The White House has responded angrily to suggestions that Donald Trump had fallen asleep in an Oval Office meeting.

At an event promoting maternal health and fertility, the president's eyes appeared to become heavy.

As administration officials standing behind him were speaking, the president closed his eyes for an extended period of time.

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But when a Reuters journalist posted a photograph of Trump with his eyes closed, the White House lashed out.

"He was blinking, you absolute moron," the White House's X account Rapid Response 47 replied.

The reporter's post had made no mention of Trump being asleep, simply captioning it: "US President Donald Trump attends a maternal health event in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, May 11, 2026."

Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu responded: "That is a verrrrrrrrryyyyy long blink."

"Imagine what happens when there are no cameras.

"Trump is not mentally or physically fit to be President of the United States."

https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2053894960261300578

Jimmy Gomez, another Democratic congressman, remarked: "This guy is asleep at the wheel, and he's about to drive the entire country off a cliff."

This is far from the first time Trump has appeared to nod off during a White House event.

In December, the president appeared to fall asleep during a televised cabinet meeting.

He later remarked he wasn't asleep, just bored.

"I didn't sleep. I just closed (my eyes) because I wanted to get the hell outta here," he said.

He also reportedly had trouble keeping his eyes open during an Oval Office event with pharmaceutical executives last month.

In the 2024 presidential campaign he repeatedly mocked his predecessor Joe Biden, who he called "Sleepy Joe".

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"How do you fall asleep when cameras are raging, right?" 

"You'll never see me sleeping in front of the camera."

Trump has a long habit of staying active on Truth Social well into the night, raising questions about his sleeping habits.

But he made no posts overnight on his social media page last night.

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A man will face court today, charged over a single-car crash in suburban Perth that killed two young girls last month.

The 24-year-old from Caversham was driving down nearby Muriel Street in Viveash with the woman and girls at 2.25 pm on April 17 when his Ford Territory left the road and hit a tree.

The little girls, aged three and four, were rushed to Perth Children's Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

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Both girls fought for life for nine days in hospital before both died on April 26.

The driver and 24-year-old female passenger were also seriously injured in the collision.

Major Crash investigators launched inquiries and put out a call for witnesses following the incident.

Their investigations have now culminated in the driver being charged with two counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and one count of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.

He is expected to appear before Midland Magistrates Court today.

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A real estate boss has warned landlords may hike rents by up to 30 per cent if proposed changes to negative gearing come into effect.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is likely to announce sweeping reforms to negative gearing and capital gains tax in tonight's federal budget as the Albanese government looks to tackle issues of housing affordability.

It is not known how much the government will change negative gearing, a generous tax break that allows an investor to deduct expenses related to properties from their taxable income, meaning they pay less at tax time.

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Although the changes could result in lower prices, Nathan Birch from property investment firm Blink Property said renters would feel the pinch from any changes, and warned it could be immediate.

"For Aussie battlers doing it tough, that means a $400 rental will become $550 almost immediately post the budget announcement if changes to negative gearing come into effect," Birch said.

"This will be catastrophic for so many Australians, and the government really needs to consider the wave of homelessness that could follow, particularly for our most vulnerable."

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Birch said the changes would have the strongest impact on "mum and dad investors", who were often renters themselves while they leased out their investment property and waited to save.

Birch said this would lead to a knock-on effect that benefited fewer people in the long run.

"When policy changes like this come into play, their own rents go up, leaving them no choice but to raise the rent on their investments," he said.

"It's a very dangerous knock-on effect that I'm not sure the Labor Government has considered adequately – particularly when so many renters and investors are Labor voters."

Treasurer Chalmers said despite promising against it in last year's election, the government had no choice but to take bold action to address the housing crisis.

"There are genuine intergenerational concerns and pressures in our budget, in our tax system, in our housing market and in our economy more broadly," Chalmers said last week.

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Criminals who recruit children or ignite 'kill cars' to break the law could face more time in jail, following a spate of shootings and firebombings.

In a bid to quash organised crime, the NSW government will introduce legislation today to create new offences and make it harder for those with gang links to get bail.

Anyone who sets a car alight after using it to traffic drugs, supply firearms or commit other serious crimes could face up to 12 years in prison, two years more than the punishment for destroying or damaging property by fire.

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The maximum penalty for recruiting a child for criminal activity will increase from 10 to 12 years and up to 15 years if the child is aged under 16 or is hired to steal cars.

Those who shoot a pistol or prohibited firearm in public will face up to 14 years in jail and criminals who fire at buildings or other cars could find themselves behind bars for 18 years.

"These comprehensive reforms will help keep the community safe, and hold organised criminals to account for the destruction and harm they inflict on our streets," NSW Attorney General Michael Daley said.

In recent months, police have made several arrests over alleged 'kill cars', which are used by organised crime groups or contract criminals to commit and get away with serious offences.

