Here is a news article: Enrique Peña Nieto repeats his refusal to fund border wall but leaves open the question of contentious 31 January trip to meet new US president

 Mexico's president 'will not pay for any wall' – but may still visit Trump

 Mexico’s president has once again declared that “Mexico will not pay for any wall” but stopped short of cancelling a visit to Washington after Donald Trump signed executive orders that include building the border barrier.

 Enrique Peña Nieto reiterated that Mexico would not put a single peso towards the new US president’s signature project. In a televised address he said: “I regret and reject the decision of the US to build the wall.”

 But Peña Nieto did not cancel a trip to Washington – a move many in Mexico had demanded after Trump signed an executive order to start plans for fencing off the frontier.

 “I have said time and time again, Mexico will not pay for any wall,” Peña Nieto told the nation in his short video statement on Wednesday night.

 “Mexico reaffirms its friendship with the people of the United States and its willingness to reach agreements with its government.”

 He left up in the air the question of the 31 January meeting with Trump in the White House – saying his decision would depend on an evaluation by a team already in Washington and officials at home.

 Mexicans reacted to the president’s statement with confusion. Many in the political class had called on Peña Nieto to cancel his meeting after Trump signed the executive order.

 A senior government official told the Associated Press that the Mexican president was “considering” calling off the visit to Washington, but no decision had been taken.

 On Thursday, Trump appeared to be goading his Mexican counterpart into pulling out of the visit, saying on Twitter: “If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.”

 Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, a leftist former presidential candidate, told an audience in Mexico City: “If a [Mexican] presidential visit is being announced, he will be received there by having the door slammed in his face.

 “I think the least we can do in these conditions would be not to show up, cancel the visit to the United States and find a dignified position for Mexico.”

 Peña Nieto has encountered sustained criticism for failing to come up with a decisive strategy to deal with Trump’s combative policies.

 Trump repeatedly promised a border wall throughout his election campaign but Mexico’s political elite appeared to be hoping that the billionaire-turned-populist politician had been bluffing.

 Trump's wall: Mexican construction firms likely to be biggest winners Read more

 That hope proved misplaced on Wednesday, when the US president signed the order, proclaiming: “A nation without borders is not a nation.”

 Trump claimed that “we’re in the middle of a crisis on our southern border”, citing an “unprecedented surge” of illegal immigrants from Central America that was harming both the US and Mexico.

 The likely effectiveness of the planned wall is fiercely disputed. More Mexican immigrants have returned to Mexico from the US than have migrated to the US since the end of the 2007-08 financial crisis, according to the Pew Research Center. Research shows that immigrants are more law-abiding than non-immigrants.

 Peña Nieto has consistently rejected Trump’s suggestion that Mexico will pay for the border wall and promised to put Mexico first in any negotiations.

 But analysts say the president has few strong options in confronting an American administration considered the most hostile to Mexico since the Mexican-American war of the 1840s – in which Mexico was forced to cede its northern territory.

 Peña Nieto – whose personal popularity ratings currently languish at 12% (the lowest in history) – appears to be caught in an impossible situation: paying for the wall would stoke domestic outrage. Not paying could provoke problems with Trump’s team, however.

 “The whole thing is lose-lose. The only question is how much,” said Esteban Illades, editor of the Mexican magazine Nexos.

 Trump’s executive order to build a wall along the nearly 2,000-mile US-Mexico border came on the same day Mexico’s foreign minister Luis Videgary and economy minister Ildefonso Guajardo met with senior Trump administration officials.

 “I would cancel the meeting [with Trump] or postpone it as a message that we’re not going to do what they want, that we’re not going to play their game,” Agustín Basave, ex-leader of the left-leaning Democratic Revolution party, told the newspaper Reforma. “I would start by saying things like we are going to review Mexico’s cooperation in the areas of security and migration.”

 Others were even more direct, including ex-president Vicente Fox – who has walloped Trump with profanity-laden tweets for more than a year.

 Vicente Fox Quesada (@VicenteFoxQue) Sean Spicer, I've said this to @realDonaldTrump and now I'll tell you: Mexico is not going to pay for that fucking wall. #FuckingWall

 Let's raise our voices against this dictator, Donald Trump | Vicente Fox Read more

 Mexican officials have expressed hopes of salvaging Nafta, which facilitates more than $500bn annually in cross-border trade, though Guajardo told Mexican TV earlier this week that Mexico would consider walking away from the deal.

 Canadian officials have also mused about abandoning Mexico to forge a bilateral deal with the US if necessary, leaving Mexico’s increasingly export-oriented economy in a bind.

 “If we’re going for something that is less than what we have now, it doesn’t make sense to stay in,” Guajardo told the Televisa network.

 Until recently, such a posture would have been unthinkable as Mexico shifted its economy from one so closed that smuggled candy was sold in itinerant markets to one so open it has more than 40 free-trade deals with countries around the world.

 But moving away from the massive US market has proved difficult for Mexico, which sends 80% of its exports north. Peña Nieto told the nation Monday that Mexico would seek stronger ties with countries in the hemisphere, but promptly cancelled his participation in a summit of Latin American and Caribbean countries.

 Trump's Mexico bashing may backfire if peso plunge forces poor migrants north Read more

 “The cancelation was given in such short notice that it raises suspicions that Peña Nieto would not want to meet with other leaders who would want a strongly worded statement against Trump,” Illades said.

 Peña Nieto has promised to impose conditions on any negotiation with the US, including addressing issues such as smuggled guns streaming across the border, arming drug cartels, and Mexico’s efforts to detain and deport migrants who transit its territory in attempts to reach the US.

 But the president is playing a weak hand, while his approval rating of just 12% is hampering his attempts at fomenting unity in a time of crisis.

 “There is unity; people do not like Trump,” says Rodolfo Soriano-Núñez, a sociologist in Mexico City, “but there is this sense that Trump is not the real problem, rather trust in a presidency ridden with scandals.”

 Additional reporting by David Smith ||||| During his presidential campaign, no single promise electrified Donald Trump’s supporters more than the pledge to build a “big, beautiful wall” all along the border with Mexico.

 Wednesday, President Trump turned that promise into an executive order, one of two he signed. His directive leaves many questions unanswered about what sort of wall might be built, how much it would cost and how it would be paid for.

 The two orders, however, do begin the crackdown on illegal immigration that Trump promised his supporters. In addition to the wall, he would greatly expand deportations and detention of migrants and block federal money for so-called sanctuary cities.

 Some of the actions will be felt immediately, some require more cash from Congress, others will only take effect over time.

 Here’s a look at what the actions mean and what they don’t.

 Border wall

 Trump ordered the “immediate construction of a physical wall on the southern border” and gave the Homeland Security department six months to study how to prevent “all unlawful entries” into the U.S. — a goal that is widely considered impossible. But “immediate construction” doesn’t mean a wall will be built all along the 2,000 miles of the Mexican border any time soon. Trump’s order directs Homeland Security to come up with a long-term plan for getting it done.

 Cost estimates for walling off the entire border run from $12 billion to $38 billion, and the barriers would cost billions more to maintain over time.

 Trump could tap some existing federal funds to begin construction. U.S. Customs and Border Protection already has budgeted $175 million for "procurement, construction and improvements." That wouldn't be nearly enough to finish the job, but it would allow a start.

 Trump has famously said Mexico would pay for the wall. Mexican officials say no. Asking Mexico to pay for the wall is “unacceptable,” Mexico’s foreign minister Luis Videgaray has said.

 Trump aides have floated the idea of taxing cash that flows back to Mexico from workers in the U.S. or using the wall construction as leverage in negotiations to change the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

 Trump promised Wednesday to help Mexico by stopping the flow of illegal cash and guns moving south from the U.S. He is scheduled to meet with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto next week, but Peña Nieto is under pressure at home to cancel the meeting in the wake of Trump’s announcement.

 Currently, about 600 miles of the border have some form of fence, ranging from the imposing barrier along parts of the California border to more traditional fencing elsewhere. Building all that already cost about $7 billion. The government uses walls and fencing in highly trafficked urban areas where border agents have only minutes to apprehend illegal crossers. Cameras and sensors are used in more remote areas.

 Border Patrol agents have long said that what they need to reduce illegal border crossings further is more of those cameras, sensors, vehicles and equipment and not more physical barriers. Smuggling cartels often use blow torches to cut holes through existing border walls or dig tunnels under them, they say.

 The government has has also increased the size of the Border Patrol from about 10,000 agents in 2004 to 21,000 today. Trump plans to add an additional 5,000 agents.

 The increase in security — plus economic changes in both the U.S. and Mexico — has meant fewer people are crossing back and forth over the border. The Pew Research Center estimates that in recent years, more Mexicans have been returning to Mexico than migrating to the U.S.

 There has been a dramatic increase in Central American migrants arriving at the border in Texas, but a large share of those people are not trying to evade capture. Instead, they quickly surrender to border agents and make claims for asylum, saying they are fleeing the violence in their home countries.

 Deporting more people

 Under Trump’s plans, immigration officials will have much more freedom to deport people they find in the country illegally. President Obama tried to focus the deportation force on removing people with criminal records and those who pose a threat to public safety, and deportations from the interior of the country declined during Obama’s second term.

 Trump dramatically expanded the list of people considered a priority for removal to include those charged with crimes, even if a trial has not yet been held, and those who have improperly received any welfare benefit. As a result, a lot more people will be unable to win reprieves from deportation even if they have strong family ties in the U.S.

 Immigration officials can act on these new priorities immediately. There are about 800,000 people in the U.S. who already have a final order of removal from an immigration judge and have either refused to leave or been allowed to stay temporarily, often because of the hardship their deportation would cause to family in the U.S.

 Also, countries that refuse to take back people being deported from the U.S. have been put on notice by the Trump administration that they must accept return of their citizens. About 23 countries currently don’t accept deportations from the U.S., including Afghanistan, Algeria, China, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, and Zimbabwe.

