Daniel Brown

Russia's Su-57 stealth fighter jet will be armed with hypersonic missiles, according to TASS, a Russian state-owned media outlet.

"In accordance with Russia's State Armament Program for 2018-2027, Su-57 jet fighters will be equipped with hypersonic missiles," aRussian defense industry source told TASS.

"The jet fighters will receive missiles with characteristics similar to that of the Kinzhal missiles, but with inter-body placement and smaller size," the source added.

Moscow claims that the new Kh-47M2, or Kinzhal, air-launched hypersonic missile can hit speeds of up to Mach 10, and has a range of 1,200 miles. The TASS report also said that "Kinzhal missiles are practically impossible to detect with modern air defense systems."

While many western analysts remain skeptical of the Kinzhal's capabilities, the missile appears to bean adaptation of the <a id="02804756-b5a2-394d-a116-c5fd0618e3f1" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-iskander-m-ballistic-missile-2018-5?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Iskander-M short-range ballistic missile </a> that flies at hypersonic speeds.

In March, Russia successfully <a id="ffa80c87-799c-3a42-ac53-b556c728f3ee" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-new-kh-47m2-hypersonic-missile-successfully-test-fires-2018-3?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> test fired a Kinzhal </a> from a <a id="4f80bbbf-6ad0-358e-aff2-e7e35de0e9a4" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-mig-31-russian-jet-2017-9?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> MiG-31BM </a> , and is currently fitting it to a MiG-31K variant.

But the "missiles with characteristics similar to that of the Kinzhal" will have to be smaller than the actual Kinzhal to fit in the Su-57's weapons bays, <a id="8e14fae8-2a51-3929-a373-2be23a9f708d" href="https://thediplomat.com/2018/12/russias-5th-generation-stealth-fighter-jet-to-be-armed-with-hypersonic-missiles/"> according </a> to The Diplomat.

The Russian military will <a id="86ae319c-fe13-334b-a7e4-a68231209759" href="https://thediplomat.com/2018/10/russias-5th-generation-stealth-fighter-jet-to-be-delivered-to-russian-air-force-in-2019/"> reportedly </a> receive a small batch of 12 Su-57s next year, but Moscow has yet <a id="ddde57d6-27d3-3765-a449-53de9bcccd79" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/su-57-russia-testing-new-stealth-fighter-engine-2017-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> to equip the fighter with the </a> <a id="123450bf-ee23-39d7-ad9f-83f169f25e26" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/su-57-russia-testing-new-stealth-fighter-engine-2017-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Izdelie-30 engine </a> , which means it is not yet a true fifth-generation jet.

NOW WATCH: <a id="80916965-7418-327a-abe4-f8e63bb7500e" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/serving-military-taught-beauty-youtuber-jackie-aina-2018-10?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> What serving in the military taught beauty YouTuber Jackie Aina </a>

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SEE ALSO: 2 new videos show Russian Su-57s fighters landing at the same time and performing flat spins

SEE ALSO: 15 photos of the MiG-31, the Russian fighter jet that can chase away SR-71 Blackbirds

SEE ALSO: We asked a military analyst how the F-22, Su-57, and J-20 stealth planes match up

Russia says its Su-57 stealth fighter will be armed with deadly hypersonic missiles that can defeat all US defenses

The Japanese attack on the US naval base in Hawaii killed more than 2,400 American sailors and civilians and wounded 1,000 more.

Japanese fighter planes also destroyed or damaged almost 20 naval ships and more than 300 planes during the attack.

Several photos were captured during the attack, some of which have become iconic of that infamous day.

Here are the stories behind five of those unforgettable images.

<h1> 1. The first bomb likely dropped. </h1>

The above photo, which was taken by a Japanese photographer, was found by US Navy photographer Martin J. Shemanski at Yokusuka Base near Tokyo Bay shortly after the Japanese surrendered.

The photo shows the Japanese fighter plane (the small black speck that almost looks like a bird) appearing to pull out of a dive after dropping the bomb on Battleship Row. Another Japanese fighter plane can be seen in the upper right corner.

Shemanski and four other US military photographers were ordered to go through Japanese photo processing labs after the surrender, and he found it torn up in a trash can.

“It had a torn photo in it,” Shemanski <a id="64367ba3-d278-3226-a28c-8cf18656914d" href="https://www.pe.com/2015/09/01/world-war-ii-on-anniversary-veteran-reminded-of-photos-of-destruction/"> told </a> the Press-Enterprise in 2015.

