Diplomatic efforts, not ships, best way to support US: Albanese

Thanks for reading Need to Know this Wednesday, December 20. Here are some of today’s top stories.

Colorado Supreme Court disqualifies Trump from holding office: The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) declared former President Donald Trump ineligible for the White House under the US Constitution’s insurrection clause.

Diplomatic efforts, not ships, best way to support US: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said that diplomatic efforts are the best way to support freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, after Australia declined a US request for greater support in the region.

UN vote on Gaza delayed another day: Talks continue to try to avoid a third US veto of action over the two-month-long Israel-Hamas war, diplomats said.

Australia joins allies in condemnation of Houthi attacks: A statement, co-signed by 44 nations, called for “all states to refrain from facilitation or encouragement of the Houthis” and said that attacks on commercial vessels “threaten international commerce and maritime security”.

US considers airstrikes against Houthi rebels: Planning is underway for actions intended to cripple the Houthis’ ability to target commercial ships by hitting the militant group at the source, according to four people familiar with the matter.

Far North Queensland braces for more flooding as ex-cyclone lingers: Another Queensland community is bracing for major flooding as a town’s evacuation and the search for an elderly man continues.

Another Far North Queensland community is bracing for major flooding as a town’s evacuation and the search for an elderly man continues.

Rain and floodwaters caused by ex-tropical cyclone Jasper are easing north of Cairns allowing the clean-up to begin, with authorities vowing to return power by Christmas Eve.

Emergency crews are set to visit all 35 isolated communities by Wednesday, while the evacuation of flood-hit Wujal Wujal residents to Cooktown is expected to be completed.

The Australian Defence Force is assisting, sending two Chinook helicopters that are helping with the evacuation of Wujal Wujal.

About 100 people have already been relocated to Cooktown from the Aboriginal community, with the remainder set to be transported on Wednesday.

The search for an 85-year-old man missing at nearby Degarra will also continue, although police say they have “grave concerns” for his safety.

However, major flooding is now forecast for Kowanyama, putting the remote Cape York Peninsula community on high alert.

Emergency crews have already evacuated vulnerable residents in the area in preparation.

Queensland Police’s Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy said the Kowanyama community was “well and truly prepared”, stocking up on food and fuel.

“Jasper is refusing to go away and its remnants are now causing issues for communities further up the peninsula,” Deputy Premier Cameron Dick said.

Some far north areas have had two metres of rain over the past week, prompting hundreds to flee their homes or seek shelter on rooftops before being rescued.

The US and its allies are considering possible military strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, in recognition that a newly announced maritime task force meant to protect commercial ships in the Red Sea may not be enough to eliminate the threat to the vital waterway.

Planning is underway for actions intended to cripple the Houthis’ ability to target commercial ships by hitting the militant group at the source, according to four people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing internal deliberations. They underscored that the US still wants diplomacy to work and hasn’t decided to go ahead.

Even so, one of the people said the Pentagon is preparing to offer President Joe Biden the possibility of what was described as a “heavy” response to the Iran-backed militants. Asked on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) about possible military action, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said he wouldn’t “telegraph any punches one way or the other”.

The quickening discussions reflect a belief that the US and its allies may need to do more to protect commercial trade passing through the Red Sea after a wave of Houthi attacks prompted a number of major companies to reroute their vessels around the southern tip of Africa, a lengthier and thus costlier journey.

The multinational task force announced on Monday would expand current US efforts in the Red Sea, which have focused on shooting down incoming missiles and drones when possible and coming to the aid of ships that are hit.

Strikes on the Houthis in Yemen, where they are based, would be fraught with risks. Among the biggest: the potential for a broader regional conflict – exactly the outcome the Biden administration has sought to avoid after Israel launched its ground campaign against Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip in response to the group’s October 7 attack in southern Israel.

Police officers in Victoria have called off industrial action after a breakthrough in negotiations between the Police Association and Victoria Police.

Over the past month, officers have been participating in 19 work bans, including attempting to drive down revenue from traffic cameras as the union pushed for nine-hour shift lengths and a four per cent pay rise.

Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said industrial action had been called off after Victoria Police committed to implementing the shift length. However, the wages dispute has not been resolved.

Negotiations between the union and Victoria Police will continue in 2024. In the meantime, members, will receive a 1.75 per cent “good will” pay rise, Mr Gatt said.

He described it as a significant step but warned the union reserves the right to resume action at any time.

“This is just a pause on industrial action because we’ve seen a breakthrough on a key issue,” Mr Gatt told 3AW radio. “But we still have plenty of work on these other issues that we need to progress.”

Victoria Police said it had signed an agreement to extend the current enterprise bargaining agreement until May and would continue to negotiate in good faith.

“During this time we will explore the feasibility of implementing nine-hour shifts for police, provided it can be achieved within agreed rostering principles, current resourcing levels and government wages policy,” a spokesperson said.

A planned vote on stepping up industrial action was set to open on Christmas Eve, but the union has scrapped that ballot.

If successful, it would have resulted in most speeding drivers escaping penalties and changes to policing of major events including the Australian Open.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said that diplomatic efforts are the best way to support freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, after Australia declined a US request to allies for greater support in the region.

“The US understands that the best way for Australia to support this is through diplomatic support, and our resources have been prioritised in our region,” Albanese said.

Albanese said that Australia will send other additional military personnel to the Middle East instead.

Australia today joined in an international condemnation of Houthi rebels attacks against shipping vessels in the Red Sea. Albanese said, “We think it is important that navigation and freedom of movement be allowed [in the Red Sea].”

Donald Trump’s spokesman has labelled a Colorado Supreme Court decision that disqualified former president Donald Trump from the ballot in the state’s presidential election “flawed” and “undemocratic”.