 Courts have ruled that people from such countries can’t be held indefinitely, even if they have a violent criminal conviction. As a result, more than 8,000 immigrants with criminal records have been released in the past three years.

 Trump also instructed immigration officials to expand the number and size of detention facilities to hold asylum seekers and people awaiting hearings in immigration court. Cases for people held in detention can move more quickly, and they can be deported faster than those released and told to appear in court.

 Advocates for immigrants are concerned about the poor conditions in detention facilities, many of which are also local jails and have a track record of substandard medical care. Also, immigrants in detention facilities have a much harder time getting lawyers. |||||
A summary of this is?

– Tension between President Trump and Mexico over his border wall plans was probably inevitable, though not everybody expected it to flare up before his administration was a week old. After Trump signed an executive order Wednesday and promised to start building the wall within months, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto told his country in a televised address that Mexico "does not believe in walls" and will not pay for it, no matter what Trump says, the BBC reports. "I regret and condemn the decision of the United States to continue construction of a wall that, for years, has divided us instead of uniting us," he said. In other coverage: Peña Nieto said Mexico still offers its friendship to the US, but he didn't confirm whether he plans to go ahead with his Jan. 31 meeting with Trump at the White House, the Guardian reports. Senior government officials said late Wednesday that the Mexican leader is thinking about calling it off. CNN reports that Peña Nieto said he would wait for an evaluation from Mexican officials in the US before confirming the visit to the US. He also said he had ordered government agencies, including the 50 Mexican consulates in the US, to step up protection for immigrants. The Washington Post looks at five major challenges the wall project will face, including rough terrain and the fact that most land along the border in Texas is privately owned. In Mexico, people are furious and are calling for a stern response to Trump's plans, reports the New York Times. "It's like we are Charlie Brown and they are Lucy with the football," says former foreign minister Jorge Castaneda. "Peña is a weak president in a weak country at a weak moment, but he has to find a way to get some official backbone." Historians say the last president to anger Mexico this much was Calvin Coolidge, who threatened to invade "Soviet Mexico" in the 1920s. The Los Angeles Times looks at the details of the border wall project and other immigration-related actions Trump unveiled Wednesday. His plan to withhold federal grants from "sanctuary cities" like LA is expected to start legal battles that will last for years.


Summarize this article:

Just hours after Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens delivered his second State of the State address, he acknowledged that he was involved in an affair before he launched his campaign for governor in the fall of 2015.

 Greitens and his wife, Sheena Greitens, issued joint statements late Wednesday through their lawyer after St. Louis television station KMOV-TV (Channel 4) reported on the matter.

 KMOV featured an anonymous interview with the ex-husband of the St. Louis area woman allegedly involved. She was married at the time of the affair, as was Greitens.

 “A few years ago, before Eric was elected governor, there was a time when he was unfaithful in our marriage,’’ Greitens’ statement said. “It was a deeply personal mistake.”

 “Eric took responsibility, and we dealt with this honestly and privately,” the statement continued. “While we would have never wished for this pain in our marriage, or the pain that this has caused others, with God’s mercy, Sheena has forgiven and we have emerged stronger.

 “We understand that there will be some people who will not forgive,’’ the statement concluded. “But for those who can find it in your heart, Eric asks for your forgiveness, and we are grateful for your love, your compassion and your prayers.”

 In a separate note, Sheena Greitens added, “We have a loving marriage and an awesome family, anything beyond that is between us and God. I want the media and those who wish to peddle gossip to stay away from me and my children.”

 The TV report included allegations that Greitens threatened to blackmail the woman, to keep the affair secret. His lawyer, James Bennett issued a statement late Wednesday disputing KMOV's account.

 "The governor has now seen the TV report that ran tonight. The station declined to provide the tape or transcript in advance of running their story, which contained multiple false allegations," Bennett said. "The claim that this nearly three-year old story has generated or should generate law enforcement interest is completely false. There was no blackmail and that claim is false. This personal matter has been addressed by the Governor and Mrs. Greitens privately years ago when it happened. The outrageous claims of improper conduct regarding these almost three-year-ago events are false."

 The matter could affect Greitens’ national aspirations, since his GOP campaign for governor in 2016 promoted, in part, his character and his belief in family values.

 Follow Jo on Twitter: @jmannies ||||| A group of Missouri senators is asking the state attorney general to investigate allegations of blackmail against Republican Gov. Eric Greitens.

 A group of Missouri senators is asking the state attorney general to investigate allegations of blackmail against Republican Gov. Eric Greitens.

 Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens delivers the annual State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

 Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens delivers the annual State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

 Missouri Gov.-elect Eric Greitens, right, and his wife Sheena speak to the media as a member of their protection detail stands off to the side Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, in St. Louis.(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

 Missouri Gov.-elect Eric Greitens, right, and his wife Sheena speak to the media as a member of their protection detail stands off to the side Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, in St. Louis.(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

 Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens released a new statement about an affair he was involved in and allegations connected to that affair

 Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens released a new statement about an affair he was involved in and allegations connected to that affair

 Missouri Gov.-elect Eric Greitens, right, and his wife Sheena speak to the media as a member of their protection detail stands off to the side Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, in St. Louis.(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

 Missouri Gov.-elect Eric Greitens, right, and his wife Sheena speak to the media as a member of their protection detail stands off to the side Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, in St. Louis.(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

 he ex-husband of the woman who is alleged to have had an affair with Missouri Governor Eric Greitens has handed over more secret records to the local prosecutors and the FBI, his attorney Al Watkins told News 4 Tuesday.

 he ex-husband of the woman who is alleged to have had an affair with Missouri Governor Eric Greitens has handed over more secret records to the local prosecutors and the FBI, his attorney Al Watkins told News 4 Tuesday.

 Missouri Republican Gov. Eric Greitens made his first public appearance in nearly two weeks since acknowledging an extramarital affair, announcing a budget plan that would slice at least $68 million from public colleges and universities, but the budget wasn't the only thing discussed.

 Missouri Republican Gov. Eric Greitens made his first public appearance in nearly two weeks since acknowledging an extramarital affair, announcing a budget plan that would slice at least $68 million from public colleges and universities, but the budget wasn't the only thing discussed.

 Missouri Governor Eric Greitens takes a reporters question as he unveils the new state budget during a press conference at the State Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri on January 22, 2018. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

 Missouri Governor Eric Greitens takes a reporters question as he unveils the new state budget during a press conference at the State Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri on January 22, 2018. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

 Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens delivers the annual State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018, in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

 ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) -- Governor Eric Greitens on Wednesday night confirmed to News 4 he had an extramarital affair, an admission a months-long News 4 investigation prompted.

 In a recording obtained by News 4, a woman says she had a sexual encounter with Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and that he tried to blackmail her to keep the encounter quiet.

 The details were provided to News 4 by the woman’s ex-husband, claiming the sexual relationship happened between his now ex-wife and Greitens in March 2015. News 4 is not naming the woman and she has not made an on-the-record comment about the story.

 According to the ex-husband, the recording was made just days after Greitens’ and the woman’s first sexual encounter. And also that Greitens took a photograph during the encounter to use as “blackmail” according to the ex-husband.

 During his campaign and while serving in his first year in office as Missouri’s Governor, Eric Greitens has billed himself a family man. During his campaign announcement, he stated: “I'm Eric Greitens, I'm a Navy SEAL, native Missourian and most importantly, a proud husband and father."

 A contrast to the acts the woman accuses Greitens of committing on tape saying his actions were “horrible and disgusting.”

 The ex-husband provided details to News 4 of what he claims was a sexual encounter between his now-ex-wife and Greitens back in March of 2015. News 4 has spoken to the woman's attorney who has stated: “No Comment.”

 His now ex-wife wife didn't know he was recording their conversation as she confessed intimate details to him.

 Recorded Conversation:

 Ex-Husband: “Tell me the truth. The truth. Only the truth.

 Woman: So, on Saturday morning, before my first client, I did go to his house.

 Ex-Husband: For the first time?

 Woman: For the first time. Ever. Like I said, nothing, period, had ever happened or taken place until this snowball. This (expletive) tornado just happened. I know I brought this on.”

 The woman explains that her interactions with Greitens were sometimes initiated by herself. They met-because she cut his hair.

 Woman: "I met Eric a year ago and I instantly had a big crush on him."

 She said she felt drawn to talk to him. But when he told her, “I want you to come over" to his house, she first said no. She wanted to meet for coffee.

 But Greitens said “I can't, I can't be seen with you. This is wrong."

 Woman: "I said, I know. So he said. Just, please come to my house."

 She stated she agreed to go to his house to "talk." It's unclear where Greitens' wife or children were at this time.

 The woman said that when the sexual encounter began that Saturday and said it was consensual.

 Woman: "He said: "I'll make you feel better. I'll make you feel good. Come downstairs. I want to show you how to do a proper pull-up. And I knew he was being sexual and I still let him. And he used some sort of tape, I don't what it was, and taped my hands to these rings and then put a blindfold on me.”

 She went on to say that some of his actions-scared her.

 Woman: "I didn't even know. I feel like I don't even know. I was just numb. I just stood there and didn't (expletive) know."

 She went on, describing what Greitens allegedly did next that made her feel sick.

 Woman: “He stepped back, I saw a flash through the blindfold and he said: "you're never going to mention my name, otherwise there will be pictures of me everywhere."

 Her now ex-husband said that statement upset him.

 “He took a picture of my wife naked as blackmail. There is no worse person,” the ex-husband told News 4. And that is still what upsets him. He told News 4, “I think it's as bad as it gets, It’s as bad as it gets when someone takes advantage of something.”

 In the recorded phone conversation, the woman takes on some of the blame and says that Greitens apologized after the encounter-and told her he had deleted the picture.

 She claims they had at least one more physical interaction later that day.