“I picked up a couple pieces and I got a shot of a torpedo hitting the Oklahoma. I thought, ‘This is Navy intelligence,’” he added.

The USS Oklahoma was a Nevada-class battleship that was sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Shemanski told the Press-Enterprise that the picture was torn up in about 20 pieces.

Shemanski reassembled the photo and turned it over to <a id="dd19dd6b-313b-38de-a2c8-587118aa526d" href="https://newspaperarchive.com/miami-daily-news-record-oct-07-1945-p-12/"> US naval intelligence </a> on the <a id="60360435-a1ba-3e2d-a362-56e675503cce" href="https://newspaperarchive.com/beckley-post-herald-oct-05-1945-p-1/"> USS Shangri-La aircraft carrier </a> .

This photo shows the USS Shaw destroyer exploding while in floating dry dock.

Between 7:55 a.m. and 9:15 a.m., the Shaw was hit by three bombs released by Japanese fighters in steep dives from approximately 1,000 feet, <a id="763125e3-2de7-31d3-aa45-2ea59aa49cb3" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120202184750/http://www.history.navy.mil/docs/wwii/pearl/ph117.htm"> according </a> to the US Navy action report.

The Shaw immediately caught fire, and the ship was abandoned. About 20 minutes later, as sailors were trying to flood the dry dock to save the ship, the forward magazines blew up, which is pictured above.

The blast destroyed the bow and damaged the dry dock and a nearby tugboat.

Initially thought to be a loss, the Shaw was eventually repaired and later took part in several engagements in the Pacific, including the biggest naval battle of all-time, the <a id="0cecc1cb-1765-397e-ab11-3c980295d392" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intense-photos-wwii-battle-leyte-gulf-biggest-naval-battle-all?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Battle of Leyte Gulf </a> .

The picture above shows the USS West Virginia and USS Tennessee battleships on fire in Battleship Row.

Battleship Row was where seven US Navy battleships were moored on the eastern side of Ford Island (shown in the first picture), which rests in the middle of Pearl Harbor.

These seven battleships alone (the USS Arizona, USS West Virginia, USS Oklahoma, USS Tennessee, USS Maryland, USS California, and USS Nevada) were equal to about 70% of Japan's active battleship fleet.

As such, these ships were the main target for the Japanese fighter planes, with <a id="68f9d36a-9ef4-33b4-a88c-7fed2021bd40" href="https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/wars-and-events/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor-raid/battleship-row-during-the-pearl-harbor-attack.html"> 29 of Japan's 40 torpedo planes ordered to attack it </a> .

Each Japanese torpedo plane carried one Type 91 aerial torpedo with a warhead of 992 pounds, and 21 of them hit their targets. Japanese bombers then flew in after the torpedo plane attacks and caused further damage.

In total, the Japanese sunk the Oklahoma and Arizona, and damaged the other five ships.

<h1> 4. Rescuing sailors from the USS West Virginia. </h1>

This photo shows a boat rescuing a crew member from the water as two other sailors are in the upper center of the burning USS West Virginia's superstructure.

The USS West Virginia was a Colorado-class battleship that was hit by at least seven torpedoes and two bombs during the attack.

When the West Virginia was raised from the water for repairs six months after the attack, they found the bodies of three US Navy sailors who had been trapped in a compartment for 16 days, <a id="17360a2a-62e3-382d-a420-208d717a5d38" href="https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/16-days-to-die-at-pearl-harbor-families-werent-told-about-sailors-trapped-inside-sunken-battleship/"> according </a> to the Honolulu Advertiser.

US Marines standing guard had heard the sailors banging for help, but they couldn't do anything. No one on guard wanted to go near the ship and hear the sounds.

When the sailors bodies were finally recovered, rescuers found a calendar on which the sailors had marked their last days.

The West Virginia was later <a id="08dfd70a-2d4d-3164-ae8f-d644e00a9710" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uss-west-virginia-survived-pearl-harbor-attack-2016-2?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> reconstructed and put back into the war </a> in 1944, supporting operations in the Philippines and Okinawa.

This photo shows the USS Arizona battleship sinking in Battleship Row after it was hit by eight Japanese bombs and one torpedo.

One of the bombs went through a magazine and ignited cordite, which caused an expansion of gases and then a huge explosion.

The Arizona quickly sunk with 1,177 of the 1,512 personnel on board, which was about half the number of people killed in the entire attack.

The battleship burned for more than two days.

This is perhaps the most iconic taken during the Pearl Harbor attack. The Arizona still lies in the harbor as a national memorial.

