Story highlights Roger Federer targets Australian Open return
Federer has suffered an injury-blighted year
Swiss will miss upcoming US Open
(CNN) It's been a "painful" year for Roger Federer, but one he is determined to put behind him as he targets a return to the tennis court in time for January's Australian Open.
Federer was last in action in July when he suffered a semifinal defeat to Milos Raonic at Wimbledon, with a knee injury having sidelined him since, ruling him out of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The same injury means the 35-year-old will also miss out on the US Open, which gets underway on August 29, while he will be absent from the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in November as well.
The Swiss, however, is confident of a return to fitness in time for the first grand slam of 2017, which commences in Melbourne on January 16.
"I'm working for the Australian Open," Federer said at an event in New York. "I'm doing well."
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Roger Federer targeting Australian Open return


It's been a "painful" year for Roger Federer, but one he is determined to put it behind him as he targets a return for January's Australian Open.


Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

Nykea Aldridge's death comes amid Chicago murder spike


The high-profile murder of NBA star Dwyane Wade's cousin has put a spotlight on gun violence in Chicago. CNN's Rachel Crane reports.


Winnipeg, Canada (CNN) Samantha Folster and Gilbert Fredette walk into the high school classroom and quickly launch into an uncomfortable conversation.
"Good morning everyone," Folster begins. "We're here to do a presentation with you today on sexual exploitation."
The room quiets, the teenagers sit at attention, all eyes on Folster and Fredette. It's a tough subject for 10th and 11th graders, but many of them have heard it before.
And Fredette tells CNN, they need to hear it again, and again, and again.
"If we're not walking the walk and talking the talk for the betterment of our community," he says, "then it's meaningless."
Their community is Norway House Cree Nation, a small indigenous reserve located in northern Manitoba, Canada, home to about 6,000 people. Folster and Fredette serve on the Chief's Council.
Together, they are determined to prevent children in their community from falling prey to sex traffickers who have been targeting their kids for years.
Easy prey
Throughout Canada, indigenous children are easy prey. Many come from First Nation tribes in the north, some communities so remote they are accessible only by air. Isolated and vulnerable, some families choose to leave home in search of better schools, better jobs and greater opportunity in Canada's bigger cities.
According to Diane Redsky, an anti-trafficking activist who advocates for indigenous women and children in Canada, the children don't stand a chance in the big city.
"There is a specific shopping mall in Winnipeg where traffickers just hang out and wait," she says. "Traffickers are looking for girls that come in with a certain brand of shoes and a certain brand of jeans because in their communities, there's only one store ... and they only sell certain brands, and so right away a trafficker will know [that she is indigenous]".
Once identified, the traffickers then lure the girls in. Redsky says it's very subtle. "They are not posing as pimps anymore," she says. "They're posing as boyfriends."
This scenario plays out across all of Canada's big cities. As a result, indigenous children are greatly overrepresented among victims. There are approximately 1.5 million people in Canada who identify as indigenous. That's only 4% of the Canadian population, yet indigenous people make up more than 50% of all human trafficking victims in the country.
Norway House is trying to change that by bringing what was once a taboo subject to the forefront.
Photos: Norway House Cree Nation is a small indigenous reserve located in northern Manitoba, Canada. Throughout Canada, sex traffickers target indigenous children. But Norway House is fighting back. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: Samantha Folster and Gilbert Fredette are community leaders who have created a program to teach kids why child sexual exploitation has traumatized their communities.
"If we're not walking the walk and talking the talk for the betterment of our community, then it's meaningless," says Fredette. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: "What gives me hope is that we're talking about it," says Ron Evans, chief of Norway House Cree Nation. "There's more people aware of it, we got leadership that are aware of it, we have plans in place that are only beginning to be implemented." Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: School counselor Gem York says the frankness of the discussions is what makes them meaningful and effective. "[We are] naming it and saying this is what this is called, this is sexual exploitation this is human trafficking and this is what happens." Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: Many trafficked children come from remote First Nation communities in the north, like Norway House. Isolated and vulnerable, some families move to Canada's bigger cities in search of better schools, better jobs and greater opportunity. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: Diane Redsky advocates for indigenous women and children in Canada. She says traffickers in the city target indigenous girls by posing as boyfriends. Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: Hundreds gathered at a community fish fry at Norway House in May. Folster spoke to the gathering about what the leadership is doing to prevent sex trafficking in the community. Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: Folster says that reconnecting with traditions, like this sharing circle, is key to ending the cycle of abuse. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: A traditional drum ceremony at Norway House. Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: In the 19th century, Norway House was an important fur trading post. It was named after the Norwegian laborers who built the post. Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: It's home to about 6,000 people and is situated on the confluence of the Nelson River and Lake Winnipeg, about 280 miles north of Winnipeg -- about 500 miles by road. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: The symbol of Norway House Cree Nation has a background of land and forest forming a peace pipe with a bear at the tip. Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: From left to right, the flags of Canada, Norway House Cree Nation, and the province of Manitoba. Hide Caption 13 of 13
Folster says: "I don't think it's ever been talked about that way. It's more like, let's not talk about it, let's just leave it under the rug and let it stay there. And it's the fear of speaking about it and the shame that comes with it and the guilt of feeling that maybe this way my fault.
"So we need to change the perception of how people think and feel about sexual exploitation in our communities."
Culture and heritage
Norway House is the first indigenous community in northern Manitoba to bring an anti-trafficking program into school. It is an achievement this close, tight-knit community is proud of. As hundreds gathered on an uncharacteristically warm evening in May to listen to music and enjoy a fish fry, the chief of this First Nation community thanked local fishermen for catching the fish, offered a prayer, and then invited Folster to the stage to speak about steps the leadership is taking to prevent sex trafficking in the community.
JUST WATCHED Survivor overcomes her sex trafficking past Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Survivor overcomes her sex trafficking past 04:27
Later, speaking in his small office at the council's headquarters, Chief Ron Evans kept an optimistic tone.
"What gives me hope is that we're talking about it," he says. "There's more people aware of it, we got leadership that are aware of it, we have plans in place that are only beginning to be implemented."
Folster says she sees change happening. Mothers and grandmothers in the community are coming to talk to her about their children. That's a good sign, she says, that people are talking about it. It means the program is working.
"When the situation hits home it's even harder for you when it's family," Folster says. "It's heartbreaking, but it makes you want to strive even stronger to make change, for your grandchildren."
JUST WATCHED Safe house helps teenage sex trafficking victim Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Safe house helps teenage sex trafficking victim 03:34
Folster also stresses the importance of culture and heritage. She says recent generations of First Nations people are unfamiliar with their native traditions, the result of decades of government-sponsored assimilation through residential schools.
We visit with Folster at her home as she and three other women participate in a smudging ceremony, a sacred ritual that uses smoke from sage and other herbs believed to cleanse and purify the body and soul. Sitting on a large wooden deck in Folster's backyard, with the sun setting behind them, the women pray for healing. Reconnecting with those roots, Folster says, is key to ending a seemingly never-ending cycle of abuse.
"When I ran to be a leader, one of the things that I had spoken about was I just want wellness in our community. It's called 'minoyawin,' wellness," she says. "That was my goal and it'll continue to be my goal and that's why I sit here today and do this awareness on sexual exploitation."

Canadian indigenous community fights sex traffickers


In Canada, indigenous children are targeted by sex traffickers. Now, indigenous communities are educating their kids about the dangers.


London (CNN) An autistic boy from Devon has received thousands of birthday cards, gifts and messages from strangers around the world after his mother's online plea went viral.
Ollie Jones broke his mother Karen's heart when he made himself two birthday cards because he assumed no one would be wishing him well for his 15th birthday.
The two cards Ollie had initially made for himself for his 15th birthday.
Karen Jones, 49, then took to Facebook to request help on a community page. She wrote, "my autistic son is 15 shortly ... he's just told me he loves opening cards to [the] extent he's made himself a couple."
"We are a small family and he has no friends so gets very few."
'I'm famous, I'm famous'
Her Facebook post received over 25,000 shares and almost 1,000 comments, mostly from well-wishers saying their cards were on the way to Ollie. Her plea also extended to Twitter, with numerous well-wishers using the hashtag #Cards4Ollie.
Postmen deliver crates full of birthday cards to Ollie's house in Exmouth.
Although there is no final count, Karen Jones says she and Ollie have opened 7,000 cards so far -- and they still have a long way to go. And while Jones is elated with the many gifts she and Ollie have received from around the world, she told CNN, "gifts are not what it's about. It's about making us feel good, and others feel good."
"I've received so many messages from other individuals and groups who feel that as a result of the events of the last few days, and the compassion it's triggered globally, the autistic community have hopefully been empowered," she added.
Some well-wishers have sent messages from as far away as Brazil and Australia.
Karen Jones, who had initially hoped for about 20 cards, said it may take a while to open them all. She urged everyone to "remember there are 'Ollies' everywhere."
Her son ended the night of his birthday by sitting "in his friend's hot tub, taking photos of himself on his new selfie stick saying 'I'm famous', 'I'm famous'," she said.
Ollie takes selfies while bathing in a hot tub on his birthday.
Small acts of kindness
Jane Harris, Director of External Affairs at the National Autistic Society , said Ollie's story "shows how small acts of kindness can make a huge difference to the lives of autistic people and their families.
"Over one in 100 people are autistic in the UK, and many find it hard to communicate with and form relationships with other people. But no one should fall for the myth that autistic people are loners or prefer to spend time on their own; many want to have friends but struggle to do so because of difficulties understanding the social world," she said.
"If anyone is unsure how best to communicate with someone on the autistic spectrum, the simple answer is to ask them or someone who knows them well, whether a family member, friend or professional."

Austistic boy recieves thousands of birthday cards after mom's Facebook plea


An autistic boy got thousands of birthday cards, gifts and messages from strangers around the world after his mother's online plea went viral.


