APRIL 29, 2018


NEWS AND VIEWS


THE HOUSE INVESTIGATION REPORT IS IN. GOWDY DEFENDS IT, BUT NOT WITH TOTAL CONFIDENCE. HE SAYS SPECIFICALLY THAT IT DOESN’T FULLY VINDICATE TRUMP ON RUSSIA COLLUSION. HE ALSO SAYS THAT MUELLER’S INVESTIGATION WILL BE BETTER EQUIPPED TO PROBE FOR THE INFORMATION THAN THE HOUSE IS; THAT WON’T SIT WELL WITH TRUMP. WHAT WILL HIS TWEETS BE ON THIS?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trey-gowdy-says-house-intel-report-doesnt-fully-vindicate-trump-on-russian-collusion/
CBS NEWS April 29, 2018, 12:48 PM
Trey Gowdy says House Intel report doesn't fully vindicate Trump on Russian collusion

VIDEO – TREY GOWDY

While defending a report from Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee that found "no evidence" of collusion between Russia and members of President Trump's campaign, Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy cautioned that the executive branch is better suited to investigate the matter.

On Sunday, fired FBI Director James Comey called the report a "wreck," which prompted Gowdy to say that the criticism is unfair.

"I have more confidence in executive branch investigations than I do congressional," Gowdy told CBS News' Margaret Brennan on "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "I wouldn't say it's a wreck. The witnesses we talked to -- no one said that they had any evidence of collusion. And I participated in almost every one of those interviews and I'm the one who asked the questions. So from the standpoint of where these matters are best investigated, I don't think it's in Congress right now for myriad reasons."

Transcript: Rep. Trey Gowdy on "Face the Nation," April 29, 2018

Gowdy also faulted Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the committee, for how he handled the investigation.

"[W]hen you start with a conclusion, which Adam Schiff did in March of 2017, you have evidence of collusion and then you never ever share it with anyone," Gowdy said. "That investigation is not likely to turn out well."

According to Gowdy, Schiff does not have any specific evidence of collusion. "He doesn't have it, so he can't give me what he doesn't have. Adam, before we ever started, said he had evidence of collusion," Gowdy said. "And this is exactly what he said -- more than circumstantial but not direct. Let's lay aside the fact that there is no such thing as more than circumstantial but not direct. There's only two kinds of evidence."

Gowdy, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, said that special counsel Robert Mueller's team is better equipped to investigate any potential collusion, which he noted is not technically a crime. The real crime, Gowdy said, is conspiracy, and while the House Intelligence committee had not found any evidence of that, it's possible that there is evidence that they had not seen.

"[T]he best we can do is say what we've learned," Gowdy said. "I can't say what's in the universe of witnesses we have not talked to. And I have always maintained I am awaiting the Mueller investigation. They get to use a grand jury. They have investigative tools that we don't have. Executive branch investigations are just better than congressional ones. So we found no evidence of collusion whether or not it exists or not, I can't speak to because I haven't interviewed the full panoply of witnesses."

Gowdy also pushed back on the idea that Congress should investigate Comey for allegedly leaking classified documents, but that it would be appropriate for the Judiciary Committee to ask questions of the FBI.

"Congress is not well-equipped to investigate crime," Gowdy said. "I have complete confidence in Michael Horowitz, who's the inspector general -- that's who investigated Andy McCabe, and then he made a referral to the Department of Justice. I trust Mr. Horowitz to investigate. I've never accused Jim Comey of committing a crime. I've accused him of doing somethings that I don't agree with. But in terms of accusing someone of a crime, a member of Congress should not do that."

As for Scott Pruitt, the embattled EPA administrator, Gowdy said that he would gather evidence before coming to a conclusion.

"We got documents Friday," Gowdy said. "We are scheduling witness interviews. The natural chronology of investigations to me is gather the documents, schedule the witness interviews and then draw your conclusions at the end. What usually happens with Congress is we draw our conclusions on the front end and then we go in search of whatever evidence we want to validate that previously held wrong conclusion.

