First Thing: Netanyahu rejects Biden’s criticism of his approach to Gaza war

Israeli prime minister rejects US president’s comment that war is hurting Israel more than helping it. Plus, the best moments of the 2024 Oscars

Good morning.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has hit back at Joe Biden’s claim that his stance on the Gaza war is detrimental to Israel’s interests.

In an interview with MSNBC over the weekend, the US president said Netanyahu “must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost” in Gaza and that his approach was damaging Israel.

On Sunday, in an interview with Politico, Netanyahu responded that if Biden meant that he was “pursuing private policies against … the wish of the majority of Israelis, and that this is hurting the interests of Israel, then he’s wrong on both counts”.

Biden, who has backed Israel’s five-month war but seems increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu, said a ground invasion of Rafah was “a red line” for the White House, but then appeared to backtrack. “It is a red line but I’m never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical. So there’s no red line [in which] I’m going to cut off all weapons so they don’t have the Iron Dome to protect them,” Biden said.

What about aid? A ship carrying 200 tonnes of food to alleviate starvation in Gaza was meant to depart at the weekend, but remained docked in Cyprus on Sunday night owing to “technical difficulties”.

US airlifts embassy staff out of Haiti as gangs besiege political area

The US military has airlifted non-essential embassy staff from Haiti and sent in additional forces to reinforce embassy security, as dozens of heavily armed gang members fight for control of the political centre of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The rebellion began while the Haitian prime minister, Ariel Henry, was abroad. Foreign governments have called for their citizens to leave Haiti amid concerns that his administration could be days, or hours, from falling. Gang members have reportedly torched the interior ministry since the insurrection intensified on Friday.

Daniel Foote, the former US special envoy to Haiti, said a major international intervention, requiring between 5,000 and 10,000 police officers, was needed to reinstate order.

What are Caribbean leaders saying? They will meet on Monday in Kingston, Jamaica, to discuss the crisis. The chair of the Caribbean Community group, Guyana’s President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, said it was determined to help reach a political solution. More people have died in Haiti in the start of 2024 than in Ukraine, he said.

‘You’re trying to shame me’: Nancy Mace spars with Stephanopoulos over Trump U-turn

Republican South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace has defended her support of Donald Trump’s run for a second presidency after previously arguing that he should not hold office again following the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

“I listened to my voters in South Carolina, and they’ve moved beyond January 6th,” Mace said on Sunday, referring to Trump’s domination of the primary vote. “Voters held him accountable through our Republican primaries this year. He’s won overwhelmingly.”

She also accused ABC News’s This Week host George Stephanpolous of trying to shame her, which he denied, for supporting Trump, who has been found liable for sexually abusing E Jean Carroll. Mace has in the past spoken about being a rape survivor.

What did Stephanpolous say in response? That he was just trying to understand her endorsement, not shame her.

In other news …

Portugal’s centre-right platform has claimed victory in an election that resulted in a far-right surge. Luis Montenegro, the leader of the Democratic Alliance, an electoral plank made up of three parties, reiterated his promise not to work with the far-right Chega.

Europe is not ready for war with Russia or the possibility that a Donald Trump presidency could trigger a US Nato withdrawal, the boss of Airbus has said. Guillaume Faury, the head of Europe’s biggest aerospace and defence company, said it had relied too heavily on the US for its security.

The Princess of Wales has said she is behind an editing error that led to an authorized photograph of her and her children being withdrawn by major picture agencies. Catherine apologized for “any confusion” caused by her editing error in the first photo released since her surgery two months ago.

Stat of the day: one in four are starving – the story of Gaza’s destruction in 100 lives

Data editor Mona Chalabi’s piece illustrates the devastating impact of the war on Gaza’s 2.2 million people, by condensing the population into 100 lives: 25% are starving; 85% have been displaced; 1% have been killed.

Don’t miss this: the hippies, nerds and Hollywood pros who brought The Simpsons to life

With two movies and a run of record-breaking shows, The Simpsons has long established its reputation as a cultural behemoth. It’s now a long way from its scrappy, DIY origins, which saw creator Matt Groening move out of the underground comic strip world and into the mainstream. His collaborators explain how it came to life: “People were not used to seeing that type of humor on primetime TV. It’s hard to believe now,” says Bill Oakley, who joined the Simpsons writing room in 1992.

Climate check: Europe unprepared for rapidly growing climate risks, report finds

Europe is unprepared for the rapidly increasing climate risks facing it, the European Environment Agency has said. In its first risk assessment, the EEA said more action must be taken to deal with half of the 36 significant climate risks, while five more need urgent action. The most pressing problems are heat stress, flooding, coastal and marine ecosystem health, and a lack of solidarity disaster funds.

Last Thing: ‘My dress is broken – I think it happened during I’m Just Ken’: the best quotes of the 2024 Oscars

Winning best female actor for Poor Things, an overwhelmed Emma Stone accepted her award saying: “My dress is broken. I think it happened during I’m Just Ken … Don’t look at the back of my dress.” Check out our pick of the best Oscar quotes here.

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 [email protected]