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it is NBA All star weekend

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two teens got in crashed and killed

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heartbroken elephants stand gaurd over fallen friend´s body

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Actors reveal their first jobs

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US President Donald Trump's choice for national security adviser has turned down the job offer.

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US President Donald Trump's choice for national security adviser has turned down the job offer.

Retired Vice-Admiral Robert Harward was widely tipped for the post after Mr Trump fired Michael Flynn on Monday.

A White House official said Mr Harward cited family and financial commitments, but US media said the sticking point was he wanted to bring in his own team.

Mr Flynn had misled US Vice-President Mike Pence over his conversations with Russia's ambassador to the US.

There are four people being considered as his replacement including the new acting national security adviser, General Keith Kellogg, the president said on Friday.

The latest setback concerning Mr Harward emerged hours after Mr Trump robustly denied media reports of White House disarray, insisting in a news conference that his administration was running like a "fine-tuned machine".

The White House is expected to name its new communications director on Friday, and US media say the job will go to Mike Dubke, the founder of Republican media group Crossroads Media.

Read more:

A most extraordinary news conference

Donald Trump: Unchained and unapologetic

Full transcript

Trump's 'fine-tuned machine' memes

Mr Harward told the Associated Press the Trump administration was "very accommodating to my needs, both professionally and personally".

"It's purely a personal issue," added the 60-year-old former Navy Seal who is currently based in Abu Dhabi as an executive for US defence contractor Lockheed Martin.

Asked about reports that he had asked to bring in his own staff at the National Security Council, Mr Harward said: "I think that's for the president to address."

Mr Flynn, a retired army lieutenant-general, was ousted amid claims that before he was even appointed as national security adviser he had discussed sanctions with a Russian envoy.

This would have potentially breached a law banning private citizens from engaging in diplomacy.

Mr Flynn initially denied having discussed sanctions with Sergei Kislyak, Moscow's ambassador to Washington.

But on Monday, Mr Trump asked for his resignation following revelations that Mr Flynn had misled the vice-president about his conversations with the diplomat.

Leading Republicans have called for an investigation into intelligence leaks that led to Mr Flynn's resignation.

More on the Flynn scandal

Russia looms large behind Flynn affair

Five big questions after Flynn's resignation

Russia: The scandal Trump can't shake

How Flynn's resignation unfolded

General David Petraeus and acting national security adviser Keith Kellogg are among those who have been tipped for the job.

Mr Kellogg, a retired three-star general, was named acting national security adviser after Mr Flynn stepped down.

The 72-year-old had a long career in the US Army, serving in Vietnam and Iraq, before retiring in 2003 and becoming a security consultant for software giant Oracle Corp.

Mr Petraeus, a celebrated former four-star general, retired as CIA director in 2012 after it emerged he had given top-secret material to his biographer, with whom he was also having an extramarital affair.

He is still serving two years' probation after his conviction for mishandling classified information, and would need to notify his parole officer if he wished to move to Washington DC.

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Trump pick for top adviser turns down job

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US President Donald Trump's choice for national security adviser has turned down the job offer. Retired Vice-Admiral Robert Harward was widely tipped for the post after Mr Trump fired Michael Flynn on Monday. A White House official said Mr Harward cited family and financial commitments, but US media said the sticking point was he wanted to bring in his own team.

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An official watchdog in Germany has told parents to destroy a talking doll called Cayla because its smart technology can reveal personal data.

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An official watchdog in Germany has told parents to destroy a talking doll called Cayla because its smart technology can reveal personal data.

The warning was issued by the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), which oversees telecommunications.

Researchers say hackers can use an unsecure bluetooth device embedded in the toy to listen and talk to the child playing with it.

But the UK Toy Retailers Association said Cayla "offers no special risk".

In a statement sent to the BBC, the TRA also said "there is no reason for alarm".

The Vivid Toy group, which distributes My Friend Cayla, has previously said that examples of hacking were isolated and carried out by specialists. However, it said the company would take the information on board as it was able to upgrade the app used with the doll.

But experts have warned that the problem has not been fixed.