"We're going to do it the way I'm used to doing it. Gather the documents. Interview the witnesses and then share it at the appropriate time."

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


WHY TRUMP CANCELED HIS TRIP TO LONDON: WHAT TRUMP SAYS, WHAT THE BBC SAYS AND WHAT THE GUARDIAN SAYS. SEE THE FIVE ARTICLES BELOW FOR DIFFERENCES. IT IS ODD TO ME THAT HE WAS SO SENSITIVE ABOUT THE SUBJECT OF THE VISIT TO ENGLAND THAT HE APPEARS TO HAVE MADE UP AN ELABORATE STORY TO “COVER HIMSELF” IN A SITUATION THAT DOESN’T SEEM ALL THAT DAMAGING TO ME; AND, UNABLE TO RESIST A CONVENIENT SIDESWIPE AT OBAMA, HE CLAIMED THAT THE BARGAIN OVER THE NEW US EMBASSY WAS SHAMEFUL. I PERSONALLY THINK HE FEARED THE PRESS COVERAGE OF THE PREDICTED LARGE CROWDS OF “PEACEFUL ANTI-TRUMP PROTESTORS” IN LONDON WOULD BE MORE UNPLEASANT THAN HE COULD HANDLE. THAT WORRIES ME.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/donald-trump-uk-visit-us-president-will-make-trip-to-britain-in-july-a3823431.html
Donald Trump UK visit: US President 'will make trip to Britain in July'
PATRICK GRAFTON-GREEN
4 days ago -- APRIL 29, 3018

PHOTOGRAPH – MAY AND TRUMP AT WHITE HOUSE

US President Donald Trump will visit the UK in July, according to reports.

Sky News quoted sources as saying that he would carry out the trip in mid-July of this year.

The visit is expected to be officially announced in the coming days.

Mr Trump has not visited the UK since he was elected to the White House in November 2016, with a potential visit to London to open the US Embassy in January not taking place.

Donald Trump waxwork outside the new US Embassy, London

He cancelled the visit to open the new embassy, criticising its move from Grosvenor Square in the prestigious Mayfair district of central London to an "off location" at Nine Elms, south of the Thames.

Standard - Daily Highlights

The president blamed the cost of the new embassy and its location south of the River Thames, saying it was a "bad deal".

VIDEO CLIP -- Trump awkwardly tries to hold Melania’s hand

His cancellation prompted media speculation that reasons for the snub included that Mr Trump had been offended by perceived slights against him by UK public figures.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson accused London Mayor Sadiq Khan of endangering the so-called "special relationship" after he said the president had "got the message" from Londoners and would have been met by "mass peaceful protests" if he was to visit.

Sadiq Khan: Trump should expect protests if London visit happens

Mr Khan reaffirmed his view at the weekend that Mr Trump should expect loud protests if he visits the capital.

He said: "We have got a great history in our city of protests... we have got a great history in our city of bringing about change by protest, the key thing is for it to be lawful, for it to be peaceful.

"I have no doubt that if he does come, there will be some people who want to express their views loudly and peacefully to the president."

Donald Trump hints at new nuclear deal with Iran as he hosts Macron

The president has also endured a turbulent relationship with Theresa May since taking office, with the Prime Minister publicly criticising statements he has made on Muslims, terrorism and climate change.

However Mr Trump said he was grateful for the support from the UK and France when a coalition of the three countries conducted targeted air strikes in Syria last weekend.

This week French president Emmanuel Macron made the first US state visit of Mr Trump’s administration.

The pair met in the Oval Office on Tuesday to discuss trade, Syria and the Iran nuclear deal.

