Georgia Dem now dismisses claims he would push socialist policies as senator Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock is battling accusations that he has embraced socialism, something he has dismissed out of hand. “It would be funny if it weren’t sad,” Warnock told MSNBC’s Joy Ann Reid on Thursday.

A surge of targeted killings and assassinations has swept Afghanistan, where violence has soared despite peace efforts aimed at ending the war. Many of those being targeted are civilians — journalists, rights activists, cultural figures, moderate religious leaders, and women in public roles.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo embarks Friday on a 10-day, seven-nation trip to Europe and the Middle East that will focus on counterterrorism and religious freedom.