US President Donald Trump has accused a member of Congress and frequent critic of his of marrying her own brother.

In a speech given in Florida, Trump repeated a long-disproven myth about Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar.

"I believe she married her brother, which is totally illegal," Trump said.

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"Although, it's a lovely couple, actually, but it's a little bit on the illegal side."

Trump then pretended to be speaking as the couple.

"'Darling, I love you very much.' 'Goodnight, brother. Let's go to bed'," he said.

"Isn't she despicable."

Omar has denied the rumour of her marrying her brother since it began circulating on the internet in 2016.

The rumours appeared to accuse Omar's then-husband of being related to her, which was not true.

She did not mince her words when responding to Trump's comments today.

"This unhinged rant would solicit anger if it wasn't coming from a criminal, who has 34 felony convictions, held accountable for rape and accused of being a pedo," she wrote on X.

"I still don't know how anyone would willingly humiliate themselves like this but here we are. 

"(By the way), the pedophile protection party should find new material for their deflection."

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Omar has represented Minneapolis in Congress since 2019.

As one of the most progressive politicians in Washington, she has frequently been the focus of Trump's ire.

"She comes here from Somalia and she tells us how to run the United States of America," he said.

"She says 'the constitution gives me certain rights and I demand I be given those rights'."

"Get the hell out. What a phony."

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Omar was born in Somalia before moving to a refugee camp in Kenya as a child. 

They arrived in the US in 1995 when she was 12 or 13. Five years later she became a US citizen.

When Omar was allegedly assaulted at an event in January, Trump said she probably set it up herself.

Omar was sprayed with a foul-smelling brown substance while speaking in Minneapolis.

"She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her," Trump said the next day.

In the same speech Trump said it was "treasonous" to suggest the US was not winning the war with Iran.

"We get the radical left to say, 'We're not winning, we're not winning.' They don't have any military left. It's unbelievable," the president said.

"It's actually, it's actually, I believe it's treasonous, okay. You want to know the truth – it's treasonous."

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The United States will withdraw about 5000 troops from Germany in the next six to 12 months, the Pentagon said, fulfilling President Donald Trump's threat as he clashes with the German leader over the US war with Iran.

Trump had threatened to withdraw some troops from the NATO ally earlier this week after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the US was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticised Washington’s lack of strategy in the war.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that the “decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theatre requirements and conditions on the ground.”

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Germany hosts several US military facilities, including the headquarters of its European and Africa commands, Ramstein Air Base and a medical center in Landstuhl, where casualties from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were treated. US nuclear missiles are also stationed in the country.

The number of troops leaving Germany would be 14 per cent of the 36,000 American service members stationed there.

Nico Lange from the Center of European Policy Analysis told The Associated Press earlier this week that they primarily serve US interests, including “the projection of American power globally,” rather than helping with the defence of Germany.

Trump ignored questions from reporters about the withdrawal on Friday as he boarded Air Force One in Ocala, Florida, following a rally to tout his economic agenda.

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Trump made a similar threat in his first term, saying he would pull about 9500 of the roughly 34,500 US troops who were then stationed in Germany, but he didn’t start the process and Democratic President Joe Biden formally stopped the planned withdrawal soon after taking office in 2021.

The mercurial US leader has mused for years about reducing the American military presence in Germany, and has railed against NATO for its refusal to assist Washington in the war, which began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Trump wrote Wednesday on social media that the U.S. was reviewing possible troop reductions in Germany, with a “determination” to be made soon. On Thursday, he was still thinking about Merz, posting that the German leader should “spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine” and “fixing his broken Country” than concerning himself with Iran.

American allies in NATO have braced for a US troop withdrawal since Trump took office, with Washington warning that Europe would have to look after its own security, including that of Ukraine, in the future.

Depending on operations, exercises and troop rotations, around 80,000-100,000 U.S. personnel are usually stationed in Europe. NATO allies have expected for more than a year that the US troops deployed after Russia launched its all-out war on Ukraine in February 2022 would be first to leave.

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Ed Arnold, an expert in European security at the Royal United Services Institute, or RUSI, in London, said Europe is more concerned about issues like a US redeployment of Patriot missile systems and ammunition from Germany to the Middle East.

In October, the U.S. confirmed that it would reduce its troop presence on NATO’s borders with Ukraine. The move to cut 1500-3000 troops came on short notice and unsettled NATO ally Romania, where the military organisation runs an air base.

