US checking reports North Korea executed top official after Trump summit, Pompeo says

South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that Kim Hyok Chol, North Korea's special envoy to the US, was executed after Kim Jong Un and Trump were unable to reach an agreement at their second summit in February.

"We've seen the reporting ... we're doing our best to check it out," Pompeo said during a joint press conference with the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Berlin.

CNN has not been able to independently verify the reporting in Chosun Ilbo -- South Korea's most-circulated daily newspaper -- and South Korean reports of North Korean executions have at times been inaccurate.

The paper -- quoting unnamed North Korean sources -- said Kim Hyok Chol was executed in March at the Mirim airport in Pyongyang on charges of "being recruited by US imperialists and betraying the supreme leader."

Kim Hyok Chol, North Korea's State Affairs Commission special representative, led negotiations with the US special representative to North Korea, Stephen Biegun, at the Hanoi summit and was in charge of the working-level talks with American counterparts.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders would not comment on the Chosun report Friday but did say the US is "monitoring the situation."

"I'm not going to comment on intelligence one way or another. I can tell you that we're monitoring the situation and continuing to stay focused on our ultimate goal, which is denuclearization," she told reporters.

South Korea's Presidential Blue House echoed that message, saying: "We do examine all relevant information, but we think that it is important to grasp how much of confirmed information the article contains. I do not think it is appropriate to make any hasty judgment or comment about that part."

A senior diplomatic source with knowledge of the situation told CNN that Kim Hyok Chol and Kim Yong Chol "have certainly disappeared," but there is "no independent information or intelligence at this point on what's happened."

In the past, North Korean officials have disappeared, only to resurface after a period of "re-education," the source noted.

Kim purging top officials?

In addition to reportedly executing Kim Hyok Chol, North Korea's leader is believed to be carrying out a purge of top officials following the failure of the negotiations with the Trump administration, the paper said.

Kim Yong Chol, one of North Korea's top negotiators who accompanied Kim to both summits with the US President, was reportedly "dismissed" and "is doing forced labor in Chagang-do province", according to Chosun.

Kim Yong Chol was the vice chairman of the Party Central Committee, and represented Kim Jong Un at key events as the young leader's top official in charge of relations between North and South Korea.

He also hand-delivered a letter from Kim Jong Un to Trump during a visit to Washington, DC, in January this year, and also served as Pompeo's counterpart in the negotiations.

His May 2018 trip to the US made him the most senior North Korean official to visit the country since 2000, when Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok traveled to Washington to meet with then-President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office.

Shin Hye Yong, the interpreter for Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, was also reportedly imprisoned in a political camp for what Chosun described as an interpretation error at the summit. Her mistake "damaged the authority" of the leader, according to the paper.

And Kim Song Hye, who was in charge of the working-level discussion with Kim Hyok Chol, was sent to a political prisoner camp.

Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong, who was by his side in Hanoi, was removed from official activity, Chosun reported.

Kim Yo Jong's profile has been steadily rising since 2014, when she given the key regime role of deputy director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Workers' Party.

She was the face of the North Korean delegation at the Winter Olympics in South Korea last year, and had a seat at the table for the most significant peace talks between the two nations in decades.

In April, she was the only woman among six delegates at the historic talks between North and South Korea at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that separates the two countries and is widely seen as instrumental in making the summit happen.

History of violence

While the details reported by Chosun remain unconfirmed, experts acknowledge that it is certainly plausible to think Kim Jong Un could have carried out a possible purge of this nature.

"There's certainly plenty of evidence -- both in Kim's recent past, and North Korean history -- of purging officials when things don't work out the way that the leader needs, or when there are potentially concerns about different factions within the government and the elite," according to Lindsey Ford of the Asia Society Policy Institute, who is also a former Pentagon adviser for Asian and Pacific Security.

"Trump can talk about how he and Kim are on the same page ... because they are buds, but (Kim) is a dictator who, in the past, has executed people close to him: his brother, his uncle -- and he's not afraid to do it again," Ford added.

Kim Jong Un is believed to have carried out hundreds of brutal executions since coming to power in December 2011.

North Korea's top education official Kim Yong Jin was executed by firing squad in 2016 after he exercised a "bad attitude" at the country's Supreme People's Assembly, according to a South Korean government official at the time.

In May 2015, Kim reportedly had his Defense Minister Hyon Yong Chol killed with an anti-aircraft gun at a military school in Pyongyang, in front of an audience.

