1 Suicide Bombing In Syria Kills 19, Including Four Americans
Officials have confirmed that four Americans – including two servicemembers – are among the 19 people killed in a suicide bombing in Syria yesterday. It's the first such attack on U.S. forces since President Trump announced he would withdraw American troops from Syria. While those killed haven’t been identified, the United States Central Command confirmed two soldiers, a civilian and a military contractor were killed and three other troops were wounded. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the incident To review, the U.S. has about two-thousand troops still in Syria, though Trump has ordered a withdrawal, which is expected to be completed within four months.
2 Trump Signs Bill Giving Affected Govt Workers Back Pay After Shutdown
Affected government employees will be getting back pay after the partial government shutdown is over. This, as President Trump signed a bill with that guarantee at the White House yesterday. The now 27-day shutdown is in its fourth week and there is no end in sight. One-quarter of the government is affected. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said President Trump is willing to negotiate, but he won't negotiate with himself, which is essentially what he’s doing as the Democrats that met with him yesterday are lower ranking folks – not leadership. Meanwhile, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are expected to cancel their recess next week if the shutdown continues. House Democrats says they’d likely be in session for at least part of the scheduled Martin Luther King Jr. break if the shutdown drags on. Sources say House Republicans are expected to follow suit. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that the Senate will not be in recess next week if the government is shut down.
3 Pelosi Asks Trump To Delay State Of Union Address
In what many are calling “power move,” Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is asking President Trump to reschedule his State of the Union address. In a letter to Trump, Pelosi said the annual speech should be delayed until after the partial government shutdown is resolved. The address is supposed to happen on January 29th – and Pelosi said it should either be rescheduled or submitted in writing to members of Congress. She cited security concerns, related to the government shutdown. Here’s what’s interesting – and something you may not know. As Dr. Kevin Gutzman, author and Professor of History at Western Connecticut State University, points out, the notion of an “in writing” address isn’t so crazy. Back in 1801, Thomas Jefferson felt that the pomp and ceremony surrounding the in-person State of the Union messages of his two predecessors' smacked of monarchy…so he initiated a tradition of delivering the address as a written message. This tradition continued until 1913, when Woodrow Wilson – and advocate of throwing over the US Constitution in favor of a frankly British model of government – reverted to the old practice.