Biden's Military Options Against Iran
UN workers aiding Hamas & Amelia Earhart's plane may finally be found
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up!
The darker shade the state, the better for singles looking for love. Via WalletHub
Good morning,
Single and ready to mingle? A new analysis says some states are better suited for those looking for love.
WalletHub considered 29 factors of “dating-friendliness” — like the number of single adults, average cost to go out, and nearby attractions. And with that, the analysis found Florida to be the most single-friendly state.
The Sunshine State stood apart for having the most theme parks, restaurants and music festivals of any state, per capita. (Nothing against Florida, but… theme parks?)
The worst: West Virginia, which ranked low when it came to online dating opportunities and household income.
Happy cruising!
Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren
📌 INSIDE US RESPONSE TO DEADLY IRAN STRIKE
Three American service members killed in the attack all came from Georgia.
We’re learning more about the drone attack that killed three US Army reservists and left dozens more injured at a military outpost in Jordan this weekend. US officials say the enemy drone entered their base’s airspace close to the time when a US drone was returning, leading to confusion over “whether the incoming drone was friend or foe.”
The Defense Department ID’d the service members killed as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Specialist Kennedy Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia; and Specialist Breonna Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia.
President Biden is now weighing his options on how to respond.
WHAT WENT WRONG
The drone, launched from Iraq, struck the living quarters of the US base, Tower 22, located on the Jordanian border with Syria.
Because of a mix-up between a returning US drone and the enemy craft, it appears the air defense system which should have flagged it did not intercept the attack.
LINKS TO IRAN
US officials say the enemy drone came from a terror group backed by Iran that operates out of Iraq. Iran denies any connection to the attack, saying that despite US claims, they were not behind the drone strike. That said, it was launched by a group that Iran funds and arms.
Who are these groups? Iran provides the finances and weaponry for a network of loyal proxy groups across the region. They have a level of autonomy that allows them to carry out Iran’s agenda against the US and Israeli interests, without Tehran getting all the blame. The groups have launched more than 160 attacks on US targets in the last three months.
Think: Houthis in Yemen, Hamas in Gaza, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Islamic Resistance in Iraq.
How worried are we about a full-scale US-Iran war? Most analysts say the last thing Iran wants right now— as it deals with a weak economy and domestic disputes— is a direct war with the US.
And the US?: White House spokesman John Kirby says, “We do not seek another war. We do not seek to escalate,” but affirms the US will respond to the deadly strike.
THREADING THE NEEDLE
Biden met with members of his national security team on Monday, weighing response options. The goal will be a response that deters further attacks without setting off a full-scale war.
Possibilities include targeting Iranian-backed terror groups (again), ships, weapons suppliers, and/or the country’s own forces and commanders stationed in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
The likelihood of striking military targets inside Iran is very low, since that could cross a red line for Tehran and escalate things further.
The first targets could be members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, many of whom are based in Syria and Iraq.
Another option: some type of cyber attack inside of Iran.
So far the US retaliatory attacks over the past couple weeks have not deterred the proxy groups.
Oh, and it’s an election year, so the stakes are even higher for Biden. Former President Trump blames Biden for the attack and called his response weak. GOP senators and representatives are echoing Trump and calling for a tough response.
📌 COUNTRIES FREEZE OUT U.N. PALESTINIAN REFUGEE AGENCY AMID HAMAS LINKS
We are starting to get a better sense of the size and scope of the UN refugee workers connected to Hamas. Over a dozen countries have now paused funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza after several employees were found to be involved in the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. The agency has already fired some of the employees and opened their own investigation.
WHO THEY ARE
Israel learned about the UN workers’ involvement through cellphone data, intercepted Hamas’ intelligence, and prisoner interrogations.
One worker is accused of kidnapping a woman; another of taking part in the massacre in an Israeli kibbutz; another UN employee was allegedly handing out ammunition.
Seven of the workers were school teachers.
TIES GO DEEPER
UNRWA is the main UN relief agency that has been serving Gaza since the late 1940s. About 1,200 of the 12,000 current workers (10 percent) are allegedly directly linked to Hamas and other terror groups. Across the Middle East, UNRWA has about 30,000 workers.