The visit culminated in a lavish dinner as more than 130 guests dined on rack of lamb and nectarine tart and enjoyed an after-dinner performance by the Washington National Opera.



http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42663977
Trump UK visit: who really sold the US embassy?
The claim: The Obama administration sold the US embassy in London for "peanuts".
By Reality Check team
BBC News
12 January 2018

The verdict: President Trump is right that the sale did take place during the Obama administration. The final amount was not disclosed but estimates of its value varied between £300m and £500m. However, the decision to move was taken when George W Bush was in the White House.

President Trump took to Twitter to announce he had cancelled a trip to the UK where he was expected to open the new US embassy building in London. He said it was because his predecessor Barack Obama sold the old building for "peanuts".

The US mission is moving to its new diplomatic headquarters in south London after decades in the site at Grosvenor Square.

The US government sold the lease for the old embassy to Qatari real estate group Qatari Diar, which plans to turn the building into a hotel.

So, was President Trump right about which president sanctioned the sale?

Image copyrightAFP/GETTY
Image caption
The old US embassy in Grosvenor Square, London

The building itself was never owned outright by the United States. It owned a 999-year leasehold, but the freehold is owned by Grosvenor Estates.

The decision to move away from the Grade II listed building to Nine Elms was taken by the George W Bush administration in October 2008, shortly before he left office.

The state department said it would begin construction on a new site in Nine Elms and the existing embassy was put up for sale immediately. It said it considered renovating the existing building but said the goal of moving to a secure, modern and environmentally sustainable site could best be met by moving.

Reports that the sale of the old building had been completed appeared in November 2009, under the Obama administration. So President Trump is correct in that sense.

It was reported in the Financial Times on 21 January 2009 that another Qatari firm had emerged as favourites to buy the building - a day after President Obama's inauguration - which means any final deal was agreed when he was in power.

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Donald J. Trump
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@realDonaldTrump
Reason I canceled my trip to London is that I am not a big fan of the Obama Administration having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for “peanuts,” only to build a new one in an off location for 1.2 billion dollars. Bad deal. Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO!

12:57 AM - Jan 12, 2018
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Was it sold for "peanuts"?

It depends what you call peanuts. The final fee was not disclosed, but before negotiations began, the building was thought to be worth between £300m and £500m.

The building was designed by modernist architect Eero Saarinen and completed in 1957. It was given Grade II listed status because of its special facade, which means the building's design cannot be altered.

There was a suggestion that had reduced the value, which, according to the Guardian, might have reached £500m.

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http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42657954
Donald Trump cancels February visit to UK
12 January 2018

PHOTOGRAPH -- Image copyrightPA, -- Image caption
Recent disagreements over US and UK policies are understood not to have played a part

Donald Trump has cancelled a planned visit to the UK in February, where he had been expected to open a new $1bn (£738m) US embassy in London.

The US president tweeted he was not a "big fan" of the new embassy - which is moving from Mayfair to south London.

He blamed Barack Obama's administration for a "bad deal" despite the fact the move was agreed under George W Bush.

The trip was not the controversial full state visit offered by Theresa May, for which no date has yet been set.

Reality Check: Who sold the US embassy in London?
Trump 'in crude outburst about migrants'
President's tweet mocked on social media

What is a state visit?
Downing Street said no date has been confirmed for any visit by Mr Trump and that the opening of the US embassy "is a matter for the US".

The "strong and deep" partnership between Britain and the US "will endure" despite Mr Trump's cancellation, a spokesman added.

However, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan - who has clashed with the president in the past - said the US president had "got the message" that many Londoners were staunchly opposed to his policies and actions.

BBC North America editor Jon Sopel said he suspected the possibility of protests in London would have also weighed in the calculation.

Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump

Donald J. Trump
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@realDonaldTrump
Reason I canceled my trip to London is that I am not a big fan of the Obama Administration having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for “peanuts,” only to build a new one in an off location for 1.2 billion dollars. Bad deal. Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO!

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The US embassy move was confirmed in October 2008, when President George W Bush was still in the White House.

It was moved from its Mayfair site because it was too small to put in the modern security it needed, the BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Landale said.

