WASHINGTON – Anxiety and uncertainty.

Those are familiar feelings for aides to Donald Trump, a president who seems to relish combat and controversy and whose inner circle has been increasingly rocked by revelations stemming from federal investigations.

This week, White House staff members experienced a new level of turbulence after a guilty verdict was announced for Paul Manafort, the president’s former campaign chairman, while in a separate case, Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, pleaded guilty to criminal charges.

In interviews with a half-dozen Trump aides and people close to the White House, many described rising concerns about federal inquiries underway, including special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

“I think people are genuinely shaken,” said one official, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters. “They’re still trying to digest it – process it.”

In the latest sign of the potential dangers for Trump and those close to him, The Wall Street Journal and Vanity Fair reported Thursday that David Pecker, CEO of American Media Inc., had been granted immunity by federal prosecutors in a deal in which he has been discussing Trump’s role in hush agreements ahead of the 2016 election to women who  said they had sexual encounters with the president.

Pecker, a close Trump ally, has been accused of helping silence negative stories about the president, including purchasing the rights to stories, then quashing them in a practice known as “catch and kill.” 

As the developments unfolded this week, television screens in the West Wing played cable television programs dominated by the news about Manafort, Cohen and the Mueller investigation. Aides sought to go about their business, focusing on tasks such as planning Wednesday’s Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room and the effort to shepherd through the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

Trump himself went on the attack.  

“I’ve always had controversy in my life and I’ve always succeeded,” Trump said in a Fox & Friends interview broadcast Thursday. “I’ve always won.” 

The president also has been tweeting, denying wrongdoing and attacking Cohen. In one post, Trump praised Manafort because, unlike Cohen, “he refused to ‘break’ ” to prosecutors and “make up stories in order to get a ‘deal.’ “

He has also lashed out at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who recused himself from the investigation of Russian election interference, which paved the way for Mueller’s appointment.

Of the two bombshells that dropped this week – the Manafort guilty verdict and the Cohen guilty plea – aides said their biggest concern right now was about Cohen and his claim that the president directed him to pay the women to buy their silence. Prosecutors say the payments violated campaign finance laws because they were made to prevent information from coming out that could have damaged Trump’s campaign.

Throughout the course of Manafort’s trial, aides said they more or less expected Trump’s former campaign chairman to be convicted on financial fraud charges. As they did so, they echoed Trump’s claims that charges against Manafort stemmed from long-ago allegations and had nothing to do with the president’s campaign or Russians who sought to influence the race in Trump’s favor.

One concern of aides is the suggestion by Cohen’s attorney that his client is eager to provide information about Trump and Russia to Mueller. Cohen is a longtime associate of the president who had long been known as his “fixer.”

In a somber yet tense briefing with reporters on Wednesday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders declined to get into the “back and forth” on the Cohen and Mueller investigations and repeatedly said Trump “did nothing wrong.” At one point she said, “Just because Michael Cohen made a plea deal doesn’t mean that implicates the president in anything.”

Disputing the idea that the administration needs to make changes to meet its new legal challenges, Sanders said Trump and his team would “continue to focus on the things Americans care about,” particularly the economy,

Longtime allies said Trump and the staff were holding up well.

“It’s a huge distraction to many in the media,” said Boris Epshteyn, a former White House aide who is now chief political analyst for Sinclair Broadcast Group. “But it’s not a huge distraction to the president and his staff, who continue to work very hard for the American people.”

Some aides predicted that Trump will be increasingly aggressive as the investigations roll on into the fall, along with high-stakes political campaigns for control of Congress. 

Echoing those feelings, former Trump campaign adviser Michael Caputo said Cohen is not a trustworthy witness and the president should continue to speak out against him.

Caputo also said the legal actions against Manafort and Cohen clarify something that has been obvious for awhile: Democrats will push for impeachment, and the White House should be prepared to deal with it.

“It’s very clear now – if it wasn’t clear before – that the 2018 midterm elections are a referendum on the impeachment of the president of the United States,” Caputo said. 

