Insanely Good: June 2017

Friday, June 30, 2017

News Alert: Doctor opens fire in NYC hospital

A gunman opened fire inside a New York City hospital Friday, killing a woman and wounding several people before killing himself, according to law enforcement officials. The suspect was identified as a former doctor at the hospital.

The gunman, who was wearing a white lab coat and had ID on him, shot himself on the 16th floor of Bronx-Lebanon Hospital, according to law enforcement officials. The body of a woman who was shot was found near his body, the officials said.

Five other people were injured in the shooting. Three of those are in serious condition from gunshot wounds, a law enforcement source said.

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News Alert

MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski claim President Trump and his White House used the possibility of a negative story in the National Enquirer to threaten them.

But President Trump disputes it. "FAKE NEWS," he tweeted during the show Friday morning.

The editor in charge of the Enquirer, Dylan Howard, said "we have no knowledge of any discussions between the White House and Joe and Mika about our story, and absolutely no involvement in those discussions."

Meanwhile, Scarborough says he has proof of the White House threats -- "I have texts from your top aides and phone records."

Scarborough and Brzezinski are essentially alleging a form of blackmail.

The accusation came during a wider discussion about the president's offensive tweets targeting the co-hosts.

Thursday, June 29, 2017

News Alert: Trump Tweet widely condemned

Reactions flowed in swiftly after President Trump posted a pair of hateful and sexist tweets about MSNBC's “Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski while the pair was on the air Thursday.

MSNBC responded with this statement: "It's a sad day for America when the president spends his time bullying, lying and spewing petty personal attacks instead of doing his job."

Republican lawmakers were caught off guard, and several said the remarks were unbecoming of the office. House Speaker Paul Ryan said the crude messages are inappropriate and do nothing to help fix the tone of debate in Washington.

First lady Melania Trump stood by the President, and her communications director released the following statement: "As the First Lady has stated publicly in the past, when her husband gets attacked, he will punch back 10 times harder."

CNN’s Chris CIllizza says Trump has crossed a line that would require an apology and possibly result in a firing for other high-profile men. He says the President’s “problem is that he is incapable of differentiating between disagreements about policy or even tone and genuine attacks on him personally.”

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

News Alert

As President Donald Trump lashes out at former President Barack Obama for failing to take a harder line against Russia for election meddling, Trump's own advisers are struggling to convince him that Russia still poses a threat, according to multiple senior administration officials.

"I just heard today for the first time that Obama knew about Russia a long time before the election, and he did nothing about it," Trump told Fox News in an interview that aired Sunday. "To me -- in other words -- the question is, if he had the information, why didn't he do something about it? He should have done something about it."

But the Trump administration has taken no public steps to punish Russia for its interference in the 2016 election. Multiple senior administration officials said there are few signs the President is devoting his time or attention to the ongoing election-related cyber threat from Russia.

The Point with Chris Cillizza: A number certain to strike fear in the hearts of Senate Republicans

CNN's Chris Cillizza says the latest poll numbers on health care send a very clear message to Senate Republicans. The public doesn't want this bill.

The Point with Chris Cillizza is your guide to cut through the noise and get to what's important in politics. The Point with Chris Cillizza includes daily posts, on-air analysis, an evening newsletter, news/flash briefings and the launch of trivia night events in Washington, DC.

You can explore CNN.com/ThePoint, subscribe to the nightly newsletter and follow Cillizza on Twitter at @CillizzaCNN.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

News Alert: Vote on health care bill delayed

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will delay the vote on the Republican leadership's health care bill until after the July 4 recess, two sources told CNN.

McConnell told GOP senators that he wants to make changes to the bill, get a new Congressional Budget Office score and have a vote after the holiday.

A White House official and a GOP aide on the Hill told CNN that White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and Vice President Mike Pence have invited all Republican senators to the White House on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the bill.

Monday, June 26, 2017

News Alert: CBO scores Senate bill

The Senate Republican health care bill would leave 22 million fewer Americans with health insurance by 2026 than under Obamacare, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Monday.

The highly anticipated score answers key questions about the impact of the Senate's controversial legislation made public last Thursday.

