Pakistan strikes back at Iran; US targets Houthi missiles: The Morning Rundown, Jan. 18, 2024

Developing stories out of the Middle East as Pakistan fires back at Iran and the U.S. launches additional strikes at Houthi targets. And the latest Apple Watches will be back on sale on Thursday, Jan. 18, but with some changes. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024.

Pakistan strikes Iran; U.S. targets Houthi missiles

There are new developments out of the Middle East as the possibility of a wider war in the region looms. Pakistan said it has carried out strikes targeting terrorists inside Iran.

The sole objective of today’s act was in pursuit of Pakistan’s own security and national interest, which is paramount and cannot be compromised.

Pakistan’s foreign affairs ministry

The strikes come after an Iranian missile attack on Tuesday, Jan. 16, that Pakistani officials said killed two children and was unprovoked. Pakistan said its strikes on Iran were “highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision strikes against terrorist hideouts.”

An Iranian official said the strikes killed at least nine people, including four children. Pakistan’s foreign affairs ministry released a statement that said Pakistan’s national security is its priority.

“Pakistan fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the statement said. “The sole objective of today’s act was in pursuit of Pakistan’s own security and national interest, which is paramount and cannot be compromised.”

Meanwhile, the United States launched another round of airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Wednesday night, Jan. 17. U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces targeted 14 Iran-backed Houthi missiles that were loaded to be fired from the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The U.S. said the missiles presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and Navy ships in the region.

U.S. CENTCOM Strikes Houthi Terrorist Missile Launchers

In the context of ongoing multi-national efforts to protect freedom of navigation and prevent attacks on U.S. and partner maritime traffic in the Red Sea, on Jan. 17 at approximately 11:59 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central… pic.twitter.com/MMCQbzr1f7

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 18, 2024

On Wednesday, Jan. 17, the U.S. announced it was redesignating the Houthis as global terrorists for the group’s continued attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea. The move subjects the Houthis to economic sanctions aimed to cut off funding to the militant group.

Speaker Johnson pushes the president for border reform in meeting on Ukraine aid

Following a meeting at the White House on Wednesday, Jan. 17, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters he pressed President Biden on immigration reform, calling the southern border a “national security and humanitarian catastrophe.” Biden called congressional leaders pushing for more aid to Ukraine, aid that has been blocked by House Republicans for months demanding stricter border policy as the U.S.-Mexico border has been flooded with a record number of migrants.

According to the Pew Research Center, 10.5 million undocumented immigrants have been living in the U.S. since 2021. While Republicans have drawn a proverbial line in the sand demanding the border be addressed in any Ukraine-Israel funding package, the meeting may have marked a path forward for negotiations that have been at a stalemate in Congress.

Biden has requested $61.4 billion in additional funding for Ukraine, which includes additional funding for Israel. Still, it hinges on what border policy changes both sides can agree upon.

“We understand that there is concern about the safety, security, sovereignty of Ukraine,” Speaker Johnson said. “But the American people have those same concerns about our own domestic sovereignty and our safety, and our security.”

Today, I’ll join bipartisan Congressional leaders to meet with @POTUS at the White House and discuss the importance of passing a national security supplemental.

It’s a matter of the highest national urgency that both parties keep working together pass the supplemental.

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 17, 2024

In talking to reporters following the meeting, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed some hope that talks are moving in the right direction, with both sides having similar goals. But he did note that compromise is the only way anything gets passed.

Texas defies DHS cease-and-desist letter after park takeover

A war of words is brewing between Texas and the Biden administration amid the immigration crisis at the border after the state’s national guard took over a public park along the U.S.-Mexico border last week. The state said the move was to deter migrants from illegally crossing into the area.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a cease-and-desist letter to Texas over the weekend, calling for officials to stop blocking federal border patrol agents from entering Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, by a deadline of Wednesday, Jan. 17.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is demanding that Texas state officials stop blocking Border Patrol agents from a public park in Eagle Pass, threatening legal action and calling the state's move to seize control of the area "clearly unconstitutional."

Full letter: pic.twitter.com/3Ge4AEOTT2

— Camilo Montoya-Galvez (@camiloreports) January 15, 2024

The department said Texas’ move is obstructing border patrol from apprehending and processing migrants. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton responded Wednesday, Jan. 17, sending a letter to Homeland Security, rejecting its request and saying the state will continue “utilizing its constitutional authority to defend her territory.” DHS has warned Texas it would refer the matter to the Justice Department should the state continue to deny border patrol full access.

Maine judge defers Trump decision until Supreme Court ruling

On Wednesday, Jan. 17, a Maine judge deferred a ruling on whether former President Donald Trump can appear on the state’s primary ballot. The judge said the U.S. Supreme Court needs to decide first whether Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, known as the insurrection clause, can be used to keep Trump from running for president again.

Maine’s secretary of state barred Trump from the ballot last month, citing his actions around the Jan. 6 capitol riots a week after the Colorado Supreme Court’s similar decision. Trump, the GOP frontrunner for the 2024 presidential election, has appealed the states’ decisions, leaving his name on both ballots for now.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case out of Colorado, with arguments set for Feb. 8. The Maine judge ordered Maine’s secretary of state to make a new ruling within 30 days of the Supreme Court’s decision.

On Wednesday, Jan. 17, Trump voluntarily attended his defamation trial in New York for a second day, where he sparred with the judge, who threatened to kick him out of court for making comments as his accuser, columnist E. Jean Carroll, was testifying. Trump said he will not be at Thursday’s Jan. 18 court proceedings so he can attend the funeral of his mother-in-law, who passed away last week at the age of 78.

Iowa sues TikTok for misleading parents and exposing children to harmful content

TikTok is facing another legal challenge, this time in Iowa, as the state’s Attorney General Brenna Bird filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, Jan. 17, alleging that the social media app is misleading parents about the content children are accessing and viewing. Seeking financial penalties, Bird, who is a Republican, claims TikTok and its parent company ByteDance lied about inappropriate content on its platform, including nudity, drug use, alcohol use, and self-harm.

Other states have filed similar lawsuits, though a judge in Indiana threw out the case. TikTok faces many other legal challenges, from inappropriate content to privacy concerns. It is not just TikTok facing backlash and challenges when it comes to protecting children from harmful content on social media; globally, there have been calls for social platforms to protect children.

In a statement regarding the latest lawsuit in Iowa, TikTok said it “has industry leading safeguards in place for young people, including parental controls and time limits for those under 18. We are committed to tackling industry wide challenges and will continue to prioritize community safety.” TikTok’s CEO, along with the other social media CEOs, is set to testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 31 discussing online child sexual exploitation.

Apple begins selling watches without blood oxygen feature

The latest versions of the Apple Watch will return to Apple store shelves but with some modifications. Beginning Thursday, Jan. 18, Apple will once again sell its Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches online and at its retail stores, but the watches will be without the blood oxygen feature.

This comes after Apple was banned from using the technology following an intellectual property dispute with the medical device company Masimo. The blood oxygen app will still be on the watches, but Apple said when users tap on it, they will be alerted that the feature is no longer accessible. Apple is still appealing the International Trade Commission’s ruling that found Apple infringed on Masimo’s patents.