Dec 20 Watch 8:27 Why Iraq’s biblical paradise is becoming a salty wasteland By Jane Ferguson In addition to recovering and rebuilding after a brutal war with ISIS, Iraq is facing a dire water shortage. Levels in the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers have plummeted, in part because neighboring Turkey built a dam upstream that restricts the… Continue watching
Dec 20 Trump announces Defense Secretary Mattis will retire in February By Zeke Miller, Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press The announcement came a day after Trump surprised U.S. allies and members of Congress by announcing the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Syria, and as he continues to consider shrinking the American deployment in Afghanistan. Continue reading
Dec 20 Drones just shut down a busy UK airport, and there’s little to stop them By Kelvin Chan, Associated Press The number of close calls between drones and aircraft has increased dramatically in recent years as the popularity of drones has soared. Continue reading
Dec 20 Yemeni mom overcame travel ban to hold her dying son in U.S. By Julie Watson, Paul Elias, Associated Press After a more than year-long legal battle with the Trump administration for a travel ban waiver, Shaima Swileh arrived Wednesday night to say goodbye to her 2-year-old son Abdullah. Continue reading
Dec 20 Putin claims U.S. actions are raising the threat of nuclear war By Vladimir Isachenkov, Associated Press On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir said that if the U.S. puts intermediate-range missiles in Europe, Russia will be forced to take countermeasures. Continue reading
Dec 20 Can Germany revive its stalled transition to clean energy? By Paul Hockenos, Yale Environment 360 Although Germany has been a global leader in moving to decarbonize its massive economy, the country’s ambitious clean-energy transformation is faltering. Continue reading
Dec 20 AP fact check: Trump prematurely declares victory over Islamic State group By Philip Issa, Associated Press President Donald Trump is declaring victory over the Islamic State group in Syria, but the militants remain a deadly force, and U.S. partners warn a premature U.S. withdrawal will allow them to storm back. Here's a look at the president's… Continue reading
Dec 20 WATCH: Justice Department levies charges against 2 Chinese hackers By Michael Balsamo, Eric Tucker, Associated Press The Justice Department is charging two Chinese citizens with carrying out an extensive hacking campaign to steal data from U.S. companies. Continue reading
Dec 19 Watch 3:12 News Wrap: Outgoing Speaker Ryan laments ‘broken politics’ In our Wednesday news wrap, outgoing Speaker of the House Paul Ryan made his farewell speech in Washington, articulating concerns about what he called America’s “broken politics.” The Wisconsin Republican is retiring after 20 years on the Hill. Plus, Facebook… Continue watching
Dec 19 Watch 10:54 Trump administration to withdraw military forces from Syria President Trump appears to have ordered an immediate withdrawal of troops from Syria, tweeting that the U.S. had “defeated ISIS” there. But the decision contradicts policy advocated by administration officials and lawmakers. Brookings Institution's Gen. John Allen and Amherst College's… Continue watching