Monday, January 29, 2024

1/29 WAKE-UP CALL: Attack On U-S Post Kills 3, Wounds 30+

NYPost 1/29/24
Three U.S. service members were killed and dozens wounded Sunday in a drone attack by "Iran-backed militants" at a U.S. base along the Jordanian-Syrian border as the war in Gaza continued to show signs of spreading across the region. They are the first U.S. troops killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, igniting the war that has led to more than 26,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza. Identities of the service members will be withheld until 24 hours after their families have been notified, U.S. Central Command said. President Joe Biden issued a statement saying an investigation was underway but that "we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups" operating in Syria and Iraq. The three were "patriots in the highest sense" and the nation is grieving, he said.

A slew of Republican pols Sunday quickly called on President Biden to retaliate against Iran after three US service members were killed and 34 others wounded in an attack by Iranian-backed militants in Jordan. “Hit Iran now. Hit them hard,” wrote Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), well-known for his hawkish views, on X. “When the Biden Administration says ‘don’t’, the Iranians ‘do’. The Biden Administration’s rhetoric is falling on deaf ears in Iran,” Graham said. “Iran is undeterred,” he said. “The only thing the Iranian regime understands is force. Until they pay a price with their infrastructure and their personnel, the attacks on U.S. troops will continue.”

The White House confirmed Sunday that the deadly attack took place Saturday evening and was the result of a drone strike from “radical Iran-backed militant groups” in the region.

➤AFTER 3 YEARS BIDEN READY TO TAKE ACTION, IF...  President Joe Biden vowed to take immediate action to "shut down" the U.S.-Mexico border if Congress approves a proposal under negotiation in the Senate as he urged lawmakers to pass a bipartisan bill "if they're serious about the border crisis." Biden, in a statement released Friday night, said what's being negotiated in the Senate would be "the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border we’ve ever had in our country."

He said the proposal would include new presidential authority to "shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed." 

➤HALEY SLAMS TRUMP: Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley slammed her opponent, former President Donald Trump, after a federal civil jury reached a decision Friday in advice columnist E. Jean Carroll's defamation case against him. "Donald Trump wants to be the presumptive Republican nominee and we’re talking about $83 million in damages," Haley wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after the verdict was announced. "America can do better than Donald Trump and Joe Biden," she added.  Carroll had accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a department store in 1996. She won a previous case against him last May, when a jury in New York found Trump guilty of sexual abuse and defamation.

➤READY FOR THE LONGEST GENERAL ELECTION EVER?  Presidential elections always seem long, but 2024 is looking like it might be an unprecedented endurance challenge for 81-year-old Joe Biden and 77-year-old Donald Trump. Though the GOP primary is ongoing, both parties are already acting like they are in a general-election campaign—something that never happens as early as January. Such a long slog between now and Nov. 5 threatens to bring headaches for both candidates and their campaign staffers—and for voters who have said they dread a rematch of the 2020 race.


➤MOTHER CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER IN SHOTS FIRED AFTER BASKETBALL GAME AT HUEYTOWN HIGH SCHOOL: A 30-year-old woman, Eunethia Arnette Shackelford, has been charged in connection with shots fired after a basketball game at Hueytown High School. She faces charges of attempted murder and possession of a deadly weapon on school grounds. Shackelford, who is the mother of one of the juveniles involved in the dispute, was booked into the Jefferson County Jail and is held on bonds totaling $67,500.

➤ARGENTINA'S NEW PRESIDENT HAS NO PLAN B FOR THE ECONOMY:  Javier Milei says he is bringing a free-market revolution to the country’s long-troubled economy, cutting thousands of state jobs and slashing regulations on everything from divorce proceedings to the price of milk. But after less than two months at the helm of Latin America’s third-largest economy, the self-described anarcho-capitalist is already facing off against opponents in the streets and in Congress, where some of his overhauls have already been derailed. Its inflation rate is now the world’s highest, surpassing even Venezuela’s. In an interview with the Journal, Milei said he wouldn’t waver from his campaign promise to shake up the state-controlled economy, despite the acute short-term economic pain it will bring.

