Author: CNN

CNN
 — 

After suffering yet another stinging defeat on Wednesday, in which he lost a sixth round of voting for House speaker, Kevin McCarthy proposed more key concessions in his push to get 218 votes – including agreeing to propose a rules change that would allow just one member to call for a vote to oust a sitting speaker, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The major concession comes as McCarthy is struggling to find a path forward with the House adjourned until 12 p.m. ET on Thursday.

The House GOP majority has been stuck at a contentious stalemate amid opposition to McCarthy from a group of conservatives. The fight, which began on the first day of the 118th Congress, has thrown the new House GOP majority into chaos and undercut the party’s agenda.

The House will continue to be paralyzed until this standoff is resolved. The situation has grown dire for McCarthy’s political future as Republican allies are beginning to fear that the House GOP leader may not be able to pull off his gamble for speaker if the fight goes much longer.

It’s not at all clear whether McCarthy and his allies will be able to lock down the votes – and the longer the fight drags on, the more imperiled his speakership bid has become. But there were signs Wednesday that negotiations are progressing.

McCarthy’s latest concession would be a significant win for hardline conservatives – after the California Republican had already proposed a five-member threshold, down from current conference rules that require half of the GOP to call for such a vote. But many more moderate members had been concerned about giving in to the far-right on this matter since it could weaken the speakership and cause chaos in the ranks.

In two more concessions, the sources said, he’s also agreed to allow for more members of the Freedom Caucus to serve on the powerful House Rules Committee, which dictates how and whether bills come to the floor, and to vote on a handful of bills that are priorities for the holdouts, including proposing term limits on members and a border security plan.

Nothing is final, however, since the negotiations are ongoing. And Republican sources say that even if McCarthy’s offer is accepted, it would still not get him the 218 votes he needs to be speaker. While these concessions could attract some new support, other opponents have raised different concerns that have yet to be fully addressed.

After a series of failed speaker votes earlier in the day, the House adjourned for several hours as Republicans continued talks.

Texas Rep. Chip Roy, one of the conservatives who has voted against McCarthy’s speakership bid, told GOP leaders that he thinks he can get 10 holdouts to come along if these ongoing negotiations pan out, according to GOP sources familiar with the internal discussions, and that there are additional detractors who may be willing to vote “present.”

Sources said the talks Wednesday between McCarthy allies and holdouts have been the most productive and serious ones to date. And in one sign of a breakthrough, a McCarthy-aligned super PAC agreed to not play in open Republican primaries in safe seats – one of the big demands that conservatives had asked for but that McCarthy had resisted until this point.

“We’ve had more discussions in the last two days as a body sitting there, than we’ve done in frickin’ four years,” Roy said when leaving the Capitol Wednesday night.

Still, even if these negotiations prove successful and 10 lawmakers do flip to McCarthy’s column – which is far from certain – that doesn’t get McCarthy to the 218 votes to win the speakership, so he would still have more work to do.

Incoming House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said Wednesday evening that the negotiations over the next speaker have been “very, very constructive.”

“There were a whole bunch of members that were involved in this and there are some folks now that are sitting down and talking about that discussion to see where they want to go with it next,” the Minnesota Republican said.

House Republicans hold 222 seats in the new Congress, so for McCarthy to reach 218, he can only afford to lose four GOP votes. His obstacle is that he faces a small but determined contingent of hardline conservatives who have so far been successful in denying him the votes to secure the gavel.

The group has used the leverage they have in the razor-thin Republican majority to extract concessions. McCarthy has already given in to a number of their demands, including making it increasingly easier to topple the sitting speaker, but so far his efforts have not been enough.

The House convened on Wednesday to continue voting after three rounds of votes on Tuesday. McCarthy has come up short each time, failing to hit the majority threshold needed to secure the speakership.

As the votes stretched on Tuesday, the situation appeared to become even more dire for McCarthy, as the vote count in opposition to his speaker bid grew.

The tally for the first ballot in the speaker vote was 203 for McCarthy, with 19 Republicans voting for other candidates. The tally for the second ballot was 203 votes for McCarthy with 19 votes for GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio. In the third round of voting, there were 202 votes for McCarthy and 20 votes for Jordan, with Rep. Byron Donalds joining the 19 GOP lawmakers who had voted against McCarthy in the first two rounds.

