US-Iran war and Trump assassination attempt: Donald Trump lashes out at journalist, guman’s manifesto revealed

Wall Street investors’ bets on the potential of artificial intelligence sent US stock markets to records on Friday, ignoring inflation and Middle East oil shortages.

The Nasdaq rose 1.8 per cent to a record 24,836 points and the S&P/500 rose 0.8 per cent to record 7165 points to complete its fourth-straight weekly advance.

At the heart of last week’s buying were computer chip, or semiconductor, manufacturers.

As an example, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Index has risen 18 straight trading days. The exchange-traded fund (ETF) owns the 30 largest US-traded companies involved in the manufacture and sale of semiconductors required to power the AI revolution.

The market’s performance indicate investors are ignoring the Middle East for an AI windfall that could be worth trillions.

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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Saint Petersburg on Monday, state media reported.

“He arrived early on Monday morning (local time) with the aim of meeting and holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin,” Iranian state news agency IRNA posted on Telegram.

Moscow’s TASS news agency confirmed earlier that Putin plans to meet Araghchi, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Iran’s envoy in Russia, Kazem Jalali, said in a post on X that Araqchi would meet with Putin “in continuation of the diplomatic jihad to advance the country’s interests and amid external threats”.

“Iran and Russia are present in a united front in the campaign of the world’s totalitarian forces against independent and justice-seeking countries, as well as countries that seek a world free from unilateralism and Western domination,” Jalali said.

The Nightly’s Aaron Patrick has penned this analysis of the assasination attempt in Washington DC, writing that it is only likely to increase Donald Trump’s popularity.

He writes:

Mr Trump will almost certainly emerge from the attack strengthened, politically. Even Anthony Albanese, whose entire career has been dedicated to policies the MAGA movement detests, wanted credit for sending the president a “hope you’re ok” text.

That’s the kind of president he is. Even his opponents have to ingratiate themselves with him.

Read Aaron’s full piece here.

King Charles’ state visit to the US will go ahead as planned despite a shooting at a White House correspondents’ dinner attended by President Donald Trump.

Charles and Queen Camilla are due to arrive in America for a four-day state visit, but questions arose after a man opened fire on security personnel near the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday, local time.

“I think it’s great; he’ll be very safe,” Trump said in an interview on CBS. “The White House grounds are really safe.”

Mr Trump also said there was no indication from authorities that there were additional threats to himself or other officials.

US authorities believe the shooting likely targeted the president and administration officials, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said.

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Donald Trump has lashed out during a tense exchange with a 60 Minutes reporter after she read aloud claims from alleged gunman Cole Allen’s manifesto, which labelled the president a “pedophile, rapist and traitor”.

The confrontation unfolded as Mr Trump was questioned about the shooting, with the president turning his frustration not only on the attacker’s words but on journalist Norah O’Donnell for raising them on air.

Despite saying he did not know whether he was the intended target, Mr Trump forcefully rejected the allegations and criticised the decision to broadcast them.

“I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would because you’re horrible people … Yeah, he did write that. I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody,” he said.

“I’m not a pedophile. You read that crap from some sick person? I got associated with all stuff that has nothing to do with me. I was totally exonerated… You shouldn’t read that, you’re a disgrace.”

He added that he was not concerned during the incident and defended the Secret Service response.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong will head to North Asia this week as the Albanese Government broadens its diplomatic efforts to secure oil supplies, including with China which has recently curtailed exports of jet fuel.

Senator Wong has announced she will head to Japan, China and South Korea over coming days for face-to-face discussions with her counterparts to “strengthen Australia’s relationships and our shared energy security”.

“The Middle East conflict and closure of the Strait of Hormuz continue to disrupt global energy markets, with Asian refineries and the Indo-Pacific region disproportionately affected,” she said in a statement.

“Direct, in-person engagement with counterparts across our region will help ensure we are coordinating effectively as these disruptions continue to unfold.”

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US Secret Service agents and Montgomery County Police interviewed Cole Tomas Allen’s sister at the family home in Rockville, Maryland, where she revealed concerns about his behaviour.

She said Allen had a tendency to make extreme comments and had spoken about doing “something”, according to information released by the White House.

The sister also confirmed he had purchased two handguns and a shotgun from CAP Tactical Firearms and had been storing them at their parents’ home, without their knowledge.

Authorities were told Allen regularly trained at a shooting range and was part of a group known as “The Wide Awakes”.

She also said he had attended a “No Kings” anti-Trump protest in California.

According to the White House, Allen’s social media accounts contained strong anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric.

US President Donald Trump says Iran can pick up the phone if it wants to negotiate an end to the two-month conflict, as diplomatic efforts stall and planned talks in Pakistan are called off.

Speaking on Sunday, Mr Trump made clear Washington’s position remains unchanged, insisting Tehran must abandon any path to a nuclear weapon before talks can proceed.

“If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us. You know, there is a telephone. We have nice, secure lines,” Mr Trump told The Sunday Briefing on Fox News.

“They know what has to be in the agreement. It’s very simple: They cannot have a nuclear weapon, otherwise there’s no reason to meet,” Mr Trump said.

The comments come as tensions between Tehran and Washington remain locked in a fragile stalemate, neither escalating into full conflict nor moving toward peace, with both sides appearing to wait the other out.

Hopes of progress took a hit on Saturday when Mr Trump scrapped a planned visit to Islamabad by senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Despite the setback, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has continued travelling between countries involved in mediation efforts, including a return to Pakistan, even without US officials at the table.

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A man accused of opening fire outside a high-profile White House dinner allegedly laid out his intentions in chilling detail just minutes before the attack, including how he planned to carry it out.

As US President Donald Trump and hundreds of guests attended the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen had already positioned himself inside the Washington Hilton, armed and undetected.

Authorities allege Allen sent a manifesto to family members about 10 minutes before the shooting, outlining both his targets and his reasoning.

In the document, Allen identified members of the Trump administration as his intended targets, ranking them by seniority.

“Administration officials (not including FBI Director Kash Patel): they are targets, prioritised from highest-ranking to lowest,” he wrote.

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