I have good rhythm on the bike and I just have to concentrate on my own race tomorrow."The Spaniard needs only a fourth-place finish in Sunday's race to cap an incredible season and become the first rookie to win motorcycling's premier racing class since America's Kenny Roberts achieved the feat in 1978. Italy's Valentino Rossi qualified fourth fastest on his Yamaha while Britain's Cal Crutchlow finished fifth with compatriot and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 teammate Bradley Smith completing the second row of the grid.

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Portrush, Northern Ireland (CNN)It was his to lose, but Ireland's Shane Lowry had no intention of letting the Claret Jug slip from his grasp as he romped to victory in the Open at Royal Portrush for his first major title.The 32-year-old weathered difficult conditions and the pressure of holding onto a sizeable overnight lead to beat England's Tommy Fleetwood by six strokes, with American Tony Finau third.Lowry had become the crowd favorite since Northern Ireland's stars fell out of contention, and he rode their raucous support to surge clear with that course-record 63 Saturday before a battling 72 Sunday to end 15 under.He becomes only the second player from Ireland to win a major after Padraig Harrington won three between 2007 and 2008, kickstarting a remarkable period of success for golfers from both sides of the border.READ: Emotional McIlroy feels 'love' after epic Open missRead MoreREAD: Tiger Woods misses Open cut, yearns for 'hot weeks'READ: Why Holywood star McIlroy has always been box officeShane Lowry celebrates after holing the winning putt at Royal Portrush.Feverish fansThe world No.33's previous best major finish was second in the US Open in 2016 after he blew a four-shot lead going into the final day.But not this time.Despite having missed the cut in his last four Opens, Lowry seemed impervious to the periods of lashing rain, fierce gusts and expectation, both from within and from the feverish fans, who roared him onto and off every green and tee. The winner of The 148th Open and the Champion Golfer of the Year is Shane Lowry 🇮🇪 #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/oKkTTiHfgP— The Open (@TheOpen) July 21, 2019 In tandem with caddie Brian "Bo" Martin he plotted his way around Portrush's celebrated Dunluce links, offering no opportunities for the chasing pack and keeping his head when he made mistakes.Or so it seemed."I kept telling Bo how nervous I was, how scared I was, how I didn't want to mess it up," said Lowry, who revealed a key talk with his coach Neil Manchip at Bushmills on the eve of the tournament convinced him he was good enough to contend.Despite a bogey at the first he edged clear to lead by six after seven holes and again after 10 and 15.It had become a two-horse race with Fleetwood, who also had plenty of support given his European Ryder Cup heroics, but one in which the second runner was lagging from the off.Fleetwood was also chasing his first major title after a runner-up spot in the 2018 US Open, but he just couldn't get close enough to rattle Lowry.READ: Golfers feud after caddie's mom is hit by ballShane Lowry plays his second shot into 18 en route to winning the Open.Beaming grinLowry's father Brendan, a well known former Gaelic footballer, followed inside the ropes, watching on nervously despite his son's seemingly smooth passage to glory.The greatest walk in golf in front of the greatest fans 👏 What a week here in Northern Ireland #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/CxbmyaaUrE— The Open (@TheOpen) July 21, 2019 "He's everyone's son in Ireland today," said former European Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance on TV commentary.Smiling and with his hands thrust in his body-warmer pockets, Lowry junior walked up to the lofty 18th tee with a six-shot lead and the European Ryder Cup chant "ole, ole, ole" ringing all around him.His drive bisected the fairway and he blew out his cheeks and looked up into the sky.If the reception for Rory McIlroy after his valiant attempt to make the cut Friday had been emotional, the wall of noise that greeted Lowry was thunderous and jubilant.When his second shot found the green he raised both arms and hugged Martin, finally unlocking a full beaming grin that lit up the otherwise gloomy Portrush afternoon."I couldn't believe it was happening to me, I tried to soak it in but it was surreal," he told reporters later in his press conference.Shane Lowry cradles the Claret Jug for winning the Open. 'Amazing'When Lowry stroked in the winning putt he he was greeted by wife Wendy and his young daughter Iris on the 18th green, before hugs for the rest of his family and friends."Wow," said Lowry after accepting the Claret Jug. "To have an Open at Royal Portrush on the island of Ireland is just amazing."🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🍾🍾🏆@ShaneLowryGolf @TheOpen— Padraig Harrington (@padraig_h) July 21, 2019 His eyes filled and his voice cracked as he added: "My mum and dad sacrificed so much for me and I'm just glad I can hand them this trophy tonight."He was also hugged by Harrington and Portrush local Graeme McDowell, whose success as the 2010 US Open winner played its part in the Open returning to Northern Ireland for the first time in 68 years. Portrush resident Darren Clarke's 2011 Open win and McIlroy's four majors from 2011-2014 were also instrumental, once the specter of Northern Ireland's Troubles receded. Lowry won his first European Tour event when still an amateur at the Irish Open in 2009 and clinched the last of his four titles in Abu Dhabi in January.On his way to missing the cut at the Open last year, he sat in the car park at Carnoustie and cried."Golf wasn't my friend," he said. "What a difference a year makes."

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(CNN)An unnamed New York state trooper who was part of former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo's protective detail and told investigators he touched her inappropriately has filed a lawsuit against Cuomo, former Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa, and her employer, New York State Police. In the suit, the trooper, who is only identified as "Trooper 1," alleges that Cuomo sexually harassed her, requesting her to be assigned to the unit that protected him "after seeing and talking to her for only a few minutes" and asking for service requirements for the job to be changed so that the trooper "could be close to him." "As with his other victims, the Governor used his physical proximity to Trooper 1 to touch her inappropriately," the suit states. Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi responded to the lawsuit Thursday."If kissing someone on the cheek, patting someone on the back or stomach or waving hello at a public event on New Year's Eve is actionable then we are all in trouble," Azzopardi said in a statement. "Gov Cuomo will fight every attempt at cheap cash extortions and is anxious to have the dirty politics stop -- we look forward to justice in a court of law."Read MoreAn attorney for DeRosa said the case was not viable and called the suit "beyond frivolous." "We are only aware of this case from Twitter, but according to the trooper's own testimony, Melissa's only interaction with her was to say 'hello and goodbye,'" attorney Paul Schetman said.CNN has reached out to the New York State Police for comment.An attorney for the trooper said that she has sought mental health treatment as a result of her experiences with Cuomo, which the attorney described as "deeply humiliating." She has filed a separate motion to remain anonymous in the case."We're asking the press to respect our client's privacy as she goes through this difficult time and in an effort to protect her rights," her attorney, Valdi Licul, told CNN. Cuomo resigned last August over a series of sexual harassment allegations and a damaging report from the state attorney general's office. The new lawsuit contains new claims about what New York State Police allegedly knew about the then-governor's purported conduct and alleges the trooper was told by a supervisor not to disclose inappropriate behavior to anyone.'Enabled by the machinery of the state'In August 2019, the suit alleges, the trooper was driving Cuomo to an event when the governor asked her why she didn't "wear a dress." The suit claims the trooper replied that "it would be impossible for her to carry a gun in a dress." After the governor continued to ask her about it, the suit claims, the head of the governor's protective detail interjected that she "was dressed accordingly." The suit claims that Trooper 1 was shocked by the interaction and spoke to another trooper in the governor's detail about the interaction. "Immediately, she received a message from the head of the PSU (governor's detail) who had been present for the entire interaction," the suit alleges. The message simply said, "stays in truck," which the trooper's attorney claims was a clear order that she "not disclose to anyone the Governor's inappropriate comment.""Fearing official discipline, Trooper 1 did not mention the incident to anyone else at the time," the suit states.Allegations of harassmentThe suit quotes from testimony Trooper 1 gave to two independent investigators hired by New York Attorney General Letitia James' office to look into sexual misconduct by the former governor. Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing. Multiple district attorneys who considered whether to file criminal charges against the former governor said they would not charge him criminally, while also saying the victims who accused Cuomo of misconduct were credible. The suit alleges that Cuomo touched the trooper inappropriately, including at the Belmont racetrack in Long Island in 2019, alleging that he "placed the palm of his hand on her belly button and slid it across her waist to her right hip, where her gun was holstered."The suit also claims Cuomo sought the trooper out to give her unwanted attention as recently as June 2021. The trooper alleges Cuomo repeatedly asked her for a kiss and kissed her on the cheek.'Attacked by ... the governor's closest advisors'The trooper's complaint states that women who had the courage to complain about the Cuomo's alleged behavior were "attacked by a cadre of the Governor's closest advisors."Among them, the trooper accuses DeRosa of concealing Cuomo's harassment, saying she was "specifically involved in hiding the Governor's behavior." DeRosa tweeted in November that she "barely knew" the trooper and alleged the trooper "has already attempted to extort me for money." As part of the filing of the lawsuit, Trooper 1 also requested to remain anonymous, saying that Cuomo and DeRosa "have been on a warpath of retaliation," with activities including sharing a victim's confidential information with reporters and secretly recording conversations with victims, among other alleged acts. The trooper said she would suffer significant psychological harm if she is forced to reveal her identity to the public. "Moreover, the Governor and DeRosa have shown through their conduct over the past several years that they will use every tool at their disposal to lash out at those who challenge their abuses," a court filing states.An attorney for the trooper stated that she has sought mental health treatment as a result of her experiences with Cuomo, which the attorney described as "deeply humiliating."

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Story highlightsCNN Hero Tomás Alvarez started a hip-hop therapy program aimed at troubled youthParticipants join peer-mentorship activities and are encouraged to write and rap about their feelingsSince 2009, Alvarez says more than 1,000 young people have found hope through the programOakland, California (CNN)To some people, hip-hop lyrics are about misogyny, materialism, drugs and violence. But to Tomás Alvarez, they're about something more. They're a way to help teens overcome hardship.As a high school social worker in Oakland, California, Alvarez was frustrated by the number of boys of color he saw dropping out of school or falling into the criminal justice system. And he found it challenging to reach them through traditional therapy."The honest truth is that our public school and mental health systems are not well-equipped to address trauma in a way that is resonating with them," Alvarez said.So he tried a different approach.Read More"I started one of the country's first hip-hop therapy programs," said Alvarez, who co-founded Beats Rhymes and Life, a nonprofit that provides free counseling sessions to Bay Area youth."A lot of the young people that come to us have witnessed or been a victim of violence. They have unresolved grief," he said. "We've created a safe space for them to tell their stories, to be vulnerable and to seek support."Alvarez and his staff bring their Beats Rhymes and Life hip-hop sessions to young people out in the community — hosting the program in schools, mental health facilities, at youth centers and in public libraries. Youth participate in peer-mentorship activities and are encouraged to write and rap about their feelings."A lot of people come for the hip-hop, but they stay for the healing," Alvarez said.Since 2009, Alvarez says more than 1,000 young people have found hope through the program.CNN spoke to Alvarez about his work. Below is an edited version of the conversation.CNN: What are some challenges you face by injecting hip-hop into a therapeutic space?Tomás Alvarez: In mainstream society, there are a lot of stereotypes and myths about hip-hop — that it's all misogynistic, that it promotes materialism and drugs and violence. Certainly a lot of hip-hop does do that, but that's not all hip-hop is. There's another layer. These are also major themes in a lot of poor communities across this country. I think that we should start to ask questions around — well, if art does imitate life, why are these themes so prevalent in the music? It could be because these themes are so prevalent in so many disadvantaged communities. I think that hip-hop has faced so much criticism because it's held a mirror to society, and in particular, our young people have held a mirror to society. The thing about hip-hop that people need to understand is that it was created by youth in response to social conditions such as violence, poverty and lack of access to opportunities and resources. The true purpose of hip-hop is to empower people and to impact change. Hip-hop allows people to not only transform themselves but transform their communities.JUST WATCHEDExtra: Beats Rhymes and LifeReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHExtra: Beats Rhymes and Life 02:35CNN: What sparked your idea to use hip-hop to reach African-American and Latino youth?Alvarez: As a man of color, I'm painfully aware of the disparities and the unique challenges facing our boys and men of color. Where I worked as a school social worker many fell behind in school, not because they weren't intelligent, but because they faced tremendous obstacles and challenges outside of school. They're growing up in a community plagued by violence and crime. They're having to worry about their safety on the way home. They've experienced numerous losses. I realized in my mid-twenties that it was my life's purpose to work with youth. I decided to focus on helping this particular group advance and overcome obstacles in their life. I would meet with young men for individual therapy sessions, and I'd do a little bit of case management. Over time, I became very discouraged. Despite their clear need for support, they just weren't trying to be associated with anything that the school or the mental health system had to offer. I really began to question the usefulness of traditional talk therapy inside an urban environment. I knew that if I really wanted to engage this group, it would have to be aligned with their world view and embrace their cultural expressions — which for this particular group of young men and so many more is hip-hop.CNN: When did you discover hip-hop?Alvarez: My dad was always into music, and we would often go to the record store. I remember looking around, and I came across a cassette tape of Pete Rock & CL Smooth. I liked the design on the cover and asked my dad if I could buy it. He was reluctant, but eventually he said, "OK." And that was my first hip-hop tape. I took it home, and I listened to it and I completely fell in love with the sound.Growing up, we listened to a lot of different types of music — Latin, soul, rock, oldies, country — just about everything. What I loved about the early hip-hop that I discovered was that it kind of had influences from all these genres that I was familiar with from my dad. And while I learned to appreciate all kinds of music, I felt like (hip-hop) spoke to me and who I was.Want to get involved? Check out the Beats Rhymes and Life website at www.brl-inc.org and see how to help.

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Berlin (CNN)A court in Germany has ordered the extradition of a Bulgarian man who was detained earlier this week on suspicion of the rape and murder of Bulgarian journalist Viktoriya Marinova.The suspect was arrested in Stade, near the northern German city of Hamburg, on Tuesday.According to a statement from the Higher Regional court in Celle, the man will be extradited within the next 10 days from Germany to Bulgaria.Bulgarian authorities accuse him of raping, killing and robbing Marinova, a 30-year-old television journalist, on October 6 in the northern Bulgarian city of Ruse.People light candles during a vigil in memory of Viktoria Marinova in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, on Monday.The Stade District Court in Germany questioned the suspect on Wednesday and ordered his detention. According to the prosecutor in Celle, Bernd Kolkmeier, the suspect partially confessed to his actions during questioning. Read MoreIn a statement, the prosecutor detailed the suspect's version of events. "He admitted that in the morning of 7 October 2018 he was under strong influence of alcohol and drugs and he hit a previously unknown young woman in the face over a random argument in a park on the banks of the Danube river in Ruse, Bulgaria," Kolkmeier said. "He then lifted the woman up and threw her into a bush. He denies intent to kill as well as raping and robbing the woman." Kolkmeier added that "according to the suspect he did not previously know the victim and this would exclude a political motivation. He will be extradited to Bulgaria and the Bulgarian authorities will take over the investigation.'' Kolkmeier told CNN the suspect was 20 years old. A spokeswoman for the Bulgarian Interior Ministry previously said he was 21.Most recently, Marinova anchored the program "Detector" on TVN, in which she interviewed two journalists who were investigating alleged corruption involving European Union funds. She previously hosted a lifestyle program and was involved with charity work. She was the mother of a young daughter.CNN's Nadine Schmidt reported from Berlin and Laura Smith-Spark wrote from London.

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(CNN)World Cup winner and former World Player of the Year Fabio Cannavaro has been given a 10-month custodial sentence for breaking into his own home. The retired footballer, who captained Italy to World Cup glory in 2006, had been ordered to stay out of his Naples address after prosecutors claimed that elements of the property breached planning regulations.They said that Cannavaro hadn't properly applied for planning permission for development of the house and surrounding grounds, which was seized by authorities. Prosecutor Luigi Cannavale said that Cannavaro, along with his wife, Daniela Arenoso and brother Paolo, who is a professional footballer in Italy's top division, broke a seal restricting entry to the property and went swimming in the pool.His sentence, along with jail terms for his wife and brother has been suspended pending appeal. Read MoreThe star, along with Arenoso, was reportedly under investigation for tax evasion in 2014. The former Juventus and Real Madrid defender now coaches China Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande. The team, AFC Champions League winners in 2013, beat Seoul FC 1-0 in an Asian Champions League match on Wednesday.

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(CNN)Maria never imagined she wouldn't have a job. And she never imagined she'd be afraid to look for another one. But this year, so many things she never expected have happened. First there was the letter she got in March, telling her she was an "essential worker." Then came the Covid-19 test results she got in April, telling her she was positive. And the fearful looks on her children's faces as she sent them away to a nearby family member's house so they wouldn't get sick, too. There were the weeks she felt so sick she feared she wouldn't make it to the other side. Read MoreAnd -- most jarring of all -- there was the day she learned, after 13 years on the job at a meatpacking plant in Wisconsin, that she was fired. The 42-year-old single mom says she went from packing hamburger meat in a crowded room -- helping people across the country feed their families -- to wondering how she'd come up with enough money to feed her own. All of this was months ago. But these moments are still shaping her life, her choices and her fears. "I get so stressed," says Maria, who asked to be identified only by her first name because she is undocumented and wants to protect her family. "I don't even know what to do."Many essential workers like her face 'layers of fear'The essential workers lauded in the early days of the pandemic aren't making headlines like they used to or coming up much in conversation as lawmakers debate another federal stimulus package. But Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, says Maria's story speaks to a troubling national trend that must be acknowledged -- and put to a stop. "What we are doing to workers in this country in this moment -- we are ... relying on them ... and yet we are subjecting them to layers upon layers of fear," she says.Swept up in historic Mississippi ICE raids a year ago, these undocumented workers are now 'essential' Many immigrant workers, Hincapié says, are afraid of getting sick at work and also afraid they could face retaliation for speaking out about safety concerns. Some like Maria are also undocumented and struggling to survive because their families haven't been eligible for economic relief, Hincapié says. "It's this circle of trauma," she says, "and really just frankly immoral that the very people we rely on in our country every single day are being pushed to the margins of society and are living on a cliff." Maria says she sees her firing as retaliation for concerns she raised about coronavirus safety and other matters. And an advocacy group that represents her says she wasn't the only worker targeted. Strauss Brands, the company where Maria worked, maintains the firing of workers there in July had nothing to do with retaliation, and that any claim suggesting that is "completely false." The workers were let go solely because they couldn't prove they were legally authorized to work in the United States, Strauss says. "Strauss has been, and will continue to be, very committed to the health, safety and well-being of all of our very dedicated and hard-working employees," the company said in a statement to CNN. She says Covid-19 sidelined her for more than a monthMaria says her four children -- ages 21, 16, 13 and 5 -- were terrified when she kept heading into work as news of the pandemic spread. They worried she'd get sick on the job. And Maria says that's exactly what ended up happening. At the time, she says, hand sanitizer and masks weren't provided to workers. Asked by CNN to respond to that allegation, Strauss Brands did not directly address Maria's case but said in a statement that it had "worked closely with the local Health Department, employees, and the union providing early adoption of CDC recommended COVID-19 policies, protections, and communication."Maria says she started to feel achy one day at work. At first, she thought it was an old on-the-job injury flaring up. But the medicine she typically took to ease the pain didn't help. Hearing her symptoms, Maria says her doctor told her to come in for a Covid-19 test. Days later, she got her results: positive. Her kids, she says, were the main thing on her mind. She'd sent her two younger children to live with a nephew as soon as she got sick. 200 hospitals have been at full capacity, and 1/3 of all US hospitals are almost out of ICU space"I was just thinking, 'My God, my children -- I am going to die, and what is going to happen to them?'" she says. "It's something terrible that haunts you, thinking that you are never going to see your family again." Maria says it took more than a month for her to be well enough to return to work. By then, she says, there was more protective equipment available. But social distancing, she says, was only enforced in the break area -- not while workers were on the floor. Maria says concerns she raised repeatedly about the lack of social distancing weren't heeded. "Nobody did anything," she says. Weeks later, Maria feels she received the company's response to those complaints and others she'd raised about how much she was paid. She was fired in July along with dozens of other workers who she said had also been complaining about conditions and other matters. Her employer cites a different reason for why she was firedStrauss Brands says there was only one reason the workers lost their jobs, and it had nothing to do with the pandemic or pay."The employees were let go because they were unable to produce documents establishing that they were legally authorized to work in this country," the company said in a statement, adding that employees were given a chance to prove they were legally authorized to work before they were let go. In response to questions about the firings and Maria's case, the company released statements describing the overall situation but did not specifically mention Maria or detail why she was let go. On the matter of worker compensation, the company said employee payment is governed by a collective bargaining agreement between Strauss and the union that represents its workers."The claim that any of these unfortunate events was motivated by retaliation is completely false. Strauss worked collaboratively with the local Health Department, employees, and the union encouraging input and providing early adoption of CDC recommended COVID policies, protections, and communication," Strauss Brands said. "Indeed, even before any such steps were recommended or required, Strauss shut down its plant, at full pay to employees, when it had the first presumed positive COVID-19 case so that it could use the time to clean/disinfect and make certain that it had in place all feasible safety measures." Strauss says safety measures at the plant include employee education, visitor restrictions, masks and other personal protective equipment, physical distancing when possible, symptom screening and temperature monitoring and paid leave for Covid-19 related absences.But advocates who protested outside the company's Franklin, Wisconsin, meatpacking plant after the firings argued the company was unjustly throwing out essential workers. They accused Strauss Brands of disregarding safety concerns and punishing workers for speaking out. Advocates joined workers who were fired from Strauss Brands' meatpacking plant at a protest in August, accusing the company of unjustly retaliating against essential workers. The company denies retaliation had anything to do with the firings."It was clearly retaliation," says Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera, an immigrant advocacy organization that led protests as part of its Essential Worker Rights Network. According to Voces de la Frontera, fired workers were told the company had received "no-match letters" from the Social Security administration, a document that points out discrepancies between federal databases and the names and numbers employers provided.Advocates argue the letters don't have anything to do with work authorization or immigration status, but are frequently used by companies to retaliate against immigrant workers."Whatever the worker's rights issue that's being raised, oftentimes that's when employers remember that they've suddenly, conveniently gotten a no-match letter. Sometimes it's months old. Sometimes it's years old. But it is very typical of what we've seen employers do throughout the years," says Hincapié of the National Immigration Law Center."You couple that with covid, with the pandemic and the particular conditions that these workers are working under, and it's really a recipe not just for disaster for those particular workers, but for the workplaces as a whole. Employers can use these letters as a tool to depress health and safety."Tyson and other meat processors are reportedly speeding up plans for robot butchersIn August, union officials and Neumann-Ortiz announced a $264,000 agreement had been reached with the company. The deal granted the 28 fired workers four days of pay for each year they worked for Strauss, plus unused vacation pay for 2020 and projected vacation pay for 2021, Voces de la Frontera said in a statement. Strauss says the employees who were let go will be welcomed back to the company, retaining their seniority and severance, if they're able to prove before August 2022 that they're legally authorized to work. "No employer should immediately terminate employees upon receipt of a social security mismatch letter. We had to work through a thorough investigation and provide the employees with the opportunity to provide legal authorization to work. We then had to work through our negotiation with the union to provide transition packages," Strauss Brands said. "No good time exists for a move like this one; we were devastated, but we had no other choice." Now she's terrified of getting sick againMaria says she doesn't have the paperwork the company is now requesting -- but even if she did, she says she wouldn't want to return to work there after what she and other employees endured. She says Strauss Brands' explanation for firing her and the other workers doesn't add up. "They found the perfect moment to fire us. ... They used us. We all feel used. They knew the situation. They knew everything about our lives. They said there was no problem," she says. "Why is it that when someone complains about their rights, they get fired?" The severance money helped, but now her share -- which she says amounted to around $5,000 after taxes -- has run out. She's trying to get by with support friends and family who live nearby occasionally give her."Right now I'm surviving with the little help I get. Sometimes (my children's) father gives me $100 or $50. A friend, or my nephew, sometimes gives me $50," she says. "And with this little bit, we buy something." But she says it's not nearly enough to make ends meet. This month, she says she hasn't been able to pay her rent. Trump is threatening to block immigration over coronavirus. But immigrants are on the frontlines of the pandemicMaria says she feels far healthier than she did back in April. But even now, she says, there are still symptoms she can't shake. Sometimes, she coughs up phlegm and feels her chest burning. It's harder to breathe at night. She loses focus and struggles to remember details. Thoughts feel harder to grasp onto -- something that Maria says never happened before her diagnosis. "Sometimes it's like someone has erased my hard drive," she says. Above all, Maria says there's a feeling that hasn't left her since Covid-19 first took hold: fear. "I'm afraid of not having work. But another fear is getting sick again. I don't think I can make it through another illness like that. ... I feel powerless," she says. "I'm scared I'm going to get it again." JUST WATCHEDLong-term effects of coronavirusReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHLong-term effects of coronavirus 03:07That's why for now, as tough as things are, Maria says she's not ready to look for a new job. And even once she is, she worries her limitations due to injury will make other companies reluctant to hire her. Maria says she burned her foot years ago at work and still struggles to stand for long periods of time. Many essential worker jobs were already difficult and dangerous, she says. And the pandemic has made them even more so. She wonders whether most Americans are aware of the risks she and other food industry workers face. "Sometimes they don't appreciate what you're doing," she says, "that you're risking your life so that others can survive." Maria says she's determined to do everything she can to make sure her own family survives. And to her, that means hunkering down at home and staying safe. These days, Maria says she only leaves to buy food and do laundry. Fear of getting sick again follows her wherever she goes.

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(CNN)The Republican-led push to restrict voting continues this year as lawmakers around the country set their sights on changing election laws. Lawmakers in 12 states have already introduced or pre-filed 96 bills that would make changes to voting laws for the 2022 session, according to an analysis from the liberal-leaning Brennan Center for Justice at New York University's law school. That represents a 39% increase in bills from the same time last year, a sign that legislators have not let up on their efforts ahead of the midterms. The bills are part of a concerted effort by Republicans nationwide, who continue to cling to false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election to clamp down on access to the ballot box. "It demonstrates that the trend of this being sort of a hot button and top political issue in state legislatures is continuing. And also gives us reason to worry that the passage of these new restrictive laws may also continue," said Sean Morales-Doyle, acting director of voting rights and elections at Brennan. Of the total bills this year, more than half aim to make changes to mail-in voting, an option that became popular amid the pandemic as election officials balanced health precautions with ballot access. The bills also deal with increasing or imposing voter ID requirements for in-person voting and registration. Virginia is leading the push this year, with 34 pre-filed or introduced bills as of mid-January. Last year it was one of a handful of states that moved to expand access to voting, including restoring voting rights to 69,000 former felons, under its then-Democratically controlled state legislature and then-Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat.Read MoreBut in November, Republicans took back the state House and the executive office, a move that has since led to dozens of voting-related bills being proposed. Additionally, 13 states have pre-filed and introduced 41 bills that undermine the electoral process, according to Brennan. This includes bills like one in Arizona that would have given the state legislature the power to reject election results. The extreme measure was effectively killed last week by Republican state House Speaker Rusty Bowers. And, Brennan says, 16 bills have been introduced in eight states that would impose new criminal or civil penalties on election officials for making unintended errors, a trend that some critics of the legislation argue is leading to officials leaving their positions. Morales-Doyle said it's early in the year and more bills could still be introduced as legislative sessions progress, but that because of this year's elections, the bills could have more of a partisan motivation. "It could be that there's a lot of political reasons why a legislature might want to introduce a restrictive bill and sponsor it. But that doesn't mean that the bill is going to go anywhere," Morales-Doyle told CNN on Wednesday. "There's more this year than there were last year so we at least have reason to be concerned about what might happen next."

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(CNN)Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach agreed Tuesday to postpone the Olympics until 2021.The IOC has been facing mounting pressure to delay the Games, which were originally scheduled to take place from July 24 to August 9, amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. It was also announced that the event will still be dubbed Tokyo 2020 despite the postponement."The IOC president and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games ... must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community," said a statement from the IOC and Tokyo 2020 organizing committee.Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, videos and featuresRead MoreThe Olympic torch procession scheduled ahead of the Games has now been canceled. "The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. "Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan."Athletes unable to trainThe Olympics have never been rescheduled in peacetime. In 1916, 1940 and 1944, the Games were canceled because of world wars.On March 17, Japan's Olympic minister Seiko Hashimoto said the country was planning for a "complete" hosting of the Games, which she went on to explain meant an Olympics which "started on time and with spectators in attendance."Then late last week, the IOC said that it was considering a number of different options including a postponement or modifying the Games so they could still take place as scheduled in July. JUST WATCHEDOlympic coronavirus disruption would be 'heartbreaking,' says athleteReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHOlympic coronavirus disruption would be 'heartbreaking,' says athlete 03:36There has been growing opposition to hosting the Games as planned as countries attempt to spread the limit of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 381,000 people globally. READ: 'We're at a loss,' say athletes left in limboAustralia and Canada both announced they would not be sending athletes to Tokyo this year, and -- along with the likes of USA, Germany and Poland -- called for the Games to be postponed until 2021. Sporting bodies, including USA Track and Field and USA Swimming, also called for a postponement. Meanwhile, athletes who have been unable to train due to closed facilities and restricted access to coaches and training partners have also voiced opposition to the Games proceeding as planned. JUST WATCHEDStephen A. Smith: These are very trying timesReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHStephen A. Smith: These are very trying times 03:11Sporting events across the globe have been suspended amid the virus, with Euro 2020 being moved to next year.The financial implications of postponing the Olympics could be huge.The cost of hosting, organizers said in December, was some 1.35 trillion yen ($12.35 billion) but, according to Reuters, that figure did not include the cost of moving the marathon and walking events from Tokyo to Sapporo to avoid the summer heat.Sponsors, insurers and broadcasters have also committed billions to the Games.Some experts believe the truer sum is likely to be $25 billion, a vast majority of which has already been spent on large-scale infrastructure projects such as transportation networks, hotels and new venues.'Only logical option'Andrew Parsons, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President, says the decision to postpone the Olympics Games was "the only logical option."The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games had been scheduled to take place from Tuesday August 25 to Sunday September 6."Postponing the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as a result of the global COVID-19 outbreak is absolutely the right thing to do," Parsons said in a statement."The health and well-being of human life must always be our number one priority and staging a sport event of any kind during this pandemic is simply not possible. Sport is not the most important thing right now, preserving human life is."At a time when many major communities around the world are in lockdown, with workplaces and shops closed and people urged not to leave their own homes, continuing to pursue the dream of the Tokyo 2020 Games happening this year does not make sense."CNN's Aimee Lewis, Aleks Klosok, Kaori Enjoji and Yoko Wakatsuki contributed to this report

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(CNN)The 25th running of the Dubai World Cup, one of the highlights of the racing calendar, has been postponed until next year amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. Organizers had announced earlier this week that the event would go ahead without paid hospitality spectators on March 28, but took the decision Sunday to push it back until 2021. With $35 million up for grabs across nine races, the Dubai World Cup is the world's richest race day which includes a $12 million purse for the showpiece Group 1 race. Photos: Christophe Soumillon riding Thunder Snow wins the Dubai World Cup.Hide Caption 1 of 17 Photos: Thunder Snow's victory was confirmed by a photo finish.Hide Caption 2 of 17 Photos: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (L) receives the trophy after his horse Thunder Snow wins Dubai World Cup.Hide Caption 3 of 17 Photos: Coal Front, ridden by Jose Ortiz, wins the Group 2 Godolphin Mile at the Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on March 30, 2019.Hide Caption 4 of 17 Photos: Christophe Lemaire riding Almond Eye celebrates after winning the Dubai Turf at the Dubai World Cup on March 30 in Dubai.Hide Caption 5 of 17 Photos: Julien Auge rides Al Shamoos during the Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse on March 30, in Dubai.Hide Caption 6 of 17 Photos: XY Jet with jockey Emisael Jaramillo wins the $2.5-million Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen over 1200m in Dubai on March 30.Hide Caption 7 of 17 Photos: The Meydan Racecourse is reflected in a window during the Dubai World Cup on March 30. The Dubai World Cup is one of the highest endowed events in the horse racing calendar.Hide Caption 8 of 17 Photos: Jockey William Buick of Britain rides Old Persian on the way to win the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic race during the Dubai World Cup 2019 at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.Hide Caption 9 of 17 Photos: Horses gallop into the first turn in the $2.5-million Group 2 UAE Derby over 1900m in Dubai.Hide Caption 10 of 17 Photos: A fan looks on during the Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse on March 30 in Dubai.Hide Caption 11 of 17 Photos: William Buick riding Blue Point wins the Al Quoz Sprint during the Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse on March 30 in Dubai.Hide Caption 12 of 17 Photos: Jockey Jose Ortiz on Coal Front reacts after winning the Godolphin Mile race during the Dubai World Cup 2019 at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.Hide Caption 13 of 17 Photos: Jockey Tadhg O'Shea, right, rides AF Maher on the way to winning the Dubai Kahayla Classic race during the Dubai World Cup 2019 at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.Hide Caption 14 of 17 Photos: Two fans take a selfie at the Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse on March 30 in Dubai.Hide Caption 15 of 17 Photos: A groundsman prepares the course before a race during the Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse on March 30 in Dubai.Hide Caption 16 of 17 Photos: Jockeys on their horses compete at the Dubai Kahayla Classic race during the Dubai World Cup 2019 at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai on March 30.Hide Caption 17 of 17READ: USA Track and Field call for Olympics delayREAD: Lewis Hamilton is 'well' following isolation after he was pictured with Idris Elba, who tested positive for coronavirusRead More"To safeguard the health of all participants, the higher organizing committee of the Dubai World Cup has decided to postpone the 25th edition of the global event to the next year," said a statement on the Dubai government website."Further to the UAE government's precautionary measures against the virus, we believe it is our duty to help protect the well-being of residents and guests."We would like to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to all the stakeholders of the Dubai World Cup, and we hope to welcome all participants and guests next year."Last year, Thunder Snow became the first two-time winner of the Dubai World Cup following a photo finish with Gronkowski at the Meydan Racecourse.

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(CNN)After a year of change in CrossFit, the end result is eerily similar with Mat Fraser and Tia-Clair Toomey winning their fourth and third straight CrossFit Games titles respectively. The Games, held in Madison, Wisconsin, acts as the sport's annual World Championships and tests athletes strength, endurance, speed, agility, gymnastics, power and overall fitness over four days and 12 events to crown the "Fittest Man and Woman on Earth."Each event is kept secret ahead of time and can range from open-water swimming, to an obstacle course, to weight-lifting, gymnastics, sprints to combinations of any of these and everything in between. Toomey, the two-time defending women's champion, made her presence felt immediately on day one, pulling away from the field minutes into the first event one, lapping many of her rivals to start the week with a statement-making win. By Saturday, the Australian 26-year-old had a healthy lead which only continued to grow, sealing her title before the final event.Read MoreToomey, who also won a Commonwealth Gold medal in weightlifting in 2017 and competed at the Rio Olympics, becomes the first woman to win three CrossFit Games titles, cementing her legacy as one of the sports all-time greats. "It's definitely going to go down as one of the highlights of my life," she remarked after receiving her third gold medal.JUST WATCHEDToomey and Orr: CrossFit's power coupleReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHToomey and Orr: CrossFit's power couple 03:06READ: Mat Fraser and the loss that launched a legacyREAD: When Tia met Shane -- How CrossFit's power couple metFraser fights backFor Fraser -- whose modus operandi the last few years has been to establish a lead early and slowly pull away from the field, wrapping up the title before the final event has begun -- this year's Games proved not as simple. For the first time since winning his maiden title back in 2016, Fraser went into the weekend wearing his regular competition shirt, relenting the coveted white leader's jersey to fellow American Noah Ohlsen.Ohlsen managed to maintain his lead deep into Sunday before Fraser wrestled it back in the penultimate event of the week, sealing his title with one final dominant performance. This year's competition saw a series of format changes from previous years, resulting in a frenzied first few days of competition which saw the field reduced from 148 men and 134 women on Thursday to just 10 men and women by Saturday morning. JUST WATCHEDSara Sigmundsdottir: CrossFit star's comebackReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSara Sigmundsdottir: CrossFit star's comeback 02:55This resulted in many of the biggest stars of the sport eliminated early, including both men's and women's runners-up from last year, Patrick Vellner and Laura Horvath.The field was the largest in the sports modern history, with national champions from 114 different countries invited to compete. Team MayhemThere were also changes made to the team event. Previously, teams had to be assembled from athletes at the same gym, but now star athletes from far and wide were able to pool their talents to create "super teams."Despite these changes, it was a familiar team standing atop the podium on Sunday. Led by CrossFit legend Rich Froning. His team, CrossFit Mayhem Independence, based in Froning's hometown of Cookeville, Tennessee, began the competition with two straight event wins on Thursday and never relinquished the lead. This victory marks Mayhem's fourth team victory, and Froning's 8th, having won the Individual Men's competition four times between 2011 and 2014. JUST WATCHEDInside CrossFit's secret gymReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHInside CrossFit's secret gym 01:44Froning's record of Individual Games victories is now shared with Fraser, who has been living in Froning's home town of Cookeville since 2017. Qualifying for the CrossFit Games began in December with various international competitions, including the "CrossFit Open" where hundreds of thousands of athletes, both professional and amateur, went head-to-head remotely in order to earn a spot in Madison.

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Story highlightsJulian Assange is inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, Ecuador's foreign minister saysHe has made a formal request for asylum, the minister saysWikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has asked for asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, Ecuadorian officials said Tuesday.Ecuador's foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, speaking in Quito, said Assange was inside the building and had formally requested asylum.The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom last week dismissed an application filed by an attorney for Assange seeking to reopen his appeal against extradition to Sweden.Assange has been fighting for a year and a half against being sent to Sweden for questioning about accusations of sexual abuse. Two women accused him in August 2010 of sexually assaulting them during a visit to Sweden in connection with a WikiLeaks release of internal U.S. military documents.WikiLeaks' work is not at issue in the extradition matter or the Swedish allegations against Assange.

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Griffin, Georgia (CNN)Tyrone Coggins had just learned his brother's killers, after skirting comeuppance for 35 years, would almost certainly remain in prison for a long time. He told prosecutors to hold on because he had something for them. Coggins left the courtroom, where his family had been presented a plea deal that would put the second killer behind bars, and returned with T-shirts for District Attorney Ben Coker and his chief assistant, Marie Broder. On the front was a photo of the always smiling Timothy Coggins, who was 23 when he was slain in 1983 for fraternizing with a white woman. Above his picture were the words, "At last."The moment was a culmination of the Coggins family's long quest for justice. Six weeks earlier Coker and Broder had successfully prosecuted the first of Timothy Coggins' killers, putting him behind bars for life plus 30 years. Now the second killer would be convicted as well."Before we leave, I want to personally, personally thank you so much. This has been a dark cloud over my family for a long time," Tyrone Coggins said. Read MoreCoker and Tyrone Coggins shook hands. The handshake lingered as the men tamped down emotions. In Tyrone Coggins, Coker saw a brother who'd lived through decades of hell. In Coker, Tyrone Coggins saw the man who'd made it right. Prosecutors Marie Broder, left, and Ben Coker present a plea deal to the Coggins family August 8."You better thank her," Coker told him, nodding to Broder. Tyrone Coggins and Broder embraced. "You guys did a wonderful job, man," he told the prosecutors. "I know a lot of time you put a lot of work in, hard hours, and my friend, we're grateful."Though the prosecutors and the Coggins family have known each other since only late 2017, when Frankie Gebhardt and Bill Moore Sr. were charged with the cold case killing, they chatted and joked like old friends. Just minutes prior, Heather Coggins, Timothy's niece, had made an unlikely confession: Gebhardt, who was convicted in June, reminded her of her grandfather. "From the chubbiness, from the eyebrows, to the bald head to ... his mannerisms, he reminded me of granddaddy," she told Coker and Broder. "It's so hard not to feel sorry for him because he looked just like granddaddy, except for white granddaddy."A more problematic case than the firstOn August 8, the prosecutors summoned the Coggins family to the Spalding County Courthouse in Griffin, about 40 miles south of Atlanta.Frankie Gebhardt looks into the gallery during his trial in June. Upon their arrival, the eight family members were taken into the same courtroom where Coker and Broder had successfully prosecuted Gebhardt. The Cogginses took seats in the jury box from which the foreman had pronounced Gebhardt, 60, guilty of murder. Publicizing the plea deal could jeopardize it, so these conversations tend to happen behind closed doors. But Broder allowed a CNN reporter into the room on the condition he not report the plea until it was entered into court the following week. Broder's hair was down. It had been up through the trial. Her mother jokes she means business when she puts her hair up. Coker was casually perched at the table from which he and Broder, his chief assistant, had called a white supremacist, a child molester and other jailhouse snitches to testify they had heard Gebhardt brag about killing "the n****r" who'd made the mistake of socializing with his "old lady" back in 1983. "The case against Bill Moore is a lot different than Franklin Gebhardt's case, and Gebhardt's case was not easy. Bill Moore's will be even harder," Coker said. Unlike in the Gebhardt case, there was no physical evidence from Moore's property -- no knife, no thick chain, no clothing. Nor did Coker have a raft of witnesses who say they heard Moore brag about stabbing and mutilating Timothy Coggins and then dragging him behind a truck. Broder, center, celebrates the Gebhardt verdict with Coggins' family and friends in June.Complicating things further was the media attention on Gebhardt's trial. Moore could now be granted a change of venue, which didn't sit well with Coker, he told them. But he had what he felt was good news: Moore was ready to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter and concealing a death. It was not a murder conviction, but it was a good deal, Coker said. "I've got to be honest. I can't plea him to the charge of murder because nobody will accept that without a trial," he told the family. "What (the plea deal) does is it ensures that he is punished for the crimes that he did and it brings about some closure. We don't have to put y'all back through another trial."The family had questions about the pleaThe deal: Moore will serve 20 years in prison on the voluntary manslaughter charge and another 10 for concealing a death. The Coggins family took the news with a mix of relief and doubt. The night before, Timothy's oldest sister, Peggy Richards, had worried the plea deal wouldn't be sufficient retribution. Bill Moore Sr., left, attends a November hearing with attorney Harry Charles. "So, would he confess?" Richards' daughter, Heather Coggins, who has acted as family spokeswoman since the arrests, wanted to know. "He'll have to get up here in front of the court and plead guilty to the charges, but as far as outlining what he did, I wouldn't expect that," Coker said. Another family member asked: How long will the court appearance last? An hour at most, Broder replied. "Thirty years straight?" Heather Coggins asked. That's to be determined by the parole board, Coker explained. "I want y'all to know that I've got y'all's best interests at heart," Coker told the family. "It's a strong plea, and based on the evidence we have, it's a good plea." Heather Coggins assured him, "Honestly, we've never thought anything other than you guys had our best interest at heart."Hunters found Timothy Coggins' mutilated body off this rural road in Sunny Side in 1983. "I hope so," he said. "It's been a life-changing event for everybody in this room. It's humbled me. It's been a pleasure really to work with y'all and to represent y'all and I hope we done y'all proud."A chorus of yeses rose from the jury box. "Like I said, I'm a fighter," Coker continued. "I don't want this to look like we're giving up. This is the best move we can make.""It's also the only admission of guilt that you all will have," Broder added. "It's the only time that somebody's going to stand up and look at a judge and say 'I'm guilty' -- and that's powerful.""So when will we know if he accepts it?" Heather Coggins asked. "He already has," Coker replied with a smile, accentuating his Southern drawl. There was a chorus of ohhhs from the jury box before Heather Coggins affirmed the family was on board. The first trial was painful for her -- "I didn't know what to expect; I definitely didn't expect that" -- and the family was ready to put a period -- nay, exclamation point -- on a saga that has haunted them for decades.Coggins left this club October 7, 1983, and was later seen with Gebhardt and Moore."We wish the best for them two," Heather Coggins said, "and we just hope that they repent to whoever they believe and they get forgiveness one day.""That's part of being a Christian," Coker said. "I think that says a lot about y'all," Broder said. On the brick walkway outside the courthouse, Richards, with whom Timothy Coggins was living when he was killed, was no longer worried whether the plea deal represented justice. "Hallelujah! Thank you, God. Thank you, God," she told CNN. "We cried, we cried, we cried, we cried for (35) years, but now, we're here. We're here now."'I'm so glad justice was served to y'all'The family still misses Timothy Coggins. They miss his "big, joyful laugh" and his bright smile that showcased his "beautiful, pearly white teeth," other family members said. They reminisce how the mama's boy who could befriend anyone looked out for his sisters and how, according to one of his aunts, "he'd dance anywhere," especially if Frankie Beverly was jamming. Timothy Coggins was always smiling and dancing. His favorite song was Maze's "Before I Let Go."Moore's plea also meant an end to the fear the family has experienced since Timothy Coggins was killed. Spalding County was not exactly a racially harmonious place in the 1980s. The Ku Klux Klan held rallies and parades there, family members testified in the Gebhardt trial.Shortly after Timothy Coggins was slain, the family received notes warning they could be next, Timothy's sister, Telisa Coggins, testified. One of the notes arrived with a severed dog's head, she told the court. Prosecutor: 'You will hear a crime scene scream'Court was bustling Thursday as the family filed into the room. It was a normal court day, and Moore's was but one proceeding on the docket. Broder's hair was back up. Immediately, the plea hit a snag. Moore no longer wanted to serve 10 years in prison for concealing a death. He wanted probation instead. After a discussion, the family lent its support.A deputy rolled Moore and his wheelchair before Judge Fletcher Sams. At 59, he's said to be in poor health. Wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt under his prison scrubs, Moore spoke only to say "yes, sir" or "no, sir" to Sams' questions. Eyeglasses dangled from his shirt collar.1983 newspaper story on #TimothyCoggins' murder offers more detail on what would become a 34-year-old cold case ... until last week. pic.twitter.com/zRAquv5zuz— Eliott C. McLaughlin (@EliottCNN) October 19, 2017 Heather Coggins, who was 6 when her Uncle Tim was killed, approached the bench. She didn't face the judge. She turned to Moore, standing over him as she addressed him directly. "When you took Tim away from our family, my grandparents suffered, and our family never recovered. My grandparents went to their death not knowing what exactly happened to Timothy that night," she told Moore, pushing back tears. Sheriff: Killers meant to 'send a message'"It's been a long time coming for this, for our family, to finally have some closure to what happened to Tim 35 years ago," she said. "We are a family of faith. We're Christian people, and we forgive you. ... We also hope that whoever you pray to forgives you, and we hope that you will just ask for forgiveness and spend the rest of your living life behind bars."Asked afterward if Moore responded in any way, Heather Coggins told CNN, "He just looked at me."Three others are charged with obstruction of justice for their alleged actions after the case was reopened. They await trial. But on August 8, that was a matter for another day.As the family congregated outside the courthouse, sharing their thoughts with a documentary crew that has been working on a film about Timothy Coggins' death, a passerby called out. From left, Bill Moore Sr. and Frankie Gebhardt have been convicted in Coggins' death, while Gregory Huffman, Lamar Bunn and Sandra Bunn await trial."Are y'all the family?" the white woman with long gray hair asked. They said they were. "I'm so glad justice was served to y'all," she said. "Nineteen eighty-three -- my goodness, I'm so sorry. I'm so glad it's over for y'all."

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(CNN)Lionel Messi inspired Paris-Saint Germain to a thrilling 3-2 victory against RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday but the night also revealed the Argentine's magnanimity. Having gone ahead through a clinical Kylian Mbappe strike, PSG found itself trailing after goals from Andre Silva and Nordi Mukiele either side of half-time. It set the stage for a Messi masterclass with the forward scoring twice to put the French giant back in front. The first came after some slick play with Mbappe and the second was trademark Messi. The 34-year-old held his nerve to coolly dispatch a Panenka penalty in the 74th minute to ultimately win the game. But there was still time for more drama with PSG being awarded another penalty in the 94th minute of the match when Achraf Hakimi was bundled over in the box. Read MoreIt seemed nailed on that Messi would step up to complete what would have been his first hat-trick since moving to the club but, instead, it was Mbappe who took it. The French forward blazed his effort clear of the crossbar and Messi was left with his head in his hands. "It's normal, it's respect," Mbappe told reporters after being asked why Messi took the first penalty. "He's (Messi) the best player in the world, it's a privilege he plays with us, I've always said it."There's a penalty, he takes it, period. For the second, he said, 'Take it.'"Kylian Mbappe and Messi saved Paris Saint-Germain from defeat in the Champions League. 'Important for us to win'Despite a slow start to his life at PSG, Messi seems to be clicking into gear with his new team. His link-up play with the excellent Mbappe was yet again a highlight of the latest win, which looked to be in some doubt against the impressive Leipzig who pressed high throughout the match. "It was a tough game, but we're very happy to have picked up the three points," said PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino."It was important for us to win and go top of the group. It was difficult against a very good team, but we deserved the win."PSG now sits atop of Group A with Leipzig, still without a win in this season's competition, bottom.

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(CNN)A hiring crisis is closing classrooms at Nurtury Early Education in Boston.The nonprofit, which serves mostly low-income families, has seen its staff shrink 30% during the coronavirus pandemic."We cannot find enough educators who are willing to come into our classrooms," CEO Laura Perille said. "Because they can earn a lot more money working anywhere other than child care."Across the country, more than 10% of child care workers have left the industry during the pandemic. Early on, they were driven out by temporary program closures and furloughs. Now, the industry is weathering wage competition.Nationwide, the average child care worker earns $12.24 per hour, far less than K-12 teachers. And in this competitive hiring market, other industries are raising wages and adding benefits to attract workers.Read More"This developmental time for children is the most critical in the human life cycle, and yet we're competing against other minimum wage jobs," National Association for the Education of Young Children CEO Rhian Allvin said. "If you can make more money with a much less demanding job -- and I'm talking about mixing milkshakes at a fast-food restaurant -- then what's the incentive?"Federal pandemic relief goes only so farThe American Rescue Plan, passed by Congress in March, spent billions to boost wages and keep the child care industry afloat, but several programs say the funds went only so far.Kara Turner is the founder of Primary Colors, an early education business in Durham, North Carolina. She used relief funds to raise her staff's wages more than a dollar per hour, but she still can't find candidates. Her staff has shrunk 45%, forcing her to cut student capacity in half."It's almost like the workforce is dried up," Turner said. "It's very scary. I don't know what is going to happen."States are helping unemployed parents pay for childcare while they look for workFederal funds helped Nurtury raise wages a dollar an hour, but Martin Ramos, a Nurtury teacher, still works a second job at Home Depot."I've been living paycheck to paycheck," Ramos said. "And I was getting behind on my bills."With the staff shortage at Nurtury worsening, it's now taking 15% fewer students."They may sit on the waitlist for the better part of 2022," Perille said.Impact on working womenAcross the US, roughly 10% of child care programs have closed, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. Others are downsizing, and many parents are seeing prices rise and waitlists grow."And parents, predominately women, can't go back to work," Allvin said.A recent survey found 84% of parents feel overwhelmed by the cost of child care and 20% have quit jobs because of it.The average annual cost of child care nationwide is more than $10,000 per kid, according to Child Care Aware of America. For the average couple, that's roughly 10% of their income. For single parents, it's 35%.Reshonna Reynolds became a stay-at-home mom when her son was born last year. She was making less than $40,000 per year in Seattle."The child care costs were more than we ... were paying in rent," Reynolds said. "So I decided, hey, I have to quit my job."She and her husband are now trying to find day care so she can get back to work, but the waitlists are up to two years long."We can't find any child care," she said.Nearly 3 million women, including hundreds of thousands of mothers, are still out of the workforce because of the pandemic."And it's really important in terms of the jobs recovery going forward," ADP Chief Economist Nela Richardson said. "The US is losing trillions of dollars when women are not fully participants in the labor market."In Arizona alone, a study by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation found that child care issues are costing the state $1.8 billion each year in "untapped potential.""Women can't fully participate in the labor market as long as there are these uncertainties about their child care infrastructure," Richardson said.President Joe Biden's Build Back Better bill -- which passed the House in November but whose future is uncertain in the Senate -- would invest nearly $400 billion in child care, boosting worker wages, offering universal free preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, and guaranteeing that middle-class families pay no more than 7% of their incomes on child care."Parents can't pay more. Early childhood educators can't earn any less. And so it's going to continue to take significant public funding in order to fix this problem," Allvin said.Just look at Reynolds and the career she left."I was a preschool teacher and I had that job for 15 years," she said. "I loved it. It was great, but I could not afford the cost of child care."She's an early childhood educator, feeling stuck at home, needed in the classroom now more than ever."If you want us to pour into your children, you've got to give us what we need," she said.

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Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump has discussed with advisers over the past few days the possibility of replacing Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, sources familiar with the discussion said. A senior White House official confirmed there is some discussion about Coats leaving his position, as he has been on the job for more than two years and is eyeing retirement again. However, it remains unclear when or if Trump will make a move. Trump has expressed frustration in the past with Coats and has periodically considered replacing him, as CNN has reported. His conversations about possibly removing Coats appears to have been revived in recent days, but Trump has long disapproved of some of Coats' conduct. White House braces for shakeup after Trump privately complains about CoatsAnother senior White House official said Trump has never really warmed up to his intelligence director, and this official noted discussions between the President and his aides about removing Coats happened well after he contradicted Trump during a hearing on Capitol Hill earlier this year -- an episode that drew the President's ire. Coats' office referred CNN to a March statement, in which Coats said, "I am focused on doing my job, and it is frustrating to repeatedly be asked to respond to anonymous sources and unsubstantiated, often false rumors that undercut the critical work of the Intelligence Community and its relationship with the President. I am proud to lead an IC singularly focused on the vital mission of providing timely and unbiased intelligence to President Trump, Vice President Pence and the national security team in support of our nation's security."Read MoreAxios first reported the President's renewed focus on Coats.Fred Fleitz, former chief of staff to national security adviser John Bolton, is one name being floated for the post. He has had discussions with the White House about possibly replacing Coats, two sources told CNN. But there could be several others, as Trump is no stranger to creating a vacancy with no clear permanent replacement waiting in the wings. A source familiar with Bolton's thinking told CNN that he is pushing for Fleitz to get the job, but Trump's relationship with Bolton has been tested due to the national security adviser's push for more aggressive moves on Iran and it is unclear if Bolton has the clout to get one of his top allies into such a prestigious post.Michael S. Smith II, a terrorism analyst and teaching fellow in the Global Security Studies program at Johns Hopkins University who has advised Republican members of Congress on national security issues for nearly a decade, told CNN that the possibility of Trump replacing Coats with a Bolton ally like Fleitz is concerning."I think most people working in government agencies comprising the US intelligence community assume CIA director Gina Haspel will be the voice of reason that smashes the brakes on this potential train wreck. Unfortunately, I think they may be overestimating her influence capacity," he said. Not the first time Trump has considered replacing CoatsTrump and Coats never forged a particularly close relationship and the President has time and again voiced frustrations about Coats, telling advisers that he considered Coats in line with other top officials who have sought to restrain him like former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and former White House chief of staff John Kelly.In February, CNN reported that White House officials had begun to have preliminary discussions about replacing Coats amid concerns Trump might soon dismiss him. Trump publicly denied that he was considering the move at the time. Those conversations began after Trump vented to friends and advisers about the director of national intelligence, renewing his gripes about Coats' testimony before Congress in January. In that testimony, Coats publicly contradicted Trump's optimistic forecast about the chances North Korea will agree to give up its nuclear weapons."We currently assess that North Korea will seek to retain its WMD capabilities," Coats said during that hearing. "It is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities because its leaders ultimately view nuclear weapons as critical to regime survival. Our assessment is bolstered by our observations of some activity that is inconsistent with full denuclearization."Coats was in lock-step with the US intelligence community's assessments -- which Trump himself has seen -- but the President fumed in the subsequent days about the press coverage of Coats and his fellow intelligence officials' comments. When disagreements between Trump and Coats previously spilled into public view, Trump has quickly papered over the discord and moved on, but it remains unclear whether the that will happen again this time. A complicated relationshipSources familiar with Coats' thinking have told CNN in recent months that it was unlikely he would resign due to disagreements over policy with the White House or to make a public statement -- despite some calls for him to do so when Trump appeared to contradict the intelligence community on Russian interference while standing next to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki last year.While Coats is not comfortable with Trump's attacks directed at military and intelligence officials, both current and former, and is keenly aware when Trump's decisions seem to directly contradict the briefings provided by intelligence officials, the fact that he has not resigned to this point is a reflection of his sense of patriotism, several sources said."When Dan Coats does decide to step down, I would be reluctant to attribute his departure to any difference of views with the White House given his ability to maintain his position during a challenging few years," a former senior intelligence official who worked closely with Coats told CNN.Coats has also weathered an up and down personal relationship with the President as the two men never really have become close, sources said. When media reports noted that Trump privately refers to Coats as "Mr. Rogers," one source close to Coats laughed and said, "He's like Mr. Rogers with a spine of steel."Still, that's not to say Coats would not step down on his own terms or if explicitly asked to do so by the President, multiple sources said. "Dan Coats has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to stay above the political fray and stick to the mission of the DNI. He is driven by principle, mission, and a commitment to the country. Although I am sure his family will be delighted if they can spend more time with him, his departure means that the administration is losing someone known for his decency, gravitas, and a willingness to work in a bipartisan manner," the former senior intelligence official said.But until that time, multiple sources said Coats will continue to do his job as he has done since he was confirmed. CNN's Alex Marquardt contributed reporting

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(CNN)Arsenal's semifinal exit to Villarreal in the Europa League was an "embarrassment" according to former captain Martin Keown. The ex-defender, now working as a television pundit, said Arsenal looked "lost" as it was dumped out of the competition by the Spanish side on Thursday.Arsenal had lost the first leg 2-1 and couldn't break the deadlock in the return fixture which ended 0-0. Its inexperienced squad looked short of ideas and star man Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has recently recovered from malaria, was a passenger for much of the tie. "Arsenal looked lost. We couldn't get out and they made us nervy. We haven't really laid a glove on them and we haven't gone down fighting," Keown said on BT Sport after the match. To make matters worse, Villarreal is managed by Unai Emery, who was sacked by Arsenal and replaced with Mikel Arteta. Read MoreThe current boss, who is still learning his trade at the top level, now faces huge scrutiny with the team currently 9th in the Premier League and heading towards a season without European football for the first time since 1996."It's a huge job at this football club. His (Arteta's) inexperience has perhaps cost him," added Keown. "He's still manager, but it felt this was the rescue package and his players didn't turn up. He was outsmarted by the previous manager which is a bit of an embarrassment."Fellow pundit and former Arsenal player Freddie Ljungberg, who briefly took over as interim boss at the club in 2019, said he hoped Arteta would keep his job but recognized the pressure mounting on those who need to make the decision. "He's a young manager and I hope he will stay," he said on BT Sport. "But, of course, it's not good enough for Arsenal and it's up to the owners and other people within the club."READ: Manchester City cracks code to reach first Champions League final Mikel Arteta was beaten by the man he replaced, Villarreal's Spanish coach Unai Emery (L).Pressure on owners After the game, Arteta -- who had been a fan favorite when he first took over in December 2019 -- said he was "devastated" by the result but insisted he still thought he was the right man for the job. "I feel the pressure all the time because I want to do as good as I can for the team, the support that I have and for the fans," he said after the game. "I think everybody's job is under scrutiny."It's yet another chapter in a tumultuous season for Arsenal. Its league form has been woeful at times and there is widespread anger among supporters about the club's owner, Stan Kroenke.The American has been accused of not investing enough money into the squad and, ultimately, for not caring about the team's performances on the pitch.His decision to sign Arsenal up to the hugely controversial Super League also caused fans to protest outside the stadium. Spotify CEO and founder Daniel Ek has publicly announced his desire to buy Arsenal, insisting he wants to take his favorite club back to glory.

