🇺🇸⚡- In 2017 journalist Michael Wolff wanted to be introduced to US Envoy Tom Barrack through Jeffrey Epstein:

"So I'm doing this Trump book for a pile of money ... Donald Trump called me the other day and spent 45 minutes on the phone ranting and raving about the media - alarming.

I wonder if you could introduce me to Tom Barrack - just to say I'm a journalist who you know and trust."

🇲🇦🇮🇱⚡- Morocco becomes the first Arab country to reopen direct flights with Israel.

🇺🇸🇸🇩🇦🇪⚡- "The Rapid Support Forces has no manufacturing capabilities. Someone provides them with money and someone provides them with weapons, and it goes through a certain country. We know who [the UAE] they are and we're going to talk to them about it to make them understand that it's going to reflect negatively on them.

If designating the RSF as a foreign terrorist organization could help end this war, then yes, we would support it," - Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

🇬🇧🇸🇾⚡- Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa lands in London.

🇺🇸🇸🇩🇦🇪⚡- "The Rapid Support Forces are committing sexual violence and horrifying atrocities against women, children, innocent civilians.

We know who backs them, that's why they're part of the Quartet negotiating team. We will not allow the Quartet process to be used as a shield for those who use the process and pretend to resolve this," - Secretary of State Marco Rubio blasts the UAE of its support for the RSF.

The Sudanese Quartet negotiating process team involves the US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

🇯🇵🇹🇼🇨🇳⚡- "If Japan intervenes militarily in the Taiwan Strait situation, China will strike back decisively. We warn Japan not to play with fire on the Taiwan question, for those who play with fire will perish by it," - Lin Jian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman.

🇺🇸🇸🇾⚡- Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa had been secretly working with the United States against the Islamic State and al-Qaeda since 2016, The New York Times reports.

Al-Sharaa, who was Emir of Idlib at the time, was widely accused then by most of the rival Islamist factions of working with Washington. HTS led one of the largest anti-ISIS campaigns in the early to mid 2017s in the Afrin area.

🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡- US destroyer USS Stockdale and guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg are currently operating well within Venezuela's EEZ, less than 50km from Caracas.

Gettysburg is capable of launching Tomahawk missiles.

🇺🇸⚡️- October’s jobs report will be released without the unemployment rate. - National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Fox News.

🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡️- Venezuelan President Maduro's plane has departed Caracas, headed north; likely towards Cuba.

🇺🇸🇵🇷⚡- Aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford seems to be arriving at San Juan, Puerto Rico, from a northeast direction.

🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡️- The plane is now descending a few miles to the west of Santiago, Cuba.

🇺🇸🇵🇷⚡- Scenes from San Juan, Puerto Rico, with two C-2A Greyhounds overhead, marking the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford.

🇨🇳🇹🇼⚡- Three of China's Shiuqiao landing barges were spotted at Xiangshan, Zhejiang Province – just opposite northwest of Taiwan.

Imagery from Capella Space’s satellite.

🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡- "US military commanders briefed President Trump on updated options for action in Venezuela," - CBS.

🇸🇾⚡- BREAKING: Clashes in the western As Suwaida countryside between the Syrian government forces and allied groups against the Druze factions.

🇸🇾⚡- Scenes from western As Suwaida region, southern Syria. Video shows Druze factions firing upon Syrian government positions.

🇸🇾⚡- Druze sources report the attacks are led by the Bedouin Arab tribes, who are attempting to breach the defenses of al-Majdal and Kanakir - west of As Suwaida, southern Syria.

Both towns are still under complete Druze control.

🇸🇾⚡- Syrian government backed forces have also begun attacking Nijran, Druze-controlled northwest As Suwaida region, southern Syria.

🇺🇸🇻🇪🇷🇺⚡- "Russia avoids commitment to Venezuela amid tensions with the US.

The relationship between Caracas and Moscow has remained strong for over two decades. While Caracas celebrates the alliance, Moscow's response has been subdued," - The Atlantic.

🇺🇸🇻🇪🇷🇺⚡- "The Kremlin has not issued any public statements of support for Maduro nor has it suggested that it would intervene if the crisis escalates.

Lavrov recently said their strategic cooperation agreement does not imply mutual defense obligations," - The Atlantic.