News
Analysis: Will the royals try to bring Prince Andrew back into public life?
The newest damning judgment towards the Queen’s second son was handed down by councillors within the northern English metropolis of York, who voted unanimously to strip the prince of his Freedom of the Metropolis on Wednesday.
This honor was bestowed upon him in 1987, and its elimination sends a powerful message: Andrew, the Duke of York, is undesirable within the place from which he takes his royal title.
The transfer was backed by events throughout the political spectrum. The most important group on the council, the Liberal Democrats, stated in a press release: “We now have made it clear that it’s not acceptable for Prince Andrew to symbolize York and its residents. The elimination of this title sends the proper message that we as a metropolis stand with victims of abuse.”
Regardless of the conclusion to the civil case, Andrew’s prolonged affiliation with Epstein has wrecked his status as a senior royal.
That title was a marriage reward from the Queen, and it could require a vote in Britain’s Parliament to have it revoked. No one has tabled such a movement — but. But when they do, and it passes, Elizabeth would want to signal it into legislation in her function as head of state. That may be the final word indignity for the prince, who’s already needed to comply with cease utilizing the title “His Royal Highness” after being stripped of his royal duties and patronages by his mom.
It might not get to that time. The member of Parliament for York Central, Rachael Maskell, has steered Andrew may voluntarily relinquish his title.
There is no such thing as a suggestion from Prince Andrew that he plans to try this. If he did, his final remaining title could be “Prince,” which is a birthright for any son of the monarch. Once more, an Act of Parliament could be required to take it away.
Andrew was stripped of his navy titles and charity patronages in February. A royal supply instructed CNN on the time that he would not use the fashion “His Royal Highness” in any official capability, including that the choice was “broadly mentioned” among the many royal household.
Neither Buckingham Palace nor Andrew’s private spokesperson had any remark to make on the council vote in York, however the truth the prince retains grabbing headlines forward of the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations in June can be irritating for these concerned within the build-up.
And it stays to be seen whether or not the royal household are inclined to cede to strain towards Andrew, or take the alternative path by trying to step by step reintroduce him to public life.
Whereas he not has an official function, he’s nonetheless a part of the household. That is why we noticed Andrew at Prince Philip’s memorial service, which was televised however was primarily a household occasion. Eyebrows have been raised when Andrew emerged, strolling his mom down the aisle to her seat — a reminder that public anger will not dictate each resolution the palace makes.
The household will now be contemplating whether or not or tips on how to combine Andrew into the jubilee occasions. The present pondering is that he will not be concerned within the extra formal and official proceedings, however we might even see him when the household makes its conventional look on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
DON’T MISS
One other powerful royal tour within the Caribbean.
Prince Edward and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex have change into the second royal couple in a matter of weeks to face awkward questions concerning the monarchy’s place on the earth whereas touring the Caribbean.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister instructed the pair that the nation desires to “someday change into a republic” in a face-to-face assembly on Monday, months after Barbados took the step and minimize formal ties with the Queen.
Edward, Queen Elizabeth’s youngest baby, laughed nervously in response to the feedback, in keeping with UK information company PA Media, which was on the journey.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne additionally introduced up the query of compensation for slavery, a difficulty that has steadily cropped up in protests in latest months.
Edward and Sophie confronted small however constant demonstrations on the fringes of their official engagements throughout the multi-nation tour. In St. Lucia, a small group of activists picketed a royal walkabout. One protester instructed PA: “We would like reparations now. The Queen of England must apologize for slavery.”
The couple already canceled one leg of their tour on the final minute, abruptly saying final week that they would not go to Grenada. No motive was given for the postponement.
Royal excursions have lengthy attracted activists, however the tone of those demonstrations has shifted in latest months because the idea of republicanism has moved into the realm of actuality in some nations.
It could as soon as have been extraordinary for a Commonwealth chief to inform senior royals, in entrance of the press, that they need to go away the monarchy behind. However Edward and Sophie will need to have anticipated the difficulty would crop up this time round.
Prince William addressed the subject throughout his March journey, discussing Britain’s historic function in slavery in his solely speech throughout the couple’s cease in Jamaica, denouncing the “abhorrent” apply and expressing his “profound sorrow.”
