Quote of the Week:

" Today's announcement [by special counsel Mueller] has nothing to do with the President, has nothing to do with the President's campaign or campaign activity... We have been saying from day one there is no evidence of a Trump-Russia collusion, and nothing in the indictment today changes that at all."

-- Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in a Monday White House Press Briefing.

"Paul Manafort's Ukraine Connection" Ashish Kumar Sen -- Atlantic Council, October 30, 2017

"The Manafort Indictment: Not Much There, and a Boon for Trump" Andrew C. McCarthy -- National Review, October 30, 2017

"Paul Manafort and the Case of the $250,000 Antique-Rug-Store Bill" Adam Davidson -- The New Yorker, October 31, 2017

"Afghanistan Keeps Losing Territory to the Taliban" Editorial Board -- Vice News, October 31, 2017

"A Look at the State of Diplomatic Efforts in Afghanistan" Tom Bowman -- NPR, October 31, 2017 [Podcast]

"Afghan Taliban Awash in Heroin Cash, a Troubling Turn for War" Mujib Mashal -- The New York Times, October 29, 2017

"UN Secretary General Speaks Out on Afghanistan" Javier Delgado Rivera -- Asia Times, November 1, 2017

"The Roots of the Catalan Independence Crisis " R. Joseph Huddleston -- Foreign Affairs, October 31, 2017

"Madrid on Catalonia: We Got This" Diego Torres -- Politico, November 1, 2017

"How Catalonia's Crisis Is Turning into a European Problem" Ishaan Tharoor -- The Washington Post, November 1, 2017

"Iraqi Kurdistan Was Never Ready for Statehood" Denise Natali -- Foreign Policy, October 31, 2017

"The Kurds Are Right Back Where They Started" Joost Hiltermann -- The Atlantic, October 31, 2017

" Powder Keg on Manus Island as Refugees Refuse to Leave Immigration Center " Hilary Whiteman -- CNN, October 30, 2017

"Manus Island Detainees Launch Legal Action Over Australian Centre's Closure" Helen Davidson -- The Guardian, October 30, 2017

"Manus Island: New Refugee Sites Not Ready, Says UN" -- BBC, November 1, 2017