Month: January 2020

Home / Month: January 2020

Mardi 27 juin, une enquête préliminaire a été ouverte contre Nehuda et Ricardo pour « violences volontaires », selon une information du Parisien. Actuellement hospitalisé au CHU de Dijon, leur nouveau-né de 4 mois souffrirait de fractures et d’ecchymoses.

Neruda, 25 ans et Ricardo Pinto, 26 ans, se sont rencontrés lors de la huitième saison de l’émission de télé-réalité « Les Anges », diffusée sur NRJ12. Dans le télé-crochet, le couple est connu pour ses nombreuses disputes. Une relation tumultueuse qui avait fait beaucoup réagir les internautes sur les réseaux sociaux.

Le couple est aujourd’hui soupçonné de maltraitance à l’encontre de leur bébé de 4 mois, selon une information de nos confrères du Parisien. Un temps placés en garde à vue dans les locaux de la sûreté départementale de Dijon (Côte-d’Or), ils ont été remis en liberté mardi par le parquet de Dijon. Une enquête préliminaire a été ouverte pour « violences volontaires » contre mineur de moins de 15 ans. Le nourrisson souffre de nombreuses fractures et d’ecchymoses au visage et est toujours hospitalisé au service de pédiatrie du CHU de Dijon.

Pour l’heure, Ricardo Pinto a déclaré lors de sa garde à vue avoir jeté malencontreusement son portable au visage du bébé qui se trouvait à l’arrière du véhicule, lors d’une ballade en voiture. Une version confirmée par sa compagne Nehuda. Mais vu la relation tumultueuse qu’entretient le couple, la justice chercherait à savoir si une dispute n’aurait pas éclaté entre les deux stars.

Après plusieurs ruptures et réconciliations, le couple avait accueilli en février denier leur petite fille. Elle pourrait être placée en centre d’accueil.

Sharon Stone affole encore une fois la toile en postant une photo d’elle en maillot de bain sur son compte Instagram. À 59 ans, la star de Basic Instinct conserve un corps de rêve.

Sharon Stone ne laisse jamais le web indifférent. À chaque photo postée de l’actrice, la toile s’enflamme et l’admiration de ses fans explose dans les commentaires. En mars 2017, à l’occasion de son anniversaire, elle avait déjà créé la surprise en affichant une photo très sexy d’elle sur son compte Instagram. En bord de mer, sur le sable, elle apparaît dans une très légère robe mouillée. La star de Basic Instinct montre que le temps n’a pas de prise sur son corps.

Le 30 juin dernier, elle réitère l’expérience en publiant une photographie d’elle en noir et blanc. On la voit, moulée dans un body, prenant la pose avec cet air de femme fatale qui lui va si bien. La nouvelle photo publiée est cette fois sous le signe de l’été et des vacances. Sharon Stone est allongée sur un sol pavé, dans un bikini bleu ciel. On peut voir un corps toujours aussi sculpté et pulpeux. Et les commentaires sont unanimes :”Vraiment belle« , »Magnifique!!!! » ou encore “Toujours aussi belle“.

Cette mère au corps parfait a récemment reçu le prix de la maman de l’année à Berverly Hills. Une certaine revanche sur la vie pour l’actrice de 59 ans qui n’a malheureusement pas pu avoir des enfants naturellement. Après plusieurs fausses couches , la comédienne a adopté trois enfants : Roan en 2000, Laird en 2005, et Quinn en 2006.

Summer attitude. (?: @pricearana)

A post shared by Sharon Stone (@sharonstone) on

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Sexistes, rétrogrades, admiratifs ou choqués : les jambes de Brigitte Macron sont l’objet de commentaires incessants. Partout où elle passe, ses tenues courtes, sa silhouette menue et son bronzage font la une de la presse, bien plus souvent que son discours et ses idées.

« Vous êtes en si bonne forme, magnifique ! »La remarque sexiste de Donald Trump à propos de Brigitte Macron lors de sa visite à Paris a fait le tour du monde en quelques minutes. Ce n’était pas le premier propos polémique du genre pour le président américain, et ce n’était pas non plus la première fois que l’épouse d’Emmanuel Macron était confrontée à des commentaires sur son physique. Il faut dire que sa silhouette, et notamment ses jambes fines et bronzées, obsèdent l’opinion publique et les médias bien au-delà des frontières de la France.

