AP-Newswatch

Islamic Resistance in Iraq group is to blame for Jordan drone strike that killed 3 troops, US says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has attributed the drone attack that killed three U.S. service members in Jordan to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias that includes the militant group Kataib Hezbollah. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says the U.S. believes the attack was planned, resourced and facilitated by the group. The Sunday drone attack on a military base in Jordan killed the three troops and injured at least 40 others. Kirby said Wednesday that President Joe Biden will continue to weigh response options to the attack but “the first thing you see won’t be the last thing.”

How to strike back after deadly drone attack? US has many options, but must weigh consequences

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has made it clear the U.S. will strike back after a deadly drone attack killed three service members and wounded more than 40 at a small base in Jordan over the weekend. What isn’t yet clear is who will be hit, where, and how hard. Biden has a wide array of options, but the U.S. must also walk a fine line: A weak response will do little to deter further attacks by Iran-backed militia groups, while a major assault risks expanding the turmoil in the Middle East and drawing America into a wider conflict.

South Africa says Israel is already ignoring UN court ruling ordering it to prevent deaths in Gaza

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — South Africa’s foreign minister says Israel has ignored the ruling by the U.N.’s top court last week by killing hundreds more civilians in a matter of days in Gaza. She also says her country has asked why an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not been issued in a case South Africa has brought at the separate International Criminal Court. Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told reporters that South Africa would now “look at proposing other measures to the global community” to stop Israel’s killing of civilians in the Gaza Strip. She did not say what those measures might be.

Meta, TikTok and other social media CEOs testify in heated Senate hearing on child exploitation

The CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X and other social media companies are testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee about child safety on their platforms. The hearing comes as lawmakers are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media on young people’s lives. While Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is a veteran of congressional hearings since his first one over the Cambridge Analytica privacy debacle in 2018, it will only be the second time for TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew and the first for Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of the former Twitter. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel and Discord CEO Jason Citron are also scheduled to testify.

James Biden agrees to a private interview with House Republicans investigating the president

WASHINGTON (AP) — James Biden will appear before Republicans for a private interview next month as lawmakers seek to regain some momentum in their monthslong impeachment inquiry into his brother, President Joe Biden. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee announced Wednesday that James Biden will come to Capitol Hill on Feb. 21. His interview will take place days before the president’s son, Hunter Biden, will be deposed in private by the Republican-run committee. Lawmakers have been investigating the Biden family’s overseas finances for the past year. The inquiry has yet to uncover evidence directly implicating the president in any wrongdoing. James Biden has said he has never involved his brother in his business dealings.

Days of Darkness: How one woman escaped the conspiracy theory trap that has ensnared millions

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fueled by the internet, conspiracy theories are having a big moment in America. They’re driving online chat room conversations, influencing our politics and adding to the polarization threatening to undermine our democracy. For one Tennessee woman named Ramona, conspiracy theories also offered explanations and answers during the frightening days of the coronavirus pandemic. However she soon found that QAnon’s dire predictions of a final clash between the forces of good and evil only worsened her anxiety and kept her chained to a controlling, abusive boyfriend.

A grainy sonar image reignites excitement and skepticism over Earhart’s final flight

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — There’s new interest in one of the past century’s most alluring mysteries and a grainy sonar image is at the heart of both excitement and skepticism. Tony Romeo believes his new South Carolina-based sea exploration company has captured an outline of Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed 10-E Electra deep below the Pacific Ocean’s surface. The pioneering aviator has never been found after disappearing July 2, 1937, while flying from New Guinea to Howland Island. She had sought to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe. Archaeologists and explorers are hopeful that Romeo’s sonar is the breakthrough they’ve long awaited. But they want to see more evidence first.

Elon Musk cannot keep Tesla pay package worth more than $55 billion, judge rules

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A judge says Elon Musk must give up a compensation package awarded by Tesla’s board of directors that is potentially worth more than $55 billion. The ruling in a Delaware court Tuesday comes five years after a shareholder lawsuit targeted the Tesla and the company’s directors. They were accused of breaching their duties to the maker of electric vehicles and solar panels, resulting in a waste of corporate assets and unjust enrichment for Musk. Plaintiff’s lawyers argued that the pay package was dictated by Musk and was the product of sham negotiations with directors who were not independent of him. Defense attorneys countered that the pay plan was fairly negotiated by a compensation committee whose members were independent.

Man accused of beheading his father in suburban Philadelphia home and posting gruesome video online

LEVITTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A man in suburban Philadelphia has been charged with first-degree murder and abusing a corpse after his father was found decapitated. Police are investigating a video on social media that allegedly shows him holding up the head. The father was found beheaded in the bathroom of his home in Levittown, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday night. Police say the son, identified as 32-year-old Justin Mohn, was arrested about 100 miles away in Fort Indiantown Gap. Mohn was arraigned early Wednesday and held without bail. An attorney for Mohn wasn’t listed in court records and a message seeking comment on his behalf was left at a phone listing for him.

From marching bands to megastars: How the Super Bowl halftime show became a global spectacle

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When the Super Bowl halftime show was born, college marching bands were the main on-field attraction. But over the years, the intermission during the NFL’s annual championship game has turned into one of sport’s biggest spectacles with superstar performances ranging from Prince, Beyoncé, U2 and Madonna. This year, Usher will take the stage. In nearly six decades, the halftime festivities have gone from being a family-oriented show with patriotic tunes to transform into entertainment’s biggest stage with top-tier live performers, pyrotechnics and superb backup dancers. The 12-to-15 minute performance has sometimes attracted more eyeballs than the actual championship game drawing more than 100 million viewers.