US troops in Syria essential to prevent ISIS resurgence: Defense secretary
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the continued deployment of American forces in Syria is necessary to block the Islamic State (ISIS) from resurging and destabilizing the region. Speaking at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Wednesday, Jan. 8, Austin stressed the role of approximately 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, particularly in overseeing detention camps that hold tens of thousands of ISIS fighters and their families.
Austin cautioned that without the U.S. presence, ISIS fighters could reenter society and pose a renewed threat.
Estimates indicate there are between 8,000 and 10,000 ISIS fighters in these camps, with at least 2,000 classified as highly dangerous.
“I think that we still have some work to do in terms of keeping a foot on the throat of ISIS,” Austin said.
Since 2015, U.S. forces have worked alongside the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to combat ISIS. While the SDF has been instrumental in countering ISIS, it faces mounting challenges following the December collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Turkey views the SDF as an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group Ankara designates as a terrorist organization.
Turkey issued warnings of military action unless Kurdish forces withdraw from key border areas. Ankara-backed forces recently seized the town of Manbij, further complicating the SDF’s ability to manage over 10,000 ISIS detainees under its custody.
Fear of ISIS resurgence drives support of US troops in Syria
SDF Commander Gen. Mazloum Abdi called for continued U.S. support, warning that a withdrawal could enable ISIS to regain strength and destabilize the region.
Abdi referenced a recent ISIS-inspired attack in New Orleans as evidence of the group’s persistent threat.
“The key factor of stabilization in this area is the U.S. presence on the ground,” Abdi said.
Discussions remain ongoing about the establishment of a U.S. and French-led demilitarized zone along the Turkey-Syria border to de-escalate tensions between Turkish forces and the SDF.
French officials, including Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, voiced strong support for Kurdish forces, emphasizing their vital role in combating ISIS.
Outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken also stressed the importance of the SDF’s work in guarding thousands of ISIS detainees, calling it a critical security interest for both the U.S. and Turkey.
Future of US troops in Syria uncertain
The long-term presence of U.S. troops in Syria remains uncertain as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office.
During his first term, Trump proposed withdrawing U.S. forces from Syria. This lead to a Turkish offensive against Kurdish territories and the resignation of then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
Trump has not yet announced specific plans for Syria, leaving questions about the U.S. role in the region unanswered.
US urges American citizens to leave Syria amid violence and terrorism
The United States urged Americans in Syria to leave the country on Monday, Dec. 16, after the fall of the Assad regime earlier this month. The U.S. government warned the situation in Syria has become “volatile” and “unpredictable” with acts of violence and “terrorism” in the aftermath of a bloody civil war.
The U.S. instructed citizens unable to get out to “be prepared to shelter in place” for long periods. Officials added the U.S. government can “not provide any routine or emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Syria.”
The United States also noted the U.S. Embassy in Damascus suspended its operations in 2012 and advised American citizens to contact the “U.S. Embassy in the country they plan to enter.”
Dictator Bashar Assad’s rule ended just over a week ago. He has been reportedly granted asylum in Moscow after he was overthrown by Syrian rebels.
The warning to Americans also comes as a more widespread conflict plays out.
Israeli airstrikes targeting missile warehouses along Syria’s coast rocked the region on Monday in what officials called the “most violent strikes” in more than a decade.
While rebels control much of Syria, the territory remains divided among different militant groups backed by foreign countries, including the United States and Turkey.
US looks to prevent ISIS resurgence in Syria amid rebel conflict
The Assad regime ruled Syria with brutality for decades. Less than a week after Syrian rebels toppled the regime, the U.S. got to work to prevent ISIS from filling the void.
While rebels from the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and the Free Syrian Army have begun to form a new government in the capital Damascus, dozens of other organizations are trying to win control in different parts of the country.
Efforts to keep ISIS at bay
In that chaos, the U.S. launched dozens of airstrikes on ISIS targets.
The groups competing for power in Syria have a complicated mix of allies. The U.S., for example, relies on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group made up mostly of fighters who are ethnically Kurdish.
Syria’s neighbor Turkey has its own domestic issues with Kurds looking for independence and considers the SDF a terrorist organization.
Both the U.S. and Turkey supported the fall of the Assad regime, but Turkey backed different groups looking to take over. Those groups have launched attacks on the SDF.
