Monday, March 11, 2024

3/11 WAKE-UP CALL: Biden Warns Israel Not To Cross 'Red Line'

Biden says an Israeli assault on Rafah would cross a 'red line.' The Biden administration is warning Israel of the risks of attacking the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians displaced by fighting have taken refuge. The looming operation is a potential showdown between the White House and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government (🔐read for free), which sees the assault as vital for the defeat of Hamas. President Biden this weekend left open the possibility that the U.S. might withhold some types of military assistance to Israel if a Rafah operation caused extensive civilian casualties, though he said a complete cutoff of weapons shipments wasn’t an option. Israel has warned that unless a deal is reached by Ramadan—which begins with the new-moon sighting expected Monday or Tuesday—to release hostages and pause the fighting, its military will push ahead with an offensive in Rafah.

➤BIBI SAYS BIDEN "WRONG": Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israelis overwhelmingly support his policies and rejected President Joe Biden's assertion that the war in Gaza was hurting Israel. "If he meant by that that I'm pursuing private policies against the majority, the wish of the majority of Israelis, and that this is hurting the interests of Israel, then he's wrong on both counts," Netanyahu said in a social media post Sunday. "The vast majority are united as never before." The prime minister said Israelis believe that if the country doesn't fight, it will see a repetition of the Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and saw the seizure of over 240 hostages. That, he said, would be "bad for Israel, bad for the Palestinians, bad for the future of peace in the Middle East."

➤BIDEN BUDGET TO BE RELEASED: As with his State of the Union address, Presiden Biden's White House budget proposal, which will be released Monday, is expected to revisit a stockpile of policy goals he has drawn from for years: raising taxes on wealthy Americans and corporations, expanding federal programs for families and lowering healthcare costs. GOP control of the House in the latter half of his first term effectively ruled out much of his agenda, and—should he win a second term—Republicans are expected to control at least part of Congress again in 2025. But that isn't stopping the president from trotting out the same ideas once more based on the belief that the proposals are popular enough to propel him to victory in November.

➤DOJ OPENS CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION IN DOOR BLOWOUT:  The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the Alaska Airlines blowout. Investigators have contacted some passengers and crew on the Jan. 5 flight, which made an emergency landing in Portland, Ore., after a fuselage panel ripped off midair, according to documents and people familiar with the matter. The probe would inform the Justice Department’s review of whether Boeing complied with an earlier settlement that resolved a federal investigation following two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019. Investigations don’t always result in formal charges of wrongdoing.

➤HELL IN HAITI: U.S. military personnel airlifted some Americans out of the country's embassy in Haiti as the island nation spirals into violence. “At the request of the Department of State, the U.S. military conducted an operation to augment the security of the U.S. Embassy at Port-au-Prince, allow our Embassy mission operations to continue, and enable non-essential personnel to depart,” U.S. Southern Command said in a statement.  

The Sunday statement said no Haitians were evacuated on the aircraft used to remove Port-au-Prince embassy personnel. Officials added that some were airlifted into the embassy to boost security.   It was not immediately clear how many non-essential employees were evacuated overnight, or how many were brought into the embassy. U.S. Southern Command declined to provide additional information.   Haiti has recently seen mass prison escapes and gunfire at its main airport, central bank and a national soccer stadium. Gangs in the country have led a series of coordinated attacks in an effort to overthrow Haiti's authorities.  

➤RAPE VICTIM SCOLDS ABC's STEPHANOPOULOS: Rep. Nancy Mace scolded ABC host George Stephanopoulos and accused him of rape-shaming her during a fiery exchange about allegations against former President Donald Trump. Stephanopoulos grilled Mace (R-SC) about how she could back Trump despite a jury finding him liable for sexual assault against advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of raping her. “I was raped at the age of 16. And any rape victim will tell you I’ve lived for 30 years with an incredible amount of shame over being raped,” Mace began on ABC’s “This Week.”

➤VIRGINIA PLANE CRASH CLAIMS 5: Four adults and one juvenile were killed when a small plane crashed near Ingalls Airport in Virginia, the Virginia State Police said Sunday. The plane -- a twin-engine IAI Astra 1125 -- crashed near the airport in Bath County around 3 p.m. local time, according to the FAA. The plane, described by police as a private jet, crashed into the woods in the 6200 block of Airport Rd. It caught fire on impact, the authorities said. The Bath County Sheriff's Office said its 911 Center received a call about a crash at 2:58 p.m. at Ingalls Field Airport in Hot Springs, Virginia. The Sheriff's Department, Virginia State Police, and Hot Springs Fire and Rescue were dispatched to the scene.

➤GUARD SOLDIERS PERISH IN TX CRASH:  A National Guard helicopter that flew over the U.S.-Mexico border crashed in Texas on Friday has claimed the lives of two National Guard soldiers and a U.S. Border Patrol agent. Another National Guard solider was injured. Around 2:50 p.m. MST, a UH-72 Lakota helicopter assigned to the federal Southwest border support mission crashed while conducting an aviation operation near Rio Grande City, 41 miles west of McAllen, the Joint Task Force North said in a press release.


➤FORENSIC SCIENTIST INVESTIGATED: A former Colorado Bureau of Investigation forensic scientist violated standard testing protocols and manipulated DNA test results in hundreds of cases, prompting further investigation into her decades-long work, an internal affairs investigation found. The investigation revealed that Yvonne "Missy" Woods had manipulated data in the DNA testing process and posted incomplete test results in some cases, the CBI announced Friday. While the bureau did not find that she falsified DNA matches or fabricated DNA profiles, the investigation raised questions about Woods' previous work. Investigators have identified 652 cases that were affected by Woods' data manipulation from 2008 through 2023, according to the CBI. Investigators are still conducting a review of her work dating back to 1994.

🏈PATRIOT TRADING MAC JONES:  The Patriots are finalizing a trade to send Mac Jones to Jacksonville, ending his tumultuous tenure in New England and resetting their quarterback room. Only three years ago, the Patriots drafted Jones with the 15th overall pick in hopes that he could serve as their next franchise quarterback. Instead, he won’t even finish his rookie contract. The pending move all but confirms New England’s plans to take a quarterback in next month’s draft, as the organization continues to search for a long-term solution at the position. The downward trajectory of Jones’s career should serve as a cautionary tale to new coach Jerod Mayo and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf — a quarterback’s situation matters.

🏈RUSSELL WILSON SIGNING WITH THE STEELERS: Russell Wilson's first NFL stop was phenomenal, as he played at a near Hall of Fame level for the Seattle Seahawks. Then Wilson's two seasons with the Denver Broncos went so poorly, it will go down among the worst trades and contracts in NFL history. Wilson announced on social media Sunday that he plans to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, confirming multiple media reports. Terms of the deal were not announced but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported it was a one-year deal in which the Broncos will also be paying $38 million of Wilson's 2024 salary.

🏈CHRIS JONES TO REMAIN A CHIEF: Chris Jones is staying in Kansas City. On Saturday night, less than 48 hours before teams could begin negotiating with impending free agents, Jones and the Chiefs agreed to a five-year contract that includes $95 million guaranteed, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to disclose financial terms of the deal. The star defensive tackle made his intentions clear during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl 58 parade that he wanted to remain in Kansas City.

➤MONDAY'S WEATHER MAP:






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