This week marked a major shift in the world  order, as Trump finalized the evacuation of troops on Turkey-Syria  border, and the void of leadership was instantaneously filled by Russia.  Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip  Erdogan in Sochi, before hosting 40 African nations there, at what was  dubbed the first Russia-Africa summit. As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi  suggested to Trump in Week 153, “All roads with you lead to Putin.”  Later in the week, Trump zig-zagged and sent U.S. troops and armored  vehicles back to the region to guard oil fields, and suggested to  millions of Kurdish civilians, displaced and endangered by his  withdrawal, that they should relocate there.

This week marked a major shift in the  impeachment inquiry, as career diplomats continue to defy Trump’s order  not to testify. In a case related to the Mueller probe, Chief District  Judge Beryl Howell ruled the House impeachment inquiry is legal, dealing  another blow to Trump’s strategy of stonewalling the inquiry based on  it not being legally authorized. Nine witnesses have testified so far,  crystallizing a picture of clear quid pro quo. Despite stunts and  distractions by Trump’s Republican allies, House Democrats continued to  prevail in the messaging battle. By week’s end, Trump was forced to  bring in additional lawyers and convene staffers to come up with a  strategy to defend himself from impeachment.

This week Trump’s Department of Justice turned  the investigation of the investigators into a criminal probe — raising  concerns Attorney General William Barr is acting to give Trump a  political victory and punish his enemies. Barr too is increasingly being  drawn into the impeachment probe, while drawing rebukes for his  handling of the whistleblower complaint.

Read the full list: https://theweeklylist.org/weekly-list/week-154/