Rebecca Cope, éditorialiste au magazine Grazia UK, a publié un long article sur le sujet, le 14 juillet dernier. Dans un texte acéré, elle confie que l’obsession autour du physique de la première dame française dans la presse internationale la dérange profondément. Elle relève plusieurs titres de journaux : « Brigitte Macron exhibe des jambes très bronzées » (The Express), « Les jambes à tomber par terre de Brigitte Macron prouvent qu’en France, l’âge ne veut rien dire » (Vogue) ou encore « Brigitte Macron fait de la mini-jupe un style sans-âge » (The Telegraph). La journaliste estime que ces nombreux commentaires découlent en fait d’une autre fixette: l’âge de Brigitte Macron, 63 ans, soit 24 de plus que son homme.

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« Au début, les gens étaient interloqués : pourquoi diable un homme jeune, séduisant et puissant serait intéressé par une femme plus âgée ? Il y a même eu des rumeurs selon lesquelles Emmanuel Macron était secrètement homosexuel. Rumeurs que le président a d’ailleurs violemment dénoncées, les taxant de sexistes. Au final, comment les médias ont-ils donc remédié à cette troublante différence d’âge ‘inversée’ ? En se concentrant sur l’apparence excessivement ‘jeune’ de Brigitte », écrit Rebecca Cope.

Cette obsession pour la jeunesse est malsaine, note la journaliste, mais elle s’applique malheureusement à presque toutes les femmes un tant soit peu célèbres. « Certains s’extasient, et racontent que Jennifer Aniston et Jennifer Lopez n’ont pas changé depuis 20 ans, voire sont devenues encore plus belles, mais ils critiquent Nicole Kidman ou Renee Zellweger pour avoir été trop loin dans leur quête chirurgicale de jouvence…Les jambes de Brigitte Macron ne sont que le dernier exemple en date d’une très longue liste », regrette-t-elle.

Dommage – en effet – de lire tous ces commentaires sexistes à chaque apparition publique de Brigitte Macron… Surtout lorsqu’on sait qu’elle raffole des jupes courtes, parce qu’elles incarnent pour elle la liberté et la modernité !

Vous ne savez pas quoi regarder ce soir ? Les membres de notre rédaction vous indiquent les films à voir ou ne pas voir. Au programme : une romance durant la guerre civile américaine, les biscottos de Stallone et une adaptation des jouets Hasbro.

« Permis de mater »

Chaque soir, la rédaction d’Allociné vous indique les trois incontournables à ne pas rater.

Le film de la soirée est :

Retour à Cold Mountain d’Anthony Minghella avec Jude Law, Nicole Kidman (W9, 20h50) : “Anthony Minghella ne fait pas dans la finesse. Le réalisateur du Patient Anglais aime les grands sentiments et les beaux paysages. Mais c’est ce goût exacerbé du romanesque qui donne toute sa saveur à son cinéma.” Nicolas Journet

Retour à Cold Mountain Bande-annonce VF

 

Egalement à la télé ce soir :

Over the top Bras de fer de Menahem Golan avec Sylvester Stallone, Robert Loggia (RTL9, 20h45) : “Un véritable plaisir coupable dans lequel Stallone joue de ses gros biscotos pour faire rêver son fils. De quoi ravir ceux qui ont la nostalgie des bonnes séries B testéronées et clichées des années 1980.” Guillaume Martin

Over the top Bras de fer Bande-annonce VO

 

L’autre vie de Richard Kemp de Germinal Alvarez avec Jean-Hugues Anglade, Mélanie Thierry (Canal + Cinéma, 20h45) : “Pour son premier long métrage le réalisateur Germinal Alvarez nous offre un film maîtrisé sur le voyage dans le temps. Porté à l’écran par Jean-Hugues Anglade, cette enquête nous tient en haleine du début à la fin. Le héros changera-t-il son futur en bouleversant le passé ?” Laetitia Forhan

L'Autre vie de Richard Kemp Bande-annonce VF

 

« Permis de zapper »

Chaque soir, un de nos rédacteurs vous déconseille un film de son choix.

G.I. Joe : Conspiration de John M. Chu avec Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum (Canal + Family, 20h55) : “Cela s’enfonce dans la caricature à un tel point qu’il m’a été impossible de regarder ce film, même au second degré. Assumé ou pas, ce film d’action est un véritable nanard de compétition.” Clément Cusseau

G.I. Joe : Conspiration Bande-annonce VF

« Permis de parler »

Et sinon, parmi tous les films qui passent ce soir, quel est votre favori ?

Pour retrouver l’ensemble des programmes, accédez directement à la grille en cliquant ici.