The Cayla doll can respond to a user's question by accessing the internet. For example, if a child asks the doll "what is a little horse called?" the doll can reply "it's called a foal".

A vulnerability in Cayla's software was first revealed in January 2015.

Complaints have been filed by US and EU consumer groups.

The EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Vera Jourova, told the BBC: "I'm worried about the impact of connected dolls on children's privacy and safety."

The Commission is investigating whether such smart dolls breach EU data protection safeguards.

In addition to those concerns, a hack allowing strangers to speak directly to children via the My Friend Cayla doll has been shown to be possible.

The TRA said "we would always expect parents to supervise their children at least intermittently".

It said the distributor Vivid had "restated that the toy is perfectly safe to own and use when following the user instructions".

Privacy laws

Under German law, it is illegal to sell or possess a banned surveillance device. A breach of that law can result in a jail term of up to two years, according to German media reports.

Germany has strict privacy laws to protect against surveillance. In the 20th Century Germans experienced abusive surveillance by the state - in Nazi Germany and communist East Germany.

The warning by Germany's Federal Network Agency came after student Stefan Hessel, from the University of Saarland, raised legal concerns about My Friend Cayla.

Mr Hessel, quoted by the German website Netzpolitik.org, said a bluetooth-enabled device could connect to Cayla's speaker and microphone system within a radius of 10m (33ft). He said an eavesdropper could even spy on someone playing with the doll "through several walls".

A spokesman for the federal agency told Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily that Cayla amounted to a "concealed transmitting device", illegal under an article in German telecoms law (in German).

"It doesn't matter what that object is - it could be an ashtray or fire alarm," he explained.

Manufacturer Genesis Toys has not yet commented on the German warning.

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German parents told to destroy 'spy' dolls

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An official watchdog in Germany has told parents to destroy a talking doll called Cayla because its smart technology can reveal personal data. The warning was issued by the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), which oversees telecommunications. Researchers say hackers can use an unsecure bluetooth device embedded in the toy to listen and talk to the child playing with it.

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A penguin stolen from the zoo and found dead in a near by parking lot in Germany

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The desperate search for a young penguin apparently stolen from a zoo in Germany reached a horrifying end Thursday, when the bird's carcass turned up nearby -- reportedly beheaded.
THE WEEK IN PICTURES
The Humboldt penguin vanished last Saturday from the Luisenpark in Mannheim. Officials there said all signs pointed to theft -- there was no indication the flightless bird escaped or was attacked by a wild animal.

The penguin's body appeared on a park fence near a parking lot, Metro reported. Police said they knew it was the missing animal, because it had a distinctive number 53 marked on its wing.
SICK OWL DISCOVERED AT CONSTRUCTION SITE
Whoever snatched the penguin probably discarded it, according to investigators. They said it wasn't clear whether the bird was killed at the parking lot or beforehand.

Prosecutors were looking for possible witnesses, police spokesman Michael Klump said.

The zoo's director called the penguin's death the worst possible outcome. Joachim Koeltzsch said: "All of us are shocked about the death."

The zoo was home to about 20 Humboldt penguins in all, Deutsche Welle reported. Zookeepers first noticed the bird was missing during a routine count Saturday afternoon.

The penguin measured about 20 inches tall and weighed roughly 11 pounds.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Penguin stolen from zoo is found dead near parking lot

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The desperate search for a young penguin apparently stolen from a zoo in Germany reached a horrifying end Thursday, when the bird's carcass turned up nearby -- reportedly beheaded. THE WEEK IN PICTURES The Humboldt penguin vanished last Saturday from the Luisenpark in Mannheim.

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Ernestine Shepherd defies nearly every physical stereotype for an 80-year-old woman. For one thing, she's ripped. In fact, she’s a record-holding bodybuilder who spends more than 30 hours each week exercising. But get this: she didn’t so much as pick up a dumbbell until she was in her 50s! Now she’s training other women and completely embodying her nickname, “Granny Six-Pack.”

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Ernestine Shepherd defies nearly every physical stereotype for an 80-year-old woman. For one thing, she's ripped. In fact, she's a record-holding bodybuilder who spends more than 30 hours each week exercising. But get this: she didn't so much as pick up a dumbbell until she was in her 50s!