It was the first time an election for speaker went to multiple ballots since 1923.

“My vote yesterday was basically to break a deadlock, because we were deadlocked, and we were not getting anywhere,” Donalds, a Florida Republican, said Wednesday on “CNN This Morning.” “Right now, (McCarthy) doesn’t have a pathway to get there. If that reemerges, yeah, I can be there, that’s fine, but what’s necessary now is that Republicans come together and find a way to elect a speaker.”

In the fourth round of voting, 20 Republicans voting together for Donalds as the group switched their collective support from Jordan to Donalds. Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana voted present, lowering McCarthy’s threshold to 217.

Spartz told CNN she did so because she wanted to allow for more negotiations within the conference to address the concerns of the 20 members.

The final tally for the fifth vote was again 201 votes for McCarthy, 20 for Donalds and one present vote.

The final tally for the sixth vote was the same: 201 for McCarthy, 20 for Donalds and one present vote.

Trump is watching closely as the dynamic plays out on Capitol Hill and his public support has been a key focus of McCarthy’s efforts.

Two GOP sources familiar with the matter said McCarthy’s allies were panicking on Tuesday after the former president gave a tepid response to NBC News when asked about his support for McCarthy. The former president also declined to issue a statement Monday reiterating his endorsement of McCarthy despite a behind-the-scenes effort from several McCarthy allies to get Trump to do so, two sources said.

One close McCarthy ally then began working behind the scenes to do clean-up duty and started pressing for Trump to put out a statement clarifying his support. McCarthy and Trump then connected by phone, where McCarthy said Trump expressed he was still committed to backing him. Trump put out a strong endorsement on Truth Social Wednesday morning, imploring Republicans not to “TURN A GREAT TRIUMPH INTO A GIANT & EMBARRASSING DEFEAT” and urging them to vote for McCarthy.

Although Trump’s statement might not move the needle among the fiercest McCarthy foes, one of the sources said McCarthy world was worried about looking “weak” and like he was bleeding support, so they felt it was important to reverse the narrative.

Gaetz, one of the House Republicans opposing McCarthy’s bid for speaker, dismissed Trump’s latest effort to help the California Republican as “sad.”

“This changes neither my view of McCarthy nor Trump nor my vote,” Gaetz said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Wednesday, shortly after Trump came to McCarthy’s defense in the Truth Social post.

Long a staunch Trump ally, Gaetz’s refusal to bow to Trump’s desire for a McCarthy speakership raises new questions about the former president’s dwindling influence over Republicans in the midst of his third presidential campaign.

“If Matt Gaetz is ignoring you, that’s not a good sign,” said one Trump ally who is involved with his 2024 campaign.

Trump has been making calls on McCarthy’s behalf over the last 24 hours in an attempt to break the conservative blockade against him, this person said, but his efforts have so far been fruitless.

One lawmaker who spoke with Trump late Tuesday suggested the former president should run for speaker himself, according to a person briefed on the call. Trump demurred and continued to push this person to support McCarthy, claiming that he would be a solid “America First” supporter.

This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.

CNN
 — 

Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November, has arrived back in Idaho after waiving extradition from his home state of Pennsylvania.

Law enforcement escorted Kohberger to the Latah County Jail on Wednesday night. He was booked on four counts of murder and one count of burglary, according to jail records.

Earlier Wednesday, an online flight tracker showed that the Pennsylvania state police aircraft believed to have been carrying Kohberger had arrived at the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport, just across the border in Washington state. A CNN team at the airport saw Idaho law enforcement vehicles on site.

Kohberger was handed over from Monroe County Correctional Facility to Pennsylvania State Police authorities, jail warden Garry Haidle told CNN. State Police would not comment on any prisoner transport, per its policy.

Kohberger was arrested Friday in Pennsylvania, almost seven weeks after Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, were found fatally stabbed November 13 in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.

Authorities have yet to release key details in the case, such as whether the suspect knew the victims and what the motive may have been.

