Important Takeaways:
- Dozens of newly confirmed cases of avian influenza in wild birds and the first verified U.S. case of a new strain of the virus are raising concern the bird flu crisis may be entering a troubling new phase.
- Why it matters: While the developments don’t necessarily raise the risk of a pandemic, they could create more havoc for farmers, exacerbate egg shortages and expose more gaps in government disease surveillance.
- Driving the news: The Department of Agriculture last week confirmed 81 detections of highly pathogenic avian flu in wild birds collected across 24 states between Dec. 29 and Jan. 17.
- Wild birds can be infected and show no signs of illness, allowing them to spread the virus to new areas and potentially expose domestic poultry.
- Officials in Pennsylvania and New York have culled thousands of wild geese, as well as commercial poultry flocks, after detecting cases of flu.
- What they’re saying: “If you look at what’s happened the last eight weeks, the number of poultry operations that have gone down — and more recently, the duck operations — is absolutely stunning,” Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota told Axios.
- Catch up quick: The bird flu crisis has struck 113 flocks in the past 30 days, affecting more than 19 million birds, per USDA. It’s also been confirmed in 943 dairy herds, the vast majority in California.
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Important Takeaways:
- Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has unveiled a new underground base, reportedly located somewhere on the country’s southern shores. Dubbed ‘missile city’, the facility houses dozens of missile launchers mounted on trucks, according to a video published by the Iranian military on Saturday.
- A two-minute video shows IRGC Chief Commander Major General Hossein Salami and Naval Force Chief Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri inspecting the underground network of tunnels where the mobile missile launchers are stationed.
- According to Tangsiri, the base is home to Iran’s Qadr 380 cruise missiles, which can be deployed and launched in under five minutes. These missiles have a range of over 1,000 kilometers and are equipped with anti-jamming systems to counter electronic warfare, IRNA news agency reported.
- The facility showcased on Saturday is the third such base in Iran, according to IRNA. In mid-January, the IRGC Navy unveiled another underground anti-ship missile base along the Persian Gulf’s coastline. A similar facility was previously revealed by the IRGC Air Force on January 10, though its exact location was not disclosed.
- Iran has said that its missile program is a deterrent against adversaries such as the US and Israel. During the inspection on Saturday, Salami stated that the unveiling was intended to prevent Tehran’s enemies from making “miscalculations” that could lead to serious consequences.
- Earlier in January, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi praised the country’s missile program as a crucial factor in deterring foreign threats. “I have said many times and firmly believe that if it weren’t for our missile capabilities, no one would be negotiating with us,” Araghchi said at the time.
- Araghchi argued that the US and its allies only respond to strength, and Iran’s missile power compels them to engage diplomatically rather than resorting to force. His remarks followed heightened tensions between Israel and Iran, which involved a series of long-range strikes between the two nations last year.
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Important Takeaways:
- According to the FOX Forecast Center, the first round of significant precipitation will begin on Friday, with additional waves of moisture through the weekend and into the upcoming workweek.
- Forecast models show more than 6 inches of rainfall could occur in the highest rainfall accumulation zones, while feet of snow look likely from the extreme northern Sierra Nevada into the Cascades.
- Forecasters say because the air mass originates near Hawaii, which is commonly referred to as a “Pineapple Express,” the overall event will be warmer, causing snowfall levels to rise to several thousand feet.
- Some river levels across the region are already elevated, leading to a greater risk that waterways could overrun their banks.
- Every year, dozens of atmospheric rivers impact America’s West Coast, unleashing heavy rain, rough surf, mudslides and heavy snowfall.
- Since the storm track is not expected to be directly over Southern California, more modest chances of precipitation are expected over cities and communities such as Los Angeles and San Diego, with as much as three-quarters of an inch of rainfall over the next week.
- Potentially equally beneficial will be the higher humidity values, which are sure to help tamp down any major flare-ups along wildfires.
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Important Takeaways:
- A magnitude 4.5 earthquake rocked southern Texas Wednesday night, striking nearly 45 miles southwest of the city of San Antonio.
