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Facebook Tweet Email Link (CNN) – “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is a phrase enshrined in the US Declaration of Independence. But a couple of the Founding Fathers might have considered skinny dipping another inalienable right. Benjamin Franklin was known to have stripped down to his birthday suit to demonstrate what were apparently exceptional swimming skills. During his tenure in the White House, John Quincy Adams frequently started his presidential day with a naked soak in the Potomac. Fast forward more than two centuries, clothing optional resorts and nude beaches can be found across the nation. The American…

Facebook Tweet Email Link United States Special Envoy Tom Barrack sparked outrage after telling Lebanese journalists to act “civilized,” not “animalistic,” during a news conference in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday. Barrack, joined by deputy envoy Morgan Ortagus, was in the Lebanese capital as part of US efforts to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. During the briefing, he scolded the journalists for calling out questions simultaneously – a common practice in news conferences – linking their behavior to what he described as a broader “problem” in the Middle East. “Please, be quiet for a moment. And I wanna tell…

Facebook Tweet Email Link Sydney, Australia Reuters  —  A manhunt is underway in southern Australia for a heavily armed gunman who police said shot dead two officers and wounded another on Tuesday as they tried to serve a warrant at a rural property in the state of Victoria. Police said the suspect fired on a team of 10 officers in Porepunkah, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) northeast of the city of Melbourne, at around 10.30 a.m. local time (8.30 p.m. Monday ET). In a news conference on Tuesday evening, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush confirmed a 59-year-old detective, and…

As excavators dug into the side of the White House this week, photos and videos made clear just how dramatically President Donald Trump’s plans to build a new ballroom will affect the historic structure. Now, satellite images offer a new perspective on the scope of the work. A satellite image taken Thursday morning shows the entire East Wing of the White House has been demolished. Piles of debris outline where the building, which traditionally served as the office of the First Lady, once stood. In a spot that previously housed a portico, an excavator can be seen consolidating the rubble…

President Donald Trump is considering plans to target cocaine facilities and drug trafficking routes inside Venezuela, though he has not yet made a decision on whether to move forward with them, three US officials told CNN. Outward signs on Friday pointed toward a major potential military escalation, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordering the Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier strike group currently stationed in Europe to the Caribbean region amid a massive buildup of US forces there. Trump has also authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. The president has not ruled out taking a diplomatic approach with…

For the families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents decades ago, this week is perhaps the best shot they’ve had in years of substantive progress. Not only does Japan have a new prime minister, but US President Donald Trump is in their part of the world, with unfinished business when it comes to the return of their loved ones. Japan says at least 17 of its citizens were snatched by North Korean agents in the late 1970s and 1980s – alongside hundreds of unexplained cases. Five citizens were returned in 2002; some families are still waiting. Pyongyang disputes…

EDITOR’S NOTE:  This CNN Travel series is, or was, sponsored by the country it highlights. CNN retains full editorial control over subject matter, reporting and frequency of the articles and videos within the sponsorship, in compliance with our policy. Pamukkale, Turkey  —  From a distance, Pamukkale looks every bit like a ski resort, with a cascade of brilliant white slopes and a scattering of tourists at the top, seemingly preparing to slalom down into the valley below. So why isn’t it melting away as midsummer temperatures nudge toward 100 Fahrenheit, or 37 Celsius, and the heat hangs in the shimmering…

Dick Cheney, America’s most powerful modern vice president and chief architect of the “war on terror,” who helped lead the country into the ill-fated Iraq war on faulty assumptions, has died, according to a statement from his family. He was 84. “His beloved wife of 61 years, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary, and other family members were with him as he passed,” the family said, adding that he died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease. “Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to…

CNN’s Isobel Yeung traveled to Libya to investigate refugees being tortured for ransom. Subscribe to watch the full report. From the living room of her third-floor apartment in rural Germany, Abeba winces as she stares at her phone. “This will be my final message,” her younger brother Daniel says in an audio message. “I understand that you may not have the financial means to assist me directly, and I never expected that from you. Please, just make sure my message reaches those who might be able to help.” She and her husband don’t know exactly where her brother is. Somewhere…