South Korea pull off heist to beat Australia 2-1 in Asian Cup 2023
The Taegeuk Warriors stage another late comeback to beat the Socceroos and keep their Asian Cup title hopes alive. Al Wakrah, Qatar – South Korea have made it a habit of leaving it until the dying moments of stoppage time to make a comeback in their knockout games and progress to the next round at the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar. They pulled off another heist to break Australian hearts and produce a stunning 2-1 comeback win in the quarterfinal at Al Janoub Stadium on Friday night. It prompted Jurgen Klinsmann, the Koreans’ German coach, to joke that perhaps his team should start all matches with a 0-1 score. “It’s not great to wait 120 minutes for a result, so maybe if we start a goal down we can get [a win] earlier,” Klinsmann told bemused reporters after the match. It took South Korea 96 minutes to find a goal – scored by Hee-Chan Hwang from the penalty spot – that kept them alive in the tournament and another 15 to give their talismanic captain Heung-Min Son a chance to score a scintillating winner and stun Australia. The Socceroos took the lead in the 42nd minute as Craig Goodwin latched onto a loose ball in front of the Korean goal to break the deadlock in a tight first half. Once in the lead, the Australians put up a strong defensive display to keep the Taegeuk Warriors at bay deep into the second half. As the night wore on, the temperature in Al Wakrah dropped to a chilly 14 degrees Celsius but the action on the field heated up as South Korea began attacking the Australian goal. It was similar to their late assault against Saudi Arabia that eventually produced an equaliser and gave them a win in a penalty shootout. This time, the penalty came in the sixth minute of added time and brought them level. Once into extra time, the Koreans were controlling the game and Australia were barely able to keep up. When South Korea won a free-kick on the edge of the Australian box in the 103rd minute, Son bent it into the corner to complete another stunning comeback. The crowd, who had been chanting his name all night long, went into a wild celebration of relief, joy and disbelief. Many of these fans arrived in Doha after a 10-hour overnight flight from Seoul and said it was too much to take for a second game in a row. “They [the team] need to stop doing this to us now,” Kim Hyeseong, a South Korean fan, told Al Jazeera moments after the win was sealed. “They pull off miracles because they never give up,” he said. Klinsmann said he is aware of the expectations his team faces from the fans in the stadium and those back home. “Sometimes the pressure blocks the players [mentally] in the beginning – but when we go down, we know we can only go forward from there,” the former World Cup winner said. For fans like Leo Chan, it is more a case of having belief in the team. But he said they say make it hard for themselves and their supporters. “I was about to leave the stadium moments before the penalty was awarded, but now I’m staying all the way until the final because these players are miracle-makers and will win it [the championship].” (Al Jazeera) Adblock test (Why?)
Elections official’s challenge to North Dakota mail-in ballot law dismissed
A federal judge in North Dakota has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the acceptance of mail-in ballots after Election Day brought by a county election official and backed by a legal group aligned with former President Donald Trump. In his Friday ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor said Burleigh County Auditor Mark Splonskowski lacks standing to bring the case, and failed to show he was harmed by the law or that his constitutional rights will be violated. The auditor alleged state and federal law conflict as to the counting of mail ballots received after Election Day. “According to Splonskowski, following his understanding of federal law will inevitably result in criminal prosecution under North Dakota law because he will have to forego his duty to follow North Dakota election law,” Traynor wrote, adding later, “This is deeply concerning to the Court that an elected official openly advocates for violating the law he was elected to enforce because he has independently concluded it contradicts federal law.” FORMER NORTH DAKOTA SENATOR TOM CAMPBELL LAUNCHES BID FOR STATE’S ONLY US HOUSE SEAT The judge also said the reasoning in Splonskowski’s lawsuit, if successful, “could