Another statue of Donald Trump and the late Jeffrey Epstein has appeared in the heart of America's capital, Washington.

The anonymous artist collective known as "The Secret Handshake" has struck again, erecting the four-metre-tall statue, which depicts the president and the disgraced financier in the iconic "king of the world" pose from the film Titanic.

Spray-painted in a garish gold, the installation features Trump standing behind Epstein on a replica of the ship's bow, both peering towards the Washington Monument. It is the latest in a series of hit-and-run satirical installations designed to force the American public to confront the historical ties between the two men.

READ MORE: Joe Rogan pans Donald Trump's 'insane' actions in Iran

The base of the statue carries a biting inscription, comparing the film's Jack and Rose romance to the Trump-Epstein connection: "This monument honours the bond between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, a friendship seemingly built on luxurious travel, raucous parties and secret nude sketches."

While the White House has previously dismissed such works as partisan stunts — with spokeswoman Abigail Jackson questioning when "wealthy Democrat donors" would create similar sculptures of their own party members — the reaction on the ground in DC reveals a nation deeply divided by its own political theatre.

The Washington Post reported the installation had become an overnight pilgrimage site for tourists and locals alike, eliciting a mixture of "praise and scorn".

For many passersby, the statue is a necessary reminder of unanswered questions. Local resident Donna Powell told the Post she appreciated the bluntness of the message.

"With Trump declaring war on Iran, we know he's trying to distract from the Epstein files," Powell said. "This brings the files back to the forefront. A lot can be said with art."

While some said they saw the very existence of the — placed just metres from the US Capitol — as proof that the First Amendment remains alive and well, others were not so sure.

One visitor from Pennsylvania, identified only as Josh, told the newspaper that he steered his young children away from the crowd. "I don't love seeing it here," he said. "It's a little distasteful and it's not really helping the conversation."

In September, the same group of artists erected a sculpture of the Republican president and Epstein gleefully holding hands in front of the Capitol. It was promptly removed.

The same collective also created a poop statue criticising January 6 rioters and a large replica of Trump's alleged birthday letter to Epstein.

The National Park Service permit for the installation reportedly had its end date redacted, leaving it unclear how long the golden duo will remain.

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One of Donald Trump's most influential backers in the last election has turned on him over his actions in Iran.

Speaking on his podcast, Joe Rogan has decried the president beginning a war.

"It just seems so insane based on what (Trump) ran on," Rogan said.

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"This is why a lot of people feel betrayed, right? 

"He ran on no more wars and these stupid, senseless wars.

"Then we have one that we can't even really clearly define why we did it."

His guest Michael Shellenberger clarified that Trump said he was against "endless wars".

"They're all endless. Do you ever hear (former secretary of defence Donald) Rumsfeld talk about Iraq when it first happened?" Rogan said.

"They were talking about like six weeks."

Rogan's endorsement of Trump was seen as a major factor in his unexpectedly strong performance in the 2024 election.

Unlike many other podcasters, Rogan does not position himself as a political partisan.

The podcaster has a vast support base among an elusive demographic – men who don't otherwise follow the news.

The Joe Rogan Experience has been the most popular podcast on Spotify for the past five years.

His remarks on Iran are not the first time Rogan has broken with the president.

In January he compared Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the Gestapo.

"You don't want militarised people in the streets just roaming around snatching people up, many of which turn out to actually be US citizens that just don't have their papers on them," Rogan said.

"Are we really going to be the Gestapo? 'Where's your papers?' Is that what we've come to?"

Polling has shown Trump's attack on Iran to be deeply unpopular among American voters.

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Fifty-three per cent of voters opposed the military action, according to a poll from Quinnipiac.

Just 40 per cent support it.

Sixty-two per cent of voters think the Trump administration has not given a clear explanation as to why they have attacked Iran.

The same poll showed Trump's approval rating to be at just 37 per cent.

READ MORE: Uncorroborated claim about Trump in missing Epstein files

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What's in a name?

For international pop star Katy Perry and Australian fashion designer Katie Perry, the answer can be found in a slight variation in spelling and more than six years of litigation.

