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French parliament votes to oust Michel Barnier’s government

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French parliament votes to oust Michel Barnier’s government

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The French parliament on Wednesday voted to oust Prime Minister Michel Barnier over his proposed deficit-cutting budget, plunging the country into deeper political turmoil.

A motion of no confidence was approved by 331 votes in the 577 member national assembly, as Marine Le Pen’s far-right party teamed up with a leftist bloc to bring down Barnier’s minority government.

Barnier’s administration has collapsed without adopting his contentious 2025 budget that included €60bn in tax increases and spending cuts to reduce France’s deficit, which will reach 6 per cent of GDP this year.

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President Emmanuel Macron will now have to select another prime minister, a task made difficult by a raucous parliament divided into three blocs, none of which is close to having a governing majority.

Barnier’s three-month term as prime minister was the shortest of any premier since France’s Fifth Republic was founded in 1958. It is only the second time a government has been voted down since then. 

The political tumult gripping France comes just weeks after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition collapsed, leaving the EU’s two most powerful states in limbo.

Barnier defended his record as prime minister during a national assembly debate before the confidence vote, telling lawmakers: “I have been and am proud to act to build rather than to destroy.”

He said it was “not for pleasure” that he had presented a difficult budget. France’s fiscal “reality will not disappear by the enchantment of a motion of censure”, he added.

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Macron will have to contend with an emboldened Le Pen and her Rassemblement National party, which was decisive in removing Barnier after spurning his last-ditch attempts at a compromise on his budget.

Le Pen said her decision to censure Barnier was prompted by the “necessity to put an end to the chaos, to spare the French people from a dangerous, unfair and punitive budget”.

Macron “is largely responsible for the current situation”, Le Pen told TF1 television shortly after the vote.

When the president appoints a new prime minister, that person would work on a new budget which Rassemblement National “will construct with other forces in the national assembly”, she added.

Mathilde Panot, a leader of the far-left France Unbowed party, slammed Barnier for seeking deals with the Rassemblement National to try to stay in power.

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“Barnier tried to escape censure by choosing dishonour, he has gotten dishonour and censure,” she said.

Marie Lebec, a lawmaker from Macron’s centrist alliance and former minister, said her fellow parliamentarians should put aside party squabbling to find a way forward.

The political crisis risks further spooking financial markets. Barnier had previously warned of a financial and economic “storm” should his government fall without adopting the 2025 budget, saying borrowing costs were on track to exceed €60bn next year, more than the French defence budget.

French borrowing costs on its 10-year sovereign bond hit a 12-year high against Germany’s last week, as investors fretted about the likely failure of Barnier’s government.

After the confidence vote on Wednesday, the euro was flat against the dollar at $1.052, reflecting how the result was widely expected.

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Barnier may stay on as a caretaker premier for a short time, but it will fall to his successor to craft another 2025 budget, ahead of a year-end deadline.

In the meantime, Macron and parliament have several options to pass emergency measures that would avoid a government shutdown and keep public services funded temporarily.

But unlike previously when he procrastinated on picking premiers, Macron aimed to move quickly this time, said a person familiar with his thinking, and he has drawn up a list of potential candidates to succeed Barnier.

The Elysée said Macron would address the nation on Thursday evening in a televised speech.

Barnier was appointed by Macron in September after the president’s centrist alliance lost snap parliamentary elections, which increased the ranks of the far right and leftist parties.

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His departure is a sign of how gridlocked French institutions have become since the elections.

“It feels like a series of impasses in a parliament where no one has a workable majority,” said Bruno Cautrès, political scientist at Sciences Po. “There is a risk that a new government would fall quickly, just as Barnier has done.”

Additional reporting by Ian Smith in London

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Daniel Penny acquitted in NYC subway chokehold case after jury finds him not guilty of criminally negligent homicide

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Daniel Penny acquitted in NYC subway chokehold case after jury finds him not guilty of criminally negligent homicide

Daniel Penny has been acquitted in the chokehold death of a homeless man aboard a New York City subway car last year.

The 26-year-old former Marine had been charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in connection with the May 2023 death of 30-year-old Jordan Neely.

A jury found Penny not guilty of criminally negligent homicide Monday — three days after a Manhattan judge dismissed manslaughter charge when the 12-member panel said it could not come to a unanimous decision on the first and more serious of the two charges. The second-degree manslaughter charge carried a maximum 15-year prison sentence; criminally negligent homicide carried a maximum sentence of four years. There was no minimum sentence for either charge.

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Judge Maxwell Wiley had ordered the jury to return Monday to consider the second, lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide. It deliberated for less than two hours before delivering its verdict.