However some protesters are demanding a extra concrete response, like a proper apology from the royals, or reparation funds to nations affected.
In components of the Commonwealth, the legacy of slavery stays entrance and middle, and as these questions persist, the monarchy’s international attain may recede additional.
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING?
The Queen is again at Windsor.
Elizabeth II was in a cheery temper as she returned to Windsor Fortress after a week-long break at her Sandringham property. The Queen met with the President of Switzerland on Thursday and will attend the state opening of Parliament in two weeks’ time, forward of her jubilee celebrations in early June. Observers can be relieved to see her again at work. Previously few months, the Queen has suffered from Covid and was pressured to tug out of Easter companies attributable to mobility issues.
Charles hails journalists in Ukraine.
Ed Sheeran and corgi puppets signal as much as cheer the Queen.
Particulars are rising concerning the public competition that can mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee in June — and it is sounding like an eclectic present. A musical tribute by Ed Sheeran will type a part of the £15 million Platinum Jubilee Pageant, it was confirmed on Tuesday. A pack of corgi puppets can even take middle stage, in what organizers say can be a scene of “humorous chaos” on The Mall exterior Buckingham Palace. Different highlights embrace singer Cliff Richard, an aerial artist suspended below an enormous helium balloon, a bunch of maypole dancers and a transferring marriage ceremony cake that can play Bollywood hits. We’ll reserve judgment till the large day.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Breaking information: Prince Charles and Camilla strive their hand at broadcasting from the set of BBC Information in London. Charles stated he had watched reporters “shivering on the roofs” throughout their reporting from Ukraine.
Prince Harry gave a strong speech to opponents to shut the Invictus Video games within the Netherlands. The event he based was twice postponed as a result of pandemic and eventually held its fifth version this month in The Hague.
News
Read the Texas Governor’s Pardon
PROCLAMATION
BY THE
Governor of the State of Texas
PROCLAMATION No. 2024-0001
DPS #07666731
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME:
WHEREAS, Daniel Scott Perry, TDCJ #02450686, D.O.B. April 24, 1987, was
sentenced in the 147th District Court in Travis County on May 10, 2023, to twenty-
five years in prison for the offense of Murder, Cause No. D-1-DC-21-900007; and
WHEREAS, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has conducted an exhaustive
review of Daniel Scott Perry’s personal history and the facts surrounding his shooting
of Garrett Foster; and
WHEREAS, both the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and
Article I, Section 23, of the Texas Constitution protect the right to keep and bear arms
for, among other things, self-defense; and
WHEREAS, Texas law, consistent with those constitutional guarantees, provides one of
the clearest self-defense protections in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Texas Penal Code § 9.32(a) provides that a person “is justified in using
deadly force against another” when that person “reasonably believes the deadly force
is immediately necessary” to protect a person against another’s use of unlawful deadly
force; and
WHEREAS, Texas Penal Code § 9.32(c) provides that a person who is otherwise
lawfully present at the location where deadly force is used “is not required to retreat
before using deadly force”; and
WHEREAS, on July 25, 2020, Daniel Scott Perry, while driving on a public road in
Austin, slowed his vehicle as he rounded a corner onto Congress Avenue and
encountered a group of protestors obstructing traffic; and
WHEREAS, Daniel Scott Perry’s car was immediately surrounded by aggressive
protestors who rushed to obstruct, strike, pound, smash, and kick his vehicle; and
WHEREAS, Garrett Foster then approached within 18 inches of Daniel Scott Perry’s
car, confronted him, and brandished a Kalashnikov-style rifle in the low-ready firing
position; and
WHEREAS, Daniel Scott Perry fired his handgun at Garrett Foster to eliminate a
perceived threat to his safety and called law enforcement less than one minute later to
inform them of the incident; and
WHEREAS, Daniel Scott Perry explained to law enforcement at the time that he used
his weapon because he feared losing his life and has since consistently stated that he
acted in self-defense; and
WHEREAS, Travis County District Attorney José Garza, rather than upholding the self-
defense rights of citizens, has prioritized “reducing access to guns” that citizens may
use to lawfully defend themselves; and
FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE
SECRETARY OF STATE
1:25 PM O’CLOCK
MAY 16 2024
News
Live news: US stocks close lower to end multi-day rally
US stocks retreated from a record high, ending a multi-day rally that had been spurred along this week by signs of easing inflation.
