AP-Newswatch

Houthi rebels vow fierce retaliation after American and British strikes against them

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels are vowing fierce retaliation for American and British strikes against them, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by Israel’s war in Gaza. The bombardment was launched in response to a recent campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships in the vital Red Sea. The Houthis said Friday that the strikes killed at least five people and wounded six. As the bombing lit the predawn sky over multiple sites held by the Iranian-backed rebels, it forced the world to again focus on Yemen’s yearslong war.

Israel defends itself at the UN’s top court against allegations of genocide in Gaza

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Israel is insisting at the United Nations’ highest court that its war in Gaza is a legitimate defense of its people, in response to accusations it is committing genocide against Palestinians. Instead, it says it is Hamas militants who are guilty of genocide. Israel described the allegations leveled by South Africa as hypocritical and said that one of the biggest cases ever to come before an international court reflected a world turned upside down. On Friday, Israel defended its air and ground offensive in Gaza as a legitimate response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. On that day, militants stormed through Israeli communities, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.

Speaker Johnson insists he’s sticking to budget deal but announces no plan to stop partial shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson insists he is sticking with the bipartisan budget deal he struck with the other congressional leaders. But on Friday he offered no clear path for overcoming hard-right opposition to prevent a partial government shutdown next week. Johnson emerged from days of testy meetings behind closed doors at the Capitol to read a terse statement. Just months on the job, the new speaker is trying to set the record straight that he will not renege on the budget deal he just made. But in his first big test as the new leader, he has yet to show how he will quell the revolt from his right flank that ousted his predecessor.

Why does Iowa launch the presidential campaign?

Iowa’s caucuses started modestly some 50 years ago. But they grew to hold a pivotal role in how the U.S. chooses a president. The state’s voters propelled little-known one-time peanut farmer Jimmy Carter’s bid for the White House in 1976. In 2008, the state gave Illinois Sen. Barack Obama his first win over Hillary Clinton. But when Iowa’s GOP caucuses start the 2024 election process, the way voters begin choosing the two major parties’ nominees will look different. The order in which states vote has changed. So have some of the rules. It’s a sign of how the two front-runners — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump — have moved party levers to give themselves an advantage.

Prosecutors will seek death penalty for white supremacist who killed 10 at Buffalo supermarket

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. prosecutors will seek the death penalty against a white supremacist gunman who killed 10 Black people inside a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. The decision was announced Friday in a court filing. Payton Gendron is already is serving a life sentence with no chance of parole after he pleaded guilty to state charges of murder and domestic terrorism in the 2022 massacre. New York does not have capital punishment, but the Justice Department had the option of seeking the death penalty in a separate federal hate crimes case. Gendron had promised through his lawyers to plead guilty if prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.

US intensifies oversight of Boeing, will begin production audits after latest mishap for planemaker

The Federal Aviation Administration says it will increase oversight of Boeing and audit the production of the 737 Max 9 jetliner after a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines plane in midflight last week. It was the latest in a string of mishaps at the troubled aircraft maker. The FAA said Friday that it would judge whether Boeing and its suppliers followed approved quality procedures. The agency also indicated that it is reconsidering its longstanding practice of relying on employees at aircraft manufacturers to perform some safety analysis of planes. The move comes just a day after the FAA announced an investigation into whether Boeing failed to make sure a fuselage panel that blew off was safe and manufactured to meet the design that regulators approved.

Some Americans will get their student loans canceled in February as Biden accelerates his new plan

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans say President Joe Biden’s plan to start canceling student loans for some borrowers in February is an attempt to win voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Cancellation was set to begin in July under the new SAVE repayment plan but is being unrolled earlier to provide faster relief to borrowers. The Democratic president said Friday it’s part of an effort “to give more borrowers breathing room.” Borrowers will be eligible if they’re enrolled in the new SAVE plan, they originally borrowed $12,000 or less to attend college, and they’ve made at least 10 years of payments. North Carolina Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx says the plan will dump kerosene on a “raging student debt fire.”

Winter storm with snow, ice, wind and bitter cold pummels much of the northern US

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A massive winter storm is sweeping across the northern U.S. — with blinding snow in some places, freezing rain in others, and whipping winds and bitter cold temperatures across several states. At least one death was suspected from the latest round of dangerous weather — a man was believed dead after an avalanche in the Idaho backcountry. Heavy snow and strong winds on Friday made driving virtually impossible in parts of Iowa, so much so that Republican presidential hopefuls called off campaign events. “Black ice” from freezing rain brought Kansas City, Missouri, to a standstill. Republican presidential hopefuls Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley called off campaign events in Iowa due to the blizzard-like conditions.

Moon landing, Beatles, MLK speech are among TV’s 75 biggest moments, released before 75th Emmys

LOS ANGELES (AP) — With the 75th edition of the Emmy Awards coming Monday, the Television Academy has ranked the 75 Most Impactful Television Moments. At the top of the list released Friday is the 1969 Apollo moon landing. It also includes Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech from 1963 and the Beatles’ first appearance on American TV in 1964. Fictional moments in the rankings include Hawkeye’s farewell in the 1983 final episode of M*A*S*H and the mysterious last moment of “The Sopranos” from 2007. The most recent moment comes from an episode of “The Last of Us,” which is among the top nominees at Monday’s Emmys.

NFL All-Pro: McCaffrey, Hill, Warner unanimous; 14 first-timers

Christian McCaffrey, Tyreek Hill and Fred Warner are unanimous choices for The Associated Press 2023 NFL All-Pro Team. The 49ers’ McCaffrey and Warner and the Dolphins’ Hill received first-team votes from all 50 members of a nationwide panel of media members who regularly cover the league. Running back McCaffrey and linebacker Warner are joined by three San Francisco teammates, including left tackle Trent Williams, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and tight end George Kittle. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson earned his second All-Pro selection, receiving 45 first-place votes. Dallas’ Dak Prescott and San Francisco’s Brock Purdy each received two first-place votes and Buffalo’s Josh Allen got the other one.