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Loana a failli n’être jamais maman. La star de téléréalité confie à France Dimanche qu’à 19 ans, elle a fait un déni de grossesse la poussant à l’avortement. Finalement, elle changera d’avis…

Loana est passée par des moments très durs. Maintenant que tout va mieux, la star du Loft peut raconter les épreuves qu’elle a dû surmonter. Elle dévoile cette semaine dans France Dimanche les détails de sa grossesse, un épisode douloureux : “J’avais 19 ans à l’époque et j’ai fait un déni de grossesse. J’avais toujours mes règles, pas de ventre, mais des douleurs aux seins. Je suis donc allée voir mon gynéco, qui a fait une échographie et m’a annoncé que j’étais enceinte de 4 mois et demi !« .

En 1997, la jeune femme encore inconnue pense à l’avortement : »Comme il était trop tard pour avorter en France, je me suis tournée vers l’Espagne. Je ne voyais tellement pas d’avenir pour mon bébé et moi.”Lors de la « dernière échographie », Loana est prise de remord : “J’ai vu son petit profil, ses mains, ses pieds, son cœur qui battait… j’ai été bouleversée ! Mais je suis quand même allée là-bas.” Elle change alors d’avis : “J’ai réfléchi pendant deux heures à l’aéroport et j’ai pris l’avion du retour. Boostée par les hormones de la grossesse et le bonheur d’avoir découvert ce petit être qui grandissait en moi, j’étais heureuse.”

La réaction du père a été brutale : « Toi et ce que tu as dans le ventre, je ne veux plus jamais vous voir !” lui aurait-il lancé. Désemparée, Loana a donc placé son bébé en pouponnière en attenant de lui offrir la vie équilibrée dont un enfant a besoin. Lorsqu’elle s’est sentie prête, les services sociaux lui ont barré la route. »Il m’a fallu justifier d’un emploi stable, d’un logement, d’horaires aménagés, m’engager à ne pas confier la petite à une nounou, etc. Mais expliquez-moi comment vous faites pour travailler si vous ne pouvez pas faire garder votre enfant ? Et pour ne rien arranger, je dansais en boîte de nuit, donc c’était mission impossible !“, témoigne-t-elle dans France Dimanche. C’est le père de Mindy, en raison de sa situation plus stable, qui a obtenu la garde l’enfant et s’en est occupé tel « un père merveilleux ».

Si Loana n’avait pas été prise de doute face à l’avortement, Mindy n’aurait jamais vu le jour. Fruit d’une double vie, l’enfant a grandi sans savoir cette épisode, loin de sa mère. Elle ne l’a appris qu’en lisant l’ouvrage de sa maman Elle s’appelait… miette, sorti en 2001.

Crédits photos : FAYOLLE/SIPA

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Geneviève de Fontenay a de nouveau répété tout le mal qu’elle pensait du président Emmanuel Macron alors qu’elle était invitée du Morandini Live sur CNews.

Le torchon n’a pas fini de brûler. Tout était pourtant bien parti entre Geneviève de Fontenay et Emmanuel Macron, qui avait eu l’occasion de discuter en février 2017 après un meeting du candidat à Lyon. Mais depuis que l’homme a été élu à la plus haute fonction de l’État, l’ex-patronne des Miss France n’est pas du tout convaincue par les débuts du chef de l’Etat et a même récemment déclaré « détester » le président de la République.

Elle a récidivé ce lundi sur le plateau de Jean-Marc Morandini. « Il a un égo surdimensionné. Quand il a dit au général de Villiers que c’était lui le chef, on ne dit pas ça. Il n’a même pas fait son service militaire ! » a-t-elle expliqué sur CNews. « Il aurait pu avoir plus de respect. Quand on est chef, on n’a pas besoin de le dire » a assuré celle qui fut un soutien durant sa campagne présidentielle.

Geneviève de Fontenay s’est également gentiment moqué de Christophe Castener et de sa fascination pour Emmanuel Macron. Le nouveau délégué de La République en marche ! avait assumé fin septembre la « dimension amoureuse » de sa relation avec l’actuel chef de l’État.

Crédit photo : Dominique Jacovides / Sebastien Valiela / Bestimage

Crédits photos : Non renseigné

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WASHINGTON — 

In ordering the killing of Gen. Qassem Suleimani, one of Iran’s highest-ranking officials, President Trump took one of the biggest gambles of his presidency — a step that appears to lead the U.S. on a path toward escalated warfare and that marked a sharp break from his often-stated desire to pull American forces out of conflicts in the Middle East.

