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Friday, January 12, 2024

1/12 WAKE-UP CALL: U-S, UK Jets Attack Sites In Yemen


U.S. warplanes, ships and submarines along with British fighters attacked sites in Yemen Thursday associated with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who have been firing dozens of drones and missiles into Red Sea shipping lanes.

The strikes represent a significant escalation of the U.S. involvement in Middle East fighting amid Israel’s war in Gaza. They followed the 27th Houthi attack since late November earlier Thursday. In recent weeks, the Pentagon has also attacked Iranian-backed militants in Iraq and Syria who have targeted U.S. troops there with rocket attacks. 

"Today, at my direction, U.S. military forces — together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands — successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways," President Joe Biden said late Thursday.

The president said the response of the international community to the Houthi attacks has been "united and resolute." The governments of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom issued a statement shortly after the U.S.-led air strikes, pledging solidarity alongside the U.S. The Biden administration has sought to contain fighting in the Middle East to Gaza, but Iranian-backed groups throughout the region have increased their attacks.

➤IRAN SEIZES OIL TANKER:  Iran said it seized an oil tanker linked to a U.S. sanctions dispute. The incident off the coast of Oman came as Secretary of State Antony Blinken finished a weeklong tour of the region aimed at cooling tensions amid the Israel-Hamas war. Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen have repeatedly targeted commercial ships in the Red Sea, in retaliation for Israeli actions in Gaza. Meanwhile, the Middle East braced today for U.S.-led coalition strikes on Houthi positions, after the rebels defied an ultimatum to halt its Red Sea attacks. Iran’s ship seizure raises concerns about threats to shipping spreading to the Persian Gulf, another key trade route.

➤INFLATION FELL, PAYCHECKS GREW IN '23, BUT.... Inflation fell by nearly half and paychecks grew in 2023, but tripped at the finish line. The consumer-price index increased 3.4% in December from a year earlier, according to Labor Department data released today, highlighting lingering pressures that suggest inflation isn’t fully tamed. December’s acceleration from November’s 3.1% advance is still down from a 6.5% rise at the end of 2022. Inflation-adjusted wages rose 0.8% last year, a reversal after two full-year declines and a better gain than the year before the pandemic began. The rapid cooling of price increases has raised hopes of a soft landing, where inflation can be tamed without a surge in unemployment or a recession. U.S. stocks finished roughly flat after the December data disappointed some investors.

Hunter Biden
➤HUNTER SMIRKS 'NOT GUILTY':  Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty Thursday in Los Angeles to federal charges he failed to pay income taxes, the latest development in legal entanglements that have made him the focus of a Republican attack machine aimed at his father, President Joe Biden. The not guilty plea follows a failed effort in July to reach a deal with prosecutors on tax and gun charges. Hunter Biden has been charged in Delaware with lying about his drug addiction when he bought a gun. He pleaded not guilty to three federal weapons charges in October. The cases are significant because they could influence this year’s presidential campaign, as President Joe Biden seeks reelection. Congressional Republicans have criticized the Justice Department's investigation and the plea agreement negotiated by special counsel David Weiss as a "sweetheart deal," which U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika ultimately rejected.



➤APPLE DETHRONED:  Microsoft Excels, dethroning Apple as the largest U.S. company by market value. Microsoft shares rose 0.5%, bringing its market value to $2.86 trillion. Apple, meanwhile, dipped 0.3%, pulling its market cap just below that threshold. Based on closing prices, the iPhone maker had been the largest company since November 2021. One of these two tech giants has held the title since February 2019, according to Dow Jones Market Data. Cloud computing’s continued growth and optimism about artificial intelligence have kept Microsoft’s performance on (Power)Point. Its Outlook is good, too: Analysts project 16% growth in revenue from a year earlier to about $61 billion in the quarter, which ended in December.

➤MORE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE GETTING CANCER: More young people around the world are getting cancer, and doctors are alarmed and baffled. U-S diagnosis rates for people under 50 rose 12.8% between 2000 and 2019, federal data show. Doctors are racing to figure out what is making them sick and how to identify those at high risk. They suspect that lifestyle changes—less physical activity, more ultra-processed foods, new toxins—are to blame. Separately, more teens and young adults who use marijuana are experiencing psychosis. More potent cannabis, more frequent use and increased availability due to legalization efforts contribute to higher rates of delusions and paranoia, according to doctors and recent research.