Some aides to Trump noted that they have been through tense times before: the firing of FBI Director James Comey in May 2017, the appointment of Mueller as special counsel that same month, Trump’s tweeted admission this past May that he reimbursed Cohen for hush payments to former adult film star Stormy Daniels, and Cohen’s release in July of a taped conversation with Trump.

These latest revelations? “To be honest,” one official said, “it’s kind of like … whatever.”

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Agnes Gibboney, Opinion contributor
Published 4:22 p.m. ET Aug. 23, 2018 | Updated 5:57 p.m. ET Aug. 23, 2018

I don’t need to imagine Mollie Tibbetts’ parents’ pain — I live with it every day. Until Congress enforces immigration law, so will other parents.

When what we all feared was finally confirmed, that Mollie Tibbetts, a promising 20-year-old college student, had indeed been killed, we all imagined the pain that Rob Tibbetts and Laura Calderwood, Mollie’s parents, must have felt. 

I didn’t have to imagine their pain. I experienced it myself 16 years ago when my son, Ronald Da Silva, was murdered, and I have been living with it every day since. Another thing I share with Rob and Laura is the gut-wrenching knowledge that our grief was entirely avoidable.

Like Ronald, Mollie was apparently murdered by an illegal immigrant. We don’t know all the details about Cristhian Bahena Rivera, Mollie’s alleged killer, but we know he was here because our government neglected its responsibility to keep him out.

Like my son’s murderer, there were probably numerous opportunities at which Rivera’s illegal presence could have been determined and acted upon. Instead of officials catching him using a false ID card and Social Security number, government at all levels apparently failed to see the obvious until it was too late for Mollie and her family.

More: Social media companies are the real ‘enemies of the people’

Artists, like myself, appropriate culture — and that’s OK

Dear white people, stop using the N-word. Why do you feel like you need to use it?

The apologists for illegal immigrants will no doubt tell us that the vast majority of illegal immigrants are not violent criminals, and they are right. But that’s not the point. They are all violating laws that exist to protect the best interests of the American people, which is reason enough to enforce our immigration laws. The fact that my son, Mollie, Kate Steinle, Sarah Root and many more whose names never made the headlines are dead is all the more reason why our immigration laws must be enforced.

When will Congress enforce our laws? 

Much like the parents of children who have been gunned down in a string of recent school shootings, those of us who have needlessly lost loved ones at the hands of illegal immigrants utterly reject the “thoughts and prayers” of the political class that continues to turn a blind eye to mass illegal immigration. We demand action. We know that there is no such thing as absolute security, but we also know that there are reasonable steps that can and must be taken to minimize the possibility that others will be victimized.

In 2006, Congress overwhelmingly authorized construction of a security fence along our southern border. Among those who voted for the wall were then-Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and current Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Ten years later, Donald Trump ran and was elected on a pledge to fulfill that promise to the American people. Congress owes it to Ronald, Mollie and other victims to fully fund this vital security barrier now with no strings attached. We should not have to reward any group of illegal immigrants with amnesty in order to get our government to prevent more illegal immigrants from entering.

While Congress refuses to provide the American people with a border security wall, hundreds of sanctuary jurisdictions around the country provide illegal immigrants with a virtual wall that effectively shields them from being identified and removed from the country. These jurisdictions, which include my home state of California, actively impede the identification and removal of illegal immigrants – including criminal illegal immigrants. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has made 34 immigration-related pardons since 2011, often for the expressed purpose of preventing them from being deported.

We must also hold illegal immigrants accountable for their actions, even those who do not commit violent crimes in our country. The advocates for illegal immigrants ask us to understand why people come to this country illegally. We understand. But there is an important difference between understanding and condoning, which is what the economic and political elite whose communities, jobs, schools, and lives are largely unaffected by mass illegal immigration demand of the rest of us.

Criminals must pay a price

What the American people — particularly those of us who have paid the ultimate price for our nation’s unenforced immigration laws — demand is accountability from people who break our laws and from our elected officials.

Whenever people violate laws and are punished, there are inevitably consequences for their family members. These consequences often result in them being separated from their families. But, in all other circumstances, we hold the lawbreakers responsible for the effects of their actions on their families. The same must be true for people violate immigration laws.