However, Mr Trump blamed former president Mr Obama's administration for selling "perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for peanuts".

May and Trump's festive phone call
What will Donald Trump's medical reveal?

Mr Trump also criticised the location of the new building in Vauxhall, south London, as an "off location", adding: "Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO!"

The BBC's North America editor said February's planned visit could have included meetings with Mrs May at Chequers or Downing Street and lunch with the Queen.

However, no firm date for the visit had ever been agreed, nor had the White House "nailed down the details of the trip", James Lansdale added.

Is the UK a priority for Trump?
By BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale

Image copyrightAFP/GETTY IMAGES

Donald Trump says that he is not coming to open the new US embassy in London because he is not a fan of the building.

Some diplomats suggest the president was unimpressed by the low key nature of the proposed trip, shorn of the pomp and bling he expected.

Others say the White House was worried about the scale of the public protests that were threatened.

But amid all this is the nagging fear that the real reason is that Mr Trump just does not see the UK as a priority.

In his first year of office, he has visited most other G7 countries and several European nations, including Belgium, so the absence of Britain from his itinerary stands out.

Of course, trips - like tweets - can be easily remedied, and a visit by Mr Trump later this year could in theory dispel the fears.

But with the UK at odds with the US on an increasing numbers of issues, from Iran to Jerusalem, the lack of a visit carries greater symbolic weight.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony may instead be hosted by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Mr Trump accepted the Queen's invitation for an official state visit when the prime minister met him last year.

A petition calling for the invitation to be withdrawn was signed by more than 1.8m people, while the issue was also debated in parliament.

Reports in June suggested Mr Trump wanted to delay a potential visit amid concerns about large-scale protests.

However, the BBC understands Downing Street is considering options for the visit later in the year.

Media caption Inside the new US embassy

A former British ambassador to the United States, Christopher Meyer, told BBC Radio 4's World at One he would be "surprised" if the US president visited the UK in his first term.

Mr Meyer said: "It would be so difficult to manage from a security point of view [and] from a public point of view if he remained as unpopular among the British people at large as he is now."

Speaking last month, US ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson told the BBC he "absolutely" expected Mr Trump to visit Britain in 2018.

During the Queen's Speech at the State Opening of Parliament last summer, there was no mention of a visit - although a Downing Street spokesman said an invitation had been "extended and accepted".

Mrs May was the first foreign leader to meet Mr Trump after his inauguration when she visited the Oval Office in January 2017.

Typically during state visits, the government, the visiting government and the royal household agree on a detailed schedule where the Queen acts as the official host.

Media caption -- Nigel Farage and Chuka Umunna [ ] fall out on the Today programme over cancelled Trump UK visit

The cancellation comes after recent disagreements between the US and UK.

Mr Trump clashed with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in the aftermath of the London Bridge attack last year, when he questioned Mr Khan's statement that there was "no reason to be alarmed".

Mr Khan, who also questioned Mr Trump's proposed US travel ban, said the US president's visit would "without doubt have been met by mass peaceful protests".

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Sadiq Khan
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@SadiqKhan
Many Londoners have made it clear that Donald Trump is not welcome here while he is pursuing such a divisive agenda. It seems he’s finally got that message.

4:56 AM - Jan 12, 2018
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However, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson accused Mr Khan and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of putting the UK's "crucial relationship" with the US at risk by opposing the visit.

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Boris Johnson
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@BorisJohnson
The US is the biggest single investor in the UK - yet Khan & Corbyn seem determined to put this crucial relationship at risk. We will not allow US-UK relations to be endangered by some puffed up pompous popinjay in City Hall.

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A No 10 spokesman said the tweet was "political" rather than representing the views of government.

Relations between London and Washington were also put under the spotlight last year after Mr Trump moved to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Mrs May said she disagreed with that US decision, which she deemed "unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region".

And in November, Mr Trump clashed with Mrs May after she said it was "wrong" for the US president to share videos posted by the far-right group Britain First.

