Cramm for 10/15/19
THE HIGHLIGHTS
Trump is clapping back at Turkey.
THE BACKGROUND.
You know the Kurds for being a minority group spread throughout the Middle East. For spending years helping the US fight ISIS in Syria. For being labelled a terrorist group by the Turkish gov. Hint: in the past, Turkey’s stayed away from the Kurds because they’ve had protection from US troops in Syria. Problem, since the other day, the US ditched Syria - pretty much giving the thumbs-up to Turkey to attack the Kurds. Scene, set.
THE HAPPENINGS.
In the week since Prez Trump pulled troops out of Syria, around 130,000 Kurds have reportedly been forced to flee their homes. Hundreds have been killed - both Kurdish fighters and civilians. And multiple ISIS prisoners have escaped from Kurdish-led prison camps.
THE REACTION.
Yesterday, Trump called for an immediate ceasefire in Syria. Then added that he’d be slapping sanctions on Turkish officials, halting negotiations on a $100 billion trade deal between the US and Turkey, and imposing tariffs of 50% on the country. The Prez says he’s “fully prepared to swiftly destroy Turkey’s economy” if the country continues. Now, it looks like Vice Prez Mike Pence is heading to the area to have a chat with Turkey’s prez and work out a ceasefire.
SO….?
Trump’s decision to ditch Syria sparked backlash from both sides of the aisle. TBD on whether his latest decisions turn the criticism around.
THE ACTION
WORLD: Over the weekend, a Fort Worth police officer named Aaron Dean responded to a call for a safety check at a woman’s home. Dean - who is white - ended up shooting and killing the woman - Atatiana Jefferson, who’s black - in her own house. Cue outrage. Since then, Dean’s been arrested and charged with murder. Stay tuned. In other news, Japan is launching a major search operation after the country was hit by Typhoon Hagibis. (Hint: a typhoon is like a hurricane). Dozens of people have died, with at least 14 people reported missing. Now, it looks like over a hundred thousand people are taking part in search and rescue operations.
POLITICS: All eyes are on Spain. Quick refresher: a couple years ago, Catalonia - a region of Spain including Barcelona - voted to divorce Spain and have its independence. Spain was not happy. And subsequently cracked down on the area. Now, years later, Spain’s sentencing the leaders involved in the independence referendum with around a decade in prison. Intro protests. Meanwhile, Trump’s former top adviser on Russia testified before the House yesterday and said she saw “wrongdoing” in US foreign policy - and tried to report it. Plus that former national security adviser John Bolton was just the teensiest freaked out by Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine. Read: a lot. Speaking of which, the next Dem debate is tonight.
BIZ: Uber’s having a bad day. Spoiler alert: the biz is apparently laying off about 350 employees across multiple departments. Think: Uber Eats, self-driving, marketing - to name a few. This comes after Uber said ‘you’re fired’ to about 400 people from its marketing team...then another 435 from its product and engineering teams. And it also comes as investors are becoming increasingly worried about how much money Uber loses each quarter. Speaking of which, a new United Nations report says the world loses about $400 billion (yes, with a b) worth of food...before it evens reaches stores. ICYMI, that’s 14% of all food produced. Not entirely clear what needs to be done to solve this problem.
WHAT TO KNOW
“Pope Francis:” who (unintentionally) tweeted support for the New Orleans Saints ahead of Sunday’s game. Fumble.
SAY WHAT?
“We had answered that ultimate question” - a former NASA scientist, alleging that they found life on Mars in the 1970s. Life On Mars?
STAY CONNECTED
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