The Full Belmonte, 2/3/2024
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday, before the strikes, ‘They have a lot of capability, I have a lot more.’ PHOTO: ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES
The U.S. began a series of airstrikes on Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq, hitting seven facilities, a U.S. defense official said.
“The strikes are a bid to deter further attacks against American forces in the region after U.S. troops were killed in a deadly drone strike in Jordan. The Biden administration has said the strikes could extend for days and would be coupled with economic sanctions and diplomacy that is aimed at safeguarding American forces while not pushing the U.S. toward direct confrontation with Iran. Militant attacks began in October, but the drone attack was the first to cross the line into Jordan since the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.” [Wall Street Island]
U.S. jobs growth far outstripped economists’ expectations in January, suggesting that an accelerating labor market was unimpeded by higher interest rates.
“Employers added 353,000 jobs last month—the strongest in a year—the Labor Department said. December’s payroll gains were revised to 333,000 from 216,000, further undercutting the widely held view among economists and investors that finding a job was getting harder. January’s unemployment rate held at 3.7% instead of rising to 3.8% as forecast. Wages outpaced expectations, jumping 4.5% last month from a year earlier, though that might reflect a big drop in hours worked, possibly due to bad winter weather, some analysts said. The stronger-than-expected jobs report shook the bond market, while mega-cap tech shares propelled the major stock indexes higher. In the energy sector, Exxon Mobil and Chevron banked their second-highest annual profits in a decade last year.” [Wall Street Journal]
Years of reports of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency’s alleged ties to Palestinian militant groups have come to the fore.
“Israeli intelligence reported that a dozen employees of the organization that provides Palestinian aid allegedly participated in the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. But indications were there before, according to international relief workers and the Israeli military: reports of weapons caches in Unrwa schools, tunnels beneath agency facilities, Hamas theft of Unrwa-provided fuel and aid, and school textbooks promoting the hatred of Jews and Israel. The U.S. is among 18 countries that suspended funding to Unrwa. The agency said that it quickly fired the accused employees while the U.N. investigates—two others died—and that the West’s funding freeze amounted to “collective punishment.” Meanwhile, divisions between top Hamas leaders are preventing the group from signing off on a U.S.-backed proposal to stop the fighting in Gaza and free more Oct. 7 hostages, according to officials familiar with the negotiations.” [Wall Street Journal]
A preliminary magnitude 5.1 earthquake strikes east of Oklahoma City
“A preliminary magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit east of Oklahoma City Friday night, according to the US Geological Survey.
The earthquake was recorded at 11:24 p.m. local time about 5 miles northwest of Prague, Oklahoma, the geological survey said. The small city is home to about 2,000 people.”
Read More at CNN
Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating sexual assault and sex trafficking allegations against WWE co-founder Vince McMahon.
“They have been in contact in recent months with women who have accused McMahon of sexual misconduct, according to people familiar with the investigation. The billionaire resigned from the wrestling empire last week after former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit accusing him of sexually abusing her and trafficking her to other men inside the company. McMahon has denied Grant’s allegations and said the federal probe won’t find any wrongdoing. WWE didn’t respond to requests about the probe or the individual women’s allegations.” [Wall Street Journal]
“We Will Respond.”
U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden watch an Army team move a flag-draped transfer case containing the remains of Army Sgt. Kennedy Sanders at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Feb. 2.Nathan Howard/Sipa USA
“U.S. forces carried out the first round of strikes against more than 85 Iran-linked targets in Iraq and Syria on Friday in retaliation for a lethal drone strike against a U.S. base in Jordan on Jan. 28. The strikes centered on facilities used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its affiliated militias, including supply chain operations, a weapons warehouse, and a command-and-control center, according to U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby. Three of the facilities were located in Iraq, and four were based in Syria. At this time, the White House declined to comment on if any militants were killed or wounded in the operation, though Syrian state media said ‘American aggression’ resulted in multiple casualties.
‘These responses began tonight, but they’re not gonna end tonight,’ Kirby said.
Washington accused the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iranian-backed militias, of carrying out the attack on the U.S. base, known as Tower 22, which killed three U.S. Army Reserve soldiers and injured at least 41 other U.S. service members. Tehran denied involvement in the strike, saying it does not give orders to the ‘regional resistance factions’ that it is known to arm, train, and support; however, unnamed U.S. officials have said the drone used is believed to have been manufactured in Iran and is similar to those that Tehran sends to Russia for its war against Ukraine.
‘We do not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world,’ U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter. ‘But to all those who seek to do us harm: We will respond.’
