- Jeff Sessions is asking 46 US attornies appointed by Obama to resign from the Justice Department. When Past presidents have taken office, they have also asked for resignations from the previous administration’s appointees. [Link]
- While US Marines are moving into Syria to prepare for the invasion of Raqqa, the Trump Administration has not decided on a plan of what will happen in Raqqa. One possibility is for the US to retake Raqqa with the help of the Kurds then give control of Raqqa to Assad. [Link]
- Trump spoke with the Palestinian President on the phone and says the Palestinian President will visit the White House soon. [Link]
- Jeff Sessions says that he thinks enemy combatants captured in the future should be sent to Gitmo. [Link]
- Two men who were a part of the protests at an Oregon wildlife refuge have been convicted of conspiring to prevent federal workers from doing their jobs. [Link]
- The SEC has denied a rule change that would have allowed for the creation of a Bitcoin ETF. [Link]
- The US Army is looking at sites in Europe to construct a new base. [Link]
- The US is moving 2,500 troops to Kuwait to prepare for deployment in Iraq or Syria. [Link]
- Two suicide bombers carry out attacks in Damascus killing at least 30 people. [Link]
- Turkey claims to have killed 71 US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria over the past week. [Link]
- A Saudi airstrike hit a market in Northern Yemen killing at least 22 civilians. [Link]
On Foreign Policy Focus #12, I break down the complicated mess in Syria. With several different countries and groups all operating in Syria with unique motives, it is very difficult to understand what is really going on. I explain who is operating in Syria and what each group’s goals are. I also give updates on Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen. LISTEN HERE