The Iraqi government has strongly condemned US strikes which targeted sites used by Iranian-backed groups in Iraq on Wednesday. A spokesperson for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said they "blatantly" violated his country's sovereignty. The US said its "proportionate" attacks had targeted "Iran-affiliated groups". The paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) said the "treacherous" US action killed one of their fighters. The PMF‚ which is dominated by Iran-backed...

Donald Trump’s convincing victory in the New Hampshire primary positions puts him on an easy path to the nomination‚ right? Not quite. Trump still has a significant hurdle ahead of him‚ and no amount of fundraising or voter outreach can eliminate it: He needs to win a potentially decisive showdown at the Supreme Court. On Feb. 8‚ the high court will hear oral arguments on whether Trump is an insurrectionist who is barred by the 14th Amendment from running for president. Trump...

Israel is still mourning the deaths of 21 Israel Defense Forces soldiers killed in Gaza Monday. Despite those deaths‚ Israeli leaders pledge to continue the war to defeat Hamas.   IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi visited the site Tuesday where the soldiers died. Hamas terrorists fired RPG's at the building where the soldiers were setting explosives. "We‚ as always‚ will investigate the incident in depth and learn the lessons while fighting‚ so that such an incident will not...

Futures tied to the technology-heavy Nasdaq-100 climbed Wednesday after Netflix reported its subscriber count reached a new record in the fourth quarter.  Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.6%‚ while S&;P 500 futures gained 0.4%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advanced 87 points‚ or 0.2%. Netflix shares surged 10% in premarket trading. The leg up came after the streaming company said it added more than 13 million subscribers in the fourth quarter‚...

Pressure is mounting on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the war in Gaza brings high costs and few operational successes. Monday marked the deadliest day in the war for Israeli forces‚ with a total of 24 soldiers killed in southern Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces said all but three of them died in a building collapse after a rocket-propelled grenade fired by militants caused an explosion. Netanyahu called Monday “one of the most difficult days since...

Donald Trump didn’t romp in New Hampshire‚ but he still won handily. It’s unprecedented in the modern era for a Republican candidate in a contested nomination battle to win both Iowa and New Hampshire. Republican primary voters not only are on the Trump train‚ they’ve bought first-class tickets and expect an on-time arrival. Like Ron DeSantis before her‚ Nikki Haley has now finished second in her most promising state. She had the endorsement of the popular sitting governor‚ Chris...

A Russian military transport plane crashed near the border with Ukraine on Wednesday‚ killing all 74 aboard‚ according to Russian officials and state media.  Russian officials said 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war were among those aboard the Ilyushin Il-76 when the plane fell from the sky‚ while a senior official in Kyiv said the incident was under investigation.  Russia’s claims about the Ukrainian POWs couldn’t be independently verified. The Russian Ministry of Defense didn’t...

Donald Trump has done what no other Republican non-incumbent has accomplished in modern politics‚ scoring wins in the opening contests of Iowa and New Hampshire. And he scored both with more than 50% of the vote‚ without participating in a single debate and while facing the political machinery of two popular incumbent governors who threw their support to his competitors. His lone remaining major competitor‚ Nikki Haley‚ tried to sound like a winner Tuesday despite trailing by about 10 to 12...

New Hampshire‚ then‚ was far from Donald Trump’s difficult second album. If anything‚ it was another performance of his Greatest Hits. His path to the White House is firmly in sight; Nikki Haley’s primary challenge‚ by contrast‚ has been rendered all but nominal. After Trump scored his first thumping victory in the Iowa caucuses‚ widespread concern about his looming presidency resurrected the idea of a “national divorce”‚ if not full-on civil war. Yesterday’s triumph will have only...

Is the Republican presidential primary over already? Not quite‚ but it’s a reasonable question after New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary delivered a clear victory for Donald J. Trump on Tuesday night. And if your definition of “over” is whether Mr. Trump is now on track to win without a serious contest‚ the answer is probably “yes.” With nearly all the counting done‚ he won 55 percent of the vote. His only remaining rival‚ Nikki Haley‚ won 44 percent. Mr. Trump’s 11-point...