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(CNN)The powerful House Oversight Committee, which is expected to be at the center of investigations into President Donald Trump's administration, is getting several high-profile young members this Congress, among them freshman Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.The Oversight Committee announced Tuesday that among its new members were Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rep. Ro Khanna of California. Politico first reported the committee appointments.The Oversight Committee is a far-reaching and prominent panel, expected to be among the most active at investigating the Trump administration. The committee already has a blockbuster hearing on its schedule, as it's expected to hear public testimony from Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen early next month. "Our Committee is the primary investigative body in Congress, and we will address the issues that affect the American people every day while we root out waste, fraud, and abuse," Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings of Maryland said in a statement announcing the members. The committee placement ensures that some of the freshmen class's most outspoken Trump critics will continue to be in the spotlight representing, in part, the Democratic Party on the national stage in the coming months. Read MorePressley, who like Ocasio-Cortez got her seat after defeating an incumbent Democrat in the primary, is Massachusetts' first black female member of Congress. Khanna, who is in his second term, is a leading progressive member in the House. He recently joined Ocasio-Cortez in bucking Democratic party leadership in voting against a House rules package over a requirement that new spending be offset by matching cuts or increases in revenue, a move they believed would thwart their ambitious policy plans. Tlaib, the first Palestinian female member of Congress and one of two Muslim women members of Congress, drew attention recently for her comments the night of her swearing-in when she used an expletive to push for Trump's impeachment, a position she's stated repeatedly. More than a year before she ran for her seat, Tlaib was in the news when she was thrown out of an event in Michigan, where Trump was speaking after interrupting the then-Republican presidential nominee in protest.Ocasio-Cortez is arguably the most famous member of the freshman class, and since her swearing-in has made a steady stream of headlines over her nascent career on Capitol Hill. Ocasio-Cortez has so far given lessons to her Democratic colleagues on how to use Twitter -- one of her accounts has more than 2.5 million followers -- as well as advocated for progressive policy goals, including a suggestion to tax the wealthy as high as 70% to fund a climate change plan. She's been a lightning rod for conservative critics, as well as irritating some in her own party. The Oversight Committee is not the only high-profile committee to which she's been assigned. Last week, Ocasio-Cortez also secured a seat on the House Financial Services Committee, chaired by prominent liberal Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California.CNN's Ashley Killough, Clare Foran, Devan Cole, Veronica Stracqualursi and Greg Krieg contributed to this report.

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Story highlightsSecurity is still one of four main topics of the fractious debate because it's not been won, writes Nic RobertsonDavid Cameron raised the specter of UK exit potentially leading to a Europe-wide war With the vote teetering on a knife edge, the security debate could be crucial (CNN)UK citizens are poised to vote on a crucial decision about whether to stay or leave the European Union (EU) -- but the debate has been stalked by the fear that one big terror attack in the UK before Thursday's poll could influence the outcome.So far in the referendum campaign, Britain -- although traumatized by the brutal murder of British lawmaker Jo Cox -- has fortunately only been  a spectator to the terrorist scourge of radical Islam. In Paris the brutal stabbing of a police officer and his partner (also a policewoman) in their house left their three-year-old son orphaned. Terrible enough, but the knife-wielding attacker also broadcast his actions live.As Europe awoke to this new level of terror -- the potential of mass execution being streamed live -- the U.S. was experiencing its own horror with dozens slaughtered in the Orlando club shooting.JUST WATCHEDCompeting UK referendum rallies held in LondonReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCompeting UK referendum rallies held in London 03:37The Leave campaign barely missed a beat, warning Brits in a tweet that an Orlando-style massacre could be coming their way if they remain part of the EU. There were complaints of bad taste and the offending tweet was quickly taken down. Hours later it was back.Security is just one of four main topics of the fractious debate; immigration, sovereignty, and the economy have also been (far richer) battlegrounds for each side.Read MoreUK referendum: Full coverageThe non-Brit's guide to BrexitWho's who in the UK referendum?Europe wants UK to stay, but won't begIn or out? A tale of two British townsFive reasons Europe would miss UKWhy security is key to Brexit voteIf Britain votes 'Leave,' what next?Curry chefs spice up referendumTimeline: Britain's troubled Europe tiesBrexit and immigration: Will it change?Why Brexit vote should worry TrumpEurope's nervous silence on BrexitIn the early days the Remain campaign scored on the economy, dubbed by Leave supporters as "lies" and "scare tactics." The Remain team argued that the UK would be poorer alone, and gained ground. Leave has won big on immigration and to some degree sovereignty.On security, the logic of each side is often reduced to the simplest argument. For the Leave campaign, controlling immigration reduces the radical Islamist threat, and for Remain supporters the EU is an early warning system -- alerting us that terrorists are coming. But it is more complicated than that.A month ago I talked with Pauline Neville-Jones, a former security minister in UK Prime Minister David Cameron's government, and she told me that Europe gives the UK a lot; that it is a security buffer. "We get DNA information about individuals, we get information about car registrations... we get personal data about people," she said.Daily threat warningsJUST WATCHEDWill UK vote on EU be Lehman Bros or Y2K?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWill UK vote on EU be Lehman Bros or Y2K? 01:19For Neville-Jones, and those who have done her job and see the daily threat warnings and security concerns stream across their desks, In is a no-brainer. UK Home Secretary Theresa May, in the past something of a Euro skeptic, has come down on the side of Remain. Every day her top concern is getting the nation back to bed safely without a terror attack.Many former British intelligence and military chiefs, like ex-MI6 boss Sir John Sawers and former MI5 chief Jonathan Evans, have lined up to agree with Neville-Jones and May.But not all. Sir Richard Dearlove who once ran MI6 claims that Britain's open borders policy with the EU is against the country's interest. Others have made the point that the data sharing would continue, and bilateral interests would prevail over any loss suffered from withdrawing from Europol. Leave campaigners argue that Interpol's database is larger and more easily accessible than Europol's.In recent weeks the London-based counter-terrorism think tank, the Quilliam Foundation, canvased 20 former security chiefs and experts and found there was no clear consensus that put the either Leave or Remain security arguments significantly ahead of the other.But the security arguments don't stop at terrorism. David Cameron raised the specter of UK exit potentially leading to a Europe-wide war, invoking this country's great losses in the past."The serried rows of white headstones in lovingly-tended Commonwealth war cemeteries stand as silent testament to the price that this country has paid to help restore peace and order in Europe," he said. Cameron was criticized for using fear tactics.European defense policyJUST WATCHEDJohn Oliver's ode to the UK and EUReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHJohn Oliver's ode to the UK and EU 01:53His point, however, was not lost. The precursor to the EU was set up in the aftermath of two world wars to bind Europe's nations together and make such war impossible.Still, arguments like this one, that on the surface should have seem so simple to win, have been wide of the mark and even backfired.Boris Johnson, the often rambunctious former mayor of London and leading advocate in the Leave camp, has struck his target more often."What worries me now is that it's the European Union's pretensions to run a foreign policy and a defense policy that risk undermining NATO," he said. He plays on the fear Britain will lose control, lose sovereignty of its armed forces, and that strikes a deep chord of national pride.Johnson continued: "If we leave on June 23, we can still provide leadership in so many areas. We can help lead the discussions on security, on counter-terrorism, on foreign and defense policy, as we always have."Obama urges UK to remain in EUJUST WATCHEDObama urges UK to stay in EUReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHObama urges UK to stay in EU 04:58President Obama strongly disagrees. It is the United States that struggled hard to help bring peace to post World War Europe, pushing the former foes to economic union. So it's no surprise that when he went to London in April this year he stood shoulder to shoulder with Cameron telling the British to vote Remain. As then, America today needs a united Europe, a strong NATO in the face of a resurgent, nationalist Russia.But the big picture argument pales next to terrorism for most voters. The threat they can see, radical gunmen and bombers, is far more immediate than the insidious rise of nationalism and the big bear over the horizon.They may be right to worry. Former spy Aimen Dean spent years burrowed deep inside al Qaeda, leaking its darkest secrets and strategy to Western capitals. That ISIS has a leadership mandated strike surge now, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, is a worry in itself. But in Abu Dhabi last month he said: "They [ISIS] believe in the long run the strategic goal is to break up the body of the European Union that they perceive to be a formidable enemy."And ISIS, he told us, understands well the fragility of the debate and the knife edge the vote is on. "A strike against the UK at this particular time is designed to influence the vote. If they can claim afterwards they were a decisive factor in the UK voters deciding to leave the EU and as a result break up the EU then they would claim it."The stakes in this debate remain incredibly high. With the vote teetering on a knife edge -- potentially, even at this late stage, a victim to the ill winds of terrorism -- whoever wins the security debate may well win the overall referendum.

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(CNN)As if their stalled and tattered agenda wasn't proof enough, Democrats just got a poignant reminder of the precarious nature of life in a 50-50 Senate, especially ahead of an impending Supreme Court nomination.After news broke Tuesday that New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Luján suffered a stroke last week, there was palpable concern for a valued fellow senator and then relief among his colleagues that he was expected to make a full recovery.At 49, Luján is one of the geriatric Senate's young bucks, yet his sudden hospitalization, at least for now, deprives Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of a functioning majority if he needs to call a short-notice vote. The truth about diversity on the Supreme CourtAnd it offered a preview of more serious long-term implications for Democrats if even one of their number becomes temporarily or permanently incapacitated. Thoughts about the fragility of the chamber's delicate balance of power will have flashed across many minds on Tuesday afternoon. This consideration is especially acute since the Senate will soon begin to consider President Joe Biden's nominee to replace Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. Renewed focus on the slim margin of error available to Democrats in the confirmation process also underscored why so many progressives were so itching for Breyer to retire. They are desperate to confirm a liberal justice while their Senate majority holds to avoid further bolstering the current 6-3 conservative majority on the high court.Democrats believe they have a good chance to get at least a few GOP votes to confirm Biden's yet-to-be-announced nominee that would give them some breathing space. But given the stark polarization in Washington, it's not out of the question that tactical calculations could change if the political winds shift. Without Republican votes, they would need all 50 Democratic senators to vote in person to back the nomination.Read MoreThere is a good case that Democrats outside Washington and some in the House didn't fully appreciate the complexities of working with a 50-50 Senate majority that requires every Democrat to form a simple majority, plus the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris. Democrats have learned reality the hard way, after West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, both moderate Democrats, blocked Biden's vast social spending and climate program and a bid to change filibuster rules to reform electoral law.Speed is therefore of the essence for Democrats to avoid any mishaps with the Supreme Court confirmation. Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin of Illinois said Tuesday that Biden was hoping for a brisk confirmation process of about 40 days once he's named his pick. If the President announces his nominee by the end of this month, that could give Luján two months or more of convalescence before a final vote if necessary.Biden's legislative problem is threadbare margins, not left-wing overreachSchumer moved quickly to shut down speculation about the resilience of the Democratic majority and quickly said that the priority was for Luján to recover. "We are all grateful that he will have a full recovery," the New York Democrat told reporters, before sending a message to calm Democratic nerves."We look forward to his quick return to the Senate and I believe the Senate will be able to carry forward with its business," Schumer said.Several of Luján's other colleagues also stressed that he was expected to make a full recovery and should be back among them soon. "I think what's important is that it's really easy for all of us in this business to put this place first," said Luján's fellow New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich. "My hope is that Ben Ray will put himself first for the next two weeks."Aged Senate stirs concern among Democrats A sudden reminder of mortality in any workplace can be unsettling. And given the huge political implications of the Senate's delicate balance of power and the advanced age of its incumbents, such shocks especially reverberate on Capitol Hill. According to a recently updated Congressional Research Service report, the average age of the current Senate is 64.3 years. But many of the most powerful Democrats are in their 70s and 80s. Even the merest suggestion of something amiss about a senator's health sends concern rippling through Washington. This was the case when Sen. Patrick Leahy went to the hospital briefly after not feeling well a year ago. The 81-year-old Vermonter, who serves as Senate president pro tempore, has since said he won't run for reelection. And California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 88, insisted she was fit to continue a term that runs through 2024 following a New Yorker article in late 2020 that raised questions about her capacity. Manchin says Build Back Better 'dead' as talks stall on Biden agendaIn the event Feinstein leaves before the end of her term, California's Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom could name a replacement and he has said he would choose a Black woman. Leahy's state, Vermont, which has a GOP governor, has a tradition of naming an interim replacement from the same party as the departing senator. States have various rules on naming replacement senators and interim seat warmers and on calling special elections. But it's not impossible that a Democratic senator forced to resign or die would be replaced, at least for a short time, by a Republican governor in a way that shifts majority control to the GOP.Even if that doesn't happen, things are tough enough for Schumer as he tries to come up with a way to revive Biden's Build Back Better plan and somehow keep the fight for voting rights reform alive. Before Luján's condition became known, several brief episodes encapsulated the Democratic conundrum.Asked whether he had held talks with fellow Democrats about the Build Back Better plan, Manchin replied on Tuesday: "No, no, no, no. It's dead." Later, the West Virginian said that anything that was done would have to get structured differently than the latest, failed version of Biden's key bill. "You always start at scratch," he said, even though Schumer later insisted that he was fighting hard to get as much as possible included in the plan. Previous drafts included free pre-K tuition and boosts for home health care for sick and elderly Americans as well as half a billion dollars in climate spending.How majorities can change midtermThe showdown with Manchin underscores the need for Democrats to act quickly on their priorities since they are not necessarily guaranteed to hold their thin majority until the next Congress is elected in midterm elections in November.If they slipped behind Republicans in the tally of seats in the Senate, it would not be the first time a majority party had lost its advantage. In 2001, then-Republican Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont became an independent in a 50-50 Senate and caucused with Democrats, making South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle the Democratic majority leader and stalling President George W. Bush's domestic agenda in the process. But that drama paled in comparison to the 83rd Congress when nine senators died in office, leading to a revolving door of replacements as the two parties took turns having the most Senate seats. In early 1954, then-Democratic Minority Leader Lyndon Johnson chose not to press for the reorganization of the Senate under Democratic control. The future president was already wielding huge power as minority leader and was passing some of his priorities by cooperating with the popular Republican administration of President Dwight Eisenhower. Johnson's bipartisanship impressed voters and the Democrats took narrow control after the 1954 midterm elections, making him majority leader. Such a scenario is unlikely in today's polarized times when differences are more sharply defined by party affiliation than in Johnson's day, when coalitions were often forged on ideological and geographical faultiness that spanned both parties. The idea that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell would pass up the chance to take power again is unthinkable. CNN's Manu Raju, Ali Zaslav and Lauren Fox contributed to this story

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Story highlightsUnder the deal, the U.S. will cut carbon emissions by more than 25% by 2025China is aiming to get 20% of its energy from renewable resources by 2030Obama: U.S. and China have responsibility to lead effort against climate changeSen. Mitch McConnell says the plan will hurt the U.S. economy Beijing (CNN)In a historic climate change deal, U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced both countries will curb their greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades. Under the agreement, the United States would cut its 2005 level of carbon emissions by 26% to 28% before 2025. China would peak its carbon emissions by 2030 and will also aim to get 20% of its energy from zero-carbon emission sources by the same year. "As the world's two largest economies, energy consumers and emitters of greenhouse gases, we have a special responsibility to lead the global effort against climate change," Obama said Wednesday in a joint news conference with Xi.JUST WATCHEDWhite House, China agree on climate changeReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhite House, China agree on climate change 02:20The announcement marks the first time China has agreed to peak its carbon emissions, according to the White House. Xi is calling for "an energy revolution" that would include broad economic reforms addressing air pollution. Obama, who was in Beijing for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, said he hopes the deal will spur other nations to tackle climate change. Read More"We hope to encourage all major economies to be ambitious -- all countries, developing and developed -- to work across some of the old divides, so we can conclude a strong global climate agreement next year," Obama said.Xi said both sides were committed to working toward the goals before the U.N. Climate Conference in Paris next year. Colorful summit ends with rare news conferenceNo more excusesWe have a special responsibility to lead the global effort against climate change.President ObamaThe Center for Climate and Energy Solutions said the joint announcement is "an extremely hopeful sign" and will help get other countries on board."For too long it's been too easy for both the United States and China to hide behind one another," said the center's president, Bob Perciasepe. "People on both sides pointed to weak action abroad to delay action at home. This announcement hopefully puts those excuses behind us. We'll only avert the worst risks of climate change by acting together."The announcement could put climate change back on the G20 agenda, said researcher David Holmes of Monash University in Australia. "The announcement may mean climate will have to be higher on the G20 agenda despite host nation Australia trying to keep it off altogether," Holmes said. "As an economic meeting, it cannot afford to ignore the restructuring of energy markets and productive capacity that will be needed to accommodate these very ambitious cuts."The goals laid out by Obama and Xi were not as ambitious as some hoped, said Lo Sze Ping, CEO of the World Wildlife Fund Beijing. But "what's important is that both these two large emitters are taking the responsibility to act and work together to resolve the problem, not the numbers or targets themselves," he said. U.S.-China relations: Can teens succeed where presidents have failed?Challenges in WashingtonJUST WATCHEDObama: 'This is a major milestone'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHObama: 'This is a major milestone' 01:42The White House said the ultimate target is to "achieve deep economy-wide reductions on the order of 80% by 2050."A senior Obama administration official said the goals are "ambitious and achievable" -- but U.S. domestic politics could be a challenge. The official said "leading climate deniers" in the Republican party might try to stop the initiative. The official hinted that Obama could act alone if necessary."Congress may try to stop us, but we believe that with control of Congress changing hands we can proceed with the authority we already have," the official said."This is really the crusade of a narrow group of people who are politically motivated and have made this a cause celebre, but we believe we will be successful." The Obama administration hopes to sell the plan back home by touting the anticipated savings on energy costs. The plan offers initiatives and incentives to develop more solar and wind power in both countries, the official said. "Consumers and businesses will save literally billions of dollars," a senior administration official said. JUST WATCHEDSkepticism over U.S.-China dealReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSkepticism over U.S.-China deal 03:26But the Senate's top Republican said the climate change deal will hurt the U.S. economy. "Our economy can't take the President's ideological war on coal that will increase the squeeze on middle-class families and struggling miners," Sen. Mitch McConnell said in a statement. "This unrealistic plan, that the President would dump on his successor, would ensure higher utility rates and far fewer jobs."24 hours with President Obama in ChinaChina's next stepsChina has agreed to provide another 800-1,000 gigawatts of nuclear, wind, solar and other zero emission generation capacity by 2030. That amount of zero-emission output exceeds all the coal-fired power plants that exist in China today and is close to total current electricity generation capacity in the United States.A senior Obama administration official said that historically, the United States and China have often been seen as antagonists, so the climate change deal "should send a powerful message," and "will usher in a new day, where the U.S. and China can work as partners." Clearing the airJUST WATCHEDPollution causing expats to leave ChinaReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPollution causing expats to leave China 02:01During Obama's visit to Beijing, the Chinese government closed factories and gave employees time off to reduce car traffic and emissions in Beijing. The reduction of smog and the appearance of blue skies was noted by media throughout the APEC summit.Top Senate Republicans slam climate dealMore agreements madeAs well as the historic climate change deal, Obama and Xi also agreed on the importance of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula, cybersecurity, strengthening military relations and increasing trade. "China is firmly committed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Xi said. Both sides also agreed to an extension of the validity of short- term business and tourist visas from one to 10 years, and of student visas from one year to five years."This arrangement will facilitate the travel of millions of U.S. and Chinese citizens, furthering the trade, cultural, and people-to-people ties that form the foundation of our bilateral relationship," the White House said.CNN's Matt Hoye reported from Beijing; Holly Yan reported from Atlanta. CNN's Hilary Whiteman, Dana Bash and Katie Hunt contributed to this report.

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(CNN)A former Liberty University spokesman is suing the university for firing him after he allegedly spoke out on how the school was handling sexual misconduct allegations, according to a suit filed Monday. Walter Scott Lamb most recently served as the senior vice president of communications and public engagement for the school. He is alleging the university fired him after he argued with executive leadership over their handling of a lawsuit filed in July, where 12 women claimed the university created an environment on its Virginia campus that increased the likelihood of sexual assault and rape.Liberty University sued by 12 women claiming school policies made sexual assault and rape more likelyLamb is requesting past and future loss of wages and benefits, including pre- and post-judgment interest, compensatory and punitive damages as well as attorney fees. He did not name a specific amount. A Liberty University spokesperson said in a statement, the university "categorically denies" Lamb's claims he was fired because of the Title IX lawsuit."In reality, Mr. Lamb was terminated-with-cause as a result of a meeting about a recent review of the area under his management," their statement reads. "Lamb's lawsuit is a transparent effort to rebuild his own reputation by shamefully playing on the goodwill of supporters of sexual assault victims. We look forward to addressing his claims in court."Read MoreIn response to Liberty's comment, Lamb tweeted a statement saying his lawsuit "alleges that Liberty University has been behaving badly and has drifted from the original mission.""I allege that they've treated me unfairly for trying to do the work of an internal reformer, for trying to get to the facts of the troubles they have brought upon themselves, and for speaking truth to power," Lamb's statement read. "I look forward to pursuing this lawsuit and vindicating my rights -- including my right to speak the truth."Lawsuit alleges Liberty president called Lamb 'a liar' Lamb's lawsuit stems from an October 4 incident where he testified for over 20 hours to outside counsel looking into the women's claims. After testifying, Lamb said he got into an argument with University President Jerry Prevo and several others in leadership positions over the "direction of the University," according to the lawsuit. Lamb allegedly said he would not "be silenced or participate in a cover up of activities within the University that Plaintiff believes contradicted the law," including "but not limited to" the accusations alleged in the July Title IX lawsuit. "During the October 4 meeting, University President Jerry Prevo called Plaintiff a 'liar'," the lawsuit reads. "Upon information and belief, this epithet reacted to Plaintiff's vocal opposition to the University's handling of what Plaintiff believed to be corrupt practices, which included the University's failure to address Title IX violations, by the highest levels of University leadership and the Board of Trustees."Sexual assault linked to later brain damage in women, study findsThe next day, Lamb was offered a severance deal if he were to sign a non-disclosure agreement, preventing him from speaking about his time at the university, according to the lawsuit. When he rejected the deal, he was fired the day after on October 6, the suit reads. While his lawsuit specifically focuses on the October 4 meeting as a moment of contention, Lamb also alleges he brought up Title IX violations to "many members of the Executive Leadership team, including, but not limited to, President Prevo, his predecessor Jerry Falwell, Jr., and General Counsel (David M.) Corry."The university declined to comment on the status of the investigation into the Title IX lawsuit, but said "the university would like to affirm its commitment to take all allegations of sexual assault seriously and in accordance with the law." Prevo also sent a letter to the university community on Tuesday denying Lamb's account, and stated claims the university mishandled the investigation under his leadership were false. "Nothing could be farther from the truth," he wrote. He also reiterated they "will not tolerate Title IX violations, sexual abuse or sexual assault in any form at any time."CNN's Kay Jones and writer Hollie Silverman contributed to this report.

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(CNN)Police say they are hunting two suspects after gunfire broke out Saturday at a car show in Dumas, Arkansas, killing one person and injuring at least 28, including several children.At a news conference Sunday afternoon, police identified the person killed as 23-year-old Cameron Shaffer of Jacksonville, Arkansas. There was no indication Schaffer was involved in act of shooting itself, they said."Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and also with all the families and our shooting victims as a result of this incident," Col. Bill Bryant of the Arkansas State Police told reporters.Police believe there was "no mass shooting intended," with the incident triggered by two individuals who exchanged fire around 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET) Saturday at the community car show. The Dumas Police Department had one person in custody on unrelated charges, and police are searching for two additional suspects in connection with the shooting, Bryant said.Read More"It's shocking," he said. "We have a small community, a farming community in Dumas of 5,000 people and then we have an incident of multi-victims ... you don't expect that from small town Arkansas." Gov. Asa Hutchinson spoke out on Twitter Sunday, saying the incident "represents a total disregard of the value of life." "As the investigation continues, I will examine details to see if there are any steps that could have been taken to prevent this type of tragedy," Hutchinson said in the statement.Children among victims of shootingEarlier Sunday, state police said that 24 people had been wounded in the incident, while Arkansas Children's Hospital said it had treated six victims aged under 18. The hospital said the children's wounds were non-life-threatening and most of them had been released from the hospital following treatment."Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock received six patients under 18 with gun shot wounds from the incident, none fatal. Most of the patients have been treated and released," Hilary DeMillo, media relations manager for the hospital, told CNN in an email.Bryant told the news conference that five children -- aged 11, 9, 8, 23 months and 19 months -- were transported to Arkansas Children's Hospital after the incident and that police were working to verify whether a sixth child was involved. Five victims had since been released from the hospital, he said.Arkansas State Police said in an earlier news release Sunday that Special Agents from its Criminal Investigation Division had interviewed victims and witnesses overnight. Investigators secured the scene, which sits along US Highway 65 as it goes through the center of Dumas, it said.The car show was hosted by the Hood-Nic Foundation and Delta Neighborhood Empowerment Organization, a group providing educational programs and support for Dumas-area youth, according to their website. Dumas is about 80 miles southeast of Little Rock.According to Delta N.E.Y.O website, the annual Hood-Nic, (Neighborhood Picnic) of which the car show has been a part for 16 years, takes place annually over spring break weekend to raise funds for "scholarships, school supplies, and more to deserving individuals.""We are heartbroken and in shock at what took place during tonight's car show," the Hood-Nic Foundation said in a Facebook post Saturday night."The purpose of Hood-Nic has always been to bring the community together," the post said. "This senseless violence needs to end. Sending our prayers."CNN's Dakin Andone and Susannah Cullinane contributed to this report.

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Story highlightsRotterdam police say it's too soon to say if a van found near the venue is related to the threatThe American rock band Allah-Las was scheduled to perform at the venue (CNN)A terror threat early Wednesday in the Netherlands caused the cancellation of a concert at a venue in Rotterdam, police there said. Later that night, authorities stopped a van with Spanish plates that was carrying gas cylinders inside an area cordoned off by police near Rotterdam Maassilo, the concert venue, Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb told reporters. Authorities did not have to evacuate Maassilo because the concert hadn't started, Rotterdam Police press officer Roland Ekkers said. The American rock band Allah-Las was scheduled to perform, the band's website said. Police did not offer details on the threat. Ekkers said it was too soon to say if the van was directly connected. "It can also be someone who was going to a camping site, but with the threat that we have, and what we found in the van, we decided to investigate," he said. Rotterdam Police respond to a terror threat on Wednesday.Read MoreEkkers said the van, which police stopped around 9:30 p.m., was "driven by a Spaniard." Authorities found "about five" gas bottles in the vehicle. Ekkers said the driver "has been taken into custody because we want to ask him about gas bottles." Bomb experts are looking at the van, police said.The threat comes as two suspects allegedly connected to the terror cell behind recent attacks in Spain were formally charged Tuesday amid reports the cell was planning to target Barcelona landmarks.JUST WATCHEDWitness: People were screaming in terrorReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCH (13 Videos)Witness: People were screaming in terrorPolice identify suspect in Spain attacksBarcelona attack: Flowers, candles and tearsTimeline of attacks in SpainWitnesses describe Barcelona attackPence: Images of Barcelona attack sicken usWitness describes 'immediate carnage' in SpainVideo shows bodies on ground after van attackVictims on ground after terror attackPolice: Van plowed into crowd in BarcelonaWitness: Barcelona scene extremely distressing Vehicles as weapons: A disturbing trendThe psychology of terror Unity and defiance at memorial mass for Barcelona victimsOne woman was killed when a car mowed down pedestrians early Friday in Cambrils, Spain. The five assailants were fatally shot by police on the scene.The Cambrils attack happened hours after a van plowed through crowds Thursday on the renowned Las Ramblas avenue, a popular tourist section of Barcelona, killing 13 people and injuring more than 100 others.READ MORE: Witness saw people 'flying into the air'On Monday, Spanish authorities shot and killed Younes Abouyaaqoub, the suspected driver of the van, after a dayslong search in Subirats, west of Barcelona. CNN's Milena Veselinovic and Mick Krever reported from London. CNN's Darran Simon contributed to this report.

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(CNN)American swimmers Caeleb Dressel and Robert Finke won gold again on Sunday, as part of an exemplary effort from Team USA at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.Dressel, who finished his Olympics on Sunday with five gold medals in all, won the men's 50-meter freestyle gold medal with an Olympic record time of 21.07 seconds. He became just the third man to ever win the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle at the same Olympics.Ryan Murphy (from left), Zach Apple and Caeleb Dressel of Team United States react after winning the gold medal and breaking the world record in the Men's 4x100m Medley Relay Final on Sunday.Florent Manaudou of France took the silver in the event with a time of 21:55, and Brazil's Bruno Fratus won bronze with a time of 21:57.Caeleb Dressel and Zach Apple celebrate their victory in the men's 4x100m medley final on SundayDressel then returned to swim the butterfly portion of the men's 4x100-meter medley relay for Team USA, along with Ryan Murphy swimming backstroke, Michael Andrew swimming breaststroke, and Zach Apple swimming freestyle in the anchor position. The team won gold with a world record time of 3:26.78. Great Britain won the silver medal with a time of 3:27.51, and Italy took the bronze finishing in 3:29.17.Read MoreIn the men's 1500-meter freestyle, swimmer Robert Finke won the gold medal finishing with a time of 14:39.65. Finke, a surprise gold medalist in the 800-meter freestyle earlier in the Tokyo Games, earns his second gold medal of these Olympics.Ukraine's Mykhailo Romanchuk won silver with a time of 14:40.66, while Germany's Florian Wellbrock won bronze with a time of 14:40.91.At the completion of the swimming events, the US stood at 19 gold medals and 52 medals overall during these Olympics.CNN's Travis Caldwell and Jacob Lev contributed to this report.

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(CNN)Just 1% of children's books published in the UK last year featured a main character from an ethnic minority, according to a report released on Tuesday. The findings were in stark contrast to the makeup of British schoolchildren, of whom 32% come from minority backgrounds, according to the Department for Education.The report was carried out by the Center for Literacy and Primary Education and funded by Arts Council England.Of the 9,115 children's books published in the UK in 2017, the study found:1% featured a main character from a black, Asian or other minority ethnic (BAME) background.4% featured a BAME character at all.10% of books with BAME characters contained "social justice" issues.Only one book featured a BAME character in what would be described as a "comedy."Read MoreThe report said that in books where characters did explore their ethnic identity, plots often focused on "the refugee experience" or "biographies of key figures who had overcome significant adversity."As part of its recommendations, the report said BAME characters "should not be predominantly defined by their struggle, suffering or 'otherness.'""If in their formative years, children do not see their realities reflected in the world around them or only see problematic representations mirrored back at them, the impact can be tremendously damaging," the study said.1% of children's books published in 2017 had a BAME main characterWe want to work together to change this -- Read our full report and recommendations: https://t.co/UamUapdHgB (working link) pic.twitter.com/EGQ1EWmJJH— CLPE (@clpe1) July 17, 2018 It added that BAME characters were more likely to be featured as part of a multicultural cast, rather than as a lead character.BBC journalist Tina Daheley, who grew up in London and comes from a Sikh family, said she "didn't see myself in children's stories growing up.""Stunned that in 2018 there's still a whole generation of children that don't see their lives reflected in books," Daheley tweeted Tuesday, adding: "EVERYONE benefits from proper representation."I didn't see myself in children's stories growing up. Stunned that in 2018 there's still a whole generation of children that don't see their lives reflected in books. EVERYONE benefits from proper representation. pic.twitter.com/iNd65AhLSO— Tina Daheley (@TinaDaheley) July 17, 2018

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Khartoum, Sudan (CNN)Slashes to her hands, bite marks embedded in her shoulder, and a broken bed.As the defense team for Sudanese teenager Noura Hussein submitted an appeal to save her life, CNN has learned new details about the struggle that unfolded when she killed her husband, who she says raped her following their forced marriage.The legal team representing the 19-year-old, who was sentenced to death earlier this month for murder, filed the appeal on Thursday in the capital Khartoum following an international outcry over Hussein's case."Noura and indeed the women and girls of Sudan have too often been treated as chattel to be traded and given away as though they are property and as though they have no rights," activists with the Justice for Noura campaign said in a statement on Thursday. "Here today, united and in one voice we wish to say -- enough!"The teenager's story has shone a spotlight on the issues of forced marriage and marital rape in Sudan, where the legal age of marriage is only 10 and marital rape is legal.Read MoreHussein's family compelled her to marry at 15, but she refused and ran away for three years. Her father forced her to complete the wedding ceremony in April 2017. After refusing to have sex with her husband on their "honeymoon," she says he raped her as his brother and two cousins restrained her. A day later her husband tried to rape her again, and she stabbed him to death. When she went to her parents for support, they turned her in to the police.An illustration used in the change.org campaign for Noura Hussein. Her legal team and activists supporting her case say that Hussein's marriage was void, arguing that under Sudanese law, she should have been married in front of a judge as she was under 18 at the time. Thursday's appeal put forward a medical assessment entered into evidence at the time of Hussein's arrest in May 2017, which details defensive wounds: cuts to her hands, bite marks on her shoulder and the bed broken during the struggle with her husband.Sudanese judicial sources told CNN that Hussein was questioned by investigators upon her arrest without the presence of her lawyer. The teenager alleges that she was subjected to threats from the arresting officers during her initial interrogation, according to the same sources. During that interrogation, Hussein confessed to killing her husband after his relatives held her down while he raped her in a suburb of the Sudanese city Omdurman. Hussein maintains she was forced in to marriage by her father and an uncle.The husband's family has denied that he raped Hussein, arguing that the couple were married."I'm optimistic. I believe we will win the appeal, but if not we will go for the supreme court," Nahid Gabralla, director of SEEMA, a non-governmental organization working with victims and survivors of gender-based violence in Khartoum, told CNN. "It's a long journey."Intimidation campaignIn an apparent last-ditch effort to subvert the legal process, lawyers appointed to defend Hussein by the Sudanese government tried to file their own appeal, despite never interviewing Hussein or consulting her legal team, Gabralla said. Gabralla said that activists raised concerns that the group of government-appointed lawyers would not represent Hussein's interests, and ultimately their appeal was rejected by the court.The move follows weeks of an intensifying campaign of intimidation by the Sudanese government, activists told CNN.Last week, Hussein's lead attorney, Adil Mohamed Al-Imam, was barred from holding a news conference.Noura Hussein on her wedding night.Sudanese security forces came to Al-Imam's office just hours before he was due to brief the media on the latest developments in the case, activists said.Activists and local journalists say it's part of a coordinated effort to prevent the media from reporting on the case and to intimidate Hussein's defense team.For Sudan's Islamist ruling party, Hussein's case represents a threat, calling into question the law on forced marriage.The Sudanese government has not responded to CNN requests for comment on the underlying case.A sisterhood in prisonIn Dar al-Tayibat Women's Prison, a tight-knit sisterhood has formed around Hussein. Activists who have visited her there say that other inmates have rallied around her.Like Hussein, the women wear tobes, Sudan's traditional long dresses, and are restricted by heavy iron shackles.The young activist fighting for Sudanese teen on death rowHussein's friends in prison say she had aspirations beyond marriage. None wanted to be quoted by name for fear of retribution by Sudanese authorities, but one told CNN: "Noura wanted to study law, she wanted to be someone. When we spoke of our dreams of getting married. Noura was serious. She would speak about her dreams of someday becoming a judge."Hussein, who is from a rural town south of Khartoum, is a member of Darfur's Zaghawa tribe. Her husband's family is wealthier and more influential than Hussein's family in their shared tribe.Hussein's lawyers are concerned for her well-being in prison. Al Fatih Hussein, a key member of Hussein's legal team, told CNN that they are unable to provide her with psychiatric support without a judge's direction. She has received no psychiatric support from authorities since her arrest last year.Across Sudanese social media platforms, Hussein's actions have sparked debate, heartfelt confessions and conversations about the treatment of women in tribal and rural communities.One Facebook user said, "as a Zaghawa girl you're taught not to embarrass the tribe above all else. Not to embarrass your family. What they did to Noura wasn't unique. What was different was what Noura did. She was brave, she didn't let them treat her like property."

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Story highlightsMartin Kaymer to play on the USPGA Tour in 2013Kaymer, 27, hit the winning putt for Europe at the 2012 Ryder CupGerman joins whole host of European stars on PGA circuit"It was the right time now," he tells reporters ahead of switchMartin Kaymer, the man who holed the famous putt to cap off the "Miracle at Medinah", is set to leave Europe to compete on the USPGA Tour this year.The 27-year-old, who briefly reached No.1 in the world in early 2011, finished last year strongly with victory at the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa following a difficult 12 months.But his five-yard putt to win the Ryder Cup for Europe kick-started his run back into form towards the end of the year.Nike unveils Rory McIlroy: Tiger's heir apparentKaymer joins fellow Europeans Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Nicolas Colsaerts, Luke Donald, Justin Rose, Graeme McDowell and Peter Hanson in making the switch to the U.S.JUST WATCHEDGolfer Rory McIlroy signs with NikeReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHGolfer Rory McIlroy signs with Nike 05:29JUST WATCHEDExclusive: Tiger and Rory's 'bromance'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHExclusive: Tiger and Rory's 'bromance' 09:34JUST WATCHEDBranden Grace on remarkable winsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHBranden Grace on remarkable wins 06:41"It was the right time now," he told reporters ahead of the $2.7 million Abu Dhabi Championship."When I was 23, 24 it was maybe a little bit too early. Now I feel like I would try it out how it feels, knowing now what is going to happen in America."I've played there many times, majors, World Golf Championships"I've got to know the culture more, me living in Arizona, so I feel comfortable."McGinley beats Monty to Ryder Cup captaincyKaymer endured a frustrating 2012 after to make changes to his swing, an alteration which left his struggling for most of the year."For me it was the right time," he said. "I didn't feel like the No.1 in the world. I was, but I didn't feel like it," he added."I knew I couldn't play all the shots I wanted. And for me, if you are the best player in the world, you should be able to hit many, many different golf shots and I just couldn't."Just knowing that didn't make me feel like the No.1. If you don't feel like it, you will never stay No.1. So that's why I needed to change."

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Galway, Ireland (CNN)In the middle of the night, Imam Ibrahim Noonan answered the phone and heard an unfamiliar Irish voice.The man on the line told Noonan he didn't agree with Muslims in general, or want them in Ireland. He said he didn't want Irish culture to change and that he belonged to a far-right group, according to Noonan.The caller went on, telling Noonan he had attended a meeting where people said they were planning to attack his mosque and harm him. The man explained that while he agreed with the group's ideology -- "no mosques, no Muslims, no immigration" -- he didn't condone physical violence. Then the line went dead.Noonan saw the call as a clear warning of an upcoming attack and he reported it to police.In late July, the Imam's Maryam Mosque in Galway was vandalized. The perpetrators smashed several windows, wrecked Noonan's office, and destroyed the video surveillance system.Read MoreA spokesperson for the Irish police told CNN in a statement that they were "investigating a burglary."But Noonan said nothing was stolen from the property so treating the attack as a burglary was "insulting" to the Muslim community. The incident was targeted and premeditated, according to Noonan.The Maryam Mosque was attacked in late July. Vandals had previously attacked the mosque with rocks in 2017. Unlike most other countries in the European Union, Ireland has no purpose-built hate crime legislation and the government doesn't gather national statistics on hate crime, racist attacks or discrimination.In Ireland, while a hate motive may be an aggravating factor that can contribute to stronger sentencing in criminal cases, there is no specific law that covers hate crimes in the criminal justice system, with each sentence a matter for the presiding judge.The 1989 Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act does make inciting hatred on account of race, religion, nationality, ethnic background membership in the Traveller community or sexual orientation an offense. However, it is generally only applicable to hate speech, with only five convictions under that legislation in the past 30 years, according to the Immigrant Council of Ireland. The Irish Department of Justice and Equality told CNN that the Minister for Justice is "particularly conscious of concerns around hate crime," and that, "in tandem with the review of the 1989 Act, the Department is currently undertaking research on how other countries have legislated for hate crime to determine international best practice in this regard. This important work will inform the development of Ireland's legislative and policy response to this challenging issue."A report from the Irish Council of Civil Liberties, which analyzed the life cycle of a hate crime using data from 2011-2016 found that crimes motivated by hatred of a specific group were "routinely overlooked, minimized or excluded at the points of recording, investigation and prosecution," and that hate elements of crime were often filtered out from the criminal justice process.The Immigrant Council of Ireland is currently renewing its calls for effective hate crime legislation, noting the national action plan against racism expired 11 years ago. Pippa Woolnough, the council's communications and advocacy manager, told CNN that underlying this problem is the fact that the government doesn't properly track data on hate crimes. While the police introduced new ways to record hate crimes in 2015, Woolnough said, in a report sent to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination last year, the government admitted that data isn't being collected in a way that the Central Statistics Office can use."We know that hate crime is a message crime," said the ICCL report's co-author Jennifer Schweppe, senior lecturer in Law at the University of Limerick.Schweppe added that in response, "the message we (as a society) can send through legislation is that we do not think this is acceptable." "But at the moment we as a society and the legislature are not sending that message -- and that has a number of implications," she said.Moving into the mainstreamNoonan said that racism and bigotry have always existed in Irish society but have "always been in the undercurrent." Now, he added, this type of attitude is "starting to show its face."Ireland's lack of hate crime legislation, coupled with a changing socio-political landscape that is seeing far-right narratives entering the mainstream, could be exacerbating racist, xenophobic, bigoted and homophobic attitudes, according to activists and NGO workers.Noonan believes that, while these attitudes are held by a small section of Irish society, the surge of the far-right across parts of Europe -- including movements in the UK, Poland, Austria and Germany -- is emboldening some people to become violent. Inside Imam Ibrahim Noonan's office, which was ransacked in an attack on the mosque in late July. This summer, Amanullah De Sondy, a senior lecturer in contemporary Islam at University College Cork (UCC) also received a frightening phone call from an unknown caller. De Sondy was left a voicemail calling him a "scumbag, a terrorist" who "must stop lecturing the Irish on how they should live their life." Then the voice said: "I hope you are executed." De Sondy reported the call to police.He told CNN that he had received a similar message in 2017 but that the recent call left him "shaken." He said that the "narrative in Ireland" has changed, noting that as rapid social changes have taken place in the country -- such as a rise in migration and recent referendums on abortion and same-sex marriage -- it has also opened a space for a "fringe minority of hateful people" to become more politically charged.Woolnough from the Immigrant Council of Ireland agrees. "For the first time there's an emerging visibility of alt-right speech and far-right figures that we haven't seen in Ireland before," she said.Mahmoud Rashid, president of Galway's Ahmadiyya Muslim community, points to a wider anti-Muslim narrative across Irish society.Dr. Mahmoud Rashid: "Islam is a way of life and its very compatible with western values.""When someone looks at an article that's anti-Islamic or a video that shows a grooming gang (a group who takes advantage of vulnerable young people, often for sexual exploitation) what happens is that automatically it's 'Muslims are doing this,'" Rashid said."If there's a constant bombardment of messages that Islam is evil," it pushes members of society who might be easily swayed towards extremist messaging towards this ideology, he added.'Institutionalized racism'Rashid, who immigrated to Ireland in 1999, said this prejudiced narrative is applied to Muslim and other migrant groups, including those who are seeking asylum. He pointed to messaging that some far-right pundits appropriated following the 2008 economic crisis tying domestic issues to an influx of migrants. "What's happened is a result of the economic crisis," Rashid said. He explained that migrants who arrived in Ireland after the financial crash -- and subsequent economic austerity -- have often been blamed for social problems, including Ireland's biggest housing crisis of modern times.Since 2014, the number of Irish families who have been made homeless has risen by more than 212%, according to data from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. In that same period, Ireland has also seen a rise in its migrant population, including those who are seeking asylum.Asylum seekers have often become the scapegoat of racist narratives wrongly conflating the housing crisis with migration, according to human rights activists. A government system called Direct Provision is one of the main drivers responsible for fostering negativity and attacks on asylum seekers, according to many who live under it.Under the system, asylum seekers are housed in emergency accommodation -- often in overcrowded, poor conditions -- while they wait to find out if they will be granted refugee status and permission to stay in Ireland. Asylum seekers are not allowed to apply for a work permit until at least eight months into their application process. This wait for asylum can take years and has rejection rates at approximately 70%, according to recent Department of Justice figures.A hotel that serves as a direct provision center for asylum seekers in Galway, Bulelani Mfaco, an asylum seeker from South Africa who has been living under Direct Provision since 2017, told CNN that the system itself is "institutionalized racism" on the part of the Irish government as "no one else is treated in the same way as asylum seekers are treated."Ireland's Justice Department did not specifically address Mfaco's allegation in comments to CNN. However, the department said the Direct Provision system offers "accommodation and related services to anyone without means, which includes all meals, medical care and utilities free of charge... The system was introduced to deal with a situation where asylum seekers were effectively homeless."The department added: "In recent years, a program of reforms has been initiated to deliver real improvements for residents in living conditions and standards." This includes initiatives to increase integration and to provide support for residents from local residents, it said.Mfaco campaigns to end Direct Provision with the group Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland. He said that segregating asylum seekers while denying them the right to work "reinforces stereotypes about migrants not working and living off the state," leading them to be targeted with verbal and physical attacks.Mfaco told CNN he has been subject to online abuse due to his campaigning, but it "becomes scary when it comes offline."He is referring to three recent attacks (two of which were suspected arson) on two proposed Direct Provision centers, hotels earmarked to provide accommodation to people seeking asylum, in the last nine months.A statistical blindspot? When you have an economic crisis and hardships, there are always those seeking to blame others, Shane O'Curry, director of the European Network Against Racism Ireland (ENAR Ireland) said.And because there is no centralized data on discrimination and hate crimes, that can lead to a certain amount of denial within the Irish government -- and its citizens -- that it even exists, he said. While mass migration is a relatively new phenomenon in Ireland, experts on racism and discrimination say racist attitudes have always existed in the country, particularly when it comes to the Traveller community -- an indigenous minority group recognized as a distinct ethnic group, whose traditional, nomadic lifestyle is an important part of their culture."It's a mistake to say that there was no racism in Ireland until the migrants arrived -- which in itself is a racist thing to say to begin with," O'Curry said.It's a mistake to say that there was no racism in Ireland until the migrants arrived -- which in itself is a racist thing to say to begin withShane O'Curry, ENAR directorSome of the country's long held, anti-Traveller sentiments were capitalized on in last year's presidential election when independent candidate and businessman Peter Casey, who was struggling in the polls for most of the race, made incendiary remarks about the Traveller community towards the end of his campaign.After he made those controversial comments about the Traveller community, including calling their special status a "load of nonsense," he saw a bump in popularity, and eventually took second place in the race.Casey dismissed the idea that those controversial comments were the reason for the rise in popularity.But O'Curry believes that Casey's remarks opened a "Pandora's box," saying that a small number of people might seize the atmosphere generated by such toxic discourse as a justification to get violent with minorities.And without proper government legislation to target those crimes, he said, "you can say it (racism) doesn't exist...then you aren't obliged to gather data on it so you can go on and say that it's not a problem." Instead, NGOs are filling in the gaps.The 2018 Council of Civil Liberties (ICCL) report found that Travellers have long been subject "to virulent racism," and that the state's legal recourse for combatting online hate speech against the group has "proven particularly ineffectual."The ICCL report also found that Ireland has one of the highest rates of hate crime against people from Africa and transgender people in the EU.Another report published by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency in December 2017 stated that 21% of people surveyed from a sub-Saharan African background were subject to at six or more physical attacks because of their ethnic or immigrant background in the five years leading up to the survey, ranking the highest among the EU member states surveyed. The EU group average was 9% for this same group. People from Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Nigeria are among the top five nationalities of asylum seekers in Ireland.In 2018, David Stanton, Ireland's Minister of State for Equality, Immigration and Integration said in parliament that "other countries in which there is hate crime legislation in place have major problems, but we do not." He pointed to existing criminal law, saying it was adequate in combating hate crimes and he mentioned the 1989 Act. But human rights advocates argue that the law is limited in scope because it only protects certain groups, and ignores hatred against the disabled, intersex and transgender people, asylum seekers and refugees.A year later, Stanton changed his tone, announcing in June that the government will establish a new Anti-Racism Committee "to help in the fight against racial discrimination in Ireland." While he said that non-white groups face higher levels of discrimination despite legal protections against racial discrimination, there was no mention of a change to the law.A caretaker at the Galway Maryam Mosque surveys damage from the July attack. Back at Galway's Maryam Mosque, no arrests have been made in connection with the July attack.Still, members of the Ahmadiyya community say that they have been overwhelmed by the amount of support they've received from their neighbors and friends, who have stood in solidarity with them against the attacks.But without the introduction of effective hate crime legislation, experts say, Ireland could be in danger of normalizing such violence.

