Trump has his eye on Syria's oil

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VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE MON, OCT 28, 2019 CNBC POLITICS EDITOR'S NOTE Hello readers,   U.S. troops are mostly pulling out of northern Syria, and the leader of ISIS is dead. But there are still big question marks about America's involvement in Syria.    President Trump, however, has already provided one answer: protect the oil.   On Sunday, in remarks announcing that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had killed himself during a U.S. military raid, Trump made it clear that safeguarding oil in northern Syria remains a priority even as he pulls forces out of the area. More than that, the president said he intends to explore making a deal with "an ExxonMobil or one of our great companies to go in there and do it properly."   His remarks underscored some of the biggest points of tension in Trump's "America First" foreign policy. He says he wants to bring home troops and put a stop to "endless wars." But Trump also wants to bolster his standing as a deal maker acting in America's best business interests. Fighting for oil in the Middle East seems more in line with the latter sentiment.   "The oil is so valuable, for many reasons. It fueled ISIS, number one. Number two, it helps the Kurds – because it's basically been taken away from the Kurds," Trump said. "And, number three, it can help us, because we should be able to take some also."   It's hard to see why America would even need oil from Syria, though. After all, as Trump's own departing Energy Secretary Rick Perry claims, the U.S. has "achieved the magnificent goal of energy independence."   Thanks for reading.   Have friends or colleagues who might like this newsletter? They can sign up here. For more on the intersection of business and politics, sign up for the weekly Capital Exchange newsletter here.   Check out CNBC Select, which provides high-quality personal finance advice through product reviews, tips and best-of lists so users can choose the right financial products for their lives. Mike Calia @Michael_Calia KEY STORIES  Trump wants to make a deal with Exxon or others to tap Syrian oil "What I intend to do, perhaps, is make a deal with an ExxonMobil or one of our great companies to go in there and do it properly...and spread out the wealth," Trump said. Justice Department to appeal decision forcing it to turn over Mueller materials to Congress The case is one of the legal fights at the heart of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. Trump confirms ISIS leader Baghdadi is dead after US raid in Syria — 'He died like a coward' Baghdadi killed himself and three children at the dead end of a tunnel, "whimpering and crying and screaming all the way," Trump said. How Obama's border enforcer is fighting Trump on immigration at the Supreme Court Janet Napolitano once set records for how many people she deported in a year. Now she's trying to protect undocumented immigrants from that fate. Microsoft snags hotly contested $10 billion defense contract, beating out Amazon In July, President Trump said he was looking at the contract after companies had protested the bidding process. Trump told Mattis to 'screw Amazon' out of $10 billion Pentagon cloud contract, book claims An upcoming book on James Mattis' tenure as secretary of Defense claims Trump told Mattis to blacklist Amazon from a $10 billion cloud contract. EU agrees to give the UK a Brexit extension until January 31 The announcement came after a meeting between the 27 European ambassadors in Brussels, where they signed off on a third delay. A geopolitical earthquake has shaken US leadership in the world — Russia and China stand to benefit From Syria to Ukraine, and from Afghanistan to Africa, the tectonic plates are shifting in a manner that threatens not only the credibility and durability of US global leadership but also the democratic values, Atlantic Council CEO Fred Kempe writes.       Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2019 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS