The World

Violence erupted in Culiácan, Mexico, when cartel members and security forces clashed. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has defended the decision to free a son of the jailed drug lord Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, whose discovery in a home sparked the ambush. How much power do the cartels have in Mexico? Plus, shelling continued in northern Syria on Friday, despite President Donald Trump's announcement that the US had brokered a pause in the fighting. And, we have a story about Pepe the Frog — a cartoon character and internet meme that has become a mascot of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters. Pepe is a provocative symbol in the US, widely used on message boards by white nationalists. Hongkongers don't seem to care about that and have rebranded the frog for their cause.

Turkey agreed on Thursday to pause its offensive in Syria for five days to let Kurdish forces withdraw from a "safe zone" Ankara had sought to capture. Also at this week's Democratic debate, former Vice President Joe Biden raised the question: Is ISIS coming to America? We're doing a reality check on that. Plus, US President Donald Trump's tariffs against the EU take effect Friday. In Scotland, the new 25% tariffs could impact a beloved export: Scotch.

Turkey continued its offensive in northern Syria on Wednesday. Meanwhile, US Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Turkey to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to negotiate a ceasefire, but the Turkish president says he will not agree to a ceasefire until the border area is cleared of Kurdish fighters. Plus, we speak to an entrepreneur in Damascus to get a view from the Syrian capital. And, a world-class player of the Theremin comes to our studio to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the instrument. Host Marco Werman tries to play a tune.

With the US imposing economic sanctions on Turkey, what will NATO or the EU do? And, will Turkey's threat of releasing refugees into Europe stop the EU from acting? Also, a majority of Scottish citizens voted against independence from the UK a few years ago. Now, with Brexit on the horizon, many Scots are wondering if they really want to be tied to London anymore.

Money in politics is a little bit like an iceberg — there’s the stuff you can see, like lobbying firms, and then there’s all the stuff below the waterline. On this bonus episode from The World's partners at the Things That Go Boom podcast, host Laicie Heeley wades into the swamp. Heeley focuses on one of the loudest groups that weighed in on the Iran nuclear deal to get a better sense of how the system works. The story that emerges includes a Greek shipping magnate, a gold trader, an investigative reporter and the world’s largest collections of Rembrandts. The question at the center of it all: Is our foreign policy for sale?

Northern Syria is in chaos. The situation on the ground is changing quickly, with new coalitions aligning and more groups joining the fight. And, American farmers are getting fed up with being pawns in President Donald Trump's trade wars. Also, a kindergarten in southern Israel was shut down in September after the school was accused of segregating students by race. But for Ethiopian Jews in Israel, it was another painful reminder of the obstacles they face as a minority in the Jewish state.

Serhiy Leshchenko, a former Ukrainian MP and investigative journalist, is being called "the Ukrainian who sunk Paul Manafort." Leshchenko provided evidence on the shadowy activities of Trump’s former campaign manager in Ukraine. Also, Friday marked the third day of Turkish attacks on Kurdish fighters in northern Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the attacks have forced more than 60,000 Syrians from their homes. For Syrian refugees already in Turkey, this is making a tense time even more difficult. And, there's a renewed attempt to do the impossible: finish a marathon in two hours. Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge will make an attempt Saturday in Vienna.

What's the impact of Turkey's military incursion into Syria having on people there? Also, Apple removed an app from its online store that protesters in Hong Kong have been using to locate police and dangerous spots in the city. Plus, tensions are boiling over at universities around the world where students from Hong Kong and mainland China are getting into disputes over pro-democracy protests back home.

Turkey launched an attack on Kurdish militias in northern Syria on Wednesday. These are some of the same Kurdish military forces who've been fighting alongside US troops against ISIS. Turkey's move was expected, but plenty of Middle East experts, along with members of the US Congress, are worried about the consequences. In Hong Kong, pro-democracy protesters have been attacked in the streets by groups of men — often wearing the same color t-shirts — wielding batons, cleavers and Chinese national flags. Who are they? Also, Ecuador's president, Lenin Moreno, has moved his government from the capital of Quito to the coastal city of Guayaquil in response to violent nationwide protests over fuel subsidies.

Donald Trump's decision to remove US troops from Syria leaves the Kurdish forces there vulnerable. We take a look at the Kurds, who are guarding large detention centers for ISIS fighters and their families. Plus, anti-Brexit members of the European Parliament are hosting a 60-piece band to deliver a musical plea for the UK to stick with Brussels. And in China, electric buses are everywhere — and there are very few in the US. The technology to switch to all-electric bus fleets exists, but the problem is range and charging. How do you keep electric buses running on time?