1 Trump: Ceasefire On Syria-Turkey Border Will Become Permanent
President Trump says Turkey has agreed to make the ceasefire on the Syria-Turkish border permanent. Speaking at the White House yesterday, Trump also announced that U.S. sanctions against Turkey are being lifted. And while he reserved the right to reimpose sanctions, if necessary – he also cheered the agreement which he says will make the volatile region more stable. Along the way, he defended his recent decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria, a move that prompted fierce, bipartisan criticism in Congress. He offered, "Let someone else fight over this long-bloodstained sand." A number of lawmakers are responding to the news...including Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, who says he’s hopeful that the permanent ceasefire will hold. Still, Graham adds, Syria, Russia and Turkey “cannot be trusted to protect the United States from ISIS.” He added that without U.S. troops in Syria, the fight against ISIS will continue as they are likely to return to the region.
2 House Republicans Storm Into Impeachment Deposition
Frustrations are growing among House Republicans about the impeachment inquiry. And days after President Trump urged his GOP compadres to “get tougher,” apparently they are. A large group of Republicans – more than 40 – stormed into the secure room where depositions are being heard yesterday. Before and during the “invasion,” they loudly complained that Democrats are leading a secretive impeachment investigation. Only members of three House committees that are conducting the inquiry – Democrats and Republicans – are allowed to take part in the depositions. Public hearings are expected to start once the private depositions are completed. Meanwhile... a federal judge is ordering the State Department to turn over its Ukraine-related records. That includes any communications between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper is giving the department 30 days to hand over any records that relate to Trump's discussions with Ukraine about investigating former Vice President Joe Biden, Hunter Biden and a debunked conspiracy theory about the 2016 election. The ruling will likely be appealed.
3 500-Thousand In Darkness As CA Blackouts Continue
The lights are out in California this morning as PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) continues shutting down power to some communities in Northern California. At last check, about half a million customers in 17 northern and central counties are affected. But that’s not the worst part – more blackouts could happen in at least seven southern counties as well. SoCal Edison is warning that 750-thousand customers should be prepared for outages today and Friday. As we told you before, all this because a combination of dry, windy and hot weather is increasing the fire danger.