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Austin (CNN)Douglas Frank, an Ohio math teacher, affixed his Texas flag print bow tie, led a booming rendition of the National Anthem and then walked a crowd through an absurd mathematical equation that he claimed proves the 2020 election was stolen."Just about every county in the country was hacked," Frank told the dozens of Texans huddled in a ballroom at a local country club on Sunday. When he finished speaking more than 90 minutes later, they gave him a standing ovation.This is how the big lie that the 2020 election was stolen grows even bigger. More than a year later, there is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. But Frank is still winning audiences with lawmakers, election officials and voters across the country.Currently on leave from his teaching position, Frank has traveled to Texas and dozens of other states, claiming he uncovered an algorithm proving the 2020 election was stolen nationwide, even as his conclusions have been debunked by mathematicians and election experts."At the core of how our democracy works is that we have to trust election results," said Justin Grimmer, a political science professor at Stanford University. "Luckily, the theory is so crazy that I think only the people who really want to believe or really, really want to see some conspiracy in the world would be persuaded. But nevertheless, I think there's a real danger there."Read MoreFrank is just one in an army of conspiracy theorists, inspired by former President Donald Trump's election lies, who are dedicated to trying to convince others the 2020 election was corrupt. As of December, it was a belief shared by a third of Americans, who said Joe Biden was an illegitimate president, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll. In an interview with CNN, he stood by his flawed conclusions, remaining adamant in his belief that the elections are rigged -- regardless of the many experts who have disproven his claims."I know the elections are not real. I know the elections are being manipulated," Frank said in an interview with CNN. "Regardless of who wins. I just want 'em to be fair."Conspiracy-minded 'super moms'Across the country, Frank has connected with women he has dubbed "super moms." They are women who have embraced unfounded election conspiracy theories and are engaged in efforts to expose the nonexistent widespread fraud.In New Hampshire, one of the women has pushed for a so-called forensic audit of her state's 2020 election results and has promoted efforts to ban voting machines and move to hand-count-only elections.In Colorado, women have organized door-knocking campaigns to try to uncover phantom voters. And in Pennsylvania, women have launched voter canvasses, pressured state GOP lawmakers to launch a 2020 election review and are now pushing to get rid of electronic voting machines across the state. What elevates Frank above the everyday conspiracy theorist are his financial backing and his intensive travel schedule.Critically, he has the backing of Mike Lindell. The My Pillow CEO is a deep-pocketed purveyor of election disinformation and told CNBC he has already spent $25 million on his efforts to push election fraud claims. In an interview, Frank told CNN that he is an "expert witness" for Lindell's attorney, and he is paid for specific projects. He said groups that invite him to speak cover the cost of his travel and lodging. Others donate money to support his efforts. Still, Frank insisted he wasn't motivated by money or his newfound stardom among election deniers. "My goal is to be able to pay my bills, and it's working," Frank said. "I've been able to do this a year now and my bank balance isn't getting smaller."Debunking Frank's fraud claimsBefore Frank arrives at a speaking gig, he creates an elaborate slideshow complete with county-by-county graphs. An animated public speaker, he offers a bit of his bio, flips through the graphs and describes how a "sixth order polynomial" equation demonstrates that the election was stolen."I was the perfect person in this world to discover this," Frank told state lawmakers at a stop in Colorado. "I have exactly the right skills. I love swimming in big data."The equation may be better suited to math wonks, but Frank takes liberties in his presentation with snappy lines that succinctly -- and inaccurately -- describe his findings. "America was stolen by an Excel spreadsheet," he told the crowd at a North Carolina event. In Idaho, he explained his theory on phantom voters: "They are inflating our registration rolls, stuffing phantom ballots and then cleaning it up afterwards. It's that simple."He has even absurdly claimed his discoveries could land Trump back in the Oval Office. "I'd like the country to stand up and say, 'Wow, this thing was ripped off. Let's do a do-over or let's put Trump back in office,' " Frank said in an August interview on the Truth & Liberty livecast. Grimmer, the Stanford University professor, said Frank has a way of wooing crowds with his professorial demeanor but that ultimately his conclusions are meaningless."I think this took my research group an afternoon. You uncover that there's no basis for this," said Grimmer, who looked at data for 42 states and found that Frank's assessments do not provide any evidence of voter fraud. "But if you're not someone who, like me, spends all day working on statistics and data, six order polynomials and nearly perfect correlations --- it sounds like he's uncovered something really impressive."Frank uses the number of registered voters by age group and prior voter trends to predict voter turnout, then claims it is evidence of fraud when it aligns with actual voter turnout. Put another way: Frank's analysis finds that age groups with more people have more people who vote, which Frank then interprets as fraud, Grimmer said."Effectively, what he's doing is he's discovered that anything that you go out and measure in the world is closely related to itself," Grimmer said.Aside from Frank's flawed interpretation of the math, there are extensive election security protocols in place that would prevent the kind of widespread hacking and phantom vote-stuffing that Frank has described."If you even change a period, a period in the election programming, it sends up a red flag that immediately stops the entire process until we can identify what would have triggered that red flag," said Isabel Longoria, the elections administrator for Harris County -- the most populous county in Texas and home to some 2.5 million voters.In Harris County alone, election officials inspect thousands of voting machines -- repeatedly -- in the months leading up to elections."Six months out, we start checking all 13,000 pieces of voting equipment in Harris County, opening them up, do they turn on? Have they been tampered with? Can we take them to a voting location? Are all the buttons working?" Longoria said. Election officials run accuracy tests on the machines under the watchful eyes of bipartisan observers. On Election Day, officials track the number of people showing up to vote and the number of ballots cast -- one of the many safeguards that would catch an election inflated by phantom voters, according to Longoria.Longoria said she is required by law to update the voter rolls daily, and she noted that it would be effectively impossible for even a coordinated group to break in and inflate the voters rolls in each individual county. "Breaking into multiple buildings, multiple systems in tandem, with not a single red flag going off in this incredibly sensitive system, all in unison, right? As you have all eyes on elections from every election staff," Longoria said. Longoria revealed little frustration as she ran through the extensive checks and balances in the election system and debunked a wide range of conspiracy theories. "I love answering these questions, and I love geeking out and getting all the details," she said. "My job is to make sure that you can feel, as a voter, good and secure about our system."Spreading the big lie nationwide When Lindell and Frank met with Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill on two occasions last year, Merrill said, it also didn't take much effort for him to discredit their wild election claims."Every time they gave us an example, we were able to refute what they showed us without even knowing what they were going to do when they arrived," said Merrill, who's a Republican. Addresses they claimed were stocked with phantom voters turned out to be facilities like apartment complexes or assisted living facilities, where multiple people resided and were registered to vote."The information that they had been sharing with us could have been cleared up by doing a simple Google search of addresses," Merrill said. Frank acknowledged that the Alabama presentation had been a "complete botch" and blamed it on a newly hired staffer working on his team.To others, Frank's presentation is fuel for their baseless suspicions that President Joe Biden wasn't fairly elected."Some people say we know that other states are wrong, but we think Kentucky must be right," Kentucky state Sen. Adrienne Southworth said. "And I say, well, how do you know? And they have no idea. They just assume, and so I said, well, that's kind of the problem."Southworth held an event featuring Frank and, after seeing his work, said she had come away more convinced that 2020 was problem-plagued."I think the whole world is on the edge right now of -- are we going to continue trusting the system?" Southworth said. Kentucky was just one of the stops on Frank's nationwide tour.In Missouri, a "voter fraud is real bootcamp" featured Frank and a state representative, with a flyer calling on county clerks to attend.In Colorado, Frank met with Tina Peters, the Mesa County clerk now under investigation by the FBI and others for her alleged involvement in a security breach of the county's election system last year. Peters has defended her actions, claiming she conducted a backup of the voting system to preserve records.In Montana, the Montana Free Press reported that Frank met with staffers for the state attorney general."We're going into each state -- clandestinely -- and I meet privately with legislators and secretaries of states and attorney generals," Frank said at an event in Dallas last year.This week, in his return to Texas, Frank appeared with a handful of candidates running for everything from county offices to Congress. He urged the crowd not to buy into the idea that Texas is becoming a battleground state, insisting "they" -- Frank never identified who -- were stocking the state voter rolls."They're getting ready to switch you purple," Frank said. "Don't believe it. You're red."After his pitch to Lone Star State voters, he sat down for his interview with CNN and defended his efforts to undermine confidence in America's elections. "It'll be a constitutional crisis. It will be a crisis. It's going to happen. It's inevitable. It's going to happen. And I'm helping that happen. Yes," Frank said.

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(CNN)We've long been taught that helping others helps ourselves. As Charles Dickens wrote, "No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another." And science has shown that altruistic behaviors -- defined as putting the well-being of others before our own without expecting anything in return -- actually do improve our health. Volunteering, for example, has been shown to minimize stress and improve depression. It can reduce the risk for cognitive impairment. It can even help us live longer. It also appears that giving can help us cope with pain. A 2017 study found chronic pain sufferers who volunteered reported decreased pain along with an improved sense of purpose. The most generous state in America A new series of studies may have found one reason why: regions of the brain that react to painful stimulation appear to be instantly deactivated by the experience of giving. Read More"Whereas most of the previous theories and research have emphasized the long-term and indirect benefits for altruisticindividuals, the present research demonstrated that participants under conditions of pain benefited from altruistic acts instantly," the study authors wrote.Giving reduces painThe studies, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, tested various scenarios of altruism in 287 people. One found that those who volunteered to give blood after an earthquake experienced less pain than those who did a routine test, despite the use of a larger needle. A second discovered people who freely gave their time to revise a handbook for the children of migrant workers experienced less pain when exposed to cold temperatures than people who did not volunteer.Want to live longer? Be an optimist, study saysIn another study, the researchers recruited cancer patients living with chronic pain and asked them to cook and clean for themselves or for the benefit of others at their treatment center. When they were helping others, their pain levels dropped. When they did the work for their own personal benefit, the pain-relieving effect was reduced by over 62%.In the most telling study, researchers asked participants to consider donating money to help orphans; if they chose to do so they were asked to rate how helpful they believed their donation would be. The brains of those participants were then scanned via MRI while they received a nasty electric shock to their hands. Results showed the pain-control centers in the brains of those who donated reacted less to the painful sensation than those who did not give money. Not only that, but the more people believed their altruistic actions were helpful, the less their brain responded to the pain. More meaningful actions = less painIn addition, the authors found it was the meaning people gave to their good deeds that predicted how much pain the brain would perceive. While more research is needed, the authors believe that medicine should consider using altruism to "supplement current behavioral therapies to treat pain."Prior research found the act of giving stimulated the reward centers of the brain, producing a sort of "helper's high." A reduced sense of pain combined with feel-good chemicals -- it seems our brains reward us for helping others even when we're not expecting anything in return. Sounds like a great reason to put volunteering and other giving behaviors on your to-do list in this new year to improve your health and others'.

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(CNN)A collision between a dump truck and a trailer carrying about 100 monkeys on Friday scattered crates of live animals across a road in Montour County, Pennsylvania, and prompted a search for a "small number of monkeys," the state police said.On Saturday night, two Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) troopers, Andrea Pelachick and Lauren Lesher, tweeted "All monkeys have been accounted for."One monkey had been unaccounted for Saturday morning, according to a tweet from the Pennsylvania State Police Troop F.Temperatures were below freezing on Friday night.Camels escape from circus and venture out to explore MadridPolice initially tweeted "a small number of monkeys may have fled the crash scene into the surrounding area," following the accident that blocked traffic on SR 54 at I-80 near Danville.Read MoreIt's unclear how many monkeys were missing.CNN affiliate WOLF reported the monkeys were being taken to a lab at the time of the collision.The Pennsylvania Game Commission was involved in searching for the remaining monkey, according to PSP."We are asking that no one attempt to look for or capture the animal. Anyone who sees or locates the monkey is asked not to approach, attempt to catch, or come in contact with the monkey," the PSP tweeted.There were no immediate reports of injuries from the accident.CNN's Raja Razek contributed to this report.

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(CNN Business)Israeli engineer Moshe Ravid came home one day to find his house flooded by a burst water pipe. Once he'd finished mopping up, he immediately went to work on a solution to prevent it from happening again. Ravid created an artificial intelligence-powered water meter called WINT. The unit integrates into existing pipe systems, where it can learn the normal water flow, detect when things go wrong, and shut off malfunctioning parts before any damage is done, according to Yaron Dycian, chief product and strategy officer at WINT Water Intelligence, a startup based in Tel Aviv.WINT communicates with the cloud over a cellular network to deliver real-time analytics and alerts through its app.Launched in 2012, the company's technology was originally designed for homes but has since started targeting companies that are looking not only to prevent damage but also to waste less water.Nine years and many algorithms later, WINT is gaining recognition for its water saving tech. In 2019, the company expanded into the United States and Europe -- where the technology has already been adopted by companies such as Microsoft, HP and Mastercard.Read MoreThe huge cost of water damageAccording to the Association of British Insurers, water damage is one of the most common household property claims in the United Kingdom. On average, a burst pipe claim can cost nearly £9,000 ($13,000). Other water-saving tech on the market include home monitors Flo by Moen and Belkin's Phyn Plus system. But Dycian says what makes WINT stand out is its ability to deal with large-scale office buildings, factories and construction sites. The damage caused by burst water pipes can cost businesses millions of dollars."It's quite amazing the amount of damage that water can cause in a building," he tells CNN Business. "A pipe breaks on the 20th floor, water trickles down and anything in its wake is really destroyed. We have customers who have lost tens of millions of dollars in a single event like this."This problem was all too familiar for UK-based construction company Mace, which built London icons like The Shard and the London Eye."We've had a number of issues around leaking pipes in the final throes of construction that caused millions of pounds' worth of damage," says Paul Connolly, technical director for Mace.This AI reads children's emotions as they learn Beyond the financial cost, Connolly says damage to reputation and rising insurance premiums forced the company to look for solutions. Today, WINT is incorporated into each new Mace construction site, which Connolly says has helped their bottom line and their sustainability goals.WINT typically saves users 20 to 25% in water consumption, according to Dycian.Saving waterWith water supplies under pressure globally, it's more important than ever to cut down on consumption and wastage. Even a small or slow leak can waste a lot of water; a 3-millimeter crack in a pipe can waste about 946 liters (250 gallons) of water per day, according to American Water Resources.This 'snake robot' can fix pipelines on the ocean floorDycian says 25% of water that enters any building is wasted through small things like a running toilet or a dripping faucet. In US households alone, those average leaks account for nearly 1 trillion gallons wasted each year."Here's water scarcity (and) here's a huge business problem that's causing massive damages -- and a solution that manages to solve both," he says. "That's exciting to me."Correction: An earlier version of this article misidentified the founder of WINT.

0business

Story highlightsTiger Woods has a share of the lead after PGA Championship first roundWoods and Justin Rose carded four-under par opening rounds of 66Woods is looking for a third FedEx Cup title and the $10 million winner's checkWorld No. 1 Rory McIlroy is in contention after an opening round 69Former world No. 1 Tiger Woods is in contention for a 75th PGA Tour title after a four-under par opening round of 66 left the 14-time major winner with a share of the lead at the PGA Tour Championship.Woods, whose last win came at July's AT & T National, is top of the leaderboard alongside world No. 9 Justin Rose."Nice week, huh?" a satisfied Woods told the Tour's official website. "I probably could have gotten a couple more out of it. But I was probably right on my number."The 36-year-old will be hoping for a third FedEx Cup title and a $10 million winner's check.Any member of the 30-man field can still win the lucrative prize, providing results go their way. JUST WATCHEDPGA Tour Championship: Round one ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPGA Tour Championship: Round one 01:33JUST WATCHEDLee Westwood looks forward to Ryder CupReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHLee Westwood looks forward to Ryder Cup 02:56The current top five in the FedEx Cup standings, Woods, world No. 1 Rory McIroy, Phil Mickelson, Nick Watney and Brandt Snedeker, will all win the top prize with victory at the East Lake Golf Club -- regardless of how their rivals fare.One stroke behind Woods and Briton Rose is a quartet of Americans -- Bo van Pelt, Steve Stricker, Matt Kuchar and Scott Piercy.While Americans dominate the leaderboard, Australia's Adam Scott, who came desperately close to winning this year's British Open, is part of a quintet on two under.World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, a winner in three of his last four events, is still in the hunt after carding a 69."Wish I could have shot a couple shots better," said the Northern Irishman. "But I'm in a good position going into Friday."McIlroy is level on one under with Ryder Cup teammate Sergio Garcia, five-time major winner Phil Mickelson and Masters champion Bubba Watson.The 2011 PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley, his fellow American Jason Dufner and 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen are tied on level par.

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(CNN)Bob Saget, the comedian and actor arguably known best by audiences as wholesome patriarch Danny Tanner on the sitcom "Full House," has died, his family confirmed in a statement to CNN.He was 65. "We are devastated to confirm that our beloved Bob passed away today," the Saget family said in their statement. "He was everything to us and we want you to know how much he loved his fans, performing live and bringing people from all walks of life together with laughter. Though we ask for privacy at this time, we invite you to join us in remembering the love and laughter that Bob brought to the world." Saget was found dead in a hotel room on Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, according to a statement from the Orange County Sheriff's Office."The man was identified as Robert Saget & pronounced deceased on scene. Detectives found no signs of foul play or drug use in this case," the Sheriff's statement read.Read MoreThe cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner, the Sheriff's office added.Saget was in Florida as part of his comedy tour. According to tour dates pinned to his Twitter account, he performed Saturday night at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.Loved tonight's show @PV_ConcertHall in Jacksonville. Appreciative audience. Thanks again to @RealTimWilkins for opening. I had no idea I did a 2 hr set tonight. I'm happily addicted again to this shit. Check https://t.co/nqJyTiiezU for my dates in 2022. pic.twitter.com/pEgFuXxLd3— bob saget (@bobsaget) January 9, 2022 He tweeted after the show, "Loved tonight's show @PV_ConcertHall in Jacksonville. Appreciative audience. Thanks again to @RealTimWilkins for opening. I had no idea I did a 2 hr set tonight. I'm happily addicted again to this s—t."Saget, though known on the stage and among his friends for his raunchy humor, first became known to audiences on family-friendly programming. He starred as the widowed father of three girls on ABC's "Full House" and then as host of the network's "America's Funniest Home Videos" clip show. As Saget recalled to Jake Tapper in a July 2021 interview, the track of his career was unexpected. "'Full House' was an accident," he said. "I got fired on CBS and was asked to be in 'Full House.'" The sitcom, which starred Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin and twins Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen in one role, ran for eight seasons. It lived on in syndication with strong enough nostalgia surrounding it that Netflix picked up a spin-off in 2016, "Fuller House," starring Bure but featuring frequent appearances from original stars, including Saget, Dave Coulier and John Stamos. It ran for five seasons, concluding in 2020. Jodie Sweetin, Mary-Kate Olsen, Bob Saget, Candace Cameron Bure in 1993 in "Full House.""I'm close with all the kids. It doesn't happen a lot in the world where you stay close with all the people," Saget told Tapper. "We're an unusual cast in that way that I have been able to remain close with everybody, because I don't take eight years of my life lightly and then the other five or six years, six seasons."His "Full House" co-star Stamos expressed his grief over the loss of his friend and former colleague on Sunday."I am broken. I am gutted," Stamos wrote on Twitter. "I am in complete and utter shock. I will never ever have another friend like him. I love you so much Bobby."I am broken. I am gutted. I am in complete and utter shock. I will never ever have another friend like him. I love you so much Bobby.— John Stamos (@JohnStamos) January 10, 2022 Coulier also marked his former co-star's death on social media, posting a photo of the two holding hands and writing, "I'll never let go, brother. Love you."I'll never let go, brother. Love you❤️ https://t.co/FYgrfqmdRq— Dave Coulier (@DaveCoulier) January 10, 2022 Following his first round of sitcom fame, Saget worked steadily in film and television roles but became known to a new generation of sitcom fans on CBS's "How I Met Your Mother," acting as narrator and the voice of future Ted Mosby. That show ran until 2014.Throughout the years, Saget remained a fixture in stand-up comedy, releasing multiple specials over the years and taking his show on the road. Saget's reputation for reveling in a much edgier brand of comedy could be seen in movies like "The Aristocrats" -- exploring the competition among comics to tell the filthiest version of the same joke -- and his guest stint on HBO's "Entourage" as a version of himself.Asked by Esquire to define his humor in a 2013 interview, Saget explained, "I am basically just a nine-year-old boy that evolved." Toward that end, Saget seemed to relish pushing back against his success in squeaky-clean shows, telling dirty jokes at ABC events to make the executives squirm.'Full House' co-star John Stamos and more remember Bob SagetSaget was in the midst of a tour at the time of his death that was set to take him to locations in New York, Canada and several other locations in the coming months. According to his website, Saget often hosted comedy events to raise money for the Scleroderma Research Foundation, for which he served on the board of directors. He lost his sister to the chronic disease in 1994, his website said. In 2020, he launched a podcast, titled "Bob Saget's Here For You," an interview show where he welcomed guests like Tiffany Haddish, Jason Sudeikis, Whoopi Goldberg and Norman Lear.Lear was one of the many who paid tribute to Saget on Sunday. "Bob Saget was as lovely a human as he was funny," Lear wrote on Twitter. "And to my mind, he was hilarious. We were close friends and I could not have loved him more." Fellow comedian and podcaster Marc Maron added: "Oh no. RIP Bob Saget. Truly one of the nicest guys and so funny. Very sad." Comedian Gilbert Gottfried described his "shock" over the news, writing on Twitter: "I just spoke with Bob a few days ago. We stayed on the phone as usual making each other laugh. RIP to friend, comedian & fellow Aristocrat Bob Saget."CNN's Joe Sutton and Brian Lowry contributed to this story.

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Story highlightsDonald Trump and Shinzo Abe play round of golf in JapanThe leaders were joined on the course by world No. 4 Hideki Matsuyama (CNN)With a round of golf followed by a plate of hamburgers, President Donald Trump's maiden diplomatic visit to Asia began with at least some semblance of home.Trump hit the course Sunday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and world No. 4 golfer Hideki Matsuyama, playing nine holes before retiring to the clubhouse. Follow @cnnsport "Two wonderful people!" Trump tweeted, along with a video of his swing. "A round of golf with a marvelous friend," posted Abe, adding their time on the greens had been "full of spirited conversation."Playing golf with Prime Minister Abe and Hideki Matsuyama, two wonderful people! pic.twitter.com/vYLULe0o2K— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2017 The controversial Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama Prefecture provided the setting, just eight months after voting to admit women as full members for the first time. Read MoreClose allies that chat frequently on the phone, Trump and Abe later posed for photos holding aloft white and gold caps embroidered with the message: "Donald and Shinzo Make Alliance Even Greater."READ: Melania Trump embraced by Japanese students Trump has already played golf with Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and women's world No. 3 Lexi Thompson during his nine-month tenure. But he had particularly lofty praise for Matsuyama, who had branded it "an honor" to be given the opportunity to take to the course with the US President. "[Matsuyama] is the greatest player in the history of Japan," Trump told reporters. "Possibly their greatest celebrity ... He's a truly great player, a great athlete."The publicity shy 25-year-old, who finished second in June's US Open, averaged 303 yards off the tee last season.It was enough for for Trump to call him a "long ball hitter," adding: "If I come back and say I was longer than him, don't believe it."READ: Who is US President Donald Trump's golf partner Hideki Matsuyama?A senior Trump administration official said that Matsuyama and the two leaders didn't keep score during their stroll across the fairways. Meanwhile, it isn't clear whether the American President used the $3,755 gold-plated driver given to him by Abe last year. Photos: Photos: Presidents take a swing at golfPresidents take a swing at golf – President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden practice on the White House putting green in 2009. Fifteen of the past 18 presidents have played golf.Hide Caption 1 of 11 Photos: Photos: Presidents take a swing at golfPresidents take a swing at golf – President George W. Bush tips his hat after teeing off on the first hole at the Andrews Air Force Base golf course on September 28, 2003.Hide Caption 2 of 11 Photos: Photos: Presidents take a swing at golfPresidents take a swing at golf – President Bill Clinton watches as his first tee shot heads off the course and into the trees at the Farm Neck Golf Club of Martha's Vineyard during a family vacation on August 23, 1999. Known for taking mulligans, or friendly do-over shots, his second attempt landed in the same spot.Hide Caption 3 of 11 Photos: Photos: Presidents take a swing at golfPresidents take a swing at golf – President George H. W. Bush tees off on the fourth hole at Spyglass Golf Course during the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on February 28, 1994, in Pebble Beach, California.Hide Caption 4 of 11 Photos: Photos: Presidents take a swing at golfPresidents take a swing at golf – President Ronald Reagan putts a golf ball on Air Force One on November 16, 1985.Hide Caption 5 of 11 Photos: Photos: Presidents take a swing at golfPresidents take a swing at golf – President Gerald Ford plays golf during a working vacation on Mackinac Island in Michigan on July 13, 1975.Hide Caption 6 of 11 Photos: Photos: Presidents take a swing at golfPresidents take a swing at golf – President Richard Nixon and Attorney General John Mitchell play golf at the Los Angeles Country Club in 1969.Hide Caption 7 of 11 Photos: Photos: Presidents take a swing at golfPresidents take a swing at golf – President Dwight D. Eisenhower drives down the fairway at Turnberry golf course during a weekend stay at Culzean Castle on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland on September 5, 1959. Eisenhower often carried a club in the Oval Office and took swings while dictating to his secretary.Hide Caption 8 of 11 Photos: Photos: Presidents take a swing at golfPresidents take a swing at golf – President Warren Harding, left, gets ready to golf on the Piping Rock Golf Links on Long Island, New York, in 1921. He's with Howard Whitney, second from left, president of the U.S. Golf Association; financier Percy Pyne; and industrialist J. Leonard Replogle.Hide Caption 9 of 11 Photos: Photos: Presidents take a swing at golfPresidents take a swing at golf – President Woodrow Wilson plays a round of golf in 1916. He played more golf than any other president, reportedly logging more than 1,000 rounds in his two terms.Hide Caption 10 of 11 Photos: Photos: Presidents take a swing at golfPresidents take a swing at golf – President William Howard Taft, the 27th U.S. president, putts on the green in Chevy Chase, Maryland, on June 28, 1909. He is said to be the first presidential golfer.Hide Caption 11 of 11Visit CNN.com/sport/golf for more news and featuresAs tensions escalate over North Korea's nuclear ambitions, Trump's tour Asia encompasses visits to five nations over 13 days. Up next? A trip to Seoul and a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

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Story highlightsWales beats Russia 3-0 to win Group BEngland second after Slovakia drawGareth Bale leading scorer at Euro 2016Slovakia could still qualify for last 16 (CNN)Gareth Bale made sure Wales had the last laugh Monday after inspiring a thumping 3-0 win over Russia at Euro 2016, demoting England to second place in Group B.The Real Madrid star, who took his tally for the tournament to three, was in fabulous form as his team crushed its opponent with ease in a one-sided contest in Toulouse.While Wales was on cruise control, UK rival England was back to its stuttering old self, drawing 0-0 with Slovakia despite dominating possession.Aaron Ramsey gave Wales the perfect start with an early goal.England, which had looked on course to win the group after defeating Wales in the final minute last week, had been a hot favorite to see off a Slovakia side which had failed to keep a clean sheet in its six previous games at a major tournament.But Roy Hodgson's team labored horribly -- failing to make the breakthrough it so badly craved and allowing Wales, playing in its first major international tournament since 1958, to win the group.Here's the final standings for Group B...#SVKENG #RUSWAL pic.twitter.com/THcqiM5xux— UEFA EURO 2016 (@UEFAEURO) June 20, 2016 Read More"We knew everything was on this game, it was in our own hands," Bale told UK match broadcaster ITV. "We said before the game, 'Let's have no regrets.' "It's probably the best performance I've been involved in with Wales. We started very well, we didn't feel too nervous. "We want to thank the fans out here and at home. JUST WATCHEDRonaldo? Zlatan? The A to Zs of Euro 2016ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRonaldo? Zlatan? The A to Zs of Euro 2016 03:00"To top the group, what more can you ask? We said we didn't want to make the numbers up. Well, we can't do any more than win the group. We look forward to seeing who we play next."While Wales will now face one of the best third-placed sides in the last 16, England could be paired with eighth-ranked Portugal in the next round.For Bale, who scored his side's third goal after efforts from Aaron Ramsey and Neil Taylor, this was another magical evening.The forward, of whom so much was expected, was visibly upset by his side's last-gasp 2-1 defeat by England in Lens last Thursday.But if he or his teammates were feeling sorry for themselves it didn't show -- far from it.This was a wonderful display from a Welsh team playing with a zest and enthusiasm from which England could have learned.Arsenal midfielder Ramsey fired home after 11 minutes, latching onto Joe Allen's through ball, before Taylor beat the offside trap and stabbed home at the second attempt.Neil Taylor made it 2-0 with just 20 minutes gone as Wales made a rapid start.Russia, which lost its last match against Slovakia, appeared disorganized throughout and unable to cope with the pace and power of its opponent.It now bows out of the tournament and can focus on the World Cup which it will host in two years' time.While Wales celebrated, England's players looked forlorn after a frustrating night in Saint Etienne.England dominated the contest but failed to find a way past a stubborn Slovakia side as it struggled to create any clear-cut chances.It will now head to Nice to play the runner-up of Group F, which could be any of its four teams: Hungary, Iceland, Portugal or Austria.England was frustrated all night long as Slovakia claimed a goalless draw."It was disappointing for us tonight," England defender Gary Cahill told ITV."In the three games we have had the majority of the possession and today we have dominated play from start to finish and we couldn't unlock door. It is disappointing for us."The rhythm was there, we had ball constantly but just didn't have the cutting edge to open them up. It needed something special in games like that and we nearly did but it just wasn't to be."We are disappointed, with the amount of possession we had we should have won the game."Read more: Full Euro 2016 coverageWho will win Euro 2016? Have your say on our Facebook page Build your Ultimate XI. Choose from the best players in Europe and challenge your friends. Choose your team Lets get started... Tap team shirts left or right Tap a player to add them to your team Tap to view player stats Your formation will update as you add players Tap on the trash can to clear your selections Tap done to show and share your team results Got it Your Ultimate XI Goalie Defence Midfield Forward Done Edit Your Team Build Your Team

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David Wild is an Emmy-nominated TV writer, a New York Times best-selling author and contributing editor for Rolling Stone. (CNN)The '70s were the best of times. The '70s were the worst of times. Yet from my musical perspective, the '70s were simply the best of times. The music of the decade was chic, like Chic, super like Supertramp, and electrifying like Electric Light Orchestra.David Wild, on Twitter @Wildaboutmusic Why was the music of that time so good? Perhaps because the artistic freedom first won by musicians back in the '60s was now being pushed in any number of many interesting directions -- from sensitive singer-songwriters to punk to funk to disco and beyond. Read MorePossibly the reason that I love the music of the '70s so much is slightly more personal than that. For many of us, it's those warmly remembered pet sounds of our teenage years that never really leave our heads or our hearts. All I really know is whenever I'm driving in my car and feel like choosing a specific decade on my satellite radio, I almost always pick that one sandwiched conveniently between the '60s and the '80s.JUST WATCHED"The Music of the 70s"ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCH"The Music of the 70s" 00:15 This Thursday night CNN will broadcast the excellent final episode of "The Seventies," called "What's Going On," in which you can see me and many other much more impressive individuals reflect on this unforgettable decade in music. In order to prove what an enduring Golden Age the '70s really were, I wanted to share a list with you. This is not a list of the "10 Greatest Albums of the '70s" -- or even my "10 Favorite Albums of the '70s" -- but rather 10 lasting gems that at least for me somehow retain their ability to hit the listener hard all these years later. 1. "Songs in the Key of Life" -- Steve WonderStevie Wonder, "Songs in the Key of Life""Songs In The Key Of Life" is as good as popular music ever gets -- an amazingly expansive showcase for Stevie Wonder's singular ability to bring his profound musical inversions vividly to life. When Stevie recently toured performing his "Songs In The Key of Life" album live, it was also possibly the single most impressive concert I have ever witnessed.As Questlove, my insightful "co-star" in "The Seventies," wisely notes in the episode, Stevie artistically owned the '70s much in the way the Beatles did the previous decade. Stevie's early "Talking Book" and "Innervisions" album are nearly as essential listening, but if you want to dig deepest, start right here.2. "Rocket to Russia" -- The Ramones Photos: A short history of punk Photos: A short history of punkA short history of punk – "London Calling" - The Clash, Joe Strummer, right, with band members Mick Jones, left, and Paul Simonon pictured here in 1978, played a major role in the history of punk music: Hide Caption 1 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkA short history of punk: 'Nuggets' – Punk rock combined a DIY sensibility with stripped-down songs and a screw-you attitude. Though the best-known punk movement came out of 1976-77 Britain, the genre had its roots in 1960s garage band America, with bands such as the Seeds, the Sonics and Question Mark and the Mysterians. Their singles were collected on the 1972 LP "Nuggets," which was expanded into a series of boxed sets in the CD era.Hide Caption 2 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkThe Velvet Underground – Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker (with drop-bys from Nico and Doug Yule) combined raw instrumentation with avant-garde subject matter. The apocryphal story goes that only 3,000 people bought the Velvet Underground's first album, but every one of them formed a band. (Actually, the album did much better than that, but why mess with a good story?) Many of those bands were proto-punks.Hide Caption 3 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkThe Stooges – James Newell Osterberg -- aka Iggy Pop -- and his band mates blasted out of southeast Michigan with loud, distorted music and lyrics that were glorious in their minimalism: "It's another year / For me and you / Another year / With nothing to do" went "1969." What more was there to say?Hide Caption 4 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkJonathan Richman/Modern Lovers – Heavily influenced by the Velvet Underground (their first album was even produced by John Cale), the Modern Lovers also took a back-to-basics approach at a time when progressive rock was in full swing. Jonathan Richman's songs were down to earth, even nostalgic, hailing late-night drives and disdaining the "Modern World." Drummer David Robinson later joined the Cars; keyboardist Jerry Harrison ended up in Talking Heads. Hide Caption 5 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkNew York Dolls – Adding a touch of glam to downtown New York grit, the New York Dolls' raw sound and theatricality proved both influential and divisive: In a Creem magazine survey, they were named both the best and worst new band of 1973. The initial lineup broke up after two albums, though members David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain reformed the band in the 2000s.Hide Caption 6 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkRamones – With their leather jackets, sneering attitude and turbo-powered songs, the foursome from Queens, New York, defined "punk," and it was their July 4, 1976, appearance at London's Roundhouse that helped ignite the UK punk scene. "If that Ramones record hadn't existed, I don't know if we could have built a scene here," the Clash's Joe Strummer once said. Their rise was slower, but no less influential, in their home country.Hide Caption 7 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkSex Pistols – Equal parts provocateurs, fashion victims and three-chord howlers, the Sex Pistols kicked off their meteoric rise with their angry "Anarchy in the UK" and a number of controversial media appearances. The band made just one studio album, but its echoes still reverberate.Hide Caption 8 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkThe Clash – The name could be taken literally: Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Terry Chimes (and later Topper Headon) really did have disparate musical tastes. But they shared a fire fueled by politics and music. It made for five terrific studio albums, highlighted by songs such as "White Riot," "London Calling" and "The Magnificent Seven," and an unparalleled live act.Hide Caption 9 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkThe Damned – Captain Sensible and his merry crew actually beat the Sex Pistols to the record racks -- "New Rose" came out before "Anarchy in the UK" -- and were in the forefront of the British punk movement. Hide Caption 10 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkBlondie – Blondie was one of the many New York bands that came out of the downtown scene revolving around CBGB. The group, led by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein, was distinctive in its love of girl-group pop, though such songs as "X Offender" certainly had different subject matter. The group eventually had four No. 1 hits.Hide Caption 11 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkTelevision – Another CBGB favorite, Television revolved around guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, whose tangled lines flowed through such cuts as the 10-minute "Marquee Moon," the title cut to their first album. The group split after 1978's "Adventure," though there were occasional reunions. Hide Caption 12 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkRichard Hell and the Voidoids – Richard Hell and the Voidoids recorded "Blank Generation," one of the most anarchic and wonderful of punk singles, and Hell's spiked hair and torn clothes became emblematic of the punk look. Hide Caption 13 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkPatti Smith Group – Smith, a poet, teamed with "Nuggets" compiler Lenny Kaye and others to form this New York band, which had early success with the albums "Horses" and "Easter." Smith's androgynous look and defiant attitude influenced both punk and succeeding generations of female musicians.Hide Caption 14 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkBad Brains – One of the earliest hardcore punk bands, Bad Brains started as a Washington-based fusion band called Mind Power. Unusual in many ways -- not least because the band consisted of African-Americans playing rock -- Bad Brains ended up moving to New York after being "Banned in D.C.," as their song put it.Hide Caption 15 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkTalking Heads – There was some punk in their attitude toward punk -- Izod shirts weren't exactly typical CBGB attire -- and in David Byrne's rubbery voice, but, for the most part, Talking Heads was known for being adventuresome and artsy. No surprise for these former Rhode Island School of Design students, whose albums remain inimitable.Hide Caption 16 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkThe Jam – From the mod side of the spectrum came the Jam, the Paul Weller-led trio whose blasts of anger ("The Modern World," "In the City") became more reflective and soul-infused over time.Hide Caption 17 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkSham 69 – With songs that sounded like soccer chants ("If the Kids Are United"), Sham 69 gave rise to the Oi! movement, known for its bluntness and working-class sympathies.Hide Caption 18 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkBlack Flag – Punk eventually made its way to the U.S. West Coast, where it inspired a number of Los Angeles-area bands. (Many of them were featured in the 1984 film "Repo Man.") Black Flag's leader, Greg Ginn, even founded a record label, SST, which became home to such bands as the Minutemen, Husker Du and Sonic Youth.Hide Caption 19 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkX – "We had no preconceived notions of what we were going to be," leader John Doe told CNN in 2004. His Los Angeles-based band, X, got lumped in with the punks, but their influences included rockabilly and country. It was their "scary" style and singer Exene Cervenka's otherworldly voice that made such songs as "Los Angeles" and "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene" fit with the overall scene.Hide Caption 20 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkFear – Led by one of the great punk names -- Lee Ving -- Fear played hardcore rock and liked to bait audiences. The tactic backfired (or did it?) on a 1981 episode of "Saturday Night Live," when slam-dancing fans damaged the set.Hide Caption 21 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkDead Kennedys – From Northern California came the Dead Kennedys, whose name provoked the desired clucking from the offended classes. One wonders if they ever listened to the music, which included "California Uber Alles" and "Holiday in Cambodia." But even punks have capitalist troubles: Leader Jello Biafra was sued by his bandmates over royalties. Hide Caption 22 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkThe Misfits – Glenn Danzig, later of the band Danzig, founded this leader in what came to be called "horror-punk." The band now includes original member Jerry Only; the musical style is closer to metal.Hide Caption 23 of 24 Photos: A short history of punkSocial Distortion – Social D, as they're known, had a slower rise than other punk bands. The group had some minor success after forming in 1978, but didn't get wider notice until the late '80s, after signing a major-label deal and changing their style to what became known as "cowpunk." The group had a national hit, "Ball and Chain," in 1990.Hide Caption 24 of 24One of the first reviews I ever wrote for my middle school paper was a piece about punk rock that put forth the then-controversial opinion that the Ramones were much better than the Sex Pistols. I say that I was right then, and I am right now. Whatever you think about punk rock, "Rocket To Russia" is simply one of the most vital, infectious and downright amusing rock albums of all time.Punk shocks the world in the '70s 3. "What's Going On" -- Marvin GayeNo, kids, Marvin Gaye was not just some name in a high-profile lawsuit about a Robin Thicke song. Way before that, he was one of the most gifted recording artists of all time. Along with Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye pushed for and brilliantly used his creative freedom at Motown to powerfully redefine the changing sound of young America. Seeing the footage of Marvin Gaye performing this album's timeless title track live on TV during the "What's Going On" episode of "The Seventies" is alone worth the price of admission.7 songs that mattered in the '70s4. "Blood on the Tracks" -- Bob Dylan Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationBob Dylan smokes a cigarette circa 1966. Dylan's music spoke to a generation of people during the 1960s, a tumultuous decade that forever changed America. He went on to become a rock 'n' roll legend and influence many musicians to come. In October 2016, the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Dylan for "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."Hide Caption 1 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationDylan performs in 1961 at The Bitter End club in New York City. His first album, "Bob Dylan," debuted in 1962 and consisted mostly of old folk songs.Hide Caption 2 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationJoan Baez and Dylan perform during the March on Washington, a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement, on August 28, 1963.Hide Caption 3 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationDylan performs on stage in the 1960s. Dylan was known in his early career for playing the guitar and the harmonica, and for his distinctive vocal phrasing.Hide Caption 4 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationDylan listens to recordings of his album "Highway 61 Revisited" in 1965. It contained "Like a Rolling Stone," which went to No. 2 on U.S. charts.Hide Caption 5 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationGeorge Harrison and Dylan perform in the Concert for Bangladesh, held August 1, 1971 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The concert earned them the Grammy Award for Album of the Year along with Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, Leon Russell, Ravi Shankar and Ringo Starr.Hide Caption 6 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationDylan appears on set for the film "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" in 1973. Dylan also recorded the soundtrack for the film.Hide Caption 7 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationDylan performs on stage at Madison Square Garden in 1974.Hide Caption 8 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationDylan performs with Robbie Robertson of The Band, right, and Van Morrison at The Band's farewell concert in 1976.Hide Caption 9 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationDylan performs with Tom Petty at Farm Aid in Chicago in 1985.Hide Caption 10 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationDylan poses for a photo with David Bowie in 1985.Hide Caption 11 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationDylan and Bruce Springsteen perform together in 1990.Hide Caption 12 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationPerformance artist Michael Portnoy is taken off stage during Dylan's performance at the Grammy Awards in 1998. Portnoy had been hired as part of the background dancers for the performance, but his shirtless interruption was not planned and he was carted off stage.Hide Caption 13 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationDylan performs in Brighton, England, in 2002.Hide Caption 14 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationDylan appears with actress Jessica Lange during a news conference for the movie "Masked and Anonymous" in 2003. Dylan co-wrote the movie and starred in it.Hide Caption 15 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationDylan poses for photos at the University of St. Andrews after he received an honorary degree at the Scottish school in 2004.Hide Caption 16 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationDylan performs during the Grammy Awards in 2011. Dylan has won 10 Grammys in his career, as well as one Golden Globe Award and one Academy Award.Hide Caption 17 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generationPresident Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Dylan in the East Room of the White House in 2012. The award is the country's highest civilian honor. "I remember, you know, in college, listening to Bob Dylan and my world opening up, 'cause he captured something about this country that was so vital," Obama said. Hide Caption 18 of 18The album title really says it all. To me, Bob Dylan's "Blood On The Tracks" is the most deeply felt piece of work by the most profound and poetic singer-songwriter in rock history -- a masterpiece of deeply felt reflections on love and life songs that cuts very close to the bone. Right from the album's opening track, "Tangled Up In Blue," there is real blood on these tracks, and somehow, 40 years later, you can still feel every bit of it in the grooves.5. "Greatest Hits" -- The Jackson 5When we previewed our "What's Going On" episode last week at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, the crowd broke into spontaneous applause just watching footage of a young Michael Jackson performing with his brothers. By the end of the decade, Jackson was already becoming a global phenomenon in his own right, but this 1971 collection gathered one year into the group's early run of Motown hits is a wonderful reminder of the tremendous impact the Jackson 5 had right at the start of the decade. The voice of Michael Jackson was, is, and always will be one of popular music's most exciting special effects.6. "Damn the Torpedoes" -- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Damn, this album never gets old. A classic rock gem with a New Wave energy, "Damn The Torpedoes" took the promise of Petty's first two albums with the Heartbreakers and over-delivered with an album -- produced by Jimmy Iovine -- that's packed with songs that have never lost their ability to thrill, including "Refugee," "Here Comes My Girl," "Even The Losers" and "Don't Do Me Like That." 7. "Easter" -- Patti SmithThere may now be a generation of Patti Smith fans more familiar with her 2010 memoir, "Just Kids," than with her extraordinary and poetic music. The sound of her voiceWatch Linda Ronstadt's rise from her early years in Tucson to her status as a music legend in CNN Films' "Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice" on January 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. This 1978 album -- expertly produced, like "Damn The Torpedoes," by Jimmy Iovine -- was a groundbreaking and influential statement for a woman in rock. So keep listening to Carole King's '70s classic "Tapestry," the splendid "Heart Like A Wheel" by Linda Ronstadt, and anything by Heart, but don't forget to fully celebrate "Easter" too.8. "This Year's Model" -- Elvis Costello and the AttractionsElvis Costello, "This Year's Model""This Year's Model" might be the album that I listened to the most growing up in the '70s -- closely followed by "Born To Run" by Bruce Springsteen, anything by Earth, Wind & Fire, "Boston" by Boston, "London Calling" by The Clash, "Squeezing Out Sparks" by Graham Parker & The Rumour, "Look Sharp" by Joe Jackson, and possibly "Leftoverture" by Kansas -- but I am giving Elvis Costello the nod here because this album is where one of my favorite singer-songwriters came together for the first time with the Attractions, the Brits that rode highest on rock's New Wave.9. "Physical Graffiti" -- Led ZeppelinCNN's "The Seventies" -- much like CNN's "The Sixties" before it -- offers a fresh look at history and features fantastic vintage news footage that most of us have never seen before. For example, in the "What's Going On" episode, there are a few endlessly amusing clips of vintage new journalists repeatedly referring to Led Zeppelin as "The Led Zeppelin." Well, in my opinion, this is The Led Zeppelin at their most mind-blowing.Unseen pictures of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones10. "Bad Girls" -- Donna SummerJUST WATCHEDChaos at 'Disco Demolition Night'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHChaos at 'Disco Demolition Night' 00:40Just in case you were still wondering, disco didn't suck. Beyond Donna Summer's agile voice and a song cycle featuring many anthemic tracks for the ages, "Bad Girls" offers a gorgeously textured musical soundscape masterminded by Giorgio Moroder. The powerful pulse that Summer, Moroder and their collaborators created here continues to inform much of the more soulful electronic dance music that has followed.OK, now that you're all on the same "Seventies" page with me, please keep going -- perhaps with "Exile On Main Street" by the Rolling Stones, "One Nation Under a Groove" by Funkadelic, "Hunky Dory" by David Bowie, "Hotel California" by the Eagles, "At The Fillmore East" by The Allman Brothers Band, "Off The Wall" by Michael Jackson, "Rumours" and "Tusk" by Fleetwood Mac, "Can't Buy A Thrill" by Steely Dan, and whatever else strikes a lasting '70s chord with you. Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Pop culture and politics collided on December 21, 1970, when the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley, visited President Richard Nixon in the White House Oval Office. The '70s may have been many things, but boring sure wasn't one of them. Check out 70 of the most unforgettable moments of the decade. For more, watch the CNN Original Series "The Seventies." Hide Caption 1 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Apollo 13 returns safely to Earth – The Apollo 13 spacecraft was intended to be the third landing on the moon, but the NASA crew aborted its mission after an oxygen tank exploded on board. The astronauts landed in the South Pacific on April 17, 1970. Here, lunar module pilot Fred W. Haise Jr. is about to be hoisted up to a recovery helicopter from the USS Iwo Jima.Hide Caption 2 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Kent State massacre – Four students died and nine others were wounded on May 4, 1970, when members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University in Ohio. In this Pulitzer Prize-winning photo, taken by Kent State photojournalism student John Filo, Mary Ann Vecchio can be seen screaming as she kneels by the body of slain student Jeffrey Miller.Hide Caption 3 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s The Beatles call it quits – The "Fab Four," pictured here in 1970, released their final album, "Let It Be," on May 8, 1970. The album came one month after Paul McCartney announced the group's breakup.Hide Caption 4 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s 'Flying Bobby' – In one moment, Bobby Orr became a hockey legend. On May 10, 1970, Orr scored an overtime goal in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, giving the Boston Bruins their first championship since 1941. In 1971, Orr signed the first million-dollar contract in NHL history -- $200,000 a year for five years -- and in 1979 he became the youngest NHL Hall of Famer when he was inducted at the age of 31.Hide Caption 5 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Gay rights movement gains popularity – Gay rights activists Foster Gunnison and Craig Rodwell lead a gay rights march in New York on June 28, 1970, then known as Gay Liberation Day. The march was held on the first anniversary of the police raid of the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village. The raid led to demonstrations and protests by the gay community. The Stonewall riots helped bring together the gay community in New York, and by 1971 gay rights groups had formed in almost all of the major cities in America.Hide Caption 6 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s 'Hey! Ho! Let's go!' – The '70s ushered in a new musical movement that put a premium on speed, simplicity and raw power. Bands like the Ramones, pictured, and the Sex Pistols put to waste the trippy, hippie music of the '60s, replacing it with short, fast songs filled with attitude and angst. It could only be called one thing: punk.Hide Caption 7 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Indira Gandhi re-elected – Indira Gandhi, the only woman to ever hold the office of Prime Minister of India, won a second term in a landslide victory in March 1971. She would be re-elected to a fourth term in 1980, but she was assassinated by two of her bodyguards in 1984.Hide Caption 8 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Disney World opens – A crowd in Orlando waits for Walt Disney World's Main Street to open in October 1971. The park cost an estimated $400 million to build and now attracts around 25 million visitors annually. When Disney World opened in 1971, the price for admission was $3.50. A single-day ticket now is $105 for anyone over 10 years old.Hide Caption 9 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s 'Bloody Sunday' – On January 30, 1972, British soldiers opened fire against protesters in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, who were marching against British rule. Thirteen people were killed on the scene, and more than a dozen were injured. After the shooting, recruitment and support for the Irish Republican Army skyrocketed. Three decades of violence known as The Troubles followed, and almost 3,000 people died.Hide Caption 10 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Nixon in China – Richard Nixon became the first U.S. President to visit China. His trip in February 1972 was an important step in building a relationship between the two countries.Hide Caption 11 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s 'Napalm Girl' – Associated Press photographer Nick Ut photographed terrified children running from the site of a napalm attack during the Vietnam War in June 1972. A South Vietnamese plane accidentally dropped napalm on its own troops and civilians. Nine-year-old Kim Phuc, center, ripped off her burning clothes while fleeing. The image communicated the horrors of the war and contributed to the growing anti-war sentiment in the United States. After taking the photograph, Ut took the children to a hospital.Hide Caption 12 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s 'Hanoi Jane' – In July 1972, in the midst of the Vietnam War, actress Jane Fonda visited the North Vietnamese city of Hanoi and criticized the U.S. role in the war, leading many to call her "anti-American." Earlier this year, Fonda called the trip an "incredible experience" but expressed some regret. "It hurts me, and it will to my grave, that I made a huge, huge mistake that made a lot of people think I was against the soldiers," Fonda said during an appearance in Frederick, Maryland.Hide Caption 13 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Porn goes mainstream – In any other year it might sound strange, but in 1972 one of the most popular films of the year was a porno. "Deep Throat" was one of the first pornographic films to receive mainstream attention, and it made $3 million in its first six months of release. It also took on an additional layer of cultural significance when the secret informant in the Watergate scandal went by the pseudonym "Deep Throat."Hide Caption 14 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Cold War chess championship – American Bobby Fischer, right, and Russian Boris Spassky play their last game of chess together in Reykjavik, Iceland, on August 31, 1972. Fischer defeated Spassky to become the World Chess Champion, ending a Soviet win streak that dated to 1948.Hide Caption 15 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Terror at the Olympics – On September 5, 1972, the Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, were in the throes of a hostage crisis. Two Israeli athletes had been killed and nine taken hostage by members of Black September, a Palestinian terrorist movement demanding the release of political prisoners by the Israeli government. Hours later, all nine hostages, five terrorists and one police officer were dead.Hide Caption 16 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s The perfect season – The Miami Dolphins, coached by Don Shula, win Super Bowl VII in January 1973 and become the only NFL team in history to win a championship with an undefeated record.Hide Caption 17 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s 'I'll make him an offer he can't refuse' – "The Godfather," directed by Francis Ford Coppola, took home several Academy Awards in March 1973, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film was based on the best-selling novel by Mario Puzo and starred, from left, James Caan, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and John Cazale. Brando won the Oscar for Best Actor.Hide Caption 18 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s The Triple Crown – Secretariat races toward the finish line, blowing away the field in record time to win the Belmont Stakes in June 1973. With the victory, Secretariat became the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Citation in 1948. The Triple Crown was won two other times in the '70s, by Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed in 1978. In 2015, American Pharoah became the first horse to take the Triple Crown in 37 years.Hide Caption 19 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Chicago's record-setting giant – In 1973, the Sears Tower opened in Chicago, overtaking the World Trade Center as the tallest building in the world. The tower, now known as the Willis Tower, is the second-tallest building in the United States today.Hide Caption 20 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Bruce Lee dies – Martial-arts actor Bruce Lee, seen here training in a scene from the film "Enter the Dragon," dies in July 1973 just days before the movie's release. He was 32. The film would cement Lee's legend and bring martial arts to the forefront of pop culture.Hide Caption 21 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Scandal in the Nixon administration – U.S. Vice President Spiro T. Agnew addresses the media on August 8, 1973, saying he would not resign while being investigated on charges of tax fraud, bribery and conspiracy. However, Agnew resigned in October 1973 after pleading no contest to a single count of income-tax evasion. He was the second vice president to resign in U.S. history.Hide Caption 22 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s The 'Twin Towers' – From the time of their completion in 1973 until their destruction in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, The World Trade Center's twin towers stood as an iconic part of the New York City skyline.Hide Caption 23 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s 'Battle of the Sexes' – In a nationally televised tennis match on September 20, 1973, Bobby Riggs, a former No. 1 tennis player, took on Billie Jean King, one of the top female tennis players at the time. Earlier in the year, Riggs put out a challenge to all female tennis players, saying no woman could beat him. King beat Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 and claimed a $100,000 prize.Hide Caption 24 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s 'The Exorcist' hits theaters – "The Exorcist," based off the best-selling novel by William Peter Blatty about a demonically possessed 12-year-old girl, was released in December 1973. It went on to become one of the most popular films of all time. It was the first horror film to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, and Blatty won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.Hide Caption 25 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s The pocket calculator – By 1973, Clive Sinclair had introduced a series of pocket calculators that changed the industry, making calculators small and light enough to fit in your pocket. They were not only much smaller and thinner than their competitors, but also much cheaper, making their advanced technology available to the masses.Hide Caption 26 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Energy crisis – Cars in Brooklyn, New York, line up for gas in January 1974. In October 1973, an oil embargo imposed by members of OPEC led to skyrocketing gas prices and widespread fuel shortages.Hide Caption 27 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Hammerin' Hank – Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth's career home run record, hitting home run No. 715 at Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium in April 1974. Aaron finished his career with 755 home runs, a record that stood until Barry Bonds broke it in 2007.Hide Caption 28 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Baryshnikov defects – Russian dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, left, tapes a TV special in Canada, where he defected in June 1974. Soon after, Baryshnikov moved to the United States and started working with the New York City Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre. In 1979, he earned an Academy Award nomination for his supporting role in the film "The Turning Point."Hide Caption 29 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Nixon resigns – U.S. President Richard Nixon gestures in the doorway of a helicopter on August 9, 1974, after leaving the White House following his resignation over the Watergate scandal. Nixon's resignation marked the end to one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history, which began in 1972 after a break-in at the Democratic National Committee's headquarters at the Watergate complex. Five men were arrested for the burglary, and the FBI and Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were able to trace them back to Nixon and the White House.Hide Caption 30 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Power of the press – Reporters Bob Woodward, right, and Carl Bernstein sit in the newsroom of the Washington Post newspaper in May 1973. Woodward and Bernstein's reporting on the Watergate scandal led to President Nixon's resignation and won them a Pulitzer Prize. In 1976, Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman would portray the pair in the film adaptation of their book "All the President's Men."Hide Caption 31 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Cover girl – Beverly Johnson made history in August 1974 when she became the first African-American model to appear on the cover of Vogue magazine in the United States.Hide Caption 32 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Muhammad Ali watches heavyweight champion George Foreman fall to the canvas during their title bout in Kinshasa, Zaire, in October 1974. Ali's upset victory over the undefeated Foreman won him back the titles he was stripped of in 1967 for refusing induction into the U.S. Army.Hide Caption 33 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Cambodian genocide – From 1975-1979, Pol Pot -- seen here at far left -- led the Khmer Rouge communist movement in Cambodia. During his reign, at least 1.7 million people -- nearly a quarter of Cambodia's population -- died from execution, disease, starvation and overwork, according to the Documentation Center of Cambodia.Hide Caption 34 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s The fall of Saigon – In April 1975, the fall of Saigon to the North Vietnamese effectively marked the end of the Vietnam War. Here, U.S. Marines guard civilians during evacuations at Tan Son Nhut airbase. The country became the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on July 2, 1976.Hide Caption 35 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Birth of the blockbuster – In the summer of 1975, Steven Spielberg had people flocking to the theaters instead of the beaches. The success of "Jaws" -- his first hit movie -- set up summer as the season for Hollywood's biggest and highest-grossing movies.Hide Caption 36 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Arthur Ashe wins Wimbledon – American tennis player Arthur Ashe became the first black man to win Wimbledon when he defeated Jimmy Connors in July 1975. Ashe retired from tennis in 1980 and became a spokesperson for HIV and AIDS after announcing he had contracted HIV from a blood transfusion. Ashe died on February 6, 1993, from AIDS-related pneumonia.Hide Caption 37 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Commander of the Soviet crew of Soyuz, Alexei Leonov, left, and commander of the American crew of Apollo, Thomas Stafford shake hands July 17, 1975 in space, somewhere over Western Germany, after the Apollo-Soyuz docking maneuvers.Hide Caption 38 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s 'Not ready for Prime Time' – Saturday night television changed forever on October 11, 1975, when the sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live" made its debut. Comedian George Carlin was the first host, joining a cast of young and upcoming comics known as "The Not Ready for Prime Time Players." "SNL" is now in its 40th year as one of the longest running shows in television history.Hide Caption 39 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Dazzling Elton – English singer Elton John, one of the biggest artists of the '70s, performed two sold-out shows at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium in October 1975, performing for more than three hours each night. John, known for his flamboyant outfits and oversized sunglasses, was decked out for the occasion in a sequined Dodgers baseball uniform.Hide Caption 40 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s The Concorde takes off – It broke the sound barrier and cut flight times in half. On January 21, 1976, the first commercial Concorde flight took place from London to Paris, cruising at speeds of 1,350 mph. The Concordes' flights would be short lived, however, as fewer than 20 ever saw commercial use. The last commercial Concorde flight took place on October 24, 2003.Hide Caption 41 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Happy 200th birthday, America! – Fireworks at the Statue of Liberty light up the New York Harbor on July 4, 1976, as the country celebrates the bicentennial anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Patriotic events took place around the country that year.Hide Caption 42 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s 'Angels' flying high – On September 22, 1976, a blonde bombshell dropped into America's homes with the debut of the television show "Charlie's Angels." Farrah Fawcett and co-stars Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith became an instant hit with audiences. To this day the show remains a lasting image of the 70s despite getting mixed reviews from critics.Hide Caption 43 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Barbara becomes the news – In October 1976, Barbara Walters, seen at left with actress Barbra Streisand, became the first woman to co-anchor a major network evening newscast. ABC made history before she even went on air, signing Walters to a $1 million annual contract to make her the highest-paid journalist at that time. She only co-anchored the show for a year and a half, but she would go on to host ABC shows such as "20/20," "The View" and "Barbara Walters Specials" until her retirement in 2014.Hide Caption 44 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Disco ruled the charts in the late '70s but found some unlikely superstars in the form of the Village People. Their name was inspired by New York's Greenwich Village, which had a large gay population at the time, and the group became known for their onstage costumes and suggestive lyrics. In 1978, their songs "Macho Man" and "Y.M.C.A." became massive hits and brought them mainstream success.Hide Caption 45 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s From peanut farmer to President – Jimmy Carter embraces his wife, Rosalynn, in November 1976 after he was elected as the 39th President of the United States. Carter, a Democrat and former governor of Georgia, defeated incumbent Gerald Ford. During his time in office, Carter created the Department of Energy and Department of Education. Since leaving the office in 1980, he has remained active in fighting for human rights and ending disease around the world with his nonprofit organization, the Carter Center.Hide Caption 46 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s 'Roots' premieres – Cicely Tyson, left, and Maya Angelou star in the television miniseries "Roots." The series premiered in January 1977, airing for eight consecutive nights and attracting a record number of viewers. Based off Alex Haley's novel, "Roots" told the story of an African boy sold into slavery in America and the following generations of his family. The show was viewed by more than half of the U.S. population in 1977, and it received 37 Emmy nominations.Hide Caption 47 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s 'In a galaxy far, far away' – May 25, 1977, was a historic day for sci-fi fans and moviegoers everywhere. George Lucas' "Star Wars" opened in theaters, introducing the world to characters such as Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, R2D2 and, of course, Darth Vader. The "Star Wars" franchise is still one of most lucrative and popular film series around today.Hide Caption 48 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Son of Sam – Serial Killer David Berkowitz, known as the Son of Sam, was arrested on August 10, 1977, after a series of shootings and murders that police believe began in the summer of 1976. Berkowitz was convicted of killing six people and wounding seven during his crime spree, which garnered large amounts of press coverage. He was known for targeting young women and sending cryptic, antagonizing letters to the New York police.Hide Caption 49 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Apple plants the seed for the digital revolution – In 1977, Apple Computers introduced the Apple II, which became one the first successful home computers. Co-founders Steve Jobs, pictured here, and Steve Wozniak formed the Apple Computer Company in 1976. Along with Bill Gates' Microsoft, which was founded in 1975, Apple helped ignite the digital age we live in today.Hide Caption 50 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s New York City goes dark – In the middle of the summer of 1977, New York City experienced a power outage that caused much of the city to go dark. The blackout lasted two days, from July 13-14. As the city was in the midst of a financial crisis and the terror of the Son of Sam loomed over residents, many took to the streets and began looting. Police reported that looting in some areas of the city continued well into the daylight hours, and thousands of people were arrested.Hide Caption 51 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s The King is dead – Elvis Presley, the King of Rock 'n' Roll, died August 16, 1977, at the age of 42. He was still touring and recording throughout the 1970s, but his unexpected death sealed his legacy as one of the greatest cultural icons of the 20th century.Hide Caption 52 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Game on – The Atari 2600 was released in September 1977, bringing the world of video games into households everywhere. Packaged with two joystick controllers and one cartridge game, the Atari 2600 sold 250,000 units in 1977. By 1979, 1 million units were sold. What some believed at the time to be a fad has now turned into a billion-dollar-a-year industry.Hide Caption 53 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Mr. October – Reggie Jackson of the New York Yankees hits his third home run of the game on October 18, 1977, leading the Yankees to a World Series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jackson had a .357 batting average over the 27 World Series games throughout his career, earning him the nickname "Mr. October." Jackson and the Yankees would repeat as World Series champions the following year.Hide Caption 54 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Disco fever – Disco music sweeps the nation with the 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever" starring John Travolta. Catapulted by a soundtrack containing five No. 1 singles -- including "Staying Alive" and "Night Fever" -- the film became a huge commercial success. The soundtrack stayed on top of the album charts for six months, and Travolta earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Hide Caption 55 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s A test tube produces life – Louise Brown became the world's first test-tube baby on July 25, 1978. Dr. Robert Edwards, left, and Patrick Steptoe, right, pioneered the process of in vitro fertilization, which injects a single sperm into a mature egg and then transfers the egg into the uterus of the woman. In 2010, Edwards won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for the development of in vitro fertilization, which has helped families conceive more than 5 million babies around the world.Hide Caption 56 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Peace in the Middle East – Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, left, joins hands with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, right, on September 18, 1978, after the Camp David Accords were signed in Maryland. After 12 days of secret meetings, the two sides agreed upon a step toward peace. U.S. President Jimmy Carter, center, personally led the lengthy negotiations and discussions between the two parties.Hide Caption 57 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s The world welcomes a new Pope – His name was Karol Jozef Wojtyla, but the world knew him as Pope John Paul II. Born in Poland, John Paul II was the first non-Italian Pope in more than in 400 years when he became Pope in 1978. He made his first public appearance on October 16, 1978, at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, and before his death in 2005 he was beloved for his commitment to human rights around the world.Hide Caption 58 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Hide Caption 59 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s The Jonestown massacre – Bodies lie around the compound of the People's Temple in Jonestown, Guyana, on November 18, 1978. More than 900 members of the cult, led by the Rev. Jim Jones, died from cyanide poisoning; it was the largest mass-suicide in modern history.Hide Caption 60 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Assassination of Harvey Milk – In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, making him the first openly gay person to be elected to a public office. Milk started his political ambitions in San Francisco in the early '70s, but he did not hold an office until he was appointed to the Board of Permit Appeals in 1976 by Mayor George Moscone. Milk's career was tragically cut short on November 27, 1978, when he and Moscone were assassinated.Hide Caption 61 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Music goes mobile – The sound barrier is broken once again in the '70s, but this time at walking speed. Sony introduces the Walkman, the first commercially successful "personal stereo." Its wearable design and lightweight headphones gave listeners the freedom to listen to music privately while out in public. The product was an instant hit. The Walkman was a mark of coolness among consumers, setting a standard for future generations of personal devices like the Apple iPod.Hide Caption 62 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Magic vs. Bird – The 1979 national championship game between Michigan State and Indiana State still ranks as the most-watched college basketball game of all time, thanks to two up-and-coming superstars: Michigan State's Earvin "Magic" Johnson, bottom, and Indiana State's Larry Bird. Johnson's Spartans won the NCAA title, but the two players' rivalry was only just beginning. During their pro careers in the NBA, Bird's Boston Celtics and Johnson's Los Angeles Lakers would meet in the NBA Finals three times in the '80s.Hide Caption 63 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Three Mile Island – On March 28, 1979, the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history took place in Pennsylvania when large amounts of reactor coolant and radioactive gases from the Three Mile Island power plant were released into the environment. Within days of the accident, 140,000 people evacuated their homes within a 20-mile radius of the plant. The accident brought widespread attention to reactor safety and large protests from anti-nuclear groups. Cleanup from the accident began in August 1979 and was not completed until December 1993.Hide Caption 64 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s The Iron Lady – Margaret Thatcher celebrates her first election victory, becoming Britain's first female Prime Minister on May 4, 1979. As leader of the Conservative Party, Thatcher served three terms as Prime Minister, holding the office until 1990. That made her the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century.Hide Caption 65 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Deadliest day in U.S. aviation – Only moments after takeoff, an engine separated from American Airlines Flight 191, causing the plane to crash in a field near Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on May 26, 1979. All 271 people on board the plane -- and two people on the ground -- were killed, making it the worst aviation accident ever on U.S. soil. Hide Caption 66 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s SALT II – The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, otherwise known as SALT, were a series of meetings and treaties designed at limiting and keeping track of the missiles and nuclear weapons carried by the United States and the Soviet Union. The first treaty was signed in 1972, and the second one was signed in 1979. Six months after the second signing, however, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, and the United States never ratified the SALT II agreement.Hide Caption 67 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s An 'American Hustle' – Scandals shaped a large part of the '70s political atmosphere, and the decade ended on a big one. During a two-year investigation, the FBI set up a sting operation dubbed "Abscam," videotaping politicians accepting bribes from a phony Arabian company in return for favors. The sting resulted in the conviction of six U.S. representatives, one senator, a mayor from New Jersey and members of the Philadelphia City Council. The operation was the inspiration for David O. Russell's 2013 film "American Hustle."Hide Caption 68 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s From Boy Scout to murderer – Ted Bundy, one of the most notorious serial killers of all-time, stands trial in June 1979 for two of his many murders. Bundy received three death sentences for murders he committed in Florida, and he was executed on January 24, 1989. Bundy confessed to 30 murders before his death, but officials believe that number could be higher. Hide Caption 69 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s Iran hostage crisis – In November 1979, 66 Americans were taken hostage after supporters of Iran's Islamic Revolution took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran. All female and African-American hostages were freed, but President Carter could not secure the other 52 hostages' freedom. They were finally released after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President 444 days later. Many feel the Iran hostage crisis cost Carter a second term.Hide Caption 70 of 71 Photos: 70 historic moments from the 1970s A living saint – Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, or "Mother Teresa," won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for dedicating her life to helping the poor. Her foundation in Kolkata, India, "The Missionaries of Charity," took care of orphans, the sick and elderly. In 2003, she was beatified.Hide Caption 71 of 71

