Iraq Oil Report
Managing editor of the Iraq Oil Report
PROFILE
Ben Van Heuvelen
Guest
FROM Ben Van Heuvelen
To the Point
Truck Bombs Kill More than 90 in Sadr City, Iraq ISIS, the Islamic State, has been losing territory in Iraq. Today it's claiming responsibility for three bombings in Baghdad — at an open market, a police station and a residential neighborhood. At least 93 people are dead and 165 injured according to early estimates. This comes during political upheaval and protests against the government installed by the United States. Ben Van Heuvelen is Managing Editor of the Iraq Oil Report.
To the Point
Kurds Re-Take Iraqi City from ISIS US airstrikes helped Kurdish and Yazidi fighters retake the northern Iraqi city of Sinjar from ISIS today. And, the US is intensifying the bombing of Syrian oil fields — often called an ATM for the Islamic State. Ben Van Huevelen is managing editor of the Iraq Oil Report .
To the Point
The Biggest Oil Refinery in Iraq As President Obama talked with Congressional leaders about possible air strikes, soldiers from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria reportedly took control of Iraq’s biggest oil refinery . Now, it’s closed down with ISIS and the Iraqi government both saying they’re in charge. That’s according to Ben Van Heuvelen, managing editor of the Iraq Oil Report .
Which Way, L.A.?
Are There Options for Iraq Intervention? Islamic jihadists are on the move in Iraq, and President Obama says he's not "ruling anything out" for what he calls "an emergency situation." Breaking into a news conference with the Prime Minister of Australia today, the President told reporters the US has been in "close consultation" with the government of Iraq. "We do have a stake in making sure that these jihads are not getting a permanent foot hole in either Iraq or Syria for that matter." In the Senate, Republican John McCain called the take-over "a direct threat to the United Stations of America." Republican House Speaker John Boehner made an accusation . "It's not like we haven't seen this problem coming for over a year... Now they have control of Mosul 100 miles from Baghdad, and what's the President doing? Taking a nap." We update the chaos in Iraq and the politics in Washington.
To the Point
Are There Options for Iraq Intervention? Islamic jihadists are on the move in Iraq, and President Obama says he's not "ruling anything out" for what he calls "an emergency situation." Breaking into a news conference with the Prime Minister of Australia today, the President told reporters the US has been in "close consultation" with the government of Iraq. "We do have a stake in making sure that these jihads are not getting a permanent foot hole in either Iraq or Syria for that matter." In the Senate, Republican John McCain called the take-over "a direct threat to the United Stations of America." Republican House Speaker John Boehner made an accusation . "It's not like we haven't seen this problem coming for over a year... Now they have control of Mosul 100 miles from Baghdad, and what's the President doing? Taking a nap." We update the chaos in Iraq and the politics in Washington.
To the Point
Al Qaeda in Iraq and Maliki in Washington When the US completed its troop withdrawal nearly two years ago, President Obama said Iraq could stand on its own. But today, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is back at the White House asking for heavy military equipment and intelligence aid against a growing and especially violent al Qaeda faction called The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. It's averaged 68 car-bombings a month and many thousands have been killed this year at open markets in Baghdad and elsewhere around the country. But Maliki's regime is part of the problem. Politically, he's favored Shiites and outraged Sunnis, while bureaucratic incompetence cripples the economy. Did the US withdraw troops too soon? Has the Obama Administration's "pivot" to Asia compromised US influence in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East?
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To the Point
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?