In the face of the attacks, a top SDF commander told CNN the group needed to move some of the ISIS detainees held in more than 20 prisons and camps across Syria. The commander said they’ve had to stop most of their anti-ISIS activities to fight the Turkish-backed rebels.
ISIS resurgence threats
ISIS came out of yearslong hiding in Syria. The SDF’s top commander said they’ve seen more ISIS activity in areas under SDF control.
U.S. officials are talking with Turkish counterparts to try to ensure the conflict doesn’t let ISIS rebuild in Syria.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Turkey for meetings with the country’s government about Syria’s uncertainty.
The U.S. has about 900 troops stationed in Syria to help anti-ISIS groups keep the terrorist organization from trying to establish another caliphate.
President-elect Donald Trump may change that. He said last week the U.S. “should have nothing to do with” the situation in Syria.
Turkish President Erdogan says he and Putin are ‘the only two leaders left’
The president of Turkey is making waves with a recent comment to local media. He said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin are “the only two leaders left” on the world stage.
It’s a stark comment from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as Turkey and Russia have been on opposite sides of the conflict in Syria — Russia backs fallen president Bashar Assad’s regime, while Turkey sides with the rebels.
Turkey is also a member of NATO, the U.S.-led alliance with dozens of countries in Europe. Meanwhile, NATO is worried about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and whether Putin wants to invade NATO members in the future.
Turkey and President Erdogan have spent the last few years trying to play both sides of the tension between the U.S. and Europe, and Russia and China. The country has been serving as an intermediary between the U.S. and the rebel groups establishing a new government in Syria.
However, President Erdogan has stayed closer with Putin than most other NATO members. In 2019, the two reached a deal for Turkey to buy Russian-made missiles. And after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Russia allowed Turkey to delay its payments on Russian gas imports until 2024.
Turkey and Russia may soon have big roles to play in the global political space. The two are set to be key players on the future of Syria after the rebels have taken over.
And if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump wants to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine, the relationship between Erdogan and Putin could help broker a deal.
Assad ouster in Syria will have ‘ripple effects’ in Iran, Russia
The Assad regime in Syria is over. In the next few days, the Syrian government is expected to turn over control of the country to the rebel-led Salvation Government.
After 50 years of the regime’s brutality, the lightning-fast offensive to push Bashar Assad out of power lasted just 12 days, but the ripple effects could last decades.
“This whole offensive, in the end of the day, definitely could not take place without the Turkish green light,” Avi Melamed said.
Melamed is a former Israeli intelligence officer, now an author and head of an organization called Inside the Middle East.
Melamed said Turkey may see the most immediate ripple effect of Assad’s fall. Turkey backed at least two of the rebel groups that overthrew the dictator: the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Turkey made proxies out of these groups to stop the flow of refugees into southern Turkey and out of concern about the establishment of a semi-autonomous zone in northeast Syria controlled by a group known as the Kurds.
“From a Turkish perspective, the situation in northern Syria is significant in the context of Turkish interests, and therefore the ability to maintain sort of like proxies on the ground, particularly the FSA, the Free Syrian Army, and also the HTS, even though the relationships between Turkey and the HTS are kind of like, you know, convoluted so to speak,” Melamed said. “On the one hand, tensions; on the other hand, cooperation.”
One thing that is not convoluted: all the rebel groups in Syria battling Assad hate Iran, which brings us to our second ripple effect.
“The common denominator of all the Syrian rebel groups, actually, is that they vow non-compromising animosity to Iran and its interference in Syria,” Melamed said.
“Their demand is very clear,” Melamed continued. “They want to kick Iran out of Syria and its militias—either the Iraqis or the Hezbollah and Afghan or Pakistani militias that are also present in Syria, backed by the Iranians. So as far as the Iranians are concerned, they are looking at a rivalry that has no intention to compromise with the Iranian presence in Syria.”
Losing Syria as a proxy is another serious blow to Iran’s Axis of Resistance. It’s an axis which includes Hamas and Hezbollah, two groups that were also recently decimated. But their destruction came at the hands of the Israel Defense Forces.
So, a further weakening of Iran and its proxies is a good thing for Israel and the United States’ interests in the region.
“The Iranians are now crying to high heaven saying that the Americans and the Israelis were the ones behind all this,” Matt Shoemaker, another former intelligence officer, said.
He worked on the Russia desk for the United States.
“As if we are able to control all of these outside events. Which, you know, if it’s true that we had a hand in it, I mean, wow! That’s impressive, you know, that we’re able to affect these sorts of things so quickly and so strategically. More power to them,” Shoemaker said. “But I’d be hard pressed without more evidence to say, ‘yeah, the United States is totally involved with that.’”
He said the fall of Assad’s government is going to have drastic consequences for Moscow too.
“Prior to last week, we thought for the most part Syria was a done deal and that Assad was sitting pretty essentially,” Shoemaker said. “I think that it took a lot of people off guard, and put everyone on the back foot, just how quickly the rebel forces were able to just sweep in there and take over.”
The fall of Assad’s regime, after helping prop it up for so long, will be an obvious blow to the Kremlin’s reputation and its claims of having one of the world’s strongest militaries. But it will also have a very real-world impact too.
Syria was the site of Russia’s only Mediterranean port, which the Kremlin abandoned as the rebels were encircling Aleppo.
“It’s not a terribly large port. It only has about four or five medium-sized ships,” Shoemaker said. “It’s mostly used for resupplying and power projection by the Russians in the region. As I said, it’s their only warm-water port in the Mediterranean. It gives them reach not only into the Middle East but also into Africa, where they’re very active in Libya, for example.”
Degrading hostile Russian activities around the world is a stalwart of American diplomacy and has been for decades. So, even though the U.S. may not have had a hand in the current situation in Syria, that doesn’t mean the U.S. can’t reap some of the benefits of the ripple effects.
“This is a situation where the timing of it is certainly interesting,” Shoemaker said. “It is not good for the Russians at all. They’re busy in Ukraine. The Iranians are distracted with what’s going on with Israel and Lebanon. So, on the one hand, does this benefit American interests that this happened at this particular time? Yeah, to a certain extent, there’s some benefit to this.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean that we were the cause of it. Correlation is not causation,” Shoemaker continued. “More than anything, it is a data point where you’re like, ‘It worked out for us this time, great! We benefited from something that happened.’ Did we have a hand in it? No idea. But the timing of it is a ‘great! Something came out in our favor for once’ type thing. But yeah, it’s not a good day for Assad. It’s not a good day for the Iranians or the Russians. Sorry, too bad. That’s how things work.”
After rebels win control in Aleppo, Syrian government and Russia strike back
TheSyrian government launched counterattacks on Monday, Dec. 2, against rebels who seized territory in the northwestern part of the country, and they did it with Russian help. Syrian state media announced the strikes, coming days after insurgent rebels seized the city of Aleppo. It’s another eruption of violence in the decade-old conflict.
Syrian forces took Aleppo after years of fighting, but rebels were able to reclaim the entire city in just a few days.
The Islamist rebels are from a group the U.S. has designated as a terrorist organization, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The group governed the region of Idlib, on the border with Turkey, for the last few years. The Turkish government supported the rebels and stepped in to negotiate a ceasefire in 2020.
But now, the rebels are in Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitor, says rebels took large portions of the western and northwestern parts of the country.
Russia and Iran, meanwhile, are standing by Syria’s longtime government in President Bashar Al-Assad. It’s not clear yet how well the Syrian government can defend against the rebels, especially considering the changes in territory since the offensive began just days ago.
Until the recent offensive, Syrian forces and rebels have largely avoided major conflict since 2020. But that came after nearly nine years of fighting.
In that time, hundreds of thousands of people died in the civil war. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees says more than 12 million people are still dealing with displacement from their homes because of the war.
This is the latest flashpoint in a region where several countries have been engaged in recent fighting. Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza in a conflict that’s now over a year old. And just last week, the Israeli military agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, stopping months of fighting in Lebanon, at least temporarily.
Mexico’s president refutes Trump’s claim she promised to close the border
President-elect Donald Trump said Mexico has agreed to stem the tide of migrants flowing into the United States, but Mexico’s president is now saying that’s not quite accurate. And Amazon workers are using Black Friday to make a statement about their labor situation. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Nov. 29, 2024.
