What you need to know
Thank you for joining our continuing live coverage of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s state visit to the United States, as well as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and related developments in Australia.
Here’s the news you need to know, or might have missed overnight:
- King Charles III is addressing US Congress at 5am AEST, becoming the second British monarch to do so after his late mother Queen Elizabeth II’s speech at the Capitol in 1991. You can watch a livestream of that speech below.
- The King and Queen Camilla remained in Washington for the second day of their four-day state visit to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence.
- US President Donald Trump said Iran has asked the US to lift a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, claiming they had informed the US they were in a “state of collapse”. The national security team has discussed an Iranian proposal to end the conflict. Mediators in Pakistan expect Iran will submit a revised proposal to end the war in the next few days, CNN reported.
- US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel hit back at criticism of his monologue delivered before the shooting in Washington, during which he quipped that first lady Melania Trump had the glow of an “expectant widow”. He said it was “obviously a joke about their age difference”.
- Alleged Washington hotel shooter Cole Tomas Allen, charged with attempting to assassinate the US president, remains in custody ahead of a bail hearing later this week.
US has ‘no closer friend’ than Britain, Trump says as he welcomes Charles
Donald Trump spoke glowingly of the special relationship between “the two most exceptional nations the world has ever known” as he formally welcomed King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the White House on the first full day of their United States visit.
The US president said America had “no closer friend than the British”, citing their shared history, language and values, as he praised Charles for his thoughtfulness and public service.
“His Majesty’s intellect, passion and devotion have long been a blessing to the British people – not only to his own country, but to the cherished bond between the United States and the United Kingdom,” Trump said. “I am very certain that it will continue that way long into the future.”
The short speech followed a lavish welcome ceremony on a wet South Lawn of the White House, after which the two men sat down for a bilateral meeting.
US justice department asks judge to let White House ballroom proceed
The US Justice Department has asked a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit that has impeded President Donald Trump’s plans for a White House ballroom, saying its opponents “suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome” and that an alleged assassination attempt on the president showed the project was necessary.
In a nine-page court filing, Justice Department leaders said Saturday’s foiled attack at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner demonstrated why a White House ballroom is required for national security.
“If any other President had the ability, foresight, or talents necessary, to build this ballroom, which will be one of the greatest, safest, and most secure structures of its kind anywhere in the World, there would never have been a lawsuit,” Justice Department leaders said in the court filing. “But, because it is DONALD J. TRUMP, a highly successful real estate developer, who has abilities that others don’t, especially those who assume the Office of President, this frivolous and meritless lawsuit was filed.”
The filing said the preservationist group behind the lawsuit is “very bad for our Country,” suffers from “TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME” and “is represented by the lawyer for Barack Hussein Obama.”
Iran in a ‘state of collapse’, wants Strait of Hormuz open: Trump
US President Donald Trump said Iran has asked the US to lift a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz while the two sides negotiate an end to the two-month war, which has upended global energy supplies.
Tehran wants the critical waterway for oil and gas shipments open “as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation,” Trump said on Truth Social on Tuesday (US time). Iran has said it’s in a “State of Collapse,” he added.
The US leader on Monday convened his national security team to discuss an Iranian proposal to end the conflict, which began with US and Israeli airstrikes on the Islamic Republic on February 28.
Mediators in Pakistan expect Iran will submit a revised proposal to end the war in the next few days, CNN reported, citing sources close to the mediation process.
Bloomberg
What you need to know
Thank you for joining our continuing live coverage of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s state visit to the United States, as well as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and related developments in Australia.
Here’s the news you need to know, or might have missed overnight:
- King Charles III is addressing US Congress at 5am AEST, becoming the second British monarch to do so after his late mother Queen Elizabeth II’s speech at the Capitol in 1991. You can watch a livestream of that speech below.
- The King and Queen Camilla remained in Washington for the second day of their four-day state visit to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence.
- US President Donald Trump said Iran has asked the US to lift a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, claiming they had informed the US they were in a “state of collapse”. The national security team has discussed an Iranian proposal to end the conflict. Mediators in Pakistan expect Iran will submit a revised proposal to end the war in the next few days, CNN reported.
- US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel hit back at criticism of his monologue delivered before the shooting in Washington, during which he quipped that first lady Melania Trump had the glow of an “expectant widow”. He said it was “obviously a joke about their age difference”.
- Alleged Washington hotel shooter Cole Tomas Allen, charged with attempting to assassinate the US president, remains in custody ahead of a bail hearing later this week.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
