1 U.S. Prepares to Withdraw Troops In Deal With Taliban
Could American troops finally be coming home from Afghanistan after 20 years? Maybe. According to “The Washington Post,” the Trump administration is close to a deal with the Taliban that would mean thousands of U.S. troops could be coming home. What would we get – other than our ‘boots’ back? The “Post” reports the Taliban would agree to a cease-fire and renunciation of al-Qaeda as part of the deal to end the 18-year-old conflict. The Taliban would also have to start negotiations with the Afghan government on a peace deal. “I would say that they are 80 or 90 percent of the way there,” says one official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “But there is still a long way to go on that last 10 or 20 percent.” As for how many we might welcome, about four- to six thousand of the 14-thousand troops stationed there. A Taliban spokesman has hedged on how close the deal actually is, but says there is progress. “We are hopeful,” Zabiullah Mujahid tells the “Post.” “Things look promising that there will be a breakthrough. We hope there won’t be any obstacle, but it also depends on the seriousness of the Americans.”
2 U.S. To Impose Additional Tariffs On China Starting September 1st
President Trump is slapping new tariffs on China. Trump says the U.S. will impose an additional 10-percent in tariffs on $300-billion of Chinese goods starting September 1st. He first announced the move on Twitter, saying China defaulted on an agreement to buy large quantities of agricultural products from the U.S. Perhaps ironically, Trump also described this week's trade talks in China as "constructive." He also noted, "we thought we had a deal with China three months ago, but sadly, China tried to re-negotiate the deal prior to signing." Talking with reporters at the White House? Trump doubled down saying China has been taking hundreds of billions of dollars a year from the U.S. He also cracked that he doesn’t care if China stops trading with the US. “It’s time that we change things around,” he quipped. “If they don’t want to trade with us anymore, that would be fine with me.” Thousands of farmers across the country have disagreed with that position saying their businesses are suffering.
3 RFK's Granddaughter Dead At 22 From Overdose
Robert F. Kennedy's granddaughter has been confirmed as the 22-year-old woman who fatally overdosed at the family's Cape Cod compound yesterday. Family friends identified the victim as Saoirse [[ SEAR-sha ]] Kennedy Hill, who was staying at the sprawling Hyannis Port, Massachusetts home of her 91-year-old grandmother, Ethel Kennedy. By the time medics arrived about 2:30pm local time, Saoirse was already in cardiac arrest. She was then taken to Cape Cod Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Saiorse was the daughter of Courtney Kennedy Hill, the fifth of 11 children born to the late New York senator and his wife Ethel. "Saoirse was passionately moved by the causes of human rights and women's empowerment and found great joy in volunteer work, working alongside indigenous communities to build schools in Mexico," the family says in a statement. "We will love her and miss her forever."