First Thing: Biden vows response after US troops killed in drone attack

Iran says it had nothing to do with attack near Syrian border, after US president says Washington will respond ‘at a time and in a manner of our choosing’. Plus, psychologists on the appeal of Donald Trump

Good morning.

The specter of a direct US-Iranian military conflict drew closer yesterday when Joe Biden announced that three US service personnel had been killed and more than 34 injured in a drone attack on a US service base on the border of Jordan and Syria. Biden blamed Iranian-backed militia based mainly in Iraq for the “despicable” attack and vowed revenge.

The Iranian-backed umbrella group Islamic Resistance claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack on Tower 22, a military outpost on the Jordanian, Syrian and Iraqi borders, and the US made no attempt to disguise its belief that Iran was ultimately responsible.

In a statement published by the state news agency IRNA early today, Iran’s mission to the UN denied Tehran had any involvement in the attack. “Iran had no connection and had nothing to do with the attack on the US base,” the mission said. “There is a conflict between US forces and resistance groups in the region, which reciprocate retaliatory attacks.”

What happened during the attack? Four separate drone strikes had been fired at three US bases, and the US is investigating why the T-22 base’s defence mechanism did not repel this one. Many of the American service personnel wounded received traumatic brain injuries. An official said the drone struck near the barracks early in the morning, which would explain the high number of casualties.

What’s happening in Gaza? The Gaza Strip is facing “inevitable famine” because of the decision by western countries to pause funding for the UN’s agency for Palestinian affairs after Israeli accusations that 12 of the group’s employees took part in the Hamas attack on 7 October. Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, said yesterday that famine was imminent and now inevitable.

A North Carolina PFAS factory claims its emissions fell by 99.99%. A Guardian test reveals otherwise

Downwind from the chemicals firm Chemours’ PFAS manufacturing plant in North Carolina, Jamie White’s life is a series of unpleasant negotiations. She fears that the plant’s toxic “forever chemicals” are in the air she breathes and the rain replenishing her well. She suffers from a thyroid disorder, an issue linked to PFAS exposure.

Protecting herself and her family means sacrifice: should she let her grandkids play outdoors on her small farm and ride the horse, or keep them indoors? Her inground swimming pool sits dry. Should she eat potentially contaminated vegetables, or give up gardening? “It’s awful, but there’s nothing we can do,” said White, who has lived on her small farm for 15 years.

But residents should be safe, Chemours and state regulators claim. A 2019 state consent order legally requires Chemours to rein in pollution from its Fayetteville Works plant and reduce air emissions by at least 99%.

What did Chemours do after the order? The mandate prompted Chemours to invest $100m on air emission controls, including a thermal oxidizer it bills as “world-class” technology allegedly capable of destroying PFAS, which are widely considered to be impossible to eliminate on an industrial scale.

49ers break Lions’ hearts after thrilling comeback in NFC championship game

The Detroit Lions have suffered down the years and they experienced a new level of pain yesterday as the team blew a 24-7 half-time lead in the NFC championship game.

Their conquerors, the San Francisco 49ers, will play the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl after the defending champions beat the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game earlier yesterday.

The Lions, looking to make the Super Bowl for the first time in their history, took an early 14-0 lead against a 49ers team known for their struggles in clawing back deficits. That lead grew to 17 points coming into the third quarter before a breathtaking catch from Brandon Aiyuk sparked a 49ers comeback that will haunt the dreams of Lions fans for years to come.

What did the Niners coach Kyle Shanahan say? He said: “We played as bad of a first half as we could, but we were still within 17. There’s plenty of points there you can make up. The D shut them out there in the second half and this dude right next to me [quarterback Brock Purdy] made it happen.”

In other news …

A Hong Kong court has ordered the Chinese development company Evergrande to liquidate, after an 18-month long hearing. Evergrande holds the ignominious title of the world’s most indebted property developer, with about $300bn in liabilities.

The social media platform X has blocked users from searching for Taylor Swift after fake sexually explicit images of the pop singer proliferated on social media this week. The temporary ban came ahead of Sunday’s NFL game featuring the Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, whom Swift is dating.

More than three years ago, a Los Angeles socialite allegedly fatally struck two young boys as they were crossing the street. Now a jury will decide whether Rebecca Grossman is guilty of second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run driving.

One of the world’s largest gambling companies is set to list in New York today as it continues to capitalize on America’s online sports betting boom. Flutter Entertainment, the owner of FanDuel, has hailed its landing on the New York stock exchange as a “pivotal moment” as its business continues to surge in the United States.

Don’t miss this: ‘I am not there and I am not here’ – a Palestinian American poet on bearing witness to atrocity

“Here is the most shameful thing I could confess: I forget about the land all the time,” writes Hala Alyan. “I forget about the sea. I forget about the stones stacked into houses, forget my grandparents and great-grandparents lived next to water. I forget about their sage, their za’atar, their olive trees. I forget about their sunsets. This is connected to a larger grief: I forget about land in general … This forgetting feels like treachery. When I finally do dream of Gaza, after weeks of nightmares about shrieking children, nightmares about debating talking heads, my dream-self drives down a road, finds a rooftop, kneels to touch water, with the same thought echoing: This is a place and I’m here.”

… or this: Why do Americans keep voting for Trump? Psychologists may have the answer

“Many explanations are proposed for the continued rise of Donald Trump and the steadfastness of his support, even as the outrages and criminal charges pile up,” writes George Monbiot. “Some of these explanations are powerful. But there is one I have seen mentioned nowhere, which could, I believe, be the most important: Trump is king of the extrinsics.

“Some psychologists believe our values tend to cluster around certain poles, described as ‘intrinsic’ and ‘extrinsic’. People at the extrinsic end of the spectrum are more attracted to prestige, status, image, fame, power and wealth. They are strongly motivated by the prospect of individual reward and praise. People with a strong set of extrinsic values are more likely to suffer from frustration, dissatisfaction, stress, anxiety, anger and compulsive behaviour.”

Climate check: climate scientist Mark Maslin – ‘We have all the technology we need to move to a cleaner, renewable world’

“In 2023, there were over 220 extreme climate events,” says Mark Maslin, a professor of Earth system science at University College London (UCL) and the Natural History Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen. “There was a 30% increase in fatalities caused by climate events on the previous year. We saw massive heatwaves. We also saw wildfires. And lots of under-reported events. For example, east Africa had huge long droughts and catastrophic flooding. There was no continent that was not affected by extreme weather events – and our ability to cope with them is getting less. The expectation of many climatologists, including myself, is that 2024 could be hotter than 2023, and with more extreme weather events as El Niño really takes hold.”

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