Two years earlier, in 2013, Kim Jong Un's uncle was executed for trying to overthrow the government, according to state media, which described him as a "traitor for all ages."

Kim Jong Un has also been accused of ordering the assassination of his own half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, who had been living in exile from his homeland in the Chinese controlled territory of Macau and had occasionally criticized its regime.

North Korea has consistently denied involvement in the killing, though United States, South Korean and Malaysian authorities have said Pyongyang was responsible.

CNN's Sophie Jeong, Jake Kwon, Jennifer Hansler, Brian Todd and Dugald McConnell contributed reporting

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Las Vegas hotel apologizes to rapper Meek Mill after he accused them of racism

Last week, the artist posted videos of an interaction with hotel staff in which he was apparently told he would be arrested for trespassing if he entered the hotel.

In a series of tweets alongside the clips, Meek Mill said he needed "lawyers ASAP" and accused the hotel of being "racist as hell," adding, "If you come from our culture you should never step foot in the cosmopolitan hotel."

On Friday, the hotel issued an apology for the May 25 incident, saying they did "not act in a respectful manner and were wrong."

"Meek Mill has not had any prior incidents on our property," the statement posted on the hotel's Twitter page said. "The Cosmopolitan has zero tolerance for discrimination and we pride ourselves on providing an inclusive environment. We look forward to welcoming Meek Mill back to the resort.

Earlier this week, the hotel defended its actions by saying the issue was a "matter of security, not race," and that staff was not allowing Meek Mill entrance due to capacity concerns of a club at the premises. It was unclear whether Meek Mill was trying to enter the club.

Meek Mill's attorney called the capacity claims "outright false."

"In the recorded video, Meek also inquired about getting a meal at one of the hotel's restaurants, yet their security team continued to deny Meek and said he would be arrested for trespassing regardless of location in the hotel premises. The Cosmopolitan's conduct continues to be deplorable," Joe Tacopina said in a statement at the time.

Didier Morais, the rapper's publicist, sent an updated statement from Tacopina which read: "We appreciate the Cosmopolitan's apology and will no longer pursue legal recourse at this time."

CNN's Amir Vera contributed to this report.

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Mega Millions jackpot goes up to nearly half a billion dollars

Well, turns out, we were right, at least for Friday. The winning numbers were 7, 8, 26, 65 and 67, plus the gold Mega Ball 4 -- and no ticket matched all of them to walk away with the $444 million jackpot.

So on to the next one Tuesday night, which will be the seventh largest jackpot in Mega Millions history. An estimated $475 million ($307 million cash) awaits.

Your chances of winning? 1 in 302,575,350. We know those odds won't deter you -- so here's how many castles and Ferraris you can buy if you were a half- billionaire.

Other winners

Even with no jackpot winner, there were some prizes in Friday night's drawing. Two tickets sold in New Jersey and New York matched the five white balls for the game's second prize of $1 million.

And 38 others matched four white balls and the Mega Ball to win $10,000.

CNN's Tina Burnside contributed to this report

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US' top North Korea diplomat 'doesn't know' if Kim executed official over Trump summit

"I don't know," US Special Representative to North Korea Stephen Biegun said Saturday, when asked about reports that Kim Hyok Chol, North Korea's special envoy to the US, was executed after Kim and US President Donald Trump failed to reach an agreement at their second summit in February.

Instead, Biegun directed CNN to comments made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Germany on Friday.

Pompeo said the US was looking into a report by the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo. The paper -- quoting unnamed North Korean sources -- said Kim Hyok Chol was executed in March at the Mirim airport in Pyongyang on charges of "being recruited by US imperialists and betraying the supreme leader." CNN has not been able to independently verify the reporting in Chosun Ilbo -- South Korea's most circulated daily newspaper -- and South Korean reports of North Korean executions have at times been inaccurate.

Questions about the fate of the North Korean negotiator came up on the sidelines of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore, where defense chiefs from around the world have gathered to assess threats to the region.

Chief among those threats is North Korea, said US Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.

"North Korea remains an extraordinary threat and requires continued vigilance," Shanahan said, during a speech to hundreds of delegates. "We acknowledge that North Korea has neared a point where it could credibly strike regional allies, US territory and our forward-deployed forces."

Shanahan's comments were echoed by Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who repeated Tokyo's position that the May 9 launch of two short-range ballistic missiles by North Korea violated United Nations Security Council resolutions.

"We need to remind ourselves of the undeniable fact that there has been no essential change in North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities. More specifically, North Korea maintains several hundreds of ballistic missiles which have the whole territory of Japan within their reach," Iwaya said.

