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What we know and still don’t know about the attack on Paul Pelosi | CNN Politics

Published

2 years ago

October 30, 2022

What we know and still don’t know about the attack on Paul Pelosi | CNN Politics

Washington
CNN
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The person who’s alleged to have attacked Paul Pelosi, the husband of Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi, within the couple’s San Francisco dwelling on Friday is anticipated to be charged with a number of felonies Monday, in accordance San Francisco regulation enforcement officers. He’s anticipated to be arraigned on Tuesday.

“We’re coordinating carefully with federal and native regulation enforcement companions on this investigation. We are going to carry ahead a number of felony expenses on Monday and count on [suspect David DePape] to be arraigned on Tuesday. DePape will likely be held accountable for his heinous crimes,” San Francisco District Lawyer Brooke Jenkins tweeted Friday evening.

Right here’s a take a look at what we all know – and nonetheless don’t know – concerning the assault:

An intruder, recognized by police as David DePape, 42, confronted the 82-year-old Paul Pelosi with a hammer early Friday morning, shouting, “The place is Nancy? The place is Nancy?” in line with a regulation enforcement supply. The assailant tried to tie Pelosi up “till Nancy acquired dwelling,” two sources accustomed to the state of affairs informed CNN.

Pelosi referred to as 911 when he encountered the threatening man and left the road open so a dispatcher may hear his dialog with DePape, talking surreptitiously however making it clear that he wanted assist, in line with a regulation enforcement supply.

San Francisco police entered the house round 2:27 a.m. native time Friday (5:27 a.m. ET) to search out Pelosi struggling over a hammer with a person, who has since been recognized as DePape, in line with town’s police chief. Officers noticed DePape “violently assault” Pelosi with the hammer earlier than they tackled him to the bottom and arrested him.

“It’s actually due to Mr. Pelosi being able to make that decision, and actually the eye and the instincts of that dispatcher to comprehend that one thing was mistaken in that state of affairs and to make the police name a precedence so that they acquired there inside two minutes to reply to this case,” Jenkins informed CNN’s Erin Burnett on Friday.

Police stated the DePape entered by way of a again door and it wasn’t clear if he circumvented any safety measures.

Pelosi was taken to a hospital after the assault and underwent a “profitable surgical procedure to restore a cranium fracture and severe accidents to his proper arm and arms,” Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Nancy Pelosi, stated in a press release early Friday night. He’s anticipated to make a full restoration.

Authorities stated Friday that the suspect is within the hospital for minor accidents. DePape was not recognized to US Capitol Police and was not in any federal databases monitoring threats, in line with three sources who had been briefed on the investigation. However he had posted memes and conspiracy theories on Fb about Covid-19 vaccines, the 2020 election and the January 6 assault on the US Capitol.

US Capitol Police stated in a press release Friday that it’s helping the FBI and the San Francisco Police “with a joint investigation” into the break-in.

Regulation enforcement officers haven’t offered a motive for the assault, however San Francisco Police Chief William Scott stated in a information convention Friday that the assault was “intentional” and “not a random act.”

“It’s mistaken. Our elected officers are right here to do the enterprise of their cities, their counties, their states and this nation. Their households don’t join this to be harmed and it’s mistaken,” Scott stated.

Nancy Pelosi was not dwelling on the time of the assault however traveled to California on Friday to be along with her husband. The safety element for lawmakers, together with the speaker, doesn’t defend their spouses when the members of Congress aren’t with them. Pelosi was in a position to converse to her husband following the assault and earlier than he was taken into surgical procedure, in line with a supply accustomed to the matter.

The assault despatched shock waves by way of Washington and sparked an outpouring of condolences and condemnation from congressional leaders on either side of the aisle. It has additionally underscored fears of political violence directed towards lawmakers within the wake of the January 6 rebellion, in addition to different high-profile violent incidents which have focused lawmakers lately.

President Joe Biden described the assault on Paul Pelosi as “despicable” and instantly tied the assault to rising strains of right-wing extremism.

“That is despicable. There’s no place in America – there’s an excessive amount of violence, political violence. An excessive amount of hatred. An excessive amount of vitriol,” Biden informed a fundraising dinner Friday in Philadelphia.

Senate GOP Chief Mitch McConnell stated in a tweet Friday that he was “horrified and disgusted” by the studies whereas Home GOP chief Kevin McCarthy’s workplace stated he had reached out to the speaker, a fellow Californian.

