The Syria strike debate grew even tenser this week as President Obama confronted Congress about seeking limited military intervention in Syria, an intervention that even many Democrats reject. As the Syria discussion raged on, Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro stunned the nation by committing suicide in his prison cell after only serving one month of his life plus 1,000 years sentence.
Welcome back to NEWSFLASH, recapping the week’s biggest stories!
Obama Faces Congress and International Community In Syria Strike Bid
After announcing that he would seek congressional approval for a limited military strike against Syria, this week President Obama championed the case to a very divided House and an equally conflicted G20 community.
While Obama barely won Senate support for launching air strikes against Bashar al-Assad’s government, he is still battling to obtain the 217 House votes needed. But as of Friday, 280 House representatives remain undecided while 109 plan to vote against Obama’s proposal. Dozens of Democrats are also set to vote against the measure, dividing a party that has been generally anti-war. Despite agreeing that al-Assad’s regime did instigate a chemical weapons attack that killed approximately 1,500 civilians, House representatives are more than cautious about engaging in another foreign military intervention.
A few key Republicans have, however, backed the President, including Rep. John McCain.
The President then faced another highly skeptical crowd at the G20 gathering in Russia, where Russian President Vladimir Putin openly contested the strike. Both leaders debated the policy until the early hours of the morning while other G20 leaders watched on, but the end consensus remained unchanged and Obama left the meeting with no concrete international support. Though the EU has now called for strong action against al-Assad, it is still unclear when or how the EU will cooperate with the U.S.
Congress is set to vote as early as Tuesday on missile strikes against Syria, leaving the President with a tense few days as he lobbies the House.
Ariel Castro Commits Suicide In Prison Cell
Ariel Castro, known to the world as the Cleveland kidnapper, was found dead in his prison cell on Tuesday.
An autopsy and investigation concluded that Castro, 52, had hanged himself with a bedsheet. Paramedics attempted to revive Castro, but sent him directly to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center when they did not succeed. The hospital pronounced Castro dead at 10:52 pm.
Castro’s suicide shocked citizens nationwide and angered many who wanted to see the man serve his entire sentence.
“These degenerate molesters are cowards…This man couldn’t take, for even a month, a small portion of what he had dished out for more than a decade,” said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty. ”Let this be a message to other child kidnappers: There will be a heavy price to pay when you are caught. You won’t enjoy the captive side of the bars.”
Victims Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Amanda Knight declined to comment on Castro’s suicide.
Castro was sentenced to life plus 1,000 years for the kidnapping and rape of the three women. Berry, DeJesus and Knight were held captive for a decade before Berry escaped this year and alerted neighbors. The three victims were confined in a dungeon-like environment and raped repeatedly by Castro over the course of their captivity.
New FBI tapes released after Castro’s death revealed that authorities had multiple opportunities to arrest the kidnapper. Castro had apparently gotten through a few “close calls” that ultimately missed him, allowing him to continue holding Berry, DeJesus and Knight hostage.