ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

December 21, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) --- East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a  variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Trump administration plans to pull U.S. troops out of Syria immediately   (Washington Post)
• Mattis resigns after clash with Trump over Syria withdrawal (The Hill)
• Anger, confusion greet Trump decision on Syria (The Hill)
• Pelosi draws link between Flynn, Trump decision on Syria (The Hill)
• Judge to Flynn: ‘Arguably, you sold your country out’ (The Hill)
• More migrant kids held in mass shelters, AP investigation finds (Associated Press)
• Controversial ruling on health-care law could face a skeptical Supreme Court — if it gets there (Washington Post)
• Russians targeted Mueller on social media, says report prepared for Senate (Washington Post)
• Fox News’ Napolitano Says Trump is an ‘Unindicted Co-Conspirator’: ‘Ample Evidence’ to Indict POTUS (Media ITE)
• Trump signed letter of intent for Trump Tower Moscow project despite Giuliani insisting he didn't (CNN)
• Honduran mom and children in viral tear gas photo allowed entry to U.S. (10 News)
• TIME's Person of the Year: The guardians and the war on truth  (Time)

WORLD

• Judge strikes down bulk of Trump’s asylum policy (The Hill)
• Chaos on French highways as 'yellow vests' torch toll booths (Reuters)
• Egypt’s silent epidemic of kidnapped Christian girls  (JPOST)
• Blast smashes windows, wrecks offices at Greece's SKAI TV in 'attack on democracy' (Reuters)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

U.S.

Trump administration plans to pull U.S. troops out of Syria immediately, officials say (Washington Post)

The Trump administration is planning to pull all U.S. troops out of Syria, a defense official said Wednesday, as President Trump declared victory over the Islamic State…But U.S. troops, working alongside Syrian partner forces, have struggled to eradicate remaining pockets of militants in central Syria. A rapid American withdrawal could allow the militants to regain strength. “The decision, even before ISIS is defeated on the battlefield, is tempting a massive resurgence of ISIS by the end of this year,” said Nicholas Heras of the Center for a New American Security.

Mattis resigns after clash with Trump over Syria withdrawal

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday after a clash with President Trump over the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, saying in a parting letter that the president deserved someone atop the Pentagon who is “better aligned” with his views.

The retired Marine general’s surprise resignation came a day after Trump overruled his advisers, including Mattis, and shocked American allies by announcing the pullout. In the process, Trump declared victory over the Islamic State, even though the Pentagon and State Department for months have been saying the fight against the group in Syria is not over.  

Anger, confusion greet Trump decision on Syria (The Hill)

Senate Republicans uncharacteristically lashed out at President Trump on Wednesday for announcing a sudden and immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, a decision that came without consulting Congress and seemed to catch the Pentagon off guard. Several lawmakers said Congress received no advance notice of Trump’s announcement, leaving them fuming and scratching their heads. “I don’t know what they’ve done, but this is chaos,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a staunch Trump ally and Armed Services Committee member, told reporters, adding that he planned to discuss the matter with Defense Secretary James Mattis.

Pelosi draws link between Flynn, Trump decision on Syria (The Hill)

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday criticized President Trump's decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, and raised concerns that the timing of the announcement coincided with new developments in the legal proceedings for former national security adviser Michael Flynn…"All Americans should be concerned that this hasty announcement was made on the day after sentencing in criminal proceedings began against the President’s former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who admitted that he was a registered foreign agent for a country with clear interests in the Syrian conflict," she added.

Judge to Flynn: ‘Arguably, you sold your country out’ (The Hill)

The judge at former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s sentencing hearing has given the former Trump Cabinet member a scolding, saying that lying to the FBI is a “very serious offense.” U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan also said…All along, you were an unregistered agent of a foreign country while serving as the national security adviser to the president of the United States…Arguably, that undermines everything this flag over here stands for. Arguably, you sold your country out. “I’m not hiding my disgust, my distain, for this criminal offense,”

More migrant kids held in mass shelters, AP investigation finds (Associated Press)

Decades after the U.S. stopped institutionalizing kids because large and crowded orphanages were causing lasting trauma, it is happening again. The federal government has placed most of the 14,300 migrant toddlers, children and teens in its care in detention centers and residential facilities packed with hundreds, or thousands, of children.

Controversial ruling on health-care law could face a skeptical Supreme Court — if it gets there (Washington Post)

Even with President Trump’s appointees to the high court, the majority that twice upheld the Affordable Care Act remains in place.

Russians targeted Mueller on social media, says report prepared for Senate (Washington Post)

Having worked to help get President Trump into the White House, Russian operatives turned their efforts to neutralizing the biggest threat to his staying there, according to a new report, and unloaded on special counsel Robert S. Mueller III via fake accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and beyond.

Fox News’ Napolitano Says Trump is an ‘Unindicted Co-Conspirator’: ‘Ample Evidence’ to Indict POTUS (Media ITE)

Judge Andrew Napolitano says President Donald Trump could face a “doomsday” over the various investigations surrounding him. The Fox News senior judicial analyst gave an interview on Fox News earlier Monday in which he rebuked Rudy Giuliani for saying that Robert Mueller will never be allowed to interview the president. Hours later, he doubled down when he joined Fox News anchor Shepard Smith and said Trump could end up getting indicted over his most recent legal woes.

Trump signed letter of intent for Trump Tower Moscow project despite Giuliani insisting he didn't (CNN)

A newly obtained document shows President Donald Trump signed a letter of intent to move forward with negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Russia, despite his attorney Rudy Giuliani claiming on Sunday the document was never signed.

Honduran mom and children in viral tear gas photo allowed entry to U.S. (10 news)

Maria Lila Meza Castro -- the mother photographed running with her children away from tear gas at the US-Mexico Border in November -- was permitted into the US late Monday night, Sandra Cordero with Families Belong Together told CNN.

TIME's Person of the Year: The guardians and the war on truth  (Time)

The stout man with the gray goatee and the gentle demeanor dared to disagree with his country’s government. He told the world the truth about its brutality toward those who would speak out. And he was murdered for it. Every detail of Jamal Khashoggi’s killing made it a sensation: the time stamp on the surveillance video that captured the Saudi journalist entering his country’s Istanbul consulate on Oct. 2; the taxiway images of the private jets bearing his assassins; the bone saw; the reports of his final words, “I can’t breathe,” recorded on audio as the life was choked from him.

WORLD

Judge strikes down bulk of Trump’s asylum policy (The Hill)

A federal judge on Wednesday struck down most of the policies former Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued that made it almost impossible for victims of domestic and gang violence to seek asylum. Judge Emmet Sullivan, on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said the policies, which created a stricter test to satisfy the “credible fear” standard for asylum claims, were unlawful. He also ordered the government to return to the United States the plaintiffs who were unlawfully deported under the policy.

Chaos on French highways as 'yellow vests' torch toll booths (Reuters)

French "yellow vest" protesters caused transport chaos on Tuesday after occupying highway toll booths and setting some of them on fire.

Egypt’s silent epidemic of kidnapped Christian girls  (JPOST)

 Christian women in Egypt face an epidemic of kidnapping, rape, beatings and torture.

Blast smashes windows, wrecks offices at Greece's SKAI TV in 'attack on democracy' (Reuters)

A powerful blast smashed windows and wrecked offices at Greece's SKAI TV in Athens on Monday in what officials called an attack on democracy. No one was injured.