Good morning.
US federal agents shot two people outside a hospital in Portland a day after an ICE officer fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis.
The Portland police bureau (PPB) said in a statement on Thursday that two people were in hospital after a shooting involving federal agents, adding that their condition was not known. Police sources told the Oregonian one of the people was shot in the leg and the other in the chest.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that US border patrol agents had stopped a vehicle to search for a man they suspected of being an undocumented immigrant connected to a Venezuelan gang. The agents said they fired when the driver of the vehicle tried to run them over, the statement said.
What do local officials say? Portland’s mayor, Keith Wilson said: “We know what the federal government says happened here. There was a time when we could take them at their word. That time is long past.” He called for ICE to pause operations in Portland until the investigation was complete.
How are Democrats reacting to the shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis? Some are threatening to use the next funding deadline to forcibly restrain ICE.
The Guardian has debunked the false claims about Good’s killing here.
‘I don’t need international law,’ Trump says
Donald Trump has said his power as president is constrained only by his “own morality” and that he does not “need international law”.
Asked in an interview with the New York Times if there were limits on his power, the president said: “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.” He added: “I don’t need international law. I’m not looking to hurt people.”
Asked if his administration needed to follow international law he conceded “I do” but added: “It depends on what your definition of international law is.”
What did he say about Venezuela? When asked how long he would be “running Venezuela”, Trump said for “much longer” than a year.
What about Greenland? It “may be a choice” between obtaining Greenland or preserving the Nato alliance, he said.
Trump says he will meet Venezuela opposition leader Machado
Trump said on Thursday that he planned to meet the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, during an interview in which he threatened land strikes against drug cartels in Latin America.
Days after the US attack on Caracas and capture of the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, Trump told Fox News that Machado was “coming in next week sometime”. He had previously dismissed working with her, saying “she doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country”.
What did he say about land strikes? “We are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico.” Carrying out the threat would mark a significant escalation.
In other news …
Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli attacks in the Palestinian territory on Thursday killed at least 13 people, including five children, despite the ceasefire.
The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation to reinstate tax credits for Affordable Care Act (ACA) premiums, after 17 Republicans defied Trump and voted with the Democrats.
Scientists say they have “rejuvenated” human eggs for the first time, and predict the development could transform IVF success rates for older women.
Iran was plunged into an internet blackout on Thursday night as protests over economic conditions continued to spread.
Stat of the day: Tailpipe position affects how much air pollution we breathe, research finds
The design of car tailpipes could affect how much pollution pedestrians inhale, research has found. A person on the sidewalk experiences about 40% more air pollution when a car with an exhaust pipe close to the curb drives past, compared with a car that has an exhaust close to the road’s center.
Culture pick: Park Chan-wook has not mellowed his violence
South Korean culture is having a huge international impact, from pop music and cinema to its cuisine and cars. But that is not the version of the country the director Park Chan-wook depicts in his latest film, No Other Choice, which focuses on economic and masculine insecurities. “I think it’s more accurate to view it as a satire on capitalism,” says Park, rather than a realistic portrayal of modern Korea. He discusses being pigeonholed, his friendship with the Parasite director Bong Joon-ho, and the threat AI poses to the movie industry.
Don’t miss this: Emmylou Harris on her unlikely life as a country star
When she was starting out, Emmylou Harris, who has won no fewer than three Country Music Association awards, did not see a future in country. “It can be corny!” she says. “Country music aims straight for the heart and when it misses, it misses really badly.” But when it’s good, “there’s a soulfulness to country music that can elude you if you just look at the big picture”. Harris tells Fiona Sturges about the “serendipity” that gave her her big break.
Climate check: Trump’s exit from global climate treaties is an ‘own goal’
Trump’s decision to withdraw from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will not change the economic fact of a world turning away from fossil fuels, with global investment in renewables now double that of fossil fuels. Simon Stiell, the UN’s climate head, called Trump’s move a “colossal own goal”, and said US citizens and companies would suffer as renewables continued to get cheaper and as climate disasters intensified.
Last Thing: Gifted learner dogs can learn words by eavesdropping
Much like young children pick up new vocabulary (including swear words) from adults, some dogs learn the names of objects just by eavesdropping on conversation, researchers have discovered. The team tested 10 dogs, finding they retrieved the correct toy with a success rate of about 90% if they had previously been told its name directly, and about 80% of the time if they had only overheard its name earlier.
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