 After the tearful confession, the man and his wife tried reconciling, but according to the man, Greitens was still in her life.

 In October 2015, the woman allegedly sent an email to a Gmail account she told her husband she had previously used to get in touch with Greitens.

 It stated "Eric, I am asking you to please consider all who are involved and the circumstances around us. I need you to not book at the salon anymore. This isn't fair to me, nor anyone close to us. Please respect me and my wishes."

 As for the motivation of the ex-husband in speaking on-camera, he told News 4 “I am not after anything, I am not a part of politics, I am not a part of anything, I just want to move on with my life.”

 The man says he didn't want to speak out before, but says recently, he's been contacted by law enforcement authorities and members of the media. He says he wanted to get in front of a story he believed would come out eventually and he wants to protect his family.

 “Something happened, churned this, and had people hounding me, even leaving a voicemail on my daughter's phone - when that happened, everything changed,” said the ex-husband.

 The ex-husband’s attorney, Al Watkins confirms, he too has been in contact repeatedly with law enforcement agencies about this.

 “My knowledge and my experience leads me to believe that at least, there is an elevated degree of interest in what is going on,” said Watkins.

 The man and his wife sought a divorce in March of 2016.

 By Election Day in November 2016, he was on social media, calling Greitens-a quote "homewrecker."

 He told News 4, “this didn't just destroy our marriage, it destroyed an environment, an ecosystem, this destroyed it all.”

 On Thursday, James Bennett, an attorney for Gov. Greitens released the following statement:

 "We have been asked repeatedly by reputable news outlets why we believe this nearly three-year-old news story is coming out now. The latest reporting has finally disclosed that the reporting was being driven by a "source" who is the former Democrat state party chairman and who apparently has not spoken to the person in question. This goes a long way to explaining what is going on - this is a political hit piece. This is and remains an almost three-year-old private matter with no matter of public interest at stake. Eric and Sheena have worked through those issues long ago and I think that Sheena put it best: 'We have a loving marriage and an awesome family; anything beyond that is between us and God. I want the media and those who wish to peddle gossip to stay away from me and my children.' Now we know who has been peddling that gossip."

 Late Wednesday, Bennett released the following statement:

 "The governor has now seen the TV report that ran tonight. The station declined to provide the tape or transcript in advance of running their story, which contained multiple false allegations. The claim that this nearly three-year old story has generated or should generate law enforcement interest is completely false. There was no blackmail and that claim is false. This personal matter has been addressed by the Governor and Mrs. Greitens privately years ago when it happened. The outrageous claims of improper conduct regarding these almost three-year-ago events are false."

 When questioned by News 4, Greitens did not address the issue of the photograph but the Governor and his wife did release the following statement:

 "A few years ago, before Eric was elected Governor, there was a time when he was unfaithful in our marriage. This was a deeply personal mistake. Eric took responsibility, and we dealt with this together honestly and privately. While we never would have wished for this pain in our marriage, or the pain that this has caused others, with God’s mercy Sheena has forgiven and we have emerged stronger. We understand that there will be some people who cannot forgive – but for those who can find it in your heart, Eric asks for your forgiveness, and we are grateful for your love, your compassion, and your prayers."

 Sheena Greitens added:

 "We have a loving marriage and an awesome family; anything beyond that is between us and God. I want the media and those who wish to peddle gossip to stay away from me and my children."

 Copyright 2018 KMOV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved. ||||| JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens acknowledges he was "unfaithful" in his marriage but denies allegations that he blackmailed the woman he had an extramarital affair with to stay quiet.

 The Republican governor and his wife released a statement Wednesday night. It came after St. Louis television station KMOV reported that Greitens had a sexual relationship with his former hairdresser in 2015. The station reported that the woman's ex-husband alleged Greitens photographed her nude and threatened to publicize the images if she spoke about the affair.

 The woman allegedly involved did not comment on the record to the station, which released its report late Wednesday after Greitens gave his State of the State speech. But her ex-husband provided a recording of her detailing a sexual encounter with Greitens and saying Greitens told her the photos would be released if she exposed the affair. She did not know she was being recorded.

 Greitens' statement with his wife, Sheena, didn't address the affair specifically or the allegations, but in a separate statement Greitens' attorney, Jim Bennett, said, "There was no blackmail and that claim is false." |||||

– Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens acknowledges he was "unfaithful" in his marriage but denies allegations that he blackmailed the woman he had an affair with to stay quiet, the AP reports. The Republican governor and his wife, Sheena, released a joint statement Wednesday night after KMOV reported that Greitens had a sexual relationship with his former hairdresser in 2015. The station reported that the woman's ex-husband alleged Greitens photographed her nude and threatened to publicize the images if she spoke about the affair. "A few years ago, before Eric was elected governor, there was a time when he was unfaithful in our marriage," the Greitens' statement said. "It was a deeply personal mistake." The woman allegedly involved did not comment on the record to KMOV, which released its report late Wednesday after Greitens gave his State of the State speech. But her ex-husband, who divorced her in 2016, provided a recording of her detailing a sexual encounter with Greitens and saying Greitens told her the photos would be released if she exposed the affair. She did not know she was being recorded. Greitens' statement with his wife didn't address the affair specifically or the allegations, but in a separate statement, Greitens' attorney, Jim Bennett, said, "There was no blackmail and that claim is false." St. Louis Public Radio notes that the news could damage Greitens' higher political aspirations, especially since his 2016 campaign focused on character and family values.


Credit: Todd Williamson/WireImage/Getty Images.

 Sharon Stone's former nanny is suing her, claiming the "Basic Instinct" actress used racially derogatory comments around her and violated labor laws.

 Stone, through a publicist, called the move "an absurd lawsuit that has been filed by a disgruntled ex-employee."

 Erlinda T. Elemen, a Filipino woman who worked as Stone's live-in housekeeper and nanny for five years, filed a lawsuit today in Los Angeles Superior Court blaming Stone for various offenses.

 In the suit, Elemen claimed she was asked not to speak to Stone's children because Stone did not want them to pick up her Filipino accent. Elemen added that Stone criticized her for attending church and at one point, forbade her to read the Bible in the house.

 Elemen said Stone withheld overtime payment from her. When Elemen brought it up, she claimed Stone paid her the wages but accused her of stealing, berated her in front of guests, and eventually fired her for accepting the overtime pay.

 The nanny was seeking an unspecified amount of unpaid wages, damages and penalties.

 Through her publicist, Paul Bloch, Stone said Elemen "is obviously looking to get money any way she can. After she was terminated approximately 1½ years ago, she filed claims for alleged disability and workers compensation. Now, she is obviously looking for another opportunity to cash in. This is a frivolous lawsuit for absurd claims that are made-up and fabricated. Sharon Stone will be completely vindicated in court."

 Last year, Stone was sued by a man who slipped and fell 15 feet while working on her house. She was ordered to pay him $232,000. ||||| Sharon Stone Sued Nanny Claims Actress Called Her Stupid Filipino

 breaking news

 's former nanny is suing the actress, claiming the actress repeatedly went on a tear against Filipinos, calling them stupid people.Erlinda Elemen claims in her lawsuit ... Sharon would not cut her a break, berating her for her religion, even forbidding her from reading the Bible in her own room in Sharon's house.Elemen, a Filipino woman, claims Sharon ordered her NOT to speak to the kids because she did not want them "to talk like you."Elemen also claims Sharon bagged on Filipino food.The former nanny claims Sharon tried to take back the overtime she was paid. Elemen says after she challenged Sharon on the OT, Stone repeatedly verbally attacked her for 3 weeks in front of guests, staff and others, and then fired her in February, 2011.Sharon's attorney tells TMZ, "This is an absurd lawsuit that has been filed by a disgruntled ex-employee who is obviously looking to get money and way she can." |||||

Write a summary.

– According to a new lawsuit, Sharon Stone hired a nanny … then wouldn't let her speak to Stone's children, lest they pick up her Filipino accent. This according to Erlinda T. Elemen, who worked as Stone's live-in housekeeper and nanny for five years, and who claims Stone made other racially derogatory comments around her. Elemen claims she was fired after she asked Stone to pay her overtime wages that the actress had originally withheld; Stone allegedly paid her but screamed at her and called her a thief, then fired her for taking the pay. The craziness doesn't stop there: The lawsuit also claims Stone criticized Elemen for going to church and wouldn't let her read her Bible in the house at one point, and TMZ notes that Stone is also accused of calling Filipinos stupid and dissing their food. Now Elemen wants unpaid wages, plus damages and penalties, ABC News reports. Stone's publicist says Elemen is just looking for a way to "cash in" after being terminated, and calls the lawsuit "frivolous" and the claims "absurd," "made-up and fabricated."


Details are just beginning to surface of an extreme and horrible case of animal abuse and the man accused of killing several dogs in his Meridian Township apartment.

 Prosecutors say the crimes were carried out over several months inside the man's apartment. The allegations are shocking enough, but the man we're talking about was a student at Michigan State University, studying to be a doctor.

 24 year old Andrew David Thompson was formally charged with ten counts of killing and torturing an animal. He's also charged with one count of abandoning and cruelty to one animal. Prosecutors say they're still investigating and more charges are likely to follow.

 Thompson lived in the Berry Tree apartment complex. It's located in Meridian Township just off Mount Hope near Hagadorn Road. Prosecutors say it's where Thompson brought dogs over the past several months and killed them. They say someone called police which led officers to execute a search warrant of Thompson's apartment and eventually make the arrest. Neighbors say they're shocked to learn of the allegations.

 Megan Monticciolo, neighbor: "It's a little crazy and kind of creepy, because I live right down the hall and I had no idea that this was happening. I couldn't hear anything. No one ever said anything."

 Amanda Gnau, neighbor: "It's weird that someone could be normal on the outside, but be doing things like that. It makes you think twice."