Mollie didn’t violate any laws and neither did my son Ronald. And yet, because of a lack of accountability on the part of illegal immigrants and elected officials who are sworn to uphold our laws, Mollie and Ronald are permanently separated from their families (and us from them) by six feet of dirt. This must stop now.

Protecting the interests and security of the American people must be the first priority for federal, state, and local officials, not a bargaining chip for amnesty for illegal immigrants. It won’t bring Ronald back to me, or Mollie back to her parents, but it will ensure that other families are spared our grief.

Agnes Gibboney is a legal immigrant from Hungary whose only son, Ronald da Silva, was murdered by an illegal immigrant in 2002. Agnes is a member of Angel Families.

 

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England wing Chris Ashton has been banned for seven weeks after his red card for a tip tackle in Sale Sharks’ pre-season friendly against Castres.

The 31-year-old did not accept the charge for the tackle on Castres scrum-half Rory Kockott, but was found guilty by the independent panel process.

Ashton, who joined Sale from Toulon this summer, will miss the first six rounds of the Premiership campaign.

He was named in an England squad for the first time since 2016 on 2 August.

England head coach Eddie Jones will select a further training squad on 20 September, during Ashton’s suspension, although he will be available as he is only suspended from matches.

Ashton was given an extra week on top of the usual six-week penalty for his “poor disciplinary record”.

His previous suspensions include a 13-week ban for biting and a 10-week suspension for eye gouging, both of which occurred while at Saracens.

“It is an important principle of rugby regulation to prevent injury to others,” said independent panel chair Richard Whittam QC.

“Provocation is not a defence to foul play and lifting a player and dropping that player such that his head makes contact with the ground has the potential to cause serious injury.

“While in this case the panel accepts no injury was caused, it still amounted to foul play that clearly met the red card threshold.”

The former Northampton three-quarter’s first appearance for his club side could come in the European Challenge Cup against French Top 14 side Perpignan on 12 October.

Speaking ahead of the verdict, Sale boss Steve Diamond defended Ashton’s actions, saying he was fully justified as his behaviour was in “self defence” amid suggestions of eye-gouging.

“I’d take a red card for any other Sale player if they defended themselves the way Chris Ashton did,” he said.

“If you’re defending yourself on a rugby pitch when things go on and are over and above what we expect, then red mist doesn’t come into it.”

US President Donald Trump drew a sharp rebuttal from his attorney general after giving a scathing assessment of Jeff Sessions as being unable to take control of the Justice Department.

Trump intensified his criticism of the Justice Department in a Fox News interview broadcast on Thursday as the White House grappled to respond to the conviction of former Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, on multiple fraud counts and a plea deal struck by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer, that implicated the president.

Trump reprised a litany of complaints about the Justice Department and the FBI, attacking both without providing evidence they had treated him and his supporters unfairly.

Trump also renewed his criticism of Sessions, blaming him for what he called corruption at the Department of Justice.

“I put in an attorney general who never took control of the Justice Department,” Trump told Fox.

Sessions, in a rare rebuttal to Trump, issued a statement defending the integrity of his department.

“I took control of the Department of Justice the day I was sworn in,” he said. “While I am attorney general, the actions of the Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations.”

Sessions, a longtime US senator and early supporter of Trump’s presidential bid, drew Trump’s ire when he recused himself in March 2017 from issues involving the 2016 White House race.

That removed him from oversight of the federal special counsel’s investigation of Russia’s role in the election and whether Trump’s campaign worked with Moscow to influence the vote. Trump has repeatedly called the investigation a witch-hunt and maintained there was no collusion. 

Trump told Fox that Sessions should not have recused himself from Russia-related matters. 

“He took the job and then he said, ‘I’m going to recuse myself,’” Trump said. “I said, ‘What kind of a man is this?’”

However, Trump told “Fox & Friends” he would “stay uninvolved” in department matters.

Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro, reporting from Washington, DC, said that Trump has “long held over Sessions’s head this final option of firing Sessions, which the president has absolute power to do”. 

She added, however, that “getting rid of Sessions may not end the Russia investigation and would certainly increase this political firestorm surrounding the president this week”. 