The House passed its version of an Obamacare repeal bill in May. That legislation would leave 23 million fewer Americans with health insurance by 2026 than under the Affordable Care Act, CBO said earlier.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is insisting on a vote on the GOP bill this week before lawmakers leave town for the July 4th recess. There are 52 Republican senators, and he needs 50 "yes" votes to move the bill through the Senate. At least five Republicans have so far publicly stated that they cannot support the legislation in its current form.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

News Alert: GOP lacks votes to pass Senate health bill, source says

Four conservative Republican senators announced they opposed the GOP Senate leadership's health care bill as written.

Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah said in a joint statement they're "not ready to vote for this bill."

Republicans can only lose two members of their 52-senator caucus to pass their proposal to repeal and replace Obamacare.

A number of other GOP senators are avoiding outright supporting the new health care bill unveiled by Republican leaders Thursday morning -- saying they need more time to read the fine print before taking a stand.

News Alert: Trump says he didn't tape Comey

President Donald Trump did not record his conversations with fired FBI Director James Comey, he tweeted on Thursday, ending weeks of speculation kickstarted by the President himself.

"With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information, I have no idea whether there are 'tapes' or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings," Trump tweeted.

The statement ended speculation about whether the President recorded conversations in the Oval Office. Comey, fired by Trump last month, said he had hoped there were recordings of their conversations.

CNN Tech exclusive: Zuckerberg interview

Mark Zuckerberg has spent the last dozen years making sure you know what your friends' babies look like and what your high school friends think about politics.

And, of course, transforming media and politics by presenting news and opinion -- true and fake -- to billions of people around the world.

Now the Facebook CEO is acknowledging that connecting people online isn't enough.

"We used to have a sense that if we could just do those things, then that would make a lot of the things in the world better by themselves," Zuckerberg told CNN Tech.

"But now we realize that we need to do more, too. It's important to give people a voice, to get a diversity of opinions out there, but on top of that, you also need to do this work of building common ground, so that way we can all move forward together."

The company even has a new mission statement: "To give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together."

"A lot of what we can do is to help create a more civil and productive debate on some of the bigger issues as well," Zuckerberg told CNN Tech's Laurie Segall in Chicago. It was his first in-depth interview for television since 2012.

News Alert: Senate releases health bill

The closely guarded Senate health care bill written entirely behind closed doors has finally been revealed, setting off a do-or-die moment for the Republican Party's winding efforts to repeal Obamacare.

The unveiling of the legislation marks the first time that the majority of the Senate GOP conference gets a comprehensive look at the health care proposal. With Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pressing ahead for a vote next week, senators are likely to have only a handful of days to decide whether to support or vote against the bill.

Read the full text of the legislation here.

News Alert

Two of the nation's top intelligence officials told Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team and Senate investigators, in separate meetings last week, that President Donald Trump suggested they say publicly there was no collusion between his campaign and the Russians, according to multiple sources.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and National Security Agency Director Adm. Mike Rogers described their interactions with the President about the Russia investigation as odd and uncomfortable, but said they did not believe the President gave them orders to interfere, according to multiple sources familiar with their accounts.

Sources say both men went further than they did in June 7 public hearings, when they provided little detail about the interactions.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

News Alert

The FBI is investigating the stabbing of a police officer at a Flint, Michigan, airport on Wednesday "as an act of terrorism," officials said.

The suspect, Amor Ftouhi, a 50-year-old native of Canada, has been charged with violence at an international airport, FBI Special Agent David Gelios said. Ftouhi is accused of stabbing Lt. Jeff Neville.

Ftouhi entered the United States legally through Lake Champlain, New York, on June 16 and made his way to Bishop International Airport, where he arrived Wednesday, Gelios said.

News Alert

Prince Philip, the 95-year-old husband of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, was hospitalized as a "precautionary measure," Buckingham Palace has told CNN.

The Prince, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, was being treated at London's King Edward VII Hospital for an infection arising from a pre-existing condition.

"Prince Philip is in good spirits and is disappointed to be missing the State Opening of Parliament and Royal Ascot," Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

News Alert

Travis Kalanick has resigned as the chief executive of Uber, the ride-hailing startup he co-founded and turned into a global tech giant.

Kalanick had already taken leave from the company last week following the death of his mother in a boating accident.

But the move failed to defuse a growing crisis over his leadership and demands from investors that he resign.

"I love Uber more than anything in the world and at this difficult moment in my personal life I have accepted the investors request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight," Kalanick said in a statement late Tuesday, according to an Uber spokesperson.

News Alert

Saudi Arabia's king deposed the sitting crown prince and replaced him with Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the deputy crown prince, the state news agency reported.