 Thompson is behind bars in the Ingham County Jail on a 100,000 dollar bond. He's due back in court on July fifth. ||||| Bond Raised To $600,000 For Man Facing Animal Abuse Charges Posted: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 10:28 PM EDT Updated: Tuesday, July 5, 2011 10:47 AM EDT

 When help arrived and opened the hood of her car, a 20 pound python stared him down.

 When help arrived and opened the hood of her car, a 20 pound python stared him down.

 When help arrived and opened the hood of her car, a 20 pound python stared him down.

 It happened shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Bellevue Street and Covert Street, near ISC Plating in Leslie.

 It happened shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Bellevue Street and Covert Street, near ISC Plating in Leslie.

 It happened shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Bellevue Street and Covert Street, near ISC Plating in Leslie.

 It happened shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Bellevue Street and Covert Street, near ISC Plating in Leslie.

 It happened shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Bellevue Street and Covert Street, near ISC Plating in Leslie.

 It happened shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Bellevue Street and Covert Street, near ISC Plating in Leslie.

 It happened around 2:40 a.m. Friday in Summit Township.

 It happened around 2:40 a.m. Friday in Summit Township.

 A Michigan construction company says it's shutting down all of its operations, after announcing a partial shutdown earlier this week.

 A Michigan construction company says it's shutting down all of its operations, after announcing a partial shutdown earlier this week.

 A Michigan construction company says it's shutting down all of its operations, after announcing a partial shutdown earlier this week.

 A Michigan construction company says it's shutting down all of its operations, after announcing a partial shutdown earlier this week.

 A Michigan construction company says it's shutting down all of its operations, after announcing a partial shutdown earlier this week.

 More than seven thousand people were expected to visit the festival grounds Sunday night and about 50 thousand for the week

 More than seven thousand people were expected to visit the festival grounds Sunday night and about 50 thousand for the week

 More than seven thousand people were expected to visit the festival grounds Sunday night and about 50 thousand for the week

 More than seven thousand people were expected to visit the festival grounds Sunday night and about 50 thousand for the week

 More than seven thousand people were expected to visit the festival grounds Sunday night and about 50 thousand for the week

 More than seven thousand people were expected to visit the festival grounds Sunday night and about 50 thousand for the week

 More than seven thousand people were expected to visit the festival grounds Sunday night and about 50 thousand for the week

 The first incident was a pizza delivery man who was robbed at gunpoint.

 The first incident was a pizza delivery man who was robbed at gunpoint.

 The first incident was a pizza delivery man who was robbed at gunpoint.

 The first incident was a pizza delivery man who was robbed at gunpoint.

 The first incident was a pizza delivery man who was robbed at gunpoint.

 The first incident was a pizza delivery man who was robbed at gunpoint.

 The first incident was a pizza delivery man who was robbed at gunpoint.

 Argentina captain Lionel Messi vomited during the World Cup final, as he has done on many occasions both for Argentina and club team Barcelona.

 Argentina captain Lionel Messi vomited during the World Cup final, as he has done on many occasions both for Argentina and club team Barcelona.

 This weekend, for the first time, the Central Michigan T's Model T Club took a step into history as they were given a private tour of the grounds.

 This weekend, for the first time, the Central Michigan T's Model T Club took a step into history as they were given a private tour of the grounds.

 This weekend, for the first time, the Central Michigan T's Model T Club took a step into history as they were given a private tour of the grounds.

 This weekend, for the first time, the Central Michigan T's Model T Club took a step into history as they were given a private tour of the grounds.

 This weekend, for the first time, the Central Michigan T's Model T Club took a step into history as they were given a private tour of the grounds.

 This weekend, for the first time, the Central Michigan T's Model T Club took a step into history as they were given a private tour of the grounds.

 This weekend, for the first time, the Central Michigan T's Model T Club took a step into history as they were given a private tour of the grounds.

 A person claiming to be a Facebook administrator sends you a friend request. Once you accept the request, the person send you message saying you won the Facebook lottery.

 A person claiming to be a Facebook administrator sends you a friend request. Once you accept the request, the person send you message saying you won the Facebook lottery.

 A person claiming to be a Facebook administrator sends you a friend request. Once you accept the request, the person send you message saying you won the Facebook lottery.

 A person claiming to be a Facebook administrator sends you a friend request. Once you accept the request, the person send you message saying you won the Facebook lottery.

 A person claiming to be a Facebook administrator sends you a friend request. Once you accept the request, the person send you message saying you won the Facebook lottery.

 A person claiming to be a Facebook administrator sends you a friend request. Once you accept the request, the person send you message saying you won the Facebook lottery.

 A person claiming to be a Facebook administrator sends you a friend request. Once you accept the request, the person send you message saying you won the Facebook lottery.

 19-year-old Connor McCowan was sentenced to 20 to 60 years behind bars for the stabbing murder of Andrew Singler back in February 2013.

 19-year-old Connor McCowan was sentenced to 20 to 60 years behind bars for the stabbing murder of Andrew Singler back in February 2013.

 19-year-old Connor McCowan was sentenced to 20 to 60 years behind bars for the stabbing murder of Andrew Singler back in February 2013.

 19-year-old Connor McCowan was sentenced to 20 to 60 years behind bars for the stabbing murder of Andrew Singler back in February 2013.

 19-year-old Connor McCowan was sentenced to 20 to 60 years behind bars for the stabbing murder of Andrew Singler back in February 2013.

 19-year-old Connor McCowan was sentenced to 20 to 60 years behind bars for the stabbing murder of Andrew Singler back in February 2013.

 19-year-old Connor McCowan was sentenced to 20 to 60 years behind bars for the stabbing murder of Andrew Singler back in February 2013.

 A Michigan State University medical student accused of killing several dogs faced a judge again Wednesday morning. Wednesday, 24-year-old Andrew David Thompson was in East Lansing's District Court where he was formally charged with three additional counts of killing, mutilating or torturing an animal.

 The latest charges, out of East Lansing are on top of the 11 other charges issued earlier this week from Meridian Township. He lives at the Berry Tree complex off Mt. Hope near Hagadorn Road. Prosecutors believe Thompson bought several dogs over the past nine months, took them there, and killed them.

 Right now, Thompson's behind bars in the Ingham County jail. His bail has been set at $600,000.

 "I believe that this court's decision was excessive, inappropriate, much higher than would be warranted given the nature of the charges," said George Zulakis, Thompson's attorney.

 The MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine suspended Thompson on June 23 when the allegations first surfaced. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– A Michigan medical student is being charged with torturing and killing up to 14 dogs he purchased in the last nine months. Police checked on David Thompson, 24, after a tipster complained that he was bringing in a large number of dogs, mostly Italian greyhounds, that were never seen again. The Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine suspended Thompson last week when the first charges surfaced. Thompson is currently in jail, struggling to come up with his $100,000 bail. If convicted, he faces up to 4 years in prison on each of the 14 charges against him, reports WLNS.


News article:

Police in Mexico are searching for a band of 20 musicians and roadies who went missing after a gig.

 Kombo Kolombia, who are Mexicans but play Colombian-style vallenato music, last played a private gig in Hidalgo, north Mexico, but have not been seen or answered their mobile phones since.

 "They were not answering their mobile phones, but we just thought it was because they were in a remote place," said family member Jose Ruiz.

 "We started to look for them, and we found their cars open and empty, and neither they nor their instruments were at the farm where they were scheduled to play."

 Police confirmed that the band has not been seen or heard from since Thursday.

 A number of musicians have been kidnapped and murdered by drug gangs in Mexico over the last few years.

 In 2007 Sergio Gomez, singer in the band K-Pax, was kidnapped and strangled to death.

 Hours after denying reports of his murder, Sergio Vega, known as El Shaka, was shot dead while driving his red Cadillac.

 Most of those murdered were narcocorridos, who sing songs celebrating the lives of drug barons.

 Among them is Diego Rivas, who was shot dead in 2011 after composing a song in praise of Joaquin Shorty Guzman, Mexico's most wanted drug baron.

 The missing band play Colombian music, not usually linked to drug gangs, but local media report that the venue of the band's last gig does have links to drug violence.

 Last year conductor and pianist Rodolfo Cazares, music director of the Bremerhaven City Theatre in Germany, was kidnapped while visiting relatives in Mexico. He has not been seen since. Fears are growing that he may have been murdered by a drug gang.

 Last year more than 70,000 people died in drug-related violence in Mexico, prompting President Enrique Pena Nieto, who was sworn in last December, to set-up a new national police force to tackle organised crime.

 To report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e-mail:

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 This article is copyrighted by IBTimes.co.uk, the business news leader ||||| Authorities in northern Mexico still have no leads after searching two days for 20 people with a Colombian-style band who went missing after a private performance at a bar, an official with the Nuevo Leon State Investigation Agency said Sunday.

 The 20 people include 15 members of Kombo Kolombia and the band's crew.

 People living near the bar in Hidalgo municipality north of Monterrey reported hearing gunshots about 4 a.m. Friday, following by the sound of vehicles speeding away, said the source with the state agency. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to be quoted by the news media.

 The officials added that gunfire is common in the area, and said investigators found spent bullets nearby.

 Relatives filed an official report about their missing loved ones on Friday, after they lost cellular telephone contact with them following the Thursday night performance. When family members went to the bar to investigate, they found the band members' vehicles still parked outside.

 For three years, Kombo Kolombia has played a Colombian style of music known as vallenato, which is popular in Nuevo Leon state. Most of the group's musicians were from the area, and have held large concerts in addition to bar performances.

 Nuevo Leon state officials said one of those missing is a Colombian citizen with Mexican residency.

