- Uber uses a program known as grayball to help its drivers to avoid picking up law enforcement agents who look to ticket the drivers for using Uber in cities where the app is illegal. The program is also helpful for Uber drivers to avoid picking up people who may wish to do them harm. [Link]
- The Denver city attorney says that he is struggling to get witnesses to violent crimes who are also illegal immigrants to testify. The city attorney said that ICE agents are known to hang around the courthouse, and people are afraid that testifying will lead to them being deported. [Link]
- Trump’s federal hiring freeze will not apply to immigration judges. There are currently over 500,000 deportation cases waiting to be heard before a judge. [Link]
- Tulsi Gabbard is again calling for the US government to stop arming terrorists in Syria. [Link]
- The Pentagon is increasing special operations forces deployments across the Middle East and North Africa. Many of the deployments are in Yemen, where the White House looks to use them against AQAP. [Link]
- Russian and NATO officials hold high-level talks. These are the first high-level talks between NATO and Russia since 2014. [Link]
- Former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak has been acquitted of charges alleging that he played a role in the deaths of 900 protesters demanding he resign from office in 2011. Mubarak was convicted of these crimes in 2012 and sentenced to life in prison. Mubarak was granted a retrial and has been freed along with his two sons. [Link]
- The Trump Administration carries out its first airstrike in Pakistan. Two men on a motorcycle were killed by a US drone. [Link]
- Some fighting has started between two Iraqi Kurdish factions. The fighting started when members of the Peshmerga entered territory held by the PKK. The fighting was ended with a 24-hour ceasefire. [Link]
- The Iraqi government reports capturing a district in West Mosul, and the number of displaced civilians is now 30,000. Seven displaced civilians are reported to have chemical injuries from ISIS chemical weapons. [Link]
- Yemeni officials say that they believe the US missile attacks in Yemen this week are a part of a sustained operation in Yemen. They are unsure of the goal of the attacks, but they believe it is to combat AQAP. [Link]
On Foreign Policy Focus 9#, I discuss the refugee crisis and how the US created it. I also discuss the Sessions scandal, US defense spending, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, and North Korea. LISTEN HERE!!
