Turkey launches planned military offensive into northeastern Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced plans Wednesday to launch a military offensive into Syria.

This comes just days after President Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops from the region earlier in the week, leaving Syrian Kurds to fight for themselves.

Turkey’s minister of national defense tweeted early Wednesday morning that the United States, United Nations and NATO had been informed of the operation. 

The Syrian government holds some Kurds responsible for what is happening “as a result of their dependence on the American project,” according to CNN.

Amber Guyger trial key witness killed in drug deal

A key witness in the Amber Guyger trial was killed in a drug deal gone wrong Friday in Dallas, according to CNN.

However, in a news conference on Tuesday in Dallas, police said that Brown’s killing was not related to his testimony in Guyger’s trial. 

“There’s been speculation and rumors that have been shared … claiming that Mr. Brown’s death was related to the Amber Guyger trial, and somehow the Dallas Police Department was responsible,” Assistant Chief Avery Moore said in an interview with CNN. “I assure you that is simply not true.”

Police have three suspects in custody, all who traveled from Louisiana to purchase drugs from Brown. 

Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski ‘really happy’ about California’s Fair Pay to Play law

Mike Krzyzewski, Duke’s men’s basketball coach, said Tuesday he’s “really happy” to see the NCAA rethink name, image and likeness, according to Bleacher Report.

Krzyzewski is the first high-profile coach to publicly announce his approval of the new law. 

His stance on the new law carries a lot of weight within the NCAA structure.

CDC reports STDs are at an all time high

For the fifth year in a row, cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis have risen to an all-time high, according to the Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report.

“Combined they total 2.4 million infections that were diagnosed and reported just last year alone,” said Elizabeth Torrone, a CDC epidemiologist.

Alaska had the highest reported cases of chlamydia, Mississippi had the highest number of reported gonorrhea cases and Nevada had the highest rate of syphilis infections.

A factor for the rise in STDs is that testing services have been more easily accessible, leading to a lot more cases being identified, according to CNN.