The vehicles are often stolen cars with cloned licence plates that contain balaclavas, weapons, and jerry cans which can be used to destroy evidence.

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Police claimed to have stopped an alleged 'kill car' plot in April after ramming into an Audi believed to be linked to multiple shooting and firebombing incidents across south-west Sydney.

Officers last October also pounced on a group of men in a car, allegedly trying to intercept and kill their target as he picked up a child from daycare.

In April, two men and a 17-year-old were arrested over their alleged involvement in a firebombing.

Concerns over youth crime have made headlines across the country.

Children committed 57.6 per cent of carjackings, 52.6 per cent of home invasions, 47.8 per cent of aggravated burglaries and 62.4 per cent of robberies, according to Victorian government statistics.

Queensland and Victoria have passed controversial laws requiring children to face adult sentences for serious offences, while the Northern Territory has lowered the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10.

But youth justice experts say such reforms will lead to the incarceration of already-vulnerable children and would not prevent them from re-offending.

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The man accused of attempting to kill US President Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents' Dinner last month has pleaded not guilty to the four charges he faces.

Prosecutors say Cole Tomas Allen stormed through a security checkpoint at the hotel where the annual press dinner was being held while the president and top government officials were on a different floor.

Allen appeared before a federal judge in Washington, DC, on Monday (Tuesday AEST), hands and feet shackled together and stood by his lawyer as they entered the not guilty plea on his behalf.

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He has been indicted on charges including attempting to assassinate a president and assaulting an officer.

The judge presiding over the case, Trump-appointed Trevor McFadden, pressed Allen's lawyers on an earlier motion they had made seeking to remove US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro and other administration officials from the case.

Allen's legal team argued that because Pirro and others were at the April 25 dinner and may have been targets according to their version of events, she should be recused from the case.

"We assume a lot about how victims feel," defence lawyer Eugene Ohm said during Monday's hearing, adding that Pirro is "very close friends with Trump" and should be removed for that alone.

"I'd be very surprised if they were victims in any legal sense," McFadden said, noting that they did not see the incident.

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Ohm said he wanted more information on how Pirro's office, which is prosecuting Allen, is structured in order to determine if the entire office should also be recused.

"It's likely we will be asking for the entire office" to be removed from the case, Ohm said, adding that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche should also be recused because of his presence at the dinner.

The next hearing in the case is set for June 29.

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A pair of Islamic State-linked women charged with slavery offences will remain behind bars after postponing their bid for freedom.

Kawsar Ahmad, 53, and Zeinab Ahmad, 31, had flagged plans to seek release into the community, but today before the Melbourne Magistrates Court there were no bail applications submitted.

The duo were among a larger group of women and children who returned to Australia amid chaotic airport scenes after languishing in a Syrian refugee camp for years.

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They were led into the courtroom filled with reporters, with the elder Ahmad donning a light brown hijab while the younger woman wore a pink and white head covering.

They sat in the dock flanked by custody officers, smiling and looking at the courtroom crowd, which included supporters, throughout the proceeding.

While their bid for conditional freedom stalled today, lawyers for Zeinab have flagged a new bail application on June 4 and 5.

Kawsar's bid will be heard a fortnight later on June 16 and 17.

Both have been charged with several crimes against humanity and slavery offences allegedly committed in Syria.

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Detectives allege Kawsar Ahmad, also known as Abbas, travelled to the region with her husband and children in 2014.

They allege she was complicit in buying a female slave for $US10,000, and knowingly kept the woman in her home.

She has been charged with enslavement, possessing a slave, using a slave and slave trading.

Charge sheets released by the court allege the 53-year-old enslaved, possessed and used the slave in Mayadin, Hajin, Gharanji, Bahra, Abu Hamam, Walaa and other places in the Deir ez-Zu province of Syria between June 2017 and November 2018.

It is alleged the younger Ahmad had also knowingly kept a female slave in her Syrian home, with police charging her with enslavement and using a slave offences over the same period.

The document stated the pair's conduct was "committed intentionally or knowingly as part of a widespread or systemic attack directed against a civil population".

Police said the pair were detained by Kurdish forces in 2019 and held with other family members in Al Roj Internally Displaced Persons camp.

They are among three returnees charged following an almost decade-long investigation, which began after the women travelled to the Middle East with their partners, who allegedly intended to fight for Islamic State.

A third woman, 32-year-old Janai Safar, who flew into Sydney, was arrested and charged with entering a prohibited area and being a member of a terrorist organisation.

She was denied bail due to the seriousness of the charges and will return before the court in July.

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He admitted attempted espionage after a 2019 undercover sting.

Warning: This article contains the name and image of Indigenous people who have died.

A decomposed body believed to be that of accused murderer Julian Ingram has been found beside an abandoned ute in a remote NSW national park, bringing a months-long hunt for the state's most wanted man to an end.

