CNN, MS NOW, Politico file lawsuit over Trump administration ban on White House access.

Extract from ABC News

By Brad Ryan in Washington DC with wires

• Topic:Journalism

about 1 hours ago

The CNN booth at the White House. (AP: Alex Brandon)

In short:

CNN, MS NOW and Politico have asked a Washington court to reverse Donald Trump's decision to deny them White House access.

Reporters from the three major news outlets were blocked from the White House at the weekend over reporting that the US president described as "fake news".

Leading US networks later suspended televised pool coverage of Mr Trump in solidarity with CNN.

The three American media outlets banned from the White House have taken legal action against US President Donald Trump, accusing him of a "direct assault" on constitutional free speech rights. 

CNN, MS NOW and Politico lodged a complaint in a Washington DC court after their staff's access passes were revoked over the weekend.

"President Trump has said in no uncertain terms that he would prefer only to be covered by news organisations and reporters who praise his administration," the complaint says.

"But the Constitution does not allow a president or any other government official to deprive the press of their First Amendment rights … based solely on his dislike of the content of their reporting."

The three outlets have asked the court to declare the ban in violation of the US constitution and order its reversal.

CNN reported the matter would be heard in a Washington court on Wednesday, local time.

MS NOW White House reporter Akayla Gardner, CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein and Politico White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett. (AP: Jose Luis Magana)

Pool coverage of Trump suspended

Earlier on Monday, local time, leading US broadcasters suspended televised coverage of Mr Trump in solidarity with CNN. 

The network was the designated broadcaster to provide "pool" coverage of the president, which is distributed among media outlets.

“Effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President," pool chair Bryan Boughton told other media outlets.

The five networks that share pool duties — ABC, CBS, Fox News, NBC and CNN — said in a statement: "No administration should restrict a news organisation because it objects to its reporting."

Mr Trump, who frequently clashes with reporters and complains that the media does not cover him more positively, announced the ban without warning on Friday.

Trump bans outlets from White House

Cable networks CNN and MS NOW and newsletter publisher Politico have been banned from the White House, effective immediately, with more to follow, US President Donald Trump says.

He accused the outlets of writing "fiction and lies" and told a press conference: "There is something wrong with a country that allows people to write purposely negative stories."

On Monday, he used social media to defend the ban, claiming "fake news" had "grown like a cancer" and was now a "threat to our national security".

"The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish," he wrote.

Latest escalation in anti-news campaign

The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) president, Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich, called on the Trump administration to immediately restore access.

"The implications extend beyond these organisations — a standard used to exclude one news outlet because of its coverage could be applied to any outlet in the future," Ms Heinrich said.

"The American people, through a free and independent press, must be able to scrutinise those elected to power, regardless of whether government officials view it favourably."

On Saturday, White House reporters from the two cable networks — Betsy Klein of CNN and Akayla Gardner of MS NOW — went live to report they had been turned away, their press badges deactivated, when arriving for their jobs.

Soon after, Politico said its White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett was also denied entry and had her badge confiscated.

White House turns away CNN, MS NOW, Politico reporters

The White House has denied access to journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, following through with Donald Trump's ban.

The actions were a clear escalation of Mr Trump's long-running efforts — in the courts and through administrative action — to restrict news coverage by journalists he finds objectionable and are the latest test of US First Amendment protections.

In his second term, Mr Trump and his Republican administration have upped the ante and punished certain media outlets, both in the courtroom and through regulatory action.

Mr Trump has also lashed out at individual reporters in person or over social media, sometimes in strikingly personal terms, insulting them in briefings or in his recent speech at the WHCA dinner.

ABC/AP

Australia joins global push for controls amid fears of runaway AI.

Extract from ABC News

By national affairs correspondent Jane Norman in New York

• Topic:AI

about 3 hours ago

Anthony Albanese is among 22 world leaders warning the pace of AI development "could outpace our ability to manage emerging risks”.  (Reuters: Hollie Adams)

In short:

Anthony Albanese is among 22 world leaders are urgently calling for global guardrails to ensure AI remains "under human control".

The leaders say efforts to ring-fence AI have been failing and rapid development of AI models now pose safety and security risks.

What's next?

The statement comes on the eve of the United Nations General Assembly where fears of runaway AI is expected to be a hot topic.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and more than a dozen world leaders have issued an urgent plea for global guardrails to ensure AI remains "under human control".

It's part of a demonstration by middle powers flexing their collective muscle, warning that the powerful technology poses a risk to "safety and security".