The fight over the rights to the Katie/Katy Perry name began when the designer – now known as Katie Taylor – sued the performer behind Firework and Roar for trademark infringement.

The US singer, whose real name is Katheryn Hudson, hit back with a bid to cancel the designer's trademark, arguing it was likely to harm her reputation or deceive shoppers.

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The dispute dragged on for over six years after the pop star successfully overturned an initial Federal Court ruling that the designer's trademark had been infringed.

But it came to a decisive end on Wednesday when the nation's highest court decided the David-and-Goliath battle in favour of the Australian.

The designer's mark was not in breach of trademark law and was not likely to harm the Dark Horse singer's reputation or cause confusion, the High Court ruled in a majority decision.

After years fighting to hold onto the label she has spent nearly 20 years building, Ms Taylor hailed the ruling as a victory for small businesses everywhere.

"I am absolutely over the moon," Ms Taylor said in a statement to AAP.

"It honestly feels like a dream."

Her lawyers argued during the High Court hearing that shoppers were savvy enough to distinguish between the two spellings and wouldn't connect the label to the pop star.

The designer said she didn't know of the singer's existence when she first sought the clothing trademark in 2007.

But by the time Ms Taylor applied to trademark the name Katie Perry, she had heard I Kissed a Girl on the radio and bought the song on iTunes.

There was no way she could have known how famous Ms Hudson would become, her lawyer told the High Court in September.

But the pop star's lawyers contended Ms Taylor should have made a complaint earlier instead of waiting 10 years after the sale of Katy Perry-branded merchandise began.

The designer faced the possibility of having the Katie Perry trademark de-registered after her 2023 win in the Federal Court was overturned on appeal.

The appeal judges found the designer's mark was deceptively similar to the pop star's brand and was likely to cause confusion.

But they had made a mistake in concluding there were grounds for its cancellation, the High Court determined in its majority ruling.

The decision marks the end of a tug-of-war that has been running since 2009, when Ms Hudson became aware the designer had applied to register the Katie Perry trademark.

According to court documents, the superstar told her talent agent Steven Jensen to "keep me outta it entirely".

"I wouldn't have even bothered with this (if) mtv hadn't picked up this silliness," she wrote in an email.

"Dumb bitch! Rawr!"

The singer is on the hook to foot Ms Taylor's legal bill, with the figure to be determined at a later date.

The designer is celebrating with her family before returning to designing clothing.

"It's been a long road, but I'm excited to move forward," she told AAP.

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Parents in Western Australia are continuing to speak out against the state's new AI-driven seatbelt cameras, with one Perth dad describing them as an "outrageous overreach".

Perth father Nick became one of the latest parents to be penalised for a child's minor misdemeanour when he received a $550 fine in the mail earlier this month. 

In January, while he was driving to the beach along the Kwinana Freeway, Nick's 12-year-old daughter briefly slipped her seatbelt under her arm to pull her hair into a ponytail.

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That momentary adjustment was captured by an AI camera. The result? A $550 fine and four demerit points issued to his partner, the registered owner of the vehicle.

"I didn't even notice that my daughter was doing her hair or that the seatbelt had slipped behind. It was just that split second," Nick told nine.com.au. 

Nick said he was driving four girls to the beach in the car at the time, and he was focused on the road.

"A lot happens in a car full of kids; it's a pretty active place to be," he said.

Nick's experience comes after another parent, mum Leesa Taylor, told 9News Perth last month that she could lose her licence after her daughter, who has ADHD, shifted her seatbelt during a long drive from Dunsborough to Perth.

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Taylor said she was shocked by an eight-demerit point penalty, arguing that the current system fails to reflect "real-world parenting" or the specific needs of neurodivergent children. 

Cameras which use artificial intelligence to detect potentially unlawful mobile phone and incorrect seatbelt use were rolled out across Western Australia last year, with an initial six-month 'warning only' period ending in October.

Between then and February 18, a staggering 75,000 infringements have been issued for seatbelt and mobile phone offences.

The fines are sent to the driver after being reviewed by police.

