Marine reservist kidnapped in Mexico, FBI seeks public's help
By Jill Dougherty
The FBI is turning to the public for any information about the apparent kidnapping in Mexico of a U.S. Marine reservist.
Armando Torres, III was kidnapped, along with his father and uncle, by armed men in La Barranca, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on May 14, the FBI said.
Torres drove across the International Port of Entry Bridge at Progresso, Texas, to visit his father's ranch in La Barranca, Tamaulipas, the FBI said.
Kerry says Syria seeks help from Iran, Hezbollah
By Jill Dougherty
Secretary of State John Kerry sharply criticized Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday, accusing him of soliciting help from Iran and its fighters on the ground in Syria as well as fighters from Hezbollah.
"A designated terrorist organization has now crossed over from Lebanon into Syria and is actively engaged in the fighting," Kerry said at a State Department press availability about the Syrian civil war.
Al-Assad, he said, is willing to use Scud missiles against civilians and noted an "extraordinary number" of people are trapped in the besieged rebel stronghold of Qusair near the Lebanese border.
"He will not allow humanitarian aid to go in until the military has finished what (it) intends to do," Kerry said.
"So I think the world is seeing the actions of a person who has lost touch with any reality except his own and is willing to wreak any kind of punishment on his own - the people of his country - simply so that he can maintain power," he said.
First on CNN: U.S. to send Patriot missile battery, fighter jets to Jordan as part of exercise
By Barbara Starr
The decision to deploy a Patriot missile battery and F-16 aircraft to Jordan was made late Friday at a meeting with top military and civilian Defense Department officials to bolster U.S. military support for Jordan - a crucial ally in the Middle East - as the violence from the Syrian civil war spreads, according to a senior U.S. official, CNN has learned.
The official declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation and also declined to say who was in the meeting. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has been traveling outside the United States, and it could not be learned if he attended via teleconference, although several officials tell CNN he was aware of the discussions and approved the deployment.
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