GOP/LEGISLATION/MIDDLE EAST/SENATE/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Republican-led Senate approved legislation Tuesday [2-5-19] that sharply criticizes President Donald Trump’s planned withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan. The bill also includes a controversial provision that would allow local governments to penalize businesses or individuals engaged in anti-Israel boycotts. Supporters of the boycott provision said it’s needed to protect Israel from ‘economic warfare’ waged against a key American ally. Detractors said it’s a violation of free speech against individuals engaged in a peaceful protest against Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. The Senate passed the bill – the Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act – on Tuesday afternoon by a vote of 77-to-23, just hours before Trump’s State of the Union speech. In his remarks Tuesday night, Trump is likely to highlight his planned drawdown of U.S. forces in the Middle East and call for an end to ‘endless foreign wars,’ according a senior administration official speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe the president’s planned remarks.”
–Deirdre Shesgreen, “Senate approves bill rebuking President Trump’s planned troop withdrawals from Syria, Afghanistan,” USA Today, February 5, 2019 5:21 pm