'Holy crap on steroids!': Top Trump officials exposed in shocking, sloppy military security blunder

 

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Top officials in the Trump administration discussed a military operation in a group chat on a commercially available messaging platform with a random member of the media added to the chat without anyone bothering to look at who else was in the chat. Senator Mark Warner, top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, shares his reaction to the news with Rachel Maddow.  For more context and news coverage of the most important stories of our day click here: https://www.msnbc.com/ » Subscribe to MSNBC:    / msnbc   » Subscribe to MSNBC on TikTok   / msnbc   » Subscribe to MSNBC on Instagram   / msnbc   Download our new MSNBC app for the latest breaking news and daily headlines at a glance: https://www.msnbc.com/information/dow... Follow MSNBC Show Blogs MaddowBlog: https://www.msnbc.com/maddowblog MSNBC delivers breaking news, in-depth analysis of political headlines, commentary and informed perspectives. Find video clips and segments from The Rachel Maddow Show, Inside with Jen Psaki, Morning Joe, The Beat, Deadline: White House, All In, The Last Word, The 11th Hour, and more. Connect with MSNBC Online Visit msnbc.com: https://www.msnbc.com/ Subscribe to the MSNBC Daily Newsletter: https://link.msnbc.com/join/5ck/msnbc... #MikeWaltz #Signal #JeffreyGoldberg

 

Biden gives Israel “ironclad” backing against Iranian retaliatory strike

in World

by Peter Symonds

13/04/2024

US President Joe Biden warned yesterday that Iranian retaliation in response to Israel’s highly provocative April 1 attack on Iran’s consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus was expected “sooner than later.”

While not criticizing, let alone condemning Israel’s attack on the embassy, Biden was quick to declare his administration’s total support for Israel. “Our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad,” he declared. “Let me say it again: ironclad.”

The Israeli airstrike on the consular section of Iran’s embassy in Syria killing three senior Iranian generals and other officials was a flagrant act of war that could only further inflame tensions in the Middle East and lead to a wider war. It was not only another breach of Syria’s national sovereignty, but a direct attack on Iranian territory—as embassies in a foreign country are designated as such by international convention.

Biden’s remarks amount to a blank cheque to the Israeli regime to carry out illegal acts of aggression anywhere in the Middle East, including against Iran. Just as it has backed Israel’s barbaric war in Gaza to the hilt on the basis of its “right to defend itself,” so the US gives its “ironclad” backing for setting the region aflame.

Asked by reporters what his message to Iran was, Biden simply declared: “Don’t.” He provided no evidence that an Iranian strike was imminent, but again stressed: “We are devoted to the defence of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed.”

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the US Navy is strengthening its already substantial fleet in the Middle East with two more destroyers to the region, one of which is equipped with an Aegis anti-missile system.

General Erik Kurilla, the head of US Central Command, held what could only be described as a war council with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant yesterday along with top Israeli military and defence ministry officials. “We are prepared to defend ourselves on the ground and in the air, in close cooperation with our partners, and we will know how to respond,” Gallant declared after the meeting.

Having deliberately provoked a confrontation with Iran, the Israeli regime is preparing to widen its genocidal war in Gaza throughout the Middle East. “Whoever harms us, we will harm them,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Thursday as he visited troops at an Israeli military airbase. “We are prepared … both defensively and offensively.”

Israel with Washington’s backing is already engaged in an escalating conflict with Iranian—linked Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon while carrying out airstrikes deep into Lebanon and Syria targeting senior figures in both Hamas and Hezbollah. At the same time, the US and allied forces continue to carry out attacks against Houthi militia in Yemen.

The Biden administration has sought to distance itself from the April 1 Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate. The Washington Post reported on Thursday that US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had contacted Gallant on April 3 to complain that the US had not been given advance notice “because of the strike’s implications for US troops and interests in the region.”

As with previous Israeli strikes on Iranian officials in Syria, neither Austin nor any other administration official has made even a hint of condemnation of Israel’s action, even though the potential for a broader Middle East war is evident. In December, an Israeli airstrike in a Damascus suburb killed Iran’s top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp Seyed Razi Mousavi.

Far from marshaling diplomatic pressure to prevent further Israeli acts of aggression, the US has contacted countries around the world, including China, calling for them to urge Iran not to take retaliatory action on Israel for its April 1 attack.

