Republicans criticise US troop withdrawal from Germany

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Senior figures from Donald Trump's party have criticised him for deciding to withdraw more than 5000 US troops from Germany. The president told journalists the number of soldiers will be cut "way down" but gave no further details. In a statement, top Republicans warned it sends the wrong signal to Russia's Vladimir Putin. Also in the programme: we hear from a Tuareg activist and writer about the ongoing conflict in Mali; and the month-long operation to return a beached humpback whale to open seas. Presenter Julian Worricker is joined by Emma Graham-Harrison, Middle East correspondent at the Guardian newspaper, and Yaroslav Trofimov, chief foreign affairs correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. (Photo: US President Donald Trump gestures as he visits US troops at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, December 27, 2018. Credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo)