NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT TUESDAY 3/3/2020

(LIMITED SERVICE WHEN ABLE THROUGH LATE TUESDAY)

The situation in Syria and the story from the government side is that more villages are coming under government control in the fight with jihadist opposition forces backed by Turkey in Idlib province.....SYRIAN ARAB NEWS AGENCY REPORT

Fighting reported northwest of the key town of Saraqib today after the town was recently retaken by government forces with Russian military police deployed in their wake. 

   

The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reporting civilian casualties following explosions in the city of Idlib.   The Kremlin spokesman rejecting the allegations of a UN panel that Russia's air force targets civilians in Syria....TASS NEWS REPORT

Turkey's Defense Ministry says that a Syrian government warplane was shot down today.....DAILY SABAH TURKISH NEWS REPORT    Its also reported that a Turkish drone was downed by the Syrians.

A Turkish "observation post" was attacked by the Syrian government side with Turkish casualties....SOUTHFRONT REPORT  Turkey reports one soldier killed and nine wounded today.

In Turkey late Monday the country;s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar held talks with the US Special Representative for Syria James Jeffrey and US Ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield...ANADOLU NEWS AGENCY REPORT

Mr. Jeffrey toured the Turkish border with Syria today and he has pledged US ammunition and humanitarian aid to support the Turkish-Al Qaeda-Jihadist alliance.....THE IRISH INDEPENDENT NEWS STORY

On Thursday in Moscow Russia's President Vladimir Putin is set to meet the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the situation in Syria.....TASS NEWS REPORT

The Federal Reserve lowering interest rates by half a percentage point today to be in the 1 to 1.25 percent range.     The move to address issues related to the coronavirus.

The coronavirus story today includes a report by an Italian newspaper that Pope Francis tested negative for the virus.    He left a religious retreat coughing over the weekend.

Iran now reporting 77 deaths and 2,236 cases of coronavirus.....REUTERS NEWS STORY  Iran says it has temporarily freed 54-thousand prisoners because of the coronavirus.. BBC NEWS STORY

Italy's coronavirus figures tonight 79 dead and 2,263 cases.

BBC News reporting on the coronavirus with a blog today....LINK

A LARGE MOBILIZATION OF PROTESTERS ON THE STREETS OF PARIS TODAY OPPOSING THE GOVERNMENT OF PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON FOR PUSHING THROUGH PENSION REFORM LEGISLATION BY USING A CONSTITUTIONAL MECHANISM.     EFFORTS TO CENSURE THE GOVERNMENT TO STOP THE PUSHING THROUGH OF THE REFORM FAILED TODAY IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

THE GOVERNMENT PUSHING THROUGH THE LEGISLATION TO AVOID A LONG DEBATE WITH THOUSANDS OF AMENDMENTS PROPOSED TO THE LEGISLATION.

PEPPER SPRAY AND TEAR GAS USED ON PROTESTERS WHO TRIED TO BREAK THROUGH BARRIERS NEAR THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY......VIDEO LINK

Its Super Tuesday with 14 contests for the Democratic presidential nomination including the two most populous states, California and Texas.

The story of the vote will be on this blog link from National Public Radio.....NPR SUPER TUESDAY BLOG

Tonight a mixed bag as the results came in but Bernie Sanders winning the most populous state California tonight.   He also won his home state Vermont,  Colorado and Utah as well.   Sanders leading in Texas with 77 percent of the vote counted at 1120 pm Eastern US time.

Joe Biden a winner in Massachusetts, Arkansas, Alabama and Minnesota along with North Carolina, Virginia and Oklahoma.

Its a very close contest in Maine tonight with both candidates around 34 percent of the vote each with 59 percent of the vote counted.

The vote count in Israel continues towards its conclusion with soldiers votes and the votes of those in quarantine because of coronavirus among the last votes to be counted in the next 24 hours or so.

The results of Monday's election show a win for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party with allied parties close to a majority but still a few seats short.

Netanyahu faces trial on corruption charges in two weeks and will use the results to leverage the situation with expectations at some point of legislation to negate the power of Israel's Supreme Court to remove the Prime Minister from office.

Election News Sources From Israel:

YNET NEWS

HAARETZ

ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS

The United States acting to restrict the number of Chinese journalists working here following China's expulsion of two US journalists.    The decision affects five Chinese government news organizations in the United States and will force a 40 percent cut in their staff.

China responding calling the US move 'political oppression" saying it will harm relations between the two countries.....SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST HONG KONG REPORT

"The New York Times" reports.....LINK

"murder is your modus operandi"

That charge leveled at President Trump by the Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan.    Farrakhan spoke in Detroit at the Savior's Day conference critical of the President's order to kill Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

"Mr. Trump killed my brother Qassem Soleimani"

Iran's Press TV is reporting on this.....LINK

There are 25 dead following tornadoes in Tennessee overnight into the early morning today.    President Trump is set to visit the devastated areas Friday....WSMV NEWS NASHVILLE

That/s the way it really is Tuesday March 3rd, 2020