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King Charles hails ‘unbreakable’ US-UK bond despite ‘disagreements’ as he addresses joint session of Congress – live | Trump administration
King Charles hails US-UK bond as ‘unbreakable’ while acknowledging ‘differences and disagreements’
Charles acknowledged “our differences” and “disagreements” but emphasized the countries’ shared “commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm, and to salute the courage of those who daily risk their lives in the service of our countries”.
“Ours is a partnership born out of dispute, but no less strong for it… So perhaps, in this example, we can discern that our Nations are in fact instinctively like-minded – a product of the common democratic, legal and social traditions in which our governance is rooted to this day,” the King said.
He quoted Trump calling the US-UK bond “irreplaceable and unbreakable”.
Key events
The day so far
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King Charles addressed a joint session of Congress, where he made an appeal for multilateralism and joint action on climate change at a moment when Washington under the Trump presidency has retreated from both. But the king’s speech seemed to be relatively well-received, peppered with quips about royal tradition and American independence from the British crown. He hailed the US-UK bond as ‘unbreakable’ while acknowledging “differences and disagreements”. He warned of the threats facing democracies around the world and observed before the chamber filled with administration officials and legislative leaders, that “America’s words carry weight and meaning, as they have since Independence”.
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Meanwhile, James Comey has been indicted a second time by Donald Trump’s justice department, months after a federal judge dismissed its initial case against the former FBI director, a source familiar confirmed to the Guardian’s Sam Levine.
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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is set to order early reviews of eight Disney-owned ABC stations as soon as Tuesday in a dramatic escalation of the Trump administration’s fight with major media outlets, a source told Reuters. This comes after Jimmy Kimmel refused to apologize for a joke made days before the White House correspondents’ dinner shooting in which he described Melania Trump as glowing “like an expectant widow”. Since the dinner, both Trump and the first lady accused him of inciting violence.
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Applicants seeking a temporary visa to the United States must now tell a consular officer that they have not experienced harm and do not fear returning to their home country, according to new guidance issued from the state department. If they answer yes or decline to respond to either question, the chance they will be denied will skyrocket.
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Before the king’s speech, congressman Ro Khanna held a rountable with the survivors and family members of Jeffry Epstein’s abuse. The California Democrat said Charles had declined his invitation to meet with some of the survivors.
Charles ended with an appeal to the countries’ shared history, which he described as a “story of reconciliation, renewal and remarkable partnership”.
From “bitter divisions” to a defining alliance that is “one of the most consequential alliances in human history,” Charles said the arc was long but hardly guaranteed. He urged the leaders –and the people – of the UK and the US to resist isolationism.
“I pray with all my heart that our Alliance will continue to defend our shared values, with our partners in Europe and the Commonwealth, and across the world, and that we ignore the clarion calls to become ever more inward-looking,” he said.
“America’s words carry weight and meaning, as they have since Independence,” the king observed, drawing oohs and murmurs of agreement from the audience.
He then quoted Abraham Lincoln, leaving Congress with the 16th US president’s reflection that “the world may little note what we say, but will never forget what we do”.
“And so, to the United States of America, on your 250th birthday,” the king said, concluding his roughly 28-minute speech, “let our two countries rededicate ourselves to each other in the selfless service of our peoples and of all the peoples of the world.”
Charles is now pulling back the lens, warning of “the collapse of critical natural systems”.
“We ignore at our peril the fact that these natural systems – in other words, nature’s own economy – provide the foundation for our prosperity and our national security,” Charles, widely recognized as a pioneering, long-term environmental advocate, said.
In an emotional appeal to the American legislative body, he referenced the aftermath of 9/11, when the Nato alliance invoked Article five. “We answered the call together – as our people have done so for more than a century, shoulder to shoulder, through two World Wars, the Cold War, Afghanistan and moments that have defined our shared security.”
The same “unyielding resolve,” he argued, is now required to “secure a truly just and lasting peace” in Ukraine and to combat the “disastrously melting ice-caps of the Arctic”.