Nick believes the technology, originally intended to target dangerous mobile phone use and unbuckled passengers, is now being used to penalise minor movements.

"They are now looking into our cars with their cameras and it's a fine line," he said.

'"Kids turn around all the time in the front seat. You try to tell them not to, but what are you going to do, bolt them down so they don't wriggle?

"It's a bit outrageous."

Do you have a story? Contact reporter Emily McPherson at EM********@******om.au

A spokesperson for the Road Safety Commission defended the technology, noting that the cameras have already led to a 70 per cent drop in the rate of offences detected since they began operating 12 months ago.

"As predicted, the cameras have revealed new insights into driver and passenger behaviour that hasn't been captured on scale before," the spokesperson said. 

"The cameras are proving to be extremely effective and efficient as a road safety tool in helping to… make WA roads safer."

However, speaking to 9News Perth last month, Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner admitted to that the current "one size fits all" approach may need to be adjusted.

"I can very much understand where [parents are] coming from. The volume of appeals and questions that we're getting to the helpline is increased," Commissioner Warner said.

The Commission is now exploring "different standards" for adults versus minors, acknowledging that children cannot always be held to the same rigid physical standards as adult passengers.

For now, however, the heavy fines remain. 

Parents who feel they have been unfairly targeted are being told to lodge a formal submission with the Department of Transport or prepare for a day in court.

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Missile debris that Iranian officials claim was recovered from the deadly strikes which hit an elementary school in southern Iran on February 28 appears to be from an American Tomahawk cruise missile, according to CNN analysis.

Four photographs of the fragments were shared on Telegram by Iran's state broadcaster, IRIB, with the caption claiming they were remnants from the strike on the Shajareh Tayyiba school in Minab, where state media say at least 168 children and 14 teachers were killed.

It was not possible to confirm whether the fragments, pictured on a table in front of the ruined school building, were from the school strike, a strike on a neighbouring Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval base or from elsewhere.

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They do however appear to be consistent with a US-made Tomahawk cruise missile, according to a CNN review and expert analysis. A Tomahawk missile was used in at least one strike on the IRGC base next to the school, according to a CNN analysis of a video which captured it hitting a building. The Pentagon classifies the missiles as precision-guided munitions. Multiple buildings at the base appear to have been struck by precision missiles.

The photographs are the latest piece in a mounting body of evidence which points to US responsibility for the strike and appears to contradict US President Donald Trump's claims around it. The president last week blamed Iran, doubling down Monday when he claimed the country had Tomahawk missiles in its arsenal, which it does not, according to experts.

On Tuesday, the White House said that the Pentagon would release its investigation into the strike on the school.

One remnant pictured is marked with "Made in USA" and the name of Ohio-based munitions manufacturer Globe Motors, a company that has received millions of dollars in Department of Defence contracts to build missile components, most recently in 2025, according to publicly available data.

Another fragment in the photos is marked "SDL ANTENNA," short for "satellite data link antenna," a component of the communications unit used in newer Tomahawk variants. The name of another company – Colorado‑based Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., which was acquired by the British firm BAE Systems in 2024 – is imprinted on the missile part.

The imagery is consistent with photos of Tomahawk missile parts recovered from past conflicts which were archived on weapon fragment database the Open Source Munitions Portal. This includes the component with Globe Motors branding, an example of which was recovered from a strike in Yemen last year, according to an entry in the database.

Markus Schiller, a rocket expert and associate senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, identified one of the parts in the images as a Globe Motors actuator motor and confirmed CNN's analysis that the fragment was consistent with a Tomahawk. Actuators are responsible for moving the fins of a missile, allowing it to fly and curve as it travels through the sky. He separately identified another remnant which appeared to be part of the missile's jet engine.

Former US Army senior explosive ordnance disposal team member Trevor Ball, who works for open-source investigative group Bellingcat, also assessed that the fragments were part of a Tomahawk missile, while acknowledging that it was not possible to determine their provenance from these images alone.

