Happy New Year, Meridian Readers. We hope you had a relaxing time over the holidays, but now it’s time to dive on into this week’s news roundup.  Turmoil in Iraq comes amid shrunken U.S. diplomatic footprint Publication: The Washington Post | By John Hudson Here’s the deal: protesters in Baghdad stormed the U.S. Embassy, which underscored the vulnerability of U.S. diplomats in a country stuck in the middle of a mounting conflict between the United States and Iran. U.S. diplomats were forced to hide in safe rooms as Marines flew in from Kuwait to protect them after supporters of...

Hi there, Meridian Readers! This round-up marks our last of 2019, but don’t fret- we’ll be back and better than ever in the New Year. Let’s dive in. State Department Outlines dramatic scale-down of U.S. presence in Iraq Publication: Foreign Policy | By Robbie Gramer Earlier this month the U.S. State Department sent Congress detailed plans to dramatically and permanently reduce the number of U.S. diplomats in Iraq, a measure that critics say runs directly against the Trump administration’s stated goals of countering Iranian influence in the country and undercuts Washington’s efforts to stabilize the Iraqi government. Big yikes....

Hey there, Meridian Readers. It’s a tense time in Washington and a busy time around the world, let’s dive in. Judiciary Committee votes to advance articles of impeachment against Trump to the full House Publication: CNBC | By Yelena Dzhanova and Christina Wilkie Unless you’ve been living under a (pretty big) rock, you’ve heard that the House Judiciary Committee is, uh, not too happy with President Trump. Haven’t been able to keep up with the 14-hour long hearings all week? You’re not alone. Here’s what you missed: Following two days of heated debate, the House Judiciary Committee on Friday...

Happy December, Meridian Readers. We hope you had a restful thanksgiving and are gearing up for all the holiday festivities to come. Let’s jump into this week’s international affairs round-up. North Korea says U.S. must choose “Christmas gift” as nuclear diplomacy deadline nears Publication: CBS News | Via Associated Press In case you haven’t heard, North Korea recently urged the Trump admin to salvage ongoing nuclear negotiations. A statement attributed to a senior diplomat said it was entirely up to the United States to choose what “Christmas gift” it gets from the North. The point of that ominous statement?...