UR MAG

(Fixes formatting of advisory line; adds detail and quote from PM statement in paragraphs 3-7)

COPENHAGEN, Feb 22 (Reuters) - ‌Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Sunday "no ‌thanks" to U.S. President Donald Trump's idea of sending a hospital ship ​to Greenland, a territory that Trump has repeatedly said he wishes to take over.

Trump said on Saturday on social media he was working with Louisiana Governor and special envoy to Greenland, ‌Jeff Landry, to send ⁠a hospital boat to Greenland.

"President Trump's idea of sending an American hospital ship here to Greenland ⁠has been noted. But we have a public healthcare system where treatment is free for citizens. It is a deliberate choice," ​Nielsen ​said in a post on ​Facebook.

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Nielsen said Greenland remained open ‌to dialogue and cooperation, also with the U.S.

"But talk to us instead of just making more or less random outbursts on social media," he said.

Greenland, Denmark and the U.S. late last month launched diplomatic talks to resolve the crisis between ‌the parties, following months of tension ​within the NATO defence alliance over ​Trump's threats against ​the Arctic territory.

Trump's post on the ship came ‌hours after Denmark's Joint Arctic ​Command said it ​had evacuated a crew member who required urgent medical treatment from a U.S. submarine in Greenlandic waters, seven ​nautical miles outside ‌of Greenland's capital, Nuuk. It was unclear if the ​post had any connection to the evacuation.

(Reporting by Stine ​Jacobsen, editing by Louise Rasmussen)

Arab states have reacted with fury afterU.S. Ambassador to IsraelMike Huckabee suggested Israel has a biblical right to take over large swaths of the Middle East.

"It would be fine if they took it all, but I don't think that's what we're talking about here today," Huckabee toldpodcaster Tucker Carlsonduring an interview posted on YouTube on Friday, as the two discussed his Christian Zionist beliefs and interpretations of the Old Testament regarding land promised to Abraham and his descendants, stretching across multiple modern-day countries.

Huckabee addedthat this was not on the table, as "they're not asking to take all that." Asked if it would be fine for Israel to take over countries including Syria and Lebanon, he replied: "That's really not exactly what I'm trying to say."

His comments drew swift condemnation from across the region.

A joint statement from the foreign ministries of over a dozen Arab and Muslim nations,including U.S. allies Qatarand Saudi Arabia, expressed their "strong condemnation and profound concern" regarding Huckabee's comments, affirming their "categorical rejection of such dangerous and inflammatory remarks."

"These statements directly contradict the vision put forward by U.S. President Donald J. Trump, as well as the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict," the statement said.

The League of Arab States, which includes all Arab states in the Middle East and North Africa, called his comments "extremist and lacking any sound basis" in a statement posted on X.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry described Huckabee's comments as "extremist rhetoric" and called for the State Department to clarify its position on them, while Egypt described the comments as a "flagrant breach" of international law.

Iran warned the remarks could further "embolden" Israel in its "illegal measures against Palestinians as well as its constant aggression against the nations of the region."

Huckabee has since complained that a viral clip from the interview did not give the full context of their two-hour exchange, which was posted in full by Carlson on X and YouTube.

The ambassador wrote on X that they had had a "very twisty and frankly confusing discussion about the meaning of Zionism," adding that he had been asked "as a former Baptist minister about the 'theology' of Christian Zionism."

"He kept dragging it to discussions about other topics, literally other countries, things that have nothing to do with theology and certainly not with Israel, Zionism, or anything else," he added.

In the wide-ranging interview, Carlson had asked Huckabee about a Bible verse in which God promises Abraham that his descendants will receive land "from the wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates — the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

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Carlson, who has increasingly questioned U.S. support for Israel, said that this area would include "basically the entire Middle East," including parts of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

"I'm not sure it would go that far," Huckabee said, "but it would be a big piece of land."

He added: "They're not trying to take over Jordan, take over Syria, take over Iraq, or anywhere else, but they do want to protect their people."

