Mar 28, 2017

General: "fair chance" U.S. launched Mosul strike that killed 100s

Felipe Dana / AP

Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander of the United States-led international coalition against ISIS, said today that there was "a fair chance" that the U.S. had launched an airstrike in Mosul on March 17 that may have killed hundreds of Iraqi citizens, adding it was an "unintentional accident," per Defense One's Kevin Baron.

Estimates for death toll in the airstrike range from 80 to 511 with the likely number somewhere between 130 and 230. The Washington Post branded it "potentially one of the worst U.S.-led civilian bombings in 25 years."
President Trump's loosening of the rules of engagement in the region was "not really related" to the civilian deaths, according to Townsend.

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Rebecca Falconer

55 mins ago - Politics & Policy

The latest: George Floyd protests nationwide

Police officers wearing riot gear push back demonstrators outside of the White House on Monday. Photo: Jose Luis Magana/AFP via Getty Images

Protests over the death of George Floyd and other police-related killings of black people continued for a seventh day across the U.S., with President Trump threatening on Monday to deploy the military if the unrest continues.

The latest: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told CNN on the president's quasi-offer: "Thank you but no thank you," and accused Trump of "calling out the American military for a photo opportunity."

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Dave Lawler

1 hour ago - World

The world watches America burn

Newspaper front pages via the Newseum

The world is watching the grief and anger, violence and pain in America's streets.

The big picture: The U.S. accounts for nearly one-third of the world's deaths from COVID-19. The killing of a black man, George Floyd, by police has sparked days of protest and nights of chaos in America's major cities.

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Alayna Treene, Alexi McCammond

2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Trump walks to historic St. John's Church outside White House as protests rage

President Trump walked to the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church, located just steps away from the White House across Lafayette Park, on Monday night as protests linked to the murder of George Floyd raged across the capital and cities around the country.

What we're seeing: Military police and park rangers used physical force and tear gas on peaceful protestors to clear the area so that Trump could "pay respects" to the church that was damaged by a fire on Sunday.

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