Mexico’s president refutes Trump’s claim she promised to close the border
As President-elect Donald Trump gets ready to return to office, he’s already making moves to follow through on some of his biggest campaign promises. After announcing this week his plans to impose tariffs on goods from China, Canada and Mexico, he turned his attention to another hot-button issue: immigration.
It’s a bit of a case of “he said, she said” after Trump had a call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday, Nov. 27. President-elect Trump posted on his Truth Social platform after the call saying Sheinbaum agreed to stop migration into the U.S. through Mexico, “effectively closing our southern border.”
Sheinbaum appeared to contradict Trump in a post of her own on X, saying in part, “Mexico’s position is not to close borders…”
She did, however, lay out Mexico’s “comprehensive strategy” for addressing the migration issue. In a separate post on X, Sheinbaum said during the call, she told President-elect Trump, “No caravans are arriving at the border because they are being attended to in Mexico.”
En nuestra conversación con el presidente Trump, le expuse la estrategia integral que ha seguido México para atender el fenómeno migratorio, respetando los derechos humanos. Gracias a ello se atiende a las personas migrantes y a las caravanas previo a que lleguen a la frontera.…
The two leaders also talked about how they’re addressing the U.S. fentanyl crisis.
The call was scheduled after Trump unveiled plans to slap 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico to the U.S. as part of the effort to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. through Mexico.
Not only would that impact the prices of avocados and agave — both very popular in the U.S. — Mexico’s economy secretary said Wednesday 88% of all North American pickup trucks come from Mexico. Sheinbaum then suggested Mexico could retaliate with tariffs of its own.
“I hope he rethinks it,” Biden said. “I think it’s a counterproductive thing to do. You know, one of the things you’ve heard me say before is that we are – we have an unusual situation in America. We’re surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and two allies: Mexico and Canada. The last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships.”
Economists forecast Trump’s planned tariffs would increase prices for American shoppers, costing the average U.S. household about $2,600 per year, according to an estimate from the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Israel and Hezbollah both claim ceasefire violations
Barely three days into a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, both sides are claiming violations.
Yesterday, Hezbollah had a precision-guided missile manufacturing site—today, they don’t.
Hezbollah’s largest precision-guided missiles manufacturing site, 1.4km wide and 70m underground, was struck and dismantled by IAF fighter jets yesterday.
Lebanese authorities also said two people, who were trying to return to southern Lebanon, were shot and wounded by Israeli forces. Lebanon’s health ministry said they were civilians, but the IDF claimed they were suspected of violating terms of the truce.
The agreement, brokered by the United States and France, includes an initial two-month ceasefire during which Hezbollah militants will withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border.
Thousands of Amazon workers to strike from Black Friday to Cyber Monday
Amazon workers in more than 20 countries, including the U.S., are on strike on some of the busiest pre-Christmas shopping days across the world. It started on Black Friday, Nov. 29, a day for bargain hunters to score some of the biggest discounts from stores across the country as holiday shopping kicks into high gear.
Organizers told the United Nations the so-called “days of resistance” are to hold Amazon accountable for alleged labor abuses, as well as “environmental degradation and threats to democracy.” According to ABC News, the strike could delay holiday deliveries.
The organizers said this is their fifth year of labor action against Amazon during the beginning of the holiday shopping season.
In a statement, Amazon said the group that organized the strikes is being “intentionally misleading” and promoting a “false narrative.” Management said the company offers great pay and benefits.
Canada sues Google over control of online ads
Canada’s antitrust watchdog said it is suing Google over alleged anti-competitive conduct in the company’s online advertising business. They’re calling for Google to sell off two of its ad tech services and pay a penalty.
The Competition Bureau said it’s necessary because an investigation into Google found the company “unlawfully” tied together its ad tech tools to maintain its dominant market position. Google insists the online advertising market is a highly competitive sector and is fighting the allegations.
This comes just a week after the U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal judge to force Google to sell its Chrome web browser, saying it continues to crush the competition through its dominant search engine.
America facing a live Christmas tree shortage again
As millions of Americans get ready to begin their search for the perfect Christmas tree, growers are having historic challenges getting them to sale lots, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The day after Thanksgiving is usually the biggest day for live tree sales, but since Thanksgiving came so late this year, it’s a very short selling season. On top of that, a nationwide shortage is expected thanks to severe weather across the country this year, such as a northeastern drought and North Carolina floods caused by Hurricane Helene. North Carolina is the second-biggest supplier of Christmas trees in the country.