Vice President Kamala Harris stated the assault was extra proof of “scary stuff” occurring in politics across the nation.

At a marketing campaign rally Saturday in Baltimore, Harris recalled a time within the US when it was “appreciated that it’s the range of opinions that can lead us to progress, to sensible choices.”

However now, she stated, sure “so-called leaders” had been utilizing their positions to advance “preservation of their private energy” and to divide the nation. They’re “utilizing the bully pulpit in a means that’s propagating hate,” the vp stated.

Home Majority Chief Steny Hoyer, talking on the similar rally, requested folks to wish for Paul Pelosi and replicate on what led to the brutal assault.

“I need you to suppose upon the setting that has been created in America by some who would carry us down, who would pit each other in opposition to each other, who would degrade our Structure and our declaration and our proposition that ‘all women and men are created equal’” the Maryland Democrat stated. “We are saying, ‘These truths are self-evident,’ however they aren’t self-executing. It’s as much as us to make it possible for America survives the hate and division that too many purvey in our nation.”

Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, who is ready to grow to be Home Oversight chairman if the GOP good points management of the Home subsequent 12 months, stated each Republicans and Democrats must tone down the political rhetoric and admitted that he too may work on that.

“I condemn any assault of political violence from anybody of both get together. It’s mistaken,” Comer informed CNN’s Pamela Brown on CNN Newsroom on Saturday. “I’ve stated for a number of years now the rhetoric retains getting worse and worse. It’s very troublesome setting on the market. You will have lots of people that get so fired up, due to numerous political causes. It places many politicians in a harmful spot.”

Comer referred again to the 2017 taking pictures at a baseball apply through which then-Home Majority Whip Steve Scalise and a number of other others had been shot.

“It’s a horrible setting, and I imagine folks in each events are responsible of intense rhetoric that actually results in – feed into these people who find themselves deranged, and create violence. It’s the identical factor that occurred with the shooter that shot at Steve Scalise and a number of other different Republican colleagues. Violence is mistaken, these folks have to be put in jail for the remainder of their life, and we have to attempt to do higher in each events. Myself included,” Comer stated.

Authorities in San Francisco are interesting to the general public to offer suggestions relating to the assault.

“Whereas an arrest has been made, this stays an open investigation,” the San Francisco Police Division stated in a press release.

Anybody with info is requested to name the SFPD Tip Line at 1-415-575-4444.

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Murphy, Eagle Who Became a Foster Dad, Found Dead After Storm

Published

2 hours ago

March 23, 2025

Press Room

Murphy, Eagle Who Became a Foster Dad, Found Dead After Storm

Murphy, the beloved bald eagle who became a real foster father in 2023 after weeks spent incubating a rock, was found dead in his enclosure at a bird sanctuary in Missouri this month after a fierce storm pummeled the region on March 14, his keepers said last week.

In a statement posted to social media, officials at the World Bird Sanctuary, a reserve in Valley Park, Mo., about 22 miles southwest of St. Louis, said that a full necropsy showed that Murphy, 33, had sustained “some form of trauma to his head.” The sanctuary said that it was unclear if the bird had been “spooked by something and hit his head while jumping off a perch or if wind and precipitation played a part in the injury.”

Murphy had experienced “countless storms” over the years without issue, the sanctuary said. The sanctuary said that all of its birds had access to shelters to protect themselves from severe weather, and that the storm on March 14, which killed 12 people in Missouri, had not required any bird evacuations since no tornadoes approached the facility.

“While we do everything that we can to keep our birds safe,” the statement added, “accidents outside of our control can happen.”

Roger Holloway, the sanctuary’s executive director, said in an interview on Sunday that although strong winds and some hail had struck the sanctuary, neither Murphy’s enclosure nor the other eagles inside it appeared to have been affected. One possibility is that Murphy had been knocked on the head by a hailstone, Mr. Holloway said.

Murphy, who could not fly, had lived at the sanctuary since the 1990s. He gained international fame about two years ago after his keepers — noticing his tenacity and dedication to a small, meteorite-shaped rock upon which he brooded — entrusted him with a real charge: A tiny eaglet that had fallen from a tree in a storm and was in dire need of a parent. He was the only bald eagle that has ever been a foster parent at the sanctuary.