 Members of other musical bands, usually groups that performed "narcocorridos" celebrating the exploits of drug traffickers, have been killed in Mexico in recent years. But Kombo Kolombia did not play that type of music and its lyrics did not deal with violence or drug trafficking. |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– Members of a Colombian-style band who disappeared after a gig in northern Mexico last week have become the latest musicians to be kidnapped and murdered by drug gangs, authorities fear. The 16-man Kombo Kolombia band and four of its roadies were reported missing early Friday; investigators have now discovered at least eight bodies dumped in a well in the area, the AP reports. The band members were Mexican but played Colombian-style vallenato music, which is not normally associated with drug gangs, the International Business Times reports. After the band played a private show in a bar north of Monterrey last Thursday night, people reported hearing gunshots and vehicles speeding away. The band members' empty vehicles were found outside the bar.


Here is a news article: WASHINGTON  White House national security adviser James Jones says Americans will feel "a certain shock" when they read an account being released Thursday of the missed clues that could have prevented the alleged Christmas Day bomber from ever boarding the plane. President Obama "is legitimately and correctly alarmed that things that were available, bits of information that were available, patterns of behavior that were available, were not acted on," Jones said in an interview Wednesday with USA TODAY. "That's two strikes," Obama's top White House aide on defense and foreign policy issues said, referring to the foiled bombing of the Detroit-bound airliner and the shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, in November. In that case, too, officials failed to act when red flags were raised about an Army psychiatrist, Maj. Nidal Hasan. He has been charged with killing 13 people. Jones said Obama "certainly doesn't want that third strike, and neither does anybody else." The White House plans to release an unclassified report Thursday on what went wrong in the incident involving a 23-year-old Nigerian man who tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight. THE OVAL: Obama not done with fallout from Christmas plot BEFORE ATTACK: Two in three favor full-body scanners, poll finds BOMB-SNIFFING DOGS: Three in Philly fail tests In Detroit Wednesday, the suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was indicted on charges that include attempted murder and trying to use a weapon of mass destruction to kill nearly 300 people. Abdulmutallab, who faces life in prison if convicted, is to appear for the first time in federal court Friday. He has told investigators that he was trained and equipped in Yemen by a group affiliated with al-Qaeda. His father had gone to the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria to warn American officials that his son seemed to be turning to extremist ideology. Even so, Abdulmutallab's visa to the U.S. wasn't revoked and he wasn't placed on the "no-fly" list. Jones said the remedies involve "tweaks" rather than the overhaul that followed the Sept. 11 attacks— for instance, hiring for intelligence agencies so analysts aren't overwhelmed by their workload. "We know what happened, we know what didn't happen, and we know how to fix it," Jones, a retired four-star Marine general, said in an interview in his West Wing office. "That should be an encouraging aspect. We don't have to reinvent anything to make sure it doesn't happen again." Senate Intelligence Chairman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said a "very comprehensive no-fly list" would be "the greatest protection our country has." In an interview, she said the definition of who can be included should be expanded to include anyone about whom there is "a reasonable suspicion." Contributing: The Associated Press Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more ||||| Anwar al-Awlaki has also been linked to the Fort Hood shootings The alleged US plane bomber met radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen, after being recruited in London, a senior Yemeni official has said. Last week US security official John Brennan said there were "indications" of direct contact between the two men. Mr Awlaki was linked to an attack by a US Army major on the Fort Hood base in November, in which 13 people died. Yemen's deputy prime minister also said bomb suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab used explosives from Nigeria not Yemen. Mr Abdulmutallab was indicted by a US grand jury on six counts on Wednesday. ANWAR AL-AWLAKI Born 1971 in New Mexico Sermons in San Diego, California, attended by two of 9/11 hijackers Endorsed violence as religious duty Moved to Yemen in 2004 to live in ancestral home village Jailed in 2006 for alleged plot to kidnap US military attache Advised Fort Hood suspect Maj Nidal Malik Hasan by e-mail

 Profile: Anwar al-Awlaki Al-Qaeda's influence in Yemen Q&A: 'Jet bomber' case Charges against him include attempted murder of the 290 people aboard the plane and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. Mr Abdulmutallab allegedly tried to detonate a bomb on Northwest flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit, but the plane landed safely after crew and passengers overpowered him. In a separate development, Yemeni Deputy Prime Minister Rashad al-Alimi said that five Germans including three children and a Briton kidnapped in Yemen six months ago were still alive. He said northern Shia rebels were co-operating with al-Qaeda over the kidnap. 'Not just a cleric' Mr Alimi told journalists that Mr Abdulmutallab "joined al-Qaeda in London". The suspected bomber studied at University College London (UCL) from September 2005 to June 2008 and was president of its Islamic society in 2006-07. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab has been in custody since 25 December But UCL has said there is no evidence to suggest Mr Abdulmutallab was radicalised while he was there, and UK officials responding to the Yemeni statement said they still believed his recruitment occurred in Yemen in the months before the attack. Mr Alimi said the suspect met Mr Awlaki in the cleric's ancestral home province of Shabwa. Mr Awlaki, a radical American Muslim cleric of Yemeni descent, has been linked to other attacks, including that carried out by Maj Nidal Malik Hasan of the US Army at the Fort Hood base in Texas in November. "Mr Awlaki is a problem. He's clearly a part of al-Qaeda in [the] Arabian Peninsula," Mr Brennan, who is US deputy national security adviser, told CNN last week. "He's not just a cleric. He is in fact trying to instigate terrorism." Some reports say the cleric was killed just before the Christmas attack, in an airstrike on a suspected al-Qaeda base. However, friends and relatives say he was not harmed in the raid. The BBC's Jeremy Bowen in Sanaa says Yemen has been accused of soft-pedalling on al-Qaeda and is currently under pressure from its ally the US to produce results. There have been a number of shootouts recently, but the authorities have as yet been unable to capture one of their prime targets, Mohammed al-Hanouk. However, Mr Hanouk is a member of a prominent tribal family, our correspondent says, and this suggests that the government is prepared to push hard in directions it might be easier to leave alone. 'A certain shock' Confirmation of the meeting between the alleged bomber and the cleric comes as the White House plans to publish a declassified account of the Christmas Day plot. In an interview for USA Today newspaper, National Security Adviser Gen James Jones said people would feel "a certain shock" that clues about Mr Abdulmutallab's role were not acted on. President Barack Obama "is legitimately and correctly alarmed that things that were available, bits of information that were available, patterns of behaviour that were available, were not acted on", he said. Mr Obama is expected to address the nation about the incident later in the day and unveil new steps aimed at avoiding further terrorist attacks.

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A summary of this is?

– The public will feel “a certain shock” at the security failures outlined in the unclassified report on the Christmas Day attack being released today, says national security adviser Jim Jones. In an interview with USA Today, Jones doesn’t downplay the miscues, saying President Obama is “legitimately and correctly alarmed” that intelligence wasn’t acted upon. Combined with the Fort Hood shooting, “that’s two strikes,” says Jones. “He certainly doesn’t want that third strike.” Meanwhile, a Yemeni official confirmed a link between those attacks, telling the BBC that alleged would-be bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had met with radical American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who authorities believe was also in contact with the Fort Hood shooter. Abdulmutallab was recruited in London, the official said, then flew to Yemen to meet Awlaki. But he noted that the explosives were from Nigeria, not Yemen.


Article:
About 350 U.S. newspapers published editorials Thursday (Aug. 16) as part of a coordinated effort to defend the freedom of the press and chastise President Donald Trump for constantly bashing news organizations as "enemies of the people."

 The initiative was organized by Boston Globe op-ed page editor Marjorie Pritchard, who called for editorial voices nationwide to unite against the president's rhetoric, which some fear will incite physical violence against reporters and others working at media outlets.

 "Our words will differ," Pritchard said. "But at least we can agree that such attacks are alarming."

 The Fake News hates me saying that they are the Enemy of the People only because they know it's TRUE. I am providing a great service by explaining this to the American People. They purposely cause great division & distrust. They can also cause War! They are very dangerous & sick! -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2018

 "We're not the enemy of the people," Pritchard said in an interview this week. "We thought that a coordinated effort across the country would make a powerful statement about the importance of a free press."

 The Globe and The New York Times were the biggest names to join a list that also included the Houston Chronicle, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Miami Herald and the Denver Post.

 The NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune editorial board chose not to participate. We believe a local news organization's voice should be independent. And we believe our work, and the president's attacks on the press, speak for themselves.

 Not everyone in the media agrees with the Globe's strategy. Politico reporter Jack Shafer pointed out that an allegedly independent press all engaged in "groupthink" will only reaffirm the worst opinions that many people already share.

 "Most journalists agree that there's a great need for Trump rebuttals," Shafer writes. "But this Globe-sponsored coordinated editorial response is sure to backfire: It will provide Trump with circumstantial evidence of the existence of a national press cabal that has been convened solely to oppose him."

 Trump's forthcoming speeches almost write themselves, Shafer says: "By colluding against me, the fake media proved once and for all, that they are in cahoots with the Democrats and have declared themselves to be my true political opposition ... " for example.

 The Boston Globe, which was sold to the the Failing New York Times for 1.3 BILLION DOLLARS (plus 800 million dollars in losses & investment), or 2.1 BILLION DOLLARS, was then sold by the Times for 1 DOLLAR. Now the Globe is in COLLUSION with other papers on free press. PROVE IT! -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2018

 Many of the newspapers are not just singing from the same hymnals but also preaching to the choir. Most, if not all of these newspapers, either endorsed Democrat Hillary Clinton over Trump in 2016 or made a show of their disgust by not endorsing at all.

 This endeavor seems likely to have the same impact.

 The very legitimate defenses of the First Amendment and the importance of a free and independent press are certain to get swallowed up in the partisan divide and the strong feelings of many that Trump never gets a fair shake from the mainstream media.

 There also is the issue of the "Trump bump," the increase in circulation enjoyed by some outlets, most notably The New York Times, for the aggressive news coverage and editorial opposition to the president and his administration.

