Monday Sunrise Briefs: Another whistleblower, US leaves Syria
U.S. troops seen withdrawing from positions along the Turkey's border in northeast Syria, Monday, Oct. 7, 2019.
Photo by Hawar News Agency (ANHA) via AP
Another whistleblower, more facts?
The credibility of the allegations against President Trump may be strengthened by the emergence of a second whistleblower who can corroborate what's in the first whistleblower complaint, said听attorney Mark Zaid, who represents both whistleblowers. The second whistleblower was identified as a member of the U.S. intelligence community with "first-hand knowledge" of key events. On Saturday, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, became the third Republican senator to criticize the president's request that China investigate a political rival, saying "it's completely inappropriate." While Mr. Trump doesn't like having impeachment on his resume, he says that it will , reports Axios.
2. U.S. abandons Kurds in Syria. As Turkey prepares a major military offensive into northern Syria to clear out听US-backed Kurdish militia - the People's Protection Units (YPG) - about 1,100 U.S. troops began to withdraw Monday. In a major policy shift, the White House issued a statement late Sunday saying:听"The United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in the [Turkish] operation, and United States forces, having defeated the ISIS territorial 'Caliphate,' will no longer be in the immediate area."听 Kurdish forces say the U.S. has betrayed an ally. Turkey considers YPG听a terrorist group affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought the Turkish state for more than three decades.听
Why We Wrote This
Good morning! Welcome to your Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, sunrise briefing.
Here are four news events from this past weekend (while you were hot air ballooning, canoeing, and enjoying an offline life). Also, what to look for in the news coming this week.
3. Fed up with corruption in Iraq.听For six days now, violent protests have swept Iraq. Religious leaders have called for calm. But the lack of trust in the political system is evidenced by attacks on听more than 50 public buildings and eight political party headquarters. The official tally: 104 people killed, including eight members of the security forces, and more than 6,000 wounded.听On Saturday, the prime minister offered a plan to address protesters' concerns, including听paying out unemployment benefits, ending cash payments to contractors, and providing subsidized housing for low-income groups. But calls for new elections are growing, and some politicians are now lining up behind the street protesters.听
4. Challenging celibacy.听Pope Francis appealed to conservatives on Sunday not to be bound by tradition as he opened a three-week assembly of bishops to discuss the future of the Roman听Catholic听Church in the Amazon. The most contentious issue: allowing priests to marry.听"...if we spend our days content that 'this is the way things have always been done', then the gift vanishes, smothered by the ashes of fear and concern for defending the status quo," the Pope said.听Ending celibacy is seen as a controversial solution to the shortage of priests. Critics听fear it would spread to the entire church. Separately, Pope Francis听added 13 new cardinals, elevating clergy who share his views at a time when his pontificate is under fire from conservatives.听
听
Look ahead
Monday, Oct. 7
Nobel achievements:听The Nobel Prizes are awarded this week, starting with prizes for physiology or medicine on Monday. The prize for physics is Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday, and literature (2018 and 2019) on Thursday.听听
Tuesday, Oct. 8
Gender justice: Does the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 (outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin)听cover LGBTQ rights? The U.S. Supreme Court goes back to work and is scheduled to hear arguments in three cases dealing with gay and transgender rights.听
Impeachment inquiry: Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union who has become a key figure in the probe, is expected to be appear before House committees investigating the Ukraine affair.听
Day of Atonement: Yom Kippur听begins at sundown. This holiday is considered the most important date on the Jewish calendar. The central themes are repentance and forgiveness.
Friday, Oct. 11
Champions for Peace: The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner is to be announced Friday. Some have been nominated. The 2018 winners were Denis Mukwege of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nadia Murad of Iraq "for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict."
Loyal to what?听Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch was abruptly removed in May. Was it because she resisted efforts to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden? She is scheduled to testify on Friday before three House committees involved in the impeachment inquiry.听
Generosity Watch
Lift a car, help a neighbor. If a car is going to fall off a jack on top of your husband, you鈥檇 want a 225-pound offensive lineman - with a willing heart - as your neighbor. Sixteen-year old Zac Clark and his mom, Lora, of Butler, Ohio, were doing yard work on Sept. 22 when . They ran next door and found their neighbor crushed under a Volkswagen Passat. Zac lifted the front of the 3,000-pound vehicle just enough so that Zac鈥檚 mom and the neighbor鈥檚 wife could pull him out. Zac鈥檚 neighbor is at home recovering from his injuries." for letting me be able to do that, " Zac told Fox 8 News in Cleveland. 鈥淢y husband and I raised our boys to be kind to one another and ," Mrs. Clark told CNN.
Hidden gem
Start your week with a recent story that inspired Monitor editors and readers:
A Muslim woman comic walks into a bar: Changing perceptions through jokes
Sneak preview
In tonight鈥檚 Daily Edition, watch for our story about U.S. black women taking the mayoral reins in record numbers.
Finally, the Monitor鈥檚听five best stories听in Friday鈥檚 subscription-only Daily Edition:
- How impeachment is playing in one swing district
- A rapper鈥檚 quest to be president
- Dictator: deposed. Democracy: check. But what about jobs?
- Do disturbing stories have a place in today鈥檚 unsettling world?
- Decline of the enforcers: How hockey skated away from fights
This is a beta test. This is an experiment with an early Monday morning news update. Please give us your feedback via the link below and let us know what you think. Thank you!