Trump denies he betrayed the Kurds: 'We never gave a commitment'

Under fire from critics who have accused him of betraying the Kurds who fought alongside U.S. forces against ISIS in northern Syria, President Trump defended his decision Monday to pull troops from the region. We're working with the Kurds,” Trump told reporters ahead of a Cabinet meeting at the White House. We have a good relationship with the Kurds, but we never agreed to, you know, protect the Kurds.

• 
  Former national security adviser: There are some long term consequences to 'hasty departure' of US Troops in Syria

  FOX News Videos
• 
  Iraq: U.S. troops crossing border from Syria don't have approval to stay

  Yahoo News Video

Buttigieg, surging in Iowa, has a plan to win it all. Here it is.

Reminder: There are 105 days until the Iowa caucuses and 379 days until the 2020 election. It happened to Kamala Harris during the summer. Now it's starting to happen to South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who was widely proclaimed one of the “winners” of last week's Democratic primary debate in Westerville, Ohio.

• 
  Paleologos on the Poll: Buttigieg gets an Iowa boost on strength of his debate performance

  USA TODAY
• 
  Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg surging as moderate alternative to Joe Biden in Iowa poll

  The Telegraph

A Massive Manhunt Is Underway For a West Point Cadet Missing Since Friday

A massive search is underway for a cadet who has been missing from the United States Military Academy, also known as West Point, since Friday, officials said. A rifle is also missing, but the cadet, who has not been named, is not believed to be carrying any ammunition. The academy, about an hour north of New York City along the Hudson River, said there was “no indication” the public was at risk, but the cadet may be a danger to himself.

• 
  West Point military academy student missing with M4 rifle

  The Independent
• 
  A West Point cadet and his M4 rifle have been missing for three days

  INSIDER

Three people hospitalised by chemical leak on board American Airlines plane

Three people have been hospitalised after a cleaning product leaked on an American Airlines flight forcing it to make an emergency landing in Dublin. The plane was less than an hour into its flight from London Heathrow to Philadelphia when two crew members fell unconscious due to the powerful smell. Several passengers complained of burning eyes and skin irritation and one traveller was also taken to hospital in Ireland.

• 
  American Airlines flight diverted after 'chemical spillage' leaves two crew members unconscious

  Yahoo News UK
• 
  A chemical spill on an American Airlines flight knocked 2 crew members out and forced the plane into an emergency landing

  Business Insider

The U.S. Army Has Big Plans to Smash Enemy Drones in a War

Defenders under drone attack from medium and large drones need to recognize that the attacking platform can be poised to launch missiles or find targets for long-range ground based missiles, air assets or even approaching forces. Modern technology enables drones to use high-resolution sensors and targeting systems to both find and attack targets at very long ranges, thus compounding the threat. Drones can increasingly operate with less and less human intervention and be programmed to enter enemy airspace, crossing into well-defended areas with decreased risk.

Man in MAGA hat arrested after allegedly attacking protesters with bear repellent at anti-Donald Trump rally

California police arrested a man who sprayed protesters with bear repellent after violence broke out at an anti-Donald Trump rally. The Santa Monica Police Department announced 32-year-old David Dempsey was arrested Saturday on multiple charges, including prohibited use of a tear gas weapon and assault with a caustic chemical. A video posted online of the incident shows a man wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat spraying a crowd of people after the two groups became physical with each other.

• 
  Man in MAGA Hat Arrested After Allegedly Dousing Demonstrators With Bear Spray at Santa Monica Pier

  KTLA - Los Angeles
• 
  Trump supporter sprays bear repellent during Southern California Trump protest

  Yahoo News Video

US targets Cuba tourism with tighter airline sanctions

The US moved to further hurt Cuba's vital tourism industry by tightening the ability of the country's airlines to lease aircraft. The US Department of Commerce said it was revoking existing licenses for US companies leasing aircraft to Cuban carriers, and will deny future applications for aircraft leases. The move could make it harder for Cuba to service its rapidly growing tourism sector, a key source of foreign revenue for the poor country.

