This Month
Sacked Waltz was a key adult in Trump’s room
National security adviser Mike Waltz spoke with moral and strategic clarity. His sacking means good foreign policy advice for Donald Trump grinds to a halt.
April
Hegseth said to have shared attack details in second Signal chat
The previously unreported second Signal chat is the latest in a series of developments that have put the US defence secretary’s judgment under scrutiny.
March
Pressure on Hegseth grows as strike texts revealed
The revelation that sensitive attack plans were shared on a commercial messaging app, possibly on personal mobile phones, has triggered outrage in Washington.
Release of Signal texts strains Trump’s bid to quash furore
Efforts to discredit Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg over the war plan messages is failing to gain traction outside the president’s most fervent loyalists.
Now ‘parasite’ Europe really knows what Trump thinks of it
Trump officials have demanded more European military spending and questioned the continent’s values. Leaked messages show the depth of the rift.
If Pete Hegseth had any honour, he would resign over leak
The US Defence Secretary is guilty of gross negligence for adding a journalist to a chat group that gave him a ringside seat to military strikes on Yemen.
Trump flags tariff break; US war plan leaked; Don’t let bulls fool you
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
Trump’s defence secretary sent secret war plans to journalist
Pete Hegseth discussed plans for deadly military strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in a chat group that included the editor of The Atlantic.
Pentagon says operation targeting Yemen’s Houthis is open-ended
The Pentagon said US forces had struck more than 30 Houthi targets since Saturday, including command-and-control and training sites and drone infrastructure.
‘Hell will rain down’: Trump orders strikes on Iran-backed Houthis
US president warned Tehran against supporting the militant group which has disrupted global shipping in the Red Sea.
Treating Trump as economic illiterate on tariffs is the wrong strategy
Malcolm Turnbull is right that trying to negotiate an exemption from a volatile president is foolhardy. But many are assuming there is no reason to Donald Trump’s trade policies.
January
US steps up strikes on Houthis as tensions with Israel flare
The strikes mark the latest salvo in a year-long US-led campaign aimed at halting attacks by the militant group.
December 2024
Vic Libs get new leader; ASX extends advance; Nissan merger ‘terrible’
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
WHO chief at Yemen airport as Israeli warplanes strike
“We are just getting started with them,” said Benjamin Netanyahu of the retaliatory attack on the Iran-backed militia.
US shoots down its own F/A-18 over Red Sea
The American military’s Central Command said that the two pilots had been safely recovered after they ejected from their fighter jet.
October 2024
The map that Canberra doesn’t want you to see
Australia’s military integration with the US proceeds apace, but is the Albanese government coming clean on the risks?
Beware the unintended consequences of Middle East escalation
As tensions between Washington and Tel Aviv flare again, the broader geopolitical consequences of the crisis remain difficult to discern.
Thousands around the world protest war on eve of anniversary
About 40,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London while thousands gathered in Paris, Rome, Manila, Cape Town and New York City.
Israel strikes heart of Beirut, killing six
Witnesses reported hearing a massive blast, and a security source said it targeted a building in the central district of Bachoura, near parliament.
How Israel could retaliate against Iran
Officials say Israel’s options include attacks in Iran, such as on missile launchers or oil infrastructure, some have even called for strikes against its nuclear facilities.