AP News In Brief At 9:04 P.m. EST

Biden says US 'shall respond' after drone strike by Iran-backed group kills 3 US troops in Jordan

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - President Joe Biden said Sunday that the U.S. "shall respond" after three American troops were killed and dozens more were injured in an overnight drone strike in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border. Biden blamed Iran-backed militias for the first U.S. fatalities after months of strikes by such groups against American forces across the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Biden, who was traveling in South Carolina, asked for a moment of silence during an appearance at a Baptist church's banquet hall.

"We had a tough day last night in the Middle East. We lost three brave souls in an attack on one of our bases," he said. After the moment of silence, Biden added, "and we shall respond."

With an increasing risk of military escalation in the region, U.S. officials were working to conclusively identify the precise group responsible for the attack, but they have assessed that one of several Iranian-backed groups was behind it.

If you liked this article and you would certainly such as to get more details pertaining to adult xxx movies free kindly see our own web site. Biden said in a written statement that the United States "will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner (of) our choosing." Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said "we will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests."

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Israel notes 'significant gaps' after cease-fire talks with US, Qatar, Egypt but says constructive

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) - Israel said "significant gaps" remain after cease-fire talks Sunday with the United States, Qatar and Egypt but called them constructive and said they would continue in the week ahead, a tentative sign of progress on a potential agreement that could see Israel pause military operations against Hamas in exchange for the release of remaining hostages.

The U.S. announced its first military deaths in the region since the war began and blamed Iran-backed militants for the drone strike in Jordan that killed three American service members amid concerns about a wider conflict.

The statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on the cease-fire talks did not say what the "significant gaps" were. There was no immediate statement from the other parties.

The war has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, destroyed vast swaths of Gaza and displaced nearly 85% of the territory´s people. Israel says its air and ground offensive has killed more than 9,000 militants, without providing evidence. The Oct. 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and militants took about 250 hostages.

With Gaza's 2.3 million people in a deepening humanitarian crisis, the United Nations secretary-general called on the United States and others to resume funding the main agency providing aid to the besieged territory, after Israel accused a dozen employees of taking part in the Hamas attack that ignited the war.

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US sees signs of progress on deal to release hostages, bring temporary pause to Israel-Hamas war

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. negotiators are making progress on a potential agreement under which Israel would pause military operations against Hamas in Gaza for two months in exchange for the release of more than 100 hostages who were captured in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, according to two senior administration officials.

The officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations, said Saturday that emerging terms of the yet-to-be sealed deal would play out over two phases.

In the first phase, fighting would stop to allow for the remaining women, elderly and wounded hostages to be released by Hamas.

Israel and Hamas would then aim to work out details during the first 30 days of the pause for a second phase in which Israeli soldiers and civilian men would be released. The emerging deal also calls for Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

While the proposed deal would not end the war, U.S. officials are hopeful that such an agreement could lay the groundwork for a durable resolution to the conflict.

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Trump praises Texas governor as border state clashes with Biden administration over immigration

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Former President Donald Trump lavished praise Saturday on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for not allowing the Biden administration entry to remove razor wire in a popular corridor for migrants illegally entering the U.S. in an escalating feud over immigration.

In a speech focused overwhelmingly on border security, Trump said Texas should be given full support in its measures to deter migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border. The state is restricting the U.S. Border Patrol after the Supreme Court cleared the way for these federal agents to cut or remove the sharp metal barrier.

"When I´m president, instead of trying to send Texas a restraining order, I will send them reinforcements," Trump told a crowd of supporters in Las Vegas, where he rallied on an indoor soccer field in a largely Latino neighborhood. "Instead of fighting border states, I will use every resource tool and authority of the U.S. president to defend the United States of America from this horrible invasion that is taking place right now."

Trump largely avoided talking about a verdict delivered by a jury in a defamation case Friday, ordering him to pay an additional $83.3 million to columnist E. Jean Carroll, who he called a liar for accusing him of sexual assault.

The former president, who is getting closer to securing the Republican presidential nomination, said he was the victim of the Biden administration weaponizing law enforcement against him as he faces 91 criminal charges in four indictments accusing him of trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election, mishandling classified documents and arranging payoffs to a porn star.

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Mahomes, Kelce are headed back to the Super Bowl after Chiefs shut down Ravens 17-10

BALTIMORE (AP) - Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were at their magnificent best in the first half, and Kansas City's defense delivered another masterpiece against Lamar Jackson and Baltimore, helping the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years with a 17-10 victory in the AFC championship game Sunday.

Kelce caught 11 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, and now the big question at next month's Super Bowl in Las Vegas is whether his girlfriend Taylor Swift will be able to make it there in the middle of her tour. The pop star was on hand again Sunday, and the 34-year-old Kelce was at his best.

"The Chiefs are still the Chiefs," said Kelce, who broke Jerry Rice´s career record for receptions in the postseason. "And believe it - you´ve got to fight for your right to party! Believe it, baby, we´re going to Las Vegas."

Kansas City (14-6) will face either San Francisco or Detroit on Feb. 11, and a win would make the Chiefs the first team to win it all in back-to-back seasons since the New England Patriots 19 years ago.

Swift's presence has turned the Chiefs into even more of a glamour team than they already were, but it's been more of a blue-collar performance on the field this season. Aside from Kelce, Mahomes hasn't had the receiving playmakers he's enjoyed in years past.

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Republicans see an opportunity with Black voters, prompting mobilization in Biden campaign

WASHINGTON (AP) - Donald Trump isn´t known for fostering deep connections with the Black community.

