Life, Liberty & Levin 10/18/20 FULL SHOW - Mark Levin Fox News Live Stream October 18, 2020
Top US Official Traveled to Syria for Talks With Damascus on US Citizens' Release
Top White House counterterrorism official Kash Patel recently went to Damascus to discuss the release of US citizens with the Syrian government, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing unnamed Trump administration officials.
The exact date of the secret talks remains unknown, but Patel, a deputy assistant to US President Donald Trump, went to Syria earlier this year, marking the first time since 2010 that such a high-level US official has met with the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Britain's Home Secretary Priti Patel holds daily digital news conference with NHS Medical Director, Professor Stephen Powis (not pictured) and NCA Director General, Lynne Owens (not pictured) on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain April 25, 2020.
© REUTERS / Pippa Fowles/10 Downing Street/Handout
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According to The Wall Street Journal, Patel was trying to secure the release of at least two Americans believed to be held citizen in Syria - Austin Tice, a former Marine and freelance journalist, and Majd Kamalmaz, a Syrian-American therapist.
In March, Trump said his administration was "working very hard with Syria" to get Austin Tice back to the US.
In August, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Trump wrote to Assad in March to propose direct dialogue on the missing journalist.
Tice disappeared in Syria in August 2012. The US government has offered a $1 million reward for information that could help with Tice’s release.
https://sputniknews.com/us/202010191080812255-top-us-official-traveled-to-syria-for-talks-with-damascus-on-us-citizens-release—report/
Austin’s mother said Trump wants to bring her son home but US officials were blocking negotiations.
On Friday Lebanon’s General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim traveled to Washington for several issues related to US hostages in Syria, with reports suggesting he may have new information on journalist Austin Tice.
On Sunday the media reported that Trump adviser Kash Patel recently traveled to Syria for talks to secure the release of US hostages in the country.
The Hill reported:
An assistant to President Trump recently met with Syrian officials in Damascus as part of efforts to secure the release of American hostages, the first known talks between the U.S. and Bashar al-Assad’s regime in years, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Deputy assistant to the president Kash Patel met with officials with Assad’s government during his trip, officials familiar with Patel’s work told the Journal, though the identities of those whom Patel met with were not released.
The White House and State Department did not immediately return requests for comment from the Journal or The Hill. The talks would represent the first known communication between the White House and the Syrian government since the end of U.S.-Syria relations in 2012 under the Obama administration, which came during the height of the Syrian Civil War.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/10/top-trump-official-held-secret-talks-syria-us-hostages-lebanese-minister-brings-news-us-journalist-hostage-austin-tice/
Daniel Andrews slams New Zealand travel bubble disaster
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has effectively accepted the state is part of the travel bubble with New Zealand, despite repeatedly saying no.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has unleashed after 65 travellers from New Zealand descended on the state, despite it opting out of the New Zealand travel bubble.
Mr Andrews said his state had now effectively been forced into accepting the arrangement.
“I can confirm that there are 65 people that have travelled from New Zealand and ultimately arrived in Victoria. 55 of those have been door knocked and we have just taken them through all the different rules that are in place just to update them, make sure that they know what is going on,” Mr Andrews said.
“About 55 of those we have been able to find and speak to, so there is still 10, that may not be 10 addresses, it may be less than that, but 55 of those people have been door knocked. There’s still a few more to do today which we will do. There are 17 flights into Melbourne today that could possibly have New Zealand passengers that have arrived via Sydney.
“We are not particularly pleased that we were asked the question, do you want to be in a bubble, and it turns out that even though we said no, we are, but that is the fact of the matter, that is what we faced.”
Mr Andrews said 25 New Zealanders also snuck into Western Australia while a “small number” also arrived in Tasmania.
“We have updated our advice, our website made no mention of this prior to about 8:30pm last night, it now does and we will provide the best health advice because despite the fact that we didn’t want to be in the bubble, it seems like the bubble applies to every part of our country, not just those that said yes,” he said.
Mr Andrews took aim at the federal government over the bubble confusion.
“Ultimately, we are in the bubble, whether we like it or not…We can’t stop these people coming here, unless of course the prime minister and (Alan) Tudge and whoever else has been wheeled out to apparently blame me for what happens at Sydney Airport, Perth Airport, Hobart airport, you know, come on – stopping the Federal Government is in charge of the borders.
“They (the federal government) are in charge of the borders and the bubble and the bubble was supposed to be… we are in this discussion because the Commonwealth government stubbornly refused to accept that this is not what was signed up to.
“We all accept it now because that is what is happening, and short of closing the border which I don’t think would be a good thing to do and it is not something that the Prime Minister would support, and Alan Tudge can say whatever he likes.”
Mr Andrews’ spray comes as the state recorded four new coronavirus cases in the state overnight and one death, with the state’s 14-day rolling average now 7.2 in metro Melbourne and 0.5 in regional Victoria.
A slew of rules have also been relaxed from 11.59pm last night, when the Victorian capital ditched its controversial time limits on exercise.
The hated 5km rule has also been replaced with a new 25km zone, and tennis clubs, outdoor pools, hairdressers and the real estate industry are set to open up again.
In regional Victoria, two people, plus dependants, are now able to visit other people’s homes today, with hospitality businesses now able to boost capacity to 70 patrons outside and 40 inside.
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/coronavirus-australia-live-covid19-lockdown-restrictions-eased-in-melbourne/live-coverage/abf5e3369a906ba3dc2727c7348b7031