On Sunday, footage emerged appearing to show an American BGM or UGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) targeting the IRGC naval base adjacent to the school. That video, posted by semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr News, was the first to show missiles striking the area, with a massive plume of smoke seen coming from the direction of the elementary school.

It was not immediately clear which exact building was struck, but an analysis by CNN suggested that it hit a building within or immediately next to a medical clinic operated by the IRGC at the base.

The video emerged just over a week after the Defence Department released videos of US Navy warships firing Tomahawks towards Iran on the same day the school was struck and following a CNN analysis of satellite imagery, geolocated videos and statements from US officials pointed to the US likely being responsible for the deadly strike.

Trump pushed back against the suggestion the US had carried out the strike in a news conference Monday, in which he claimed Iran also had Tomahawk missiles. The cruise missiles, produced by US defence contractor Raytheon, are held only by a small group of US allies authorised to purchase them. Even Israel, one of Washington's closest partners, does not possess them, and multiple munitions experts confirmed to CNN that Iran does not have them either.

On Sunday, Trump told reporters that "based on what I've seen," the strike on the school "was done by Iran," a claim Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to confirm, saying the US was still investigating.

Wes Bryant, a former adviser on precision warfare and civilian harm mitigation at the Pentagon's Civilian Protection Centre, described striking a school with a weapon such as a Tomahawk as "a troubling departure from foundational US targeting doctrine and practices," in comments made to CNN.

"This tragic event is indicative of a recklessly planned and executed campaign in which attention to precision and the legal and moral obligations to protect civilians clearly took a backseat," Bryant continued.

Four trucks were sent to the downtown Auckland’s Ferry Building just about 8pm.

The lucky Lotto numbers have been drawn.

Six Iranian footballers who've elected to stay in Australia have been moved to a new location after a security scare when a seventh player changed her mind about claiming asylum.

Mohaddeseh Zolfi and a support staffer were both granted humanitarian visas after electing to stay behind in Queensland when the rest of the delegation flew out to Sydney, and eventually Kuala Lumpur, overnight.

But Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said he learned of the player's change of heart about 10am today.

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"I would advise that one of the two who had made the decision to stay last night, had spoken to some of the teammates who had left and had changed her mind. In Australia, people are able to change their mind," Burke said.

"People are able to travel. And so we respect the context in which she has made that decision."

Burke said the woman unfortunately gave away the location where the players were staying when she contacted the Iranian embassy to be collected, meaning he had to give an order for them to be moved "immediately".

"For every member of this delegation, they have been shown a respect by Australia that would be unfamiliar to them in Iran," he said in parliament this afternoon.

"They have been shown a country that is willing to say, 'The choice is yours', and I think we're proud of the Australian Federal Police, my home affairs officials, and everybody who's been involved in this to make sure that Australia is a country where they can see there is freedom of choice for women as well.

"And a country where those who have made the decision to stay will be very welcome and very much the rest of the Australian people will be wrapping them in our arms."

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor backed Burke's comments.

"These women have captured the hearts of so many Australians with the stand they have taken against the despotic regime, and it's been an incredibly difficult time for them," he said.

Speaking this morning, Burke said the two women had accepted Australia's offer yesterday in Brisbane, just before the team flew to Sydney.

Burke said the remaining members of the team – both players and staff – were separated from their minders at Sydney Airport last night, where they were offered the chance to also take up Australia's offer of asylum.

"They were given a chance, each player and each member of the team – with the exception of a small number of people where we had made the decision we did not want to make a direct offer to them," Burke said.

The players were taken to an interview room with just a member of Home Affairs staff and an interpreter, with Burke confirming they were also given every opportunity to speak to their families.

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"We couldn't take away the pressure of the context of the individuals, of what might have been said beforehand, what pressures they might have felt on other family members," he said.

The latest development means six members of the Iranian women's football team, including players and staff, have elected to seek asylum in Australia instead of returning to their home country.

"In that situation, what we made sure of there was no rushing, there was no pressure, everything was about ensuring the dignity for those individuals to make a choice."

The rest of the team flew out overnight to Malaysia, where they were greeted by Tehran's ambassador before an onward flight expected to take them to Turkey and eventually Iran.