In an alarming statement — issued on the eve of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York — the 22 signatories warn "the pace of development [of AI] could outpace our ability to manage emerging risks" and efforts to ring-fence it are failing.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent earlier suggested America and China would establish an alert system to communicate "national security" level AI incidents, as the two superpowers compete for global dominance over the technology.

Albanese urges US-China cooperation on AI

Anthony Albanese urges China and the US to work together to mitigate AI risks "in the interests of humanity". 

First flagged by Mr Albanese on Saturday, the declaration warns that capable AI systems have already circumvented testing safeguards and gained unauthorised access to real-world systems.

"The rapid development of frontier AI models poses serious risks to safety and security if not appropriately managed," the statement reads.

"To realise AI's potential, industry, governments and society must act now," the statement reads.

"AI must remain under human direction, oversight and control. It must be developed and used in line with international law."

The coalition of middle powers — including Australia, Finland, Norway, Canada, Singapore and the European Commission — calls on AI companies to develop transparent safety protocols and governments to develop and coordinate common standards.

Fears of runaway AI to be at heart of UNGA debate

They also suggest the UN consider creating an international institution "convene states when capability thresholds are crossed".

Fears of runaway AI, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and the threat of climate change are set to take centre stage as world leaders gather in New York.

SpaceX's Elon Musk, Anthropic's Dario Amodei and OpenAI's Sam Altman have all backed calls for the pacing of AI development.  (AFP)

In a speech at the UN headquarters on Monday, local time, Mr Albanese will say middle powers need to step up and play a stronger role in maintaining international rules "especially right now, when we are facing one of the toughest periods in modern history".

"The war in the Middle East, an ongoing land war in Europe, the global inflation crisis, the fuel crisis and the rise of AI are incredibly serious challenges," he will tell the Partners For Multilateralism, International Law, Peace And Prosperity forum.

"To solve them, we must commit to the UN Charter and resolve to making the global system work more effectively."

The speech will come a day after Mr Albanese formally launched Australia's campaign for a two-year term on the UN Security Council from 2029, citing the risk of AI as a key reason for the push.

Albanese wants US, China to cooperate

Debate over the pace of AI development is reaching an inflection point, with Anthropic chief Dario Amodei, backed by OpenAI's Sam Altman and SpaceX's Elon Musk, calling for a coordinated slowdown.

US President Donald Trump has made it clear he views fears the AI poses an existential threat as a hoax.

Donald Trump has rejected calls for AI regulation, saying the US was "leading China" and he intended to "keep it that way".  (Reuters: Kenny Holston)

However, as Mr Trump prepares for one-on-one talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House on Thursday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested the two countries would set up a notification system called the US-China AI dialogue.

"Whether there are incidents, whether there has been something that rises up to, a national security level," Mr Bessent said.

Australia bids for UN Security Council seat

Anthony Albanese plans to trade on Australia's good name and international reputation as he officially launches the campaign for a two-year term on the powerful United Nations Security Council.

Mr Trump has previously vowed to protect against the "decimation or destruction" of AI, posting on social media: "We are leading China, and the rest of the World, and I intend to keep it that way".

Mr Albanese wants the two leaders to cooperate and strike a deal similar to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, signed in 1970 to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

"The truth is they're the big two giants here, and so we want to see cooperation," he told Insiders on Sunday.

"President Trump, of course, will act in the interests of the United States. But there's a need for all of us to act in the interests of humanity."

Two new stick insect species uncovered in Far North Queensland.

Extract from ABC News

• By Holly Richardson

• ABC Far North

• Topic:Insects

about 1 hours ago

A female example of Anchiale mabiensis. (Supplied: Angus J. Emmott)

In short:

Two new species of stick insect have been identified in Far North Queensland during research conducted by the University of Sydney.

One species is only found in one area of rainforest on the Atherton Tablelands.

What's next?

Environmental managers say there needs to be more research into invertebrate species, which are often under-researched compared to other animal groups.

Some look to the stars in the hope of finding alien life forms, but others hunt for outlandish creatures living much closer to home.

For entomologist Braxton Jones, searching for insect life was far more exciting than waiting for extra-terrestrials to show up.

"In movies, they try to design all these crazy aliens, but all you have to do is just look at the insect world because they already exist," he said.

The University of Sydney researcher has discovered two new stick insect species, Anchiale robusta and Anchiale mabiensis, in Far North Queensland.

Anchiale robusta, which has large, mottled wings and grows to a length of about 160 millimetres, was found to live in coastal rainforest from Tully to north of Cooktown.