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(CNN)A football fan has been arrested after punching a police horse during clashes between rival supporters and police at an English soccer match on Tuesday.The Portsmouth-Southampton derby is one of English football's most contested rivalries but because of the two teams' differing success, it was the first time the clubs had played one another in seven years.Amid the crowd trouble, one social media clip showed a fan appearing to swing at a police horse near Portsmouth's Fratton Park stadium.Portsmouth horse puncherAndroid: https://t.co/i428FxjctYiOS: https://t.co/woVZ2Y8RjV pic.twitter.com/PCR0x9T9kn— Gorgeous__George__5 (@GorgusGeorge5) September 24, 2019 Called Luna, the horse wasn't hurt and continued to work after the incident, chasing the man down a street before police pinned him to the ground. "A 52-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty and attempted criminal damage. He remains in custody at this time," said Hampshire Constabulary in a statement sent to CNN on Wednesday. The age of the man had previously been given as 42 by the police.Read MoreAhead of the League Cup fixture, Hampshire Constabulary said it would run the "largest football policing operation" in the English county, with hundreds of extra officers brought in to help supervise the game. Dog units, the constabulary's mounted section and drones were all deployed to police the game.Five arrests in total were made around the fixture, including one for possession of a pyrotechnic and three others for public order offences. @portsmouthnews @wave105radio @itvmeridian @BBCSouthNews #portsmouth v #Southampton #Southcoastderby from my flat window! pic.twitter.com/YyypH2Wd1w— Stu Southwell 🏳️‍🌈 (@southwellstu) September 24, 2019 "Our priority was to keep people safe and I'm pleased to be able to say this morning that our policing operation has achieved that," Assistant Chief Constable Scott Chilton said in a statement."We knew that the majority of fans wanted to enjoy this match without having to worry about their safety and we did want we felt was needed to reassure them.Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, features, and videos"Sadly we had to prepare for the potential that a minority would try and ruin it for everyone else and this required us, in conjunction with both clubs and our partners, to put plans in place to ensure we were ready to stop that."I think the fact that we have had no reports of anyone being injured and only a few people arrested is testament to the hard work that everyone has put into this operation."Premier League side Southampton easily beat League One side Portsmouth 4-0 to reach the last 16 of the Carabao Cup.

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A version of this story appeared in the March 4 edition of CNN's Royal News, a weekly dispatch bringing you the inside track on Britain's royal family. Sign up here. London (CNN)A war in Europe was unimaginable two weeks ago. There's been widespread shock around the world over Russian President Vladimir Putin's merciless and unprovoked attack on Ukraine, and among many in his own homeland.It is at times like these that we look to our own leaders to express how we feel and to respond accordingly. Britain's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has risen to the occasion enough for many to forget -- for now at least -- about lockdown parties that led to calls for his resignation.The Queen has been lying low at Windsor Castle as she continues to recover from Covid. She has been well enough to do paperwork and host virtual audiences but little else (more on that later). We learned on Thursday, though, that she was so moved by events in Ukraine she had privately made a "generous" donation to the humanitarian appeal from the Disasters Emergency Committee -- a group of 15 leading UK aid charities. Buckingham Palace confirmed the Queen's donation but would not comment further, telling us it was a "private matter."Other members of her family have stepped up in her absence, as is the form these days.The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said in a tweet over the weekend that they "stand with the President and all of Ukraine's people as they bravely fight for that future."Read MoreIn October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelenskyy and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine's future. Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine's people as they bravely fight for that future 🇺🇦 W & C— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) February 26, 2022 Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, tweeted back, saying he and wife Olena were grateful to the couple that "at this crucial time, when Ukraine is courageously opposing Russia's invasion, they stand by our country and support our brave citizens."Olena and I are grateful to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge @RoyalFamily that at this crucial time, when Ukraine is courageously opposing Russia's invasion, they stand by our country and support our brave citizens. Good will triumph.— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 1, 2022 From California, on the day Russia launched its invasion, Prince Harry and Meghan expressed their solidarity with the people of Ukraine "against this breach of international and humanitarian law" and urged "the global community and its leaders to do the same."JUST WATCHEDThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex say they 'stand with Ukraine'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex say they 'stand with Ukraine' 00:45On Tuesday, Prince Charles went further, speaking of "democracy" and "an open society" coming under attack in Ukraine "in the most unconscionable way." He went on: "We are in solidarity with all those who are resisting brutal aggression."If the UK were ever to try to rebuild bridges with Putin, these comments will hang over Charles. That's why, as a rule, royals don't cast judgment on foreign heads of state. They're in it for life, unlike transient politicians. Putin, however, has crossed the line on this one for Charles, as he has for most of the Western world.But it was perhaps his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, who best expressed the nation's shock without words, during the couple's visit to a Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London on Wednesday.Charles and Camilla wanted to show their support for the Ukrainian community here in London. The pair went to the Cathedral of the Holy Family -- which has become a rallying point for the British Ukrainian community -- where they met the Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, and his wife, Inna Prystaiko, as well as Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski. On arrival, the royals met children from an associated Ukrainian school and received a traditional offering of bread and salt. The couple also lit a candle and laid sunflowers, Ukraine's national flower, at the altar.Addressing members of the Ukrainian community working to support relief efforts, Charles praised the group for their courage in the face of wanton aggression. He said: "My wife and I have been deeply moved by everything we've heard today during our visit and, above all, by the extraordinary bravery, generosity and fortitude of the Ukrainian community in the face of such truly terrible aggression. So, if I may say so, our thoughts and prayers, however inadequate they may be, are with all of you at this most critical time."During the visit, a camera picked up tears in Camilla's eyes and a journalist from the Royal Rota covering the event reported the duchess "wept frequently during the engagement and comforted the ambassador's wife, who was also crying." NEWS OF THE WEEKThe Queen appears on a screen via videolink from Windsor Castle, during a virtual audience to receive the High Commissioner of Malawi, Dr. Thomas Bisika (not pictured), at Buckingham Palace in London on Thursday.The Queen seems to be on the mend after contracting coronavirus nearly two weeks ago, undertaking a number of video calls this week.On Thursday, she held two virtual audiences from Windsor with the new ambassadors for Trinidad and Tobago and Malawi. Earlier this week, she also welcomed incoming envoys to the UK from Andorra and Chad in video meetings.The palace has been reluctant to give a daily health update but clearly the monarch is feeling well enough to return to virtual engagements. It is understood she will continue with other duties and has some private engagements in her diary.One event that was taken off the books was a diplomatic reception that was due to take place at Windsor Castle on Wednesday. Buckingham Palace said over the weekend the Queen had "accepted the Foreign Secretary's advice" to postpone the event. Rather than being related to her health, it's likely UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss made the suggestion in the light of the ongoing crisis facing Ukraine.The next major events the Queen is hoping to attend are the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on March 14 and a service of thanksgiving for her late husband, Prince Philip, at the same venue on March 29.WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING?Charles celebrates success of Black Britons.The Prince of Wales brought together some of the most influential Black Britons when he hosted a reception for supporters of the Powerlist at Clarence House on Tuesday. The Powerlist is an annual celebration of 100 of the most influential people of African, African-Caribbean and African-American heritage. "These communities have made and continue to make an incredibly positive difference to society as a whole and, in doing so, have built a real community spirit and cohesion," Charles said. The heir to the throne added it was "particularly pleasing to see the diversity of talent" recognized by the initiative, from the arts to business, the environment and technology, among other sectors. Charles said the Powerlist -- now in its 16th year -- has helped identify "expertise and leadership" that will aid the UK in meeting the challenges it continues to face across society.The Prince of Wales speaks to Baroness Valerie Amos during the Powerlist reception. William and Kate mark St. David's Day in Wales.The Cambridges took a trip to Wales to celebrate St. David's Day, where they were greeted by throngs of well-wishers. The trip was focused on the importance of the agricultural industry, with their engagements centered around how community groups are supporting young people, while also celebrating the region's history. In Abergavenny, they stopped at a goat farm that has supplied milk to local cheesemakers for almost two decades. Meanwhile, in Blaenavon, the pair rolled up their sleeves in the kitchen of a local youth center, where they baked Welsh cakes before playing a game of pool.William and Kate chat with royal supporters at Abergavenny Market.DID YOU KNOW?Meghan praises historic Supreme Court nomination.The Duchess of Sussex weighed in on Ketanji Brown Jackson's historic Supreme Court nomination to become the first Black woman to sit on the highest court in the United States. Meghan spoke to Anita Hill, an American lawyer who became a household name in 1991 when she testified about sexual harassment she allegedly endured from then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, for URL Media. Reflecting on Jackson's nomination, Hill wrote in an op-ed that she wanted to seek the thoughts of others who had "entered arenas once thought to be inaccessible," so she reached out to Meghan. The duchess praised President Joe Biden's pick, telling her "the civil rights history of tomorrow is being written today." Meghan added that Jackson's nomination "opened new ground for women's representation at the highest level of a judicial system that for too long has tilted against the very community she hails from." Read Hill's op-ed here.DON'T MISSConservators handle David Bailey's portrait of Diana.New Diana portrait goes on display.An exhibition opening Friday at London's Kensington Palace will debut a portrait of Princess Diana that's never been seen by the public. Taken by fashion photographer David Bailey in 1988, the image was originally commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery but has remained in Bailey's archive until now. The black-and-white image shows an elegant 27-year-old Diana gazing into the distance, wearing a satin off-the-shoulder gown and a pair of teardrop earrings.Bailey, who has photographed multiple cultural legends, including Andy Warhol, Twiggy and the Beatles, was selected by Diana for his high-contrast lighting and minimalist style. Her choice "reflected her desire to establish a new photographic identity for herself," distinct from the more established forms of royal portraiture, according to a news release from Historic Royal Palaces, the British charity tasked with running six of the UK's palaces. Revealed now after 34 years, the image further solidifies her public reputation as one of the most fashion-forward members of the British royal family. Read more on CNN Style.FEATURED PHOTOSIn addition to the Diana portrait, the exhibition, titled "A Life Through A Royal Lens," will showcase a range of works exploring the relationship between photography and the monarchy.It includes photos snapped on royal tours and portraits of heads of state, as well as off-duty moments away from the public eye. Also on show for the first time is a selection of images taken by members of the royal family themselves.The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, Stourbridge, April 1957The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall at the Sandringham Flower Show in July 2019Nearly 1,000 images were submitted from people around the world who were keen to share their encounters with royals, with photographs ranging from royal walkabouts in the 1950s to the traditional Christmas Day service at Sandringham, the Queen's private residence in Norfolk.Check out more of the amateur snaps here.IN THE ROYAL DIARYThe Duchess of Cornwall has a busy week ahead, with two major engagements on her calendar.Tuesday, March 8: In her role as president of WOW - Women of the World Festival, Camilla will host a reception to mark International Women's Day at Clarence House in London.Thursday, March 10: She'll open the new Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) headquarters in Battersea, south London. The duchess has been vice-patron of the RAD since 2020.PHOTO OF THE WEEKPrince Charles and Camilla unveiled an eco-friendly pier train named in honor of murdered British politician David Amess, during a visit to Southend, east of London on March 1. Amess, a veteran Conservative lawmaker, was stabbed to death in his constituency in October. "What we saw in the terrible tragedy in Southend was an attack on democracy, on an open society, on freedom itself. We are seeing those same values under attack today in Ukraine, in the most unconscionable way. In the stand we take here, we are in solidarity with all those who are resisting brutal oppression." Prince Charles' condemnation of Russia's attack on Tuesday.

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Moscow (CNN)Russian President Vladimir Putin is no slouch when it comes to geopolitics: This week, he signed a decree suspending implementation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and boasted that his security agencies had thwarted nearly 600 foreign intelligence operators last year.But with domestic issues now driving the agenda for the Kremlin, Putin's Russia also appears to be taking a more authoritarian turn.This week, Russian lawmakers advanced a package of new legislation aimed at curtailing internet freedom. Among the laws awaiting the president's eventual signature is a measure that would allow authorities to jail individuals for insulting government officials online.President Vladimir Putin has a monopoly on power in Russia.Russia is not China, and the country still has a relatively boisterous online culture. But the proposed laws would widen the definition of restricted speech, calling for penalties of up to 15 days in administrative detention for those found guilty of posting information that shows "disrespect for society, the state, (and) state symbols of the Russian Federation," -- including, presumably, Putin himself.New law lets Russia jail people who 'disrespect' the government online This latest move to curtail internet freedom in Russia builds on fairly sweeping laws that are already on the books. In 2016, a raft of anti-terrorism legislation known collectively as the Yarovaya Law introduced harsh penalties for endorsing extremism online.Read MoreAccording to Human Rights Watch and other advocacy groups, dozens of Russians have been jailed for simply expressing their views on blogs and social media. And Putin this week signed into law a bill that restricts the digital footprint of military service personnel.Russian authorities may have wide latitude to restrict speech online, but it's also worth remembering that the Yarovaya Law had a major impact on religious freedom in Russia.A 2018 State Department report noted that Russian authorities"prosecuted individuals of many denominations for unauthorized missionary activity under the amendments to antiterrorism laws passed in 2016, known as the Yarovaya Package. Police conducted raids on the private homes and places of worship of religious minorities. Religious minorities said local authorities used the country's anti-extremism laws to add to the list of banned religious texts. Local officials continued to prevent minority religious organizations from obtaining land and denied them construction permits for houses of worship." Those practices continue, and Jehovah's Witnesses have been some of the hardest hit by the enforcement of such laws. In one of the most high-profile cases, a Russian court last month sentenced Danish Jehovah's Witness Dennis Christensen to six years in a penal colony on charges of "religious extremism." Danish Jehovah's Witness Dennis Christensen is escorted inside a Russian courthouse after being sentenced to six years in prison for "extremism."After the conviction of Christensen, allegations also surfaced of torture and ill treatment of Jehovah's Witnesses following the searches of their homes by law enforcement officials in the Siberian city of Surgut.And earlier this week, the Russian Foreign Ministry and the US State Department confirmed the detention of two US citizens -- members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- in the southern city of Novorossiysk. Putin's Russia may be authoritarian, but it is not monolithic: The persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses continued even after Putin in December described the inclusion of Jehovah's Witnesses on a list of extremist organizations as "complete nonsense." But the move to curtail internet freedom and the crackdown on religious minorities reflect broader official paranoia about internal threats. Russia's top leadership has a conspiratorial view of the world, with Russia opposed by foreign adversaries from without and of fifth columnists from within.Putin talks pocketbook issues, but still brandishes missilesIn a speech last weekend, Russia's top military officer, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, pointed to the "aggressive vector" of the foreign policy of the US and its allies, suggesting they were employing technology of "color revolutions" and "soft power" to promote regime change around the globe, including in Russia."Their goal is the elimination of the statehood of unwanted countries, the undermining of sovereignty, the change of lawfully elected bodies of state power," Gerasimov said. "So it was in Iraq, in Libya and in Ukraine. Currently, similar actions are observed in Venezuela."Such talk reflects wider worry about internal dissent, particularly in a country where the political opposition has no access to state airwaves and Putin has a monopoly on power.But there are signs that some Russians resist the country's continued slide toward authoritarianism. Earlier this week, two activists were detained briefly after interrupting a ceremony to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the death of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin on Red Square.One protester, Yevgeny Suchkov, threw broken carnations at a bust of Stalin, shouting, "Burn in hell, executioner of the people, murderer of women and children!"Video of Suchkov and another protester, Olga Savchenko, went viral. The two were detained but quickly released after being issued a fine of under $8, according to US-funded news outlet Current Time. And on Sunday at least 29 people were detained at a rally in Moscow against the new laws tightening internet control, according to an independent monitoring group.OVD-Info, a nonprofit organization that monitors detentions, said that as of around 5:00 p.m. local time Sunday a total of 29 people had been detained before, during and after a protest in Moscow that drew several thousand attendees, according to activists.Activists held a sanctioned demonstration on Moscow's Sakharov Prospect to demonstrate against proposed rules that would tighten state control over internet traffic. According to OVD-Info, eight individuals who were preparing to hand out balloons at the rally were detained before the event.

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Story highlightsEuropean court says sports fans have the right to choose how they watch matchesIt could have a major impact on broadcasters which hold regional licenses for TV rightsEngland's Premier League receives most of its money from a lucrative deal with BSkyBLawyer says it could affect future revenues for sport franchises across EuropeA landmark ruling which could change the way top-level European football matches are broadcast and sold by television companies was made on Tuesday. The European Court of Justice said that soccer fans have the right to watch sport franchises, such as the English Premier League, on a range of European broadcasters rather than solely via the rights holder designated for each national territory.The court said in a statement: "A system of licenses for the broadcasting of football matches which grants broadcasters territorial exclusivity on a member state basis and which prohibits television viewers from watching the broadcasts with a decoder card in other member states is contrary to EU law."Since its launch in 1992, the Premier League has sold exclusive match rights to a small number of television networks per national territory, a business model which has seen it become one of the richest in the world -- generating an estimated $5.3 billion in income, according to British newspaper The Guardian.Can football chants ever go too far?But the ruling -- in response to a long-running case by BSkyB against a British pub landlady who broadcast a Greek match feed -- now means that consumers could buy decoder boxes from satellite broadcasters from other nations, at a cheaper price, to watch the games they are interested in. BSkyB, which paid a combined $2.73 billion with ESPN to be the main rights owner for the Premier League in the United Kingdom, saw its share price drop 3% on news of the statement."It will have implications for how rights are sold across Europe in future, which we are considering," a Sky spokesman told CNN. "As a broadcaster, it will remain our aim to secure high-quality content for our customers based on the rights available to us."The ruling's effect could be far reaching if the value of football rights were to be diminished. The large amount paid to the Premier League has seen record amounts of prize money given to top-flight English clubs such as Manchester United and Arsenal -- finance which has subsequently been used to build new stadia and attract some of the world's best players."This could drive a coach and horses through Sky's business model for broadcasting of Premier League matches," according to Stuart Adams of intellectual property law specialist Rouse, based in London."There is every prospect they will find fewer people willing to pay for licenses to broadcast Premier League matches if for a little effort they can get the same pictures via a cheaper overseas feed. When the deal is re-negotiated with the Premier League it will be very interesting to see how the numbers change. "And if they are markedly reduced, of course, that will have a direct impact on clubs' revenues and therefore their ability to buy and pay the salaries of top talent. That in turn could lead to yet more polarization between the haves and the have-nots of the English game."The English Premier League said it would release a statement shortly.Sanjay Nijran, a sports lawyer for Smithfield Partners based in London, told CNN it could affect future revenues for sport franchises across Europe. "Any broadcasting rights holder that intends to license rights will be bound by this ruling, it appears they will not be able to limit exclusivity to national borders and consequently the value of these rights could be limited. They may have to look for other models," Nijran said."We're not sure but we would imagine the Premier League would possibly be considering a pan-European license to sell the same broadcasting rights to the continent." But it could mean that football fans in Europe are able to pay less to watch the matches they want. "Currently top-level football is sold to a host broadcaster in each European Member State, you have only one choice of provider through which to watch the match. Now, this ruling allows you to watch on the same terms as any other person across Europe," added Nijran, who is representing suppliers of satellite television decoders over the issue."What this gives the consumer is choice because through increased competition they are able to choose cheaper providers." However, the ruling could have a detrimental affect on English lower-league football, Adams told CNN, as it would circumvent the ban on Saturday afternoon matches being broadcast live -- a regulation which is supposed to protect smaller clubs."This would have a huge potential impact on clubs' pricing policies as they are likely to have to reduce prices at the turnstile in order to continue to attract crowds," Adams said. "While this is an issue for Premier League clubs, it is likely to be much more acute for lower-league clubs who are far more at risk of reduced attendances in these circumstances. Such clubs are also more reliant on revenue generated at the turnstiles. "If the net result of this is more football on the telly for fans to watch, and less money for clubs to lavish on the salaries of their top players, I think most of us would be overjoyed. But if we also see smaller clubs go out of business as a direct consequence, I'm not so sure that football fans will be cheering quite so loudly."

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Story highlightsPrince Ali bin Al-Hussein and Luis Figo both candidates in FIFA presidential electionPair are having their campaigns run by same London communications firm VeroDutchman Michael van Praag also in contest along with incumbent Sepp Blatter FIFA presidential election takes place on May 29 in SwitzerlandFollow us at @CNNSport and like us on Facebook (CNN)Could you imagine a presidential election where two hopeful candidates had their campaigns run by the same communications firm?Welcome to the world of football where two men hoping to become the leader of FIFA, football's world governing body, are using the same campaign company despite ostensibly being in opposition.Luis Figo, the former Barcelona and Real Madrid midfielder and Jordan's Prince Ali Bin-Al Hussein have engaged London-based Vero Communications to help land them the top job.A public relations company with great experience in sport, Vero also has a wider communications brief working with UEFA, the European confederation within FIFA. Meaning truth in Latin, Vero has enjoyed great success helping Qatar win the hosting bid for the 2022 World Cup, running Brian Cookson's successful presidential bid for the International Cycling Union (UCI) and working with the city of Belo Horizonte during the World Cup in Brazil.Read MoreNow it is set to play a key role in the presidential election -- by representing two of the candidates.Both men along with Dutchman Michael van Praag are hoping to bring an end to the 17-year reign of Sepp Blatter, who at the age of 78 is aiming for a fifth consecutive term in office.But why are Figo, one of the finest players of his generation and Ali, the Jordanian prince who sits on the FIFA Executive Committee, both using Vero to promote their campaigns?Responding to questions from CNN, Vero confirmed it was working on both campaigns."Vero is proud to be providing Prince Ali with strategic campaign and media relations support," said the statement."We also offer communications support, via the Portuguese Football Federation, to Luis Figo's campaign, and that includes his press conference in London this week. "Vero also has an ongoing contract with UEFA, advising on a range of strategic communications matters."We share a common commitment with all three reforming candidates and UEFA to bring about positive change at FIFA." Photos: 2022 World Cup in QatarDecision made – Sepp Blatter, the president of world football's governing body FIFA, announced that a redacted version of the report into the alleged wrongdoing surroiunding the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups would be published.Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: 2022 World Cup in Qatar'Picasso gift' – A published report claims UEFA president Michel Platini was gifted a Picasso painting in return for support for the Russia 2018 World Cup bid. Platini strenuously denies the allegation. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: 2022 World Cup in QatarQatar and Russia cleared – Russia and Qatar, the hosts of the two World Cups, have been cleared of allegations of corruption by FIFA. Russia, the 2018 host and Qatar, which will host the tournament in 2022, were absolved of wrongdoing.Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: 2022 World Cup in Qatar2022 World Cup – Michael Garcia (left) handed his report on the bidding process for the 2018 / 2022 World Cups to the FIFA Ethics Committee. Garcia has also called for the findings of his report to be made public.Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: 2022 World Cup in Qatar2022 controversy continues – FIFA has been plagued by a series of problems and controversies since Russia and Qatar was awarded the right to stage the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: 2022 World Cup in QatarWorld Cup heat – The announcement by FIFA in 2010 that Qatar would host the 2022 World Cup finals has brought greater exposure for the tiny emirate.Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: 2022 World Cup in QatarOff message? – It has also placed world governing body FIFA under pressure as to just when the tournament will be held. The organization's secretary general Jerome Valcke says he expects the 2022 World Cup to be played between November and January.Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: 2022 World Cup in QatarWorkers' rights – It's not just when the 2022 World Cup will be played that has caused Qatar and FIFA problems. Qatar has come under pressure over the plight of the country's migrant workers, who make up 90 per cent of Qatar's population. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: 2022 World Cup in QatarRage against machine – This has been been highlighted by the International Trade Union Confederation, which has criticized Qatar's system of sponsorship which ties workers to employers and has been abused in the past. The ITUC also point to the high number of worker deaths and the conditions that many find themselves in. Temperatures on building sites in the summer months can hit 50 degree Celcius.Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: 2022 World Cup in QatarBack to the future – Qatar's ambitious plans for the 2022 World Cup include building brand new, state of the art stadiums that would rival any in the world.Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: 2022 World Cup in QatarIsland in the sun – But costs have spiraled and the technology has yet to be successfully deployed in full.Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: 2022 World Cup in QatarWaiting game – But the new allegations by the Sunday Times could, if proven, see the vote for the 2022 final rerun, making questions about timing irrelevant.Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: 2022 World Cup in QatarPutin role highlighted – The Sunday Times report also claims Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) allegedly won the covert support of FIFA President Sepp Blatter (R) to enhance the claims of the Russia 2018 bid. Hide Caption 13 of 13FIFA did not immediately respond to CNN's questions as to whether Blatter was using a PR firm and how he was funding his re-election campaignUEFA does not appear to have a problem with both the campaigns of Prince Ali and Luis Figo being run by the same company with the organization preferring to support a change of direction within FIFA rather than back one specific candidate.Rather than consider the two men opponents, the European governing body is believed to see the emergence of both Prince Ali and Figo as two men who are sharing the common goal of reforming FIFA and providing open and democratic debate.In a statement, UEFA told CNN: "UEFA appointed Vero Communications as a consultant in March of 2014 to help support and develop its international communications activities. "As part of the contract with UEFA, Vero deals with various matters concerning European and global football."While van Praag's campaign is being run separately, all three candidates are expected to meet ahead of the election.UEFA president Michel Platini has been outspoken in his desire to see change at the top of world football and wants Blatter removed from the top job when the election takes place on May 29.He is likely to hold talks with the candidates a month or so before the election to see whether they have received enough support from the 209 national associations.It is thought that at least one of the three might pull out before the contest and instead pledge his votes to the candidate with the best chance of defeating Blatter.JUST WATCHEDFIFA President: 'I have not finished my mission'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHFIFA President: 'I have not finished my mission' 04:18While FIFA's image has been tarnished by numerous scandals under Blatter's leadership, the Swiss remains favorite to retain his position.The resignation of ethics investigator Michael Garcia over the organization's handling of its own report into alleged corruption surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids brought great embarrassment.But Blatter's presidential rivals appear to have their work cut out to unseat the incumbent given the bedrock of support he enjoys, particularly in Africa."Blatter has been very key for the development of the game in Africa," Amaju Pinnick, head of the Nigerian Football Association told CNN."There's no fear. There are 54 countries -- I'm not going to say 100% that it's a secret ballot, it's not an open ballot, but everybody I've spoken to is in one direction."You need to decide that this man is an African, he feels African, he has supported Africa, and I will give him that support."JUST WATCHEDExclusive: Figo to run for FIFA presidencyReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHExclusive: Figo to run for FIFA presidency 05:06All four presidential candidates will be traveling to meet associations and hold talks over the election in the next couple of months.In an exclusive interview with CNN last month where he announced his intention to stand for president, Figo spoke of the need for change at the top of world football.The 42-year-old, who made 127 international appearances for Portugal, is admired by his fellow professionals and those who work within the game."I can say I'm a real candidate after today and I'm looking forward to opening the debate and trying to get the support of many federations to have the chance to be the president," added Figo."I think to [take] this step you have to be prepared. Of course I did my homework but I have a lot of things that I have to learn, to improve, but if your mind is open I think it's much more easy."I have my ideas about what is football and what is good for improving FIFA but I think my experience of my career is a positive thing that allows me to understand a lot of the game. My first priority is to know from the federations what they need."I think one important thing is to increase the solidarity payments to the federations, because right now FIFA has so many financial reserves that belong to the federations."JUST WATCHEDPrince Ali reveals 'culture of intimidation' in FIFAReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPrince Ali reveals 'culture of intimidation' in FIFA 02:31Prince Ali, who spoke exclusively to CNN earlier this month, said he would leave FIFA altogether if Blatter won re-election."I think the main point is to have a new culture" Ali told CNN in an interview after he addressed the media for the first time since announcing his intention to run."It's about not having the game controlled by people's personal opinions or the whims of the president. It needs to be inclusive for all.""I've tried as much as I can to reform it from within... having seen what's happened I'm not going to allow another four years of this," Prince Ali added while talking about FIFA's internal workings.

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Story highlightsJorge Lorenzo wins Japanese Grand Prix at MotegiCuts gap on title leader Marc Marquez to 13 pointsChampionship will be decided in final round in ValenciaMarquez bidding to become youngest MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo set up a thrilling last race finale with MotoGP title leader Marc Marquez by claiming the Japanese Grand Prix Sunday at Motegi.Defending champion Lorenzo led from start to finish on his Yamaha to relegate Marquez and his Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa to second and third places.It has cut Marquez's lead to just 13 points ahead of the final round in Valencia in a fortnight, the first time in seven years the title will be at stake at this stage of the season.Read: Marquez mistake puts Lorenzo back in title hunt"Until we finish racing we know the championship is not over. I'm not the leading rider so it's not all up to me, " Lorenzo told the official MotoGP website."I am the rider with the most victories in 2013 and that's very important." added the Spaniard, who was wrapping up his 51st career victory and seventh of the season.JUST WATCHEDLorenzo: Motorcycling is like dancingReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHLorenzo: Motorcycling is like dancing 03:31Marquez, who was disqualified in the previous round in Australia for delaying a mandatory tire change, will be looking to seal the title in his debut season, but had to settle for second in Honda's home race. "I felt I was too much on the limit and I said 'Ok, I'll take 20 points for the championship," he said.The race was run off in dry conditions at Motegi after rain and fog had hit practice and qualifying, but Lorenzo was dominant from the start although teammate Valentino Rossi dropped back after early mistakes.Read: Rookie Marquez closes on title Italian legend Rossi fought back to finish sixth with Alavaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl ahead of him in fourth and fifth.Marquez, just 20, will go into the race in Spain needing to finish fourth or better to become the youngest winner of motorcycling's premier class.He finished just over three seconds behind Lorenzo, shaking off a nasty crash in morning practice which he blamed on a cold tire and change of track temperature.

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(CNN)Tensions are escalating on the border between Poland and Belarus, after Polish officials again accused their neighbor of helping move migrants toward the frontier, and warned that thousands of additional military personnel have been mobilized to respond to confrontations.In the latest in a weeks-long migration crisis at the border, the head of the Polish border guard said that groups of people were attempting to breach the border on Monday evening."The situation at the border is difficult. More numerous groups of migrants are led to the border. Attempts are being made to force the border through," Ewelina Szczepańska said, adding that she was confident that Polish forces could handle the situation.Poland's defense ministry said earlier on Monday on Twitter that "a group of migrants is currently located close to Kuznica." The post was accompanied by aerial footage showing large crowds congregating on the Belarusian side of the border. The ministry added later that: "Currently, migrants have set up a camp in the Kuznica region. They are constantly guarded by the Belarusian services."The spokesman for the general headquarters of the Polish Border Guard, Michał Tokarczyk, told CNN: "Belarusian services are moving large groups of migrants towards the Polish border. We are waiting for their further move and we are prepared for any scenario."Read MoreIn a follow-up statement, Tokarczyk specified that there are currently around 4,500 border guards and about 9,500 Polish Army soldiers stationed at the border as "a group of several thousand migrants is heading towards the Polish border."German police stop far-right vigilantes attempting to patrol Polish borderThe Belarus State Border Committee, which is responsible for the country's external borders, said the migrants near the border want to enter Poland as refugees and do not pose a security threat.A growing number of people have been illegally crossing Poland's border from Belarus in recent weeks. According to Tokarczyk, since August more than 30,000 migrants have attempted to enter the country.Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has previously been accused of manufacturing a migrant crisis on the border by the Prime Ministers of neighbors Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, leading Poland to adopt a bill in October for the construction of a wall along its border with Belarus. European officials have also accused Belarus of encouraging people to cross illegally into Poland, and its other European Union neighbors, as part of efforts to put pressure on the bloc over sweeping sanctions it imposed on Minsk in June. The sanctions by the EU, the US and Britain were a coordinated response to the Lukashenko government's forced landing of a Ryanair flight and arrest of an opposition journalist on board, as well as "continuing repression" in the former Soviet state.Border crisis spatIn another tweet Monday, Poland's Defense Minister, Mariusz Blaszczak, said thousands of soldiers were "prepared to defend the Polish border.""More than 12,000 people are on duty at the border ... We raised the state of alert," Blaszczak wrote. Meanwhile, the Polish Territorial Defense Forces also said in a tweet that it was raising the alert level to support the border guard, adding: "Soldiers! Check your gear and communication equipment, let your employers and families know."Belarus floods the European Union with migrants, taking a page out of Putin's playbookThe Polish Ministry of Interior and Administration said earlier on Twitter that migrants on the Belarus side had so far been stopped on Monday and that the situation in Kuznica is under control.It posted video showing Polish police and other armed personnel standing near a barbed wire fence, with the migrants on the Belarus side. Meanwhile, an urgent government crisis meeting was convened amid the growing tensions, according to the interior ministry.Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Facebook: "The border of the Republic of Poland is not just a line of a map. It is sacred -- the blood of Poles was spilt over generations to protect it!"Lithuania -- which shares a border with both Poland and Belarus -- said it was redeploying troops as tensions continue to escalate, according to the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service and reported by LRT, the Lithuanian public broadcaster."We are preparing for all possible scenarios," the public broadcaster quoted Rustamas Liubajevas, the head of Lithuania's border guard, as saying. A picture taken on Monday shows migrants at the Belarusian-Polish border in the Grodno region. Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged a strong response from the EU and United Nations."Belarus' regime escalates the border crisis -- migrants are pushed to EU border by armed men," she tweeted. "The migrant smuggling, violence & ill-treatment must stop."Belarusian reactionBelarusian President Lukashenko's government has repeatedly denied manufacturing a migrant crisis, blaming the West for the crossings and treatment of migrants. CNN has reached out to the Belarusian government for comment.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday defended Minsk's handling of the migrant issue, saying Belarus was taking all necessary measures to act legally.The Belarus State Border Committee also said in a Facebook statement: "Foreigners who are near the border with Poland declare their intention to enter the territory of a neighboring country and exercise their right to apply for refugee status in the EU. All of these people, including women and children, do not pose a security threat and do not behave aggressively." Migrants approach a barbed wire fence along the Belarusian-Polish border. The Belarus State Border Committee added it did not rule out provocation from the Polish side. "Taking into account the statements of Polish officials about the concentration of armed forces and equipment near the border, we do not exclude provocative actions by the Polish side aimed at justifying the use of physical force and special means against refugees."In a later statement the Committee added: "The situation on the Belarusian-Polish border remains extremely tense. More than 2,000 refugees, including a significant number of women and children, are in front of the Polish barriers along the border ... Refugees repeatedly tried to inform the Polish side that they had left their countries because their lives were in danger."It then accused Polish security forces of deploying tear gas on the migrants and using "aviation to exert psychological pressure," which led to some of them attacking the Polish barriers.Charities say migrants face grueling conditions trying to cross the border from Belarus in freezing weather with a lack of food and medical attention.Polish authorities said seven migrants have been found dead on Poland's side of the border, with reports of more deaths in Belarus.Humanitarian groups also accuse Poland's ruling nationalists of violating the international right to asylum by pushing migrants back into Belarus instead of accepting their applications for protection. Poland says its actions are legal.CNN's Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Allegra Goodwin and Eliza Mackintosh contributed to this report.

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Holocaust Memorial Day takes place on Saturday, January 27.London (CNN)Manfred Goldberg is pessimistic.As nationalism reverberates across the world and the power of social media grows, he fears that the warnings of the past have fallen on deaf ears.The 87-year-old Holocaust survivor sees a world that has failed to learn from its history, from a past that saw 6 million Jews die at the hands of the Nazis. And in social media, he sees a machine so powerful in spreading hate that it is difficult to see a happy ending. The rise of social media has left Holocaust survivors facing what Goldberg calls "a losing battle."Manfred Goldberg now lives in London with his wife, Shary."Instant communication now means that any single person who wants to propagate his race hatred-infected views can do so much, much, much more effectively than the Nazis back then could ever do," he says."Many years before they gained political power the Nazis initiated and maintained a vicious anti-Semitic propaganda campaign against Jews mainly by the printed word but also by speech railing against Jews at mass meetings.Read More"They did so in the belief that any lie, no matter how vile or abhorrent, would eventually be accepted as truth if it was repeated often enough and powerfully enough."Unfortunately, they were proved correct. The result, as we know, was the Holocaust. And what worries me, tremendously, is that in the name of the freedom of speech, we appear to ignore this lesson of history."Read: Facebook, Twitter face fines up to $53 million over hate speechStory of survivalSitting in his London home, surrounded by photographs of his four children and 12 grandchildren, Goldberg recounts his tale of survival.It is a story he has told many times, especially in recent years with the help of the Holocaust Educational Trust, which educates thousands of students and teachers across the UK.Born into a German Orthodox Jewish family, Goldberg was deported from his hometown of Kassel in central Germany to the Riga ghetto in Latvia before being moved on to a number of different labor camps in German-occupied Poland.A gas chamber at the Stutthof concentration camp, where Goldberg was held by the Nazis.It was there that he worked laying railway tracks while facing selections where Nazi guards would choose which inmates would live, and who would be murdered.He survived eight months of slave labor in Stutthof concentration camp, where gas chambers were used to kill prisoners and their remains were burned in the nearby crematorium.When Stutthof was abandoned, Goldberg had to endure a death march through awful conditions. He was liberated in Neustadt, Germany, in 1945. His mother, another survivor, traveled with him in 1946 to the UK, where they were reunited with his father, who had escaped Germany just weeks before the war broke out. But his younger brother perished, murdered by the Nazis.'Holocaust denial'Last year, Goldberg returned to Stutthof for the first time since the end of the Holocaust, accompanying the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on a tour of the camp where 65,000 people lost their lives.Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (L), and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, meet Manfred Goldberg as they visit the former Stutthof Nazi concentration camp during an official visit to Poland.As survivors of the Holocaust grow older, he feels a sense of responsibility to share his story before he leaves this world.And it is a responsibility that grows with each passing day, he says, as those who seek to deny the Holocaust attempt to spread their messages online.William & Kate walk through the death gates at Stutthof concentration camp with survivors Zigi Shipper & Manfred Goldberg #RoyalTourPoland pic.twitter.com/mr3p5N2s6i— Rhiannon Mills (@SkyRhiannon) July 18, 2017 "Decades ago when I was young, I did not dream that in my lifetime I would witness a thriving industry of Holocaust denial," Goldberg says."Despite all our efforts to make people aware of the horrors of the Holocaust, I feel under present conditions, with the freedom granted to these race-hating views, we are fighting a losing battle."How can people deny the Holocaust existed?"Anyone can pay a visit to Stutthof -- the museum is open to the public -- and can see with their own eyes a gas chamber and crematorium as they were 70-odd years ago and yet there are tens, if not, hundreds of thousands, who believe this lie that the Holocaust is a lie from beginning to end, that there never were any gas chambers. It is beyond comprehension but nevertheless it's a fact. "The numbers of people infected by these views can only grow. Once someone has that attitude of mind, facts are irrelevant."'We must not let them get to the top'A five-minute drive from Goldberg's home, fellow survivor Freda Wineman also fears for the future.Freda Wineman looks at a photo of her mother who was killed at Auschwitz.A survivor of Auschwitz, where over a million Jews were murdered including her own mother and brother, she too has traveled far and wide to share her story.Even now, at 94, she is as keen as ever to talk, ensuring the lessons of the Holocaust are heeded by future generations."We have to be aware there are some right-wing movements that have to be stopped and eliminated," she says. "We must not let them get to the top because they are evil. Let's hope somebody will fight them. In several countries it has been happening and it is very worrying indeed."The railway tracks leading to the main gates at Auschwitz-Birkenau.Read: Twitter blocks far-right leader as Germany tightens hate speech lawBut Wineman, who knows Goldberg through the Holocaust Educational Trust, is more positive.Wineman says her meetings with the younger generation have given her hope that her story and those of her fellow survivors will live on.JUST WATCHEDDrone video shows scale of Auschwitz campReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDrone video shows scale of Auschwitz camp 01:45"If we don't live with hope we are finished," says Wineman, who moved to London from her native France in 1950."We have testimonies in many museums and we hope that some of these young people will look up some of these and learn from them. "Of course it won't be the same because they won't hear us speak about it and tell our own experiences. It will be different but we have to trust the future generation," she says. "As long as they learn that tolerance is important, look out for evil and not let it happen, that will be a very good message to us if they can take a lesson from that."

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Story highlightsNew film 'Seve' charts the career of Spain's legendary golfer Severiano BallesterosBallesteros won over 90 tournaments including five major championshipsSpaniard was famous for his charismatic, flamboyant style on the courseMovie uses archive footage mixed with dramatizations of his childhoodHe was Spain's ultimate matador and golf's greatest escape artist.There was seemingly no situation Severiano Ballesteros couldn't extricate himself from, whether his golf ball was rooted behind a tree, in a stream, buried in a hedge or deep in the car park.And the Spaniard did it all with such infectious brio that his career in the sport genuinely redefined it.Now, 25 years after Ballesteros secured the first of his five major titles at the British Open, and three years after his death, a film entitled "Seve" charts the career of golf's most charismatic star.Read: Kaymer wins U.S. OpenJUST WATCHEDWhen Tiger Woods met President Obama ...ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhen Tiger Woods met President Obama ... 01:01JUST WATCHEDWie: U.S. Open trophy 'very snuggable'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWie: U.S. Open trophy 'very snuggable' 02:34Taking its cue from a similar sporting opus "Senna," about the life of Brazil's Formula One star, it is produced by Stephen Evans, whose credits include "The Madness of King George"While a large portion of the film is made up of stirring archive footage, a thread of dramatized reconstructions chart the story of Ballesteros' formative years as a teenager.From a poor farming family, Ballesteros taught himself the game by hitting pebbles on the beach in his home town of Padrena after tying the discarded head of a three iron onto a stick."I think he was certainly the most charismatic of his or any other generation, certainly the first one to stir the young ladies hearts when they were watching," Evans told CNN. "But unless you understand Ballesteros' background, you won't understand Ballesteros."Seve had this poor background, he had a good time with his loving parents and was the spoiled little boy in the family, but while there was always food on the table there was no money."He was up against it and you can see that in his personality as he developed. He had this aspect that everyone loved because he had charisma, style, intelligence. "And because of learning the game in this famous way -- playing the game for two years with one club -- he'd got to know how to improvise. "I think everyone would agree he's one of the game's greatest ever improvisers."Read: Golf legend Ballesteros diesBallesteros was the son of a shepherd determined to gatecrash the exclusive world of golf, and his rags to riches story was ripe for adaption on the big screen. JUST WATCHEDTiger Woods returns to competitive golfReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHTiger Woods returns to competitive golf 02:02JUST WATCHEDBeautiful hand-painted golf postersReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHBeautiful hand-painted golf posters 03:55Often he would scale the walls of the exclusive Royal Padrena Golf Club near his home just to hit a few shots in the fading light of day, or under a full moon.It was this round-the-clock dedication to golf that indirectly led to his expulsion from school, when snoozing in class as a 12-year-old resulted in a confrontation with one of his teachers.By the time Ballesteros hit 13 whispers of his potential prompted a winner-takes-all contest against the region's under-25 champion with a purse of 50,000 pesetas at stake.That contest provides one of the centerpieces of the film, but having decided on a cinematic strand to recreate Ballesteros' childhood, Evans now needed someone who could play a young Seve.Enter Jose Luis Gutierrez, who not only bears an uncanny resemblance to Ballesteros at that age, but is also a very accomplished golfer from Cantabria, on Spain's northern coast.The 16-year-old had, by his own admission, only filled the role of an extra in school plays previously, but was persuaded to audition by the secretary of his golf club due to his resemblance to Seve."I said to her 'Are you kidding?' How am I going to be Seve because I have never been an actor,' Gutierrez explained to CNN."I went to just have fun, after a month I had a golf tournament and I received a phone call that said 'We want you to play the role of Seve.' I remember I started screaming."JUST WATCHEDImproving your short gameReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHImproving your short game 04:18JUST WATCHEDJordan Spieth's life changing shotReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHJordan Spieth's life changing shot 07:07But was the prospect of playing one of Spain's favorite sporting sons daunting?"I thought it was going to be difficult in the way he was such a unique player who showed such great effort, hard work and will power," Gutierrez said."But also, it was easy in the way that he has always been my idol, the master that I always tried to be like."Learning all facets of the game with such a primitive tool afforded Ballesteros seemingly miraculous powers of recovery. He'd often hit few fairways during his round but still come in under par.Perhaps his most famous escape was en route to his first major win in 1979, at the British Open in Lytham, after which he became dubbed the "car park champion."Smashing his drive into a car park off the 16th fairway, a clutch of vehicles had to be moved before Ballesteros took a drop, chipped onto the green and made a birdie, going on to win the Claret Jug by three shots.It was the signpost for a career that would be rife with invention and magnetism, as well as the odd ill tempered rant, that injected new vigor into a hitherto conservative sport.Read: The man who mentored SeveJUST WATCHED11-year-old golfer makes historyReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCH11-year-old golfer makes history 01:48JUST WATCHEDThe rise of golf's child starsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThe rise of golf's child stars 06:28Ballesteros became the first European to win the Masters in 1980, adding another green jacket in 1983, and won The British Open twice more after Lytham, in 1984 and 1988.Add over 90 career titles into the mix, eight Ryder Cup appearances for Europe as a player and one as captain, and Seve's mantel as a founding father of the modern day European Tour was secured.And all of those riches can be traced back to thousands of hours of practice on the beach in Padrena with a makeshift club."I think this is probably the key of his magic because if he could do everything with just a 3 iron I can't imagine how good he could have done with all the clubs," Gutierrez added."I had to practice because it is not the same playing with the irons of today -- they are really small. With a driver especially the difference is really big."After retiring in 2007 Ballesteros suffered a brain tumor in 2008 and finally succumbed to cancer in 2011 aged 54."It's relatively recent that Seve died but I think this is the right time for the film -- we still have perspective on him," Evans explained."Seve does seem to cross over, this is the big thing. Whether I'm proven right or wrong we'll see in the next few months but people who don't play golf have heard of Seve."And in this age of better access to facilities and media trained stars, does Evans ever think golf will see his like again?"I don't think we're going to have another Ballesteros -- he is a one off," he said."None of today's golfers seem to come from poverty -- everyone can join a golf club. No-one is going to have this walking nightmare to get going."Dear old Tiger (Woods) had a psychiatrist when he was four or five; Seve developed his wit by his own wit if you like."Read: Rory McIlroy to represent IrelandRead: Footgolf -- A whole new ball game

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London (CNN)Around seven in 10 LGBT people have suffered some form of sexual harassment at work, according to an alarming study highlighting a "hidden problem" in British workplaces.Unwelcome jokes and comments or questions of a sexual nature were the most-reported forms of abuse, with nearly half of all LGBT workers reporting such behavior, according to the study by the Trades Union Congress (TUC).Around one in six said they had received unwanted emails or pornographic images, and one in eight LGBT women even reported being seriously sexually assaulted or raped at work.Most respondents did not tell their employers about the harassment, the study found, with some refusing to do so for fear of being "outed" at work. Its authors are urging new legislation to protect LGBT workers."This research reveals a hidden epidemic," TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said in a statement. "In 2019 LGBT people should be safe and supported at work, but instead they're experiencing shockingly high levels of sexual harassment and assault."Read MoreLGBT workers should be protected from discrimination. Let's hope the Supreme Court agreesThe study was released on May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.It found that LGBT women are more likely to experience unwelcome touching at work, with 35% -- more than in one three -- experiencing such advances, compared to 16% of men.Black and minority ethnic (BME) women, and disabled people of both genders, are particularly victimized. More than half (54%) of LGBT BME women said they had experienced unwanted touching at work, and exactly half of disabled women said the same. Around a quarter of women in both categories reported serious sexual assault or rape.Disabled men were also more likely than non-disabled men to suffer abuse, according to the research, with one in five reporting serious sexual assault.The study calls on government to enact "a mandatory duty for employers to protect workers from all forms of harassment," and a statutory code of practice on sexual harassment. It has also urged employers to review their existing policies and conduct training for all employees."Workplace culture needs to change," said O'Grady. "No one should think that a colleague being LGBT is an invitation for sexualized comments or inappropriate questions -- let alone serious acts of assault."A spokesman for the Government Equalities Office said: "It is appalling LGBT people are suffering this harassment. Workplaces should be safe, supportive environments for everybody."The government will consult shortly on how we can strengthen and clarify existing laws on third-party harassment, as well as making sure employers fully understand their legal responsibility to protect their staff," he added.