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a longtime proponent of Israeli expansion in the Middle East, appeared to welcome the remarks. He posted on X Saturday: "I (heart) Huckabee."

Huckabee, a devout Christian and outspoken Zionist, has frequently drawn on the Bible when discussing the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, but the latest remarks go a step beyond that in seemingly referring to a much larger hypothetical expansion of the Israeli state.

Inan interview with NBC News in September, he said the U.S. and Israel shared a value system that "is rooted deeply in a biblical understanding of a worldview."

Prior to his appointment as envoy, he was outspoken about his support for the idea that Israel should annex the occupied West Bank and incorporate its Palestinian population, a position that would represent a reversal of decades of U.S. policy.

He has continued to back the idea that the West Bank should be referred to by its biblical name of "Judea and Samaria," a term that he uses and that right-wing Israeli and American politicians and activists have failed to get the U.S. government to formally adopt.

Huckabee called the terminology "historically accurate" and said it "has roots in a 3,800-year history."

The ambassador's interview with Carlson came a week after Israel's Security Cabinet approved measures to tighten the country'scontrol over the West Bankand make it easier for Jewish settlers to buy land there, a move that also attracted widespread statements of concern from Western governments and condemnation from throughout the Middle East.

In Hebron, an ancient community in the West Bank that has Jewish settlements in the heart of the city, the local Palestinian governorate was stripped of planning and building authority, which will instead be controlled by Israeli officials.

The moves were roundly condemned by Palestinians, who see the West Bank as vital for a future independent state. To this day, the international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.

Neither the White House nor the State Department have issued statements about the new measures.

FILE - In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the USS Gerald R. Ford embarked on the first of its sea trials to test various state-of-the-art systems on its own power for the first time, April 8, 2017, from Newport News, Va. The world's largest aircraft carrier entered the Mediterranean Sea on Saturday, according to maritime tracking data. Credit - Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni/U.S. Navy via Associated Press

After building up amassive military forcein the Middle East over the last few weeks, President Donald Trump said Friday that he was considering strikes against Iran to pressure its leaders into accepting a deal on its nuclear program.

Trump has ratcheted up threats of action against the country's leadership in recent months alongside a steady buildup of military forces. Two aircraft carriers are currently deployed, and one more—the USS Gerald Ford—is expected to arrive imminently.When questioned by reporters on Friday whether he was weighing limited strikes against the country's leadership in order to get it to accept a deal over its nuclear program, Trump replied: "I guess I can say I am considering that."

Read More:Leavitt Says Iran Would Be 'Wise to Make a Deal' as Trump Escalates Military Buildup in RegionOn Thursday, Trump gave Tehran a deadline of 10 to 15 days to finalize a deal to solve the nuclear dispute or face "really bad things."

The United States joined an Israeli-led military operation against Iran in June last year that struckthree of the country'snuclear sites. After that operation, Trump claimed Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities had been "completely and totally obliterated."

Trump raised the prospect of further military action against Iran following a brutal crackdown on protests therethat killed thousands.

That prospect has drawn harsh criticism from inside and outside of the President's own party.

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican, and Rep. Ro Khanna said they would table a War Powers resolution to prohibit the president from ordering military action in Iran without congressional approval.

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"Congress must vote on war according to our Constitution. Rep. Ro Khanna and I will be forcing that vote to happen in the House as soon as possible,"Massiewrote on X on Feb. 18. "I will vote to put America first which means voting against more war in the Middle East."David Janovsky, Acting Director of The Constitution Project at the Project on Government Oversight, answered TIME's questions about the legality of potential strikes on Iran.

If Trump orders strikes on Iran tomorrow, however limited in scope, could that be legally justified?

DJ: The short answer is no. There's no indication that there's any sort of circumstance that would give the President the unilateral authority to order military action. It's true that presidents have some inherent authority to deploy the military as Commander in Chief, but that's really limited to true emergency circumstances where there is an attack underway that needs to be repelled, or maybe an extremely clear imminent attack. But there's no suggestion that that's the case today—that would make the strikes illegal.

