Mitch McConnell Calls Syria Withdrawal ‘Grave Strategic Mistake’

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky. lambasted the Trump administration's decision to withdraw Troops from Syria on Friday, declaring that “America's wars will be 'endless' only if America refuses to win them. In an op-ed published in the Washington Post, McConnell — who said on Thursday that he wanted “a strong, forward-looking strategic statement” — called Trump's withdrawal “a grave strategic mistake” that mirrors “the Obama administration's reckless withdrawal from Iraq, which facilitated the rise of the Islamic State in the first place.

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  Mitch McConnell: Trump's 'Nightmare' Syria Withdrawal Threatens To Bring Terror Home

  HuffPost
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  McConnell slams Trump's Syria withdrawal as 'strategic nightmare'

  AFP

Atomwaffen Division’s Washington State Cell Leader Stripped of Arsenal in U.S., Banned from Canada

Kaleb James Cole, the 24-year-old leader of Atomwaffen Division's Washington State Cell stripped of his firearms by a “red-flag law” late last month, was deported and banned for life from Canada earlier this year, according to court records, which also showed that he had been previously interrogated by American border agents about his extremist views. Cole, a National Socialist black metal enthusiast who goes by the alias “Khimaere,” was first identified as a member of Atomwaffen Division in a 2018 ProPublica investigation. Atomwaffen Division is an underground neo-Nazi guerrilla organization which had 23 chapters throughout the United States as of mid-2018.

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  Kaleb James Cole: Guns seized from suspected neo-Nazi leader over ‘race war’ fears

  The Independent
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  Police seize guns from man believed to be neo-Nazi leader

  Yahoo News Video

Mexico deports 311 Indian nationals in 'unprecedented' move

More than 300 Indian nationals who paid tens of thousands of dollars each trying to get into the United States arrived in New Delhi Friday after an "unprecedented" mass deportation by Mexico. The move, which saw those deported flown back to the capital on a charter flight, follows a deal on illegal migration struck between Mexico and US President Donald Trump in June. The only woman in the group of 311 people, Kamaljit Kaur, 34, told the Press Trust of India news agency she spent 5.3 million rupees ($74,500) for herself, her husband and her son.

The Latest: GM workers to begin contract voting on Saturday

The 49,000 General Motors workers who have been on the picket line since Sept. 16 will begin voting on a tentative four-year contract on Saturday. Factory-level officials from the United Auto Workers union voted to recommend the agreement to members at a daylong meeting in Detroit Thursday. On Wednesday, the company and the UAW reached a deal that would give workers a mix of pay raises, lump sum payments and an $11,000 signing bonus.

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  UAW says GM strike to continue until workers vote on deal

  AFP
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  GM adds labor costs with new UAW deal, but it's a much healthier company today

  Autoblog

Could France and Germany Jointly Build an EU Aircraft Carrier?

While discussing France and Germany's joint development with France of the FCAS sixth-generation stealth fighter in March 2019, the new head of Germany's governing CDU party Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer raised eyebrows with her suggestion of a chaser. As a next step, we could start the symbolic project of building an aircraft carrier to give shape to the role of the European Union as a global force for security and peace. German chancellor Angela Merkel endorsed the idea a few days later.

Next-Gen Dodge Challenger Coming in 2023? Don't Be So Sure, Says Dodge

Muscle Cars and Trucks noticed a 2023-mile odometer reading in press photos of the 2020 Dodge Challenger, which they and others thought could signal that the next generation's release is in 2023. Dodge is a frequent user of teasers to reveal upcoming cars, but a Dodge spokesperson told C/D this is not that. The automaker also reportedly has a track-focused ACR variant of the Challenger in the works.

Moms Demand Action founder says advocacy group is not anti-gun

Moms Demand Action is a grassroots organization advocating for stronger gun control measures, founded as a Facebook group the day after the that took the lives of 26 people, 20 of whom were young children. But while its members advocate for an assault ban, Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts says that it's a "misnomer" to call the group anti-gun. "Often people think that because we're doing this work, we're anti-gun or we don't support the Second Amendment.

Rep. Nunes tries to use Steele dossier to defend Trump during closed-door hearing

During a closed-door impeachment meeting on Capitol Hill, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) brought up a topic that surprised some attendees: the Steele dossier. The context, according to three sources familiar with the episode, was his effort to explain why President Trump might be “upset” about Ukraine.

U.N. Investigates Possible Chemical Weapons Use by Turkish Forces in Syria

United Nations chemical-weapons inspectors announced that they are investigating whether Turkish forces used chemical weapons in their invasion of Syria, the Guardian reported Friday. The Kurds have accused Turkey of using white phosphorous during their recent incursion into northeastern Syria. The organization could not confirm chemical-weapons usage, saying it was “working together with our international partners to investigate this subject.” However, a British chemical-weapons expert who examined a photo of one of the victims said the burns on the victim were likely from a chemical weapon.