A late-session dip resulted in the benchmark S&P 500 closing 0.2 per cent lower on Thursday. Wall Street’s benchmark had been as much as 0.3 per cent higher in early trading to set a record intraday high.
Consumer staples was the S&P 500’s best-performing sector, as Walmart shares leapt 7 per cent to a record high, while basic materials was the index’s worst-performing group.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 0.3 per cent, ending a three-session winning streak. The small-cap focused Russell 2000 declined 0.6 per cent.
Traders sold Treasuries, pushing the yield on the two-year note up 0.06 percentage points to 4.80 per cent. The yield on the 10-year note rose 0.02 percentage points to 4.38 per cent.
News
Lawyer for family of slain airman says Florida deputy call shows he went to wrong apartment
A lawyer for the family of Roger Fortson insisted Thursday that the body camera video from the Florida sheriff’s deputy who killed the Black Air Force senior airman and police radio audio support their assertion that the deputy went to the wrong apartment while responding to a domestic disturbance call that day.
At a news conference, civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump played audio from a police radio in which a dispatcher says that a “fourth party” gave them information about the location of the disturbance.
“Uh, don’t have, uh, any further other than a male and female,” the dispatcher tells officers. “It’s all fourth-party information from the front desk at the leasing office.”
The news conference was held at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, and was attended by Fortson’s parents, siblings and other family.
Crump said the radio audio had been condensed to remove communications that were not relevant to the incident at the apartment complex where Fortson was shot six times. NBC News has not listened to an unedited version of the audio.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which is handling the criminal investigation into the shooting, did not immediately return requests for comment about the family’s assertion that the deputy went to the wrong door. The sheriff’s office has not released an incident report or any 911 records. Sheriff Eric Aden has previously said the deputy had not entered the wrong apartment.
Fortson, 23, was shot May 3 in the doorway of his apartment in Fort Walton Beach by a deputy from the sheriff’s office who was responding to an apparent domestic dispute. Fortson’s family and their attorneys have insisted the deputy went to the wrong apartment because Fortson was home alone and on a FaceTime call with his girlfriend at the time of the incident. Crump said Thursday that the two were not raising their voices and had been making plans to see each other that weekend. Crump and Fortson’s family contend his killing was unjustified.
Crump showed two clips from the body camera video of the deputy being led around the apartment complex by a woman. At one point, the deputy asks her, “Which door?” She tells him, “I’m not sure.” The woman also tells the deputy that she heard a disturbance that included a slap two weeks ago and says, “I wasn’t sure where it came from.”
The woman later tells the deputy that he should go to apartment 1401, footage shows. It is unclear who the woman is, but Crump said Thursday that he believes she works in the leasing office of the complex.
When the deputy arrives at the apartment, he first knocks without identifying himself. He then knocks two more times, identifies himself as a member of the sheriff’s office and steps away from the door.
The video shows Fortson answer the door of his apartment with a gun in his right hand that is pointed downward and being shot by the deputy within seconds. After shooting, the deputy shouted for Fortson to drop the gun. Fortson legally owned the firearm, Crump said.
Crump said multiple times Thursday that he believed the deputy had “used excessive force” and had “executed” Fortson.
“As his mother said, they cannot stain his reputation,” Crump said. “But she feels, as long as they continue to say that they went to the right apartment, they’re staining his reputation. Because Roger did not have any domestic disturbance. Roger had no criminal history.”
-
Politics1 week ago
Biden takes role as bystander on border and campus protests, surrenders the bully pulpit
-
Politics1 week ago
'You need to stop': Gov. Noem lashes out during heated interview over book anecdote about killing dog
-
Politics1 week ago
RFK Jr said a worm ate part of his brain and died in his head
-
News1 week ago
Man, 75, confesses to killing wife in hospital because he couldn’t afford her care, court documents say
-
World1 week ago
Pentagon chief confirms US pause on weapons shipment to Israel
-
Politics1 week ago
Here's what GOP rebels want from Johnson amid threats to oust him from speakership
-
World1 week ago
Pro-Palestine protests: How some universities reached deals with students
-
World1 week ago
Convicted MEP's expense claims must be published: EU court