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More than $100,000 in cash was found inside a television that was being processed at an Ontario, Canada recycling plant.

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More than $100,000 found in old TV set - CNN Video

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More than $100,000 in cash was found inside a television that was being processed at an Ontario, Canada recycling plant.

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Cities across the country got a taste of that Thursday as businesses shut down and immigrants refused to spend money on "A Day Without Immigrants." It's an effort to show the Trump administration how much immigrants contribute to the country's economy as the President continues his tough stances on immigration.

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Cities across the country got a taste of that Thursday as businesses shut down and immigrants refused to spend money on "A Day Without Immigrants."

And while many immigrants and business owners refused to work in an act of solidarity, others marked the event in more unorthodox ways. Here are some of their stories:

Matt Carr, owner of the Little Red Fox restaurant in Washington, D.C., had no problem letting his immigrant employees strike, even though they're vital to his business.

"We have three prep cooks on strike today for 'A Day Without Immigrants.' They are all parents worried about their families and futures," Carr said.

But before those workers went on strike, they made sure the business was taken care of.

"Dear Matt, kale salad is ready," the protesters wrote on a note for their boss. "Fruit salad just needs blueberries + mint. Oranges are cut. Thank you, The ladies of the kitchen."

Carr said he appreciates the dedication of his employees.

"We're a very small business, and without them we would not be able to open today," he said. "They not only gave me a heads-up about the strike, but did double the work yesterday so we would be in good shape today."

Carr said he's "holding down the fort" by also washing dishes and preparing food. He said his business would fall apart without his immigrant employees, who come from Venezuela and Guatemala.

"Immigrants are the backbone of this country and the heart and soul of the service industry," he said. "Without them, our small businesses would crumble. They are also part of our family here at Little Red Fox, and I, too, am worried about their future under this administration."

Texas mom: 'This is how we're going to make an impact'

Sanjuana Gonzales' family moved from Mexico to Texas in 1988 to work as migrant farm workers. They became legal permanent residents, and Gonzales is now a dual citizen.

But her life has taken a laborious road toward the American dream.

When Gonzales was 18, her hands were constantly damaged from working in the fields. At the same time, she was putting herself through community college.

"In college, I was hiding my hands because I didn't want other people to know that in my other life, I was a farm worker," Gonzales said.

She eventually earned a master's degree in health care administration and now works for the Travis County government, managing contracts for social service programs.

But she didn't work Thursday, in support of the immigrant strike.

"It's a very controversial issue right now, even between my own co-workers and friends," Gonzales said. "Some of us are Democrats, some of us are Republicans. But it's an issue we're talking about."

Gonzales, who used a vacation day for the strike, said she's also not spending any money on Thursday.

"I told my daughter we're not buying anything, and we're not eating out," she said. "This is how we're going to make an impact. ... So (the government) can acknowledge what we contribute to the economy, to the culture."

Nervous employee asks bosses to join in

As the daughter of Mexican immigrants, Eunice Arcos wanted to join the strike Thursday. So the night before, Arcos said, she nervously texted her bosses at Makeup On The Go Cosmetics in Dallas, asking whether they would join her in solidarity.

They granted her wish.

"We will be closed tomorrow!" her bosses responded.

The college student broadcast the support from her employer on Twitter.

"My heart is so happy!" Arcos tweeted.

She told CNN her parents came from Mexico City 35 years ago, and that her entire family was on strike.

"My parents were once immigrants, so it was really important to be part of this boycott," she said.

Customer: Nothing can replace immigrants

Every Tuesday and Thursday for the past five years, Hiba Hamwi picks up breakfast at Pan American Bakery in Roslynn, Virginia. The full-time student said the cheese empanadas make her 8 a.m. class "so much less dreadful."

But this Thursday morning, a sign at the bakery read, "Thursday is going to be closed."

Hamwi said the strike made her think about the importance of immigrants in her life.

"Hispanic food is my all-time favorite, and not being able to have it is just tragic," she said. "I don't think anything could replace (immigrants) and how great different cultures are."