- The US Geological Survey (USGS) detected the seismic event at 9:26pm CT near Falls City, measuring it at a depth of about 2.3 miles.
- The quake ranks as the third-strongest earthquake ever to hit South Texas, following a magnitude 4.8 quake in 2011 and a 4.7 quake in February 2024 that also hit near Falls City.
- Wednesday’s earthquake was followed by a magnitude 2.6 aftershock that struck 10.5 miles south-southeast of Stockdale, Texas around 1:17am Thursday.
- No damages or injuries have been reported from either of the quakes.
- But could be more tremors to come. The USGS predicted a 36 percent chance of magnitude 3 aftershocks following the main quake.
- The vast majority of earthquakes result from the constant movement of tectonic plates, which are massive, solid slabs of rock that make up the planetary surface and shift around on top of Earth’s mantle — the inner layer between the crust and core.
- When that stress overcomes the friction, the plates slip, causing a release of energy that ravels in waves through the Earth’s crust and generates the shaking we feel at the surface.
- But quakes of this size are quite unusual for the Lone Star State.
- Experts have not confirmed whether the magnitude 4.5 Falls City earthquake was linked to fracking, but this city is located in the Eagle Ford Shale area which is known for oil and gas production.
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Important Takeaways:
- The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported a magnitude 3.7 earthquake near Mammoth, Wyoming, at about 6 p.m. MST, close to the Norris Geyser Basin. Seismologists said a few people in the Yellowstone region reported the shaking.
- “The earthquake is typical of the Yellowstone region and not a sign of any significant unrest,” the agency said following the quake.
- The National Park Service (NPS) said Norris Geyser Basin is home to some truly extreme geothermal features.
- The highest temperature ever recorded in Yellowstone (459 degrees) was measured in a drill hole at Norris, just 1,087 feet below the surface, underscoring the intense heat and activity in the area, the NPS added. There are very few thermal features at Norris under the boiling point at 199 degrees at this elevation.
- Norris shows evidence of having had thermal features for at least 115,000 years, according to the NPS. The features in the basin change daily, with frequent disturbances from seismic activity and water fluctuations.
- While Yellowstone is frequently rattled by small earthquakes — averaging 1,500 to 2,500 per year — the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory notes that larger, damaging earthquakes have also struck the area.
- The park’s largest recorded earthquake, a magnitude 6, occurred on June 30, 1975, along the north-central boundary of Yellowstone Caldera, a few miles southeast of Norris Geyser Basin. No injuries were reported, and all park campgrounds and facilities remained open.
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Important Takeaways:
- Trust in the intelligence community is at an “all-time low,” Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence (DNI), said during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday.
- “I’m honored and grateful to President Trump for his trust and confidence in nominating me to serve our country as the Director of National Intelligence at a time when trust in the intelligence community, unfortunately, is at an all-time low,” Gabbard said during her opening statement, citing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who “admitted a few years ago, quote, ‘You take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you.’”
- “For too long, faulty, inadequate or weaponized intelligence have led to costly failures and the undermining of our national security and God-given freedoms enshrined in the Constitution,” she said before laying out several of these failures by name, beginning with the invasion of Iraq.
- She said:
- The most obvious example of one of these failures is our invasion of Iraq based upon a total fabrication or complete failure of intelligence. This disastrous decision led to the deaths of tens of thousands of American soldiers, millions of people in the Middle East, mass migration, destabilization and undermining of the security and stability of our European allies, the rise of ISIS, strengthening of al Qaeda and other Islamist jihadist groups, and strengthening Iran.
- Gabbard listed a host of other examples, many of which occurred under President Joe Biden’s watch.
- “The American people elected Donald Trump as their president, not once, but twice, and yet, the FBI and intelligence agencies were politicized by his opponents to undermine his presidency and falsely portray him as a puppet of Putin,” she said. “Title I of FISA was used illegally to obtain a warrant to spy on Trump campaign advisor Carter Page, using a Clinton campaign-funded false dossier as their so-called evidence.”