Investigators focused on Kohberger as a suspect after tracing ownership of a white Hyundai Elantra, which had been seen in the area of the killings, to him, according to two law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation.

Also, his DNA was matched to genetic material recovered at the home where the students were killed, the sources said.

The suspect recently finished his first semester as a PhD student in the criminal justice program at Washington State University’s campus in Pullman, about a 15-minute drive west of Moscow.

He drove home to Pennsylvania for the holidays accompanied by his father, Monroe County Chief Public Defender Jason LaBar said. The father and son arrived around December 17.

The white Elantra authorities had been looking for in connection with the killings was found at Kohberger’s parents’ house, LaBar said.

An FBI surveillance team tracked Kohberger for four days before his arrest while law enforcement worked with prosecutors to develop enough probable cause to get a warrant, the two law enforcement sources said.

The probable-cause affidavit, which would contain information to justify the suspect’s arrest, remains sealed until he appears in an Idaho court.

A court order prohibits the prosecution and defense from commenting beyond public records.

Greece has repeatedly called for the permanent return of the sculptures that British diplomat Lord Elgin removed from the imposing Parthenon temple in Athens in the early 19th century, when he was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, which then ruled Greece.

Five girls walk in a single file, part of a collection of stone objects, inscriptions and sculptures, known as the Elgin Marbles displayed at the Parthenon Marbles’ hall at the British Museum in October 2014. Credit: Dylan Martinez/Reuters/File

The paper reported such an arrangement, which would in effect be a loan arrangement, could be concluded soon. However, Greek officials have said discussions were at a preliminary stage.

“We’ve said publicly, we’re actively seeking a new Parthenon partnership with our friends in Greece and as we enter a new year constructive discussions are ongoing,” the British Museum said in a statement.

The museum, custodian of the “Elgin Marbles” which include about half of the 160-meter (525-foot) frieze that adorned the Parthenon, has always ruled out a permanent return for the sculptures, saying they were legally acquired and UK law prevented it from breaking up its collection.

The Head of a horse of Selene, part of a collection of stone objects, inscriptions and sculptures, known as the Elgin Marbles, is displayed at the Parthenon Marbles’ hall at the British Museum in October 2014. Credit: Dylan Martinez/Reuters/File

A spokesperson for the Greek government said there had not been any further discussions with British government officials recently, but its request for the return of the sculptures was ongoing.

“There hasn’t been a new development on this front,” the spokesperson said. “The government with professionalism and full respect for all the parameters of this issue will continue to pursue the best possible result, aiming at the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures.”

CNN
 — 

BMW unveiled a pair of concept cars at the Consumer Electronics Show that show off how future cars might respond to the moods of their owners, with moods of their own.

The two cars, which look basically the same, are both called the i Vision Dee concept. Dee stands for Digital Emotional Experience. One version of the car has, literally, color-changing body panels.

BMW showed off a “color-changing” concept vehicle at CES last year but that only changed into various shades of gray. This year, the i Vision Dee changes through a full palette of colors with different parts of the car body showing different colors all at once. Even the wheels change color.

The other i Vision Dee concept was built to show off new ideas for the “user interface,” which is how drivers and passengers interact with the vehicle. In this case, the “user interface” doesn’t just mean from inside the car.

Even the outside, the front of the car, the area around the headlights and the “grille” – which, on this car, is really a display panel – can exhibit different shapes and hues, creating something like facial expressions. The car can show different moods or reactions, such as approval, happiness or astonishment, according to BMW.

The car also has a head-up display, of course, but, in the i Vision Dee concept, the display stretches across the entire windshield. This particular feature is something BMW said it plans to put into actual production vehicles beginning in 2025.

As with other head-up displays, the projected images, which could include navigation cues or more involved images, would normally be mostly transparent.

In the concept car, images can be projected, but onto the side windows, as well. For instance, the driver can select a digital avatar that can be projected onto the side window as part of a greeting display as the driver approaches the vehicle.

The type of content, from basic driving information to cartoon characters, that is shown in the windshield and window displays is controlled using a slider control on the dashboard that is, itself, merely a projection. Rather than having a physical control or a permanent touchscreen, the “Mixed Reality Slider,” as BMW calls it, is projected onto the dashboard while sensors on the surface detect a finger sliding across the control.