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According to the Associated Press, Penny “briefly smiled” as the verdict was read while others inside the courtroom reacted with applause and anger. Some, including Neely’s father, were told to leave after audibly reacting, per AP.

How the incident unfolded

Jordan Neely is pictured before going to see the Michael Jackson movie “This Is It” in Times Square, New York, in 2009. (Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Penny, an architecture student, was on his way to the gym when he encountered Neely on an uptown F train in Manhattan on the afternoon of May 1, 2023.

Witnesses say Neely, a former Michael Jackson impersonator, was acting erratically after boarding the train before Penny placed him in a chokehold. Some witnesses told police that Neely shouted at other passengers, threw his jacket on the ground, complained of being hungry and thirsty and threatened to hurt people on the train. Others did not report hearing those threats.

Video taken by a fellow passenger shows Penny on the ground restraining Neely with a chokehold while two other men are standing over them. Penny then lets go of Neely, who is seen lying motionless on the floor of the train.

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When police arrived, Neely was unresponsive and first responders were unable to revive him. He was then taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Footage of the chokehold was shared widely online and sparked protests around the city.

Penny later told police that he “just put [Neely] in a chokehold” and “put him out” to ensure he wouldn’t hurt anyone.

What happened during the trial

Assistant District Attorney Dafna Yoran delivers her closing argument at Manhattan Criminal Court as Daniel Penny looks on Tuesday in this courtroom sketch

Assistant District Attorney Dafna Yoran delivers her closing argument at Manhattan Criminal Court as Daniel Penny looks on Tuesday in this courtroom sketch. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters)

Prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney’s office argued that Penny’s chokehold — which lasted approximately six minutes — became reckless when he held on too long, beyond the point when Neely represented any kind of threat to fellow passengers.

Attorneys for Penny argued that he saw “a genuine threat and took action to protect the lives of others” and that he had restrained Neely with a “variation of a nonlethal chokehold” borrowed from martial arts training he had been taught as a Marine. In doing so, they suggested that Neely’s death could have been caused by something else.

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But Dr. Cynthia Harris, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Neely, testified that “there are no alternative reasonable explanations” for Neely’s death other than Penny’s chokehold.

Harris had ruled the cause of death was compression of the neck, or asphyxia.

Jurors were shown a video of an interview Penny gave to police in which he demonstrated the chokehold on Neely.

“He had his back turned to me and I got him in a hold, got him to the ground, and he’s still squirming around and going crazy,” Penny is heard saying in the video.

The defense also argued that Neely had prior arrests, a history of mental illness and drugs in his system at the time of his death.

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Reactions to the verdict

Penny arrives at the courthouse on Monday as demonstrators protesting Neely's death are seen across the street. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)

Penny arrives at the courthouse on Monday as demonstrators protesting Neely’s death are seen across the street. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)

The case stirred a national debate about mental illness, homelessness, public safety, the use of force and race. Neely was Black. Penny is white.

Outside the courthouse, Dante Mills, a lawyer for Neely’s family, criticized the jury.

“We’re devastated, upset, angry, hurt,” Mills said, flanked by Neely’s father, Andre Zachery. “Jordan Neely was choked to death by someone who didn’t care people was telling him to stop. Last week the jury was — they couldn’t decide on the top charge but they come back his week and they give up on us.”

“The district attorney did a good job,” Mills added. “The jury in this case let us down.”

Last week, Zachery filed a civil suit against Penny, accusing him of negligent contact, assault and battery in Neely’s death.

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“I miss my son,” Zachery said. “My son didn’t have to go through this. I didn’t have to go through this either.”

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Syria crisis latest: Turkey calls for international support for ‘inclusive administration’

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Syria crisis latest: Turkey calls for international support for ‘inclusive administration’

Turkey’s foreign minister has called on the UN and other international actors to “extend a hand to the Syrian people and support the formation of an inclusive administration” following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s government.

Hakan Fidan said Turkey would work for the territorial integrity, political unity, welfare and security of Syria after opposition fighters, including rebels Ankara has supported since 2011, captured Damascus on Sunday.

Turkey will prevent Isis and the Kurdistan Workers’ party, a militant group with close ties to US-backed Syrian Kurds who control north-east Syria, from exploiting the situation, and will end Syria’s status as “safe haven for terrorism,” he said, adding that Ankara was already working on the return of refugees and Syria’s reconstruction.

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Kennedy Center pays tribute to the Grateful Dead, Raitt, Sandoval and The Apollo

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Kennedy Center pays tribute to the Grateful Dead, Raitt, Sandoval and The Apollo

2024 Kennedy Center honoree jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer Arturo Sandoval, blows a kiss as fellow honoree blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Bonnie Raitt, applauds as they arrive during the 47th Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024.

Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP


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Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

WASHINGTON — Not Fade Away closed out the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony on Sunday, just as honorees The Grateful Dead had used Buddy Holly’s ode to enduring love to close out hundreds of concerts over the years.

The packed house danced in the aisles to the bouncy beat after a night of honoring the Dead and other recipients of the lifetime achievement award for artistic accomplishment: director Francis Ford Coppola, jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt. The venerable Harlem theater The Apollo, which has launched generations of Black artists, also was recognized.

Longtime Deadheads, including actors Miles Teller and Chloe Sevigny and talk show host David Letterman, paid tribute to the band’s blend of musical experimentation, longevity and community-building. “Their music fills the universe,” Letterman proclaimed.

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The choice to honor The Apollo was an unusual one: the first time the Kennedy Center has chosen to honor a specific performance venue.

“The Apollo means so much to so many of us,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said while arriving on the red carpet. Moore pointed to iconic Apollo performances from Lauryn Hill and a young Michael Jackson as treasured memories of his youth.

The tribute to The Apollo highlighted the sheer diversity of art forms showcased at the 90-year-old theater. Savion Glover did a spirited tap dance routine; husband and wife duo The War and Treaty performed a medley of hits by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell; and comedian Dave Chappelle recounted his terrifying first Apollo performance at age 15.

“Everybody started booing. It was like I was outside my body watching,” he said. Eventually Chappelle was rushed off the stage by the theater’s infamous “Sandman,” but he credited the experience with helping him overcome his fear of bombing.

The annual gala at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts always features personalized tributes with performances and testimonials from fellow artists. Medallions were presented during the traditional Saturday night ceremony at the State Department.

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In the first of the night’s tributes, Emmylou Harris and Dave Matthews performed a cover of Raitt’s duet with the late John Prine, “Angel from Montgomery.”

Music star Sheryl Crow paid tribute to Raitt’s trailblazing career as not just a singer or songwriter but as a widely respected blues guitarist in a male-dominated field.

“I would not be doing what I’m doing if I had not seen her perform as a 17-year old,” said Crow, who bought her first guitar shortly after seeing Raitt in concert.

Raitt herself, on the pre-event red carpet, predicted an emotional evening.

“I’ve brought a massive box of Kleenex and my waterproof eye liner,” she laughed.

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Coppola received a tribute filled with previous Kennedy Center honorees, including Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Al Pacino and George Lucas. All described an iconoclastic and driven auteur who loved to nurture and support younger filmmakers.

“What Francis does creatively is jump off cliffs,” Lucas said. “When you spend enough time with Francis, you begin to believe you can jump off cliffs, too.”

Sandoval’s tribute featured multiple performances from an all-star band featuring Trombone Shorty and pianist Chucho Valdez from Sandoval’s original band, plus a flamenco dance performance by Timo Nunez. It also included a bit of light roast comedy from actor Andy Garcia.

“Arturo spoke very little English when he first came to America from Cuba all those years ago,” Garcia said. “But now his English … is much worse.”

The tribute performances are often kept secret from the recipients themselves, most notably in 2018 when Cyndi Lauper flat out lied to her longtime friend Cher about being unable to attend. Lauper appeared on stage to perform Cher’s hit, “If I Could Turn Back Time.”

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At a ceremony at the White House before attending the awards event itself, President Joe Biden praised each honoree. He also had De Niro, who was in the audience, stand before declaring, “If I get in trouble, I’m coming to you pal.”

De Niro grinned and nodded and others in attendance, including the honorees, laughed at what appeared to be a reference to De Niro sometimes playing hardnosed enforcers in movies like “The Godfather.” But Biden actually meant he might seek the actor’s help for post-presidency career advice.

“Things are not looking good for February,” Biden joked.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris received an extended standing ovation from the audience when introduced at Kennedy Center. But this could be the last honors ceremony without political intrigue for a while.

During Donald Trump’s first four years in office, Kennedy Center officials were forced to walk a public tightrope between the tradition of the president attending the ceremony and the open antipathy toward Trump from multiple honorees. In 2017, recipient Norman Lear threatened to boycott his own ceremony if Trump attended. Trump, who takes office in January, skipped the ceremony for the entirety of his first term.

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On the red carpet Sunday night, multiple Democratic political figures seemed to offer an olive branch.

“I hope he does come,” Moore said. “This is a wonderful celebration of genius in all its forms.”

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi added, “I think he would really enjoy it.”

The awards show will air on CBS on Dec. 22.

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