be utilized against” overseas and military voters’ rights to vote. “This, indeed, is a concerning position for an elected official to take,” wrote Traynor, who also said Splonskowski should have asked the local state’s attorney for an opinion about the legal conflict he alleged. “He may wish to do so before the next election as it may avoid his potential prosecution … or removal from office,” the judge said in a footnote citing state laws for those avenues. North Dakota Republican Secretary of State Michael Howe welcomed the ruling as “a win for the rule of law in North Dakota and a win for our military and overseas voters.” About 29% of North Dakota voters cast their ballots by mail in the November 2022 general election. In September, the judge had asked the parties whether he should dismiss the case because Splonskowski had no approval from the county commission to sue in his official capacity as auditor. He said he brought the lawsuit against the state’s election director as an individual and not in an official capacity. The judge found otherwise. Splonskowski, backed by the Public Interest Legal Foundation, filed the lawsuit against the state election director in July. He argued he “faces an impossibility in enforcing the law” around whether to accept mail-in ballots received after election day, alleging federal and state law conflict as to when those ballots must be turned in. He claimed he risks criminal penalties. Foundation spokesperson Lauren Bowman Bis said, “We are disappointed in the Court’s ruling. We believe unresolved elections undermine confidence and that federal law should be followed.” North Dakota law allows mailed ballots received after election day to be counted by county canvassing boards, which meet 13 days after the election, but those ballots must be postmarked before the date of the election. In September, attorneys for the Voting Section of the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division filed a statement of interest in the case, saying North Dakota’s law is consistent with federal law, and ensures military and overseas voters have enough time for their ballots to be counted. The foundation brought voting-related lawsuits in Pennsylvania and Arizona amid Trump’s claims of 2020 election fraud. Splonskowski was elected in 2022 as the top election official in the county that is home to Bismarck, North Dakota’s capital city. A similar lawsuit filed last week in Mississippi by Republican entities, including the Republican National Committee, also targets mail ballots received after election day. Political observers say the efforts would disenfranchise or penalize voters, if successful.
Trump trial delayed in case stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 investigation
Former President Trump’s trial stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s 2020 election interference investigation has been delayed indefinitely, Fox News has learned. The trial was set to begin on March 4 — a day before the critical Super Tuesday primary contests, when Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Vermont vote to select a GOP nominee. Washington, D.C., federal Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday formally vacated the March 4 trial date, saying the court will “set a new schedule if and when the mandate is returned.” A federal appeals court is considering Trump’s claim of presidential immunity from prosecution for his actions in office. A ruling from that court is expected, and the Supreme Court may eventually review the issue. The delay comes after Smith in December asked the Supreme Court to rule on whether Trump can be prosecuted on charges relating to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Additionally, lawyers for Trump filed a motion urging Chutkan to pause proceedings against Trump in the Jan. 6 case while his appeal is pending. Chutkan said in December that she does not have jurisdiction over the matter while it is pending before the Supreme Court, and she put a pause on the case against the Republican 2024 front-runner until the high court determines its involvement. Smith charged the former president with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. Those charges stemmed from Smith’s investigation into whether Trump was involved in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, and any alleged interference in the 2020 election result. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges in August 2023.