Shoppers bought roughly 21.6 million real Christmas trees in the U.S. last year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. The Department of Agriculture said the number of trees harvested in the U.S. has declined 30% since 2002, while the American population has grown 16% over the same period.
Alaska native air drops Thanksgiving turkeys to families in remote areas
In the most remote parts of Alaska a Thanksgiving turkey is hard to come by. So, one woman made sure families in roadless parts of the state had their holiday feast.
Pilot Esther Keim calls it “Alaska Turkey Bomb.” She flies in a small plane to off-the-grid homes and air drops frozen turkeys for families to enjoy for Thanksgiving.
Keim said it’s a tribute to a family friend who did the same thing for her family when she was growing up.
She started the tradition in 2022 after somebody that she knew told her they did not have much of a holiday dinner — and no turkey at all. Since then, she has delivered 30 to 40 turkeys every year to families living in remote areas of Alaska.
Cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah holding so far
The cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah marks a step toward peace in the Middle East, but what happens now in Gaza where Israel is still at war with Hamas? And rain or shine — but not wind — revelers get ready to celebrate in New York City at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024.
Cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah holding so far
A cease-fire deal between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon is holding, so far.
President Joe Biden announced the deal — which the United States and France helped broker — on Tuesday, Nov. 26. Israel and Hezbollah have agreed on an initial 60-day cease-fire, which sets the stage for a lasting truce.
Already, long-displaced residents of parts of Lebanon have started returning to their homes, hopeful the tenuous agreement will be extended beyond two months. That’s despite the Israeli military warning people to stay away from previously evacuated areas.
Israel has said if Hezbollah breaks the cease-fire agreement, it will attack.
Following the directive of the political echelon, the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon took effect at 04:00 today, and the IDF has been operating accordingly. IDF troops are stationed at their positions in southern Lebanon.
Over the past hour, the IDF identified a vehicle with…
During the 60-day truce, Hezbollah fighters are to retreat at least 25 miles from the border with Israel and Israeli forces will withdraw from Lebanese territory.
The agreement does not address the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, another Iran-backed militant group, in Gaza. However, Hamas has said it is ready for a truce.
“So, now Hamas has a choice to make,” President Biden said on Tuesday. “Their only way out is to release the hostages, including American citizens, which they hold. In the process, bring an end to the fighting, which would make possible a surge of humanitarian relief. Over the coming days, the United States will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Biden told reporters he’s hopeful he’ll help achieve a cease-fire in Gaza before the end of his term in January. If not, President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East, though he has not yet said how.
Trump picks nominations for NIH, trade
President-elect Trump has kept busy this holiday week. On Tuesday night, he announced new picks to join his administration.
Among them, Trump nominated Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to serve as the director of the National Institutes of Health. As head of the NIH, the Stanford University professor would work alongside Trump’s pick for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Bhattacharya, who also has a doctorate in economics, became known for opposing lockdown restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 27, 2024
Trump also selected Jamieson Greer to lead the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Greer is no stranger to the department, having served as chief of staff to the trade representative during Trump’s first term — which saw tariffs imposed on Chinese goods and the signing of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement.
Greer served as a lawyer in the Air Force and is currently a partner in international trade at the law firm King and Spalding.
Both of these nominations will need Senate confirmation.
Australia’s House passes bill to ban kids under 16 from social media
The bill would make platforms such as Tiktok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to $50 million ($33 million USD) for failing to prevent young children from holding accounts.
Australia’s communications minister Michelle Rowland introduced a world-first law into Parliament on Thursday that would ban children younger than 16 from social media, saying online safety was one of parents’ toughest challenges. pic.twitter.com/K0zui1wHLv
The legislation passed 102-13 in Australia’s House of Representatives and now moves on to the Senate. If the bill becomes law, social media companies would have one year to figure out how to implement the age restrictions before they are enforced.
More than 3,000 fake name-brand electric guitars seized in California
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it seized more than 3,000 fake electric guitars in Southern California. CBP said the knockoffs were destined for the e-commerce market, just in time for holiday gift shopping.