UK foreign secretary Lord David Cameron said he had made clear to the Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian that “Iran must not draw the Middle East into a wider conflict”. “I am deeply concerned about the potential for miscalculation leading to further violence.”

Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Wednesday that the attack on its consulate was equivalent to an attack on Iranian territory. “When they attack our consulate, it means they have attacked our territory,” he said. “The Zionist regime made a mistake and must be punished and will be punished.”

Iran’s Tasnim news agency commented that Iran’s “punishment” for Israel was inevitable and would be “heavy”. But it dismissed US claims that an attack was imminent, saying that suggestions that Tehran would respond in the next few days or was planning a missile and drone strike were simply speculation.

While the region braces for an escalating war, the Israel military is continuing its barbaric operations in Gaza that have inflamed tensions throughout the Middle East and provoked mass protests around the world. With the death toll now over 33,000, five more people were killed and 30 more injured today in an Israeli attack in Gaza City.

Armed Israeli settlers have also carried out multiple attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, killing one person and injuring dozens in the town of al-Mughayir, as well as setting homes and vehicles alight.

In the wake of international outrage over the Israeli murder of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza this month, Israel claims to have nearly doubled the number of aid trucks entering Gaza—still far short of what is required to avert starvation and famine.

“We’ve been asking for this for months,” Jamie McGoldrick, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Jerusalem, told CNN. “We’ve been calling out the fact that there’s a real humanitarian crisis in the north, where famine is imminent…it’s only now that we start to see the announcements.”

“There has been no significant change in the volume of humanitarian supplies entering Gaza or improved access to the north,” UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian Affairs, said on Tuesday. “Since the beginning of April, an average of 177 aid trucks have crossed into Gaza per day via the Karem Abu Salem and Rafah land crossings.”

In other words, the Israeli blockade continues. The use of starvation as a weapon of war in Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza underscores its utter contempt for international law and basic human rights.