Biden admin backs off protections for apex predator, angering environmentalists
The Biden administration declined to list the gray wolf as endangered throughout much of the West, a move that would have granted the species sweeping federal protections in the region and which environmental activists have long advocated for. In an announcement Friday, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a “not warranted” finding for two petitions to list gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the Northern Rocky Mountains and the Western United States. The agency said it had conducted an analysis concluding that the species is not at risk of extinction in the West now or in the foreseeable future. “Today’s announcement fails to alleviate the concerns of the millions of Americans impacted by an unchecked gray wolf population,” Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., said in a statement. “The fact that Americans have to worry about ESA rulings impacting their lives and livelihoods time and time again is illustrative of a broken system that allows bureaucrats to make decisions without local community input.” “We know the Endangered Species Act is in desperate need of scientific reform, and congressional Republicans have been working to make these changes a reality,” he said. “Despite today’s announcement, it remains clear that the gray wolf is a recovered species, and its management should be transferred over to the states. It’s time for the federal government to get out of the way and let states and local communities manage the habitats and wildlife they know best.” LOCAL RESIDENTS EXPLODE AT BIDEN OFFICIALS OVER PLAN TO RELEASE GRIZZLY BEARS NEAR THEIR COMMUNITIES On Thursday, Westerman led an effort joined by eight fellow GOP lawmakers to probe FWS over its ongoing National Dialogue Around Working Landscapes and Gray Wolves and Thriving Communities and Cultures. He and the other Republicans expressed concern that the agency would list the species in the Northern Rockies ecosystem despite evidence indicating that gray wolf populations have recovered. The federal action taken Friday comes in response to an emergency petition filed in May 2021 by several environmental groups led by the Center for Biological Diversity. The groups sought to have the gray wolf relisted under the ESA to nullify state laws in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming from allowing residents to kill the species. BIDEN ADMIN PLAN TO RELEASE PREDATOR NEAR RURAL COMMUNITIES FACES WIDESPREAD OPPOSITION: ‘A HUGE THREAT’ “I’m incredibly disappointed that the Fish and Wildlife Service is turning a blind eye to the cruel, aggressive wolf-killing laws in Montana and Idaho,” Kristine Akland, the northern Rockies program director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. “By denying protections to these beautiful creatures the Service is letting northern Rockies states continue erasing decades of recovery efforts.” “Today’s announcement tragically undermines the important restoration of gray wolf populations in suitable areas in the U.S.,” added Jamie Rappaport Clark, the president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife. “Since wolves lost federal protections, unsustainable and cruel hunting regulations championed by anti-wildlife politicians and policymakers are condemning wolves to being recklessly pursued and killed throughout the Northern Rockies.” House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., said Friday that the FWS action “ignores the existential threat” posed by state laws allowing the killing of wolves. BIDEN SIGNS BILL INTO LAW THAT REVERSES HIS ADMIN’S DEFUNDING OF SCHOOL HUNTING, SHOOTING PROGRAMS As a result of a 2011 bill delisting the gray wolf that was passed by Congress, Western states have removed protections for gray wolves and issued management plans calling for the species’ population to be reduced. Montana, one of those states, has argued in favor of ensuring the long-term survival of wolves while responsibly managing the population to prevent conflicts with livestock and humans. Industry associations like the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, which represents cattle ranchers, and the American Farm Bureau Federation, which represents farmers, have argued in favor of delisting the gray wolf. In 2020, the Trump administration declared the species fully recovered in the U.S. and delisted it from the ESA. Two years later, a federal district court reinstated the ESA protections in the lower 48 states, a decision that did not impact the species’ status as delisted in the Northern Rockies ecosystem. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “After more than 45 years as a listed species, the Gray Wolf has exceeded all conservation goals for recovery,” former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said in 2020. “Today’s announcement simply reflects the determination that this species is neither a threatened nor endangered species based on the specific factors Congress has laid out in the law.”
Maine Democrats move to enshrine abortion rights into state constitution
A party-line committee vote points to a partisan challenge for Democrats who want to amend the Maine Constitution to enshrine abortion as a right. The Judiciary Committee voted 6-5 in favor of the proposal Thursday with all Democrats in support and all Republicans in opposition. Two committee members were absent. NEW HAMPSHIRE HOUSE REJECTS FURTHER EXPANSION, OR RESTRICTION OF ABORTION ACCESS Maine Democrats are seeking to join four other states that have amended their constitutions to protect the right to abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Last year, a passionate debate unfolded over a new law that expanded access to abortions. Democrats control both chambers of the Legislature but lack big-enough majorities to send the proposed amendment to voters unless they convince some Republicans to support the resolution. The Maine Senate will now take up the proposal. At least two Republicans in the 35-member chamber would have to support amending the constitution for the measure to reach a needed two-thirds vote. The hill for Democrats is steeper in the 151-member House. The sponsor, Democratic Sen. Eloise Vitelli, was happy to see the proposal clear its first hurdle. “The best way to get politics out of abortion, and abortion out of politics, is to make sure our state constitution is clear: Reproductive autonomy is a human right. Maine voters deserve the right to weigh in on this,” she said in a statement.
