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Monday, April 15, 2024

4/15 WAKE-UP CALL: Israel Shoots Down 300 Iranian Drones, Missiles

Israel says it thwarted a broad aerial attack launched by Iran. Tehran launched a wave of more than 300 drones and cruise and ballistic missiles overnight on Saturday. Nearly all of them were shot down by Israel and its allies before reaching Israeli territory, meaning the attack caused limited damage. But it was the first time Iran had directly attacked Israel from Iranian territory, setting up a direct military confrontation between the two countries. Israel’s war cabinet is set to meet to discuss response options, while President Biden is pushing for a diplomatic response in a bid to head off further escalation in the region.

NY Post 4/15/24

One day after Iran launched a historic missile and drone strike on Israel, the U.S. stressed Sunday that it is committed to defending its longtime ally − but it would not be a part of any responsive action that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government could take. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. is not seeking escalation and does not want a war with Iran. A U.S. official who briefed reporters emphasized the U.S. was not involved in the initial Israeli strike that killed two Iranian commanders in Syria earlier this month and led to Iran's assault on Saturday. The official indicated President Joe Biden sought to take the temperature down in a call with Netanyahu on Sunday night.


The huge salvo of missiles and drones launched from the arid plains of Iran toward Israel was the kind of direct conflict between the Middle East powers that the world had long feared would mark the explosion of a full-blown regional war. But behind the unprecedented nature of the attack was a dance of diplomatic signaling that allowed both sides to claim success, raising the risk of a broader conflict without making it a certainty. The Israeli military said 99% of the barrage was shot down and no Israelis were killed after Iran had signaled for days it was coming. Tehran said it had made its point, seeking to put the march toward a wider conflagration on hold. Israel’s backers in the US and Europe were also pressing to avoid any further escalation in calls on Sunday.

⛽GAS PRICES EXPECTED TO RISE: U.S. consumers could soon see an impact at the gas pump from Iran’s Saturday attack on Israel – but the attempted strike isn't guaranteed to make prices rise. The Israeli military said it shot down more than 300 missiles and drones with assistance from the U.S. and other allies, marking the first time Iran has launched an attack on Israel from its territory. The strike came after Israeli missiles killed Iranian military commanders in Syria earlier this month. Iran, one of the world’s largest producers of crude oil, has long been engaged in a shadow war with Israel, but there have been concerns the Israel-Hamas war could become a broader regional conflict.


➤HOSTAGE TALKS STALL: Negotiations are continuing for the release of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Sunday. "We're not considering diplomacy dead," Kirby told Margaret Brennan on CBS. During Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7, the deadliest assault against Jewish people since the Holocaust, about 1,200 people were killed and over 200 were forcibly taken into Gaza. Around 100 were released in November but deals to free the remaining hostages have stalled. Hamas recently rejected a proposal for the release of these hostages, according to the Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency.


➤TRUMP GOES ON TRIAL: Trump's historic hush-money criminal case goes to trial. Monday will kick off a highly unusual stretch in which Donald Trump will campaign for a new term while defending himself against accusations he directed an illegal scheme to pay off a porn star. While the case of People v. Trump itself is a mixed bag—it has the lowest stakes of the four prosecutions he faces—the political fallout of a conviction for the former president could be severe, based on recent WSJ polling. On the other hand, Trump has cruised to victories in presidential primaries even as his legal problems mounted, so it could also be met with a shrug.


➤NEWS OUTLETS JOINTLY URGE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES: A dozen leading U.S. news organizations collectively urged U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Sunday to publicly commit to debating each other during the run-up to the November election. "Debates have a rich tradition in our American democracy, having played a vital role in every presidential election of the past 50 years, dating to 1976," the 12 news outlets said in a joint statement. The statement suggested that debates for the current race be sponsored, as they have every election cycle since 1988, by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. Network television outlets accounted for nine of the letter's signatories - ABC News, CBS News and NBCUniversal News Group (encompassing NBC News and MSNBC), as well as Fox, CNN, C-SPAN, the PBS NewsHour, Nextstar's NewsNation and Spanish-language Univision.

Rounding out the group were The Associated Press wire service, National Public Radio and Gannett's national newspaper USA Today. Trump, who refused to debate his rivals before winning the Republican primary race last month, has in recent weeks been challenging Biden to engage in a one-on-one matchup with him, offering to debate the incumbent Democrat "anytime, anywhere, anyplace."

➤RECESSION? WHAT RECESSION?  In the latest quarterly survey by The Wall Street Journal, business and academic economists lowered the chances of a recession within the next year to 29% from 39% in the January survey. Economists, in fact, think the economy won't even get close to a recession. It has been two years since forecasters felt this good about the economic outlook. Nevertheless, a series of weak auctions for U.S. Treasurys are stoking concerns that markets will struggle to absorb an incoming rush of government debt—so one thing investors will be watching in the coming weeks is how revenue from tax season boosts America’s coffers.

🏌SCHEFFLER IS A MASTER: Scottie Scheffler now has one green jacket for himself and one for his soon-to-be-here child. The top-ranked player made it through the Masters without his wife going into labor to capture his second title at Augusta. He finished with a score of -11, four strokes ahead of Ludvig Åberg, who was competing in his first Masters. Scheffler started the day on top of the leaderboard, but the final round was not smooth sailing. He hit two bogeys and at one point, he was in a four-way tie with Åberg, Max Homa and Collin Morikawa, who was paired with the winner, for the lead. Scheffler also won the Masters in 2022. He joins Tiger Woods as the only players to win the Masters multiple times as the world No. 1.

⚾ATHLETICS RALLY: Abraham Toro had a two-run single to cap a six-run sixth inning on Sunday, helping the host Oakland Athletics overcome a five-run deficit in a 7-6 victory over the Washington Nationals. Oakland's Lawrence Butler had an RBI single and joined JJ Bleday with three hits. Tyler Nevin and Shea Langeliers each had an RBI single and Darell Hernaiz walked with the bases loaded for the Athletics, who won the three-game interleague series. Oakland has won six of its last eight games after losing seven of its first eight to start the season.

⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Guardians 8 Yankees 7
  • Rays 9 Giants 4
  • Pirates 9 Phillies 2
  • Padres 6 Dodgers 3
  • Cubs 3 Mariners 2
  • D-Backs 5 Cardinals 0
  • Athletics 7 Nationals 6
  • Astros 8 Rangers 5
  • Tigers 4 Twins 3
  • Mets 2 Royals 1
  • Braves 9 Marlins 7
  • Blue Jays 5 Rockies 0
  • Orioles 6 Brewers 4
  • Red sox 5 Angels 4


➤MONDAY'S WEATHER MAP:



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