“The commitment and expertise of the United States Armed Forces and its allies lie at the heart of Nato, pledged to each other’s defense, protecting our citizens and interests, keeping North Americans an Europeans safe from our common adversaries,” he said.
The US-UK alliance, Charles argued, is not just strategic – it’s built on 250 years of shared principles. Calling it “truly unique,” he invoked a vision of transatlantic partnership that remains “more important today than it has ever been.”
Now, the king said, was “an era that is, in many ways, more volatile and more dangerous than the world to which my late Mother spoke, in this chamber, in 1991”.
“The challenges we face are too great for any one nation to bear alone,” he said. “But in this unpredictable environment, our alliance cannot rest on past achievements, or assume that foundational principles simply endure.”
He quoted prime minister Keir Starmer, who called the US-UK partnership “indispensable”.
“We must not disregard everything that has sustained us for the last eighty years. Instead, we must build on it,” he quoted Starmer.
Charles is charming the members of Congress, who keep laughing at the monarch’s self-deprecating humor.
Marking his first visit to Washington as King and Head of the Commonwealth, he said DC is a place that symbolizes what Charles Dickens might have called “A Tale of Two Georges”.
“My five-times Great Grandfather, King George III. King George never set foot in America and, please rest assured, I am not here as part of some cunning rearguard action,” the King quipped, drawing laughter in the chamber.
“The Founding Fathers were bold and imaginative rebels with a cause,” he continued. “250 years ago … or, as we say in the United Kingdom, just the other day…. they declared Independence.”
It drew more laughter, applause and whoops from the audience.
King Charles hails US-UK bond as ‘unbreakable’ while acknowledging ‘differences and disagreements’
Charles acknowledged “our differences” and “disagreements” but emphasized the countries’ shared “commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm, and to salute the courage of those who daily risk their lives in the service of our countries”.
“Ours is a partnership born out of dispute, but no less strong for it… So perhaps, in this example, we can discern that our Nations are in fact instinctively like-minded – a product of the common democratic, legal and social traditions in which our governance is rooted to this day,” the King said.
He quoted Trump calling the US-UK bond “irreplaceable and unbreakable”.
Charles drew laughs when he imparted a bit of ceremonial British tradition during such addresses to parliament.
“As you may know, when I address my own parliament at Westminster, we still follow an age-old tradition and take a member of Parliament ‘hostage’, holding him or her at Buckingham Palace until I am safely returned,” he said. “These days, we look after our ‘guest’ rather well – to the point that they often do not want to leave! I don’t know, Mr Speaker, if there were any volunteers for that role here today…?”
Charles then made reference to the war in the Middle East and acknowledge the recent assassination attempt against Trump at a Washington media dinner on Saturday night.
“We meet in times of great uncertainty; in times of conflict from Europe to the Middle East which pose immense challenges for the international community and whose impact is felt in communities the length and breadth of our own countries,” he said.
“We meet, too, in the aftermath of the incident not far from this great building that sought to harm the leadership of your Nation and to foment wider fear and discord. Let me say with unshakeable resolve: such acts of violence will never succeed.”
King Charles says US-UK ‘destinies as nations have been interlinked’ for centuries
Charles began his remarks with an expression of gratitude to the chamber and the American people for allowing him to address this joint meeting of Congress in recognition of the country’s 250th anniversary of the US’s declaration of independence (from Great Britain).
The lawmakers and guests in attendance rose to their feet in applause.
“For all of that time, our destinies as nations have been interlinked,” Charles continued. He began, interestingly, with a wry quip by the Irish playwright and novelist, Oscar Wilde: “We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language!”
King Charles has arrived on the dais, in the US House of Representatives, where his mother stood 35 years ago to deliver the first address by a British monarch to a joint meeting of Congress.
He will speak at the lectern, in front of House Speaker Mike Johnson and vice president JD Vance, in his role as president of the Senate.
The chamber rose to its feet for the King and Queen’s arrival, applauding without pause as they made their way through the well of the chamber to the dais. Charles shook hands with Vance and Johnson, accompanied by the Queen.