Kelly Wallace is CNN's digital correspondent and editor-at-large covering family, career and life. Read her other columns and follow her reports at CNN Parents and on Twitter @kellywallacetv.
(CNN) Just about every day, Angela Estes, a New York mom, finds herself asking her 5-year-old son, "Why are you being so defiant?"
When she says it's time to get dressed and head to school or when she gives the sign that playground time has come to an end, he has other ideas, said a frustrated Estes.
"He just wants to do what he wants to do, and I find it very hard to establish the authority that whether he wants to do it or not, it's what we're going to do," she said.
Who can't relate to that?
I remember a few months back when one of my daughters wouldn't listen to me. I resorted to the old "Go to your room," which didn't work, either. She continued to remain defiant and disobey me until I checked out of the situation and ignored her.
Still, I wondered what the "right" way to handle her behavior actually was. Estes struggles with the same question and has even tried giving her son choices, such as saying that either they leave the playground or he is "choosing" not to have any screen time at home.
"I sort of end up running out of things to take away, and then I get frustrated and angry, and I don't know what to do when I've run out of things and he still doesn't want to do it," she said.
In the eighth installment of our CNN Digital Video series "Parent Acts," we asked parents to act out the defiance they experience in their children. We then had a parenting expert listen to their role-play and weigh in with advice.
Family therapist Tricia Ferrara is author of "Parenting 2.0."
Parenting strategist and licensed family therapist Tricia Ferrara listened to Estes and wondered whether she's walking into situations with her son armed more with "hope" than a real plan to deal with his behavior.
"A suggestion ... is kind of 'strike when the iron is cold' concept," said Ferrara, author of "Parenting 2.0: Think in the Future, Act in the Now," a guidebook for parents with step-by-step advice on how to strengthen their relationships with their children.
"I feel like you're working real hard when you're in the heat of the moment but maybe not doing so much rehearsal outside of this World Series moment at the playground, when the stakes are really high," she said to Estes.
Ferrara's advice was for Estes to come up with a plan: Promise the playground for Friday afternoon but say that "we need to see 'big boy behavior' on the way to getting there."
She said Estes could then come up with a few ways he could show that "big boy behavior," such as getting dressed by himself or putting his toys away. "If he's reluctant, remind him through that phrase. ... 'How about some "big boy behavior?" ' "
Ferrara, who has been in practice in the Philadelphia area for more than a decade, said a family mantra can also serve as a trigger for children on what they need to do. "In my house, it was 'Fussing gets you nothing,' " she said. "So if [my kids] started to fuss about something, I would say, 'What does fussing get you?' And they would say, 'Nothing,' and then they would stop because it triggered them to say, 'Oh, yeah, I'm supposed to do X.' "
The problem with labeling a child as 'defiant'
Parents may be quick to label their children as "defiant," but experts say that fails to recognize that what we do as parents can impact our child's behavior.
"The problem with 'defiance' is that it puts something in the child," said Alan Kazdin, professor of psychology and child psychiatry at Yale University and author of more than 40 books including "The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child." "It's not in the child. You can really make defiant children very compliant, actually, many of them, even most of them. It's in what you do to get that compliance."
Kazdin, who is also director of the Yale Parenting Center, said that if a parent says a child is defiant, it means the child has the problem and the parent is fine. But the other way of thinking about that is the child didn't listen to the parent when the parent asked the child to do something, he said.
"And then now, here comes the science: Is there anything that science can tell us to get [the child] to be a really better listener and controlled better by [the parent's] behavior?" said Kazdin, former president of the American Psychological Association. "And the answer is wildly 'yes.' "
Kazdin says the way we convey instructions to our children affects the probability they will comply with our request.
For instance, if you say "Put on your jacket; we're going out" while pointing at your child, you are likely to have less luck than if you put "please" in front of it: "Please put your jacket on; we're going out."
"The tone of voice is the issue, not the 'please,' " said Kazdin, who is also author of "The Everyday Parenting Toolkit." That is why a working parent coming home after a stressful day is more likely to encounter some defiance from a child, he said. After a parent comes home and the child is being defiant, the parent might say, "This is all I need after the day I've had."
"Well, what does the research show? That no fault of anybody but the stress changed the [parent's] tone of voice," said Kazdin. "It's not about blaming, but I'm saying we put defiance in the child."
Offering kids choice also increases the likelihood of compliance. "Sally, put on your green jacket or your blue sweater, please," said Kazdin, is likely to lead to better results than simply "Put on your jacket."
"The real choice is not anywhere near as important in life as the perception of choice, and so it doesn't matter that the child doesn't have a real choice," said Kazdin. "What matters is that in giving that [choice], you increase compliance."
The power of praising good behavior
What many of us parents fail to recognize is how important noticing and praising good behavior can be in terms of eliminating the defiance in our children. We don't tend to praise our children when they are getting along with their siblings, doing their homework or negotiating with other children on the ball field. But when they do something wrong or disobey us, we are quick to point that out.
Praise the good behavior, says Kazdin, and be specific about it. Don't praise by saying "wonderful girl" or "wonderful boy." Be specific, such as "Great! I asked you to come over, and you came over right away," and then add a high five or a kiss on the cheek.
"It's the strategic praise that changes behavior when used in a way that follows [the] behavior immediately," he said.
We also need to help our kids practice and practice with them, said Kazdin. For instance, I'm already dreading starting the school year and finding a way to get my younger daughter to get out of bed on her own.
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Kazdin says I could make a plan with my daughter the night before and promise to help her get up in the morning. Once she gets up, I should then praise her and tout how we did it together. After doing that for a few days, I could then say to my daughter that I bet she can't get up on time on her own the next morning, how it's something teenagers can do but perhaps she isn't big enough yet to do it.
If my daughter does get up on her own, I can have kind of an "ecstasy exchange" in which I praise her profusely for getting up by herself and give her plenty of high fives, said Kazdin.
The idea is to help my child as much as possible in the beginning, be there to hold her hand and praise her, and eventually she will start doing it on her own. But it won't happen overnight, he said.
"The issue is, you have to build the behavior gradually," said Kazdin. "That's the critical part. ... Practice, repeat it, practice."


Most parents have struggled with a defiant child, but what they might not realize is that there are steps they can take to eliminate the challenging behavior.


Story highlights Elba has a new reality show
He's been showing off his fighting skills on Instagram
(CNN) Seriously Hollywood, what more do you need to prove that Idris Elba is James Bond?
Fans of Elba have been suggesting he become the first black Bond and the actor is making the argument easy.
He's suave in a suit, has the right accent and will soon star in a new reality series titled "Idris Elba: Fighter."
The Discovery network show will reportedly follow a year of Elba training to become a professional kickboxer.
The actor is familiar with the sport, having done it as part of his workout routine, but this new adventure will take him around the world as he pursues it as a career.
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Go ahead and make Idris Elba James Bond please


Seriously Hollywood, what more do you need to prove that Idris Elba is James Bond?


Story highlights Brazilian police say Ryan Lochte charged with falsely reporting a crime
A teammate has already had to pay a five-figure fine to settle his legal trouble
Rio de Janeiro (CNN) US swimmer Ryan Lochte has been charged with falsely reporting a crime, Rio police said Thursday.
The department's chief has requested a letter be sent to Lochte explaining the legal process related to the charges, according to a statement.
The 12-time Olympic medalist will now be summoned to Rio, according to Tourist Support Special Precinct officials.
JUST WATCHED Americans say 'Sorry about Lochte' before leaving Rio Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Americans say 'Sorry about Lochte' before leaving Rio 02:01
Lochte can opt to send a lawyer and does not need to appear in court.
If convicted, Lochte, 32, could face between one to six months in jail, although the judge could choose to levy a fine instead. There would be no negotiations in that case, Clemente Braune, a commissioner with the Special Tourist Police in Rio, said Thursday.
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Ryan Lochte charged by Brazilian authorities


US swimmer Ryan Lochte might soon be headed back to Brazil.