 So, it wasn't the greatest look that three paragraphs into its online editorial, The Boston Globe included an ad that says: "Our subscribers support a free press. Please join that effort. Subscribe now."

 The Globe editorial, under the headline "Journalists are NOT the enemy," concludes:

 "Lies are antithetical to an informed citizenry, responsible for self-governance. The greatness of America is dependent on the role of a free press to speak the truth to the powerful. To label the press 'the enemy of the people' is as un-American as it is dangerous to the civic compact we have shared for more than two centuries."

 The New York Times editorial, headlined "A Free Press Needs You," begins with a brief history of the beginnings of the idea of a free press, then notes:

 "In 2018, some of the most damaging attacks are coming from government officials. Criticizing the news media -- for underplaying or overplaying stories, for getting something wrong -- is entirely right. News reporters and editors are human, and make mistakes. Correcting them is core to our job. But insisting that truths you don't like are 'fake news' is dangerous to the lifeblood of democracy. And calling journalists the 'enemy of the people' is dangerous, period."

 The editorial concludes:

 "If you haven't already, please subscribe to your local papers. Praise them when you think they've done a good job and criticize them when you think they could do better. We're all in this together."

 Yes, but we all also need to think for ourselves and arrive at our own conclusions. Having 350 editorial voices saying the same thing on the same day just seems to prove Trump's point.

 Tim Morris is an opinions columnist at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. He can be reached at tmorris@nola.com. Follow him on Twitter @tmorris504. ||||| [Read The New York Times editorial here.]

 Speaking to reporters ahead of a cabinet meeting, Mr. Trump briefly alluded to the editorials.

 “If you’d like, you can stay. If you’d like, you can leave,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “Freedom of the press.”

 The Senate on Thursday passed a resolution in support of press freedoms, which included an affirmation “that the press is not the enemy of the people.”

 Mr. Trump took a swipe at The Globe by noting that The New York Times Company had sold the paper at a steep loss, though he incorrectly said that the price had been $1. The Times Company sold The Globe and other properties for $70 million in 2013, after having paid $1.1 billion two decades before.

 The president’s tweets came a day after the White House announced that Mr. Trump had taken the unprecedented step of revoking the security clearance of one of his biggest critics, John O. Brennan, the former director of the C.I.A. Mr. Brennan said the president’s action was an attempt to silence him and a warning to others who speak out against him and his administration’s policies. ||||| News Bias: The Boston Globe had the great idea to get 100 newspapers around the country to publish editorials Thursday to "push back" against President Trump for his critical remarks about the press. In doing so, they've only confirmed that he is dead right.

 X

 The idea is to counterbalance Trump's effective recent jabs at the press for their "fake news" and his clearly inflammatory remark that the news media are the "enemy of the people."

 "We have some big newspapers, but the majority are from smaller markets, all enthusiastic about standing up to Trump's assault on journalism," Marjorie Pritchard, the Globe's deputy editorial page editor, told CNN.

 Though the number of participating newspapers was initially estimated at 100, it now appears it will be about 70. Still, that's a lot. And even the American Society of Newspaper Editors has disgraced itself by supporting it.

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 That so many news outlets could be duped into participating in what is obviously a political stunt is not only disappointing but disturbing. It suggests their real agenda isn't informing people, even in their editorials, but bending the news to suit a leftist political agenda.

 The irony, of course, is that in participating in this Antifa-inspired mob action, the media are proving what Trump says is true. They are biased.

 What's called "fake news" comes in many forms, such as reporting something that isn't true or that lacks proof.

 In recent days, for instance, coverage of Omarosa Manigault-Newman's scathing book on working for Trump, "Unhinged: An Insider Account of the Trump White House," has been all over the media. She claims a tape exists of Trump using an ugly racial epithet on the reality show "The Apprentice." Many media accounts cite it.

 Fair enough. Where is it? Can we hear it or see it? Apparently not. Does it exist? If it does, no one's brought it forward.

 Yet, Newman does have surreptitiously recorded tape of White House aide John Kelly quite justifiably firing her, and another recorded bit of a private conversation she had with a sympathetic President Trump in which he said he was "sad" to see her go. That beast!

 Trump "unhinged?" Fake news.

 Meanwhile, a sinister and frightening extremist Islamist religious movement in New Mexico allegedly instructs children how to engage in mass terrorist shootings, and the national media virtually ignore it. And its leader is the son and namesake of Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, the imam of Brooklyn, N.Y.'s At-Taqwa Mosque, who has extensive ties to the Democratic Party.

 The media's response? Crickets.

 As we noted recently, the bias has even permeated the media's coverage of the economy. The media are seriously misinforming the public about what's happening in the economy — and why.

 "The stronger the economy gets under Trump, the more desperate his critics are to hand credit over to Obama," we wrote last week in an editorial about the media's economic blind spots when it comes to Trumponomics. "A recent New York Times story says it all: 'An economic upturn begun under Obama is now Trump's to tout.' "

 Getting The Economy Wrong, Too

 We can't blame only the Times. Many in the media now ascribe recent major gains in economic activity that are clearly related to Trump policy changes to President Obama. It's as perverse as it is wrong. And it is a matter of statistical fact that Obama, whatever else you think of him, had the worst economic record of any president since the Great Depression.

 He inherited an economy ripe for a major rebound after the financial crisis and instead delivered eight years of mediocre gains.

 These are but two of the recently misreported or underreported stories propagated by the so-called mainstream media. Our major media are in fact filled with left-leaning reporters and editors who refuse to acknowledge their obvious bias — or when they do acknowledge it, deny it has any bearing on their reporting. When challenged, they wrap themselves in the First Amendment and pretend to be martyrs.

 Trump knows this. He's basically trolled the media to get them to explicitly show their anti-Trump bias. It worked like a charm. Kudos to the Boston Globe and the others for falling for it.

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 Want to make more money in the stock market? Start with IBD University. ||||| Nothing flatters an independent journalist less than the sight of him forming a line to drink from the same fountain as his colleagues. Such a spectacle will unfold on Thursday, August 16, as 200 or more editorial pages will heed the call sounded by Boston Globe op-ed page editor Marjorie Pritchard to run editorials opposing President Donald Trump’s unrelieved press-bashing. Participating dailies include the Houston Chronicle, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Miami Herald and the Denver Post, as well as the Globe. Joining the movement are the American Society of News Editors and the New England Newspaper and Press Association. Dan Rather is on board, as is the Radio Television Digital News Association.

 “Our words will differ. But at least we can agree that such attacks are alarming,” Pritchard’s appeal declared.

 Story Continued Below

 It goes without saying that press bashing, Trump-style, is alarming. His critiques rarely point to genuine inaccuracies in the press. Instead, his method is to dismiss any news that impedes his agenda or disparages him as fake and dishonest. With demagogic bluster, he routinely deploys “enemies of the people” rhetoric against journalists, which some say has inspired physical threats against journalists. Early this month, he tweeted that reporters are “dangerous & sick” and accused them of causing war (!) and purposely causing “great division & distrust.” Early in his presidency, Trump said, “I’ve never seen more dishonest media than, frankly, the political media.”

 Most journalists agree that there’s a great need for Trump rebuttals. I’ve written my share. But this Globe-sponsored coordinated editorial response is sure to backfire: It will provide Trump with circumstantial evidence of the existence of a national press cabal that has been convened solely to oppose him. When the editorials roll off the press on Thursday, all singing from the same script, Trump will reap enough fresh material to whale on the media for at least a month. His forthcoming speeches almost write themselves: By colluding against me, the fake media proved once and for all, that they are in cahoots with the Democrats and have declared themselves to be my true political opposition …

 The Globe’s anti-Trump project is also an exercise in redundancy, not to mention self-stroking. Most newspapers have already published a multitude of editorials and columns rebuking the president for his trash-talking of the press. Most major editorial boards opposed Trump’s election, according to this tally by Business Insider. The largest of the 19 newspapers to endorse Trump was the Las Vegas Review-Journal, owned by one of his faithful donors, Sheldon Adelson. More than 240 endorsed Hillary Clinton. Editorial-page sentiment against Trump remains largely unchanged since the election, making the call for a collective reprimand all the more pointless.

 Another problem with a nationally coordinated pro-press catechism is that the audience likely to reap the greatest benefit from the haranguing—Trump and many in his base—tends not to read newspapers in the first place. While there’s always value in preaching to the choir—that’s why churches hold services every Sunday—the combined weight of 200 pro-press editorials is not likely to move the opinion needle or deter Trump from defaming and threatening reporters.

 Most newspaper editorials are already a watered-down product of groupthink. It’s unlikely that expanding the size of the group and encouraging everybody to bake and serve a tuna-fish casserole on the same day will produce editorials that are more interesting and persuasive than the normal fare.

 But maybe I’m wrong. If a single day of pro-press editorials is a good idea for a collective assignment, then maybe newspapers should set aside next Saturday for 200 editorials on tariffs and next Sunday for 200 editorials on global warming and next Monday for 200 editorials on Afghanistan. Surely these issues are as compelling and urgent as press freedom.

 For all its faults, the American press refuses the commands from critics who would have it operate like some monolithic entity. Almost daily, our best newspapers express their independence by rejecting the marching orders issued by corporations, politicians and governments. Editorial pages of America, don’t unite! Think for yourselves! Reject this stupid pro-press assignment!

 ******

 Send collective assignments to Shafer.Politico@gmail.com. I will ignore them. My email alerts endorsed George Papoon for president in 2016. My Twitter feed wrote in Alfred E. Neuman. My RSS feed voted for whatever knucklehead the Libertarian Party put up.

 Jack Shafer is Politico’s senior media writer.