An example of a male Anchiale robusta, one of two new species found in Far North Queensland. (Supplied: Paul D. Brock)

Anchiale mabiensis has only been observed in the Mabi Forest on the Atherton Tablelands and is slightly smaller and more slender, growing to about 115mm.

Dr Jones's findings have been published in the scientific journal Austral Entomology.

Spotting a new species

Dr Jones said the first indication of a potential new species was how it looked.

"So the colour of the wings, or the shape of the wings, or the length of their wings, and that's very consistent within that species, but it's very different between species," he said.

Braxton Jones collected samples from a number of regions. (Supplied: Braxton Jones)

Dr Jones said he was always keen to collect living females so that the eggs could be examined.

"I don't know any other organism where this applies, but you can take the egg alone, and from the egg you can identify the species," he said.

Dr Jones said Anchiale mabiensis had particularly unusual eggs, featuring a series of rings and a lid.

He said the eggs of other species were sometimes glued, buried, or featured a silk-like substance, but nothing like the new discovery.

"It's the only stick insect or the only egg that we've been able to find that has these rings on it," he said.

An under-discovered field

Dr Jones said the identification of new species was important for conservation efforts, particularly for creatures only found in small areas.

Terry Carmichael from the Wet Tropics Management Authority said the biodiversity of the region was well known and growing.

But he said the understanding of different invertebrate species was lagging behind other groups of animal life.

"It's the number one thing we hear from researchers — we don't know enough to make some decisions sometimes" Mr Carmichael said.

He said large parts of the original Mabi Forest, a home to Anchiale mabiensis, had been cleared for agriculture.

Anchiale mabiensis have so far only been found in one area of rainforest on the Atherton Tablelands. (Supplied: Angus J. Emmott)

"Mabi rainforest itself is a threatened ecological community under the Commonwealth legislation for protecting the environment," Mr Carmichael said.

"Now we have a very rare stick insect living in that Mabi Forest, it just makes it more and more special."

Dr Jones said his love for finding stick insects had never wavered and encouraged other would-be entomologists to follow his lead.

"If you have a passion for insects, pursue it, because you never grow up. You're just a kid forever,"

he said.

"You're just having so much fun going through the one life that you have, just looking at how amazing the outside world is."

Ukraine fires over 1,000 drones at Russia, including 'largest ever' attack on Moscow.

Extract from ABC News

• Topic:War

about 10 hours ago

A multi-storey apartment building that local authorities said was hit by Ukrainian drones. (Reuters: Stringer)

In short:

Russia's Ministry of Defence said its forces shot down 1,100 Ukrainian drones across the country on Sunday.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that 450 drones had been destroyed en route to the city, with an oil refinery and a residential building hit.

What's next?

The attack comes as Russia enters the third and final day of voting in its first wartime parliamentary election.

Ukrainian forces have fired more than 1,000 drones at Russia overnight, officials say, including what Moscow's mayor has described as the "largest ever" attack on the Russian capital.

Russia's Ministry of Defence said that its forces shot down 1,100 Ukrainian drones across the country on Sunday, as well as over the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and the waters of the Black Sea.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that 450 drones had been destroyed en route to the Russian capital, and a residential building was hit.

The drone strikes killed two people in the Moscow region and two more in the Russian-held part of Ukraine's Kherson region, including an election official, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and election authorities.

A residential building hit by a drone strike in Sofyino, close to Moscow. (Reuters: Stringer)

Central Election Commission (CEC) chairwoman Ella Pamfilova said a drone attack on a civilian bus killed two people, including an election official.

The attack happened in a Russian-controlled part of the Kherson region in Ukraine, RIA news agency reported on Sunday.

In the village of Sofyino, south of Moscow, a body covered in a stained blanket lay in front of a damaged apartment block, the upper windows of which were blown out.

"Glass went flying; people started screaming and shouting. I turned around, and the entrance doors had already been blown out, debris everywhere," said resident Vitaliy, who gave only his first name.

Moscow oil refinery struck

A facility at the Moscow refinery was damaged in the attack, Mayor Sobyanin said, without giving further details, news agency Interfax reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the strike on the refinery in a post on X on Sunday.

Plumes of smoke rise from fires at an oil refinery following what authorities say was a Ukrainian drone strike. (Reuters: Stringer)

"One of Russia's key oil industry facilities and the aggressor's logistics facility were hit. These are billions of dollars that sustain the war machine," Mr Zelenskyy said.