CBP said if the guitars were real, they would be worth about $18 million. Most of the fakes look like Gibson brand guitars, but some were supposedly from other well-known companies such as Fender.
Federal authorities would not release any details about suspects in the investigation or where the counterfeit guitars came from.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to go on, rain or shine
A Macy’s spokesperson told the New York Post the parade will proceed regardless of wet weather — good news for the expected 3.5 million people who will be along the parade route and the estimated 30 million watching at home. However, wind could pose a problem.
The spokesperson told the Post, “Based on the city’s guidelines, no giant character balloon will be operated when there are sustained wind conditions exceeding 23 miles per hour and wind gusts greater than 34 miles per hour on the parade route.”
So far, according to weather reports, the winds should not be a problem, and all 32 balloons should be able to fly. New ones this year include Minnie Mouse and Spider-Man, which is marking its return to the parade for the first time in a decade.
Happy Thanksgiving from Straight Arrow News
With Thursday being Thanksgiving, as you get ready to gather around the table with your family, we wanted to take this time for you to get to know ours a little better. In the video above, members of our Straight Arrow News team have special messages about what they’re thankful for this holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!
Thanksgiving dinner will cost less for the second year despite bird flu
Inflation has been a major topic of discussion in recent years. While the rise in grocery prices has slowed down to a 1% increase over the last 12 months, the price of Thanksgiving dinner fell for the second straight year.
A Thanksgiving meal for 10 people will cost $58.08 in 2024, or $5.81 per person, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 39th annual Thanksgiving dinner survey.
The price of Thanksgiving fell more than 9% since reaching a record high of $64.05 in 2022. That said, the price of a feast for 10 is still 19% higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, it cost $48.91 to feed a group of 10 for the holiday.
Turkey remains the center of any Thanksgiving dinner. The average price of a 16-pound turkey is $25.67, a savings of 6% from last year. Despite the savings, the American Farm Bureau Federation says avian influenza is at play in 2024.
“The American turkey flock is the smallest it’s been since 1985 because of avian influenza, but overall demand has also fallen, resulting in lower prices at the grocery store for families planning a holiday meal,” AFBF economist Bernt Nelson said in a statement.
For those who aren’t fans of turkey, a 4-pound boneless ham will set consumers back $14.79, down $3.23 compared with last year.
Mashed potatoes are the second most popular Thanksgiving side. The price of russet potatoes, which gives the desired fluffy texture, fell nearly $1 to $2.63 per five-pound bag. The third most popular side is sweet potatoes and three pounds will cost $2.93 this year, saving buyers more than $1 over last year.
Campbell’s says green bean casserole is the fourth most popular holiday side. A pound of green beans is down $0.16 in 2024, but cooks will still need to add cream of mushroom soup and crispy fried onions to complete a casserole.
Pumpkin pie is the most popular Thanksgiving dessert, according to readers at The Pioneer Woman. Pumpkin pie mix is $4.15 for a 30-ounce package. That’s down $0.29 compared with last year.
Meanwhile, two pie shells are $3.40, only falling $0.10 since 2023. Pecan pie is the second most popular, followed by apple pie and then chocolate pie. Sweet potato pie did not make the list.
Deadly terror attack targets major defense company in Turkey
A major defense company has been apparently targeted in a deadly terror attack in Turkey. At least four people are dead, and more than a dozen others are injured in Ankara, Turkish officials said.
Government officials confirmed that the attack occurred at the Turkish Aerospace Industries’ headquarters. Turkish Aerospace Industries employs nearly 10,000 people and produces drones, fighter jets, and combat and civilian helicopters. It is owned by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation.
Videos from the scene on Wednesday, Oct. 23, showed explosions and the sound of gunfire erupting. It is currently unclear who is responsible for the attack, as no group has come forward to accept responsibility.
Reuters reports that broadcasters showed images of the assailants carrying rifles and backpacks as they entered the building. Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said two of the terrorists were neutralized.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte condemned the attack in a post on X, stating, “NATO stands with our ally Turkey. We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and are monitoring developments closely.”
Deeply concerning reports of dead and wounded in Ankara. #NATO stands with our Ally #Turkey. We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and are monitoring developments closely.
Rutte noted that he has spoken to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is currently attending the BRICS summit in Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences during his opening remarks while visiting with Erdoğan.