D.C. restaurant supports boycott -- by staying open

Just over a mile from the White House, the upscale restaurant Unum supported the boycott by keeping its doors open.

"Unum strongly support 'day without immigrants' & after discussing with our staff we will be OPEN," the restaurant's Instagram page said.

"We feel our customers should gain firsthand knowledge and realize how important, hard working and dedicated our immigrant staff work every day and what it is like without them. E Pluribus Unum -- From Many, One."

New York: Immigrant business owners unite with immigrant employees

Manhattan's Dough doughnut shop shut down not just because the immigrant employees went on strike, but because the business owners are immigrants, too.

"Please note that we will be closed on Thursday February 16th in support of our immigrant staff's desire & right to protest and be part of "A day without immigrant strike," the owners posted on a sign.

"As immigrant business owners, we proudly stand in solidarity."

Customer Z. Hernandez visits Dough several times a week and was surprised by the sign. But she said she supports the owners' decision.

"It made me proud to support a business that is standing up for such an important cause," she said.

Restaurants could be devastated without immigrants

While a wide array of businesses feel the impact of losing immigrant workers for a day, the restaurant industry would be crippled without them.

According to the National Restaurant Association, 14.4 million people work in the restaurant industry, and 23% of them are foreign-born.

As for undocumented workers, an analysis by Pew Research found about 1.1 million of the restaurant industry's workers were undocumented in 2014. That makes restaurants second only to construction when it comes to relying on undocumented workers.

One immigrant: Immigration must be better managed

Sean Linnane, 48, who said he's a security consultant who lives near Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, tweeted that he is an immigrant who went to work on Thursday.

Linnane, who said he's an American citizen who was born in Australia and raised in Southeast Asia, said he understands Thursday's actions were part of a larger political statement. He said he has "no problem with all the people coming across the southern border" but believes immigrants should be more stringently vetted at the border.

"It's got to be managed," Linnane said of immigration.

Linnane said he doesn't personally like President Donald Trump but believes the President's proposed travel ban that bars citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for 90 days and all refugees for 120 days is "good logic."

Trump has pledged to unveil a new immigration executive order next week that will be tailored to a recent federal court decision halting his travel ban.

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'day without immigrants' shuts down businesses nationwide - cnn

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'Day Without Immigrants' shuts down businesses

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Cities across the country got a taste of that Thursday as businesses shut down and immigrants refused to spend money on "A Day Without Immigrants." And while many immigrants and business owners refused to work in an act of solidarity, others marked the event in more unorthodox ways.

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man found dead with zip-ties around his neck inside NYC jewelry store.

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¨Slenderman¨ Stabbing Victim, Now 15, Is a ‘Strong Young Woman Excelling in School’

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The desperate search for a young penguin apparently stolen from a zoo in Germany reached a horrifying end Thursday, when the bird's carcass turned up nearby -- reportedly beheaded.

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Guardian angel' rescues woman trapped in a burning car.

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Tony Blair calls for people to 'rise up' against Brexit.  Speaking in the City of London, the former prime minister claimed that people voted in the referendum "without knowledge of the true terms of Brexit".

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Tony Blair has said it is his "mission" to persuade Britons to "rise up" and change their minds on Brexit.

Speaking in the City of London, the former prime minister claimed that people voted in the referendum "without knowledge of the true terms of Brexit".

He urged "a way out from the present rush over the cliff's edge".

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said the comments were arrogant and undemocratic but Lib Dem Nick Clegg said he "agreed with every word".

Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage said Mr Blair was "yesterday's man" while Downing Street said it was "absolutely committed" to seeing Brexit through.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson added: "I urge the British people to rise up and turn off the TV next time Blair comes on with his condescending campaign."

Reality Check: Four claims in Blair's speech

Blair: Independence case 'more credible'

All you need to know about Brexit

The Leave result in six key maps

Government avoids Brexit rebellion

Prime Minister Theresa May wants to trigger formal Brexit talks by the end of March - a move which was backed in the House of Commons by MPs last week.

'Opportunity to reconsider'

Mr Blair, who was UK prime minister between 1997 and 2007, used the speech to the pro-European campaign group Open Britain to argue that leaving the EU would be "painful" for Britain and Europe and the benefits would be "largely illusory".