Ukrainian strikes have knocked out a significant part of Russia's oil refining capacity, triggering oil product shortages, fuel price increases and long queues at filling stations in many regions across the country's 11 time zones.

The Moscow plant, which has been targeted multiple times, processed 11.6 million metric tons of oil in 2024, producing 2.9 million tons of gasoline and 3.2 million tons of diesel, the latest available data shows.

In the wider Moscow region, in addition to the two deaths, 400 people, including 70 children, were evacuated from a 21-storey apartment block in the Ramenskoye district and a number of homes were damaged, said Governor Andrei ​Vorobyov.

A voter casts his ballot at a polling station in Donetsk, a Russian-controlled city of Ukraine. (Reuters: Alexander Ermochenko)

Russia enters final day of voting

The major attack came on the third and final day of voting in Russia's first wartime parliamentary election, with balloting virtually devoid of opposition to President Vladimir Putin's policies and all but certain to cement the Kremlin's dominance.

Behind his strongman image, Putin's world is shrinking

To his supporters Vladimir Putin restored Russia's pride. His opponents describe a strategist, strongman, gangster and mafia godfather who is living in an increasingly shrinking world.   

Mr Sobyanin said on Sunday that the "unprecedented attack" on the capital was an attempt to disrupt the elections.

"The enemy failed in this regard," he said.

Russia held voting in four Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed after the war began but still does not fully control, and in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

Kyiv has denounced the action as illegal.

Reuters/AP

White House turns away CNN, MS NOW, Politico reporters after Donald Trump's media ban.

Extract from ABC News

• Topic:World Politics

about 1 hours ago

CNN reporter Betsy Klein was one of the journalists who had her press pass confiscated. (AP: Jose Luis Magana)

In short: 

The White House has confiscated the press passes of journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, denying the reporters entry to the building's grounds.

It comes after US President Donald Trump announced yesterday he was banning the three media outlets from the White House and warned that other outlets will also be banned.

The media outlets have signalled they may contest the ban, while the White House Correspondents' Association says the ban violates press freedom protections enshrined in the US Constitution.

The White House has denied access to journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, following through with US President Donald Trump's announcement yesterday that he would ban them from the building's grounds.

All three news outlets separately said their teams' press passes were confiscated on Saturday morning, local time, when their reporters went to the White House.

They have signalled they may contest the ban on the grounds it conflicts with the US Constitution's First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press.

Donald Trump accused the three media outlets of publishing "fake news". (AP: Alex Brandon)

A CNN statement on Saturday called the ban "an illegal assault" on its constitutional right to do journalism without interference from the government. In separate statements, MS NOW and Politico said they would "defend our First Amendment rights".

MS NOW said it intends to "take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy".

CNN and MS NOW said they would continue reporting on the Trump administration, and Politico said it stands by its reporters covering the White House.

An association representing hundreds of journalists who cover the White House called the ban a violation of the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which enshrines press freedom, and called for immediate restoration of access for banned colleagues.

"Courts have repeatedly held that once the White House provides access to journalists, it cannot deny that access arbitrarily or based on the content of their reporting," said Jacqui Heinrich, president of the White House Correspondents' Association.

The White House declined to issue any new statements on the matter on Saturday, referring AFP to Mr Trump's comments on Friday announcing the bans.

A social media post by Mr Trump accused the outlets of "reporting FAKE NEWS" and said that they "shouldn't be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they're covering the President of the United States".

Trump bans outlets from White House

Cable networks CNN and MS NOW and newsletter publisher Politico have been banned from the White House, effective immediately, with more to follow, US President Donald Trump says.

He added, "Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow."

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, Mr Trump answered a question about what he meant by other outlets, by describing The New York Times and the Washington Post as examples of "fake news," although he did not specifically say he would ban them from the White House.

The New York Times in a statement called Mr Trump's latest ban "yet another retaliatory and unconstitutional threat" and said the newspaper "stands in support of the news organisations being unfairly targeted by the president".

The Washington Post in a statement on Saturday said its access to the White House is a "non-negotiable constitutional right," and called the US president's actions "a clear form of intimidation meant to silence coverage".

Mr Trump previously has tried to keep certain news outlets or specific journalists out of press gatherings.

Last year he banned the Associated Press from the pool of reporters that cover his movements because the news agency did not adopt Mr Trump's preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico after the president instructed the executive branch to call it the Gulf of America. AP has challenged the ban.