Peniel Joseph is the Barbara Jordan Chair in Political Values and Ethics and the founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is also a professor of history. He is the author of several books, most recently " Stokely: A Life ." The views expressed here are his.
(CNN) Colin Kaepernick, the former Pro Bowler, Super Bowl participant and quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, couldn't take it anymore.
The well-publicized deaths of blacks at the hands of police, the Black Lives Matter demonstrations and the political unwillingness to radically change the institutions and practices that maintain the nation's status quo compelled him to protest against racial injustice.
He did this by refusing to stand during the National Anthem at NFL preseason games.
Now a black athlete that white Americans have cheered on the football field is being widely demonized for daring to "stand with the people that are being oppressed." His position has placed him at the center of a national debate about race, but also about the fundamental right of an individual to protest against an enduring symbol of American power.
Tess Apslund, 42, stands with a raised fist in front of uniformed neo-Nazis during a Nordic Resistance Movement demonstration in Borlange, Sweden, on Sunday, May 1.
Tess Apslund, 42, stands with a raised fist in front of uniformed neo-Nazis during a Nordic Resistance Movement demonstration in Borlange, Sweden, on Sunday, May 1.
A man attempts to calm a fellow demonstrator as they face police in Baltimore in April 2015. Riots broke out after the funeral for Freddie Gray , who died of a severe spinal cord injury while in police custody. His death sparked protests in Baltimore and raised long-simmering tensions between police and residents.
A protester in Ferguson, Missouri, stands in front of police vehicles with his hands up on November 24, 2014. A grand jury's decision not to indict police Officer Darren Wilson in the killing of Michael Brown prompted waves of protests in Ferguson and across the country. The "hands up, don't shoot" gesture became a rallying cry and protest symbol.
Riot police use pepper spray as they clash with pro-democracy protesters outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong on September 28, 2014. Demonstrations began in response to China's decision to allow only Beijing-vetted candidates to stand in the city's 2017 election for chief executive. Protesters say Beijing has gone back on its pledge to allow universal suffrage in Hong Kong, which was promised "a high degree of autonomy" when it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997. The umbrella has become the defining image of the protest movement, used to shield protesters from tear gas and the elements.
Protesters in Kiev, Ukraine, catch fire as they stand behind burning barricades during clashes with police on February 20, 2014. Kiev's Independence Square had been the center of anti-government protests since November 2013, when President Viktor Yanukovych reversed a decision on a trade deal with the European Union and instead turned toward Russia.
A riot police officer uses tear gas as people protest the destruction of a park for a pedestrian project in Istanbul's Taksim Square on May 28, 2013. The woman in red became the face of the protests.
A riot police officer uses tear gas as people protest the destruction of a park for a pedestrian project in Istanbul's Taksim Square on May 28, 2013. The woman in red became the face of the protests.
Egyptian army soldiers arrest a female protester during clashes at Tahrir Square in Cairo on December 17, 2011. On January 25, people took to the streets in demonstrations against corruption and failing economic policies. From the beginning, the revolution in Egypt was propelled by the use of social media. The events in Egypt served as a flash point for journalists on the ground, too. For perhaps one of the first times, history itself has been recorded instantaneously, as reporters took to Twitter to share 140-character updates and personal stories from the protests.
Egyptian army soldiers arrest a female protester during clashes at Tahrir Square in Cairo on December 17, 2011. On January 25, people took to the streets in demonstrations against corruption and failing economic policies. From the beginning, the revolution in Egypt was propelled by the use of social media. The events in Egypt served as a flash point for journalists on the ground, too. For perhaps one of the first times, history itself has been recorded instantaneously, as reporters took to Twitter to share 140-character updates and personal stories from the protests.
Police Lt. John Pike at the University of California, Davis, uses pepper spray to break up Occupy UC Davis protesters on the school's quad on November 18, 2011. This image sparked controversy amid the Occupy protests and fueled the flames for protesters. A judge ruled that the university must pay Pike $38,000 in workers' compensation for the depression and anxiety he suffered as a result of the backlash from the incident.
Police Lt. John Pike at the University of California, Davis, uses pepper spray to break up Occupy UC Davis protesters on the school's quad on November 18, 2011. This image sparked controversy amid the Occupy protests and fueled the flames for protesters. A judge ruled that the university must pay Pike $38,000 in workers' compensation for the depression and anxiety he suffered as a result of the backlash from the incident.
A man in Tiananmen Square stands in front of a column of T-59 tanks on June 4, 1989.
A man in Tiananmen Square stands in front of a column of T-59 tanks on June 4, 1989.
Mary Ann Vecchio kneels over the body of student Jeffrey Miller during an anti-war demonstration at Kent State University in Ohio on May 4, 1970.
Mary Ann Vecchio kneels over the body of student Jeffrey Miller during an anti-war demonstration at Kent State University in Ohio on May 4, 1970.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono give a press conference during their "bed-in" for peace at an Amsterdam hotel in March 1969.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono give a press conference during their "bed-in" for peace at an Amsterdam hotel in March 1969.
Tommie Smith and John Carlos, gold and bronze medalists in the 200-meter run at the 1968 Olympic Games, raise their fists in the Black Power salute on October 16, 1968, in Mexico City.
Tommie Smith and John Carlos, gold and bronze medalists in the 200-meter run at the 1968 Olympic Games, raise their fists in the Black Power salute on October 16, 1968, in Mexico City.
Students in Paris hurl projectiles at the police on Boulevard Saint-Germain during the uprisings of May 6, 1968.
Students in Paris hurl projectiles at the police on Boulevard Saint-Germain during the uprisings of May 6, 1968.
Jan Rose Kasmir stands in front of National Guard members outside the Pentagon during an anti-Vietnam War march on October 21, 1967.
Jan Rose Kasmir stands in front of National Guard members outside the Pentagon during an anti-Vietnam War march on October 21, 1967.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. waves to supporters on the Mall in Washington during the March on Washington on August 28, 1963.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. waves to supporters on the Mall in Washington during the March on Washington on August 28, 1963.
A 17-year-old civil rights demonstrator, defying an anti-parade ordinance in Birmingham, Alabama, is attacked by a police dog on May 3, 1963.
A 17-year-old civil rights demonstrator, defying an anti-parade ordinance in Birmingham, Alabama, is attacked by a police dog on May 3, 1963.
Rosa Parks became an inspiration for the modern civil rights movement when she was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 1, 1955, after refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a city bus. For 381 days, African-Americans boycotted public transportation to protest Parks' arrest and, in turn, segregation laws. The boycott led to a 1956 Supreme Court ruling desegregating public transportation in Montgomery. Soon after, Parks was photographed near the front of a bus in what became an enduring image of the civil rights movement.
Rosa Parks became an inspiration for the modern civil rights movement when she was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 1, 1955, after refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a city bus. For 381 days, African-Americans boycotted public transportation to protest Parks' arrest and, in turn, segregation laws. The boycott led to a 1956 Supreme Court ruling desegregating public transportation in Montgomery. Soon after, Parks was photographed near the front of a bus in what became an enduring image of the civil rights movement.
On March 12, 1930, Indian nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi led a nonviolent protest against the British Empire. The march protested the British tax on salt, a necessity of everyday life. Gandhi called for Indians to illegally make salt or buy it illegally. More nonviolent protests against the tax were mounted in large cities across India, and Gandhi's methods eventually led to India's independence.
On March 12, 1930, Indian nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi led a nonviolent protest against the British Empire. The march protested the British tax on salt, a necessity of everyday life. Gandhi called for Indians to illegally make salt or buy it illegally. More nonviolent protests against the tax were mounted in large cities across India, and Gandhi's methods eventually led to India's independence.
Protester Ieshia Evans is detained by law enforcement officers near the police headquarters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Saturday, July 9. Evans was among dozens of people protesting the death of Alton Sterling, who was fatally shot by police just a few days earlier. Click through the gallery to see memorable images from other protests throughout history.
Kaepernick is being pilloried on social media for being unpatriotic -- an ironic allegation considering the national mourning over the recent passing of Muhammad Ali, who was convicted of draft evasion after he decided, on religious principle, not to serve in Vietnam. Like Ali, Kaepernick decided to follow his conscience no matter the consequences.
On the same day he addressed teammates about his stance in a closed-door meeting, Kapernick calmly spoke to more than two dozen reporters in an 18-minute press conference. His answers were thoughtful and considered, some more sure-footed than others. With his large afro and full beard, Kaepernick, who is biracial, cut a broodingly dashing protest figure reminiscent of the Black Power era.
Parts of this summer, for better and worse, have indeed echoed the political and racial turmoil of the 1960s. Black athletes boldly entered the fray in 1968, with Olympic sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos celebrating their gold and bronze medals by donning black gloves and black socks (sans shoes, to symbolize poverty) and raising their fists. That same year President Lyndon Johnson's Kerner Commission on civil disorders and racial unrest found that America was moving "toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal."
Milwaukee, Baltimore, and Ferguson have borne out this prediction.
The Black Lives Matter Movement has inspired a new generation of black athletes, including NBA players LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony, who called for racial justice at this year's ESPY's.
Photos: Muhammad Ali's religious journey Shortly after he defeated Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight championship in February 1964, Muhammad Ali announced that he had joined the Nation of Islam. Here Ali meets with Malcolm X, who led Ali to the Nation of Islam, in New York. Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Muhammad Ali's religious journey Flanked by fellow pilgrims, Muhammad Ali prays inside the Holy Mosque in Mecca during a January 1972 pilgrimage to the spiritual center of the Muslim world. After visiting the Prophet Mohammed's tomb in Medina, Ali said he became convinced that he could defeat Joe Frazier in a rematch. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Muhammad Ali's religious journey Muhammad Ali kisses the Holy Black Stone in the Kaaba during his pilgrimage to Mecca in January 1972. The stone is said to have been given to Abraham by the archangel Gabriel. Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Muhammad Ali's religious journey Ali addresses a Nation of Islam meeting in London in December 1974. The following year, Ali left the Nation of Islam and embraced Sunnism, a more mainstream Islamic faith. Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Muhammad Ali's religious journey Muslims reach out to shake hands with Muhammad Ali during his visit to a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in June 1975. After leaving the Nation of Islam, Ali followed Sunni Islam. Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Muhammad Ali's religious journey Ali prays at a mosque in Cairo in October 1986. Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Muhammad Ali's religious journey Muhammad Ali prays in a mosque at his former training camp in Deer Lake, Pennsylvaina, in June 1991. By 2005, Ali had embraced Sufism, a strand of Islam that emphasizes a personal connection with the divine. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Muhammad Ali's religious journey After the attacks of 9/11, Muhammad Ali spoke out against terrorism, saying that true followers of Islam are peaceful. Hide Caption 8 of 8
Ali's refusal of military induction in 1967 remains the gold standard of athletic protest, but Kaepernick's stance is noteworthy in its own right, especially since it evokes national debates about freedom of speech and the very meaning of the American flag.
Historically, African Americans have fought bravely in every war since the nation's founding, only to see black uniformed former soldiers beaten, lynched, and Jim Crowed back home.
Frederick Douglass, the civil rights activist who became a key advisor to President Abraham Lincoln, summed up the distance between American democracy's symbol and substance in his epic 1852 speech, "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." Douglass argued that celebrations of freedom rang hollow in a nation where black lives were considered a species of property sentenced to generational slavery.
Martin Luther King spoke 53 years ago of the "fierce urgency of now" in discussing issues of race, war, and poverty. Less well remembered was King's argument that "the greatness of America lies in the right to protest for right."
Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter started with a hashtag. Now it is a rallying cry, a cause and a movement in the wake of the deaths of black men at the hands of police. The latest police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile have spurred a new round of protests across the country and worldwide. Hide Caption 1 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter Some organizers say the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012 is where the movement began. Demonstrators wore hoodies and carried Skittles, the candy Martin had bought on the night he was killed. Hide Caption 2 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter The shooting death of unarmed teen Michael Brown in August 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, by an officer lit an existing fuse and protests engulfed the town. Hide Caption 3 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter By the time Eric Garner died after being placed in a chokehold by a New York Police Department officer, support for Black Lives Matter had grown nationwide. Hide Caption 4 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter Protests and clashes with police after the officer wasn't indicted in the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson led to another round of protests, with the rallying cry "No justice, no peace." Hide Caption 5 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter Demands for change led to organized protests in major cities, including New York, Washington, Boston, San Francisco and Oakland, California, in December 2014. Hide Caption 6 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter Activist Muhiyidin d'Baha took the call for action into a North Charleston, South Carolina, City Council after the killing of Walter Scott by a North Charleston police officer. Hide Caption 7 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter The death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore led to frustrations that splintered into violence; a CVS Pharmacy was looted and burned during protests after his funeral. Hide Caption 8 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter A battle waged against the Confederate flag as a symbol of hatred after Dylann Roof was accused of killing nine people in a South Carolina church in an attempt to spark a race war. Activist Brittany "Bree" Newsome took the battle flag off the flagpole at the Statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina. Hide Caption 9 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter The political activism entered the 2016 campaign, with some parts of the movement deciding to interrupt presidential candidates to demand more be done. Hide Caption 10 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter demonstrators made a point of protesting Democratic events to bring attention to their issues. The group had a tense meeting with Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire and released video of the conversation. Hide Caption 11 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter The movement also worked its way into popular culture, sparking an episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," which took on a police officer killing an innocent unarmed black man. Hide Caption 12 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter protesters continued to disrupt political events in an attempt to be heard, including this Hillary Clinton event in Atlanta. Hide Caption 13 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter Racial tensions led to a weekslong protest movement at the University of Missouri campus that ousted both the university president and the school's chancellor. Hide Caption 14 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter The movement was born out of frustration over the death of young black men. Jamar Clark's funeral in Minneapolis in November is an example of that continued unified response. Hide Caption 15 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter demonstrators march in Cleveland on December 29, 2015, after a grand jury declined to indict Cleveland Police officer Timothy Loehmann for the fatal shooting of Tamir Rice on November 22, 2014. Hide Caption 16 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter Sirica Bolling raises her fist as she walks down Jefferson Avenue during a Black Lives Matter protest in Newport News, Va., Sunday July 10, 2016, following the fatal shootings of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota. Hide Caption 17 of 18 Photos: Evolution of Black Lives Matter Demonstrations have popped up in cities around the world, including this one in London on July 10, 2016, following the most recent police shootings. Hide Caption 18 of 18
Kaepernick's critics miss the nation's raison d'être when they chide him as being disrespectful to the military. American power, at its best, rests in the strength of its citizens — and anyone else — to debate ideas without fear of reprisal. Uniformed soldiers have fought, bled, and in some cases, died for this right. As have thousands of ordinary citizens who bled for democracy at home for freedom's cause.
The flag is not the sole property of the military, political conservatives, or the right wing. Civil rights activists, African American veterans, and ordinary citizens have protested while proudly carrying the flag, while others have demonstrated by defacing, burning, or repudiating that very symbol. American citizens have the right to do both, and the failure to acknowledge this is a devastating blow to democracy and citizenship.
The Civil Rights Movement's heroic period, from 1954's Brown Supreme Court decision to the 1965 Voting Rights Act, is today lauded as a political and moral good, the consequence of a unified nation coming to grips with ancient legacies of bondage.
It's a great story, except that it's mostly fiction.
The civil rights era featured thousands of arrests; state-sanctioned violence against peaceful demonstrators; FBI surveillance of American heroes; the Klan and white supremacists gaining new standing; white and black students being murdered by law enforcement; and black children being spat on, cursed at, and arrested for trying to integrate public schools.
These distressing signs proved to be only the tip of the iceberg.
JUST WATCHED Kaepernick's parents surprise reporter Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Kaepernick's parents surprise reporter 00:51
The Black Lives Matter generation confronts a legacy of inequality and institutional racism most brutally expressed through the criminal justice system even as it transcends those very confines.
Protests continue to cast a strobe light on racial injustice even as too many Americans prefer the status quo instead of perceived discomfort, want order to substitute for justice, and demand silence to quell dissent.
Kaepernick's decision to speak truth to power and the ensuing fallout illustrates something important. The same nation that upon his death celebrated Muhammad Ali's youthful rebellion has yet to develop the political maturity to engage in a dialogue with a young black athlete courageous enough to make his own righteous point: that there is a yawning gap between one of American democracy's most enduring symbols and the nation's treatment of black bodies who continue to fight, bleed, and die to preserve freedom at home and abroad.

