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After months of delay, Congress approved Cofa funding for north Pacific nations but Washington needs to show it can deliver for the wider regionA dysfunctional US Congress finally got its act together and approved a $7bn funding package for three Pacific nations. After years of negotiations and more recently, months of delay by US lawmakers, Congress late Friday cleared the way for the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau to renew the Compacts of Free Association (Cofa) agreements that fund critical services for the next two decades, and keep open a special migration pathway to the US.In return, the American military secures exclusive access to vast north Pacific territories and the unilateral use of strategically located military facilities - a bargain for the US in these contested times.Dr Meg Keen is the director of the Pacific Islands program at the Lowy Institute. She is the former director of the Australia Pacific Security College and senior policy adviser to RAMSI.Mihai Sora is a Research Fellow in the Pacific Islands Program and Project Director of the Aus-PNG Network. Continue reading...

Chair Michael Whatley and co-chair Lara Trump move to reorganize the party, with an expected cull of 60 membersDonald Trump's new leadership team at the Republican National Committee started the process of ousting scores of staffers on Monday night, clearing out its ranks as they prepare to bring the committee under the wing of the Trump 2024 presidential campaign, sources familiar with the matter said.The RNC is expected to cull about 60 people across the political, data and communications departments. At least five members of the senior staff will be let go and some third-party contracts may also be cancelled. One source familiar with the situation described it as an absolute bloodbath". Continue reading...

Report includes White House employees' January 6 testimonies that dispute former aide Cassidy Hutchinson'sUS House Republicans on Monday released a report they said contradicted sensational January 6 committee testimony in which a former aide to Donald Trump described being told that as the attack on Congress unfolded, the then president was so eager to join supporters at the Capitol he tried to grab the wheel of his car.The testimony of ... four White House employees directly contradicts claims made by Cassidy Hutchinson and by the select committee in the final report," read the report by the House administration subcommittee on oversight, which searched for alleged bias or malpractice in the January 6 investigation. Continue reading...

President proposes tax breaks for families and lower healthcare costs - and exhorts big companies to pay your fair share in taxes'Joe Biden took another swipe at Donald Trump on Monday as the president revealed his $7.3tn budget proposal for 2025 that offers tax breaks for families, lower healthcare costs, a smaller federal deficit and higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy.Biden made the remarks in an afternoon appearance in Goffstown, on the outskirts of Manchester, New Hampshire. Referring to the former president as my predecessor", as he did repeatedly during last week's fiery State of the Union speech, Biden condemned Trump for making $2tn in tax cuts" during his single term, and expanding the federal deficit". Continue reading...

Students and teachers can discuss sexual orientation and gender identity under settlement that clarifies what is allowed in schoolsStudents and teachers will be able to speak freely about sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida classrooms, provided it's not part of instruction, under a settlement reached Monday between Florida education officials and civil rights attorneys who had challenged a state law which critics dubbed don't say gay".The settlement clarifies what is allowed in Florida classrooms following passage two years ago of the law prohibiting instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades. Opponents said the law had created confusion about whether teachers could identity themselves LGBTQ+ or if they even could have rainbow stickers in classrooms. Continue reading...

Intelligence agencies say competitors are challenging longstanding rules of the international system ... and US primacy'US intelligence agencies say the country faces an increasingly fragile world order," strained by great power competition, transnational challenges and regional conflicts, in a report released as agency leaders testified in the Senate.An ambitious but anxious China, a confrontational Russia, some regional powers, such as Iran, and more capable non-state actors are challenging longstanding rules of the international system as well as US primacy within it," the agencies say in their 2024 Annual Threat Assessment. Continue reading...

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Civil rights advocates call for release of police bodycam video after Ryan Gainer killed on Saturday by deputy responding to 911 callA sheriff's deputy in southern California shot and killed a 15-year-old boy who was holding a gardening tool, officials said.The San Bernardino county sheriff's department was responding to a 911 call on Saturday from a family reporting that a boy, identified as Ryan Gainer, was attacking his family at their home in Apple Valley, east of Los Angeles. The department said he was holding a 5ft gardening tool and approaching the first deputy who arrived at the scene when the deputy shot him. Gainer was later taken to a hospital where he died. Continue reading...

US president praises legacy of fierce advocate' Fudge, 71, who says she is leaving with mixed emotions'Housing and urban development secretary Marcia Fudge announced Monday that she would resign her post, effective March 22, saying she was leaving with mixed emotions".A former mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, and later an Ohio representative in Congress, Fudge, 71, served as HUD secretary since the start of Joe Biden's administration. Continue reading...

