- The House has passed a bill that will create a Concrete Masonry Products Board and place a tax on the concrete industry. [Link]
- California pays 218,667 public sector employees over a $100,000 salary. The wages of those 218,667 employees cost taxpayers $35 billion every year. [Link]
- Police officers in Detroit killed at least 21 dogs in 2016 and 25 in 2015. While police often claim that the dog is vicious and charging, several reports show that dogs are shot through closed doors or while restrained. One police officer has shot at least 26 dogs. [Link]
- Obama will not add any restriction to the drone program that will soon be under the command of Trump. Under Obama, the president gained the ability to target people with drones overseas, including American citizens. [Link]
- Over 4,000 migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea this year. 340,000 have made the passage across the sea safely. [Link]
- The House Intelligence Committee votes to cut the budget of the CIA program that trains Syrian rebels by 20%. The vote shows a shift in US policy away from backing the Syrian rebels against Assad. [Link]
- Russian and Syrian planes struck three hospitals in rebel-held areas of Syria on Monday and Tuesday. [Link]
- The Syrian government begins another offensive to retake East Aleppo. The government is using airstrikes and ground forces in the assault. A barrel bomb has killed at least one civilian. [Link]
- The Saudi-led Arab Coalition and the Houthi have agreed to a temporary ceasefire in Yemen that would begin Thursday. The Yemeni government has rejected the ceasefire and said it would not negotiate with the Houthi. [Link]
- The UK approves continuing weapon sales to Saudi Arabia. The legality of arms sales to Saudi Arabia came into question because of apparent Saudi war crimes committed in Yemen. [Link]
- ISIS and the Iraqi forces are being accused of war crimes during the Mosul offensive. ISIS executed 21 more civilians. Iraqi troops are charged with executing a prisoner and mutilating the bodies of dead ISIS fighters. [Link]