Fox News Politics: President Potty Mouth
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. What’s Happening? – Biden admin sent money to Hamas-linked group soon after Oct. 7 attack – Texas holding the line – Haley and Trump trade shots President Biden’s thoughts about former President Trump appear to be more vulgar behind closed doors than in public, despite him and other Democrats routinely calling for “civility” and “decency” in politics. During conversations with his confidantes, Biden lets his temper flare and refers to Trump as a “sick f—” among other expletives, according to reports this week. On Biden’s first day in office, he lectured his staff about the importance of respect: “I am not joking when I say this, if you are ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise you I will fire you on the spot. On the spot. No ifs, ands or buts,” he said. $51 MILLION: Biden admin sent millions to Hamas-linked UNRWA after Oct. 7 attacks, before halting funding …Read more ‘TOO LITTLE TOO LATE’: Ohio politicians react to Biden visiting East Palestine after 1 year …Read more FACT-CHECK: Snopes’ Biden blunder is the latest example of fact-checkers getting the facts wrong …Read more BIDEN’S ‘TEST’: Young liberal activists are ‘disillusioned’ with Biden, ‘mad’ about war in Gaza …Read more HOMELAND INSECURITY: Hesitant Republicans could sink Mayorkas impeachment effort …Read more ‘HOLD THE LINE’: Texans in Congress rally around Gov. Abbott amid feud with Biden administration over border …Read more ALLEGED MISCONDUCT: House committee subpoenas Fulton County DA Fani Willis …Read more ‘A WASTE OF CARBON’: Top Republicans blast Biden for replacing John Kerry with John Podesta who called CCP official a ‘friend’ …Read more TRADING SHOTS: Haley and Trump trade shots over who’s ‘the weakest general election candidate ever’ …Read more FUNDING FIGHT: Trump, Haley battle for big donors while Biden campaign sits on massive cash reserve …Read more HALEY’S GOALPOSTS: Haley aims to finish ‘a little bit closer’ to Trump in South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary …Read more ‘BRAZEN ATTACK’: Senate grills Justice Dept., DHS over illegal migrants’ ‘brazen’ NYC cop attack: ‘Will they be deported?’ …Read more ‘JUST YELLING AT ME’: Bill Maher says a ‘pretty famous’ person lashed out at him for ‘platforming’ Republicans on his HBO show …Read more ‘DIFFICULT MOMENT’: Deadline arrives for Fani Willis to respond to ‘improper’ affair allegations: what we know so far …Read more SENTENCED: Ex-CIA engineer sentenced to 40 years for leaking docs to Wikileaks, child porn possession …Read more CONCEALED CARRY: South Carolina Senate passes open carry bill with addition of free gun training classes …Read more Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Kansas is poised to expand tax credit for helping disabled workers after debate over low pay
Kansas is poised to expand an income tax credit for goods and services purchased from companies and nonprofits employing disabled workers, a year after a debate over how much the state should buck a national trend against paying those workers below the minimum wage. A bill approved by the Legislature this week with broad bipartisan support would increase the total tax credits available from $5 million a year to $8 million. It also would create a new, $1 million program for nonprofit groups running vocational programs known as sheltered workshops to help them start paying workers at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. KANSAS WOMAN SUSPECTED IN DEATH 14-YEAR-OLD SON IS WOUNDED BY POLICE The tax credit had previously only covered purchases from employers paying at least the minimum wage, and lawmakers reviewed it last year because it was set to expire at the start of this year. It’s the Legislature’s latest attempt to expand the tax credit. Their first proposal would have allowed nonprofit groups with sheltered workshops to form separate divisions paying at least the minimum wage so that people or businesses buying from those divisions could claim the tax credit. Backers saw it as an opportunity to expand the reach of the tax credit and therefore employment opportunities for disabled workers. But it drew strong opposition from disabled rights groups arguing that it would encourage wages below the minimum wage — a vestige of decades-old views of disabled people as incapable of doing jobs outside such programs. The compromise last year was to start the grant program instead. However, the Republican-controlled Legislature folded it into an omnibus tax-cut bill with provisions opposed by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, and she vetoed it. The tax credit then expired at the start of this year, but this year’s bill is written so that people can still claim the tax credit when they file their 2023 returns. “It’s a good compromise,” said Neil Romano, a member of the National Council on Disability, and former head of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy. “It moves us towards where we