January 12 top stories

It is January 12. Here are today’s top stories.

U.S. military launches strikes in Yemen

President Biden announced last night that the U.S. military conducted strikes against several sites in Yemen that were being used by Houthi rebels who have been firing missiles into Red Sea shipping lanes, targeting commercial ships.

The U.S. didn’t act alone as they had the support of the U.K., Australia, Canada, Bahrain, South Korea, and several others.

The strikes killed five people and injured several others.

The Houthis said they were attacking commercial ships in response to Israel’s war on Hamas. The Houthis are a rebel group that has been fighting Yemen’s government for about 20 years and control the country’s capital and some other regions. They have the backing of Iran.

The Houthis vowed retaliation for the strikes. AP News said it raised the prospect of a wider conflict in the region.

Passengers sue Boeing over hole in plane

Passengers who were on the Alaska Airlines plane that had a hole in it due to a failed door plug are suing Boeing, the company that made the plane.

The lawsuit said the incident injured some passengers and caused emotional trauma.

There is a federal investigation on Boeing and all of the planes of the same model, the 737 Max 9 planes.

Trump fraud trial update

The business fraud trial against Donald Trump in New York has concluded with both sides delivering closing statements.

New York Attorney General Letitia James accused Trump of defrauding banks and insurance companies by giving false numbers of what his assets were worth.

Trump denied any wrongdoing and said all of this is just a witch hunt. AG James is seeking a $370 million penalty and to bar him from doing business in the state. Judge Arthur Engoron will issue a full decision by the end of the month.

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Hunter Biden enters plea on tax charges

Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, appeared in a court in California and pleaded not guilty on charges of failing to pay more than $1 million in taxes. Prosecutors said he avoided paying taxes while spending a lot of money on trips, drugs, women, and luxury items. This case is separate from his case in Delaware, where he is charged with three gun-related charges.

Extreme weather alerts across U.S.

Axios reported that the entire Lower 48 states are under various weather watches and warnings. Iowa may face life-threatening blizzards and 12 states are under wind warnings. Waves in the Great Lakes may reach 20 feet. In the Southeast, there may be thunderstorms and tornadoes. Many states face extreme cold. I would encourage you to check your local weather forecast for this weekend so you can be prepared. Stay safe, warm, and dry.

That is all the top stories for this week. Have a nice weekend and stay with the light.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/11/politics/donald-trump-civil-fraud-trial-takeaways/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/11/politics/hunter-biden-federal-court-appearance/index.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/01/11/pentagon-launches-attacks-on-houthis-in-yemen/72196132007/

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/11/world/middleeast/houthi-yemen-red-sea-attacks.html

https://www.axios.com/2024/01/12/alaska-airlines-flight-1282-boeing-lawsuit

https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-us-ship-attacks-bombing-red-sea-iran-cc06d9186a00d1f22bea6b9c14dda12a

https://twitter.com/NWS/status/1745825453393256917

https://www.axios.com/2024/01/12/weather-warnings-bomb-cyclone-polar-vortex

TOP STORIESPaul Hovan