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Tuesday, February 6, 2024

2/6 WAKE-UP CALL: Border Deal Is A Tough Sell


Kyrsten Sinema (I., Ariz.), Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) and James Lankford (R., Okla.) spent four intense months on the measure and now have just days to shore up support, as top Republicans and some Democrats criticize their work. An initial Senate vote is set for Wednesday. Even if the bill passes the Democratic-led chamber, it will face hostility in the GOP-led House.

The measure would end widespread use of “catch and release,” a practice in which migrants claiming asylum are released into the U.S. with immigration court dates years into the future. It also would make it tougher to qualify for asylum, limit how many people can make asylum claims a day and detain or track migrants as they move through the process.


KING CHARLES DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER: After being hospitalized recently, King Charles III was diagnosed with cancer, Buckingham Palace announced Monday. The cancer was identified after the king, 75, underwent a "corrective procedure" last week at The London Clinic while seeking treatment for an enlarged prostate, a statement from Buckingham Palace said. The type and severity of the cancer have not been revealed. Charles will pause his public-facing duties but "will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual," the palace said. 

➤HALEY REQUESTS SECRET SERVICE PROTECTION: Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has applied for Secret Service protection because of increasing threats she has received as Donald Trump’s last major opponent for the 2024 GOP nomination. Haley confirmed the application for protection in an interview Monday afternoon with The Wall Street Journal. “We’ve had multiple issues,” the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador said after a campaign event here. “It’s not going to stop me from doing what I need to do.” 

A request for her protection has been submitted to federal officials, and her campaign is thinking about how more intense security would affect her campaign schedule and travels. Haley’s work at the United Nations involving Iran could also be a factor. Her campaign didn’t immediately respond to a query seeking additional details about the threats she has received. Late last week in Columbia, S.C., a woman was tackled by a member of Haley’s private security detail when she tried to rush the stage. There have also been protesters in recent days at her events upset about her support for Ukraine and Israel.

➤FOR NOW, ISRAEL WANTS TO ALLOW U-N AGENCY TO PROVIDE AID IN GAZA: Israel is quietly pushing the U.S. and U.N. to allow a controversial U.N. agency to continue providing humanitarian aid to Gaza—for now. It wants the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which had some of its staff linked to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, reformed or abolished after the war, according to Israeli and U.S. officials. The U.S. broadly agreed that the agency needed reform, and that for now there was no alternative to get aid to millions of Palestinian refugees in Gaza, according to U.S. officials familiar with the meetings. More than 10 countries, including the U.S., have suspended funding Unrwa, pending a U.N. investigation. Israeli also alleges that some 10% of the agency’s staff have an affiliation with Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that the U.S. and EU have designated a terrorist organization. Meanwhile, Iran-backed groups continued to target American bases as the U.S. planned further strikes.

ࣸ➤UKRAINE PRESIDENT FACING NEW CHALLENGES: As part of a broad leadership shuffle, he is planning to remove the head of the country’s armed forces, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhniy, who is popular among the military and the public and praised by many in the West for holding off much larger Russian forces. The U.S. border bill, which includes tens of billions of dollars for Kyiv, isn’t moving through Congress swiftly, with the clock ticking for Ukrainian forces running short on the ammunition, equipment and personnel needed to stop Russian offensives.


➤ATTACK IN SYRIA KILLS SIX: A strike near a U.S. base in Syria killed six members of a U.S.-allied militia Monday, the group said, despite the U.S. pounding Iran-allied militia sites with airstrikes over the weekend, underscoring the challenge Washington faces in its goal of keeping the conflict in the Middle East contained. A U.S. military official confirmed that there were fatalities from an attack on the al-Omar oil field, part of a complex that includes a U.S. base and is jointly controlled with the American military. The official declined to comment further.

The Syrian Democratic Forces, a U.S.-allied Kurdish militia, said six of its fighters had died in a drone strike on al-Omar. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella of Iran-backed armed groups, claimed responsibility for the attack, and the SDF threatened to retaliate. Iran-aligned militias in Iraq and Syria have carried out more than 165 attacks on American bases with rockets, missiles, drones or mortars in recent months, according to the U.S., seeking to put pressure on Washington over its support for Israel and trying to force the American military to leave.