want to be.” Kelly hasn’t said publicly whether she will sign the bill, but she typically has when a measure has near-universal support. Employers nationally are increasingly moving away from paying below the minimum wage, U.S. government data shows. Paying below the minimum wage requires a Department of Labor certificate, and a U.S. Government Accountability Office report last year said there were 2,750 American employers with certificates in 2014, while an online database listed 834 as of Jan. 1, a drop of 70%. In Kansas, 17 groups have them. Fourteen states ban below-minimum-wage jobs for disabled workers, with Virginia enacting a law last year, according to the Association of People Supporting Employment First, which promotes inclusive job policies. In Kansas, there remains “considerable work to be done” to move away from below-minimum-wage jobs, said Sara Hart Weir, executive director of the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities. But, she added, “This is a step in the right direction.” Rocky Nichols, executive director of the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, said it’s good that the tax credit is back and the state is signaling that it wants to move away from sheltered workshops through the grant program. But he also said he worries the measure isn’t specific enough about how and when groups must transition away from paying below the minimum wage. “We don’t want to see it turn into just kind of a slush fund for sheltered workshops,” he said.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the House trying to impeach Mayorkas next week
House Republicans are aiming to tee up debate and a floor vote next week to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. As of this Friday, the House Rules Committee has not officially put impeachment on its schedule for Monday. But Fox is told that that could happen over the weekend if Republicans are satisfied with the whip count on impeachment. At this stage, the Rules Committee is only slated to prep a health care bill for the floor at its meeting Monday. The two impeachment articles must go to the Rules Committee before heading to the floor. If the Rules Committee prepares the articles of impeachment on Monday, the full House could debate and vote on impeaching Mayorkas as early as Tuesday. If the Rules Committee meeting slips to Tuesday, then floor action on Mayorkas will likely shift to Wednesday. And even if the Rules Committee convenes on Mayorkas, the House won’t necessarily need to bring those articles of impeachment to the floor right away if the GOP brass is concerned about the vote count. MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES APPROVED BY COMMITTEE, SETTING UP FULL HOUSE VOTE The decision to go to the floor is about the math. Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., resigns Friday to run an arts organization in western New York. When the House returns on Monday, it will have 431 members — 219 Republicans and 212 Democrats. That’s a seven seat majority. And the retirement of Higgins helps the GOP make the math work in their impeachment quest. With a delta of seven seats between the majority and minority, Republicans can now lose three votes on their side and pass something without assistance from Democrats. The margin was two votes prior to Higgins stepping down. But it’s more complicated than that. It is doubtful that House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., will be back next week after receiving cancer treatments. Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., should return after being injured in a car accident. But there are always a handful of members out on any given day for health and other reasons. So if Republicans go to the floor to impeach Mayorkas, they need to make sure everyone who is a yea on impeachment is present. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., is a no right now. Johnson told Fox Business Friday morning that he would work on Buck this weekend. So, if things go the way the GOP leadership wants, the House could vote on Tuesday or Wednesday to impeach Mayorkas. If the leadership doesn’t put impeachment on the floor, the math won’t work. Keep in mind that the Republican hand could either get better or worse if for some reason the House doesn’t vote next week on impeachment. There is a special election in New York on February 13 to replace former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who was expelled. Former Rep. Tom Suozzi, R-N.Y., is running against GOP nominee Mazi Melesa Pilip. If Suozzi wins, the GOP majority shrinks again. But a Pilip victory serves as a Republican reinforcement. HESITANT REPUBLICANS COULD DERAIL MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT EFFORT If and when the House votes, it considers two articles of impeachment. One accuses Mayorkas of disregarding the law. The other charges Mayorkas of lying to Congress, saying the border was secure. The House will likely vote on each article separately. Mayorkas would be impeached if