Speaking alongside his Japanese counterpart, South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said there was a high possibility that Pyongyang fired Russian-made Iskander rockets on May 9, but avoided harsh criticism of his northern neighbor.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has stuck to a policy of engagement and negotiation with North Korea since his election in 2017.

It's an approach that has also been embraced by the Trump administration.

Biegun reminded delegates that the US government is committed to the diplomacy that Trump initiated with the North Korean dictator at their historic first summit in Singapore in June 2018.

"President Trump is confident that chairman Kim Jong Un will meet the commitments that he made here," Biegun said.

The annual gathering in Singapore offers diplomats, generals, admirals and top defense officials from around the world a chance to rub shoulders without the formalities that might accompany summits or high-level negotiations.

During a break, South Korea's Jeong asked Biegun to pose for a photo together.

With a handshake, Jeong also asked the American to keep him in the loop of ahead of any future trips to North Korea.

Meanwhile, Japan's Iwaya did not offer any further insight into reports of the purge in Pyongyang.

Instead, Iwaya said: "Kim Jong Un's strong grip on the domestic situation is very solid. So he is the key. Without him nothing could be changed," he added.

"That's why we need to engage and talk with him to go ahead."

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The Virginia Beach Police had a workshop planned Saturday on mass shootings

At least 36 people intended to attend the Active Threat Citizen Defense session, according to the department's Facebook page.

The class was planned days before the shooting and highlighted the need to prepare for potential active threat situations.

"Having to face an armed individual with bad intentions is every person's worst nightmare," the class description said. "You can't stop evil, you can only respond to it. The aggressor's actions are not your fault; failure to plan and failure to train, is."

The class was aimed at enhancing preparedness for citizens to "rise to the occasion" during such situations.

The teachings would include recognizing hostile situations, utilizing common items for defense and a "no-skills needed" maneuver to combat a gunman.

It is unclear whether the workshop will still take place.

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What we know about the shooting that left 12 people dead in Virginia Beach

Police have said the gunman was a disgruntled employee who succumbed to his injuries after a long gunfight with officers.

Here's what we know:

How the shooting unfolded

The shooting began late Friday afternoon when a man opened fire on all three floors of the municipal center's Building 2, which houses the operations building for the city that includes multiple departments.

Four officers responded to the reports of the shooting and immediately exchanged fire with the gunman, Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera said Friday night.

"I can tell you that it was a long gunbattle between those four officers and that suspect," Cervera said.

One of the officers who responded was shot, Cervera said, and was saved by his bullet proof vest.

The chief said when the shooter went down, the officers performed CPR .

Cervera said victims were found on all three floors of Building 2. Municipal center employees described hiding in offices and under desks.

The FBI responded to the incident to aid local authorities.

The gunman was a professional engineer

The suspect was identified as DeWayne Craddock, according to a law enforcement official and a Virginia government source.

Craddock, 40, worked as a certified professional engineer for the city of Virginia Beach in the Public Utilities Department. He is listed on department press releases as a point of contact for information on local road projects over the last several years. A search of online court records in Virginia Beach and surrounding counties shows Craddock was cited for a motor vehicle infraction in 2013, but nothing else.

Craddock served in the Army National Guard as a private after attending Denbigh High in Newport News, according to a 1996 report from the Daily Press newspaper.

While he was identified as the shooter, Cervera said his name will only be mentioned once by Virginia Beach police.

"He will be forever referred to as 'the suspect,' because our focus now is the dignity and respect for the victims of this case and to their families," he said.

Authorities recovered a .45-caliber handgun with extended magazines and a suppressor.

Two law enforcement sources said the weapons appeared to have been legally purchased. One of those sources said the purchases were made in recent weeks.

The victims have yet to be identified

None of the 12 victims were identified Friday.

It was originally reported that 11 had died in the shooting, but it was later updated to 12 as one person died on the way to the hospital, Cervera said. Four other victims are being treated at area hospitals and there are reports of other victims who transported themselves to the hospital.

"This is a horrific day for the Commonwealth of Virginia," Gov. Ralph Northam said Friday. 'Our hearts ache over the senseless violence that has been inflicted upon the Virginia Beach community today."

Mayor Bobby Dyer described it as "Virginia Beach's darkest hour."

"A senseless crime happened that imposed tremendous grief upon the people of Virginia Beach, the commonwealth and this country," he said. "I believe that our community, Virginia Beach, along with our neighbors and our other cities in Hampton Roads and our Commonwealth and our country, we'll be there ... for our families. We're gonna show that Virginia Beach is a city of resolve and dedication."

