The United States attacks Houthi ballistic missiles in Yemen over the Iran-aligned group's targeting of Red Sea shipping. / PBS Iran's Revolutionary Guards say they attacked Israel's "spy headquarters" in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. / Reuters Pakistan warns of retaliation
Despite facing multiple indictments, Donald Trump wins the Iowa Republican primary by a historic margin. / Politico A round-up of African migration trends to watch in 2024—e.g., state fragility, seasonal economic opportunities. / Africa Center The world's most "powerful" passports, ranked. / The Points Guy A
Internet and telecom services in Gaza get cut as a result of Israel's bombardment. / Al Jazeera Jeremy Bowen: It's time to stop talking about the war spreading elsewhere—it's already happened. / BBC News Spencer Ackerman: You did it, Joe! You escalated the war you
A report says Niger, Senegal, and Rwanda will be among this year's highest growth economies. / Semafor Whither pandemic preparedness and global health cooperation? Helen Branswell's public health questions for 2024. / STAT Unrelated: Collective online archiving as a way to mourn a friend. / Dirt In normal times
Taiwan says it doesn't consider the launch of a Chinese satellite, whose rocket flew over southern Taiwan, an attempt at election interference. / Reuters Related: Breaking down Wang Yi's speech on China's diplomacy in 2023 and priorities for 2024. / Tracking People's Daily Ethiopia
Hezbollah says one of its commanders has been killed in a strike in southern Lebanon. / BBC News Alon Pinkas: Maybe the most ominous thing about an Israeli-Hezbollah war in Lebanon is the feeling that it's a foregone conclusion. / Haaretz In 2024, more than half of humanity will
Xi's military leadership shake-up—apparently part of his plan to tackle corruption and disloyalty—raises questions about China's combat readiness. / The Wall Street Journal [+] The history of the US government's comic books, which run the gamut from educating Americans on safety to pushing
Three years after Jan. 6, more than 80 people are yet to be identified for their roles in the violence, and the mystery of who placed the pipe bombs remains unsolved. / AP Related: This morning, three Jan. 6 fugitives were captured at a ranch in Florida. / NBC News A breakdown
The White House has confirmed that Russia has been using ballistic missiles provided by North Korea in Ukraine. / The Hill House Democrats claim during Trump's presidency his businesses took in at least $7.8 million from foreign entities—similar to what Republicans allege against Biden. / CBS News A
Technical difficulties prevented yesterday's newsletter from being published. Sorry about that. Recent events—the killing of a senior Hamas leader, explosions in Iran and Lebanon—raise fear of wider conflict in the Middle East. / Politico A round-up of trends likely to drive humanitarian need in 2024. / The