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SEE ALSO: 7 real-life heroes you’ve never heard of from the Pearl Harbor attack 77 years ago

Believed to be the first bomb dropped on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in the sneak-attack on Dec. 7, 1941, this picture was found torn to pieces at Yokusuka Base by photographer's mate 2/C Martin J. Shemanski of Plymouth, Pa. One Japanese plane is shown pullin...

The attack on Pearl Harbor happened 77 years ago on Friday.

The remarkable stories behind 5 iconic photos of the Pearl Harbor attack

And those ties have been called into question over his lack of a tough response to Riyadh since <a id="c28c080e-6292-3886-a614-9cb515e9b033" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-jamal-khashoggi-turkey-accuses-saudi-arabia-of-murdering-reporter-2018-10?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> journalistJamal Khashoggi disappeared and was possibly killed </a> at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

"Having a President with global business ties means we've got ongoing worries that policy is going to be affected by his business interests," Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, which tracks potential conflicts of interest in the Trump administraition, <a id="192e1803-33f8-32e1-a878-756e6a4bd747" href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/12/politics/trump-saudi-business-ties/index.html"> recently told CNN </a> .

"We know that historically the Saudis have spent huge money on Trump properties and we know that since he became a candidate and was elected they have targeted discretionary spending at his hotels," Weissman added.

Here are some of Trump's ties to Saudi Arabia.

<h1> In 1991, Trump sold his 282-foot yacht named "The Trump Princess" to a Saudi billionaire for $20 million. </h1>

At the time, Trump was almost bankrupt and looking to make some fast cash, reportedly selling the yacht toPrince Alwaleed bin-Talalfor one third less than he paid for it.

In 1995, Trump also <a id="84323ae3-fb4b-3289-aceb-ceabc0acd972" href="https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/12/business/trump-is-selling-plaza-hotel-to-saudi-and-asian-investors.html"> sold </a> New York City's Plaza Hotel toAlwaleed andSingaporean investors for $325 million.In turn, they sold it nearly a decade later for $675 million. In July, Alwaleed's Kingdom Holding Company <a id="0abe786e-14c7-39df-a24d-82e2bbdd3f12" href="https://commercialobserver.com/2018/07/the-long-and-winding-ownership-history-of-the-plaza-hotel/"> re-purchased the Plaza </a> along with a New York-based firm.

In November 2017, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, launched a supposed anti-corruption purge largely seen as a consolidation of his power, arresting several Saudi princes and business leaders.

Alwaleed was one of those MBS had detained, forced to stay at Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton for 83 days. You can read more about that <a id="cb3f38a4-895f-3a7a-a94f-12024f51425e" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-billionaire-alwaleed-mohammed-bin-salman-ritz-carlton-2018-3?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> here </a> .

<h1> In 2001, Trump sold the 45th floor of Trump World Tower to the Saudi court for $4.5 million. In 2008, the floor became part of the Saudi mission to the United Nations. </h1>

Casper Moller via Wikimedia Commons

The New York Daily News <a id="f3350d60-dc7d-35da-a72a-b3ee66becd21" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/exclusive-donald-trump-made-millions-saudi-government-article-1.2777211"> revealed the sale in September 2016 </a> after Trump had attacked Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail forthe Clinton Foundation accepting money from Saudi Arabia.

"Crooked Hillary says we must call on Saudi Arabia and other countries to stop funding hate," Trump wrote on Facebook in June 2016. "I am calling on her to immediately return the $25 million plus she got from them for the Clinton Foundation!"

But earlier, at a 2015 rally in Alabama, Trump had said: "Saudi Arabia — and I get along great with all of them. They buy apartments from me.

"They spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much," Trump added.

<h1> After announcing his presidential candidacy, Trump incorporated several companies with names indicating that they may do business in Saudi Arabia, such as "THC Jeddah Hotel Advisor LLC." Jeddah is the second largest city in Saudi Arabia. </h1>

After he was elected, Trump's company, the Trump Organization, announced that it had shut down those companies.

Source: <a id="af254f21-d646-3dbc-adca-2fe68e13409d" href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/danielwagner/trumps-saudi-business"> Buzzfeed News </a> , <a id="3be6ec72-65e8-3ea3-aabc-7173b7e4dd02" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-and-saudi-arabia-deep-business-ties-spark-new-scrutiny/"> CBS </a>

<h1> Since Trump took office, the Saudi government has also been a major customer of the presidents hotels in New York and Washington DC. </h1>

Between October 2016 and March 2017,MSL Group Americas, alobbying group working for the Saudi government, spent $270,000 at Trump International Hotel in DC for lodging, catering and parking.

