Tens of thousands throng US streets against ‘king' Trump
A giant orange balloon depicting President Donald Trump in a diaper towered over one 'No Kings' protest, as tens of thousands thronged streets across the United States to decry the President's policies.
Protest organisers expected rallies in all 50 US states, calling them the largest since Trump returned to office
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1News
2 hours ago
- 1News
AUKUS defence pact 'being reviewed' by US government
The US government is reportedly reviewing the AUKUS trilateral defence agreement between Australia, the UK and the US. The decision to conduct a review has been reported by multiple news outlets including Reuters, which cited US defence officials without giving further details. The review will reportedly examine whether the pact is in line with US President Donald Trump's 'America First' policy, according to the ABC which also cited a Pentagon source. AUKUS is a three-nation security alliance between Australia, the UK and the US agreed in 2021 under the prime ministership of ex-Liberal leader Scott Morrison. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds including passengers stuck on ferry overnight, new flights to Sydney coming, and the weirdest things we leave in Ubers. (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT It was formed to counter China's strategic moves in the Pacific arena and was underpinned by an agreement between the US and the UK to provide Australia with access to nuclear-powered submarine technology, to eventually replace its aging Collins-class boats. The deal is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, although the first submarine is not expected to join the Australian fleet for years. Australia, which in February made the first of six $US500 million (about $830 million) payments to the US for the boats, is expected to initially buy between three and five off-the-shelf Virginia-class boats. At the time, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump was supportive of the AUKUS deal. President Donald Trump gestures after speaking at Fort Bragg. (Source: Associated Press) "The president is very aware, supportive of AUKUS," Hegseth said after a meeting with Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles. "(He) recognises the importance of the defence industrial base." ADVERTISEMENT Marles responded that the pair had discussed how the US and Australia could advance their longstanding diplomatic relationship in terms of national security, including AUKUS. Australia's military budget is expected to rise to 2.3% of gross domestic product, or output, by 2034. The US regime has already called for Australia to increase that spending to around 3.5%. Australia tore up its $97 billion diesel-powered submarine deal with France to sign on to AUKUS and is contracted to buy several off-the-shelf submarines costing about $US4 billion each, before making its own. The first Australian-made boats are not due to be operational until the 2040s.
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
Israel and Iran strike at each other as Trump says conflict can be easily ended
Responders work amid building rubble following a strike by an Iranian missile in the Israeli city of Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, early on June 15, 2025. Photo: AFP / JACK GUEZ By Alexander Cornwell and Parisa Hafezi , Reuters Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other overnight into Sunday, as US President Donald Trump said the conflict could be easily ended while warning Tehran not to strike any US targets. Israeli rescue teams combed through the rubble of residential buildings destroyed in strikes, using flashlights and sniffer dogs to look for survivors after at least seven people were killed, including children, authorities said. Tehran has called off nuclear talks that Washington had said were the only way to halt Israel's bombing, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks by Israel so far were nothing compared with what Iran would see in the coming days. "If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before," Trump said in a message on Truth Social. "However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict." Trump gave no details of any possible deal. Iran has said 78 people were killed there on the first day of Israel's campaign on Friday, and scores more on the second, including 60 when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran, where 29 of the dead were children. The Shahran oil depot in Tehran was targeted in an Israeli attack, Iran said, but added the situation was under control. A fire had erupted after an Israeli attack on an oil refinery near the capital while Israeli strikes also targeted Iran's defence ministry building, causing minor damage, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said on Sunday. A fire blazes in the oil depots of Shahran, northwest of Tehran, on June 15. Photo: AFP/ATTA KENARE In Israel, the latest wave of Iranian attacks began shortly after 11pm on Saturday (8am NZST), when air raid sirens blared in Jerusalem and Haifa, sending around a million people into bomb shelters. Around 2.30am (local time), the Israeli military warned of another incoming missile barrage and urged residents to seek shelter. Explosions echoed through Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as missiles streaked across the skies as interceptor rockets were launched in response. The military lifted its shelter-in-place advisory nearly an hour after issuing the warning. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Sunday (local time) that they targeted central Israel's Jaffa with several ballistic missiles in the last 24 hours, the first time an ally of Iran has joined the fray. Israel's ambulance service said at least seven people were killed overnight, including a 10-year-old boy, a young girl and a woman in her 20s, and more than 140 injured in multiple attacks. Israeli media said at least 35 people were missing after a strike hit Bat Yam, a city south of Tel Aviv. A spokesperson for the emergency services said a missile hit an 8-storey building there and while many people were rescued, there were fatalities. A responder works in a damaged building following a strike by an Iranian missile in the Israeli city of Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, early on June 15, 2025. Photo: AFP / JACK GUEZ It was unclear how many buildings were hit overnight. So far, at least 10 people in Israel have been killed and over 300 others injured since Iran launched its retaliatory attacks on Friday. A round of US-Iran nuclear talks that was due to be held in Oman on Sunday was cancelled, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi saying the discussions could not take place while Iran was being subjected to Israel's "barbarous" attacks. In the first apparent attack to hit Iran's energy infrastructure, Tasnim news agency said Iran partially suspended production at South Pars, the world's biggest gas field, after an Israeli strike caused a fire there on Saturday (local time). The South Pars field, offshore in Iran's southern Bushehr province, is the source of most of the gas produced in Iran. Fears about potential disruption to the region's oil exports had already driven up oil prices 9 percent on Friday even though Israel spared Iran's oil and gas on the first day of its attacks. An Iranian general, Esmail Kosari, said on Saturday that Tehran was reviewing whether to close the Strait of Hormuz controlling access to the Gulf for tankers. With Israel saying its operation could last weeks, and Netanyahu urging Iran's people to rise up against their Islamic clerical rulers, fears have grown of a regional conflagration dragging in outside powers. Israeli medics treat people wounded in Iran's missile attack in the city of Bat Yam, a subrub of Tel Aviv, on June 15, 2025. Photo: AFP / Middle East Images / FAIZ ABU RMELEH Tehran has warned Israel's allies that their military bases in the region would come under fire too if they helped shoot down Iranian missiles. However, 20 months of war in Gaza and a conflict in Lebanon last year have decimated Tehran's strongest regional proxies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, reducing its options for retaliation. Israel sees Iran's nuclear programme as a threat to its existence, and said the bombardment was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon. Tehran insists the programme is entirely civilian and that it does not seek an atomic bomb. The UN nuclear watchdog, however, reported Iran this week as violating obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty. - Reuters See how it all unfolded on our blog:
1News
6 hours ago
- 1News
FBI releases photos of fake cop suspect in Minnesota politician's killing
The FBI has released photos of a man whom law enforcement says posed as a police officer and fatally shot a Minnesota politician in her home in what the state governor called 'a politically motivated assassination.' Hundreds of police officers have fanned out across a Minneapolis suburb in pursuit of the suspect. Authorities said the same man also shot and wounded a second lawmaker and was believed to be trying to flee the area. Democratic former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in their Brooklyn Park home. Senator John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were injured at their Champlin address, about 15 kilometres away. Authorities identified the suspect as 57-year-old Vance Boelter, and the FBI issued a reward of up to US$50,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction. ADVERTISEMENT Authorities displayed a photo of Boelter wearing a tan cowboy hat and asked the public to report sightings. Another photo of the suspect appeared to show him impersonating a police officer in a realistic latex mask, ABC News reports, citing law enforcement sources. Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said investigators obtained video as well. He did not give details on a possible motive. Another photo of the suspect appeared to show him impersonating a police officer in a realistic latex mask (Source: Supplied) Boelter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development board as Hoffman, state records show, though it wasn't clear if or how well they knew each other. The early morning attacks targeting lawmakers in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis prompted warnings to other elected officials around the state and the cancellation of planned 'No Kings' demonstrations against President Donald Trump. ADVERTISEMENT Authorities say the suspect had 'No Kings' flyers in his car and writings mentioning the names of the victims as well as other lawmakers and officials, though they could not say if he had any other specific targets. This combo from photos provided by Minnesota Legislature shows from left, Senator John A. Hoffman and Rep. Melissa Hortman (Source: Associated Press) The shootings happened at a time when political leaders nationwide have been attacked, harassed and intimidated during a time of deep political divisions. 'We must all, in Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence,' Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, said at a news conference. "Those responsible for this will be held accountable.' Law enforcement has recovered several AK-style firearms from the suspect's vehicle, and he's believed to still be armed with a pistol, one of the people familiar with the matter told the AP. Law enforcement officers including local police, sheriffs and the FBI, stage less than a mile from a shooting in Brooklyn Park, Minn. on Saturday, June 14 (Source: Associated Press) ADVERTISEMENT An overnight shooting Police responded to reports of gunfire at the Hoffmans' home shortly after 2 a.m., Champlin police said, and found the lawmaker and his wife, Yvette, with multiple gunshot wounds. After seeing who the victims were, police sent officers to check on Hortman's home, where they encountered what appeared to be a police vehicle and a man dressed as an officer at the door, leaving the house. 