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Story highlightsPope Francis has a habit of telephoning people out of the blueA man didn't believe it was the Pope and hung up twice, the Vatican newspaper says (CNN)Good thing Pope Francis has a sense of humor.He called an Italian man Monday to inquire about his poor health, according to l'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper. He does this so often he's been dubbed "the Cold Call Pope."But Franco Rabuffi hadn't heard. He thought the call was a hoax, the paper said, and hung up. Twice. The third time he started believing.Read More"I was speechless," Rabuffi told l'Osservatore Romano. "But Pope Francis came to my rescue, saying that what had happened was funny."The pope even invited Rabuffi and his wife to the weekly general audience so he could hug them in person.Rabuffi apologized and -- no surprise -- the Pope forgave him. CNN's Sara Delgrossi in London translated.

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(CNN)For months, Sharon had been anxiously waiting the results of her pap smear test. She had taken the test back in December under Ireland's national cervical check screening program, and as she had taken it annually for years, she was expecting to receive the results back in six weeks' time. When she hadn't received her results by the spring, Sharon, who Ireland's health authority identified only by her first name, started to worry. In April, after first contacting CervicalCheck, the screening program, she sent a series of emails to Ireland's Department of Health outlining her concerns regarding the significant delay. They told her there had been a general slowdown in turnaround for test results. By June, after doggedly pursuing answers, officials from the screening program eventually admitted there had been a glitch, saying that "due to an IT issue in the laboratory" her results had never been issued. And Sharon wasn't the only one. Read MoreOut of 4,088 women who had taken a smear test from December 2018 to July 2019, 873 hadn't received their tests, according to the MacCraith report, a review commissioned by the health authority into what had happened. Days later, another woman identifying herself only as Ms. Scullion came forward to the Irish Times, exposing yet another mistake in the cervical screening process. Scullion, like Sharon, was one of the 873 women who hadn't received her results for months. When she finally got the letter in August, it said that she had tested negative for human papilloma virus (HPV). But Scullion knows that she's HPV positive. After she made her story public, Ireland's health service, the HSE, said that over 400 women had also received a letter with an "inaccuracy." HPV vaccines prevent cervical cancer, global review confirms The revelations have marked yet the latest chapter in a years-long controversy over cervical screenings that has rocked the country.And by challenging the system, Sharon and Scullion have joined a group of women whose push for answers have unearthed a cataclysmic series of scandals within the health service, controversies that continue to raise questions about what womens' rights activists view as the prevalence of institutionalized misogyny within it and Irish society.Dr. Mary McAuliffe, historian and lecturer in Gender Studies at University College Dublin, says the government's response to the problem demonstrates that women are not a priority. McAuliffe told CNN that current attitudes in the government reflect an "almost unconscious demeaning of women's health and women's bodies" where "women's bodies and the risk to women's bodies are not important -- and in particular their reproductive bodies and their health care is seen as secondary to maybe money, to power, and to a patriarchal system that has always seen women as second class citizens." Ireland's Department of Health did not specifically address McAuliffe's allegation in comments to CNN, but did say that the government is soon expected to issue a formal apology to the women affected by the failures of the screening program in the next Dail (parliamentary) term.'They knew I was ill'The failures of that program all started in 2011, when Vicky Phelan, a mother of two, received a letter in the mail from CervicalCheck, confirming a negative pap smear test. Three years later, she took another one, and it came back positive. In July 2014, Phelan was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Before she was diagnosed, unbeknown to her, an audit was carried out on the first test. That audit found that the results of her 2011 test had been inaccurate, and that there had been a strong indication of cancer. Campaigner Vicky Phelan exposed Ireland's cervical check scandal. Phelan began aggressive treatment on the cancer, and it went into remission. But in 2017, the cancer came back in the form of an inoperable 10-centimeter tumor. Phelan's doctor told her that it was terminal and that she had a year or two to live. He then told her about the audit, which had taken place three years earlier without her knowledge. Phelan sued. In April 2018, Phelan took the HSE and the US-based lab that had been outsourced by the HSE to analyze the results to Ireland's High Court. Her lawyers argued that if the cancerous cells had been correctly detected in 2011, Phelan could have had a hysterectomy, and would have been given a 90% chance of survival. She was awarded a 2.5 million euro (approximately US $2.8 million) settlement with Texas-based Clinical Pathology Laboratories Inc and the case against the HSE was dropped. As part of the settlement, CPL did not admit any liability, but its lawyers did press Phelan to sign a non-disclosure agreement.She refused. "They knew I was very ill, and I think they were hoping that I would sign the non-disclosure because they knew I was so sick. They thought, 'Why would this woman fight when she's clearly sick?" Phelan, 44, told CNN. In researching her own case, Phelan and her lawyers discovered that there were about ten other women in her same position, who had yet to be informed about their incorrect smear test results. That number would later swell to more than 220 women. "I knew it wasn't just about me. I couldn't in all conscious sign anything if I knew that the other women affected would not find out," she said, adding that she wasn't willing to let the authorities sweep their stories under the carpet. "If I'm going to die, I'm going to bring them down with me," she said. 'Why didn't you tell me?'A month after Phelan's day in court, the HSE confirmed that at least 209 women had been given inaccurate smear tests, all of whom were subsequently diagnosed with cervical cancer.Eighteen of those women had already died not knowing they had been misdiagnosed. Since, it's been discovered that at least 221 women were misdiagnosed. In a May 2018 statement, the CervicalCheck screening service said that "on look-back, the screening test could have provided a different result or a warning of increased risk or evidence of developing cancer" for those women. The government soon established a "scoping inquiry" into the screening program. Its findings, supported by the advocacy and campaigns of terminally ill women, such as now deceased 37-year-old mother of five Emma Mhic Mhathúna, were published by Dr. Gabriel Scally in September 2018. The hearse carrying the body of campaigner Emma Mhic Mhathuna, one of the most high-profile victims of Ireland's cervical smear test controversy, passes by government buildings last October. The Scally report found that the screening program was "doomed to fail," and made 50 recommendations to combat problems that it said were "redolent of a whole-system failure." The report drew from testimonies of some of the women affected by the misdiagnoses, which revealed a troubling account of a medical culture seemingly content with keeping patients in the dark. "He (the doctor) had seen I had had a hysterectomy and decided I didn't need to know," read one woman's account. Another woman recalled an exchange with her doctor, who asked: "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell my clinicians?" The doctor responded, "What difference does it make?" Pressing her doctor further, the woman asked how she would be informed in the future. "Watch the news," her doctor said. And in another piece of testimony, described by Scally as "one of the most disturbing accounts," a close relative of a woman who had died detailed that during the disclosure meeting, the woman's doctor mentioned "several times that the late woman was a smoker (it is known that smoking impedes the body's ability to clear itself of the HPV virus) and they were also told that 'nuns don't get cervical cancer.'"Addressing Minister for Health Simon Harris in the report, Scally praised the "extraordinary determination of Vicky Phelan (to) not be silenced," and recommended that women and the families affected by the controversy "should play a prominent part in the oversight of these reviews." Harris commissioned Scally to provide a follow-up report, which stated in February that although the government had made steps in the right direction, "it is notable that the previous policy, which has been judged to be deeply flawed, remains in place." In June, Scally delivered a final report and addressed the outsourcing of the lab work. He said that "the lack of transparency by the major private sector laboratory companies about the precise locations of their screening services provided to CervicalCheck, and therefore to Irish women, is entirely unsatisfactory," and that the tendering process "appeared to move over time to place an increasing emphasis on price rather than quality." A 'drip' of informationDr. Cliona Loughnane, Women's Health Coordinator at the National Women's Council of Ireland, told CNN that it's "completely unacceptable" that it is only through the actions of women challenging the health system and being persistent in trying to seek access to their own health information that the public is learning about system failures. "There's been a drip drip of information about problems coming out. The onus shouldn't be on the individual, the onus needs to be on the system," Loughnane said, adding that now is the time for full disclosure so that the system can improve. In a statement to CNN, the HSE said that it is "absolutely focused on improving women's health and working with women in doing so.""Since the CervicalCheck crisis happened last year, significant work has been done to engage women in co-designing and improving our screening services. Specific actions have included patients being co-opted on to project groups within our screening services," it added. Both the MacCraith and Scally reports have recommended that the government and health service start adopting a "women first" approach.Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Health Simon Harris speak at a news conference on the scandal last May.Although historian McAuliffe welcomes any progress they might make, she says that she isn't holding her breath, noting that while Ireland appears to have progressed in terms of women's rights, the state has a historically skirted grave violations when it comes to women's reproductive autonomy. She referenced the Magdalene laundries (workhouses where unmarried mothers, victims of sexual abuse, orphans considered a burden to relatives or the state, or others with mental or physical disabilities were sent to work and live without pay), the mother and baby homes (church-run institutions where unmarried mothers were sent to deliver their children) and the controversial surgical practice of symphysiotomy, where a woman's pelvis was broken during childbirth without consent."While we may have a process now where it seems like we have equality within the state and within this society, the structures that always judged women's bodies as secondary and as not as their own still remain in place," McAuliffe said. "No one is held accountable and it keeps going and going. I think they think we will just get tired and all go away," she added. But Irish women are not going away. Phelan says one positive that has emerged in the last year is that Irish women are feeling more empowered, and speaking up and rejecting the power that the Catholic Church and "old Ireland" once held over their bodies. Referencing the country's landmark referendum on abortion, which passed around the time that the CervicalCheck scandal emerged, Phelan said that the last year or so has shown that women are "coming out of the woodwork and not willing to put up with this type of treatment anymore."McAuliffe argues that "it shouldn't be left up to individual women to basically shame the government into doing something right. We are part of this society and deserve the best. The fact we have to campaign for it over and over again is not acceptable." But for now, that appears to still be the case.

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(CNN)The United Kingdom is having something of an identity crisis.Having narrowly voted for Brexit last year, the UK is in the midst of redefining not only its relationship with Europe, but also itself. Then throw into the mix a general election, called just a month and a half ago. The Conservative Party, currently in power under Prime Minister Theresa May, hopes to increase its majority in Parliament. The opposition Labour Party wants to oust them. And the centrist Liberal Democrats have positioned themselves as the anti-Brexit party, hoping to give voters a second chance on their European Union decision.It's a confusing and deeply divisive time for Britons. To help make sense of it all, we asked you to leave us a voicemail telling us your hopes for the UK and its place in the world. Here's what you said. (Some messages have been edited for length and clarity.) The UK should retain its position as a responsible international player. Brexit has put that situation in doubt. Phillipa Phillipa has worked abroad in developing countries, and says that other nations have a lot of respect for Britain, but Brexit has thrown its status on the world stage into doubt. Calling herself a "staunch Remainer," she hopes for a 'soft Brexit' where the UK doesn't "draw back from the international community". Ideally, she'd like "to see Britain completely turn away from this Brexit model," but but believes that won't happen. However, she thinks it's "absolutely vital that Britain still tries to show a strong face in the world, a moral responsibility," and she's hopeful that more young people being engaged with politics and world affairs will change things. The UK could see its relevance diminish. Matthew Read MoreAn American expat, Matthew moved to London to study international relations. He thinks it will be tough for the UK to strike a good Brexit deal. They'll want to stay in the European single market for economic reasons, he says, but that might mean making concessions like open borders, which many Brexit supporters oppose. Britain is "kind of pulling out where it had a voice at the table," he thinks, and won't have as much sway going forward. In the past, we've led in communication, in science, in leading an industrial revolution; we fought for what's right in two World Wars, and then we lost our way. Gary Gary says the UK has "elected government after government that has ripped everything away from the poor and made the rich richer." The UK, he says, should look after all its people: "I'm fairly comfortable, but my neighbor might not be in the same situation. We need to confront that rather than shutting our front doors. It would be good to stand as an example to the rest of the world." He also thinks Britain needs to "stop following Trump blindly" and start building a better relationship with Europe ahead of Brexit. "We are losing a fantastic friendship and trading partner, and ... if we walk away from the negotiating table with no deal, it will do much more harm than good." Overall, he says Britain needs to "stand up for what we stood up for in the past, which is our principles." We should be an active participant in international research. Catherine For Catherine, much of the UK's future -- and, indeed, the world's future -- depends on research and academics. "It's important to maximize the improvement that comes about through research and cooperation between different countries," says the retired higher education professional. She's concerned that she hasn't heard much about this issue during campaigning, and that it won't be given enough attention in Brexit talks: "The most dangerous thing about leaving the EU is the loss of academic and research opportunities." In this election, she's been debating whether to "vote practically" or follow her ideals. The UK's place in the world should be to combat the greed and absence of morality. Michael Michael has lived in Spain for two years, and sent off a postal ballot after he confirmed he was still able to vote despite moving abroad. He thinks the UK's place in the world "should be to combat greed and absence of morality, and to curb the rich and powerful dictating terms under which we're forced to live." He supports policies that "concentrate more on the people, not just poor people, but all people in general." He also despairs of UK foreign policy, wanting an end to UK intervention in the Middle East, no more arms deals with Saudi Arabia, and greater support for the Palestinian people. It's his hope the UK will "show the US and the rest of the world that we do not have to kowtow to big business, and [our] citizens can live in peace and harmony." The United Kingdom should be the leader of the free world. Floren Floren is from Mexico, so he can't vote in the election. Still, he has "deep rooting" in the UK. His grandfather was British, he's lived in England for five years and he's working on his citizenship. Floren feels British people should be proud of their country's history and accomplishments, and should "stand tall" as a world power. "We need experience and a steady hand," he says. Britain should be an independent trading nation, based on socialist principles. Alan Alan thinks "the whole world could do with a big shakeup, it's all gone pear shaped." He says "people are getting tired of big business and monopolies running the show," while the majority of Britain's wealth is in the hands of "a small elitist group of the aristocracy." Despite doing a business studies degree in his youth, he's now disillusioned with capitalism, and thinks that regardless of who wins the election, "the same people will be in control. Big global industries are more powerful than governments." He's also worried about religious conflict, and our exploitation of the Earth's resources. The UK has a justifiably proud history of independent thinking and wonderful ideas. That tradition is alive beneath the rubble. Martin Martin describes himself as "an idealist, a pacifist," who "wants to see a better world." He believes politics is too focused on money, and financial concerns are secondary to having a positive attitude toward each other: "Economic justice follows social justice, not the other way round." The UK's national mentality is too influenced by the empire it no longer has, he believes. It needs greater intellectual freedom, and should "revisit the possibility of doing things for their own sake rather than for money [and] stepping out of the USA's wake" to make a "moral contribution" to the world's issues.

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(Reuters)U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss this week's Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, the 19-year-old Briton said on Monday.Raducanu, who became the first qualifier to win a major when she triumphed at Flushing Meadows in September, was due to face Olympics singles gold medallist Belinda Bencic at the Dec. 16-18 event."I was very much looking forward to playing in front of the fans here in Abu Dhabi, but unfortunately after testing positive for COVID-19, I will have to postpone until the next opportunity," Raducanu said."I'm isolating as per rules and hopefully will be able to get back soon."Organisers said that they are looking at "alternative top female competitors" to replace Raducanu at the event.Read MoreMen's world number six Rafa Nadal and last year's U.S. Open winner Dominic Thiem are set to return from their injury layoffs in Abu Dhabi.Britain's Andy Murray, Russian Andrey Rublev, Norway's Casper Ruud and Canadian Denis Shapovalov will also participate in the event before the 2022 competitive season kicks off in Australia.

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Story highlightsThe Mountain View neighborhood in Anchorage scores high on diversityAffordable housing once used by oil pipeline workers now shelters all sorts of newcomersThe area is hardly the stereotype lower 48 Americans have of AlaskaFollow @MbasuCNN Anchorage, Alaska (CNN)The shelves at the Red Apple Market are a giveaway. Dried squid. Sambal Olek chili paste. Corned Australian mutton. Canned grass jelly.Another clue: Ride the crowded No. 45 bus, which meanders down Mountain View Drive, and you hear chatter in seven languages -- none, English.That these markers of diversity are in a neighborhood in Anchorage may surprise folks from the Lower 48 who picture Alaska as a largely homogenous and snowy American extremity. But Alaskans are quite proud of their distinctive demographics.Remember Sarah Palin's much-parodied 2008 interview with Katie Couric? One segment ended with this line: "Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America."Palin was taken to task for her claim because Alaska's black and Latino populations are lower than the national average. Read MoreAnd yet ...Mountain View, a northeast Anchorage neighborhood, boasts the most diverse census tract in all of America. That's according to University of Alaska sociology professor Chad Farrell, who analyzed the census data. In fact, Farrell says the country's three most diverse census tracts are all in Anchorage, followed by a handful in Queens, as in New York, which usually tops everyone's diversity guess list.Mao Tosi, an American Samoan and former NFL defensive end, returned to Mountain View after his career with the Arizona Cardinals ended. He wanted to be a part of this rapid change and help the Samoan community assimilate."This place is a snapshot into America's future," says Tosi, his 6-foot-6 frame casting an imposing shadow in the Northway Mall that he operates. He speaks of a future in which America will no longer be majority white. Most predictions say that will happen by the middle of this century, and Tosi thinks the nation can take a cue or two from Mountain View."Kids are growing up here without knowing the color of their skin," he says. "They are more influenced by what their neighbor is doing."How did Mountain View get there?So how exactly did Mountain View score so high in diversity?The Red Apple grocery shelves are full of international items.Farrell explains the index he used to measure diversity: He looked at the number of ethnic and racial groups, but more importantly, he studied their size relative to one another.Farrell found that two things boosted Mountain View to the top. First, there is a sizable white population left. In many other places, neighborhoods that have increased in diversity have also seen white flight. Not so in Mountain View.Mountain View also has a significant Alaska Native population, which other cities in America lack. Alaska's diversity has spiked in recent years for a host of reasons. Among them are its economy, which prospered when other states were reeling from recession, because it is driven by fishing and oil. The state is also home to nine military bases, and Mountain View butts up to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Hawaiian businessman William Hoopai recently opened a new restaurant on the main drag called West Berlin. Yup. Schnitzels and sauerkraut attract a lot of uniformed men and women who have spent time in Germany.And there has been new immigration to Alaska -- including refugees from troubled nations such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Cuba, Iran and Bhutan. Many have resettled here in Mountain View. Omima Adam, a civil engineer from Sudan, arrived in 2010."I was so shocked when I saw all that snow," she says from the window of her food truck, Sultan Shawarma, parked between a Dominican place and an espresso stand."But I'd rather be cold than dead," she says of the bloodshed in her native Darfur.She learned English and puts her heart and soul into her kibbes, shawarmas and falafel. She wants to turn the business into a full-fledged restaurant and return to college to earn an engineering degree that the United States will recognize.Mountain View was her new beginning. 'A better shot at life'It's obvious this is not a wealthy place. Alice Lawrence chats with Mountain View residents at her house, where she hands put food discarded by grocery stores to people in need.Between the colorful new houses built by Cook Inlet Housing Authority lie scarred and tattered structures with molting paint and boarded windows. Mountain View Boulevard is lined with stores such as Price Busters and Cash America Pawn. The big anchor stores all abandoned Northway Mall, Alaska's first enclosed one. The last census counted 39% of households as earning less than $25,000; 19% fall below the poverty line. That explains why Alice "Mother" Lawrence's house is full every afternoon. The 79-year-old runs a nonprofit that collects foods that have exhausted their shelf lives in local groceries and distributes them to the hungry. Bread, pastries, fruits, vegetables, snacks, soft drinks.She landed here in 1967 as a military wife. She had a lot of kids and after her first husband left her, she learned how to get tough. "No one helped me here," she says. "They wouldn't give me a penny."That's when she found the Lord and her calling in life: to help the needy. She acquired a Casio keyboard and lined up seven church pews in her living room to minister to the poor. Her son, Randy Lawrence, says people he knows in other states say: "What? There are black people in Alaska?" Mountain View's census tract is 13.1% African-American, which is about the national average.Lawrence, 49, describes Anchorage as a wannabe bad-ass city. "It's not," he laughs as he unloads boxes of day-old cinnamon buns. "As for Mountain View? It's the 'hood. This is as bad as it gets around here."Yeah, there's gangs and drugs and other kinds of crime that's inextricably linked to poverty. But he likes living in a smaller place that is so racially mixed. "As a black man, I have to say you got a better shot at life here," he said, comparing it with New Jersey, where he was born.Carnard Davis, 44, agrees. He moved here from the now-demolished Bowen Homes housing project in southwest Atlanta and works at the Boys and Girls Club, where he's simply known as Mr. C. "I came here on vacation and saw how smooth and easy it was here," he says. "And I wanted a change."The club is full on this cold afternoon with kids from at least a dozen places. They don't all speak English well, but Davis says it doesn't matter. On the wall is a poster board with the question: "What does this place mean to you?" Many of the answers say, "family." One says: "This is a place I can be me."Living together: 'Even white people like me'Mountain View wasn't always a global petri dish.Mountain View attracts a wide array of people.It grew up as a first-ring suburb that was annexed by Anchorage in the 1950s. It boomed as the place that accommodated transient oil workers who came for jobs on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The history is reflected in Mountain View's housing, a low-cost stock that consists of numerous duplexes and apartment complexes, which in turn attracted people looking for low-rent places in a state where high construction costs make decent housing expensive.After the pipeline was finished, Mountain View fell into decline. Crime soared in the 1980s and 1990s and the neighborhood got a bad rap.Architectural designer Clark Yerrington moved here in 1999 and recalls how his friends were shocked. It was common to hear people in Anchorage at that time say: "Never move into a neighborhood that ends with 'view.' "Mountain View and Fairview, named for their proximity to the Chugach Mountains, had become unsafe. In the height of the crack cocaine era, the blocks around Yerrington's house were "switched on all night.""It was sketchy," says Yerrington, who is white. "I moved here because it was affordable. I did not expect to be here long."His friends refused to visit him. But he's glad he stayed. Mountain View has been bouncing back in recent years, says Kirk Rose, executive director of the Anchorage Community Land Trust, which has purchased and rehabilitated properties and encourages revitalization. A credit union converted an eyesore gas station and opened the first financial institution around these parts. Before that, there were only pawn shops that charged 20% for cashing a check, Rose says."The credit union has added 3,000 new accounts," he says.And growth around Mountain View has helped. Olive Garden opened last year (a big deal), and now clothing giant H&M has announced it's coming to Anchorage (an even bigger deal). That's the buzz on the street.Key to Mountain View is its strong housing authority, which has shepherded construction of affordable homes. One reason the homes are cheaper is because buyers only pay for the house. The housing authority owns the land. The better housing has helped change the neighborhood from being largely transient to one where people want to stay, Rose says. "And that is so important for the health of a community."Yerrington proudly displays a collection of photos on his dining room wall. They are of houses in Mountain View, each a representation of a place he finds unique. There's no white part of town. No Aleut village. Or Chinatown. There are no set patterns."We all live together. Even white people like me. Think how it would be if the whole country had been organized like this. It does people good to break out of their comfort zone and mix with neighbors who are different."And there's one more thing. It's Alaska. Yerrington's home is surrounded by wilderness and wildlife. Mountains and moose. He can't think of another place in America quite like this.

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Story highlightsJohn Legend: My father taught us that success isn't measured in money, but in joy and the lives you're able to touch What if we set our schools to help students discover and pursue a personal passion instead of a predictable path? John Legend is a nine-time Grammy Award winner who has sold multiple Top 10 platinum albums. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer. (CNN)I grew up in a crowded house with three siblings, many passions and incredible energy. I was surrounded by loving family, including two wonderful parents who cared so much about our education.My father often talked to us about his definition of success. He told us that it wasn't measured in money or material things, but in love and joy and the lives you're able to touch. Our parents took the time to teach each of us about character and what it means to live a good, passionate life. While my siblings and I were all raised together under the same roof, I marvel at how different we can be sometimes. Four kids, four different life paths, personalities and aspirations. John LegendI became a musician. We all must follow a different path to let our light shine, and that's what makes us so unpredictable and unique. Read MoreIt's also why we need to break with the long-held expectation that schools exist to mold and manage kids. In today's world, expecting every child's education to be the same, progress at the same rate and be measured against the same narrow standards of performances is not just outdated, it's a disservice to young people and to the educators who dedicate their lives to helping them. I experienced this disconnect firsthand after graduating from college. I had many opportunities in front of me, but they didn't test my limits, my creativity or enable me to pursue my passions.At first, I took a job at a big consulting firm, mostly because it felt like what I was "supposed to do." While I enjoyed the experience and learned a great deal, I couldn't shake my passion for music. I had followed the somewhat predictable path of a college graduate, but I was obsessing over how to become an artist. While not everyone has had the opportunities I've had, everyone has his or her own version of my story -- that moment when you become aware of the thing that will animate and fulfill you, and that period of struggle when you try to find a way to live a life that places your personal passion at the center. Imagine what it would look like if our schools were set up to help people discover and pursue a personal passion instead of a predictable path? The good news is that a number of individuals and organizations are finding new ways to innovate in education. Tuesday night, I'll be performing at an event where allies from the education and entertainment fields will announce the launch of Reimagine Learning, a $30 million fund organized and run by pioneering venture philanthropy, New Profit, which is providing support to educators, social entrepreneurs and researchers who are shaping the future of teaching and learning.The goal is to create more student-centered environments that help young people not just do better in school but also discover what they love. While tonight is the formal launch, the effort is already well underway.-- Fifteen nonprofit organizations have joined forces to launch Understood.org, a comprehensive free resource that provides support to parents with children who have learning and attention issues.-- Peace First, an organization aiming to identify and support the next generation of peacemakers, has established the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for children whose work contributes to more caring schools and communities. -- The MIT Media Lab has been experimenting with technologies that bring play and creativity back into learning and fit with the different ways that young people learn.And thanks to a partnership with the MacArthur Foundation and the National Writing Project, I was excited to launch an initiative in 2014 to provide teachers with new resources to innovate in their classrooms, so that they can better meet the needs of different learners. The project, called LRNG, is part of a movement dedicated to inspire innovation in learning to ensure that it better reflects the world we live in today.With these efforts and similar ones in communities across the country, there's a strong determination to ensure that schools and educators can start designing schools and classrooms that are more nurturing for students. We can't live lives of joy if we can't discover what we love doing with our lives. So let's stop funneling people through a system and start letting each person discover the power and uniqueness of his or her own passion. Let every child's light shine.Read CNNOpinion's new Flipboard magazine.Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion.

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Gurupreet Kaur, 6, died after crossing the US-Mexico border last month. Hasanpur, India (CNN)At shop after shop along the way to this small village in northern India, people know their names.Gurupreet, the little girl who died in an American desert. And Gurmeet, the grandfather whose family is still reeling.It's been a month since Border Patrol agents found 6-year-old Gurupreet Kaur's remains just north of the US-Mexico border.And it's been weeks since hundreds of people packed a Sikh temple in this tight-knit community to mourn her short life.Still, for her family, no matter how much time passes, the pain is fresh.Read More"We are devastated," 70-year-old Gurmeet Singh said, speaking to CNN in the living room of the home where Gurupreet once lived. "To lose a child is not easy for anyone. But this is just too painful."Gurmeet Singh says the family is devastated by his granddaughter's death. "She was a very smart, fearless kid."Beside him, his wife Surinder Kaur cradles a photo of Gurupreet and stares at the ground. She says she fainted when she heard the news of her granddaughter's death."After I regained my consciousness, I just kept repeating her name," she said. "I wanted to see her one last time."In the photo she's holding, taken in this room two years ago, Gurupreet is wearing a black leotard and a pink tutu, standing with her hands on her hips as she poses for the camera.Gurupreet loved to dance and play with mobile phones. She was in second grade at a nearby private school."She used to come first in the class," her grandfather said. "She was a very smart, fearless kid."A reunion that never cameGurupreet's father left Hasanpur several months after she was born. He's been living in New York City while his asylum case makes its way through the US immigration court system. For years, Gurmeet says the little girl would tell her family in India how much she wanted to see her father.She and her mother had planned to join him in New York after they made their way across the US-Mexico border, according to a statement released last month by the US-based Sikh Coalition. But officials say the family's plans took a tragic turn last month when smugglers forced them to cross in a remote area on a day when temperatures soared well over 100 degrees.A file photo from March 2017 shows the border near Lukeville, Arizona. Authorities say Gurupreet Kaur's remains were found 17 miles west of Lukeville.Gurupreet's mother went to search for water, leaving her daughter in the care of another mother and child."They were never able to find each other again," said Agent Pete Bidegain, a special operations supervisor for the Border Patrol's Tucson sector.Border Patrol agents found the child's remains the next day. A medical examiner later determined she'd died of heat stroke.US officials blamed ruthless smugglers for the child's death.Immigrant rights advocates pointed to US government policies, arguing that escalating border enforcement forces migrants to cross in more remote and dangerous locations. More Indian migrants are crossing the US-Mexico borderIndia is the top source of international migrants, according to a 2017 report from the Pew Research Center, which noted that 1 in 20 migrants worldwide were born in that country.Experts say migration from India is driven mostly by economic considerations. A report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime found that young Indian migrants, concerned about job prospects in their country, typically leave to seek higher wages abroad.US Border Patrol statistics show there's been an uptick in undocumented Indian migrants crossing the US-Mexico border in recent years. Many are seeking asylum, claiming they've faced persecution at the hands of India's Hindu nationalist government. Gurpal Singh, an attorney representing Gurupreet's father, told CNN the girl's father is "from a religious minority and he was fleeing persecution." Deepak Ahluwalia, an attorney representing Gurupreet's mother, said she is also seeking asylum. Both lawyers declined to discuss further details of the asylum claims.In a statement released last month by the New York-based Sikh Coalition, Gurupreet's parents said they came to the US in search of safety."We wanted a safer and better life for our daughter and we made the extremely difficult decision to seek asylum here in the United States," the statement said. "We trust that every parent, regardless of origin, color or creed, will understand that no mother or father ever puts their child in harm's way unless they are desperate."Surinder Kaur says she fainted when she heard the news of her granddaughter's death. "After I regained my consciousness, I just kept repeating her name. I wanted to see her one last time."A house in mourningGurupreet's grandparents say they don't know how the mother and daughter made their way to the United States, or why they crossed the US-Mexico border.They do know that their son and daughter-in-law are heartbroken. They hope the US government will help them and give them a chance to stay."I hope they do. What can we do from here?" Gurmeet says. "We are helpless. We can only pray."In Hasanpur, a village in the Kurukshetra district in the northern Indian state of Haryana, farming is the main source of income.In Hasanpur, a village in the Kurukshetra district in the northern Indian state of Haryana, farming is the main source of income.Gurmeet says their family has lived in the area for more than 70 years.He hires migrant workers to harvest the fields located near their well-furnished, two-story brick home, which has been passed down and renovated through several generations.As he spoke with CNN, another family member walked into the room, carrying Gurupreet's 6-month-old cousin."We raised Gurupreet just like her, on our laps and in our arms," Gurmeet said, sobbing. "Now she is gone. It's all over."On a nearby shelf, a framed baby photo collage of Gurupreet in front of a blue-sky backdrop sits beside artificial flowers and dolls she once cherished.A framed photo collage in her grandparents' home shows Gurupreet Kaur as a baby.A simple phrase in the collage describes how her family remembers her."Sweet Child," it says.CNN's Sugam Pokharel reported from Hasanpur, India. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet reported from Washington. CNN's Laura Ly contributed to this report.

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Story highlightsPep Guardiola wants to manage in England next seasonBayern Munich coach is one of soccer's best managersManchester City is favorite to acquire Guardiola's services (CNN)It's official -- arguably the world's best coach Pep Guardiola is packing his bags and heading for England.Follow @cnnsport And after announcing his intentions, the coach of German champion Bayern Munich has the heavyweights of the English Premier League scrambling their jets in a race for his signature.The 44-year-old Spaniard is one of football's most sought-after coaches following his all-conquering spell in charge of Barcelona, where he won 14 major trophies in a four-year stint.After three La Liga titles and two European Champions League crowns he swapped Catalonia for Bavaria, and embarked upon a similar domestic dominance with Bayern.#PepPressConference: "The only reason I am not renewing my contract is that I am looking for a new challenge." pic.twitter.com/C9Ho2MEvrI— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) January 5, 2016 European success has eluded him so far, but the club is on course for a third straight Bundesliga title under his command.Read MoreIn a press conference this week he told reporters: "I want to work in England," but stressed he had no agreement in place yet.With several of the EPL's top clubs in a state of flux, Guardiola has a myriad of options -- but where will he end up?CNN Sport assesses the candidates all bidding to lock down the game's most prized managerial asset.Which English club will Pep #Guardiola end up at? #EPL #premierleague— CNN Sport (@cnnsport) January 8, 2016 Manchester CityThe two-time Premier League champion is the undisputed frontrunner to procure Pep, with some media reports claiming it is a done deal already.Current coach Manuel Pellegrini won the EPL title and England's second most prestigious cup competition in his first year in charge but finished eight points behind Chelsea last season.Two successive exits at the last 16 stage of the Champions League has also put strain on the Pellegrini regime, with the club's Abu Dhabi owners hungry for continental success.After splashing out a reported $150 million on Belgium international Kevin De Bruyne and England winger Raheem Sterling, City began this season with five straight victories.But a wobble in the fall saw it lose 4-1 to Spurs and succumb by the same scoreline at home to Liverpool. City has lost five times already this campaign and it trails leader Arsenal by three points just after the halfway stage.If I was neutral, I'd probably want to see Pellegrini lifting PL & CL trophies just to drop them on Pep's feet on his way out 😅 #Guardiola— Paul Öttey (@paulottey) January 5, 2016 Pellegrini's contract runs to June 2017 but City has been ruthless with past managers and realistically the Chilean would need to bag an EPL and Champions League double to save his job were Guardiola interested.Even then it might be too late.For Guardiola, the attractions are plentiful.He would inherit ambitious owners and a hefty budget, as well as the chance to work with some of the world's finest players -- like Argentina striker Sergio Aguero and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure.The chance to lead City to its first Champions League title would be another carrot, while he has previously worked with City's director of football, Txiki Begiristain, at Barca.Manchester UnitedThe Premier League's most successful club, with 13 titles to its name, Manchester United has been in a state of flux since Alex Ferguson retired.The man who built an empire at Old Trafford stepped down at the end of the 2012-13 season, having delivered the 28th major trophy of his epic 27-year reign.His replacement David Moyes lasted just 10 months before being sacked after a season in which United failed to secure Champions League football for the first time in nearly 20 years.Moyes' successor, former Dutch national coach Louis van Gaal, made sure that was a brief absence, finishing fourth in a season of transition.But this was the campaign in which his changes, and signings, were supposed see United embrace the attacking dynamism of old. Quite the opposite has happened.#MUFC being "not interested" in Guardiola is like #mcfc turning to Jimmy Frizzell rather than Ferguson in 1986. As in: they couldn't get him— John Brewin (@JohnBrewinESPN) January 6, 2016 Lamented as boring, United has scored significantly less goals than its main rivals, mustering just 12 in 10 matches at Old Trafford. It currently sits fifth, nine points off the top. It has even got to the stage where one of its sponsors -- Adidas -- has reportedly expressed concerns about United's entertainment value.The fans are getting impatient, and even sang the name of recently sacked Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho during December's home defeat by Norwich.Guardiola's brand of fast-paced, offensive soccer would be the perfect antidote to this season's dreary fare, and he'd be gleefully welcomed by the club's supporters.But what would the Spaniard get aside unadulterated adulation? First and foremost, the chance to restore an ailing great to its former glory.United has history in spades, from the era of the "Busby Babes" to the great sides that included Bobby Charlton, George Best, Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo.The transfer budget is more than healthy, the club is a massive pull for players the world over, fills its 75,000-capacity stadium every EPL match and has a proud European pedigree. What's not to like?ChelseaAn outsider in what is more than likely a two-horse, Manchester-based race.The defending EPL champion has had a season to forget, languishing a mere six points above the relegation zone -- an almost unprecedented occurrence.After weeks of speculation, Chelsea finally bit the bullet and sacked manager Mourinho on December 17 -- a spectacular fall from grace for the coach known as "The Special One."Since then, veteran Dutch coach Guus Hiddink has steadied the ship after being convinced to reprise the interim manager's role he first assumed in 2009 after the sacking of former Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.The 69-year-old is unlikely to extend his stay beyond the season's end though, leaving Chelsea in the market for its 11th manager in eight years.#Pep: "I have several offers from England but I haven't signed anything yet."— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) January 5, 2016 Chelsea's billionaire Russian owner Roman Abramovich would love to get his hands on Guardiola's services, and would no doubt throw untold amounts of money to try and tempt him to west London.But whether Guardiola would be keen to step into Mourinho's still-warm shoes is a key point, given Abramovich's track record in firing managers. The Portuguese was Guardiola's nemesis when he was in charge at Real Madrid; Mourinho even poked a finger in the eye of one of Barca's coaching staff during a touchline row when the teams met in 2011.Barcelona endured a particularly fractious encounter with Chelsea in the 2009 Champions League semifinal, when a last-minute goal put the Catalans into the final, one that Guardiola's side subsequently won against Manchester United.Chelsea does have a European triumph to its name, though, which might count against it in its pursuit of the coach.ArsenalAn outside bet, perhaps, but maybe the most natural fit for Guardiola given the style of football he and Arsenal both enjoy.Should the Gunners falter in pursuit of a first Premier League title since 2004, then Arsene Wenger's long stint as manager could come to an end.The Frenchman has been in charge at the north London club since 1996 but only has two triumphs in England's most prestigious cup competition to his name in the last 10 years -- although those have arrived in the past two seasons.A large section of the club's fans are keen for a change and have called for Wenger's head at various spells over the previous few seasons, though those FA Cup successes have eased the pressure slightly.But the commonly-held view is that Wenger will only leave the club at a time of his choosing.Arsenal must take Guardiola! We can't let him to go to City,United or Chelsea or any other club! He is the best manager in the world!— Nevena Nena (@_NenaOfficial_) January 5, 2016 Whether the 66-year-old would step aside if he were to lead Arsenal to its 14th top-flight English title at the end of the current campaign remains to be seen. Would he fall on his sword if there is a genuine chance of landing Guardiola, if he thought it in the best interests of the club?Guardiola has been very complimentary about Arsenal and its attacking modus operandi in the past and might see it as best fitting his footballing philosophy.The chance to be based in the capital may also prove a draw, with Arsenal also in a very healthy financial situation. Arsenal is yet to break its European Champions League duck, being beaten by Barcelona in its only appearance in the final back in 2006.Leicester CityIf Guardiola fancies a slightly different challenge, why not throw in his lot with the surprise package of the Premier League season so far?Leicester sits second in the table, two points behind leader Arsenal, after a sensational start to the 2015-16 campaign.Fantastic Foxes: Why Leicester City is the Premier League's bestThe club stayed up by the skin of its teeth last season and has undergone a transformation of epic proportions this time.Wily Italian manager Claudio Ranieri has overseen its rebirth, with Champions League football now a very realistic prospect.Its star striker Jamie Vardy already has 15 league goals to his name this season, nine more than Barcelona's Lionel Messi, while France-born Algeria winger Riyad Mahrez has 13 goals and seven assists.So, could Guardiola be tempted by a table-topping team, the promise of Champions League football and a young, hungry squad?With all due respect to Leicester, no, probably not.Where should Guardiola go? Tell us on CNN FC's Facebook page

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Story highlightsDon't forget can opener and toilet paper, booklet recommends, and cover dead bodies securelyThe guide was satirized by anti-nuclear campaigners who called the advice futile London (CNN)A stark guide to surviving a nuclear blast that was first published during the dark days of the Cold War is being reissued by the Imperial War Museum in London. The 1980 pamphlet opens with this warning: "Read this booklet with care. Your life and the lives of your family may depend on it." Its republication coincides with a new exhibition exploring 100 years of the anti-war movement, the first of its kind at the museum. "Even the safest room in your house is not safe enough," the "Protect and Survive" guide warns in the opening pages, before explaining how to create a fall-out room and inner refuge using bricks, boxes or bags of earth, pieces of furniture and even books and clothing.Illustration from "Protect and Survive" shows a family entering their inner refuge in the fall-out room.Stock enough food and water for 14 days, it advises, and don't forget your can opener. Use a polythene bucket and an improvised seat to make a toilet, it recommends, and make sure you stock enough toilet paper. At 89, former US Defense Secretary works with granddaughter to prevent nuclear doomHumdrum advice -- wipe your shoes, draw the curtains, listen to your radio for information -- is juxtaposed with more chilling instructions. "You may have casualties from an attack, which you will have to care for, perhaps for some days, without medical help. Be sure you have your first aid requirements in your survival kit." Read MoreBut since the list for stocking this kit comprises little more than aspirin, cotton balls, bandages and Vaseline, it's unclear how citizens were expected to treat more serious casualties."If a death occurs while you are confined to the fall-out room," the pamphlet continues, "place the body in another room and cover it as securely as possible ... If no instructions have been given within five days, you should temporarily bury the body as soon as it is safe to go out, and mark the spot."JUST WATCHEDNewly declassified films show US nuclear testsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHNewly declassified films show US nuclear tests 00:56As Matt Brosnan, senior curator at the Imperial War Museum, explains in the foreword to the reissued booklet, in 1980 "the possibility of a nuclear war was as high as at any time since the Cuban missile crisis in 1962." Photos: Photos: Remembering the Cuban missile crisis Photos: Photos: Remembering the Cuban missile crisisRemembering the Cuban missile crisis – People gather in an electronics store to watch American President John F. Kennedy deliver a nationally televised address on the Cuban missile crisis on October 22, 1962.Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Photos: Remembering the Cuban missile crisisRemembering the Cuban missile crisis – President John F. Kennedy meets with aides.Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Photos: Remembering the Cuban missile crisisRemembering the Cuban missile crisis – Onlookers gather on George Smathers Beach in Key West, Florida, to see the U.S. Army's Hawk anti-aircraft missiles positioned there during the Cuban missile crisis.Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Photos: Remembering the Cuban missile crisisRemembering the Cuban missile crisis – A P2V Neptune U.S. patrol plane flies over a Soviet freighter in 1962.Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Photos: Remembering the Cuban missile crisisRemembering the Cuban missile crisis – President John F. Kennedy signs the order of naval blockade of Cuba on October 24, 1962.Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Photos: Remembering the Cuban missile crisisRemembering the Cuban missile crisis – American tanks are on alert in the Berlin Grunewald, West Germany, on October 25, 1962, as the crisis over the Cuban blockade looms.Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Photos: Remembering the Cuban missile crisisRemembering the Cuban missile crisis – President John F. Kennedy leaves St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church after attending mass on October 29, 1962, in Washington, just a few hours before the Cuban missile crisis began to resolve peacefully.Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Photos: Remembering the Cuban missile crisisRemembering the Cuban missile crisis – American destroyer USS Vesole (DD-878) escorts the Russian freighter Polzunov into international waters, bringing an end to the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962.Hide Caption 8 of 8In the late 1970s, the Soviet Union began installing new SS-20 missiles in Eastern Europe that were "more accurate and reliable than their predecessors," according to Brosnan. NATO responded with plans for an expansion of nuclear missile capability in Western Europe -- nearly 600 new US ballistic and cruise missiles were to be stationed in Europe, with 160 in Britain alone.It was in this climate that the UK government produced "Protect and Survive." Officials intended to distribute it publicly only in the event of a crisis, Brosnan told CNN, but the guide was leaked to the press, forcing the government to make it available to the public. "That sort of information could have a big impact on the country's mood," said Brosnan, suggesting this as a reason why the pamphlet wasn't made public immediately. "The advice in it was very similar to that given in the 1950s and 1960s, but the relative strength of nuclear weapons had increased."An image of a mushroom cloud from a nuclear explosion printed in the original booklet.The government was likely also concerned that the guide could be satirized, Brosnan explained. Indeed, as he explains in the foreword, "it was immediately lampooned by anti-nuclear campaigners who highlighted its potential futility," arguing that nuclear disarmament was the only realistic means of avoiding an attack. It may seem surprising that the advice for surviving a nuclear attack changed little during the decades-long Cold War. But the guidance published on the website of the US Department of Homeland Security is eerily similar too, suggesting that the 1980 guide may not be totally outdated.

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(CNN)The Tokyo Olympics -- after a long delay -- are finally happening. The opening ceremony formally kicked off the Games Friday and sporting events are underway. There's nothing but excitement in the air, according to IOC Athletes' Commission Chair Kirsty Coventry. In her statement Tuesday, Coventry painted a rosy picture, saying "The Village is looking great, the athletes are super excited. We've been hearing some very positive experiences from athletes I must say."But there's also plenty of controversy. Most notably, Japanese citizens have shown rising animosity toward the Games as Covid-19 infections sweep the country, with some protesting against them even as the opening ceremony took place. Multiple athletes from different countries have already had to self-isolate after coming into contact with the virus -- even though most sports have yet to hold their first event.That's not all. The Games have also become entangled in a debate over the right of athletes to protest, a topic that's become so inflamed that dozens of athletes, academics and professors from around the world signed a letter Thursday pushing for the IOC to amend its longstanding rules and allow athlete protest. "We believe the global sport community is at a turning point in matters of racial and social justice," the letter read, "and we call on you as leaders in the Olympic and Paralympic Movements to make a stronger commitment to human rights, racial/social justice, and social inclusion."Read MoreDespite history, the Olympics try to discourage protestingFor more than 100 years, the Olympics have been used as a platform for political and human rights protest -- both by athletes and by entire countries. One of the earliest examples was in 1906, when Peter O'Connor, an Irish track and field athlete, had to compete under the flag of Great Britain. He protested by climbing up the flag pole and displaying the Irish flag instead -- about a decade before the Irish War of Independence would lead to the creation of Ireland as a free state. But one of the most famous examples of Olympic protest came in 1968, when John Carlos and Tommie Smith, two Black American track athletes, raised their fists in a Black Power salute while on the medal podium. Peter Norman, an Australian athlete who had won silver, stood with them in solidarity. All suffered greatly for their act of protest. Carlos and Smith were sent home and banned from the Olympics, while Norman was shunned from following competitions, too. Tommie Smith reflects on winning gold, iconic salute nearly 50 years laterIt was just after this moment when Rule 50, the Olympic policy which bans forms of protest, reached its modern form, said Jules Boykoff, a professor in the Politics & Government department at Pacific University. The goal, he explained, was to suppress protests and "keep the games as neutral as possible and apolitical as possible."Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter infamously states that "No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas." The rule has received lots of pushback in the months leading up to the Tokyo Games, as demonstrations have continued throughout recent competitions. Fencer Race Imboden, for example, took a knee during the National Anthem during the Pan American Games in 2019. Hammer thrower Gwen Berry, during an Olympics qualifying game this year in June, turned away from the US flag as the anthem played, holding up a T-shirt reading "activist athlete" over her head during the medal ceremony. In April, following pressure to amend the rules, the IOC released a comprehensive report surveying 3,547 Olympians and other athletes on their feelings regarding protests at the Games. According to the survey, 67% of athlete respondents surveyed thought the medal podium was "not appropriate" for demonstrations, with 70% saying that demonstrations are not appropriate on the field of play or at official ceremonies. Gwen Berry holds up a shirt reading "Activist Athlete" as she celebrates finishing third in the Women's Hammer Throw final on day nine of the 2020 US Olympic Track & Field Team Trials on June 26, 2021.Critics of the survey, however, noted a few issues with the report, pointing to how specific questions were phrased and the fact that 14% of responders were from China -- a disproportionate number as Chinese athletes made up less than 4% of participants during the 2016 Summer Olympics and 2018 Winter Olympics. EU Athletes, a federation representing athletes across Europe, also criticized the survey's methodology, while noting that regardless of the results, freedom of speech is a human rights issue, according to the United Nations. EU Athletes argued that the IOC's rule infringes upon that."The IOC's approach to freedom of speech and expression consists of an attempt to restrict, redefine and control the way that the athletes exercise their fundamental human right," EU Athletes wrote in a statement in April. "Threatening to sanction athletes who peacefully protest on issues such as racism is not only inconsistent with human rights, but also goes against the values that the IOC claims to support." The IOC finally amended the rule on July 2, allowing for some demonstrations on the field of play before the start of competition. Some things listed in the update were always allowed, Boykoff said, such as speaking politically in the Mixed Zone. Still, the new ability to speak out ahead of competition is "not nothing," he said. President Jimmy Carter addressed athletes set to compete in the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow at the White House in Washington on March 21, 1980. Carter asked them to support his proposed boycott of the Games to punish the Soviets for their invasion of Afghanistan, showing how the Olympics have been used by nation states as a form of protest.But it wouldn't have happened without social justice movements -- like Black Lives Matter and #MeToo -- of recent years and months, and the "athlete empowerment era" we are currently in, Boykoff said. Athletes around the world have mobilized outside of the IOC, pushing to have their voices heard through athlete-led organizations like the International Swimmers' Alliance, which just launched this year, and Global Athlete.The amended rule is still not nearly as free as some athlete groups might hope."Even these amended guidelines prevent a new Smith, Carlos or Norman from emerging," Boykoff said, referencing the three athletes who participated in the landmark 1968 protest, who are now hailed as icons. It bears noting, then, that Smith and Carlos, along with hammer thrower Berry, are among the dozens who signed Thursday's letter to the IOC pushing to further amend Rule 50.Why protest at the OlympicsPart of the Olympics' hesitation to freely allow protests against political or human rights violations stems from the fact that the games feature 200 countries, all with differing politics, said Patrick Cottrell, a professor of political science at Linfield University. "The Olympics can't be viewed as a platform for anything that's overtly political," Cottrell said, which explains the insistence on neutrality.There's also the fact that the games are capitalistic, with corporate sponsors also having a vested interest. Part of the balancing act is attempting to minimize the risk for the sponsors, he said.At the same time, the IOC is probably looking ahead, he said. The next Olympic Games will be held in Beijing in 2022, and if you open up the floodgates for protests now, there could be issues then.Boykoff agreed, noting that there is probably less concern over athletes boycotting Japan during the Tokyo Olympics, while there might be concerns among IOC officials about the protests that may take place during next winter's Olympics.Beijing's alleged repression of Uyghurs, a predominately Muslim ethnic minority, is one issue that may lead to protest, Boykoff noted -- especially by Muslim athletes from other nations. China does not have the same freedom of speech protections that are common in much of the West. It could be one reason behind the IOC's hesitancy to freely allow athletes to protests now, even though the Winter Olympics tend to be less popular. From an athlete perspective, though, the Olympics present a prime opportunity to bring international attention to specific issues. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, for example, Ethiopian runner Feyisa Lilesa crossed his wrists at the finish line during the marathon competition, drawing international attention to human rights issues affecting Oromo people in Ethiopia. Ethiopia's Feyisa Lilesa crosses the finish line of the Men's Marathon athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Sambodromo on August 21, 2016. "I would have regretted if I had returned to Ethiopia without taking the opportunity to make the situation of my people known in this way and make their voices heard," he told CNN via email from Washington DC in 2016. "My people were yearning to be heard... to let their condition be known and because of my protest... now people know who the Oromo are and what they face."And in Tokyo, multiple women's soccer teams have already taken a knee in protest of racism around the world. Though the gesture is not against the rules, it may set a tone for the weeks ahead.The Olympics have long pushed the message of unity -- the five rings are, for instance, meant to symbolize the union of Africa, Asia, Australia, the Americas and Europe. But it's becoming increasingly difficult to pretend that's actually the case, Boykoff said."It's much harder to make that argument, and I think they're finding that reality is impeding on their symbology," he said, referencing Covid-19 vaccination disparities between countries as an example. Still, the past year in particular has revealed how sports can be an agent of political change -- like how the WNBA's activism affected the Georgia senatorial election.But if the purpose of the Olympic Games is to show how the world can come together through sport, any kind of protest reveals a crack in the facade. It's easier, then, to emphasize a smiling procession of nation states and their flags, than the complex political reality beneath.

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(CNN)Vice President Kamala Harris interviewed President Joe Biden's three final candidates for his Supreme Court nomination, a White House official told CNN. Biden officially nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to the US Supreme Court on Friday, setting in motion a historic confirmation process for what would be the first Black woman to sit on the highest court in the nation.The news of Harris' involvement, first reported on CNN, offers a small glimpse into the vice president's role in the process. Biden said at a White House announcement ceremony Friday that he had been "fortunate" to have had Harris' advice.Harris, the first Black and South Asian vice president of the United States, spoke to each finalist one on one via video conference, the White House official said. And each interview was separate from the President's. Before Biden's announcement, multiple sources told CNN that he had met in person with his three finalists: Jackson, Leondra Kruger, who sits on the California Supreme Court; and J. Michelle Childs, who serves on the US District Court for the District of South Carolina.Biden interviewed Jackson on February 14, CNN reported Friday.Read MoreThe White House official declined to reveal whether Harris spoke to each contender before or after Biden.This level of involvement from a vice president isn't necessarily unusual. When Biden was vice president under former President Barack Obama, he met with Elena Kagan, who would go on to be Obama's second Supreme Court nominee, ahead of her interview with Obama, according to her testimony. And Biden had a phone call with Obama's first high court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, after she was interviewed by Obama, according to her own testimony.Harris was also a part of the consent process this year, calling US senators on both sides of the aisle to discuss the nominee, according to officials, before and after Jackson was announced.Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that the panel has begun the next steps that will lead to a confirmation hearing.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will meet with Jackson on Wednesday morning, his office announced Sunday. Jackson will meet with senators this week ahead of her confirmation hearing. Durbin told CNN's Dana Bash: "We have prepared the traditional Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire, forwarded to the White House and waiting for their reply, which we think will be done very shortly. We will then give an opportunity to members of the committee and other senators to meet with the nominee and schedule a hearing in practical time as soon as possible."Asked if he believes Jackson could receive bipartisan support, Durbin said, "I want it to be.""I've reached out to many Republicans ... asking them to keep an open mind and to meet with her, ask the hard questions, ask for materials we'll provide them. We're going to go through the regular process here," he said. "But it is in the best interest not only of the Supreme Court, but of the United States Senate, for this to be bipartisan."This story has been updated with additional developments. CNN's Chandelis Duster and Daniella Diaz contributed to this report.

