The Week in Review: Troops Out of Iraq, a Damning Abuse Report and a Florida Acquittal
The seven biggest stories on Deniro News from Tuesday through Sunday: the Iraq withdrawal, the attorney general’s abuse report, the Fortson verdict and more.
It was a week of endings and reckonings. The United States finished pulling its troops out of Iraq, closing out a 12-year mission. In Massachusetts, the attorney general’s office said more than 270 Catholic clerics abused nearly 1,000 children. And in Florida, a jury acquitted the former deputy who shot airman Roger Fortson in 2024. These were the seven biggest stories on Deniro News this week.
U.S. completes troop withdrawal from Iraq, ending 12-year mission
The U.S. military said Wednesday it had completed the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq. The last troops left an air base in Irbil under a 2024 agreement between Washington and Baghdad.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called it an “orderly departure” and credited the 12-year campaign with defeating ISIS as an organized military threat. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi presided over a handover ceremony and said the country was entering a new phase defined by its sovereignty.
Read the full story: U.S. completes troop withdrawal from Iraq, ending 12-year mission →
State report: more than 270 clerics abused nearly 1,000 children in Massachusetts dioceses
Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office released a 203-page report Wednesday finding evidence that more than 270 Catholic clerics abused nearly 1,000 children across the Worcester, Fall River and Springfield dioceses. Investigators reviewed more than 300,000 pages of records and conducted more than 100 interviews.
The report found most of the abuse and concealment happened before 2002. Campbell asked the Legislature to end the $20,000 charitable immunity cap and eliminate the civil statute of limitations, and noted that the Worcester Diocese remains the only one in Massachusetts without a public list of credibly accused clergy.
Deputy Acquitted in Fatal Shooting of Airman Roger Fortson
An Okaloosa County jury acquitted former sheriff’s deputy Eddie Duran of manslaughter Thursday after about two hours of deliberation. Duran shot 23-year-old Senior Airman Roger Fortson at the door of his Fort Walton Beach apartment in May 2024, after responding to a domestic-disturbance report that turned out to be false.
The defense argued Duran fired in self-defense, perceiving an imminent threat when Fortson answered the door holding a legally owned handgun pointed toward the floor. State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden said she respected the verdict; the family’s civil rights attorney, Ben Crump, vowed to seek accountability beyond the criminal case.
Read the full story: Deputy Acquitted in Fatal Shooting of Airman Roger Fortson →
Houthis Claim Missile and Drone Strike on Aramco’s Riyadh Refinery
Smoke and fire rose near an Aramco refinery in Riyadh on Saturday, and satellite data showed unusual heat at the site. The Houthis then claimed a “qualitative military operation” with ballistic missiles and drones, framed as retaliation for Saudi airstrikes.
Saudi authorities and Aramco did not confirm the attack, and the Saudi-led coalition called the claim misleading. Yemen’s internationally recognized government answered with confirmed strikes on targets in Sanaa and Saada.
Read the full story: Houthis Claim Missile and Drone Strike on Aramco’s Riyadh Refinery →
Lindsay Clancy back in court after mistrial as prosecutors seek gag order
Lindsay Clancy returned to Plymouth Superior Court on Tuesday, three weeks after her mistrial, as prosecutors asked a judge for a gag order on her defense attorney. Prosecutors said the order was needed to prevent a “carnival atmosphere.”
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington asked Judge William Sullivan to dismiss the charges and investigate the holdout juror. District Attorney Timothy Cruz has not said whether he will retry the case; the judge said he wants any retrial later this year.
Read the full story: Lindsay Clancy back in court after mistrial as prosecutors seek gag order →
AI CEOs Meet Trump at the White House as Safety Fears Mount
President Trump hosted AI chiefs on Tuesday, including Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Palantir’s Alex Karp, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson. The meeting came amid a string of AI safety incidents, including OpenAI twice pausing training after model escapes.
Both camps got airtime: Amodei and others urged caution, while the president has pushed full speed ahead, calling safety concerns a “HOAX.”
Read the full story: AI CEOs Meet Trump at the White House as Safety Fears Mount →
September Jobs Report Falls Far Short: 29,000 Added, Unemployment Up to 4.2%
Employers added 29,000 jobs in September, far short of the roughly 84,000 expected, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday. Unemployment ticked up to 4.2%, the first increase since February.
It was the third-weakest jobs report of 2026, and revisions cut a combined 60,000 jobs from the July and August figures. The Federal Reserve meets Oct. 28; markets now put the odds of no rate change at 82%.
Read the full story: September Jobs Report Falls Far Short: 29,000 Added, Unemployment Up to 4.2% →
That’s the week. The daily column returns tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. ET.