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Australians are set to be hit by major tax changes, including losing access to a popular concession, in this year's federal budget, which is shaping up to be one of the most significant in decades. 

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has pledged to deliver an "ambitious" set of national accounts on May 12 in the face of global conflict and rising inflation, while also saying the economy is being held "hostage" by the war in Iran.

The budget is set to contain three central packages — tax reform, spending savings, and productivity and investment — that are set to address the intergenerational inequity issues younger people are facing.

Here is what you can expect when Chalmers delivers his budget later this month.

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Tax reform 

The government has been dancing around exactly what tax reform it will hand down, but two of the measures that are at least on the table are changes to the $22 billion-a-year capital gains tax (CGT) discount and negative gearing.

Critics have blamed the combination of the policies for contributing to the housing crisis, with a Greens-led Senate inquiry earlier this year finding the CGT discount is flawed and benefits investors over first-home buyers.

An Oxfam report earlier this year found nearly half the beneficiaries of the CGT discount were 24,000 of Australia's richest people.

The specific reforms, including whether grandfathering provisions will be included for investors who are using the discount and negative gearing, are still a bit of a mystery.

The government hasn't confirmed the changes, but has repeatedly failed to rule them out when given the chance, with Chalmers and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese instead saying the budget will tackle intergenerational unfairness in the tax system and housing market.

"What we are determined to see is a fairer economy that works for more people, including for younger people," Chalmers said this week.

If reformed, it would be the first time the CGT discount is rolled back since the Howard government raised it to 50 per cent in 1999 and the first time negative gearing is changed since it was temporarily limited by the Hawke/Keating government in 1987. 

In his pre-budget speech in March, Chalmers said the tax reform package would also make the system simpler and sustainable and drive business investment but only "if we can afford to". 

"How much of that we can do in May depends a bit on fiscal considerations, international developments, and also, of course, cabinet deliberations," he said at the time.

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NDIS cuts 

Health Minister Mark Butler announced $15 billion would be cut from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) over the next four years to clamp down on ballooning costs and prevent it from becoming "an ATM for shonks, grifters, fraudsters and crooks".

Changes include tighter criteria, standardised and evidence-based assessments, fraud prevention and reduced spending on social and community participation per participant and daily activities.

Initial modelling shows the changes will reduce the number of people on the NDIS from 760,000 to 600,000 by the end of the decade. 

"It costs too much and is growing too fast," Butler said in April.

"We can't afford for the NDIS to continue growing at its current rate."

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Defence boost

Defence will receive an additional $53 billion over the next decade, increasing spending to 3 per cent of Australia's GDP by 2033 under the NATO methodology.

US President Donald Trump has been pressuring Australia and NATO countries to raise their defence spending, complaining that the US does a lot of the heavy lifting.

The funding boost, announced last month by Defence Minister Richard Marles, was partly paid for by the sale of military land and will deliver greater warfare capabilities, systems and communications.

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Cheaper fuel

The federal government halved the fuel excise and removed the Heavy Vehicle Road User Charge from April 1 to June 30 to provide some relief for motorists facing soaring fuel costs, which will be funded in the budget.

The measure was estimated to reduce fuel costs by 26.3 cents per litre and almost $19 on a 65-litre tank.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is monitoring fuel prices across the country to ensure the cost savings are being passed on.

More announcements 

• $1000 instant receipt-free tax deduction for work-related expenses for about 6.2 million workers.
• Reducing the private health insurance rebate for those over 65 to the same level as everyone else.
• New Payday Super rules mandating employers pay superannuation at the same time as salary and wage payments will come into effect from July 1.

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Residents of a popular seaside town in Victoria are bracing for an uphill battle to block a McDonald's store from opening on the same street as a primary school.

Members of Phillip Island's tight-knit community have banded together to fight the fast food giant from being approved for development just few hundred metres from a primary school in the township of Cowes.

McDonald's has submitted plans to Bass Coast Shire Council to build a restaurant on 194 Settlement Road in Cowes, which has a population of around 6500 people but often balloons in size due to tourist numbers.

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A teacher allegedly took a camera from his principal's office and hid it after a cleaner found the device inside a primary school bathroom.

The claims were aired at Moorabbin Magistrates Court on Friday afternoon as Timothy Blamires, 33, was refused bail.

Police will allege a camera was found at Kingswood Primary School, at Dingley Village in Melbourne's south-east, on Tuesday, with Blamires arrested at the school later that day.

