First Thing: Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ all of Iran’s South Pars gasfield if Tehran strikes Qatar | US news

Good morning.

Donald Trump has threatened to “massively blow up” the world’s largest gas field after Israeli strikes on Iran’s South Pars field prompted Tehran to take revenge on energy facilities in the Middle East.

Israel’s targeting of Iran’s giant South Pars gas field on Wednesday, hours after heavily bombing Beirut, marked a major escalation of the war. Iran then retaliated with new attacks across the region, including on Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities.

The strikes of recent days mean a serious increase; These strikes are the first to hit fossil fuel production facilities rather than areas more generally associated with the oil and gas industry.

Lawmakers and community leaders react to César Chavez’s ‘indefensible’ sexual abuse allegations

The United Farm Workers (UFW) union canceled celebrations honoring César Chávez; public figures and community organizers expressed shock and disgust after multiple women shared allegations of being groomed and harassed by the former labor organizer.

The New York Times published an investigation detailing the allegations on Wednesday; That investigation found that the UFW union co-founder, who died in 1993, groomed and sexually harassed girls involved in the movement for years.

• Who spoke? Dolores Huerta, 95, a labor rights advocate and co-founder of the UFW, issued a statement Wednesday: “I’ve kept this secret long enough. My silence ends here.” The report also includes the stories of two women, daughters of the movement’s organizers, who said they were children when the grooming and abuse began.

Kash Patel admits under oath FBI bought Americans’ location data

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is purchasing location data on Americans, FBI director Kash Patel said as he was sworn in at the Senate intelligence committee’s annual worldwide threats hearing on Wednesday.

The admission came in response to a question from Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon. “We are purchasing commercially available information that complies with the Constitution and the law under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and this has led to some valuable intelligence for us,” Patel said.

Wyden, long time rival He condemned warrantless surveillance of Americans, saying “to do so without a warrant is an ugly end to the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.”

• Is this the first time the FBI has admitted to purchasing such data? No. In 2023, FBI director Christopher Wray acknowledged that the agency had previously purchased location data from internet advertising but said it was not currently doing so.

In other news…

• Russian oil tanker goes to Cuba According to marine monitoring data, While the island suffers disruptions caused by the US economic blockade.

• Attorney General Pam Bondi refuses to comply with subpoena to testify under oath About the Justice Department’s actions regarding the Epstein files.

• The Senate rejected the measure aimed at limiting Trump’s war powers by a vote of 53 to 47. with Kentucky senator Rand Paul is the only Republican to support it.

• LGBTQ+ rights in Europe are under threat from east and west Ireland’s former taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, said this was because conservative agendas in Russia and the US were “outside the field”.

Deaths from terrorism in Nigeria increased by 46% in 2025

Even as global deaths from terrorism fell to their lowest level in a decade, deaths from jihadist attacks in Nigeria rose sharply last year, according to a new report. Nigeria records largest increase in deaths from terrorism globally in 2025; Deaths rose 46% to 750 from 513 in 2024, placing it fourth on the global terrorism index, behind Pakistan, Burkina Faso and Niger.

Filter recommendations: The 13 best non-alcoholic wines in the US in 2026

Just like alcoholic wines, there is a wide variation in quality in non-alcoholic wines. While it may be tempting to dismiss this category as bestselling grape juice, Oset Babür-Winter explains in his guide to the best non-alcoholic wines that the process of making both types is much the same: “You’re investing the effort and care that goes into making a product that tastes, smells and feels thoughtful.”

Don’t miss this: How a viral profit war triggered Mamdani’s breakup with the NYPD

When schools closed in New York due to a snowstorm, young people headed to Washington Square Park to have a snowball fight. Within an hour the police were called about the teenagers’ behaviour; The officers were then pelted with snowballs. The police commissioner described the treatment of the police as “shameful” and “criminal”, while mayor Zohran Mamdani described it as “kids throwing snowballs”. Thus ensued a snowball fight that would further escalate existing tensions between Mamdani’s agenda and the police.

Climate control: UN warns: Women and girls bear the brunt of global water scarcity

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by water scarcity and lack of sanitation around the world, delaying the economic and social development of poor countries, the UN has warned. Women are responsible for collecting water in more than 70% of rural households without running water. A 1 degree increase in temperature reduces the income of female-headed households by 34% more than male-headed households.

Latest Thing: Possum found among plush toys at airport gift shop in Tasmania

A brush-tailed possum was found among kangaroo and dingo plush toys at a gift shop at Hobart Airport in Tasmania, to the delight of customers and staff. An airport spokesman said the animal remained calm as it was safely removed from the terminal without incident, and staff now plan to hang a photo of the marsupial in the shop.

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