Steven Cheung said Trump would appeal the decision after the court found the former president was ineligible for the White House under a rarely used provision of the US Constitution that bars officials who have engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” from holding office.

“Unsurprisingly, the all-Democrat appointed Colorado Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump, supporting a Soros-funded, left-wing group’s scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden by removing President Trump’s name from the ballot and eliminating the rights of Colorado voters to vote for the candidate of their choice,” Mr Cheung said.

“We have full confidence that the US Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favour and finally put an end to these un-American lawsuits.”

The US Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority includes three Trump appointees.

Similar lawsuits in Minnesota and New Hampshire were dismissed on procedural grounds.

Meanwhile, a judge in Michigan ruled last month that the issue was political and not for him to decide, and an appeals court affirmed the decision not to disqualify him.

The case was brought by a group of Colorado voters, aided by the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, who argued that Trump should be disqualified for inciting his supporters to attack the Capitol in a failed attempt to obstruct the transfer of presidential power to Joe Biden after the 2020 election.

Noah Bookbinder, the president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said Tuesday’s ruling “is not only historic and justified, but is necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country”.

Newly elected New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon says that New Zealand’s nuclear ban will not be a stumbling block to military co-operation between the two countries.

“AUKUS is a very important element in ensuring we have peace and stability in the region,” Luxton said.

“But we have our nuclear-free position and that is non-negotiable for us.”

Luxon said that New Zealand is “committed to doing our share of heavy lifting” in the Pacific region, and would look to increase cooperation between the two militaries.

Australian prime minister agreed that there were “opportunities for greater co-operation between our militaries,” noting that the AUKUS agreement received support and understanding at the recent Pacific Islands Forum.

A handpicked lieutenant to Proud Boys leader Henry ‘Enrique’ Tarrio was sentenced Tuesday (Wednesday) to 40 months imprisonment and will be released soon from jail after cooperating with federal prosecutors against co-conspirators convicted of plotting to keep Donald Trump in office through violence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The sentencing comes as Trump was barred from participating in 2024 election by the Colorado Supreme Court for breaching the constitution’s insurrection clause in relation to his role in the January 6 violence.

Charles Donohoe, 35, a Proud Boys organiser from North Carolina, did not testify at the trial of Tarrio and others found guilty of seditious conspiracy earlier this year, but he was originally indicted with them and charged with plotting to stop Congress’s certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory.

Donohoe is the first key cooperator from the group to face sentencing. Prosecutor Jason McCullough urged US District Judge Timothy Kelly to “send an important message” to deter future criminal conspiracies to commit political violence, and to encourage plotters to abandon and expose such plans to authorities.

“I knew what I was doing was illegal from the very moment those barricades got knocked,” Donohoe told the court, apologising to his family, law enforcement officers and “America as a whole” for his actions, the Associated Press reported.

“Mr Donohoe fully accepts responsibility for his acts and decisions, and he is committed to never repeating them,” Assistant Federal Defenders Lisa Costner and Ira Knight said in sentencing papers. “He wholly acknowledges his responsibility for the role he played in the events of January 6, and he regrets his actions and words.”

Donohoe pleaded guilty in August 2022 to plotting to obstruct an official proceeding and to assaulting or impeding officers. He faced a recommended 70-month prison term, according to federal guidelines and court sentencing officers.

But prosecutors sought roughly half that – 35 to 43 months – after the former Marine who deployed to Iraq and who served as a contractor protecting CIA operatives in Afghanistan admitted his role communicating with and organising other Proud Boys members on the ground in Washington.

Details of Donohoe’s cooperation were redacted in a government sentencing memo requesting leniency. However, his actions with the Proud Boys included “nuking” the encrypted chats used by a leadership group after Tarrio’s arrest on January 4, 2021 and setting up a new group.

Widespread rain has dampened the threat from a major bushfire burning in northwest NSW as locals assess the damage from the blaze.

Residents living near the Duck Creek Pilliga Forest outside Narrabri have faced two days of emergency warnings as the fire swelled to cover nearly 130,000ha.

But the fire threat was downgraded to “advice” level – the lowest rating – shortly before midnight on Wednesday after thunderstorms earlier caused erratic behaviour from the blaze.

The bushfire was being brought under control later in the morning following more than 27 mm of rain at Narrabri overnight.

“The fire is by no means out, however given the fire behaviour in recent days (the) weather is a most welcome change,” the NSW Rural Fire Service said.

Building-assessment teams were not able to access the fireground on Tuesday due to the dangerous conditions.

The bushfire remains about 17 km south of Narrabri, home to more than 12,000 people and 20 km west of Boggabri.

The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) declared former President Donald Trump ineligible for the White House under the US Constitution’s insurrection clause and removed him from the state’s presidential primary ballot, setting up a likely showdown in the nation’s highest court to decide whether the front-runner for the GOP nomination can remain in the race.

The decision from a court whose justices were all appointed by Democratic governors marks the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.

“A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment,” the court wrote in its 4-3 decision.

Colorado’s highest court overturned a ruling from a district court judge who found that Trump incited an insurrection for his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, but said he could not be barred from the ballot because it was unclear that the provision was intended to cover the presidency.

The court stayed its decision until January 4, or until the US Supreme Court rules on the case.

“We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” wrote the court’s majority. “We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favour, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.”

Trump’s attorneys had promised to appeal any disqualification immediately to the nation’s highest court, which has the final say about constitutional matters. His campaign said it was working on a response to the ruling.

Colorado officials say the issue must be settled by January 5, the deadline for the state to print its presidential primary ballots.