Assad is Gone, But Troubles Remain
Plus: Ro Khanna Wants Musk to Disclose His Finances
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BILL KRISTOL, ANDREW EGGER & CATHY YOUNG: By All Means, Jail My Colleagues, Mr. President!
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WILL SELBER: Assad Is Gone, But Syria’s Troubles Remain
THE ASSAD REGIME’S HALF-CENTURY reign of terror over Syria came to an end Sunday when Bashar al-Assad fled to the arms of his patron, Russia. The anti-Assad forces, led by Hay’at Tahir al-Sham (HTS), a radical Sunni Islamic terror group with deep ties to al Qaeda and the Islamic State, appeared to take control of the government. The Taliban have already congratulated their HTS brethren.
It’s anyone’s guess who will wind up controlling Syria. As of Sunday, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, which has extensive links to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, was fighting U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which fields an irregular army filled with Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) combat veterans. The PKK is an officially designated terrorist group. Yes, you read that correctly. Two NATO members (Turkey and the United States) are conducting a proxy war against each other, and the United States is, in effect, sponsoring people it considers terrorists. It’s a very confusing battlefield, to say the least.
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SAM STEIN: Ro Khanna Wants Musk to Disclose His Finances
NO CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRAT has been as willing to accept and oblige Elon Musk in his MAGA turn as Rep. Ro Khanna.
The Californian, whose district includes Silicon Valley, has encouraged his fellow party members not to decamp from Musk’s platform, X. He’s praised Musk as a disruptive force for good in the electric vehicle and space industries. And he’s spoken about his desire to work collaboratively with Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” as it looks to slash $2 trillion from government expenditures.
🚨OVERTIME🚨
Happy Wednesday! Well, the wait is over!
The NYT Dealbook Summit… As previewed on The Next Level last week, the audio and video of Sarah’s appearance on the 9-person 90 minute panel are up. Can’t stand to listen to Kevin McCarthy? This former House staffer won’t blame you: here’s a transcript.
But, if you’re short on time, enjoy a montage:
"You're okay, you're okay." CNN’s Clarissa Ward came across a Syrian prisoner in a secret prison, and informs him the Assad regime is no more. Powerful stuff.
Clashes are coming for Trump administration officials… at DC restaurants.(Washingtonian)
Congratulations are in order… For Tom Hamilton, the longtime voice of the Cleveland Indians and Guardians, on winning the Ford C. Frick award, bringing him to Cooperstown. Watching his acceptance video, I quickly realized that boy, it sure is dusty here in the Cincinnati bureau. If you’re not familiar with Hammy’s dulcet tones, boy are you in for a treat.
A Strange Trip… to John Hinckley’s Nonexistent Record Store (Washingtonian)
In local news… four arrests were made in the arson that critically damaged the Big Mac Bridge. (WLWT)
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