Tuesday morning news: January 30, 2024

Drone attack latest » Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Monday echoed President Biden’s vow that the United States will respond “decisively” to a deadly weekend drone attack against U.S. troops.

BLINKEN: We’ll do so at a time and a place of our choosing.

Biden administration officials are not tipping their hand as to how or when that will happen. But they are making one thing very clear:

KIRBY: We are not looking for war with Iran. We’re not looking to escalate here.
SINGH: We don't seek a war. We don't want to see this widen out into a broader war.
RYDER: Our focus is not to escalate this into a broader regional war or conflict. No one wants that. So that's going to continue to be our focus.

Iran-backed militants attacked an outpost in Jordan where US service members were stationed, killing three American troops and wounded dozens of others.

Officials now say there was no attempt to shoot down the enemy drone, and that was likely because U.S. troops mistook it for an American drone until it was too late.

Austin at Pentagon » Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin said Monday, “The president and I will not tolerate attacks on U.S. forces, and we will take all necessary actions to defend the U.S. and our troops.”

His remarks came as he returned to work at the Pentagon after weeks of working from home, and from a hospital room before that.

AUSTIN: At this important time, I’m glad to be back at the Pentagon. I feel good and am recovering well, but still recovering. And I appreciate all the good wishes that I’ve received thus far.

Austin had to be hospitalized last month due to complications following surgery for prostate cancer.

Stoltenberg in Washington » At the Pentagon, the secretary welcomed NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.

STOLTENBERG: Thanks so much, Sec. Austin. It’s good to see you again.

The secretary general is in Washington for a series of meetings at the Pentagon and the Capitol. As expected, those talks center largely on supporting Ukraine in its battle to push out Russian invaders,

STOLTENBERG: Our support to Ukraine is not charity. It is an investment in our own security, because the world will become more dangerous if President Putin wins in Ukraine.

He said failure in Ukraine could embolden China, which is engaged in a massive military buildup.

And he added that NATO is now holding its biggest military exercise in decades, involving some 90,000 troops.

UNRWA » The European Union wants an independent investigation of a United Nations agency now in the throes of a major scandal.

At least a dozen countries have cut off funding to U.N.’s Palestinian relief agency after allegations that some of its staff took part in the October 7th terrorist attack against Israel.

European Commission Spokesman Eric Mamer:

MAMER: This is a different audit to the investigation launched on the actual allegations, this is broader.

According to Israeli intelligence, U.N. workers helped kidnap a woman, assisted in a massacre at a kibbutz, and celebrated the attack.

The embattled U.N. agency, known as UNRWA has already fired at least nine of the workers connected to the attack and is conducting its own internal investigation.

U.N. Spokesman Stephane Dujarric:

DUJARRIC: While that’s going on, people need to survive and we need continued support for UNRWA and all our humanitarian work.

In Washington, the House Foreign Affairs Committee is set to hear testimony today from experts and witnesses connected to the allegations.

Gaza cease-fire talks » Meantime, the Biden administration is cautiously optimistic about negotiations for a possible cease-fire between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.

CIA Director Bill Burns recently traveled to Paris to sit down with officials from Israel and Qatar as they work to iron out a deal.

KIRBY: Don’t want to sound sanguine here. There’s a lot of work left to be done. We don’t have an imminent deal to speak to. But based on the discussions we’ve had over the weekend and recent days, we feel that it’s moving in a good direction.

Any cease-fire arrangement would involve the release of more Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered tempered optimism. He called the weekend talks constructive, but he also said significant gaps remain.

Tax doc leaker sentence » A man convicted of leaking the tax returns of former President Donald Trump and others will spend years behind bars. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: A judge sentenced former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn to 5 years in federal prison.

District Judge Ana Reyes said she imposed the maximum sentence possible due to the extraordinary nature of the crime and its impact on the nation's system of government.

Littlejohn pleaded guilty late last year to leaking the tax records of Trump and other wealthy individuals.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Rethinking how the U.S. provides aid to Palestinians. Plus, music from Christian artist in the U.K.

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