Political problems deepen

In the Fox interview, Trump also said that he respected Manafort for work he had done for prominent Republican politicians, adding that “some of the charges they threw against him, every consultant, every lobbyist in Washington probably does.” 

The former Trump campaign chairman was found guilty on Tuesday of eight financial crimes, including tax evasion and bank fraud. The charges stemmed from the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. 

Tuesday’s verdict came as Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign-finance violations and other charges, saying he made payments to influence the 2016 election at the direction of a candidate for federal office. 

Trump said Manafort and Cohen were charged with matters unrelated to his presidential campaign, although Cohen implicated Trump, saying he had paid sums of $130,000 and $150,000 each to two women who claimed they had affairs with Trump, acting at his boss’s request, in a bid to buy their silence “with the purpose of influencing the election”. 

Cohen did not name Trump on Tuesday, but said one payment was made “in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office”, and the other was made “under direction of the same candidate”.

Asked if he directed Cohen to make the payments, Trump said only that Cohen made both deals. He attacked Cohen, who once said he would “take a bullet” for Trump, for agreeing to a plea deal with prosecutors that made the president look bad.

“It’s called flipping and it almost ought to be illegal,” he said. 

Trump was asked whether he thought Democrats would move to impeach him if they won control of the House of Representatives in the November midterm elections. 

“I don’t know how you would impeach somebody who’s done a great job,” he said. “If I got impeached, I think the market would crash.”

Shawn Zeller, a deputy editor with the Congressional Quarterly Magazine, said at this point, “Trump’s problem is more political than impeachment”. 

“With the election coming in November, all this news about his former associate, Michael Cohen, and former campaign manager, Paul Manafort … threatens Republicans positions in the November elections.” 

National Enquirer execs ‘corroborate’ Cohen’s account

Meanwhile, reports surfaced on Thursday that the CEO of the publisher of the National Enquirer was granted immunity by prosecutors investigating the payments made by Cohen. 

According to the Wall Street Journal,  American Media Inc’s (AMI) Chief Executive Officer David Pecker met prosecutors to describe Trump and Cohen’s involvement in hush-money deals. 

Pecker, a longtime friend of Trump and Cohen, and Dylan Howard, another AMI executive who also reportedly received immunity, corroborated Cohen’s account, according to Vanity Fair magazine. 

Cooperation with authorities by Pecker and Howard could further implicate Trump in connection with the payments, which prosecutors have said violated campaign finance laws.

Federal prosecutors in New York and the White House declined to comment. AMI’s general counsel, Eric Klee, did not respond to a request for comment. 

Image: Paul Souders/Getty Images

Today, Jeff Bezos is the world’s richest man, the master at the helm of the mighty capitalist empire that is Amazon. But back in 1994, he was just a scrappy entrepreneur building his dream team, and using ’90s era message boards and double spaces after periods to do it.

An early Amazon job posting resurfaced on Twitter Thursday, thanks to Bloomberg anchor Jon Erlichman. Originally posted by Bezos himself, the listing seeks Unix/C/C++ developers who can work three times faster “than most people think possible.”

Amazon confirmed to CNBC the authenticity of the ad, which initially appeared on the message board Usenet. Bezos apparently filled the role, since Amazon would be up and running the following year, slinging books and killing Mom-and-Pop stores for decades to come.

The ad is certainly a trip. But it also reminds us of Amazon’s roots, how those early ideas and personalities laid the groundwork for how the company would grow — and how very, very far Amazon has come. 

For example, did you know that Jeff Bezos’ first investors were his mom and stepdad, whose original $250,000 investment means they’re now worth about $30 billion? Or that an early name of what would become Amazon was “Cadabra”? How about the fact that it’s easy to see how Bezos’ “three times faster” mentality has led to robot-human integrations, and sometimes inhumane conditions, in Amazon’s factories? What a fun walk down memory lane!

To take into account Amazon’s past, present, and cash-filled future, here is our annotated version of Amazon’s July 1994 job posting. Fun fact: Whoever got this job is probably a gazillionaire now. 

