THE WEEK

1. Russia defends Syria airstrikes against claims it hit non-ISIS rebels

Russian warplanes launched their first airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday, hours after Russian lawmakers gave President Vladimir Putin authority to send forces into Syria. The move added to tensions between Russia and the U.S. over how to handle Syria’s complex war. Russia insisted its 20 strikes targeted the Islamic State. U.S. officials said some of the strikes targeted an area held by CIA-backed rebels, not ISIS, and warned Moscow against attacking non-ISIS groups. Russia reportedly again hit a non-ISIS rebel group in Thursday airstrikes.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, The Wall Street Journal

2. Congress passes short-term spending bill with hours to spare, avoiding shutdown

Congress on Wednesdayapproved a stopgap spending measure to keep federal agencies funded through Dec. 11 and avoid a government shutdown. The…

View original post 780 more words