Mr Blair, who campaigned to remain in the EU, said that while he accepted that people voted to leave by 52% to 48%, he would recommend looking again at Brexit when "we have a clear sense of where we're going".

Pressed on whether he thought there should be a second referendum, he said: "All I'm saying is a very, very simple thing, that this is the beginning of the debate - that if a significant part of that 52% show real change of mind, however you measure it, we should have the opportunity to reconsider this decision.

"Whether you do it through another referendum or another method, that's a second order question.

"But this issue is the single most important decision this country has taken since the Second World War and debate can't now be shut down about it."
Analysis by political correspondent Tom Bateman
Tony Blair's warnings about the risks of Brexit might have made some viewers believe the referendum campaign was still being fought.

But his central political point takes us onto new ground - that the voters could still change their minds about leaving the EU and Remainers should persuade them to do so.

It will be seen by some as a call to arms - Tony Blair's Brexit insurrection.

Brexiteer MPs were unsurprisingly excoriating, with the foreign secretary hinting at what Mr Blair's opponents see as his toxicity after the Iraq war.

But importantly the former PM's speech raises a tactical question for Remainer MPs wondering what to do next: fight for Brexit on their terms or fight Brexit itself.

In the absence of an effective opposition, he said pro-Europeans needed to build a "movement " reaching across party lines, he said, adding the institute he is launching would play its part in developing the arguments to rethink the country's position.

"The debilitation of the Labour Party is the facilitator of Brexit. I hate to say that, but it is true."

'Pain and gain'

While he fully accepted immigration was "a substantial issue", he said it had become the "primary consideration" for the government and suggested the public were more concerned about arrivals from outside the EU.

Mr Blair has faced criticism in the past for his government's decision to allow people from Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic to work in Britain without restrictions, while most EU states imposed transitional controls to slow the rate of migration.

Mr Blair stressed that the Conservative government only "has bandwidth for only one thing - Brexit", at the cost of the NHS, education, investment in communities, the rise in serious crime, the increased burden of social care and control of immigration.

"This is a government for Brexit, of Brexit and dominated by Brexit, he said, adding that the issue was the government's "waking thought, the daily grind, the meditation before sleep and the stuff of its dreams or nightmares".

'Bullying'

Iain Duncan Smith, who was a prominent Leave campaigner, said Mr Blair had shown the political elite was completely out of touch with the British people.

He compared Mr Blair returning to the political scene to the British horror comedy "Shaun of the Dead", with "his hands outstretched to tell the British people they were too stupid to be able to understand what they were voting on", adding that this "is both arrogant and a form of bullying".

And Mr Farage described Mr Blair as a "former heavyweight champion coming out of retirement" who would "end up on the canvas".

Kate Hoey, a prominent Leave campaigner and Labour former minister, told the BBC she did not think anyone would take Mr Blair's "patronising" opinion seriously.

"I'm really quite sad that he doesn't feel that as a former prime minister - he's travelled all round the world, he's made himself lots of money - he's come back. Why doesn't he just now go and find himself a job?"

Brexit bill

But Alan Johnson, who led Labour's campaign to keep Britain in the EU - urged people to listen to the message, not the messenger.

Stressing he would not rule out a second referendum, Mr Johnson said people are concerned that Britain could end up as a "low tax, anything goes, race-to-the-bottom kind of country" post Brexit.

Supporters of leaving the EU argue it will free up the UK to trade better globally and give the government better control of immigration.

Earlier this month, MPs overwhelmingly agreed, by 494 votes to 122, to let the government begin the UK's departure from the EU by voting for the Brexit bill.

The Commons vote prompted splits in the Labour party. Despite calls by leader Jeremy Corbyn for his party to back the government, 52 MPs rebelled.

Lib Dem attempts to amend the bill to include a provision for another referendum were defeated by 340 votes to 33.

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Tony Blair has said it is his "mission" to persuade Britons to "rise up" and change their minds on Brexit. Speaking in the City of London, the former prime minister claimed that people voted in the referendum "without knowledge of the true terms of Brexit".

