U.S. military base: CNN reported this morning that it was told by U.S. military officials the drone that exploded inside of a U.S. base in Jordan killing three U.S. soldiers had flown onto the base by following a U.S. drone that was inbound. That maneuver apparently allowed the hostile drone to avoid detection. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who was back at the Pentagon yesterday following his treatment for complications from prostate cancer, said that the U.S. will take all necessary actions to defend its troops.
Supreme Court: Retired Federal Appeals Court Judge J. Michael Luttig has filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court urging the court to uphold the decision by Colorado’s courts to keep Donald Trump off the ballot. Colorado cited the 14th Amendment to the Constitution that prohibits anyone who has supported or participated in an insurrection from holding office. Luttig, who is a conservative, provided legal information to former Vice President Mike Pence when Pence was bing pressured by Trump to steal the 2020 Presidential election from Joe Biden so Trump could remain in power.
Gold medal: The U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team that performed at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing has been awarded the gold medal for its performance. The Russians, who had won, were disqualified because Russian skater Kamila Valieva was found to have been using illegal drugs. The U.S. skaters had finished in second place. A Russian spokesman said today that the Olympic Committee was wrong to have taken away the Russian win and that Russian athletes did nothing wrong.
Militants in hospital: Three Palestinian militants were killed today when Israeli undercover agents invaded a hospital in the West Bank. The Israelis were disguised as women and hospital workers. The Israelis fired their guns at specific individuals inside of the Ibn Sina hospital. Israel said the Palestinians were using the hospital as a headquarters to stage attacks on Israel. The Palestinian Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, denied that the hospital was being used as a terrorist base.
Drug-related murders: Five men have been arrested by the San Bernardino, California, Sheriff’s Department in connection with the murders of six men whose bodies were found in the Mojave Desert near El Mirage, California. A spokesman for the Sheriff’s Department said that the killings likely were related to illegal marijuana growing. He did not say whether Mexican drug cartels were involved. The suspects were being held without bail.
UPS layoffs: Shipping giant UPS today announced it will be laying off 12,500 workers in order to save about $1 billion a year. It said that shipping volume, both in the U.S. and internationally, has been falling. UPS also today announced fourth-quarter 2023 consolidated revenues of $24.9 billion, a 7.8% decrease from the fourth quarter of 2022. Consolidated operating profit was $2.5 billion, down 22.5% compared with the fourth quarter of 2022. For the full year of 2023, revenues were $91 billion and the operating profit was $9.1 billion.
Cover photo courtesy of UPS