In just a few minutes, King Charles will address a joint session of Congress, only the second time a British monarch has done so after Queen Elizabeth II’s speech in 1991.
The King is expected to allude to recent strains between the UK and US while underlining that “time and again our two countries have always found ways to come together,” according to a preview shared with the Guardian.
The speech comes as part of a four-day state visit by Charles and Camilla to the US to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence from the UK.
But the placid tour comes at a turbulent time for the longstanding allies. Since returning to office, Trump has threatened to tear up a trade deal signed by the UK and US, mocked the Royal Navy and insulted the UK prime minister.
The US president’s anger with the UK and prime minister Keir Starmer is largely driven by the latter’s refusal to take part in the US and Israeli offensive against Iran, which continues to destabilize the global economy.
Charles is also expected to acknowledge the Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse in his remarks, according to congressman Ro Khanna.
Comey was charged over a picture he posted on Instagram last year in which sea shells were arranged to say “86 47”, CNN and the Associated Press reported.
At the time, the post was interpreted as a threat to Donald Trump. The number 86 can be used as shorthand for getting rid of something, and Trump is the 47th president.
Comey’s post was captioned: “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” He later removed the post, saying in a follow-up statement that he was unaware of the seashells’ potential meaning and insisting that he does not condone violence of any kind.
“I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,” Comey said in a statement. “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”
The incident was investigated by the Secret Service.
We have some new details on the gifts exchanged between the Trumps and the King and Queen.
Trump gave Charles a “custom facsimile” of a letter written from John Adams to John Jay on 2 June, 1785.
According to background provided by the White House, Adams writes that “the meeting was marked by the pomp and ceremony required by the occasion of a royal audience. But beneath the pageantry, Adams described a strong undercurrent of emotion as the King and his former subject—once bitter enemies—met face to face, as statesmen.”
Melania Trump gifted Camilla six Tiffany’s sterling silver teaspoons and White House honey, apparently a “nod to the Queen’s interest in beekeeping”.
In return, the King gave Trump a framed facsimile of the 1879 design plans for the Resolute Desk, the originals of which are held by the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. The Resolute Desk sits in the Oval office and serves as the principle desk for the US president.
The Queen gifted Melania Trump a brooch by the British jewellery designer Fiona Rae whose work “is a fusion of traditional craft skills alongside the latest developments in technology and computer-aided design”.
Comey indicted by Justice Department, again
James Comey has been indicted a second time by Donald Trump’s justice department, months after a federal judge dismissed its initial case against the former FBI director, a source familiar confirmed to the Guardian’s Sam Levine.
CNN first reported a new indictment had been filed.
Comey is one of the president’s most high-profile political adversaries and Trump has repeatedly called for his prosecution, including in an extraordinary public message to the then-attorney general Pam Bondi. Trump recently fired Bondi after growing frustrated with the lack of progress Bondi had made on prosecuting the president’s political enemies
Last year, the Justice Department first brought criminal charges against Comey, accusing him of lying to Congress over leaks to the press. The case was later thrown out by a federal judge, who concluded that the prosecutor handling the case, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed.
In the opinion, Judge Cameron McGowan Currie wrote that Halligan had “no lawful authority to present the indictment” against the former FBI director and New York attorney general, Letitia James, another political adversary of Trump’s.
But the effort to prosecute Comey appears to have been restarted by the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, who is publicly angling to be appointed permanently to the role.
This is a breaking news story:
Anna Betts
At the roundtable, the brother of the late Virginia Giuffre criticized King Charles III for not meeting with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse during his visit to the United States this week.
“Survivors are here sitting with members of Congress, still fighting to be heard, still pushing for real accountability, while many of the powerful figures connected to these systems remain just out of reach, unable to acknowledge survivors face to face,” Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts said. “You would expect this to be a moment for the king to give a message to the world that he stands with survivors.”
The discussion included relatives of Giuffre, who took her own life last year, Sharlene Rochard and Danielle Bensky, Epstein survivors, and representatives from several human rights and women’s rights organizations.