Originally published in WSWS.ORG

COUNTERCURRENTS

RFK Jr.’s Libertarian play

BY PEDER SCHAEFER Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a voter rally at St. Cecilia Music Center on February 10, 2024 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. | Emily Elconin/Getty Images UNREQUITED LOVE — A big-budget Super Bowl ad . Polls that show him drawing up to 22 percent support in a three-way election. Wealthy donors forking over serious cash to support his candidacy. Democrats and Republicans are beginning to view independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a serious spoiler candidate in this year’s presidential election. But to be a spoiler, first Kennedy has to get on the ballot. That’s where the Libertarian Party comes in. If Kennedy is the party’s nominee, his campaign and associated PACs won’t have to shell out millions of dollars and collect hundreds of thousands of signatures to get on the general election ballot in states across the country. It helps explain why, in recent weeks, Kennedy has appeared on CNN to float interest in the party, and appeared on the podcast of a popular libertarian comedian. He is planning on attending the California Libertarian Party convention at the end of February, where he’ll be on a panel with other possible nominees. The trouble is, while Kennedy holds some Libertarian positions, some see a measure of political expediency in his interest in the party nomination. After all, he began the campaign as a Democrat, then pivoted to independent before expressing interest in the Libertarian Party nomination . It’s sparked a backlash within the Libertarian Party, as both the electoral-focused “prags” who have traditionally controlled the party and supported more mainstream presidential candidates who might boost the party’s profile and more subversive, ideologically rigid members of the Mises Caucus speak out against his name going at the top of the ticket. The Mises Caucus — a more radical libertarian faction organized around the work of Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises — has been a power center within the party since its endorsed candidate, Angela McArdle, won the national committee chairmanship in a 2022 landslide victory with nearly 70 percent of the vote. It controls the majority of the delegates who will vote on the party’s presidential nominee at the national convention in May. While McArdle has suggested that the party may be open to a Kennedy bid, last weekend the Mises Caucus came out formally in opposition to his candidacy, making it unlikely that Kennedy has a real shot at the nomination. McArdle did not respond to a request for comment. In an email to members also posted on X , Mises Caucus leadership declared that “we firmly oppose any strategy that would ‘rent out’ our party’s place on any state’s ballot to RFK, or indeed any candidate who has so many disqualifying deviations from the essential principles of libertarianism.” Michael Heise, the founder of the Mises Caucus, said that while he’s open to Kennedy running for the nomination — he says it would raise the stature of Libertarian Party discourse — nominating the Kennedy family scion would be short-sighted, even if he performed well in the general election. “I don’t want the over-politicization of the Libertarian Party,” said Heise. “We subscribe to the idea that politics is downstream from culture. We want to spread liberty in the culture rather than chasing votes.” The declaration of the Mises Caucus that they want a true libertarian candidate comes after years of infighting within the party. “The Libertarian Party has often struggled with an identity of what it wants to do,” said Christopher Thrasher, an independent ballot access consultant with a long history with the Libertarian Party. “Does it want to evangelize the gospel of Libertarianism and be an educational platform? Or does it want to be a viable vehicle for policy changes and for those who are seeking elected office?” In recent presidential election cycles, the party has mostly followed the latter path. In 2016 the party nominated former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, a former Republican with less than die-hard libertarian credentials. That led to the strongest Libertarian performance in the history of the party, over 4 million votes. But some of those more pragmatic electoral choices paved the way for a more hard-core, liberty movement — namely the Mises Caucus — to gain support within the party. “(The Mises Caucus) bring an edgier, younger vibe to the party,” said Steven Nekhaila, a director at large for the Libertarian National Committee. “The ‘prags’ were more in the respectability politics camp. The Mises Caucus has more of an in your face type of approach.” That “in your face” approach hasn’t come without controversy. Longtime Libertarian Party activists like Thrasher have accused the Mises Caucus of “courting some of the worst traits of right-wing populism,” and the Mises Caucus-affiliated state party in New Hampshire has made controversial posts, including one on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2022 that said “America isn’t in debt to black people, if anything, it’s the other way around.” (The post was later deleted.) But even with the inter-party tensions, at least one former mainstream elected official who has experience with going for the Libertarian Party nomination thinks that Kennedy should give it a shot. “I strongly feel that the Libertarian Party could be legitimate, but they allow this clown show to take place,” said Lincoln Chafee, a former presidential candidate who pursued the Libertarian Party nomination in 2020, referring to some of the off-the-wall candidates like Vermin Supreme who have sought the nomination in the past. “There is a natural linking between Libertarians and RFK Jr.’s campaign.” Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at pschaefer@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @p_s_schaefer .   YOUR VIP PASS TO THE MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE : Dive into the heart of global security with POLITICO's Global Playbook at the 2024 Munich Security Conference. Gain exclusive insights and in-depth analysis as author Suzanne Lynch navigates the crucial discussions, key players and emerging trends that will shape the international security landscape. Subscribe now to Global Playbook and stay informed .     