The U.S. military calls America's post–World War II treaty with Japan "the cornerstone of peace and security in the Pacific." President Trump has recently mused to confidants about withdrawing from the treaty, calling it too one-sided, Bloomberg reports, citing three people familiar with the matter. Specifically, Trump thinks it unfair the U.S. has to come to Japan's defense but Japan need not come to America's, and he has complained about Japan's efforts to move a large U.S. military base in Okinawa, telling confidants that "the land underneath the base is valuable for development" and "the real estate could be worth about $10 billion," Bloomberg reports.
Administration officials say it is unlikely Trump will actually pull the U.S. out of the treaty which forms the basis for the U.S.-Japan relationship, and it's unclear he has the authority to. "It's unsettled in American law whether the president can withdraw from a ratified treaty without congressional approval," Bloomberg says. "President George W. Bush withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 without lawmakers' consent." Trump has already withdrawn the U.S. from a number of international agreements, mostly those negotiated under his predecessor, President Barack Obama.
Trump is heading to Japan on Wednesday for a G-20 summit in Osaka, and while he will meet with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, any disagreements they have would likely center around trade and tariffs, not treaties. Abe, who is hawkish and trying to build up the military Japan agreed to largely dismantle under the 1951 treaty, has a better relationship with Trump than most world leaders. Peter Weber
Explorers searched for the "Lost City of the Monkey God" for decades, and once a team of conservationists had the opportunity to traverse the elusive area, they were thrilled with what they discovered.
Deep inside Honduras' Mosquitia rainforest, the team found 246 species of butterflies and moths, 30 species of bats, and 57 species of amphibians and reptiles. They discovered 22 species never before recorded in Honduras — including a fish that has likely never been found anywhere else — and species thought to be extinct, including the tiger beetle. The ancient settlement is "one of the few areas remaining in Central America where ecological and evolutionary processes remain intact," Trond Larsen, director of Conservation International's Rapid Assessment Program (RAP), told The Independent.
The conservationists were dropped off in the area by helicopter, and spent three weeks exploring. The pristine setting is vulnerable to illegal deforestation, and RAP's John Polisar said he is hopeful Honduras' government will make sure it is safeguarded. "Because of its presently intact forests and fauna, the area is of exceptionally high conservation value," he told The Independent. "It merits energetic and vigilant protection so its beauty and wildlife persist into the future." Catherine Garcia
Several Democrats in the House are struggling with the idea of backing a $4.5 billion emergency aid package, as they want to help detained migrants but worry that the money will somehow be used to carry out President Trump's promised deportation raids.
The House is planning a vote on Tuesday, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) spent Monday evening meeting with Democrats who have issues with the bill, The New York Times reports. Pelosi has said the measure "does not fund the administration's failed mass detention policy" and does not change asylum laws. Several members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus want to make it clear the money will go to improving facilities where migrant children are being held, especially in the wake of shocking reports of filthy conditions and neglect at a Border Patrol station in Texas.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Monday night said she "will not fund another dime to allow ICE to continue its manipulative tactics," while Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said she doesn't trust Trump to follow restrictions in the bill, adding, "He's creating these crises and then trying to point the finger at Democrats to give him more money, which he then uses for his own purposes." Trump enacts "cruel immigration policies," Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) said, but "Democrats cannot allow our anger at this president to blind us to the horrific conditions at facilities along the border as the agencies run out of money."
Republicans are opposing the package for different reasons, specifically that the money won't be used to enforce immigration law, the Times reports. The White House said in a statement Monday night that Trump would likely veto the House legislation because it "does not provide adequate funding to meet the current crisis" and "contains partisan provisions designed to hamstring the administration's border enforcement efforts." Catherine Garcia
NASA's Curiosity rover has detected methane on Mars several times since landing in 2012, but last week, it measured the highest level yet: 21 parts per billion.
This is an "unusually high" level of the odorless, colorless gas, NASA says, but the agency cautioned that while methane is produced by living organisms, this is not absolute proof of life on Mars, now or ever. "While increased methane levels measured by @MarsCuriosity are exciting, as possible indicators for life, it's important to remember this is an early science result," NASA's Thomas Zurbuchen tweeted. On Earth, major sources of methane include cattle and the production of fossil fuels.
Scientists will analyze the information and plan on conducting more observations, NBC News reports. The methane was detected on Teal Ridge, inside the 96-mile-wide Gale Crater. Catherine Garcia