US News

• Twitter says it has flagged 300,000 election-related Tweets. [Link]
• House Dems pen a letter to Biden asking him to pick a Secretary of Defense who has not worked in the weapons industry. The expected Biden pick has deep ties to the MIC. [Link]
• Japan’s Prime Minister says Biden assured him that the US promises to defend islands claimed by both Japan and China. [Link]
• The head of the Biden transition team for the Agency for Global media has called himself “chief propagandists” and wants to rethink the First Amendment. [Link]

India

• At least ten civilians and five soldiers were killed in fighting by India and Pakistan. [Link]

Middle East

• American journalist Austin Tice was released by the Syrian government after reaching a deal with Trump. [Link]
• Israel is rushing through settlement plans before Trump leaves office. [Link]
• The outgoing US envoy to Syria says he misled leadership about how many US troops were in Syria and it was more than the 200 troops Trump agreed to leave. [Link]
• France opposes the US from withdrawing troops from Iraq or Afghanistan. [Link]
• Children in the Iraqi city of Fallujah are dying and suffering from horrific birth defects. [Link]

Africa

• Five American soldiers were among seven killed in a helicopter crash in the Sinai Peninsula. [Link]
• Twenty people drowned off the coast of Libya trying to cross to Europe. [Link]
• Fourteen Burkina Faso soldiers were killed by militants likely linked to al-Qaeda or ISIS. [Link]
• People seeking independence in Western Sahara say Morocco has broken a ceasefire signed in 1991 and ignited a war. [Link]