Wednesday, January 31, 2024

1/31 WAKE-UP CALL: U-S Response To Target Militants' Leadership

U-S Soldiers Victims Of Drone Attack

After a drone attack in Jordan killed three American soldiers, the Pentagon's response will likely involve air strikes, sea-launched missiles and raids targeting leadership of the Iran-backed militants who have mounted more than 200 assaults on U.S. troops and commercial shipping across the Middle East, current and former officials said. The goal will be to erode the militants’ ability to attack, punish their leadership and beef up defenses in the region to protect the thousands of American forces there, the officials said. The response could involve operations from Yemen to Iraq where the White House and Pentagon blame Iran for supporting local militias.

American defense leaders haven't ruled out a host of options after the weekend attack killed Sgt. William Rivers of Willingboro, New Jersey; Spc. Kennedy Sanders of Waycross, Georgia,; and Spc. Breonna Moffett of Savannah, Georgia. 

Options for retaliation will run the gamut from diplomacy to a large-scale military operation “and everything in between,” said retired Army Maj. Gen. Mark Quantock, who served as chief of intelligence for U.S. Central Command. “I don't expect a U.S. large-response, meaning a large-scale ground war,” Quantock said. “But I do expect Iran and its surrogates will feel the hot sting of American power.” The response will have diplomatic and economic teeth, too, he said.

➤'AXIS OF RESISTANCE EMERGES:  What Iran calls its “axis of resistance” faces its moment of truth after attacks on Israel, ships in the Red Sea and a U.S. base. Tehran’s allies are pushing their benefactor closer to the brink of a direct conflict with Washington that it has long sought to avoid. Iranian military and financial powers form the backbone of the network of nonstate militant groups in the Middle East, but Tehran doesn’t exert full command and control over it. Not every member shares Iran’s Shiite ideology, and all the groups have domestic agendas that sometimes conflict with Tehran’s. Meanwhile, in Israel, the country’s far right wants a postwar Gaza without Palestinians, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials have repeatedly said they have no intention of reoccupying the enclave and most Israelis oppose resettling in Gaza.

NY Post 1/31/24
➤GOP LAWMAKERS PURSUE MAYORKAS IMPRACHMENT: A Republican-led House panel approved articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas early Wednesday for having “willfully and systematically” flouted federal immigration laws and breached the public trust. The House Homeland Security Committee voted 18-15 along party lines for the two articles of impeachment, affirming that Mayorkas failed to detain migrants crossing the border before deciding whether to grant asylum. The articles also state that the secretary ignored records requests from the committee and misled Congress about having “operational control” of the US border and maintaining that it is “secure.” 

The marathon hearing, which dragged on for more than 15 hours, saw several procedural attempts by Democrats to tank the impeachment effort, with Republicans insisting that their year-long investigation had uncovered sufficient evidence that Mayorkas violated his oath of office. 

➤MUSK START-UP IMPLANTS BRAIN CHIP IN HUMAN: Elon Musk said his startup Neuralink has implanted a brain chip in a human. The potential milestone in the development of “brain-computer interface” technology could one day help those with debilitating conditions such as paralysis to interact with their surroundings, though its availability is years away. Musk tweeted late Monday that the patient had received the implant the prior day and was “recovering well.” He added that initial results show promising “neuron spike detection,” suggesting that the device is detecting signals from individual neurons inside the brain, a potential advance that could decode higher-quality brain signals. Musk disclosed no details about the patient. When Neuralink was recruiting a trial participant last September, it said it was looking for someone with quadriplegia.


➤LESS U-S WORKERS CALLING IT QUITS: That’s a sign that confidence in the labor market is falling as the U.S. economy is expected to slow and Americans take longer to find new jobs. They quit 6.1 million fewer jobs last year than in 2022—a decline of 12%, the Labor Department said. In December alone, quits fell to the lowest monthly level in nearly three years, after adjusting for seasonal fluctuations. That is a 180 from the pandemic era, when resignations surged and companies faced labor shortages. In the housing sector, U.S. home-price growth accelerated in November as the inventory of homes for sale remained unusually low, and overseas, Europe’s stagnating economy is falling further behind the U.S.’s.

