NATIONAL SECURITY/NATO/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump and senior defense officials met to discuss the planned Syria troop withdrawal Wednesday [1-9-19], as his national security team continued to send conflicting signals about the planned pullback that has roiled relations with NATO-ally Turkey. Even as administration officials continue to insist the US will leave Syria, they are indicating — in part by adding conditions for withdrawal without timelines — that the American presence will continue far longer than the President’s initial pledge of departure ‘now’ or even by the 120-day deadline the White House offered later. The planned withdrawal has unsettled allies, undermined the Kurds and deeply roiled relations with Turkey, an issue Trump was expected to discuss during his Wednesday meeting with acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.”
–Kylie Atwood and Nicole Gaouette, “Amid confusion Trump admin signals Syria pullout won’t be rapid,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, January 9, 2019 9:38 pm