President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered a withdrawal of troops from Syria as he appeared to relent to Democratic opposition to his proposed border wall.

ISIS DECLARED DEFEATED

With the U.S. military preparing to withdraw forces from northeastern Syria, Trump said “we have defeated ISIS” in the country, “my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.”

A New York Times reporter who covers the group, meanwhile, tweeted that three separate reports including by the Pentagon’s inspector general, have estimated that ISIS still has between 20,000 and 30,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.

Trump’s move was praised by Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, and opposed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican.

Also read:U.S. course reversal in northeast Syria: Troop pullout to begin immediately.

LATEST ON BORDER WALL

With a government shutdown appearing less likely as the Senate planned a vote on a stopgap budget, Trump tweeted, “one way or the other, we will win on the Wall!”

The president and congressional Democrats have been sparring over funding for the wall, with Trump threatening a shutdown if $5 billion wasn’t approved. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was preparing a bill to keep the government funded through Feb. 8. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Democrats would support it.

Trump repeated that Mexico, through the pact to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, would be paying for the wall, albeit indirectly. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement has not been ratified by Congress, and the Congressional Budget Office has previously estimated that trade agreements reduce government revenue, as the decrease in tariff rates offset the increase in economic activity.

Trump also said that the military would build the wall, something he’s also declared in the past. Last week, a Pentagon spokesman said there was no plan to build sections of the wall, but noted that Congress has provided options that could permit the Defense Department to fund border barrier projects in support of things like counter drug operations.

TRUMP DEFENDS FOUNDATION

With Trump’s foundation reaching a deal to dissolve amid a legal battle with New York’s attorney general, the president tweeted it had done “great work” over the years.

In a series of tweets, Trump said he was “getting slammed” by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other Democrats, including former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who resigned in May over allegations of sexual misconduct. Schneiderman’s successor, Barbara Underwood, later sued Trump’s charity. Trump dubbed Schneiderman a “sleazebag” in his tweets.

On Tuesday, Underwood and the foundation laid out a process for shutting down the charity and distributing remaining assets to other nonprofit groups. Last spring, New York filed a lawsuit accusing the foundation of operating like an extension of Trump’s businesses and political campaign. That suit will continue.

See:Trump Foundation agrees to dissolve: New York attorney general.

An attorney for the Trump Foundation, Alan Futerfas, said it had given away about $19 million in the last decade, including what he said was $8.25 million of Trump’s money, to charitable organizations. In 2017, the foundation made no donations, in a sharp break from the 2016 election year.

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