What steps would the White House need to take for this military action to be legally above board?

DJ: Most simply, the administration would need to go to Congress. This is a contemplated attack against a sovereign state, and that, in simplest terms, is an act of war. And the Constitution gives the exclusive power to declare war to Congress, not the president. So this is something that would need a vote and congressional approval.

How would this operation be different from the strikes on Iran's nuclear sites in June 2025, legally speaking?

DJ: My position is that those strikes in 2025 were not legally justifiable and also that strikes now would likewise not be justifiable. In 2025, the administration put out a very brief explanation that relied on both the President's inherent authority and a notion of collective self-defense with Israel. But again, self-defense is properly understood to involve a threat that is much more immediate than anything that's at play now.

What would be the legal and political implications if Congress passed a formal War Powers resolution restricting the President's ability to strike Iran?

DJ: It's important to keep in mind that if Congress didnothing, that would be a sign that Congress didn't approve an act of war, and so it would be illegal.

So, congressional action isn't necessary, legally speaking, to prevent a strike against Iran. But, if Congress were to take the preemptive step of saying, "You cannot do this," I think it would do two things. First, it would change the legal calculus, because the executive branch, for decades— this is not a new phenomenon—has resorted to creative lawyering to come up with excuses for using the military abroad. A clear statement from Congress should at least make those executive branch lawyers a lot less willing to push the envelope. It could also change the calculus for the military lawyers who would need to reviewany actual strike order.

And, politically, I think it would send a powerful message. We have seen, especially recently, that the administration is sensitive to losing support, particularly from its allies in Congress, and a clear congressional statement that there is not the buy-in for military action in this case would also be a limiting factor.

Why has the reaction from Congress to this military buildup been so muted?

DJ: I think there are probably both long-term structural reasons and sort of short-term political reasons, hand in hand with the executive branch's decades-long effort to push the envelope of what it can do has been Congress's acquiescence in the face of those expansions. In some ways, this is part of a constitutionally very dangerous but long-running trend.

Back in 2025, there was an effort after the strikes to pass a war powers resolution. But the most charitable explanation for why Congress didn't act then was that there was a suggestion that the strikes were over and done. It was a one-off, and there was no need for Congress to prevent anything else. The fact that we're back here suggests that was not the correct assessment, and certainly underscores the need for Congress to act urgently now.

Contact usatletters@time.com.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lionel Messi and Inter Miami got off to a rough start in their MLS Cup title defense when David Martínez, Denis Bouanga and Nathan Ordaz scored in Los Angeles FC's 3-0 victory Saturday night.

Inter Miami LAFC Soccer

Son Heung-min set up Martínez's opening goal for LAFC, which emphasized its status as a primary threatto Miami's crownduring a lively MLS season opener between two of the league's marquee clubs.

"This game is always special because Messi played, and we have some (desire) to want to beat Miami because Messi is there," Bouanga said. "Every player, the mentality is so high for this game. It's high for all games, but maybe this game is more high than another mentality."

The matchup drew 75,673 fans — the second-largest crowd in MLS history — to the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which is next-door to LAFC's home BMO Stadium. The huge crowd celebrated a convincing win for the home team and still enjoyed a good look at Messi, who played the full match despite dealing with a strained hamstring this month.

"This game would have sold out five times at BMO, but we wanted to do something special," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said. "This is a seminal year in the history of our sport and a big moment in the history of our league, so why not go into this historic stadium, bring Miami here, our champion, and have them play against LAFC?"

Bouanga exchanged jerseys with Messi after the matchbecause the LAFC star's son demanded it, he said with a grin.

Messi's every move was greeted with cheers and boos by the California fans, but he didn't manage a shot on target. The superstar is clearly working out his dynamic with his new teammates after the Herons lost Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba to retirement.