The scandal surrounding Epstein, along with the recent release of US Department of Justice files related to him, has reverberated around the world but particularly in the UK, where the relationship between Epstein and the king’s younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has plagued the royal family for several years.
Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, alleged that Mountbatten-Windsor had sexually abused her after she was trafficked by Epstein.
Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied these claims. In February, he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, stemming from allegations he may have shared confidential material with Epstein while serving as a UK trade envoy. He has denied any wrongdoing or accusations against him and has not been charged.
Earlier today on Capitol Hill, congressman Ro Khanna said King Charles declined his invitation to meet with some of the survivors and family members of Jeffry Epstein’s abuse.
The California Democrat has played a central role in forcing the disclosure of millions of sealed documents related to the late financier’s sex-trafficking network, which has rolied the British royal family.
King Charles eventually stripped his brother, the former Prince Andrew, of his royal titles and privileges over his links to Epstein.
“I thought it would have been a incredible moment and statement to show that it doesn’t matter how much wealth you have, how much power you have, no human being is dispensable and that the survivors deserve justice,” Khanna said. “He unfortunately declined that request.”
But Khanna said he had been assured by the British ambassador that there would be an acknowledgement of the survivors in the King’s speech to Congress. “I hope his flunkies don’t take out the acknowledgment from his address,” the congressman said.
Late last year, the King officially stripped his brother, the former Prince Andrew, of his HRH style and his prince title over his connection to Epstein.
Donald Trump says Oval Office meeting with King Charles was ‘really good’ and calls monarch ‘fantastic person’
Trump said the private Oval Office meeting with King Charles was “really good” and called the monarch a “fantastic person”.
The off-camera exchange avoids the fate of other foreign leaders subject to a public upbraiding by the US president and other senior administration officials.
According to the Guardian’s earlier reporting, British officials have pushed for the Oval Office meeting between the monarch and the US president to be held off camera for fear of a repeat of the scenes when Trump berated the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in front of the world’s press.
“It was a really good meeting,” Trump told reporters in brief remarks afterward. “He’s a fantastic person. They’re incredible people and it’s a real honor.”
US to embassies: deny visas to applicants who say they fear return to home country
Joseph Gedeon
Applicants seeking a temporary visa to the United States must now tell a consular officer that they have not experienced harm and do not fear returning to their home country, according to new guidance issued from the state department. If they answer yes or decline to respond to either question, the chance they will be denied will skyrocket.
The Guardian obtained a state department cable which instructs officers at every US embassy and consulate globally to amend their process and ask applicants to affirm they do not fear mistreatment if they return home as a prerequisite for the interview to continue.
The two new questions are: “Have you experienced harm or mistreatment in your country of nationality or last habitual residence?” and “Do you fear harm or mistreatment in returning to your country of nationality?”
The directive claims that the new process is designed to cut down on what the department claims are people misrepresenting themselves during the visa process.
UK News
King Charles visits New York after Trump says UK monarch ‘agrees with me’ on Iran – US politics live | Donald Trump
King Charles visits New York after Trump says UK monarch ‘agrees with me’ on Iran
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.
Britain’s King Charles will use a trip to New York today to showcase cultural and economic ties between the UK and the US at a time when the so-called “special relationship” is under strain.
It is the third day of a four-day state visit, clouded by tensions over the Iran war, that began in Washington with president Donald Trump greeting the monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla, AFP reported.
The New York leg will first see the royals take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the 9/11 memorial to mark 25 years since the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. The city’s mayor Zohran Mamdani is not expected to meet Charles privately but will join him for the ceremony.
“This atrocity was a defining moment for America and your pain and shock were felt around the whole world,” Charles told the US Congress on Tuesday.
“We stood with you then. And we stand with you now in solemn remembrance of a day that shall never be forgotten,” he added in a speech that called for unity among western powers.
It comes as Trump said Charles agrees with him that Iran should never be allowed nuclear weapons. The president’s comments are likely to cause some embarrassment to royal aides that his views have been made public.
Trump said in his speech at the white-tie event on Tuesday evening:
We’re doing a little Middle East work right now … and we’re doing very well. We have militarily defeated that particular opponent, and we’re never going to let that opponent ever, Charles agrees with me even more than I do, we’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon.
