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Al-Baghdadi takedown a big victory for Trump, blunts criticism of Syria pullback as Dems avoid congratulating president
President Trump's successful operation to take out Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi sent Democrats scrambling on Sunday, as several top party leaders who had charged that the White House had no "real plan" to combat the terror group following the U.S. pullout in Syria were proven wrong. In a dramatic sign of how Democrats' messaging apparently backfired, NBC's "Saturday Night Live" ran an ill-timed sketch suggesting that Trump had created "jobs" for ISIS -- just hours before the president held a news conference announcing al-Baghdadi's demise. The sketch aired around the time the two-hour late-night raid in northwest Syria was underway.
Through the day on Sunday, the Democrats -- including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Bob Menendez and former Vice President Joe Biden -- seemingly settled on a new strategy. They praised the troops who executed the historic raid, while pointedly avoiding complimenting the president in any way. It was a stark contrast to the way they specifically praised President Obama after he announced Usama bin Laden's death in May 2011.
In this photo provided by the White House, President Donald Trump is joined by from left, national security adviser Robert O'Brien, Vice President Mike Pence, Defense Secretary mark Esper, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and Brig. Gen. Marcus Evans, Deputy Director for Special Operations on the Joint Staff, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, in the Situation Room of the White House. (Shealah Craighead/The White House via AP)
Congressional Democrats also lamented that they were not informed in advance of the operation, while the Russian military was told so that their airspace could be used.
The president suggested Sunday that Democrats in Congress, who have been conducting an impeachment inquiry against him that has been fraught with leaked information to the media, were not notified before the raid because of concerns they might compromise the operation with leaks. Click here for more on our top story.
Hannity blasts 'sick and repulsive' Washington Post headline that called al-Baghdadi a 'religious scholar'
The Washington Post on Sunday published an eyebrow-raising headline that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as an "austere religious scholar." The obituary, written by The Post’s national security reporter Joby Warrick, detailed al-Baghdadi’s rise to power in ISIS from what the paper described as his origins as a "religious scholar with wireframe glasses."
The headline was changed a few times. Washington Post Vice President of Communications Kristine Coratti Kelly told Fox News, "Regarding our al-Baghdadi obituary, the headline should never have read that way and we changed it quickly." Still, Fox News' Sean Hannity called the initial Post headline "sick and repulsive" and said the newspaper needs to be educated on the "evil SOB's" true legacy. Click here for more.
FILE - Katie Hill. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
Freshman Democratic Rep. Katie Hill resigns amid ethics probe into reported affair with staffer
Rep. Katie Hill, D-Calif., announced her resignation Sunday after a string of reports shining a negative light on her personal life, including a reported affair with her legislative director that sparked a House Ethics Committee investigation. Hill tweeted on Sunday evening, “It is with a broken heart that today I announce my resignation from Congress. This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but I believe it is the best thing for my constituents, my community, and our country.” She is expected to step down by the end of this week.
The congresswoman last week had fought back against reports of an affair with the congressional staffer, as well as reports she was in a so-called “throuple” relationship with husband Kenny Heslep and a campaign staffer. The scandal escalated last as compromising photos of Hill surfaced.
Northern California wildfire rages, aided by hurricane-force winds
The massive Kincade Fire in California’s famed Wine Country burned at least 84 square miles and forced the evacuations of about 180,000 as firefighters reported a drop in containment from 10 percent to 5 percent by Sunday night. The entire towns of Healdsburg and Windsor in Sonoma County, north of San Francisco, were under mandatory evacuation as the evacuation zone stretched from Healdsburg west through the Russian River Valley to Bodega Bay, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department. Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a statewide emergency.
Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., takes a selfie with President Donald Trump during the seventh inning of Game 5 of the baseball World Series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Trump booed by World Series crowd as fans yell 'lock him up'
The partisan Washington Nationals crowd was not pleased when President Trump was shown on the ballpark’s video screen during Game 5 of the World Series between the hometown Nationals and visiting Houston Astros, as fans greeted him with a crescendo of boos in the third inning of the ballgame. In addition, fans mockingly yelled “lock him up,” a chant Trump supporters began in 2016 against his opponent, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The Astros beat the Nationals 7-1 to take a 3-2 lead in the series. Game 6 will be played on Tuesday night.
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TODAY'S MUST-READS
Adam Schiff: John Bolton is 'key witness' in impeachment inquiry.
John Conyers, longtime Michigan congressman and Congressional Black Caucus founder, dead at 90.
Military dog in al-Baghdadi raid wounded by explosive blast.
NASA shares image of the sun resembling a jack-o’-lantern.
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#TheFlashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on "This Day in History."
SOME PARTING WORDS
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said "the best of America confronted the worst of mankind, and the good guys won" with the death of al-Baghdadi but warned that the war is far from over.
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Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for choosing us to start your day! We'll see you in your inbox first thing on Tuesday morning.
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