<img class="" data-credit-name='screenshot: twitter/@jonerlichman

illustration: rachel kraus/mashable

‘ data-credit-provider=”custom type” data-caption=”We’ve made some helpful annotations.” title=”We’ve made some helpful annotations.” src=”https://i.amz.mshcdn.com/GCZtqq82p5E_AqktdIrwuOcmnjQ=/fit-in/1200×9600/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F833475%2Fff58c17d-7fd9-4224-92bd-988a1e083875.jpeg&#8221; alt=”We’ve made some helpful annotations.” data-fragment=”m!e798″ data-image=”https://ift.tt/2o6YSgy; data-micro=”1″>

Non-vest-wearers need not apply.

The Iowa State Medical Examiner determined Mollie Tibbetts died due to “multiple sharp force injuries,” according to preliminary autopsy results.

A body found in rural Poweshiek County early Tuesday morning was identified as Tibbetts through an autopsy conducted on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Her body was found in a farm field covered by corn stalks near the intersection of 460th Avenue and Highway 21 outside of Guernsey.

DCI would not release more details regarding the manner of Tibbetts death or whether any weapons were used. Further examination may result in more findings, according to the statement.

Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24, was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder in the July 18 disappearance of Tibbetts, a University of Iowa student whose abduction has captured national headlines.

RELATED: A look at the facts regarding the immigration status of Mollie Tibbetts’ accused killer

MORE: How to help Mollie Tibbetts’ family: Photos, donations, prayers and privacy

During a press conference on Wednesday, Iowa DCI Special Agent Rick Rahn said video recordings from area security cameras helped investigators determine Rivera’s alleged involvement.

Footage showed Tibbetts running around Boundary and Middle streets outside of Brooklyn when a black Chevy Malibu drove in the area around 7:45 p.m. July 18.

The footage shows the vehicle, driven by Rivera, going back and forth in the area, according to the criminal complaint.

Rivera told investigators Monday that as he ran alongside Tibbetts, she grabbed her phone and threatened to call police, according to a charging document that prosecutors filed in court Tuesday.

Investigators believe Tibbetts was abducted around the 1900 block of 385th Avenue.

“Rivera said he then panicked and got mad and that he then ‘blocked’ his ‘memory,’ which is what he does when he gets very upset,” according to the document, which was written by a sheriff’s deputy.

He later told investigators that he placed Tibbetts body in a cornfield, which he guided them to on Tuesday morning.

He is currently being held in the Poweshiek County Jail on a $5 million bond.

RELATED: Complete coverage of Mollie Tibbetts’ disappearance

MORE: Mollie Tibbetts suspect’s past begins to emerge as scrutiny expands

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The decision to end “The Big Bang Theory” doesn’t add up in dollars, but it makes perfect creative sense.

CBS was interested in a deal to extend the hit comedy, with the stars under contract just for the coming season. However, the network, studio and Chuck Lorre Wednesday announced that the series will end next May. Entertainment Weekly reported that breakout star Jim Parsons put the brakes on a deal because he was ready to leave.

Whatever the reason, it’s the right move. After more than 250 episodes, “Bang” is still TV’s top-rated comedy – “Roseanne” briefly took that honor, but look where that is now – and likely will remain so. There was plenty of money to be made for everyone involved and the departure will leave CBS, which successfully launched “Bang” prequel spinoff “Young Sheldon,” with a huge scheduling hole. (Don’t shed any tears. Although fans will soon be Penny-less, nobody connected to this money machine will leave penniless.)

Creatively, however, “Bang” is showing its age. Although long defying the decline that eventually afflicts long-running comedies, it started to flounder last season.

More: ‘The Big Bang Theory’ will end with Season 12 in May 2019: ‘A true labor of love’

More: Jim Parsons shares lengthy goodbye to ‘The Big Bang Theory’ fans, cast and crew

For almost its entire run, “Big Bang,” created by sitcom master Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, has been a well-oiled laugh factory. The initial story of two awkward scientific geniuses and their apartment neighbor, a Cheesecake Factory waitress with much sharper social skills, began with promise and took off from there, growing into a larger, talented ensemble that wove in character depth and emotion, without getting maudlin, while still delivering the jokes.