➤UKRAINE'S SECURITY SERVICE ARRESTS FIVE PEOPLE ACCUSED OF $40M ARMS FRAUD: Ukraine's SBU security service has apprehended five individuals accused of attempting to embezzle nearly $40 million earmarked for purchasing shells for the country's military in its conflict with Russia. Among those arrested are two high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Defense, who allegedly colluded with the CEO of Lviv Arsenal, a relatively unknown arms company, regarding a contract for 100,000 mortar shells. Another employee and an alleged accomplice have also been detained in connection with the case.

➤HOUSE REPUBLICANS UNVEIL ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST DHS SEC. MAYORKAS: House Republicans have introduced articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, accusing him of a "willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law" and a "breach of public trust." The articles, introduced by Rep. Mark Green, allege that Mayorkas repeatedly violated immigration and border security laws enacted by Congress, leading to millions of aliens illegally entering the United States annually.

➤5 ASTEROIDS, INCLUDING ONE THE SIZE OF A SPORTS STADIUM, EXPECTED TO PASS NEAR EARTH: A large asteroid, approximately the size of a sports stadium, named 2008 OS7, is on course for a close approach to Earth, coming within 1.77 million miles on February 2. NASA assures there is no risk of impact, but its proximity has earned it a spot on NASA's Asteroid Watch website. This event marks the culmination of a week during which several other asteroids are also set to pass uncomfortably close to Earth.

➤APPLE RELEASES NEW STOLEN DEVICE PROTECTION: Apple has introduced a new security feature called Stolen Device Protection in its recent iOS update to prevent unauthorized access to iPhones. This feature aims to make it more challenging for thieves to open the device and access crucial functions and settings. Apple is encouraging users to activate this security feature promptly, emphasizing its importance in safeguarding personal information, such as photos, documents, and financial data, from theft in scenarios where someone may learn the passcode by watching.

🏈NFL: 49ERS STORM BACK, CHIEFS SHUT DOWN RAVENS:  The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens to claim the AFC Championship on Sunday and earn a fourth trip to the Super Bowl in five years where they will face the San Francisco 49ers, who brought the Detroit Lions' storybook playoff run to an end. The Lions had appeared headed to their first Super Bowl appearance after building a 24-7 half-time lead in the NFC title clash in San Francisco. But the 49ers needed just eight minutes in a stunning third-quarter comeback to erase a 17-point deficit before grinding out a 34-31 win.

Earlier in Baltimore, reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City scored all its points in the first half and then held off the Ravens 17-10. The Chiefs head to the Feb. 11 Super Bowl in Las Vegas where they will bid to become the first team to hoist back-to-back Lombardi trophies since Tom Brady led the New England Patriots in 2004 and 2005. The AFC Championship game was highlighted by a marquee matchup at quarterback between the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, the twice, and reigning, NFL Most Valuable Player, and the Ravens' Lamar Jackson, who claimed the honour in 2019 and is favoured to add another 

Mahomes completed 30 passes for 241 yards and one touchdown, that to Travis Kelce in the first quarter that had pop star girlfriend Taylor Swift jumping up and down in jubilation in a private box at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium. The first Super Bowl to be held in Las Vegas is already expected to be one of the splashiest ever but the buzz around America's biggest football party is sure to be dialled up a few notches with Swift and her legion of fans known as 'Swifties' onboard.

Detroit had looked poised to run the Niners out of their own stadium when, on just the fourth play from scrimmage, Jameson Williams slashed his way to a 42-yard touchdown and David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for two more as the Lions charged ahead 24-7. But a refocused Niners stormed out after the break to wipe out Detroit's advantage on a 43-yard Jake Moody field goal, a six-yard touchdown pass from Brock Purdy to Brandon Alyuk, before the NFL's leading rusher Christian McCaffrey ploughed over from the one-yard line for his second score of the game.

➤MONDAY'S WEATHER MAP..



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