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(CNN)Rep. Steve King, the Iowa Republican who has a history of making racially inflammatory remarks, said Friday he was not concerned he would face any backlash from his party after making sympathetic comments towards white supremacists.Asked if he was worried that GOP leaders would strip him from committee assignments, King told CNN, "I've heard nothing like that -- why would anybody do that?" He also said he has no concerns that the National Republican Congressional Committee won't endorse him in his primary, saying, "They never have -- that's nothing new."And the Iowa Republican said he's not worried that his comments -- when he told The New York Times, "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?" -- will affect his chances at re-election. He said he has not heard push back from local Republican leaders in Iowa."No one has contacted me with concerns, these folks know me," he told reporters.King may not be too far off-base. While a senior GOP aide said that King's remarks amounted to a "tipping point," it was hardly clear what next steps GOP leadership would take. On Friday, a top House Democratic leader endorsed an idea about formally censuring King, but it was far from clear whether any Republicans would get behind it as well.Read MoreThe three top Republicans -- House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise and GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney -- all sharply rebuked King over his comments in separate written statements on Thursday.How in the world is Steve King still in Congress?On Friday, Scalise would not say if King should be punished."I think it's important that we all reject that kind of hateful ideology," Scalise told CNN. "It's evil and we ought to reject everything it represents."Asked if he would support King in his 2020 primary bid, Scalise said, "I haven't even been focusing on the politics of what's going to happen later next year. I mean obviously we're going to have a lot of time for politics."The comments come at an awkward time for the GOP, which has struggled to attract minorities under President Donald Trump, who has often stoked racial tensions to advance his arguments during his two years in office. Sen. Tim Scott, the lone black GOP senator, wrote in an opinion piece Friday that the GOP should not be silent over King."Some in our party wonder why Republicans are constantly accused of racism — it is because of our silence when things like this are said," Scott wrote in The Washington Post.Other Republicans weigh inFor the most part, however, Republicans have been quiet."I don't know," said Rep. Tom Cole, Republican of Oklahoma, when asked if King should be punished. "I think leadership has pushed back, and I know he's put out a clarifying statement."Asked if he would favor punishing King, Cole said, "I'm not going to get into a public discussion on that."Indeed, while some Republicans repudiated his remarks, saying they sharply condemn white supremacists, influential GOP lawmakers were uncertain what to do about King.The most senior Republican in the Senate, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, said this about King's remarks Friday: "I think that any claim of white supremacy is wrong and I detest it."But Grassley was non-committal about whether he'd back his fellow Iowa Republican again for re-election."Very seldom do I get involved in primaries and right now you're two years away from elections," Grassley told CNN. "Ask me maybe in a year and a half or something."Asked if King was fit to serve in office, Grassley said, "The people of Iowa elected him and so, you know, the people have made a choice."On the House side, GOP leaders continued to struggle with how to address their controversial member.Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Friday he disagrees "vehemently with the comments" and they were "not helpful to what we're trying to do" when asked if King should be punished by the GOP."We don't usually get involved in primaries," Emmer told CNN when asked if the party committee would endorse him. Asked if that meant the NRCC also would not support him in a general election should he win the nomination for a 10th term in 2020, Emmer said, "I think it's way too early. ... You're talking two years from now. I mean we don't typically get involved in primaries and that's about all I have to say."King speaks from the floorRecognizing the growing controversy, King took to the floor Friday to try to clean it up. King said he approached Scalise to let him know he planned to discuss the matter on the floor. "I said this is what I'm prepared to do, and we agreed that was a good thing to do." But he made clear no one in the GOP told him to make those remarks.On the floor, King contended his comments were taken out of context, saying he rejects white supremacist ideology and labels on individuals."I regret the heartburn that has poured forth upon this Congress and this country and especially in my state and in my congressional district," King said on the floor. "But the people who do know me know I wouldn't even have to make this statement because they know my life they know my history, they know that I have lived in the same place since 1978.""I reject that history; I reject that ideology," King said. "I defend American civilization, which is an essential component of western civilization."As he left the floor, King was asked by reporters if he was worried about losing a ranking member position on a House Judiciary subcommittee. "I've had no discussion about that. I haven't given it any thought," King said. "But the more you guys write about that stuff, then it becomes an issue."Black Democratic leader backs effort to censure King While Republicans remained mostly silent, some Democrats weighed their next steps.Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio is considering offering a formal resolution censuring King for the latest in a history of racially tinged remarks. The most senior black leader in Congress, House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina, told CNN he supports that move."You'd have to ask him about that," Clyburn said when asked if he views King as a racist. "I do think he has racial tendencies."House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN Friday she had yet to see King's remarks when asked if she would back a censure resolution. "I have not seen what he said, but he makes terrible comments all the time, so this is not anything new."But the head of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Karen Bass, said Friday that Democrats should let Republicans punish King and avoid taking up the matter because, she said, it would easily be dismissed as a partisan issue."I'm not sure if censure is the right thing to do, but something absolutely should be done because he has been consistent in his disrespect, disregard for his colleagues," Bass said. "His party needs to absolutely do something definitive. I'm not so sure it should be the House, because if it's the House, then they'll blame it on the Democrats."Bass added, "He's got a long history of this."This story has been updated with additional developments Friday.CNN's Elizabeth Landers and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.

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Story highlightsDuke and Duchess of Cambridge to return to London in coming yearRoyal pair will live at Kensington Palace as they step up official engagements on behalf of Queen (CNN)The Cambridges are on the move again.BUCKLEBURY, BERKSHIRE - DECEMBER 25: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Prince George of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge arrive to attend the service at St Mark's Church on Christmas Day on December 25, 2016 in Bucklebury, Berkshire. (Photo by Andrew Matthews - WPA Pool/Getty Images)Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, are to move their family back to the British capital this year as they look to increase their official work on behalf of the Queen, Kensington Palace said Friday. Since 2014, the pair have used Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace in London -- which underwent a $7.6 million overhaul in 2014 -- as their official residence while undertaking royal duties. The palace statement said that the pair will increasingly base their family in the city as they continue to undertake more official engagements in addition to increasing their charity work. Kensington Palace has issued an update about The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's plans for 2017 pic.twitter.com/1RguPHMdHB— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) January 20, 2017 Prince George, three, will start the new school year in London this September while one-year-old Princess Charlotte will attend nursery and eventually school in the capital in the coming years. Read MoreREAD MORE: Queen misses New Year church serviceRecently, the family has primarily been based at their home in Norfolk, while Prince William has been working as a helicopter pilot with the East Anglia Air Ambulance. It was the first time a royal who is in direct line to the throne had taken a civilian job; he donated his salary to charity.But the Duke of Cambridge is due to complete his role with the service this summer, after flying with them for two years. Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince William through the years – As the first-born child to the late Princess Diana and the Prince of Wales and second in line to the British throne, Prince William has never been far from the public eye. Click through the gallery for a look back at every year of his life so far.Hide Caption 1 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince Charles and Princess Diana leave St. Mary's Hospital in London with Prince William on June 22, 1982. A bulletin announced that the royal baby weighed 7 pounds, 1 1/2 ounces.Hide Caption 2 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince William takes his first steps in public with his parents in the walled garden at Kensington Palace on December 14, 1983.Hide Caption 3 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsAccompanied by his nanny Barbara Barnes, Price William waves as he leaves St. Mary's Hospital after visiting his mother and his newborn brother, Prince Harry, on September 16, 1984.Hide Caption 4 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince William through the years – From the balcony of Buckingham Palace, a young Prince William watches the Trooping of the Color in 1985 with Lady Gabriella Windsor, left, and Lady Zara Phillips.Hide Caption 5 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince William waves from a carriage en route to the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson on July 23, 1986.Hide Caption 6 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince William attends his first day at Wetherby School on January 15, 1987.Hide Caption 7 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsIn 1988, Prince Charles and Princess Diana visit Palma De Mallorca, Spain, with their two sons.Hide Caption 8 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince William and Prince Harry ride bicycles with their parents in 1989 while on holiday in the Scilly Isles.Hide Caption 9 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsOn a private beach in 1990, Prince William shovels sand onto his mother. Photos of the young prince with his adoring mother were common as media interest swelled.Hide Caption 10 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince William and Prince Harry wave from the deck of the Royal Yacht Britannia in 1991.Hide Caption 11 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrincess Diana and Prince William wait for Prince Harry after attending the annual Easter Sunday church service in 1992 at St. Georges Chapel inside Windsor Castle.Hide Caption 12 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince William grimaces after riding Splash Mountain at Disney World's Magic Kindom in Florida. He was with friends of the royal family on a three-day vacation in 1993.Hide Caption 13 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsAccompanied by Prince William, Princess Diana arrives at Wimbledon before the start of the women's singles final in 1994.Hide Caption 14 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsQueen Elizabeth II, Prince William and Prince Charles attend a service commemorating VJ Day outside Buckingham Palace in August 1995. The event was in honor of the day Japan surrendered to Allied forces, effectively ending World War II.Hide Caption 15 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince Charles and Prince Harry, at left, stand for anthems as Prince William, right, looks around during the Wales-Scotland game in the 1996 Five Nations rugby championship.Hide Caption 16 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsAt age 15, Prince William and his brother Harry, 12, bow their heads after their mother's funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997. Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris that August.Hide Caption 17 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince William receives flowers from an adoring crowd in Vancouver on March 24, 1998. He was on a weeklong vacation with his father and brother, though they also made time for official engagements.Hide Caption 18 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsBritain's Queen Mother joins Prince Charles and his sons during an occasion marking her 99th birthday at her London residence in 1999.Hide Caption 19 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince William hammers a log while helping construct walkways in a remote village in Chile during his Raleigh International expedition in 2000.Hide Caption 20 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsIn 2001, Prince William, left, and Prince Harry take part in an exhibition polo match in Gloucestershire, England.Hide Caption 21 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsThe royal family stand vigil besides the Queen Mother's coffin at Westminster Hall on April 8, 2002. Prince William, right, stands alongside Prince Harry, Princess Anne and Sophie of Wessex.Hide Caption 22 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsA London officeworker licks a first-class stamp that was issued to mark Prince William's 21st birthday in 2003. Commemorative coins were also minted for the occassion.Hide Caption 23 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince William makes his water polo debut for the Scottish national universities squad in the annual Celtic Nations tournament in 2004.Hide Caption 24 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsIn 2005, Prince William graduates from St. Andrews University in Scotland with a degree in geography.Hide Caption 25 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsQueen Elizabeth glances up at her grandson, right, as she inspects the parade at the Royal Military Academy in 2006. Prince William graduated as an Army officer and later went on to receive his Royal Air Force pilot's wingsHide Caption 26 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince William and Prince Harry speak on stage with Sir Elton John, far left, during a concert they put on to celebrate Princess Diana on July 1, 2007. The event fell on what would have been their mother's 46th birthday and marked 10 years since her death.Hide Caption 27 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince William sports a beard for the first time in public at a Christmas Day church service in 2008. He was clean-shaven by early January.Hide Caption 28 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince William walks with a group of homeless people during a 2009 hike with Centrepoint, the United Kingdom's largest youth charity for the homeless. William became the patron of the organization in 2005.Hide Caption 29 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsDuring his first official overseas visit, Prince William is welcomed to Sydney with a traditional smoke ceremony by local Aboriginal elder Uncle Max in 2010.Hide Caption 30 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsAfter their wedding service, Prince William kisses his wife, Kate Middleton, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on April 29, 2011.Hide Caption 31 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince William throws a foam javelin as his wife, now the Duchess of Cambridge, stands at his side during a visit to Nottingham, England, on June 13, 2012. The couple were in the city as part of Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee tour, marking the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne.Hide Caption 32 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsThe Duke and Duchess of Cambridge depart St. Mary's Hospital in London with their newborn son on July 23, 2013. Prince George was born a day earlier, weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces.Hide Caption 33 of 34 Photos: Photos: Prince William through the yearsPrince George and his parents celebrate his first birthday at a butterfly exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London on July 2.Hide Caption 34 of 34Job 'a huge privilege'"It has been a huge privilege to fly with the East Anglia Air Ambulance," Prince William said in a statement. Celebrating Britain's royal family"Following on from my time in the military, I have had experiences in this job I will carry with me for the rest of my life and that will add a valuable perspective to my Royal work for decades to come."Prince William also thanked his colleagues and the people of East Anglia for their support while working in the region.He added: "My admiration for our country's medical and emergency services community could not be any stronger."During his earlier military career, the Prince participated in more than 150 helicopter search and rescue operations.

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Story highlights$50 million worth of diamonds were stolen from a plane on Brussels AirportIt is one of the biggest diamond robberies in the history -- only a few thieves stole moreIn 2003, $100 million worth of diamonds were snatched from Antwerp Diamond CenterIt was just like a scene from the Alfred Hitchcock crime caper "To Catch a Thief." The same hotel. The sparkly jewels. The robbery.Only this was real life.A robber, his face covered by a hat and a scarf threatened to shoot attendees at a exhibition in Canne's Carlton Hotel, setting of the 1955 movie, on Sunday. Within minutes he had escaped with $136 million worth of jewels: security guards at the show were unarmed, while the man had a semi-automatic pistol.The robbery is the third high-profile jewelery heist in Cannes in Southern France in only three months. During the Cannes film festival in May, a necklace worth $2.6 million (2 million euros) was stolen from a hotel party shortly after more than $1 million worth of jewels were stolen from a safe in a hotel room.The high-profile thefts follow a brazen heist in neighboring Belgium in February. A gang of eight men managed to snatch $50 million worth of diamonds from a plane on Brussels Airport -- within only eight minutes.JUST WATCHEDHow could diamond thieves sell them?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHow could diamond thieves sell them? 02:28JUST WATCHEDQuest's guide to diamondsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHQuest's guide to diamonds 03:27JUST WATCHEDHomeless man gets diamond ring in errorReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHomeless man gets diamond ring in error 01:49"It comes as a big surprise that something like this is possible," said Jan Van der Cruysse, a spokesman for Brussels Airport. "But of course, this is rather connected to banditism and organized crime rather than aviation security."Yet such incidents have a history. From 1960s gangster film-style armed robberies to elaborate stunts involving drag queens and fake beards, thieves from around the world have tried almost anything to get hold of diamonds. Here are some of the biggest heists they pulled off: On Valentine's Day weekend in February 2003, $100 million worth of precious stones were snatched from the Antwerp Diamond Center. The thieves, headed by Leonardo Notarbartolo, reportedly managed to penetrate some of the most advanced security measures, including hi-tech combination locks, motion and heat sensors -- and 18-inch steel doors. The gangsters even changed the tapes of the security cameras in the building to avoid being identified. They did, however, make one mistake: they left behind a half-eaten sandwich with DNA samples on it. They were arrested after months-long police operation involving detectives in several countries. The jewels were never recovered.The sensational robbery inspired a book "Flawless -- Inside the Largest Diamond heist in the History."In March 2007, a man using the name Carlos Hector Flomenbaum adopted an unorthodox approach to robbery. Swapping weapons for chocolates and charm, Flomenbaum became a frequent customer at ABN Amro bank in Antwerp. Befriending the bank staff, who believed he was a successful diamond trader, he gained their trust and acquired a key to the bank's vault. Once he had the key, he simply let himself in and walked out of the front door with 120,000 carats of diamonds, worth $28 million. In mid-May 2008, four armed robbers -- two disguised as women -- walked into a jewelry store in Paris. Once inside, they pulled out their weapons, forced the customers and employees into a corner, and grabbed jewels out of display cases and safes.Swiping an estimated 80 million euros ($102 million) worth of jewels, the "drag queen robbery" became one of the biggest heists in history.On New Year's Eve 2008, two armed men casually walked into a shop called Dialite Imports, one of New York's diamond district shops. Dressed in traditional Orthodox-jewish clothing accessorized with fake beards, they quickly gained access to the store's safe, spray-painting two security cameras in the process. They disappeared with $4 million in diamonds and other jewels.The heist later turned out to be an elaborate inside job set up by the store's co-owners, who were $1 million in debt, six months behind on their rent and acquired a new insurance policy shortly before the robbery.In 2009, two sharp-suited men walked into Graff Jewellers on central London's New Bond Street. In the middle of the afternoon, with people walking on the streets outside, they threatened employees with handguns and managed to steal 43 items, with a value of about £40 million ($65 million). In 1994 three men armed with a machine gun stormed into the Carlton Hotel in Cannes, France. They stole jewels valued at £30 million ($43 million) from a jewelry shop in the hotel. Reportedly, the rounds they had been firing were blanks -- which did not prevent them from gaining the world's biggest gems robbery record in Guinness Book of Records.

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(CNN)Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has been suspended from the home of the Kentucky Derby for two years after Medina Spirit's positive post-race drug was confirmed, the company that runs the Louisville racetrack said Wednesday. The suspension, effective immediately, follows the confirmation of the Derby winner's positive test earlier Wednesday by Baffert's attorney, Craig Robertson.Medina Spirit cleared to race in the Preakness Stakes after passing drug testsChurchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) "has consistently advocated for strict medication regulations so that we can confidently ensure that horses are fit to race and the races are conducted fairly," said Bill Carstanjen, CEO of CDI. "Reckless practices and substance violations that jeopardize the safety of our equine and human athletes or compromise the integrity of our sport are not acceptable and as a company we must take measures to demonstrate that they will not be tolerated. "Mr. Baffert's record of testing failures threatens public confidence in thoroughbred racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby. Given these repeated failures over the last year, including the increasingly extraordinary explanations, we firmly believe that asserting our rights to impose these measures is our duty and responsibility." The suspension, which includes trainers directly of indirectly employed by Bob Baffert Racing Stables, is effective through the conclusion of the 2023 Spring Meet at Churchill Downs Racetrack, CDI said. Read MoreThe Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) has the sole authority to disqualify Medina Spirit as the winner of the Derby, the statement said."It is the understanding of CDI that the KHRC is pursuing the completion of its investigation of this matter in accordance with its rules and regulations," the statement said. The commission declined comment on Wednesday.The New York Racing Association this month temporarily suspended Baffert from entering any horses in races at the track that is host to the Belmont Stakes. The Belmont Stakes, the third race in thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown, is set to run Saturday at Belmont Park.Test showed more than double legal threshold in Kentucky racingAfter the May 1 first leg of the famed Triple Crown, Baffert revealed that Medina Spirit had tested positive for elevated levels of betamethasone.Betamethasone is an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid that is allowed in horse racing at a certain level. But Baffert said he was informed that Medina Spirit's postrace test detected 21 picograms per milliliter -- more than double the legal threshold in Kentucky racing.Baffert would have a chance to appeal the confirmation of the original test result. If an appeal is unsuccessful, Medina Spirit would be stripped of the Kentucky Derby crown as well as the winning prize money. The last winning horse to be disqualified from the Kentucky Derby after failing a drug test was Dancer's Image in 1968.Churchill Downs said in a statement in May, "if the findings are upheld, Medina Spirit's results in the Kentucky Derby will be invalidated and Mandaloun will be declared the winner." Medina Spirit to race at Preakness, trainer says Kentucky Derby winner tested positive for betamethasone after being treated with ointmentIn a statement to CNN on Wednesday, Robertson said, "Medina Spirit split sample confirmed the finding of betamethasone at 25 picograms. There is other testing that is being conducted, including DNA testing. We expect this additional testing to confirm that the presence of the betamethasone was from the topical ointment, Otomax, and not an injection. "At the end of the day, we anticipate this case to be about the treatment of Medina Spirit's skin rash with Otomax. We will have nothing further to say until the additional testing is complete."In a statement, Marty Irby, executive director at Animal Wellness Action, said Wednesday: "The news of Medina Spirit's second test confirmed positive is no shock. Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Derby, and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission must stand firmly together in agreement to take the 2021 Derby title away from Bob Baffert and the horse."Medina Spirit won the Kentucky Derby in May in a close finish. The win delivered Baffert a record seventh Derby victory.Baffert revealed a week later that the horse had tested positive for elevated levels of the anti-inflammatory corticosteroid sometimes used to relieve joint pain in horses -- putting the 3-year-old colt's Derby win in jeopardy.The trainer later provided a lengthy statement on what he said happened regarding Medina Spirit.Here's what's next after Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a postrace drug test"Following the Santa Anita Derby, Medina Spirit developed dermatitis on his hind end. I had him checked out by my veterinarian who recommended the use of an anti-fungal ointment called Otomax. The veterinary recommendation was to apply this ointment daily to give the horse relief, help heal the dermatitis and prevent it from spreading," part of Baffert's statement said."While we do not know definitively that this was the source of the alleged 21 picograms found in Medina Spirit's post-race blood sample, and our investigation is continuing, I have been told by equine pharmacology experts that this could explain the test results. As such, I wanted to be forthright about this fact as soon as I learned of this information," the statement added.It was not Baffert's first run-in with reports that his horse failed a drug test: In April, according to multiple reports, including the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Arkansas Racing Commission upheld a ruling that two of Baffert's horses had tested positive for lidocaine beyond the accepted levels. However, the commission dropped a 15-day suspension for Baffert.Baffert alluded to previous controversies recently -- "I don't feel safe to train," he said -- but cast the allegation about Medina Spirit as an issue with the broader horse racing industry, saying the industry "needs to step up and we need to do a better job in racing.""I'm not a conspiracy (theorist) -- I know everybody's not out to get me. But there's definitely something wrong. Why is it happening, you know, to me?" he asked. "There's problems in racing, but it's not Bob Baffert."

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A version of this article originally appeared in the weekly weather newsletter, which releases every Monday. You can sign up here to receive these every week and during significant storms. (CNN)Spring starts Tuesday, but If you Google the word spring, it responds with March 20.You have NOT gone through a time warp; Tuesday is not March 20. It is March 1. Google isn't wrong, astronomical spring (based on Earth's rotation around the sun) is on the vernal or spring equinox.But in the meteorological world, spring begins March 1."Meteorologists and climatologists break the seasons down into groupings of three months based on the annual temperature cycle as well as our calendar," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explained.The groupings make it much easier to calculate seasonal statistics from the monthly statistics.Read MoreOne thing you may not know is what happens in the winter months can impact what happens in spring to a certain extent.Will a dry winter lead to a dry spring? Or will a cold and snowy winter lead to a cooler spring?Whether weather is warm or cold this springThere is no doubt this winter has been brutal for some. Across the northern tier of the country, an already cold region, temperatures were well below seasonal norms.As I'm writing this and peaking at the week ahead, things look promising if you want warmer temperatures. But so much plays into the forecast, especially when you're forecasting three months out.Jon Gottschalck is chief of the operational prediction branch at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC). He's one of the experts who will be coming up with the long-range forecast, and to come up with a forecast, you need to look at the past. He noted one of the things standing out to him from the winter was the relentless rain falling across the mid-Mississippi River Valley, resulting in flooding. In the West, lots of rain fell early in the season, but shut off when California was supposed to get its peak rainfall, causing the region to end the season well below normal. Gottschalck acknowledged how wet or dry a region is currently, could have an impact on the next three months. He explained the soil moisture of a region can play into the temperatures longer term, meaning if an area is very wet, its temperatures could end up a little cooler. By contrast, if an area is exceptionally dry, its temperatures could end up slightly above normal. "Lots of surface water, whether it be from any flooding, or just higher rivers, or just soil moisture above normal can tend to keep the temperatures below normal or lower than they would normally be," Gottschalck outlined. "Certain areas that have been quite dry, for example, are going to get a little bit of a bump up, potentially, for above normal temperatures." The Climate Prediction Center's precipitation outlook. The brown areas show where conditions will be drier. The green areas show where conditions will be wetter.A case in point: California. We were all optimistic early in the season with all the rainfall they received in December, and then, nothing, proving how quickly things can change for the better or the worse. "We had all that excitement about drought improvement and there was definitely a lot in the West, early on in December," Gottschalck recounted. "But right now, if you look at the 90-day departures for normal, Northern California and Oregon are considerably below normal the last two months, so that actually trumped." Moving forward, California could pick up where it left off, with a continuation of a drier and warmer pattern, as could Texas. "Texas had one of its hottest Decembers ever," Gottschalck reported. "Those conditions will play some role in the outlook moving forward, because that feedback can produce warmer temperatures." Barring a 'miracle,' California snowpack will end the season below averageOne thing to note is the continuation of the La Niña pattern, a phenomenon where cooler-than-normal sea surface temperatures occur in the Pacific near the equator. It impacts weather all over the globe, including an increase in Atlantic hurricanes. Learn more about La Niña La Niña influenced this winter, including the early season rain events in the West, colder-than-normal temperatures across the north, and warmer-than-normal conditions in the south. "The La Niña pattern often produces cold in the Pacific Northwest and along the West Coast, and even into the northern Plains, and that can linger well into March," Gottschalck pointed out. "If that lingers further into March, it may be a colder start more like La Niña in the early part of the spring." Gottschalck added we will start to move away from a La Niña pattern later in the spring. Here is the Climate Prediction Center's three-month outlook for temperature. The red areas indicate where it is likely to be warmer than average. The blue shows where it is likely to be cooler."As you enter into more neutral conditions, you lose some of your climate reliability, forecasting-wise," Gottschalck explained. "We start to focus a little bit on where we have deficits and or surpluses in snow cover and snow water equivalent and soil moisture in the springtime, because those can feed back to the atmospheric temperature," Gottschalck emphasized. Places like the Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley will likely stay on the cooler side, partly because of all the rain they have received. And as we know, these outlooks are for the season as a whole. There will be ups and downs, wet periods and dry ones all within the season. But can I just say one more time: Hooray! Spring is right around the corner, no matter when you consider spring to "officially" begin! New weather satellite will launch into orbitArtist rendering of GOES-17 satellite with full disk GeoColor GOES-17 (GOES East) satelliteIronically, on the first day of meteorological spring, March 1, weather nerds (like myself) will rejoice! NOAA will launch a new weather satellite named GOES-18. The satellite will sit more than 22,000 miles above Earth and keep tabs on the western United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Central America and the Pacific Ocean. It will have a wide array of instruments and will be able to send back ultra-high-definition images which will greatly improve weather forecasts and computer models we rely on for forecasting. "The observations from these satellites are even more critical now, when the US is experiencing a record number of billion-dollar disasters," said Pam Sullivan, director of NOAA's GOES-R program, during a news conference. "Compared to the previous generation, GOES-R satellites deliver 60 times more imagery, and they have a new lightning camera to track severe storms that spawn tornadoes and damaging winds." We will be able to watch these storms develop in the Pacific Ocean and track them all the way to the United States. Like atmospheric river events across the West Coast, which is where the West gets the majority of their annual rainfall. However, they can also result in deadly flooding and landslides. Being able to better predict where these systems will set up will protect life and property like we've never seen before. Years ago CNN meteorologist Judson Jones, who writes the weather newsletter with me, went to visit GOES-R and GOES-S before they boxed them up. You can read more about it here. Our science writer Ashley Strickland and author of our amazing science newsletter called Wonder Theory, is following the GOES-T launch closely. You can read more from her here. The first images from GOES-18 won't be available until next summer, which is a bit of a bummer, since they would really come in handy across the West this week. Deadly flooding and avalanches possibleAn "extreme" Level 4 out of 5 atmospheric river is reaching the Pacific Northwest this week, bringing the risk of flooding and avalanches. Flood watches are in place for more than five million people across Idaho, Oregon and Washington, including Seattle. The rain will persist for several days. A combination of warmer temperatures will cause heavy rain in the mountains where there is currently snow. It could result in quick melting and water runoff, leading to dangerous flooding and wet avalanches. "Wet" avalanches typically occur when warm air, sun or rain cause water to drain into the snowpack, in turn decreasing the strength of the snow. The Northwest Avalanche Center issued a stark warning as the risk of avalanches has increased exponentially. "Avalanches triggered today could be large enough to bury or kill you. This won't be the day to try to tiptoe around the hazard." Read more here.

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Story highlightsGustav Hallén posted joke listing to cheer those who want to leave the country after the electionHe didn't get any offers, and eBay didn't see the funny side (CNN)Noticing that Donald Trump's victory left some people in the US feeling miserable, one Swede decided to make a unique offer that he hoped would cheer them up a bit.Gustav Hallén, 30, from Stockholm, put himself up for auction for $50,000 on eBay, offering to marry any American who wants to flee the States and take up Swedish citizenship."US just become the land of the free to leave. Why not move to a better place? Like Sweden," read his listing."Open for all suggestions female, male and others. Likes long walks and Netflix and chill."Hallén describes himself in the joke listing as 'a fine specimen' Hallén, who works as a photographer, art director and surf instructor, said in his item description that he has "some weather damages and minor eye problems. But overall good physical health and a fine specimen." Read MoreThe blond 6-foot-tall Swede did not receive any bids before eBay removed his listing Thursday. He told CNN the listing was meant as a joke. Sweden opens first cemetery free of religious symbols"I noticed the reactions to the election result on Facebook -- people were upset so I just thought I would do something fun for my friends to laugh at," he explained."I set the price so high that I wouldn't get an offer. It was just for fun. Then I saw a lot of people were sharing it. The best thing was the reaction. People laughed at it."Asked what he would do if someone had met his asking price, Hallén replied: "Then I would have to figure out how to tell my mom and dad."Hallén hopes nobody actually bids for him as a husband, as that would mean an awkward conversation with his parentsHallén's offer of citizenship may be a joke but some Americans are apparently considering leaving the country in the wake of Trump's election victory over Hillary Clinton.The number of US visitors to New Zealand's immigration websites spiked after the result and there was so much interest in moving to Canada that its immigration website crashed.

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Go here to follow our live blog coverage of the attack in Nice. (CNN)A truck rammed into a crowd that had gathered Thursday to celebrate Bastille Day in Nice, killing at least 84 people. The crowd had watched a fireworks show on the promenade and was leaving the area when a large white truck appeared. The driver of the truck fired a gun at people and then plowed through the crowd on the main street for more than a mile. One witness said that the truck appeared to zigzag through the crowd, and another witness said the driver appeared to accelerate when hitting people. The driver was shot and killed by police.Here's the rundown: The attackWhat was the scene like? One minute, it was a jubilant celebration of Bastille Day. The next, it devolved into chaos and carnage. Read MoreAccording to French prosecutor Francois Molins, at about 10:45 p.m. (4:45 p.m. ET), a man in a rented 18-ton refrigerator truck drove along the Promenade des Anglais. He fired on three police officers, who fired back and gave chase. The truck went on about another 300 meters, and police found the driver dead on the passenger's seat.Who are the victims? 84 are dead, 10 of which are adolescents. Another 202 people were injured; among those 52 were injured critically.At least three children are among those in critical condition, according to Dr. Richelle Christian. Doctors struggled not only to treat the incoming wounded, but to identify them, Christian told CNN. Many children were separated from parents and brought to the hospital.Three Germans are among the dead, a Berlin official said. They are two students and one teacher, all female, from the Paula-Fürst-School, Mayor Reinhard Naumann of Berlin's Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district said in a statement.Americans Sean Copeland and his son, Brodie, of Texas were killed in the attack, a family representative said. The University of California, Berkley says three of its students were among the injured.Three Australians, two Chinese and one British national were injured, officials said.The investigationWho's the attacker? The driver of the truck has been identified by the French government and anti-terrorism officials as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian man who lived in Nice. No group has claimed responsibility. The presidents of France and the United States are calling this a terror attack. The attacker "is not affiliated with any mosque in Nice," the president of the Union of Mosques in France told CNN on Friday. "Also, as far as we're aware, no one knows him as a practicing Muslim," Mohammed Moussaoui said.Bouhlel was "never mean to anyone," a neighbor told CNN. The neighbor says, "He used to come round to her house to help her fix things, like the toilet." Another neighbor said attacker was "very odd" and would not return greetings. "He had a fixed gaze. The children would say hello, he wouldn't say hello. He would only like nod his head. He was very odd. ... I saw him like four times a day."The truck and its contents: The truck used in the attack was rented on Monday and was supposed to have been returned Wednesday, Molins said. After the attack, police found in the trailer a bicycle and eight empty pallets. In the cabin, other than the attacker's body, police found a handgun, some ammunition, and a replica handgun and two replica assault rifles, Molins said. In addition, police found a cell phone and various documents.Trucks have been used as weapons before, but the lethality of such attacks had been relatively low until the attack in Nice. Not only do we have to worry about truck bombs, now the vehicles are used as weapons, writes Peter Bergen, CNN's national security analyst. The responseFrench president extends state of emergency: French President François Hollande vowed to crack down on France's enemies and is asking parliament to extend the country's state of emergency by three months. "France is afflicted, but she is strong, and she will always be stronger than the fanatics who want to strike her today," he said. World leaders express shock and sympathy: It feels almost routine now. Another terror attack results in an outpouring of condemnation against the attacker and expressions of solidarity for the victims. What's the reaction in the U.S.? Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton chimed in on the France terror attack. "We have to be tough," Trump said, reiterating that the United States should reverse its decision to allow Syrian refugees into the country. Clinton told CNN that greater intelligence gathering, not military force, is necessary. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich wants the United States to test and deport every person with a Muslim background who believes in Sharia law. The Department of Homeland Security says it is increasing security in ways that are both visible and not visible. New York stepped up security at high-profile locations including airports, bridges, tunnels and mass transit systems, said Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

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Story highlightsSerena Williams bidding to win all four grand slams in a calendar yearStar says it "hasn't been easy" since sister Venus diagnosed with Sjogren's SyndromeVenus' illness prompted Serena to switch from a business course to pre-med (CNN)She stands on the brink of writing another chapter in tennis history, but Serena Williams has other things on her mind just now.Police violence, college studies, her sister's health, the rise of female role models in society -- the American has plenty to distract her as she plots her title defense at Flushing Meadows.Follow @cnnsport One of the biggest stars the game has ever seen will become the first player since Steffi Graf in 1988 to win the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in a calendar year if she triumphs in New York next month.But in a wide-ranging interview, Williams told CNN's Open Court show the prospect of that achievement was something she "doesn't really think about."JUST WATCHEDSerena Williams gears up for Grand SlamReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSerena Williams gears up for Grand Slam 06:04As well as dominating the women's game this year, Williams has been studying as a pre-med college major -- potentially preparing the way for medical school -- while also speaking out about the African-American experience in the U.S.Read MoreEarlier this month, she took to Twitter to voice fears of an unfolding "gigantic bad nightmare" after Christian Taylor, an unarmed black college footballer, was fatally shot by a white policeman in Texas.Really??????!!!!!!!!!!? are we all sleeping and this is one gigantic bad nightmare? #ChristianTaylor how many hashtags now?— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) August 8, 2015 "I think not just me, but a lot of people in America and outside America, are frustrated and concerned and really scared," Williams said. "You know, if I had a kid ... you wouldn't want them to get in trouble or, you know, do anything."I really think it just boils down to people as a nation pulling together. And it's not just me speaking out. There are a lot of people speaking out. And we're asking the same question: 'Why?'"She said speaking out on such issues "maybe won't help," but added: "Maybe it'll reach the right ears at the right time."The achievements of a number of women both inside and outside sport also haven't escaped Williams' notice.JUST WATCHEDBryan brothers believe Serena will win Calendar SlamReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHBryan brothers believe Serena will win Calendar Slam 05:57 Photos: Women in sports Photos: Women in sportsAustralian jockey Michelle Payne became the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup, riding Prince of Penzance on Tuesday, November 3. Payne said she hopes her win will open doors for female jockeys because she believes "that we (females) sort of don't get enough of a go."Hide Caption 1 of 9 Photos: Women in sportsSerena Williams has won 21 Grand Slam singles titles, putting her third on the all-time list. She has been ranked No. 1 in the world six times and is the oldest No. 1 player in WTA history. Williams is also the most recent player, male or female, to hold all four major singles titles at the same time.Hide Caption 2 of 9 Photos: Women in sportsUFC fighter Ronda Rousey, the women's bantamweight champion, has never lost in mixed martial arts, and she holds the UFC record for quickest finish in a title fight: 14 seconds. Rousey also won a bronze medal in judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics.Hide Caption 3 of 9 Photos: Women in sportsAt 18, New Zealand's Lydia Ko became the youngest winner of a women's major when she won the Evian Championship in September. Her victory also made her the youngest golfer, male or female, to win a major title since 1868. She already held the record for the youngest winner on the LPGA Tour, claiming the Canadian Open as a 15-year-old amateur in 2012. Ko is also the youngest to reach No. 1 in the world rankings.Hide Caption 4 of 9 Photos: Women in sportsJennifer Welter, a veteran player on professional women's football teams, became the National Football League's first female coach when she was hired as a training camp and preseason intern for the Arizona Cardinals in 2015. Welter is also the first woman to coach in a men's professional football league, having been named a coach for the Indoor Football League's Texas Revolution.Hide Caption 5 of 9 Photos: Women in sportsDanica Patrick holds the only victory by a woman in an IndyCar Series race, having won the 2008 Indy Japan 300. By coming in third at the Indianapolis 500 in 2009, she achieved the best finish ever by a female driver in the race. She also holds the highest finish by a female driver in NASCAR's Daytona 500.Hide Caption 6 of 9 Photos: Women in sportsLaila Ali, the daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, began her boxing career in 1999 at the age of 18. She went on to have an undefeated boxing career, winning 24 fights before retiring in 2007.Hide Caption 7 of 9 Photos: Women in sportsAbby Wambach has scored more international goals (184) than any soccer player in history, male or female. She received the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award in 2011, becoming the first individual soccer player to do so. She played her last World Cup this year and helped the United States win the tournament. She has since announced she will retire from the sport.Hide Caption 8 of 9 Photos: Women in sportsLindsey Vonn became the first American woman to win the gold medal in downhill skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics. She has also won four World Cup titles in her career to go with an Olympic bronze and six medals at the World Championships.Hide Caption 9 of 9With the U.S. women's soccer team having won the World Cup in Canada in July, and the appointment of Jen Welter -- believed to be the first woman to hold a coaching position of any kind in the NFL -- by the Arizona Cardinals, the tennis star said she felt that "we as women are on the rise.""I think it's going to have a great effect," she explained. "You know, I get chill bumps thinking about all this stuff that women are doing in sports."I think it can have a ripple effect. There is a lot of stuff outside of sports -- a lot of women CEOs that I look up to and a lot of women that are empowering and are doing really well. And it is something that is just a great thing."When I was growing up I didn't see anyone that was my color, strong, powerful, beautiful and representing a lot of things outside of just one thing on the (magazine) covers. And I think, hopefully, that I can inspire someone else."Williams revealed it "hasn't been easy" since her sister and fellow champion Venus was diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome, a condition that affects the immune system, in 2011.She said the diagnosis had informed the studies she had chosen -- she switched from a business course to pre-med -- and made her focus on "being able to find alternative ways of being healthy and not having to take all these medicines."That, she explained, meant "holistic medicines and stuff," adding: "I kind of really want to focus on that in my field, and I think it's also healthier and better.JUST WATCHEDEx-Bush aide confronted over Serena Williams tweetsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHEx-Bush aide confronted over Serena Williams tweets 01:15JUST WATCHEDSerena and Novak look back at Wimbledon 2015ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSerena and Novak look back at Wimbledon 2015 02:52"And if something happens, it's always good to know yourself, what's going on and what you can do."So how does she balance the twin demands of tennis and study?"I like education and I don't like to sit still," she said. "I don't like any free time -- I like to keep going and going. And I realize that's just a craziness that I have, and that's just who I am. And, yeah, I like it."But what about the tennis? How much is the prospect of emulating German great Graf weighing on her mind?"I don't really think about it -- and quite frankly, I don't really want to talk about it," she said simply. If she does win, though, how will she celebrate?"I've faced a lot of adversities. I've learned that I have a tough mind," she explained. "And if I win the U.S. Open, I'm going to take a vacation. I'll just take a deep breath and disappear."Read: Is time running out for tennis' great entertainer?Read: She's the boss! The rise of women coaching menCan Serena complete the calendar slam? Tell us on CNN Sport's Facebook page

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Story highlightsTemperatures soar to nearly 40 degrees Celsius in MelbourneHeat rule not implemented Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova, Juan Martin del Potro all winRoger Federer closes play with straight-sets win (CNN)Every year tennis players brace themselves for potentially oppressive weather at the Australian Open -- but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with when the intense heat does arrive. Follow @cnnsport Summer at the #AusOpen is a great time to be a tennis fan 💨 pic.twitter.com/9GRTHbkbWQ— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2018 Just ask Gael Monfils. Monfils suspected that he suffered a heat stroke in his outing against Novak Djokovic Thursday, when the thermometer -- according to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology -- peaked at 39.9 degrees Celsius in Melbourne. Commentators claimed temperatures on court were even higher, soaring to 60 degrees Celsius. READ: Wozniacki's great escapeRead MoreREAD: Sharapova beats Maria The Frenchman managed to see out his second-round match after a visit from the tournament doctor, but he lost to Djokovic 4-6 6-3 6-1 6-3 in another eventful encounter between the pair who have both recently been hampered by injuries. "I got super dizzy," said Monfils, who fell to his 15th straight defeat by the 12-time grand slam winner. "I think I had a small heat stroke for 40 minutes. Couldn't feel fresh."Gael Monfils tried to stay cool Thursday in Melbourne. 'Brutal'Monfils trained in the heat of Miami in the off-season -- a base in the past for three-time grand slam champion Andy Murray -- but said it was no match for what he encountered on Rod Laver Arena. "Was pretty hot in Miami," said Monfils. "I thought I was very good. I'm telling you, I was dying on the court for 40 minutes."Even six-time Australian Open champion Djokovic described the weather as "brutal." He has had his own issues with the heat, memorably at the 2009 Australian Open against Andy Roddick and 2014 US Open against Kei Nishikori. "It was obvious that we both suffered today," the Serb, playing his second official match after missing six months with an elbow problem, told on-court interviewer Jim Courier and the crowd. "Really tough conditions, brutal, especially for the first hour and a half. "I was coming into the match knowing it was going to be a big challenge for both of us. Just hanging in there, trying to use every single opportunity that is presented. Obviously he wasn't at his best at the end of the second and the entire third set."Ice towels were the order of the day for players, including for Novak Djokovic. Courier -- the former No. 1 and Australian Open winner -- told Djokovic he would limit his questions so the 30-year-old could escape the heat, prompting this reply: "You can ask me as many questions as you want in the locker room, ice bath."Rafael Nadal, who contests his third-round match Friday when the temperature is forecast to rise to 42 degrees Celsius, called for organizers to use the roof on the three courts that have cover at Melbourne Park -- as much for the fans as players. That didn't happen Thursday. There was continuous play as the tournament's extreme heat policy wasn't implemented. For the Aus Open the Extreme Heat Policy comes into effect once the ambient temperature exceeds 40C *and* the Wet Bulb index (WBGT) exceeds 32.5C. The health of our players is of paramount concern to us, and we are constantly monitoring conditions. Let's hope it cools down!— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2018 Djokovic later told reporters the heat rule should be revisited since players were being pushed to the limit. "There is a rule about index, combination between temperature and humidity. I'm not so sure about that," he said. "I think there are certain days where you just have to, as a tournament supervisor, recognize that you might need to give players a few extra hours until (the heat) comes down. "People might say, 'Well, at this level you have to be as a professional tennis player, fit,'" he added. "It's the beginning of the season. You kind of work and train hard to be able to sustain these kind of conditions, to be tough. But I think there is a limit, and that is a level of I guess tolerance between being fit and being, I think, in danger in terms of health."It was right at the limit."'No shame in giving up'Monfils spared a thought for those in action Friday. "Good luck to them," he said. "I think sometimes, yeah, we put our body at risk. Just be smart. If you have to give up, it's not a shame."Monfils appeared to be the player most troubled Thursday. No players retired and men's fifth seed Dominic Thiem even engineered a two-set comeback, rallying against American Denis Kudla 6-7 (6-8) 3-6 6-3 6-2 6-3. Two-time grand slam champion Garbine Muguruza and Johanna Konta were upset in the open women's draw but neither blamed the conditions, while Maria Sharapova set up a blockbuster clash with resurgent 2016 champion Angelique Kerber. Stan Wawrinka lost to 97th ranked American Tennys Sandgren 6-2 6-1 6-4, clearly not at his best in his first event since knee surgery and his own six-month layoff, but pal and defending champion Roger Federer eased past Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-4) to close play Thursday. JUST WATCHEDDoes he have the best name in sports?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDoes he have the best name in sports? 02:00"I wouldn't have minded to play during the day," Federer said. "I hope I thrive under those conditions, too, because if you want to get to the top you gotta be able to play in all conditions." Wimbledon champion Muguruza suffered from full body cramps amid the heat in Brisbane earlier in January and then withdrew mid-tournament in Sydney, foreshadowing a rocky Australian Open. Sure enough, world No. 88 Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan defeated Muguruza 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 and twice grand slam semifinalist Konta -- downed by Hsieh at the French Open last May -- succumbed to lucky loser Bernarda Pera 6-4 7-5. Kerber on a rollLike Muguruza, Konta endured fitness concerns in the build up to the year's first major, retiring in the Brisbane quarterfinals with a hip injury prior to a first-round exit in Sydney. You'd fancy @RogerFederer's chances tonight...#AusOpen @TennisAusGIG pic.twitter.com/SVMbcNZjo8— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2018 Kerber registered an 11th straight win to begin 2018 in beating Donna Vekic 6-4 6-1, with Sharapova getting the better of her conqueror at the US Open, Anastasija Sevastova, 6-1 7-6 (7-4). Sharapova returned to Melbourne Park this year after sitting out the 2017 edition due to a drug suspension."I was watching this tournament with a box of Kleenex next to me, sick," the five-time grand slam winner said. "So I feel like I transported myself into the TV this year and I'm finding myself on Rod Laver Arena competing. A lot of things to smile about.Great to be back"I wanted to be here. I got myself here. Yeah, it's great to be back."Women's No. 1 Simona Halep showed no ill-effects from the ankle injury she sustained in the first round, comfortably dispatching 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard 6-2 6-2 in the night session.Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 US Open winner, overcame a medical timeout for a left leg injury to oust Karen Khachanov 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (0-7) 6-4. Visit our tennis page for more Australian Open coverage Argentine Del Potro is one of the danger men for Federer in the Swiss' quarter of the draw but another one, seventh seed David Goffin, was upset by veteran Julien Benneteau 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 7-6 (7-4). "I did a big effort," said del Potro. "I survive. I will play after tomorrow I hope in different conditions."

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Story highlightsJames Brokenshire met with Jordanian officialsAbu Qatada was convicted in absentia in JordanThe man has denied allegations against himA Jordanian official says he'll get a fair trialA UK government official held "useful discussions" with authorities in Jordan over efforts to deport a freed radical from Britain to the Arab nation, the Home Office secretary said Friday.The man is Abu Qatada, described by authorities as an inspiration to a September 11 hijacker and other terrorists.Abu Qatada was released from a high security prison on bail Monday, the British Ministry of Justice said. He was already convicted in absentia in Jordan of involvement in terrorist conspiracies after seeking asylum in Britain.While Britain views Qatada as a national security threat, it has been barred from deporting him to Jordan under European law because evidence gained from torture could be used against him.Home Office minister James Brokenshire sat down with Jordanian officials this week and the talks between the countries will continue, Home Office Secretary Theresa May said Friday.JUST WATCHEDJordan wants Qatada to return 'home'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHJordan wants Qatada to return 'home' 02:31JUST WATCHEDRadical cleric released from UK jailReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRadical cleric released from UK jail 05:53"The UK and Jordan remain committed to ensuring that Abu Qatada must face justice and are pursuing all options with regard to his deportation, and it is my intention to travel back to continue those negotiations shortly," May said.Aymen Odeh, the Jordanian legislative affairs minister, told CNN this week that Jordan wanted Abu Qatada back on its soil so he could be tried in person on terrorism charges there -- and that he would get a fair trial. He had been jailed in Britain for six years while the government worked to deport him to Jordan, where he holds citizenship."Everyone is united in wanting this man deported," a Home Office spokeswoman said Tuesday. "This government will exhaust all avenues open to get Qatada on a plane.""As we do so, we will continue to negotiate with the Jordanians to see what assurances we can be given about the evidence used against Qatada in their courts."Odeh said there was no obstacle to Abu Qatada returning to Jordan, and that his trial there would be fair, open to the public and would not rely on any evidence resulting from "harmful acts." "When he comes, will be arrested, and the current charges that were made in absentia will be canceled by law, and will start the trial again," Odeh said."However, there will be no new investigations in either of the cases. He will have a fair trial, in which he can submit any evidence to defend himself with, in the two cases."Abu Qatada, who remains under restrictive bail conditions, has denied the allegations against him.Also known as Omar Othman, Abu Qatada arrived in the United Kingdom in 1993 and applied for asylum on the grounds that he had been tortured by Jordanian authorities. He came to the UK on a forged United Arab Emirates passport, according to court documents and claimed asylum for himself, his wife and their three children.The British government recognized him as a refugee and allowed him to stay in the country until 1998.Abu Qatada applied to stay indefinitely, but while his application was pending, a Jordanian court convicted him in absentia on charges related to two 1998 terrorist attacks and a plot to plant bombs to coincide with the millennium.He was released briefly in 2005 after the repeal of the anti-terrorism law on which he was being held. British authorities ordered his renewed detention that year under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, according to the European Court of Human Rights.The British government claims that Abu Qatada is a national security risk who has raised money for terrorist groups, including organizations linked to the former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and has publicly supported the violent activities of those groups.

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Story highlightsThomas & Spieth to represent US at Presidents CupUS take on International team in Ryder-Cup style tournamentTiger Woods is a US vice-captain (CNN)They pushed each other hard all year, now Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth want to team up take on the best of the International team in this week's Presidents Cup.Thomas, who won more than $10 million as winner of the season-long FedEx Cup ahead of Spieth Sunday, had little chance to go on a spending spree as he hot-footed it to New Jersey for the biennial Ryder Cup-style event. Follow @cnnsport But despite a formidable US lineup, including world No.1 Dustin Johnson and five-time major champion Phil Mickelson, Thomas wants to take on the best players outside of Europe alongside his best buddy Spieth. "You never know what's going to happen with the matches but if we could play together and go get some points for our team, then that would be great," says Thomas, who won five tournaments this season including his first major title at the US PGA Championship, talking to CNN Sport. READ: Presidents Cup: "Time for protest, and it probably isn't during the Anthem'Read More'Like the old days'Spieth picked up three victories of his own this season, including his third major title at the Open, but he ended up just shy of his close friend in the race for the bumper FedEx Cup jackpot in Atlanta. Now Spieth is looking forward to switching from an individual mindset to a group mentality at the Presidents Cup, side by side with Thomas. "We get to have a lot of fun at a team event," Spieth says. "It will be our first one together since the Junior Ryder Cup, which goes back a while. So it will be awesome. Hopefully we can play together in some matches just like the old days."JUST WATCHEDJustin and Jordan: Quickfire challengeReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHJustin and Jordan: Quickfire challenge 01:41'Little intimidating'Spieth and Thomas have known each other since they were 13 years old, but it is Spieth who has more experience in senior team competitions with two previous Presidents Cup appearances and two US Ryder Cup caps. "It's different for Jordan," Thomas says. "He's experienced this a couple of times now. This is my first one -- especially at a place like Liberty National where I can only expect the crowds to be pretty out of control. I'm just glad to have them out of control on our side as opposed to the other way around.Welcome to #PresidentsCup, @JustinThomas34Congrats to the #FedExCup champion! pic.twitter.com/Epzzvcqbbc— Presidents Cup (@PresidentsCup) September 25, 2017 "You know it could be a little intimidating and nerve wracking at first. I'm sure I'll be nervous but them cheering us along and having a lot of other teammates that are really good and really confident, they're going to kind of ease me if they need to." The Americans have won nine of the 11 editions of the Presidents Cup -- they lost in 1998 and tied in 2003 -- and victory for Steve Stricker's men at the Liberty National Golf Club will be their seventh in a row. On paper, they have a far stronger team than their international counterparts with Mickelson the lowest ranked player at 30th in the world. That is still higher than six members of Nick Price's lineup.Go to CNN.com/sport for more stories & featuresStricker also boasts a wealth of experience among his non-playing staff with Tiger Woods, Davis Love III, Fred Couples and Jim Furyk working alongside him as vice-captains.

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(CNN)If you tuned into the Men's World Cup in 2018, or 2014, or 2010, or 2006, but aren't turned into this year's Women's World Cup, it's time to reconsider.The US Women's National Team just scored a record-breaking 13 goals against Thailand, who scored, well, none -- the biggest defeat in Women's World Cup history. And what about the US men? Not only did they fail to qualify for last year's games, the women scored more goals on Tuesday than the men scored in the 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups combined (12).Let's recap.Read MoreIn 2006, they scored 2.In 2010, they scored 5.In 2014, they scored 5.In 2018, they scored -- well, nothing. They weren't there. So, it took 13 years of World Cup play for the men's team to do what the women's team did in one day. Seventeen years if you're counting back to 2002.And yet, they still don't get paid as much as the men?Hmm.

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(CNN)The 'City of Angels' has become the 'City of Champions.'And following the Los Angeles Rams' dramatic Super Bowl LVI victory on Sunday, various celebration ideas are being mooted -- notably by NBA superstar LeBron James, who was at the game."We (the LA Lakers), (the LA) Dodgers and Rams should all do a joint parade together!!!! With a live concert afterward to end it!! City of Champions," tweeted the Lakers star. Neither the Lakers and Dodgers, who won the NBA Finals and World Series respectively in October, 2020, were able to celebrate their own titles with a victory parade themselves due to the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions at the time.What is going ahead is a Super Bowl victory parade held by the Rams on Wednesday, February 16. Read MoreA Rams spokesperson told CNN that parade will begin at 11 a.m. PT at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles. The celebration culminates with a rally at the iconic Peristyle of the Los Angeles Coliseum.During the traditional visit to a Disney resort for the victorious Super Bowl team, three of the Rams' key players in the 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals -- quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Cooper Kupp and defensive tackle Aaron Donald -- all expressed interest to CNN's Alex Thomas in the 'City of Champions' parade idea. "That's a great idea," said Kupp. Donald called the suggestion "dope," while Stafford says he thinks it would "bring a lot of people out. I'm in for that." Kupp (top left), Donald (far left) and Stafford (right) celebrate their Super Bowl win in a parade down Disneyland's Main Street.On the same wavelengthThe connection between Stafford and Kupp has been key to the Rams' success this season. Kupp had one of the all-time best receiving seasons in 2021, leading the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16) before recording the most catches in a single postseason (33).He was recently named the NFL's offensive player of the year, and capped the season off with a stellar performance in Super Bowl.The 28-year-old finished Sunday's game with a team-high eight catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns, including the one-yard touchdown inside the final two minutes which proved the match-winner. Kupp was named Super Bowl MVP as a result, and Stafford paid tribute to him and their relationship. "It's been a true pleasure being able to work with a guy like Coop, really all our guys do an unbelievable job," the 34-year-old told CNN. "But, I spend a lot of time with Coop in the mornings and after practice as well. "And that time just talking to each other, figuring out how we can make plays work in certain coverages, it comes to light on game day some times. "And last night, it helped us bring home a world championship, which is something that our team's worked so hard for. So, just so happy that the work that we put in helped everybody, helped the team. What a great team win it was."As for Kupp, he admits that his Valentine's Day plans with his wife Anna had to be delayed somewhat to fit in the post-Super Bowl celebrations. "Wow, you really put me on the spot right now," he said with a smile when asked about the couple's February 14 plans. "I think you guys got to see a little bit of our history, what she's done for me kind of through our time together. Kupp and his family celebrate after Super Bowl LVI."We started dating senior year of high school, what she was for me and kind of as I was going through college, and allowing me to focus on football and providing for us. "Not many people are married as sophomores in college, but we believed when you get married you separate from your parents, and you got to figure out your way on your own. "For her to be able to do that, for her sacrifices that she's made for so long, I just think she deserves the world so I'm just incredibly thankful for her and everything she's done for me and I'm sure we've got something fun planned. "I don't know if it's going to happen today; we might push Valentine's Day back for us a few days."

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Story highlightsTomas Berdych is through to the third round of the Paris Masters after beating Fernando VerdascoThe Czech fifth seed won 6-3 7-5 and is one win away from securing a place in the ATP World Tour FinalsWorld No.1 Novak Djokovic faces losing a $1.6m bonus if injury forces him out of Paris tournamentCzech Tomas Berdych is just one win away from securing his place in the ATP World Tour Finals in London later this month after beating Spain's Fernando Verdasco in straight sets in the second round of the Paris Masters.Fifth seed Berdych went through 6-3 7-5 and a last 16 victory against either 11th seed Janko Tipsarevic or Alex Bogomolov will ensure he becomes the sixth player to qualify for the season-ending climax on November 20.And, in an evening match, sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also edged closer to London with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain.Also through to the third round is 13th seed Andy Roddick, who beat Julien Benneteau of France 6-4 6-4. However, despite his win, Roddick is not one of the seven players who can claim the three remaining places in the London line-up.Has men's tennis reached burn-out?Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and David Ferrer have all already qualified, with Berdych, Tsonga, Mardy Fish, Tipsarevic, Nicolas Almagro, Gilles Simon and Gael Monfilsthe players in contention for the remaining places.Meanwhile, world number one Djokovic is still struggling with a shoulder injury, and it is unclear whether or not he will be able to face Croatian Ivan Dodig in his opening match on Wednesday.Dodig was a first round winner over Italian Fabio Fognini on Tuesday, but he will have to wait until the morning to discover if he has been handed a walkover into the last 16.Should Serb Djokovic fail to compete in Paris, he stands to lose $1.6 million in ATP bonus pool money.Djokovic is entitled to $2 million from the bonus pool after ending the year as world number one. However, he has already lost $400,000 of that amount by failing to play in Shanghai because of a back injury -- one of eight obligatory Masters 1000 events for the top players. And, under ATP rules, should he miss Paris -- his second Masters absence -- his $1.6 million remaining would disappear altogether.

