BREAKING NEWS - Top 5 Events of Jan 17, 2024 - From Presidential Race to Apple's Triumph

1. Presidential race
Former President Donald Trump won the Iowa Republican caucuses by an unprecedented margin, cementing his front-runner status in the GOP primary field as he vies to be the party’s 2024 nominee and reclaim the White House. Trump received 51% of the vote — despite battling four indictments, including charges tied to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis edged out former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for a distant second-place finish with just over 21% — although the nominating contest now shifts to New Hampshire, where polls show Haley in a much stronger position in next week’s primary. Also on Monday, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses, ended his campaign and immediately endorsed former president Trump.

2. Gaza
Israel’s war in Gaza has brought famine with “such incredible speed,” the United Nations relief chief said Monday, as he warned that the “great majority” of 400,000 Gazans are starving in the besieged enclave. Elsewhere in the region, a Houthi ballistic missile struck a US-owned cargo ship on Monday, US Central Command said in a statement. The Yemeni militant group claimed responsibility for the strike against the Gibraltar Eagle, which appears to be the first time the Houthis have successfully struck a US-owned or operated ship, raising the stakes in the Red Sea after Washington vowed that further Houthi launches would be met with a response.

Houthis claim attack on U.S. vessel
00:48 - Source: CNN
3. Flight cancellations
A treacherous winter storm in the US has caused major flight disruptions across the country this week, creating headaches for thousands of travelers. Southwest topped the list of most-affected airlines for the second consecutive day on Monday with more than 700 flights canceled — about 18% of its schedule. Unlike Southwest’s holiday travel meltdown of 2022, the carrier said the recent cancellations were not due to technical issues and will ease up considerably today. And Southwest isn’t the only airline that has found the weather challenging. United has seen more than 430 flights canceled and American Airlines requested a temporary ground stop in Dallas on Monday due to the icy conditions.

4.Immigration
Authorities in Chicago are scrambling to shelter migrants in dangerous cold as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott refuses to stop drop-offs. Illinois’ Democratic governor recently warned in a letter to his GOP counterpart that sending migrants now to the Windy City could cost lives. Over the last few weeks, mayors of New York, Chicago and Denver have been irked by “rogue buses” from Texas dropping off migrants by the thousands. Abbot has vowed to keep sending migrants despite the freezing conditions, saying that “until President Biden steps up and does his job to secure the border, Texas will continue transporting migrants to sanctuary cities.” This comes just days after three Mexican migrants drowned near Eagle Pass, Texas, after state authorities blocked the US Border Patrol from accessing miles of the US-Mexico border.

Governor walks back suggestion that Texas would shoot migrants if it weren't illegal
02:02 - Source: CNN
5. Apple
Apple has received approval to change how its smartwatches function so the company can overcome the Apple Watch ban imposed by a US court. The fix would eliminate the pulse oximeter function, a medical scanner that measures the oxygen concentration in the bloodstream. Apple temporarily stopped selling some of its watch models after the International Trade Commission found the company in violation of a medical company’s pulse oximeter patent. Apple had said it “strongly disagrees” with the ban and pledged to “take all measures” to bring the Apple Watch back to US customers soon. At the same time, iPhone sales are slowing in part because of the Chinese government’s reported efforts to restrict purchases. Beijing, however, denies it has put any restrictions in place.

00:00:00
NASA's Lunar Lander Setback

00:00:16
Trump's Victory in Iowa Republican Caucuses

00:00:33
Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza and Escalating Tensions in Yemen

00:00:50
Winter Storm Disrupts US Flight Schedules and Migrant Crisis in Chicago

00:01:08
Apple's Workaround to Court-Imposed Ban

00:01:18
Recap of Recent Events