From his earliest days as a New York real estate developer, Trump has faced accusations of racist business practices. He spent years spreading the lie that Barack Obama, America´s first Black president, was ineligible to hold office. When he was president, Trump derided "shithole countries" in Africa and said four congresswomen of color should go back to the "broken and crime-infested" countries they came from, ignoring the fact that all of the women are American citizens and three were born in the U.S.

But as he seeks the presidency for a third time, Trump is aiming to win over an unlikely constituency: Black voters.

"Have you seen our poll numbers with African Americans and with Hispanic Americans? But I´m not that surprised because I see it, I feel it," Trump declared during a rally in Atkinson, New Hampshire, days before the state´s primary. "We did great in 2016, we did much better in 2020 but there is much more enthusiasm now."

There´s little evidence that Trump is making significant inroads with Black voters, who polls show remain overwhelmingly supportive of President Joe Biden. But even minor changes in voting patterns in critical states could shift the race in unexpected ways.

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Biden offers fresh assurances he would shut down border 'right now' if Congress sends him a deal

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) - Bidding to salvage a border deal in Congress that also would unlock money for Ukraine, President Joe Biden offered fresh assurances Saturday night that he would be willing to close the U.S.-Mexico border if lawmakers would only send him a bill to sign.

Biden - also eager to disarm GOP criticism of his handling of migration at the border - said at a political event in South Carolina that he would shut down the border ´"right now" if Congress passed the proposed deal. The framework hasn't been formally agreed to by Senate Democrats and Republicans and would face an uncertain future in the GOP-controlled House.

"A bipartisan bill would be good for America and help fix our broken immigration system and allow speedy access for those who deserve to be here, and Congress needs to get it done," Biden said. "It´ll also give me as president, the emergency authority to shut down the border until it could get back under control. If that bill were the law today, I´d shut down the border right now and fix it quickly."

The deal being negotiated in Congress would require the U.S. to shutter the border if roughly 5,000 migrants cross illegally on any given day. Some one-day totals last year exceeded 10,000.

Former President Donald Trump has been pressuring Republicans for weeks to kill the negotiations. He's loathe to give a win to Biden on an issue that animated the Republican's successful 2016 campaign and that he wants to use as he seeks to return to the White House. Negotiators had appeared to be closing in on a deal, but it started to fray after Trump´s admonitions to conservative lawmakers grew stronger.

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Biden is trying to balance Gaza protests and free speech rights as demonstrators disrupt his events

MANASSAS, Va. (AP) - It was President Joe Biden's first big campaign rally of the year, a chance to spotlight the issue of protecting abortion rights. Instead, at least a dozen times during Biden's 22-minute speech, demonstrators scattered throughout the audience rose to shout out demands for a cease-fire in Gaza.

His speech in Virginia this past week became a fits-and-starts affair. Over and over, the protesters interjected and were drowned out by audience members shouting chants of "four more years!" and "Joe! Joe! Joe!"

"They feel deeply," Biden said of the demonstrators, who were pulled from the room by security personnel.

The Democratic president is increasingly contending with protests inside and outside his events from progressives upset about his administration's support for Israel in its offensive in Gaza. More than 26,000 Palestinians, mostly women and minors, have been killed in Gaza since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.

The protests lay bare the tensions Biden is facing within his own party as he struggles with the fallout from his handling of the war while honoring the First Amendment rights of his critics to speak out. Biden´s ability to navigate those crosscurrents will be critical to his reelection effort as he tries to energize Democrats this fall, especially young people who are particularly concerned about the war's effects.

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Science sleuths are using technology to find fakery and plagiarism in published research

Allegations of research fakery at a leading cancer center have turned a spotlight on scientific integrity and the amateur sleuths uncovering image manipulation in published research.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a Harvard Medical School affiliate, announced Jan. 22 it's requesting retractions and corrections of scientific papers after a British blogger flagged problems in early January.

The blogger, 32-year-old Sholto David, of Pontypridd, Wales, is a scientist-sleuth who detects cut-and-paste image manipulation in published scientific papers.

He's not the only hobbyist poking through pixels. Other champions of scientific integrity are keeping researchers and science journals on their toes. They use special software, oversize computer monitors and their eagle eyes to find flipped, duplicated and stretched images, along with potential plagiarism.

A look at the situation at Dana-Farber and the sleuths hunting sloppy errors and outright fabrications:

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Bullfighting resumes in Mexico City before a full crowd while activists protest outside

MEXICO CITY (AP) - With protesters outside a full arena, bullfights resumed in Mexico City on Sunday after the country´s highest court temporarily revoked a local ruling that sided with animal rights defenders and suspended the events for more than a year and a half.

The resumption of bullfights in the Plaza México, the largest bullfighting arena in the 3d crazy world xxx, raised expectations of fans in the face of a lengthy legal battle between enthusiasts and opponents, who argue the practice violates animal welfare and affects people´s rights to a healthy environment.

Bullfighting is still allowed in much of Mexico. In the capital, the legal fight for its future is full of twists and turns.

The first bullfighter to enter the ring was the renowned Mexican matador Joselito Adame, with thousands of people cheering the return of "fiesta brava," as bullfighting is also known in Spanish. "Long live freedom," some shouted as the first bull entered an arena jammed with spectators.

Outside, hours before the formal beginning, about 300 people gathered in front of Plaza México to protest against bullfights. Some activists yelled "Murderers!" and "The plaza is going to fall!" while others played drums or stood with signs reading "Bullfighting is sadism."