The initial cast – neighbor Penny (Kaley Cuoco) was on her own dealing with across-the-hall roommates Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and their scientist pals Howard (Simon Helberg) and Raj (Kunal Nayyar) – was male-centric, but the show brought more balance introducing two brilliant women, a female scientists: microbiologist Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) and neuroscientist Amy (Mayim Bialik).

They weren’t just grafted on for appearances. The writers and actors brought depth to Bernadette and Amy, integrating them smartly into the cast and creating new opportunities as the eternally immature guys took baby steps to grow up. Leonard eventually married Penny; Bernadette and Howard got hitched and became parents; and Amy and man-child Sheldon took their marital vows in last season’s finale.

Over the years, as Steven Molaro took a more prominent role as an executive producer, the show added a layer of emotion that gave the humor more depth. Fans strongly bonded with the characters, a great sign, with laughs coming from their idiosyncratic personalities as well as the jokes.

I remember being on set for a Season 6 episode where the band of friends tried to soften the blow of Howard’s feelings of abandonment by his father. There was a sweetness to their support, punctuated by a hilarious and ridiculous effort from emotionally dense Sheldon. 

“Big Bang” maintained that balance over the years as its longevity surpassed most other sitcoms, especially those shot in front of a studio audience. By the time it closes shop in May, the series will have racked up a record 279 episodes for the studio-audience format, more than classics “Frasier” (11 seasons, 263 episodes), “Friends” (10 seasons, 236 episodes) and “Seinfeld” (nine seasons, 173 episodes). 

Past hits have ended for various reasons; stars and producers are eager to pursue other opportunities or the financial factors no longer make sense. 

But, there’s an underlying, unavoidable reason why all these shows end. Over time, they all lose some creativity, often simply resulting from repetition. What was once fresh can seem stale.

“Bang” upheld its quality for many episodes past a sitcom’s expected sell-by date, but it hit a wall last year. The season-long lead-up to the “Shamy” wedding, a truly joyous union of two great characters, started seeming more like a meandering walk than a wedding march. It just felt like “Bang” was spinning its wheels. Repetition and sameness may please obsessive Sheldon, but they don’t do much for comedy.

With one and especially two more seasons beyond the upcoming one (Sept. 24, 8 EDT/PDT), “Bang” was in danger of veering toward comedic entropy (a term Sheldon and Leonard would understand), degrading and losing energy and moving toward flatness.

With just one season to go, however, I have faith the talented producers, writers and actors can generate a funny sprint, with pratfalls, to the finish line. “Big Bang” writers are famous for not plotting too far ahead, so there’s time to plan a satisfying conclusion and there’s no longer any danger of the dreaded penultimate season, a deadening period for many otherwise stellar series as everyone anticipates the grand finale.

“Big Bang” hasn’t received its awards due over the years; Jim Parsons has been an Emmy magnet, winning four trophies as lead actor in a comedy, but the series has never won for best comedy. It was worthy of that honor.

But, awards don’t determine a show’s quality and “Big Bang” stands with the best in its genre. Now, without being weighed down with two extra seasons (and, yes, the accompanying stacks of money), it has a chance to go out with … a sharp, funny flourish. (Did you think I’d say bang? Bazinga!)

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A Burnley fan was stabbed before the first leg of their Europa League play-off against Olympiakos in Athens.

The fan was not seriously injured and required stitches to a leg wound.

Three other fans were robbed in Athens city centre before the side’s 3-1 defeat and 23 Burnley fans were arrested for being drunk and disorderly. About 1,000 Burnley fans travelled to Greece for the game.

No further details about the incidents have been released.

Burnley, who went into the game unbeaten in their previous four qualifying games under manager Sean Dyche, have not been in European competition since 1966-67.

They beat Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir and Scottish Premiership runners-up Aberdeen in extra time to set up the tie with Olympiakos.

Jeju, South Korea – More than 550 Yemeni nationals have arrived on South Korea’s Jeju Island since April seeking asylum and refugee status.

Unlike mainland South Korea, Jeju offered visa-free arrival for various nationalities, including Yemenis, to boost tourism.