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He has been charged with producing and possessing child abuse material, installing an optical surveillance device and refusing to comply with a police direction.

A cleaner was replacing an odour dispenser's fragrance inside the male toilets on Tuesday when she found a hidden camera inside the dispenser, which had a wire connected to a hard drive, court documents allege.

The cleaner placed it into a plastic bag and put the bag on the principal's desk, with Triple Zero called.

While waiting for police to arrive, the bag was left inside the desk and Blamires is accused of collecting the camera and putting it inside a drawer in sick bay before walking into his classroom to teach.

The odour dispenser was found inside his backpack at the school after his arrest and police seized devices from Blamires' home, including laptops, phones and tablets.

Blamires appeared in court via video link on Friday after applying for bail on Wednesday.

His defence lawyer had argued Blamires was entitled to bail as he had no prior convictions and any risks he posed could be addressed with strict conditions, the court was told.

His brother offered a $50,000 surety to secure Blamires' release and said he would live with him and ensure he did not violate any of his bail conditions.

Those conditions could include a ban on Blamires being within 200 metres of any school and possessing a device with access to the internet.

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But prosecutors argued Blamires' risk to safety of the public, children in particular, and the possibility he will destroy evidence, were too great to permit his release into the community.

Magistrate Timothy Gattuso detailed claims that Blamires had tried to hide the camera after it was found by a cleaner.

"You appear to have removed the device that had been located in the toilets by the cleaner, from the principal's office, and apparently hid it," he told the court.

There were also concerns that Blamires may "access the cloud and destroy evidence" as he had allegedly given police false passwords to his devices, the magistrate said.

"Some of the passwords you gave to police on their direction to access devices that were seized were not successful in enabling access," Gattuso said.

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He said Blamires was "highly likely" to face a term of imprisonment if the charges against him were proven, pending any matters in mitigation.

Blamires' bail was refused as Gattuso found his risks could not be reduced to an acceptable level, as he pointed to difficulties in enforcing a ban on internet access.

"Conditions not to access the cloud or not to use the internet are almost impossible to enforce, given the ease in which access can be obtained," he said.

Blamires' lawyer said his client had been struggling with his mental health and was "extremely vulnerable" in custody, as he asked for him to be placed in an isolated cell.

He was taken back into custody and will return to court on May 15.

Victoria's Department of Education said it was working closely with Kingswood Primary School and police to respond to the matter, "which is deeply distressing for the school community".

"Immediate support is being made available for students and staff impacted by this incident," a spokesperson said.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732)

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Two studies looking into the eye health of children aged 7 and 12 are underway.

Prominent surgeon Dr Reza Adib, the partner of former long-serving Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, has been charged with three counts of rape, two counts of deprivation of liberty and one count of sexual assault.

Police allege Adib sexually assaulted a woman in her 30s at an address at Goodwin Terrace at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast on March 30.

Officers were seen coming and going from the beachside unit yesterday afternoon and leaving with bags of evidence.

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Adib presented to Southport Police Station earlier today, where he was charged before being released on police bail this afternoon.

He left the station with his lawyer and did not answer questions from the waiting press pack.

His lawyer, Dan Rogers, issued a statement this afternoon.

"Dr Adib is shocked about the allegations made about him and is taking the matter very seriously," he said in the statement.

"Like all persons accused of a crime, he is presumed to be innocent and intends to vigorously defend the charges.

"Right now, Dr Adib is primarily concerned about the welfare of his family and his patients and he will do whatever it takes to ensure that they are looked after in the coming weeks."

Adib, a bariatric surgeon at the Brisbane Obesity Clinic, is due to appear in Southport Magistrates' Court on May 14.

Authorities have stressed Palaszczuk was not involved and there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on her part.

The pair have been together since 2021.

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The shocking extent of fraud in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has been laid bare with accusations of coercion, criminal gangs and more than $3.5 billion of tainted funds.

A parliamentary inquiry investigating how widespread fraud is within the NDIS has found that an estimated 8 per cent of the $45 billion scheme has been tainted by fraud.

"It is clear that the NDIS has become a soft target for crooks," NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister said.

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"If you think it is acceptable to prey on people with disabilities, you do not belong in the NDIS. You belong in prison, and we are coming for you."

The NDIS works by pairing a person with a disability with one of the 1400 plan managers, who provides them with the support that they need.

