Jun 25, 2017

The Kremlin's man in Washington is returning to Moscow

Dave Lawler

Kislyak (R) with Donald Trump and Sergey Lavrov (Russian Foreign Ministry Photo via AP)

Sergey Kislyak has served as Russia's ambassador to the U.S. for nearly a decade, but it is only in recent months that he became a household name.

  • The two big issues: discussing sanctions with Michael Flynn in conversations that ultimately got Flynn fired as National Security Advisor, and having undisclosed contacts with Jeff Sessions and Jared Kushner during the campaign and transition.
  • Now, Kislyak is being replaced as ambassador, and recalled to Moscow rather than being moved to the United Nations in New York as previously anticipated, "three individuals familiar with the decision" told BuzzFeed News.
  • The reason, per a U.S.-based diplomat: "He could use some time away."

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Orion Rummler

Mass shooting in Milwaukee: What we know

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in 2012. Photo: John Gress/Corbis via Getty Images

Six people died in a shooting at the Molson Coors Brewing Company in Milwaukee on Wednesday, including the gunman, Mayor Tom Barrett told reporters at a Wednesday evening press conference with local police.

Details: All of the victims worked at the brewery complex, as did the shooter who died of "an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound," police confirmed in a statement late Wednesday.

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Axios

Coronavirus updates: South Korea case count tops 2,000

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

33 people in California have tested positive for the coronavirus, and health officials are monitoring 8,400 people who have recently returned from "points of concern," Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed more than 2,850 people and infected over 83,000 others in some 50 countries and territories. The novel coronavirus is now affecting every continent but Antarctica, and the WHO said Wednesday the number of new cases reported outside China has exceeded those inside the country for the first time.

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Dave Lawler

Syria's darkest chapter

Family room without a family, in Idlib. Photo: Muhammed Said/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The worst humanitarian crisis of Syria’s brutal civil war is colliding today with what could be the war’s most dangerous geopolitical showdown, after at least 29 Turkish troops were killed in an airstrike.

The big picture: The fighting is taking place in Idlib in northwest Syria, where a ferocious Syrian and Russian offensive has displaced 1 million civilians and infuriated Turkey, which borders the region.

Go deeperArrow10 hours ago - World