1. Trump doubles down
The Tweeter-in-Chief can't acknowledge a mistake. So he's doubled down on his riff made during his campaign-style rally in Melbourne, Florida on the weekend in which he referenced whatever had gone down in Sweden the night before. [Fairfax]
This more than baffled the Swedes who asked the State Department for an explanation.
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Sweden to Trump: When you are in a hole, stop digging
After Donald Trump's apparent reference to a non-existent incident in Sweden raises eyebrows, the US President doubles down on his claim Sweden's immigration policy is "working out just beautifully. NOT!"
Trump clarified on Twitter. "My statement as to what's happening in Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden."
Worth noting two police officers who were quoted in Fox's report say their comments were taken out of context. "We don't stand behind it. It shocked us. He has edited the answers. We were answering completely different questions in the interview. This is bad journalism," police officer Anders Göranzon told a Swedish-language newspaper. [The Local]
Surely that arbiter of real and fake news would acknowledge the primary sources claim of being misquoted?
Of course not. The President continued bashing the rest of the news media while casting aspersions on the success or otherwise of another country's immigration program on Monday.
Give the public a break - The FAKE NEWS media is trying to say that large scale immigration in Sweden is working out just beautifully. NOT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 20, 2017
Swedish News agency TT has also fact-checked the central claims made in the Fox report about immigration and crime. I doubt you will be surprised by the findings. [TT/The Local]
Sweden's former prime minister and foreign minister Carl Bildt has responded, via Twitter, in searing fashion.
Last year there were app 50% more murders only in Orlando/Orange in Florida, where Trump spoke the other day, than in all of Sweden. Bad.
— Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) February 20, 2017
Just a piece of friendly advice: when you are in a hole, stop digging.
— Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) February 20, 2017
Interlaced with the usual complaints about how awful Twitter has become are some worthwhile thoughts from columnist Suzanne Moore on why Trump is using Twitter to undermine the publicly loathed chumminess among those in the political class. [The Guardian]
In Brussels, vice president Mike Pence was reassuring leaders that the US still supports the European Union. He also said he supported the firing of Michael Flynn as National Security Advisor. Trump cited Flynn's misleading of Pence as the reason for the sacking and not Flynn's discussions with the Russian about sanctions, ahead of the inauguration, as the reason. [The New York Times]
Jim Mattis in Baghdad, Mike Pence in EU with same message: Don't pay attention to what our maniac president says!
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) February 20, 2017
It is President's Day in the US and tens of thousands have vowed to protest against their current one in Not My President rallies. [The Hill]
2. UK Politics
British MPs debate banning US President Donald Trump from visiting the UK in 2017. Photo: UK Parliament
British MPs have begun debating the public petition have Trump's state visit planned for later this year cancelled.
Some of the arguments have ranged from his treatment of the media and free press, attitudes toward women and immigration (against) to respecting the institution of the US presidency despite its occupant and 'well, we let Chinese President Xi Jiping come' (pro). [Telegraph]
Outside Westminster, protesters gathered.
They're having a terrible time with the sound system at the anti-Trump protest outside Westminster. Inaudible anger. pic.twitter.com/ITt6GA2VHp
— NickdMiller (@NickdMiller) February 20, 2017
Will Trump's visit hurt British PM Theresa May? Possibly but with Labour polling an all-time low in a new poll, it might not matter at all.
Guardian/ICM poll:
— Election Data (@election_data) February 20, 2017
Con: 44% (+2)
Labour: 26% (-1)
Ukip: 13% (+1)
Lib Dems: 8% (-2)
Greens: 4% (no change)
Con lead: 18 pts (+3)
20/02/17
And a lovely insider, yet riveting piece in The Guardian examining May's inner circle and the dynamics at play as the PM navigates the country through the social experiment of Brexit. Really recommend this, even if you only loosely follow British politics. [Anushka Asthana/Heather Stewart]
3. Aust Politics
.@MichaelSukkarMP says the government is enabling young people to get highly paid jobs in order to buy a house MORE https://t.co/2GNkQMMebg pic.twitter.com/M2m3nQMKim
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) February 20, 2017
Watch Labor jump on this today - Michael Sukkar, the recently promoted parliamentary secretary says a "highly paid job" is a "first step" to buying a house. This comes on the back of Joe Hockey telling people to "get a good job" if they want to buy a home and Malcolm Turnbull's 'joke' to Jon Faine that he should "shell out" and help his child buy their home if they were struggling. [My report/Fairfax]
Polling conducted for the unions has found voters in marginal seats would not like it if their penalty rates were taken away, ahead of a looming decision by the independent industrial umpire. [Heath Aston/Fairfax]
Julie Bishop MP
A big week for the Foreign Minister who is making a dash to the United States ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Australia later in the week.
Bishop won't meet Trump but will meet her own counterpart, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, as well as vice president Mike Pence. [Daniel Flitton/The Age]
America's Trump experiment shows why Australia needs to stand on its own two feet, writes Fairfax's international editor Peter Hartcher. [The Sydney Morning Herald]
Partners: Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu with US President Donald Trump. Photo: Bloomberg
Protesters have already begun gathering outside the Israeli Embassy in Canberra ahead of Netanyahu's visit beginning Wednesday. [AAP]
"Australian journalists should also be ready to cross-examine the Israeli Prime Minister in relation to the latest illegal expansion of Israeli settlements," writes Professor Stuart Rees. [Fairfax]
While Australia should tap into Israel's expertise in "urban warfare and in the development of unmanned aerial systems for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and combat," says Anthony Bergin from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. [Fairfax]
The Australian condemns Kevin Rudd's new position on recognising Palestine as "unconvincing" and backs Turnbull and Bishop's line on the Middle East conflict. [Editorial]
4. Philippines
Flanked by lawyers, retired police officer Arthur Lascanas, centre. Photo: AP
A damning testimony from a retired police officer in the Philippines, Arthur Lascanas, who says he led a death squad on President Rodrigo Duterte's orders. [Felipe Villamor/The New York Times]
5. North Korea
This story keeps getting stranger. North Korea's ambassador in Kuala Lumpur claims the man killed by poisoned cloth at the airport last week was not Kim Jong-nam, the brother of dictator Kim Jong-un. [Lindsay Murdoch/Fairfax]
6. South Sudan
Photo: UNICEF/AP
100,000 people are facing starvation in South Sudan where three UN agencies have declared a famine.
And that's it from me today, you can follow me on Facebook for more.