Colin Kaepernick's righteous crusade on race


In his decision not to stand for the National Anthem, the NFL player highlights a gap between our democracy's enduring symbol and the nation's treatment of blacks.


Story highlights Join famed chef Massimo Bottura for a drive around the beautiful streets of Italy's Modena
Modena, Italy (CNN) Massimo Bottura, chef patron of the Michelin three-starred restaurant Osteria Francescana, is a man of many pleasures: food, naturally, but also art and jazz, which have famously inspired some of his most striking dishes.
But for this aesthete, similar pleasures can be found behind the wheel of a car -- particularly when the car in question is a vintage Maserati Ghibli Spyder, one of only 125 ever made.
"Driving a car like this to me is really special because I am one of the few very lucky to have the opportunity to drive such a rare car," said Bottura, who brought CNN Style along for a ride through his hometown of Modena, Italy.
"It's emotional, like listening to Miles Davis whispering in a trumpet."
Read More


Massimo Bottura, chef patron of the Michelin three-starred restaurant Osteria Francescana, finds pleasure behind the wheel of a vintage Maserati Ghibli Spyder.


(CNN) They are some of the most eye-catching buildings in the world: spiraling skyscrapers that twist and turn as they extend into the sky.
And it's a sight that's becoming more common, according to a new report that ranks the world's 28 twisted tall towers by height.
Defined as a building higher than 90 meters that "progressively rotates its floor plates or façade as it gains height", the report -- " Twisting Tall Buildings " by the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat ( CTBUH ) -- says 15 spiraled skyscrapers now exist, with a further 13 under construction.
"A stunning variety of textures, view angles and ripple effects result from these manipulations, making these 'twisters' some of the world's most iconic buildings," says the report from CTBUH, which is a non-profit organization that researches tall buildings and urban design.
Skyscrapers rethought
Twisted skyscrapers are a recent phenomenon.
The first specimen -- the Turning Torso , by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava -- was built just 11 years ago in Malmo, Sweden.
The Turning Torso building was completed in 2005.
Advances in construction, engineering and architectural computer programs have enabled this type of architecture to flourish, but it has required a fundamental rethink of tall buildings, Shawn Ursini, CTBUH's Skyscraper Database Editor, tells CNN.
While most tall buildings are made up of floor plates stacked on top of each other, which enables a standard design for components such as vertical columns and structural walls, Ursini says that in a twisted skyscraper even simple things like the dimensions of the windows need to be entirely revisited.
"The unconventional form of a twisting building means every component of tall-building design must be rethought, from the effects of wind on the structure, the forces and loads on the interior columns, the design differences in the shape of floors as the building rises, and so forth," he explains.
"All of these factors have rippling effects which must be considered in the overall design."
Buildings of the future
The growing number of completed twisted towers prompted CTBUH to compile its comprehensive list, but only one building -- Diamond Tower, a 432 meter (1,417 feet) skyscraper designed by Buruoj that is under construction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia -- twists a full 360 degrees along its height, according to the report.
Shanghai Tower, designed by Gensler and completed in 2015 in Shanghai, China, is easily the tallest twisted skyscraper, of any built or planned.
Twirling 632 meters (2,073 feet) into the air, it's the tallest building in China, and the second tallest in the world after the famous Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Their places in the top three, however, are under threat.
JUST WATCHED Is this the world's craziest new skyscraper? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Is this the world's craziest new skyscraper? 02:18
Lakhta Center , a building in St Petersburg, Russia, designed by British architect Tony Kettle , will stretch to 462 meters (1,516 feet) upon its expected completion in 2018, making it the second-tallest twister in the world, while Diamond Tower, if completed as expected in 2019, will come in third at 432 meters.
And it may not be too long before Shanghai Tower's twirling heights are topped, thanks to the visual and engineering appeal of this type of architecture.
The Shanghai Tower was completed in 2015.
This type of design can make a building more aerodynamic and energy efficient, leading to an increasing number of twisted tall buildings entering the planning stages throughout the world.
"The unique form of the twisting tall building makes them very noticeable and allows them to stand out against the more typical forms found in high-rise buildings," says Ursini.
"There are two twisting towers now underway in Canada, known as Vancouver House and Telus Sky , as well as a handful of others planned around the globe. "
Take a look at some of the world's tallest twisted towers in the photo gallery above.

Twisted towers: Number of spiraled skyscrapers soars


Twisted tall buildings are becoming incresingly popular, with 15 spiraling skyscrapers now gracing the world's skies and a further 13 under construction.


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George Washington University hires a former Islamic extremist to work at it's center on homeland security.


What were the highlights of Rio 2016? Simone Biles? Usain Bolt? Or Michael Phelps? Take a look back at the most memorable moments of the Olympic Games.
Source: CNN

Rio 2016: Moments of the Games -- from track to pool


What were the highlights of Rio 2016? Simone Biles? Usain Bolt? Or Michael Phelps? Take a look back at the most memorable moments of the Olympic Games.