Trump blames Constitution's ‘phony Emoluments Clause’ for G-7 debacle

President Trump on Monday defended the initial decision to host next year's G-7 summit at his golf resort near Miami, dismissing concerns that he would have personally profited from the event and deriding “this phony Emoluments Clause” in the Constitution. On Saturday, Trump abruptly reversed the plan — announced just two days earlier by his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney — to hold the next Group of Seven world leaders' meeting at Trump National Doral. “I would have given it for nothing,” Trump said before a Cabinet meeting Monday.

• 
  Trump cites ‘phony Emoluments Clause’ for G-7 controversy

  Yahoo News Video
• 
  Trump says he's most promoted person 'ever'

  AFP

Michael Bloomberg ‘still looking at’ a presidential run ... but only if Biden is out

Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is at it again – teasing a presidential run. Over the past several weeks, he's signaled renewed interest in the democratic nomination, telling friends and associates he's “still looking at” running for president. Biden's collapse would likely leave Elizabeth Warren as frontrunner, a liberal candidate with whom he has repeatedly clashed over her anti-corporate policies and fears she will push the party too far to the left and eliminate the chance of a Democratic candidate unseating Donald Trump next year.

• 
  Buttigieg, surging in Iowa, has a plan to win it all. Here it is.

  Yahoo News
• 
  Amy Klobuchar says her moderate approach makes her the only candidate who can beat Trump in 2020

  CBS News Videos

Connecticut College Students Charged With Violating State Law Prohibiting ‘Ridicule’ after Using Racial Slur

University of Connecticut students Jarred Karal and Ryan Mucaj were arrested by campus police Monday night and charged with violating a Connecticut hate crime statute for using a racial slur in an incident captured on video. The two were charged under a Connecticut State law that criminalizes ridiculing “any person or class of people on account of creed, religion, color, denomination, nationality, or race.” The misdemeanor is punishable by up to 30 days in jail, a fine of $50, or both. “It is supportive of our core values to pursue accountability, through due process, for an egregious assault on our community that has caused considerable harm,” UConn President Thomas C. Katsouleas said in a statement late Monday.

• 2 students charged with shouting racial slur on UConn campus

  Associated Press
• 
  New Jersey teens accused of using racial slurs, urinating on girl

  WPVI – Philadelphia

'Lost' Road Built by Christ's Executioner Unearthed

Archaeologists have unearthed a "lost" road in Jerusalem that was likely constructed by Pontius Pilate, the Roman who presided over the trial and execution of Jesus Christ. Archaeologists have unearthed a road that was likely built in 31 AD by Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect who oversaw the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The ornately constructed road in Jerusalem stretches for about 2,000 feet, and is approximately 26 feet wide, according to a study recently published in the Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University.

View Photos of the 2020 GMC Acadia AT4

GMC's revised Acadia AT4 mid-size SUV benefits more from the lineup's updates than it does from its rugged visage. From Car and Driver

China Is Building 'The Mother of All Bombs': Report

Key Point: So, what do we know about China's big bomb? China has joined the “Mother of All Bombs” club. A Chinese arms maker has unveiled a weapon similar to America's GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, or MOAB (hence the nickname “Mother of All Bombs”).

Trump 'like a squirrel caught in traffic' during Pentagon meeting: Aide

In President Trump's first full briefing at the Defense Department, he requested a grand "Victory Day" parade with "vehicles and tanks on Main Street" and down Pennsylvania Avenue, like the "amazing" parade he'd just witnessed in France, Guy Snodgrass, a top aide to then-Defense Secretary James Mattis, recounts in his new book, "Holding the Line." "The Fourth of July is too hot," Trump added.

Trump’s ‘lynching’ tweet draws outrage — and some Republican support

Leading Republicans rushed to defend President Trump's controversial tweet Tuesday in which he portrayed himself as the victim of a “lynching” by House Democrats pursuing his impeachment. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Kamala Harris, D-Calif., two of the three African Americans in the Senate, and some Republicans said they were also uncomfortable with Trump's choice of language. “Lynching is a reprehensible stain on this nation's history, as is this President,” Harris tweeted.