They know that, and they’ve known it right now, very powerfully.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said:
The king is naturally mindful of his government’s longstanding and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation.
In other developments:
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Todd Blanche, the former defense lawyer for Donald Trump now serving as acting US attorney general, announced two charges against James Comey, the former FBI director and deputy attorney general for allegedly “knowing and willfully making a threat to kill” the president of the United States in a social media post.
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Patrick Fitzgerald, a former US attorney for the northern district of Illinois who now represents James Comey, said that his client, “vigorously denies the charges” filed against him.
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US defense secretary Pete Hegseth will face tough questions from lawmakers about the Iran war on Wednesday during his first testimony to Congress since the start of the conflict.
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President Trump will welcomes the Artemis II astronauts to the White House later today. The capsule returned to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, almost a month after blasting off on humanity’s first lunar trip in more than a half century.
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The supreme court will hear arguments Wednesday over the Trump administration’s push to end legal protections for migrants fleeing war and natural disaster, one in a series of immigration cases the high court is considering against the backdrop of the president’s far-reaching immigration crackdown.
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The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to hold interest rates steady on Wednesday after a key policy meeting, likely the last chaired by central bank chief Jerome Powell. Policymakers will weigh the risks of surging energy prices and snarled supply chains due to the US-Israel war on Iran, with analysts widely expecting a third pause in a row.
Key events
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked King Charles for his speech in Washington yesterday.
He said:
I thank His Majesty King Charles III, royal family, the United Kingdom, and all valiant American hearts for this clarion call for unity in support of Ukraine across the Atlantic.
This is exactly what is needed to bring dignified and lasting peace to Ukraine and all of Europe. The people of Ukraine deeply appreciate all the support provided by the United Kingdom and the United States. Thank-you.
US president Donald Trump has warned Iran that “they better get smart soon” and sign a non-nuclear deal, in his latest social media post.
Trump shared an image of himself, wearing sunglasses and carrying a gun, set against the backdrop of – presumably – Middle Eastern towns and villages being bombed, with the caption “No more Mr Nice Guy”.
He wrote:
Iran can’t get their act together. They don’t know how to sign a nonnuclear deal. They better get smart soon! President DJT
In his state dinner speech King Charles appeared to suggest to president Trump that the purpose of his state visit was to “put the ‘special’ back into our relationship” – just as Queen Elizabeth II did almost 70 years ago.
Charles spoke about the ties between Britain and the US, and implied it mirrored events in the aftermath of the 1956 Suez crisis, when Elizabeth toured the US to help repair relations.
Britain was left humiliated when the US refused to support its campaign with France to regain control of the Suez canal from Egypt, and the brief conflict marked the end of the UK’s role as a global military power.
Charles told the dinner guests, who included the Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, and the golfer Rory McIlroy: “And yes, we have had our moments of difficulty, even in more recent history. When my mother visited in 1957, not the least of her tasks was to help put the ‘special’ back into our relationship after a crisis in the Middle East.”
Some of the guests laughed when the king said: “Nearly 70 years on, it is hard to imagine anything like that happening today…”
King Charles to visit New York to commemorate 9/11 victims
Britain’s King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla arrive in New York on Wednesday to commemorate victims of the 11 September terror attacks on the city.
The king and queen’s scheduled arrival in New York follows a packed day in Washington on Tuesday, when Charles delivered a speech to Congress, held private meetings with president Donald Trump amid tensions between the US and UK over the Iran war and sat down with leaders of the US tech industry, Reuters reported.
Charles and Camilla will begin their day in New York with a ceremony at the 9/11 memorial in lower Manhattan, where the twin towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed by al-Qaeda suicide bombers on 11 September, 2001. Charles is expected to meet with New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, at the ceremony.
The king will then head to Harlem to visit a grassroots community organization that created a sustainable after-school urban farming initiative in an effort to combat food insecurity, according to local media.