Story highlights PKK attack kills 2 Turkish soldiers
Turkey takes out PKK positions in northern Iraq
Rockets from ISIS strongholds in Syria hit Turkey; 5 hurt
Gaziantep, Turkey (CNN) Turkish warplanes extended the country's cross-border military operations on Monday, slamming ISIS strongholds in Syria and pounding Kurdish militants in Iraq, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Three rockets fired from ISIS-controlled territory in northern Syria into the Turkish province of Kilis struck a residential building and landed in two fields, injuring five children, the provincial governor said, according to Anadolu.
Turkey to continue anti-terror ops 'at home and abroad' https://t.co/3lNI0tDRcu pic.twitter.com/YgwU7Tm886 — ANADOLU AGENCY (ENG) (@anadoluagency) August 29, 2016
After the Turkish armed forces located the positions where the rockets were launched, they fired back into Syria, destroying eight targets.
The injured children were between ages 5 and 11, with the oldest in critical condition, according to an Anadolu hospital source.
This year, more than 20 people have died in Kilis, with the mortar shells fired from ISIS-held territory.
Read More

Turkish warplanes wallop Syria, Iraq targets


Turkish warplanes extended cross-border military operations on Monday, slamming ISIS strongholds in Syria and pounding Kurdish militants in Iraq, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.


Story highlights The rapper says police mistreated him when he tried to file a report
A police spokesman tells CNN that officials apologized
Rhymefest also tweets message to man who robbed him at gunpoint
(CNN) Grammy- and Oscar-winning artist Rhymefest took to Twitter on Saturday to denounce what he described as "disgusting" treatment by the Chicago Police Department when he tried to report an armed robbery.
Rhymefest, whose legal name is Che Smith, posted a video in which he argues with officers at the front desk.
"You wonder we don't report crimes? The police treated me disgustingly," Smith tweeted along with the video.
Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted back in response, "@RHYMEFEST disappointing to say the least. On behalf of CPD, I apologize for how you were treated. We will be addressing this today."
You wonder we don't report crimes? The police treated me disgustingly pic.twitter.com/fY9VQrqDpz — Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016
The video, recorded in a police station near the rapper's home, begins with him already talking with an officer at the front desk. She tells him he cannot record while in a police station.
Read More

Rhymefest's angry tweet draws Chicago police apology


Rapper Rhymefest complains on Twitter of "disgusting" treatment by Chicago Police when he tried to report an armed robbery. The department apologized.


(CNN) The daily commute is the most mundane and often the most frustrating part of city living -- but photographer Chris Forsyth wants us to appreciate the beauty hidden in our transit systems.
The 20-year-old has spent two years capturing busy underground stations -- devoid of people.
Almost 150 subway stations have been photographed as part of his photo series " The Metro Project ."
The first edition focused on his hometown of Montreal and earned him the accolade of 2015's International Photographer of the Year award for interior architecture.
His latest series turns his attention to Europe, snapping the metro systems of Munich, Berlin and Stockholm.
"Each city's underground has something unique to offer," says Forsyth.
"Montreal's metro system is a microcosm of 1960s Canadian architecture."
Meanwhile, "Stockholm's Tunnelbana is known as the world's longest art exhibit," says Forsyth.
"Many of its stations have kept their raw, cave-like form, and include larger-than-life hand-painted walls and ceilings."
Amongst his Stockholm images is one of Europe's most photographed stations -- Solna Centrum.
Here, artists Anders Aberg and Karl-Olov Bjork painted its exposed rock an angry black and red, creating something altogether demonic.
Stockholm's stations are "truly a treat for the senses," says Forsyth.
Moving on to Germany, he says that Munich's stations are generally "very modern and spacious."
He adds, "Looking at Berlin, being that their U-Bahn is over a hundred years old, and has 170 stations, there's a variety of old and new."
In Canada, different architects designed each station, so each has its own character and atmosphere, he explains.
"That really fascinated me -- that you can see such a variety of architectural styles in such a short time."
Empty stations
Berlin's Rathaus Steglitz was designed by R. G. Rummler and opened in 1974.
Despite an average of more than 1.3 million passengers traveling daily on Montreal's metro system, Forsyth's photos feature little more than the stations' clean lines and bold colors. There's barely a human figure in sight.
This monumental feat started out merely as a way to avoid breaking the law.
"When I began the project in Quebec, there is a law protecting people against being photographed in public," he says. But as he traveled to other cities this "developed into more of a style decision."
Surprisingly, Forsyth succeeds in shooting these images during the day, spending up to eight hours a day in each city's underground.
"If I place down my tripod, eventually, I'll have an empty photograph. It's just a matter of waiting for that perfect moment."
Long exposures, motion blurs and color adjustments are also used to emphasize key design features. He's quick to add, "I tried to stay as true to the stations as possible."
#themetroproject
Forsyth is now looking to turn the project into a collaborative online archive.
He's asking members of the public to photograph the stations they pass through everyday and upload images to Instagram via the hashtags #mtlmetroproject in Montreal and #themetroproject internationally. Collectively it's garnered more than 2,000 posts.
He hopes to extend the series further by traveling through the underground systems of Warsaw, Moscow, Paris and London, which is the oldest on the planet.
"There are a ton of really interesting systems around the world and I'd like to visit them all eventually," he says.
The aim of the project is to help "people appreciate the spaces that they pass through a bit more and take the time to look around."
Forsyth hopes they "find something they like about what they see."
Want to see more? CNN put together a selection of some of the world's most stunning metro stations in the gallery below.

Are these world's most beautiful metro stations?


Photographer Chris Forsyth has spent two years capturing 150 busy underground stations in an aesthetically deserted state


Story highlights A roll of dice directed students either to freedom or back to the plantation
(CNN) It's either a unique teaching tool, or a demeaning take on America's darkest chapter.
Those are the two takes on a game dealing with slavery and the Underground Railroad that a fifth-grade teacher in Georgia got flack for having her students play.
In the game, students at Cheatham Elementary in Cobb County played the roles of slaves trying to escape from a plantation and gain freedom via the Underground Railroad. Students would roll dice and either escape into the woods or wind up back on the plantation -- where the teacher told the class slaves were sometimes beaten.
Grandmother was not happy
Word of this game didn't please Delores Bunch-Keemer, the grandmother of the only African-American in the class. Bunch-Keemer told CNN affiliate WSB that when her 10-year-old granddaughter came home from school after playing the game, she know something was wrong.
Read More

Georgia teacher dreams up dice game about slavery. It didn't go well.


A Georgia school stopped a teacher's slavery game after the grandmother of the only black student in the class complained.


Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

EU orders Apple to pay billions in back taxes


European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager discusses the $14.6 billion Apple owes in back taxes.


Erbil, Iraq (CNN) The graffiti artist works under cover of darkness, spraying the letter M on walls across Mosul.
M for Muqawama: resistance; M for Muaarada: opposition; M for Muwajaha: confrontation.
This small act of rebellion is enough to leave the painter at risk of torture, even death.
The Mosul Battalions' members risk torture or death to leave signs of their resistance on the city's walls.
Because that M is more than clandestine street art, more than simple vandalism. It is the Mosul Battalions' message to ISIS: We are here, we are among you, and we are watching.
Mosul has been under ISIS control since June 2014.
Iraq's army is fighting back; its troops are closing in on the city -- and say they hope to retake it by the end of the year. The Mosul Battalions are their allies inside the city.
The network -- so secretive that many of its own members do not know each other's identities -- carries out hit and run strikes, targeted assassinations, and bombings on ISIS targets in and around the city.
Risk of torture, death
The Arabic letter M painted on walls around Mosul is designed to show citizens they are not alone.
Abu Ali (not his real name), who we meet in Erbil, is deliberately vague about his role in the Mosul Battalions, describing himself as a liaison to the organization.
He contacts a member of the group on our behalf; the man, an engineer by trade, tells us he is in the orchards on the outskirts of Mosul, one of the few areas of the city where there is cell phone reception away from ISIS spies.
JUST WATCHED Iraqi army prepares to battle ISIS in Mosul Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Iraqi army prepares to battle ISIS in Mosul 02:59
Talking on a phone used to be a crime punishable by chopping the offender's hand off, he says. Now it means death.
"The group with me, we are all from Mosul," he says. "Saddam militarized the population, all Iraqi people have weapons training. But we do not have sophisticated weapons, we only have rifles and pistols."
He says the Battalions have support across the city: "Everyone gives us intelligence from their area. We conduct surveillance, we know when a guy has moved to a new place, when they are coming and going, we wait for the right time and carry it out."
On its Facebook page, the group posts details of its latest attacks, but getting messages out of Mosul is a challenge; at times the updates are a week apart.
"The Mosul Battalions men opened fire on a pick-up truck with a mounted machine gun with five ISIS members in it," the latest message reads. "The truck was demobilized, killing and wounding all of them."
Army's leftover weapons
The Battalions formed shortly after ISIS stormed into the city.
"It started as two friends who trust each other, and they would plot to hit ISIS at a particular point," says Abu Ali.
"There were others who had the same plans, and would hit ISIS in another area. Slowly they were able to organize themselves under the name of the Mosul Battalions."
JUST WATCHED Iraqi forces make gains on road to Mosul Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Iraqi forces make gains on road to Mosul 02:42
The group's arms and ammunition come from within Mosul itself -- much of it left behind by the Iraqi army as they fled.
"There were weapons all over the city," says Abu Ali. "A lot of civilians were able to gather these weapons. ISIS did search and collect them from people's homes, but some were able to hide them."
Only three of the group's members know each other.
"They work in two person formations and a third person is at a higher level to avoid compromising the group if one is captured," he says.
Rebellion comes at a hefty cost: "Many of them have been captured by ISIS and killed by drowning, blowing them up, and slaughtering them in other brutal ways."
Roadside bomb attacks
Videos provided to CNN and others posted online show the capture and assassination of ISIS members, and attacks on isolated checkpoints and other targets, often using ISIS's own weapons against them.
"The roadside bombs they used, they would steal from ISIS." Abu Ali says. "ISIS puts bombs in certain areas and those who have previous military experience go and steal these bombs and place them to target ISIS."
Abu Ali refuses to disclose specific numbers but says the Battalions have anywhere between 100 and 300 fighters -- former professionals, ex-military personnel, and young people.
They are also -- through intermediaries like Abu Ali -- providing intelligence and coordinates on ISIS positions for coalition airstrikes.
"We have other means to verify the information they provide," Abu Ali says. "They wanted to work with the coalition for a couple reasons. So that the coalition is precise and doesn't hit civilian populations but also to accelerate the elimination of ISIS."
Waiting for 'Zero Hour'
Another member inside Mosul says the group has "two sides that we are working on. First of all, militarily against ISIS. Secondly we are making preparations for when the assault happens, we will facilitate from inside."
The graffiti on this wall in Mosul reads: "Long live national Mobilization."
Once the Iraqi Army breaches the city, at what the battalion calls "Zero Hour," its members will intensify their attacks on ISIS. Another formation waiting to mobilize at "Zero Hour" calls itself the Peace Battalions. Its job is to mobilize and protect the public.
JUST WATCHED Peshmerga: ISIS could be out of Mosul in two months Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Peshmerga: ISIS could be out of Mosul in two months 05:40
"Known people are leading them, they have the trust of the population," Abu Ali explains. "Their role is to take control of the streets and prevent looting, also they will become a supporting force to back up the liberating forces."
He says they want to avoid the sort of chaos seen in Baghdad after the US-led invasion in 2003, and to help prevent widespread death and destruction.
"There is a broad organization that will go into effect when the operations start to happen," he says. "The style of their clothes and the signals will be known so that they will be differentiated from the enemy."
Battle for control
Iraqi Army commanders tell us that they are counting on the population of the city -- groups like the Mosul Battalions and ordinary citizens -- to stand up against ISIS.
JUST WATCHED Risking death to flee from ISIS Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Risking death to flee from ISIS 02:41
They say they need the support of the people to really succeed, not just in the upcoming battle for control of the city, but to prevent another ISIS (or worse) from emerging in the aftermath.
One Mosul Battalions member we spoke to via Facebook compared life under ISIS to life under former Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's army.
The fall of Mosul happened under his watch as did the alienation of the Sunni population brought on by the Iraqi security forces harsh hand and indiscriminate detention of Sunnis.
Those in the city say they do not want to live under either sort of rule.
One of the fighters we spoke to said the suggestion that citizens still in Mosul are supportive of ISIS is wrong.
"We want people to know that we reject ISIS," he said.

