News Wrap Up

5 things you need to know from the past week, plus 1 you don’t.

Oct. 26, 2019 – The leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, died in Syria by detonating a suicide vest as U.S. Special Forces closed in on him. The three children he took with him in a tunnel were also killed in the explosion. The operation was made possible by an informant who was at Baghdadi’s compound. To read about how the raid happened, click here; videos of the raid can be found here.

Oct. 27, 2019 – House Representative Katie Hill (D-CA) resigns from office after she had an affair with one of her congressional staffers in violation of House rules. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) reportedly told Hill to resign after staffers confirmed the affair. Hill and her now estranged husband also had a polyamorous relationship with one of her campaign staffers. To read Hill’s resignation, click here.

Oct. 30, 2019 – Mercy Chefs has sent a team to San Rafael, California to provide meals for those who have been affected by and are fighting the fire. The nonprofit Christian organization based in Portsmouth has also continued providing relief to Hurricane Dorian victims in the Bahamas. Read more about this organization here.

Oct. 30, 2019 – The identity of the CIA whistleblower whose complaint about President Trump’s phone call with the Ukrainian president initiated the impeachment inquiry has allegedly been revealed. The alleged whistleblower is a registered Democrat who worked in the Obama White House with former Vice President Joe Biden and former CIA director John Brennan. He is also a critic of Trump and aided in the initiation of the Trump-Russian collusion investigation during the 2016 presidential election. The supposed whistleblower was part of Trump’s National Security Council until mid-2017 after there were concerns about leaks to the media; later, he returned to work at the CIA. The attorneys of the possible whistleblower threatened to take legal action against anyone who, in disclosing their client’s name, consequently causes physical harm to him or his family. Read the original report on the alleged whistleblower here.

Oct. 31, 2019 – The House of Representatives voted on impeachment rules for the next step of the inquiry, 232 to 196, with two Democrats and all Republicans voting against. The sole Independent voted with the Democrats, and three Republicans along with one Democrat did not vote. The House resolution authorized public hearings for the impeachment inquiry. To find updated information on the impeachment inquiry, click here.

And the bonus – Mainstream media fact-checks meme of Trump giving U.S. military dog in al-Baghdadi raid a medal of “paw-nor.”