But the arrival of Yemenis, mostly from Malaysia – to which they fled from war-torn Yemen – sparked an online outcry and protests on the island, as well as the capital, Seoul.

The refugees are barred from leaving Jeju and entering mainland South Korea and are only permitted to work on farms, the sea or restaurants, often doing long hours of manual labour. Some complain of not being paid after working for more than a month.

More than 700,000 South Koreans filed an online petition urging the government to stop its visa-free policy for Yemen.

Protesters demanded the government to refuse asylum and deport the Yemenis.

A recent survey of more than 500 Jeju residents revealed almost 90 percent felt insecure about going outside since the arrival of the Yemenis.

Al Jazeera spoke to Jeju residents to see how they felt about the asylum seekers and what the Korean government’s next steps should be.

Ko Minja, 59, restaurant owner

People around me are sceptical about the visa-free policy. I think the government should accept refugees based on their nationalities and avoid people from countries that have terrorism issues. The fact that Jeju accepted these people is causing fear and anxiety among the residents.

The Yemenis are scary. They will rape our women, take our jobs and take over the country.

I’m scared of going to the areas where they are living. They are known for reckless behaviour. If I go to places where they are based, I’m very scared. Employers are reluctant to hire them because they are scared, too.

Lots of people are telling me that this visa-free policy is a problem and might cause terrorism problems for Jeju island in the future.

(Minja has never met a Yemeni or been to the areas they are living in. She told Al Jazeera she was basing her comments on what others had told her).

Ko Tae-su, 62, store owner

As a Korean who knows about war, I believe the government’s action to accept refugees is an understandable one and not a bad move. But we have no information about them. We don’t know who they are.

I don’t think they are all bad people. I think deporting them will be too harsh and not a good idea. I think there needs to be a conversation between the government and Jeju’s residents. They should start a dialogue to solve the issue. And I feel a lot of people around me have the same thoughts.

Joi Nok, 50, cafe owner

I’ve been on Jeju Island for about four months and have managed to make a Yemeni friend who visits my cafe daily.

He’s learning Korean and he practises it with me. And I’m learning about Yemeni culture. 

I think the government should educate these asylum seekers and tell them about Korean culture. A lot of women and children here are scared of these Yemenis because they walk around in groups. They should avoid that.

I finish work at 10pm and when I see them walk around in a group, I get scared too.

Also, they are Muslims and have a prayer culture. But they should make a bigger effort to learn about our culture so we can live together. 

Gunwoo (name changed), 60, taxi driver

We need to learn from the Korean War – how other countries stepped in to help us out.

Based on that, we should accept these asylum seekers, but not everyone. I don’t think we can accept everyone but we should sort this out quickly and accept some of them.

Park Won-jo, 38 advertiser

I think a lot of people and organisations here are overreacting to the issue because there is a lot of fake news around. People are worried and concerned because of that.

We should provide them with good conditions and shelter because they are from a country devastated by the war. I hope they can get their wounds healed here in Korea.

This is the first time Jeju residents are going through this situation, that’s why they are a bit surprised. I haven’t come across any Yemenis yet but I get my information through social media. There is a lot of advertising going on to help these people.

Lee Jung-hoon, 65, pastor

I feel for these people. They need help. I went to the immigration centre and told them I’m ready to help if someone needs it. I have given shelter to five Yemenis and I’m also teaching them Korean because they need to interact with the community to allay those fears.

The bible tells us to take care of the vulnerable around you. And that’s exactly what I’m doing. These people now need jobs. The government has only allowed them three types of jobs – farming, fishing, restaurant [workers] – and banned them from working anywhere else because they think these people will steal the locals’ jobs.

Sand Woon-hyun, 28, sales agent 

I don’t have any bad feelings for these people but if I talk to people around me, they are quite against them because of the religion and their security fears.

I think the government should take time in evaluating these applications. We have seen what’s happened in Europe with countries that have accepted refugees from these countries. 

A lot of people on Jeju are very conservative and the local media is depicting these people in a negative way.

For me, the issue will be population growth, traffic jams and public facilities being put under strain because of an increase in the island’s population.

Additional reporting by Hayeon Kim