- “Biden campaign adviser Tony Blinken was the impetus for the 51 former senior intelligence officials’ letter dismissing Hunter Biden’s laptop as disinformation, specifically to help Biden win the election,” she continued.
- “Former DNI James Clapper lied to this committee in 2013, denying the existence of programs that facilitated the mass collection of millions of Americans’ phone and internet records, yet was never held accountable,” she said. “Under John Brennan’s leadership, the CIA abused its power to spy on Congress to dodge oversight, lied about doing it until he was caught and yet has never been held responsible.”
- Further, Gabbard continued, the FBI “abused its power for political reasons to try to surveil Catholics who attend traditional Latin Mass, labeling them as quote, unquote, radical traditionalist Catholics” — all of which happened under Biden’s watch.
- “Personally, just 24 hours after I criticized Kamala Harris and her nomination, I was placed on a secret domestic terror watch list called Quiet Skies,” Gabbard revealed. “Sadly, there are more examples.”
- Gabbard said such weaponization must end, contending that this is something that comes with the mandate the American people issued to President Trump.
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Important Takeaways:
- Israel is celebrating the release of eight hostages and preparing to welcome three more on Saturday. However, the joy is tempered by the reality that terrorists are being freed from Israeli prisons, and there is still no clear plan for Gaza’s future.
- Israeli officials say the three hostages set to be released from Gaza on Saturday are Ofer Calderon, American-Israeli Keith Siegel, and Yarden Bibas. Bibas is the father of 2-year-old Kfir and 5-year-old Ariel, who remain in captivity in Gaza along with their mother, Shiri.
- The eight hostages released on Thursday returned to a hero’s welcome from family, friends, and the entire nation.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exclaimed, “Arbel, Agam, Gadi, Welcome Home! The entire State of Israel embraces you, as do my wife, Sarah, and I.”
- 80-year-old Gadi Moses, who endured captivity for 482 days, returned to Israel smiling as he reunited with his children. He had been abducted from his home at Kibbutz Nir Oz, where his partner was killed and many of his family members were also taken hostage. All of them were freed a year ago in a previous deal — except him.
- Arbel Yehud reportedly spent her entire 482 days in isolation. Her chaotic exit from Gaza saw her surrounded by angry mobs of Gazans yelling and pushing as she made her way to safety.
- Her ordeal was so disturbing that Netanyahu temporarily suspended the release of Palestinian prisoners until he received assurances from mediators that such incidents would not happen again.
- The five Thai hostages, who have no family in Israel, were greeted at the hospital by Thailand’s ambassador. They appear to be in good health. “Thank you, thank you so much. I’m sure that they will feel at home here,” Thai Ambassador Pannabha Chandraramya told the Israeli crowd gathered to greet the hostages.
- Palestinian Prisoners Released; Terrorists Celebrated
- Among the 110 Palestinian prisoners released on Thursday in exchange for the hostages was Zakaria Zubeidi, a notorious West Bank terrorist leader responsible for numerous deadly attacks. He received a hero’s welcome in Ramallah, where he thanked Allah for his freedom.
- Despite suffering over a year of devastating losses, Hamas continues to project an image of victory. A senior Hamas official recently stated, “The Palestinian people were not defeated. The enemy did not achieve its goals.”
- In an interview with Iranian television, Mohammed al-Najjar, head of Hamas’ youth department, boasted, “October 7 will be repeated with attacks from the West Bank, Lebanon, Egypt — from the east and from all directions. We have achieved a great victory against an enemy that claimed to be invincible.”
- Hamas official Taher Nounou insists that Hamas will continue to govern Gaza…
- Negotiators will begin discussing the next phase on Monday, aiming for the release of all remaining living hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
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Important Takeaways:
- Facility near Beijing, 10 times size of Pentagon, may have been under construction since mid-2024
- Satellite images of the base, about 20 miles south-west of the Chinese capital, show a 1,500-acre construction site that experts suggest could house reinforced military bunkers to protect the country’s military top brass in the case of a nuclear war.
