Friday morning news: February 2, 2024

Biden to attend transfer ceremony/attack response » President Biden is attending the dignified transfer ceremony today for three fallen soldiers. Their flag-draped caskets will be turned over to their families at Dover Air Force Base.

Meantime, debate continues over how the U.S. should respond to the drone attack that killed the troops. GOP Senator Tom Cotton:

COTTON: They talk about they have to go through with exquisite care to identify whether Iran knew about this or that attack. Iran has been training and arming and equipping and advising all of these militias and terrorist groups for years. Who cares if they knew about this specific attack?

But the president says he has already made up his mind about how the United States will respond. And at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin seemingly hinted that the United States will not be striking Iran.

AUSTIN: This is a dangerous moment in the Middle East, and we will continue to work to avoid a wider conflict in the region.

But he said it’s time to further disable the capabilities of Iran-backed militias in the region to carry out deadly attacks.

Lloyd Austin apologizes » And in his first news conference since his recent hospitalization, Austin also apologized for not promptly informing the White House when he was admitted to the hospital.

AUSTIN: We did not handle this right. And I did not handle this right. I should have told the President about my cancer diagnosis.

The secretary was treated at Walter Reed military hospital due to complications following surgery for prostate cancer. But he did not tell the president for days.

Austin said of the diagnosis,

AUSTIN: It was a gut punch. And frankly, my first instinct was to keep it private.

He said he understands that serving in a top Cabinet role means surrendering some of that privacy, adding that he has learned from the experience.

Houthis target U.S. warship » The deaths of three U.S. troops on Sunday has driven some militant groups to say they were stopping hostilities. But the Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship missile Tuesday that came within one mile of a U.S. Navy destroyer on the Red Sea.

And on Thursday, the Houthis fired a ballistic missile at a Liberian-flagged container ship in the Red Sea. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby:

KIRBY: The Houthis, they can claim all they want that this is linked to Gaza. But two-thirds of the ships that they’re hitting have no connection to Israel whatsoever.

The U.S. military on Thursday took out as many as 10 drones the Houthis were preparing to launch in Yemen.

Biden sanctions Israeli settlers/tensions in Michigan » President Biden on Thursday imposed sanctions on four Israeli settlers in the West Bank accused of attacking Palestinians and peace activists.

BIDEN: I continue to be alarmed about extremist settlers attacking Palestinians in the West Bank. Pouring gasoline on a fire is what it’s like.

Biden’s executive order allows the U.S. government to impose financial penalties and visa bans on the accused Israelis.

The White House announced the order as President Biden campaigned in the Detroit, Michigan area Thursday which is home to the largest concentration of Arab-Americans in the country. Many there are angry with Biden over his continued support for Israel.

In suburban Detroit, Samraa Luqman had strong words for the president. She is co-chair, Abandon Biden campaign.

LUQMAN: You are not welcome in Michigan. We would ask that you return to the White House or to Israel, where you belong, and don’t show your face in Michigan until a cease-fire is called at minimum.

Biden met in Michigan with members of the United Auto Workers union, which has endorsed his campaign.

Talib, Bush vote against anti-Hamas bill » The White House on Thursday also declined to criticize Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and fellow Democratic Congresswoman Cori Bush of Missouri after they voted against a bill aimed at barring members of Hamas and other terrorist groups from entering the United States.

Tlaib is the only member of Congress of Palestinian descent.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One:

PIERRE: We’ve said many times that we understand how difficult this is for many — obviously many different communities around this time, as we are seeing what is happening in the Middle East.

Tlaib and Bush said the bill was unnecessary and was just being used to incite anti-Musim hatred.

They were the only two members to vote “no” on the measure.

EU approves aid package to Ukraine » The European Union agreed to send another $54 billion in aid to Ukraine.

The President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, says Ukrainian troops are the first line of defense for all of Europe.

NAUSEDA: So this is very important to keep this first defense line strong.

This will be economic aid, not earmarked for weapons or ammunition. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says it will be very helpful and appreciated.

ZELENSKYY: This is a clear signal that Ukraine will withstand, and that Europe will withstand.

He also said it’s notable that the aid package was approved unanimously by all 27 EU member states.

The aid package will be a combination of loans and grants.

Six pro-lifers » One of six pro-life activists convicted of federal charges earlier this week…is speaking out.

Paul Vaughn was convicted on Tuesday of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act — widely known as the FACE Act.

The conviction stems from a 2021 demonstration at an abortion facility in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.

Vaughn says the demonstration was peaceful, that he worked with police who did not arrest him.

But more than a year-and-a-half later, the FBI agents banged on his front door.

VAUGHN: And I go to the door to look out the curtain to see who's there. And I see guns drawn and pointed at me. And so I asked who they're looking for. They say, “We’re looking for you!”

He faces a maximum sentence of more than ten years in prison. He’s also facing a felony conspiracy charge which attorney Steve Crampton called unprecedented in this scenario. He said the Biden administration is trying to intimidate pro-life activists.

CRAMPTON: I have litigated FACE cases since its enactment in 1994. Never have we seen the number of prosecutions -- especially of criminal prosecutions --that we've seen since the passage of -- the announcement of -- the Dobbs decision in June 2022. 

Vaughn and the other defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in July.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Culture Friday with Katie McCoy. Plus, Ask the Editor for February.

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