President Trump touted the strength of his border wall at a campaign rally in Tupelo, Mississippi, on Friday night. He told the crowed that Army wall engineers wanted to use concrete, steel, and rebar, and he told them even though it would cost more, use all three materials. "I did all three because it's a different form of cutting," Trump said. "You can get through steel, but you can't through the concrete, and then, you can't through the hardened rebar."
Hours later, The Washington Post reported Saturday that Mexican smugglers were actually cutting through the new replacement barrier Trump has erected near San Diego using cordless reciprocating saws you can purchase for about $100 at hardware stores. Specialized blades can slice through the steel-plated, rebar-reinforced concrete bollards in minutes, border agents told the Post.
"After cutting through the base of a single bollard, smugglers can push the steel out of the way, creating an adult-size gap," the Post reports. "Because the bollards are so tall — and are attached only to a panel at the top — their length makes them easier to push aside once they have been cut and are left dangling."
On Saturday evening, reporters asked Trump if he's concerned that people are able to cut though his new border wall. "I haven't heard that," Trump replied. "We have a very powerful wall. But no matter how powerful, you can cut through anything, in all fairness. But we have a lot of people watching. You know, cutting — cutting is one thing, but it's easily fixed. One of the reasons we did it the way we did it — it's very easily fixed to put the chunk back in. But we have a very powerful wall. But you can cut through any wall."
You can read more about Trump's $10 billion border wall, its strengths and weaknesses, and how Mexican smugglers are cat-and-mousing U.S. border patrol agents at The Washington Post. Peter Weber
The Tennessee Titans — yes, you heard that right — are the hottest team in football that doesn't employ Lamar Jackson at quarterback. Despite a 2-4 start to the season, the team has a shot to establish itself as the team to beat in the AFC South with a win over their division rival, the Houston Texans on Sunday. But it may be time to start wondering if the Titans have the legs to make an even deeper run come January as they seek their fifth straight victory.
First off, though, the Texans should not be taken lightly (The Ringer pegged this game as "the best football of the day.") Sure, Houston is coming off a surprising blowout loss to the out-of-contention Denver Broncos, but they're just two weeks removed from handling the New England Patriots, and sit atop the division alongside Tennessee at 8-5. So the Titans have a long way to go before they start thinking about the postseason.
But a win might prove that the performances during the win-streak from Tennessee's entire roster and especially quarterback Ryan Tannehill, whose insertion into the starting lineup was the spark the team needed, haven't been flukes. Like a few other playoff contenders, the Titans haven't beaten too many teams of note this year. But in recent weeks they did knock off the playoff-bound Kansas City Chiefs, as well as the Indianapolis Colts and Oakland Raiders both of whom not too long ago looked like they could sneak into the postseason. This team, it seems, is for real, and it might be time to pay attention. The Titans and Texans will square off at 1 p.m. E.T. on CBS. Tim O'Donnell
Welcome to the new Cold War.
For the first time in more than 30 years, the United States secretly expelled two Chinese embassy officials on suspicion of espionage after they drove on to a sensitive military base in Norfolk, Virginia, in September, The New York Times reports. The State Department declined to comment and the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Chinese Embassy didn't reply to requests for comment, but six people with knowledge of the expulsions spoke to the Times about the incident.
The officials, who were with their wives, were reportedly told to go through the gate and turn around after they were denied access at the base's checkpoint, but they continued driving before being stopped. The officials reportedly said they didn't understand the English instructions and got lost, but American officials reportedly believe at least one of the officials was a Chinese intelligence officer operating under diplomatic cover.
The Trump administration reportedly fears China is ramping up its espionage in the U.S. as economic and geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to simmer. The Times notes that so far China hasn't retaliated by expelling American diplomats or intelligence officers from Beijing, so it's possible the government understands the officials overstepped their boundaries in this case. Read more at The New York Times. Tim O'Donnell
The Trump administration is expected to announce the withdrawal of around 4,000 troops from Afghanistan, multiple current and former U.S. officials said. The drawdown — which would reportedly be done in phases over a few months — would ultimately leave between 8,000 and 9,000 U.S. forces in place.
The intended announcement is reportedly part of Washington's negotiations with the Taliban in the hopes that the 18-year conflict in the country will finally wind down, one former defense official told NBC News. The withdrawal is viewed as a concession that could possibly sway the Taliban to promise a cease-fire in return, while still leaving enough troops in the country in case things go sour once again.
"This takes us to the minimum that you have to keep in the country to remain credible negotiating with the Taliban," the former defense official said.
U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad just rejoined talks with the Taliban this week after they broke down in September; he said Washington will take a "brief pause" from the discussions after the Taliban launched a deadly attack Wednesday near Bagram airfield, but it sounds as if the negotiations will eventually continue.
President Trump has been pushing for a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan for some time. The announcement could come as early as next week, but officials said the timing is not set. Read more at NBC News and CNN. Tim O'Donnell