Europe hardens stance against Trump’s Iran war in threat to NATO

Donald Trump’s NATO allies are increasing resistance to getting involved in his Iran war, risking a deeper rupture in the already strained military bloc.

Spain closed its airspace to U.S. jets Monday, and Italy denied U.S. military aircraft bound for the Middle East permission to land at a base in Sicily, according to a person familiar with the matter. Poland said it has no plans to relocate its Patriot batteries, following a report that the U.S. has suggested Warsaw consider sending one of its systems to shore up air defenses in the Middle East.

On Tuesday, the U.S. president posted on social media his unhappiness with France’s refusal to allow planes with military supplies use its airspace. “The U.S.A. will REMEMBER,” Trump wrote.

European leaders have been walking a fine line since the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran Feb. 28. They hope to avoid antagonizing the U.S. commander in chief and keep him from undermining Ukraine’s war effort against Russia. After initially rebuffing Trump’s calls for help to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz, they have since coalesced around an offer to build a coalition to enforce freedom of navigation in the key passage after the end of active combat.

—Bloomberg News

Charlie Kirk bullet analysis uncovers no conclusive link to suspect’s rifle

Attorneys for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk last year, are seeking to delay his legal proceedings after they said federal authorities were unable to conclusively link a recovered bullet fragment to the alleged murder weapon.

In a recent court filing obtained by NBC News, Robinson’s defense team asked to postpone his upcoming May hearing so that they may have more time review evidence in the case, specifically a recent analysis from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It said “that the ATF was unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied” to their client.

A decades-old German-made bolt-action rifle — built for use in both World Wars — was found in a wooded area near the scene of the shooting.

Prosecutors have previously said DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the trigger of the firearm, the fired cartridge casing and two unfired cartridges. His defense team has meanwhile noted that forensic reports indicate multiple people’s DNA was found on some of those items, requiring further investigation.

—New York Daily News

Trump administration exempts Gulf oil and gas drilling from endangered species protections

Convening a rarely used committee for the first time in more than three decades, top Trump administration officials voted Tuesday to exempt oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from requirements that protect endangered species.

It’s a striking move that advocacy groups say could further imperil gulf wildlife like the Rice’s whale, one of the rarest whale species on earth with an estimated fewer than 100 remaining. It also drew rare opposition from Florida politicians of both parties.

The federal Endangered Species Committee, dubbed the “God Squad” by environmental groups who say it has the power to determine a species’ fate, unanimously voted to roll back protections after U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said litigation from environmental advocacy groups stands in the way of the nation’s energy supply and national security. The entire meeting lasted less than 15 minutes.

“It is essential to our national security to exempt all Gulf oil and gas activities from the Endangered Species Act requirements,” Hegseth said Tuesday.

—Tampa Bay Times

EU foreign ministers commemorate Russian massacre in Bucha

BRUSSELS — European Union top diplomat Kaja Kallas and several of the bloc's foreign ministers have taken part in events to commemorate Russia's massacre in the Ukrainian town of Bucha four years ago.

"Bucha has come to symbolize the cruelty of Russia’s war," Kallas said on Tuesday. When Bucha, located to the west of the Ukrainian capital, was recaptured by Ukrainian forces in March 2022, weeks after if was occupied by Russia, hundreds of dead civilians were recovered.

Russian officials continue to reject the accusations and claim that the atrocities in Bucha were staged. "Of the civilians killed, many were shot at close range. Some with their hands tied behind their backs," Kallas said.

"Four years after these mass killings, we remember the victims. What happened here cannot be denied." Since the atrocities in Bucha were discovered, European countries have been considering establishing a tribunal for Russia's war crimes. Kallas said the E.U. is committed to holding Russia accountable.

—dpa