Sydney Morning Herald reporter Amber Schultz was on the flight and spoke to the women, many of whom were seen in tears, before they boarded.

"It was dramatic in the lead up, and it was dramatic up until the moment that they actually stepped onto that plane, with one woman actually walking away and seeming like she might abscond and might take that opportunity to get a visa at the very, very 11th hour before the plane took off," she told 9News this afternoon.

"So it was a very heightened situation, a lot of tensions running high."

Schultz said she asked several of the women if they felt safe or wanted to stay and many of them gave the same sort of responses about Iran being home, indicating "perhaps this wasn't a free and frank discussion".

Burke confirmed some members of the team were not granted a visa due to their alleged connection to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which is closely connected to the Iranian regime and is designated a terrorist organisation in Australia.

"Not everyone who applied for a visa got one… People who were connected – and we work with security partners on these assessments – people who were connected to the IRGC were not granted visas," he said.

"There were some people leaving Australia who I am glad are leaving Australia."

Supporters at Sydney airport had been frantically trying to pass on a message from the family of one of the players saying they wanted her to stay in Australia.

"Her mum just called us right before and asked us to keep her here," Australian Iranian Patriots Association co-founder Minoo Toussi told reporters at Sydney airport last night. 

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"She doesn't want to go. But as much as I know Australian government and AFP, they are responsible to create a safe environment for these girls and also to prevent the returns, because they are under pressure.

"These girls are … they're inside the two blades of the pair of the scissors. They have to stay here, otherwise, if they turn to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and as soon as they return in Tehran, they will go to the jail."

Toussi and her husband and fellow co-founder Maani Taghizadeh had been worried the message hadn't gotten through but Karimi confirmed emerging social media reports that she was among the women who had been able to stay.

Iranian Society of Queensland vice president Hadi Karimi said the result was "amazing".

Earlier last night, there were distressing scenes as protesters on the Gold Coast attempted to block the bus as it left the hotel.

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Supporters lay down on the road and chanted "save our girls" as police attempted to move them along.

Players appeared to pull one of the women towards their bus as they left the hotel, in vision filmed by the Brisbane Times.

They touched down at Sydney's domestic airport last night and boarded a waiting bus that was expected to take them to the international terminal.

The Sydney Morning Herald spoke to several players flanked by chaperones as they left Australia late last night, many saying they wanted to return to their families despite fears for their safety.

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"Iran is home," one said but the body language of some women reportedly told a different story, with tears streaming down the faces of the last of the women to board.

The team grabbed worldwide attention last week when players refused to sing Iran's national anthem before a game in the Asia Cup and they were branded "traitors" by the Islamic regime.

They were seen flashing their torches towards the arrivals hall, where supporters were waiting along with Australian Federal Police officers.

Five of the women escaped their handlers at the Gold Coast hotel with assistance from the AFP on Monday night.

Burke said this morning that the women had been "moved to a safe location", where he met with them and approved their humanitarian visas.

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A married couple from the United Kingdom has died in a tragic drowning at a popular NSW beach.

The 66-year-old man and his 64-year-old wife had gone for a swim at Shellharbour Beach after 11am this morning when police believe they potentially became caught in a rip.

Three bystanders, including two off-duty nurses and a young man, saw the couple struggling in the water and pulled them onto the sand.

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Lake Illawarra Police District Inspector Luke Geradts said police believe the couple were unconscious when they were pulled from the water.

The bystanders gave the couple CPR in front of some of their relatives.

Paramedics arrived at the scene off Boollawarroo Parade in Shell Cove and tried to save the couple.

Geradts said the couple were unable to be revived and died at the scene despite the best efforts of everyone at the scene.

The couple, who had travelled from the UK to the Illawarra region to visit family, have not been formally identified.

"The relatives are taking it really hard, as you can imagine," Geradts said.

"We're working closely with them to assist them as best as we can.

"I want to take the opportunity to commend the members of the public who assisted in the initial response, including female off-duty nurses and a young male, who pulled the couple from the water and gave the couple the best chance of survival.

