It's no Nixon to China moment, but President Trump made history today with what is apparently the first presidential phone call with a top Taliban leader.
Why it matters: The prospect of a peaceful end to America's longest war is on the line.
There is war on Turkey’s border with Syria and chaos on its borders with Europe.
Driving the news: Turkey launched an offensive against Syrian government troops after at least 36 of its soldiers were killed in an airstrike last Thursday. It shot down two Syrian aircraft and claims to have killed hundreds of Syrian forces.
Guyana goes to the polls today a relatively poor nation, but the winner of the election could soon be leading a very rich one.
Why it matters: A massive oil find has led the IMF to project the economy will grow a whopping 85% in 2020. Zoom out further, and estimates get truly stratospheric for the South American country of 780,000.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party is projected to win the most seats in Israel's election, according to exit polls. All three updated polls show his right-wing bloc with 59 seats, two short of a majority.
Why it matters: The exit polls are not official results, but they project a strong performance from Netanyahu in Israel's third elections in 10 months despite a looming corruption trial. Both Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, his centrist rival, failed to form coalition governments following elections in April and September.
In a briefing to reporters on Monday, senior Trump administration officials announced a set of restrictions to be placed on Chinese journalists operating in the United States.
Why it matters: The unprecedented restrictions are aimed at upholding "reciprocity" in U.S.-China relations amid a deteriorating media environment in China, the officials said.
North Korea "fired two unidentified projectiles into the East Sea" near the city of Wonsan Monday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, per Yonhap News Agency.
Why it matters: It's the first such launch by North Korea this year and comes two months after White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien told Axios that President Trump had "reached out" to Pyongyang to ask them to resume stalled diplomatic talks.
