NEWS SUMMARY AT THIS HOUR-TUESDAY
(UPDATES, EDITS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 530AM)
Good Morning, President Trump has tweeted his opposition to a Syrian government offensive against opposition forces in the country's north including Al-Qaeda and Islamic State elements.
A full roundup on the whole regional situation from Israel to Iran but first other news.
Tropical Storm Gordon is moving across the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before it hits the northern Gulf coast early Wednesday.
At 5am the center was 230 miles east southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Top winds at 65 miles per hour with Gordon expected to be a hurricane when it makes landfall early tomorrow morning.
A Hurricane Warning is in effect along the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf coast.
Argentina's Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne is coming to Washington today to meet officials of the International Monetary Fund amid an economic crisis in the country that includes a 30 percent inflation rate this year.
Argentina will impose taxes on products exported from the county beginning January 1st and abolish half of the ministries in the government in a bid to halt inflation and the slide of its currency.
These measures will bring the county into compliance with the International Monetary Fund's requirements for a 50 billion dollar loan.
President Mauricio Macri said the county will have a balanced budget by next year.
Macri had stopped taxes on exported products in 2015 when he took office and his announcement reverses his reversal of the tax imposed by the former leftist President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the nuclear deal with Iran brought Israel 'closer to the Arab world' Ynet News quoted Netanyahu as he shared a New Year's toast with Foreign Ministry employees. He said there is a gradual process underway of "normalization of relations with major Arab countries."
To Syria now where the Syrian government is planning to launch an offensive against opposition forces in the north including Al Qaeda jihadists backed by Saudi Arabia and other Arab states. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that the "terrorists" must be wiped out in the northern province of Idlib including Islamic State elements.
But President Trump tweeted Monday at 6pm Eastern against the planned government offensive in Syria's northern Idlib Province and said it would be wrong for Russia and Iran to make what he called "a grave humanitarian mistake". The President said in part: "President Bashar Al-Assad must not recklessly attack.....hundreds of thousands could be killed. Don't let that happen."
United States UN Ambassador Nikki Haley tweeted Monday evening: "All eyes on the actions of Assad, Russia and Iran in Idlib . #NoChemicalWeapons". Russia has warned that British intelligence and jihadists are planning a false flag chemical attack in northern Syria to justify US and allied military action against Syria.
Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told the "Russia 24" television channel that opposition forces who tried to carry out an attack in Palmyra, Syria recently were trained by the United States.
Muallem said: "their attack failed as two of the attackers were caught and confessed to having been trained at the Al-Tanf base under the command of the US military".
The Syrian Foreign Minister also says that the United States coddling of Israel's interests prolongs the crisis in Syria. Muallem added that the US is prolonging a return to normalcy in Syria which he hopes can happen soon.
(LINK TO THIS STORY FROM RUSSIAN NEWS AGENCY TASS-LINK HERE)
Meanwhile, Israeli military reporter Amos Harel of "Haaretz" has written an analysis saying Israel is signaling an end to a lull in military action in Syria. Harel says attacks could deviate from any previous understandings with Russia.
On Friday a summit meeting involving Russia, Iran and Turkey will be held in Iran's capital of Tehran. Syria will be at the top of the agenda.
The Russian news agency Tass reports that there will be a meeting on the sidelines involving Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan.
25 Russian warships and 30 aircraft are conducting military maneuvers in the northeastern Mediterranean Sea near Syria through Saturday while a pro-government Turkish newspaper "Yeni Safak" says Turkey is sending additional warships to reinforce the ten it already has in the area near Syria. The newspaper said that Turkey has objected to a northern Syria offensive in the past.
Controversial football player Colin Kaepernick is fronting an ad campaign for Nike. Kaepernick is featured in a campaign called "Just Do It" to celebrate the company's 30th Anniversary.
Kaepernick was playing for the San Francisco 49ers in 2016 when he kneeled for the national anthem at an NFL game in protest over killings of African-American men by police.
Meanwhile Kaepernick's grievance against the NFL will heard by an arbitrator. He is a free agent now who hasn't been picked up by any NFL team.
Germany's main opposition party, the Alternative for Germany, is disbanding its youth groups in two German states after it was revealed that the government's domestic intelligence agency is spying on them.
AfD politician Andreas Kalbitz says: "....we're seeing the desire of an abuse of power unmatched in reunified Germany."
And back home in Washington today confirmation hearings begin for President Trump's second Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
Political drama is expected with Democrats trashing Kavanaugh and Republicans defending him at the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The notion is that Kavanaugh is a very extreme Conservative if you're a Democrat and that he's a principled judge if you're a Republican.
Democrat Doug Gansler, Maryland's former Attorney General, went to school with Kavanaugh and sees him as someone more moderate than an "extreme conservative". That's what Gansler told WBAL Radio in Baltimore when President Trump announced Kavanaugh's nomination in July.
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