Prince Mohammed will continue in his role as minister of defense, according to the royal decree cited by state media.

Prince Mohammed visited the US in March, where he had lunch at the White House in the highest level meeting at the time between Saudi Arabia and US President Donald Trump.

Prince Mohammed is spearheading the kingdom's attempts to wean itself off oil as part of an economic strategy called Vision 2030 announced last year. He's also defense minister and son of King Salman.

News Alert: Republican wins Georgia special election

Republican Karen Handel has won Georgia's high-stakes special election, CNN projects, the most expensive US House race on record.

Monday, June 19, 2017

News Alert

Otto Warmbier, the American college student who returned home last week in a coma after 17 months of detention in North Korea, died Monday afternoon, his family said in a statement.

"It is our sad duty to report that our son, Otto Warmbier, has completed his journey home."

Warmbier was surrounded by his family when he died at 2:20 p.m., the statement said.

“Unfortunately, the awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today."

Warmbier went to North Korea in the spring of 2016 with the Young Pioneer Tours travel group, a company that takes participants to places they wouldn't normally go.

The trip was supposed to last five days. But as he tried to depart from Pyongyang's airport, Warmbier was stopped by security.

According to the North Korean government, he was detained because he had sneaked onto a restricted floor of his hotel and had stolen a political poster. He later confessed to the crime, but it's not known if the confession was voluntary.

Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor and spent 17 months in North Korea before being released.

He arrived home June 13 suffering from significant brain damage, unable to respond to verbal communication.

News Alert

An armed man who deliberately rammed his car into a police van in Paris on Monday has been taken down by officers and is dead, French authorities said.

The incident took place on the iconic Champs-Elysees boulevard in central Paris, the latest attack this year against security forces in the French capital.

Gerard Collomb, France's interior minister, told reporters the attacker's car contained weapons and explosives.

"Enough to allow him to blow up this car," Collomb said.

No police officers or passersby were wounded, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.

The small white car caught on fire after the collision with the mobile police unit.

It's the fifth time in four months that security forces have been attacked in Paris.

News Alert: High court to hear key gerrymandering case

The Supreme Court will take up the most important gerrymandering case in more than a decade, it announced Monday.

The case involves district lines in Wisconsin that challengers say were drawn unconstitutionally to benefit Republicans. The case could have a major impact on how district lines are drawn up nationwide.

The court has said that too much partisanship in map drawing is illegal, but it has never said how much is too much.

Sunday, June 18, 2017

News Alert

At least one person is dead, and eight are hospitalized after a van slammed into crowds of pedestrians in Finsbury Park, north London, just after midnight on Monday morning local time.

A 48-year-old male suspect was arrested at the scene, according to London Metropolitan police, who said the investigation into the incident was ongoing.

The investigation of the incident is being carried out by the Counter Terrorism Command, police say.

News Alert

At least one person has been arrested after a vehicle struck pedestrians in London, authorities say.

London's Metropolitan Police said officers were called just after midnight Sunday to an incident on Seven Sisters Road in North London's Finsbury Park neighborhood.

London Ambulance tweeted: "We have sent a number of resources to an incident in Seven Sisters Road. More information will follow when we have it."

Developing story

News Alert

Iran says it launched missiles into Syria, targeting ISIS fighters in retaliation for two deadly attacks that occurred in Tehran on June 7th.

The missile strikes, which took place on Saturday, are a major escalation in Iran's role in Syria. This is the first time Iran has fired missiles into Syria since the Arab country descended into a civil war in 2011.

The strikes come as ISIS claimed responsibility for two June 7th attacks in Tehran that targeted Iran's Parliament building and a shrine dedicated to the republic's revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini.

It was the first time that ISIS, which is fighting Iranian-backed militias in Syria, has claimed responsibility for an attack in Iran.

Iran's military had vowed revenge for the attacks that killed 12 people.

News Alert

At least 2 people were killed and 30 others rescued in an attack by gunmen at a luxury resort near Mali's capital on Sunday.

An unknown number of people were injured and taken to a hospital after the attack, a source briefed on the investigation said.

Mali's Ministry of Security and Civil Protection said "armed individuals, certainly terrorists" attacked Le Campement resort, adding that a Malian anti-terror force was on the scene.