WHAT'D I MISS? — Trump’s first criminal trial will start March 25, judge says: Former President Donald Trump’s first criminal trial will start on March 25 as scheduled , a judge said in New York today as he denied Trump’s attempts to throw out the charges. The case involves hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. The schedule means Trump will spend weeks in court instead of on the campaign trail as he pivots to a general election campaign against President Joe Biden. — FBI informant charged with lying about Joe and Hunter Biden’s ties to Ukrainian energy company: An FBI informant has been charged with lying to his handler about ties between President Joe Biden, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company . Alexander Smirnov falsely told FBI agents in June 2020 that executives associated with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid Hunter and Joe Biden $5 million each in 2015 or 2016, prosecutors said today. Smirnov told the FBI that a Burisma executive had claimed to have hired Hunter Biden to “protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems,” prosecutors said. — Fani Willis takes the stand as she fights to stay on Trump criminal case: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis took the stand today to defend herself against efforts to remove her from the prosecution of the former president . Willis had initially sought to block efforts by Donald Trump and several co-defendants to compel her testimony. But she opted to withdraw her objection today after hours of testimony from special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who was probed about his relationship with Willis. — Bipartisan House lawmakers working to finalize military aid-border bill: A bipartisan group of lawmakers plans to roll out their alternative proposal to send military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and secure the border today, one of the Republican organizers said. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told POLITICO a compromise Ukraine-border funding bill would be unveiled today — the last day before the House leaves D.C. for a week-plus recess — with a group of four bipartisan co-sponsors. The centrist lawmaker acknowledged they don’t have wide GOP buy-in on the package yet. NIGHTLY ROAD TO 2024 MANCHIN’S VP — Sen. Joe Manchin hasn’t yet said whether he’ll launch a third party bid for president. But if he does, he already has some ideas of who he wants as his running mate . “Hypothetically, if I was picking my running mate, really who I would ask right now is Mitt Romney,” the West Virginia Democrat said during a Q&A at a City Club of Cleveland breakfast today — a stop on the nationwide “listening tour” he launched after announcing he would forgo a reelection bid in 2024. Romney is also not running for reelection this year. ‘SENATOR JUDAS’ — While Nikki Haley has, until recently, run a fairly positive campaign, she has endured relentless criticism from Donald J. Trump and others in his orbit. Her 22-year-old son, Nalin Haley, is not so inclined to pull his punches , writes the New York Times. Mr. Haley, who has become a more familiar presence on the trail with his mother, introduced her at events over the weekend, taking some pointed jabs at her one-time Republican rivals. He has a nickname for Senator Tim Scott: Senator Judas. Another former rival who went full-bore for Mr. Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, draws Mr. Haley’s comparisons (derogatory) to Pennywise, the clown from “It.” SECRET SERVICE PROTECTION — A congressional advisory committee has voted in favor of granting Nikki Haley US Secret Service protection after the GOP presidential candidate requested the enhanced security citing threats she is facing, CNN reports. The recommendation now heads to the desk of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who will make the final decision based on multiple factors, the source said. Mayorkas, who earlier this week became the first Cabinet secretary to be impeached in 150 years, is currently traveling in Germany for the Munich Security Conference. The protective detail is expected to be approved and Haley would get a protective detail as soon as next week, a second source familiar with the matter told CNN. AROUND THE WORLD Palestinians pray for those killed in the Israeli bombing of the Nusseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip at Al Aqsa Hospital today. | Adel Hana/AP HOSPITAL ATTACK — Israeli forces stormed the main hospital in southern Gaza today , hours after Israeli fire killed a patient and wounded six others inside the complex. The Israeli army said it was a limited operation seeking the remains of hostages taken by Hamas, reports POLITICO EU. The raid came a day after the army sought to evacuate thousands of displaced people who had taken shelter at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The southern city has been the main target of Israel’s offensive against Hamas in recent weeks. The military said it had “credible intelligence” that Hamas had held hostages at the hospital and that the remains of hostages might still be inside. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesperson, said forces were conducting a “precise and limited” operation there and would not forcibly evacuate medics or patients. Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals and other civilian structures to shield its fighters. Gaza’s Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said Israel had launched a “massive incursion” with heavy shooting that wounded many of the displaced people who had sheltered there. He said the military had ordered medics to move all patients into an older building that was not properly equipped for their treatment. “Many cannot evacuate, such as those with lower limb amputations, severe burns, or the elderly,” he said in an interview with the Al Jazeera network. Separately, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 13 people in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, 10 civilians — mostly women and children — and three fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, an ally of Gaza’s Hamas militants. The strikes came just hours after a rocket attack from Lebanon killed an Israeli soldier in what was the deadliest of daily exchanges of fire along the border since the Oct. 7 start of the war in Gaza. It also underscored the risks of a broader conflict.   YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS : From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics.      NIGHTLY NUMBER Over 200 The number of packages of medium-range ballistic missile components and other weapons intended for the Houthi militant group that the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted in an operation earlier this year, they announced today. RADAR SWEEP EATING GOURMET — Cat and dog food, once confined to dirty corners of pet stores (and before that confined to table scraps), has become a huge business. The options for “healthy,” “organic,” “tasty” food are proliferating rapidly , as pets often eat better than their owners. There are open questions as to whether some of these brands are actually better or healthier for pets. But as pet food research speeds up, pet owners keep snapping up the latest and greatest food. Vivian Ho wrote about the trend for The Guardian, interspersing thoughts about the industry with her own experience with her toothless cat, Florence Meowmalade. PARTING IMAGE On this date in 1952: Crowds jam London's Marble Arch to watch the procession as the body of King George VI was drawn through the streets on the way to interment at Windsor. | AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .   Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh Mia McCarthy @Reporter_Mia   FOLLOW US

