Trump Eases Off Immediate Withdrawal From Syria
MARSH: Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria was a sore point for President Trump at a meeting with military leaders and national security aides. The president has repeatedly said it's time to withdraw troops from Syria. Sources tell CNN the president grew agitated at the Tuesday meeting when his national security team argued the battle against ISIS is not yet complete and immediate withdrawal would be a mistake. The sources say Trump backed down and said he's willing to keep American forces in Syria in the short-term, but the president said he wants Arab allies to take over and cover the costs of stabilizing the area. As President Trump plans an exit strategy for Syria, the leaders from Russia, Iran, and Turkey ended a summit Wednesday. All three countries are major players in ending the conflict there. The summit concluded with a commitment to achieving a lasting ceasefire in Syria. Notably absent though from the summit, the U.S. and representatives from Syria itself. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is live in Damascus, Syria with more. Good morning, Fred.</s>FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Rene. And there's a lot of people here in Syria who essentially believe that the president has shown America's cards to all the players here in this country, both national and international, and that is that the U.S. wants to get out of this country as fast as possible despite the president's generals saying at this point in time it's better to still stay in. Now, of course, that has huge implications both for America's allies and for America's adversaries here on the ground. You were just mentioning Turkey, Iran, and Russia. Well, those are by far the most important and the most powerful players here on the ground. And it's one thing for them to have had a summit, as you just mentioned, but they're also creating military facts on the ground. The Russians and their allies here, the Syrian government loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, have made huge gains on the battlefield around here where I am in Damascus and in other places as well. And in the north of the country, the Turks are pushing their own military agenda, squeezing some of those U.S. allies who used to fight with America against ISIS. So, America's allies here on the ground have a big problem. On the one hand, they're not sure whether President Trump and the U.S. will stay in. And at the same time, they might have to cut a deal with the Russians simply to survive, Rene.</s>MARSH: Right, and all of us watching here as the president seems to not be in the same -- not be in lockstep with his own military advisers. Thank you so much, Fred.</s>BRIGGS: All right, 5:49. Let's get a check on "CNN Money" this morning. Global stocks rebounding overnight after the Trump administration's latest tit for tat with Beijing drove wild swings on Wall Street. Stocks plummeted early when China proposed tariffs on $50 billion worth of U.S. exports, a response from the U.S.'s own tariffs on Chinese goods. That stoked fears of a trade war. But stocks surged after White House official urged caution. The Dow jumped more than 700 points yesterday, erasing a 510-point loss to close up one percent. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 also closing more than one percent higher. Facebook's data crisis is getting worse. It now says it exposed millions more than originally reported allowing Trump campaign consultants to access the info of up to 87 million users without their consent. Previous estimates were 50 million. Facebook promises to inform those who were exposed starting next week. CEO Mark Zuckerberg accepting responsibility for the leak which has angered users, advertisers, and lawmakers. And now, Zuckerberg confirms he'll head to Capitol Hill next week to face questions from two congressional panels about how Facebook handles user data. That's on Tuesday and Wednesday. Well, if you travel on Delta Airlines -- if so, your payment info may have been breached. The airline says it was the victim of a cyberattack last fall. It involved Delta's online chat services provider. However, Delta said only a small subset of customers were impacted and that no other personal info was exposed. Delta promising to help any traveler whose payment info was stolen. They've set up a Website to update customers. And, Rene, that Facebook story is a huge deal -- 71 million Americans.</s>MARSH: Yes.</s>BRIGGS: Chances are most of you were impacted in some way if you're on Facebook. We need more answers and hopefully, Zuckerberg provides them.</s>MARSH: Yes, and he'll be on the Hill on Tuesday. Well, today is the deadline for expelled U.S. diplomats to leave Russia. We are live in Moscow, next.