'When officers confronted him, the individual immediately fired upon the officers who exchanged gunfire, and the suspect retreated back into the home' and escaped, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said. Multiple bullet holes could be seen in the front door of Hoffman's home. US President Donald Trump said in a White House statement that the FBI would join in the investigation. 'Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the FBI, are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law. ADVERTISEMENT "Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!' Two Democratic lawmakers targeted Hortman, 55, had been the top Democratic leader in the state House since 2017. She led House Democrats in a three-week walkout at the beginning of this year's session in a power struggle with Republicans. Under a power-sharing agreement, she turned the gavel over to the top Republican, Rep Lisa Demuth, and assumed the title speaker emerita. Walz described her as a 'formidable public servant, a fixture and a giant in Minnesota every day, determined to make this state a better place.' 'She is irreplaceable,' he said. Hortman and her husband had two adult children. ADVERTISEMENT Hoffman, 60, was first elected in 2012 and played a key role as chair of the Senate Human Services Committee, which oversees one of the biggest parts of the state budget. He and his wife have one daughter. State Patrol Col Christina Bogojevic asked people 'out of an abundance of caution' not to attend any of the 'No Kings' protests that were scheduled for across the state on Saturday. Bogojevic said authorities didn't have any direct evidence that the protests would be targeted, but said the suspect had some 'No Kings' flyers in their car. Organisers announced that all of the protests across the state were cancelled. The suspect Boelter was appointed to the workforce development board by then-Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton in 2016 and then reappointed in 2019 by the current governor to a four-year term that expired in 2023, state records show. ADVERTISEMENT State corporate records show Boelter's wife filed to create a company called Praetorian Guard Security Services LLC with the same Green Isle mailing address listed for the couple. On a website for the business, Boelter's wife is listed as the president and CEO while he is listed as the director of security patrols. The company's homepage says it provides armed security for property and events and features a photo of an SUV painted in a two-tone black and silver pattern similar to a police vehicle, with a light bar across the roof and 'Praetorian' painted across the doors. Another photo shows a man in black tactical gear with a military-style helmet and a ballistic vest with the company's name across the front. An online resume says he is a security contractor who has worked oversees in the Middle East and Africa, in addition to past managerial roles at companies in Minnesota. Massive search effort underway Hours after the shootings, hundreds of police and sheriff deputies from departments in the region, some in tactical gear with assault-style weapons were scattered through the town. An alert sent to people's cellphones asked residents to continue sheltering in place as police were still looking for a suspect 'who is armed and dangerous.' ADVERTISEMENT 'Suspect is white male, brown hair, wearing black body armor over blue shirt and blue pants and may misrepresent himself as law enforcement. Do not approach. Call 911,' the alert said. Some roadblocks had been set up in which authorities stopped and checked vehicles. 'This is crazy, someone going after representatives. This is wrong. I'm hoping they'll catch them,' said Brooklyn Park resident Douglas Thompson, 62, adding he wasn't worried and believed authorities would catch the suspect. Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, a Republican from Cold Spring, called the attack 'evil' and said she was 'heartbroken beyond words' by the killings of Hortman and her husband, Mark. "With the law enforcement response ongoing and details still emerging, I will simply ask all Minnesotans to please lift up in prayer the victims of this horrific attack, as well as the law enforcement personnel still working to apprehend the perpetrator,' Demuth said in a statement. Political violence The shootings are the latest in a series of violent attacks against lawmakers across parties in recent years. ADVERTISEMENT In April, a suspect set fire to the home of Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, forcing him and his family to flee the building during the Jewish holiday of Passover. The suspect told law enforcement that he planned to beat Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he found him, according to court documents. In July 2024, the Republican Trump was grazed on the ear by one of a hail of bullets that killed a Trump supporter. Two months later, a man with a rifle was discovered in some shrubbery near the president's golf course in Florida and arrested by Secret Service agents. Other high-profile attacks in recent years have included a 2022 hammer attack on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi inside their San Francisco home, and a 2020 plot by anti-government extremists to kidnap Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home and start a civil war. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Saturday that he has asked Capitol Police to 'immediately increase security' for Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, both Democrats. Schumer said he had also asked Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, to hold a briefing for senators on member security. 'Condemning violence is important but it is not enough,' Schumer said in a post on X. 'We must also confront the toxic forces radicalising individuals and we must do more to protect one another, our democracy, and the values that bind us as Americans.' Additional reporting by 1News