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POLITICO Nightly: New Hampshire is the whole ballgame

BY CHARLIE MAHTESIAN A supporter waits in line ahead of a rally for former President Donald Trump today in Atkinson, New Hampshire. | Brandon Bell/Getty Images IT’S GETTING LATE EARLY — Iowa produced a decisive outcome on Monday, but it left some questions unsettled. Donald Trump posted a sweeping, 30-point victory, but among a small sample: Boiled down to its essence, his victory was built on the votes of just 7 percent of Iowa’s registered GOP voters. Second place wasn’t really resolved either — Ron DeSantis edged out Nikki Haley, with neither delivering an inspiring performance. The caucuses did accomplish one thing, however: They made New Hampshire the whole ballgame. With Asa Hutchinson’s departure from the race today and Chris Christie’s exit last week, the most vigorous Trump critics are out of the race. GOP congressional leadership, with the exception of Sen. Mitch McConnell, has largely folded and fallen in line. Now, short of a Trump defeat in New Hampshire — or a close second-place finish from Haley or DeSantis — it’s looking like the nominating fight might not make it out of January. DeSantis traveled today to South Carolina, which makes some sense. He’s a distant third in New Hampshire and is better-suited for South Carolina’s Feb. 24 primary. But there’s a full month between the two primaries, and without a surprise result in New Hampshire, his campaign is not built to last that long. Haley is just as pressed. She won only one of Iowa’s 99 counties, and just barely — by a single vote. The story told by the Iowa entrance polls was a grim one. She failed to win among college graduates and got crushed among non-college grads. She finished a close third among women and a very distant third among white evangelical Christians. Her strengths? Haley ran strongest among self-described moderates/liberals and those looking for a candidate with the right temperament. She finished first among caucus goers for whom foreign policy matters most. She dominated among those who think Joe Biden won the presidency legitimately and those who would not consider Donald Trump fit to be president if he were to be convicted of a crime. Those traits might make her a formidable candidate in a general election, but not in a GOP primary. In the contemporary Republican Party, it’s the profile of a candidate with a short shelf-life. In the wake of Iowa’s results, Haley’s donors are already getting antsy — CNBC reported today that she faces pressure from some of her top fundraisers to either win New Hampshire or finish a close second. Without that momentum, there’s little chance of winning her home state of South Carolina four weeks later — Haley currently trails Trump there by a wide margin in the polls. (The two Nevada contests and the Virgin Islands caucus that will take place between Feb. 6 and 8 won’t provide nearly enough oxygen.) What Iowa has inadvertently done is conceal Trump’s flaws — that is, it accentuated his strength among Republicans and camouflaged his vulnerability in a general election — while shining a light on the weaknesses of his remaining foes. The result is that the primary timeline has been accelerated, making New Hampshire more than just the first-in-the-nation primary, but possibly the last one that matters. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at cmahtesian@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @PoliticoCharlie .   GLOBAL PLAYBOOK IS TAKING YOU TO DAVOS! Unlock the insider's guide to one of the world's most influential gatherings as POLITICO's Global Playbook takes you behind the scenes of the 2024 World Economic Forum. Author Suzanne Lynch will be on the ground in the Swiss Alps, bringing you the exclusive conversations, shifting power dynamics and groundbreaking ideas shaping the agenda in Davos. Stay in the know with POLITICO's Global Playbook, your VIP pass to the world’s most influential gatherings. SUBSCRIBE NOW .     WHAT'D I MISS? — Court blocks JetBlue’s attempt to buy Spirit Airlines: The Justice Department and state attorneys general have successfully blocked JetBlue Airways’ $3.8 billion attempted purchase of ultra low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines , the second federal court decision in the past year delivering a blow to further consolidation in the U.S. airline industry. In a 113-page opinion issued today, U.S. District Judge William Young in Boston blocked the deal from closing. — House GOP hits pause on Hunter Biden contempt vote: House Republicans have paused their efforts to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress , as they negotiate a new date for a closed-door interview. The House Rules Committee will no longer tee up a contempt resolution for a floor vote during its meeting today, contrary to Republicans’ previous plans. A leadership aide familiar with the decision, granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, added that “negotiations are now underway for him to comply with the subpoena, so we are holding on the contempt vote while they work to set a date.” — Supreme Court rejects antitrust fight challenging Apple’s app store: Apple beat back a key antitrust challenge to its app store today after the Supreme Court declined to intervene in a yearslong legal fight. The high court, without explaining, said it will not hear appeals of a lower court ruling in a case brought in 2020 by Epic Games, maker of the popular online game Fortnite, against Apple. The decision leaves in place a ruling that was largely a win for Apple, and puts a spotlight on the Justice Department, which is in the final innings of four-year antitrust probe of the company. NIGHTLY ROAD TO 2024 SWING STATE ALARM — Former President Donald Trump leads President Joe Biden in Georgia according to a new