Endorsement from 15 groups marks launch of Students for Biden-Harris amid concerns over president's ageA coalition of youth voters on Monday gave Joe Biden's re-election campaign a welcome shot in the arm amid swirling concerns over the president's age and mental acuity.The endorsement from 15 groups of mostly gen Z and young millennial voters was announced to mark the launch of Students for Biden-Harris, an initiative from the campaign designed to recapture the support of younger voters who helped propel Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House in 2020. Continue reading...

Trial set to begin on 25 March, one of four federal criminal cases the presumptive Republican presidential nominee faces

Peter Navarro, sentenced to four months, was held in contempt by House, charged by DoJ and found guilty in September

Sunday's elections marked the end of voters' patience with the failed socioeconomic policies of both main partiesIf the westernmost nation of mainland Europe was once seen as a paragon of sensible governance, it is now set for months or even years of political instability. Neither Portugal's outgoing Socialists (PS) nor the centre-right Social Democratic party (PSD) were able to garner a majority in Sunday's elections, ending the night barely one point apart and with a two-seat difference in the Assembleia da Republica. All eyes are now on the third force, the far-right party Chega (Enough"), which quadrupled its parliamentarians from 12 to 48. Here is the real headline: an unprecedented victory for the far right in Portugal's democratic history.Snap elections were called last November after the Socialist prime minister, Antonio Costa, resigned after the launch of an investigation into alleged illegalities in his administration's handling of large green investment projects. (Costa was not accused of any crime, saying that while his conscience was clear, he felt he had no choice but to step down.) After more than eight years of eventful but unwavering leadership, the nation was left adrift. The opposition leader, Luis Montenegro, had been in place for just over a year when the government fell. The Socialists quickly, yet overwhelmingly, elected former infrastructure minister Pedro Nuno Santos to be their new leader.Joana Ramiro is a freelance journalist based in London and a contributor to the Portuguese news platform Setenta e Quatro Continue reading...

Footage posted to social media showed attendees at a party event kicking a martial arts dummy wearing a Joe Biden mask

Trump has detailed plan' to end war, Hungarian leader tells state news after controversial meeting in FloridaDonald Trump will not give a penny" to Ukraine if he is re-elected US president, the far-right Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, said after a controversial meeting with Trump in Florida.He will not give a penny in the Ukraine-Russia war," Orban told state media in Hungary on Sunday. Therefore, the war will end, because it is obvious that Ukraine can not stand on its own feet." Continue reading...

The worst aspect of VAR is the way it has persuaded fans and pundits there can be absolutely clarity over every decision

Republican told woman's story in State of the Union rebuttal and implied it occurred under Biden instead of Bush's presidency

Real estate company, called My Home in Israel, boasts luxury apartments for sale across Israel and the occupied West BankHundreds of people marched through the suburb of Teaneck, New Jersey, on Sunday, in protest of a real estate fair held in the Keter Torah synagogue that featured an Israeli company pitching properties in Israel and the occupied West Bank.Organized by several Jewish organizations including the Northern New Jersey branch of Jewish Voice for Peace, along with Teaneck for Palestine, the protestors marched 1.4 miles from the Teaneck Armory to the synagogue, waving flags, beating drums and chanting Free Palestine!" Continue reading...

Reject Aipac coalition aims to blunt impact of pro-Israel group that has given millions to opponents of progressive DemocratsA coalition of progressive organizations has announced a fundraising, lobbying and organizing effort to counter the influx of spending by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) into primary campaigns against progressive Democrats.The effort, called Reject Aipac, is in part a response to the ongoing congressional support for Israel's campaign in Gaza, which has claimed more than 30,000 Palestinian lives since 7 October, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in Israel. Continue reading...

The first rule of celebrity is that once you crank up the publicity machine, keeping secrets is out of the questionNot since Trotsky vanished from the Soviet politburo portrait has photo-editing caused such a storm. What dark secrets lie behind the daughter's misaligned sweater, the blurred skirt and the twisted zip? What dynastic horror is being concealed by the Princess of Wales's missing wedding ring? What are we not being told?Questions over the princess's abdominal operation follow hard on the heels of those over the king's cancer. Both suggest something has been seriously wrong with the health of senior members of the royal family, something that they want to keep private. It has not worked. That subtlest of art forms, publicity manipulation, has gone awry. The palace must be asking, where is some nonsense from Prince Harry when we most need it?Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Pilot and passengers die after plane crashes in woods in Hot Springs on SundayA small private jet crashed in woods on Sunday afternoon near a small airport in rural Virginia, killing a child and four other people aboard, police said.The twin-engine IAI Astra 1125 went down amid trees along an airport road in Hot Springs, a community in the shadow of the Allegheny Mountains, killing the pilot, three other adults and a child, Virginia state police said in a statement. Continue reading...