With the control, a user can select from five different levels of digital content in the window displays. The levels range from just the most basic driving information to augmented reality information relating to what’s outside – all the way to fully virtual worlds that obscure everything outside. (Presumably the fully virtual experience is for use when the car is not being driven.)

The i Vision Dee is a sedan rather than an SUV, like last year’s CES concept, because the sedan remains “at the core of the BMW brand,” the automaker said in its announcement.

CNN
 — 

Health experts voiced concern Wednesday over the rapid growth of the new Omicron sublineage XBB.1.5, advising the public to stay informed but not alarmed as they work to learn more.

Over the month of December, the percentage of new Covid-19 infections in the United States caused by XBB.1.5 rose from an estimated 4% to 41%.

“That’s a stunning increase,” Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House Covid-19 response coordinator, wrote in a Twitter thread.

Officials at the World Health Organization shared similar thoughts Wednesday.

“We are concerned about its growth advantage,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist who is the WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19.

Van Kerkhove noted that XBB.1.5, which was first detected in the United States, has spread to at least 29 countries and “is the most transmissible form of Omicron to date.”

“We do expect further waves of infection around the world, but that doesn’t have to translate into further waves of death because our countermeasures continue to work,” she said.

Jha noted that effective tools to avoid severe Covid-19 infections include rapid tests, high-quality masks, ventilation and filtration of indoor air, oral antiviral pills and updated vaccines.

“We will soon have more data on how well vaccines neutralize XBB.1.5,” Jha said, suggesting that research to determine vaccine effectiveness against the new sublineage is underway.

Jha said XBB.1.5 is probably more able to slip past our immune defenses and may be more contagious. But he said it’s still not clear whether it causes more severe disease, something that was also stressed by Van Kerkhove.

She said WHO is working on a risk assessment for this sublineage and hopes to publish it within the next few days. The group’s technical advisers are looking at both real-world data on hospitalizations and lab studies to assess severity.

Jha said that although he is concerned about XBB.1.5, he doesn’t think it represents a huge setback in the fight against Covid-19.

“And if we all do our part,” he wrote, “We can reduce the impact it will have on our lives.”

Hong Kong
CNN
 — 

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have agreed to strengthen economic ties and resume talks on oil exploration, as they look to revive their economies amid the pandemic downturn and friction over contested areas of the South China Sea.

Xi met with Marcos Jr. on Wednesday during the Philippine President’s first state visit to Beijing, where the two leaders agreed to “appropriately manage differences,” according to a joint statement released Thursday.

The statement said the leaders had an “in-depth and candid” discussion about the situation in the South China Sea and “reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace and stability in the region.”

During the talks, Manila and Beijing also agreed to resume negotiations on oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea that were halted last June due to constitutional challenges and issues of sovereignty.

Marcos Jr. had previously said his country would pursue oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea even without a deal with China, which claims almost all of the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea as its own, though other territories, including the Philippines, have competing – and sometimes overlapping – claims on certain areas.

The South China Sea has long been a source of tension between Manila and Beijing, and relations were further strained in December when the Philippines Department of National Defense expressed “great concern” about the presence of Chinese vessels in the contested waterway.

The Philippines has repeatedly accused the Chinese vessels of harassing Filipino fishers in the region, and in a statement released Wednesday, Marcos Jr. says he raised the issue with Xi during their meeting in Beijing.

In the statement, Marcos Jr. said Xi promised to “find a solution” that would allow Philippine fishermen to operate in the Southeast Asian country’s natural fishing grounds.

“We also discussed what we can do to move forward, to avoid any possible mistakes, misunderstandings that could trigger a bigger problem than what we already have,” he added.

To that end, the countries announced plans to set up a direct line of communication between their maritime departments.

In the Philippines’ statement, Marcos Jr. said that Xi vowed to extend assistance to the Philippines including agriculture, infrastructure and maritime security, with both sides inking a total of 14 bilateral agreements.

