Austin still in hospital: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin remains hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, following complications from an elective medical procedure. Details about his medical condition were not being revealed. Questions are swirling about why neither the White House nor top Defense Department officials were informed for a few days that Austin was in the hospital. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks was told she would be taking over Austin’s duties, but wasn’t told why.
Trump attacks Lincoln: Donald Trump, while campaigning in Iowa over the weekend, charged that President Abraham Lincoln was responsible for the Civil War because Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation to end slavery. Trump said if he had been in office instead of Lincoln he would have negotiated with the southern states about allowing slavery to continue. Also in a campaign speech, Trump made fun of the late Sen. John McCain for being unable to raise his arms above his head. McCain suffered from restricted movement due to damage caused by torture when he was held captive by the North Vietnamese.
Government spending deal: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Mike Johnson have reached an agreement on government spending that would avoid a government shutdown in the next few weeks. The deal calls for $1.59 trillion in spending during Fiscal Year 2024. However, when Johnson proposes legislation to the House to keep the government open, the agreement is expected to run into opposition from conservatives who want drastic cuts in federal spending.
Hezbollah leader killed: An Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon today killed a commander of the terrorist group Hezbollah. Wissam Tawil was riding in an SUV. He headed an elite Hezbollah fighting unit. Another Hezbollah leader in the vehicle also was killed. Hezbollah is expected to retaliate for the Israeli attack by stepping up its strikes on Israel launched from southern Lebanon.
Depressurization investigation: The panel that blew out of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplane causing a sudden depressurization and emergency landing has been found in the backyard of a school teacher near Portland, Oregon. The panel is used in place of an emergency exit when the exit is not required because the airplane has been configured for fewer passengers than its maximum. Investigators expect that the panel will provide evidence helping to explain the failure. The NTSB reported that there had been three warnings of cabin pressurization problems on previous flights by the airplane.
Moon mission: A Vulcan Centaur rocket built by Boeing and Lockheed Martin was launched from Cape Canaveral early this morning for what is planned to be the first U.S. landing on the moon since 1972. A lunar landing module is expected to touch down on the moon’s surface in late February. The lunar lander carries five scientific experiments from NASA along with 15 scientific packages from commercial companies. It also carries human ashes on behalf of two companies that offer to have human remains placed on the moon.
