Trump Phones Putin, Baton Rouge Officers Not Charged, Clinton’s Election Excuses and More | Wednesday Briefing

Photo credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images
Photo credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images
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1. Trump and Putin Talk Syria

President Donald Trump phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin Tuesday in what was their first conversation since the U.S. airstrike on a Syrian air base last month.

The White House released a statement Tuesday, noting that the leaders discussed establishing “safe” zones in Syria, which would protect innocent civilians. A translated statement from the Kremlin described the call as “businesslike and constructive.” Putin added that he and Trump also committed to pursuing a “diplomatic solution” to reduce tension with North Korea.

2. Baton Rouge: The Latest

On Tuesday afternoon, multiple media outlets reported that the U.S. Justice Department will not charge two Baton Rouge police officers in the death of Alton Sterling, 37. Sterling was shot and killed on July 5, 2016, outside a convenience store where he was selling homemade CDs. His death, which was recorded on a cellphone video, prompted a federal civil rights investigation into the two officers who acted that day. Less than two weeks after Sterling’s death, 29-year-old Gavin Long went on a shooting rampage, killing three Baton Rouge police officers. Judging by the flood of outraged social media posts following Tuesday’s news, tensions between the Baton Rogue Police Department and civilians remain high.

3. Clinton Explains Why She Lost

Former 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton takes “absolute personal responsibility” for her loss to Republican Donald Trump … sort of. Speaking Tuesday at the Women for Women International Conference, Clinton cited FBI Director James Comey, WikiLeaks, and Russia as playing a significant role in the election outcome.

“I was on the way to winning until a combination of Jim Comey’s letter on October 28 and Russian WikiLeaks raised doubts in the minds of people who were inclined to vote for me but were scared off,” she said, adding, “If the election were on October 27, I’d be your president.”

4. Trump Will Meet With Palestinian Leader to Discuss Plans for Peace

President Trump will have his first face-to-face meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House Wednesday. Their first order of business: Israel. According to Fox News, Trump is expected to press Abbas to stop payments to families of Palestinian families whose relatives are imprisoned in Israeli jails. He will also call for an end to Palestine’s profuse anti-Israel rhetoric. It’s a big week for U.S. foreign relations.

5. Jim DeMint Leaves the Heritage Foundation

Former Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint resigned this week. In a statement released Tuesday, the conservative think tank blamed DeMint “and a handful of his closest advisers” for failing to mend “significant and worsening management issues that led to a breakdown of internal communications and cooperation.”

DeMint’s departure comes amid speculation that the conservative leader was too supportive of President Donald Trump, which allegedly led to clashes with other leadership at the foundation.

In his own statement released Tuesday evening, DeMint called Heritage’s remarks “puzzling,” but noted that he is “grateful to have worked with some of the greatest minds and talents in America… .”

Former Heritage employee Wesley Denton shared his thoughts on social media:

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