Throughout his presidency, Trump has made fiery statements but has typically resisted dramatic belligerent actions. He has promised his supporters that he would use decisive violence against U.S. enemies, but he also promised to stay out of wars in the Middle East and to bring U.S. troops home.

Outside analysts — and some of Trump’s former advisors — have repeatedly warned that those two pledges could not be reconciled.

1/23

Mourners carry the coffin of slain Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi Muhandis towards the Imam Ali Shrine in the shrine city of Najaf in central Iraq during a funeral procession. 

(Haidar Hamdani / AFP/Getty Images)

2/23

Equipment assigned to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division is loaded into aircraft from Ft. Bragg, N.C. 

(Zachary Vandyke / U.S. Department of Defense)

3/23

Mourners carry the coffins of slain Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi Muhandis, Iranian military commander Qassem Suleimani and eight others Jan. 4 in Najaf, Iraq. 

(Haidar Hamdani / AFP/Getty Images)

4/23

Anti-war activists march Jan. 4 from the White House to the Trump International Hotel in Washington. 

(Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP/Getty Images)

5/23

Mourners carry the coffin of slain Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi Muhandis in Najaf, Iraq. 

(Haidar Hamdani / AFP/Getty Images)

6/23

U.S. troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division rest Jan. 4 at Ft. Bragg before deployment.  

(Andrew Craft / Getty Images)

7/23

Thousands march in Tehran after the death of Gen. Qassem Suleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, in a U.S. airstrike. 

(Abedin Taherkenareh / EPA/Shutterstock)

8/23

President Trump gives a statement from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. 

(Jim Watson / AFP/Getty Images)

9/23

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei visits Suleimani’s family. 

(AFP/Getty Images)

10/23

Iranians burn a U.S. flag during a protest in Tehran to condemn Suleimani’s killing. 

(Abedin Taherkenareh / EPA/Shutterstock)

11/23

Suleimani in September 2018. 

(Iranian Supreme Leader’s Office)

12/23

Iraqi anti-government protesters celebrate in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square after hearing the news of the airstrike that killed Suleimani. 

(AFP )

13/23

The attack at Baghdad’s international airport also killed Abu Mahdi Muhandis, deputy commander of Iran-backed militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, and six other people, according to Iraqi security officials. 

(Handout)

14/23

Protesters burn property in front of the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday.  

(Khalid Mohammed / Associated Press)

15/23

Iraqi protesters use a plumbing pipe to break the bulletproof glass of the U.S. Embassy’s windows. 

(Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images)

16/23

Smoke rises behind protesters at the embassy.  

(Khalid Mohammed / Associated Press)

17/23

Protesters pry the U.S. Embassy plaque from the entrance of the compound.  

(Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images )

18/23

Demonstrators scale a wall to reach the U.S. Embassy grounds in Baghdad.  

(Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images)

19/23

Smoke pours from the embassy entrance.  

(Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images)

20/23

A man waves an Iraqi national flag as he exits a burning room at the U.S. Embassy compound.  

(AFP/Getty Images)

21/23

Protesters wave militia flags during the embassy siege.  

(Associated Press)

22/23

A fire burns during the embassy protest.  

(Khalid Mohammed / Associated Press)

23/23

An Iraqi militia leader takes a selfie at a gate to the U.S. Embassy during the siege.  

(Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images )

Until now, when his goals clashed, Trump has typically pulled back. In June, for example, he gave a last-minute order to stop an airstrike against Iran planned in retaliation for Tehran’s shooting down of an unmanned American drone. Nor did he order a military response to attacks on Saudi oil installations in the fall that U.S. and Saudi officials blamed on Iran.

The decision to kill Suleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, who was sometimes described as the second-most powerful official in Iran, radically shifted Trump’s approach. The decision appeared to reflect a bet that Iran, faced by a decisive U.S. military action, will back down, not escalate.

Iran will now have to “reexamine the limitations of the violence they can bring to the table,” said one senior congressional Republican official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official predicted “some face-saving retaliation in Yemen or Lebanon, maybe Afghanistan,” but not more.

Others were deeply skeptical of such assertions. While the U.S. undoubtedly has overwhelming superiority in conventional military power, analysts warned that the Iranians, even without Suleimani, will be able to launch guerrilla-style operations throughout the Middle East and possibly beyond. Previous attacks blamed on Iran or Iranian proxies have spanned the globe from Latin America to South Asia. Cyberattacks targeting U.S. infrastructure or businesses also remain a concern.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a statement that “a harsh retaliation is waiting.”