M for Muqawama: Secret resistance fighting ISIS


Mosul's anti-ISIS network is so secretive even its own members don't know the identities of their comrades.


(CNN) James Corden does not want to workout at Kanye West's gym. "The Late Late Show" host took on West's newest music video, "Fade" in a hilarious spoof Monday night.
In Corden's video parody, he lifts weights alongside the star of West's video, Teyana Taylor and can't concentrate as she dances in front of him.
"Do you mind?" Corden asked Taylor. "It's sort of a public gym. We all have to workout in the same [place] ... Wow. I think there's actually a dance place next door," Corden deadpans.
"No one needs that much oil," he continued. "Do you mind maybe dialing it down just a little bit? It feels like you're ramping up, if anything. It feels like you've ramped up."
Read More

James Corden spoofs Kanye West's 'Fade' music video: No sheep allowed


James Corden does not want to workout at Kanye West's gym. "The Late Late Show" host took on West's newest music video, "Fade" in a hilarious spoof Monday night.


Moving from Africa to French Polynesia to Central and South America, the disease is now active in the US and Asia, and is likely to continue to spread.
Zika arrives in a country via the bloodstream of hundreds of globe-trotting vacationers and business people, all returning home from areas where Zika is actively circulating. It's not like you can stop it -- four out of five people with Zika have no symptoms, so most of those passengers are unaware they carry the virus in their blood.
Everything you need to know about Zika
Everything you need to know about Zika 01:42
Everything you need to know about Zika
No country is immune from a potential outbreak, as long as the mosquitoes capable of spreading the virus -- Aedes aegypti and the Aedes albopictus -- live there.
To make matters worse, Zika can also be transmitted by blood transfusions and through sexual contact, particularly oral, anal and vaginal sex, and even by secretions left on sex toys.
Some have called Zika the world's newest STD.
Why it's serious
Scientists have learned a lot about Zika in the last year. For one, the virus appears to have mutated as it has spread across the world.
When it first emerged, inconspicuously, from Uganda's Zika forest in 1947, the effects of infection were mild, nothing worse than a mild cold or flu. While that's still true for many today, for others, the consequences of Zika are devastating. Babies are being born with life-altering brain damage to women infected with Zika during their pregnancies; immune-compromised adults are dying of complications, and a Zika-triggered auto-immune disorder called Guillain-Barré attacks the nervous system, causing temporary paralysis, and even death.
Several countries in Central and South America are asking the women in their countries to delay pregnancy if they possibly can and the Centers for Disease Control in the United States has told American women to stay away from areas where Zika is active . CDC sexual guidance is strict as well: no intercourse during the entire pregnancy unless the couple can carefully and correctly practice safe sex. Similar recommendations apply to couples who are trying to conceive.
"If you're pregnant, you're in a very delicate situation," says medical epidemiologist Dr. John Brooks, head of the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS and STD Prevention . "You want to do everything you can to protect that baby. So our recommendation is to defer unprotected sexual contact for the entire pregnancy to protect against an outcome that could last a lifetime."
Vaccine on the way?
No vaccine currently exists. Even though several private and governmental agencies have various versions in the works, the likelihood of having a vaccine ready for public consumption is a year or two away -- possibly even more.
"How soon, you know, depends on a couple of factors," said National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci during a briefing about his organization's current vaccine , now starting phase one trials. "How effective is it? If it's a home run, we'll know pretty quickly. For longer term issues, such as subtle safety issues that are really rare, we will need a larger trial."
How long those trials may take, says Fauci, is determined by the number of Zika infections in a community when the vaccine is ready.
"If it's explosive in an area, then you can get an answer within one and a half years," Fauci adds, "but if the cases slow down it might take us additional three to four years to determine if it works."
With a vaccine only a promise on the horizon, researchers are also looking at ways to treat the virus while it's circulating in the blood.
A number of groups are screening thousands of existing drugs, already approved for human use by the Food and Drug Administration, to see if any might be effective against the Zika virus.
Researchers at Florida State University, for example, just announced that a drug approved to treat tapeworms also appears to block the Zika virus from replicating in petri dishes in the lab. It's especially exciting, says study author Hengli Tang, because the drug is FDA-approved as a pregnancy category B drug, which means that animal reproduction studies have yet to find a risk to a developing fetus.
"Because [it] is blocking the multiplication of the viral genetic material, the compound is equally effective even when added several hours after the cells are exposed to the virus," Tang adds.
Fighting mosquitoes where they live
While scientists scramble to vaccinate and treat, mosquito control officials are doing their utmost to tackle the virus at its source: the mosquitoes themselves.
Traditional control techniques emphasize removing standing water, spraying pesticides and larvicides, and encouraging home owners to keep screens on their doors and windows. That, along with the widespread use of air-conditioning, make it much easier for developed countries like the US to keep outbreaks contained -- it's much harder in poor, economically disadvantaged countries.
Another factor straining traditional control efforts is the female Aedes aegypti mosquito, who is primarily responsible for this global spread. A crafty creature, she is an aggressive daytime biter, who prefers to live close to her favorite blood meal, humans. Over the centuries, she has adapted to urban environments, preferring stagnant water and small containers such as plastic cups, potted plants and discarded tires to lay her eggs.
A 'sip feeder,' this blood sucker likes to bite multiple people, taking just a 'sip' of blood each time, thus increasing the number of people she can infect in just one feeding. A tiny creature, her bite is almost painless.
Once you add that to her tendency to sneak up on victims, often biting on ankles and the back of elbows, you can see how easy it might be for her to feed without a life-threatening slap.
, The Zika-infected female can lay an average of 150 eggs at once, scattering them among several sites to improve survival. If dry, the eggs can survive up to a year says the World Health Organization , but once the wet season arrives, they immediately hatch. Studies show some of those emerging babies already carry the Zika virus, passed on from their mother, making them an immediate threat to any humans in their vicinity.
That's the worry for Brazil and other South and Central American countries, currently experiencing a drop in Zika cases during the drier winter months. When the rains begin again this fall, those eggs will hatch and cases could begin to rise, along with the associated risk to pregnant women and their undeveloped fetuses.
Zika's long march
In the meantime, Zika continues its travels, hitch hiking in traveler's blood and via the occasional mosquito hidden in an industrial shipment of goods.
Whether the virus will take hold in a country depends on the local environment and a country's ability to combat the threat.
US and Caribbean
The first case of locally-transmitted Zika in the US was a surprise. Instead of occurring from a mosquito bite, the virus was sexually transmitted by a man recently returned from a country with an active outbreak.
Lots of travel-related cases followed; in fact nearly every state in the union has reported a case of travel-associated Zika in their backyard. That has resulted in a total of 21 cases of microcephaly in the US, a devastating birth defect where a baby is born with a small head and brain, often leading to life-long neurological issues, even death.
Then in mid-July a Miami mosquito bit a returning traveler, processed the virus, and began spreading it in Wynwood, a 1-square-mile Miami neighborhood. Despite massive control efforts, one or two cases also popped up in Miami Beach and in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area.
To date, there are 43 cases of locally transmitted Zika in Florida.
That number pales in comparison to hard-hit Puerto Rico, which has over 13 thousand cases of the virus, with more than a thousand of those affecting pregnant women. An economic downturn, failing health care system, and inadequate financial support from the mainland makes it difficult for Puerto Rico to fight their epidemic.
Other Caribbean countries also continue to battle Zika as their outbreaks continue. The WHO says Martinique currently has 10 cases of microcephaly, while just this week the first babies with microcephaly were reported in Haiti, one, and the Dominican Republic with three cases.
Central and South America
Brazil continues to be the country hardest hit by Zika, with thousands infected and over 1800 babies diagnosed with microcephaly. That number doesn't count the babies with normal sized heads that might develop vision, hearing and developmental issues from their Zika exposure as they grow.
Other Central and South American countries are also struggling with the fallout from the virus.
Columbia reports 29 cases of microcephaly in newborns, Panama has 5 cases, El Salvador 4, French Guiana 3, Paraguay 2, while Honduras and Costa Rica report one case each.
The good news for South America is that colder winter weather and dry skies have reduced the number of new Zika cases. In fact the WHO just announced no laboratory-confirmed cases of Zika related to the Olympics, which ended on August 21 in Brazil, and Chile hasn't reported a new case of Zika this year.
Europe
So far, Europe has been spared much of Zika's devastation. Despite a number of imported cases from returning travelers, only Slovenia and Spain report cases of microcephaly --one each -- says WHO.
Asia
Southeast Asia has been hard hit by Zika, and officials worry numbers are vastly under reported. Singapore just announced 41 cases of locally acquired Zika infection, but the WHO also lists Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam as "countries with possible endemic transmission or evidence of local mosquito-borne Zika infections in 2016."
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Cambodia has reported cases in the past, but the WHO has the country on its list of countries where the outbreak has either been "terminated" or is "without documentation" in 2016. Other countries that fit that positive category include French Polynesia, the site of a large outbreak in 2013, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Cook Islands, the Maldives, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
Africa
Cape Verde, a small island located 350 miles off the western coast of Africa, is reporting 9 cases of microcephaly. Other than that, Africa, the birthplace of Zika, is not reporting any outbreaks of Zika at this time.
Worldwide
CNN has compiled the full list of countries and territories with current outbreaks of Zika, according to the CDC and WHO.
Those affected are: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Kosrae (an Island of the Federated States of Micronesia), Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America*, U.S. Virgin Islands, Venezuela, Vietnam, American Samoa, Samoa, Tonga and Cape Verde.