➤AT LEAST 28 KILLED IN STRIKE ON RUSSIAN-OCCUPIED TOWN: At least 28 people were killed in an attack on a building in the town of Lysychansk in the Russian-occupied region of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. The head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, Leonid Pasechnik, stated that emergency services rescued 10 people from under the rubble after what he claimed was a Ukrainian attack on a building housing a bakery on Saturday. Pasechnik declared Sunday a day of mourning in the Luhansk People's Republic for the victims of the attack.

➤MCDONALD'S SAYS ISRAEL BOYCOTTS ARE HURTING ITS BUSINESS: McDonald’s on Monday said the ongoing tensions in the Middle East are putting a dent in its business. In its fourth quarter and full-year 2023 report released Monday, the Chicago-based burger chain said sales in its licensed markets business, which includes most of its Middle East locations, increased by only 0.7 percent in the last quarter. The company said the low number is a reflection of “the impact of the war” between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Middle East.

➤TWH TO HOLD GUN VIOLENCE MEETING: The White House is set to hold a series of events this week focused on combatting gun violence in Black communities as President Joe Biden continues to push Congress to do more on gun control. The events, organized by the newly created White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, kick off Monday with a nationwide virtual meeting with Black leaders on tackling gun violence in their communities. Biden will deliver a message recognizing this week as "Community Violence Awareness Week." White House officials will later host a roundtable discussion on gun violence with Black elected officials from across the country. It will be followed by a virtual workshop to connect state and local leaders to federal resources to address gun violence including community safety programs..

🏈EAGLES TO PLAY IN NFL'S FIRST GAME IN BRAZIL TO KICK OFF '24: The Philadelphia Eagles have been selected to participate in the NFL's first game in Brazil, which will open the 2024 season. The game is scheduled to take place on Friday, September 6, at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo. The opponent and kickoff time for the game will be announced later. This event marks the NFL's debut in Brazil and the first time in over 50 years that the league will play a game on Friday night to kick off the opening weekend.

🏈COMMANDERS FIRE ERIC BIENIEMY, COACH DAN QUINN SAYS: The Washington Commanders fired offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy after one season with the team, coach Dan Quinn said during his introductory news conference. Bieniemy was considered a long shot to return, but the move became official when Washington hired Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator Sunday night. Quinn said he delivered the news to Bieniemy in person Monday.

⚾SOURCES: BOBBY WITT JR. AGREES TO 11-YEAR, $288.8M DEAL WITH ROYALS: The Kansas City Royals have reached an agreement with shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. on an 11-year, $288.8 million contract extension. Witt, 23, is entering his third major league season and was among the top players in baseball last year. The deal includes an opt-out option for Witt after the seventh, eighth, ninth, and 10th years, along with a club option after the 11th season that could extend the contract to a total of 14 years and $377 million. The Royals aim to build their team around Witt and are also planning a new stadium.

⚾DODGERS TRADE CALEB FERGUSON TO YANKEES, INK RYAN BRASIER: The Los Angeles Dodgers made changes to their bullpen by trading left-hander Caleb Ferguson to the New York Yankees and reaching a two-year, $9 million contract agreement with right-hander Ryan Brasier. Brasier's deal is pending a physical, and once completed, he will effectively replace Ferguson. The Yankees acquired Ferguson in exchange for lefty reliever Matt Gage and low-level pitching prospect Christian Zazueta Jr.

➤FLOODING, MUDSLIDES SWAMP CALIF:  The tail end of a powerful atmospheric river storm that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of California homes and businesses was deluging the state Monday with more heavy rain, mudslides, flooding and several feet of snow in the mountains. The brunt of the storm's fury Monday morning centered on the Los Angeles area, where 1.4 million people were under a flash flood warning. Across Southern California, the heavy winds that blasted the region Sunday were diminishing, but the National Weather Service warned that an unstable weather pattern could generate waterspouts or small tornadoes. 

Rainfall totals of up to 8 inches are still in the forecast for some areas. 

➤TUESDAY'S WEATHER MAP:



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