The White House did not provide an exact timeline for the mission’s next phases, but U.S. officials told CBS on Thursday that a series of strikes will occur over a span of a few days, depending on weather conditions. Washington said it prefers to conduct the strikes with better visibility to avoid inadvertently hitting civilians. ‘We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our interests, and our people, and we will respond when we choose, where we choose, and how we choose,’ U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
There have been no new attacks on U.S. troops in the Middle East since the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militant group, which is part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, announced on Wednesday that it was suspending operations against U.S. forces. Iranian proxies have launched more than 160 assaults on U.S. troops since October 2023. Yet Biden is seemingly reluctant to attack Iran directly, saying he wishes to avoid a wider war in the region.
‘There are ways to manage this so it doesn’t spiral out of control, and that’s been our focus throughout,’ Austin added on Thursday.
Washington’s retaliatory attack follows Iranian semiofficial state media reporting that an Israeli strike killed an IRGC military advisor and two other members near Syria’s capital, Damascus, on Friday. Israel said it does not comment on foreign news allegations, but Syria’s state news agency reported that the strikes, launched from Israel’s Golan Heights region, only caused material damage, not any casualties.
Friday’s strike is the latest suspected Israeli attack on IRGC targets in recent weeks. On Jan. 20, Israeli forces reportedly killed at least four IRGC members near Damascus, including the No. 2 intelligence official for the expeditionary Quds Force in Syria and his deputy. Israel’s military is thought to have killed more than half a dozen IRGC members since December 2023.
In response to growing attacks, the IRGC announced that it would start reducing deployments of senior leaders to Syria, Reuters reported on Thursday. Instead, Tehran said it would rely more heavily on allied Shiite militias in the area to secure its influence. Iranian-backed proxies—such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Yemen’s Houthis—continue to actively target Israel and its allies across the Middle East.” [Foreign Policy]
“Ukraine’s legal request. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on Friday that it has jurisdiction over a case regarding whether Ukraine violated the 1948 Genocide Convention. Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kyiv of committing genocide against the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions as part of his justification for launching his full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kyiv filed a case to the United Nations’ highest court mere days after Russia invaded, asking the ICJ to declare that Ukraine had not committed genocide, as Moscow claimed, as well as to rule on whether Russia had itself violated the 1948 Genocide Convention by invading Ukraine.
Russia has asked the court to throw out the case, saying there is no ongoing dispute between the two nations over the treaty’s provisions and that the ICJ therefore should not have jurisdiction.
The justices said on Friday that the court has jurisdiction over the part of the case regarding whether Ukraine committed genocide and that it will thus issue a determination on that question. However, it rejected Ukraine’s request that the court rule on whether Moscow lied about the allegations or if Russia violated the convention by invading Ukraine. The court will likely take years to issue a final decision. ICJ rulings are legally binding but require the U.N. Security Council to enforce.
Friday’s ruling is the court’s second decision this week regarding ongoing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. On Wednesday, it said Moscow violated aspects of terrorism and anti-discrimination treaties when it invaded Ukraine in 2014. The ICJ did not order the Kremlin to pay Kyiv reparations, though, and it did not rule on accusations that Russia funded fighters linked to the targeting of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which crashed over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people aboard.” [Foreign Policy]
“Lowering the banner. Two of France’s largest farmers unions announced on Thursday that they will suspend protests and lift blockades nationwide following Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announcing new reform measures earlier that day.
Among the ‘tangible progress’ the unions said was made, Attal announced $162 million in aid to livestock farmers and a decrease in taxes on farms being transferred from older generations to younger ones. He also promised to ban fruit and vegetable imports coming from outside the European Union that were treated with an EU-banned insecticide and reaffirmed Paris’s opposition to signing a free-trade deal with South America’s Mercosur trade group. France’s agriculture minister also announced a $2.16 billion package to provide loans for people who are setting up as farmers.
Farmers across Europe have denounced high prices, poor industry protections, and unfair foreign competition for weeks. Chaos peaked on Thursday when farmer convoys pelted the European Parliament building in Brussels with eggs and beer bottles. Although the French famers unions seem to be satisfied for now with the measures they have secured from their government, farmers in other European countries continue to protest. On Friday, farmers blocked the Dutch-Belgian border and occupied roads in Greece, and a Polish union announced plans to shut border crossings with Ukraine, Reuters reported.” [Foreign Policy]
“Deadly blast in Kenya. A gas explosion at an illegal refilling depot in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, killed at least three people, including a child, and wounded around 280 others late Thursday. Local investigators believe a truck carrying liquid petroleum gas cylinders exploded, and the ensuing fire and debris spread across a nearby neighborhood. According to a government spokesperson, Nairobi plans to provide two months’ worth of rent to survivors whose homes were destroyed in the blast. Thursday’s death toll is expected to rise, and search and rescue efforts are ongoing.
The facility was operating in a residential area despite the owner being found guilty in May 2023 of running an unauthorized depot, suggesting that bribes may have been used to keep the business open. Kenya’s Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority said it had rejected three of the building’s construction permit applications, arguing that they failed to meet safety standards and noting that the building was in a highly populated area.” [Foreign Policy]
Tesla is recalling about 2.19 million electric vehicles because the font for some visual warning lights is too small.