Zika around the world: Where do we stand?


As Zika continues to spread around the world, how much have we learned about this mosquito borne virus?


French mayors are refusing to lift the burkini ban. CNN's Ben Wedeman reports.


CNN's Arwa Damon takes a first look inside an Iraqi town liberated from ISIS.


A Mississippi woman caught a record-breaking alligator that was more than 13 feet long and weighed almost 700 pounds.


Story highlights Wolfowitz also called Trump a continuation of President Barack Obama
Trump has been an ardent critic of the Iraq War on the campaign trail
Washington (CNN) Former Bush administration official Paul Wolfowitz said he is considering voting for Hillary Clinton in an interview in which he lambasted Donald Trump as dangerous.
Wolfowitz, who was the deputy secretary of defense for President George W. Bush in the lead-up to and start of the Iraq War, said in an interview published Friday that while he isn't enthused about it, he may be forced to vote for Clinton.
"I wish there were somebody I could be comfortable voting for," Wolfowitz told the German publication Der Spiegel. "I might have to vote for Hillary Clinton, even though I have big reservations about her."
In the interview, Wolfowitz repeatedly expressed concerns about Trump, saying he agrees with 50 other former Republican security officials who recently blasted Trump as "dangerous."
Read More

Paul Wolfowitz 'might' vote for Hillary Clinton


Former Bush administration official Paul Wolfowitz said he is considering voting for Hillary Clinton in an interview in which he lambasted Donald Trump as dangerous.


Ira Trivedi is an Indian columnist and author of six books including 'India in love: Marriage and sexuality in the 21st century'. She has written an open letter for CNN to India's tourism minister, Mahesh Sharma, following his advice to female tourists to not wear skirts in India . All views expressed in this commentary are solely hers.
As I write this letter to you, I recall a recent trip I took to Shillong in the north east of India. Here, I was a clear outsider or tourist, standing six inches taller than most men or women.
During my stay, I went out for morning runs in shorts, I wore mini skirts in restaurants and clubs and I roamed the streets wearing whatever I felt fit, without a single, discomfiting male or female gaze on my bare legs.
Shillong, too, is part of India and here, any woman, local or tourist, can wear whatever she feels like without comprising her safety or honor in any way.
India is not always unsafe for women
My experience in Shillong is testament to the fact that India is not unsafe for women. I say this as an Indian woman who travels widely, often alone, all over the country.
And although you have since changed your statement to say that female tourists should only cover up in religious places, I feel I need to make a point, based on previous degrading comments that you and others in positions of power have made.
What is unsafe is the patriarchal mindset which makes Indian men feel that they can violate a woman without any consequences. This is the mindset which we need to address, change and punish. This will not happen by distributing safety kits or discouraging miniskirts.
I understand that by asking women to cover up you wish to protect them. Unfortunately, by restricting a woman, you do not protect her. Instead, you take away her power. This is something which our leadership has failed to understand.
When dress codes are imposed for women in colleges or curfews are laid down in a women's hostel, we as a nation are simply reinforcing the patriarchy that we desperately need to change.
By restricting a woman we are telling her that she is unsafe rather than empowering her by giving her the physical, mental and emotional security that she deserves.
Instead of restricting women, we should focus on creating the conditions to make them feel safe -- instituting law and order, training police, punishing eve-teasing (unwanted advances on a woman), cat-calling, and even offensive staring.
We would be better off encouraging short skirts
More than anything else, we need to sensitize men and women to each other -- and this can only happen when we encourage women and their mini skirts on the streets.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken time and again of his dream of becoming an economically powerful, first-world nation. The most important step towards this goal is ensuring the safety of women outside their homes, so that they too can contribute to driving economic change.
According to IMF Chief Christine Lagarde, India's economic output could increase as much as 27% if the number of female workers were to increase the same level as the number of men.
But women will not leave their homes if they do not feel safe, and they will not feel safe if our leaders promote a culture of misogyny.
Why not work on changing mindsets instead?
Dr Sharma, instead of adding to this culture of misogyny, why not add to the culture of change? Instead of distributing safety kits, asking women to change what they wear, why not work on changing the mindsets of our people?
It is possible to create an India which is safe for women. Places like Shillong teach us that. We need to encourage women to exercise their freedom, rather than discouraging them for the sake of their "protection." In this endeavor, we need our leadership to support us more than ever before.
Yours sincerely,
Ira Trivedi

Dear India's tourism minister, let women exercise their freedom


Story highlights At least 12 killed in explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia, doctor says
Al-Shabaab, which wants to turn Somalia into an Islamist state, claimed responsibility
Mogadishu, Somalia (CNN) A truck bomb exploded Tuesday outside the Somali presidential palace and the popular Somali Youth League Hotel in Mogadishu, police told CNN.
Twelve people died in the blast, Dr. Mohamed Aden at Medina Hospital said. Police said at least 15 people were hurt and that the death toll is expected to rise, with many of the wounded in critical condition.
Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack via its Radio Andalus station.
The explosion caused extensive damage to parts of the hotel and the second checkpoint of the entrance to the presidential palace, police Capt. Abdirisak Mohamed said.
The bomber rammed his truck into the gates of the hotel, targeting lawmakers and ministers holding a meeting there, according to Al-Shabaab military operations spokesman Sheikh Abdulaziz Abu Musab via Radio Andalus.
Read More

Truck bomb explodes near Somali presidential palace


At least 12 people were killed and 15 injured in Mogadishu when a truck bomb blew up outside the Somali presidential palace and a hotel, authorities said.