MSL Group Americas paid for 500 rooms for six groups of US military veterans to lobby Congress against the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, which had passed in September, <a id="402f6461-a04b-34a4-aa84-014c06ee01f7" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/saudi-funded-lobbyist-paid-for-500-rooms-at-trumps-hotel-after-2016-election/2018/12/05/29603a64-f417-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html?utm_term=.5a0e23a57552"> according </a> to a report from the Washington Post on Wednesday.

JASTA would allow families of the Sept. 11 victims to sue the Saudi government, which some argued was partly responsible for the attack, since 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens.

The veterans told the Post that the lobbying group told them that JASTA might cause other countries to prosecute US veterans for their actions in overseas war, and some said they were unaware they were sent to DC to lobby on behalf of the Saudi government.

The lobbying group said that they informed, through one way or another, the veterans that everything was paid for by the Saudi government, and that they did not book the rooms at Trump's hotel to gain favor with the incoming president, the Post reported.

In June 2017, the Trump Organization <a id="17028b66-2047-3586-a9eb-e0edd99ea0cc" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/06/president-trumps-dc-hotel-received-270000-from-saudi-arabia.html"> announced </a> it would donate all profits from the sales to charity.

In March 2018, the Trump organization said it had donated$151,470 to charity, but ethics experts have <a id="d0268e41-1b23-3915-a39b-ec30411218e6" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-org-says-it-donated-151-470-hotel-profits-gov-n855331"> challenged the company's calculations </a> of the actual profits.

<h1> Also in March 2018, members of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans entourage stayed at the presidents Trump International Hotel in New York, which caused the hotels quarterly profits to go up 13 percent. </h1>

The Maryland and DC Attorneys general have since <a id="1c7de7d0-6c44-3538-adc3-b7185f54a18d" href="http://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/Pages/Emoluments/default.aspx"> filed suit against the president </a> , arguing that the transactions could also violate the Constitution's emoluments clause, which prohibits federal officeholders from receiving anything of value from a foreign state.

Source: <a id="a509a70e-6c95-3d58-a05d-0c002e4a2649" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/at-president-trumps-hotel-in-new-york-revenue-went-up-this-spring--thanks-to-a-visit-from-big-spending-saudis/2018/08/03/58755392-9112-11e8-bcd5-9d911c784c38_story.html?utm_term=.521843494681"> Washington Post </a>

<h1> In 2017, Saudi Arabia said it would invest $20 billion in a US infrastructure fund before Trump unveiled a $200 billion plan to fix the USs roads, airports and more. </h1>

Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, who visited Saudi Arabia with Trump in 2017, has since <a id="879bcf29-730c-3c1f-a180-b754547bf827" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/business/dealbook/blackstone-blackrock-saudi-conference.html"> withdrawn from an investment meeting </a> in Saudi Arabia planned for next week.

<h1> Trump has also intimately engaged with the Saudi court in other ways, including participating in a traditional sword dance known as ardah. </h1>

Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead

In May 2017, Trump simultaneously touched an odd glowing orb with Saudi King Salman and Egypt's President Sisi, which <a id="b36ad5bb-29cf-35c8-aff3-700366bdcd76" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/22/world/middleeast/trump-glowing-orb-saudi.html"> reportedly </a> symbolized their intentions to combat exremism.

Source: <a id="5579b04c-40fa-3d64-af95-5f6ddf4e3714" href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/20/politics/trump-saudi-arabia-dance/index.html"> CNN </a>

<h1> Trump has also said that the US cannot rescind on its $110 billion arms deal, $14.5 billion of which has gone through to Saudi Arabia, arguing that Riyadh would just turn to China or Russia. </h1>

The US had already faced criticism for the arms deal over the Saudi-led coalition's execution of the war against Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, which has become one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.

Source: <a id="7e14e3c3-d9f7-35cd-a4c7-d58336420efe" href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/12/politics/trump-saudi-business-ties/index.html"> CNN </a>

<h1> Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, have also formed a cozy relationship as they have discussed initiatives to reshape the Middle East since Trump was elected. </h1>

You can read more about that <a id="1526f685-2b0c-3bce-a159-59e17d0ac7e3" href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/09/a-saudi-princes-quest-to-remake-the-middle-east"> here </a> and <a id="a914646c-994a-3427-a20d-abd537b192b0" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/16/jared-kushner-trump-saudi-khashoggi-mbs"> here </a> .