- When complete, the facility – nicknamed “Beijing Military City” – is expected to dwarf the Pentagon, the US defense headquarters, which is known as the world’s largest office block.
- The images, obtained by the Financial Times, suggest major construction of the project began in mid-2024, as the People’s Liberation Army gears up for its centenary in 2027.
- Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, has repeatedly warned that he intends to annex Taiwan by then, posing a major threat to the US, which relies on Taipei for its supply of microchips.
- A former senior US intelligence official said that the new base could act as a secure bunker for Chinese officials seeking protection from a nuclear attack.
- “China’s main secure command center is in the Western Hills, north-east of the new facility, and was built decades ago at the height of the Cold War,” the former official said. “The size, scale and partially buried characteristics of the new facility suggest it will replace the Western Hills complex as the primary wartime command facility
- “Chinese leaders may judge that the new facility will enable greater security against US ‘bunker buster’ munitions, and even against nuclear weapons.”
- One China researcher who had viewed the images said that the site had “all the hallmarks of a sensitive military facility”, with its deep underground tunnels and reinforced concrete.
- “Nearly 10 times bigger than the Pentagon, it’s fitting for Xi Jinping’s ambitions to surpass the US,” the researcher told The FT. “This fortress only serves one purpose, which is to act as a doomsday bunker for China’s increasingly sophisticated and capable military.”
- In December, highlighting the rising threat from China, Adml Sir Tony Radakin, the Chief of the British Defense Staff, warned that the world had entered a “third nuclear age”.
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Important Takeaways:
- FBI employees were terminated or forced to quit Thursday within hours of FBI Director Nominee Kash Patel’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- At least 20 executive assistant directors, assistant directors and special agents in charge from throughout the U.S. were forced out of the agency, according to sources.
- Several officials had already boxed up their offices before they were officially notified of their termination.
- The FBI declined to comment on the terminations.
- After Thursday’s hearing, Mr. Patel, despite clashing with the Senate’s Democratic minority, appeared on a glide path to confirmation.
- Patel, who has served in high-level adviser positions related to national security, said at his confirmation hearing that he planned to stop the “weaponization” of the FBI.
- “There will be no politicization of the FBI. There will be no retributive actions,” he told senators.
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Important Takeaways:
- Investigators have recovered the black boxes of the passenger jet and Army helicopter involved in a collision near Reagan National Airport outside D.C. — the deadliest aviation disaster in the U.S. in more than 20 years.
- The big picture: The American Airlines passenger jet with 64 people on board and U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers collided on Wednesday night, sending both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River. There are no known survivors.
- The rescue mission shifted to a recovery operation early Thursday, but at least a dozen people were still missing by day’s end. Investigators are working to determine the exact cause of the crash.
- The airport resumed flight operations Thursday morning, but dozens of flights have been delayed or cancelled since. Passengers were advised to check with their airlines for specific flight information.
- Reagan National Airport has the country’s busiest runway — which has long caused concerns about overcrowding at the airport and understaffing among air traffic controllers, Axios D.C.’s Mimi Montgomery reports.
- Situation report: The National Transportation Safety Board intends to have a preliminary report on the crash within 30 days, board member Todd Inman said during a briefing Thursday afternoon.
- “We do not know enough facts to be able to rule in or out human factor, mechanical factors,” Inman said.
- Visibility was good at the time of the crash, with winds blowing out of the northwest. An advisory for high winds had expired earlier in the evening.
- Both the jet and the helicopter were following “standard flight patterns,” Duffy told reporters.
- Hegseth noted the helicopter was manned by a “fairly experienced crew” that was appropriately equipped with night vision goggles.
- It’s also not unusual to see Black Hawks flying low along the Potomac. This is some of America’s busiest airspaces due to the presence of both military and commercial aircraft.
- What remains unclear is why the helicopter did not divert from its path and collided with the jet as it made its final descent.
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