Murphy rose to the challenge, responding to the chick’s peeps, protecting it and tearing a whole fish into smaller pieces that the eaglet could eat. Though Murphy, who had wing damage, could not teach the eaglet to fly or hunt, he proved to be a devoted dad. His story inspired memes, illustrations and a plush toy, and also won him scores of fans worldwide.

Murphy’s eaglet grew strong and was eventually released into the wild, according to the sanctuary. So keepers gave him another eaglet to foster. That second bird is still in the sanctuary’s care, the sanctuary said, and is progressing toward release by this summer.

“Murphy helped him to really get to the end point of growing up,” Mr. Holloway said of the second eaglet, noting that the elder bird helped the younger one “to know he was an eagle.”

“All Murphy had to do was sit there and look like an eagle and eat and preen and just do what eagles do,” Mr. Holloway said.

As Murphy’s keepers mourned his loss, they said, they also felt grateful for the several years he had lived beyond a bald eagle’s typical life span, which is 20 to 25 years.

“His resilience, spirit, and dedication as a foster dad touched the hearts of millions of people throughout the world,” the sanctuary said in its statement, adding, “We are devastated by this loss.”

The World Bird Sanctuary said it had learned a lot by observing Murphy with his eaglets, which were the first it had received in more than a decade. The center has since designed special aviaries “to serve the specific needs of injured and orphaned raptors.” The sanctuary said it plans to name that facility “Murphy’s Manor” in his honor.

“Birds of prey are apex predators,” Mr. Holloway said, “but they have that tender side too.”

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Singapore’s luxury car sales plummet after money-laundering scandal

Published

4 hours ago

March 23, 2025

Press Room

Singapore’s luxury car sales plummet after money-laundering scandal

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Luxury car sales in Singapore have plummeted as buyers shun ostentatious displays of wealth after the government raised taxes on the vehicles and stepped up due diligence checks in response to a $2bn money-laundering scandal.

The number of new Bentley, Ferrari, Jaguar and Rolls-Royce models sold in the city-state dropped by as much as three-quarters last year compared with 2023, as wealthy buyers shunned luxury brands following a damaging money-laundering case in which police seized scores of flashy vehicles.

“Most of the luxury cars bought in recent years were by Chinese customers,” said Anson Lee, managing director of luxury car dealership Euro Performance Asia. “Following the scandal, you are now seeing the market stagnate.

“I still have Chinese customers, but they want to keep a low profile, so the whole market has slowed down,” said Lee, adding that his customers increasingly preferred electric vehicles.

EV sales have rocketed, particularly for Chinese manufacturer BYD, which was the second top-selling car brand in Singapore last year after only entering the market in 2020.

BYD sales hit 6,191 in 2024, a fourfold increase on the year before, while Tesla sales more than doubled to 2,384, according to figures from the Land Transport Authority.

At the same time, new Rolls-Royce sales dropped from 95 to 23 last year, while the figure for Ferrari fell from 97 to 29. The number of new Jaguars nearly halved to 27, while Bentley sales fell to 25 from 58.

Bentley attributed the decline to the run-out of existing models, with new versions of the Continental GT and Flying Spur entering the market only at the start of this year. It expects sales to improve with the availability of the new cars.

Jaguar, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce declined to comment.

Singapore has seen an influx of wealth in recent years, especially from Chinese nationals, as it competes to be Asia’s premier asset and wealth management hub, but the ambitions have also come with risk.

The city-state was rocked two years ago by a money-laundering case involving individuals linked to a gang from China’s Fujian province. During raids on properties across the island, police seized 77 vehicles.

At one property, four cars with a combined value of S$4.7mn (US$3.5mn) were confiscated, including a red Rolls-Royce Dawn, a black Rolls-Royce Cullinan, a red Porsche 911 Targa and a white Toyota Alphard.

“You see a lot fewer red Rolls-Royces cruising around Singapore these days,” said a person involved in the case in which 10 individuals have been sentenced.

A red Rolls-Royce is loaded on to a flatbed tow truck in front of a modern building, with several people, including a police officer, observing and documenting the scene — Police seize a red Rolls-Royce Dawn at the residence of one of the suspects in Singapore’s $2bn money-laundering case in October 2023 © Ore Huiying/Bloomberg

Dealers said one of the reasons for the decline in new luxury vehicles was that the confiscated cars were being sold back to the market. Singapore’s justice minister, K Shanmugam, said last month that the government had so far sold 33 of the seized cars.