➤HOW U.S. MARSHALS CAPTURED PRO CYCLIST MORIAH 'MO' WILSON'S KILLERS: US authorities successfully captured the convicted killer of professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson, Kaitlin Armstrong, by employing a clever ruse. The investigators from the US Marshals Service devised a plan to place a fake advertisement on social media, posing as a search for a yoga instructor. This tactic lured the fugitive out of hiding in Costa Rica. Armstrong had fled there after murdering Wilson in May 2022 in Austin, Texas, driven by extreme jealousy. The victim, Wilson, had briefly dated Armstrong's former boyfriend, cyclist Colin Strickland, leading to the violent act.

➤FORMER ICE DETAINEE DRESSED AS DELIVERY DRIVER KILLS 3 INSIDE HOME WITH KIDS PRESENT: A man, Alonzo Pierre Mingo, who was previously detained by ICE, has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder for brutally killing three people in a drug-related incident inside a Minnesota home on Friday. The crime occurred in a suburban Minneapolis house, where Mingo, along with two accomplices, reportedly used his seasonal UPS uniform to pose as a worker to gain access. The victims were murdered while two children under the age of 5 were present. Mingo, aged 37 and from Fridley, made his first court appearance and was denied a public defender. He is currently held on a $5 million bond.

✞CHITA RIVERA DIES AT 91: Broadway legend Chita Rivera died on Tuesday following a brief illness at the age of 91. She starred in musicals such as West Side Story, Chicago, and Kiss of the Spider Woman. Rivera was nominated for several Tony Awards over the course of her career and took home two—as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. She held roles in films such as Sweet Charity, Chicago, and tick, tick…BOOM!

➤MAN SENTENCED TO 18 YEARS IN PRISON FOR TRYING TO BURN DOWN AN OHIO CHURCH THAT WAS HOSTING DRAG STORY HOUR: An Ohio man, Aimenn D. Penny, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges related to his attempt to burn down a Chesterland church in March 2023. The church was planning to host two drag show events a week later. Penny pleaded guilty to violating the Church Arson Prevention Act and using fire and explosives to commit a felony. The 20-year-old will also face three years of supervised release after serving his prison term.

⚾REPORTS: ORIOLES TO BE SOLD TO 2 PRIVATE EQUITY BILLIONAIRES: John P. Angelos has agreed to sell the Baltimore Orioles to private equity billionaires David Rubenstein and Mike Arougheti, according to multiple reports Tuesday. The transaction reportedly values the Orioles at $1.725 billion. Major League Baseball still must approve the sale. Owners are scheduled to meet next week in Orlando, Florida.

🏈STEELERS TO HIRE EX-FALCONS COACH ARTHUR SMITH AS OC: The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to hire former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as their next offensive coordinator, according to league sources. Steelers owner Art Rooney II expressed anticipation for the new hire, emphasizing the need for a fresh approach to help young players grow and enhance offensive performance. The announcement is expected to be made soon.

⚾RANGERS' COREY SEAGER TO MISS MOST OF SPRING TRAINING AFTER SURGERY: World Series MVP Corey Seager had surgery Tuesday for a left sports hernia repair, and the Texas Rangers' All-Star shortstop will miss most of spring training. General manager Chris Young said the operation was performed by Dr. Venkata Evani in Arizona, where the team holds spring training. Young, who described his level of concern as "very low," said Seager will remain in Arizona to begin his rehabilitation and the Rangers are hopeful he will be ready by opening day.

➤NASTY WINTRY MIX APPROACHING CALIF: Over the next several days, a pair of storms is set to blast California with a nasty, disruptive mix of rain, snow and wind, with the first one arriving on Wednesday and the second likely by Sunday. Both will be fueled by atmospheric rivers, plumes of tropical moisture that can bring a "firehose" of rain to the state. This type of atmospheric river is sometimes called the "Pineapple Express," since it originates near Hawaii, according to Weather.com. The National Weather Service warns that the moisture "will create heavy rain over California." In fact, rain from the storm is forecast to be heavy enough to trigger flooding, mudslides and cause major travel disruptions across the state, AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

➤WEDNESDAY'S WEATHER MAP:




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