US Strike Takes Out Top Iran-Allied Terror Leader

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As Houthis are given ultimatum to stop attacking ships & ISIS hits Iran

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Clinton, Prince Andrew, Trump. Via: AP News

Good morning,

The names are starting to be released: So what did the Epstein documents say?

Legal docs released Wednesday and Thursday include mentions of Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Michael Jackson, and Stephen Hawking — without direct suggestion they participated in illegal activities. Still, the daily drop of hundreds of unredacted pages are drawing a lot of interest.

Rewind: The documents are from a settled lawsuit between Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend and associate Ghislaine Maxwell and one of their reported victims, Virginia Giuffre.

  • Former President Clinton: In one instance, one of Epstein's accusers says the financier had remarked that Clinton "likes them young," referring to girls. In another, an Epstein accuser claims Clinton tried to get Vanity Fair magazine spike a story about “his friend Jeffrey Epstein.” A former VF editor denies the claim.

  • Prince Andrew: A former unnamed witness, Jane Doe 162 - Johanna Sjoberg, claims the royal touched her breast at Epstein's Manhattan apartment in 2001. Buckingham Palace said the accusation was "categorically untrue.”

  • Former President Trump: Sjoberg also said Epstein said she should call Trump and visit one of Trump’s casinos when his private plane was diverted.

  • Stephen Hawking: Over email, Epstein told Maxwell she could offer a reward to friends of Giuffre if they could disprove certain claims, including that the late physicist had taken part in an "underage orgy."

  • Michael Jackson and magician David Copperfield are among the celebrities whom witnesses said they met at Epstein's homes.

Let’s all just be happy our names aren’t anywhere near these documents.

Have a great weekend!

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

🗞 MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT UPDATE: IRAN, US DRONE STRIKES, HOUTHI ULTIMATUM

 

Members of an Iraqi terrorist group at a funeral for a commander killed in a US airstrike on Thursday. Via: AP

 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading back to the Middle East this weekend— his fourth time in three months— to try to ease fears that the Israel-Hamas war could erupt into a broader conflict.

There have been recent attacks in the Red Sea, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq— beyond the war between Israel and Hamas.

🚨 Here’s where things stand:

📌 US IN IRAQ
A US airstrike in Baghdad killed Mushtaq Jawad Al-Saidi, a top leader for Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, an Iranian-backed terrorist group that operates in Iraq & Syria. It has been launching attacks on U.S. forces for months.

  • Since mid-October, there have been at least 115 attacks on US and allied forces in Syria and Iraq, with many of them claimed by Iran-backed militants.

    • The US has targeted terror-linked locations in Iraq and Syria several times in recent months, but it’s rare in the center of Iraq’s capital city.

  • The Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba falls under the command of the Iraqi army, which said the strike undermined agreements between Baghdad and Washington.

    • The US Defense Department described the strike as “necessary and proportionate,” and that al-Saidi was “actively involved in planning and carrying out attacks against American personnel” and had “blood on his hands.”

  • 🚨 The group is a radical Shiite terror militia backed by Iran, that is aligned with the ‘axis of resistance’ along with Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.

The US is trying to prevent a larger Middle Eastern conflict. Via: Axios

📌 WARNING TO THE HOUTHIS
Meanwhile, the US and 12 of its allies gave the Houthi rebels of Yemen an ultimatum: stop attacking international ships in the Red Sea or face consequences.

“Ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilizing. … Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews. The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways. ”

Statement issued by over a dozen nations on Wednesday, Jan. 3.

  • The Iran-backed terror group responded Thursday with the 25th attack since November.

    • The group is attacking ships with rockets, drones and boats in solidarity with Hamas, but most of the last dozen attacks had little to no connection to Israel.

  • US officials say the American military has prepared options to strike.

    • According to NPR, the Biden administration has been cautious about using force because of “concerns about upending the shaky truce in Yemen and triggering a wider conflict in the region. The White House wants to preserve the truce and is wary of taking action that could open up another war front.”

📌 ISIS CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR IRAN ATTACK
The Islamic State (ISIS) is claiming responsibility for the deadliest bombing in the country in decades. The terror group killed 84 people as they targeted the memorial for an Iranian general Qassem Soleimani (who himself was killed by the US in 2020).

  • The terrorist group is a Sunni Muslim organization which views, as part of its mission, killing Muslims they consider apostates, including Shiites. Iran is a Shiite-majority country.

  • ISIS likely hoped to see Iran blame and strike at Israel in response, widening the war into a regional conflict that the Islamic State could potentially take advantage of, according to Aaron Zelin, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “They are kind of like the Joker. They want to see the world burn. They don’t care how it happens as long as it benefits them,” he added.

 

⏳ SPEED READ

 
 

🚨NATION

📌 Police say 17-year-old killed a sixth grader and wounded five in Iowa school shooting (AP)

📌 Largest US cities saw record hate crimes surge in 2023 (AXIOS)

📌 Defendant faces new charges after attacking a Nevada judge in court, which was caught on video (MO NEWS)

📌 State government buildings face bomb threats for second consecutive day (NBC NEWS)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Russia has used North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine and is seeking Iranian missiles, US says (AP)

📌 Japan Airlines pilots was unaware of cabin fire until crew told the (BBC)

📌 ‘Miracle’ rescue ends fisherman’s ordeal after falling overboard and fending off shark (CNN)

📌 Strike kills 12 people, mostly children, in Gaza area declared safe by Israel (PBS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Peloton shares surge 15% as it partners with TikTok to offer short-form fitness classes, other content (CNBC)

📌 Ever wonder why urine is yellow? Researchers say they've figured it out (CBS NEWS)

📌 US new vehicle sales rise 12% as buyers shake off high prices, interest rates, and auto strikes (AP)

📌 Eli Lilly launches website to help patients get weight loss drugs (NBC NEWS)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 The Golden Globes are on Sunday: what to watch out for (USA TODAY)

📌 Former '80s rock musician arrested after girlfriend's body found in California woods (FOX NEWS)

📌 NCAA agrees to $920 million, 8-year deal with ESPN for women’s March Madness, 39 other championships (AP)

📌 Sweethearts is selling 'situationship boxes' with blurry text and 'literal mixed messages' (PEOPLE)

🎉 CHEERS TO THE FREAKIN WKND

Guest User
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