In his first term, Mr Trump's White House sought to revoke or suspend the credentials of Playboy correspondent Brian Karem and CNN's Jim Acosta, but federal judges ordered their ⁠White House press passes be restored.

Reuters/AFP

Rainfall brings 'super bloom' of Sturt's desert pea to outback SA.

Extract from ABC News

Feel good

By Olivia Mason

• Topic:Environment

26 minutes ago

Sturt's desert peas have sprung up near the border of South Australia and New South Wales (Supplied: Bella Gale)

In short:

Rainfall has prompted a super bloom of Sturt's desert peas across large parts of South Australia and New South Wales.

While typically red and black, variations seen this year in the outback include pink, white and purple flowers.

A horticulture curator says the seeds stay dormant for "many years" until the conditions are right to grow.

A perfect storm of weather conditions has seen South Australia's north erupt into a sea of colour with a super bloom of Sturt's desert peas.

"We're looking at three or four times the average [rain totals for the region]," Flinders and Outback Parks and Wildlife manager, Phillip Strachan, said.

He said the wildflowers had arrived early and were continuing to bloom en masse about the Flinders Ranges — the most rangers had seen in the area since 1974.

"It's like something out of Scotland. It's phenomenal," Mr Strachan said.

Park rangers say it is the most Sturt's desert peas they have seen in the area since 1974. (Supplied: DEW)

"I've never seen anything like it. They're everywhere.

"I don't think I've seen a more beautiful flower. It depends on what you're into, but I just reckon it's an absolute cracker looking flower."

Further east, the peas have also taken over paddocks and fields on the border of South Australia and New South Wales.

Sturt's desert peas, which typically present with elongated red petals and a large black boss in the centre, are beginning to bloom across the outback. (Supplied: Bella Gale)

Zanna Gale, who runs a sheep station 270 kilometres north of Broken Hill, said the flowers were particularly outstanding this year.

Ms Gale and her family have been documenting the array of flowers in shades of white, purple and pink, which they had previously never seen.

"We haven't seen them in the house paddock like this ever before," she said.

"It looks amazing — it's unbelievable."

Zanna Gale runs a sheep station north of Broken Hill.  (Supplied: Zanna Gale)

The Adelaide Botanic Gardens' senior horticulture curator Matt Coulter said the variations were unusual, estimating the traditional red and black flower accounted for about 99 per cent of sightings.

"It doesn't happen a lot, but because it's such a big flowering thing happening this year, we're actually starting to see some quite different colours," he said.

"To see these variations is … really quite incredible, you might just see one or two flowers within a big patch of the red and black ones, but they really stand out."

Residents of some of the nation's most remote places have been treated to a rare assortment of pea blossoms. (Supplied: Bella Gale)

He said the Sturt's desert pea seeds could stay dormant for "many years" in arid land until the conditions were right to grow.

"To the north of our state, we've had the most rain we've had in probably about 52 years since 1974, so all that moisture actually helps with the germination," he said.

Mr Coulter recently returned from a trip to the Flinders Ranges to see the flowers in the wild.

Amid the outback super bloom have been rarely-seen colour variations, like these white and pink blooms among the typical red and black. (Supplied: Bella Gale)

"It's a real super bloom going on this year and to see whole hillsides of them flowering … for me it was a bucket list thing to see for sure,"

he said.

Tricky to grow

The Adelaide Botanic Gardens grows the flower from seed collected in Roxby Downs in 1997.

"It's a really important plant to us because it's our state flora emblem of South Australia and it has been ever since the 1960s when our director at the time put it forward to become a floral emblem," Mr Coulter said.

The Adelaide Botanic Garden grows the plant from seed collected in Roxby Downs in 1997. (Supplied: Adelaide Botanic Garden)

But for green thumbs wanting to try their hand at growing the species away from its desert home, Mr Coulter warns it can be a painstaking process.

"Every single one of the seeds that we propagate, we actually look at it under a microscope and take a little nick out of it so they all will germinate at the same time, and they can germinate within two or three days by doing this technique called scarification," he said.

Mr Coulter said the plant needed very good aeration in the soil to ensure moisture did not stay around its roots.

"The funny thing is they actually like moisture, but they just don't like it to be around the roots, so you need that moisture to be able to move away," he said.

Sturt's desert peas are a protected species, meaning it is illegal to pick them on public land.  (Supplied: Bella Gale)

"But the biggest killer for them is any humidity because they come from a very arid, dry environment."

Despite the challenge, Mr Coulter did concede that the pay-off was well worth it when the flower came to fruition.

"They almost look fake, they're just so perfect," he said.