Welcome to Monday, October 14th, Columbus Dayers and Indigenous Peoples' Dayers...

The U.S. has ordered 1,000 troops relocated from northeastern Syria as Turkish forces continue to pound Kurdish fighters in the region.

"In the last 24 hours, we learned that [Turkish forces] likely intend to expand their attack farther south than originally planned, and to the west," Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

"We also have learned the last 24 hours that the Kurdish forces, the SDF, are looking to cut a deal with the Syrians and the Russians to counterattack against the Turks in the north. So we find ourselves, as we have American forces likely caught between two opposing, advancing armies and it's a very untenable situation."

President Donald Trump has faced bipartisan backlash over his decision to pull back troops from northern Syria.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said during a press conference Sunday that Congressional Democrats will introduce a resolution urging Trump to reverse his decision.

"We will be putting on the floor of the Senate and the House ... a joint resolution that urges the president to undo his decision to do everything he can to protect the Kurds, to do everything that we must do to prevent ISIS terrorists from escaping, and make sure that Turkey respects existing agreements related to Syria and with the United States," Schumer said. 

Do you support withdrawing troops from Northern Syria?

On the Radar

Is Your Employer Supporting Chinese Censorship?

China’s biggest export of late seems to be censorship.

The Chinese Communist Party does not want the world discussing the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong or Beijing's human rights abuses. And the message to foreign companies hoping to tap into the Chinese market – and its 1.4 billion consumers - is clear: Watch what you say if you want to peddle your goods here.

Here, we list how various companies have capitulated to China’s demands. Is your employer supporting Chinese censorship? Have you been told not to comment or post about the protests in Hong Kong? We want to hear about it.

Here's some of the U.S. companies self-censoring to appease China:

• Activision Blizzard suspended an e-sports athlete (and fined him and banned him for 12 months) for saying “liberate Hong Kong.” This was a reference to the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, which are a censor-button issue for the Communist Chinese government.
• Google deleted a game about the Hong Kong protests from its Google Play store. 
• Apple censors the Taiwan flag emoji in iOS in Hong Kong. The company also removed a Hong Kong protest map from its App store.

What do you think of companies self-censoring to appease China?

Congress Given Green Light to Seek Trump's Taxes

A federal appeals court has rejected President Trump's bid to block the House from accessing his tax returns.

The House Oversight Committee had subpoenaed accounting firm Mazars in April. Trump had sued to keep his returns private.

“Contrary to the President’s arguments, the Committee possesses authority under both the House Rules and the Constitution to issue the subpoena, and Mazars must comply,” Judge David Tatel wrote in the 2-1 decision.

Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the Democratic chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said the ruling was a “fundamental and resounding victory for Congressional oversight, our Constitutional system of checks and balances, and the rule of law.”

Lawyers for the president can appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Should Trump be allowed to block access to his tax returns?

Under the Radar

Passing USMCA

Mexican President Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to pass the North American trade deal known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

Obrador spoke positively of the deal, which was ratified by his country earlier this year and will likely be implemented by Canada next year, amid concerns that Congress will fail to pass the trade deal because of the focus on an impeachment inquiry targeting Trump.

“There’s agreement, and I took the opportunity Mrs. Pelosi a letter explaining that it’s in the interest of the three peoples, the three nations, that this deal is approved,” Obrador said at a press conference.

Pelosi and Democrats have expressed reservations about the enforcement of labor and workplace standards in Mexico, and a delegation including Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) visited Obrador earlier this week to discuss labor reforms. The USMCA’s implementing legislation hasn’t been introduced yet in Congress as the Trump administration waits for Pelosi’s sign off, but once the implementation bill is introduced it can be considered under the so-called “fast-track.”

Do you want Congress to pass the USMCA?

What You're Saying

Here are some of your thoughts on Prohibiting U.S. Aid From Rebuilding Parts of Syria Controlled by Assad