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(CNN)As Russia's brutal war in Ukraine disrupts energy supply and forces world leaders to examine their dependence on Russian oil and natural gas, leaders in the United States and Europe are scrambling to fill the gaps. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week advocated for new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea in the name of energy security, and there are talks in the UK and in Germany of delaying the closure of some coal-fired power plants. Why record-high gas prices won't be solved by drilling more oil in the USThere's also increased pressure on the oil- and natural gas-rich US to produce more to send to Europe, and US President Joe Biden is trying to get Middle Eastern countries to produce more oil to help bring sky-high gasoline prices down. This is all bad news for the climate crisis — which is caused by the burning of fossil fuels — but they are short-term responses. There is also good reason to believe that the upheaval brought by Russia's war will speed the transition to clean energy in the long run. While Johnson wrote of more drilling, he also wrote of doubling down on renewable energy, such as solar or wind power. A UK government spokesperson told CNN that a new energy strategy to be revealed next week will "supercharge" its renewables and nuclear capacity.Read MoreIn Germany, which is highly dependent on Russian gas, the government brought forward its deadline for a full transition to renewables in its power sector by at least five years, to 2035. But in the US, the path toward a clean energy transition has stalled in the Congress. An 'excruciating year': Climate activists reset with Biden's agenda on life support "The war will supercharge the European energy transition — most European leaders understand that diversifying from fossil fuels is a path to greater security," Nikos Tsafos, an energy expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNN in an email interview. "The response in the United States has been more bifurcated — some calling for more oil and gas production, others for more investments in renewable energy." Ultimately, Europe and the US are on a different footing with their clean energy transitions. The European Union, for example, has a detailed emissions target in law and a road map to cut emissions 55% by 2030. Biden's administration has undertaken a number of executive actions and federal regulations to work toward the US emissions goal to cut 50-52% of emissions by 2030. But his target is lacking legislative teeth. "We must walk and chew gum — address supply in the short term because families need to take their kids to school, and go to work, get groceries and go about their lives — and often that requires gas," a White House spokesperson told CNN. "But in the long term we must speed up — not slow down — our transition to a clean energy future." The Westlands Solar Park near Lemoore, California.The EU road map still needs a vote, but it is backed by policies already underway. And many European countries have more developed clean energy infrastructure than the US, which is just starting to build out its offshore wind. In 2020, the EU and UK had the capacity to produce around 49% of their electricity from renewables, almost twice that of the US' 25%, according to the International Renewables Energy Agency. The EU and UK combined have about double the solar power capacity and wind capacity of the US, the agency has reported. "It's clear Europe has a game plan and the US has a target, which is not the same thing," said John Larsen, a partner at the nonpartisan Rhodium Group. The renewables raceIn an interview with The Washington Post, International Energy Agency executive director Fatih Birol said Monday he believed the current situation in Europe was the first truly global energy crisis the world has faced — and could shape global energy for years to come. "It can be a turning point," Birol said, noting that governments responded to the oil shortage of the 1970s by making cars more fuel efficient and investing in nuclear energy. "I am also hopeful that at the end of the first global energy crisis, countries, not just states, will come up with new energy policies accelerating the clean energy transitions." Europe is already heading in that direction. "It's amazing how fast the Europeans have moved," said Sam Ori, executive director of the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute. "They're racing toward clean electricity." The Burbo Bank Offshore Wind Farm in Liverpool Bay on the west coast of the UK.Biden's administration has done several things on its own: proposing new regulations on vehicle emissions and methane; greenlighting offshore wind projects as well as onshore renewables; and taking executive actions on industrial emissions. Still, Biden has been unable to get much of his clean energy and climate agenda through Congress so far, and experts say he doesn't have much hope of reaching his emissions targets without it. Fact check: Despite claims of Trump-era 'energy independence,' the US never stopped importing foreign oil A recent Princeton University analysis showed that the clean-energy provisions in Biden's now-shelved Build Back Better Act would have prevented 1.3 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere through 2035. US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm told CNN Wednesday that the current global energy crunch should spur action in Congress as soon as possible. "This is a moment for Congress to be able to act," Granholm told CNN at a clean energy event Wednesday. "There can be a compromise. There can be movement on this. The bottom line is this is a moment to have this happen; it's an urgent moment." But there is no clear path in Congress to transition the US away from fossil fuels. Getting off Russian oil is one thing Democrats and Republicans can agree on; a bipartisan group recently came together to pass a House bill banning Russian oil imports to the US. That's where harmony on energy ends. Instead of simply drilling for more oil and gas, officials in Biden's administration and many Democrats in Congress have long argued that passing billions in tax credits for electric vehicles and renewable energy is a key way to relieve the US from its dependence on foreign oil, and will help insulate the country against future gas price shocks. Traffic moves along Interstate 80 in Berkeley, California. As climate action in Congress stalls, the Biden administration has taken steps on its own, including proposing new regulations on vehicle emissions.Republicans, on the other hand, argue this is a moment to get drilling. In the middle of the two sides sits Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the Democrats' swing vote on climate and clean energy legislation. Manchin has expressed support for Biden's clean energy package, but he represents a coal state, and wants more drilling and fossil fuel infrastructure built. Natural gas is expensive, dirty and financing war. Here are 5 ways to use less of it to heat your home Beyond the future of the US clean energy legislation, more questions remain. Russia is also a major exporter of metals needed for electric vehicles and clean energy technology, which could hamper the transition to EVs. The fate of Biden's climate policy — and how quickly the US can transition to clean energy — largely depends on Manchin's vote. There's still no actual legislative package that's been agreed upon, and Biden and congressional Democrats realistically have the spring and summer to get a Democrat-only bill through Congress before the midterm elections could upend the balance of power in Washington. Larsen said that while market forces, like continued high oil prices, could nudge consumers away from gas cars and toward electric vehicles, massive federal investment in EVs and clean energy would still be needed. "Should these higher prices last for a while, they're going to help make the case for accelerating the transition we see with wind and solar, but it's not the same as policy support to actually get there," Larsen said. "Build Back Better and the [clean energy] tax credits, all of that would do 10 times more than these high prices would." CNN's Angela Dewan contributed to this report.

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(CNN)The two police officers trailed the university professor as he left his home in the southwest London suburbs and walked to the local railway station. His name was Eric Burhop. An Australian immigrant who had become one of the United Kingdom's leading nuclear and theoretical physicists, he was also a former member of the team that built the first atomic bomb, a prominent peace campaigner, and the subject of surveillance by security services on at least three continents in the 1950s. Tall and well built, with thinning hair and a ruddy complexion, Burhop walked "with a slight stoop and takes noticeably short strides," a later report noted. "He usually carries a small brown attache case and raincoat. Wears herring-bone tweed sports coats and grey flannels, brown shoes." The officers, members of the UK's national security-focused Special Branch, followed as Burhop took the train to London's Waterloo station, where he was joined by a man of "medium build, oval face, clean shaven, tanned complexion," with whom he proceeded to University College London. They watched Burhop all day, as he went about his academic duties, had lunch in the university canteen, visited a local bank, and bought the evening newspaper. Due to the size of the campus, they missed him going home for the evening, expressing frustration in a report that they had "insufficient personnel available to cover all the exits." British police kept close watch on Eric Burhop, following him to and from work. Original image altered for clarity.Read MoreIn addition to the close surveillance of Burhop's activities -- one unlucky officer sat and watched him plant flowers in the garden of his house for several hours -- documents show his letters and telegrams were intercepted, his phone was tapped, and his friends and acquaintances investigated. The surveillance, and a growing suspicion by the UK authorities that he had at least at one point been a spy for the Soviet Union, is documented in newly discovered files in the British archives. "This is a curious case of an (alleged spy) who was allowed to hide in plain sight in London," said Susanne Roff, a UK-based researcher of nuclear history. Roff discovered the files in the British archives while researching the UK's nuclear tests in Australia.Burhop died in 1980. The documents show he was never brought in for questioning by the British security services, nor was he arrested for his alleged spying. He may have been unaware that he was under surveillance at all.His story touches on the deep paranoia in the early decades of the Cold War, and the numerous intelligence failures by the British security services who, on discovering another alleged spy within their jurisdiction -- following multiple embarrassing defections -- appear to have decided it was easier to leave him be rather than draw attention to their own potential failings. CNN has reviewed the documents provided by Roff, as well as additional -- since declassified -- secret surveillance records on Burhop found by CNN in the British and Australian archives. Two independent academics also reviewed the documents on CNN's request. Their conclusions are presented below. In a statement, Burhop's children pointed out that he was never publicly accused of being a spy for the Soviet Union or any other country, nor charged with any crime. They expressed concern that this article would mar the memory of "a hugely respected man of the highest integrity" who devoted his life to science and peace."He was a man of peace who worked tirelessly towards a nuclear bomb-free world," the statement said. "(We) would hate to see all that he achieved being hugely diminished by suggestions that he was a spy."A photo of the first nuclear test by the Soviet Union on August 29, 1949.New realityAt 7:00 a.m. on August 29, 1949, a mushroom cloud bloomed over a remote part of the Kazakh steppe.The event, which was held in secret, changed the world. "We have evidence that within recent weeks an atomic explosion occurred in the USSR," President Harry Truman said in a statement to the American people about a month after the detonation. "Ever since atomic energy was first released by man, the eventual development of this new force by other nations was to be expected. This probability has always been taken into account by us." While US officials may have always anticipated the Soviets would join the nuclear club at some point, the speed at which they did came as a great shock. Months before the Kazakhstan experiment, American intelligence agencies were still predicting mid-1953 as the "most probable date" for a Soviet bomb. The successful first test by the Soviet Union, and the end of Washington's nuclear monopoly, led to a massive increase in military spending in the US as the Cold War escalated. The test also served to reinforce Washington's earlier decision to exclude its allies from all future nuclear research. Three years before the Soviet test, the Atomic Energy Act -- known as the McMahon Act -- was passed in the US. Outwardly, the act was intended to formalize civilian control of the US' nuclear industry. But it had a second purpose: tightening security.Under the act, all information concerning the development and manufacturing of nuclear weapons was reclassified as "restricted data," meaning it could no longer be shared with allies. These security concerns appeared to have been thoroughly vindicated when, months after the first Soviet test, it emerged that a British scientist on the team which developed the US bomb, Klaus Fuchs, had been leaking information to Moscow throughout World War II and after, according to the British security services.Other spy scandals would soon follow, with senior members of the British Foreign Office and spy agency MI6 revealed to be secret Soviet agents.A selection of US newspaper headlines on President Truman's announcement that Soviet Union had conducted its first nuclear weapon test, September 24, 1949. British invasion At the start of the 1940s, as various powers raced to be the first to complete a then still theoretical atomic weapon, the UK's nuclear program was ahead of the US, with British scientists making key discoveries into how uranium fission could be used to create a powerful bomb. Following Washington's entry into World War II in late 1941 after the Pearl Harbor attack, funding for nuclear research ramped up, and it soon became apparent that a joint program would more quickly deliver a bomb that researchers thought could potentially end the war. In August 1943, leaders Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt signed -- in secret -- the Quebec Agreement, which agreed the project would be "more speedily achieved if all available British and American brains and resources are pooled." A number of prominent British scientists went to work with J. Robert Oppenheimer's team at Los Alamos. They included two naturalized UK citizens, German Klaus Fuchs and Australian Eric Burhop.A member of the German Communist Party, Fuchs had fled to the UK in 1933 as the Nazis cracked down on their left-wing opponents. He earned a doctorate in physics from Edinburgh University, and in 1941 joined the UK-based precursor to the Manhattan Project, according to Britain's MI5.German-born British physicist and spy Dr Klaus Fuchs met by his nephew Klaus Kittowski (right) at an airport in East Berlin on June 24, 1959. Fuchs moved to East Germany immediately after serving nine and a half years in a British prison for supplying nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union.Fuchs, through another exiled German Communist, got in touch with Soviet military intelligence and passed on secret documents on the atomic program. At Los Alamos, Fuchs had a "key role in the project over the next three years, developing many of the designs, equations and techniques used to build the first atomic bombs " -- information which he passed to his Soviet handlers, according to MI5. "When combined with information from other sources, this helped the Russians to make rapid progress in developing what was effectively a copy of the American atomic bomb design," MI5 said in a report on Fuchs. Another scientist on the British nuclear program, Italian Bruno Pontecorvo, was also later found to be sharing information with Moscow. Pontecorvo defected to the USSR in 1950. While the US had its own problems with spies -- such as Manhattan Project member Theodore Hall, and the Rosenbergs -- officials in Los Alamos and Washington were furious with the British over the leaks, and regarded the UK as amateurish when it came to counter-intelligence, Roff said. The defection of MI6 agent Kim Philby in 1963 and the exposure of the Cambridge Five spy ring, a group of Soviet agents in the British government, would do little to change this opinion."The Americans were highly critical even though they had their own spy problems. They thought the British were very, very weak on security," Roff added. Following the war, Burhop continued his work at the top levels of theoretical physics, and went on to be a leading peace and anti-nuclear campaigner, winning multiple international awards for his activism.Eric Burhop (seated, fourth from left, partially obscured) and the rest of the British Group associated with the Manhattan Project, also known as the Mark Oliphant GroupAustralian nuclear expertEric Burhop was born in Hobart, Tasmania in 1911. A gifted and precocious child, he excelled at school and won several scholarships, eventually studying mathematics and physics at Melbourne University. In 1932, he moved to the University of Cambridge to work at the prestigious Cavendish Laboratory. "This was a very exciting time to go to the Cavendish," Burhop said in an interview he gave for an oral history project in 1970. "It was the center of nuclear physics in the whole world." In Cambridge, Burhop met another Australian physicist, Mark Oliphant, later a key member of the Manhattan Project who helped pave the way for British scientists to join the US nuclear program. In 1944, by then a naturalized British citizen, Burhop was recruited by Oliphant to work on the nuclear weapons project. Another Australian scientist, Harrie Massey, joined them. "I was asked to work on the development of nuclear weapons," Burhop said in the 1970 interview, adding that while he was something of a pacifist, "I did feel this was very justified at the time.""The discovery of nuclear fission was a German discovery and it appeared very likely that German physicists would be developing nuclear weapons," he said. "One knew that if the Nazis were to obtain this weapon then it would have a a decisive influence on the war, and Hitler would have no inhibitions about how to use the weapon." It was around this time that Burhop first came under close observation by the security services. Like many at Cambridge at the time, he made no secret of his left-wing politics, and was believed by the security services to have been a member of the Communist Party of Australia (CPA) before he left that country. The Australian security services also kept a file on Burhop. They viewed him as "somewhat pink" but "intensely loyal." Original image altered for clarity.According to a file kept on Burhop by the Australian security services, in the early 1940s he lectured at events organized by CPA-linked groups. A secret investigation of Burhop carried out by the Australians in 1944 around the time he left for the US concluded that while he was "somewhat 'pink' (he) is regarded as intensely loyal." While wartime officials in the UK and US were not exactly sympathetic to the Communist cause, the Soviet Union was their most important ally in fighting fascism in Europe, and so Burhop's alleged sympathies -- which were shared by many leading scientists and academics at the time -- were not necessarily disqualifying. Klaus Fuchs, the German-Briton who would later be exposed as a Soviet spy, was a known Communist Party member with less clear loyalties to the British Crown than his Australian colleague. "There was an awful lot of sympathy for the Soviet Union during the war and post war years," Roff said, both from those on the left who supported its political goals, and more generally due to the massive loss of life in the USSR during the war and its pivotal role in defeating Nazi Germany. "There was a considerable number of communists, socialists and fellow travelers in the upper echelons of British diplomacy and other fields, particularly in the laboratories of Cambridge," she added. Burhop's alleged "pink-ness" -- slang for communist sympathies -- may not have been seen as overly concerning then, or indeed that unusual. This changed, however, in 1950, with the arrest of Fuchs. The German was caught after US intelligence succeeded in breaking the encryption of top-secret USSR cables, known as the Venona Intercepts. Following Fuchs' arrest, the British spy services received a report from the FBI -- marked Top Secret -- warning that "as late as 1945 an Australian atomic scientist who worked on an Atomic Energy project was in close touch with Communist Party members in Brooklyn, New York, and through them with the highest Communist officials in the United States." "This Australian atomic scientist passed on everything he knew" about the program, and the Los Alamos setup, the report said, without identifying who of the eight listed scientists the FBI suspected of being the man in question.In the UK, files were opened on Oliphant, Massey and Burhop by MI5, with suspicion soon falling on the latter. As his case officer A. F. Burbidge wrote in a May 1951 memo, "it has become increasingly clear since his arrival in the United Kingdom in November 1945 that Burhop is a thorough-going Communist." "Although not conclusively identifiable from the F.B.I. information, Burhop is the person who appears most likely to be identical with the scientist in question," Burbidge added. A top-secret British file on Eric Burhop referencing a cable from the FBI on an Australian spy within the Manhattan Project. Original image altered for clarity. A 'crypto-Communist'While he was put under surveillance, Burhop was never brought in for questioning by the British security services, nor was he arrested for his alleged spying. According to Roff, this is likely because the information pointing to Burhop came from the Venona Intercepts, still then a highly classified source of intelligence. "(The intercepts were) deeply, deeply secret to the Americans, they didn't want the Russians to know they could do it," she said. Unlike Fuchs, who confessed to his spying under intense interrogation, saving MI5 from having to reveal the Venona intelligence, the documents suggest officials felt Burhop would have been a tougher nut to crack and questioning him may have revealed the US and Britain were decrypting those top-secret Soviet cables.In a report on Burhop marked as "secret," discovered by Roff, R. F. G. Sarell, an official at the Foreign Office, wrote that he "is a crypto Communist and we are debarred, for security reasons, from admitting our knowledge of his Communist affiliation." A set of minutes from a Foreign Office meeting also reference Burhop's believed Communist affiliation, but added this "could not be mentioned because MI5 had the information from a secret source, which could not be compromised.""Dr. Burhop claims that he is not a Communist and we should have got ourselves entangled in a fruitless argument with him if we had said he was," the Foreign Office minutes said. Elizabeth Tynan, an expert on the British-Australian atomic test program, said that "several Manhattan Project physicists (including Oppenheimer) were known to have communist sympathies and of those some became spies." She pointed to the case of the American Ted Hall, who was investigated by the FBI and widely believed to be a spy but was never charged. Hall's alleged spying did not become public knowledge until the declassification of the Venona Intercepts program in the 1990s. Hall never admitted to being a spy, but before he died he defended the sharing of information about nuclear weapons with other countries in order to end the American monopoly on the atomic bomb.Darren Holden, an expert on World War II-era atomic scientists at the University of Notre Dame Australia, said the documents, and others that he had reviewed, showed there was a suspicion "that there was an Australian operating inside Berkeley" -- where some of the Manhattan Project team, including Burhop and much of the UK delegation, was based -- who was leaking information to the Soviets. "Burhop is probably as likely a candidate as any," Holden said. However he added that while Burhop was clearly viewed with great suspicion by the UK authorities, they never presented any conclusive proof of his spying."In this McCarthyist era, people got tarred and feathered for being members of the (Communist) party, does that necessarily make them spies?" he said. "The only place you can find (definitive) evidence for these people being spies is either they've admitted to it or in the Soviet archives." In their statement, Burhop's children said their father "never made any secret of his very left-wing views, which would have been an anathema in the United States when you recall the McCarthy vendettas against very left-wing and communist people."A top-secret British government file on Eric Burhop identifying him as the likely Australian Communist spy within the Manhattan Project. Original image altered for clarity. Problematic passport Throughout this period, suspicion of Burhop was growing, and he remained under intense observation by the British security services. "Observation was imposed on 21 The Ridge, Surbiton, and at 10 a.m. Burhop rode off in the Surbiton direction returning within half an hour with a box of plants. He was seen later dressed for gardening and shortly began planting out," one report from June 1951 recorded. However the following month, perhaps unbeknownst to him, Burhop forced the authorities' hand. Since the end of the war, Burhop -- like many scientists involved in the Manhattan Project -- had become disillusioned with nuclear weaponry and the rapidly escalating Cold War. Many atomic scientists were appalled at the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which they viewed as needless both to end the war and to demonstrate the strength of the new weapons. "A nation which sets the precedent of using these newly liberated forces of nature for purposes of destruction may have to bear the responsibility of opening the door to an era of devastation on an unimaginable scale," 70 members of the Manhattan Project wrote to Truman ahead of the Hiroshima bombing. Roff said that for the "scientists who actually made the (bombs), some of them felt very guilty, some of them felt very angry -- they had built a genocidal weapon, then it had been used. How do you live with yourself after that?" Burhop, she said, "was part of this group of disaffected scientists who felt that the only way forward was to stop America being the only nuclear power and to have a proliferation of nuclear capacity." The Australian scientist became involved in the anti-nuclear and peace movements. In his writings, he criticized the West, exemplified by the recently created North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), for needlessly escalating tensions with the USSR, and expressed a desire to see the two sides come together, as they had been during World War II. An image showing observations of Eric Burhop while he was under surveillance by MI5 and Special Branch in 1951. "Many of us felt that having played a part in the development of nuclear weapons we had a duty and responsibility to do our utmost to see that they were never used again," Burhop said in 1970.In their statement, Burhop's children said he "spent much of his free time in the late 40s talking to anyone and any society about his strong conviction that atomic energy would be of huge potential as a source of electrical energy for mankind, while at the same time expressing his concern about the development of nuclear weapons." In July 1951, Burhop signed up for a trip to Moscow as part of a delegation of British scientists organized by the Society of Cultural Relations with the USSR.When it learned of his intentions, the Foreign Office was appalled. After the McMahon Act, the UK had restarted its own atomic weapons program, and was preparing to conduct a first test at a site in Australia -- one that would eventually see it become the world's third nuclear power. It was hoped that the successful detonation of a British bomb would see the McMahon Act restrictions rolled back on future cooperation, and the UK could take its place in the nuclear club as an equal. "1951 was a tough year for British intelligence," Roff said. "Fuchs had been terribly embarrassing."She added: "The last thing they wanted when trying to get back into bed with the Americans in Australia was that an Australian scientist shared secrets." Tynan, the British-Australian atomic test program expert, said the UK was until a late stage attempting to work with the US. "Even after the selection of (the Australian) Monte Bello Islands for the first British test at the end of 1950, the British were still trying to work with the Americans," she said. "But the Fuchs matter made it impossible."On July 18, two days before his Moscow trip, the Passport Office wrote to Burhop to inform him his travel document had been canceled and told him to surrender it. According to a set of minutes taken at a Foreign Office meeting, "we did not consider that we should discuss the matter with Dr. Burhop first." One of "our reasons for action was, quite frankly, that his journey to Moscow would have created the worst possible impression in the USA," the minutes added. Foreign Office official William Harpham issued an order to cancel Burhop's passport, preventing him from leaving the country. "One of the considerations I have in mind in making this recommendation is that our main object, as I see it, is to be able to show the Americans and our own public that we have done our utmost to prevent Dr. Burhop's journey," he wrote in a memo. "The available information indicates that Dr. Burhop has no recent classified atomic information in his possession and he has probably already passed on everything he knows about the American atomic energy project so that, apart from the effect on public opinion, it is arguable that it would not really matter if Dr. Burhop did get away." Holden, the University of Notre Dame Australia expert, said that governments on both sides of the Atlantic were uncomfortable with how atomic scientists were speaking out after the war on a number of issues. "Scientists speaking up in politics, entering the political discussion, that was quite a threat to governments," he said. "Scientists were held up as these great saviors, on the front page of newspapers, they started to say a message that the government didn't want to hear." A top-secret British government file on Eric Burhop, recording information from MI5 which said he was a secret Communist. Original image altered for clarity.'No sinister scientist' After years of being passed around by intelligence agencies, the accusation Burhop was a secret Communist was now somewhat in the open. News of his passport being revoked made it into the press and the story was picked up widely. In a July 1951 interview, Burhop pushed back hard against the government, saying: "I am no sinister scientist; I work for peace and peace alone." "The Government has made me a test case and has infringed my rights as a British citizen," he said. "It has made every atomic scientist a marked man. It means that an atomic scientist is really a prisoner ... I wanted to go to Russia because I believe that visits between intelligent people on both sides of the Iron Curtain are the best and only way of breaking down the tension." After seeking to avoid the embarrassment of a potential defection, the British government now had a scandal on its hands. Unable to prove publicly that Burhop was a Communist -- despite the apparent certainty of MI5 that he was -- officials backed down, reissuing his passport, though only after he provided an assurance he would not travel to the USSR. A declassified file on Burhop showed MI5 continue to surveil him until at least 1958, and even after he was reissued a passport, his movements were still restricted and he could not travel to the Soviet Union or allied countries.His passport returned to him, Burhop continued his work at University College London, where he had moved after the end of the war, including important findings in theoretical and nuclear physics, and in 1963 was elected to the Royal Society, the UK's most prestigious scientific body.In the '50s, he worked at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), where he was instrumental in work on particle accelerators which led to the Large Hadron Collider, currently the world's largest and most powerful particle collider. He also remained active in the peace and anti-nuclear movements, helping to found the British Society for Social Responsibility in Science and organize the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. In 1966 he was awarded the Joliot-Curie medal of the World Peace Council, and in 1972, the Lenin Peace Prize."During most of my scientific career I have been very interested in the problems of the implications of science and of the social responsibility of the scientist," Burhop said in 1970. "I myself have devoted most of my spare time activities since the end of the war to this purpose." A mushroom cloud rises over the British atomic testing range at Maralinga in South Australia in 1956. The UK was barred from cooperating with the Americans on nuclear weaponry for years following 1946. In plain sightBurhop died in London on January 22, 1980, of complications related to stomach cancer. His entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography describes him as "a prodigiously hard worker, but also a devoted family man." Was he also a spy? All that can be said for certain is that some of the MI5 agents who investigated him felt he was. He was never charged, let alone convicted, with any crime, nor was he given a chance to defend the allegations against him in court. The one time he was confronted with suggestions he was anything but loyal to the UK, in 1951, he strenuously refuted them. In their statement, Burhop's children said he was a "man of peace." "This was his driving force with all his political actions. He was also a distinguished physicist, a Fellow of the Royal Society, and was awarded various honors during his life," they said. "At the time of the passport withdrawal such allegations (of being a spy) were made and I believe three newspapers were sued for their accusations -- our first car was nicknamed DaiTel being paid for by the Daily Telegraph." The period of the UK's suspicion and surveillance of Burhop was a deeply paranoid one, caused both by a rapidly escalating Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union, and by real -- and hugely embarrassing -- revelations of spies embedded within the British elite. "During the war and in the Cold War era there were no really blurred lines, everything was really black and white," Holden said. "It's like when George W. Bush said you're with us, or you're with the terrorists." At the time of the Manhattan Project, the Soviet Union was an ally of both the US and the UK, and while Moscow was not invited to be involved with the nuclear weapons development, passing information regarding it would not have been an act of treason. Fuchs, the confessed atomic spy, was instead convicted of breaching the Official Secrets Act and sentenced to the maximum 14 years in prison. Due to the classified nature of the Venona Intercepts, had he not confessed, it's unlikely even this conviction would have been successful. The Venona program continued until 1980, and was not declassified until 1995 -- 15 years after Burhop's death. There is no record of Burhop ever being questioned by the British authorities. Why he was apparently not questioned is unclear. While concerns about compromising Venona and other sources undoubtedly played a role, the archives offer little insight into why there was not even an attempt to get a confession out of Burhop as had been done with Fuchs, beyond a suspicion he would push back against the accusations. This could point to an uncertainty about the allegations against him that is not present in the text of the documents themselves. While Roff argues the documents show the authorities clearly felt Burhop was a spy, Holden was more skeptical, saying they lacked definitive proof of wrongdoing that, short of a confession, would be hard to come by. "Even today we can assume that many people who offer no credible threat to society are being monitored," he said. In a statement, the Burhop family said that Eric Burhop "vowed never to work on military work again after he witnessed the results of the Manhattan Project and he became one of the foremost scientists of his time in high-energy physics," adding they "would hate to see all that he achieved being hugely diminished by suggestions that he was a spy." "He was a man of peace who worked tirelessly towards a nuclear bomb-free world," the family said.

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(CNN)The Cameron Peak Fire, burning just west of Fort Collins, is now the largest wildfire in Colorado history, Gov. Jared Polis said in a tweet Wednesday night. The blaze has burned through more than 164,000 acres and is 56% contained, officials said Thursday afternoon. It was ignited on August 13 and has since been fueled by high winds and dangerous terrain that's worked against firefighters' efforts to battle the flames and increase containment. The Zogg Fire is fully contained after claiming 4 lives and scorching more than 50,000 acresIt has now surpassed the Pine Gulch Fire, which burned about 139,007 acres earlier this year and the Hayman Fire, which burned through more than 138,000 acres in 2002, according to the US Department of Agriculture. The Cameron Peak Fire prompted several evacuation orders Wednesday. In a statement posted on Facebook, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office announced there was a mandatory evacuation order for Lory State Park. "Residents and business occupants should evacuate the area immediately and as quickly as possible due to immediate and imminent danger," the office said. Read More"Do not delay leaving to gather belongings or make efforts to protect your home or business. Evacuating immediately not only supports your safety, but also allows emergency crews better access to the area."Wildfires are increasingly destructive. We need to reevaluate how and where we build our homesAn American Red Cross spokesperson said in a statement volunteers were working to find shelter for evacuees, according to CNN affiliate KUSA."The Red Cross is still sheltering individuals that were displaced by the fire before today and with the new evacuation orders we are working hard to make sure everyone who needs a roof over their head will have shelter tonight," the spokesperson said, according to the affiliate. Officials say they expect the fire to be contained by November 8. Its cause remains under investigation.

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(CNN)The sight of Los Angeles Lakers players receiving their NBA Championship rings isn't an uncommon one -- it has happened 16 times before. But the Lakers' latest ring ceremony was like no other.The LA team had chosen to wait until they could return before hoisting their 17th championship banner. Ring ceremonies are usually raucous affairs, but Tuesday's celebration was a tamer one due to the absence of fans.President of the Lakers Jeanie Buss told the fans everyone was feeling their absence: "We miss you. ... But someday soon we will be together."READ: New NBA season to test LeBron James' ability to defy expectations of ageLeBron James reacts as he gets his 2019-20 NBA Championship ring during the ring ceremony.Despite it being an all-but-empty Staples Centre, players were presented with their rings by family on the videoboard. James, in addition to his family, saw to his delight children from his I Promise School congratulating him. Lakers superfan and rapper Snoop Dogg also asked LeBron James if the Lakers will win their 18th title in his 18th year in the league.Read MoreThe design of the rings paid tribute to the unique year the Lakers have had. Not only has the coronavirus pandemic played havoc with best laid plans, the death of Lakers great Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna in January made this year's championship victory more poignant.In tribute, each ring was adorned with a Black Mamba snake encircling every player's uniform number, and the ring has a detachable top that reveals the retired jersey numbers at the Lakers, highlighting specifically Bryant's 8 and 24 numbers. Some other numbers also retired by the Lakers include Magic Johnson's 32, Wilt Chamberlain's 13, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 33 and Shaquille O'Neil's 34.Kawhi Leonard dunks the ball against the Lakers.Long-time Lakers announcer Chick Hearn, who broadcast the team's games for the better part of four decades, is also commemorated in the rafters of Staples Centre, with an icon of a commentator's microphone placed between Bryant's 8 and 24 jerseys.The phrase "Leave A Legacy" -- the Lakers' playoff slogan -- is also emblazoned in gold in James' handwriting on every ring.However, after all that emotion and celebration, it was the Lakers' Los Angeles rivals, who had the last word on Tuesday as this shortened, 72-game season got underway.The Lakers entered the 2020-21 season as clear favorites to repeat behind James and Anthony Davies. However, on Tuesday night, the Clippers led by as many as 22, eventually going on to win 116-109.Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, features, and videosDennis Schroder drives to the basket against the LA Clippers.Paul George had 33 points, 26 of which came in the second half while two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard had 26 points. 35-year-old James had 22 to lead the Lakers but despite a spirited comeback, it wasn't meant to be for the reigning champions."I've applied the work that I put in this offseason," George said after the win. "It's not gonna be pretty every night. Tonight I got it going and was able to show up big time for my team."

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(CNN)Police in the UK have launched an investigation after a drone was involved in a near-miss with a passenger plane off the country's south west coast.Police say 62 people were on board the flight which was approaching Newquay Airport when a drone was seen flying alongside it at about 900 feet, two miles from landing.A spokesperson for the airport confirmed to CNN that the pilot of a Flybe service from London Stansted saw the drone on its final approach -- but said that there had been no danger of a collision.Opinion: Tragic drone strike with plane 'inevitable'Neither the drone not the operator have been found despite an immediate police search of the area."This is an incredibly concerning incident," the police said in a statement.Read More"The close proximity of the drone to the passenger aircraft shows a complete disregard by the operator for public safety and we are appealing to the public for information to help us track down this reckless drone operator."We view such incidents very seriously and the force's specialist drone unit will be leading on the investigating into this incident."The number of near misses with drones is increasing. In April, a British Airlines pilot said he thought a drone had hit his flight as it approached Heathrow Airport. Last year in the UK there was a quadrupling of near misses, according to the UK's air safety body, the Airprox Board. In June the board published details of six drone incidents in a six-week period between the end of March and the beginning of May.SkyTracker rogue drone detector test 'successful'It is the same picture in the US The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says there is evidence of a "considerable increase" in the unauthorized use of small, inexpensive Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), receiving more than 100 reports each month."The agency wants to send out a clear message that operating drones around airplanes, helicopters and airports is dangerous and illegal," it says on is website.Some fear drones could cause a fatal crash by interfering with passenger flights.Writing for CNN in April, airline expert Geoffrey Thomas said: "It now seems inevitable that a tragic accident involving a commercial plane with hundreds aboard and a drone is only a matter of time.JUST WATCHEDThe rise of dronesReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThe rise of drones 01:42"Numbers are disturbing ... they are only going to get worse as drone sales soar on the back of lower purchase costs and greater capability."With air travel set to double over the next 20 years and drones sales climbing by 30% a year, tragic conflicts with reckless operators are inevitable," he said.In January this year, the US FAA and the Department of Homeland Security responded to the potential threat by testing a new technology called SkyTracker. It is designed to detect radio signals from drones operating within five miles of airports."SkyTracker successfully identified, detected, and tracked (unmanned aircraft) in flight, and precisely located drone ground operators -- all without interfering with airport ground operations," the makers said in an FAA report. UK police officer Kane Fowler, who is a member of a police drone development unit, told CNN that incidents are not necessarily malicious but happen because operators are not aware of the risks involved."It's very easy to get hold of a drone. People see it as a toy but it is a toy that can be dangerous," he said.PC Fowler explained that every drone sold in the UK comes with guidance from the Civil Aviation Authority which owners should read to avoid causing danger to others.

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Washington (CNN)Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's senior adviser, refused to say in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer whether the US backs or opposes Israel's annexation of Jewish settlements in the West Bank or supports a two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Blitzer raised comments by the US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, who told The New York Times this month that Israel "has the right to retain some, but unlikely all, of the West Bank," and then asked Kushner whether the statement reflects official US policy."Yeah, we will be putting out our official position when we put out the peace plan," Kushner answered, speaking on "The Situation Room." "I think that if you go into his statement, it was, you know, in a different way. But I think we'll see what happens over the next couple months."'We'll see what happens'Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a Kushner family friend, raised the prospect of annexing some parts of the West Bank in the final days of Israel's April election campaign in an effort to rally conservative voters. Asked if that move might hurt the chances of peace, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Jake Tapper in April, "I think that the vision that we'll lay out is going to represent a significant change from the model that's been used."Read MoreIsraeli settlement activity in the Palestinian territories is illegal under international law, though Israel has always sought to dispute this.Kushner spoke to Blitzer remotely from a conference in Bahrain, where he was presenting the economic half of the Trump administration plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The plan envisions an estimated $50 billion investment in the Palestinian territories and surrounding countries. 'Old school vernacular'The senior adviser would not directly answer questions about whether the Trump administration plan endorses a two-state solution to the conflict, deriding the concept -- a core part of previous international negotiations and a central plank of the Palestinian negotiating position -- as "old school vernacular." Kushner declined to say whether he is in contact with Palestinian officials, who have said there has been no contact for months, and would not commit US funding to the economic plan he is in Bahrain to tout. Palestinian snub of Kushner's conference highlights failure of admin's outreach effortThe Trump adviser offered no details about the political side of the plan, which he said runs to about 60 pages, or when it will be unveiled. And he said the economic plan could be implemented only if there is "an acceptable peace agreement."Palestinians have rejected Kushner's formula, arguing that economic measures have to be paired with a political solution. Distrust of the US runs high among Palestinian leaders, who are boycotting the conference, charging that Trump administration policies show a clear bias toward Israel. They point to the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the embassy there; its closure of the Palestinian diplomatic presence in Washington and the decision to fold the separate US consular facility for Palestinians into the new embassy in Jerusalem; and the Trump administration's decision to end aid that goes to Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and across the Middle East.A 'viable, realistic option'Blitzer asked Kushner whether "in the end," Palestinians will have "an independent state.""There's a lot of vernacular that people use that has not effectively led to a solution to the problem, so let me tell you what we do want to see," Kushner said. Kushner then listed "very good security" for Israelis and Palestinians, an environment "where people feel like they can live and have an opportunity ... capital can come in and invest, where jobs can be created," he said."We want to see an area where people can respect each other's religions and worship freely," Kushner said. "And we want a place where people can live with dignity and have all the opportunities that people deserve to have."Trump's casual talk of a hypothetical war with Iran underestimates dangers"I think that we'll roll out our political plan that will have all the details. It's a 60-page document at this point," he said, adding later that it presents the "most viable, realistic option that will lead to people getting a better life." Asked again whether the Palestinians will have an independent state, Kushner said, "What I can say is that the plan we are putting out will dramatically improve the lives of the Palestinian people" as well as Israelis and will allow everyone "to focus on the two priorities which are the same priorities that President Trump has for America, which is: keeping everyone safe and giving everyone the opportunity to be prosperous."'Major consensus'Kushner said the "major consensus" at the Bahrain conference was that the economic plan "if implemented is very doable, can work, but in order for that to happen you need the right environment," including security and good governance.Kushner pointed to Poland, South Korea and Japan to illustrate what he sees as possible for Palestinians."You look at the great examples of where they've been able to create economic transformation over the past 70 years. They've had a willing government that really had the ability to execute these plans," he said. "It's not easy to achieve prosperity -- it's very hard -- but what we've done is we've created the framework to give them this opportunity and we're hopeful that they'll do the right thing."Kushner sidestepped a question about whether Arab states would contribute to the economic plan if it doesn't include a two-state element and he would not commit to US funding for the plan he has helped develop.Trump's 'obliteration' threat to Iran renews war fears"We were big donors to the Palestinians in the past," he told Blitzer. "We've stopped that since we've stopped communicating with them. We didn't feel that America's aid is an entitlement, so we're looking at that. I do think we would be willing to be a contributor if there is a peace deal."Kushner was asked about contradiction between wanting to improve the economic life of Palestinians and the aid cuts to Palestinians in the West Bank for hospitals and schools, as well as to the UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees who scattered throughout the Middle East after the 1948 founding of Israel."When we made the move to move the embassy to Jerusalem," "the Palestinian Authority made the decision that they did not want to engage with the administration and we said, that's fine, but you can't not engage with us and expect us to keep giving money," Kushner said. "I think it was a very rational move the President made and he said he's open to reconsidering that at the right time, if there is progress on a peace deal," Kushner said.

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(CNN)Black Pete, the controversial Dutch Christmas character who sparks annual protests in the country, will no longer appear in blackface each year on the Dutch public broadcaster NTR. Actors playing the character will now only have soot marks on their cheeks, reflecting his travels down chimneys alongside Santa Claus, according to NTR, which makes the yearly program showing the character's arrival.The presence of "Zwarte Piet" at Christmas festivals and on television is an annual source of debate in the Netherlands, with critics and protesters calling the character a racist throwback to the colonial era. He has traditionally been played by white actors in blackface, wearing a curly afro-style wig and red lipstick. NTR said in a news release that it is making the change in a way that respects tradition but also reflects societal changes. Read More'Blackface': Dutch holiday tradition or racism?The characters will have soot on their faces because they go through people's chimneys to deliver gifts, the broadcaster added, with the amount of soot on each actor depending on how many chimneys they have traversed. The character, popularized in a 19th century children's book, is a helper of Sinterklaas, the figure based on St. Nicholas who served as inspiration for Santa Claus. His unveiling is broadcast live as part of NTR's annual program "Sinterklaasjournaal," a mock news program aimed at children that shows the arrival of Sinterklaas and his helpers. But he has prompted protests each year by people on both sides of the debate, with critics also sending complaints to the Dutch government. 'A step in the right direction'NTR admitted that the most passionate opponents on each side of the debate may not be appeased by the change, but the majority of Dutch people would be.A demonstrator at a 2013 protest against Black Pete in the Netherlands.The decision was greeted with cautious optimism by activist group Zwarte Piet is Racism, which said in a Facebook post that it "seems a step in the right direction," adding: "We'll see how it works out." But one of the nine regional groups scheduled to provide Black Petes to this year's festival has withdrawn and will host its own festival starring the characters in full blackface the following week, its secretary confirmed to CNN.JUST WATCHEDDutch blackface tradition debatedReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDutch blackface tradition debated 02:49Politicians have also entered the debate, with Remco Dijkstra, an member of parliament in Prime Minister Mark Rutte's VVD party, tweeting "Boy, I'm not watching" in response to the news.A regional board member of the same party resigned last year after calling anti-Black Pete protesters "negro fascists" on Twitter. And the far-right PVV party led by Geert Wilders has frequently defended the character's appearance, attempting to introduce a "Black Pete Law" in 2014 to ensure the character would not be changed. This year's unveiling of Black Pete is scheduled for November 17, and will be broadcast live from Zaanstad in the province of North Holland.

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(CNN)Federal prosecutors have charged a Delaware man with carjacking Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania and using a firearm during a crime of violence, the Justice Department announced Thursday. Josiah Brown, 19, of Wilmington, Delaware, was arrested Wednesday by federal agents and Delaware State Police troopers. CNN is attempting to locate attorney information for Brown. Scanlon was physically unharmed during the incident.According to the federal criminal complaint, Brown and other unidentified accomplices were in Philadelphia on Wednesday. At least one of them saw and approached Scanlon, identified as "M.S." in court records, pointed a gun at her and demanded her car keys, the complaint said. The group then drove to Delaware, where the vehicle was later located, and Brown was arrested. During an interview after his arrest, Brown "provided a written apology to the victim, indicating that he was sorry for stealing the car and for pointing a gun at her," according to the criminal complaint.Read More"My family car was stolen from me at gunpoint in broad daylight, in a busy public park. Obviously, it was a scary thing to have happen, but I'm extremely grateful that no one was hurt," Scanlon said Thursday during a news conference in her first known public comments since the incident. Authorities have not said whether Scanlon was targeted as a member of Congress, but an FBI official indicated that the victim was a "total stranger" to the suspects in the Justice Department statement. Court records do not indicate Brown is being charged with assaulting a federal official."The investigation into this incident is in its very initial stages, and we are continuing to investigate and evaluate charging decisions," said US Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams.Carjackings in Philadelphia have more than doubled in the last two years, Philadelphia Police Department chief inspector Frank Vanore said at a news conference Thursday. "The increase is pretty profound," he said, adding that of the 700 cars that have been stolen this year, more than 500 were reportedly taken by gun-wielding carjackers.Brown appeared before a magistrate judge on Thursday, according to prosecutors, and remains in federal custody. Authorities also took four other suspects into custody in connection with the incident, who have been charged with receiving stolen property, Senior Cpl. Jason Hatchell of the Delaware State Police told CNN Wednesday night. Scanlon has served in the House since 2018. Her district includes part of Philadelphia and its suburbs. She sits on the House Judiciary Committee as well as the House Rules and Administration committees.Asked by CNN on Thursday if she plans to reach out to her Republican Senate colleagues to share her experience and ask for their support for long-languishing gun control legislation, Scanlon said, "I'd be happy to do so.""There's a lot that the American public broadly agree upon. And you know, maybe the Senate hasn't gotten the message yet," Scanlon said of gun control bills, some of which have already passed the House but do not have the 60 votes needed to pass in the Senate.This story has been updated with additional information Thursday.CNN's Claudia Dominguez, Paul LeBlanc, Kristin Wilson and Devan Cole contributed to this report.

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Story highlightsSutton United vs. ArsenalTeams meet Monday in FA Cup 5th round (CNN)It's a competition that has historically provided plenty of David and Goliath matches, but rarely has there been a mismatch on the scale of Sutton United's FA Cup meeting with Arsenal.When the two sides meet at the 5,013-capacity Gander Green Lane in the fifth round Monday, a total of 105 league places will separate them, with Arsenal fourth in the Premier League and semi-professional Sutton 17th in the National League -- English football's fifth tier.Follow @cnnsport While Arsenal has just returned from a 5-1 hammering at Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Sutton recently endured an equally disappointing defeat away to relegation-threatened Guiseley that involved an 11-hour, 466-mile (750 km) round trip.READ: FA Cup hero revels in 'miracle' winA comparison of the 5,013-capacity Gander Green Lane and Arsenal's 60,432-capacity Emirates Stadium.'I will manage next season'Read MoreFor Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, who is now under more pressure than ever before during his 21-year reign after defeat to Bayern, the FA Cup -- believed to be the world's oldest cup competition -- now takes on extra significance."The FA Cup is our next game. It becomes a very important game but it always was in my head," Wenger told reporters Friday. "What is important for us is to focus on our next game.Sutton United players celebrate scoring the winning goal against Leeds United in the fourth round."We have to focus on our job. The priority is how we respond to defeat, that is being professional. No matter what happens, I will manage next season, whether it's here or somewhere else I am not sure."Sutton manager Paul Doswell, meanwhile, is riding a wave of optimism after his side become only the ninth non-league team to reach the FA Cup fifth round since 1945, after beating Leeds United 1-0."Even the most optimistic Arsenal fan will think they are out of the Champions League now, which means the FA Cup takes on a greater importance," Dowsell told reporters Thursday."Do I feel sympathy for him (Wenger)? No. He is well schooled, and he has been in the job for 20 years."It was a disappointing night for them. If we were to get any result against Arsenal, either a draw or win, it would be one of the greatest results in the history of the FA Cup. We have got to be realistic." Financial disparity While Wenger takes home an annual salary of $10.4 million, Doswell doesn't get paid at all. In fact, the 50-year-old reportedly invests around $50,000 of his own money each year from the successful property development business he owns."We don't pay him," Sutton chairman Bruce Elliott told The Telegraph. "It's unique. Actually, not only do we not pay him a penny, he sponsors us.Doswell talks to Sutton's assistant manager Micky Stephens in the coaches' dressing room underneath the main stand."So he's actually paying us to be our manager. That's how much he loves this club."Thanks to Doswell's investment, the value of Sutton's squad has increased since his arrival at the club nine years ago, but it is still dwarfed by that of Arsenal.According to respected website transfermarkt, Sutton's current squad is valued at $2.1 million, although all of the club's recent signings have been free transfers.Arsenal pays just one of its stars, German international Mesut Ozil, $175,000 per week -- 70 times the wage bill of the entire Sutton squad.The Gunners' squad, on the other hand, has a total value of $2.15 billion, while Wenger recently spent $47.5 million on signing Swiss star Granit Xhaka alone.A crushing 5-1 defeat to Bayern is yet another poor result for Arsenal​... Is Wenger's time up? @Minarzouki talks to @rhiannoncwjones pic.twitter.com/ioWWVRxE7a— CNN Football (@CNNFC) February 16, 2017 READ: Leicester's fairytale turns into a nightmareREAD: Is Paul Poga worth $120 million?READ: Is Kante English football's most effective player?READ: Christian Benteke provides value for money in Premier LeagueREAD: Sadio Mané -- Liverpool's loss is Senegal's gainDespite being the second most expensive signing in the club's history, Xhaka has been widely criticized for his disciplinary record, which has seen him sent off twice already this season.Crucial matches missed through suspension mean the 24-year-old is ranked 14th out of 20 new signing by clubs made this season in CNN's Player ROI standings.Giant killing No. 2?If Sutton was to overcome Arsenal, it wouldn't be the first time the part timers have upset the odds.In 1989, top-flight side Coventry City -- FA Cup winners in 1987 -- arrived at a boggy Gander Green Lane and were on the receiving end of one of the biggest upsets in the history of the competition, as Sutton prevailed 2-1.Sutton United's players celebrate after beating Coventry City in the 1989 FA Cup third round.Monday's match carries extra significance for Sutton assistant manager Micky Stephens, who was an key member of the team that beat Coventry almost three decades ago.Until Luton Town defeated Norwich City in 2013, Sutton's win over Coventry was the last time a non-league team had beaten top tier opposition -- a record lasting 24 years.While Coventry was met with a sodden, muddy pitch all those years ago, Arsenal's players will have no such concerns.Sutton now plays on a sleek artificial 3G surface, which striker Matt Tubbs describes as the "perfect surface, ideal for a passing team who likes to play," such as Arsenal.The pitch was laid in 2015 thanks to a $620,000 loan from Dowsell and the club subsidizes the cost by loaning the facility to the local community."Even fans who previously supported Wenger now feel time is running out for him," @ArsenalFanTV host Robbie Lyle tells @rhiannoncwjones. pic.twitter.com/z1odNBdYCK— CNN Sport (@cnnsport) February 16, 2017 As it stands, through TV sponsorship and prize money, Sutton is expected to make somewhere in the region of $620,000 for this FA Cup run, which has already involved them playing six matches.Although that wouldn't even cover Ozil's wages for a month, for Sutton such a sum of money can make the world of difference."This money anyway means we can get the roof fixed and a new boiler," said Dowsell."We will be able to refurbish the whole club and get the academy sorted out. The chairman also said we can have two more bulbs for each floodlight!"

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Story highlightsTrained by 24-year-old Joseph O'Brien, son of Irish trainer Aidan O'BrienJockey Corey Brown previously won Melbourne Cup in 2009 (CNN)Rekindling won Australia's iconic Melbourne Cup race on Tuesday, the youngest horse to take home the cup since 1941.Just three years old, the British-bred stallion is owned by Australian property developer and veteran owner Lloyd Williams and was trained by 24-year-old former jockey Joseph O'Brien."Speechless, I just can't believe it," jockey Corey Brown told CNN-affiliate Channel 7 after winning the race. 'It's a dream to even just ride in the race, but to win it again? I'm lost for words."Brown previously won the Melbourne Cup in 2009 racing on Shocking.Twenty-four horses tore up the track at Melbourne's famous Flemington racecourse in an attempt to win the coveted cup, which comes with a prize pool of $4.8 million (A$6.2 million).Read MoreAustralia's Melbourne Cup: From ridiculed tea set to treasured trophyKnown as "the race that stops a nation," workplaces and schools across Australia regularly grind to a halt every November to watch the event.Run over 3,200 meters, the race was first held in 1861 and is now regularly attended by tens of thousands of racegoers. The event has grown so large it is now a public holiday in parts of Australia.O'Brien is the son of famed Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien, whose horse Johannes Vermeer came in second to his son's stallion. "I can't quite believe it, this is unbelievable," Joseph told Channel 7 reporters.Ahead of the race, British horse Marmelo and German thoroughbred Almandin were favorites to win in what was considered a fairly open field.Tens of thousands of people from across Melbourne flocked to Flemington Tuesday dressed in suits, frocks and elaborate hats. For many people, Melbourne Cup day is a chance to show off the latest fashion, and there's stiff competition for the best dressed.Racegoers enjoy the atmosphere on Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington Racecourse on November 7.Celebrations around Tuesday's race were marred by protesters attempting to draw attention to the plight of refugees trapped without food or water in a recently closed detention center in Manus Island, Papua New Guinea.Local media reported protesters had parked a car across train tracks leading to the Flemington race track, covered in messages saying "Evacuate Manus."Meanwhile other demonstrators climbed a crane close to the race course to display a banner reading "SOS: Evacuated Manus now."The women climbers view from the crane & message to @TurnbullMalcolm @PeterDutton_MP #SOS #EvacuateManus #Justice4Refugees #MelbouneCup pic.twitter.com/cphbKVCAE9— WACA (@akaWACA) November 7, 2017 The race is also regularly the focus of complaints over animal cruelty, ranging from the whipping of horses during the race to the euthanizing of animals injured during the run.Three-time Melbourne Cup runner up Red Cadeaux was euthanised after he was injured during the 2015 Melbourne Cup, shocking racegoers.According to Australia's Royal Society for the Protection of Animals, the racing industry doesn't provide a full accounting of the number of injured or euthanized horses every year.List of horse protection orgs & rescues to donate to instead of placing a bet: https://t.co/mHJLllplXW#MelbourneCup #LoveHorsesNotRacing pic.twitter.com/b8rKvTuTfQ— Animals Australia (@AnimalsAus) November 7, 2017

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(CNN)Two-time CrossFit Games champion Katrin Davidsdottir says she won't compete in the 2020 contests after the recent controversy involving how the organization's former CEO and founder Greg Glassman responded to the police killing of George Floyd."I am truly ashamed, disappointed & angry by what has been going on for these past days with an organization I dedicate myself to, work hard for & so proudly represent," the Icelandic athlete crowned "fittest woman on the planet" after winning the 2015 and 2016 titles posted Friday on Instagram. View this post on Instagram I love & care for this sport + the community more than you can ever imagine ❤️ That has not & will not go away. A post shared by Katrín Tanja Davíðsdóttir (@katrintanja) on Jun 12, 2020 at 3:21pm PDT Glassman was forced to quit Tuesday after a series of controversial tweets referencing Floyd's death. Already under pressure for CrossFit's failure to take a public stance on the matter, Glassman took to social media last Saturday to criticize a statement from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation calling racism a public health issue by responding "Floyd-19."In a follow-up tweet, Glassman said the health research institute's coronavirus model "failed," and he criticized it for modeling a "solution to racism."Reebok cuts ties with CrossFit after CEO's controversial tweets about George FloydThere was a furious response, with Reebok and other partners cutting ties with the fitness brand. Glassman apologized for causing a "rift" in the CrossFit community, but pressure continued to mount.Read MoreHe was replaced as CEO by Dave Castro, the director of the CrossFit Games, but that change has not been enough to satisfy Davidsdottir. Another leading CrossFit athlete, Brooke Ence, publicly distanced herself this week from Glassman's comments.JUST WATCHEDKatrin Davidsdottir's quarantine CrossFit workoutReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHKatrin Davidsdottir's quarantine CrossFit workout 02:27"What we have right now is not a change I can stand by I believe we can and should do better than this," added Davidsdottir in her Instagram statement.The 27-year-old Davidsdottir, a former gymnast, is one the branded fitness competitions most high-profile contenders, with 1.8 million followers on Instagram.

