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.

• 
  Pentagon chief contradicts Trump and says some US troops will stay in Syria

  The Independent
• 
  Trump Considering Leaving Hundreds Of Troops In Syria After All: Report

  HuffPost

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

Former SS camp guard tells court he's "haunted" by killings

BERLIN (AP) — A 93-year-old German former Stutthof guard on trial in Hamburg on thousands of counts of accessory to murder testified Monday he regrets having served in the Nazi concentration camp. Bruno Dey, a former SS private, told the court that "the images of misery and horror have haunted me my entire life," the German dpa news agency reported. The comments from Dey, in a short statement and in answer to questions from Presiding Judge Anne Meier-Goering, were his first at his trial, which opened last week.

Deep-sea researchers discover second missing Battle of Midway ship

After the recent discovery of a Japanese aircraft carrier that was destroyed in the 1942 Battle of Midway, researchers combing through the deep seas for lost World War II-era warships have found the remains of another craft. Discovered nearly 5,500-metres below the surface in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, roughly 2,000 kilometres from Pearl Harbour, the carrier Akagi was found by a crew using an autonomous underwater vehicle on Sunday morning. Image scans show debris surrounding the vessel on the sea floor.

• 
  Researchers Discover Second Long-Lost Japanese Warship From Historic World War II Battle of Midway

  Meredith Videos
• 
  The Latest: Experts identify WWII Battle of Midway shipwreck

  Associated Press

Hong Kong leader visits mosque struck by blue water-cannon dye

Hong Kong's pro-Beijing leader and the city's police chief apologised Monday as they visited a mosque that was struck with blue dye from a water cannon during the latest bout of violent protests. The entrance to the Kowloon Mosque, the international hub's largest, was sprayed by a water cannon truck on Sunday, causing anger among both local Muslims and protesters. Police use the dye -- often mixed with an irritant -- as a way to identify protesters but it has frequently left streets and buildings daubed in a garish blue.

• 
  Hong Kong firms, lacking riot insurance, pick up pieces from protest damage

  Reuters
• 
  Hong Kong government pledges more aid to battered city, no end in sight to unrest

  Reuters

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

A West Point cadet went missing with an M4 rifle on Friday, officials from the military academy said. Officials said in a press release that the cadet, a member of the class of 2021, is not believed to be a threat to the public, but could be a threat to himself. A cadet at West Point has gone missing with an M4 rifle, officials from the military academy said.

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

  Meredith Videos
• 
  West Point military academy student missing with M4 rifle

  The Independent

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”).

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

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 news: President claims Adam Schiff is an 'informant' while slamming 'phony' Emoluments Clause in rambling Cabinet meeting

  The Independent
• 
  President Trump Is in the Private Hospitality Business, and Business Is Booming in D.C.

  The Daily Beast

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

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.

Philippine police recommend drug charges against ex-chief

Philippine police recommended graft and drug charges against its former chief on Monday over a new scandal that has put President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-narcotics crackdown under the spotlight. The police face allegations some officers are involved in the illegal drugs trade and that they had the protection of former chief Oscar Albayalde. It is the latest controversy to engulf the Philippine police force, which is waging a drug war launched by President Duterte in 2016.

An Air France flight was forced to turn back in midair when staff found an unattended cellphone that wasn't claimed by any of the passengers

An Air France flight made an emergency landing in Ireland after a mobile phone found on board was not claimed by any passengers. The flight, scheduled to fly from Paris to Chicago, was met by the police and fire engines when it landed at Shannon Airport, and the police said they scanned the phone. The phone was deemed safe, and the Irish newspaper The Journal reported that it could have been left by a passenger on a previous flight and gone unnoticed by the cleaning crew.

• 
  American Airlines flight diverted after cleaning fluid spill makes passengers ill

  USA TODAY
• 
  Three people hospitalised by chemical leak on board American Airlines plane

  The Telegraph

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

'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.

Trump news – live: President compares impeachment probe to 'lynching' in explosive rant, as key witness testifies to Congress

Donald Trump has compared the impeachment inquiry surrounding him to “a lynching” in an apparent bid to inflame controversy and distract from Bill Taylor's deposition on Capitol Hill, the US charge d'affaires for Ukraine expected to be asked about his alarming text exchanges with Gordon Sondland and Kurt Volker. So some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights. All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here – a lynching.

• 
  Trump impeachment: Half of Americans want president to be removed from office, poll finds

  The Independent
• 
  Trump’s Comparison of Impeachment to ‘Lynching’ Sparks Fierce Reaction: ‘Vile,’ ‘Disgraceful’

  The Wrap

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.

U.S. soldiers who fought alongside Kurds blast Trump's Syria retreat

Now retired and living in Portland, Oregon, the 66-year-old former Army Special Forces soldier is among legions of U.S. servicemembers with a deep gratitude and respect for Kurdish fighters they served alongside through the Iraq war and, more recently, conflicts with the Islamic State. So he was "furious" when President Donald Trump this month abruptly decided to pull 1,000 U.S. troops from northeast Syria, clearing the way for Turkey to move in on Kurdish-controlled territory. Walker's rage was echoed in Reuters interviews with a half dozen other current and former U.S. soldiers who have served with Kurdish forces.

• 
  Eye Opener: All eyes on Syria as ceasefire comes to an end

  CBS News Videos
• 
  Turkey outlines 'safe zone' plan ahead of key deadline

  AFP

There's a reasonable explanation why this mom saw a 'ghost baby' in her sleeping son's crib

What the "ghost baby" actually turned out to be has everyone laughing—her post on Facebook detailing the incident has been shared more than 290,000 times. It turns out my husband just forgot to put the mattress protector on when he changed the sheets. Turns out, there was no "ghost baby," but instead an image of a cute baby on the label of the mattress.

• 
  Mom freaked out by 'ghost baby' seen in bed with toddler son: 'I barely slept'

  Yahoo Now
• 
  Terrified mum spends night thinking a ghost is in cot with her baby - before discovering husband's mistake

  Yahoo Style UK

Gun control advocate: Pushing mandatory buybacks will hand victory to the NRA, again

He wanted not only to ban the sale of new assault weapons but also to impose a mandatory government buyback of the assault weapons already in private hands. Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California support that idea as well.

School apologizes after photo showing students with cardboard boxes over their heads during exam goes viral

An school in India has issued an apology after a bizarre image of students wearing cardboard boxes on their heads went viral. The images were taken during a chemistry exam at Bhagat Pre-University College in the town of Haveri.

• 
  Cardboard boxes put on pupils’ heads to stop cheating in exams at Indian school

  The Independent
• 
  Photo of college students taking exam with boxes on their heads sparks controversy

  AOL.com

Haiti's dicey prison conditions made worse by crisis

Port-au-Prince (AFP) - With protests rocking the streets, some prison authorities in Haiti have confined inmates to cells that lack showers or toilets, in a country where most detainees are stuck awaiting trial for months or even years. The move is meant to stop protests from breaking out in Haiti's badly overcrowded prisons, but violates the law and risks the health of prisoners, human rights advocates say. "To prevent any kind of riot from the general tension in the country, prison officials decided to keep detainees in their cells without being allowed at least an hour of outdoor time," Marie Rosy Auguste Ducena of the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH) told AFP.