Hondurans call for president to step down after drug verdict

Opposition groups called Saturday for continuing protests to demand that Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández be removed from office after his younger brother was convicted of drug trafficking in a New York court. Thousands of Hondurans protested into the early hours of the morning after Juan Antonio "Tony" Hernández was convicted Friday in what U.S. prosecutors described as a conspiracy that relied on "state-sponsored drug trafficking." Protesters blocked key roads in half of the country's 18 provinces, setting barricades ablaze, while some took advantage of the disturbances to loot stores.

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  Honduras President’s Brother Convicted in Drug-Conspiracy Case

  The Wall Street Journal
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  The Latest: Honduran leader's brother to appeal drug verdict

  Associated Press

High-profile cases turn spotlight on domestic violence in Russia

Natalia Tunikova's partner pushed her towards the open balcony in their high-rise Moscow flat, before punching her to the floor. Cases like Tunikova's are ever more widely reported in Russia, leading to a public outcry in a country that has no specific law on domestic violence and where feminist movements like #MeToo had little impact. This summer, a case against three teenage sisters who killed their father after what lawyers say was years of beatings and sexual abuse made national and global headlines.

Clever-Approved Travel Gear That Looks Good and Works Even Better

Travel in style, no matter how you're getting there Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Why Did 3 U.S. Navy Submarines Surface In The Pacific In 2010? China.

Nuclear powers rarely go to war with each other, but that doesn't mean they don't threaten to do so. Long-range heavy bombers are some of the best forces for crisis stability, Morgan wrote in a 2013 study for the U.S. Air Force. On the other hand, the U.S. Navy's submarine-launched cruise missiles are less effective — even counterproductive — for crisis stability … because they're invisible most of the time.

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  China's Nightmare: What Would Happen If America Wanted To Sell Nuclear Submarines?

  The National Interest
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  Russia's Amazing Mike-Class Submarine Broke World Records (And Paid The Ultimate Price)

  The National Interest

Prince William and wife Kate leave Pakistan, day after aborted flight

Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate left Pakistan on Friday after visiting an army dog training school, a day after a severe thunderstorm forced them to change their schedule and stay the night in Lahore. A planned visit to a Pakistani military post in the Khyber region on Friday morning was cancelled because of the change in their schedule, but the prince said learning about the security situation in the country was an objective of the visit. "What happens here in Pakistan directly correlates to what happens on the streets of the UK," William told British media after he and Kate saw dogs that are trained to sniff out explosives.

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  Kate Middleton gives first TV interview since becoming a royal

  Yahoo TV
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  5 of Kate Middleton's Most Controversial Outfits, Ranked

  Who What Wear

House GOP Leader Praises Mark Zuckerberg for Political Ads Policy

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, said he appreciated Zuckerberg's comments on Thursday that policing political speech would be undemocratic. “The idea of banning speech you might not like is nonsense, but sadly the mindset is creeping into places like college campuses and our presidential campaign platforms,” McCarthy told reporters.

The Endgame in Syria

The slaughter going on in Syria is not a consequence of American presence. It's a consequence of a withdrawal and a betrayal by this president of American allies and American values. Pete Buttigieg, October 15 Mr. Mayor has a point.

Lebanon's Nasrallah says he's against government resignation

Lebanon's influential Hezbollah leader said Saturday he is against the government's resignation as nationwide protests gained momentum on their third day, calling for the removal of the country's political elite. Hassan Nasrallah said the current unity government should instead bring "a new spirit" to tackling the economic crisis fueling the demonstrations. His televised speech did nothing to soothe protesters in the streets, who included Nasrallah in their chants listing senior figures they blame for corruption and mismanagement.

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  Rare mass protests in Lebanon after ailing government tries to tax WhatsApp calls

  The Telegraph
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  Thousands take to Lebanon's streets in third day of anti-government protests

  Reuters

'Powderkeg' in Germany amid Turks-Kurds conflict

Syrian Kurd Mohamed Zidik, 76, still buys his bread and baklavas from Turkish neighbours in Berlin, but he knows better than to expound on his views about Ankara's offensive in his hometown. Since Turkish forces launched their assault on Kurds in northeastern Syria, tensions have risen in Germany where millions of Turks and Kurds live side by side. Shops have been trashed, knife attacks reported and insults traded, prompting Germany's integration commissioner Annette Widmann-Mauz to call for restraint.

The Chicago teachers' strike shows how to go on offense against neoliberalism

Seven years ago, Rahm Emanuel had just been elected mayor and was looking to deal the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), who he saw as a barrier to privatizing the city's education system, a crushing defeat. That agenda was shared by both Republicans and Democrats across the country, with a barrage of attacks on teachers' unions, devastating budget cuts to schools and charter school networks – intended to undercut public schools and do an end run around their unions – rapidly multiplying.

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  Chicago Teachers Strike: Thousands of teachers take to picket lines for 2nd day Friday; CPS classes remain canceled

  WLS – Chicago
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  Chicago teachers, district joust over 'sticking points' on 2nd day of strike

  Reuters

Russia's Stealth Su-57 Is a Beast, But Can Russia Afford It?

Key point: The Su-57 is may not fundamentally change Russia's military strategy. The Russian defense ministry staged an impressive video shoot with four of its Su-57 stealth fighter prototypes. But the dramatic display doesn't make the Su-57 any more relevant.