National Parks and Wildlife staff found the ute this afternoon in Central West NSW, months after Ingram allegedly murdered his heavily pregnant ex-partner Sophie Quinn, 25, her friend John Harris, 32, and aunt Nerida Quinn, 50, in Lake Cargelligo.

Loved ones were rocked by the discovery but said they could now finally grieve.

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Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said the discovery was a relief for officers who'd been involved in a major manhunt for the accused killer but particularly for the affected families.

"For the last four months, the strike forces involved in … the manhunt for Julian Ingram, have not given up," he said. 

"There's been hundreds of police involved. 

"Obviously, it's a relief for them to find this body – again, yet to be confirmed as Julian Ingram – but the main thing is, it brings closure to this investigation, it brings closure to the people of Lake Cargelligo and gives some solace to the town so they can relax."

While police had not officially confirmed the body was Ingram, they do believe it is him; it was found in his clothes next to the white Ford Ranger he was last seen fleeing the town in, and his licence was inside the vehicle.

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Holland said the body was found in a "very decomposed" state but didn't give a specific estimate for when the man may have died, saying only it "appears to have been there for some time".

He did not confirm whether the weapon was the same alleged to have been used in the shooting or whether the man was believed to have died by suicide.

Police said NPWS workers carrying out feral animal eradication found the vehicle about 3.40pm today in Round Hill Nature Reserve, roughly 100 kilometres north-east of Lake Cargelligo.

Ingram, 37, had been on the run since the January 22 shooting.

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He allegedly killed his pregnant former partner, Sophie Quinn, and her friend John Harris, then moving on to Sophie's Auntie Nerida, killing her and shooting Kaleb Macqueen, 19, the only victim to survive.

"I heard boom, boom. I seen her – she was holding her neck, and then he was laughing," Macqueen told 9News in January.

Sophie's mother, Cathy Quinn, called Ingram "gutless".

"We still grieving but justice will be served," she told 9News.

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Her sister, Tegan, said it was "about time they found him".

"We can grieve but now it feels so real and it's only has hit me now," she said.

The shooting devastated the tiny town and rattled the entire state.

Last month, police said Ingram was seen on the side of a road two days after the alleged murders.

At the time they said they believed he was receiving help from the public to evade capture but it's not clear how that would fit in with the decomposed state of the body.

In March, police offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

The coroner will now be charged with confirming how the man died and when.

If the body is confirmed to be Ingram, everything leading up to the killing will also be investigated, including why the repeated domestic violence offender was out on bail.

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

If you or someone you know is in need of support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue. In the event of an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).

‘You’ll always be a part of this team,’ the club wrote in a heartbreaking tribute.

When the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised the cash rate target last Tuesday, the major banks were swift to announce their plans to pass on the hike to borrowers.

But the same cannot be said for most customers who hold savings accounts with the banks, with many still waiting to hear if they can expect a higher return on their deposits.

The official cash rate target is now at the same level of 4.35 per cent it was sitting at last February, before the RBA embarked on its brief easing cycle, in a further blow for borrowers already weary from surging inflation.

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All four major banks will start passing on the higher interest rates to borrowers from this Friday, May 15, in changes announced within hours of the RBA's announcement.

But so far, Westpac is the only one of the Big Four to confirm its changes to savings accounts.

It will pass on the full interest rate hike to some savings accounts – but only savers between the ages of 18 and 34 who meet the monthly bonus conditions are eligible.

The move means Westpac will have the highest ongoing savings rate in the country at 5.75 per cent on its Spend&Save account, for those who qualify.

However, the bank isn't passing on the interest rate hike to the base rate on this account, so those who miss the bonus criteria in any given month won't benefit.

AMP has already passed the May interest rate hike onto savers from today, meaning it currently has the highest "no strings attached" savings rate of 5.10 per cent.

This puts it ahead of rival Macquarie Bank, which is increasing its condition-free account to an ongoing rate of 5.00 per cent – but not until next Friday, May 22.

The Commonwealth Bank, NAB and ANZ have all stated that their savings rates are under review.

If previous rate hikes are a guide, the banks will likely follow Westpac in only partially passing on the rate hikes to savers or with strict conditions which force savers to go through hoops to get the full benefit.

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Following the March rate hike, bonus saver accounts increased by 0.28 percentage points on average but the base rate scarcely moved at all, nudging up just 0.01 per cent, a Canstar analysis found.

Two out of five Australians with a "bonus" savings account fails to jump through the necessary hoops to get the maximum interest rate every month, according to Canstar.

More than one in ten never meet the criteria.

Delaying passing rate hikes on to savers or only partially passing these on with strict conditions helps raise banks' bottom lines.

Last year, the big four banks' profits rose to a collective $43 billion pre-tax, $16.9 billion of which was paid by owner-occupiers with a mortgage.

A new analysis by the Australia Institute has found the banks have joined mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP as the top six most profitable companies in Australia.

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