Messi put a shot just over Hugo Lloris' bar in first-half injury time, and he never managed to link up with new forward Germán Berterame under pressure from LAFC's impressive defense. Dayne St. Clair, Miami's elite new goalkeeper, also made a positioning mistake in his debut that greatly simplified Bouanga's goal.

"They put us (under) a lot of pressure, but we defended really well," LAFC head coach Dos Santos said. "I don't think we conceded big chances. There were these half-chances, but overall … I think that part of our game today, A-plus. The part of (our) possession, B. We can be much better, and we want to be much better, but our guys were a team."

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Dos Santos won in his debut asthe third head coach in club history. The former Vancouver head coach and longtime LAFC assistant led his team to a 6-1 win over Real España earlier this week in its CONCACAF Champions Cup opener in Honduras.

LAFC went ahead in the 38th minute when Son controlled the ball in traffic and slotted a perfect pass to Martínez,who found the far bottom corner in stride. The 20-year-old Martínez has started his MLS career slowly, but LAFC remains confident the Venezuelan forward will be a star.

"We need to push him in the field because he has strong quality, but now he has changed (his) mentality, too," Bouanga said of Martínez. "Last year is not the same to this year, and he knows."

Bouanga had a hat trick in CONCACAF Champions Cup play earlier this week, and he added his first MLS goal of the season in the 73rd minute. The Frenchman who finished second to Messi in the Golden Boot race last season converted on a long pass from Timothy Tillman, adroitly heading it over the charging St. Clair beforebanging it home.

LAFC added a third goal in second-half injury time when Ordaz converted a pass from Bouanga.

LAFC improved to 4-2-0 against the Herons in the clubs' history. LAFC also remained unbeaten in its season openers, improving to 9-0-0.

Up next

Inter Miami: At Orlando on Sunday, March 1.

LAFC: Host Real España in the second leg of CONCACAF Champions Cup on Tuesday.

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/soccer

Cameron Boozer scored 18 points and No. 3 Duke held on to beat No. 1 Michigan 68-63 in a much-anticipated, high-intensity nonconference showdown Saturday night in Washington, D.C.

Isaiah Evans racked up 14 points, Caleb Foster provided 12 points and Patrick Ngongba II turned in 11 points for Duke (25-2). Boozer grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, part of the Blue Devils 13-rebound advantage on the boards (41-28), and also distributed a game-high seven assists.

Yaxel Lendeborg posted 16 of his 21 points in the first half for Michigan (25-2), which had an 11-game win streak snapped. Morez Johnson Jr. finished with 13 points and Aday Mara notched 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting through foul trouble, but the Wolverines ended at 40% from the field, including 6-for-25 from 3-point range (24%).

Earlier in the day, the NCAA Tournament selection committee's bracket preview listed Michigan and Duke, respectively, as the top two overall seeds. Attendance was announced at 20,537, making it the largest turnout for a neutral-site game this season.

Michigan had cut an eight-point deficit to 61-58 with 2:18 left when Boozer drained a 3-pointer. But Elliot Cadeau countered for the Wolverines with a three of his own with 1:39 left.

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Boozer scored on a short jumper on the next Duke possession. Cadeau's two free throws came with 51 seconds to play.

Duke milked some clock, but when Ngongba II missed a shot, he grabbed the rebound. So instead of the Wolverines having possession with a chance to pull even, Evans sank two free throws at the 14-second mark.

Duke overcame 11 turnovers to push its winning streak to four games since a three-point loss at North Carolina and may be the new No. 1 team come Monday with No. 2 Houston also losing on Saturday.

Duke held a 35-33 halftime lead. Neither team held a lead of more than five points in the first 20 minutes. An Evans 3-pointer early in the second half stretched the margin to 41-35.

Michigan shot 3-for-13 on 3s in the first half and Duke was 4-for-12. The Wolverines, aided by making nine of their first 11 shots, were at 51.9% from the field in the first half.

--Field Level Media