Meanwhile, Camilla will celebrate the 100th birthday of AA Milne’s fictional character Winnie the Pooh on behalf of her charity, The Queen’s Reading Room, which Buckingham Palace is calling a “literary engagement” event.
US supreme court to hear whether protected status of Haitians and Syrians can be revoked
José Olivares
The supreme court will hear oral arguments on Wednesday over whether the Trump administration can strip the temporary protected status (TPS) of hundreds of thousands of Syrians and Haitians, under a program that has protected them from deportation due to safety concerns in their home countries.
People with TPS are given the permission to live and work in the US because the government has deemed their home countries to be unsafe due to war, political instability or natural disasters. In the past year, the Trump administration has attempted to cut the program for various countries, opening the door to the removal of hundreds of thousands of protected immigrants in the US.
Last year, the supreme court allowed the administration to strip TPS status for more than 300,000 Venezuelans under the court’s emergency docket. Now, the court will hear arguments challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to remove the same protections from Syrians and Haitians.
If the supreme court sides with the Trump administration in its effort to cut the program for Syrians and Haitians, analysts say the administration would likely seek to end the TPS program for all countries. Nearly 1.3 million people were TPS holders at the start of the second Trump administration.
The TPS program, established in 1990, does not offer a pathway to citizenship but allows citizens from designated countries to live and work in the US if they are unable to return safely to their home countries. TPS designations can be extended by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Haitians have been protected from deportation under the TPS program since 2010 and Syrians have been protected since 2012. Earlier this month, the House passed legislation to extend the protection for Haitian immigrants under the TPS program for three years.
David Smith
A flick of Oscar Wilde here, a nod to Henry Kissinger there, a sprinkling of Charles Dickens here, a dollop of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt there. Job done!
The British monarch mobilised an elite squad of dead white men, leavened with humour and subliminal politicking, on Tuesday in a charm offensive aimed over Donald Trump’s head and squarely at the US Congress. Judging by the cheers and minute-long applause he received at the end, the soft power flex worked a treat and the special relationship lives to fight another day.
But the king’s central message – of two great nations entwined in destiny – was also an inadvertent reminder of two empires that look increasingly shabby these days with rightwing populists on the march and the ghost of the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein hovering in the shadows.
Charles became the first British king to address the Congress almost exactly 250 years after the US denounced his fifth great-grandfather as a tyrant and declared its independence. “You’ll be back,” predicted George III in Hamilton and yet cricket, damp and a lack of air conditioning never clinched the deal.
What would America’s founding fathers have made of seeing George III’s direct descendant speak to their successors? Donald Trump mused at the White House on Tuesday: “They might be absolutely shocked but probably only for a moment. Surely they would be delighted that the wounds of war healed into the most cherished friendship.”
Well, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and co would surely be more shocked to discover that they now have their own mad king in the White House. If Charles spots signs saying “No kings” on his travels, he shouldn’t take it personally.
King Charles visits New York after Trump says UK monarch ‘agrees with me’ on Iran
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.
Britain’s King Charles will use a trip to New York today to showcase cultural and economic ties between the UK and the US at a time when the so-called “special relationship” is under strain.
It is the third day of a four-day state visit, clouded by tensions over the Iran war, that began in Washington with president Donald Trump greeting the monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla, AFP reported.
The New York leg will first see the royals take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the 9/11 memorial to mark 25 years since the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. The city’s mayor Zohran Mamdani is not expected to meet Charles privately but will join him for the ceremony.
“This atrocity was a defining moment for America and your pain and shock were felt around the whole world,” Charles told the US Congress on Tuesday.
“We stood with you then. And we stand with you now in solemn remembrance of a day that shall never be forgotten,” he added in a speech that called for unity among western powers.
It comes as Trump said Charles agrees with him that Iran should never be allowed nuclear weapons. The president’s comments are likely to cause some embarrassment to royal aides that his views have been made public.
Trump said in his speech at the white-tie event on Tuesday evening:
We’re doing a little Middle East work right now … and we’re doing very well. We have militarily defeated that particular opponent, and we’re never going to let that opponent ever, Charles agrees with me even more than I do, we’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon.