Saturday, June 17, 2017

News Alert

All 7 missing sailors from the USS Fitzgerald were found dead in flooded compartments after the collision with a merchant ship, a US Navy official said.

News Alert

The judge in the Bill Cosby trial declared a mistrial Saturday after the jury failed to reach a verdict in the case. The jurors -- five women and seven men -- were unable to come to a unanimous decision in a courtroom battle closely watched by the public as well as dozens of women who have accused Cosby of similar misconduct in the past. Cosby faced three charges of aggravated indecent assault.

Here are the latest developments following the mistrial:

• Prosecutors announced they will retry the case.

• A spokeswoman for the comedian read a statement from his wife, Camille Cosby, who criticized prosecutors, the judge and the media.

• Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents many of Cosby's accusers, said she hopes the court will allow other witnesses to testify at the next trial. "If the court allows more accusers to testify ... it might make a difference. In other words, it's too early to celebrate Mr. Cosby."

Friday, June 16, 2017

News Alert: Officer in Facebook Live shooting found not guilty

Jeronimo Yanez, the Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop last year, was found not guilty of second-degree manslaughter Friday.

He also was acquitted of two counts of intentional discharge of a firearm that endangers safety.

Castile's death garnered widespread attention after his fiancee broadcast the shooting's aftermath on Facebook Live.

News Alert: Trump chips away at Obama's deal with Cuba

President Donald Trump charted his own course for more confrontational relations with the Castro-led government in Cuba with a speech in Miami on Friday.

The speech, which came as the President signed a directive outlining his posture toward Cuba, is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to weaken former President Barack Obama's legacy. Obama spent the last two years of his presidency looking to warm relations with Cuba, visiting the island in 2016.

Trump's change in posture, however, is only a partial shift from Obama's policy.

News Alert

A Massachusetts judge found Michelle Carter, 20, guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the 2014 death of her boyfriend, who poisoned himself by inhaling carbon monoxide in his pickup truck.

Prosecutors had said she sent Conrad Roy III, 18, numerous text messages urging him to commit suicide.

The ruling could set legal precedent for whether it's a crime to tell someone to commit suicide. It may also spur lawmakers to codify such behavior as criminal.

News Alert: Trump confirms he is being investigated over Comey firing

President Donald Trump, in a furious message, confirmed that he is being investigated for his role in firing former FBI Director James Comey and seemed to accuse the deputy attorney general of overseeing a "witch hunt" against him.

Trump's tweet Friday reflected the first official confirmation that he is being investigated by the special counsel for Comey’s firing last month. Trump conceded in an interview after the episode that he was thinking about the Russia controversy when he made that decision.

It was not clear if Trump's comment was based on news reports or if the White House had been given official notice.

News Alert: Amazon buying Whole Foods

Amazon is making a big bet on physical stores and the business of food.

The online retail giant announced Friday that is buying organic grocery chain Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in cash.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

News Alert: Student’s family blames North Korea

Released North Korea detainee Otto Warmbier suffered extensive brain damage and shows no current signs of botulism, doctors at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center said Thursday.

The 22-year-old American student has not spoken or "engaged in any purposeful movements" since arriving in the country Tuesday night, said Dr. Daniel Kanter. Tests showed an extensive loss of brain tissue.

"He shows no signs of understanding language or responding to verbal commands," the doctor said, adding that Warmbier's condition is best described as "unresponsive wakefulness."

Warmbier's father left no doubt he blames North Korea, blasting the secretive regime in a 23-minute news conference earlier Thursday.

The family doesn't believe North Korea's explanation that Otto fell into a coma after contracting botulism and taking a sleeping pill shortly after he was sentenced in March 2016, Fred Warmbier said.

News Alert: Jurors in Bill Cosby's trial say they're deadlocked

Jurors in Bill Cosby's assault trial said they are deadlocked and cannot come to a unanimous consensus on any of the counts against the comedian.

Judge Steven O'Neill asked the jury, which began deliberating Monday evening, to go back to deliberating in another attempt to reach consensus.

"I am required to read you an instruction. The jury foreman has informed me that you are deadlocked," O'Neill said. "If you are still deadlocked you should report that to me. If you've reached a unanimous decision on some of the charges, please report that back to me."