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Trump, Meeting with Netanyahu, Backs away from Palestinian State

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WASHINGTON - President Trump jettisoned two decades of diplomatic orthodoxy on Wednesday by declaring that the United States would no longer insist on the creation of a Palestinian state as part of a peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians.

Hosting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel for the first time since becoming president, Mr. Trump promised a concerted effort to bring the two sides together, suggesting a regional effort involving an array of Arab nations. But he said that he was flexible about how an agreement would look and that he would not be bound by past assumptions.

"I'm looking at two-state and one-state" formulations, Mr. Trump said during a White House news conference with Mr. Netanyahu. "I like the one that both parties like. I'm very happy with the one that both parties like. I can live with either one."

At the same time, Mr. Trump urged Mr. Netanyahu to temporarily stop new housing construction in the West Bank while he pursues a deal, echoing a position past presidents have taken. "I'd like to see you hold back on settlements for a little bit," he told Mr. Netanyahu.

Mr. Trump's position on a two-state solution discarded a policy that has underpinned America's role in Middle East peacemaking since the Clinton administration and raised a host of thorny questions.

The Palestinians are highly unlikely to accept anything short of a sovereign state, and a single Israeli state encompassing the Palestinians would either leave them as second-class citizens or would no longer be majority Jewish, given the growth rate of the Arab population.

Still, long before Mr. Trump's ascension, momentum for side-by-side states had faded not just in Washington but also in the Middle East, where many Israelis and Palestinians have given up hope or changed their minds about the concept. The leaders of both sides face domestic difficulties and seem unenthusiastic about the compromises that might be required to get to a mutually agreeable resolution.

The trick is that no one has offered a plausible alternative that would satisfy both camps, leaving the conflict in a state of suspended animation. Mr. Netanyahu is under pressure from his right-leaning coalition to abandon the two-state solution and even annex parts of the West Bank. And the Palestinian Authority faces pressure from Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza and is sworn to Israel's destruction.

Mr. Trump did not address these dynamics, instead emphasizing his confidence that he could produce a breakthrough. "I think we're going to make a deal," he said, describing that as personally important to him. "It might be a bigger and better deal than people in this room even understand."

He emphasized that Israel would have to be flexible in any future talks. "As with any successful negotiation, both sides will have to make compromises," Mr. Trump said.

Turning to Mr. Netanyahu, he asked, "You know that, right?"

Mr. Netanyahu responded with a smile. "Both sides," he said, emphasizing the first word.

Nonetheless, Mr. Netanyahu, who nominally supports a two-state solution, quickly embraced Mr. Trump's declaration, saying he preferred to deal with the "substance" of a deal rather than "labels."

He noted that the concept of a two-state solution meant different things to different people. And he repeated his two prerequisites: that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state and that Israel maintain security control over the entire West Bank. He said the obstacle to peace was Palestinian hatred, demonstrated by the building of statues to those who carry out terrorist attacks and the payment of salaries to their families. "This is the source of the conflict," he said.

Mr. Trump's dismissal of the two-state solution seemed reminiscent of his remark during the transition that the United States should not be bound by the decades-old "one China" policy that recognizes a single Chinese government in Beijing and withholds diplomatic ties from Taiwan. That statement infuriated the Chinese leadership, and Mr. Trump eventually circled back to endorse the policy.

If Mr. Trump is serious about pursuing peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, several analysts said, he may inevitably find his way back to the two-state solution.

"If you do a systematic analysis of the situation, there is no other option," said Daniel C. Kurtzer, a former United States ambassador to Israel and Egypt. "There are Israelis who believe they could get away with giving the Palestinians minimal political rights, but they are fooling themselves. Unless the Palestinians do a 180, it is just inconceivable."

Palestinian leaders lamented Mr. Trump's stance, seeing it as an abandonment by the United States, which has been the main patron of the Palestinian Authority. But Ghaith al-Omari, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Palestinians could draw comfort from Mr. Trump's eagerness for a new peace push and his warning to Israel on settlements.

"They will see an opening in, how do you translate the president's desire for peace into something concrete?" Mr. Omari said.