Xi also promised wide-ranging cooperation opportunities with the Philippines, including support for Chinese investment to the Philippines, and helping its neighbor to develop agricultural technology, basic education, meteorology and space, and vaccine research, China’s Foreign Ministry said.

The Philippines has long been balancing America’s strategic interest in the Pacific alongside China’s geopolitical and economic rise.

While the Philippines is a longstanding defense ally of the United States, previous leader Rodrigo Duterte sought closer relations with China during his six years in power, setting aside its territorial spat in exchange for Chinese investments.

Marcos Jr.’s Beijing trip comes after US Vice President Kamala Harris visited the Philippines in November, where she reaffirmed Washington’s “unwavering” commitment to its ally.

During that visit, Harris and Marcos Jr. discussed 21 new projects funded by the United States, including more defense sites around the Philippines.

Washington
CNN
 — 

The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department are now offering $500,000 for information leading to an arrest of the person who placed pipe bombs near the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC, the night before the 2021 US Capitol riot, the FBI announced Wednesday.

The announcement represents a sharp increase in the amount of money the government is willing to pay for information in the investigation: the monetary reward had previously stood at $100,000 prior to Wednesday, up from the $50,000 the bureau initially offered in the wake of the riot.

The increased amount comes days before the two-year anniversary of the insurrection. Little information has been released about the investigation since the pipe bombs, which were viable but never detonated, were discovered.

“With the significantly increased reward, we urge those who may have previously hesitated to contact us – or who may not have realized they had important information – to review the information on our website and come forward with anything relevant,” said David Sundberg, the assistant director in charge of the FBI field office in DC, in a statement.

“Despite the unprecedented volume of data review involved in this case, the FBI and our partners continue to work relentlessly to bring the perpetrator of these dangerous attempted attacks to justice,” Sundberg added.

The statement said that investigators have “conducted around 1,000 interviews, visited more than 1,200 residences and businesses, collected more than 39,000 videos, and assessed nearly 500 tips” about the pipe bomber.

The bombs were discovered within minutes of each other around 1 p.m. ET on January 6, just around the time that a mob of angry supporters of then-President Donald Trump descended on the building after a nearby rally with the president, according to an account the acting chief of the US Capitol gave to lawmakers in January and the FBI poster.

According to the FBI, the individual placed the two pipe bombs between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on January 5, 2021.

Security footage released by the FBI shows the person was carrying a backpack in their hand and wearing a face mask, gray hooded sweatshirt and black and light grey Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers with a yellow logo.

In releasing additional footage in September 2021, the FBI said that “reviews of the suspect’s behavior in video footage and interviews with residents in the Capitol Hill neighborhood have led the FBI to believe the suspect is not from the area.”

CNN previously reported the devices had been rigged to egg timers and filled with an explosive powder. Officers from the ATF, FBI, US Capitol Police and DC Metropolitan Police had responded to the scene at the two offices, which are less than a quarter mile apart and just blocks south of the Capitol, and the bombs were safely detonated at the scene by robots.

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday acknowledged the upcoming two-year anniversary of the Capitol riot, saying in a statement that the Justice Department’s work of prosecuting those who attacked democracy is “far from over.”

“Two years ago, the United States Capitol was attacked as lawmakers met to affirm the results of a presidential election,” Garland said. “Perpetrators attacked police officers, targeted and assaulted members of the media, and interfered with a fundamental element of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next.”

The DOJ released updated figures on its sprawling criminal investigation, announcing that more than 950 defendants have been arrested for their alleged participation in the riot, more than 284 of whom have been charged with assault, and 99 with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.

Of the nearly 1,000 defendants, 484 have pleaded guilty, the department said, and 40 defendants have been found guilty after taking their cases to trial in DC. Only one January 6 defendant has been acquitted of all charges relating to the riot.

Law enforcement officials are still looking for approximately 350 people who the department believes were involved in violence at the Capitol, including 250 who allegedly assaulted police.

CLARIFICATION: This headline and story has been updated to reflect that along with the FBI, the ATF and DC police have increased the reward amount.

CNN
 — 

Myanmar’s military government will release 7,012 prisoners under an amnesty to mark the country’s independence day, state broadcaster MRTV reported on Wednesday, as the junta chief praised some countries for maintaining support for his nation.