Jurors are supposed to decide if Cosby is guilty of three charges of aggravated indecent assault. Prosecutors say the famed comedian drugged and sexually assaulted Andrea Constand, the director of operations for Temple University's women's basketball team, at his home near Philadelphia in January 2004. Cosby, 79, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

The ballfield shooting: A political act of violence

Rep. Steve Scalise is in critical condition after surgery, according to the hospital. Scalise, the GOP House Whip, was among five people shot at an early-morning practice for a charity baseball game in Alexandria, Virginia.

The shooter is reported dead. James T. Hodgkinson was a small-business owner in Illinois who defined himself publicly by his hatred of conservatives and President Trump.

Hodgkinson was also a firm supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders' progressive politics, spinning the attack into a political football. Many lawmakers, however, expressed messages of unity.

"I am sickened by this despicable act," Sanders said in a statement. "Let me be as clear as I can be. Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society and I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms."

House Speaker Paul Ryan and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi both gave speeches of unity to applause on the floor of the House of Representatives. "An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us," Ryan said.

News Alert: Shooter in Alexandria attack has died

President Trump says the shooter in Wednesday's attack on the GOP congressional baseball team has died from injuries sustained during a gunfight with Capitol police.

Federal law enforcement sources have identified the shooter as James Hodgkinson, 66, of Belleville, Illinois.

The shooting took place at a morning practice for the GOP congressional baseball team in Alexandria, Virginia. The FBI special agent in charge of the investigation says too early to tell whether the shooting was an act of terrorism or whether members of Congress were specifically targeted.

Rep. Steve Scalise, a congressional staffer and members of the congressional police force were injured in the shooting. The Texas representative has been in surgery and his office said he is in stable condition.

"Congressman Scalise is a friend, and a very good friend," Trump said in a statement from the White House. "He's a patriot. And he's a fighter. He will recover from this assault -- and Steve, I want you to know that you have the prayers not only of the entire city behind you, but of an entire nation, and frankly the entire world. America is praying for you and America is praying for all of the victims of this terrible shooting.”

Follow live updates on our blog.

News Alert: Shooting at congressional baseball practice

Rep. Steve Scalise was shot in Alexandria, Virginia, Wednesday morning, Rep. Mo Brooks told CNN.

Brooks said he was on deck at a practice for the congressional baseball team when the shooting occurred. Scalise, the majority whip, appeared to have been shot in the hip and it appeared two Capitol Hill police agents were shot, he added.

Brooks said there were a number of congressmen and congressional staffers lying on the ground, and at least one of them was wounded. The Alabama Republican said he used his belt as a tourniquet to help one of the victims.

Alexandria police said earlier Wednesday they were responding to a "multiple shooting" in the city. The tweet also said the suspect is in custody.

This story is breaking and will be updated.

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

News Alert

Ed Gillespie was expected to hold onto a narrow lead to win the Republican nomination for Virginia governor in his party's primary election, CNN projected.

On the Democratic side, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam is on track to win the nomination for Virginia governor, CNN has projected.

Gillespie's tight victory over Prince William County Board of Supervisors chair Corey Stewart came as a major surprise. Observers initially expected it to be an easy win for Gillespie, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee. Frank Wagner, a senator in the commonwealth's legislature, trailed in third place.

Meanwhile, Northam's win capped off fierce competition on the Democratic side, where he faced off against former congressman Tom Perriello. And turnout in the Democratic primary far outpaced the Republican side.

In a statement congratulating Northam, outgoing Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe linked the Republican field to President Donald Trump.

Tuesday's elections marked the first time both parties held contests on the same day in the commonwealth's history.

News Alert: Trump calls GOP bill 'mean'

President Donald Trump told Republican senators lunching at the White House on Tuesday the House-passed health care reform bill he celebrated earlier this year was "mean."

Trump made clear multiple times that he was pleased that the Senate negotiations appeared to be moving away from where the House version of the repeal and replace effort ended up, according to three sources familiar with the meeting.

Trump told the lawmakers that the House bill didn't go far enough in protecting individuals in the marketplace -- and appeared to use that as his rationale for why he has ambiguously called twice for the Senate to "add more money" to the bill.

News Alert: Sessions comes out swinging

Attorney General Jeff Sessions came out swinging in a dramatic appearance before a Senate committee, branding any claims that he had helped or was aware of any collusion with Russian officials to interfere in the 2016 election as an "appalling and detestable lie."

Watch his testimony and follow along on CNN’s live blog.

Sessions said in his opening statement that he did not recall a third meeting with Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak in the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, despite reports that the FBI had been investigating whether such a contact took place.