Mr. Trump and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser, have been exploring an approach called the "outside-in" strategy, which involves enlisting Arab nations that have already found common cause with Israel against Iran, their mutual enemy, to help broker a settlement with the Palestinians.

Until now, Mr. Trump's team has largely avoided conversations with Palestinian leaders. But Mike Pompeo, the C.I.A. director, met with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, in Ramallah in the West Bank on Tuesday, according to news reports.

The idea of an independent Palestinian state comprising the West Bank and Gaza became the central theme of Middle East peacemaking in the 1990s after the Oslo Accords were signed. Bill Clinton was the first president to endorse a two-state solution, saying in a speech in January 2001, just two weeks before leaving office, that the conflict would never be settled without "a sovereign, viable Palestinian state."

His successor, George W. Bush, picked that up later that year, becoming the first president to make it official American policy. Barack Obama considered a two-state solution the unquestionable bedrock of Washington's approach. But those presidents never got to the point of an agreement between the two parties, and Mr. Trump picked as his ambassador to Israel a lawyer, David M. Friedman, who opposes the two-state solution.

Mr. Netanyahu looked forward to Mr. Trump's inauguration as the first time in his four terms as prime minister that he would have a Republican president as a partner. After years of tension with Mr. Obama, who pressed Israel for more concessions for peace, Mr. Netanyahu anticipated vigorous support from the new president.

But Mr. Trump's focus on the Palestinian conflict and his push for a pause in settlements distracted from the topic Mr. Netanyahu preferred to address, the threat from Iran. At the news conference, Mr. Trump again called Mr. Obama's nuclear agreement with Iran "one of the worst deals I've ever seen," but said nothing about abandoning it or even renegotiating it. Instead, he simply vowed to keep Iran from becoming a nuclear power. "I will do more to prevent Iran from ever developing - I mean ever - a nuclear weapon," he said.

Nor did he repeat his campaign vow to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem, saying only, "I'd love to see that happen" and, "We'll see what happens."

But he made a show of warmly welcoming Mr. Netanyahu, even inviting the prime minister's wife, Sara, to stand during the news conference. The Israeli first lady was then treated to a museum tour by Mr. Trump's wife, Melania.

Still, the president was pressed by an Israeli reporter about a rise in anti-Semitic attacks across the country since his election. The reporter asked what he would say to those "who believe and feel that your administration is playing with xenophobia and maybe racist tones."

In a meandering response, Mr. Trump cited his victory in the Electoral College, then promised "to do everything within our power to stop long-simmering racism." He pointed to Mr. Kushner, who is Jewish, and his daughter Ivanka, who converted when she married Mr. Kushner, to dispel suggestions of anti-Semitism.

"As far as Jewish people, so many friends - a daughter who happens to be here right now, a son-in-law and three beautiful grandchildren," he said, vowing to promote comity. "You're going to see a lot of love."

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: U.S. Won't Press a Two-State Path to Mideast Peace. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe

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Trump, Meeting With Netanyahu, Backs Away From Palestinian State

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WASHINGTON - President Trump jettisoned two decades of diplomatic orthodoxy on Wednesday by declaring that the United States would no longer insist on the creation of a Palestinian state as part of a peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians.

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a 16 year old boy in northern ohio is 7 foot and 7 inches

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AHS creator says that the next season will be about the 2016 election.

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Amid thick clouds of rising smoke, a small boy lays on the ground, screaming in agony. He cries out, unable to stand, his legs blown off at the knee.

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A man with a felony record in South Carolina purchased a gun from an undercover FBI agent with the intention of carrying out an attack in "the spirit of Dylann Roof," authorities said Thursday.

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Trumps wall becoming a fence??

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Will Trump's border wall become a fence? - CNN Video

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President Trump wants a wall along the border with Mexico. Career officials at the agencies most involved in the process, however, are set to recommend a fence-one that will cover only about half the length, CNN has learned. CNN's Drew Griffin reports.

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Wet weather returned to California on Thursday with the first in a new series of rainstorms moving across the northern half of the state while the south awaited a storm that forecasters said could be the strongest in years if not decades.