"Although a tragic outcome today, their efforts are to be commended and really did give the couple the best chance.

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"This is a timely reminder of the dangers and the unpredictability of the ocean.

"It's a tragic incident and our hearts go out to the family who has lost their loved ones today."

Geradts said conditions were rough at Shellharbour Beach today and early indications suggested the couple was caught in a rip.

He said the scene was "confronting" for emergency services crews.

"It was a large emergency services response and we always take these jobs hard," Geradts said.

"Any time we have to go to a job like this and see a family lose a loved one, that's really hard."

Geradts encouraged people to swim between the flags and go to a patrolled beach whenever it is possible.

A witness told local newspaper the Illawarra Mercury she had been walking along the beach with her friend when the pair came across emergency services.

"It was pretty calm, everyone knew what they were doing," she said.

"It wasn't a mad panic, everyone just switched into what they were doing.

"It puts it all into perspective how quick things can go wrong."

A report will be prepared for the information of the coroner.

Shellharbour Beach is a popular tourist hotspot located in the NSW Illawarra region.

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Aussie borrowers have been warned to brace for a double-dose of interest rate pain as market instability fueled by the volatile war in the Middle East pushed three of the big banks to shift their RBA cash rate predictions.

NAB, Commonwealth Bank and Westpac today both amended their interest rate predictions, now tipping the RBA to increase the official cash rate by 25 basis points when they meet next Tuesday, and again in May.

That would bring the peak cash rate to 4.35 per cent.

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The big banks initially expected the RBA to hold until May, which ANZ is still forecasting.

If NAB, CBA and Westpac are correct, it would mean three back-to-back hikes after the cash rate jumped 25 basis points to 3.85 per cent on February 3.

NAB said new upside pressure on inflation "tips the balance in favour of an additional increase".

"The starting point of robust growth, a too-tight labour market and too-high inflation already supported further tightening," NAB said in a statement today.

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"Much will depend on the trajectory of oil prices and the domestic data flow, and we see two-sided risks around our new central case for a 4.35 per cent peak."

Westpac said the effect of higher oil prices on inflation was "large but temporary" but believes the RBA will "nevertheless feel compelled to react".

"There are good arguments for staying on hold until May given the temporary nature of the shock and the possibility of more extreme market instability. A split vote at next week's meeting is possible," Westpac chief economist Luci Elli said.

"Market participants should allow for the possibility that the RBA opts to wait until May, but it is no longer our base case.

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"Similarly, a swift and clear resolution of the war (and fall in oil prices) or a clear and sudden loss of momentum in domestic activity would mean that the expected March hike would not be followed up in May.

"Again, this is not our base case, but we will keep the possibility under review."

Canstar data insights director Sally said a cash rate hike next week was "not a done deal".

"The war in the Middle East has cast a huge cloud of uncertainty over the decision, because while the short-term impact of the conflict will push up prices, particularly fuel, the longer-term damage to the economy and jobs market is not yet clear," she said.

"If the Westpac and NAB forecasts prove accurate, the RBA would deliver three back-to-back rate hikes across February, March and May – a scenario that would add further pressure to already stretched household budgets."

For a borrower with a $600,000 mortgage on a 25-year term, a hike in March would increase their monthly repayments by $91.

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If rates were to rise again in May, which all four majors expect, the total increase would be $181 each month.

"These are big numbers and you're combining them with the end of the electricity rebate, rises in private health insurance premiums, rise in petrol prices," Tindall said.

"It will be breaking point for some families if we get those one, two, three, punch hikes."

Tindall encouraged borrowers to "stress-test" their budgets against at least half a percentage point higher.

"For example, if you're now sitting on a rate of 5.75 per cent, test it out at 6.25 per cent – even 6.50 per cent – to see if it stacks up against your budget," Tindall said.

"For borrowers, the key message is to prepare for the possibility of higher rates, even if it's not yet a done deal. Now is the time to make sure your mortgage is competitive."

NAB and Westpac both expect interest rates to begin to regress to neutral levels in the second half of 2027.

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