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| | | | | First Thing: Trump says US will ‘own’ Gaza and that Palestinians should leave | | | President’s comments, which in effect endorsed ethnic cleansing, have been condemned globally. Plus, CIA reportedly offers to buy out its staff Don’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up here | | | | Donald Trump said the Gaza Strip could become the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA | | Clea Skopeliti | | | Good morning. Donald Trump has said the US will “take over” Gaza and that Palestinians could live in “peace and harmony” elsewhere, in effect endorsing the ethnic cleansing of the territory despite the opposition of Palestinians and neighbouring countries. Speaking alongside the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the US would “own” the war-torn territory, which he said could become the “Riviera of the Middle East”, and he refused to rule out sending US troops there. Trump called for Jordan, Egypt and other Arab states to take in Palestinians from Gaza, who he said had no alternative but to abandon the coastal strip, which must be rebuilt after nearly 16 months of a devastating war between Israel and Hamas militants. He said he would support resettling Palestinians “permanently”, going beyond his previous suggestions that Arab leaders have already steadfastly rejected. What did Netanyahu say? He praised Trump as “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House” and said “it’s worth paying attention” to his idea. What have Arab leaders said about the resettlement of Palestinians? They have strongly rejected the idea, while Hamas has condemned it as an “expulsion from their land”. CIA reportedly offers buyouts to entire workforce as Trump slashes government | | | | | The CIA is reportedly aligning itself with Donald Trump’s national security priorities. Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP | | | | The Central Intelligence Agency offered to buy out its entire workforce on Tuesday, citing efforts to align itself with Donald Trump’s goals, the Wall Street Journal and CNN have reported. Applicants who have a conditional offer have had it frozen, an aide to the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, told the WSJ, with some of these likely to be rescinded unless the candidate’s background appears to support the agency’s new aims, which include targeting drug cartels, Trump’s trade war and weakening China. A spokesperson for the agency told CNN the decision was part of Ratcliffe’s efforts to “ensure the CIA workforce is responsive to the administration’s national security priorities,” and that it was “part of a holistic strategy to infuse the agency with renewed energy”. How many federal workers have been offered buyouts? The White House offered 2 million full-time federal employees buyouts last week as Trump guts the civil service. Trump’s pick for key national security position linked to far-right figures | | | | | Joe Kent, the president’s nominee for director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Photograph: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images | | | | Donald Trump’s nominee to lead US counterintelligence has called for the FBI to surveil “antifa” groups, and faces questions over millions of dollars in campaign finances, his employment with a mysterious military contractor and his links to the far right. Joe Kent has been criticized for his proximity to white-nationalist activists including the Nazi sympathizer Nick Fuentes, and for the revolving cast of far-right activists involved in his failed congressional campaigns. The former Green Beret and CIA operative has received donations from the tech mogul Peter Thiel. If he becomes director of the National Counterterrorism Center, he will work under Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, in one of the US government’s most important intelligence roles. In other news … | | | | | Civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo displaced by fighting between state forces and the M23 rebel group. Photograph: Arlette Bashizi/Reuters | | | | Hundreds of women were raped and burned alive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after a Rwandan-backed rebel group entered the easterncity of Goma last week and set a prison on fire. Police said 11 people died at a campus housing an adult education centre in southern Sweden in what the prime minister described as the worst mass shooting in the country’s history. The US Postal Service has suspended its delivery of parcels sent from China and Hong Kong amid the growing trade war between the US and China. Activists critical of Italy’s prime minister may have had their phones targeted by military-grade spyware, WhatsApp has said. Stat of the day: 8,340 women and girls likely to die from pregnancy complications due to Trump’s 90-day USAid shutdown | | | | | Part of a USAid delivery of sorghum to Sudan, where people face starvation due to violence, floods and displacement. Photograph: Leni Kinzli/WFP | | | | Donald Trump’s order to freeze funds to USAid for 90 days will directly result in 8,340 women and girls becoming likely to die from complications during pregnancy and childbirth, analysis found. US funds make up $4 out of every $10 spent globally on humanitarian aid. Don’t miss this: How did it all go so wrong for Emilia Pérez? | | | | | Wildly implausible plot … Karla Sofía Gascón and Adriana Paz in Emilia Pérez. Photograph: Shanna Besson/Netflix via AP | | | | Less than two weeks ago, the film Emilia Pérez was everywhere, with countless profiles of its star, Karla Sofía Gascón, and 13 Academy Award nods. Things changed quickly: you know things aren’t great when a movie’s lead is putting out statements like “I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain”. A number of social media posts by Gascón have been uncovered with offensive comments about Muslims, George Floyd, China, and the Oscars themselves. But, judging by the reactions from Mexican audiences, it seems Emilia Pérez went wrong long before that, reports Steve Rose. Climate check: Limiting global heating to 2C is ‘dead’, warns leading scientist | | | | | The analysis concluded that recent cuts in sun-blocking shipping pollution had raised temperatures more than thought. Photograph: scphoto/Alamy | | | | The international target of limiting global heating by 2C is “dead”, according to the renowned climate scientist Prof James Hansen. Basing his conclusion on new analysis, Hansen said the speed at which Earth is heating had been significantly underestimated. Last Thing: Workshy ‘marshmallows’? Why older generations have been criticizing young people’s work ethic forever | | | | | ‘Generations have been fighting about who has it worse since before we invented generations. There’s something comforting about it,’ writes Anna Spargo-Ryan. Photograph: Yuliya Furman/Alamy | | | | After a hospital administrator in Australia complained that the future would be staffed by a “workforce of clinical marshmallows”, Anna Spargo-Ryan points out that older people bashing the young as workshy is a tale as old as time: even in the 1920s there were columns about the laziness of youths. “And in another 40 years, if we still have above-water land masses, someone named Jayden will be shaking his sleeve tattoo at Gen Delta.” Sign up | | | | | | First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you’re not already signed up, subscribe now. Get in touch If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com | |
| | | Betsy Reed | | Editor, Guardian US |
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| | I hope you appreciated this newsletter. Before you move on, I wanted to ask whether you could support the Guardian’s journalism as we begin to cover the second Trump administration.
As Trump himself observed: “The first term, everybody was fighting me. In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.”
He’s not entirely wrong. All around us, media organizations have begun to capitulate. First, two news outlets pulled election endorsements at the behest of their billionaire owners. Next, prominent reporters bent the knee at Mar-a-Lago. And then a major network – ABC News – rolled over in response to Trump’s legal challenges and agreed to a $16m million settlement in his favor.
The Guardian is clear: we have no interest in being Donald Trump’s – or any politician’s – friend. Our allegiance as independent journalists is not to those in power but to the public.
How are we able to stand firm in the face of intimidation and threats? As journalists say: follow the money. The Guardian has neither a self-interested billionaire owner nor profit-seeking corporate henchmen pressuring us to appease the rich and powerful. We are funded by our readers and owned by the Scott Trust – whose only financial obligation is to preserve our journalistic mission in perpetuity.
With the new administration boasting about its desire to punish journalists, and Trump and his allies already pursuing lawsuits against newspapers whose stories they don’t like, it has never been more urgent, or more perilous, to pursue fair, accurate reporting. Can you support the Guardian today?
We value whatever you can spare, but a recurring contribution makes the most impact, enabling greater investment in our most crucial, fearless journalism. As our thanks to you, we can offer you some great benefits. We’ve made it very quick to set up, so we hope you’ll consider it. | | However you choose to support us: thank you for helping protect the free press. Whatever happens in the coming months and years, you can rely on the Guardian never to bow down to power, nor back down from truth. | | Support us |
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