In response to the scandal, Singapore’s government ordered luxury car dealers, property agents and gemstone sellers to check sources of financing for their most expensive products and report buyers they suspected of having criminal links.

“We have [always had] to do our due diligence on customers, but this has become more sensitive because of the money-laundering case,” said Lee.

Luxury car sales have also been hit by a higher tax introduced in 2023 to cool what the government perceived as an overheated market coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Taxes on the most expensive cars — those priced above S$80,000 — rose to 320 per cent from 220 per cent. The government also introduced changes to limit the resale value of cars.

Another consideration for buyers is the cost of certificates of entitlement, which residents must obtain before they are allowed to purchase a car. The prices are based on a bidding system to control the number of vehicles on the road.

For the most powerful models, the certificates currently cost just under S$117,000, up from S$96,000 a year ago but significantly below the S$150,000 pricetag in November 2023, reflecting a drop in demand for high-end vehicles.

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As Ovechkin nears the NHL goals record, the hockey world leans in to savor the moment

Published

4 hours ago

March 23, 2025

Press Room

As Ovechkin nears the NHL goals record, the hockey world leans in to savor the moment

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals celebrates after scoring against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 16, 2024, in Philadelphia. He’s now in his 20th season in the NHL.

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WASHINGTON — Step into Washington’s Capital One Arena, and the number 895 pervades every curve of the concourse — there’s even a stack of exactly that many pucks, topped by a goal horn waiting for a certain historic moment to blare.

It’s the magic number in hockey this spring: the number of career goals it will take for Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin to break one of the most significant records in National Hockey League history.

When the sport’s all-time great, Wayne Gretzky, retired in 1999, he left the NHL having scored 894 goals in his regular-season career, 93 more than any player before him. To many, Gretzky’s record seemed like it might never be broken.

The crowd of spectators, players and team mates applaud as Wayne Gretzky of the New York Rangers waves in salute on his retirement after the National Hockey League (NHL) game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on 18 April 1999 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Wayne Gretzky waves to the crowd at New York City’s Madison Square Garden after his last game in the National Hockey League, against the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 18, 1999.

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Ovechkin, with 888, is on the brink. He only needs six more goals to tie Gretzky’s record — and seven to set a mark of his own. The chase has come to loom large over every Capitals game, broadcast and hockey front page.

“He amazes me night in, night out. I mean, he truly is the best,” Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren said after a February game in which Ovechkin scored three goals, the cheers of the delighted Washington crowd growing more deafening with each score.

Even Ovechkin’s teammates were starstruck that night — and every night, as the record draws nearer. “You can’t deny how special this is,” Lindgren said. “I’m trying to soak it in every single chance I can.”

“Russian machine never breaks”

The career goals record, along with the career points record (in hockey, a statistic that counts both goals and assists), are the two most significant records in the sport, according to hockey historian Andrew Podnieks.

“As the game progresses, and [with] the quality and the skill and the coaching and the styles of play, fewer and fewer records — those big records — are going to be broken,” he said. “Those are the kinds of records, when Ovechkin retires, that will stand the test of time.”

From the start of his career, Ovechkin has always been a threat to score. But scoring capability alone is not enough to claim a record like this. It’s the combination of skill and Ovechkin’s remarkable longevity that has made claiming the record possible.

Early in his NHL career, Ovechkin took a hard shot to his foot and had to be helped off the ice. The next day, he had completely recovered. When a surprised reporter inquired, Ovechkin famously replied, “Russian machine never breaks.”

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 26: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals looks on before playing against the New York Rangers in Game Three of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on April 26, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

At 39, Ovechkin might not blaze across the ice like he used to, but he’s already scored 35 goals this season and is tied for fourth-most league-wide — even though a broken fibula sidelined him for more than a month.

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That durability has never been more salient. In his 20th season in the league, Ovechkin has already scored 35 goals — tied for fourth-most league-wide. Nevermind that he was sidelined for more than a month after a leg-on-leg hit in a November game left him with a broken fibula.

“Scoring goals is a difficult task, and if you look at everybody’s career arc, goal scoring goes down as you get older. It’s a fact of life,” Podnieks said.

The years are visible on Ovechkin, who at 39 moves slower on the ice these days. His unruly brown hair has turned grey, and he has lost a tooth and a half. He moves more slowly than he once did, drifting down the ice when the younger Ovechkin more often barreled toward the goal.

