“There’s hardly been a peep out the Trump White House. The “de-escalation zone” was inaction disguised as action; indeed, for all of President Trump’s criticism of his predecessor, he has made it absolutely clear that he intends to stay out of Syria, even at the price of allowing Putin to make him look like a pathetic weakling.” And in this case, Trump is largely continuing an Obama policy. Dexter Filkins on the disaster in Syria that is somehow getting even worse. A Russian-Backed Offensive in Syria Makes a Mockery of Trump.

+ “The scale of that catastrophe is crushing. Displaced Syrians along the border are using holes in the ground as toilets, and living in makeshift tents stretched over sticks of wood. A rising number of sick people and children have died from scorpion stings, dehydration, and drinking contaminated water. According to the UN, nearly half of the displaced are children. The Norwegian Refugee Council’s statement also included reports of pregnant women giving birth in the open desert.” The Atlantic: Confronting Horror at the Jordan-Syria Border.