20 h. ago Aukus deal to move ‘full steam ahead’ after surviving Trump review

The Pentagon said on Thursday it has endorsed the tripartite Aukus security pact with the United Kingdom and Australia, which would involve Canberra’s acquisition of at least three Virginia-class nuclear submarines within 15 years. The administration of Donald Trump said earlier this year it was reviewing a 2021 deal for the nuclear-powered attack submarines signed under his presidential predecessor, Joe Biden. The Department of Defence completed its five-month review, which endorsed the Aukus...

Politics

3 d. ago National Guard shooting suspect pleads not guilty to murder from hospital bed

The suspect accused of shooting two National Guard members in an ambush in downtown Washington last week was charged on Tuesday with murder and other offences as he made his first court appearance, appearing remotely from a hospital bed. A judge ordered Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, held in custody without bond, citing the “sheer terror” of the shooting blocks from the White House that killed one member of the National Guard and critically injured a second. Lakanwal pleaded not guilty to all...

Events

4 d. ago National Guard shooting suspect was ‘radicalised in US’, Noem says

US authorities believe the Afghan immigrant accused of ambushing National Guard members in Washington DC was not radicalised until after he came to the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Sunday. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press and ABC’s This Week, Noem said authorities think alleged shooter Rahmanullah Lakanwal was already living in Washington state when he became radicalised. Investigators were seeking more information from family members and others, Noem...

Events

6 d. ago US halts asylum cases after troop killing as Trump steps up migrant crackdown

The United States is freezing all asylum decisions, officials said on Friday, as President Donald Trump hardens his anti-migrant stance after an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard members this week in Washington. Wednesday’s attack on the soldiers – one of whom died from her injuries – has ignited a fresh crackdown on foreigners in the United States, with Trump also pledging to suspend migration from “third world countries”. Joseph Edlow, director of the US Citizenship and...

Events

7 d. ago National Guard shooting suspect faces murder charge after 1 soldier dies

Charges against the man accused of shooting two National Guard members have been upgraded to first-degree murder after one of the soldiers died, the US attorney for the District of Columbia announced on Friday, while investigators continue to seek a motive. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24 were hospitalised in critical condition after the Wednesday afternoon shooting near the White House. Trump announced on Thursday evening that Beckstrom had died. US Attorney...

Events

8 d. ago Trump orders review of immigrant visas after National Guard attack

The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it would review the immigration status of every permanent resident or “green card” holder from Afghanistan and 18 other countries following the attack on National Guard troops in Washington. The announcement came as US President Donald Trump said that one of the National Guard members, 20-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, had died of her wounds, while the other, Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, was ‘fighting for his life’. US officials have...

Events

8 d. ago Afghan suspect drove across US to attack National Guard members, officials say

An Afghan national who worked for the CIA in his native country and arrived in the US in 2021 drove across the country from Washington state to shoot two West Virginia National Guard members just blocks from the White House, US officials said on Thursday. Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, declined to provide a motive for Wednesday afternoon’s brazen act of violence, which comes as the presence of troops in the nation’s capital and other cities around the country has...

Politics

8 d. ago National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom dies from shooting wounds: Trump

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that West Virginia National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died of her wounds from the shooting attack near the White House a day earlier. Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe is fighting for his life, the president said, while the suspected gunman was in a serious condition. The alleged gunman – an Afghan national who worked for the CIA in his native country and arrived in the US in 2021 – drove across the country from Washington state to conduct the...

Events

8 d. ago National Guard member dies from wounds in Washington shooting

US President Donald Trump said that one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot by an Afghan national near the White House had died, calling the shooter who had worked with the CIA in his native country a “savage monster”. As part of his Thanksgiving call to US troops, Trump said that he had just learned that Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died, while Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, was “fighting for his life”. “She’s just passed away,” Trump said. “She’s no longer with us....

Events

8 d. ago National Guard member dies as Afghan attacker’s past CIA link emerges

US President Donald Trump said that one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot by an Afghan national near the White House had died, calling the shooter who had worked with the CIA in his native country a “savage monster”. As part of his Thanksgiving call to US troops, Trump said that he had just learned that Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died, while Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, was “fighting for his life”. “She’s just passed away,” Trump said. “She’s no longer with us....

Events

9 d. ago 2 National Guard soldiers shot in ‘targeted’ attack near White House

Two members of the National Guard were shot on Wednesday in a busy area near the White House in downtown Washington, officials said, putting the building into lockdown with US President Donald Trump away in Florida. FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters that the soldiers were critically wounded, clarifying earlier erroneous reports that they had died. “Two of our brave members of the National Guard were brazenly attacked in a horrendous act of violence. They were shot. They’re in critical...

Events

9 d. ago National Guard soldiers shot near White House, suspect in custody

Two National Guard soldiers were shot on Wednesday near the White House in what officials described as a targeted ambush, and the suspect was in custody after suffering gunshot wounds during the attack. Investigators identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national from Washington state, according to a Justice Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The attack is being investigated as an act of terrorism, the official said. Lakanwal came to the US in...

Events

9 d. ago FBI probes motive in ‘ambush’ shooting of soldiers near White House

Investigators led by the FBI’s joint terrorism task force sought clues on Thursday to what drove an Afghan immigrant to open fire on two National Guard soldiers mere blocks from the White House in what officials called an “ambush” attack on Thanksgiving eve. The two soldiers, part of a militarised law enforcement mission ordered by US President Donald Trump months ago and challenged in court by officials of the District of Columbia, were hospitalised in critical condition. The suspect, who was...

Events

2 w. ago Judge orders Trump end National Guard deployment in Washington DC

A US federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to end its months-long deployment of National Guard troops to help police the nation’s capital. US District Judge Jia Cobb concluded that President Donald Trump’s military takeover in Washington DC illegally intrudes on local officials’ authority to direct law enforcement in the district. She put her order on hold for 21 days to allow for an appeal, however. District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued to challenge the...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump urges broadcast regulator to revoke ABC licences over Khashoggi query

The White House ratcheted up its attack on ABC News Wednesday, a day after US President Donald Trump criticised an ABC News correspondent for asking Saudi Arabia’s crown prince about the 2018 killing of a Washington Post columnist. The fresh critique came as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said on Wednesday it was opening a review of agreements between national networks and local broadcast stations. Trump suggested the commission should move to revoke the broadcast licenses of...

Politics