The Full Belmonte, 2/4/2024
Middle East
“The U.S. said it hit a Houthi missile in Yemen that it said had threatened ships in the Red Sea.” [New York Times]
“The U.S. has led a major wave of retaliatory strikes in the Middle East, including in Iraq and Syria, since Friday. Read a timeline of the strikes.” [New York Times]
“The Houthis vowed to respond to an earlier wave of American and British strikes. Washington expects that Iran will choose to de-escalate.” [New York Times]
“These are the proxy forces Iran has across the region.” [New York Times]
War in Gaza
Mohamed Abu Rteinah, 12. Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times
“A photojournalist spent weeks documenting the lives of five Palestinians in Gaza. See the photos.” [New York Times]
“Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, will return to the Middle East to continue negotiations on hostages and aid in Gaza.” [New York Times]
“The U.N.’s main agency in Gaza is in crisis. Read how the scandal unfolded.”
More on International
In Chile. Javier Torres/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
“In Chile, wildfires have killed dozens and are threatening two large cities.” [New York Times]
“China has built a robust nuclear arsenal. Xi Jinping is considering how to wield this as a source of strength.” [New York Times]
“Senegal’s president canceled a national election. His critics are calling the decision a coup.” [New York Times]
“Hage Geingob, Namibia’s president, died at 82.” [New York Times]
2024 Election
“President Biden easily won South Carolina’s Democratic primary. Black voters in the state catapulted him to the White House in 2020.” [New York Times]
“Biden has declined a Super Bowl interview for a second year in a row.” [New York Times]
“Donald Trump has worked closely with Ronna McDaniel, the head of the Republican National Committee. In private, he has started to question its direction under her leadership.” [New York Times]
Immigration
The “Take Our Border Back” convoy in Quemado, Texas. Erin Schaff/The New York Times
“A convoy of conservative Americans drove to the border with Mexico to demonstrate their frustration over the immigration system.” [New York Times]
“In a wide-ranging interview, Alejandro Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, defends his record at the border.” [New York Times]
A US-led coalition conducted airstrikes in Yemen in response to Houthi aggression in the Red Sea.
“The US and UK have conducted strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen from air and surface platforms, including fighter jets, with the support of several other countries. At least 30 targets were hit, and the strikes came one day after the US conducted major airstrikes on 85 targets across seven locations in Iraq and Syria.” [CNN]
“The Washington, DC, trial date in the federal election subversion case against Donald Trump, originally set for March 4, was postponed because of ongoing appeals about the power of the presidency. In the Georgia case against Trump, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis acknowledged a personal relationship with the lead prosecutor but said it doesn’t disqualify her.” [CNN]
“South Carolina, the state that launched Joe Biden to the Democratic nomination four years ago, delivered the president his first official primary victory of the 2024 campaign, CNN projects. Biden won all 55 delegates at stake in the South Carolina primary.” [CNN]
“An intense, long-lasting atmospheric river is moving into California today, bringing the potential for ‘life-threatening’ flooding, mudslides and widespread power outages as it dumps heavy rain and snow. Some residents were ordered to evacuate.” [CNN]
“In a historic moment, a nationalist politician became First Minister of Northern Ireland as power-sharing resumed after a two-year break. Michelle O’Neill of the pro-united Ireland party Sinn Féin vowed to ‘serve everyone equally.’” [CNN]
TUESDAY
“Nevada will hold state-run Democratic and Republican primaries — a requirement under a 2021 state law. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (and several other Republican former presidential contenders) will appear on the Republican primary ballot. However, Trump will not — and the results of that primary are non-binding. That’s because Nevada’s Republican Party, which is controlled by Trump loyalists, has opted to award its delegates two days later through state party-run caucuses instead. As a result, Haley — who won’t be on Thursday's ballot — will not be eligible to be awarded any Nevada delegates.” [CNN]
WEDNESDAY
“A federal appeals court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the Texas border razor wire case. In January, the US Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 vote to allow US Border Patrol agents to remove the wire deployed by Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott in the Eagle Pass area. The justices’ order was considered a major victory for President Joe Biden in his ongoing dispute with Abbott over border policy. However, since the high court’s ruling, the Texas National Guard has added more razor wire.” [CNN]
THURSDAY
“The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in its review of the Colorado Supreme Court’s unprecedented decision to remove Trump from that state’s ballot. The high court’s decision to hear the case puts the nine justices squarely in the middle of the 2024 election and represents its most significant involvement in a presidential race since the momentous decision in Bush v. Gore more than 20 years ago.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place in Pakistan, a little more than a week after the country’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets. Khan, who swept to power in 2018 before his ouster in 2022, has been in jail since August after he was found guilty of corruption.” [CNN]
FRIDAY
“President Biden will host German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House, where the two will reaffirm their strong support for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion. Biden and Scholz also will discuss efforts to prevent regional escalation in the Middle East, as well as their support for Israel’s right to self-defense and the imperative of increasing life-saving assistance and protection of civilians from harm in Gaza, the White House said.” [CNN]
SATURDAY
“Time to welcome the Year of the Dragon! Lunar New Year begins on February 10, kicking off more than two weeks of celebrations in China, Vietnam, South Korea and other Asian countries — as well as in any place with a sizable population of Asian immigrants.” [CNN]