"I did not have any private meetings nor recall any private conversations with any Russian official at the Mayflower Hotel," Sessions told the Senate intelligence committee.

Sessions is appearing before the committee for the first time since recusing himself from the Russia investigation. He faces questions from Democrats about why he still played a role in the firing of FBI Director James Comey, which Trump later said was motivated by the probe into Moscow's meddling the last year's election.

Sessions argued that his recusal from the Russia investigation did not mean that he should be barred from his duties overseeing the FBI.

"I recused myself from any investigation into the campaigns for President, but I did not recuse myself from defending my honor against scurrilous and false allegations," Sessions said.

Sessions said that he has confidence in Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed to lead the federal investigation into the Trump team's Russia ties.

News Alert: AG to testify at 2:30 pm ET

All eyes are on Attorney General Jeff Sessions as his testimony before the Senate intelligence committee is about to get underway.

The hearing will be focused on Sessions' involvement in the Trump campaign and his meetings with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the US. This will be the first time Sessions has testified before Congress since he recused himself from the Justice Department's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and the firing of FBI Director James Comey.

Follow CNN Politics' live blog for all the developments and instant analysis of the testimony and watch CNN TV after the testimony for in depth coverage and analysis.

News Alert: American student released by North Korea

Otto Warmbier, an American college student jailed in North Korea, has been released, according to his parents.

"He is being medivacked to the US. The brutalization and terrorism the North Koreans have put upon Otto and the Warmbier family have ended. Thank God," they told CNN.

Warmbier was detained in January 2016 at the airport in Pyongyang. North Korean authorities said they had security footage of him trying to steal a banner containing a political slogan that was hanging from the walls of his hotel.

That was used as evidence in his hour-long trial, during which North Korea accused him of committing "hostile acts" against the regime. He was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years hard labor.

Monday, June 12, 2017

News Alert

Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors to win his first NBA championship.

Mission accomplished -- and he has been named NBA Finals MVP.

The Warriors have defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-120 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, clinching their second title in three years and their fifth in team history.

This was the first time in NBA history the same two teams met in the NBA Finals for a third straight time. The Warriors won the title in 2015 in six games, while the Cavaliers dramatically won in 2016 in seven, becoming the first team in NBA history to win a series trailing 3-1.

News Alert

NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman is expected to arrive in North Korea Tuesday, according to two officials in that country who spoke to CNN.

CNN spotted Rodman at Beijing International Airport, where he declined to answer questions. Rodman would be arriving in Pyongyang at a time of heightened tension between Washington and Pyongyang, which is currently detaining four Americans.

It's unclear what the purpose of Rodman's visit to the secretive country could be, but the eccentric former basketball player -- and a former contestant on Donald Trump's pre-presidency reality TV show "Celebrity Apprentice" -- is one of the only Americans to have met current North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.

When asked by CNN journalists in Pyongyang, unnamed North Korean officials confirmed that Rodman is expected to arrive in Pyongyang Tuesday. They gave no further details.

News Alert: Federal court rules against revised travel ban

Another federal court has ruled against President Donald Trump's revised executive order limiting travel from six predominately Muslim countries.

The ruling from a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is yet another stinging loss from a court that similarly refused to reinstate Trump's original executive order on travel in February.

The judges largely affirmed a Hawaii judge's decision from March which found the core provisions of the revised executive order -- temporarily blocking all refugees and foreign nationals from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US -- likely violated the Constitution because its primary purpose was to disfavor Muslims.

Monday's ruling will no doubt be appealed to the Supreme Court, which is already considering a similar case from the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia.

News Alert: Sessions to testify at public hearing

Attorney General Jeff Sessions will testify at a public hearing of the Senate intelligence committee Tuesday afternoon, the committee said in a statement.

This will be the first time Sessions has testified in Congress since he recused himself from the Justice Department's probe into Russian meddling in last year's election and the firing of FBI Director James Comey.

"(Sessions) believes it is important for the American people to hear the truth directly from him and looks forward to answering the committee's questions tomorrow," a Justice Department spokesperson said.

The announcement caps the drama that started over the weekend when Sessions canceled two appearances Thursday, citing former Comey's blistering testimony last week.

Sunday, June 11, 2017

News Alert

Rafael Nadal made history at the 2017 French Open championship, becoming the first man to win 10 titles at any major.