Mrs May more recently discussed Brexit and events in the Middle East in a pre-Christmas phone call with Mr Trump.



THERESA MAY ANSWERS TRUMP’S RETWEETING OF FAR-RIGHT BRITAIN FIRST VIDEO. WHAT SHOULD WE DO WHEN BRITAIN IS A MORE OPEN NATION THAN THE USA? IT APPEARS TO ME TO BE A CLEAR AND EMBARRASSING STATE OF AFFAIRS. EVEN MORE EMBARRASSING, HOWEVER, IS THE FACT THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP TWEETED AN AVERAGE CITIZEN INSTEAD OF THE PRIME MINISTER IN RESPONSE TO THE RIBBON CUTTING ISSUE. READ THE UNFAMOUS THERESA MAY’S VERY WISE ADVICE TO HIM.

http://time.com/5044092/donald-trump-theresa-may-twitter/
Trump Tweeted at the Wrong Theresa May. Now She Has Some Advice for Him
By ALANA ABRAMSON November 30, 2017

VIDEO – May rebukes trump’s retweet

Theresa May Scrivener has some advice for the President of the United States: Rein in your tweets — or at least proofread them.

The 41-year-old mother of three who lives in an English seaside town unexpectedly found herself in the international spotlight after President Trump accidentally tagged her Twitter handle, mistaking it for the British Prime Minister who shares her name.

“I think that he should think before he tweets. Maybe look at the name he’s tweeting and just check,” she told TIME in her first interview with an American outlet since the tweet. “It is amazing to think that the most powerful man in the world can make such a simple mistake and you know he could end up pushing the wrong button.”

Scrivener was relatively good-natured about the mistake in her interview with TIME. But she said the day after the tweet had been draining — she’d been trapped in her house because reporters were camped outside.

She’s not holding her breath for any apology from the White House though.

“I know Donald Trump will not apologize, I don’t even know he’s done anything wrong. I don’t know if he realizes the impact of his mistake,” she said.

Trump left the tweet up targeting Scrivener for less than twenty minutes before he deleted it and replaced it with the Prime Minister’s correct handle. But in that short time, Scrivener said she received a deluge of Twitter requests, Facebook posts, and messages from reporters trying to contact her. (When Trump initially tweeted at her, she had six followers and had tweeted nine times. As of Thursday night, she had 1,261 followers, but hadn’t tweeted).

Scrivener didn’t discover she had become somewhat of a sensation until this morning, when she woke up to these notifications. She doesn’t use Twitter frequently, she said, and had actually turned off her notifications because, like Trump, people would often mistakenly tag her as the Prime Minister. “I got fed up of hearing the ping ping ping ping sound all the time because if she’s mentioned, I get mentioned,” she explained.

Trump had attempted to tweet at May — the Prime Minister — after she criticized him for retweeting videos from the ultranationalist group Britain First which showed Muslims engaging in violent acts and destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary. Trump had tweeted back, “don’t focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!”

When asked about the controversy that caused Trump’s tweet in the first place and her thoughts about Britain First, Scrivener demurred, insisting on three separate occasions that she doesn’t have political opinions. But, she says, “I think he [Trump] should concentrate on running his country and not ours. I think he should maybe get off Twitter and start focusing on whats going on around him a little bit more.”

“He’s made a lot of mistakes,” she said of Trump. “One of them was tweeting me.”



MAYOR SADIQUE KHAN IMPLIES THAT TRUMP’S REFUSAL TO COME TO THE RIBBON CUTTING WAS NOT A MOVE MADE IN DEFIANCE, BUT IN FEAR.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/12/donald-trump-visit-to-london-called-off-amid-fears-of-mass-protests
Donald Trump
Donald Trump cancels London visit amid protest fears
President will not open new US embassy next month, with secretary of state Rex Tillerson likely to take his place
Heather Stewart Political editor, and David Smith in Washington
Fri 12 Jan 2018 04.49 EST

PHOTOGRAPH -- Donald Trump and Theresa May pictured in Brussels ahead of a Nato summit meeting in May last year. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Donald Trump has cancelled a visit to Britain next month to open the new US embassy in London, amid fears of mass protests.