 This article tagged under: Media

 Newspapers

 Donald Trump ||||| (CNN) About 350 newspapers in the United States had editorials Thursday decrying President Donald Trump's description of the media as the "enemy of the people." |||||Summary:

– More than 340 newspapers published editorials Thursday decrying President Trump's repeated attacks on the media, and now Trump has responded. "The Boston Globe, which was sold to the the Failing New York Times for 1.3 BILLION DOLLARS (plus 800 million dollars in losses & investment), or 2.1 BILLION DOLLARS, was then sold by the Times for 1 DOLLAR. Now the Globe is in COLLUSION with other papers on free press. PROVE IT!" Trump tweeted Thursday, adding, "There is nothing that I would want more for our Country than true FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. The fact is that the Press is FREE to write and say anything it wants, but much of what it says is FAKE NEWS, pushing a political agenda or just plain trying to hurt people. HONESTY WINS!" Earlier Thursday, he had tweeted, "THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA IS THE OPPOSITION PARTY. It is very bad for our Great Country....BUT WE ARE WINNING!" The New York Times notes that Trump's first tweet contained a factual error; the Times Company paid $1.1 billion for the Boston Globe and other properties decades ago, then sold them for $70 million in 2013. But an editorial at Investor's Business Daily Wednesday was on Trump's side, and even used the same charged c-word in its headline: "Editorial Collusion By Dozens Of Newspapers Proves Trump's Point: The Media Are Biased." It calls the move by the newspapers (CNN lists some of those that participated) a "political stunt" that shows the papers are more interested in pushing a left-wing agenda than actually informing the public. And at Politico, Jack Shafer says the plan "played right into Trump's hands" and will surely backfire, despite Trump's attacks on the press being truly "alarming" and deserving of a rebuttal. At NOLA.com Tim Morris echoes that, noting that the Times-Picayune editorial board did not participate because "we believe a local news organization's voice should be independent. ... Having 350 editorial voices saying the same thing on the same day just seems to prove Trump's point."


– Kids playing in the woods Friday stumbled on a body near the home of a missing Maine schoolteacher, the Portland Press Herald reports. A search team was scouring the area around the house of Kristin Westra—who apparently vanished Monday, leaving behind her car and cellphone—when children made the find within 1.5 miles of her house. Police are waiting for the Medical Examiner's Office to make positive identification, but husband Jay Westra didn't hold back: "My heart was crushed today," he posted on Facebook. Jay says his 47-year-old wife was under considerable stress from renovations at home and at Chebeague School, where she taught, and had undergone a safety "assessment" the day she disappeared. "Sunday morning, Kristin was experiencing what I would call some anxiety and she expressed that she had some sleepless nights and was worried," says Jay. A team of police, volunteers, and wardens had searched a 1.5-mile radius around the Westras Lufkin Rd. home on Tuesday and Wednesday, reduced the team size Thursday, and added K-9 teams Friday—but may have missed the body in their sweep. Asked how, Capt. Craig Smith says, "That question has been asked and it is being researched." The body was found 500 to 600 feet from a rural road, per ABC News. Meanwhile, locals tell WGME they're having a tough time over the elementary school teacher's disappearance. "Just kinda be there," says a woman who visited distraught students at Kristin's school. "I brought bagels."

Expand this summary.

The woman missing from North Yarmouth works as a school teacher on Chebeague Island, where locals say they're devastated over her disappearance.

 CHEBEAGUE ISLAND (WGME) -- The woman missing from North Yarmouth works as a school teacher on Chebeague Island, where locals say they're devastated over her disappearance.

 Kristin Westra isn't a resident, but she might as well be. If locals dont know her personally, they know of her. It's a tight-knit community, one thats hurting as they wait for answers.

 "I've never seen her miss a day since I've been here," said Scott Ehlers, who works as a parking attendant in the lot near the ferry terminal on Cousin's Island.

 He said Westra, 47, is a regular. He checks her parking permit and she greets him with a smile.

 "She goes over there everyday," Ehlers said. "Does her job. And everyone over there loves her."

 Westra teaches third through fifth grades at the island's school, which is being renovated. The superintendent declined to speak on camera, but tells CBS 13 it's a very tough time and they want her to come home.

 Fire Chief Ralph Munroe went to the mainland with seven others on Tuesday to help with the search effort.

 "Everybody wants to do something and we're just fortunate enough to be able to help out in that manner," Munroe said.

 Greta Morrissette heard the heartbreak is taking a toll, so she came over to lend a hand at the daycare where many of the teachers and kids know Westra.

 "Just kinda be here," she said. "I brought bagels."

 The Chebeague Island United Methodist Church is bringing islanders together in a similar way, by offering space for prayer and reflection. Earlier this week it hosted dinner for anyone struggling to make sense of Westra's disappearance.

 "Everyone knows everyone and we all love and care for her as part of our beloved community," said Pastor Melissa Yosua-Davis. ||||| NORTH YARMOUTH — Children playing in the woods Friday morning discovered a woman’s body less than half a mile from the home of missing teacher Kristin Westra.

 Police said they could not confirm that the woman was Westra and were awaiting positive identification from the state Medical Examiner’s Office before releasing more information. However, Westra’s husband, Jay Westra, posted publicly on his Facebook page shortly after police announced a body had been found: “My heart was crushed today.”

 Related Headlines Missing teacher sought help for anxiety the day before she disappeared, husband says

 The autopsy likely will take place over the weekend, said Capt. Craig Smith of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office. He would not say who found the body or disclose any information about its discovery near a house on Gray Road about 10:30 a.m. Friday. A man who lives at the house said that his grandchildren had found it.

 Several cars were parked at the Westra home on Lufkin Road on Friday afternoon. One man told a reporter, “As you can imagine, we’re all in shock, and we’re not going to be saying anything right now.”

 A group of Kristin Westra’s friends and co-workers at the Chebeague Island School who had gathered in Yarmouth on Friday also said they didn’t want to talk. “Things are still so raw,” one woman said.

 Westra was last seen Sunday night and police, wardens and volunteers had been searching the area around her home since Monday, when her husband woke up and discovered that she had left, without her car or cellphone.

 Jay Westra later said in an interview with NBC News that his wife was experiencing anxiety and had a safety “assessment“ Sunday before she disappeared from their home. She was under a lot of stress from renovations at the school where she taught and also at home, which she shared with her husband, their daughter and his son.

 “Sunday morning, Kristin was experiencing what I would call some anxiety and she expressed that she had some sleepless nights and was worried,” Jay Westra said.

 Searchers spent Tuesday and Wednesday bushwhacking through thick trees and brush in a roughly 1.5-mile radius around the Westras’ home.

 The active search parties were reduced Thursday but continued throughout the day. The search resumed Friday morning with several K-9 teams and then officials converged on the house on Gray Road, or Route 115, which runs almost parallel to Lufkin Road, with a large tract of woods in between.

 On Friday night, Ed Gervais, who lives in the house, said his grandchildren had found the body in the woods. He was at work at the time, but said his wife, Joyce, was at home.

 Asked if his grandchildren were all right, Gervais said, “I hope so” before declining to comment further.

 Crime scene tape was in front of his house during the day, but officials would not say whether the body was found on that property, which was within the 1.5-mile radius of the Westras’ home on Lufkin Road.

 On Wednesday, the Maine Warden Service had said that the search had “eliminated with high probability” that Westra was within the search zone scoured by wardens, police and dogs. Asked Friday night about how searchers might have missed Westra’s body in that sweep, Smith said in an email “that question has been asked and it is being researched.”

 Kristin Westra’s brother, Eric Rohrbach, has described his sister as an early riser and as someone who is active and fit, and that leaving the home without telling anyone or having a way to communicate was deeply out of character for her.

 Jay Westra said Kristin was not on any medication, and said he would have supported her if she said she needed some time away. After the visit with a medical professional Sunday, Kristin had planned to have blood work done Monday. She also had a plan to return to her usual running and yoga – activities that had been disrupted by the start of school and the renovation project at their home – and to make slight changes to her diet and her sleep patterns.

 “She told me she felt better. We had a plan,” Jay Westra said. “Kristin is a person who when she has a plan, she sticks to the plan and she follows through and she does things well, every time.”

 A candlelight vigil had been planned for Westra at the Congregational Church in Cumberland on Saturday at 5 p.m. It wasn’t clear late Friday afternoon whether that would still happen.

 Staff writer Mary Pols contributed to this report.

 Eric Russell can be contacted at 791-6344 or at:

 [email protected]

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 filed under: ||||| The Senate officially confirmed Brett Kavanaugh Saturday as the next Supreme Court justice -- but the vote, like the controversial confirmation process, was anything but smooth.

 Interested in Supreme Court? Add Supreme Court as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Supreme Court news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest

 Protesters in the public viewing gallery regularly interrupted the vote, screaming "Shame! Shame! Shame!" and causing brief upsets in the roll call vote.

 Vice President Mike Pence, who serves as the president of the Senate, had to repeatedly call for the sergeant at arms to restore order in the gallery.

 "I do not consent! Where's my representation?" one female protester screamed before being forced out of the chamber.

 APTN/AP

 Kavanaugh was sworn in late Saturday by retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose spot on the court he will be taking, and current Supreme Court Judge John Roberts.

 In the end, the vote came down as anticipated, with 50 votes in favor, 48 votes against, and 1 present, confirming Kavanaugh as the next justice in the highest court in the land.

 Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, noted that she would like her vote to be marked as "present," in a logistical maneuver aimed to address the fact that another Republican, Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, was unable to attend the vote because he is scheduled to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding.

 Daines wanted to vote in favor of Kavanaugh, so Murkowski paired her vote with his so they would cancel one another out -- she would have voted against Kavanaugh.

 Senate TV via Reuters

 President Donald Trump tweeted shortly after the vote, congratulating the Senate and his nominee.

 "I applaud and congratulate the U.S. Senate for confirming our GREAT NOMINEE, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, to the United States Supreme Court," he tweeted. "Later today, I will sign his Commission of Appointment, and he will be officially sworn in. Very exciting!"

