Another stinging blow to chancellor machall in Regional Elections this weekend. Plus a last minute scramble to climb australias most famous rock tourists coming out in force hoping to scale blue in the final hours before a permanent ban goes into effect that rock is now closed off the fires out of respect for Indigenous Peoples. Im brian thomas great to have you with us the United States will be moving troops into Eastern Syria to help defend the regions oil fields there from Islamic State now thats according to u. S. Defense officials this announcement comes after the decision by President Trump earlier this month to pull american troops out of syria that paved the way for turkeys assault on Kurdish Forces there had been a close ally. Now a ceasefire deal brokered by the us has allowed turkey to create a socalled safe zone along the border which is now being patrolled with russian help. So is russias influence in syria set to increase further and how should the west respond to russias