“The U.S. and Iran have been engaged in a dangerous tit-for-tat for months now, but this is a massive walk up the escalation ladder,” said Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington. “There really is no underestimating the geopolitical ramifications of this.”

Trump’s decision will also be a test for his credibility, which has been worn paper-thin by years of lies, evasions and misstatements in domestic and international affairs.

His administration said Suleimani was killed because he was plotting to kill Americans, but officials have not provided proof of what Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo described as an “imminent attack.”

In addition, critics have warned that Trump has hollowed out Washington’s normal process for analyzing national security issues, making it less likely that officials have considered all the angles and prepared for potential blowback.

U.S. officials have blamed Suleimani for masterminding attacks on American forces in Iraq and Syria for years. Both the Obama and George W. Bush administrations considered killing him but stopped short, judging that the risks of an escalated conflict outweighed the benefits.

“What always kept both Democratic and Republican presidents from targeting Suleimani himself was the simple question: Was the strike worth the likely retaliation, and the potential to pull us into protracted conflict?” said Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), a former CIA analyst and expert on Iraq’s Shiite militias who served in Iraq and as a senior Pentagon official.

“The two administrations I worked for both determined that the ultimate ends didn’t justify the means. The Trump administration has made a different calculation,” Slotkin said.

In brief remarks Friday from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump shed little light on why he had made that choice. He suggested he had authorized the killing of Suleimani after U.S. officials detected a plan for a new attack.

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“We caught him in the act,” Trump said. Like other officials, however, he offered no evidence to back up that assertion.

To heighten the political risk, Trump appears to have acted without advance consultation with Congress, breaking with long-standing practice. The lack of any such briefing reduced, if not eliminated, the chance of bipartisan support for such a sensitive operation. Congressional Democrats quickly criticized the president for acting unilaterally.

“The Administration has conducted tonight’s strikes in Iraq targeting high-level Iranian military officials and killing Iranian Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani without an Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iran. Further, this action was taken without the consultation of the Congress,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said in a statement a few hours after Suleimani’s death was confirmed Thursday night.

“The full Congress must be immediately briefed on this serious situation and on the next steps under consideration by the Administration,” she said. “We cannot put the lives of American service members, diplomats and others further at risk by engaging in provocative and disproportionate actions. Tonight’s airstrike risks provoking further dangerous escalation of violence.”

While U.S. forces have killed leaders of Al Qaeda and other militant groups, targeting high-ranking officials of other governments has been a line that American officials have seldom crossed except during wars.

Not since President Reagan ordered an airstrike against Libya in 1986 that came close to killing that country’s leader at the time, Moammar Kadafi, has the U.S. taken an action comparable to the attack on Suleimani.

Suleimani has long directed the actions of Iranian-backed militia groups that have attacked U.S. forces in Iraq and elsewhere, and administration officials said he was planning further attacks on American personnel.

“Gen. Suleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in a statement. “This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans.”

Critics, however, accused Trump of recklessness.

“President Trump just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox,” former Vice President Joe Biden said in a statement.

“He owes the American people an explanation of the strategy,” added Biden, a leading Democratic presidential candidate.

“No American will mourn Qassem Soleimani’s passing. He deserved to be brought to justice for his crimes against American troops and thousands of innocents throughout the region. He supported terror and sowed chaos,” Biden said.

But, he added, “this is a hugely escalatory move in an already dangerous region.”

The immediate chain of events leading to the strike began late in December when a missile attack against an Iraqi military base killed an American contractor. U.S. officials blamed the attack on Iranian-backed militia groups and responded with airstrikes that killed 25 people.

That, in turn, led to the storming this week of the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad by pro-Iranian militia members. At that point, a senior administration official said Thursday, the “game has changed.”

Administration supporters said the strike would be a major setback to Iran.

Suleimani’s “death is a huge loss for Iran’s regime and its Iraqi proxies, and a major operational and psychological victory for the United States,” said James Carafano of the conservative Heritage Foundation, which often advises Trump on foreign policy.

Ariane Tabatabai, a Middle East expert at Rand Corp., said the killing of Suleimani sent a strong symbolic message to Iran and its allies, though it won’t lead to the collapse of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or Iran’s network of non-state allies.

From Afghanistan to Lebanon and Yemen and Syria, he played a key role in building Iran’s network of allied groups across the Middle East, which included Shiite militias in Iraq and groups such as Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon, she said.

Suleimani was a major figure in the highest levels of Iranian decision making, reporting directly to the supreme leader and overseeing military training and financing as well as weapon sales and transfers. He also took a highly public role as an Iranian symbol, often photographed on regional battlefields to underscore Iran’s support for its allies.

“He would run around the battlefield in Syria and talk to the fighters and try to boost their morale,” Tabatabai said.

But though Suleimani has a long history of orchestrating relationships with Iran’s proxy groups, he did not act single-handedly, said Suzanne Maloney, an Iran specialist at the Brookings Institution.

“He is a major figure that earned a reputation as an effective strategist … but we have to be careful not to suggest that his death would inevitably degrade Iran’s capabilities,” Maloney said.

“This increases chance of violence,” she added. “Shiite militias in Iraq will use it to their own advantage.”

Wilkinson and Megerian reported from Washington and Etehad from Los Angeles. Times staff writers Eli Stokols and Jennifer Haberkorn in Washington contributed to this report.


How Trump made the decision to kill Suleimani

January 5, 2020 | News | No Comments

WASHINGTON — 

When President Trump’s national security team came to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday, they weren’t expecting him to approve an operation to kill Gen. Qassem Suleimani.

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had gone to Palm Beach to brief Trump on airstrikes the Pentagon had just carried out in Iraq and Syria against Iranian-sponsored Shiite militia groups.

One briefing slide shown to Trump listed several follow-up steps the U.S. could take, among them targeting Suleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, according to a senior U.S. official familiar with the discussions who was not authorized to talk about the meeting on the record.

1/23

Mourners carry the coffin of slain Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi Muhandis towards the Imam Ali Shrine in the shrine city of Najaf in central Iraq during a funeral procession. 

(Haidar Hamdani / AFP/Getty Images)

2/23

Equipment assigned to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division is loaded into aircraft from Ft. Bragg, N.C. 

(Zachary Vandyke / U.S. Department of Defense)

3/23

Mourners carry the coffins of slain Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi Muhandis, Iranian military commander Qassem Suleimani and eight others Jan. 4 in Najaf, Iraq. 

(Haidar Hamdani / AFP/Getty Images)

4/23

Anti-war activists march Jan. 4 from the White House to the Trump International Hotel in Washington. 

(Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP/Getty Images)

5/23

Mourners carry the coffin of slain Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi Muhandis in Najaf, Iraq. 

(Haidar Hamdani / AFP/Getty Images)

6/23

U.S. troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division rest Jan. 4 at Ft. Bragg before deployment.  

(Andrew Craft / Getty Images)

7/23

Thousands march in Tehran after the death of Gen. Qassem Suleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, in a U.S. airstrike. 

(Abedin Taherkenareh / EPA/Shutterstock)

8/23

President Trump gives a statement from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. 

(Jim Watson / AFP/Getty Images)

9/23

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei visits Suleimani’s family. 

(AFP/Getty Images)

10/23

Iranians burn a U.S. flag during a protest in Tehran to condemn Suleimani’s killing. 

(Abedin Taherkenareh / EPA/Shutterstock)

11/23

Suleimani in September 2018. 

(Iranian Supreme Leader’s Office)

12/23

Iraqi anti-government protesters celebrate in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square after hearing the news of the airstrike that killed Suleimani. 

(AFP )

13/23

The attack at Baghdad’s international airport also killed Abu Mahdi Muhandis, deputy commander of Iran-backed militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, and six other people, according to Iraqi security officials. 

(Handout)

14/23

Protesters burn property in front of the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday.  

(Khalid Mohammed / Associated Press)

15/23

Iraqi protesters use a plumbing pipe to break the bulletproof glass of the U.S. Embassy’s windows. 

(Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images)

16/23

Smoke rises behind protesters at the embassy.  

(Khalid Mohammed / Associated Press)

17/23

Protesters pry the U.S. Embassy plaque from the entrance of the compound.  

(Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images )

18/23

Demonstrators scale a wall to reach the U.S. Embassy grounds in Baghdad.  

(Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images)

19/23

Smoke pours from the embassy entrance.  

(Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images)

20/23

A man waves an Iraqi national flag as he exits a burning room at the U.S. Embassy compound.  

(AFP/Getty Images)

21/23

Protesters wave militia flags during the embassy siege.  

(Associated Press)

22/23

A fire burns during the embassy protest.  

(Khalid Mohammed / Associated Press)

23/23

An Iraqi militia leader takes a selfie at a gate to the U.S. Embassy during the siege.  

(Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images )

Unexpectedly, Trump chose that option, the official said, adding that the president’s decision was spurred on in part by Iran hawks among his advisors.

That meant the Pentagon suddenly faced the daunting task of carrying out Trump’s orders.
The first hint that further U.S. action was possible came only minutes after the end of the meeting with Trump.

“In our discussion today with the president, we discussed with him other options that are available,” Esper told reporters. “And I would note also that we will take additional actions as necessary.”

Suleimani wasn’t mentioned publicly as a possible target. But behind the scenes, Trump’s decision set off a furious effort by the Pentagon, CIA and others to locate the Iranian general and put in place military assets to kill him.

U.S. intelligence agencies, which had been tracking Suleimani for years, knew he was on an extended Middle East trip that had taken him to Lebanon and Syria. He would be flying from Damascus to Baghdad within days, they learned.

He seemed unusually unconcerned about covering his tracks, officials noted. He was traveling from Syria to Baghdad on a flight that was not secret, Iranian officials said Friday, ostensibly for meetings with Iraqi officials.

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But U.S. officials claimed Friday that Suleimani’s trip had a more nefarious purpose: He was in the final stages of planning major attacks against U.S. facilities in several Middle East countries, they said.

“He was personally going to a few locations for final planning authority for what we assessed to be something big,” said the officials, who briefed reporters under ground rules that didn’t allow them to be identified. The specific targets were unclear and officials declined to describe the evidence that backed up their assessment.

He had already been linked to a Dec. 27 rocket attack that killed an America military contractor near Kirkuk, Iraq. In the days before Suleimani arrived in Baghdad, U.S. officials blamed him for orchestrating violent protests at the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad.

A senior State Department official said new intelligence indicated Suleimani was plotting attacks on American diplomats, military personnel and facilities that house Americans in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.

“There was consensus in the president’s national security cabinet that the risk of doing nothing was unacceptable given the intelligence and given the effectiveness that Suleimani presents,” the official said.

When Suleimani arrived in Baghdad on Thursday, a U.S drone and other military aircraft were circling near Baghdad International Airport. Sulaimani and several members of a pro-Iranian military got into two vehicles and were riding on the airport road toward downtown Baghdad when missiles fired from the drone struck.

Both vehicles were engulfed in flames.

According to Iraqi officials, rescuers identified Suleimani’s body among the casualties by the blood-red ring he always wore that was still attached to his ash-covered left hand.

Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson contributed to this report.


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — 

When the eerie Foxborough fog lifted, it became clear that New England’s reign atop the NFL was ending.

Derrick Henry ensured that with the kind of dominating playoff performance usually reserved for Tom Brady and the Patriots.

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Henry rushed for 182 yards and a touchdown and Tennessee’s defense stymied Brady and perhaps ended his championship-filled New England career as the Titans earned a 20-13 wild-card victory Saturday night.

Brady vows to be back on an NFL field next season, but his contract with the Patriots is done.

“I love the Patriots,” the 42-year Brady said, adding about leaving the game after 20 seasons: “I would say it’s pretty unlikely, hopefully unlikely. I love playing football. I don’t know what it looks like moving forward.”

Doing the most moving forward Saturday night was Henry, who had a total of 184 yards rushing in two playoff games two years ago. He nearly got that against the NFL’s top-ranked defense in boosting the Titans (10-7) into the divisional round at No. 1 seed Baltimore.

“It’s a great win against a great team in a hostile environment,” Henry said on his 26th birthday. “Credit to my team. I’m just happy we were able to advance.

“We were just locked in. That was our mindset, just coming in here doing what we needed to do in all three phases, stay locked in no matter what happens in the game, and I feel like we did that.”

For sure.

As that dense fog that shrouded Gillette Stadium for the first half dissipated, the Patriots, who made the last three Super Bowls and won two, stalled repeatedly with the ball. They no longer were the bullies on the block — Henry was.

As for this defeat, the Patriots’ fourth as a wild card, Brady noted: “They kind of stopped us in the first half and the second half and we couldn’t get the job done.”

There was no scoring in the second half, when All-Pro Brett Kern’s 58-yard punt that took up 10 seconds rolled down at the New England one-yard line. Brady then was picked by former Patriot Logan Ryan for a nine-yard touchdown to finish off the Patriots (12-5), who at one point this season were 8-0.

The game’s first three possessions wound up as three long scoring drives. A 29-yard screen pass to James White set up Nick Folk’s 36-yard field goal, but Tennessee answered with a 75-yard march built around Henry. He had no role on the touchdown, Tannehill’s pass to a Harvard man, tight end Anthony Firkser that made it 7-3.