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(CNN)It was never meant to happen. And yet, it did. It was the major victory many had long since accepted would never happen again -- 3,955 days after his last major triumph.Since Tiger Woods won the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines, 31 different players have claimed golf's big four. And as he holed the putt that brought to an unlikely end a drought that few had foreseen and even fewer foresaw being broken, the 15-time major winner crept one step closer to Jack Nicklaus' unrivaled 18 titles. Fourteen years after his last Masters win, it represented the longest ever gap between victories at Augusta. At 43, Woods became the oldest champion since Nicklaus himself.It has been a most curious battle for golf's ultimate statistical supremacy; when Woods won his 14th major as a 32-year-old -- all of which had been collected within a 11-year golden streak -- there seemed little doubt that Woods would not just surpass Nicklaus -- The Golden Bear -- but fly past his personal record in such a way that there would be no possible debate around the sport's greatest player. As it is, though, Nicklaus remains the man in possession. Nobody has claimed more major wins and, until Francesco Molinari located the treacherous water on Augusta's famed Golden Bell 12th hole, it seemed that his tally would remain unchallenged.READ: It feels like a lifetime since Tiger was last on top. Here's how the world has changed since thenRead MoreBut now, who knows? Golf's young stars have long stated of their desire for a battle with the 'old Tiger,' the man who dominated his sport with a stranglehold like few have ever held until personal problems and career-threatening back injuries took their toll. The winner of the Silver Medal, the award for the tournament's top amateur, went to Viktor Hovland. The Norwegian was not even born when Woods first won at Augusta. Woods' eyes will now surely turn to the PGA Championship -- brought forward this year to May -- at Bethpage and to June's US Open at Pebble Beach. Woods has won at both courses.The bookmakers certainly think there's a chance; Woods has been positioned as favorite for the year's three remaining majors. Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsTiger Woods clinched his fifth Masters and 15th major title with victory at Augusta in April. Hide Caption 1 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsThe former world No. 1 had not won the Masters since 2005, and it was his first major win since 2008.Hide Caption 2 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsA month after winning the Masters, Woods received the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Donald Trump.Hide Caption 3 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsWoods won the season-ending Tour Championship in September 2018. It was his first title in five years following a succession of back injuries. Hide Caption 4 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsSigns that Woods was back to his best were obvious at August's PGA Championship, where he finished runner-up to Brooks Koepka. It followed an impressive showing at July's British Open, where he briefly topped the leaderboard.Hide Caption 5 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsWoods made an impressive return to competitive golf in 2018 after multiple back surgeries in recent years. He played his first Masters in three years in April 2018. Hide Caption 6 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsThe four-time champion had back fusion surgery -- his fourth procedure -- in April 2017 and returned to the game pain-free in December. He finished tied 32nd at Augusta.Hide Caption 7 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsWoods was touted as one of the favorites after impressing in his early-season events. He also set tongues wagging by playing a practice round with old rival Phil Mickelson, right.Hide Caption 8 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsWoods finished tied second at the Valspar Championship in March 2018 and followed it up with a tie for fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. The hype needle moved into overdrive.Hide Caption 9 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsWoods set out on his legendary path by becoming the youngest winner of the Masters -- at 21 -- with a record 12-shot win in 1997. Hide Caption 10 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsOne of his most remarkable feats was winning his first US Open by an unprecedented 15 shots at Pebble Beach, California, in 2000, sparking a streak never seen before or since.Hide Caption 11 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsWoods' victory in the 2001 Masters meant he held all four of golf's major titles at the same time, dubbed the "Tiger Slam." Hide Caption 12 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsWoods' win rate, his dedication to fitness training and his desire to succeed were changing golf. Prize money rocketed because of Woods. Off the course, he married girlfriend Elin Nordegren in 2004. Hide Caption 13 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsWoods showed rare emotion when he broke down in tears on the shoulder of caddie Steve Williams following his win in the 2006 British Open at Hoylake, months after his father and mentor Earl passed away. Hide Caption 14 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsDespite being visibly hampered and in pain from a knee injury, Woods won the US Open in breathtaking fashion at Torrey Pines, California, in 2008. It was his 14th major title to leave him only four behind the record of Jack Nicklaus. He was later diagnosed with knee ligament damage and two fractures of his left tibia. He missed the rest of the season after surgery. It is still his last major title. Hide Caption 15 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsIn December 2009, Woods crashed his car into a fire hydrant outside his home. As the big picture emerged it was discovered Woods had been conducting a series of extra martial affairs. He took three months away from the game to sort out his private life. Hide Caption 16 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsIn February 2010 Woods addressed the world's media to explain and apologise for his actions. His infidelity led to divorce and was the beginning of a downhill slide in Woods' playing career. By October he lost the world No. 1 ranking, a position he had held for 281 consecutive weeksHide Caption 17 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsBack in the fold, Woods earned his first win in two years at the Chevron World Challenge in December 2011, a charity tournament he hosts that does not count on the PGA Tour money list.Hide Caption 18 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsWoods was back in the winner's circle in 2013, lifting five titles, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational, to get back to the top of the rankings.Hide Caption 19 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsIn March 2013, Woods and Lindsey Vonn announced they were dating on Facebook. In January that year, the champion skier had finalized her divorce from Thomas Vonn, after initializing proceedings in 2011. In May 2015, Woods and Vonn announced their breakup, with the golfer claiming he "hadn't slept" in the days following. Hide Caption 20 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsLater in 2013 there were signs all was not well as Woods was seen to be in pain as he picked the ball out of the hole at the Barclays tournament in August. He missed the Masters the following April for the first time since 1994 to undergo back surgery.Hide Caption 21 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsWoods pulled out of the Farmers Insurance Open in February 2015, and struggled with injury and form for the rest of the season. Hide Caption 22 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsWoods cut a dejected figure at that year's US Open as he struggled with his game and carded rounds of 80 and 76 to miss the cut.Hide Caption 23 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsIn August 2015 Woods made his last appearance for 15 months to undergo follow-up back surgeries. At one stage during his rehabilitation, Woods spoke of there being "no light at the end of the tunnel" -- and with one eye on his fading career, he suggested "everything beyond this will be gravy."Hide Caption 24 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsWoods made a much-anticipated return to golf in December 2016, showing signs of promise with the highest number of birdies in the field -- 24 -- but he also made a number of costly errors to finish third from last in the 18-man event.Hide Caption 25 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsHe missed the cut in his first event of 2017 in the US and pulled out after the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic in February, citing back spasms. He underwent a fourth back prodecure in April. Hide Caption 26 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsThe golf legend was arrested Monday, May 29, on suspicion of driving under the influence. He was booked into a local jail in Florida and released a few hours later. He said in a statement he had "an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications." Hide Caption 27 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsIn August Woods entered a first-offender program and pleaded guilty to reckless driving on October 28. He will avoid jail unless he commits major violations of his probation. Hide Caption 28 of 29 Photos: Tiger Woods: From highs to lowsWoods returned to golf after 301 days at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas on November 30 2017. He carded a three-under first-round 69 and appeared pain-free and hungry to resume his career. Hide Caption 29 of 29If it feels like a far-fetched thought, then so did a fifth green jacket. Indeed, after the 2017 Masters, Woods -- arguably the greatest player of all time -- was the world's 780th-ranked golfer.It was a staggering statistic at a difficult time for one of sport's most significant icons. Even talk of this victory as one of sport's finest ever comebacks feels somewhat out of place, given Woods' place as, perhaps, golf's ultimate player. But, in November 2017, Woods was ranked 1,199 in the golfing world -- a low amid a period of lows. It was assumed, with some justification, that his powers had not just waned, but fallen away for good.His win at the 2018 Tour Championship was his first in any PGA Tour event since 2013. Rather than a sign of how far he had fallen, that win would prove a springboard. Woods entered the Masters as the world No.12 -- the highest-ranked green jacket-holder in the entire draw. Visit CNN.com/Sport for more news, features and videoREAD: Tiger Woods on Masters victory: 'It's going to take a bit of time to sink in'READ: Tiger Woods set to build public golf course in ChicagoNone of those above him had tasted success at one of golf's most feted venues. A week later, the same is still true; Woods has risen to No.6 in the world -- the first time he has entered the top 10 since 2014.A story that defies logic both emotionally and statistically: Tiger Woods, the 2019 Masters champion.

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Berlin (CNN)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. Read MoreThe 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. CNN's Nadine Schmidt reported from Berlin, with Paul Cruickshank reporting from Washington, D.C. and Rudolph Birgelen reporting from Hong Kong. CNN's Josh Berlinger and Laura Smith-Spark also contributed to this report.

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Story highlightsOccupy protesters in Davos have built igloos to camp close to the World Economic ForumDavos Occupier: "The 1% cannot be the solution - they are responsible for the crisis"Occupy London protest celebrates 100 days at St Paul's Cathedral, ponders future plansWEF boss tweets: "Different approach, same goal: Improving the state of the world"The world's most influential political and business leaders are gathering in an upmarket ski resort in the Swiss Alps this week to discuss the biggest challenges facing society in 2012.Six hundred miles away from the snows of Davos, in rainy London members of the Occupy movement are celebrating 100 days since they set up camp outside St Paul's Cathedral, hoping to find solutions to some of the same problems.The protesters have been there since October 15 last year, battling both the elements and the authorities. Their decision to establish a protest village in the heart of London's financial district, the City, was a controversial one. Demonstrators had first attempted to occupy the nearby London Stock Exchange, but were quickly moved on.Instead they pitched their tents around the steps of St Paul's, one of the most famous landmarks in the city: A symbol of London's endurance during the dark days of the Blitz, and a site of celebration, as the venue for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.The camp sparked rows between the authorities and the church, which stepped in to protect the occupiers from the police, allowing them to stay, despite threats of eviction. Two leading members of St Paul's later resigned over the row.JUST WATCHEDOccupy protesters build igloos in DavosReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHOccupy protesters build igloos in Davos 02:02Jesse Jackson: Occupy in memory of MLKOccupy London spokeswoman Naomi Colvin says the movement has achieved a tremendous amount in its first 100 days."It has been an astounding success," she told CNN. "It is very noticeable how all the political parties represented in parliament have been bringing themselves around to Occupy -- we are setting agendas that others then follow."Protester Bryn Phillips agrees: "We've raised a lot of important issues, we've made it possible to discuss a lot of subjects which were not being mentioned, and we have been able to include the public and people who are usually excluded in that discourse."Five years ago, if you talked about the problems of capitalism, you were branded a maniac, now even [Conservative British Prime Minister] David Cameron is talking about the nature of capitalism; we've made it possible to discuss it without people accusing you of being a communist."Last week, the City of London Corporation won a high court fight to force the closure of the camp. The occupiers insist they will appeal, but Phillips concedes it may be time to move on."Personally, I think it is time for the tents to go," he said. "They have served their purpose, but I think there is a risk of us becoming too emotionally attached to them."By occupying part of the City of London, we have found out a lot, we have raised a lot of issues: The lack of transparency, the lack of accountability, but we don't need to be outside St Paul's to do that any more."Colvin insists, though, that any shift away from the original site will not signify the end of Occupy London -- quite the contrary: Whether or not the St Paul's camp survives, she says, the movement itself will continue to make its presence felt in the coming weeks, months and years."I think we will see day-long 'Occupations' in city centers, in shopping areas and in other locations, and I think Occupy will spread out more into the community," she said."We have brought a lot of people together, people with specialist knowledge, who have been able to create networks of expertise, and those links, those conversations will continue, whether the physical site is there or not."Occupiers are already doing outreach work, giving talks in citizenship classes at local schools, and encouraging people to become more involved in democracy.Phillips says this and other community work is key."Our society has gradually been confiscated, fragmented over the past few years, and the point of Occupy is to help repair the severed links, to restore a sense of reciprocity and social cooperation."We need to get out into the boroughs and the parishes, and to support the non-economic institutions which are trying to do the same thing, whether that means churches or Citizens' Advice Bureaus."And some camping will continue at Finsbury Square, which began as an overflow from the main site at St Paul's, and where there is, Colvin hopes, "no threat of eviction" -- occupiers there are hoping to create a sustainable eco village.Paul, from Lincolnshire, is a relatively new arrival at Finsbury Square. He says Occupy was never intended as a quick-fix."It's a long-term protest movement," he told CNN, sitting in front of a wood-burner to keep warm in the drizzle. "We've seen huge one-day demonstrations before -- the march against the war in Iraq had 1.5 million people in it, but it didn't stop anything."The government is supposed to be there for the people, but they don't do anything for us when we ask," he said, explaining that he hopes that will change, in the face of a concerted and long-lasting Occupy campaign.Fellow occupier Jack, back at St Paul's, agrees."We won't be rushed -- we are only three months into a discussion which is so big, and so important, how can you expect us to have reached a consensus already? Give us a chance, be patient."But Jack insists that Occupy is far more relevant to ordinary people than the World Economic Forum, which he says welcomes only the global elite."I think Davos is the complete opposite of Occupy -- Davos is there to represent the powerful, while we're here to represent the people. We're trying to balance things out as best we can, to show that there are alternatives to the system as it stands, to have a debate about it, but not to impose our views on people."Davos is very exclusive, whereas we welcome anyone, we are completely inclusive -- to the point of madness sometimes, because you do get the occasional crackpot -- and everyone is listened to."It seems very unequal, very unfair, because I don't believe that [the delegates at Davos] all want to make the world a better place for everyone, and yet they are the ones holding all the tools, they are the ones with a lot of the power to do that."But there are Occupiers in Davos too. They may not have made it onto the stage at the World Economic Forum, or be taking part in debates with the likes of Angela Merkel and Al Gore, but they are here all the same, in a temporary settlement of igloos and yurts near the conference center.Blog: Meeting the Occupy Davos protesters"We are not just here to build igloos," David Roth told CNN. "We are here to have protests on the streets."We should take the power back; we should not let the richest 1% have the power -- they cannot be the solution for our crisis, because they are the crisis, they are responsible for the crisis."And there are signs that despite the icy temperatures, relations between the two camps, Occupy and the World Economic Forum, may be thawing."There have been attempts to broker a conversation," says Colvin. "It may not happen this year, but we hope it can happen in future."Robert Greenhill, WEF managing director, recently dropped in to the Davos camp to help build one of the igloos, and later hinted on Twitter that the groups have more in common than some might think. "Different approach, same goal: Improving the state of the world."

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London (CNN)Christine Lloyd-Jones was at work when the first call came: One of her friends, Annette, 62, had died of coronavirus. The following day, as she ate breakfast, her phone flashed again. This time it was news of another friend, Lloyd, dead at 58. The next day, another call. Her friend Haydon, 51, was in the hospital. He died the following day. In the space of just five days, Lloyd-Jones lost three loved ones to Covid-19. One month on, the social care manager, who lives in London, has become a one-woman publicity machine for members of the Black community, encouraging everyone she knows to get vaccinated, so she won't have to say goodbye to another friend or family member. Christine Lloyd-Jones is pictured in her home on February 9."I have been agonizing about writing this message but have decided that this is what I have to do as a 59-year-old Black woman," read the message she sent to everyone in her WhatsApp contact book. "I now believe we must do something to halt the devastation and loss."I have decided to have the Covid-19 vaccine," she wrote. "This was one of the hardest decisions I have made in my life." Lloyd-Jones's uncle died from coronavirus four days after the UK locked down last March, and the twin sister of her friend Annette, called Paulette, also lost her life in 2020. The twins are buried together. Yet Lloyd-Jones is far from being the only member of Britain's Black community or other ethnic minorities to feel unsure about taking a Covid-19 shot.Christine Lloyd-Jones sent this message to everyone in her WhatsApp contact book.Read MoreA report released by the UK Household Longitudinal Study earlier this year found that 72% of Black British respondents said they were unlikely or very unlikely to get a coronavirus vaccine. According to the same survey, those from Britain's Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities were also hesitant, with 42% saying they were unlikely or very unlikely to get vaccinated. The data the report was based on was carried out in November, prior to any vaccines being approved, and those numbers are likely to have dipped in recent weeks, as the shots are rolled out with few, if any, reports of serious side effects. But Black people and those from minority groups are still thought to be less willing to get vaccinated than their White counterparts -- a factor which concerns health authorities and community leaders alike. According to data from OpenSAFELY -- an electronic platform from the UK's National Health Service that documents coronavirus vaccine uptake -- Black people over 80 were around half as likely to be vaccinated as their White counterparts, as of January 27. Skepticism fueled by injustice From the outset, it has been clear that people from ethnic minority backgrounds have been disproportionately impacted by Covid-19. According to the latest report from the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS), from October, Black men in England and Wales had the highest rate of death involving Covid-19, which was 2.7 times higher than White men. Women of Black Caribbean background had a death rate that was twice that of White women in England and Wales. Additionally, the ONS found that all ethnic minority groups, other than Chinese, were dying from Covid-19 at a disproportionately higher rate than the White population. Experts say skepticism around vaccines is down to a lack of trust in medical and governmental institutions.Kamlesh Khunti, an expert in Black and minority healthcare at the UK's University of Leicester, believes that -- despite higher death rates -- vaccine hesitancy in Black, Asian and other minority communities was predictable. "We should have prepared for this, since we have seen low uptakes in flu vaccinations among minority communities," he told CNN. "People are concerned about the contents of the vaccine because of religious and cultural concerns." Khunti said part of the problem was a lack of deliberate effort to reach out to people from minorities: "We don't see the messaging coming down to the channels that most ethnic minorities listen to, especially in the languages they speak." Other experts say skepticism around vaccines is down to a lack of trust in medical and governmental institutions -- the roots of which can be traced back to colonialism and slavery. "People can't disentangle where we are, in terms of medicine today, from the experimentation on colonized and indigenous people," said Dr. Annabel Sowemimo, founder of the organization Decolonising Contraception, and author of the upcoming book "Decolonising Healthcare." "People think that these behaviors in minority communities are irrational or erratic, but amongst the community it is well known that these things have happened," Sowemimo said.For 40 years, from 1932 until 1972, the US Public Health Service conducted tests on hundreds of Black men with syphilis in Alabama. The men, many of whom were faculty and staff from Tuskegee Institute, were deliberately untreated to assess the progress of the disease. New data shows many Black Americans remain hesitant to get Covid-19 vaccineAccording to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the study became unethical in the 1940s when penicillin was recognized as the recommended drug for syphilis treatment. Penicillin was not offered to the subjects of the decades-long study.Ever since this incident researchers must get informed consent from all persons taking part in studies. In another case, the US-based pharmaceutical giant Pfizer paid compensation to the families of 11 children who died, and dozens more who were harmed, in Kano State, Nigeria, after some were given an experimental anti-meningitis drug, Trovan, during trials in 1996.The suit alleged that the drug company did not obtain parental consent and did not explain that the proposed treatment was experimental. The Nigerian government said the drug caused deaths and deformities among children and had been used without approval from Nigerian regulatory agencies. Pfizer maintained that the trial was conducted with the approval of the Nigerian government and consent of the participants' parents or guardians. And there has been at least one suggestion to experiment on Black people during the current pandemic too. In April 2020, two French doctors -- Dr. Jean-Paul Mira, head of ICU services at the Cochin hospital in Paris, and Camille Locht, research director at France's National Institute of Health and Medical Research -- suggested during a TV debate that Covid-19 vaccines should be tested in Africa. The pair later apologized after WHO's Director-General condemned the remarks, calling them a "hangover from a colonial mentality." 'Health inequalities have been ignored' These historical and modern injustices have fueled mistrust among some in Britain's Black and minority communities. A lack of trust in public health providers was shown in a report by the UK's Joint Committee on Human Rights, which found that more than 60% of Black people in the UK do not believe their health is as equally protected by the country's National Health Service (NHS) compared to White people. Women (78%) are much more likely than men (47%) to feel that their health was not equally protected by the NHS compared to the White population, according to the research. "Health inequalities have been ignored for a significant amount of time and that breeds resentment," Sowemimo said. "It appears to members of minority communities that the only reason they want to address it now is because a failure to take the vaccine impacts everyone." Latinos are navigating barriers to Covid-19 vaccinations and experts say it comes down to accessThe speed of the vaccination's development has also fueled misinformation about the coronavirus vaccine. "We need to counter misinformation with the facts as we know them in the various ways of communication at our disposal," Dr. Tom Kenyon, chief health officer at the Project HOPE organization, told CNN. "Eventually, the facts will prevail and increased vaccination uptake will result." The British government has offered local councils in England more than £23 million ($31 million) to help fight misinformation around vaccines and encourage those from high-risk communities to take the shot.But many believe that vaccine hesitancy must be fought by empowering local and community voices. "I have people that I know who are suffering," Lloyd-Jones told CNN. "The fact is, if we want things to move on in terms of how the vaccine is seen and received, the more people from Black and minority communities take the vaccine, the more it will spur others on to do it." Empowering community leaders In more than 100 mosques across the UK, imams are delivering sermons aiming to reassure worshippers about the safety and legitimacy of Covid-19 vaccines, part of an initiative from the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (Minab). In his mosque in Leeds, northern England, imam and Minab chair Qari Asim told CNN he is working to spread the message because he doesn't want to lose another community member to the virus. The Makkah mosque in Leeds, northern England, is one of scores making vaccine information part of their Friday sermons."We all have to play our part in this pandemic ... I have attended so many funeral prayers and I see the trauma, pain [and] suffering that all of us have gone through. Now we see light in the darkest of moments and that light is the vaccine," he said. Asim believes that the messenger is just as important as the message. He told CNN that due to a lack of trust in public institutions among the Muslim community, the information needs to come from trusted local experts, such as faith leaders or doctors. The imam says that misinformation is common and has found it is often younger generations that urge older relatives not to get a shot. "Among young people it's a serious concern that they don't trust the vaccine," Asim explained. "With the elder generations, sometimes we feel there is a language or a culture barrier and the only source of information they have is their own family members." The Minab initiative uses experts from varied scientific fields -- from nanochip experts to fertility experts -- from within the Muslim community. They address everything from common concerns, such as vaccine side-effects, to conspiracy theories around the shot. "In this pandemic, what has really come to the fore is love, compassion and being there for each other, so as an imam I feel I need to be there for my community to help them make the right choice," Asim said. Imam Qari Asim leads a nationwide program by Muslims and for Muslims to tackle vaccine myths and conspiracy theories.Better representation to encourage uptake Vaccine hesitancy is not unique to minority communities in Britain.A survey released on February 4 by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases found that more than half of Black adults in the United States remain hesitant to get a Covid-19 shot. The research found that only 49% of Black adults plan to get the vaccine with 19% of those people saying they will get it right away and 31% preferring to wait. The survey, which was conducted in December 2020, showed that older Black adults and men are more willing to get the Covid-19 vaccine than respondents in other groups. For example, 68% of adults age 60 and older said they planned to get the shot, while only 38% of Black adults age 18-44 planned to take it. Many of the younger respondents expressed distrust in the health care system saying it treats people unfairly based on race and ethnic background, according to the survey findings. On both sides of the Atlantic, experts say that authorities must work with community leaders to help build confidence in coronavirus vaccines.Right Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin believes better representation is one of the best ways to encourage vaccine uptake.The Right Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Britain's first Black female bishop and an ambassador for the Your Neighbour campaign, a UK Church response to the pandemic, believes better representation is one of the best ways to encourage vaccine uptake in Black, Asian and other minority communities. "If they can begin showing Black people and Black people of note, Muslim people of note, taking the vaccine -- as well as the ongoing message that we can keep one another safe -- that would go a long way," Hudson-Wilkin said. "There also has to be some recognition that in the past things have not been right and there has been a level of distrust," she added. "But, as a people, if we are not showing any sense of care and responsibility for our own well-being, why should anyone else? We need to play our part, that is why it's imperative we see people like us taking the vaccine."Salma Abdelaziz and Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou contributed to this report.

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(Reuters)Four months after 97-year-old amateur Leonid Stanislavskyi's dreams came true when he played with 21-times Grand Slam champion Rafa Nadal, the Ukrainian is enduring his worst nightmare in Kharkiv as Russian forces bomb the city.Stanislavskyi, who holds the Guinness World Record as the world's oldest tennis player, also had dreams of playing Swiss great Roger Federer but now he has only one simple wish -- survival.Rafael Nadal: What's next for tennis' 'Big Three' after record-breaking grand slam victory?"I hope I live to reach 100. I have to survive this frightening situation," he told Reuters."The war started on (February) 24th. From the 24th till now I have practically not gone out. I've stayed at home... I have supplies, the fridge is full. I'm sitting at home, not going anywhere," he said."My daughter Tanya is in Poland, she wants to take me there. But I decided to stay here. I have bad hearing so I sleep at night and don't hear anything. Last night there were bombings, in the morning there were air-raid sirens again."Read MoreStanislavskyi survived the Second World War, when he was an engineer who helped build Soviet warplanes to fight the Nazis."I never thought that I would have to live through another, more frightening war where people from both sides are dying -- mothers are losing their children, wives are losing their sons and their husbands," he added."What is this? What good is it? In the 21st century there can't be war. The war needs to be stopped, an agreement has to be reached."Stanislavskyi used to train three times a week.For Stanislavskyi, an end to the conflict would also mean the chance to resume playing tennis - and possibly to appear at the next seniors World Championships, in Florida next month.He was 30 when he was introduced to the sport and used to train three times a week."Tennis is my life, my destiny. I've played tennis at a serious level since I was 90, I've played abroad, I've played in World Championships, I've played in the European Championships.""I'm not afraid of anyone... I'm hoping that the war will end and I will be able to play tennis. If I could get (to Poland) I would play there. But I decided to stay at home and wait for the end of the war," he said.

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(CNN)World Homeless Day is October 10, and now more than ever, those experiencing homelessness need to be protected from a two-pronged threat -- Covid-19 and cold weather.According to UN-Habitat, 100 million people worldwide are homeless, and at least 1 billion live in inadequate housing or overcrowded informal settlements. These already high numbers are surging due to the pandemic's economic impact, and now having a safe place to call home has become even more challenging for people around the world. Here is how you can help those experiencing housing insecurity this World Homeless Day.Donate goods to your local shelterFind a local shelter in your community and see what they need, such as nonperishable goods, clothing, or basic supplies. Gathering and donating those items which are in high demand can be very helpful to your local shelter.JUST WATCHEDHelp protect the most vulnerable from coronavirusReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHelp protect the most vulnerable from coronavirus 03:05Create your own care packagesRead MoreKeeping care packages in your car to give to the homeless is also a way you can help those who may not be able to get to a shelter. Items like shelf-safe food, gloves, socks, hand warmers, and hygiene products are useful to include. Make a financial contributionHomeless encampment seen on Monday, April 13, 2020, in San Francisco.The financial demand for non-profit organizations that help those experiencing homelessness is currently through the roof. Monetary donations can help non-profits continue to enhance their work and help keep people safe and healthy. Impact Your World has compiled a list of non-profits helping extensively during the Covid-19 pandemic for you to support.The Coalition for the Homeless provides temporary housing and meals in New York City, where the magnitude of the coronavirus outbreak has left unhoused people especially vulnerable.Covenant House focuses on homeless youth and is taking donations to help protect youth across the country, especially at risk during the coronavirus outbreak.Family Promise works with over 200 communities in 43 states to ensure families impacted by current economic changes have what they need to stay housed.Neighborhoods at risk for Covid see disproportionately high eviction ratesThe Salvation Army coordinates with local, federal, and medical leaders to provide coronavirus response. They have a fund to assist with food, help with utilities, and provide safe shelter to homeless and disadvantaged people affected by the crisis.United Way allocates resources toward diverting families from homelessness and ensuring they can access the skills and support they need to build their plans to identify or maintain safe housing.Coronavirus can thrive among groups of people fleeing conflicts or political unrest in places like Yemen, Syria, and Venezuela. Displaced families are often confined to overcrowded camps, which can be hotbeds for the disease.The International Rescue Committee is scaling up its response in these areas, providing additional protective gear, increasing funding to minimize supply chain disruptions, and bringing in more medical staff across affected areas.Oxfam is increasing the delivery of soap, clean water, and other sanitation services.In countries like the Congo, Lebanon, and Yemen, Mercy Corps is helping with clean water and other essential support for sanitation and hygiene. They are also continuing their efforts to provide basic needs to Syrians fleeing conflict. You can donate to any or all of these organizations by clicking the button above or here.

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Story highlightsChristiane Amanpour says she found her voice as a young reporter covering Bosnian WarShe says world could no longer ignore what was happening after massacre at SrebrenicaShe recalls asking Bill Clinton tough question about why the world wasn't stopping genocide (CNN)In the spring of 1995, Gen. Rupert Smith, commander of the U.N. Protection Force in Bosnia, began warning that the Bosnian Serbs would soon try to take back zones that had been declared "safe" by the United Nations.Not many took him seriously.But slowly the assaults built. And on July 11, 1995, a massacre in Srebrenica would live in infamy. After years of indifference, the world could turn its head no more.It was the worst atrocity on European soil since World War II, and the numbers are staggering to this day.More than 7,000 men and boys were slaughtered simply for being Muslim -- part of the approximately 100,000 who would be killed during the war, the majority of them Muslim.Read MoreJust before the slaughter, Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb military leader, was seen laughing with his soldiers, handing out candy, telling civilians not to worry. It is one of the most chilling pieces of video I've ever seen in my life.It took the slaughter of thousands and thousands of people -- a genocide in the heart of Europe -- to get the American and European governments to be serious about putting an ultimatum to Slobodan Milosevic, the Serbian leader who used the Bosnian Serbs as his lethal instruments.An enormous mortar attack on a Sarajevo market a month later was the final trigger. NATO bombed Serbian positions for two weeks. The Serbian forces were unmasked as brutal, but in the end became paper tigers -- they quickly surrendered. The Clinton administration tasked the late diplomat Richard Holbrooke with bringing the warring parties to Dayton, Ohio, and negotiate a peace that's held to this day.Best and the worstFor me, the war and what I witnessed changed everything. I saw the very best and worst of humanity.The worst was the Bosnian Serbs, armed and backed by Milosevic, slaughtering civilians -- that meant women, little kids, old men.JUST WATCHED1993: Siege, through the eyes of two girlsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCH1993: Siege, through the eyes of two girls 03:39Let's not forget that this was a deliberate slaughter of civilians -- not a war between two armies. The goal of the Bosnian Serbs was to terrorize and kill and ethnically cleanse these civilians from territory that they wanted to carve out as an ethnically pure statelet for themselves. They even had dreams of joining a greater Serbia.It was a completely unlevel playing field, right down to the fact that they were perched on the mountains surrounding Sarajevo, shelling and sniping the mostly Muslim residents of Sarajevo, Srebrenica and other besieged cities that nestled in the valleys below. Nothing was off-limits: bread lines, water points, hospitals, schools; even road crossings made you a target.It was hard to recall that only a decade earlier, the ethnically mixed, sophisticated and liberal city of Sarajevo had been the venue for the 1984 Winter Olympics. JUST WATCHED1992: Sarajevo's children of warReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCH1992: Sarajevo's children of war 02:17Covering the war, it was hard to imagine the stadium where the British pair Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean ice-skated into the history books -- because now it was an overflowing graveyard. It was hard to summon the music, "Bolero," that brought them a gold medal when all we could hear now was the pound of mortar fire and the whiz-ping of the snipers' bullets. But war also brings out the best in people.It brought out the best in those who resisted and those were survived, who clung to the belief that once this hell ended they could go back to living together again in their beloved multiethnic city, who despite the depravity of this war, their abandonment by the world, still kept their dignity, their humanity and their hope. It was a privilege and a lesson for eternity to witness this heroic struggle and tell this story to the world. Real objectivityAs a young reporter, Bosnia is where I found my voice. As a person who had been taught the values of freedom, democracy, human rights, religious and ethnic tolerance -- to see all that under mortal threat in Bosnia -- Sarajevo, Srebrenica and all the other villages, towns and cities -- was formative. I resolved to do what I could to fight it -- through my words, our pictures and our huge and powerful platform.JUST WATCHED1993: Sarajevo funeral of AlmedinaReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCH1993: Sarajevo funeral of Almedina 02:04And fighting it meant seeing clearly, knowing what I was watching and telling the truth about what was happening. It brought the golden rule of journalism into clear focus for me: objectivity. I understood then that objectivity means giving all sides a fair hearing, but it doesn't mean treating each side equally.Objectivity does not mean treating victim and aggressor the same. Objectivity doesn't mean ascribing a false moral equivalence. But that's what our governments were trying to do.Those officials from the United States and across Europe who didn't want to intervene to stop this were saying all sides are equally guilty when they weren't. And the massacre at Srebrenica finally proved it, finally proved our governments could no longer look away. A confrontational momentA year before Srebrenica, as the Bosnian War still raged, President Bill Clinton came to Atlanta to participate in a CNN-hosted global affairs forum. I was one of several correspondents stationed around the world for something like a global press conference.JUST WATCHED1994: Amanpour questions Bill ClintonReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCH1994: Amanpour questions Bill Clinton 02:44The moderator, our anchor Judy Woodruff, brought me in for a question from Sarajevo. I hadn't thought of, or planned it, as a confrontation. The President had been speaking about the great job America had done in providing humanitarian assistance, and I was finding it hard to stomach.All I could think of was "never again, never again."I asked a long question -- I remember it like it was yesterday -- why all the "flip-flops" on Bosnia by his administration, why not stand up to the Serbian war machine, and wasn't he afraid of setting a dangerous precedent?I made him angry. It was an awkward moment for me. It was probably an awkward moment for the President, but in hindsight, I think I did the right thing. We were in the pre-viral age, but this encounter ricocheted around the world.It was a serious and dramatic question about why the world wasn't doing anything to stop a genocide.I wish that the world would get as serious about defeating ISIS -- as it eventually did about defeating the genocidal Serbian strategy back in Bosnia at the end of our bloodiest of centuries.Correction: This story has been updated to more precisely characterize the background of the estimated 100,000 people who were killed in the Bosnian War, most of whom were Muslim.

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At least one police officer is dead in a shooting in the Champs-Elysées area of Paris. The assailant has been killed.

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Story highlightsThe heads of world football and international athletics are under criminal investigationAccusations of bribery, drug taking, cheating and cover ups have become all too common (CNN)Top level sport has been beset by scandal in 2015 with accusations of corruption, bribery and systemic doping all being made against prominent figures and organizations.While cheating athletes and corrupt administrators are nothing new, has it ever been this big or this bad before?Don Riddell explores the allegations that go to the very top of the world's favorite sporting events and the administrators that oversee them.

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Story highlightsPope Francis leads the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum in RomeEarlier, he celebrated Good Friday Mass at St. Peter's Basilica at the VaticanGood Friday, which recalls the day Jesus died on the cross, is a solemn day for believersThousands of Christians gathered at one of Rome's most famous landmarks Friday night as Pope Francis led the Catholic ceremony known as the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum. Crowds of the faithful stood in solemn attendance, holding candles that cast a soft yellow glow over the ancient Roman site, as a giant cross made of dozens of flickering candles towered over the audience. The Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of the Cross, commemorates the passion and death of Jesus. Earlier, the Pope led a service at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, also to mark Good Friday, the most solemn day of the Christian calendar. Roman Catholics worldwide use the day to reflect on the Gospel account of the day Jesus died on the cross, before his resurrection from the dead three days later on Easter Sunday, according to Christian doctrine. Holy Week, one of the most significant periods of the Roman Catholic year, will culminate on Easter Sunday with a Mass in St. Peter's Square, led by Pope Francis. Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Women in traditional costumes are sprayed with water by men as members of the Marghareta Dance Group perform Easter folk traditions of the region in the Museum Village in Nyiregyhaza, northeast of Budapest, Hungary, on Monday, April 21. Click through the gallery to see how Christians around the world are observing Holy Week, which marks the last week of Lent and the beginning of Easter celebrations.Hide Caption 1 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Children and their parents gather on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on April 21 for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.Hide Caption 2 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Penitents take part in Laguna on the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife on Saturday, April 19.Hide Caption 3 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Residents re-enact Jesus Christ's crucifixion on a hilltop in the Petare shanty town during Holy Week in Caracas, Venezuela, on Friday, April 18.Hide Caption 4 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Pope Francis prays during the Stations of the Cross ceremony at the Colosseum in Rome on April 18. Hide Caption 5 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – People attend a Good Friday service on April 18 in St. Peter's Basillica at the Vatican.Hide Caption 6 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Pope Francis lies on the floor in prayer before presiding over a Good Friday service in St. Peter's Basilica.Hide Caption 7 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Women burn incense while participating in a Good Friday procession honoring the patron saint of Lima, Peru, on April 18.Hide Caption 8 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Catholics participate in a procession as part of Good Friday activities in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on April 18.Hide Caption 9 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Christian Orthodox pilgrims carry wooden crosses during a Good Friday procession in Jerusalem.Hide Caption 10 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Worshippers of the Santisimo Cristo del Salvador brotherhood pray around the crucifix during a procession April 18 in Valencia, Spain. Hide Caption 11 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Penitents, surrounded by several thousand people in Cuenca, Spain, carry a statue of Our Father Nazarene during the Good Friday procession "Way of Calvary."Hide Caption 12 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – People walk with crosses April 18 as the Northern Cross pilgrimage makes the final leg of its journey to Holy Island, England.Hide Caption 13 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Faithful take part in a pilgrimage to the Cross of Villa Armonia during a possession to mark Good Friday in La Paz, Bolivia.Hide Caption 14 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Penitents in San Fernando, Philippines, hang from wooden crosses on Good Friday as they take part in a re-enactment of Jesus Christ's crucifixion. Hide Caption 15 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – A man participates in a re-enactment of the carrying of the cross April 18 in Balmaseda, Spain.Hide Caption 16 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Catholic worshippers perform a sea procession to transfer a statue of Jesus Christ from one church to another April 18 in Larantuka, Indonesia.Hide Caption 17 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – People take part in a Stations of the Cross re-enactment at the Raja Agung church in Bintan Island, Indonesia, on Good Friday.Hide Caption 18 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Pope Francis kisses the foot of a woman in Rome on Thursday, April 17. Hide Caption 19 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Pope Francis celebrates the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on April 17.Hide Caption 20 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – A general view of St. Peter's Basilica during the Chrism Mass celebrated by Pope Francis on April 17 in Vatican City.Hide Caption 21 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Christian believers take part in the ribbons procession as part of the Holy Week before Easter, in Cot, Cartago province, Costa Rica, on April 16.Hide Caption 22 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – A Filipino carries a wooden cross along a road on Maundy Thursday in San Fernando, Pampanga province, Philippines, on April 17.Hide Caption 23 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Ethiopian Orthodox women pray at the Deir El Sultan monastery during the Washing of the Feet ceremony outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on April 17. The church is traditionally believed by many to be the site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ.Hide Caption 24 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Young penitents parade during a Holy Week procession in the northern Spanish Basque village of Segura on April 17. Hide Caption 25 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Members of the Spanish Legion carry a statue of Christ of Mena on April 17 in Malaga, Spain.Hide Caption 26 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Penitents take part in the Procesion del Silencio by the Cristo de las Injurias brotherhood on April 16 in Zamora, Spain. Hide Caption 27 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – A Catholic worshipper lights a candle at the tombs of ancestors during Holy Week celebrations known as Semana Santa on April 16, in Larantuka, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.Hide Caption 28 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Penitents take part in the Fusionadas brotherhood procession in Malaga, Spain, on April 16.Hide Caption 29 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Penitents watch on from a damaged part of the Palo Cathedral during the Maundy Thursday Mass at Palo Cathedral in Palo, Leyte, Philippines, on April 17.Hide Caption 30 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Penitents from Jesus del Via Crucis brotherhood cross a bridge as they take part in a procession in Zamora, Spain, on April 15. Hide Caption 31 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Roman Catholics celebrate at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on April 14.Hide Caption 32 of 33 Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world Holy Week around the world – Egyptian Christians celebrate Palm Sunday during a service in the Samaan el-Kharaz Church in the Mokattam district of Cairo, Egypt, on April 13.Hide Caption 33 of 33JUST WATCHEDPope condemns clergy who sexually abusedReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPope condemns clergy who sexually abused 02:14 On Holy Thursday, Pope Francis visited a home for the elderly and disabled, the Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, to wash the feet of "12 disabled people of different ages, ethnicities and religious confessions," during a special Lord's Supper Mass, according to the Vatican. It was the second time he has broken with Vatican tradition and washed the feet of ordinary people rather than priests. Last year, he washed the feet of two women and two Muslims at a juvenile detention center in Rome. Before this, modern popes only washed the feet of 12 priests at the Vatican, during the Mass of the Last Supper. At his general audience Wednesday, Francis urged the faithful to seek an example in Jesus. "This week, as we follow Jesus along the way of the cross, may we imitate his loving obedience to the will of the father, especially in times of difficulty and humiliation, and open our hearts to his gifts of reconciliation, redemption and new life," he said.READ: Pope Francis washes the feet of disabled people as part of Easter celebrationsREAD: How to really measure the 'Francis effect'

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Story highlightsMuseum workers found the jewelry while working with the enamel collectionThe mug's false base deteriorated over time, revealing its contents (CNN)A mug confiscated by Nazis at Auschwitz has been hiding a secret for more than 70 years. Workers at the Auschwitz Museum this week found a gold ring and necklace that had been carefully wrapped in canvas before being concealed in a false base.They are some of the last possessions held by someone deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, one of the largest concentration camps established by the Germans during WWII, the museum said. Tests found the gold ring was made in Poland between 1921 and 1931."The hiding of valuable items... proves on the one hand to the awareness of the victims as to the robbery nature of the deportation, but on the other hand it shows that the Jewish families constantly had a ray of hope that these items will be required for their existence," said Piotr Cywinski, the Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.Nazis often told those that they deported to concentration camps that they were simply going to be resettled, promising a new life in a new place. The deportees were allowed to bring a little luggage, Cywinski said.The necklace had been carefully wrapped in canvas before being hidden in the cup.Read MoreThe soldiers "were confident that in the luggage -- including clothes and items needed for life -- they would find the last valuables of the deported families."The treasures were found while workers were working to secure the museum's collection of 12,000 enameled kitchenware pieces. Conservators at the museum document all of their findings, but there is often no way to identify the owners of the items.An X-ray shows how the ring and necklace were concealed at the base of the mug.According to a press release, the necklace and ring will be stored "in the form reflecting the manner in which it had been hidden by the owner, as a testimony to the fate of the Jews deported to the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp."

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Story highlightsJon Rahm was low amateur at 2016 US OpenThe Spaniard is one of the favorites for 2017 title (CNN)Twelve months ago he arrived as a little-known amateur -- this year, Jon Rahm starts as one of the favorites to win the US Open.The 22-year-old Spaniard has barely put a foot wrong since turning pro after being the low amateur, tying for 23rd place at Oakmont Hills. Follow @cnnsport His results since then speak for themselves -- seven top five finishes on the PGA Tour and a maiden win in January at the Farmers Insurance Open have propelled Rahm into the top 10 golf rankings. Jon Rahm Age: 22 Turned pro: 2016World ranking: 10PGA Tour wins: 1Career prize money: $5.5 millionPlenty of talented young amateurs have impressed at major tournaments only to fade -- just ask Justin Rose, who tied for 4th at the 1998 Open Championship before initially struggling as a pro. Rahm, however, has made a seamless transition to the professional ranks.Read MoreREAD: "I was fed up with being good," Dustin Johnson Photos: Jon Rahm celebrates holing an eagle putt on the 72nd hole to win the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open.Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Rahm announced his talent to the golfing world at last year's US Open -- winning the coveted low amateur award. The Spaniard finished in a tie for 23rd place. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Rahm enjoys a joke with fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia who finally clinched his first major title at the Masters tournament in April. Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: World No. 1 Dustin Johnson shakes hands with Rahm after winning the final match of the World Golf Championships Match Play at the Austin Country Club in March 2017.Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Rahm in action at this year's Masters -- his first appearance at Augusta National. The 22-year-old finished in a tie for 27th. Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Sergio Garcia with the Masters trophy. The Spaniard's first major win came on what would have been Seve Ballesteros' 60th birthday. Ballesteros, a two-time winner at Augusta National, died of cancer in May 2011 aged 54. Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: This year's US Open is being held at Erin Hills in Wisconsin. The course hosted to the U.S. Amateur Championship in 2011 (pictured). Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Reigning champion Dustin Johnson (pictured) starts favorite for this year's US Open. Talk about conditions at the course -- notably the length of the rough -- have dominated the build-up.Hide Caption 8 of 8"Luckily for me, I've always been someone who likes to play under that pressure -- I like the adversity," Rahm told CNN."I like to rise above that because I want to have the most amount of fun. I think that's why every time I've been against the ropes or had to do something, I've been able to do it.JUST WATCHEDDustin Johnson: Fed up with just being goodReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDustin Johnson: Fed up with just being good 03:25 "I think it's just the competitiveness I have in me. I don't like losing, so i just put everything I've got into it." Rahm combines a surety of mind with an imposing physical presence -- his 6-foot, 2-inch, 220-pound frame combines both power off the tee and touch around the greens."Jon doesn't have weaknesses," five-time major champion Phil Mickelson said following Rahm's win at Torrey Pines at the beginning of the year. "Every part of his game is a strength. I think he's more than just a good young player -- I think he's one of the top players in the world."JUST WATCHEDSergio Garcia reflects on Masters winReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSergio Garcia reflects on Masters win 01:23READ: Sergio Garcia on "destiny" and Masters successRahm to the fescue?Rahm will need all that skill this week at Erin Hills in Wisconsin -- a 7,741-yard, par 72, monster of a course full of links-like undulations, perilous sand traps and punishingly deep rough. The now famed fescue grass has had a rough time of it from some of the players this week -- US golfer Kevin Na's Instagram video vividly revealed the difficultly of finding a ball, let alone trying to hack one back onto the fairway. Not everyone is complaining though. Rory McIlroy noted that the fairways at Erin Hills are generously wide compared to the traditional set up at US Open venues. "I get that it's thick and whatever, but it's a hazard," McIlory said, Tuesday."It's a US Open, it's supposed to be a tough test. And if guys can't put it into play within a 50-yard zone I don't think they've got much to complain about."The US Golf Association have since trimmed the rough on selected holes saying the wet weather forecast has forced their hand -- not the players.Rahm, meanwhile, has chosen to steer clear of the rough during practice rounds. "I didn't step in it," Rahm said in a pre-tournament press conference. "There's no need to injure my wrist this week before I tee off. "It really looks very penalizing. Unless you get extremely lucky where you might be able to move it 120 yards, it looks like a 30-yard chip out to the fairway."JUST WATCHEDDustin Johnson: Fed up with just being goodReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDustin Johnson: Fed up with just being good 03:25READ: Phil Mickelson to skip US Open for kid's graduationIt's a measure of Rahm's new-found status that he is mentioned alongside the likes of reigning US Open champion Dustin Johnson, and former winners Jordan Spieth and McIlroy as a genuine contender.Victory for Rahm would further boost Spanish golf after Sergio Garcia's emotional win at the Masters in April on what would have been Seve Ballesteros' 60th birthday. "If in my lifetime if I can show and express half of what Seve did for the game of golf it will be a very accomplished career," Rahm said.It's a bit early to start talking about Rahm in the same breath as Ballesteros but time and natural talent are on his side and so, it seems, is his temperament. "It's been quite a journey," he said. "I feel nothing but excitement and accomplishment but I'm a little bit scared because I'm don't know how I'm going to follow next year after this year. "But there's a long way to go ... I'm sure I'll be just fine."

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(CNN)France is in the sweaty grasp of a hot weather phenomenon known as la canicule -- and forecasters are running out of ways to describe both its immediate danger and ominous long-term significance. Last week, meteorologist Ruben Hallali found an apt metaphor in this image: a weather forecast model for Thursday, June 27, whose patterns of temperatures across France just happened to create the image of a screaming skull.Naturally he tweeted it paired with Edvard Munch's 1893 painting, "The Scream". A gauche carte des températures à 1500m prévues par GFS. A droite le cri de Munch. Jamais vu ça en 15 que je regarde des cartes météo #canicule pic.twitter.com/RIJTXiCUh1— Ruben H (@korben_meteo) June 20, 2019 The map was first published on June 20 on Météociel, a French site that automatically generates weather pattern visualizations based on data from various forecasting models. Météociel spokesperson Sylvain Dupont told CNN that this particular map had been generated from real data created by the US predictive Global Forecast System."By chance, it just happened to be possible to imagine a special form of a skull in this map," he said, emphasizing the randomness of the apparition. "There are so many maps created on our site for each updated forecast that it is statistically possible for some to look like something." Read MoreThe map was nevertheless "remarkable," Dupont said, because it showed air temperatures of 26 to 28 degrees Celsius (79-82 Fahrenheit) across nearly all of France, an uncommon high for this time of year. "It represents well the current canicule," he added. CNN Weather now predicts a high of 34 degrees Celsius (93 Fahrenheit) for Paris on Thursday. According to French national meteorological service Météo-France, canicules can be distinguished from ordinary heatwaves by their unrelenting intensity, with sweltering nights as well as days. They generally occur late in the summer, between July 15 and August 15. Climate change could explain the high temperatures striking Europe unusually early this year, as CNN previously reported. On Wednesday, a German town broke a record with 38.6 degrees Celsius (101.5 Fahrenheit) -- the hottest temperature ever recorded in the country. Multiple sites in France also broke heat records.Global warming is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of dangerous canicules in the future, warns Météo-France. Extreme heat has killed before in Europe, and in 2003 scarred the whole of France with the deaths of more than 14,000 mostly elderly people."Canicule" itself, derived from the Latin word for dog, is a term loaded with foreboding. Just like Italy's canicola and the US and UK's "dog days of summer," the term refers to the time of year when the star Sirius, also known as the "dog star" or Orion's Hound, rises with the sun -- a period that the ancients associated with both heat and chaos on Earth. In the Iliad, Homer describes "the star which men call Orion's Hound" as the brightest of all -- and yet one which "bodes ill for mortals, for he brings fire and fever in his train."

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London (CNN)As the world digests the bombshell details revealed in Oprah Winfrey's interview with Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, it's almost inevitable that questions will be asked of the British monarchy's continued relevance in the 21st century. There's no escaping that the claims made in the interview are extremely serious. Meghan says that in her time as a member of the family, she experienced suicidal thoughts and that a senior royal had racist conversations about the color of her baby's skin. Harry talked of a lack of support and understanding for the toll that royal life took on the couple's mental health, and added that the attacks they had suffered in the media could have come from "within the institution."The version of events laid bare in the interview paints a picture of an outmoded institution whose lack of flexibility left it incapable of accommodating people facing challenges that are entirely normal for public figures in the 21st century. Given the claims in 2018 that the union of these two people marked a massive step forward in modernizing the most famous family on earth, this is a tragedy, say observers. "Harry and Meghan were superstars who could have been such a positive thing for the family in modernizing," says Kate Williams, a leading Royal historian and professor of public engagement with history at the UK's University of Reading. "The fact that it's clear from the interview they felt they had no choice but to leave because the family failed to support them over racist abuse and clear mental health concerns is very troubling." Read MoreBritish royal family plunged into crisis after Harry and Meghan allege racism and neglect in Oprah interviewThis narrative will no doubt be a feature of much of the post-interview commentary -- and should be a real concern for Harry's relatives back in the UK. While there is huge public support for Queen Elizabeth and the monarchy she currently leads, the question of what comes after her in a modern Britain has yet to really be examined in any detail. "Generally speaking, support for the monarchy and support for the Queen correlate," said Joe Twyman, director of public opinion consultancy Deltapoll. However, he points out that the Queen, unlike many other members of the family, is quiet and very rarely gives her opinion on anything. It is possible that many conservative, traditionalist monarchists won't be so happy with Charles ascending to the throne. The Prince of Wales has talked at length in public about environmental issues and climate change, and it's far from certain that supporters of his tight-lipped mother will transfer their affections. What could be even more of a concern for the family, especially in light of this interview, is what younger generations think of the monarchy. "Among younger people, support for Meghan is roughly the same as support for the far more traditional Kate, compared to older Brits who don't like Meghan so much," Twyman explained. "While we don't know if this is an age or cohort thing and these people might become more conservative as they age, it is entirely possible that the generation who thinks the royals should maintain a stiff upper lip and not talk about issues like women's rights and mental health will die out. To people from a certain generation, the idea of bowing to your grandmother every time you see her just because she's the Queen seems insane." One reason Meghan suffered racist UK coverage: The media is not diverseThat concerns were raised, the couple said, about the color of their baby's skin before he was born could have consequences beyond a PR disaster for the royals. The British monarch is currently head of state to many countries in the Commonwealth, a diplomatic coup for the UK."We know that some members of the Commonwealth intend to remove the [British] monarch as head of state once Elizabeth is gone," said Williams. In many Commonwealth nations, Britain's colonial past is already a difficult pill to swallow.Meghan addressed this directly in the interview, describing how she thought her and Harry's baby would provide an "added benefit" for people in the Commonwealth. "How inclusive is that, that you can see someone who looks like you in this family," she said. CNN has reached out to the royal family for comment.For others, however, the fact that Meghan's race had been such a prominent topic when she joined the royal family is a sign that claims of a modernizing monarchy were wishful thinking at best.Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Cirque du Soleil Premiere Of "TOTEM" at Royal Albert Hall on January 16, 2019 in London, England. "Personally, I think it's actually a good thing as it shows that all the noise around the wedding being a great moment for the royal family to become more inclusive was completely untrue," says Kehinde Andrews, professor of Black studies at City University, Birmingham. "It's exposed in an undeniable way the way in which racism exists in British society and how closed off an institution the royal family is. Silence and maintaining image is more important than actually doing anything that matters." If the royal family wants to move on from this, then it will have to go through a period of reflection and take the claims made by their relatives seriously. If the institution wants to avoid looking irrelevant in an diverse and modern Britain, then it needs to think back to the claims made about welcoming Meghan in 2018. "What's important now is that they don't shelve the half-in, half-out idea that Harry and Meghan proposed initially. In 2021, are we really saying that more minor Royals can only be backups to William and Kate? If the family and the courtiers cannot see that a family like the Sussexes are a positive thing in the eyes of the public, then it has a big problem," said Williams. From a PR perspective, this interview is crushing for "The Firm," as the royal family is often called. While we have not heard the other side of the story, the fact that two high-profile royals have been willing to go on the record to say that they felt so inadequately supported that one of them considered killing themselves is horrific. Royalist supporters are already dismissing the couple's claims as a performance. While this might go down well with a very specific group of people in Britain, there is no escaping what a damning moment this is for an institution whose future is far from certain once its current head is no longer here. CNN will soon launch Royal News, a weekly newsletter bringing you the inside track on the royal family, what they are up to in public and what's happening behind palace walls. Sign up here.

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(CNN)People who don't stand during Montenegro's national anthem could be fined up to 2,000 euros ($2,290), according to new legislation proposed by the government. Authorities want to amend the existing Law on State Symbols and the Statehood Day of Montenegro to include penalties ranging from 300 to 2,000 euros "imposed on a natural person if they do not rise during the performance of the anthem." The draft amendment was passed by the country's Cabinet last week. Foreigners affected tooAsked by CNN if the law would be imposed on foreign nationals, Montenegro's government spokesperson said the regulation would apply to everyone present during the anthem's performance. People with disabilities would be exempt and allowed to pay their respects in "other ways" that have not been defined in the legislation. Read MoreMontenegro: We're too small to start a new world warThe small Balkan nation gained independence from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro after a referendum in 2006, and it was previously one of the five countries making up the former Yugoslavia. The anthem -- called "Oj Svijetla Majska Zoro," meaning "Oh, Bright Dawn of May," was introduced in 2004.Some opposition pro-Serbian members of parliament reject the anthem because several verses were written by Sekula Drljevic, a Montenegrin politician whom they accuse of collaborating with the Italian military occupation during World War Two. They often boycott it by staying seated when it is played in the parliament. 'Anachronistic' moveThe proposals were condemned as "anachronistic" by Human Rights Action -- a nongovernmental organization based in Montenegro's capital, Podgorica, which appealed to the government to protect the freedom of expression. "Ordering respect of state symbols in a certain way and intimidation by punishment for the opposite acts is inappropriate for a democratic society that must be open to the expression of different opinion and debate," the NGO said in a statement, adding that no other country in the region has similar laws. Montenegro became NATO's newest member in June 2017 and is in the middle of lengthy talks to join the European Union. Civil society activists in the country warn that new proposals don't chime with the democratic values the country is working toward in hope of joining the EU. The new amendments also include requiring public institutions founded by the state to keep the flag permanently displayed on buildings, with fines ranging from 1,000 to 20,000 euros for violations.Minister of Culture Aleksandar Bogdanovic told reporters that "by defining the content and form of state symbols, dominant and authentic motives are marked that are equally recognizable to all inhabitants of Montenegro and do not undermine their national or religious feelings."

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(CNN)Anyone know how to say "we ordered too many eggs" in Norwegian? Norway's Olympic team may need to read up on that after ordering 15,000 eggs when they meant to order 1,500.The chefs needed the eggs to feed Norwegian athletes at the Winter Olympics in South Korea. So the chefs put in an order for them with a local supermarket, using Google Translate. But they clearly made an error somewhere. "When the truck showed up, they started to carry in the eggs. After a while, they [the chefs] thought it lasted so long, it never stopped," Halvor Lea, spokesman for the Norwegian Olympic Committee, told CNN.Read MoreSo they asked the driver how many eggs were there. The driver replied 15,000. "They said themselves that it was a Google translate slip," Lea said. "I don't know." Fortunately for the chefs, the supermarket took back 13,500 eggs.CNN's James Frater contributed to this piece.

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