“The company said that the impacted EVs, sold in the U.S. between 2012 and 2024, will receive an over-the-air software fix and that it isn’t aware of any related crashes. The remedy is unlikely to be expensive to implement, but the recall could dent Tesla’s reputation after a number of recent safety issues. The news comes after a Delaware judge earlier this week ruled to void Elon Musk’s $55.8 billion Tesla compensation package, putting both Tesla’s CEO and its directors in a bind on how to proceed.” [Wall Street Journal]
“The sizzling US labor market is good news for American workers and President Joe Biden, whose message on the nation’s booming economy may be starting to get through. It’s a bittersweet state of affairs though for those on Wall Street hoping for the Federal Reserve to start dropping interest rates soon. The January jobs report blew estimates out of the water and appears to affirm (yet again) the wrongheadedness of almost two years of recession predictions. The Fed is still pursuing its soft landing in the fight against inflation while the US has added thousands of jobs and broken with the pre-pandemic trend of weak wage growth. In the US version of post-Covid recovery, employers have been able to to hire at a steady clip, allowing for business growth, while wages continue to outpace inflation, boosting workers’ spending power even in the face of rising prices. Women entering the workforce helped drive January’s job gains, while average hourly earnings rose again, increasing 0.6% from December and 4.5% from a year ago. Consumer sentiment also jumped for the month with people upbeat about their household finances, even if some are cautious about their ongoing job prospects—especially given all the high-profile mass firings by tech companies and others of late.
Still, the picture is largely good news for the Biden administration, which has been touting the country’s economic strength (and how the Democratic president’s legislative victories on climate, infrastructure and technology have played a role in it) going into the presidential election. So what happens now? While the Fed has indicated it will start cutting interest rates this year if inflation continues to retreat, the strength of the job market could keep the timing in flux. Fed officials are hoping employment growth will remain strong enough to keep the economic expansion intact but says it would like to see more moderate pay gains as it awaits confirmation that inflation will keep slowing to its 2% target. While investor expectations for rate cuts are now shifting from March to June, some economists say it’s better to be slower than faster. The upshot, Allison Schrager writes in Bloomberg Opinion, ‘is an economy with more uncertainty—and a healthier relationship with risk.’” [Bloomberg]
“The US is getting dragged deeper into the widening conflict sparked by the war between Israel and Hamas. Biden made no secret of his intention to attack an Iran-backed group the US said killed three of its soldiers last week, and followed through on Friday, striking 85 targets at seven locations linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Quds Force and affiliated groups. He also signed an executive order allowing the US to impose more sanctions on Israeli settlers—and possibly government officials—involved in violence against Palestinians. Meantime, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is returning to region as negotiations advance to pause the war and free civilian hostages captured by Hamas, in a deal that could be a crucial step toward ending the four-month conflict.” [Bloomberg]
Iranian missiles are exhibited in a park in Tehran Photographer: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images
“Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, a motorcycle-riding, Ferrari-driving billionaire, took the throne this week as Malaysia’s new king. With close ties to the leadership of Singapore and business partners that include one of China’s biggest property developers, the sultan is poised to have more influence on both domestic and foreign policy than any previous Malaysian monarch. Also, ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak’s prison sentence was shortened to six years from 12.” [Bloomberg]
Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar. Photographer: Hasnoor Hussain/AFP
“Dozens of British wind farms run by some of Europe’s largest energy companies have routinely overestimated how much power they’ll produce, adding millions of pounds a year to consumer electricity bills. Airlines could struggle to reach their near-term climate goals because the supply of lower-carbon sustainable aviation fuel is ‘coming online slower than anticipated,’ Kristof Van Passel, head of procurement operations and development at Cathay Pacific, said at the BloombergNEF summit. And Biden is tapping veteran Democratic strategist John Podesta to be the top diplomat representing the US in global climate talks, succeeding John Kerry.” [Bloomberg]
“Don’t cheap out this Valentine’s Day with supermarket flowers. Here’s a list of deluxe gifts for your loved one. The Loire Blue Range Rover that was used by Queen Elizabeth II is up for sale. Price: $225,000 with just 18,206 miles on it. This year, the most exciting hotel openings in Greece are popping up in spots less known to an international crowd.” [Bloomberg]
Louis Vuitton’s “Keep My Heart” bag is too tiny to fit most phones, but it packs a big price tag at $$2,040. Source: Louis Vuitton
THE WEEK IN CULTURE
Carl Weathers at a screening last year. Richard Shotwell/Invision, via Associated Press
“Carl Weathers, the N.F.L. linebacker turned actor, who starred as Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” movies and appeared in dozens of other films and television shows, died at 76.” [New York Times]
