TRUMP - The Betrayal

For the first time that I can remember (I'm 74) I witnessed an American President betray an ally and the American people.  In 2018 Trump promised the Kurds we would protect them if they fought ISIS as our ally.  Trump has absolutely no honer.

"As U.S. departs Syria, Kurds join Assad regime to fight a NATO ally" PBS NewsHour 10/14/2019

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SUMMARY:  In the days since the announced withdrawal of U.S. troops from northern Syria, the country’s map is being redrawn.  Both Turkey and the Russia-backed Syrian regime made territorial advances, and U.S.-partner Syrian Democratic Forces turned to Damascus for support.  As a result, an estimated 130,000 civilians have fled their homes, and imprisoned ISIS fighters have escaped.  Nick Schifrin reports.

"What Trump’s Syria withdrawal means for the Kurds, Russia and American allies" PBS NewsHour 10/14/2019

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SUMMARY:  President Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from northern Syria has profound implications for stability both within Syria and throughout the Middle East.  Nick Schifrin talks to the University of Oklahoma’s Joshua Landis and career diplomat Ted Kattouf of Amideast about how Trump has handled the move and what it means for Syrian Kurds, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other U.S. allies.

"This Syrian city embodies the consequences of Trump’s decision" PBS NewsHour 10/15/2019

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SUMMARY:  In 2012, the Syrian city of Manbij joined nation-wide protests.  In 2014, those Syrian rebels lost the city to the Islamic State group.  In 2016, the U.S. fought back with the help of Kurdish forces, liberating the city.  In 2018, U.S. troops arrived to help stabilize Manbij as it recovered.  But last week the U.S. started to withdraw, and a free-for-all began.  Nick Schifrin reports.

"Turkish ambassador to U.S. disputes that Erdogan agreed to a ‘cease-fire’" PBS NewsHour 10/17/2019

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SUMMARY:  Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Thursday about Turkey’s military offensive in northern Syria.  They agreed to a five-day pause in the operation, but disagreed about whether or not it constitutes a "cease-fire."  Judy Woodruff reports and sits down with Serdar Kilic, Turkish ambassador to the U.S., to discuss.

"Fighting abates in northern Syria, but political and humanitarian crises endure" PBS NewsHour 10/18/2019

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SUMMARY:  The battleground in northeastern Syria appears to be quieting, after a cease-fire between Turkish forces and Kurdish fighters got off to a rocky start.  But will Turkey keep its word -- and was the U.S. pullout from the region appropriate?  President Trump's decision to withdraw troops has drawn bipartisan condemnation, with Sen. Mitch McConnell calling it a “grave mistake.”  Amna Nawaz reports.

"U.S. troops, Kurdish fighters to leave Syrian border region" PBS NewsHour 10/20/2019

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SUMMARY:  As Kurdish fighters evacuated areas of Syria near the Turkish border on Sunday, a U.S. official said American forces in the region will be redeployed to Iraq to conduct operations against the Islamic State.  Those developments came as Lebanon’s prime minister agreed to reforms amid widespread protests.  Associated Press reporter Sarah El Deeb joins Alison Stewart from Beirut to discuss.