the House adopts either article. Moreover, the House does not always approve both articles of impeachment in such an inquest. In 1997, the House only adopted two of the four articles of impeachment leveled against former President Clinton. Think of impeachment as an indictment. It’s then up to the Senate to act as a “court” and judge whether the accused is guilty of the charges in a trial. The impeachment of cabinet officials is rare. The House has now impeached multiple Presidents and federal judges. But only one cabinet member, Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876. If the House approves impeachment articles, it must next take a separate vote to appoint “impeachment managers.” It then dispatches the article or articles of impeachment to the Senate. “Impeachment managers” are House members who serve as prosecutors. They present the findings of the House before the Senate. Senators sit as jurors. Fox is told that the House wants to get the impeachment articles to the Senate quickly after the vote. The Senate is trying to consider a major border security bill next week. So there could be a bit of a parliamentary traffic jam as the Senate potentially grapples with both the border bill and maybe the start a Senate trial. But it’s also possible a trial could wait until the week of Feb. 11. T,his scenario produces a rather shocking split screen. The Senate is dealing with a border security bill as it entertains an impeachment trial against the Homeland Security Secretary. OHIO SENATE CANDIDATE SAYS GOP IMPEACHING ‘TRAITOR’ MAYORKAS A ‘NO BRAINER’: ‘GROTESQUELY UNQUALIFIED’ There is a bit of a ceremony to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate from the House and for the Senate to receive the articles. In this case, Acting Clerk of the House Kevin McCumber and House Sergeant at Arms William McFarland escort the articles of impeachment and House managers across the Capitol Dome to the Senate. The Senate gathers, usually with all senators sitting at their desks. Senate Sergeant at Arms Karen Gibson then receives the House entourage at the Senate door and reads the following proclamation to the Senate. “All persons are commanded to keep silence, on pain of imprisonment, while the House of Representatives is exhibiting to the Senate of the United States articles of impeachment against Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas.” The articles are then presented to the Senate and the managers are introduced. That is all which usually happens on the first day of a Senate trial – although Fox was told the Senate might try to squeeze everything Under Senate impeachment trial rule III, the body is supposed to wait until the next day to swear-in
US to hit back against Middle East attacks: Who and where will it strike?
The United States has approved plans for strikes in Iraq and Syria against multiple targets, including Iranian personnel and facilities, CBS News reported on Thursday, quoting US officials. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he had decided how to respond to a drone attack in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border last Sunday, which killed three US service members and wounded more than 40. Sunday’s attack was the first to result in the loss of American lives during the Israel-Hamas war. Here is what’s known about the US plans: Where is the US planning to strike? The US plans to retaliate against the drone attack on the US Tower 22 base near the border between Syria and Jordan by targeting Iranian personnel and facilities inside both countries. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, believed to comprise multiple groups armed, funded and trained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s strike on the base. But on Wednesday, Kataib Hezbollah, the most powerful element in the force, announced the suspension of hostile operations against US troops. Iran itself has denied any role in the attack. Nevertheless, according to US officials quoted in the CBS report, the US plans to press ahead with strikes of its own over several days. The timing of their launch is likely to be influenced by weather conditions. US officials were quoted saying that “the US has the capability to carry out strikes in bad weather but prefers to have better visibility of selected targets as a safeguard against inadvertently hitting civilians who might stray into the area at the last moment”. Hawkish Republican officials in the US have called for direct strikes on Iran, but this latest plan appears to avoid any direct attack inside the country. Houthi supporters protest against the United States-led airstrikes on Friday, Jan 12, 2024, in Sanaa, Yemen [AP Photo] What has the US defence secretary said? Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters on Thursday that the US will not tolerate attacks on American troops. This was Austin’s first news conference after undergoing prostate cancer surgery. During the news conference, he apologised for not disclosing his hospitalisation. Health-related questions dominated the session, during which he said he had also apologised to President Biden for not informing him about his diagnosis. But Austin also focused on the conflict in the Middle East. Starting with the drone attack, he said the group behind the attack will be held responsible. “I don’t think the adversaries are of a one-and-done mindset, and so they have a lot of capability, I have a lot more,” he said. “We’re going to do what’s necessary to protect our troops.” “This is a dangerous moment in the Middle East,” Austin added. “We will continue to work to avoid a wider conflict in the region, but 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.” Although Iran has denied involvement, Austin said that “how much Iran knew or didn’t know, we don’t know. But it really doesn’t matter because Iran sponsors these groups”. Since the onset of the Israel-Gaza war, the Pentagon has been ramping up its military presence in the region. In mid-December, the US reportedly had 19 US warships in the region. Austin gave orders for the Ford – the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier – and its strike group to sail to the eastern Mediterranean on October 8, a day after the attack by Hamas that set off the war. The Ford was sent back to the US on January 17, as the US “re-evaluate[d] its global force requirements,” the US Navy’s sixth fleet announced in a statement. With the Ford’s departure, the USS Eisenhower is the US aircraft carrier in the region. Austin also addressed the actions of the Houthis, who say they are targeting Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea in protest over Israel’s offensive in Gaza. The Houthi attacks on shipping have disrupted international commerce along a route that accounts for about 15 percent of the world’s shipping traffic and 12 percent of global trade. Austin said: “[They] continue to do some things that are very irresponsible and illegal and so our goal is to make sure that we continue to take away capability from the Houthis to do what they’ve been doing.” When asked by Al Jazeera if he had done enough to pressure Israel to avoid killing civilians in Gaza, where the death toll has surpassed 27,000 since October, Austin said: “We talked to them [Israel] about that weeks ago, and they said they were going to do that, and they are doing that, but I will continue to emphasise – and I know Secretary Blinken and President Biden will continue to emphasise – the importance of addressing the issue of the Palestinian people. “It’s critical and you know, we’re doing more, but we’re not doing enough,” he added. How did tensions reach this point? Since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out on October 7, Iranian-backed groups have struck US bases in Iraq and Syria at least 166 times with rockets, missiles and one-way attack drones, drawing about half a dozen US counterstrikes on group facilities in both countries. The Houthis first launched missiles and drones at southern Israel – also in protest over the war on Gaza – in October and, as Tel Aviv continued to resist international calls for a ceasefire, they significantly ramped up their strikes. The US military also has also carried out air strikes targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen. However, while Tehran has said it supports the Houthis politically, it denies sending the group weapons. “The [Houthi] resistance has its own tools… and acts in accordance with its own decisions and capabilities,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri said in December. For the past few days, the US has hinted that strikes against Iranian targets are imminent. The threat of retaliation for Sunday’s drone
‘Who’s next?’: Modi government raids, arrests rivals before India election
New Delhi, India – Indian investigators have raided multiple premises linked with a prominent rights activist in the national capital – a move that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s critics say is part of a pattern that has seen his government targeting political opponents two months before general elections. Officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday morning raided the residence of former bureaucrat Harsh Mander and the office of a think tank, the Centre for Equity Studies (CES) in New Delhi, linked to him, alleging financial irregularities under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act. Mander served as an Indian Administrative Service officer for 22 years before he resigned in 2002 in the wake of the riots in Gujarat state when Modi was its chief minister. More than 1,000 people died in the violence, most of them Muslims, according to the state government. A journalist photographs the office of Centre for Equity Studies after CBI raid in New Delhi [Arun Sankar/AFP] Mander has been a fierce critic of the Modi government’s Hindu supremacist agenda since the prime minister’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014. But he is only the latest in a series of critics and opponents