Welcome to Thursday, October 10th, captains and passengers...

Turkish forces have begun carrying out airstrikes in Kurdish-occupied areas of Northern Syria, after U.S. forces in the area were re-positioned elsewhere in Syria.

Kurdish forces have halted anti-ISIS operations to ready their defenses for an anticipated ground invasion by Turkey. Their request for the U.S. and its Western allies to impose a no-fly zone has been denied.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) had released a statement saying the U.S. needs to avoid creating a power vacuum in the region:

“A precipitous withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria would only benefit Russia, Iran, and the Assad regime. And it would increase the risk that ISIS and other terrorist groups regroup. I urge the President to exercise American leadership to keep together our multinational coalition to defeat ISIS and prevent significant conflict between our NATO ally Turkey and our local Syrian counterterrorism partners."

Do you agree with the Trump administration's decision to withdraw troops from Northern Syria?

On the Radar

Who's the whistleblower?

A memo written by the Ukraine whistleblower after a conversation with a “visibly shaken” White House official has been obtained and released by CBS News.

This news comes amid reports that the whistleblower had “some type of professional relationship” with a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate according to testimony by Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson in a closed hearing last week.

Atkinson didn’t disclose the candidate’s identity or clarify whether their working relationship with the whistleblower was in a political or governmental context, as those details could lead to the revelation of the whistleblower’s identity.

The whistleblower's legal team released a statement which read in part:

"First, our client has never worked for or advised a political candidate, campaign, or party. Second, our client has spent their entire government career in apolitical, civil servant positions in the Executive Branch. Third, in these positions our client has come into contact with presidential candidates from both parties in their roles as elected officials – not as candidates."

Do you want to know more about the whistleblower?

Under the Radar

Key Dates on the 2020 Election Calendar

The 2020 election is approaching fast, and there are a lot of key dates to keep track of before Election Day dawns on November 3, 2020.

To help you keep track, we compiled a list of the upcoming debates, primaries, caucuses, and conventions.

Here are some highlights of the evolving calendar:

• February 3, 2020: Iowa Caucuses (Democratic & Republican)
• March 3, 2020: “Super Tuesday” ― Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Vermont Primaries (Democratic & Republican); Virginia and Democrats Abroad Democratic Primaries; American Samoa Democratic Caucus
• November 3, 2020: Election Day

How do you feel about the 2020 elections?

What You're Saying

Here's how you're answering Should Companies Aiding China’s Surveillance & Persecution of Uyghurs in Xinjiang be Sanctioned?