<h1> But Trump has denied any financial ties to the Saudi court. </h1>

"For the record, I have no financial interests in Saudi Arabia (or Russia, for that matter)," Trump <a id="7304d29e-f897-35eb-ab1d-827ef4f3356c" href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1052186219696803841"> tweeted </a> on Tuesday."Any suggestion that I have is just more FAKE NEWS (of which there is plenty)!"

<ul><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/turkey-arrest-warrants-2-former-aides-of-mohammad-bin-salman-khashoggi-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Turkey’s Khashoggi probe moves closer to Saudi crown prince with arrest warrants for 2 of his former aides</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jamal-khashoggi-friend-omar-abdulaziz-suing-israeli-nso-group-for-spying-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">A friend of Jamal Khashoggi is suing an Israeli spyware firm for allegedly helping Saudi agents hack his phone</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-media-reaction-to-trade-war-win-for-xi-jinping-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Chinese state media hailed the trade war ceasefire between China and the US as a win for Xi Jinping</a> </li></ul>

SEE ALSO: The meteoric rise of Saudi's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is now suspected of ordering the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi

President Donald Trump has had deep business ties to the Saudi Arabian court for more than two decades.

From selling a Saudi billionaire his 282-foot yacht to sword-dancing on his first international trip as president, Trump's ties with Saudi Arabia run deep

But Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization that releases an annual report on freedom around the world, measures it in terms of civil liberties and political rights.

Their annual report, <a id="5728e7da-ff30-3146-ad2d-8cc16155cf1d" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2018"> Freedom in the World </a> , "operates from the assumption that freedom for all people is best achieved in liberal democratic societies."

In 2018, more than <a id="b5aac8cf-cee4-36e3-a11a-22df37cc8a55" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/methodology-freedom-world-2018"> 130 in-house and external analysts and advisers </a> from academia, think tanks, and human rights institutions created the report by collecting data from media, research articles, government documents, and other sources.

That data was then used to score a country's political rights on a scale of 0-40 and its civil liberties on a scale of 0-60.

Freedom House measured political rights by the degree with which a country's elections are free and fair, as well as by how much political pluralism and participation there is. Civil liberties, on the other hand, were measured by how free and independent the media is and how much freedom of expression and assembly there is.

In the ranking below, countries with a shared freedom rating were listed by alphabetical order, except for the three countries that received the top score.

Check out the 27 countries with the most freedom below:

Freedom Score: 94

The United Kingdom received a score of 95 in <a id="608271ab-f540-3c60-a5d6-72fc5445d1e9" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/united-kingdom"> Freedom House's 2017 report </a> , losing five civil liberties points in the freedom of expression and belief, rule of law, and individual rights categories.

Freedom Score: 94

Tuvalu also received a score of 94 in <a id="9c3a66c7-96a8-3e67-a76d-33478cc70098" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/tuvalu"> Freedom House's 2017 report </a> .

Freedom score: 94

Spain also received a score of 94 in <a id="fca66349-8fb4-3500-a92a-0ece7ee74889" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/spain"> Freedom House's 2017 report, </a> losing two political rights points under the functioning of government category, and four civil liberties points under the freedom of expression, rule of law, individual rights, and associational and organizational categories.

Freedom score: 94

Germany received a score of 95 in <a id="3a308851-7179-3352-a79c-65fe1d48cc66" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/germany"> Freedom House's 2017 report, </a> losing one political rights points under the political pluralism and participation category, and four civil liberties points under the freedom of expression, rule of law, and individual rights categories.

Freedom score: 94

Estonia also received a score of 94 in <a id="17e92901-68f6-3522-afd4-38216e6ed93e" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/estonia"> Freedom House's 2017 report, </a> losing two political rights points under functioning of government and political pluralism and participation categories, and four civil liberties points under the rule of law and individual rights categories.

Freedom score: 94

Cyprus also received a score of 94 in <a id="ac9d11f7-ec33-3e78-a193-485655b9d927" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/cyprus"> Freedom House's 2017 report, </a> losing two political rights points under electoral process and functioning of government categories, and four civil liberties points under the rule of law, individual rights, and freedom of expression categories.

Freedom score: 94

Chile also received a score of 94 in <a id="66c90457-4f3c-331c-a856-25c7e8a48f92" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/chile"> Freedom House's 2017 report, </a> losing three political rights points under political pluralism and participation and functioning of government categories, and three civil liberties points under the rule of law and individual rights categories.

Freedom score: 94

Austria received a score of 94 in <a id="bd33bcc0-f290-3fc0-ae53-0fb4774dfc88" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/austria"> Freedom House's 2017 report, </a> losing three political rights points under political pluralism and participation and functioning of government categories, and two civil liberties points under the rule of law and individual rights categories.