➤TRUMP RANTS AGAINST NY A-G:  Donald Trump lashed out during the closing arguments of his real estate fraud trial in New York. ''The person in the room right now hates Trump," the former president said in an unscheduled and dramatic rant, referring to New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has led the case against the Trump Organization. 

Trump’s comments highlighted a day of back-and-forth among lawyers that began with a bomb scare directed at a judge's home. James wants Trump on the hook for nearly all of a proposed $370 million in damages, although others also face potential liability. Trump may also face a lifetime ban on running a business or participating in the real estate industry in New York.

NY Post photo
GA D-A APPOINTED SPECIAL PROSECUTOR DOESN'T DENY TRYST: Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor leading the election interference case against Donald Trump in Georgia, did not deny having an affair with his boss, Fani Willis when he was spotted Thursday for the first time since the bombshell allegations came to light. Wade, who appeared to be openly carrying a handgun, refused to respond — but also didn’t issue a denial — when asked by The Post if he had spent any of the $654,000 he had earned working on the Trump case to take Willis on lavish trips. Willis is the Fulton County District Attorney who brought election interference charges against the former president and 18 co-defendants. She hired Wade, her alleged secret lover and a private attorney with the Atlanta-based Wade & Campbell Firm, to oversee the case in late 2021.

Nikki Haley
➤CHRISTIE'S EXIT BOOSTS HALEY:  Chris Christie’s exit from the Republican primary race gives Nikki Haley a critical boost.  In Iowa, which kicks off the presidential nominating contest with its caucuses on Monday, there aren’t many voters who supported Christie, the former New Jersey governor, for Haley or other candidates to snag. New Hampshire, with its Jan. 23 primary, is another story. Christie was drawing stronger support there especially from college-educated voters, many moderate in ideology and only loosely affiliated with the Republican Party—much like the former South Carolina governor’s base. A victory in the Granite State could bring her substantial donor support, media attention and voter interest. But not many places look like New Hampshire, and Donald Trump’s working-class support powers him in Iowa and other early states. The former commander in chief is the GOP’s presidential frontrunner.

➤POLL..HALEY LEADS DeSANTIS: Nikki Haley is taking the lead over Ron DeSantis in Iowa just a few days before the caucuses, a new poll finds. But a Suffolk University poll, conducted Jan. 6-10 among 500 likely Republican caucusgoers, shows the former South Carolina governor and Florida governor both still trailing Donald Trump. The former president has maintained his position as a frontrunner throughout the race and 54% of voters say he's their first choice, according to the Suffolk poll.  Meanwhile, the poll found that 20% of voters said they would support Haley, 13% would support DeSantis and 6% would support businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. Haley is performing strongly with moderate and liberal leaning independents, with 42% of support compared to Trump’s 31%, according to the poll.  The poll has a margin of error of plus and minus 4.4 percentage points.


🏈BILL BELICHICK IS LEAVING THE PATRIOTS: Coach Bill Belichick is leaving the New England Patriots after 24 years, and he’s open to offers as a free agent. Belichick made the announcement yesterday in a joint press conference with Patriots owner Robert Kraft. They “mutually agreed” to his departure, Belichick said. His record with the Patriots includes six Lombardi trophies, nine Super Bowl appearances, 31 playoff wins and 17 division titles. The team’s record in the four years since quarterback Tom Brady’s departure has been disappointing. Brady was among the first to post a tribute to Belichick, calling him “the best coach in the history of the NFL.”

⚾YANKEES SIGN JUAN SOTO: Star outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Yankees have agreed to a one-year, $31 million contract, according to ESPN. Soto will be a free agent after the 2024 season. The agreement is a record for an arbitration-eligible player. Separately, the Yankees made a deal with pitcher Marcus Stroman. He agreed to a two-year, $37 million contract with a third-year option, according to The Athletic.

⛄WINTER STORM WARNING IN CHICAGO: A winter storm warning has been issued for Chicago and much of the surrounding region this morning. Weather reports warn of blizzard-like conditions and several inches of snow today and into tomorrow. 
  • A brutal blast of Arctic air is expected to follow on the heels of the storm. Unusually low temperatures are expected throughout the northern states, the Midwest, and south all the way into Texas. 






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