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Shooter had a long gunbattle with 4 officers. They helped prevent more carnage, police chief says

The suspect was a disgruntled employee who had access to the building and fired on multiple floors Friday afternoon, Police Chief James Cervera said.

At least 12 people were killed and four others are hospitalized.

Veterans and K9 detectives responded

When the initial call of an active shooter came out, two veteran detectives and two K9 handlers from the special operations unit immediately responded, Cervera said.

The officers entered the building and followed the sound of gunfire to locate the suspect and immediately engaged with the gunman.

"I can tell you that it was a long gunbattle between those four officers and that suspect," Cervera said in a news conference Friday night.

"Many times when we talk about an officer-involved shooting situation it may be minimal rounds by the suspect and by the police officers. This was well beyond that," Cervera said. "The best I can describe it (is) this was long-term gunbattle for police officers."

The chief confirmed that a .45 caliber pistol, a suppressor and several empty, higher-capacity magazines were found near the shooter. He declined to comment on the presence of a rifle.

The suspect fired multiple times, the chief said, "from various places down the hallway that the officers at one time returned."

One officer was shot, but was saved by his bulletproof vest, Cervera said. The officer was tended to at the scene and then taken to a hospital.

Officers 'rendered first aid' to the shooter

The suspect eventually went down "due to his injuries" after an extensive battle with officers, he said.

As the gunman was being removed from the building and taken to awaiting EMS personnel, the officers "immediately rendered first aid," according to Cervera.

"I need to say that a second time," Cervera said. "Even though he was involved in a long-term gunbattle with these officers when he went down, they did what cops do and they rendered first aid to this individual."

The gunman "succumbed to his wounds," the chief said.

The scene was like a 'war zone'

Virginia Beach first responders train "continuously" for these kinds of situations, Cervera said.

"We train not only as first responders for police, but we train with fire and we train with our EMS personnel because we know that when you have a major scene like this you're going to need all first responders," he said. "So we do train extensively."

Officers, EMS and fire personnel, Cervera said, are all "unfortunately" highly qualified in the case of an active shooter situation.

But after today, the lives of many responding officers will be forever changed, the chief said.

"I have a number of officers right now who are processing through what best could be described as a war zone," Cervera said. "Their lives are going to be changed."

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US will not ignore China's behavior in South China Sea, acting defense secretary Shanahan says

Speaking to hundreds of delegates at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Shanahan avoided calling China out by name, but criticized "some in our region" for using what he called a "toolkit of coercion" in the Indo-Pacific, which includes the controversial South China Sea.

That toolkit included island-building, deploying advanced weapons systems to disputed areas, engaging in predatory economics and the alleged state-sponsored theft of military and civilian technology -- all activities the US has previously accused China of undertaking.

Beijing claims almost the entire 1.3 million square mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory and aggressively asserts its stake, with President Xi Jinping saying it will never give up "any inch of territory." US military officials, meanwhile, have vowed to continue enforcing a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Shanahan said that the Indo-Pacific region was the US's most important theater from a security perspective.

"We can't ... continue to look the other way as countries use friendly rhetoric to distract from unfriendly acts," he said, adding that Washginton had a "deeper and broader" network of allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific than China.

Later, Shanahan did directly reference Beijing, saying that it had once been a partner with the US in the region's prosperity, but would have to change the way it operated to be that positive partner again.

"Behavior that erodes other nations' sovereignty and sows distrust of China's intentions must end," Shanahan said. While taking questions from the floor after his speech, he added: "We're not going to ignore Chinese behavior. In the past, people have kind of tip-toed around that."

The US defense secretary said Washington and Beijing had a host of trust issues that needed to be addressed, including over 5G communications networks -- an issue where Washington has been at odds with China's industry leader Huawei.

'I don't see a trade war'

On one front, at least, Shanahan played down US-China tensions.

"I don't see a trade war. I see trade negotiations that are ongoing," he said.

Shanahan also said US-China trust levels could be improved by cooperating on issues where there is coming ground, such as enforcing sanctions on North Korea. On Friday evening, the acting US defense chief met with his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Wei Fenghe, and gave him a "beautiful book" about "ship-to-ship transfers of oil," suggesting that the US and China could jointly crack down on North Korea's ship-to-ship smuggling that skirted UN Security Council resolutions.