Freedom score: 95

Iceland received a score of 97 in <a id="a1a4493c-f928-3512-af6c-3eeb515827d7" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/iceland"> Freedom House's 2017 report. </a>

Freedom score: 95

Belgium also received a score of 95 in <a id="6f73956e-e03d-361a-adb6-b112e0e8798a" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/belgium"> Freedom House's 2017 report, </a> losing five civil liberties points under the rule of law, individual rights, and freedom of expression and belief categories.

Freedom score: 96

Switzerland received a score of 96 in <a id="a3e93918-94ee-397a-a39d-496c12ff4ab1" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/switzerland"> Freedom House's 2017 report, </a> losing one political rights point under political pluralism and participation category, and three civil liberties points under the rule of law, individual rights and freedom of expression and belief categories.

Freedom score: 96

Japan also received a score of 96 in <a id="225aa751-7151-37b4-af60-87797fdaab52" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/japan"> Freedom House's 2017 report, </a> losing four civil liberties points under the rule of law, individual rights and freedom of expression and belief categories.

Freedom score: 96

Ireland also received a score of 96 in <a id="7e650f94-ec79-3b33-af5b-df1018983f05" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/barbados"> Freedom House's 2017 report, </a> losing one political rights point under the functioning of government category, and three civil liberties points under the rule of law and individual rights categories.

Freedom score: 96

Barbados also received a score of 96 in <a id="6570e5ff-59ef-3e6b-a06b-1329381aaca3" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/barbados"> Freedom House's 2017 report. </a>

Freedom score: 96

Andorra also received a score of 96 in <a id="92ac5b3a-7787-3910-a5a3-5b7b65bdef88" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/san-marino"> Freedom House's 2017 report. </a>

Freedom score: 97

San Marino received a score of 97 in <a id="92ac5b3a-7787-3910-a5a3-5b7b65bdef88" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/san-marino"> Freedom House's 2017 report. </a>

Freedom score: 97

Portugal also received a score of 97 in <a id="63b3b100-b193-3592-a28f-25ce619585e7" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/portugal"> Freedom House's 2017 report, </a> losing two civil liberties points under the rule of law and individual rights categories, and one political rights point under the functioning of government category.

Freedom score: 97

Denmark also received a score of 97 in <a id="85752c01-809a-3125-a389-14b14ab087b6" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/denmark"> Freedom House's 2017 report, </a> losing three civil liberties points under the rule of law and individual rights categories.

Freedom means different things to different people.

The 27 countries in the world with the most freedom

The resolution, which calls on the president to remove most US troops in Yemen, passed 63 to 37. The resolution failed to pass earlier this year.

Democrats unanimously voted in favor of the resolution, and even prominent Republicans, including Sens. Bob Corker, Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul, <a id="554495c9-726d-3750-af6c-34cbaf355d6c" href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=115&amp;session=2&amp;vote=00250"> also voted in favor </a> of the measure.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia formed a <a id="d07778e8-f41d-39a2-accb-146ec31c4ca8" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/members-of-saudi-led-coalition-in-yemen-their-contributions-2015-3?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> coalition </a> to defeat the Iranian-backed Houthis fighting the Yemeni government.

The US has supported the coalition with limited intelligence sharing, training with the professed aim of making aistrikes more precise, limiting civilian casualties and mid-air refuels for coalition jets.

Amid the political backlash against the kindgom over the killing of a journalist by Saudi operatives, the Pentagon <a id="23b5420e-97e0-30cd-a9bf-92d4bfc56178" href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/09/politics/us-yemen-houthis-missile/index.html"> announced </a> in November that it would stop refueling coalition jets.

The coalition has conducted airstrikes that have indiscriminately killed and wounded thousands of civilians, and implemented a host of economic measures, such as periodic blockades and import restrictions, that have caused severe food insecurity and disease.

In fact, the war in Yemen has been described as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. But it took the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi for US action against the Saudi-led coalition to grow stronger.

Here are 7 facts to know about the Saudi-led coalition's brutal war in Yemen.