Yet he has scored more goals this year than the season when he was 25. Had he not broken his leg, he might have scored 50 this year.

“That’s just mind-boggling,” Podnieks said.

“Ovi’s office”

Ovechkin’s consistency as a scorer is due in part to his trademark move — a one-timer slapshot from the left side of the ice. That shot is especially deadly during the power play, when his Capitals are up a man while an opposing player sits in the penalty box.

His preference for that particular spot on the ice — around the left face-off circle, stick raised, ready to slap the puck into the net — was evident early in his career. Before long, commentators and fans were calling it his “office.”

WASHINGTON DC, DC - APRIL 23: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals skates against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Verizon Center on April 23, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Ovechkin skates against the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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“That is not a play that ages you easily,” Podnieks said. “You can stand there when you’re 50 years old, and if someone puts the puck on your stick and you’ve got a great shot like he’s got, it’s going to go in the net.”

Even when opponents know it’s coming, they struggle to stop it, said Capitals forward Anthony Beauvillier, who played against Washington for years before being traded to the Capitals this spring.

“It’s so hard to score goals in this league the way he’s been doing it over and over and over again, with guys knowing exactly where he’s going to stand in the power play, and still being able to get it off and score a goal from there,” Beauvillier said.

Ovechkin’s career has seen the NHL reach new heights after its low point

Ovechkin is no stranger to pressure, or to the spotlight of an entire league. He entered the NHL at its lowest point: the lockout of 2004–’05, when union negotiations between the team owners and players grew so acrimonious that an entire season of hockey was wiped away.

It remains the only time in major North American professional sports that a labor dispute erased a whole season. At the time, there was serious anxiety about whether attendance and viewership could recover.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 1: Alexander Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals 2004 first round draft pick, is introduced at a press conference September 1, 2005 at the MCI Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Ovechkin went No. 1 in the 2004 draft, signing with the Washington Capitals. He didn’t begin his NHL career until 2005, because a labor dispute wiped out the 2004-’05 season.

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Hopes rested on the shoulders of two young phenoms who entered the league the year the lockout ended: Sidney Crosby, the divine 18-year-old Canadian drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and of course, Ovechkin, the bruising 20-year-old from Moscow.

It was billed as a rivalry for the ages, and TV broadcasts played it up, hoping to lure back hockey fans and spark the league back to life.

Two other players so young might have wilted under the pressure. But not Crosby and Ovechkin, said the historian Podnieks. “They welcomed the attention, and they thrived on the attention, and they thrived on the rivalry,” he said. “These two young … players really did take the league and drive the energy and the enthusiasm after the lockout.”

A dozen games to go

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, of Russia, hoists the Stanley Cup after the Capitals defeated the Golden Knights in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals Thursday, June 7, 2018, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

The Washington Capitals took their first Stanley Cup on June 7, 2018, knocking out the Golden Knights in Game 5 in Las Vegas. Ovechkin, the team captain, later won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.

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Twenty years later, Ovechkin has performed beyond any Washington fan’s loftiest dreams. He helped reverse the fortunes of a long-suffering franchise and brought the team its first Stanley Cup, in 2018.

Now, skating into the twilight of his career, his current contract is set to expire after the end of next season. It could be his last. Barring injury or unexpected early retirement, he is essentially certain to claim the goals record for himself, whether it comes this spring or next fall.

The Capitals have 12 games left to play this regular season. The NHL plans to start bringing Gretzky and Commissioner Gary Bettman to every Capitals game, to have them both on hand for the historic moment when it comes.

Ovechkin says he won’t feel any disappointment if the chase stretches into the fall. “It’s life. You can’t change it, so it is what it is,” he told reporters at practice last week.

His teammates say they will enjoy this ride while it lasts.

“I’ve never seen a guy so hungry. Some guys score and they go, ‘OK, I had a good night.’ He comes back to the bench, and he’s asking if he can go out again right away,” said forward Tom Wilson. “It’s been an amazing journey watching him do what he can do.”

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 23: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates after teammate Jakob Chychrun scored a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period at Capital One Arena on February 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The Caps have a dozen games left this regular season. The NHL plans to start bringing Wayne Gretzky to all the games so that he’ll be there for the inevitable moment when Ovechkin breaks his career goals record.

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