who have faced raids or arrests from federal agencies in recent weeks — including four state chief ministers belonging to opposition parties. On Wednesday, India’s financial crimes agency, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), arrested Hemant Soren hours after he resigned as the chief minister of Jharkhand state. Soren is accused of corruption, a charge his party has denied. Hemant Soren, seen with folded hands, being produced before the Enforcement Directorate in Ranchi [AFP] Other opposition leaders, including Tejashwi Yadav, the former deputy chief minister of neighbouring Bihar state, and Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, have also been raided by federal agencies in recent months. Kejriwal’s deputy and one of his party’s parliamentarians are already in jail. In the central Chhattisgarh state, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and his associates were picked up by the ED officials right before elections in November last year. The BJP accused them of multiple scams, including an illegal coal mining deal, and used the charges as a major plank to win the state polls. ‘It is paralysing’ Apoorvanand, professor of Hindi literature at the University of Delhi and one of Mander’s close acquaintances, said he woke up to the “upsetting news” of Friday’s raids. “Mander and the civil society members have been relentlessly hounded by the investigative agencies,” he told Al Jazeera. “It is not only about Harsh [Mander], it is a pattern that we see. Civil society in India has been defunded and several have been jailed. It is paralysing,” he said. “It is also a signal to civil society: you can talk on water conversation or solar panels in villages but do not speak for human rights or rights of minorities.” The government has alleged Mander accepted foreign contributions amounting to nearly $14,000 between 2011 and 2018 in the FCRA account of his association, violating the law. Recently, the government suspended FCRA licences of several think tanks and close to 6,000 NGOs, including Oxfam India and Amnesty India. “These raids or allegations of financial irregularities seem to have become a norm for the authorities to silence peaceful criticism,” Meenakshi Ganguly, the deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division, told Al Jazeera. Several activists are currently facing charges, some under draconian terror laws. “When independent state agencies are seen to act in a partisan manner, with politically motivated targeting of dissent, it undermines India’s image as a country that upholds the rule of law,” Ganguly said. ‘Agencies work for BJP’ Sushil Sunny Agrawal, a 39-year-old former minister in Baghel’s cabinet, was among the politicians the ED raided before the state elections last year. “They mentally tortured us. The ED officials told me: ‘What’s in there to stay with the Congress? Join BJP, that’s where the future is,’” Agrawal told Al Jazeera. “These agencies have become liaisons for the BJP. They deal on their behalf: If you go with Modi, you will be cleared from all this and stand a chance at a bright future.” The upcoming general elections are keeping Agrawal on edge. “The BJP knows no limits. And they are in a full-on attacking mode, weaponising the central agencies to completely curb the opposition,” he said. Agrawal said he looked to India’s judiciary to address the escalating crackdown on opposition parties. In March 2023, a group of opposition parties petitioned India’s top court, stating “a clear pattern of using investigative agencies … to target, debilitate and in fact crush the entire political opposition and other vocal citizens”. The petition noted that since 2014, when Modi came to power, 95 percent of the cases taken up by the CBI and the ED have been against politicians from the opposition – a 60 percent and 54 percent rise, respectively, from the days of the previous Congress-led government. However, the Supreme Court refused to rule on the petition, noting that politicians could not be placed on a pedestal higher than citizens, could not seek special treatment under the law, or immunity from arrest. “When [political parties] argue that there is a chilling effect on the opposition because of CBI/ED cases against opposition political leaders, the answer lies in the political space and not in courts,” said the court. Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan said, “Like the politicians, the civil society or anybody who is a critic of this government is being targeted.” “This is the rise of a fascist state under Modi and unfortunately, the judiciary is doing very little or hardly anything to protect the rights and liberties of the citizens. Its independence appears to have collapsed.” Agrawal said the Modi government is “hijacking” the forthcoming vote by targeting opposition leaders and activists. “Democracy has completely ended in India,” he said. Apoorvanand concurred. The crackdown by the government was an attempt to establish a one-party rule in India, he told Al Jazeera. “When