What We're Following This Afternoon
An ISIS capture in Iraq: U.S. special forces have detained the head of the Islamic State’s unit trying to developing chemical weapons for the militant Sunni group, several news outlets report. The New York Times reports the operative was interrogated and provided details about the group’s possession of weaponized mustard gas. CNN reports the intel the Americans learned has already been used to launch airstrikes on ISIS sites in Iraq associated with the group’s chemical-weapons development.
Border closures in Europe: Acting on a decision by the European Union, Slovenia, Croatia and Macedonia sealed their borders today in an attempt to stop the flood of migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa, and elsewhere. The EU says 880,000 people traveled through the western Balkan states to reach northern Europe last year.
Remembering George Martin: Spencer writes about the Beatles producer, who died yesterday at the age of 90:
In the Beatles’ first ever studio meeting with the producer George Martin, in 1962, Martin asked the band whether they had any issues with the session. “Well, there's your tie, for a start,” George Harrison replied. That wisecrack, the story goes, kicked off a bantering, joking rapport between the young Liverpudlians and their record-label overseer—which in turn kicked off one of the most fruitful band/producer relationships in rock history.
News from this morning here
Read more from The Atlantic:
This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
