First Thing: Trump doubles down on rift with Germany, Italy and Spain amid war on Iran
The US president has criticised Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and raised the prospect of pulling US troops from Italy and Spain. Plus, 10 big lessons on ending the fossil fuel era
The US president’s threat to Germany came after the country’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said America was being “humiliated” by Iran. Trump has severely criticised Nato allies for not sending their navies to help open the strait of Hormuz, a crucial commercial shipping corridor.
At an Oval Office event on Thursday, Trump was asked if he would consider withdrawing troops from bases in Spain and Italy over their unwillingness to get involved in his war on Iran.
“Yeah, probably,” the president replied. “Why shouldn’t I? Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.”
What has Congress been saying about the war? A senior Democrat in the Senate grilled the US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, on Thursday, accusing him of failing to give Trump an accurate picture of the war on Iran while resorting to “dangerously exaggerated” statements to create an inaccurate picture of a US military triumph.
Video shows moment shooter tried to storm White House dinner
Federal prosecutors released footage on Thursday of the moment officials say Cole Tomas Allen tried to storm last week’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in an alleged attempt to kill Donald Trump.
Amid questions about whether or not Allenfired his weapon before being subdued, Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in Washington DC, released edited security camera footage of the incident in a social media post.
In a caption, Pirro claimed the video showed Allen casing the hotel location the night before Saturday’s dinner, and then shooting a Secret Service agent as he rushed through a metal detector at a checkpoint while officers were in the process of removing at least one of the two magnetometers used for screening guests.
What’s the latest on the suspect? The man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump agreed on Thursday to remain in custody while his federal criminal case moves forward.
60 Minutes journalist decries ‘spread of corporate meddling’ at CBS News
The veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi expressed concern about “the spread of corporate meddling and editorial fear” at CBS News and her uncertainty about whether she will keep her job after she pushed back on a directive to change her December segment on Venezuelans who were sent to the Cecot prison in El Salvador.
Alfonsi spoke about the incident for the first time on Thursday evening after receiving the Ridenhour prize for courage at the National Press Club in Washington. Her comments come as the Trump administration has piled pressure on US media, and follow the CBS News editor Bari Weiss’s decision to shelve the Cecot segment on the flagship news program.
Alfonsi had alleged at the time that Weiss had spiked the story for political purposes, a significant accusation of journalistic impropriety. Weiss argued that the segment was delayed because it did not sufficiently include the perspective of the Trump administration.
What did she say about her job? Alfonsi’s future at the network is said to be in jeopardy. She acknowledged that uncertainty in her remarks. “Thank you for this award. I didn’t know that the theme was hope. My hope recently has been that I still have a job,” she said.
In other news …
The voting rights advocates who fought for majority-minority districts across the US south are organizing their next steps after a supreme court ruling on the Voting Rights Act that eviscerated much of the work of the civil rights era.
The Oscar statuette belonging to Pavel Talankin, the star and co-director of the Academy Award-winning documentary Mr Nobody Against Putin, has disappeared after officials at New York’s John F Kennedy airport confiscated it before he boarded a flight.
The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, confirmed his intention to stand for re-election for a third full term after an attempt to orchestrate a handshake between the Palestinian and Israeli delegates at the Fifa congress backfired.
Stat of the day: Press freedom at lowest level in 25 years amid growing authoritarian pressure
Press freedom around the world is at its lowest ebb in a generation, according to an influential annual index that highlights growing authoritarian pressure on the media. The average score for the 180 countries assessed by the World Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), was the lowest in the index’s 25-year history. Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on the press and journalists were described as a “systematic policy”, pushing the US down to 64th place in the index.
Culture pick: What The Devil Wears Prada 2 gets right about millennial life
Runway magazine is collapsing, Miranda is eating in the cafeteria and flying economy. In place of the glossy fantasy of the original The Devil Wears Prada, the new sequel reflects a struggling media industry. Andy is back, and while she may be accomplished, she is still grappling with job insecurity and whether she can afford to have children – echoing a wider generational shift.
Don’t miss this: Why the outrage over this dress worn to the White House correspondents’ dinner?
Although far less important than the political violence at the White House correspondents’ dinner in Washington over the weekend, Jennifer Rauchet, the wife of Pete Hegseth, caused partisan uproar by wearing a dress that resembled a gown listed on the fast-fashion outlet Shein for $42, sparking debate about what it says about our attitudes to fast fashion.
Climate check: Hope is contagious and science is king – 10 big lessons on ending the fossil fuel era
After a landmark climate meeting in Santa Marta, Colombia, where nearly 60 countries gathered to discuss ending the production and use of planet-heating fossil fuels, one thing stood out: a shift in mood. UN’s annual climate summits, or Cops, can often feel stuck and frustrating, but delegates in Colombia described the atmosphere as “euphoric”.
Last Thing: ‘Don’t fall!’ – foil boarders describe hair-raising shark chase caught on video off California coast
Ron Takeda and Tavis Boise were a few miles off the coast of Santa Barbara when they noticed a large mass trailing behind them. They quickly determined it was a massive shark in hot pursuit of Takeda. Footage of the chase has gone viral. In the video, Boise can be heard shouting: “Don’t fall!”
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