The Southeast Asian country has faced international isolation and Western-led sanctions since the military seized power from a democratically elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung Sang Suu Kyi nearly two years ago.

“I want to say thank you to some international and regional countries and organizations and individuals who positively cooperated with us… in the midst of all the pressure, criticisms and attacks,” Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said in a speech to mark Myanmar’s 75th independence day.

“We are closely working with neighbouring countries such as China, India, Thailand, Laos and Bangladesh. We will work together for border stability and development,” Min Aung Hlaing said in a speech at a parade in the capital Naypyitaw, complete with flag-waving civil servants, marching soldiers, tanks and a flypast by military jets.

Myanmar has been in chaos since the army took power from Suu Kyi’s government on February 1, 2021. They have since detained her and other officials, and responded to pro-democracy protests and dissent with brutal force, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

While street protests are now rare after bloody crackdowns, the military is involved in almost daily clashes with minority ethnic forces and insecurity has spread to swathes of the country as members of a so-called People’s Defense Force have taken up arms to fight for a return to democracy.

Meanwhile, Suu Kyi was recently convicted of five counts of corruption and jailed for seven more years, wrapping up a marathon of trials condemned internationally as a sham designed to keep the junta’s biggest threat at bay amid widespread domestic resistance to its rule.

Suu Kyi is being held in a jail in Naypyitaw in solitary confinement, and the military insist she has received due process by an independent court.

Authorities typically release some prisoners to mark the day when Myanmar declared independence from British rule.

MRTV said the latest amnesty would not include those convicted of murder and rape, or jailed for charges related to explosives, unlawful association, weapons, drugs, natural disaster management and corruption.

It was not immediately clear if any political detainees would be freed.

The United States, the European Union and countries such as Britain and Canada, have imposed sanctions on Myanmar’s military and individuals deemed to have helped the junta come to power.

In a further rebuke, the UN Security Council last month adopted its first resolution on Myanmar in 74 years, demanding an end to violence and for the junta to free all political detainees.

Referring to international pressure, Min Aung Hlaing hit out at what he said were “disruptions from countries and organizations who want to intervene in Myanmar’s internal affairs.”

Still, the junta has maintained some international support. The UN Security Council remains split over how to deal with the Myanmar crisis, with China and Russia arguing against strong action. They also abstained from last month’s vote on a resolution, along with India.

Thailand also hosted regional talks last month to discuss the crisis, including rare international appearances by junta ministers, even as several key members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, vocal in their criticism of the junta, did not attend.

ASEAN is leading diplomatic peace efforts and Myanmar’s generals have been barred from the bloc’s high-profile gatherings for failing to honor promises to start talks with opponents linked to Suu Kyi’s ousted government.

CNN
 — 

Prince Harry has accused his brother, William, of physically assaulting him during an argument over his wife, Meghan Markle, in 2019, according to The Guardian.

The UK newspaper claims to have seen an advance copy of Prince Harry’s highly anticipated memoir, Spare, in which Harry, the Duke of Sussex, reportedly alleges his brother William, the Prince of Wales, knocked him to the floor during the altercation.

The alleged scuffle took place after a conversation between the two brothers, during which William, the heir to the British throne, called Markle “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive,” according to The Guardian.

The confrontation escalated until William “grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and … knocked me to the floor’,” The Guardian reported.

CNN has requested an advance copy of the book from publisher Penguin Random House, but has not received a response. Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace and a spokesperson for the Sussexes declined CNN’s request for comment on the alleged altercation.

The Guardian article focuses on the alleged physical altercation between the brothers but describes the entirety of the book as a “remarkable volume.”

The article reports Harry’s version of events, in which William arrives at Harry and Meghan’s then home, Nottingham Cottage on Kensington Palace grounds, to allegedly discuss “‘the whole rolling catastrophe’ of their relationship and struggles with the press.”

Harry alleges that William attacked him after he had offered him water and attempted to cool a heated verbal exchange, according to The Guardian.

The article quotes Harry: “He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.”

