US abandoning Kurds in Syria

[Syt]

So this happened:

Jesus. Fucking. Christ.

[Tamas]

Words escape me.

[celedhring]

Holy Christ.

So I guess this is what a 0/0/0 EU4 ruler feels like?

[Syt]

https://twitter.com/marklowen/status/1184745162175635456?s=20

Mark Lowen
@marklowen

#Turkey President's office confirms to @bbcturkce that when President #Erdogan received #Trump's letter, he "thoroughly rejected it, threw it in the bin" and launched the #Syria operation the same day. His mind was already made up to move in; letter was reportedly the final straw

[Syt]

[Syt]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50079639

Trump and Pelosi: The 'meltdown' photo showing Washington divides

A photo of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confronting the President Donald Trump at a reportedly explosive White House meeting has become a symbol of the deep divisions in Washington.

In the image, leading Democrat Ms Pelosi is standing up at a large table, surrounded by male congressional leaders and top military officials, pointing her finger towards the president, who is seated opposite her and appears stunned.

Afterwards, Mr Trump took to his preferred social media platform, Twitter, to share the photo along with the caption: "Nervous Nancy's unhinged meltdown".

Ms Pelosi - who has said it was Mr Trump that had the "meltdown" - hit back by proudly making the image her cover photo on both Twitter and Facebook.

The original tweet by Mr Trump has now been shared more than 24,000 times on Twitter, with scores of people weighing in on what it says about the two top US politicians.

It has spurred debates on everything from gender inequality in politics, to who would be the better president, but at its core are the disagreements over one of the most divisive political issues of the moment.

The Wednesday meeting was held to discuss the situation in northern Syria, where Turkey launched an offensive last week against Kurdish-led forces after the US suddenly withdrew its troops.

Juts before the meeting, the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to condemn the troop withdrawal.

A Democratic source told the Associated Press news agency that the meeting began with Mr Trump bragging about a "nasty" letter he had sent to Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan.

Ms Pelosi is then said to have mentioned the House vote and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer began to read the president a quote from former Defence Secretary James Mattis on the need to keep US troops in Syria to prevent a resurgence of the so-called Islamic State group, known as IS or Isis.

According to US media, Mr Trump cut the Mr Schumer off, complaining that Mr Mattis was "the world's most overrated general".

As the meeting went on, the president is said to have told Ms Pelosi: "I hate Isis more than you do."

When asked by Mr Schumer if his plan was to rely on the Syrians and the Turks, the president said the plan was "to keep the American people safe". Ms Pelosi reportedly told him that this was a goal, not a plan.

Mr Schumer has said the president then called Ms Pelosi a "third-rate" politician. (She later said it was "third-grade".)

At that point, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer reportedly interjected, telling the president that such insults were "not useful".

The Democratic leaders then left the meeting early.

What happened afterwards?

Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Ms Pelosi described it as "most unsatisfactory".

"Two-to-one, the Republicans voted to oppose what he was doing in Syria. He just couldn't handle it so he just kind of engaged in a meltdown," she said.

Mr Schumer said the president had been "insulting, particularly to the speaker".

It was later that Mr Trump took to Twitter with a series of photos from the meeting, including the one of Ms Pelosi standing and pointing.

In a final photo, showing three empty seats following the walk-out, he labelled Ms Pelosi and Mr Schumer the "Do Nothing Democrats".

He then said Ms Pelosi "needs help fast".

"She had a total meltdown in the White House today. It was very sad to watch. Pray for her, she is a very sick person," he wrote.

As the photo went viral, some used the hashtag #BeNancy, urging people to take inspiration from the House speaker, while others siding with the president tweeted #PelosiMeltdown.

[jimmy olsen]

That 4star general next to Trump looks like he's praying for the sweet escape of death.

[celedhring]

It's a great pic. One of those "could be a painting" pics.

[HisMajestyBOB]

So this happened:

Jesus. Fucking. Christ.

That's an early draft. Here's the real one.

[Sheilbh]

Out of interest when do Presidential letters get released in general?

So this letter's been released and confirmed by the White House (), but how long do the other ones remain confidential/classified. In the UK I think it was 30 but is now 20 years and then papers get publicly released by the National Archives.

Because he talks a lot about beautiful letters he receives and sends and now I am curious

[Tamas]

Good point. I mean, if this was something the WH thought good enough to publish, how are the regular ones he sends?

[Syt]

"It was a perfect letter, some say the best letter they've ever seen!"

[mongers]

"It was a perfect letter, some say the best letter they've ever seen!"

He is unravelling faster than I thought.

Will the cabinet/VP have the 'courage' (duty) to step in and replace him?

[Syt]

Disclaimer: I don't know if he said that, I made this up. It just seems likely that he would.

[mongers]

Disclaimer: I don't know if he said that, I made this up. It just seems likely that he would.

But as you say it's as good as, and he'll have definitely thought that and your sentiment and worse will soon appear in his tweets.