25% of male workers have ties to Hamas while about 50% of the group’s staff has family affiliated with Hamas or Islamist militant groups. The ties range from housing kidnapped hostages to voicing support online.
WHERE THE $ COMES FROM
About 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people rely on the agency’s help. Nearly a third of UNRWA’s budget comes from the US — the largest single donor.
The US has sent over $1 billion to the group in the last 3 years, after Biden started funding it again. The Trump administration had previously cut off UNRWA funding over terror and corruption allegations.
The aid group has pushed back about the funding pauses, calling the countries to keep funding UNRWA. The group’s commissioner-general says, "Palestinians in Gaza did not need this additional collective punishment."
✈️ AMELIA EARHART’S PLANE MAY HAVE BEEN FOUND
Sonar image of plane shaped object on ocean floor. Via: WSJ
Has Amelia Earhart’s plane finally been found? Sonar experts are taking a closer look at images from over the Pacific Ocean that could show the plane involved in Earhart’s 1937 disappearance.
TAKE ME BACK
At the height of Earhart’s career, after she broke numerous aviation records, she disappeared close to the end of her attempted trek across the world. She was flying a twin engine Lockheed 10-E Electra.
Her last known location was somewhere over the Central Pacific Ocean between Australia and Hawaii.
💰 Millions of dollars and dozens of searches have never produced meaningful evidence of the presumed crash.
Former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer Tony Romeo sold his commercial real-estate business to fund his so-far $11 million pursuit of the plane.
Romeo, with a 16-person team, started their search in September, and about a month in, they captured the sonar image with an underwater drone. A couple more months passed before they uncovered the images, which appear to show a plane at about 3 miles underwater.
He says, “There’s no other known crashes in the area, and certainly not of that era in that kind of design.”
He told the WSJ: “This is maybe the most exciting thing I'll ever do in my life. I feel like a 10-year-old going on a treasure hunt."
WHAT’S NEXT
Experts want less-fuzzy images so they can see things like the plane’s serial number and other descriptive details. Romeo and his team plan to return in the next year to get clearer images.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Ex-IRS contractor sentenced to 5 years in prison for leaking Trump tax records (NBC NEWS)
📌 Alex Murdaugh will not receive a new murder trial after jury influencing accusations (CNN)
📌 DOJ charges Iranian and 2 Canadians in murder-for-hire plot (AXIOS)
📌 Oklahoma GOP votes to condemn US senator for role in bipartisan border talks (USA TODAY)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Pope Francis addresses controversy with African bishops and same-sex blessings (CNN)
📌 Ukraine uncovers $40 millions weapons corruption scheme (CNN)
📌 French farmers block roads, encircle Paris with tractor barricades over falling incomes (AP)
📌 The Japanese moon lander gets back to work after the sun reaches its solar panels (NPR)
📌 Israel to ban rebuilding of Jewish settlements in Gaza (FOX NEWS)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Elon Musk says his company has implanted first brain chip in a human (GUARDIAN)
📌Walmart boost in compensation for superstore managers could reach $400,000 (FOX BUSINESS)
📌 SiriusXM signs $100 million+ deal with ‘SmartLess’ Podcast (VARIETY)
📌 Amazon terminates iRobot deal; Roomba maker to lay off 31% of staff (CNBC)
📌 Microsoft updates free AI software after Taylor Swift deepfakes nude photo scandal (NY POST)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 ‘Suits’ edges out ‘Bluey’ to become most streamed show in America; The full list (THE WRAP)
📌 King Charles and Kate Middleton discharged from hospital hours apart (PEOPLE)
📌 Britney Spears apologizes for comments in her book, is ‘in love’ with Justin Timberlake’s new song (NBC NEWS)
📌 Russian Olympic figure skater disqualified two years after doping; US team will now likely get Gold Medal (ABC NEWS)
📌 Joni Mitchell to perform at Grammy Awards for first time at age 80 (CNN)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: JANUARY 30
1847: The California town of Yerba Buena (meaning the ‘good herb’) is renamed San Francisco.
1948: Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi by a Hindu extremist who objected to Gandhi’s tolerant views of Muslims.
1969: The Beatles’ preformed their last public concert on the Apple headquarters roof in London.
1972: British police opened fire on Catholic protesters in Northern Ireland, coined “Bloody Sunday,” killing 13 and injuring 15 others.