They know that, and they’ve known it right now, very powerfully.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said:
The king is naturally mindful of his government’s longstanding and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation.
In other developments:
-
Todd Blanche, the former defense lawyer for Donald Trump now serving as acting US attorney general, announced two charges against James Comey, the former FBI director and deputy attorney general for allegedly “knowing and willfully making a threat to kill” the president of the United States in a social media post.
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Patrick Fitzgerald, a former US attorney for the northern district of Illinois who now represents James Comey, said that his client, “vigorously denies the charges” filed against him.
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US defense secretary Pete Hegseth will face tough questions from lawmakers about the Iran war on Wednesday during his first testimony to Congress since the start of the conflict.
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President Trump will welcomes the Artemis II astronauts to the White House later today. The capsule returned to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, almost a month after blasting off on humanity’s first lunar trip in more than a half century.
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The supreme court will hear arguments Wednesday over the Trump administration’s push to end legal protections for migrants fleeing war and natural disaster, one in a series of immigration cases the high court is considering against the backdrop of the president’s far-reaching immigration crackdown.
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The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to hold interest rates steady on Wednesday after a key policy meeting, likely the last chaired by central bank chief Jerome Powell. Policymakers will weigh the risks of surging energy prices and snarled supply chains due to the US-Israel war on Iran, with analysts widely expecting a third pause in a row.
The explosion in Dunmurry on Saturday has heightened security fears for civilians who work for the PSNI, says union representative.
Source link
UK News
Consequences of Iran war ‘may echo for months or years to come,’ EU chief warns – Europe live | European Union
EU needs to reduce its overdependency on imported fossil fuels, and focus on clean energy supply, von der Leyen says
On the Middle East, von der Leyen says that the EU “want the ceasefires in Iran and Lebanon to hold,” with urgent need to “re-establish peace and stability through diplomatic means.”
But she warns that “the consequences of this conflict may echo for months or even years to come.”
“This is the second energy crisis within four years, and the lesson should be very clear. Our overdependency on imported fossil fuels makes us vulnerable. … We must reduce our overdependency on imported fossil fuels and boost our home-grown, affordable, clean energy supply. From renewables to nuclear, in full respect of technology neutrality.”
Key events
‘On my way to Brussels!,’ incoming Hungary’s PM Magyar says ahead of EU meetings
Hungary’s incoming prime minister Péter Magyar has just posted a social media update that he is on his way to Brussels for his talks with the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council president, António Costa.
“A huge mandate, a strong mandate, a great responsibility!
We know our task: we will bring home the EU funds that Hungarians are entitled to. More soon.”
Meta found in breach of EU law for failing to keep children off platforms
Jennifer Rankin
in Brussels
The tech company Meta has been found to be in breach of EU law for failing to prevent children under 13 from using its Facebook and Instagram platforms.
Issuing the preliminary findings of a nearly two-year investigation, the European Commission said on Wednesday that Meta did not have effective measures in place to stop under-13s accessing its services.
The US tech company was unable to meet its own terms and conditions that set 13 as the minimum age to access Facebook and Instagram safely, the commission said.
Following an initial assessment, Meta was found in breach of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires it to “diligently identify and mitigate the risks” of under-13s using its platforms.
The commission said its preliminary findings “do not prejudge the final outcome of the investigation”.
A Meta spokesperson said the company disagreed with the preliminary findings.
“We’re clear that Instagram and Facebook are intended for people aged 13 and older and we have measures in place to detect and remove accounts from anyone under that age. We continue to invest in technologies to find and remove underage users and will have more to share next week about additional measures rolling out soon.”
Timmy the whale en route to North Sea as rescue operation moves from Germany
In somewhat lighter news, we know that many of you have been following the saga of Timmy the whale and the audacious attempt to rescue him from Germany and send him back to the Atlantic Ocean. Our Kate Connolly reported on this in detail.
Timmy is now properly under way towards the Atlantic, travelling at steady 4.5kn (8.5 km/h). The plan is to take him around the northern end of Denmark and then release into the wild again – but it will take a few days to get there.