The president claimed on Twitter that the reason for calling off the trip was his displeasure at Barack Obama having sold the current embassy for “peanuts” and built a replacement for $1bn (£750m). “Bad deal,” he wrote.

But the embassy’s plan to move from Mayfair to Nine Elms in London was first reported in October 2008, when George W Bush was still president.

The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, said Trump had “got the message” that many Londoners staunchly opposed his policies and actions.

RELATED -- The fabulous new US embassy is best not tainted by a Trump visit
Oliver Wainwright

“It appears that President Trump got the message from the many Londoners who love and admire America and Americans but find his policies and actions the polar opposite of our city’s values of inclusion, diversity and tolerance,” Khan said on Friday.

“His visit next month would without doubt have been met by mass peaceful protests. This just reinforces what a mistake it was for Theresa May to rush and extend an invitation of a state visit in the first place.”

The prime minister invited Trump for a state visit when she became the first world leader to visit the president in the White House a year ago. Activists immediately pledged to stage protests and MPs have said they would not give the president the opportunity to address parliament.

Asked about Trump’s cancellation, a Downing Street spokesman repeated the government’s longstanding position that “an invitation has been extended and accepted, but no date has been set”.

The White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said: “The invitation was made and has been accepted we are still working to finalise a date.”

Instead of a state visit, it had been expected that Trump would make a brief, less formal “working visit” in February to cut the ribbon on the embassy in south-west London, and hold meetings with May. Officials had also been examining plans for the president to meet the Queen without the pomp of a full-blown state banquet.

Government sources suggested Washington had signalled that the secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, would instead open the embassy.

US secretary of state Rex Tillerson.
Rex Tillerson.

Trump confirmed on Twitter late on Thursday night that the trip was off. “Reason I canceled my trip to London is that I am not a big fan of the Obama Administration having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for “peanuts,” only to build a new one in an off location for 1.2 billion dollars,” he wrote just before midnight local time. “Bad deal. Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO!”

Citing security and environmental reasons, the US state department agreed to sell the current embassy building in Grosvenor Square to the Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Co, which plans to turn it into a luxury hotel. Estimates put the site’s value at £500m before it was made a listed building, which would have diminished the value because of restrictions on development.

British relations with the president hit a low late last year when May criticised his decision to retweet videos posted by the far-right extremist group Britain First.

Trump responded by tweeting directly to the prime minister that she should focus on tackling domestic terrorism.

The government was so concerned about his decision to share the videos that Britain’s ambassador to Washington, Sir Kim Darroch, took the rare step of raising the issue directly with the White House.

London’s new US embassy: a very diplomatic America on Thames

Trump’s ambassador to London, Woody Johnson, subsequently insisted: “The president and the prime minister have a very, very good relationship. I know the president admires and respects the prime minister greatly.”

May’s government has been keen to strike up a close relationship with the Trump administration despite his erratic behaviour, because of Britain’s desire to strike a swift trade deal with the world’s largest economy when it leaves the European Union.

Trump has sparked alarm among diplomats by repeatedly entering into Twitter spats with key public figures, including the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, to whom he recently boasted about the size of the US nuclear arsenal.

The White House has been rocked in recent days by the revelations in an explosive book, Fire and Fury, by the US journalist Michael Wolff, who suggested senior figures in the administration questioned the president’s fitness for office.

Asked about the revelations last weekend, May said she believed they were not serious, and Trump was a man making decisions “in the interests of the United States”.

Trump faced fresh criticism on Thursday night after the Washington Post reported that he had questioned planned changes to immigration rules, asking colleagues why the US had to welcome arrivals from “shithole countries”.