Police say preliminary investigation shows husband fatally stabbed wife and children in state's worst mass killing since 1999Hawaii police said on Sunday they were investigating what appears to be the murder-suicide of a family, including three children, by its patriarch at a Honolulu home.Despite police's description of the incident as a murder-suicide, such crimes since the 1980s have been known as family annihilations. Communities - especially in the US - often perceive those crimes to be isolated tragedies. However, an Indianapolis Star investigation found there had been an average of one family annihilation somewhere in the country every five days since 2020.In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Israeli prime minister rejects US president's comment that war is hurting Israel more than helping it. Plus, the best moments of the 2024 OscarsGood morning.The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has hit back at Joe Biden's claim that his stance on the Gaza war is detrimental to Israel's interests.What about aid? A ship carrying 200 tonnes of food to alleviate starvation in Gaza was meant to depart at the weekend, but remained docked in Cyprus on Sunday night owing to technical difficulties".What are Caribbean leaders saying? They will meet on Monday in Kingston, Jamaica, to discuss the crisis. The chair of the Caribbean Community group, Guyana's president, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, said it was determined to help reach a political solution. More people have died in Haiti in the start of 2024 than in Ukraine, he said. Continue reading...

Aipac ran ads highlighting Dave Min's 2023 drunk-driving arrest, yet Min beat out other Democrats in primary for Katie Porter's seatThe American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), the most powerful pro-Israel lobby group in the US, poured more than $4.5m into an Orange county congressional race in hopes of keeping Dave Min from advancing to the November election.But on Tuesday, the California state senator did exactly that - outpacing his Democratic competitor Joanna Weiss to come in second in the primary for the seat of Congresswoman Katie Porter. Continue reading...

After successes in Michigan, Minnesota and Hawaii, local organizers urge voters to keep pressure on Biden for ceasefireThe movement among Democrats to cast a Gaza protest vote against President Joe Biden in the primary election moves to Washington state on Tuesday.Organizers with Vote Uncommitted WA have been working for two weeks to ramp up outreach to voters via phone, text, online and in-person connections to explain how they can use their primary ballots to check uncommitted delegates" to send a message to Biden in support of a permanent ceasefire. Continue reading...

I stupidly said yes to a job I should have run a mile from. This must stopI'm working on something right now that involves reading a book I don't understand. It's on a topic so abstract and vast that I've cried several times trying to understand the first few chapters. The thing is, when I was offered this job, I knew I was temperamentally unsuited and too stupid for it. The conventional test for whether to agree to some future task is: would I want to do it if it were happening today? My answer would have been: Absolutely not - are you crazy?" So why didn't I say no?Memoirist Leslie Jamison recently wrote in the New York Times about her Notebook of Noes", where she lists everything she turns down (speaking gigs, magazine commissions) and what that allows her to say yes to (more time with her daughter, her partner, her writing). It was inspiring: I cannot stress how little I am in demand, but even so, there are things I should decline (work I'm too dim for) to say yes to others (spying on garden bird drama). Continue reading...

When I got back on the apps, I made up my mind to embrace midlife, menopause and online dating. So much for optimismI need an online dating intervention. Or a miracle.It's 2am and I'm wide awake - weary, wired and spun out.Shanti L Nelson is a writer and photographer Continue reading...

Republican congresswoman, who has spoken about surviving rape, accused ABC host of trying to shame her about her pastRepublican South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace says she is unbothered by her choice to support Donald Trump's run for a second presidency despite previously arguing that he should not hold office again because his supporters attacked the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.I listened to my voters in South Carolina, and they've moved beyond January 6th," Mace said Sunday on ABC News's This Week, alluding to how the former US president dominated the recent presidential preference primary in that state as well as others. Voters held him accountable through our Republican primaries this year. He's won overwhelmingly." Continue reading...

Claremont Institute officials closely involved with Society for American Civic Renewal, which experts say is rooted in Christian nationalismThe president of the rightwing Claremont Institute and another senior Claremont official are both closely involved with the shadowy Society for American Civic Renewal (SACR), an exclusive, men-only fraternal order which aims to replace the US government with an authoritarian aligned regime", and which experts say is rooted in extreme Christian nationalism and religious autocracy.The revelations emerge from documents gathered in public records requests, including emails between several senior members of SACR: Claremont president Ryan P Williams; its director of state coalitions and Boise State University professor Scott Yenor; and others including former soap manufacturer and would-be warlord" Charles Haywood. Continue reading...

Boston are beating opponents by near record margins so far this campaign. But there are signs they may crack again when the pressure is really onWhen they crushed the Golden State Warriors 140-88 at the start of this month, the Boston Celtics simultaneously exorcised some of the ghosts of the 2022 NBA finals and added further lustre to what is on course to be a historically high-achieving regular-season campaign.Thanks to 29 points from Jaylen Brown and 27 from Jayson Tatum on his 26th birthday, it was the third-highest margin of victory in Celtics history and their third 50-point win of the season - an NBA record. It was also their 11th win in a row, a run during which they had demolished their opponents by an average of 22 points, a margin of victory unmatched in NBA history over a single-season winning run of 10 or more games. Continue reading...