You can follow his journey aboard a custom-made whale barge – essentially a giant steel aquarium – pulled by Fortuna B ship here.
Russians ‘feel they live behind digital iron curtain,’ EU chief says
In von der Leyen’s speech earlier, there was one other notable passage.
When talking about Russia, she warned that as the Russian economy is increasingly struggling with the impact of sanctions, “the Kremlin responds in an unusual way by restricting the internet and free communication.”
“So much so that Russians feel that they live behind an iron curtain again; this time a digital iron curtain. But, hon members, if history has one lesson, it’s that all walls eventually fall.”
Germany arrests man suspected of espionage for Russia
A Kazakh man was arrested in Germany for alleged espionage for Russia, which allegedly included passing on details on Germany’s military infrastructure and its support for Ukraine to Moscow.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office said the man, identified only as Sergei K, was particularly interested in the German arms and defence industry, including companies developing drones and robots, and offered hints as to “suitable targets for sabotage in Germany,” offering to recruit accomplices to help him carry them out.
He will appear in court later today.
EU needs to coordinate more on fuel reserves, focus on electrifying Europe, von der Leyen says
Von der Leyen says that “every member state has a different energy mix,” so no blanket EU solution would work.
But she calls for more coordination not just on common procurement, but also on fuel reserves, “especially jet fuel and diesel, where markets are tightening.”
She adds that the EU needs to “protect consumers and businesses,” but targeting “the most vulnerable households and industries only.”
Von der Leyen says that previously too much money was spent on “untargeted” interventions, and this needs to change.
She says the EU needs to “reduce energy demand by modernising systemic energy use,” with grid reforms,
“ Let us use this to make the switch to electricity – not just in transport, but also in industry and heating. This is not only a matter of affordability and competitiveness; this is also a matter of economic security. Thus, speaking of European independence, this is the moment to electrify Europe.”
EU needs to reduce its overdependency on imported fossil fuels, and focus on clean energy supply, von der Leyen says
On the Middle East, von der Leyen says that the EU “want the ceasefires in Iran and Lebanon to hold,” with urgent need to “re-establish peace and stability through diplomatic means.”
But she warns that “the consequences of this conflict may echo for months or even years to come.”
“This is the second energy crisis within four years, and the lesson should be very clear. Our overdependency on imported fossil fuels makes us vulnerable. … We must reduce our overdependency on imported fossil fuels and boost our home-grown, affordable, clean energy supply. From renewables to nuclear, in full respect of technology neutrality.”
‘We will continue our support to Ukraine,’ von der Leyen declares
Commission president von der Leyen is speaking now and begins with an update on the €90bn loan for Ukraine.
She says the EU always insisted it would deliver the loan “one way or the other,” and it’s now done as Hungary has dropped its veto.
The first tranche of €45bn will be paid out “this quarter,” she says.
“Our message is clear: we will continue our support to the brave Ukrainian people and their armed forces.”
She also repeats that “while Russia doubles down on its aggression, Europe doubles down on our support to Ukraine.”
Morning opening: Iran, Hungary and your holidays
Jakub Krupa
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is set to brief EU lawmakers on the bloc’s view of the Iran war and the likely impact on the European economies.
Her assessment will probably strike a tricky balance as she wants to reassure them that everything is in hand, while making it also clear that things may get tricky further down the line.
Only last week, the commission talked about a number of measures it had at its disposal to soften the blow, and sought to assure Europeans that their holidays are not (yet) at risk.
I will bring you all the key lines from her speech here.
Later today, von der Leyen will welcome Hungary’s incoming prime minister Péter Magyar as he continues his bid to get a political agreement with the EU on accelerated reforms in key areas in exchange for unfreezing billions of euros in EU funds.
Magyar, who will only formally take the job on 9 May, is a man in hurry as the future of some €10bn of EU funds need to be decided before August. It’s going to be a busy summer in Budapest. If you’re a Tisza MP, I wouldn’t book your holidays.
It’s Wednesday, 29 April 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
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