<h1> Approximately 84,701 children have died from severe acute malnutrition between April 2015 and October 2018. Children in such a state are in terrible pain, but often dont have the energy to cry. </h1>

Source: <a id="1b1dd0cf-19dc-3152-a88f-fd7cd9e6da1f" href="https://yemen.savethechildren.net/news/85000-children-may-have-died-starvation-start-war"> Save the Children </a> , <a id="cbb74c20-3a33-3d55-ace0-66b32569bde0" href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/19/middleeast/yemen-save-the-children-intl/index.html"> CNN </a>

<h1> 17.8 million people are food insecure, and approximately 8.4 million civilians are on the brink of famine. </h1>

Source: <a id="a8668ca7-3366-3546-ac77-c76bbb23a762" href="http://www1.wfp.org/countries/yemen"> World Food Programme </a> , <a id="276d5e12-1ade-3481-afcf-36200ce37a1a" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/21/world/middleeast/yemen-famine-children.html"> The New York Times </a>

<h1> There have been 1,115,378 suspected cases of cholera between April 2017 and July 2018, with 10,000 new cases reported every week since June. </h1>

Source: <a id="4c816456-31dc-3aeb-a132-59327e56e9c5" href="http://www.emro.who.int/images/stories/yemen/week_26.pdf?ua=1"> World Health Organization </a> , <a id="ce30bf47-85d1-34fc-a0f2-eecc68dbb1fc" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-cholera/yemen-cholera-outbreak-accelerates-to-10000-cases-per-week-who-idUSKCN1MC23J"> Reuters </a>

<h1> Indiscriminate airstrikes, which could amount to war crimes, have killed and wounded thousands of civilians. </h1>

In fact, the number of dead and wounded civilians from coalition airstrikes vary widely according to different organizations.

Since March 2015, airstrikes have killed 6,660 civilians and wounded more than 10,000, <a id="feffb0b0-f8df-3c2e-a38c-7b93fd4a1322" href="https://www.npr.org/2018/08/28/642508732/u-n-experts-some-saudi-led-airstrikes-in-yemen-could-be-war-crimes"> according </a> to the UN.

Similar figures have been reported by other organizations, but these rough figures haven't been updated for years due to the nearly impossible task of recording death tolls in such a conflict zone.

The Washington Post <a id="7f3b04ca-ed76-32aa-a9c4-4e442774a332" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the-deadly-war-in-yemen-rages-on-so-why-does-the-death-toll-stand-still-/2018/08/02/e6d9ebca-9022-11e8-ae59-01880eac5f1d_story.html?noredirect=on&amp;utm_term=.bb3b7365e94e"> reported </a> in August that one independent estimate put the death toll from airstrikes and combat at 50,000.

Source: <a id="ca71f390-f49f-3951-a6f4-f9b7c2f49392" href="https://www.npr.org/2018/08/28/642508732/u-n-experts-some-saudi-led-airstrikes-in-yemen-could-be-war-crimes"> United Nations </a>

<h1> Such examples of indiscriminate airstrikes are the Saudi-led coalition airstrike in August that hit a school bus, killing 43 and wounding 63, most of whom were children. </h1>

The bomb used in the Saudi-led coalition airstrike on August 9 was <a id="e3d5d011-5b7d-313a-a9dc-ec50607896db" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chris-murphy-yemen-war-school-bus-bombing-2018-8?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> reportedly a 500-pound (227 kilogram) laser-guided MK 82 bomb </a> made by Lockheed Martin, a top US defense contractor.

A few weeks later, another Saudi-led coalition airstrike <a id="0297b767-baaa-314d-af9e-59971bbc3663" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-led-coalition-airstrike-reportedly-kills-at-least-20-more-kids-2018-8?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> reportedly hit another bus </a> , killing more than 20 children.

<h1> Or another Saudi-led coalition airstrike in April that hit a wedding in Hajjah, reportedly killing 20 civilians and wounding 30 more. The strike also killed the bride, and wounded the groom. </h1>

Most recently, a Saudi airstrike in late October <a id="d33c8cfe-58f2-326e-a56f-9e2b3bbc2c8e" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-coalition-hits-factory-residential-area-killing-21-people-611683684"> hit a vegetable factory and killed 21 civilians </a> in the port city of Hodeidah, where the <a id="ece9810f-fa35-3174-a3c9-5015221e430a" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/250-houthis-killed-coalition-warship-possibly-sunk-in-yemen-assault-2018-6?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> coalition invaded in June </a> .

Another Saudi airstrike on Oct. 13th <a id="66e9ac5e-bd9c-31de-acb9-33faf701745b" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-led-air-strikes-hit-buses-kill-least-17-and-wound-20-yemen-1532939811"> hit two buses of civilians </a> at a Houthi checkpoint near Hodeidah, killing 17 and injuring about 20 more.