Shanahan also said he discussed 5G technology with Wei. He said: "Huawei is too close to the government. The integration of civilian businesses with the military is too close. That's too much risk for the (defense) department. We can't trust that those networks will be safe."

At the conclusion of his Saturday appearance at the defense conference, Shanahan took a question from a major general from China's People's Liberation Army.

The Chinese general asked how Shanahan's former experience as an executive with Boeing could contribute to improving US-Chinese relations.

"My experience working at Boeing carries over," Shanahan said. "China was our biggest customer and biggest competitor. You have to understand how to live in that duality. Competition means playing by the rules."

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Navy acknowledges request regarding USS John S. McCain made for Trump visit

The statement continues a saga stemming from emails exchanged between the White House and lower-level US Navy officials about keeping a warship named for the late Sen. John McCain's father and grandfather out of sight ahead of the President's trip.

"A request was made to the U.S. Navy to minimize the visibility of USS John S. McCain, however, all ships remained in their normal configuration during the President's visit," Rear Adm. Charlie Brown, chief of Navy information, said in a statement. "There were also no intentional efforts to explicitly exclude Sailors assigned to USS John S. McCain."

Brown added that the Navy is "fully cooperating with the review of this matter tasked by" acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.

Two Navy officials told CNN on Wednesday that the White House Military Office had asked lower-level US Navy officials about keeping the ship out of view -- an impractical request as the ship was under repair, one of the officials said.

"Once leadership heard about it, they said knock it off," a senior Navy official told CNN.

The ship ultimately was not moved nor was the name obscured, said Cmdr. Clay Doss, a spokesman for the 7th Fleet.

Trump told reporters Thursday that while he had had no knowledge of the plan nor would he have acted on it, he "is not a big fan" of McCain, and whoever was behind the plan was "well-meaning."

When asked abut the controversy Friday, Shanahan maintained that the military would not be politicized, adding that he would not have directed the ship to be moved.

"Our business is to run military operations and not to become politicized," Shanahan told reporters at a Singapore news conference. "I'll wait until I get a full explanation of the facts before I pass judgment on the situation, but our job is to run the military."

CNN's Ryan Browne, Kate Sullivan and Veronica Stracqualursi contributed to this report.

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Colorado becomes the latest state to ban gay conversion therapy for youth

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, the first US governor to identify as gay, signed a bill Friday that prohibits health care professionals from engaging in conversion therapy for patients under the age of 18.

"Colorado has joined a growing list of states that have banned so-called conversion therapy," Polis said in a statement posted to his social media. "It's a tortuous practice that has long been widely-discredited by medical and mental health professionals."

So-called conversion therapies, also known as reparative treatments, rely on the assumption that sexual orientation can be changed or "cured" -- an idea debunked and discredited by major medical associations in the UK, the United States and elsewhere.

Studies have found that efforts to change a young person's sexuality can put them at a greater risk of depression or suicide. Despite being condemned by medical bodies and having its science debunked by experts worldwide, the practice is legal throughout most of Europe, where campaigns and petitions to halt it exist in several countries.

Colorado is one of 39 states to have either introduced or passed legislation banning the practice, according to The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization that works on suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth.

About 698,000 LGBT adults in the US have received conversion therapy at some point in their lives, according to a 2018 study by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.

CNN's Harmeet Kaur and Rob Picheta contributed to this report.

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A wholesome performance, a pet haven and a tiny fighter

What's terribly wrong with 'Make Aircrew Great Again' patches

But under DOD Directive 1344.10, Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces, service members on active duty cannot "act in a manner that could reasonably give rise to the inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement" of a political party or candidate, whether in or out of uniform.

What's happening today is several levels above the sorts of things specifically prohibited, like putting a political banner on your car or house. Regulation writers likely never imagined a day when presidential visits to military installations would become political rallies, or when service members would want to wear political paraphernalia on their uniforms.

The commander who authorized this might say, "C'mon it's funny, it's not political. We took a slogan and adapted it to our work in aviation. Trump is on the patch because it's his slogan, and he's the commander-in-chief. No one should take this as a literal political endorsement."

But that explanation isn't credible when troops wearing the patches are pleading with media members to help them get Trump autographs. A Navy spokesperson said: "Navy leadership is aware of the incident and reviewing to ensure the patch doesn't violate DoD policy or uniform regulations."

The military has been around this block before with the President. Air Force leaders allowed their people to wave actual "MAGA" campaign caps and hold up a Trump campaign flag, in uniform, when Trump visited Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Not a problem, leaders said, because "There is no rule against airmen bringing personal items to be signed by the president." They know better. Department of Defense regulations completely prohibit partisan political activity while in uniform, and it doesn't excuse the offense because you're using your own political paraphernalia to violate orders.