Aerospace group chief executive urges UK and Europe to pool efforts and merge fighter jet programmesEurope is unprepared for war with Russia or the risk that Donald Trump could withdraw the US from Nato and needs to ramp up spending on defence equipment, the boss of Airbus has said.Guillaume Faury, the chief executive of Europe's biggest aerospace and defence company, said it was a defining moment" for the continent's defence industry, after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 brought war to western Europe's borders. Continue reading...

Christopher Nolan's blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer has triumphed at this year's Oscars, taking home seven awards including best picture, best actor and best director. The atomic bomb drama lost its box office battle with Barbie during last summer's Barbenheimer showdown, but has now won the awards war. Greta Gerwig's Mattel comedy won just one Oscar, for best original song

The annual Oscars broadcast kicked off several minutes behind schedule after hundreds of protesters obstructed the red carpet and entrance to the Dolby Theatre, preventing many of Hollywood's biggest stars from getting to the show on time. Ahead of and during the red carpet, pro-Palestinian protesters shouted at fans and stars alike: Ceasefire now! Free Palestine."

US Forest Service reports two other skiers with serious injuries after hitting rocks and numerous other falls throughout the dayThe steep bowl at Tuckerman Ravine on New Hampshire's Mount Washington has long made it a favorite spot for expert skiers and snowboarders who are seeking adventure beyond the comparative safety of the state's ski areas.But hard and icy conditions on Saturday turned the bowl deadly. Continue reading...

From Kevin De Bruyne's magic to Kai Havertz's tumble, we hand out honors (and dishonors) from the top-flight weekendWelp, Manchester City have taken notes from the NBA and figured out how to set screens on set pieces. Continue reading...

Jaylen Johnson charged with manslaughter after shooting death of his mother at their home's back door in St Louis suburbA 25-year-old Missouri man says he mistook his mother for an intruder before shooting her to death at their home's back door.Prosecutors have charged Jaylen Johnson with manslaughter and armed criminal action in connection with the shooting death on Thursday of his mother, Monica McNichols-Johnson.The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...

Comments come amid voters' views on president's age continue to be a growing liability for his re-election campaignTop Democrats came to Joe Biden's defense on Sunday, emphasizing the president's viability for re-election amid his colleagues' worries that voters see him as too old - concerns compounded by Donald Trump's lead over him in recent polls.On ABC This Week, host George Stephanopoulos pointedly asked Biden's transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg: How can an 81-year-old incumbent be the candidate of change? It's so critical in presidential elections." Continue reading...

Republican denied hiding fact that the abuse she referred to in her State of the Union rebuttal had actually occurred during Bush eraIn her first interview since delivering her widely ridiculed rebuttal to Joe Biden's State of the Union speech, Republican senator Katie Britt refused to apologize for invoking a story about child rape that she implied resulted from the president's handling of the ongoing crisis at the southern US border - even though the abuse occurred years earlier in Mexico while her party controlled the White House.Britt, 42, appeared on Fox News Sunday and denied hiding the fact that the rape and sex trafficking case to which she referred had actually occurred during the presidency of George W Bush. She also made it a point to criticize what she called the liberal media" for how they have covered her rebuttal to Biden's speech on Thursday, which earned being parodied on the latest episode of Saturday Night Live. Continue reading...

Move follows Alabama's recent killing of death row inmate Kenneth Smith using previously untested methodThree of the largest manufacturers of medical-grade nitrogen gas in the US have barred their products from being used in executions, following Alabama's recent killing of the death row inmate Kenneth Smith using a previously untested method known as nitrogen hypoxia.The three companies have confirmed to the Guardian that they have put in place mechanisms that will prevent their nitrogen cylinders falling into the hands of departments of correction in death penalty states. The move by the trio marks the first signs of corporate action to stop medical nitrogen, which is designed to preserve life, being used for the exact opposite - killing people. Continue reading...

About 400 more jobs at risk as cosmetics retailer struggles to pay suppliers in Australia after UK parent's collapseThe Body Shop has filed for bankruptcy in the US and Canada and is struggling to pay suppliers in Australia as the group's most profitable overseas businesses struggle with cash shortages after its UK parent's collapse last month.The US arm of the ethical cosmetics group has ceased trading at its 50 outlets. On Saturday, it filed for Chapter 7 insolvency, under which assets are sold off to clear debts, putting about 400 jobs at risk including those in a distribution centre that still holds millions of dollars-worth of stock. Continue reading...