The scheme is government funded and is designed to support about 410,000 people.

Of the smallest 1000 plan managers, the inquiry has uncovered that 90 per cent have traces of fraud within their activity.

"We've seen evidence from our intelligence of them targeting those who [have] particular physical and cognitive disabilities," Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission executive Adam Meyer said.

It is alleged that some work within criminal gangs, whilst others operate in South America and parts of Asia, such as the south-east and the Middle East.

John Dardo from the Fraud Fusion Taskforce said cartels from across the world are "targeting Australia".

"Collusion is probably the best way to describe it." 

"It is a coercive sort of arrangement," he added. 

"That's at one end of the spectrum that is really taking advantage of very, very vulnerable people."

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One NDIS participant was legitimately charged more than $2300 for a major house clean, only to be billed three times more over the next month and a half, losing almost $7000.

Jim's Cleaning apologised, repaid the money, sacked the contractor responsible, and introduced safeguards to avoid a repeat.

No charges were laid.

The parliamentary committee also heard some NDIS participants had allegedly come out of prison and been placed in boarding houses where their NDIS packages were "harvested."

The government has responded by taking a knife to NDIS spending in next month's budget.

The parliamentary inquiry comes following Health Minister Mark Butler's announcement of the overhaul designed to save the government $35 billion.

Butler aims to cut the average annual plan spend by about $5000, down from $31,000 to around $26,000.

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A producer who suspected a rising star was walking back a sexual harassment complaint against Rebel Wilson says she was stuck in a "tricky situation" between Wilson and her other boss.

Charlotte MacInnes is suing Wilson after starring in the Pitch Perfect actor's directorial debut film, The Deb.

MacInnes claims she was defamed by Wilson in social media posts that suggested she is a liar and a sellout who withdrew a sexual harassment complaint to advance her career.

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The posts alleged MacInnes confided to Wilson – but later recanted – that she felt uncomfortable when the film's co-producer, Amanda Ghost, asked to have a shower and a bath together.

The claim hinges on a medical episode suffered by Ghost at Bondi Beach on September 5, 2023, which led to her sharing a bath with MacInnes in their swimwear to warm up.

Neither the young actor nor a witness had any concern about what took place and did not consider that anything untoward happened, the court was told.

Wilson gave evidence that she was shocked by the divulgence and spoke about it that night with The Deb's local producer, Greer Simpkin, whom she described as very responsible.

But Simpkin told the Federal Court today she hadn't discussed the bath incident with Wilson until a phone call days later.

She said she didn't become aware of Wilson's claims that MacInnes had reported being uncomfortable until a week after the medical episode, when she was dining with Ghost.

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"I would have acted on it earlier if I'd known it was uncomfortable," Simpkin said.

She subsequently orchestrated MacInnes' removal from an apartment where she had been staying with Ghost and another woman during pre-production.

"I asked that the reason be as we discussed that Rebel needs the space by the beach," the local producer texted Ghost.

She then met with MacInnes' agent to ensure the young actor was alright and to reveal the real reason for her eviction.

In the email tendered to the court, the agent reported back to "mend this misunderstanding" and clarify MacInnes had never been uncomfortable around Ghost, whom she idolised.

Simpkin forwarded the email to Ghost and noted that the young actor's version of events was different from those of the producer and another woman who had been present.

"Charlotte is walking back the statement she made to Rebel," she wrote.

"I feel there is some fudging being done by Charlotte."

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The local producer said she didn't know now what she meant by "fudging" in the email, but she recalled there being differences in the recollections about the bathroom incident.

Her communications relied on Wilson's insistence that she did not misunderstand MacInnes' disclosure, Simpkin told the court.

"I'm in a tricky situation here," she said.

"Rebel Wilson is my boss, as is Amanda Ghost. I'm trying to be respectful to both parties".

But the email formally asserted MacInnes wasn't uncomfortable, and Simpkin considered that to mean the matter was closed.

She said she didn't receive any communication from MacInnes to the contrary and was taken by surprise when the alleged complaint was re-agitated by Wilson the following month.

Wilson has rejected accusations that she fabricated the sexual harassment complaint or raised it for leverage during her disputes with co-producers rather than out of concern for her co-star.

She maintains MacInnes "flip-flopped" and changed her story in exchange for "huge enticements", including a lead role in a stage production and a record deal.

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The total cost of the inquiry is estimated to be $5.014 million.