Troops should be excited and proud to meet the commander-in-chief. But it violates principles of military professionalism when the event turns into campaign spectacle. Imagine what it would feel like to be a military subordinate of these MAGA-hat-waving, MAGA-patch-wearing superiors. They are making quite clear what the "correct" political expression and allegiance of subordinates should be, even if they never directly say so. Their rank and their actions speak strongly enough.

Imagine if you're a military recruiter whose job it is to reach out across America and convince young people that the military is a good path for them, all the while the President is creating the impression that the military is a political institution that welcomes only those with partisan loyalty to Trump as an individual.

And that wasn't all. Trump used the occasion to demand a showing of the troops' political support for one of his uninformed but pet obsessions, whether the Navy should redesign ships to go back to steam-powered catapult systems rather than electric-powered. Trump took a poll of the crowd: "Do you like electric or steam?" On cue, voices went up yelling what they knew was the right, Trump-affirming answer: "Steam!" (Keep in mind that this particular ship doesn't even use a catapult, but let's ask anyway.) Apparently one poor soul responded "Electric," loud enough to be heard, and Trump zeroed right in:

"Who said "electric"? There's one guy back there. (Laughter.)"

Later, Trump again singled out the brave person who spoke up: "He works for the enemy. (Laughter.) He's all right. We'll — ooh, you might be in danger. I better be careful. (Laughter.)"

Is the President joking, half-joking, or not joking at all? It's not funny in the least to suggest that service members might be in danger from colleagues if they fail to provide uninformed answers on demand. But Trump has made clear since his first day in office that he believes members of the military are obligated to give him personal political support. At the Armed Services inaugural ball, Trump reminded service members exactly where they stood: "And I like you for a lot of reasons. Also, I like the fact that you all voted for me, right? You all voted for me."

Joshing? No. This is beyond-the-pale inappropriate behavior, politicizing the military for a president's personal benefit and vanity. Military professionalism depends on strict political neutrality. A president who openly fishes for votes and affirmation from people sworn to obey his orders will destroy that careful constitutional balance.

There are no mere "suggestions" within the military chain of command. This is why in 1976, near the beginning of the all-volunteer force, the Supreme Court held that the military had a constitutional responsibility to avoid "both the reality and the appearance of acting as a handmaiden for partisan political causes or candidates."

Breaches of the military's ethic of political neutrality are not only a constitutional problem. They also lead to bad policy. Steam or electric catapults? Just take a poll of the crowd — the president knows that the troops know which answer is the "right" one. Upend transgender service policy and put the careers of 14,700 service members at risk? Just send a few tweets and then commission a group of defense officials to write a report that backfills a justification, even if the reasons aren't credible to military experts.

The President isn't asking for military advice. He's asking for applause, for affirmation, for a pledge of personal loyalty on a decision he has already made in his own mind. Decisions made under those circumstances shouldn't be given the weight that military judgments are normally given. It's also terrifying that the president suggests, even if somehow in jest, that members of the military could retaliate against colleagues who provide candid, professional judgment instead of political allegiance.

It's no wonder that a recent news report quoted an Army NCO (non-commissioned officer) who praised a highly respected transgender colleague ("I wish I had more like her") but also asked not to be identified, "given the uncertain climate."

Breaches of the military ethic of political neutrality are not only unseemly, they are dangerous. They enable bullying and retaliation, they suppress candid advice, and they lead to careless policy. It's not just a patch.

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Trump's Mexico tariff plan overlooks the root causes of migration

On Thursday, President Trump threatened, via Twitter, to impose a 5% tariff on all goods coming from Mexico starting June 10, "until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP." In a presidential statement, he further explained that "if the crisis persists" he will raise the tariff by an additional 5% each month for four months.

When I heard this news, my mind instantly jumped to those innocent families that I had met in Reynosa — because it's clear what he means by "if the crisis persists." He's talking about the incoming undocumented immigrants from Mexico whom he has tried to cast as criminals ever since he referred to them as "rapists" on the campaign trail.

It makes sense that a President who has constantly insulted the character and nature of people who are simply looking to find a better life would have no understanding of global migration and the forces that prompt it. Instead of working to address real crises — like climate change — that drive migration, President Trump is threatening to punish Mexico.