<h1> The United Arab Emirates, which is also a major player in the coalition, has been accused of arbitrarily detaining, disappearing and torturing people, even children, thought to be political opponents or security threats. </h1>

In June 2017, the Associated Press <a id="ea625897-f5f8-3fc5-ab95-2af938dd2692" href="https://www.apnews.com/4925f7f0fa654853bd6f2f57174179fe"> documented at least 18 secret prisons across southern Yemen </a> in which the UAE and its Yemeni allies routinely tortured detainees.

Former detainees told the AP that they were beaten, forced into shipping containers covered in feces for weeks, sexually assaulted, and tied to a spit called a "grill" in which they were spun around in a circle.

The UAE has denied the allegations. The US also admitted to interrogating detainees, but denied any knowledge of torture and abuse.

The Houthis, on the other hand, have also been <a id="28f81d64-9860-346f-acf6-e34d80772ed9" href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2018/country-chapters/yemen"> accused </a> of several human rights abuses, including indiscriminate missile attacks, using child soldiers and more.

Source: <a id="9c49de34-a978-398c-aaca-3d8227b1e5f1" href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2018/country-chapters/yemen"> Human Rights Watch </a> , <a id="58aad428-b36e-30d4-a3ee-9a792689e61d" href="https://www.apnews.com/4925f7f0fa654853bd6f2f57174179fe"> Associated Press </a>

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SEE ALSO: Senate votes in favor of a key resolution to end US support of Saudi Arabia in Yemen

A nurse comforts a girl infected with diphtheria at the al-Sabeen hospital in Sanaa, Yemen October 21, 2018.

The Senate on Wednesday <a id="a18c4068-c8ab-3120-a824-e79c42597f10" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/senate-votes-in-favor-of-ending-us-support-of-saudi-arabia-in-yemen-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> advanced a resolution </a> to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

7 heartbreaking images show why US lawmakers want to stop supporting the brutal Saudi-led war in Yemen that's seen indiscriminate attacks and left millions at the brink of famine

In 1839, the first known photograph of a person was taken in Paris, showing a shoe shiner working on the Boulevard du Temple.

But it wasn't until Mathew Brady, known as the father of photojournalism, and his employee, Andrew Gardner, began shooting pictures of dead American soldiers on Civil War battlefields that the medium transformed the way people saw war.

Since then, photography has both glorified and underscored the atrocities of conflict and war.

Here are eight of the most iconic war photographs of all-time in chronological order.

<h1> 1. The Dead of Antietam (1862) </h1>

After the bloody Civil War battle of Antietam, Andrew Gardner took 70 shots of the dead in a field.

It was the first time dead soldiers had been photographed on a battlefield.

When Gardner later put them on display in New York City, the horrors of the Civil War, which before had only been seen in paintings, finally became apparent to Americans.

Likely taken by a Nazi photog named Franz Konrad, this photo shows Nazis rounding up Jewish people in the Warsaw ghetto.

The 9-year-old boy in the picture may have been Dr. Tsvi Nussbaum, who later became a doctor in New York, but the <a id="49b95434-11e7-33c2-a582-48628f0d4da4" href="https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/12/the-ghetto-the-nazis-and-one-small-boy/"> claim was never proven </a> .

In any event, as the Washington Post's Clay Harris <a id="6efd3aca-f497-312e-a665-33e034a7a1b7" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1978/09/17/warsaw-ghetto-boy-symbol-of-the-holocaust/e4c06c5a-1d3c-4a2b-95f4-8e9e059d635f/?utm_term=.f1cc02efbc1c"> wrote </a> in 1978, the picture"wrenches the heart because it appears that the boy, like millions of Jews and others, is to die at the hands of the Nazis."

<h1> 3. Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima (1945) </h1>

This photo by Joe Rosenthal of the American flag being planted on Iwo Jima may be the Second World War's most iconic photo.

Fifty years after the picture was taken, the Associated Press wrote that it may be the world's most widely <a id="7f927b1c-b643-3aa7-ae41-ba1633e12e1f" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20040412081346/http://www.ap.org/pages/about/pulitzer/rosenthal.html"> reproduced </a> .

Half of the six soldiers depicted died — among 6,821 Americans — on the very same island they claimed: Franklin Sousley, Michael Strank, and Harlon Block.

Rosenthal received a Pulitzer Prize for the photo in 1945.

<h1> 4. Raising a Flag over the Reichstag (1945) </h1>

The first known photograph ever taken was by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826 or 1827, showing a <a id="71e5d015-780c-3cf4-a33d-1135fb870e7d" href="http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/firstphotograph/"> view from a window of his home </a> in France's Burgundy region.

Daniel Brown

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