The Spanish tennis player crushed Swiss Stan Wawrinka at Roland Garros 6-2 6-3 6-1 after three years without a Grand Slam win. Nadal withdrew from last year's French Open in the tournament's first week after a wrist injury and for several years he has suffered from chronic knee issues.

Sunday's victory is Nadal's 15th overall tournament win, putting him just three championships behind Roger Federer.

Saturday, June 10, 2017

News Alert

Adam West, the star of TV's popular and campy "Batman" TV show in the '60s, has died, according to his agent. West was 88.

Friday, June 9, 2017

News Alert: Trump says he's willing to testify about Comey

A defiant President Donald Trump said Friday he is willing to testify under oath about his conversations with fired FBI Director James Comey.

At his first press conference since Comey's testimony in front of the Senate intelligence committee on Thursday, Trump also refused to say whether tapes of those meetings exist.

"I'll tell you about that sometime in the very near future," Trump said.

Meanwhile, the President offered a blunt assessment of Comey's testimony before the panel.

"No collusion, no obstruction, he's a leaker," Trump said.

Thursday, June 8, 2017

News Alert

In a big setback for Prime Minister Theresa May, the UK election results in a hung parliament with no party achieving an overall majority.

News Alert: Comey says he hopes there are tapes

Former FBI Chief James Comey said Thursday: "Lordy, I hope there are tapes" of his private conversations with President Donald Trump, implying they would offer corroboration of his testimony at a blockbuster Senate hearing.

Comey also testified that the Trump administration "chose to defame me," told "lies, plain and simple" and that he was "confused" by Trump saying he was fired due to the Russia probe.

However, he also said that he did not believe that either Trump nor his staff had asked him to stop the Russia investigation.

Comey's testimony continues; here's how to tune in and where to follow live updates.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Comey: Trump asked me to end Flynn probe

Fired FBI Director James Comey will say Thursday that President Trump asked him to end the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, according to a copy of his opening remarks posted online.

"He then said, 'I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go,'" Comey said in remarks posted on the web site of the Senate intelligence committee. "I replied only that 'he is a good guy.' (In fact, I had a positive experience dealing with Mike Flynn when he was a colleague as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency at the beginning of my term at FBI.) I did not say I would 'let this go.'"

Comey is scheduled to give his testimony before the Senate committee Thursday.

Trump's pick for new FBI director

President Trump tweeted Wednesday he plans to nominate Christopher A. Wray, the former assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's criminal division under President George W. Bush, to be the next FBI director.

Wray recently represented New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during the "Bridgegate" investigation into lane closures at the George Washington Bridge. He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2003 and oversaw several high-profile investigations, from the Enron scandal to the Justice Department's response to terrorism in the wake of 9/11.

The announcement comes one day before former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired last month, is set to testify in a bombshell hearing before the Senate.

News Alert

There have been multiple attacks in the Iranian capital of Tehran, according to state media.

A woman was arrested after a bomb attack and shooting spree at the Ayatollah Khomeini shrine south of the city, the semi-official Fars news agency reports.

The news agency reported that a second attacker is currently surrounded by security officers.

That attack occurred at the same time as a shooting in the Iranian parliament, in which at least three people were injured after an attacker stormed the building in central Tehran, according to state-run Press TV.

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

News Alert: Comey expected to refute Trump

In his much-anticipated congressional testimony on Thursday, fired FBI Director James Comey will dispute President Donald Trump’s blanket claim that he was told he was not under investigation multiple times, according to sources familiar with Comey’s thinking.

Rather, one source said that Comey is expected to tell senators that he never assured Trump he was not under investigation, because such assurances would have been improper. Another source hinted that the President may have misunderstood the exact meaning of Comey’s words, especially regarding the FBI’s ongoing counterintelligence investigation.

FIRST ON CNN: US suspects Russian hackers planted fake news behind Qatar crisis

US investigators believe Russian hackers breached Qatar’s state news agency and planted a fake news report that contributed to a crisis among the US’ closest Gulf allies, according to US officials briefed on the investigation.

The FBI recently sent a team of investigators to Doha to help the Qatari government investigate the alleged hacking incident, Qatari and US government officials say.

Intelligence gathered by the US security agencies indicates that Russian hackers were behind the intrusion first reported by the Qatari government two weeks ago, US officials say. Qatar hosts one of the largest US military bases in the region.

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