If Mexico complies with Trump's demands, migrants and asylum seekers in particular, could face increasingly inhumane treatment. In the case that Mexico does nothing, or retaliates with additional tariffs, US and Mexican citizens will bear the brunt of the grave economic consequences. According to the New York Times, Mexico sent the US $346.5 billion of goods last year and 5% of tariffs would amount to more than $17 billion — a burden that will most likely be passed on to businesses and consumers.

By singling out Mexico for punishment, Trump fails to recognize the truly global reality of migration. Last week, when I was interviewing migrant families from Eritrea alongside those from Venezuela, Honduras and El Salvador, they described the complex political and environmental factors that drove them to seek asylum in the US. I wish President Trump would listen to their stories rather than continuing to treat Mexico, our closest neighbor and trading partner, as if it were solely responsible for controlling global migration flows.

President Trump has long railed against undocumented immigrants while proposing dubious methods to stem the tide of migration from our southern border. In addition to the recent tariffs, Trump is considering a rule to prohibit migrants from seeking asylum if they have passed through a country other than their own before arriving at the US, according to a senior administration official and a source close to the White House who spoke to CNN.

Migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border were typically allowed to request asylum without being turned away during the waiting process or separated from their children. During the Trump administration, all of that has changed.

It is unclear how many families have been separated at the border, and there could be thousands more than the 2,737 cases officials have already acknowledged. Migrants seeking asylum in the US have been turned back to Mexico while their cases are still pending in a major policy shift that is currently being challenged in court. The asylum process, which I reported on for Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting this year, can take months or years.

In Reynosa, I interviewed Cubans and Ukrainians who were forced to wait in Mexico. Among other things, many of these migrants, who have little or no money, face violence and are at risk of being kidnapped by drug cartels.

In April, Trump gave a speech on immigration and lumped together asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants, making the argument that the US will not accept any more immigrants. In response to Trump's threat of tariffs, Mexican President López Obrador wrote a letter Thursday in which he reminded President Trump that "The Statue of Liberty isn't a meaningless symbol."

Having spent time along the border and interviewed countless asylum seekers from all over the world, it is apparent to me that the crisis is one created by President Trump, who has increasingly limited the legal right to request asylum while stoking fears that migrants pose a national security threat.

When I heard the news of the tariffs on Mexico, I was reminded of a Honduran farmer who I met while covering the migrant caravan in November 2018 for Time Magazine. He was fleeing drought, and many other migrants from Central America told me about the fires and storms that have forced them leave their homes.

No tariff can prevent or criminalize migrants fleeing climate change, and perhaps we, as a nation of immigrants, should begin to think about that.

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Witnesses hid in offices and under their desks during the Virginia Beach shooting

"I have an 11-month-old baby at home, and all I could think about was him and trying to make it home to him," Banton, an employee at the city's public utilities office told CNN affiliate WTKR.

Banton was in the second floor of the building when police said a city worker opened fire in Building 2 of the city's Municipal Center on Friday, killing at least 11 people.

She and about 20 of her colleagues quickly pushed several desks against the doors in their office before rushing to hide in their bosses' office.

They hunkered down, hugging and holding each other, as the gunshots continued.

"I was trying to listen to what happen and listen to 911 operator), and we just hoped it would be over soon," she said.

As police tried to stop the gunman, employees and residents hid under desks in public works and utilities offices and in nearby buildings.

Alyssa Andrews was in her car with her 1-year-old grandson when she spotted a man with a bloodied shirt and shorts outside the building. The man's identity and his condition were not immediately known.

"It was just terrifying, just unbelievable," Andrews said.

Police had blocked the streets outside the municipal building and she and her grand stayed in their car until they were taken to another building to take shelter.

"I couldn't believe it was happening. I was so afraid because they were circling the building. And I just — I didn't know what to do," she said.

Virginia Beach Vice Mayor James Wood said the shooting is "without a doubt the most horrific thing that our city has experienced."

"The people that were there, the victims are people we've worked with, people we know. They're our friends. It's just really truly horrible," he added.

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Honduran president confirms he was investigated by the DEA

The Honduran statement came two days after the Southern District of New York released an 11-page document, dated 2015, which revealed several people were under investigation, including the Honduran President and his sister, who is now deceased, in an alleged involvement in "large-scale drug-trafficking and money laundering activities relating to the importation of cocaine into the United States."

The investigation began in 2013. It is not clear whether it is still open.

Parts of the prosecution's case have been redacted but many of the details were obtained through conversations with a witness cooperating in the case, the documents say. Known as CW-1, the witness is working with authorities in exchange for "leniency at sentencing."