The article says Harry states in the book that William urged him to hit back, but he refused to do so. William left but later returned, “looking regretful” and apologized, according to the Guardian article, quoting the book.

Spare is due to be released on January 10.

Since their wedding in 2018, Harry and Meghan’s relationship has been under intense media scrutiny, with particular focus placed on the Duchess of Sussex.

In a recent Netflix documentary, Harry blamed the media for placing undue stress on his Meghan, leading to her having a miscarriage and suffering suicidal thoughts.

The couple said the unrelenting media coverage ultimately led them to quit working as members of the Royal family.

Harry admitted in the six-part documentary that he didn’t deal with Meghan’s deteriorating mental health “particularly well” at first.

“I knew she was struggling; we were both struggling, but I never thought it would get to that stage. The fact it got to that stage I felt angry and ashamed,” Harry recounted, adding: “I dealt with it as institutional Harry as opposed to husband Harry.”

Meghan said she wanted to go somewhere for help but claimed she wasn’t allowed to because of concerns about how it would look for the institution, without specifying who she believes stopped her. She made similar comments in her explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 to connect with a trained counselor or visit the NSPL site. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide also provide contact information for crisis centers around the world.

CNN
 — 

Trevor Bickford, the 19-year-old accused of attacking New York Police Department officers with a machete on New Year’s Eve, traveled to the city “in order to kill people and carry out jihad,” prosecutors say.

Bickford allegedly went to the Times Square checkpoint just after 10 p.m., authorities have said. At the security area, he allegedly pulled out a machete, struck one officer with the blade and another officer in the head with the handle, and then swung the blade at a third officer, who shot Bickford in the shoulder, according to law enforcement sources and the NYPD.

The three injured NYPD officers were hospitalized in stable condition and have been released, the department said.

Speaking at Bickford’s arraignment Wednesday, prosecutors said the suspect tried to grab a gun from an officer during the attack, but couldn’t get it out of the holster.

“The defendant admitted that he purposefully waited until he saw a moment when the officer was isolated and not near any civilian when he could attack him,” prosecutor Lucy Nicholas said in court.

Bickford, according to a criminal complaint, told authorities during his interview that he said “(Allahu) Akbar” before he walked up and hit the officer over the head with the weapon.

The suspect also allegedly said that all government officials were his target because in his mind, they “cannot be proper Muslims because the United States government supports Israel,” prosecutors said.

Bickford appeared via video feed from his hospital bed at Bellevue Hospital, where sources previously said he was being treated for the gunshot wound.

He was formally charged with three counts of attempted murder in the first degree, one count of assault in the first degree, two counts of attempted assault in the first degree and three counts of assault in the second degree.

Bickford was remanded back into custody. No plea was entered.

Rosemary Vassallo-Vellucci, Bickford’s attorney with the Legal Aid Society, said her client is “presumed innocent” and argued he should be released on his own recognizance, highlighting his age, that he’s been in custody for more than 24 hours and has no arrest record.

Vassallo-Vellucci also mentioned the suspect’s alleged community ties, telling the judge he was living with his family in Maine and most recently worked at a golf course.

The Legal Aid Society said the suspect “has no prior contact with the criminal legal system.” The group said it had recently received details of the case from the District Attorney’s office and will have “more to say … after a thorough review and investigation.”

“For now, we ask the public to refrain from drawing hasty conclusions and to respect the privacy of our client’s family,” the group added.

Bickford had been on the FBI’s radar even before the attack, and was interviewed by federal agents in Maine last month after he said he wanted to travel overseas to help fellow Muslims and was willing to die for his religion, multiple law enforcement sources previously said.

Bickford’s mother and grandmother became concerned about his desire to travel to Afghanistan to join the Taliban and reported this to the Wells, Maine, police department on December 10, the sources said.

When the FBI opened its wider investigation they also placed him on a terrorist watch list, according to sources.

But because the Taliban is not designated a foreign terrorist entity, planning to travel to Afghanistan to join the group does not constitute the federal crime of “attempted material support of a terrorist group.”

Multiple law enforcement sources told CNN that Bickford traveled to New York via Amtrak, so those travels would not have tripped any watch list databases.