ABOUT THOSE CARAVANS THAT TRUMP IS SO CONCERNED ABOUT, THEY AREN’T NEW AT ALL, AND THEY AREN’T AN INVASION FORCE. CROSSING MILES OF DESERT ON FOOT IS DANGEROUS, AND THE LARGE NUMBERS ENSURE THAT PEOPLE DON’T GET DISORIENTED AND SEPARATED FROM THE GROUP, OR EVEN ATTACKED. THEY ARE SIMPLY A WAY OF SAVING LIVES. OH, YES. IT’S ALSO HARDER FOR AUTHORITIES TO CAPTURE AND DETAIN SO MANY. READ THE MARCHERS COMMENTS BELOW FOR THEIR PERSONAL STORIES.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/29/americas/migrant-caravan-us-border-crossing/index.html
Migrant caravan prepares to reach the US-Mexico border this afternoon
Eric Levenson CNN Digital Rebranding 2014
Khushbu Shah
By Eric Levenson and Khushbu Shah, CNN
Updated 3:27 PM ET, Sun April 29, 2018

(CNN)A caravan of hundreds of migrants is expected to reach the US-Mexico border on Sunday afternoon after a monthlong trip from Central America that has sparked the ire of President Donald Trump.

On Sunday morning, migrants in the caravan gathered at Friendship Park in Tijuana and prepared to march to the border and then ask for asylum in the United States. Buses carrying members of the caravan reached Tijuana on Tuesday.

In anticipation of the final march, demonstrators lined both sides of the border on Sunday.


Khushbu Shah
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Caravan participants at Friendship Park this morning as they ready to present themselves at US-Mexico border later today. @CNN

1:00 PM - Apr 29, 2018
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Khushbu Shah
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@KhushbuOShea
On both sides of the border. Mexico on the left, US on the right. Caravan on this side. The song says “Why do they kill us, why do the punish us for seeking a better life?” @CNN

1:20 PM - Apr 29, 2018
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The migrants say they want a better life for themselves and their children, safe from violence and poverty in their home countries. The caravan is both a humanitarian and an activist mission, as organizers created the event to draw greater attention to the migrants' plight.

One such migrant is Gabriela Hernandez, a pregnant mother of two who fled Honduras and crossed Guatemala into Mexico to join the group heading north. She and her two sons left behind their friends and family and battled hunger and exhaustion along the monthlong journey.

"There are people who think I just woke up and said, 'Oh, I want to just go to the United States.' It's not that easy," she said.

Isabel Rodriguez, 52, traveled with her two grandchildren, Anderson, 7, and Cristofer, 11, from El Salvador with the caravan over several weeks. She said she was grateful to be in Tijuana but was worried about what's ahead.

"I hear they are separating people who are not parents of children," she said, "but I am ready to get to the border."

Why this caravan is unlike others

Similar migrant caravans have ventured toward the US border for the last several years. But this trip has become better known because of critical tweets from Trump and the heightened controversy surrounding immigration policy.

Trump has encouraged Mexico to break up the caravans and tweeted that he would not accept the migrants into the country.

Donald J. Trump
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@realDonaldTrump
Despite the Democrat inspired laws on Sanctuary Cities and the Border being so bad and one sided, I have instructed the Secretary of Homeland Security not to let these large Caravans of people into our Country. It is a disgrace. We are the only Country in the World so naive! WALL
9:44 AM - Apr 23, 2018
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"I have instructed the Secretary of Homeland Security not to let these large Caravans of people into our Country. It is a disgrace. We are the only Country in the World so naive! WALL," Trump wrote.

"If members of the 'caravan' enter the country illegally, they will be referred for prosecution for illegal entry in accordance with existing law," Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said in a statement.

Gabriela's quest for safety: Pregnant mom gets her boys through sickness, a trash train and 3,000 miles

Chief Patrol Agent Rodney S. Scott of the US Customs and Border Protection said several groups of people associated with the caravan illegally entered the United States by climbing over a metal fence.