The filed documents were presented as part of the pretrial motions in the case of President Hernandez's brother, Antonio Hernandez Alvarado.

Hernandez Alvarado, also known as "Tony Hernandez" was arrested in Miami in November 2018 on charges of trafficking cocaine, weapons offenses and making false statements, according to the US Justice Department. He is being prosecuted in New York and faces a maximum of life in prison if found guilty. Hernandez Alvarado has denied the allegations and his trial is set to begin September.

The Honduran government's statement said the US Department of Justice had "found no evidence to sustain the accusations against the president and his collaborators."

The statement goes on to explain how the Honduran government has implemented "strategies" to fight organized crime and drug cartels, the main issues plaguing the impoverished nation.

"Today Honduras has converted its hostile territory for narcotrafficking, to the extent that the International Central Maritime Against Drug Trafficking in Colombia moved Honduras's position from 1 to 12 as a country receiving drugs that travel to the US consumer market."

CNN reached out to the DEA who referred any request for information to the Southern District's office. CNN also reached out to district, who declined to comment on the investigation's status.

CNN's David Shotell in DC and CNNE's Ana Melgar Zuniga in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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Exhilaration and terror -- what it's really like to tackle Everest's deadly peak

Grand jury still interested in Roger Stone and the 2016 GOP convention

Andrew Miller, who worked for Stone in 2016, testified for two hours before a grand jury in Washington on Friday.

The session indicates that a federal grand jury previously used in the Mueller investigation is still interested in Stone, and new charges or cases could be on the horizon. Separately on Friday, prosecutors made their boldest statement yet that they looked closely at whether Stone had violated the law against hacking while he was in contact with Russians online and WikiLeaks in 2016.

Miller also testified Friday about what he knew of Stone's contact with Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. The documents prosecutors have requested pertain to Stone's schedules during the 2016 political convention.

"It's hard to say where they're going on this," his attorney Paul Kamenar said outside the courthouse about the ongoing investigation, which has an unknown scope but was previously handled by special counsel Robert Mueller.

"There could very well be a continuing investigation" of Russian interference in the 2016 election, but Miller did not have much information to help prosecutors, Kamenar said. Miller did not know of contact between Assange and Stone, Kamenar said.

Stone and Assange have already been charged with crimes, and Stone has pleaded not guilty to obstruction, witness intimidation and lying charges. The grand jury at this point is not able to use Miller's testimony to build those open cases, and instead under Department of Justice policy the grand jury must work toward new charges.

Miller said he worked for Stone -- "Uncle Roger" he called him after his grand jury session Friday -- for 13 years, as a driver and helping to manage Stone's emails and website. He has not worked with Stone since the 2016 election, his attorney said.

He does not need to testify again to the grand jury, his attorney said he was told.

Miller held off testifying for a year as he challenged the constitutionality of Mueller's investigation, and the courts denied him.

Searches of Stone related to 2016 hack

Hours after Miller testified, prosecutors told a federal judge via a court filing they had used 18 search warrants to look into possible criminal activity around Stone's communications with Assange, WikiLeaks and Russians who used the online pseudonym Guccifer 2.0 as they distributed stolen Democratic documents intended to help Donald Trump's campaign.

Prosecutors underline several times in this new filing that Stone had indeed been in contact with WikiLeaks and Assange. They had not made that assertion in his indictment, and he has not been charged with any crimes related to contacting WikiLeaks or Russians, or with hacking.

Previously, prosecutors had emphasized only how Stone allegedly used intermediaries to try to reach Assange as a way to help Trump's campaign -- but hadn't fully explained whether anyone had made contact with the offshore group. Stone allegedly tried to cover up to Congress his discussions with the Trump campaign and his helpers as they sought to reach Assange.

"Stone communicated with the very organization that was disseminating materials from the DNC computers in the months after the hack," prosecutors wrote in the filing Friday. "Based on those communications, there was probable cause to believe that evidence related to the DNC hack would be found," they added, describing how Stone communicated with Guccifer 2.0, WikiLeaks and Assange.

In 14 of their search warrant affidavits, prosecutors say they outlined how they believed searches of Stone would turn up evidence that he "intentionally" accessed computers illegally, according to the new filing.

There is one known exchange of messages between WikiLeaks and Stone. In February 2018, the Atlantic reported Stone had exchanged direct messages via Twitter with the WikiLeaks account in which he was asked to stop associating himself with the site. Both denied they were in contact about the release of Hillary Clinton emails.

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