“The final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” begins on Sunday. The show ‘was the signature comedy for the agitated, antagonistic era of the 21st-century social internet,’ James Poniewozik writes.” [New York Times]
“On that show, Susie Essman played the sharp-tongued Susie Greene, who served as Larry David’s chief antagonist. She swears she’s not really that mean.” [New York Times]
“Chita Rivera, who died this week at 91, was a Broadway legend known for her dancing and acting. But her voice was her secret weapon, our theater critic writes. (Here are videos of her most memorable performances.)” [New York Times]
“Elmo asked his followers on X how they were doing. Elmo was not expecting it to open a yawning chasm of despair.” [New York Times]
“Alec Baldwin pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter after a grand jury revived the criminal case against him in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the film ‘Rust.’” [New York Times]
“The Sundance Film Festival, which concluded on Sunday, debuted a full slate of new movies that could give shape to next year’s Oscars race.” [New York Times]
“Meet Coleman Hughes, the young Black conservative who grew up with, and rejects, D.E.I.” [New York Times]
“A New York jury rejected a Russian oligarch’s claim that Sotheby’s helped an art dealer defraud him. Read five takeaways from the trial.” [New York Times]
“Rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj released diss tracks aimed at each other. Read about what’s going on, and whose side the internet is on.” [New York Times]
“‘Gilmore Girls’ ended in 2007, but it remains among the most-streamed TV shows. People who helped make the show explained its lasting appeal.” [New York Times]
“Kristin Juszczyk, a designer and wife of a 49ers player, who transforms football jerseys into fashionable outfits, signed a licensing deal with the N.F.L., Forbes reports. Taylor Swift and Simone Biles have attended games dressed in her creations.” [New York Times]
100 books
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
One of the world's largest and most influential publishers, Simon & Schuster, celebrates its 100th birthday this year.
To mark the centennial, the publisher has unveiled a list of 100 notable releases — a blend of bestsellers, prize winners, headline makers and cultural sensations, AP reports.
Featured titles include classics like "Eloise" and "Catch-22."
From 1924-1976, all of the authors listed are white. A handful of Black writers appear from 1977-2000, starting with Ntozake Shange's "for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf," before the list broadly diversifies in the 21st century.
Images: Simon & Schuster
The final entry is a book from 2023, Safiya Sinclair's acclaimed memoir "How to Say Babylon."
‘I have distinct memories of being in the room when some of these books were being presented and feeling the energy they generated,’ says Simon & Schuster's vice president Wendy Sheanin.
‘'How to Say Babylon' had that kind of energy and felt like a book that people will keep on reading.’” [Axios]
What a friend we have in Elmo
”Oh, Elmo. Our lovable friend from Sesame Street walked straight into a steaming pile of sad this week when he checked in with his followers on X — formerly known as Twitter — to ask how they were doing. To summarize the many, many replies: Not so great, Elmo! Thanks for asking. People were being so open with the fuzzy little guy that all of his Sesame Street friends on X, along with the main Sesame Street account, started posting more messages of support for people going through a rough time. The whole thing was kind of funny in a dark way. More than that, it was surprisingly heartwarming: Saying you're not doing well takes courage, and people were more than ready to be vulnerable with a trusted childhood icon. As Elmo said in one response, ‘Wow! Elmo is glad he asked. Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing.’ I wrote about the nice little social media moment here and talked to a therapist about ways you can open up to a friend — or be that all-important listening ear.” [CNN]
Say cheese!
”Apparently rats like taking selfies! What a lovely little fact to carry around. Artist Augustin Lignier witnessed the adorable behavior after he bought two rats as pets in 2021. He built them an elaborate cage and, using a mechanism that gave the rodents sugar whenever they pressed a button, he trained them to take pictures of themselves. The project is a commentary on the notions of pleasure, reward and the addictive behaviors induced by social media. Lignier says the images offered a ‘playful’ way to explore topics like reduced attention spans and the impact of social media algorithms. After taking selfies for a few days, the pair was sent to Lignier's mother's house in the Provence region of France to live out the rest of the rodent days in peace (and anonymity).”
Read the whole story here at Washington Post
The future is locked in
”A South African entrepreneur who designed a smart locker system that improves access to health care has won a major award for African engineering. Neo Hutiri is the creator of Pelebox, a system of internet-enabled lockers that dispense medication for chronic conditions to patients. This secure approach helps cut down on lines and wait times and eases pressure on hospital resources. For his future-changing device, Hutiri was awarded £50,000 ($63,000) by the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering. The event marked the 10-year anniversary of the Academy’s prestigious Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, which recognizes entrepreneurs who have developed technology to address local challenges on the continent, from improving access to power to adapting to climate change.”
Read the whole story here at Washington Post