(CNN) More than 80 ISIS targets were attacked in the first hours of "Operation Euphrates Shield" early Wednesday, officials say, as Turkish armor and warplanes targeted a key ISIS-held town across its border with Syria.
Jarablus is one of the few towns in northern Syria that ISIS still controls and is a critical location for supplies, money and fighters coming into ISIS-held areas.
In recent months, much of Turkey's firepower has been directed at the Kurdish separatist PKK in southeastern Turkey and across the border in northern Iraq. It has also occasionally shelled ISIS positions in northern Syria, but its last-known airstrikes against ISIS were in November last year.
Why is Turkey doing this now?
Turkish authorities have been pressed into taking action against ISIS by the surge of suicide bombings in Turkey, as well as the terror group's use of safe houses and "informal" financial services on Turkish soil.
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"Daesh should be completely cleansed from our borders, and we are ready to do that," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS.
In recent days mortar shells apparently fired from ISIS positions in the Jarablus area landed in the Turkish town of Karkamis. More importantly, Turkish authorities blamed ISIS for a devastating suicide bombing at a wedding in the border town of Gaziantep at the weekend, killing 54 people.
It was the latest in a number of suspected ISIS bombings on Turkish soil, including a suicide attack on Istanbul's international airport in June.
Ankara may also have calculated that ISIS is especially vulnerable, after many of its remaining fighters fled Manbij, another key stronghold in Syria. The town was liberated by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab forces backed by the United States.
ISIS' lines of communication and resupply have now been disrupted and it's taken heavy losses across northern Syria in recent months.
But Turkey is anxious that ISIS' vulnerability could provide an opportunity for their "other" enemy in northern Syria -- the Kurdish YPG militia -- who have taken several villages near Jarablus recently.
There may also be an internal reason for this offensive now. The morale of the military was shaken by July's coup attempt ; a successful offensive against ISIS would play well both for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the high command.
What does Turkey want to achieve?
Smoke billows following air strikes by a Turkish Army jet fighter on the Syrian Turkish border village of Jarabulus.
Turkey has several aims. One is to degrade ISIS in this area -- to push the threat it poses away from the Turkish border and make infiltration harder. Beyond that, Turkey wants this part of Syria to become part of its sphere of influence. If it can clear this area of ISIS, it plans to inject Syrian rebel groups that it supports, according to officials. Several hundred are currently massed on the border, according to the Syrian Observatory on Human Rights.
The advantage for Turkey in putting its "own" groups into this part of Syria is to stop the Kurdish advance in its tracks.
Ankara sees the YPG as a terrorist group indistinguishable from the PKK, which it battles on a daily basis in south-eastern Turkey. The Syrian Kurds have made no secret of their desire to expel ISIS and link the two regions of northern Syria they already control. They would then oversee much of Syria's border with Turkey.
Hence the words of Erdogan Wednesday: "Turkey is determined that Syria retains its territorial integrity and will take matters into its own hands if required to protect that unity."
Who's fighting who in Syria?
How much is Turkey working with coalition partners?
"We are working together with the coalition regarding air support," Cavusoglu said Wednesday. In addition, it's likely that the US is providing intelligence and targeting data to Turkish forces using unmanned aerial vehicles from the Incirlik air base.
The US has long urged Turkey to become more involved in operations against ISIS in northern Syria, but relations have been strained by the crackdown following the coup attempt in Turkey last month and a surge of anti-US sentiment in Turkey.
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Cooperating in a substantial effort to weaken ISIS -- just as Vice President Joe Biden arrives in Ankara -- is one way to overcome a troubled few weeks. Additionally, in light of the sudden rapprochement between Erdogan and President Vladimir Putin of Russia, the US wants to reinforce its partnership with Turkey.
The US is also sending a message to the Syrian Kurds, its most effective partner on the ground in this region: that American support is not a blank check and that they should not provoke the Turks by moving on Jarablus.
Will Turkey will get sucked in further?
Turkish army tanks and pro-Ankara Syrian opposition fighters two kilometres west from the Syrian/Turkish border town of Jarabulus.
If the aim of the operation is to expel ISIS from Jarablus and surrounding areas, it's unlikely to be achieved in days. Manbij took weeks to clear, despite a ground offensive and hundreds of US airstrikes. One problem is the risk of substantial civilian casualties. ISIS frequently uses civilians as human shields, preventing them from leaving urban areas, to make targeting more difficult.
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Perhaps the greatest risk is that this incursion on the ground will spill over into conflict with Kurdish forces. But the Kurds will realize that with their light, outmoded weaponry, they are no match for Turkish tanks.
The US is likely encouraging the YPG -- to which it indirectly supplies weapons and training -- to stay out of this. Additionally, Syrian Kurdish sources say they believe Turkey would like nothing better than a pretext to go after the YPG.
But if the Kurds don't return to the eastern banks of the Euphrates -- Turkey's "red line" -- the operation against ISIS could evolve into something very different -- perhaps a broader operation that also focuses on the YPG.
Reaction at home?
Turkish public opinion is likely to support this operation, in light of recent attacks blamed on ISIS, so long as its scope and duration is defined.
But in Damascus, the Assad regime has bitterly criticized it as a "blatant breach to its sovereignty."
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that "substituting (ISIS) with other terrorist organizations backed directly by Turkey" is not "fighting terrorism."

Analysis: Why Turkey has gone after ISIS in Syria


More than 80 ISIS targets were attacked early Wednesday, as Turkish armor and warplanes targeted a key ISIS-held town across its border with Syria.


(CNN) Novak Djokovic dismissed fears of serious injury after winning the opening match of his title defense at the US Open.
The world No. 1 was taken to four sets by 247th-ranked Pole Jerzy Janowicz in his first tournament since losing his first singles match at this month's Rio Olympics.
Djokovic admitted before the season's final grand slam that his injured wrist has not fully healed, and Monday he had to call for a trainer in the first set to treat his right arm.
"Calling for the medical timeout was just prevention," the 29-year-old told reporters. "It's all good; to be honest, I take it day by day."
"It's getting better and better each day. I'm glad that I'm experiencing that so hopefully, as the tournament progresses, I'll reach my peak."
The Serb will face Jiri Vesely in the second round on Wednesday. The 49th-ranked Czech beat India's Saketh Myneni in five sets.
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Fourth seed Rafael Nadal continued his recent promising run of form by beating Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in three sets, dropping only seven games in the process.
The Spaniard has been troubled by a battery of ailments over the past two years. A wrist injury forced him to withdraw from the French Open and kept him out of Wimbledon.
However, Nadal bounced back at the Olympics, winning a gold medal with doubles partner Marc Lopez and reaching the bronze medal match, which he lost to Kei Nishikori.
The two-time US Open champion will next play Italy's Andreas Seppi.
Raonic and McEnroe end coaching ties
Fifth seed Milos Raonic beat German Dustin Brown in straight sets, following a surprise announcement that his coaching tie with John McEnroe had ended.
A photo posted by Milos Raonic (@mraonic) on Aug 29, 2016 at 8:30pm PDT
McEnroe cited his various media commitments as being a hindrance to his coaching duties with the 25-year-old Canadian at Wimbledon, despite the world No. 6 making it all the way to his first grand slam final.
McEnroe indicated that their parting was by mutual consent, and left the door open to the pair working together in the future.
"It's best to sort of separate at this stage," McEnroe told ESPN, one of his employers. "It will just make life easier for everyone."
Raonic, who will next play American Ryan Harrison, told reporters: "It's a decision we're both okay with. We spoke about it, were up front, and there's no ill feelings over it."
Tiafoe shines in grand slam debut
Teenage wildcard entry Frances Tiafoe tested compatriot John Isner, racing to a two-set lead before the long-standing US No. 1 battled back to triumph in a fifth-set tiebreak.
As temperatures reached into the 90s in New York, the six-foot 10-inch Isner needed 35 aces to defeat the 18-year-old from Maryland, who failed to serve out for the match in the final set.
A photo posted by Frances Tiafoe (@bigfoe1998) on Aug 7, 2016 at 7:05pm PDT
"At such a young age, he seems to be the type of kid that can rise up to the big occasion, big moment, and great atmosphere," Isner told reporters of the 2015 US national junior champion. "I can't say enough about Frances. He has a fantastic future.
"He's got wheels; he's got the hands; he's got shots on both sides. One area, if he improves his second serve a little bit. But I would certainly buy stock in him right now, for sure."
Isner, the 20th seed, next faces Belgium's Steve Darcis as he seeks to build on last year's fourth-round appearance. The 31-year-old has never got past the quarterfinals in nine attempts at his home slam.
Vinci advances
Last year's surprise finalist in the women's tournament, Roberta Vinci, sailed past her first-round opponent Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany 6-2 6-4.
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The Italian seventh seed, who ended Serena Williams' bid to complete her first career grand slam in the semifinals before losing to compatriot Flavia Pennetta, will next play American Christina McHale.
French Open winner Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain took three sets to beat Belgian Elise Mertens. The third seed, who lost in round two last year, next faces 48th-ranked Latvian Anastasija Sevastova.
Olympic champion Monica Puig, who beat Muguruza on the way to winning Puerto Rico's historic first Olympic gold medal, suffered a first-round defeat against China's Saisai Zheng.
Second seed Angelique Kerber, the silver medalist in Rio, had easy progress into round two after Slovenian opponent Polona Hercog retired while trailing 6-0 1-0.
The German, who can replace Williams as world No. 1 by winning the title at Flushing Meadows, will next play Croatian veteran Mirjana Lucic-Baroni -- who made her grand slam debut here as a 15-year-old in 1997.
Tuesday's highlights
Serena Williams, who has been battling a shoulder injury, will play Russian Ekaterina Makarova Tuesday as she begins her bid for an Open-Era record 23rd grand slam title.
Her sixth-seeded older sister Venus Williams is up against Ukraine's Kateryna Koslova.
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Polish fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska and Romania's No. 5 Simona Halep are also in action, against American Jessica Pegula and Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens respectively.
Olympic men's champion Andy Murray plays Czech Lukas Rosol, third seed Stan Wawrinka begins against Spain's Fenrando Verdasco, world No. 7 Nishikori takes on Benjamin Becker of Germany, while Olympic men's singles runner-up Del Potro faces fellow Argentine Diego Schwartzman.

US Open 2016: Novak Djokovic downplays injury


Novak Djokovic dismissed fears of serious injury after winning the opening match of his title defense at the US Open.


Story highlights Inbee Park wins women's golf gold in Rio
South Korean five shots clear of Lydia Ko
Feng Shanshan of China claims bronze
(CNN) Inbee Park has seven major titles to her name, a career grand slam and is a former world No 1.
Now the South Korean can add the title of first Olympic champion in women's golf since 1900 to her CV after holding off the challenge of world No. 1 Lydia Ko and China's Feng Shanshan at Rio 2016
Park recorded a five-under-par 66 Saturday to finish on 16-under-par 268 for the week and a convincing five shots clear of New Zealand's Ko in the silver medal position.
"I feel extremely honored and proud that I get to win a gold medal in the Olympic Games," world No. 5 Park said.
Read More

Inbee Park celebrates 'unreal' Olympic golf gold


Inbee Park held off the challenge of New Zealand's world No. 1 Lydia Ko and China's Feng Shanshan to win gold in the women's Olympic golf in Rio.


Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

"30 years from now I see myself becoming a CEO"


Ugandan rapper Keko is unafraid to tackle controversial topics on her rise to the top.


Army Major General David Haight was removed from his key post after allegations of sexual impropriety. Experts say his alleged actions could have put US national security at risk. CNN's Elise Labott reports.

General loses post after 'swinger lifestyle' revealed