- Trump appointed Thomas Blank to be Cheif of Staff of ICE. Blank is a former lobbyist. [Link]
- John McCain will be out of the Senate for several weeks for medical reasons. Senate Republicans believe they need McCain’s vote to pass the healthcare bill. [Link]
- The FBI has released its file on Aaron Swartz. [Link]
- The House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that will give more authority to the Attorney General to decide what substances are legal. [Link]
- A UN report shows that cocaine production in Colombia is at the highest rate in two decades. [Link]
- The House voted in favor of an amendment to the NDAA that will end US funding to Saudi Arabia’s war against Yemen. [Link] An additional amendment was passed that requires the Pentagon to report to Congress the results of American’s involvement in the war in Yemen. [Link]
- Commander of US Central Command, General Votel, says it may not matter much if the ISIS leader, al-Baghdadi, is dead or not. [Link]
- US workers are building a military airbase in the Kurdish region of Syria. [Link]
- China has deployed troops to its first military base over seas. The base is in Djibouti and will house 1,000 troops. [Link]
- Saudi Arabia and the UAE have changed their demands of Qatar. The new demands will allow Al-Jazeera to stay open but will restructure the news outlet. [Link]
- Two Germans were stabbed to death in Egypt. The attack is believed to be linked to extremist groups. [Link]
- Israel reopens the Al Aqsa Mosque with new metal detectors. The site was closed after the shooting of two Israeli police. [Link]
- The Turkish government dismissed 7,400 civil servants from their jobs. [Link]
- The US war against ISIS is killing 12 civilians a day. [Link]
- Will Porter interviews a teenage Syrian on the state of Syria. [Link]
- Russia said that the latest round of Syrian peace talks revealed the Syrian rebels are no longer insisting on immediate regime change. [Link]
- Turkish and Kurdish troops are clashing in the Afrin Province of Syria. [Link]
On FPF #67, I discuss the liberation of Mosul. Several officials have said the battle for Mosul is over, but fighting continues. I consider the media’s lack of coverage of the destruction on Mosul. I also update Syria and Yemen. LISTEN HERE!!
