Declare Victory and Leave: President Trump has declared victory against the Islamic State in Syria and  ordered the withdrawal of all 2,000 American troops in the country within 30 days.

He evidently blindsided the Pentagon and Republican leaders with his decision. He didn’t announce a plan for what comes next

“We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency,” the President said on Twitter.

He later tweeted a video message in which he said, “We have won against ISIS. We have beaten them and have beaten them badly. We’ve taken back the land.”

By several estimates, there are as many as 14,000 to 30,000 ISIS militants still in Syria and even more in neighboring Iraq.

Military leaders are reported to be reluctant to make the move. For one thing, getting out means America’s Kurdish allies in the region might now be the targets of attacks by Turkey. The Turkish government considers them to be terrorists.

Outspoken Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham declared it a big mistake. “If Obama had done this, all of us would be furious,” Graham said. “If Obama had done this, we’d be going nuts right now: ‘How weak, how dangerous.’”

A NY Timeseditorial says, “That abrupt and dangerous decision, detached from any broader strategic context or any public rationale, sowed new uncertainty about America’s commitment to the Middle East, its willingness to be a global leader and Mr. Trump’s role as commander in chief.”

Skywatch: London’s Gatwick airport was closed last night after drones were spotted flying over what is one of Britain’s busiest airports. Tens of thousands of travelers are delayed as authorities try to find the mystery aircraft and their operators.

The drones have been described as “industrial sized,” not something you would buy at a toy or hobby shop. Police say they think it’s not an act of terrorism but rather a “deliberate act” of disruption.

Econ 101: The Federal reserve raised short-term interest rates a quarter percent yesterday, as predicted, sending the stock market into a spin. The Fed also lowered its growth forecast for next year from 2.5 percent to 2.3 percent.

President Trump called the rate hike “foolish.”

During the depths of the recession the Fed lowered rates to almost zero to spur the economy. Now with a healthy and growing economy, it has to raise rates to restore balance and give itself maneuvering room in the next dip.

Stock investors in particular have been spoiled by the low rates. The Dow Jones dropped nearly 83 points.

Get Me Roger Stone: Special Counsel Robert Mueller has asked the House Intelligence Committee for an official transcript of Trump adviser Roger Stone’s testimony, The Washington Post reports. It’s a sign that Mueller thinks Stone may have lied about whether the Trump circle coordinated with Russian operators.

Rant, Rave & Politic: A day after agreeing to shut down his charitable foundation, President Trump was on Twitter claiming what great work it did, “with me taking NO fees, rent, salaries etc.”

But he diduse Trump Foundation money to help his campaign, pay personal legal fees, buy a painted portrait of himself, and pay for his son Baron’s Boy Scout dues.

Still, Trump wrote, “In any event, it goes on and on & the new AG, who is now being replaced by yet another AG (who openly campaigned on a GET TRUMP agenda), does little else but rant, rave & politic against me. Will never be treated fairly by these people – a total double standard of ‘justice.’”

Intersex: Germany has introduced a third sex to be used on official documents to be called “intersex.” Germans who claim to be neither male nor female can choose “intersex.” The new category still doesn’t please transgenders who want to be identified as something other than their birth sex.

Tunnel Vision: Entrepreneur Elon Musk has unveiled his prototype for a high-speed traffic tunnel that he believes will alleviate “soul killing” jams on surface highways.

He built a 1.2 mile test tunnel under Hawthorne, Calif. to demonstrate a system that would one day move cars at 150 mph. Cars would enter and exit the tunnels on elevators. His dream is to move 4,000 cars per hour.

Musk has other big plans. One is his “Hyperloop” that would carry people in pods at 600 mph. A less ambitious “Loop” system would carry 15 passengers underground at 150 mph.

His Boring company has won a bid to build a Loop tunnel in Chicago and has proposed tunnels in Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore, and Washington, DC.

Thank You for Not Smoking: President Trump’s re-election campaign has released an ad inviting supporters to call an 800 number to thank him for all he’s done for America. Trump’s campaign manager Brad Pascale says Trump has “achieved more during his time in office than any president in history.”

The ad ends with Trump saying, “I’m Donald Trump and I approved this message.”

As if he wouldn’t.

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