"We are a very welcoming country but just like your own house, we expect everyone to enter through our front door, and answer questions honestly," he said in a statement.

It is not illegal to enter the country at a port of entry and ask for asylum, as international law requires that the United States consider asylum claims. The migrants say they're not planning to sneak across the border, but to turn themselves in peacefully and ask for asylum.

"People who have a legitimate fear of persecution under US law have a right to present their case," Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the top Democrat on the House subcommittee on immigration, said on Monday. "That's not a violation of immigration law. That's a part of immigration law."

In general, having asylum granted is difficult. More than three-quarters of immigrants seeking asylum from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala between 2011 and 2016 lost their cases, according to immigration court statistics published by Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet and Leyla Santiago contributed to this report.


ARE YOU LIKE SO MANY OF US, YOU MISS PRESIDENT OBAMA? IF SO, GO TO THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS OF HIS PERSONAL LIFE.

https://www.usnews.com/photos/obama-behind-the-scenes
By U.S. News Staff
Sept. 10, 2014, at 10:00 a.m.
Photos: Obama Behind the Scenes
A collection of moments subtle and grand of the 44th president of the United States.

163 PHOTOGRAPHS -- President Barack Obama boards Air Force One at Yangon International Airport on Friday in Yangon, Myanmar, for the G-20 summit in Brisbane, Australia.PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS/AP

TRUMP CARTOONS -- DREW SHENEMAN/TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY


JUST FOR THE INTEREST VALUE, SEE THIS STORY ABOUT ANOTHER GERMAN SUBMARINE THAT HAS BEEN FOUND.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/german-nazi-submarine-u-boat-u-3523-mystery-denmark-museum-argentina/
CBS NEWS April 19, 2018, 11:09 AM
Museum says missing Nazi submarine mystery solved

A museum in Denmark says it has solved the seven-decade mystery of a missing Nazi submarine. The Sea War Museum Jutland, in northern Denmark, says researchers found the German U-boat U-3523 on the seafloor just north of the country earlier this month.

The submarine was sunk on May 6, 1945, the day after Nazi forces surrendered in Denmark, parts of Germany and the Netherlands in World War II, according to the museum. For years there has been speculation that the sub, which was one of Nazi Germany's most advanced U-boats at the time, made it to South America carrying fleeing Nazi officers -- possibly even Adolf Hitler himself, according to some conspiracy theorists.

"After the war, there were many rumors about top Nazis who fled in U-boats and brought Nazi gold to safety, and the U-3523 fed the rumors," the museum said in a statement published on its website. "The Type XXI was the first genuine submarine that could sail submerged for a prolonged time, and the U-3523 had a range that would have allowed it to sail non-stop all the way to South America."

Trove of suspected Nazi artifacts found in Argentina

The museum has not raised the wreckage from the seafloor, and it's final resting position -- only nine miles from where the British navy reported sinking the sub as it tried to make a suspected escape. The fact that the wreck wasn't found 70 years ago left room for the speculation about a successful clandestine voyage to Argentina.

nazi-submarine-denmark2.jpg
A graphic representation from the Sea War Museum Jutland in Denmark shows the wreckage of a Nazi German U-boat, which the museum says it found embedded in the seafloor north of Denmark. SEA WAR MUSEUM JUTLAND

Images from the museum's scanning equipment, which located the wreck, show the German sub partially embedded in the seafloor, nose-first at about a 45 degree angle.

It is about 130 yards under the surface, which will make recovery work difficult, and the museum said its research team still has no idea what might be aboard.

Denmark's Sea War Museum Jutland has registered the discovery of more than 400 vessels, many from the World War II era.

nazi-submarine-denmark1.jpg
An image of a seafloor scan by the Sea War Museum Jutland in northern Denmark shows the apparent wreckage of the Nazi German U-boat U-3523 on the seafloor north of the country's coast. SEA WAR MUSEUM JUTLAND
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