 I applaud and congratulate the U.S. Senate for confirming our GREAT NOMINEE, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, to the United States Supreme Court. Later today, I will sign his Commission of Appointment, and he will be officially sworn in. Very exciting! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 6, 2018

 Kavanaugh and his wife were seen in a black SUV entering the Supreme Court to be sworn in Saturday night.

 Cliff Owen/AP

 The vote came after weeks of high-stakes political and human drama, as Kavanaugh defended himself against accusations of sexual misconduct.

 The victory marked an instance of President Donald Trump following through on a key campaign promise to turn the court more conservative for generations.

 Trump spoke briefly from the White House lawn before the Senate vote session started, saying that "in the end maybe the process, it was really unattractive, but the extra week was something that I think was really good. I thought it was really good. I think a lot of very positive things happened in the last week. It didn't look that way but in the end, that's what happened."

 As for Kavanaugh, Trump said "he's going in looking really good."

 Mark Wilson/Getty Images

 White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said that Trump called Kavanaugh to congratulate him while onboard Air Force One as he headed to a campaign rally in Kansas.

 Trump told reporters that his speech in Mississippi on Tuesday, days before the vote, had an effect on Kavanaugh's nomination. During that speech, Trump appeared to mock Christine Blasey Ford's testimony about her alleged assault at the hands of Kavanaugh. The judge has denied the accusations.

 "I think the Mississippi speech had a great impact, yes. I think it was a very important thing," Trump said on the plane Saturday.

 "He was chosen for the reason of his temperament, his incredible past, his outstanding years on the court. He’s had an outstanding record, a brilliant scholar, a totally brilliant scholar -- top -- and we’re very honored that he was able to withstand this horrible horrible attack by the Democrats," Trump said.

 The drama of the vote tally

 Kavanaugh's confirmation essentially became a done deal on Friday afternoon, when Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, a key undecided vote, announced on the Senate floor that, despite allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against him, "I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh."

 Just hours earlier, with Kavanaugh's fate still uncertain, the full Senate had voted 51-49 to end debate and advance the nomination, after an additional FBI investigation seemed to turn up nothing to corroborate the allegations.

 "This is not a criminal trial, and I do not believe that claims such as these need to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt," Collins said in a lengthy speech defending her decision.

 The Maine moderate Republican faced heavy political pressure, including from women who came from her home state and demanded that she side with Kavanaugh's chief accuser, Ford.

 Collins' declaration of support for Kavanaugh was quickly followed by West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, another key undecided vote, who issued a statement saying he, too, would vote "yes," giving Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell the support he needed to get Kavanaugh confirmed, even if by one of the narrowest margins in history for a high court nominee.

 Manchin, a red state Democrat in a close re-election fight, said that while he had "reservations' given the accusations, he did what was "best for West Virginia," persuaded Kavanaugh will "follow the Constitution." Protesters shouted "shame" at him as he tried to board an elevator near his office.

 Ford's attorneys said their client has no regrets.

 "I think she feels good about the fact that she came forward and did what she felt strongly was her civic duty to do, which is to provide the information she had to the Judiciary Committee so that they could make a better decision -- a more informed decision," her attorney Lisa Banks told ABC News' Congressional Correspondent Mary Bruce.

 When asked if Ford will ever be able to live a normal life again, her lawyer seemed optimistic.

 "She's going to go back to teaching. She loves being a teacher. She's very good at it," attorney Debra Katz said. "And she's looking forward to getting back to her family and her friends and her job. And we continue this fight, we continue to look for corroborating evidence against Judge Kavanaugh."

 ABC News' Trish Turner and Jeffrey Cook contributed to this report. |||||


– A 7-year-old Syrian girl whose tweets from Aleppo showcased the horrors of war has appealed to President Trump to "do something for the children of Syria." Now living in Turkey, Bana Alabed wrote a letter to the new president days before his inauguration, the BBC reports. "Dear Donald Trump," she writes, "I lived in Syria my whole life (and) ... I am part of the Syrian children who suffered from the Syrian war." Although she is now safe, "millions of Syrian children are not like me," she writes. "They are suffering. … I know you will be the president of America, so can you please save the children and people of Syria?" Bana's mother, Fatemah, sent the text to the BBC. (Read the full letter here.) Bana opted to make her plea in writing after seeing Trump "many times on the TV," Fatemah says. Like Trump, Bana has a penchant for tweeting—she has 362,000 followers—although hers drove home the terror in besieged Aleppo before her family was evacuated last month as government forces regained control of the city. More than 300,000 people, including 150,000 children, have been killed in the six-year civil war, reports the Guardian. Trump's position on Syria is not yet known. A White House spokesman said the president would "work with any country" committed to fighting ISIS, per the Guardian. The Pentagon, meanwhile, denied on Monday that US warplanes aided a Russian mission in Syria. Russia supports the government of President Bashar al-Assad. (Bana "befriended" JK Rowling.)

Expand this summary.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Bana, who is now in Turkey,

 Bana Alabed, the seven-year-old Aleppo girl known worldwide for her tweets from Aleppo, has written an open letter to Donald Trump.

 "You must do something for the children of Syria because they are like your children and deserve peace like you," she wrote.

 Bana escaped Aleppo with her family in December during the mass evacuations, and is now living in Turkey.

 Her twitter account became famous for its messages from besieged east Aleppo.

 Her mother, Fatemah - who helps run the account - sent the text of the letter to the BBC.

 She said Bana wrote it days before President Trump's inauguration, because "she has seen Trump many times on the TV".

 Bana Alabed's letter to President Trump

 Dear Donald Trump,

 My name is Bana Alabed and I am a seven years old Syrian girl from Aleppo.

 I lived in Syria my whole life before I left from besieged East Aleppo on December last year. I am part of the Syrian children who suffered from the Syrian war.

 But right now, I am having a peace in my new home of Turkey. In Aleppo, I was in school but soon it was destroyed because of the bombing.

 Some of my friends died.

 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Seven year-old Bana Alabed: "We had to face falling rocks and heavy suffocating smoke"

 I am very sad about them and wish they were with me because we would play together by right now. I couldn't play in Aleppo, it was the city of death.

 Right now in Turkey, I can go out and enjoy. I can go to school although I didn't yet. That is why peace is important for everyone including you.

 However, millions of Syrian children are not like me right now and suffering in different parts of Syria. They are suffering because of adult people.

 Image copyright Twitter / AlabedBana Image caption Since arriving in Turkey, Bana's Twitter account has turned to calls for fighting to end

 I know you will be the president of America, so can you please save the children and people of Syria? You must do something for the children of Syria because they are like your children and deserve peace like you.

 If you promise me you will do something for the children of Syria, I am already your new friend.

 I am looking forward to what you will do for the children of Syria.

 Turkey, where Bana and her family now live, supports the Syrian opposition. But President Trump's position is not yet clear.

 The US president has repeatedly stressed his desire for a strong relationship with Russia, and endorsed Vladimir Putin - who supports Syria's President Assad.

 During the campaign, he spoke of ceasing aid to the rebels - but more recently, he has also spoken of the need for Syrian "safe zones", which would help rebel forces.

 Bana's appeal to the new US president comes as Iran, Russia, and Turkey have jointly pledged to enforce a three-week ceasefire in Syria amid peace talks.

 But without agreement from Assad's government or rebel forces, it is not clear how long any agreement will hold. ||||| Girl known for tweets from Aleppo tells president she will be his friend if he can do something: ‘They are like your children and deserve peace like you’

 Bana al-Abed, the seven-year-old girl whose tweets from Aleppo gave devastating insights into the Syrian war, has pleaded with Donald Trump to “do something for the children of Syria” in an open letter.

 Bana amassed hundreds of thousands of followers for her messages from war-torn Aleppo sent with the help of her mother, Fatemah. The family were evacuated to Turkey in December and met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan just before Christmas.

 From her new home Bana has written to the US president pleading with him to take action to save Syrian children like her. Her open letter was shared with the BBC by her mother.

 Dear Donald Trump,

 My name is Bana Alabed and I am a seven years old Syrian girl from Aleppo. I lived in Syria my whole life before I left from besieged East Aleppo on December last year. I am part of the Syrian children who suffered from the Syrian war. But right now, I am having a peace in my new home of Turkey. In Aleppo, I was in school but soon it was destroyed because of the bombing. Some of my friends died. I am very sad about them and wish they were with me because we would play together by right now. I couldn’t play in Aleppo, it was the city of death. Right now in Turkey, I can go out and enjoy. I can go to school although I didn’t yet. That is why peace is important for everyone including you. However, millions of Syrian children are not like me right now and suffering in different parts of Syria. They are suffering because of adult people. I know you will be the president of America, so can you please save the children and people of Syria? You must do something for the children of Syria because they are like your children and deserve peace like you. If you promise me you will do something for the children of Syria, I am already your new friend. I am looking forward to what you will do for the children of Syria.

 The BBC reported that Bana had written the letter in the days before Trump’s inauguration.

 US military is 'not coordinating airstrikes with Russia in Syria', Pentagon says Read more

 Trump’s position on Syria is not clear but he has made no secret of his admiration for the Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, who supports the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in its six-year war against rebellion.

 The Pentagon – now run by Trump appointee James Mattis – issued a statement on Monday that denied US warplanes had conducted a joint combat mission with Russia in Syria but the White House signalled it was open to doing so in principle.

 The White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, said Trump would “work with any country that shares our interest in defeating Isis”, including “Russia or anyone else”.

 Two days of peace talks sponsored by Russia, Iran and Turkey in Kazakhstan this week concluded with a resolution to set up a trilateral monitoring body to enforce the ceasefire that came into effect in December.

 More than 300,000 people – including at least 15,000 children – have been killed in the Syrian conflict, with thousands of others displaced.

 The Syrian Network For Human Rights reported that nearly 2,000 children were among the estimated 16,913 civilians who died in 2016 alone. |||||