New England counterpunched with its own 75-yard drive, taking temporary control of the game by victimizing Tennessee’s defense on the outside. The Titans looked slow trying to protect the flanks as Sony Michel broke off a 25-yard run and White had a 14-yarder.

Julian Edelman finished it with the first rushing touchdown of his 11 pro seasons, a five-yard dash to the unprotected left side of the Tennessee defense.

New England appeared primed for another touchdown after Mohamed Sanu’s 14-yard punt return set up the Patriots at the Titans’ 47, and they steadily drove to first and goal at the one.

All they got was Folk’s 21-yard field goal, as three runs failed. It was the 13th time the Patriots had first and goal at the one in a playoff game in the Brady era and the first time they failed to get a touchdown on the drive.

Tannehill led the NFL with a career-best 117.5 passer rating and by averaging 9.6 yards per pass attempt. But he didn’t do a whole lot Saturday night in his first postseason game: eight for 15 for 72 yards. His awful decision to put the ball up for grabs on the first play of the fourth quarter resulted in Duron Harmon’s interception.

But New England’s spotty attack flopped and never revived. That has not been unusual during the second half of the schedule.

Tannehill’s passing yards were the fewest for a starter since the Ravens’ Joe Flacco had 34 in a wild-card win against the Patriots 10 years ago.

Henry celebrated his birthday by getting the most rushing yards against a Bill Belichick-coached Patriots team in the playoffs. He set an early tone by rushing for 49 of the Titans’ 75 yards on their opening touchdown drive. On the Titans’ second 75-yard touchdown march, all Henry did was gain every yard: 22 on a screen pass and 53 rushing, including a one-yard dive into the end zone for a 14-13 halftime lead. Those were Tennessee’s first points in the final two minutes of the opening half since Week 8.

Henry led the NFL in rushing this season with 1,540 yards in 15 games, the fourth-most rushing yards in franchise history. Henry also ran for 16 touchdowns, second most in team history.

After winning their first eight games, the Patriots struggled mightily in the second half of the schedule. They lost four games, and with the defeat by the Titans, they fell three times at home.


The Times' boys' basketball rankings

January 5, 2020 | News | No Comments

A look at the top 25 high school boys’ basketball teams in the Southland:

Rk. School (W-L) Comment (previous ranking)

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1. RANCHO CHRISTIAN (15-2) at San Ysidro, Friday (6)

2. CORONA CENTENNIAL (14-2) vs. Corona Santiago, Wednesday (3)

3. SIERRA CANYON (15-2) vs. Rancho Christian at PCC, Saturday (1)

4. ETIWANDA (13-2) vs. Los Osos, Tuesday (4)

5. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (15-2) at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Wednesday (2)

6. ST. JOHN BOSCO (13-4) at Servite, Wednesday (7)

7. SANTA ANA MATER DEI (13-3) vs. Orange Lutheran, Wednesday (5)

8. SANTA CLARITA CHRISTIAN (12-4) vs. Desert Christian, Tuesday (8)

9. ST. ANTHONY (18-1) vs. Cantwell-Sacred Heart, Wednesday (11)

10. HERITAGE CHRISTIAN (15-2) at Valley Christian, Friday (9)

11. WINDWARD (14-4) vs. Crossroads Tuesday (10)

12. RIBET (10-1) vs. Renaissance, Thursday (13)

13. JSERRA (15-2) vs. Santa Margarita, Wednesday (16)

14. FAIRFAX (13-3) at Hamilton, Jan. 13 (12)

15. RENAISSANCE (13-4) at Ribet, Thursday (17)

16. RIVERSIDE POLY (13-3) vs. Valley View, Monday (15)

17. CHAMINADE (16-3) at Crespi, Wednesday (20)

18. LOYOLA (15-3) at Alemany, Wednesday (21)

19. DAMIEN (12-4) at Upland, Tuesday (23)

20. ST. BERNARD (13-3) vs. Gardena Serra, Wednesday (14)

21. CAPISTRANO VALLEY (15-1) at Mission Viejo, Wednesday (22)

22. BIRMINGHAM (9-5) at El Camino Real, Wednesday (19)

23. OXNARD (18-1) at Rio Mesa, Wednesday (25)

24. OAK PARK (14-2) vs. Simi Valley, Wednesday (NR)

25. KING-DREW (11-4) at Washington Prep, Jan. 25 (NR)