poll . The survey, from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the University of Georgia, Trump held a 45 percent to 37 percent lead over the incumbent Democrat among registered voters. The rest of the respondents, about 20%, said they either were not sure, not voting or would be supporting another candidate. ON THE ATTACK — Nikki Haley is trying a risky new tactic in the Republican presidential race: She’s mounting an attack on Donald Trump . One day after her third-place finish in Iowa, the former South Carolina governor’s campaign and a pro-Haley super PAC began promoting TV ads here depicting Trump as a bully and a liar. Her campaign released a memo calling the former president “more vulnerable than commonly believed.” And Haley announced she would not participate in two scheduled debates media outlets scheduled ahead of the New Hampshire primary unless Trump joined her on stage — suggesting she plans to ignore Ron DeSantis and train her fire on the frontrunner. ASA OUT — Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson ended his long-shot bid for the White House today. The former two-term governor entered the race in April with an eye toward taking on former President Donald Trump, who saw a decisive win in Iowa on Monday night. Hutchinson found himself increasingly without a political home in a party that has embraced the man who once seemed toxic in the wake of Jan. 6, 2021. CANCEL CULTURE — ABC News has canceled a planned debate in New Hampshire , after GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley said today that she would only step foot on the debate stage again if Donald Trump or Joe Biden is there. The upcoming debates were slated to take place before the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 23. ABC News planned to partner with WMUR-TV to host a debate on Thursday, and CNN announced it would host a debate on Sunday. AROUND THE WORLD Houthi fighters and tribesmen stage a rally against the U.S. and the U.K. strikes on Houthi-run military sites near Sanaa, Yemen, on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. | AP MORE FIRE — The U.S. military carried out preemptive strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen today, destroying four anti-ship ballistic missiles that the rebels were ready to launch, according to five U.S. officials, reports POLITICO. The strikes marked the latest salvo in an escalating tit-for-tat in the Red Sea. The U.S., along with its allies, launched a barrage of air and sea-based missiles against Houthi military targets in Yemen on Thursday and Friday last week, in retaliation for missile and drone strikes on international shipping. Those coalition strikes have not deterred the Houthis from continuing to attack commercial vessels: A Houthi missile fired on Monday hit the American-owned Gibraltar Eagle, a bulk carrier that was sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands. The attacks today were on a much smaller scale and “dynamic” in nature, meaning they were not pre-planned and rather taken in self-defense against missiles that presented an imminent threat to international shipping, one of the officials said. All of the officials were granted anonymity to speak about a sensitive operation before an official announcement. U.S. forces observed the Houthis preparing to launch the four ballistic missiles today, presumably against ships in the Red Sea. The head of U.S. Central Command then ordered U.S. forces to take out the threat, according to one of the officials. HELP COMING — France and Qatar, the Persian Gulf nation that helped mediate a previous cease-fire, said late today that they had brokered a deal between Israel and Hamas to deliver medicine to Israeli hostages in Gaza , as well as additional aid to Palestinians in the besieged territory, reports The Associated Press. France said it had been working since October on the deal, which will provide three months’ worth of medication for 45 hostages with chronic illnesses, as well as other medicines and vitamins. The medicines are expected to enter Gaza from Egypt on Wednesday. It’s the first known agreement between the warring sides since a weeklong truce in November.   YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS : From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics.      NIGHTLY NUMBER $1.9 billion The amount that New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul proposes spending on the migrant crisis in the state within her $233 billion spending plan for New York for the coming year. RADAR SWEEP MELTDOWN — In the icy waters near Antarctica, a new arch-decorated iceberg has emerged— all due to erosion from climate change . The iceberg, known as A23a after it broke off of the Antarctica coast in 1986, is twice the size of the Greater London area but only recently started drifting in the water around the continent. But a ship run by Eyos expeditions got close enough to send a drone and see the iceberg is collapsing in certain areas to create arches and caves in the colossal ice formation. In this story for BBC, Jonathan Amos discusses how warmer water and air has started to melt the surfaces of A23a, bearing the question of how much longer the decades-old iceberg will survive. PARTING IMAGE On this date in 1992: The El Salvadoran Peace Accords are signed at Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City between the government of El Salvador and the FMLN guerrilla leaders, officially ending the country's 12-year civil war. Pictured is General Mauricio Ernesto Vargas (center right) of the Salvadoran armed forces embracing Schafik Handel (left) commander of the FMLN. | Joe Cavaretta/AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .   Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh Mia McCarthy @Reporter_Mia   FOLLOW US

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