• 
  Impeachment inquiry: Week 5 questions about withholding military aid from Ukraine and diplomat who called policy 'crazy'

  USA TODAY
• Democrats Slow Pace on Impeachment Inquiry

  The New York Times

Lebanon's Hezbollah under rare street pressure

When mass anti-government protests engulfed Lebanon, a taboo was broken as strongholds of the Shiite Hezbollah movement saw rare demonstrations criticising the party and revered leader Hassan Nasrallah. This shattered the myth of absolute acquiesence among Hezbollah's popular base, baffling even those who hail from the movement's strongholds. "No one ever expected that in any of these areas in south Lebanon we would hear a single word against Nasrallah," or Amal Movement leader Nabih Berri, said Sara, a 32-year-old activist who participated in protests in the southern city of Nabatiyeh.

Poll: Majority of Mexicans say organized crime stronger than government after El Chapo’s son released

A majority of Mexicans see organized crime as more powerful than the Mexican government after government forces capitulated to drug-cartel strongmen and released the son of the former cartel leader Joaquín Guzmán, known as “El Chapo.

• 
  Mexico to probe officials over failed arrest of Chapo's son

  AFP
• REFILE-UPDATE 1-Mexico will arrest kingpin's son provided public not at risk -president

  Reuters

Seth Meyers Blasts Mulvaney and Pompeo’s Disastrous Sunday Show Spin

Seth Meyers had a lot of news to catch up on when he returned from vacation on Monday. The Late Night host began with Trump's “acting” Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, who went on Fox News Sunday to explain why the president announced that he would be holding the G7 conference at his Miami Doral resort in Florida and then reversed his decision after loud protests from both sides of the political aisle. “OK, first of all, he's not in the hospitality business, he's the president,” Meyers said.

Presidential hopeful Warren rallies with Chicago teachers as strike enters fourth day

Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, rallied with striking Chicago teachers on Tuesday, expressing support for the union's demands as the country's third-largest school system entered a fourth day of canceled classes. Warren, a Massachusetts senator and former teacher, joined a crowd of hundreds of teachers and parents outside an elementary school to back the Chicago teachers' demands for more resources, and promised to boost funding for U.S. public schools if elected president in 2020. "I'm here to stand with every one of the people who stand for our children every day," Warren said to thunderous applause and cheers.

• 
  Chicago mayor urges teachers to return to classrooms amid ongoing strike

  ABC News Videos
• 
  Chicago Teachers Strike: Mayor Lightfoot sends letter to CTU calling for teachers to end strike during negotiations

  WLS – Chicago

Japanese Emperor Naruhito ascends Chrysanthemum Throne

The enthronement ceremony is the high point of several succession rituals that began in May when Naruhito inherited the throne after the abdication of Akihito, his father. Naruhito leads the world's oldest hereditary monarchy, which historians say goes back 1,500 years. The short ceremony, which some critics say was largely meant to allow Abe's ultra-conservative government to win public support, was marked by extraordinary contrasts — from the rhythmic shuffle of dozens of court dignitaries' long, stiff, antiquated robes as they brushed over mats leading to the throne room, to the thunder of cannon salutes reverberating through the palace.

• 
  Japanese Emperor Naruhito pledges to fulfil duty at enthronement ceremony

  Reuters
• 
  Japan's New Emperor Is Declaring His Enthronement on Tuesday. Here's What to Know

  Time

This Is the Robot Tank Russia Used in Syria

Key point: Moscow's new tank was supposed to be a leap forward, but it has a lot of problems. In May 2018, the Russian military revealed it had combat-tested its Uran-9 robot tank in Syria. The diminutive remote-control tank is noted for its formidable gun and missile armament.

• 
  Meet the S-8OFP: The Anti-Tank Rocket Russia Has Tested in Syria

  The National Interest
• 
  These 5 Countries Might Want to Buy Russia's New Deadly Armata Tank

  The National Interest